Chapter 553: Chapter 263: Challening Me, Heaven?_2
"Perhaps..."
Fang Yu rose from his bed, drew his longsword from his waist, and using the sword in place of a blade, began to practice slowly.
Unlike the old house, the rooms in the new home were all quite spacious, providing ample space for his exertions.
Fang Yu’s sword movements were deliberately slow; although he was thinking about the moves of the Wood Zither Blade Technique, his mind was actually filled with distractions.
The upcoming conflict between the Lin and Li Families.
What exactly did the Bonfire Gathering and those behind the scenes want to do?
Could Hei Ao deliver the promised Talisman of Malevolence Dispelling on time tomorrow?
Ding Hui had been researching something for several days now, why hadn’t it concluded?
Landlady Sister Jin’s elder sister, turned into a vegetative state after a car accident, what should be done about her future?
Many distracting thoughts swirled, but as the sword danced, those thoughts gradually quieted and vanished, leaving only the sword technique’s moves, clearer and clearer, as if he was merging into the technique itself.
It was less that Fang Yu was practicing the sword technique, and more that the sword itself seemed to be naturally guiding his movements, allowing him to immerse deeper and deeper.
Thump thump thump!
Only when a knock at the door sounded did Fang Yu suddenly snap out of it.
He then looked up and saw the morning sun streaming through the window.
Had he been practicing all night??
Fang Yu was astonished. He had been so absorbed, as the Sensory Control began to take effect and he became gradually engrossed, all his perception of the surrounding environment faded, with only the focus on the task at hand remaining.
He looked towards the system log.
[System Prompt: Congratulations to the player for diligently practicing the Wood Zither Blade Technique, proficiency +1.]
[Advanced Floral-rank Skill: Wood Zither Blade Technique [Uninitiated].]
[System Prompt: Congratulations to the player for diligently practicing the Wood Zither Blade Technique, proficiency +2.]
[...]
[System Prompt: Congratulations to the player for your hard work and success in mastering the Advanced Floral-rank Skill: Wood Zither Blade Technique.]
[Wood Zither Blade Technique [Uninitiated] → Wood Zither Blade Technique [Advanced Floral-rank/Beginning to Grasp].]
[...]
[System Prompt: Congratulations to the player for diligently practicing the Wood Zither Blade Technique, proficiency +3.]
What?!
Fang Yu was taken aback.
I, I’ve learned it??
Fang Yu was stunned.
This was a first for him, to learn a skill directly without relying on the system to award points.
This, this, this, this is invincible!
He had heard Zhuo Xueer boast about how Demon Martial Artists harnessing a compatible Cultivation Technique could progress at an astonishing rate, advancing by leaps and bounds in a single day.
Fang Yu had never enjoyed this before and thought Zhuo Xueer was perhaps deceiving him.
After all, he had hard-worked his way through "Rooting into the Earth" by increasing proficiency points.
But he did not expect that with the Wood Zither Blade Technique, he would actually learn it through his own hard work and practice.
Fang Yu, who had never enjoyed this kind of treatment, was a bit stunned.
That’s because he had long ignored the path of improving through proficiency to full level to raise his Martial Arts Realm.
After all, the contrast between the requirement of four-digit proficiency points and the occasional increase of merely one point of proficiency after practicing half a day, made it impossible to focus and pursue the hardworking and diligent path.
Why bother when killing a demon yields attribute points, and with attribute points, you can learn a Martial Art in one fell swoop? Isn’t that much faster than laboriously practicing?
Therefore, Fang Yu never thought that one day, he too could learn a new Martial Art this way.
What does this feel like? It’s like a person, dull and last in line every day, suddenly has an epiphany and becomes a genius, shooting straight to the skies.
Leaving everything else aside, just mastering this Wood Zither Blade Technique has saved him several attribute points!
Fang Yu was excited.
Without this experience, he would have almost believed that to learn a Cultivation Technique, a player could only rely on adding points.
Could it be that I’m a genius?
But soon, Fang Yu came to a realization.
It wasn’t that he had become a genius, but rather, the Bloodline Ability of the Green Demon Blood - Sensory Control, had brought his concentration to an unparalleled level. Combined with the compatibility between the Demon Bloodline and the Martial Art, it allowed this miraculous accomplishment of mastering a technique in one night.
It’s not that I’m strong, but Brother Qing’s bloodline is strong!
Brother Qing, forever a legend!
Only now did Fang Yu finally feel a bit of the advantage of being a Demon Martial Artist, superior by a notch in cultivation compared to ordinary Martial Artists.
Thump thump thump.
Just then, there was another knock on the door, softer and with lesser force than before.
Almost forgot about this.
Fang Yu was startled out of his thoughts.
Meanwhile, a very faint voice came from outside the door.
"Diao Deyi, are you awake..."
It was Sister Jin.
She stayed up all night and still got up so early.
Oh right, she’s a martial artist now, though she only practices strength-improving and body-conditioning exercises each day. Nevertheless, these have indeed improved her constitution.
To avoid making Sister Jin worry, Fang Yu quickly responded.
"I’m awake. Come in, Sister Jin."
Creak.
As soon as Fang Yu finished speaking, Sister Jin pushed the door open.
Seeing Fang Yu in one piece, she breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Last night, I dreamt that your head fell off... I thought it was such a bad omen. I’ll go to Baoan Temple again today to pray for peace."
Had a nightmare?
But even if I really did lose my head, it’s not a big deal—I’ve lost it before...
Fang Yu muttered to himself, while Sister Jin quickly approached him, circled him once or twice to check him, and immediately showed a look of concern.
"Why are there bloodstains on your clothes?"
"The blood of demons. Last night, I ran into demons with Hei Ao and others. We just killed them on the spot. They were all little demons, no threat to me."
Hearing about the demon attack on Fang Yu, Diao Ruru’s face changed with worry, until Fang Yu said he’d easily slain them, then she calmed down.
Her emotions were a rollercoaster of ups and downs.
She patted her chest, relieved.
"It’s good that you’re okay, really good..."
Fang Yu smiled.
With his twenty-thousand blood strength, no Blood Demon could harm him unless it was a Thousand Blood Demon, and no Demon Martial Artist would be considered a threat unless they were of the same caliber. Not to mention posing a threat, it would be difficult for them to even scratch him.
Moreover, he had resources from both the human and demon domains. Excluding those visionless demons from outside, the local demons nearby probably wouldn’t come to trouble him.
At this moment, Fang Yu noticed that Diao Ruru was slightly sporting dark circles under her eyes and couldn’t help but say.
"Sister Jin, the visit to Baoan Temple can wait; you look like you haven’t slept well. Go back and catch up on some sleep first, then we can talk about other things once you’ve rested."
After making sure Fang Yu was alright, Diao Ruru felt as if a great burden had been lifted. Upon his suggestion, she indeed felt the weariness hitting her.
"Then I’ll go back to my room to rest some more. Shall we go to Baoan Temple together at noon?"
Fang Yu hesitated: "Today... there might be some things I have to deal with."
Diao Ruru was taken aback, almost forgetting that Fang Yu was now an important figure in the Foolish Underworld.
She was all muddled up from sleep. Her little brother was no longer the idle ruffian of the past but someone set to accomplish great things, to keep Tianyuan Town safe.
Despite Fang Yu’s rapid rise, Diao Ruru felt an indescribable emotion in her heart.
Yet, in the next moment, that sentiment dissipated into thin air.
"If there’s nothing urgent at the Foolish Underworld, I’ll come back at noon to accompany you to Baoan Temple."
"Okay!"
Diao Ruru nodded vigorously, a smile on her face.
Status may change, but the blood-thicker-than-water familial love will not.
"Then I’ll go back and rest."
"Okay."
With Sister Jin gone, Fang Yu turned back to his remaining attribute points and began to allocate them again.
This time, he chose...
[Attribute Points:29→9.]
[Rooting in Earth [Advanced Flower Level/Initial Understanding]→Rooting in Earth [Basic Grass Level/Initial Understanding].]
Compared to the Wood Zither Blade Technique, whose caliber was still unknown, the effects of [Rooting in Earth] were something Fang Yu had experienced in real combat.
Paired with his Primordial Body Technique’s Bone Armor, it could achieve a defensive boost greater than the sum of its parts, taking his defense to a whole new level.
The last time he faced the sharp and venomous fangs of the Snake Demon, it was thanks to this combined technique that he withstood the damage without even breaking through the Bone Armor defense.
So, for safety’s sake, he naturally chose to improve the Martial Arts Realm of [Rooting in Earth].
This technique felt instinctual to use, a worthy investment of resources. No problem at all.