Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 294: Chapter 176: Attribute Surpassing 3, This Is My Path

”Cut the crap and get some sleep.” Zhai Jia poked his head out of the car window and waved at him. ”See you at the martial arts hall tomorrow.”

Wan Ze nodded, closed the car door, and turned to walk through the guesthouse entrance.

The Jeep started up behind him. Its headlights came on, illuminating a small patch of the road ahead before it slowly drove away and disappeared down the street.

It was silent inside the guesthouse.

The hallway lights were voice-activated, but his footsteps were so light they didn’t turn on. He fumbled in the dark to his door, took out his key, gently slid it into the lock, and slowly turned it.

CLICK.

The door opened.

Wan Ze pushed the door open and went inside. The living room was pitch-black, with only a faint sliver of light seeping from under his parents’ bedroom door.

He tiptoed to change his shoes, then carried the cases toward his room.

”Ah Ze?”

A hoarse, sleepy voice called from behind him.

Wan Ze turned around and saw his dad standing at the bedroom doorway. He was wearing a pair of large boxer shorts, bare-chested, his legs shivering from the cold.

”Dad, you’re still up?” Wan Ze asked, keeping his voice down.

”Hah, just getting up to take a leak.” Father Wan shivered. He had clearly been woken up by a full bladder and was both cold and desperate.

His gaze shifted from Wan Ze’s face to the two cases in his hands, lingered for a moment, then moved away.

”You... just got back from Cultivation?”

”Something came up and held me back today,” Wan Ze said, offering no further explanation.

”Oh,” Father Wan grunted, not pressing further.

Hugging his arms, he took short, quick steps toward the bathroom. Before pushing the door open, he glanced back one more time at the cases in Wan Ze’s hands.

The cases weren’t small, either of them.

He scratched his head but didn’t give it much thought.

’He couldn’t manage his son’s affairs even if he wanted to. Asking would be pointless, so it was better not to ask at all.’

”Get to bed early,” he said, then dove into the bathroom and shut the door.

”Okay,” Wan Ze replied, turning back to his room.

He shoved the two cases under his bed.

He bent down to take a look... ’The recent gains have been pretty good.’

...

「Two days later.」

It had been ten days since the winter solstice, and the weather had suddenly warmed up, as if winter itself were taking a nap.

The warm sunlight spilled down from the sky, shining on Wan Ze’s face.

The old locust tree in the courtyard had long since lost all its leaves, its bare branches swaying gently in the slight breeze.

At this time of day, most people at the martial arts hall had already gone home to rest.

Three or four in the afternoon was the quietest time. The training hall was deserted, with a wooden dummy standing forlornly in the corner.

Wan Ze was still standing in the courtyard.

He wore his gray training uniform, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing the solid muscle lines on his forearms.

His breathing was slow and steady. Every inhale was deep, every exhale long.

A moment later, Wan Ze slowly retracted his fists, pressing his hands down from his chest to his Dantian, palms facing down, fingertips pointing toward each other.

The Inner Qi inside his body slowly settled with the movement, like a glass of murky water left on a table. The sediment gradually sank to the bottom, leaving the surface clear and transparent.

While regulating the Inner Qi in his body, Wan Ze carefully felt the rhythm of his blood and Qi flowing through his meridians, then his gaze fell upon the data panel.

...

[Illustrated Guide: Stone-Breaking Fist] (Intermediate Mastered)

[New Effect: Flying Sand and Stones (Physical Strength +0.02; Endurance +0.02; Power +0.02)]

[Skill High Level Satisfying Conditions: Perform Fist Technique 10,000 times]

Two days of bitter Cultivation had finally paid off with a solid 0.02 increase to his attributes.

It wasn’t much, but it was a solid gain.

The ”Flying Sand and Stones” Effect of Stone-Breaking Fist sounded impressive and was essentially an increase in explosive force. When he threw a punch, his Power would radiate outward, capable of kicking up sand and stones from the ground. The force was no longer confined to the surface of his fist but could penetrate through a target.

Wan Ze’s gaze shifted downward.

...

[Illustrated Guide: Wind-Stepping Step] (Intermediate Mastered)

[New Effect: Wind Track Swift (Intelligence +0.02; Agility +0.04; Coordination +0.04)]

[Skill High Level Satisfying Conditions: Perform Step Technique 10,000 times]

...

Wan Ze was most satisfied with the boost from Wind-Stepping Step.

His Agility and Coordination had each increased by 0.04, the first time his weakness in Body Technique had been so significantly compensated for.

The name ”Wind Track Swift” was quite fitting. When he executed the Step Technique, the moment his toes touched the ground, the airflow would follow the direction of his steps, as if his body were fitted with an invisible track.

Perfect smoothness meant incredible speed.

...

[Illustrated Guide: Mountain-Splitting Whip Leg] (Intermediate Mastered)

[New Effect: Leg Strength Enhancement (Physical Strength +0.02; Agility +0.01; Endurance +0.02; Power +0.03)]

[Skill High Level Satisfying Conditions: Perform Leg Technique 15,000 times]

...

The 0.03 Power increase, combined with the boosts to his Physical Strength and Endurance, brought his lower body strength up a small notch.

He had already gained a preliminary grasp of this Leg Technique’s ”Whip Force.” It was like cracking a whip—the looser the swing, the heavier the strike.

His gaze continued downward, toward the ranks of High Tier Martial Skills.

...

[Illustrated Guide: Ten Thousand Waves Secret Martial Arts] (Basic Mastered)

[New Effect: Increased Intimidation Effect (All Attributes +0.02)]

[Skill Intermediate Satisfying Conditions: Perform Ten Thousand Waves Fist Technique 15,000 times]

...

All Attributes +0.02.

This was a pleasant surprise from the Ten Thousand Waves Secret Martial Arts.

The four Martial Skills he had obtained from Zhao Henian were now fully displayed on his attribute panel in just two short days.

While others might take months or even years to master a single Martial Skill, he only needed to complete the tasks and grind out the repetitions to make someone else’s life’s work his own instinct.

And above these new Martial Skills were a few familiar faces he had been cultivating recently.

...

[Illustrated Guide: Wave-Treading Shocking Swan] (High Level Mastered)

[Skill Special Level Satisfying Conditions: Practice Body Technique 100,000 times and perform one Extreme Evasion] (78,000/100,000; 1/1)

...

This was the Body Technique he had learned from the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall, and it was also one of the highest-level Martial Skills he currently possessed.