The items purchased in the marketplace can be stored or retrieved from the backpack at any time, which is quite convenient.
Shano first took out the tachi "Masamune".
He drew the sword from its scabbard.
The slender blade shimmered with a frosty glow under the sunlight, yet maintained an astonishingly delicate curvature.
He held it before his eyes, inspecting it closely.
The blade's edge, as thin as a cicada's wing, gradually shifted in color, with indigo reminiscent of the deep sea emerging from the sword guard, fading to an almost transparent pale white at the tip.
He took a final gulp of the remaining cola, tossed the empty can into the air, and with a slight motion, effortlessly sliced it into several pieces in an instant.
The residual image left by the blade's swift movement traced a silver trail in the air like fireflies.
"Good blade." Shano expressed admiration.
Perfectly weighted, with an excellent feel.
The blacksmith shop in the neighboring town, known within the nearby archipelago, was a place he visited eagerly during his swordsmanship training.
But no sword there could compare to this one, the difference was like heaven and earth.
He returned the sword to its scabbard.
The length of the blade wasn't an issue; his body was just entering its growth phase, allowing him to grow taller and become a perfect match for the sword.
Putting it back in the backpack, Shano then opened the two Rokushiki manuals.
Upon opening, the random die roll completed, revealing "Soru" and "Tekkai".
"Not bad luck."
The boy's mood became more elated, these two body techniques, the former focusing on body technique and the latter enhancing defense, were exactly what he currently favored most.
With a thought, he opened the Tekkai first.
Manual items are directly displayed before the eyes like a system panel, allowing page flipping through thoughts, resembling a form of electronic book.
The text therein is extremely detailed, even breaking down each move meticulously.
Some obscure areas during browsing would even trigger the appearance of a blurry dark blue silhouette demonstrating the moves accurately, quite intuitively.
His previous quick mastery of the "Breathing Fist Technique" was partly attributed to this teaching approach.
"The entry threshold isn't high, but to master it well, a lot of hard work is necessary."
After briefly browsing these two Rokushiki manuals, Shano's eyes flickered as he made a rough estimate.
Compared to when he just started practicing the Breathing Fist Technique, his physique had improved significantly.
With the special effect of the Breathing Fist Technique that quickly alleviates muscle fatigue, progress in practicing body techniques surely would far exceed the average person.
Even with conservative estimates, it's still possible to master both body techniques proficiently within a year.
"Within a year..."
Shano slightly shook his head, if it were before, he would have been quite satisfied with this pace.
But now, with Ah Long as such a heavy burden weighing on his mind, his progress must be faster, much faster!
Luckily.
He had excellent luck this time, finding an enhancement item that he could use.
His gaze fell on the last item in the backpack, filled with uncontainable anticipation.
He had never owned auxiliary training items before, his current prowess was all hammered out through his own grinding efforts.
Now, it's time to experience the thrill of accelerated growth!
......
Half an hour later.
In a large spacious chamber on the underground floor.
Shano looked around, nodding satisfyingly.
This area used to be a spare arsenal, due to the safer route of the Gat for years, left vacant and untended, dust-covered, cobwebbed.
When Shano approached Gat for a room to practice body techniques, the old man immediately thought of this place, then promptly had someone clean up and brought in several sandbags and some discarded wood, tied with hemp ropes into simple stakes.
Even mirrors, water, and towels were thoroughly prepared, instructing other crew members not to disturb, which really warmed Shano's heart.
"Let's begin."
Shano carefully placed the Hercules statue in the corner, then breathed out deeply, starting a light jogging warm-up.
After warming up, he did not immediately begin practicing the Rokushiki, but chose to continue practicing the "Breathing Fist Technique".
After all, the bottleneck wall for this fist technique had become faintly visible.
If this could be advanced sooner to great success, the combat power augmentation provided would far exceed the introductory Rokushiki.
...
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, six days had passed, and under the afternoon sunlight, Gat sailed smoothly on the ocean.
The route proved to be quite safe, with no mishaps encountered and no sightings of pirate ships flying the skull flags.
Inside the underground chamber.
The sound of thuds echoed continuously, with a robust figure weaving back and forth between wooden stakes and sandbags. Everywhere on the wooden floor were traces of damp sweat.
"One thousand nine hundred ninety-nine...two thousand, stop!"
The counting sounded in the enclosed space, the boy's spine tense like a taut bowstring, and at the moment the peak of the fist touched the teak stake, he suddenly withdrew his strength, an invisible ripple seeped in. Crack! Circular cracks appeared on the stake's surface.
"Hoo..."
Shano abruptly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and his whole body emanated white steam, breathing heavily like a bellows.
Every time he inhaled, his diaphragm sank to double the depth of a normal person, and the muscles between his ribs inflated like sails; when he exhaled, his throat trembled, and the pressure from the alveolar expansion was visibly intense.
He closed his eyes to adjust his breathing rhythm, taking a long time to gradually calm down.
When he fetched a dry towel to wipe his sweat, scalding steam continued to waft out from the towel's pores.
Shano tilted his head back and gulped down water, and when the bottle emptied, he tossed it aside and wiped his mouth vigorously.
"Refreshing!"
The deep voice from his throat still wasn't quite acclimated, making him feel unfamiliar.
The tone had previously retained some youthful immaturity, but now it seemed to have leapfrogged directly to the final phase of the adolescent voice change, completely transforming into the voice of an adult.
"Six days, only six days!"
Shano stepped in front of the mirror, the wooden boards creaking underfoot. Staring at himself in the reflection, he grinned, eyes full of delight.
Over the past few days.
He had spent more than twelve hours daily immersed in disciplined training here, paying an arduous price, shedding a river of sweat. Apart from himself, perhaps only the silent statue in the corner knew.
But the fruits of his labor in training would ultimately bear witness to it all!
On the sixth day, that is today, he decisively broke through the bottleneck, achieving Great Success in the "Breathing Fist Technique"!
The barrier once limiting the body's capacity was like a fragile glass container being shattered, shattered piece by piece.
Then it expanded and reconstructed crazily again, its capacity far exceeding before, giving him a transcended feeling as though morphing into an entirely new species from a commanding height.
The change in voice was one of the significant, though most trivial, alterations brought by the breakthrough.
Shano scrutinized himself in the mirror.
His appearance remained delicate, but his eyebrows were noticeably darker, and his jawline clearer. His black hair, which had just reached his ears, had grown wildly to cover his shoulders.
Moreover, his height had increased by a full ten or more centimeters!
From the neck down, his muscles were knotted and bulging, his shoulders like battering rams, as his latissimus dorsi fully expanded, covering half of the mirror surface directly.
The most frightening was his spine, thirty-three vertebrae undulating beneath his skin like a lurking creature. When he slightly bent, his whole spine was drawn like a taut crossbow, emitting a teeth-gritting stretching sound.
The physique from six days ago looked so feeble now compared to the current one.
He stood in front of the mirror for a long time.
He observed himself top to bottom incessantly, like an artisan from ancient civilizations admiring a prized sculpture crafted by his own hands, never growing tired.
Crack!
He suddenly hooked two wooden stakes with his foot and kicked them upward, catching them in his hands.
With a slight exertion, the two stakes were crushed simultaneously, shattering into countless fine particles and floating down.
The teenager opened his arms wide, indulging in the overwhelming strength coursing through his body, unable to suppress his joy any longer, lifting his head to laugh heartily.
"Hahahahahaha!!!!"
The laugh vibrated the ceiling dust falling and reached the deck.
...
On the deck.
Gat, leisurely smoking a pipe against the railing, felt the violent tremors of the wooden boards underfoot and recalled that Shano had been eating and sleeping in the underground chamber these days, not showing up outside.
He felt a bit concerned all of a sudden.
After hesitating, he decided to descend the spiral stairs, arriving in front of the spare armory and slowly lifted his right hand.
Squeak~
Just as he was about to knock, the wooden door was suddenly forcefully pushed open from inside, startling him to retreat a step subconsciously.
"Hmm?"
The person on the other side noticed him and uttered a soft exclamation.
Old Gat looked up at the familiar face, not finding any surprise there, but as his gaze shifted downward, the boy was already wearing the bulky coat, with no visible changes.
Yet something still felt odd...
No way!
Realizing something suddenly, Gat opened his mouth wide, the pipe dropping to the ground with a clatter.
Clearly, during their first meeting, the boy was more than half a head shorter than him, but now, it seemed he had to look up to gaze at him himself?!
"Mr. Gat, what brings you here, what a coincidence."
The black-haired boy in front scratched his head and showed a shy, innocent smile, "Uh, I haven't eaten for half a day, my stomach suddenly feels a bit hungry, I was planning to go to the dining room. Would you like to join me?"