In the dimly lit secret chamber, Lin Qing stood with his arms crossed, quietly reviewing the descriptions of the various combat techniques.
Suddenly, he spoke up: "I have a question. If I master the 77th Edition Chaoyang Practice Method, will it increase my success rate in mastering a combat technique?"
"The 77th Edition?" The slightly hoarse voice replied, "No difference. Even if you mastered the Original Edition Chaoyang Practice Method, the difficulty would remain exactly the same."
Seeming to feel that this explanation was insufficient, the voice added, "If I had to say, the only real advantage comes after you've raised a combat technique to the 'instinct' level. Only then do other techniques in the same series receive a significant bonus. The more techniques of the same series you raise to the 'instinct' level, the greater the bonus, but as for the difficulty..."
"Heh..."
He did not finish his sentence, merely offering a self-deprecating laugh.
Lin Qing’s eyes brightened. He hesitated no longer and immediately said, "Then I choose... the Combat Technique: Agility from the Free Body Series."
"Free Body?" The slightly hoarse voice confirmed, "Are you sure? Once chosen, and once you have viewed the visualization diagram, you cannot change your mind, regardless of whether you succeed in mastering it or not."
"I am sure," Lin Qing said.
"Young people, always so eager..."
The hoarse voice did not belabor the point, simply saying, "Close your eyes. Stand facing the wall in front of you, clear your mind, and prepare yourself."
Lin Qing closed his eyes immediately.
For him, the most suitable combat techniques were those with high difficulty levels that required "inspiration," "mental state," and "intuition"—factors that were otherwise hard to control. Since he could "overdraft" the process, he could fully master them regardless of his mental state or lack of natural aptitude. By doing so, filling in the actual process afterward would be much easier.
Conversely, if he chose a technique that wasn't difficult but was merely tedious and time-consuming, he would still have to spend a significant amount of time completing the process even after an overdraft. The Free Body Series fit his requirements perfectly.
"However... the prerequisite is that the technique must be recorded in the panel..."
Lin Qing felt a hint of unease. The precondition for an overdraft was that the skill must already be indexed in his panel, which meant he had to at least reach the introductory level first. For example, to use his racing-level driving skills, he had to have learned driving theory and personally gotten behind the wheel once before he could overdraft the skill. For his firearms mastery, he had to know how to fire a weapon and have used a real firearm. Even for free-style wrestling, which required no tools, he needed a sound body.
In short, the prerequisite was to touch the threshold and grasp the theory.
"If I truly can't master it, I'll just overdraft the 77th Edition Chaoyang Practice Method instead..."
Lin Qing had prepared for failure; at the very least, he had a fallback. While the 77th Edition Practice Method didn't boost combat effectiveness as much as a dedicated combat technique, its strength lay in its comprehensiveness and other hidden advantages. Even if he failed, the consequences were manageable. Furthermore, he possessed the "Master of Memory" trait, his aptitude was decent, he had mastered numerous technical skills, and his control was superior. His success rate would certainly be higher than the dismal 4.1% average.
"Open your eyes."
The hoarse voice sounded.
Lin Qing opened his eyes, and a vision suddenly manifested before him. It was a sharp bolt of lightning, dazzling and agile, seemingly a symbol of freedom itself. It surged and darted with terrifying speed, winding and twisting through space, leaving trails of light in its wake.
In just over ten seconds, Lin Qing’s gaze followed the lightning as it traversed an immeasurable distance, forming a series of intricate, circuit-like patterns.
The next moment, the image rapidly zoomed out, revealing the circuits the lightning had traveled. They were dense and complex. Only then did he realize he was looking at a simplified map of the human body; the circuits were distributed throughout the human form, from the inside out, as dense as blood vessels and nerves, covering his entire being. The lightning had been traveling within the human body.
Then the scene shifted, and the background transformed into a single image: real lightning.
It was incomparably brilliant and blinding, spanning the firmament, tearing through the night, winding like a dragon, and wantonly roiling the darkness of the world. "CRACK!"
Amid the thunder, the light and shadows shifted rapidly. The lightning seemed to become real, piercing through the frame and striking directly toward Lin Qing!
Lin Qing felt a roar in his mind, his vision instantly blown blank by the lightning. It seemed the entire world had been reduced to this single, terrifying bolt of electricity, roaring in his heart and tearing everything apart. At the same time, he felt the wisps of mysterious energy brought by the Chaoyang Practice Method within him stir, as if reacting to the stimulation.
After a long while, Lin Qing slowly opened his eyes and muttered, "Is this... the visualization diagram?"
Though he had regained consciousness, the lightning seemed to have been etched into his mind, remaining crystal clear.
"Oh?" The slightly hoarse voice held a note of surprise. "Recovered so quickly? It seems your mental resolve is quite strong. At the very least, the 'stabilizing the visualization' stage shouldn't be a problem for you."
Lin Qing’s eyes lit up. "Does that mean my chances of mastering it are high?"
"Certainly higher than the average person. Thirty or forty percent, at least," the hoarse voice replied. "However, it ultimately depends on your aptitude, your compatibility, and your control over that mysterious energy."
The statistical success rate was only 4.1%; thirty or forty percent was, indeed, very high.
"Oh?" Lin Qing mused, then asked, "Just now, why did it feel like I was actually struck by lightning? Is that the wonder of the visualization diagram?"
"No, you're overthinking it," the hoarse voice laughed. "That is the wonder of modern technology. What you just saw was naked-eye 3D combined with light and sound simulation. It’s just very realistic."
"..." Lin Qing was momentarily speechless. "I didn't expect the branch office to have such high-tech equipment."
"You call this high-tech?" The hoarse voice let out a scoff. "The equipment at the Chaoyang Martial Arts Hall is what you'd call high-tech. Using Zhixing Group's virtual reality devices, the simulation can reach 100% realism. They can even transmit the visualization diagram directly into your brain. The effect is far superior to this; it's possible to master it on the spot."
"Zhixing Group..." Lin Qing shook his head slightly and asked, "What constitutes 'mastery'? How should one specifically practice this combat technique?"
"See for yourself," the slightly hoarse voice said. "Memorize it right here. If you forget it, there's nothing I can do for you."
The light shifted, and a long passage of text and accompanying diagrams appeared on the wall. Lin Qing studied them carefully.
"First, stabilize the visualization..."
"Second, drive the mysterious energy to simulate the lightning of the visualization..."
"Third, rely on the simulated current to stimulate the body and nerve conduction, enhancing electrical signals and allowing the body to gradually adapt..."
"Fourth, use the simulated current to gradually activate motor nerves, promoting muscle contraction and increasing strength..."
"Fifth, thoroughly integrate the combat technique into the body’s instincts, making it a part of oneself..."
After reading through the principles and training methods of the entire technique, Lin Qing understood how it was to be practiced.
"Order."
Lin Qing specifically summoned the Anti-Entropist Panel to check the [Available Overdraft Items], but the technique was not yet recorded. That was not unexpected, as he hadn't mastered it yet.
"If I can master it, it will definitely be the most helpful combat technique for me at this moment." Lin Qing felt a surge of anticipation.
The purpose of this Combat Technique: Agility was to significantly boost "agility." If he could raise it to the "instinct" level, his nerve reaction speed would multiply several times over, his limb movement speed would double, his strength would nearly double, and his balance and coordination would improve drastically. He would become extremely swift and nimble.
In terms of pure movement speed, while it might not match the Combat Technique: Speed of the Free Body Series, it was equally fast in terms of subtle movements, and far more flexible. The key was the massive increase in nerve reaction speed.
This was the primary reason Lin Qing had chosen this technique. He would soon be promoted to a Level 3 Inspector, which would grant him the right to carry a firearm. With the "Firearms Master" ability combined with the massive boost to nerve reaction speed and agility provided by the Agility technique, his marksmanship would undoubtedly see a staggering improvement! The two were a perfect match. Unless he faced a powerhouse like the Qinghu Island fugitive who had injured his cousin, even a captain-level fighter would struggle to dodge his bullets. After all, outside of seven paces, the gun is fast; within seven paces, the gun is both fast and accurate.
Besides, if he truly encountered an opponent that even the combination of Agility and Firearms Master couldn't handle, then he wouldn't have had any chance of success even if he had learned other techniques.
"I've finished," Lin Qing said.
"Good memory," the hoarse voice chuckled. "I hope you succeed. You may leave now."