Chapter 8: A Considerable Upgrade

A few noticeable changes had occurred to [Archery]. First, the skill grade, which used to be Houtian was now Houtian II. Honestly, Luo Ling had never seen this kind of skill gradation before. Back in Murim, the martial skills had five ranks— beginner, adept, master, grandmaster, and Truth.

Beginner is when you just learned the skill; adept is the next stage, representing the user’s half-assed mastery over it. The Master stage is when the user can use the skill in the way it is meant to be used. At the Grandmaster stage, the skill is incorporated into the user’s daily life, becoming a part of it. And finally, the Truth stage, where the skill traces back to its origin.

About the new grading system, he knew nothing about it.

Then, his gaze shifted toward the new entry next to the skill’s name. At that moment, whether it was by coincidence or not, Luo Ling had his entire attention on the new addition. Suddenly, as if heeding some sort of command, the sky-scraping monolith flashed yellow as a handful of information surged into his mind.

Penetration (Rank 1) – Projectiles ignore 10% of a target’s overall defense. This includes both natural and external defense.

Luo Ling stood rooted in his spiritual form, staring at the fading lights around the structure with an indescribable expression. To think Records of Toil had another function! It was out of his expectations. Luo Ling thought he had his unique ability figured out, yet from the looks of things, it couldn’t be further from the truth. He made a mental note to research his ability and find out if any more surprises were left to be unearthed.

Back to the new skill, Luo Ling had to ball his fist to keep his excitement under control after he was done understanding the description provided by his ability. As a warrior with ample experience on the field, he perfectly understood the importance of Penetration.

All martial arts primarily focussed on strengthening the body. The higher one’s stage the sturdier their physique. Some martial arts such as Golden Bell Body, Classics of Arhat, and Shaolin Temple Scriptures give their practitioners an invisible shield capable of blocking even spiritual martial techniques. Their defensive capabilities made them a nightmarish existence to go up against.

With Penetration, however, this defense could be ignored to some extent and deal damage to the body. After learning of it, Luo Ling had to reassess his views of Archery. Basic skills had more to them than what he learned in the past. Maybe he should also pick up on swordsmanship. Perhaps he would obtain another useful ability.

Luo Ling had avoided practicing sword arts despite being a swordsman in his previous life because he didn't want the Records of Toil to record it before he was ready. He planned to take up [Lightwheel Swordsmanship] after becoming a first-rate martial warrior. This sword art had made him the youngest and one of the most capable martial artists to ever roam the Murim. It was, without a doubt, one of the strongest as well as most versatile schools of swordsmanship. Unfortunately, not many could learn it. To even start up on the basics, a user must possess a body as strong as a first-rate martial warrior’s. Most people would be in their late twenties when they become first-rate warriors. How could they have the mood to start on something that’d take decades to master?

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

After witnessing the surprise brought by Archery, how could he still stay calm and adhere to his schedule? Changes had to be made. Luo Ling made up his mind; he would begin his sword training from today.

Back in the real world, Luo Ling noticed he had recovered most of his expended stamina. The physique of a second-rate martial artist is not to be underestimated. Their stamina, endurance, and overall recovery abilities were more than twice those of ordinary people. For Luo Ling, a quick rest was more than enough. Even the pain of his overexerted muscles had disappeared.

Another thing Luo Ling noticed was his improved vision. He could see everything with a much better clarity than before, even the objects far from him. This was a benefit Archery brought after upgrading it once.

Luo Ling picked up his bow, eager to test the new ability, Penetration, and verify the physical changes brought by the upgrade. The bow felt lighter than he remembered. When he nocked an arrow, he noticed how easily his fingers held onto the taut string—his grip strength had improved significantly.

Luo Ling narrowed his eyes and took aim as his newly improved vision made him lock onto the bullseye rather easily.

Thud!

The moment his fingers loosened, the arrow tore through the space and went through the wooden dummy like a hot knife through a block of butter. It only stopped after embedding halfway into a sturdy tree behind the dummy.

Luo Ling couldn’t help but gape at the sight. Wasn’t Penetration supposed to provide only 10% ignore defense? How come the arrow went through the dummy? Truth to be told, Luo Ling’s training dummies were no pushovers. They were made from the stumps of smaller trees and were sturdy enough to endure hundreds of arrows. A while ago, the dummy he used to farm proficiency didn’t break until Luo Ling’s 160th arrow hit it.

Luo Ling looked at his hands; this pair of thin and tender-looking limbs could fire arrows capable of poking a hole through an adult human’s body. Who would believe it? Even he from before Archery’s upgrade would not buy such a ridiculous notion. It was beyond everything he knew about cause and effect.

Sure, with the help of full potential second-rate martial artist strength, Luo Ling could achieve a similar outcome, but it would tire him out. With his current body’s prowess, three arrows were his absolute limit.

Luo Ling’s lips stretched into a grin. He had grown stronger… much stronger. The Records of Toil was simply a divine tool. No wonder, a Martial God is claimed to be omnipotent. Just a tiny fragment could grant him abilities he had never seen in his previous life. The grin turned into a proud smirk. Although it was only for a few seconds, Luo Ling had achieved the fabled godhood.

Too excited to take his body into consideration, Luo Ling kept firing arrows one after another. However, he had no choice but to stop when his stomach rumbled angrily and a wave of weakness hit him like a speeding train. It was only then he realized he had not eaten anything in the morning. A quick peek at the sky revealed the sun’s position over his head.

-~X~-

After having a hearty serving of meat buns at Madam Wei’s, Luo Ling came back to his secret training spot. He decided against going out to hunt for the day. The growth of his abilities and strength demanded a change to his training gear. The training dummies were riddled with holes and more than half bamboo arrows were broken. Rebuilding those would take up an entire afternoon.

Besides, he also planned on starting his sword training.

So many things to do and yet so little time. He had no choice but to skip hunting for the day.