Chapter 11: The Golden Bell Cover, Iron Cloth Shirt, and Boy Skill

The 500-meter journey unfolded without incident, with all monsters swiftly vanquished, facilitating the smooth completion of the mission.

Considered a relatively straightforward guard duty, this task would have posed significant challenges if situated in a mid-level area. Nonetheless, despite receiving an unsurprising settlement evaluation of F-level, Gu Shanhai reaped 10 settlement points, showcasing his potential to thrive in the mid-level domain.

Conversely, the first-level dungeon had entered cooldown, displaying a daunting 240-hour countdown. This meant that Gu Shanhai would have to wait ten days before venturing into it again.

The protocol of the "First Era" was straightforward: to prevent temporary workers like Gu Shanhai from jeopardizing the integrity of the projected world within the first-level dungeon, all items retrieved from it belonged to the "First Era," imposing an extensive cooldown period. Gu Shanhai accepted this reality without dwelling on it, recognizing the limited benefits the first-level dungeon offered. His focus now shifted to the potentially more lucrative mid-level area.

"Four Jianghu corpses should suffice," Gu Shanhai concluded as he swiftly organized his belongings.

Indeed, he had also retrieved the corpses of Luoxiake and Huanghua Diao. Upon dispatching the two players to aid Miss Wang, Gu Shanhai promptly collected their remains.

"We must proceed with the dissection promptly. There's no refrigeration available here," Gu Shanhai declared before retrieving the two exercise secret books he had acquired.

To his surprise, one of the books comprised the complete three-piece set of the Little Blood Cow from his previous life. Reflecting on this revelation, Gu Shanhai couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and incredulity.

The first tome naturally detailed the cheat techniques of the Ghost Face King Kong. While its methods were familiar, Gu Shanhai hadn't anticipated it being part of a set.

Comprising the "Golden Bell Cover," "Iron Cloth Shirt," and "Boy Skill," this set was coveted among players in his past life. The Golden Bell Cover bolstered defense, the Iron Cloth Shirt augmented HP limits, and the Boy Skill enhanced HP recovery and shield generation upon activation. When assembled, the set provided additional attribute boosts.

With a complete set, one could confidently navigate the initial dungeon, effortlessly dispatching lesser foes. However, confronting elite monsters necessitated caution, reserving such prowess for encounters with BOSS-level adversaries.

The set's efficacy stemmed from the swift brush rate and abundance of low-level martial arts adversaries in elementary dungeons.

Chapter 11: The Golden Bell Cover, Iron Cloth Shirt, and Boy Skill

The acquisition of the "Children's Art" proved to be slightly more challenging, highlighting its rarity.

Moreover, the subsequent stages of these three-piece sets could potentially entail higher-level skill progressions or reduced skill requirements. For instance, follow-up exercises like the Thirteen Taibao Henggong and King Kong's indestructible magic skills might be unlocked, offering enhanced benefits with the completion of the three-piece set. However, Gu Shanhai lamented the lengthy training periods associated with these exercises, deeming them a significant drawback.

Among the three, the Boy Skill showed promise, albeit with its own time-consuming regimen. This exercise focused on bolstering internal strength, complementing the external training provided by the Iron Cloth Shirt and Golden Bell Cover, thereby fostering a holistic approach to physical conditioning.

"Practice is essential for enhancing combat prowess. This game emphasizes both external refinement and internal strength. You'll have to adapt it to suit your needs in the future, though. The original version's a bit outdated," Gu Shanhai remarked, reflecting on the need for adaptation.

Indeed, the Yunling Kung Fu, despite its classification as Xianxia Kungfu, possessed limited utility beyond its resonance with Yunling Grass to facilitate energy circulation. In contrast, while the Little Blood Cow's three-piece set required considerable time investment, it offered mana production—a notable advantage over the Boy Skill, which required decades of practice before manifesting internal power.

Another martial arts manual, the "Butterfly Piercing the Flower Hand" from the Yellow-Flowered Sable, focused on enhancing stability and dexterity, prioritizing skill development over raw power.

Despite its utility, Gu Shanhai didn't regard it as particularly indispensable. While it improved balance and flexibility, its practical applications fell short compared to his high-pressure water gun.

Gu Shanhai's immediate focus remained on mastering the Golden Bell Cover, Iron Cloth Shirt, and Boy Skill. These three-piece sets promised superior physical conditioning compared to the Yunling Kung Fu, which suffered from inefficient work conversion.

Thus, he resolved to decipher and learn from these sets, recognizing their potential to elevate his capabilities beyond ordinary standards.

Consequently, the most pressing task at hand was to conduct autopsies on the corpses to gather vital data.

After meticulously dissecting Ghost Face King Kong and Old Man White Ape, Gu Shanhai began analyzing the gathered data. Notably, he observed the corpses' enhanced resilience, muscular development, and fortified internal organs, all indicative of the benefits conferred by Tongzi Gong and the three-piece sets.

Despite the marked improvements, Gu Shanhai noted prevalent hidden injuries that even the Boy Skill's internal strength couldn't fully rectify, underscoring the strains imposed on the body.

However, he recognized the potential healing properties of internal force, particularly in addressing these hidden wounds.

Thus, armed with newfound insights, Gu Shanhai concluded his analysis, realizing the transformative potential of mastering these martial arts techniques.

(End of this chapter)