I am a high-level martial arts master.

On the night of October 14th, the chill gradually intensified.

Ye Li sat alone in the courtyard on Changyuan Street, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing and waiting for the effects of the medicine to dissipate.

The courtyard was pitch black, with only the cold moonlight filtering through the sparse branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

With the daytime hustle and bustle gone and all is quiet now, it's the perfect time to hone your skills.

Slowly opening his eyes, Ye Li stood up in the open space in the courtyard.

Only seven days have passed since he broke through to the Body Tempering Realm, and his progress is clearly visible on the panel:

Initial stage of body quenching (221/1500)

Cultivation Technique: "Azure Dragon Force - Perfection"

"Nine Chapters Boxing Manual (3+480/500)"

……

Thanks to the amazing boost from the [Green·Swift] attribute, Ye Li, who was in a state of concentration, not only had his reaction speed improved, but his cultivation efficiency also increased by 15% out of nowhere!

He devoted this precious extra time wholeheartedly to honing his skills in the Nine Chapters Boxing Manual.

With an abundance of elixirs, and the double blessing of Dragon Tiger Elixir and Body Tempering Pill, the situation is as follows:

Ye Li steadily increased his daily cultivation experience by 38 points, and devoted all his remaining energy to this mortal martial art.

In just two days!

The experience points for this ordinary martial art skyrocketed from the initial 3 points to 483 points! The speed at which it did so was unbelievable.

At this rate, it won't be long before this basic boxing technique, taken from the gang's library, reaches perfection in his hands.

At this moment, Ye Li moved slightly, his feet firmly planted, his waist and hips lowered, and he effortlessly executed the moves from the "Nine Chapters Fist Manual".

No longer the awkwardness and hesitation of the beginning, every punch and every palm strike is smooth and fluid, and the power can be controlled at will, just like a master who has been immersed in this art for more than ten years.

His punches were as steady as a mountain, the wind from his punches was powerful, his footwork was continuous and his movements were agile.

The movements flowed smoothly, and the power was transmitted, condensed, and exploded between the muscles and bones, producing a faint crackling sound, with the muscles and bones resonating together.

In some extraordinary and subtle realms, based on combat techniques, they are divided into: Ming Jin (manifest strength), An Jin (hidden strength), Hua Jin (neutralizing strength)...

At this moment, within this classification, Ye Li's skill level has already reached the threshold of the Lesser Completion of Ming Jin!

Achieving this kind of progress in just two days—anyone who hears that would have to say, "It's a breakthrough!"

Of course, in this world of high martial arts, realm is the only thing that matters!

The gap between different realms will only widen as you progress!

Therefore, in the minds of martial artists in this world, so-called skills are nothing more than the whimsical tricks of mediocre people!

Only mediocre people who cannot break through to higher levels will spend their energy on studying techniques.

After all, a higher level means a sharper mind, a more discerning eye, greater strength, and faster speed...

Even if a martial artist in the early stage of Body Tempering possesses the skills of Transforming Internal Energy, their attacks would likely appear as slow as a snail's crawl to an acquired observer, with a clearly discernible trajectory, making it easy to break through their defenses.

As for those with innate strength?

It possesses the insight and comprehension of a human computer.

The exquisite moves of low-level martial artists are nothing more than child's play in their eyes. They can see through their essence at a glance and even deduce and optimize them on the spot.

That is why those cultivation methods that can directly elevate one's realm and strengthen the body's foundation are the most valuable treasures.

The various basic martial arts techniques readily available on the market are often regarded as introductory embellishments or auxiliary means, and few martial artists will spend a lot of effort to master them during the critical period of their realm advancement.

Ye Li had always thought so, which is why he had previously neglected martial arts training.

But now it's different.

These martial arts skills can unlock special attributes!

It's like buying the box and getting the pearl as a bonus, so naturally we should do our best to promote martial arts training.

The single "Swiftness" attribute increased his cultivation efficiency by 15%, effectively extending his daily cultivation time.

What if we could awaken another affix with a similar effect, or even one that's more powerful?

For example, how about directly improving one's innate aptitude and comprehension?

Even if it's just about improving the absorption efficiency of cultivation pills?

Thinking of this, Ye Li's fist became even faster, and his plan became clearer:

"In half an hour, the Fist Scripture experience points will definitely reach the 500-point threshold for perfection. However, after perfection, to trigger the awakening of the attribute, you will need to continue investing experience until you reach your limit..."

The limit of the "Azure Dragon Force" is (2000/100), and it takes a long time to master. As a mortal martial art, where would the limit of the "Nine Chapters Fist Manual" be?

"Is it the same 20x experience points as 'Azure Dragon's Might,' or is 2000 points enough? If the sunk costs are too high, I'll have to abandon it temporarily and wait until I break through to the mid-stage."

At this moment, Ye Li set the sunk cost of this martial art at 2000.

If you reach 2000 points and still haven't awakened any affixes, it's either because the cost of awakening affixes for this martial art is too high, or because the martial art cannot awaken affixes.

He then immediately chose to abandon increasing his bets and instead focus all his efforts on improving his skill level.

……

While Ye Li was focusing all his efforts on cultivation, the story shifts to two other things:

Turning our attention to the Qing Kingdom, seven days have already passed!

Zhongzhou, the Great Qing Dynasty, atop Longhu Mountain.

Deep within the misty Taoist temple, the seven-day, sleepless divination finally came to an end.

The chief eunuch held a piece of heavenly secrets in his hands. His body suddenly shone with light, transforming into a streak of light that cut through the night sky, traversing thousands of miles, and reaching the brightly lit Hall of Diligent Governance deep within the palace.

Inside the magnificent hall, candlelight flickered. The emperor, clad in armor, sat regally on his golden throne, exuding an imposing aura without a hint of anger.

The Prime Minister of Daqing stood before the steps, holding a jade tablet, while below him stood the high-ranking officials of the court, their hands clasped respectfully and their expressions solemn.

All eyes were focused on the streak of light that descended from the sky.

As the light faded, the figure of the eunuch in charge of the seal appeared. He strode forward, his deep yet clear voice echoing in the silent hall:

"Your Majesty, Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain, after burning incense, bathing, and fasting for seven days, has drawn upon the power of the celestial bodies and has glimpsed a corner of the origins of the golden inscription in the Southern Frontier! The divination results are here; please review them, Your Majesty!"

The officials in the hall maintained their composure, but their hearts were subtly stirred.

Southern Xinjiang is remote, and clues are scarce.

Even relying on the esoteric masters of Longhu Mountain and employing profound divination techniques, one can often only obtain vague directions or fragmented information.

Past experience has shown that, nine times out of ten, such divination results will lead people into deeper confusion, or even completely astray.

If it weren't for earth-shattering changes like the gold-level keyword that could shake the very foundations of a nation, I would not have been willing to resort to such elusive methods.

It wasn't that Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain was incompetent; it was simply that he was always playing high-level matches.

After all, when there is a lot of information, the results can be obtained directly from the "cause and effect" entry.

Only when even this orange-colored entry cannot yield a conclusive conclusion should one turn to a Taoist master and believe in metaphysics.

The emperor's gaze swept across the steps with lightning speed, and the prime minister, understanding the emperor's meaning, nodded slightly.

The chief eunuch carefully unfolded the seemingly ordinary piece of white paper in his hand and faced the emperor and the prime minister.

Upon seeing the words above, the Emperor and the Prime Minister frowned almost simultaneously: What... does this mean?

There were no poems, prophecies, or divination symbols on the paper.

There are only seventeen cold Chinese numerals, arranged abruptly, followed by a glaring capital "X" at the end!

The paper contained the following:

35220...6661X!

(35220……6661X)

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