C8 Upgrade My Martial Skills!

Walking along the road, Wang Pingfan patted the two hundred spirit stones in his pocket and shook his head in disbelief. He already had six hundred more on him, and in five days, he was due to receive a substantial sum. This was, after all, a token of his father's affection.

He knew he needed to learn some martial skills soon. Shortly thereafter, Wang Pingfan heard someone taunting him from behind. "Isn't that the useless Wang Pingfan? Where are you off to? Haven't seen you in ages. Been wasting time at the brothels again?" The group of young men burst into laughter.

Wang Pingfan squinted and warned, "Wang Lu, utter one more word, and I'll beat you so badly you won't be able to leave your bed."

Wang Lu chuckled arrogantly, "You think you can take me on, you little nobody? Looks like I need to teach you a lesson in humility. Don't worry, I won't be too rough. Just enough to keep you down for a few days, for your own good." With that, he launched a kick at Wang Pingfan, who, instead of backing down, threw a punch directly at him.

Wang Lu had thought to send Wang Pingfan flying with a kick, but as their limbs collided, his face contorted in shock, and he was the one sent sprawling. His right leg twisted grotesquely, clearly broken.

"No, this can't be! How could you, a mere nobody, not even a Martial Cultivator, send me flying with a single punch? What trick did you use?" Wang Lu cried out in terror.

"Yeah, don't you know it's a serious offense to harm a fellow sect member? Give up now and wait for the elders to deal with you," the other two youths yelled.

"Surrender? Hmph, I didn't hear any talk of sect offenses when he attacked me. Now, get lost unless you want to test my fist too."

The two youths were visibly shaken, realizing their strength was no match for Wang Pingfan's. "You'll see! Once Big Brother Wang Yan is out of seclusion, he'll avenge us!" With that, they hoisted Wang Lu up and fled.

Wang Pingfan mused to himself that Wang Yan, his second uncle's son, was the Wang family's foremost prodigy. Roughly his own age, Wang Yan had already attained the rank of a five-star Martial Cultivator and was currently in seclusion, preparing for the Autumn Hunt. Soon, he would break through to become a six-star Martial Cultivator. Even if Wang Yan couldn't harm him, Wang Pingfan knew he would have to exert considerable effort to emerge victorious. It was time to master a few martial arts techniques.

After a short while, Wang Pingfan entered the Scripture Library and was greeted by an elderly man. "Ah, Pingfan, what brings you here today?" the old man inquired with a warm smile.

"Grandpa Zhong, I'm here to select some martial arts techniques," Wang Pingfan replied.

The Grandpa Zhong before him belonged to his grandfather's generation and was also among the top five masters of the Wang family. "Oh, Little Fan, you've finally advanced to Martial Cultivator status. If you've just made the breakthrough, you shouldn't rush into choosing martial arts techniques. It's better to start with a cultivation technique. Practice it for three months to harmonize the spiritual energy within your body, and then you can select martial arts techniques," Wang Zhong advised with gravity.

"Actually, Grandpa Zhong, I achieved Martial Cultivator status quite some time ago; I just hadn't visited until now," Wang Pingfan confessed, releasing his spirit energy. Wang Zhong, sensing Wang Pingfan's aura, expressed his astonishment, "You've already reached the level of a four-star Martial Cultivator? Could all the external rumors be false?"

Wang Pingfan reiterated the explanation he had given to his father. "You're quite fortunate, but you should still start with a cultivation technique. Without it, the spiritual energy in your body won't flow properly," Wang Zhong recommended.

"Understood, Grandpa Zhong. I'll head inside now," Wang Pingfan said before dashing off. Wang Zhong chuckled, "This kid, I swear."

Surveying the martial arts manuals in the Scripture Library, Wang Pingfan queried, "Hack, any suggestions?"

Hack responded, "Master, since you've cultivated the Chaos Scripture, your body is already the finest weapon. Therefore, a fist or foot technique would be most suitable. Additionally, this system can enhance the level of the martial arts technique you choose."

"Oh, it has that kind of effect. I recall the Wang family's only yellow low-grade martial technique is a fist form."

Wang Pingfan made his way to the depths of the Scripture Library. On the very last shelf, he found two books—the Wang family's sole yellow-level cultivation techniques and martial skills. They were the yellow medium-grade "Guardian One Victory" and the yellow low-grade "Seven Sound Fist". He pondered how to upgrade them.

Beams of light shot from Wang Pingfan's eyes, illuminating the two books. After about fifteen minutes, a voice echoed in his mind, "The yellow medium-grade 'Guardian One Victory' can be upgraded to yellow top-grade by consuming 50,000 level-one energy units. The yellow low-grade 'Seven Sound Fist' can be upgraded to yellow medium-grade by consuming 10,000 level-one energy units. Please replenish energy to upgrade." Wang Pingfan hadn't anticipated the need for such a vast amount of energy. It looked like he would have to wait a few days to acquire it from the auction house before he could proceed with the upgrade. Additionally, having just advanced to the four-star Martial Cultivator realm, he needed to stabilize his power for a few days.

Five days later, Wang Pingfan's eyes flickered open in his room. With only ten days left, he knew he had to hasten his pace. Soon after, he made his way to the auction house.

The staff at the auction house greeted him warmly upon his arrival. "Sir, welcome. The master had instructed me to await your arrival. Everything is prepared. Please, make yourself comfortable in the room, and I will notify the lords immediately."

Shortly after settling into the room, the door swung open. Dongfang Ping and Elder Ling entered with beaming smiles. "Young friend, the 50,000 low-grade spirit stones and 500 medium-grade ones are ready for you to examine," they announced.

Wang Pingfan glanced at the chest behind Dongfang Ping and the pouch in his hand, nodding in approval. He then retrieved a pill recipe from his pocket and handed it to Dongfang Ping, who accepted it with the enthusiasm of one receiving a prized possession.

With a smile, Dongfang Ping offered, "Young friend, would you like me to arrange for someone to transport these spirit stones for you? It's quite inconvenient to carry such a large chest on your own."

Wang Pingfan gestured dismissively and said, "No problem. I'll just slip out the back. I've got my ways." With that, he hoisted the box onto his shoulder and departed.

Shortly after Wang Pingfan's departure, another figure materialized in the room. "Should I follow him to ensure nothing untoward happens?" the newcomer asked.

The supervisor offered a slight smile and replied, "No need. I believe he does have a method. Despite his youth, he's quite clever. Besides, he's from the Wang family. Nobody in Rerora County would dare to rob him."

As Wang Pingfan navigated the alleyways, he appeared to be merely carrying a box. However, he was covertly absorbing spirit stones, and before long, the box was emptied. He nonchalantly discarded it in a corner and made his way back to the main road, quickening his pace toward the Scripture Library. Wang Zhong caught a glimpse of Wang Pingfan and was filled with curiosity. The last visit had been brief, and now he wondered what was on Wang Pingfan's mind.

Wang Pingfan strode directly to the last bookshelf, intent on upgrading his martial skills. He summoned the system to begin the process.

A voice intoned, "You are about to upgrade the yellow medium-grade 'One Strike' and the yellow low-grade 'Seven Sound Fist.' Would you like to confirm?"

"Confirm upgrade," Wang Pingfan instructed.

"Master, this system can also assist in your cultivation. By expending 10,000 and 5,000 units of energy, respectively, you can mentally rehearse 'One Strike' and 'Seven Sound Fist,'" the system offered.

Ah, that's an option. But since I've already mastered the Chaos Scripture, there's no need to practice 'One Strike.' It just needs some tweaking.

The energy consumption is more than I'd planned for. I was hoping to save some spirit stones for other purposes, but it seems I'll need to absorb more. "Then let's absorb another 100 second-level energy sources and convert them into 10,000 first-level energy sources," Wang Pingfan decided.

He had previously confirmed with the system that higher-level energy could be downgraded, but not the other way around.

"Energy absorption complete. Now commencing the upgrade," the cheat device announced.