Chapter 60: Developing a Combat Skill
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After ending his conversation with his girlfriend Qin Fei, Yang Tian felt very happy. He began to organize the things he had received, and then set up a tent in the cavern. The middle of the tent was covered with tree leaves covered in a soft tarp…
After doing everything, Yang Tian put a curtain over the cave wall and turned on the projector. The projector shone a ray of light on the curtain. Since it was very dim, the image on the curtain was very clear.
There were a total of six Combat Skills that Xiao Fei got for Yang Tian. They were all suitable for a Class Five Warrior to practice.
The three sword styles were Cloudbreaker, Wavesplitter, and Flowcutter, and they all placed an emphasis on speed. The three fist styles were Thunderclap, Armorbreaker, and Big Sink.
These three fist styles were not too different from the styles Yang Tian used before this. Naturally, they were more powerful.
After spending more than ten hours looking, Yang Tian had finally seen all six Combat Skills.
These six Combat Skills came with their own breathing techniques. They were used to strengthen and use their Hidden Strength. Yang Tian had the Dragon Pearl energy so he did not need any method on training the Hidden Strength. Instead, he looked at the mechanical technique-style of the sword and fist style.
After finishing the tutorials, Yang Tian was not too happy with these six Combat Skills.
His reasoning was, even though he did not consume the Grade Six Beast Core, his strength and speed had reached the limits of a Class Six Warrior. Practicing Class Five Combat Skills at this time felt a bit underwhelming.
Furthermore, Yang Tian kept thinking of developing his own Combat Skills. That day after his run-in with Zhao Shuangxing, the thought had stuck in his head.
Developing a Combat Skill that was uniquely his allowed him to strengthen it according to his abilities, and constantly refine it. He need not waste time learning other people’s Combat Skills. In other words, a Combat Skill that he developed would be the most suitable for himself. Just like a Monster’s hide, it could change constantly as the Monster grew. Using other people’s Combat Skills was like a child wearing clothes to Warriors. As children grew up, the clothes would not change, and eventually needed to be discarded.
However, these six Combat Skills were still useful to Yang Tian. He could at least use them for reference.
After looking at the Combat Skills, Yang Tian looked at the time. It was 7pm, and it was dark outside.
“Time to make roast meat!”
Yang Tian smiled and said with a loud voice.
“Squeak squeak!”
Hearing that Yang Tian wanted to make roast meat, Drago squeaked twice happily and jumped out of the dark corner he was hiding in.
After resupplying, Yang Tian did not need to worry about his salt supplies.
On the way back, Yang Tian had killed a Yellow-furred Ferret, and a Silver Boar. The meat of these Monsters was enough for both man and dragon for four or five days. The weather was cold, so after using salt to preserve the meat and drying it over the fire, it could be kept for a very long time.
Yang Tian very quickly cooked a boar leg, and both of them ate happily.
After he ate, Yang Tian crawled into the tent to rest while Drago left the cavern, probably to hunt for Monsters. The little green dragon knew what Yang Tian was thinking, that he needed time to ‘isolate and train’. It needed to constantly grow, and it naturally did not need Yang Tian to constantly Beast Cores for it to consume.
Yang Tian could distinctly feel that ever since the little green dragon consumed the Grade Seven Beast Core, it had grown. Its strength was much greater than before and did not need his special attention.
The next morning at 6am, Yang Tian got up.
In these three months, even though he did not sleep well, he was used to it. He could not sleep in even if he wanted to.
“Squeak squeak…”
Seeing Yang Tian wake up and leave the tent, Drago squeaked excitedly as he lay on the firepit.
“More roast meat, aren’t you sick of it?”
Yang Tian said with a smile.
Dawn should be breaking outside, but in the underground cavern, it was still dark as night. If there was no timekeeping device, one would forget if it was day or night if they stayed inside for too long.
Furthermore, it was bad for the eyes.
After Yang Tian roasted the meat, he picked up his sword and left the cave.
The weather outside was not great. It was snowing, and the trees were covered in snow. Yang Tian left the cave and squinted for a long while before he got used to the light levels.
After walking through the forest for a while, Yang Tian found a clearing and stopped there.
Shing!
Yang Tian suddenly drew his sword and practiced his swordsmanship.
He practiced his Lightning sword style.
Even after finishing one circuit, he had yet to start sweating and his body was just slightly warm.
“Combat Skill… Developing my own Combat Skill…”
After he finished practicing his swordsmanship, Yang Tian stood and mumbled to himself as he stared at the trees.
Wanting to develop a Combat Skill was no mean feat. Many times, it was done through a flash of inspiration or sheer dedication!
At that moment, a small snowflake dropped on Yang Tian’s face. It was cold, and Yang Tian unconsciously raised his hand and wiped his face.
More snowflakes began to fall.
Yang Tian raised his sword, and the snowflakes fell on the blade. It melted into water droplets and slid down the blade of the sword.
Yang Tian looked at the scene and flicked his blade. The blade hit the droplet mid-air as it was falling to the ground, and it broke into four. This scene was something that a baseline human could not see clearly. However, a Warrior like Yang Tian could distinctly see it.
Yang Tian lightly swung his sword, cutting a falling snowflake into little pieces.
“Hey…”
Yang Tian said in amazement.
This scene made him think of the first time he practiced his swordsmanship. Drago had scattered the leaves and he cut them mid-air.
“Interesting!” Yang Tian’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.
Following that, he moved his body, swinging his sword and constantly cutting the snowflakes in the air.
Snowflakes were just minute ice crystals that coalesced together. When touched by a blade, they turned into countless ice crystals. This was because when using a sword, the human’s arm would tremble slightly. Within the minuscule surface area, constant shaking would undoubtedly thicken the edge of the blade. This prevented the blade edge from truly showing its sharpness.
The weaker a person was, the more this problem showed itself when they used a sword.
After Yang Tian thought of that, he did not stop his hand movements and smiled.
To prevent this problem, one needed to have steady hands. Even if it was at 30% strength, they could achieve the same results of going all out. Yang Tian finally understood why before the YS Virus, those who practiced martial arts had to stand on poles.
The reason was one word: stability!
Shing…shing…shing…
Yang Tian swung his sword with all focus and began to cut snowflakes.
Throughout this process, Yang Tian could see every snowflake when they collided with the edge of the blade. What Yang Tian did not know was that this process not only trained his swordsmanship, it trained his eyesight as well.
When Yang Tian swung his sword, there was no order of motion. He cut a snowflake as soon as he saw it.
Throughout the process, he channeled the Dragon Pearl energy into his arms. Every time he swung his sword, he could feel the energy flowing in his arms and the muscles changing. These changes affected the way he swung the sword…
After training for an entire day, Yang Tian returned to the warmth of the underground cavern at 4.30pm.
It was still snowing outside, and Yang Tian was completely wet.
After returning to the cavern, Yang Tian sat by the fire and continued to think about the sword style he was contemplating.
Combat Skills, to an ordinary person, were just like hidden skills in martial arts. They were incomprehensible in depth. However, to a Warrior, Combat Skills were ways for them to develop their strength and speed to the maximum.
Between two points, the closest distance between them was in a straight line. The larger the force over surface area applied on an area, the easier it would shatter. The greater the speed, the greater the strength of the cut… These principles could be understood even by grade-schoolers. Combat Skills needed to comply with these laws of physics.
Strictly speaking, Yang Tian only discovered one way to use a sword, not a complete sword style.
However, all sword styles started this way and would slowly be perfected.
The next morning, Yang Tian did the same thing. After waking up and making roast meat for Drago, he went out to practice and contemplate his sword style.
As long as one put enough time into something, time would pass very quickly. In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.
Yang Tian began to become more and more familiar with his method of using his sword.