Chapter 14 Pigeon Occupying the Magpie's Nest_1

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The next morning came early.

As it happened, there were no classes at school...

Lin Yuan arrived at the Martial Dao Training Center early in the morning.

Lin Rourou had already been waiting for a while.

Seeing him approaching, she pulled him aside and whispered, "I've already made some inquiries for you. Indeed, you can purchase martial techniques for your condition, but I guessed the price wrong. If we're talking about recovery from a loss, to recast a martial technique would cost ten thousand, which is not low at all..."

Ten thousand?

That was certainly not cheap.

But Lin Yuan thought it over and realized that if he sold the thirty-some Nutritional Restoration Elixirs, that would be over thirty thousand.

This money could be considered an unexpected windfall.

It was just right for covering this shortfall...

He looked troubled and asked, "With such high prices, I definitely can't buy many. Sister, you've been working here for so long, do you have any recommendations?"

Lin Rourou thought for a moment and said, "The martial techniques from Descending Dragon Martial Hall are actually numerous, and their quality varies. But you can't use them now, can you? So I recommend buying some of higher grade. It might seem like they won't help much now, but once you get into a Martial Dao Academy in the future and reach a certain level of strength, they can play a big role. So that's the idea, but specifically, it's still better to take a careful look and compare."

Then, she took Lin Yuan to handle the procedures.

Applying for a loss recovery had an extremely simple process.

Basically, you pay the money, and receive an activation code that can only be used once.

After that, you can browse the various features of martial techniques on the Martial Hall's terminal. If you find one you like, you activate it with the code and then download it.

Lin Rourou's suggestions were actually quite sensible.

If one wants to recover losses, then the higher the level of the martial techniques purchased, the better.

Martial techniques are included in the Martial Hall's fees, so their price is considered fair...

Once you enter an academy in the future, the cost of acquiring a set of high-level martial techniques would definitely be much greater.

But this was contingent on Lin Yuan reaching such lofty heights.

From this perspective, she seemed to have a lot of faith in Lin Yuan.

But Lin Yuan had his own concerns...

He looked at the list of martial technique names on the terminal, followed by descriptions of their features, power levels, and more.

Martial techniques did not have a clear ranking.

They were categorized according to the training levels they were suitable for: Martial Artist level, Elite level, Martial Master level, and so on...

Martial Artists trained strength, Elites trained energy, Martial Masters refined Qi.

Lin Yuan had Spiritual Power within him, but as he was not very familiar with the cultivation system, he wasn't sure to what extent his Spiritual Power could be developed. So, as he observed these martial techniques, when he saw the descriptions of how to circulate energy, he didn't just read them but also tried to control the flow with his own Spiritual Power.

If it wasn't for Zhao Sanyuan, Lin Yuan wouldn't have wanted to be so aggressive...

But after giving it some thought, Zhang Wuji had never practiced punching and kicking skills either. He was merely forced by Xie Yuan to memorize some boxing manuals, yet after he cultivated the Nine Suns Divine Skill, he learned martial skills at an incredibly rapid pace.

Lin Yuan's current situation was actually quite similar to Zhang Wuji's, so perhaps he could try replicating his miracle?

And indeed, his speculation was correct.

The moves were all incomplete, but there was a detailed description of the circulation of True Qi...

Lin Yuan flipped through a Martial Artist-level Explosive Dragon Fist Manual. Since it was for Martial Artists, there was no method of controlling True Qi, but the description of how to cultivate energy was quite detailed...

Lin Yuan pondered and felt completely clueless.

After all, he could simulate the flow of True Qi, but energy strength and the like...he really didn't understand.

He then switched to a Martial Master level Dragon-subduing Fist manual – the highest level martial technique in the entire Descending Dragon Martial Hall!

The fact that it was still being sold at an affordable price meant that martial halls like this were simply too conscientious.

Lin Yuan tried to use Spiritual Power to replace True Qi, circulating it through the meridians in his right hand.

When he autonomously circulated the Spiritual Power, that demonic whispering sound resounded next to his ear once again.

"@#￥...%#*&#@..."

He still couldn't understand it...

But oddly enough, Lin Yuan vaguely sensed a tone of disdain within it.

Lin Yuan paid it no mind, thinking of it as the BGM playing while he wielded his Spiritual Power.

Moreover, in this way, the loneliness that often accompanied practicing martial arts alone was completely gone. It felt as if countless people were cheering for him.

Indeed, it brought a sense of relief he couldn't help but express.

With a snap and a crisp sound,

Lin Yuan threw a casual punch and produced a sonic boom.

"So powerful... No, wait... Did I actually just do that?"

Lin Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up.

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The Qi Control Technique was only half-complete, but when he circulated his Spiritual Power to the point of interruption, it would activate on its own, and then he would strike in a flow.

Although these Martial Techniques were incomplete, lacking the set patterns of moves...

Regarding the Qi Control Technique, it seems he could deduce some parts of it based on the self-circulating Spiritual Power.

That is to say, even though the techniques in the terminal were meant just for display, they could actually be put to practical use in his hands.

What made Lin Yuan even more pleasantly surprised was that, as he had expected, his body constitution was excellent, and he could completely skip the basics and directly learn these Martial Techniques.

It's not all that strange when he thought about it.

Although he did not know how long his predecessor had practiced the Immortal Dao Technique, Immortal Dao was after all the source of Martial Dao.

In other words... Lin Yuan was now rooted in the very source.

With that realization, he reviewed the information with even greater eagerness.

And he looked for a whole day.

Lin Yuan had more or less figured out his current situation...

"Because I have Spiritual Power within me, I can simulate True Qi and perfectly unleash the power of martial master-level Martial Techniques, but if it's techniques below the level of a martial master, particularly in terms of controlling power, I might be somewhat lacking compared to ordinary Martial Artists. However, as long as I'm careful, there generally shouldn't be any problems," Lin Yuan mumbled to himself.

"It's just that I don't know the strength of my Spiritual Power at the moment. If it's comparable to that of a martial master, wouldn't that mean I already possess the offensive power of a martial master?"

He looked towards the distant strength-testing target.

The Martial Arts Association had extremely strict divisions for the strength of Martial Artists.

Power output was one aspect...

There was a target nearby, but Lin Yuan had no intention of trying it out. If the result was ordinary, it would be fine, but if it exceeded expectations, wouldn't that leave a flaw in his cover?

He would find a way to test it after he got back home.

Lin Yuan chose to exchange the items.

When he left, it was already six o'clock in the evening.

"Little brother... have you made your choice?"

Lin Rourou was packing up.

With a caring expression, she asked when she saw Lin Yuan come out.

"Mhm, I chose two sets, one Dragon Subduing Fist Manual and one Sprinting Step!"

Lin Rourou blinked, her face revealing a surprised expression.

She had advised Lin Yuan to pick higher-level techniques, which might seem like a loss now, but it was an investment for the future, maximizing the reduction of her original loss.

But she never expected Lin Yuan to pick the highest-level set.

A martial master... among Martial Artists, they were one in a hundred.

Was he that confident in himself?

And if he truly was that confident, why did he choose Sprinting Step, the most basic footwork technique from the Descending Dragon Martial Hall? That choice seemed excessively low.

She genuinely couldn't understand Lin Yuan's moves.

Lin Yuan explained, "One set is to invest in the future, and the other is for immediate use... Thank you, Sister Rourou, for your hard work today. Shall I treat you to dinner?"

He really was grateful to Lin Rourou.

Today might have seemed simple, just paying money to choose a Cultivation Technique, but it was clear... all the previous steps had already been taken care of by Lin Rourou for him.

Such sincere effort on her part.

If previously Lin Yuan had thought about saving money, now he genuinely wanted to treat her to something delicious... It was also because he knew she helped him not for monetary gain; otherwise, he would have had to give her a red envelope.

Lin Rourou didn't refuse and laughed, "Sure, I know a food stall with quite good flavors."

"How about a nicer restaurant? A food stall can't express my gratitude."

"The thought is what counts. I helped you because you looked familiar and approachable, not for a meal from you. You're still so young and all alone, making money isn't as easy for you as it is for me. I'm already being informal with you by letting you treat me, let's go."

"Thank you."

They arrived at the food stall.

Braised eggplant, stir-fried green bean cake, spicy stir-fried fish tail, along with a dish of braised chicken giblets and hot and sour egg soup.

Food stalls are known for their heavy flavors of salt and oil, but despite her gentle name, Lin Rourou had a rather strong taste as well, wolfing down dishes covered in red oil, especially after ordering a pack of beer. Lin Yuan only drank one bottle, while the remaining eleven bottles went into her stomach.

In the end, the bill for the alcohol and the food come to just under two hundred, a rather high cost-performance ratio indeed.

But truth be told, it really did taste good.

After seeing the very tipsy Lin Rourou home, Lin Yuan returned to his place at around nine in the evening.

But instead of going to sleep, he headed straight to the rooftop terrace.

The top floor was monopolized by a nasty neighbor and had been locked up long ago.

Moreover, climbing the stairs was inconvenient, so over time, no one bothered to go up there anymore...

No one knew that the lock was smashed by Lin Yuan the day after the nasty neighbor moved away, and he had replaced it with a new lock of the same model.

Others only thought that the neighbor, having moved away, still hogged the roof, preventing others from accessing it. They didn't realize that Lin Yuan had actually taken over the nest and profited, while the notorious reputation was left for the nasty neighbor to carry.