Chapter 54

The experiences of the past two days had actually dealt a huge shock to Bai Yuhui and Hong Kaibao.

Su Wangchuan had displayed impressive 《Archery》 ability in the village, earning considerable rewards in every battle. That alone was already noteworthy…

But yesterday, the scene of Su Wangchuan single-handedly killing thirty-seven wild wolves made the two of them truly understand what a martial artist’s bearing was, and what a true powerhouse looked like.

They were all miners.

Yet Senior Brother Wangchuan had already stood out far above the rest.

They also wanted to grow stronger while securing high-paying work.

At the very least, when danger struck Blackstone Village, they did not want to be as helpless as ordinary miners, left at the mercy of fate.

That was why Bai Yuhui asked the question earlier:

“Senior Brother Wangchuan, do you think we should also save up some money and buy a first-rank martial art to practice?”

Su Wangchuan paused slightly, then turned to look at Bai Yuhui.

“You want to become a martial artist?”

“Yes!”

Bai Yuhui nodded forcefully.

“I know I don’t have Senior Brother Wangchuan’s talent, nor am I as diligent as you, but I want to try…”

“What you discussed with Boss Lin Xun, we all know about it too. Blackstone Village will face a major calamity in the future. When Blackwind Stronghold returns, we may all have to leave. At that time, the company might assign us to another village to continue mining. If we’re unlucky, we might be forced to stay behind in Blackstone Village and die there, just like the players from Tianshui Village.”

“I want to give myself another choice.”

Bai Yuhui spoke with utmost seriousness.

At this moment, Hong Kaibao also interjected with a resolute gaze.

“Me too.”

“If you wait until you save up a hundred taels of silver, that’ll be ages away. If you really want to change your fate, you must seize the time and master 《Basic Spear Technique》 first!”

Su Wangchuan pointed them toward a clear path.

“Captain Zhao Heiniu has been training everyone very seriously lately. Follow him and train properly. The third training requirement is actually very easy to pass. I can teach you that part… As for the fourth training, one-handed thrusting ten thousand times, rely purely on repetition and brute effort. Even if you’re slow, you’ll succeed within ten days!”

Both of their eyes lit up.

“Really?!”

“Thank you, Senior Brother!”

“We’ll listen to you!”

“Mm.”

The two of them were overjoyed.

With Senior Brother Wangchuan’s assurance, they felt as if they had swallowed a reassurance pill.

Su Wangchuan’s expression turned serious.

“Starting tomorrow, you will follow the training plan I set for you, to the letter. If I find that either of you is slacking off or unable to persist, then pretend I never said any of this.”

He knew very well that not everyone could maintain the same level of discipline he did.

But if either Bai Yuhui or Hong Kaibao managed to persevere and master 《Basic Spear Technique》, Blackstone Village would gain another Quasi-Martial Artist in a short period of time.

“Senior Brother Wangchuan, don’t worry. We’ll definitely persist!”

“That’s right! We can do it.”

The two of them pounded their chests in guarantee.

Su Wangchuan said nothing more.

After returning to Blackstone Village, he passed on the techniques he had once used to practice holding a spear in a horse stance. He instructed them to focus on subtle muscle control, gradually reducing the sway of the steel ingot hanging from the spear tip.

The two gritted their teeth and endured.

Although the steel ingot quickly fell each time, the wobble of the spearhead indeed grew smaller and smaller.

They persisted for an entire day, then continued the next day.

Su Wangchuan went to Captain Zhao Heiniu’s backyard to practice 《Basic Fist Technique》.

With the manual in hand, Basic Fist Technique was quickly learned.

It was essentially standing practice with punches.

Straight punches.

Fast.

Fierce.

Standing before the iron dummy, Su Wangchuan’s fourteen points of Strength hammered it with loud bangs.

Twelve points of Agility gave him even greater speed.

His fists alternated rapidly, and before long, both hands were beaten red.

Su Wangchuan had trained punching techniques before and understood how to store and release power explosively. He picked it up easily. After practicing for only a short while, he entered the proper state, truly stepping into the skill and beginning to gain experience.

Bang! Bang!

Roughly every twenty to thirty punches granted one point of experience.

The experience gain was fast.

But it was brutal on the hands.

Before long, Su Wangchuan’s hands ached fiercely. When he checked, his HP had actually dropped by two points.

He could only rest for a while, wait for his HP to recover, then continue training.

After two days of training, the experience value of 《Basic Fist Technique》 quickly reached its maximum, officially stepping into the realm of Practice Makes Perfect.

“Ding!”

“《Basic Fist Technique》 has advanced from ‘Minor Mastery’ to ‘Practice Makes Perfect.’ Reward: +1 Strength, +1 Agility.”

(Basic Fist Technique did not grant attribute bonuses at Minor Mastery.)

Su Wangchuan was exhilarated and immediately checked his results:

Su Wangchuan: Male (Blacksmith) (Hunger 82/100)

Strength 8+7; Attack 5–5;

Agility 8+5; Defense 2.6; Speed +13;

Stamina 8+2; HP 100/100;

Spirit 8: (Unactivated).

Life Skill ‘Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique’: Entry-Level Mastery, next realm ‘Integration’ 4/2000;

Combat Skill ‘Archery’: Practice Makes Perfect, next realm ‘Entry-Level Mastery’ 0/500;

Combat Skill ‘Basic Spear Technique’: Practice Makes Perfect, next realm ‘Entry-Level Mastery’ 0/500;

Combat Skill ‘Basic Fist Technique’: Practice Makes Perfect, next realm ‘Entry-Level Mastery’ 0/500;

Current Location: Southern Sky Continent, Nanyu Kingdom, Sanhe Commandery, Huishui County, Blackstone Village.

Strength 15, Agility 13.

The combined total of his three attributes reached 38 points.

“Strange.”

“Why hasn’t Brother Lin come yet?”

Seeing that his 《Basic Fist Technique》 had already reached a bottleneck and that he urgently needed a first-rank martial art, Su Wangchuan finally logged out of the game, found Lin Xun’s phone number, and dialed it.

The other end was nothing but a continuous busy tone.

He then called Instructor Yu.

The call connected, and he was informed of Lin Xun’s situation.

“After Lin Xun went back yesterday, he received orders from the Yulong Gang. Several martial artists were immediately assembled and, together with Qingfeng Escort Agency, escorted goods upriver by water route. They left the Yulong Gang right away. I can’t reach him by phone either. He’s probably in a forced task right now and unable to log out.”

Su Wangchuan’s heart skipped a beat.

Forced task…

That meant combat, and significant danger.

“Brother Lin Xun will be all right, right?”

“He should be,” Instructor Yu replied.

“The Yulong Gang has operated on water routes for years. They know those waters inside out. This time, they also joined forces with Qingfeng Escort Agency’s escort leader and guards. Even if they run into the Nu Tao Gang, they should still be able to withdraw safely.”

At this point, he suddenly remembered something.

“Oh right. Before leaving, he told me to deliver a 《Black Tiger Fist》 manual to you. I got busy and completely forgot! Tomorrow. I’ll bring it to you tomorrow.”

Instructor Yu’s words eased the weight in Su Wangchuan’s heart somewhat.

He was not worried that Lin Xun would pocket the eighty taels of silver.

What he feared was getting 《Black Tiger Fist》 too late. If Blackwind Stronghold struck Blackstone Village ahead of time, things would become troublesome.

“Thank you, Instructor Yu. Sorry to trouble you.”

“No problem. We’re all brothers,” Instructor Yu said with a smile.

“Lin Xun has been dead set on pulling you into the Yulong Gang. If not for him, I wouldn’t even know you’ve already stepped into the ranks of Quasi-Martial Artists.”

“Heh, I’ve just been lucky.”

“Luck is also a part of strength. Have you thought it through? Blackstone Village really doesn’t have much of a future. Your blacksmith profession and Quasi-Martial Artist strength are both being wasted there. If you want to come to Huishui County, we have several places that could take you in.”

“Thank you, Instructor Yu. I want to continue learning more forging techniques from Master Blacksmith Sun. As for going to the city, we’ll talk about it later.”

Su Wangchuan declined tactfully.

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