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"This..." Opening his eyes in the real world, Yang Ze looked at the old man in front of him, who wore a wretched smile on his face. His first instinct was to leave immediately. However, thinking about how this was the defensive skill he was desperately lacking, he couldn't help but clench his fists.
Though he had some gold and silver, it wasn't nearly enough. After acquiring spirit stones, he had come to regard gold and silver as trivial, earthly things that held little value to cultivators. In his arrogance, he had even thrown a few pieces out to make space for more spirit stones in his personal space. Now, he regretted it deeply.
A bitter smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he imagined slapping himself for being so shortsighted.
"Can... You reduce the price?" Yang Ze asked with a stammer. Although he had spirit stones, he didn't know their exchange rate. Besides, he still needed these spirit stones to upgrade his panel and unlock the so-called fishing.
'Damn it, why does it feel like I am playing a shitty gacha game?' Cursing in his mind, Yang Ze put his best smile on his face.
"Heh." The old man didn't answer Yang Ze's question, but the smile on his face got even wider. He spoke no words, but this was enough to squash any hopes Yang Ze had.
"Should I check other shops?" Yang Ze wondered. But he wasn't ready to give up just yet. He had already visited many shops before finding something worthwhile. He feared he wouldn't find anything else and would have to return here. And if he did, the old man would probably raise the price. That would make it like losing the rice to catch the chicken.
"Can I exchange for spirit stones?" With no other choice, Yang Ze gritted his teeth and decided to trade for spirit stones. He wasn't sure if he had enough, though.
The old man's smile faltered for a moment before returning to its usual warmth. He then turned around, retrieved a wooden slate, and showed it to Yang Ze, where a few words were written:
[1 spirit stone = 10 Gold]
"This..." Looking at the exchange rate, Yang Ze was stunned for a long time. He even rubbed his eyes a few times in hopes that it was an illusion, and one spirit stone is actually one hundred gold. But even after rubbing them till they turned red, he couldn't see the desire change in the price.
Raising his finger, he even wanted to curse the old man in front of him. Could it be that this seemingly simple old man is an expert and has seen through his stash of spirit stones? Otherwise, how could it be an exact match?
Gritting his teeth, Yang Ze looked at the young boy beside him, who nodded in response, confirming that the old man wasn't ripping them off.
"Fine." Gritting his teeth, Yang Ze reached inside his robe, took out a hundred spirit stones from his personal storage space, and placed them in front of the old man. "I need White Tortoise Art."
Looking at him taking out so many spirit stones in a single go, both the old man and the young boy were stunned. The old man hurriedly put them away while the boy held his breath as he looked at the employer beside him, who wasn't much older than himself.
Although spirit stones were useless to them, they were still hard currency. It's just that most of them would like to do their transactions in gold and silver due to the presence of a large number of mortals.
One hundred spirit stones, which equals one thousand gold, was an immense wealth for outer disciples like them. Countless thoughts crossed his mind in an instant, and he was even tempted to go back to his old habits of robbing. But thinking about how he was no longer a beggar, he suppressed these thoughts in his mind.
The old man, on the other hand, just brought an exquisite jade slip and handed it to Yang Ze.
With no money left, Yang Ze exit the shop and after roamind around aimlessly with his young guide, took his leave. He didn't even bothered to ask the boy his name, while the boy on the other hand forgotten about it too.
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"That bastard is still not here." Yang Ze frowned in frustration as he looked out the window. He had already lost all his money, and the person responsible for taking care of him was nowhere to be found.
"Screw him." Since Chen Bo wasn't here, it didn't matter. It wasn't like this guy was that important to him. Pushing the matter aside, Yang Ze took out the jade slip, a smile spreading across his face as he struggled to hold back his excitement. Who could have imagined that he would go through so much in such a short time?
Taking a deep breath, he placed the jade slip on his forehead and closed his eyes.
Unlike the other jade slips he had used, this one was completely different. He didn't enter any illusory space. The moment the slip touched his forehead, it shattered into countless pieces, and a vast flood of knowledge poured into his mind.
From the way to breathe, to how to begin… everything was imprinted in his mind.
It wasn't until nearly half an hour had passed that Yang Ze opened his eyes, his expression filled with confusion and seriousness. He could remember every word of the technique, but he couldn't fully understand it. The only thing he understood clearly was the immense amount of Tortoise blood needed to step into the first level of this technique.
The requirements and the methods to practice this art were so intense that even Yang Ze was shocked beyond words. Not only does one need to submerge oneself in pools of tortoise blood for months, but they also need to boil it while sitting inside.
Yang Ze didn't even dare to think about practicing it honestly. He was well aware of how bad his talent was. Don't look at the fact that he stepped into the Innate realm while in his sixteen. Without the help of the panel in front of him, he would still be a Qi Condensing weakling.
Shaking his head, he cleared his thoughts and looked at the panel in front of him with an excited face. He finally had a defensive technique.
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{Name: Yang Ze}
{Realm: Innate}
{Skill: White Tortoise Art 1st Level} (100 XP)+
{XP: 5550}
{Fishing: Locked (0/500 spirit stones needed to unlock)}
{Personal Space : 3 cubic meters}
{Efficiency: 300 XP/day}
{Level: 3} (0/1000 spirit stones needed to upgrade)
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There was finally a change in the panel. The long lost skill section was back again, displaying the changes.
When Yang Ze looked at the registered White Tortoise Art, he relaxed his tense muscles. But the moment he looked at the XP required for the next level up, he raised an eyebrow.
"Forget it." Now was not the time to be stingy. Besides, he could earn more than that in a single day.
"Upgrade."
The moment Yang Ze chose to upgrade the skill, he felt a weak current rushing all over his body before disappearing completely.
"Hmm!?" Yang Ze, who was waiting for a change, was stunned.
"That's it?" He immediately opened the panel, but upon seeing the text, went silent.
{Skill: White Tortoise Art 2nd Level} (200 XP)+
The changes were so minute that he couldn't even notice them. But after thinking for a moment, he patted his cheeks. After stepping into the realm of Innate, his body was ridiculously strong. Ordinary techniques wouldn't even have any effect on him. The fact that he was able to feel the changes after leveling up the White Tortoise Art was enough to show just how extraordinary this technique was.
"Good, good. Fortunately, one hundred spirit stones were not wasted."
Rubbing his hands in excitement, he added more XP to level up.
This time, he felt a similar warm current throughout his body. Compared to before, it lasted for a full three seconds before disappearing. Yang Ze tried to feel any change, but couldn't.
"Next." Gritting his teeth, he spoke in a firm tone.
When Yang Ze absorbed the knowledge of the White Tortoise Art, he understood exactly what each level represented. The first level was equal to those in the Qi Condensing realm. If practiced, it would harden the skin, making it impossible for mortals to harm him with bare fists.
The second, third, and fourth levels corresponded to the early, mid, and peak stages of Qi Guiding.
The second level would further harden the skin, making it difficult to injure him with a normal sword or spear. The third level would form a thin layer of Qi around the body, providing great protection. The fourth level was a step up, manifesting a thin outline of the White Tortoise with Qi for some time, covering the body to greatly boost defense and even offer recovery.
As for the fifth level, it was completely different. This level could only be reached after stepping into the Innate realm. One could use the Qi inside the body as well as the Aura of Heaven and Earth to manifest a giant apparition of the White Tortoise. Not only could its size be changed, but its function also shifted from defense to offense. The apparition could now be used both to defend and to attack.
Not only that, but one can increase or decrease its size to cover a large area.
Recalling everything, Yang Ze added XP to increase his level to three with a heart full of expectations.
{Skill: White Tortoise Art 3rd Level} (500 XP)+
Feeling the familiar current washing over his body, he shuddered for a moment before going back to normal.
Raising his hand, he moved the Qi in his body, and the moment he did, a thin layer formed outside him. He tested it for a while before nodding in satisfaction. Because of him stepping into the Innate realm, this protective layer was much stronger. If he had to guess, it could take blows from someone at the late stage of Qi Guiding.
"Continue." Without wasting another second, he added more XP.
{Skill: White Tortoise Art 4th Level} (800 XP)+
This time, there were finally some noticeable changes. He felt his skin contracting as his Qi began to move automatically. Within moments, his entire body was covered by the thin white layer. If one were to look carefully, one could see the blurry figure of a ferocious white tortoise covering its body.
"This..." Feeling the changes, Yang Ze narrowed his eyes. He felt that his injuries were healing relatively faster compared to before. He was sure that even if he stood there like a dummy, a Qi Guiding Peak expert wouldn't be able to break his defense, much less harm him.
"The final level..." He suppressed his excitement, took a deep breath, and finally added 800 XP. And the moment he did that, he felt the world around him go black.
*BANG...
With a loud noise, Yang Ze felt his ears ringing, and a distant primal roar filled with violence and power echoed in his mind.
But the changes didn't stop there. He could feel his blood boiling as his skin hardened at a rapid pace. First, it turned grey, then violet, before finally returning to normal. Clenching his fists, Yang Ze felt an unimaginable power stirring within his blood.
The blurry tortoise shape covering his body began to change quickly. Within moments, it became lifelike. If someone were to look from the outside, they would be terrified to see the silhouette of a tortoise, its mouth protruding from its shell. Its eyes burned with flame, and its neck was covered in dense scales. Even the tortoise shell was covered in countless symbols, making one dizzy if one stared at it for too long. Its four legs had expanded, and dense scales protruded like spikes.
Even with his eyes closed, Yang Ze could feel every tiny change in his body. To his shock and excitement, he could sense the lifelike tortoise around him.
But this wasn't what shocked him the most. The injuries that had been healing slowly were now mending rapidly under the effect of the White Tortoise Art. He even felt that if he wished, he could command the tortoise to attack and grow to a staggering three hundred meters in size.
"Hisss..." Three hundred meters... what a concept.
Yang Ze was sure that if he faced that Innate powerhouse again, he would mow him down like grass.
Feeling the already incredible effects of the skill, Yang Ze hesitated but decided not to use the Aura of Heaven and Earth. While it would make the skill even stronger, using it would attract unwanted attention, which was the last thing he wanted.
So, he continued running the skill with his Qi. With the massive amount of Qi in his body, he could keep it active indefinitely if he wanted. Besides, the feeling was so comforting, like being immersed in a hot bath on a snowy day. It was so addictive that he didn't want to stop the skill.
While Yang Ze was lost in the sensation, unbeknownst to him, a massive storm was raging in Yuyang City, sweeping through all the surrounding cities.
It was a single piece of news that caused the stir, and that was...
"Xuanwu Martial Academy will hold the Innate Ceremony for the Patriarch of the Yang family, Yang Yuanzhen."