Chapter 67 – Unknown-Grade Martial Skill … … … “Mmm? There is a cultivation method that contains spear arts too? That Wang Yanfeng’s ‘Nine Paths of Truth’ was a cultivation method that had sword skills. It seems some cultivation methods are particularly focused on certain types of weapons and they will have techniques related to them.” Lin Ming reached up for a jade slip on the shelf named ‘Foundation Spear Technique’. Although the two word foundation didn’t have a glorious appearance of something of high quality, Lin Ming didn’t mind. He sunk his soul force into the jade slip and saw the summary for this ‘Foundation Spear Technique.” ‘The ‘Foundation Spear Technique’ is the foundation for all spear skills. It teaches the straight thrust, the wide sweep, the flower dance, the killing circle, and other such primary spear skills. It does not contain any spear martial skills, and is one of the simplest low-grade human-step cultivation methods. Seeing this, Lin Ming remembered Wang Yanfeng’s ‘Nine Paths of Truth’ when they had fought. Wang Yanfeng had used the ‘Nine Paths of Truth’ and his true essence had transformed into nine shimmering green runes on the blade of the sword. This martial skill was incomparably gorgeous and pleasing to the eye. Compared to the exquisite beauty of the ‘Nine Paths of Truth’, the ‘Foundation Spear Technique’ just seemed too commonplace and ordinary. It only had the simplest style of spear skills, and that was why it was called the simplest kind of low-grade human-step cultivation method. But Lin Ming didn’t think that there was anything wrong or bad with simplicity. The more complex a cultivation method was, the more mistakes and flaws there would be, and spending a massive amount of time to practice this sort of cultivation method wasn’t necessarily wise as later he would have to throw it away. If that was the case, then it would be best to practice the most basic foundation skills. Learning the straight thrust, the wide sweep, the flower dance, the killing circle, and other such basic skills could never go wrong, as they related to all future spear techniques. As long as he practiced this simple style to the Large Success stage, he would be able to display its greatest strength. Lin Ming also had the top-grade Body Transformation manual, the ‘Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians’ to make up for any disparity in martial skills. “I’ll take this one!” Lin Ming decided. He glanced at the side label of the ‘Foundation Spear Technique’ and saw that it was completely absent of any names. The word ‘Foundation’ really caused others to not be able to feel any interest towards it, in addition to it being spear related, which not many others practiced. “It’s great that no one cultivates this; now I don’t have to reserve time.” After choosing this spear art, Lin Ming began looking to choose his movement technique. He glanced over the available ones, ‘Lost Steps’, ‘Heaven Passing Ladder’, ‘Cloud Hanging Rope’, ‘Seven Star Drifting Cloud’, ‘Swan Feather’, and so forth. Each of these cultivation manuals were dazzlingly impressive and had kick-ass names. For instance, the ‘Swan Feather Fall’, it was said that after cultivating it to the Large Success stage, then one could use their true essence to fly unhindered into the deep blue sky, as if they were on a feather from a soaring swan. As for the ‘Seven Star Drifting Cloud’, it was said that after reaching the Large Success stage, one could take seven steps at once, without being able to tell where it began and where it ended. It was as if every foot was passing on the seven stars of the Big Dipper, and one would be able to tread on clouds and achieve godly speed within those seven steps. However, Lin Ming shook his head as he examined all these. He wandered around the corner and chose a cultivation method named the ‘Foundation Movement Technique’. Lin Ming’s idea was very simple. Reading between the lines of these movement techniques, they used some special way to circulate true essence and coordinate it with the strength of the leg and foot muscles, and thus create a method to move around. Although cultivating these movement techniques would make it possible to increase one’s speed by several times, once he had a high-grade movement technique, then he would have to discard his old method and practice from a fresh start. Lin Ming did not want to waste his time on some low-grade human-step movement technique; although they had awesome sounding names that were sweet to the ear, they were ultimately manuals that were discarded as trash by the Seven Profound Valleys and ultimately wound up here. He selected his movement technique, and now it was time to choose a martial skill. In truth, the martial skill was similar to the movement techniques; once he had learnt something superior, the old one would eventually be replaced. But as of right now, Lin Ming lacked a true attack method, so he was prepared to select one that was good and combine it with his spear skills. Lin Ming’s requirements were many. He didn’t want anything fancy or pompous. He didn’t want something flashy but lacking in substance. It had to be something that could be used in various situations, something that didn’t use deceit or illusions to strike, something that wasn’t low power, and something that could be used with the spear… Lin Ming examined almost all of the martial skills and couldn’t find one that matched his criteria. No wonder, the outer pavilion’s martial skills were trash that were eliminated by the Seven Profound Valleys. The Seven Profound Valleys was responsible for reviewing jade slips once they received them. The elders responsible definitely had great insight; how could anything left over be good? While he continued to search as he felt some disappointment, Lin Ming suddenly stopped. “Mmm? Why are there broken jade slips here?” Lin Ming found that hidden on a bookshelf were placed a number of broken jade slips. “Are these also cultivation methods and martial skills?” Lin Ming randomly picked up a jade slip piece and seeped his soul force into it and the summary appeared in his mind: ‘The high-grade human-step martial skill. Martial skill is unknown. Loss rate is 90%.’ Once a jade slip had been broken into pieces, most of the information inside would also be lost. No matter whether it was a cultivation method or martial skill, once the loss rate reached 90% there would be no way for even the most talented of talents to be able to practice it. Lin Ming continued to look and found that most of these broken jade slips were high-grade human-step cultivation methods, and there were also several low-grade ones mixed in too. This was normal, after all, if it was only a low-grade cultivation method or martial skill, in addition to it being incomplete, then it definitely would have been thrown away long ago. Why would it be kept here? But too bad, even if it was a low-grade Earth-step cultivation manual, compared to the top-rank ‘Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians’ which came from the Realm of the Gods, it would be like comparing the heavens and earth. It was also incomplete, so what sort of value would it have for Lin Ming? “Although these cultivation methods are high-level, the talented disciples will not choose these because they are just impossible to practice. I have the ‘Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians’, there is just no point in wasting my time attempting these martial skills.” Lin Ming did not care too much about this and was just about to give up looking, when he suddenly saw something in the corner of his eye and turned. It was a jade slip with a martial skill named the ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering First’. This martial skill was missing its opening section, and therefore could not be given a grade. It was only the elder who was responsible for evaluating the jade slips that had placed it as a low-grade Earth-step martial skill. ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’ was really a vulgar name; compared to elegant and appealing names like ‘Swan Feather Fall’, ‘Cloud Hanging Rope’, and other such grand atmospheric cultivation method names, it was simply a dirty beggar. But Lin Ming actually knew that the martial skill and cultivation method names were chosen by the creator. Some weaker cultivators were stuck at certain bottlenecks and could no longer progress, these weaker martial artists would spend their entire life creating a set of cultivation methods or a martial skill, and even though it was limited in ability, they would rack their brains to think of a charming and magnificent name. Superb martial skills and cultivation methods would never depend on the grandeur of their name to attract attention. This ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’ could be said to be completely honest with its plain and vulgar words. However, Lin Ming noticed this manual not because of its name, but because of the effect its attacks would have on the enemy body. On the jade slip it described; ‘The skin would show no wound, but the interior would be destroyed, therefore it is named the ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist.’’ The skin would show no wound, but the interior would be destroyed! Lin Ming suddenly remembered the soft rigidity concept described in the ‘Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians’, Strength Training’s ‘Flow like Silk’. Strength Training’s so called ‘Flow like Silk’ referred to complete control of one’s strength and was the ‘Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians’ Strength Training’s Large Success stage. With ‘Flow like Silk’, as soon as one punched an iron wood tree, the bark would be fine, but the core would be turned into cotton fibers. Because there were missing sections in the memories of the elder, Strength Training’s ‘Flow like Silk’ had been a bit fuzzy and incomplete; therefore Lin Ming had not reached the absolute threshold of that stage. “This ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’ is a bit similar to ‘Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians’ Strength Training’s ‘Flow like Silk’. As they say all living things are connected to each other, perhaps the ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’ also has the same principles behind it as ‘Flow like Silk’. Lin Ming continued to examine the ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’. Although this martial skill had many missing sections, the parts that were there were still able to give Lin Ming many enlightenments. “Let true essence vibrate along the fist. If the vibration frequency is consistent, then resonance will occur, and this vibration can be transmitted to the interior of the enemy, and destroy their body’s… so that’s how it is! The senior who created this ‘Body Tearing Bone Shattering Fist’ must have had a very deep and comprehensive understanding of the relation between true essence and its utilities in strength! “Although the Realm of the Gods’ cultivation methods are absolutely exquisite and peerless, it can’t be said that the skills of the Realm of the Gods are all things that the people of Sky Spill Continent cannot dream of or come up with. The history of Sky Spill Continent’s inheritances and legacies has already surpassed ten thousand years. For ten thousand years there have been many peerless talents and monstrous geniuses. For them to achieve the same results in certain aspects of the Realm of the Gods is nothing strange!” Thinking like this, Lin Ming chose this martial skill manual, and thus his set of one cultivation method and two martial skills was completed.