I became a martial arts saint while playing games.

With the seventh floor of the Tower of Ascension broken, Gu Yan looked around. The miasma before him receded, but no new stone steps appeared. It seemed that he had reached the end of the tower.

Is this over?

As Gu Yan was pondering this, he suddenly saw streaks of shimmering white light converge and transform into a figure, which floated lightly down in front of him. This time, it was an elderly man with an air of otherworldly grace.

Gu Yan frowned. Could it be that after the seventh floor, there's a final boss?

He had already struggled quite a bit to break through the combined attack of the two swords on the seventh level, and even using the Shifting Universe Technique had depleted a significant portion of his internal energy. The final boss was bound to be no weaker than the one on the previous level, and in his current state, he would likely find it difficult to defeat.

But this time, the old man had a gentle face, and his figure was ethereal and intangible, impossible to touch, and he seemed to have no hostility. In modern terms, he felt like a holographic projection.

The old man smiled warmly and said, "Since you have already reached the seventh level and broken through the sect's final trial, it is clear that you have mastered the art of 'using the opponent's strength against them.' You must have also thoroughly understood our sect's martial arts and grasped the essence of transforming strength."

"Excellent, excellent! With your current skill level, you are qualified to learn our sect's supreme martial art, the 'Flowing Cloud Armor Removal Technique,' which is also the essence of our sect's martial arts."

Gu Yan was bewildered.

Huh? There's a secret manual?

Before he entered, Chu Yue clearly told him that the Tower of Ascension had been at Linjiang University for over ten years and was used for student assessments. Moreover, before it was opened to students, an expert team had already explored and investigated any threats.

Therefore, this tower is now only used for trials and assessments. The original resources and treasures in the ruins have long been exhausted, and nothing is left.

Over the years, there have been quite a few people who have cleared all seven levels, but I haven't heard of any extra rewards...

Gu Yan's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly realized that he had found using the "Shifting the Universe" technique to borrow strength to strike the opponent the easiest way through all the levels, as if this trial level was designed to hone the technique of borrowing strength to strike the opponent.

The old man's afterimage also said that Gu Yan had mastered the art of "using the opponent's force against them," and only then was he qualified to learn the sect's supreme secret manual. Could it mean that only by passing through the Tower of Ascension using the method of transforming internal energy would this relic be considered as having "passed"?

Those who used other means in the past, relying on their cultivation level to overwhelm others, even if they were grandmasters who could pass through instantly, are all considered to have cheated and will not be recognized by this relic.

The practice of "Transforming into Internal Energy" in contemporary martial arts has already declined, and there are not many practitioners of this path. It is possible that no one has ever passed the "Transforming into Internal Energy" stage in recent years.

Gu Yan had also happened to have learned the skill of shifting the universe, which was the top-tier ultimate technique among the Transformation of Strength schools in the game. Therefore, with his discerning eye, he was able to immediately see that many of the trial levels in this tower seemed to be specifically designed to hone the technique of deflecting force.

If he hadn't learned the art of shifting the universe, even if his cultivation level was high, he could at most just push it past casually, and it would be difficult for him to see the purpose of this level's design.

Therefore, it seems that the sect that left behind this ruined cave was probably a sect from the past that mainly focused on cultivating internal energy.

The old man mentioned the "Flowing Cloud Armor Removal Technique," which, since it was said to be the sect's supreme martial art, must be quite formidable. Thinking of this, Gu Yan couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.

The old man raised his hand and gestured, and an ancient booklet slowly appeared. The cover had strong, vigorous characters on it: "Flowing Cloud Armor Removal Technique," which was the complete essence of the secret manual.

At the same time, the old man, as if following a pre-written program, stretched out his body, raised his hand and punched, and began to practice the moves of "Flowing Cloud Armor Removal Hand", explaining them as he did so.

Although Gu Yan hadn't poured his potential into this new skill, the "Shifting Heaven and Earth" technique he had learned was the ultimate martial art of transforming internal energy. Having already grasped the basics, his understanding of similar techniques was already extremely high. Therefore, he focused intently on watching the old man's illusory figure practice his fist techniques, and after only a short while, he felt as if he had already understood the essence of this style of boxing.

And quickly draw a conclusion—

—It would be better to move one branch of the universe.

Although the old man regarded the fist technique he spoke of as a priceless treasure, claiming it to be the sect's supreme martial art, Gu Yan immediately discovered many shortcomings in the technique when he compared it with his own knowledge.

Putting everything else aside, Gu Yan quickly realized that although the Flowing Cloud Armor Removal Hand technique had been honed and passed down through generations and could not be said to be unskilled, it was ultimately still confined to the moves.

Although he had only mastered the first two levels of the Shifting Universe technique, he already deeply felt that this method emphasized meaning over form.

Simply put, the key to mastering the art of shifting the universe is understanding the basic principles of parrying and counterattacking. There are no fixed moves or routines, but once you master them, you can naturally integrate them into any weapon's moves.

The Flowing Cloud Armor Removal Hand is simply a set of boxing techniques that apply the principles of neutralizing force. Although it is applied quite well, it is confined to the routines and moves, making it inferior in comparison.

After glancing at the manual again, Gu Yan realized that this was a fist technique for the Condensing Qi Realm.

The entry requirement for this Flowing Cloud Armor Removal Technique is that the practitioner must be able to condense their Qi into a powerful force and control that force in order to perform it.

Gu Yan quickly realized that even the creators of this ruin probably didn't expect that someone could break through seven levels with their Qi Control cultivation and obtain the qualification to practice.

After all, the seventh level involves two afterimages of the Condensed Qi Realm combining their swords, a power far exceeding that of two Condensed Qi Realm experts attacking together. No normal person would believe that someone below the Condensed Qi Realm could possibly pass through.

Therefore, the creators of the ruins never imagined that someone could clear the ruins but still not reach the training threshold of the Flowing Cloud Armor Removal Technique.

But this further confirms the wondrous nature of the technique of shifting the universe. This technique can be practiced from the Solidifying Yuan Realm, and can be deepened layer by layer as the user's cultivation improves, with room for further advancement even above the Grandmaster level.

While the Flowing Cloud Armor-Removing Hand is not bad, it is ultimately only a relatively powerful fist technique within the Condensing Qi Realm. Compared to the other two, it is truly inferior.

But Gu Yan thought that the harvest manual he had obtained was not entirely useless.

His plan is to learn the later levels of the "Shifting Heaven and Earth" technique in the game. Once he masters this divine skill to a higher level, his performance will undoubtedly become increasingly outrageous.

I found this technique in the ruins today. Although it won't be of much use to increase my strength, I can easily modify it to write a paper. This will allow me to meet the Xuan Shu Bureau's regular assessment requirements and earn some money at the same time.

Moreover, as he becomes more and more skilled in the art of shifting the universe, if anyone asks, he can simply say that he was taught in this ruin.

What? You say my Hua Jin (化劲) is awesome, and you want to learn it too?

Then pay for my paper, young man.

What? You're saying you followed my instructions but you're not as awesome as me?

That must be because you haven't practiced enough. When you reach a level of simplicity and authenticity like me, you'll naturally understand.

The old man finished his punch, and as his beard and hair twitched slightly, his afterimage gradually faded away.

As he was about to disappear, his gaze was filled with both melancholy and satisfaction. He said loudly, "It is truly a blessing for our sect that the inheritance continues. Now that you have mastered the Flowing Cloud Armor Removal Technique, you have fully inherited the true teachings of our sect. You may take this Trial Tower with you as well."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man's illusory figure transformed into specks of spiritual light and dissipated with the wind.

Following this, Gu Yan saw a small and exquisite tower appear before him, its shape exactly the same as the Tower of Ascension, but only an inch tall, like a miniature model, so light that it could be held in the palm of his hand.

Gu Yan raised his eyebrows slightly.

Huh?

There was an unexpected bonus!