Chapter 1010
Chapter 1010 - 996: Fighter
1,325 words
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7 min read
"Your brow is darkened, a great disaster looms..."
"Get lost. If you can’t speak properly, then shut up."
Faced with Old Qian’s predictions, Lu Ping’an smiled and didn’t take it seriously.
In his view, if one could truly peer into destiny, would they end up like this?
Having just climbed onto the ship, his pants were still wet, smelling of seawater, with the Little Girl in tow, passersby would shun...
"...here, go freshen up in my room. You’re probably fine, but the Little Girl might not be."
However, as Old Qian took the room card, he paused before finally remarking,
"Your change is quite significant..."
These murmurs hid a deeper meaning.
One’s room is their fortress; casually allowing someone unfamiliar access? Are you not afraid they’d poison or set up some traps or something?
If it were the real Su Xi, even with utmost trust in someone, they would not let them enter their room alone... This has nothing to do with the closeness of the relationship, it’s merely habitual vigilance brought on by a special profession.
"Heh, after all, I am in a period of growth." The "Su Xi" in this moment, still wore an inappropriate smile.
Lu Ping’an actually didn’t mind at all, as he had already come to terms with the fact that if his cover as a pseudonym could be kept, then great... and if it was blown, revealing himself as Lu Ping’an, what of it?
This was merely a part of his cultivation journey, not something involving critical secret intelligence work. Even in the worst-case scenario where he was fully exposed, it wouldn’t be a matter of life and death...
"...I’ve been misled by Big Cat, making it seem like my life hangs by a thread. It doesn’t matter anymore; there’s no need to feel so aggrieved."
Overtime and diligent cultivation granted him more time to reflect; "enlightened" Lu Ping’an naturally became much more "cheerful."
It’s good to maintain one’s pseudonym, but even if it’s blown, I don’t have any enemies...
"...Hmm, I don’t think so; I never had the chance to make enemies back home. Heh, Chris, you’re too pessimistic, always assuming the worst."
"Hehe." Big Cat dropped a sneer without paying him any more attention.
Perhaps it was disdain, or maybe a sense that she was unlike him. Lu Ping’an indeed had the possibility of living in the sunlight...
"...Alright, alright, Chris, I don’t have any issues with you. What about the plan for the next phase of cultivation..."
Even now, while sipping coffee and enjoying pastries, Lu Ping’an did not stop his "training."
Perhaps due to past experiences, Big Cat was a bit "overly anxious and thought too much" and "excessively sensitive due to a dark mind," but when it came to assessing the bigger picture, Lu Ping’an still trusted her... It’s better to train until you have a chance to escape most of the time, rather than hoping future opponents underestimate you.
Moreover, once he began the "Fighters’ " training, Lu Ping’an discovered its fascination.
"Chris is right, the path of the Fighter is indeed the most suitable for evolution from human to non-human, but isn’t it a bit too extreme..."
A faint red glow constantly swirled around Lu Ping’an’s fingertips.
This was "Life Drain," a low-level Abnormal Ability commonly used in the Life/Death system; clearly, Lu Ping’an was practicing the "Coiling" of the Four Techniques.
"...Fighters are actually exposed to ’Coiling’ at third-tier, no wonder their death and injury rates are so high."
Fighters and other battle-professionals’ most fundamental difference lies in their tendency not to use weapons or armor... uh, they certainly aren’t actively seeking death, but there are reasons for not using them.
"For them, it’s ’Shock Fist,’ ’Penetration Strike,’ and not something like ’Coiling’... Of course, there’s no essential difference, but the learning difficulty is significantly reduced,"
Choosing to be unarmed is because Fighters possess many ’Abnormal Abilities’ that require barehanded use.
The most common are various ’Enchantment Fist’ abilities... Traits such as ’Piercing,’ ’Shock,’ and ’Adhesion’ can be manifested on the limbs of second and third-tier martial monks.
In Lu Ping’an’s view, isn’t this just the ’Coiling’ from the Four Techniques? Only that the power they attach is more stable and less likely to harm themselves...
"... Each battle-profession has its own strengths and weaknesses, but it’s reality that Decree-level and above martial monks and Fighters easily become masters of the Four Techniques."
Abandoning weapons and armor to focus on one’s own body naturally leads to the mastery of the Four Techniques, which specialize in the techniques of ’Body Contamination Adhesion’.
Low-level Fighters simply learn ’Abnormal Abilities (Skills),’ while high-level Fighters have come into contact with the essence.
"... Unarmed fighting is one of the basics, another is characteristic Breathing Techniques, there’s no fundamental difference there..."
Among the two core Professional Skills, Lu Ping’an could even equate the first ’Unarmed Fighting’ with the ’Coiling’ of the Four Techniques.
’Enchantment Fist’ is just one part of it, this concept of ’Unarmed Fighting’ that involves many combat techniques is a framework, but too many high-level techniques involve ’Coiling,’ or are essentially ’Coiling’.
However, compared with the usual Decree-levels, Fighters have more stable ’Coiling’ attachments.
They easily maintain their special powers on their bodies long-term, like making their fists fiery is no challenge at all.
As for the other foundational ’Breathing Technique’... Lu Ping’an was already an old hand at practicing several Breathing Techniques, although in his view their essence was all about ’introducing Contamination to transform oneself,’ the differences are actually quite pronounced.
"The Runner’s Breathing Technique enhances ’speed,’ which essentially is a kind of ’activation increase,’ constantly accelerating at the cellular level. Whereas my All Things Breathing Skill is ’Biological Resonance,’ it’s ’Linking.’ Fighters’... is very strange."
Lu Ping’an began to understand what Big Cat meant by ’not worthy’ before, perhaps it was truly ’not compatible’ or ’not matching’.
"No, I just simply find you annoying, that’s all. Do orthodox Fighters train the way you do..."
Alright, logically ignoring Big Cat’s resentful tone, Lu Ping’an tried to understand the useful messages within.
"Fighters are about transformation, about thoroughly changing one’s own body, which is visibly reflected in the material aspect. They either become more resilient or more agile. In short, it’s a complete start towards non-humanization..."
In the commonly used ’Six Great Ability Systems,’ the Transformation System (Self-Transformation Branch) is best represented by ’Beastman Transformation.’
In a way, their Breathing Technique seems to actively push themselves towards a direction of ’Beastman Evolution.’
Fighters are the most diligent at changing Breathing Techniques, and they are often regarded as the battle-professionals most proficient in Breathing Techniques... they need to constantly adjust Breathing Techniques to transform their body’s evolution process, which is why they have mastered it.
"... While keeping ’Contamination’ on the surface of their body, they inhale ’Contamination’ into themselves. Uh, no wonder they don’t need weapons or armor, they have natural weapons and armor..."
Though it sounds nice, upon closer consideration, their weaknesses are starkly apparent.
"... It’s just that at lower levels, they are exceptionally vulnerable. Even if ’Contamination’ counters, I expend my weapons, but you exhaust your overall quantity and your flesh."
But at this point, Lu Ping’an realized another issue.
"So, the All Things Breathing Skill I mimic from the mythological Giant Beasts is well-suited to this power..."
"... Giving you that chance was truly a waste. Yes, you can replace or even overlay it at the lower level, there’s no need for you to learn those ’inferior’ Breathing Techniques, you could directly use your own Breathing Technique for simulative overlay. In fact, you’ve already done so."
— End of Chapter 1010 —