Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

Although early spring nights were no longer as bitterly cold as those of winter, they still carried a slight chill.

A gentle breeze slipped through the cracks of the door, causing the dim yellow oil lamp on the table to flicker uncontrollably, casting patchy shadows over the simple furniture.

Shen Qing's face was intermittently lit by the changing light.

The old wooden desk, its corners worn smooth, was covered with five yellowed books and a stack of freshly written papers.

Shen Qing sat by the desk, his brows furrowed, his eyes flashing with complex emotions.

His fingers caressed the five Martial Arts Secret Manuals: "Illusion Breaking Fist, Netherworld Ghost Steps, Eight Extremities Collapse, Wuji Tiangang Kick, Dragon Roar Iron Cloth Shirt, Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill..."

The smoke from the oil lamp rose slowly, the crackling of its burning echoing in the empty room.

"Illusion Breaking Fist, Netherworld Ghost Steps, Wuji Tiangang Kick, these three Martial Arts focus on one category each. Illusion Breaking Fist specializes in fist techniques and focuses on breaking illusions with punches, emphasizing inner cultivation to dispel inner falsehoods. According to Li Linfeng's notes, it is merely a third-rate Martial Art, with nothing noteworthy in actual combat and killing techniques. I could learn it, and the Water Ink Panel could facilitate continuous breakthroughs. However, for the current me, the output ratio is not high, and investing too much time and effort is not cost-effective," he mused.

Shen Qing picked up Illusion Breaking Fist and placed it to his left.

"Netherworld Ghost Steps and Wuji Tiangang Kick both focus on leg techniques, one enhancing speed by using the legs to lead the whole body, and the other using the legs as weapons to defeat enemies. At deeper levels of cultivation, one could tread on snow without a trace, and shatter stones with a kick. I possess hunting skills that involve footwork, and Wind Facing Finger involves movement techniques, making these two Martial Arts somewhat redundant. Moreover, these two Martial Arts are not profound and are difficult to master.

After considering this, Shen Qing also placed Netherworld Ghost Steps and Wuji Tiangang Kick to his left.

"That leaves these three: Eight Extremities Collapse, Dragon Roar Iron Cloth Shirt, and Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill."

Shen Qing brought Eight Extremities Collapse closer. "Eight Extremities Collapse mainly focuses on inner training of strength. Its true power can be realized in the Qi Cultivation Realm, where one can cultivate the Eight Extremes Qi, enhancing the power of Qi, which complements the Wind Facing Finger. Li Linfeng has also recommended that I study this Martial Art."

He turned the pages of this yellowed book of Martial Arts Skills, which was filled with dense annotations.

It was apparent that Li Linfeng had taken this Martial Art quite seriously.

After skimming through the book, Shen Qing placed it to the right.

Then, he picked up the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill.

"This Martial Art leaked from the Great Zhou Court. I guess it isn't considered very profound within the Great Zhou Dynasty; otherwise, it wouldn't have ended up in the hands of a Zhou Family member. Even so, for independents like us, this Martial Art is precious."

"The fundamental principle of the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill is constantly reversing one's own Qi-Blood channels, taking an accumulative approach. With each transformation, a martial master can double their strength, and reaching the Perfect Realm allows them to stack nine times the power, making it immensely powerful."

"The only flaw is that each activation of this technique exhausts the body's functions, resulting in significant weakness. During this period, a martial master's capabilities are at least thirty percent weaker than usual."

"Even so, in combat, the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill can produce unexpectedly powerful effects, making it a technique worth practicing."

Shen Qing placed Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill at the top.

"Now, the last Martial Art remains."

Shen Qing picked up the book on Dragon Roar Iron Cloth Shirt.

As the name suggests, this was a primarily defensive Martial Art.

It abandons the common practices of Strengthening Tendons and Bones, focusing entirely on constantly training Qi-Blood and muscles, eventually hardening the entire body's muscles and skin like iron, and the Qi-Blood as deep as mountains, achieving ultimate levels where one is immune to blades and fire.

Presently, Shen Qing considered his options; his Wind Facing Finger was focused on offensive killing, his hunting skills were focused on Concealment movements, and learning Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill would enhance his explosive power.

What he lacked now was a defensive Martial Art.

Shen Qing opened this Martial Arts Skill manual, quickly scanned through it, and noticed a summary made by Li Linfeng.

"More is beautiful, big is good."

Shen Qing couldn't help but pause in expression.

He knew, indeed, that Li Linfeng hadn't spoken wrongly.

The martial arts skill of the Dragon Roar Armor throughout the book is a wild style, from beginning to end, it only increases the thickness of Qi-Blood and the strength of the flesh, making them grow in size and quantity, until it can emit a resonant dragon roar during combat collision and withstand all impacts.

It cares for nothing else.

It must be said, this martial arts is indeed wild.

Shen Qing put down this martial arts manual, his gaze then continuously shifted back and forth between the Eight Extremities Collapse and the Dragon Roar Armor.

Eight Extremities Collapse is good, but it isn't what I urgently need right now, the most suitable for my current situation is still the Dragon Roar Armor.

After practicing the Blood Dominance Technique, my Qi-Blood is indeed abundant, now I am just lacking the correct guidance on how to practice, and Dragon Roar Armor could solve this problem, complementing the Blood Dominance Technique to enhance my physical defense.

Soon, Shen Qing made his choice.

He decided to use the time to practice both the Dragon Roar Armor and the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill for the additional martial arts.

Seeing that it was getting late, he gathered the remaining techniques, locked them in a chest, and went straight to bed.

Early the next morning, Shen Qing woke up early and began practicing the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill and the Dragon Roar Armor.

The Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill, as expected, was a martial art that had been refined by the Great Zhou Court over the years and was very easy to master.

Continuing to practice it felt just like driving on a highway, fast and smooth, easier to master than other martial arts.

Within just a moment, a drop of water ink appeared in his field of vision, and lines of water ink text emerged.

[Skill: Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill (Entry Level)]

[Progress: 1/100 points]

[Status: Cannot be Improved]

[Note: Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill, each transformation stronger than the last, continuous practice can increase cultivation progress.]

Very fast.

Indeed, official techniques are not the same as ordinary paths, no obstacles in practicing at all.

At this rate, maybe in three to five days, he would be able to master the First Transformation and unleash twice the power.

Shen Qing was delighted inside.

After practicing for a while, Shen Qing ate a few flatbreads prepared by his elder sister Shen Fang, and he and Shen Xiaohu walked briskly toward Linfeng Hall.

In the back courtyard, Shen Qing did not see Li Lingchan again.

Listening to his fellow students, she had gone to another yard to practice with the fourth senior brother Wushili.

This suited Shen Qing's intentions perfectly.

Now, he just wanted to practice martial arts, the absence of Li Lingchan in the back courtyard made it seem all the more tranquil.

After four days of hard practice, as Shen Qing predicted, he had completely maximized the proficiency of the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill.

[Skill: Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill (Entry Level)]

[Progress: 101/100 points]

[Status: Can be Improved]

With no hesitation, Shen Qing declared, "Breakthrough."