Chapter 114 : Chapter 114
Chapter 114. One in Ten Thousand!
Time advanced to the seventh day of the ninth month.
It had already been four days since Xu Yuan had formally moved into Changlin Ward.
Over those four days, Xu Yuan had walked through all nine streets and met every single Street Guard.
Those who were cold remained cold. Those who were courteous remained courteous. No one took the initiative to draw close, and no one dared openly stir up trouble.
But Xu Yuan did not care.
These old hands could usually rely on their seniority and throw their weight around, but the moment something actually happened, they all immediately fell into line.
As their superior, whatever he wanted done was only a single sentence away.
At this moment, it was deep into the night.
Inside the quiet chamber, candlelight flickered, casting the surrounding walls into shifting light and shadow.
Xu Yuan stood bare-chested before the spiked training post. His skin was coated in a faint bronze sheen, and under the lamplight, it even carried a subtle metallic texture.
His fists swung out again and again. Every impact carried a dull thunderous sound, and the densely packed spikes trembled slightly beneath the force of his blows.
Suddenly—
He threw out a punch, stirring a sharp gust of wind.
The man-high spiked training post snapped in response. Its upper half flew several zhang away before crashing heavily into the courtyard wall and shaking down a cloud of dust.
Xu Yuan withdrew his fist and stood still, lowering his gaze to his hands.
Their surface was completely unscathed. Not even the skin had broken.
And that bronze luster was now fading at a speed visible to the naked eye, transforming into a paler, more restrained silver-gray color.
He raised one arm and slowly curled his five fingers inward.
Beneath the skin, it felt as though a tough membrane was flowing there, something with the texture of leather yet as hard as iron.
He lightly traced a line across his palm with one hand. His fingertip met a faint resistance, yet there was not the slightest trace of pain.
Iron Garment Art had reached Perfection.
Wandering Dragon Step had already reached Perfection the day before.
And just then, a strange feeling suddenly welled up in Xu Yuan’s heart.
It was impossible to describe clearly, as though something had lightly stirred within his mind.
He did not open his eyes, nor did he deliberately try to sense anything, yet he seemed able to “see” everything around him.
The rolling drops of night dew on the orchid leaves in the corner of the wall. The mottled moonlight cast across the ground outside the window. The faint footsteps of a cat sounding in the courtyard…
The growth of all living things. The flourishing and withering of grass and trees.
That mysterious and ineffable sensation lasted only a brief instant, yet it made Xu Yuan’s entire body tremble.
He opened his eyes, and a brilliant light shone within them.
Immediately afterward, it felt as though something exploded within his mind, and scene after scene came surging forth:
His clumsiness when he first learned stance training. The sweat poured down on him as he practiced Benlei Fist. The series of footprints left behind by Wandering Dragon Step…
All of those scenes intertwined, collided, and fused together.
In the end, it was as if a strand of power, like the very origin of heaven and earth, descended from the void and condensed into an imprint deep within his sea of consciousness.
That imprint took the form of a newborn seed, quietly suspended there and radiating a faint glow.
This…
Xu Yuan’s mind shook violently. He quickly opened his eyes, stirred his thoughts, and brought up the panel in his mind.
【Skills: Tai Chi Exercise (Perfection 100%), Jade Platform Stance Art (Perfectio 8%), Benlei Fist (Perfectio 92%), Wandering Dragon Step (Perfection 1%), Iron Garment Art (Perfection 1%)】
【Aptitude: 32 (One in Ten Thousand)】
【Martial Seed (1): Attribute-less】
【When a skill reaches Perfection, you may obtain one Martial Seed, with a high chance of extracting a trace of an attribute from a martial art or cultivation method】
Xu Yuan’s gaze froze on those lines for a long time without moving away.
The panel had finally changed again.
His aptitude had increased to 32 points, and his aptitude evaluation had likewise transformed from the former Promising Uncut Jade into the current “One in Ten Thousand”!
What made “One in Ten Thousand” special was not the “ten thousand,” but the “one.” It meant a genius who might not appear even once among over ten thousand people!
In a county of a million people, someone like that would still be as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Nearly every one of them would have an enormous reputation, capable of achieving great things in any profession or path.
With an aptitude of One in Ten Thousand, if such a person practiced martial arts, they would be a peerless prodigy of the martial path, advancing by leaps and bounds and shaking an entire region with their name. If they studied literature, they could pass the imperial examinations in glory and enjoy a smooth official career. If they entered business, they could open wide roads to wealth and enjoy abundant fortune!
Such talent was exceedingly rare. In any field, they would never remain buried. They were destined to achieve something great and shine brilliantly!
Xu Yuan could vaguely feel that at this moment, his perception, comprehension, and even the speed at which his blood and qi circulated were completely different from before.
And more importantly… the Martial Seed.
He stared at that line of explanation, his brows drawing together slightly.
When a skill reached Perfection, one Martial Seed could be obtained, with a high chance of extracting a trace of an attribute from a martial art or cultivation method.
He recalled the scenes that had just appeared in his mind. Those interwoven images of skills: Tai Chi Exercise, Jade Platform Stance Art, Benlei Fist, Wandering Dragon Step, Iron Garment Art…
Wait.
Xu Yuan suddenly thought of something, and his eyes quickly swept across the panel.
Tai Chi Exercise had reached Perfection and given him a Martial Seed.
But what about Stone Platform Stance?
That basic stance art he had learned earliest had long since been trained to Perfection, yet it had not produced a Martial Seed.
There could only be one reason.
The skill could not be incomplete.
Xu Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and began to ponder.
Wandering Dragon Step and Iron Garment Art had just reached Perfection, so later he should still be able to obtain two more Martial Seeds. As for the one before him now…
His gaze settled on Jade Platform Stance Art.
This cultivation method was the highest quality among all his skills and also the very foundation of his training.
Fine steel had to be used on the edge of the blade.
Xu Yuan quickly made his decision. He locked his thoughts onto that attribute-less Martial Seed, then directed it toward Jade Platform Stance Art.
In the next moment, a peculiar sensation rose from the depths of his being.
It was as though something had taken root and begun to sprout within his body, and also as though an invisible force were slowly spreading along his meridians before finally permeating every part of him.
A moment later, everything returned to calm.
Once he had regained his senses, he looked at the panel again.
【Skills: Jade Platform Stance Art (Perfectio 8%), Benlei Fist (Perfectio 90%), Wandering Dragon Step (Perfection 1%), Iron Garment Art (Perfection 1%)】
【Aptitude: 32 (One in Ten Thousand)】
【Martial Seed (0): Berserk】
Berserk?
Xu Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. According to its description, once activated, his blood and qi would surge explosively, producing a berserk force that lasted for one minute.
It was only a few lines of text, yet it made his heart pound wildly. This ability was formidable!
Just imagine two people exchanging blows. The other party had already grown used to your rhythm of strength, yet at the critical moment, you suddenly erupted with explosive power.
In the brief space between a rabbit leaping and a falcon diving, life and death would already be decided.