After upgrading Stealing Step to Level 100, he had seventeen points of Spirituality left.
Feng Yin glanced at the other options where he could allocate Spirituality; it could only be used to recover Durability and Secret Energy.
He didn't plan to spend it on those.
Although he only had eight points of Durability left, he could recover it later by killing monsters in his Wolf Slaughter Form. As for Secret Energy, he didn't have a Secret Technique yet, so he couldn't use it anyway. There was even less of a rush to restore it.
He decided to get a good night's sleep first.
The sneak attack by the Ren Sheng Group had turned the Tongzi Building completely upside down. Before returning to his room, he had checked the time—it was already past three in the morning, nearly four. Although his physical functions were now extraordinary due to the Armor's passive buffs, meaning occasionally sleeping less wouldn't affect his energy, he still preferred to sleep when he could.
However, before going to bed this time, Feng Yin double-checked the doors and windows. He even moved the table to barricade the door before finally feeling secure enough to sleep. The damn Ren Sheng Group bastards had made him too paranoid to sleep soundly. He would deal with them tomorrow night!
With this firm thought in mind, Feng Yin quickly fell asleep.
...
Before dawn broke, Feng Yin, who hadn't slept deeply, opened his eyes and sat up. After going to the public bathroom to scoop some water and wash up quickly, he grabbed his Wooden Sword for practice and the Katana he had confiscated last night, then ran up to the roof.
Over the past few days, he had developed a habit of doing some extra solo Swordsmanship training before going to work every day. Despite it being summer, the early morning breeze on the roof was cool and quite refreshing.
After a simple warm-up and stretching, Feng Yin first picked up the Katana and tried slashing a few times. He found that although it was a sharp, real blade, its length and center of gravity did not suit the movement habits of his current Swordsmanship, so he set it aside. Then, he picked up his familiar Wooden Sword and began his formal cultivation.
The Gangrou Sect's Hard Swordsmanship, "Jiao," was completely different from the "Snake" that Xie Yanran used herself. Its sword path was swift and straightforward, emphasizing striking the empty with the solid, overcoming softness with hardness, and attacking the short with the long. Its twenty Sword Techniques were all the most basic and common movements, with every strike emphasizing "complete severance and total penetration."
The five types of stances were also simple and easy to understand—three basic stances and two extra stances.
High Stance—Heaven: Gripping the sword with both hands high above the head, the tip pointing slightly backward. This was primarily for attacking.
Low Stance—Earth: Gripping the sword with both hands hanging naturally in front of the crotch, the tip pointing at the target's feet. This was primarily for defense.
Middle Stance—Human: Gripping the sword with both hands, held level in front of the abdomen, the tip pointing at the target's torso. This offered both offense and defense.
Rear Stance—Hidden Blade: Standing sideways and gripping the sword with both hands, the tip pointing behind the body. This was primarily for baiting the enemy and setting up a counterattack.
Side Stance—Qi Mei: Standing sideways and gripping the sword with both hands, the blade held horizontally at face level, the tip pointing at the target's face. This was primarily for fluid variations.
...
When practicing, Feng Yin didn't train individual Techniques or stances; instead, he practiced the forms directly. The several routines Xie Yanran had taught him contained all the attacking Techniques and stance transitions, seamlessly integrated with the essence of practical Body and Step Techniques.
After a few days of her corrections, combined with his formidable innate talent—whether it originated from the Armor or himself—he could now perform his daily routines flawlessly. He was also able to fully temper his physique while refining the power generation and precision of his Techniques.
Even in actual combat... Feng Yin thought of his performance in the "game" last night. He was already able to apply these routines and stances to his battles while in the Armor state, demonstrating genuinely powerful combat capabilities.
What he was more curious about now was whether his Swordsmanship performance in a real-life battle using his flesh-and-blood body could surpass that of his armored form in the game.
He continued to train while lost in thought until the early morning sky began to brighten, and shouts calling for assembly drifted up from the courtyard below. The focused Feng Yin finally stopped his sword.
A thin layer of sweat covered his forehead. As he turned around to head downstairs, he saw Xie Yanran leaning against the doorway with her hands behind her back. He had no idea how long she had been watching him.
"Good morning, Senior Sister," Feng Yin greeted earnestly after a brief moment of surprise.
Xie Yanran had accepted him as a disciple on behalf of her master, which meant that Feng Yin's true master was actually the current Sect Leader of the Gangrou Sect, Xie Jingyuan. She was an orphan whom Xie Jingyuan had taken in after founding the Gangrou Sect. She took his surname and also served as the eldest Senior Sister of the sect.
Xie Yanran nodded. "Not bad. You're very proficient in the five routines of the Jiao Sword. Your power generation and technique transitions are flawless, and you're maintaining the Breathing Technique very well."
Feng Yin replied softly, "This Breathing Technique is truly miraculous. When I first started practicing Swordsmanship while maintaining it, I wasn't quite used to it. But now, I can feel that my physical strength and various other attributes have already improved a bit."
Indeed. Although the Gangrou Sect's Jiao Sword was merely a foundational branch of the major Yin Yang Sword Sect's Swordsmanship, it was no simple set of hollow poses. It was an Extraordinary Swordsmanship that possessed an Ultimate Skill Form. Therefore, compared to the version the Gangrou Sect taught to ordinary people during their regular business operations, the version Feng Yin cultivated was paired with the most crucial element: the Breathing Technique.
The Breathing Technique was an art of respiration and energy channeling. According to Xie Yanran, utilizing Martial Arts while maintaining the specialized Breathing Technique would not only unleash the style's maximum power but also subtly optimize one's physique. It made bones, tendons, and muscles increasingly stronger, allowing the practitioner to break past their physical limits step by step. At the same time, only by practicing the corresponding Martial Arts with the specialized Breathing Technique could the body adapt in advance to the style's Fixed Form requirements, thus laying the foundation needed to cultivate ultimate techniques.
In other words, the Breathing Technique was the key for ordinary people to shatter their physical limits and step into the Fierce Level Domain.
And the accompanying Breathing Technique for the Jiao Sword was named the Dragon Transformation Breathing Technique. Its corresponding Ultimate Skill Form was named Dragon Transformation. Legend had it that a Jiao would cultivate for a thousand years to transform into a dragon. Thus, the names of this Breathing Technique and Fixed Form perfectly complemented this Jiao Swordsmanship.
Seeing Feng Yin's encouraging progress, Xie Yanran couldn't help but smile and nod. Unfortunately, accentuated by the shocking diagonal scar across her face, her smile made her look even more fierce.
However, Feng Yin didn't find her appearance terrifying; on the contrary, he felt a sense of familiarity and warmth.
Xie Yanran continued, "Feng Yin, although it's only been five days, your cultivation in the Jiao Sword has already reached a proficient level. Moreover, since you're an Innate Martial Artist with a special constitution, it's time we get to the main point."
Feng Yin instantly understood her meaning, and his eyes lit up. "Senior Sister, I can learn the Fixed Form now?"
"Exactly," Xie Yanran said, reaching out to pat his shoulder. "Starting today, you will begin practicing the secret ultimate technique of the Jiao Sword—Dragon Transformation!"
Anticipation surfaced on Feng Yin's face. The scene of Xie Yanran using the Snake Sword Form, "Snake Slaughter Poison," from a few days ago reappeared in his mind. That breathtaking ultimate technique—where her arm suddenly expanded to explosively unleash three rapid sword strikes—made him realize that the Martial Arts in this world were far from ordinary.
And now that he could finally learn a Fixed Form on par with Xie Yanran's ultimate technique, he honestly felt an uncontrollable surge of excitement. However, Xie Yanran's surprises for him were not over yet.
She brought her other hand out from behind her back, holding a sheathed longsword, and handed it to Feng Yin with a smile.
"Take it. I commissioned a Blacksmith to forge this for you. Since you're about to learn the Fixed Form, it's only natural that you change your weapon."
***