【You came into contact with a miraculous ancient martial art, and gained a certain understanding.】
【You have acquired the skill: Falcon Strike Art!】
The high-intensity training had nearly wrung Zhou Kai dry.
Exhaustion surged over him like a dam bursting, drowning him in an instant.
This Falcon Strike Art was even more difficult than he had imagined. Even with the buff, he had to chew through it for two whole hours before he could be said to have dismantled and understood its framework.
On the panel, although “Falcon Strike Art Lv0 (0/1)” now hung in the skill column, it had yet to reach Lv1, so it couldn’t be considered entry-level.
However, the harder a bone was to chew, the more worthwhile it was to crack it open and suck out the marrow.
A high-value skill like this, even if raised by only one level, would absolutely bring about a reborn, transformative change.
On the other side, Chen Ping, who had been watching Zhou Kai train, finally softened the tense lines of his face.
Seeing Zhou Kai looking as though he might collapse to the ground at any moment, he at last felt psychologically balanced.
This kid had finally reached his limit…
He’d almost thought Zhou Kai was a perpetual motion machine wearing human skin.
After all that, wasn’t he still human?
One had to know, Chen Ping himself had gone nearly forty hours without closing his eyes. Even as a True Force martial artist, his eyelids were starting to fight each other.
If Zhou Kai’s endurance could really surpass his, then this world would be far too unreasonable.
“Stop here. Your form is mostly smooth now. You’re only one step away from entry.”
Chen Ping clasped his hands behind his back and paced over to Zhou Kai.
“Remember, your talent is a double-edged blade. Don’t squander it wantonly just because it’s sharp, and don’t be too eager for quick success and end up snapping yourself in half.”
“Tonight, and tomorrow.”
“Go back and sleep. Empty your mind. Don’t think about anything.”
Zhou Kai was so tired his scalp felt numb.
“Thank you, Senior Brother. I understand.”
He understood the reasoning… but sleep? Empty his mind?
You try it, then?
At midnight tonight, he still had something even more important to do.
Although his body felt as if it had been hollowed out, as long as he returned to the fireplace and let that warm firelight roast him for a few minutes, he would recover instantly.
Zhou Kai’s gaze refocused on the panel in the void.
【Character: Zhou Kai】
【Status: Corrosion, Fatigue】
【Skills: Mixed Combat Lv2 (19/25), Light Footwork Lv3 (3/50), Soraka Swordsmanship Lv1 (3/15), Occultism Lv1 (0/15), Falcon Strike Art Lv0 (0/1)】
【Items: Residence Certificate, Bloodstained Logging Axe, Rusted Chef’s Knife, Morning Star Notes, Moonlight Orchid Seeds (Plump), Oil Lamp About to Run Dry, Rust-Mottled Two-Handed Sword】
【General Experience Points: 7】
That last exchange with Wang Jinquan, which could hardly be counted as a fight, had actually raised Mixed Combat by one point of experience, from eighteen to nineteen.
“Good thing.” Zhou Kai’s heart stirred.
This meant that the remaining seven experience points were just enough for him to raise Falcon Strike Art to level one, while also pushing Mixed Combat up to level three.
“Two level threes, three level ones… Five skills should be enough to handle it…”
The moment this thought surfaced, he strangled it himself.
One is born in adversity and dies in comfort.
True enough, huh.
Aside from its original meaning, there was another layer to it.
Being alive was nothing but adversity, and dying wasn’t all that different from euthanasia—though his dreams weren’t peaceful in the slightest.
He took a deep breath. The aching numbness throughout his body instead gave him a sense of fullness.
“Add points. Falcon Strike Art.”
【You have used 1 general experience point. Falcon Strike Art experience +1】
【Falcon Strike Art Lv0 → Lv1】
In a flash, Zhou Kai’s brain felt as if an entire surging river had been poured into it.
Countless phantom pains and memories of clawing, twisting the wrist, and tearing washed over his nerves.
The next second, this torrent settled, turning into the most primal instincts of his arms and five fingers.
The sore swelling in his palms instantly intensified tenfold, and the muscles of his arms bulged as though inflated.
This intense discomfort instead jolted his spirit awake.
He could clearly feel that his wrist strength and finger strength had already climbed to an entirely new level.
This increase was more than one grade stronger than Soraka Swordsmanship!
Zhou Kai was wildly delighted. Subconsciously, he clenched his fist, wondering what he could find to test it on.
He still remembered watching an anime where one character, relying on absurd finger strength, had climbed out of prison like an insect.
“Don’t come this afternoon. I’ll give you tomorrow off too.” Chen Ping’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Come straight here the day after tomorrow. I got something good for you.”
Zhou Kai’s eyes lit up. The two words 【Secret Medicine】 that Wu De had mentioned instantly jumped into his mind, and his heart burned hot.
He didn’t ask why Chen Ping wasn’t giving it to him now.
This senior brother had already done more than enough for him. Some procedures still had to be followed.
……
“That’s it? You did it? Xiao Kai, you’re way too awesome!”
Lu Yan bounced up and down in front of Zhou Kai like a rabbit, her little fists pumping hard in the air. She was even more excited than Zhou Kai himself.
“That Wang Jinquan, with his pointed mouth and monkey cheeks—one look and you can tell he’s no good! And he even bragged that he’d studied for several months. In the end? He couldn’t even compare to one week from you!”
She chattered nonstop, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
“Enough, enough, Sister Yan.” Zhou Kai helplessly rubbed his growling stomach. “Let’s find somewhere to fill our bellies first.”
“From last night until now, I haven’t eaten a single bite. I’m so hungry my chest is sticking to my back.”
Only then did Lu Yan react. She nodded heavily, her expression solemn. “Right! Food! Even if the sky falls, we eat first!”
On the other side, Ma Yifan eventually went through with withdrawing from the class.
As for Falcon Wing Martial Hall, he had no intention of staying any longer.
Back then, he had come because of Chen Ping’s reputation, and had even believed that nonsense about “treating everyone equally, everyone having a chance at secret ancient martial teachings.”
The result had gone completely against his wishes.
He couldn’t swallow that anger, and decided to switch places.
At noon, he followed behind Zhou Kai and Lu Yan, and the three of them left the martial hall together.
Just as Zhou Kai and Lu Yan were about to hail a car by the roadside, Ma Yifan finally stopped hesitating and spoke up directly. “Brother Kai, Sister Yan, how about… I give you a ride?”
Zhou Kai glanced at him and readily agreed. “Sure.”
Two minutes later, Lu Yan sank into the genuine leather seat in the back row of a luxury car. She raised her head to look at the dazzling “starry sky” on the ceiling, and her tongue nearly tied itself in knots.
“St-starry sky ceiling?”
“A dedicated driver?”
“You brat, you really hid it well. Turns out you’re a rich bro!”
Ma Yifan smiled stiffly, clearly not having completely recovered his mood yet.
He quietly gave the driver an address before saying somewhat forlornly, “My parents… just made a bit of pocket change.”
Now it was completely confirmed.
Zhou Kai laughed. “Brother Ma, you hid it deep enough.”
Ma Yifan’s face turned even redder, and he said awkwardly, “Brother Kai, don’t make fun of me.”
His eyes shifted, as if he had suddenly thought of something, and he took the opportunity to invite them. “Since we’re eating anyway, how about… eating at my place? Uh, I mean, at a restaurant my family runs.”
Zhou Kai and Lu Yan exchanged a glance. Two words appeared in both their eyes at the same time.
Freeloading?!
Who could possibly refuse that?
The two spoke in unison. “It would be rude to refuse!”
Ma Yifan’s family restaurant was located among the rows upon rows of skyscrapers in Xishan City’s CBD. More specifically, it was on the middle floors of one of the buildings.
It did not receive walk-in customers, only reservations, and there wasn’t even a signboard.
“Cool! This place has way too much style!”
Unlike the cyberpunk-style buildings outside, this place had pure Western classical decor. From the oil paintings hanging on the walls to the candlesticks on the tables, everything exuded an old-money elegance and depth.
“Can I take a photo?” Lu Yan somehow produced a card camera from somewhere and pointed at an impressionist landscape painting in the corner.
Ma Yifan nodded. Because the lines of his jaw were soft, his smile always carried a likable quality. “Please, go ahead… This was a bit rushed today, so I could only bring you here. Please forgive me if the hospitality is lacking.”
Zhou Kai waved a hand and patted his shoulder. “What are you talking about? The two of us are broadening our horizons thanks to you.”
He squeezed an eye at Lu Yan. “Don’t mind her. This sister of mine is a pure bumpkin.”
Lu Yan was currently snapping pictures madly at a crystal lamp. Hearing this, she abruptly turned around, her eyes round and wide.
“Hm? What bad things are you whispering over there?”
Ma Yifan finally laughed out loud. The last bit of gloom in his heart completely vanished under their teasing.
The dishes that were brought out, whether the pea-stewed lamb, the cheese pizza, or the seasonal vegetable stew, were vastly different in flavor and texture from Chixing’s local cuisine.
Zhou Kai and Lu Yan’s appetites were thoroughly stirred, and they swept through the food like a storm.
Lu Yan’s craving for alcohol acted up again, and she insisted on having a couple sips.
Zhou Kai couldn’t win against her, so he had no choice but to open a bottle of semi-sweet red wine.
Lu Yan took a few sips, and an intoxicating smile spread across her face.