“Hello senior Gu! I’m here to purchase some martial art books. Do you have any cheap ones?” Finlay asked an elderly figure who was smoking his pipe. The old man glanced at him lazily and reprimanded him in annoyance.
“Brat! What kind of an idiot are you? When buying things like Martial arts, techniques and skill books, never go for the ‘cheap’ ones. Even if one cannot afford better, I have never had anyone directly ask for ‘cheap’ martial arts.”
“Come on senior, I’m in a hurry here. Do you want business or not?”
*snort*
The old man quickly picked out 5 books in a practised manner and threw them before Finlay, onto the counter.
“Here, these 5 are fundamental level books, they build a foundation for higher level arts with the same names. Even though you’re a cheapskate, you seem to have a pretty good physique, so I picked more weapon oriented martial arts.”
Finlay’s eyes couldn’t help but twitch at being called a cheapskate, but for the sake of the greater good, he ignored it. He immediately looked at the books in front of him.
Supreme spear arts
Immortal shield warrior art
Phoenix flight arts
Immortal punishing chain art
The divine wind palm art
Finlay’s eyes couldn’t help but twitch at the pretentious names for such simple martial arts. The supreme spear arts was so basic that it couldn’ even stand up to an experienced mortal soldier’s level.
The second one was a very simple book on using shields to both attack and defend. The third one was the most ridiculous of the bunch. It called itself flight arts but it was in fact a simple foot technique. The others weren’t much better.
Finlay glanced at the old man with an insulted expression. He was just testing things so he asked for cheap stuff but these things are ridiculously trash. He quietly skimmed through the description of each one and decided that, somehow, the stupidly named phoenix flight arts were the best of the bunch.
‘Okay, now what? How do I upgrade it?’
He tried to fiddle with the book, bringing it closer and farther, quickly flipping through the pages, saying various phrases like “Upgrade!”, “Copy”, “level up”, “evolve”, “up up away!” etc, but to no avail. The old man on the side was growing increasingly bewildered at the weird antics displayed by the frustrated FInlay.
“Brat! What are you doing?? Stop fooling around. Either buy something or leave.”
“Old man, be quiet! I’m trying to choose. Let me think in peace.”
The old man could only curse internally that he was too unlucky to have such a buffoon as the first customer of the week.
‘Wait, didn’t I get an update to Analyse earlier that I couldn’t figure out? What if…’
Finlay uttered the skill name.
Phoenix flight arts (Skill book)
Originally created by a low level cultivator from the original art of the same name inscribed on a stele in a secret ruin.
Original art was ranked at core formation level, but due to utter incompetence, the copy only barely reached foundation establishment threshold. This book is a further simplification of it and then reinterpreted to be used as a foot technique.
Grade
F-
Finlay was very happy to discover the new function of Analyse, but before he could celebrate, he was dumbfounded again reading the description.
He knew that according to the system, E is already considered trash grade, but this thing that he regarded as the best of the bunch was not only in the F grade but there was even a “-” beside it. Wouldn’t this just be considered super trash?
Finlay calmed down from his shock eventually.
‘Okay, okay. All of this doesn’t matter. Let’s see if we can upgrade now. Okay…uhh…Upgrade?’
*ding*
Would you like to upgrade this foot technique?
“Uh..yes please.”
Copying the skill book…
Error : The skill book is incomplete.
“Oh! Old man, is this the complete skill book? Isn’t it missing some pages?”
*snort*
“Ofcourse, do you think me an idiot? If I gave you the full book, what if you secretly read it all or copied it without paying.”
“Okay okay, just give me the full book for this. I’ll buy it.”
“First give me 45 poor grade stones. Only then will I hand over the book.”
“Isn’t it just 45 poor grade stones? Here.”
Finlay started the copying process again. It succeeded this time.
Copying successful. Upgrade available.
Choose what level to upgrade : Basic, low, mid, high, top
Finlay chose the basic level.
User chose to upgrade the book to basic level.
Due to the poor quality of the available book, the cost is increased.
Consume 80 credits to proceed?
‘Holy shi- No! 80 is too much! But basic is the lowest upgrade level. I still want to use these credits for myself later. I can’t spend 80 credits here. I don’t even know how and when I might be able to get more of them.’
“Old man, do you have the next level of this book? After all, I feel 45 poor grade stones are a little too less to spend on a quality technique.”
“Hmm, not bad! Brat, you finally realised your mistake. Wait, let me get you the intermediate level book for it…Here. First pay up 2 low grade stones. I normally don’t accept refunds, but I’m feeling generous. Just pay the change.”
Finlay used Analyse again.
Phoenix flight arts (Skill book)
Originally created by a low level cultivator from the original art of the same name inscribed on a stele in a secret ruin.
Original art was ranked at core formation level, but due to utter incompetence, the copy only barely reached foundation establishment threshold. This book is a further simplification of it and then reinterpreted to be used as a foot technique.
Grade
E+
‘Oh! This time, it’s much better in grade. 2 low grade stones is a bit painful for me but it’s worth it I guess. Let’s see how much it costs to upgrade.’
User chose to upgrade the book to basic level.
Consume 10 credits to proceed?
‘I guess this is one way to save credits by spending real world money instead.’
“Old man, just for the sake of information, what is the cost of the next level of this book?”
*snort*
“It’s already impressive that someone without much background like you is able to take out 2 low grade stones. You definitely won’t be able to afford the next one. Not without 10 Low grade stones at least and outside of the sect, you won’t be able to find it even for a 100. Anyway, this is already extravagant for your level. So, shoo!”
Even for Finlay, 10 low grade stones is impossible right now, so he selected proceed on the system screen as he left the store.
Proceeding with the upgrade…
Processing…
After about a minute…
*ding*
Upgrade complete.
User can access the contents below.
Phoenix flight arts (Skill book)
Originally created by a low level cultivator from the original art of the same name inscribed on a stele in a secret ruin.
Original art was ranked at core formation level, but due to utter incompetence, the copy only barely reached foundation establishment threshold. This book is a further simplification of it and then reinterpreted to be used as a foot technique. Also, it contains part of the flight techniques useful for late stage Qi condensation cultivators.
Grade
D
Click here for contents.
‘Ohh! So it’s in the ebook format. It’s fine I can just write it down myself. And the D grade is not bad either. If I understand the system grading, it should be equivalent to low grade, at least it’s out of the trash bin.’
The more he read of the technique, the happier he was with this feature. He walked back home giddy and amazed at the new ability in his hands.
“Now, let’s test the learning martial arts feature. Hehehe.”
Finlay grabbed some dinner to go and quickly returned to his place. He took a few minutes to write down the contents of the upgraded technique into a spare book he had lying around, then adjusted his mentality through some meditation before proceeding to test out the “learning” feature.
Do you wish to learn the Basic level skill : Phoenix Flight arts ?
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Cost : 2 credits
Finlay frowned a bit. Even though 2 credits is a much smaller number than the 10 required to upgrade a technique, having to spend the precious credits just to learn something he could do himself seemed a bit extravagant.
“I should use this feature a bit more sparingly. For now…proceed. I wonder how this is going to work.”
Confirmed.
Uploading contents to host.
processing…
No sooner did Finlay finish reading the message than he fell unconscious in his sitting posture.
Only after a couple hours did Finlay regain his consciousness.
“Wha-what happened??!”
The confused Finlay looked around to gather his thoughts once he woke up.
‘I was trying to try out the new system feature then…wait, did I succeed?’
*ding*
Upload complete.
Caution: It is recommended that the user studies thoroughly and practises the newly acquired skill for best results.
“Ohhh!! I know it! I already learned it! Hahaha, this is too awesome. Isn’t this just straight out of the Matrix??”
He quickly got up to try out the technique. He suddenly moved very fast around the room, much faster than his previous best with raw physical strength.
“Hmm, it seems it also works with channelling neutral Qi for better effect, but more importantly, fire effect gives the best results. So, let’s activate our origin Qi to simulate the fire element.”
Instantly, Finlay’s speed more than doubled and he almost smashed his face into the wall, out of control.
“Woah! That’s fast. I need to get used to this. Let’s follow the system’s suggestion and review the book once.”
A giddy Finlay read and practised his new technique all night. Before long, it was morning. Finlay had tired eyes but the excitement in them didn’t diminish one bit.
“Hahahaha! I can probably completely master it within the week. Heheh, I finally found the method to cover up my one flaw, lack of time to practise and learn martial arts and techniques. Now I have more time to focus on other skills like Formations, Alchemy and Artefact making.
“Let’s gooo!!” he pumped his fist in excitement.
----------------------------------------
Far away from the eyes of the powerful True Sky immortal sect, in a dark alley of a mortal city, a small group of dark robed figures gathered. One look and even an innocent 5 year old can tell they’re shady characters. They had tight-fitting attire covering their entire body, even the face with only a small gap for their eyes to see and holes for their ears on the sides.
“Is everyone here? Vice, quickly run a count,” a husky woman’s voice came out between breaths from one of them. There was a terrifying scar running along the torso with a seemingly deep wound leaking blood from being hastily patched up.
“Yes sir!”
“Captain…sir, we need to take care of that wound first. It- it doesn’t look good.”
“Shut it! Number 1 to 3 your report! Make it quick, we don’t have long here.”
2 of the figures hesitated a moment if they should continue with their leader in such a state, but the years of conditioning to follow orders unquestioned meant that it only lasted a single moment.
“Reporting to sir! We lost number 2 on our way out but the mission was successful. But we confirmed that he used the talisman, so there should have been nothing but ashes left. Our identity is safe. About the mission, I’m afraid our speculation has been much milder than the truth. The necessary proof is secure with us.”
The Captain’s shaky breath paused at hearing the words. They looked at the man for a moment before the frozen leader regained their composure.
“So, we’ve still underestimated how low they would go huh? No matter. We will verify the proof later in our hideout. For now, No 4 to 8, what about you?”
“Reporting to Captain! Our mission went smoother than expected since the Captain's team attracted most of the attention. The records are in this chest. We’ll probably have to wade through them for weeks, but since team 1 confirmed the info, I’m 90% certain we should find the necessary proof.
“Unfortunately, there was a civilian casualty…one of the servant girls, she…”
“No need to elaborate. She will be remembered on our wall of the fallen. You should follow the usual protocol. Taking care of it will be your responsibility. Now-”
There was a loud noise in the distance of people shouting and things falling.
“Dammit! That was too soon. No1, No7, Vice, you three will slip away with the packages back to our base. The rest will support me to hold off the enemy.”
“Boss!”
“Captain!”
“No you can’t! Your condition is too terrible…”
“That’s an order! Give me the pill. This is the defining moment for our existence, it’s time to go all out.”
“Sir, if we lose you…I’m a vice in name only. We need you till we get the information to the cultivators at the sect…”
“Enough! We don’t have much time. Move!”
Even though reluctant, the group of dark figures obeyed their orders. The leader took a crimson pill that gave her berserk strength in exchange for consuming blood essence, permanently weakening her later. Soon, a chase and a confrontation began with the decoy rear guard and the imperial guard in pursuit of them.
----------------------------------------
Back inside the palace of the mortal kingdom, the very place where the shady figures had just carried out their mission, in an extravagant study room, a relatively plump middle aged man with sharp eyes was calmly sitting in a chair, almost fit to be a throne. His lazy eyes landed on an old man standing respectfully beside him.
“Your majesty, it seems the commotion was in regards to a group of infiltrators. They’ve unfortunately escaped. We were able to keep 2 of them from escaping, but unfortunately they used some suicide talismans to burn themselves and their belongings to ashes, they’ve almost burnt our food storage too.”
“Hmm…I caught a glimpse of them at the end. They can’t fool my eyes. They’re clearly forces from the shadow valley. We’ll extort even more from them using this as an excuse. So, what was their mission?” he had a wide, delighted grin plastered over his face, clearly looking forward to extorting more benefits.
“Your majesty, it’s not clear yet, but it appears their primary target was some of our records. Exactly what we lost, we will need to check thoroughly to confirm, but I suspect it is related to the missing people and the annual funds distribution. Your majesty, should we be worried?”
“Hmm…No need to worry too much Prime minister, everyone already knew something was happening. That doesn’t mean that they’ve realised the truth of the matter. The real truth I mean. Missing people are just that. We don’t need to worry about such information leaking.”
“Your majesty, what if they seek the help of martial masters or perhaps even inform the great immortal sect of the matter?”
“Hmp! They would never care too much about mortal affairs. As long as the shadows of our true backers are concealed, they will leave us alone, at least until it’s too late. Hehehehe.”
“...Your majesty, about that, sh-should we even be joining hands with such evil things?”
*sort*
“Old men are old men. Stop being such a coward, Prime minister. And we’re not ‘joining hands’ with them. It’s more like I’m using them for now. Once I’m done, I have the perfect way to shift the responsibility to others. Let’s not talk about such matters.
“It’s just a pity that that woman, such a fine specimen, slipped away at the end. Unfortunately even the knight’s captain couldn’t keep her for me. Ahh…I can just imagine. An exemplar physique with a scar riddled warriors body and spirit. It would have been such fun to interrogate her, no? Just thinking about what I’ve missed, it’s a pity, a pity…” even as he said that, the man had a bizarrely euphoric expression on his face as a shade settled over his face and all around him tiny, almost invisible wisps of dark qi moved about.
“Yo-your majesty…” the old man couldn’t help shiver when he looked at the appearance of his king and the dark energy radiating from him.
“Do I look scary, old Gu? Don’t judge a book by its cover. This feeling, it can’t compare to anything else! These 10 years of my efforts with the young delicate maidens, or rather their bodies, has allowed me to regain my youth and vitality. It allowed me to surpass my peak and this Martial King has no equal below a cultivator.
“This was only possible because I was brave enough to receive the opportunity that presented itself. What Demonic and what righteous, Power and longevity is all that matters in the end. Once our cooperation is done, they promised that they will directly raise my body’s cultivation talent and allow me to actually cultivate. Wouldn’t that just be exquisite?? Hahaha hahahaha…” with that bizarre laugh, he let out even more wisps of the dark Qi, terrifying the old man standing beside.
To be continued.
Preview - System Status
Identity :
Finlay
Male
14 yrs old
–
Mortality :
Sura (Mortal)
Job :
None
Titles :
None
Cultivation : (Body cultivation)
Perfected Body Transformation stage;
Perfect Harmony of all elements;
Cultivation : (Spiritual)
Qi condensation realm Level 2;
Origin Qi;
Skills :
The All seeing eye (Analyse) :
(Grade D- )
Authority granted by the first god of the world, Dinn. You can peer into the secrets of things and beings of this world as long as you know what you’re looking for. (Requires activation conditions)
Dabbling in Alchemy:
(Grade F-)
Rewarded for your meagre efforts in Alchemy. It boosts your success rate of any pill below Tier 3 by 5 %; Improves the control of the user over the Qi infused into the pill.
Inventory space :
(Dantian space)
(Locked until Foundation Establishment)
Universal Language comprehension (Grade A+);
Mana Blast (Grade F+)
Preview - Stats
Spiritual :
Cultivation Talent :
S+ Grade (Appears as C-)
Divine Sense :
None
Law Comprehension :
S Grade
Physical :
Body Type :
Five Element body (Grade : B+(Aggregate)) (Appears as C-)
Elemental Attunements :
Metal
S- Grade
Five Element Body Type
(Dominant trait)
Earth
A Grade
Wind
C+ Grade
Fire
C Grade
Water
D Grade
Light/Darkness(Yin/Yang)
D- Grade
Lightning
D- Grade
Other Talents :
Weapon Talents :
Sword/Bladed type
A+ Grade
Ranged
C+ Grade
Hand to Hand
C Grade
Polearms/Spear
D Grade
Soul based/Mental type
D- Grade
Qi Circuits :
(Arrays, Formations, Magical Restrictions)
B- Grade
Crafting Talent :
C+ Grade
Alchemy Talent :
D+ Grade
Stats Sheet
Level
0 (No bonus stats)
Health
2675/2675 + (0/0)
Stamina
535/560 + (0/0)
Mental Energy
501/550 + (0/0)
Qi
264/265 + (0/0)
Status Ailments
None, Very Healthy
Special
None
Buffs
None