Chapter 37: A Surge in Strength, E-Rank Evaluation!
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Chapter 37: A Great Increase in Strength—E-Rank Evaluation!
Over the next few days, apart from eating, drinking, relieving himself, and sleeping, Zhang Fang spent nearly every waking moment in the training grounds of the Function District.
Speaking of the training grounds, they could be considered one of the more accessible service facilities in the Function District.
Unlike the Dream Pavilion, which was useful only when a Reincarnator had reached a certain level of strength and needed to integrate numerous abilities, or when they encountered a special problem like Zhang Fang had, the training grounds were far more affordable, both in terms of their functions and their fees.
Players only needed to pay a small number of points to enter and conduct simulated-scene training in a designated environment. No matter what kind of surroundings they wished to adapt to combat in, the training grounds could meet their requirements.
If practicing alone felt dull, they could pay some additional points to simulate specific opponents as sparring partners. Any story character they had previously encountered in an instance world could be materialized through the simulation function and used as an opponent to hone their combat skills. Moreover, before the allotted time was up, even if they were killed by you, they would immediately respawn somewhere else. It was an experience that could hardly be more satisfying.
After several days of grueling practice, Zhang Fang’s points dwindled at a visible rate, while his familiarity with the vibranium round shield, as well as his proficiency in the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Shield Techniques and the Proud Dragon Repents, increased to varying degrees.
After seven consecutive days of repeated training, Zhang Fang had finally mastered every aspect of the vibranium shield. In any environment, he could wield it as naturally as an extension of his own arm. Even when facing several experts at once, he could control every throw with pinpoint precision. Whether it was the retention or release of kinetic energy, or the change in angle after a ricochet, everything proceeded exactly as he wished.
As a matter of fact, the reason he had been able to master the shield so completely in such a short time was largely thanks to the solid foundation provided by the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Shield Techniques, the formidable mental strength, perception, and reaction speed granted by the Immortal Life Sacred Qi—Yang, and the innate true qi that allowed him to continue controlling the shield after it had left his hand.
Seeing that his initial objective had finally been achieved, Zhang Fang no longer hesitated. He immediately opened the system interface and used his remaining points to raise Proud Dragon Repents to Level 8, while also elevating the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Shield Techniques to Level 10—the Perfect Realm!
By this point, Zhang Fang had exhausted nearly seventy thousand points, leaving himself with only the pitiful sum of 612 points for emergencies.
As his points were rapidly consumed, his strength underwent an entirely new transformation.
Reincarnation Code: Thousand Trees
Current Region: Zone 56
Strength: 94
Constitution: 76
Agility: 58
Spirit: 88
Cultivation Method: Immortal Life Sacred Qi—Yang (Level 3)
Techniques: Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Shield Techniques (Level 10), Proud Dragon Repents (Level 8)
Overall Rating: E
…
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Immortal Life Sacred Qi—Yang (Level 3)
Proficiency: 0/40,000
Strength +30, Constitution +30, Agility +30, Spirit +60
Special Effect: Innate Vitality
Innate Vitality: Omitted…
(This cultivation method is currently restricted in level and can only be cultivated to Level 3. It cannot be improved further.)
…
Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Shield Techniques (Level 10)
Proficiency: —
Strength +10, Constitution +20, Agility +10, Spirit +10
Special Effects: Aerial Shield Control, Immovable as a Mountain
Aerial Shield Control: Omitted…
Immovable as a Mountain: When holding a shield in defense, kinetic energy and damage received from the front are reduced by 60%!
…
Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms (Seventeen Palms Missing)
Proud Dragon Repents (Level 8)
Proficiency: 0/9,000
Strength +24, Constitution +8, Agility +4, Spirit +4
…
Proud Dragon Repents had been raised by four consecutive levels, increasing the power of this palm technique several times over!
When he struck out with a palm, its might was no longer remotely comparable to the somewhat endearing yet ferocious “Dragon’s Roar” it had once been. Wherever the palm force reached, one could even see the faint phantom of a golden dragon. The visual and auditory effects were at their absolute peak.
He was certain that even those renowned martial artists who had made their names long ago would never dare treat this palm strike lightly!
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Compared with that, however, the upgrade of the You Family’s hereditary martial art, the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Shield Techniques, brought Zhang Fang an even greater surprise.
Reaching the Perfect Realm at Level 10 meant that he had thoroughly mastered and internalized every technique in this shield art. He understood every minute variation within each move as clearly as if it were engraved in his mind.
Even techniques that had originally seemed plain and unremarkable could produce miraculous results in his hands. A variation that appeared crude and ordinary to others could display astonishing effects when used in a battle against an expert.
In the world of martial arts, there was a specific term for this realm: “Returning to Simplicity.”
Leaving aside the modest attribute bonuses gained from raising the shield art to perfection, and setting aside the transformations of its techniques after being cultivated to the utmost limit, the additional special effect unlocked upon reaching maximum level—Immovable as a Mountain—was enough to ensure that Zhang Fang would remain undefeated in battles against opponents of the same level!
Combined with the properties of the vibranium round shield, this effect could reduce an attack with its full power intact to less than half a tenth of its original force.
With a shield in hand, Zhang Fang was even confident that he could block Qiao Feng’s Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms head-on without suffering the slightest injury. During the entire exchange, he would not need to retreat even half a step!
Of course, this did not mean that Zhang Fang now truly possessed the qualifications to fight Qiao Feng on equal terms.
Once Qiao Feng discovered that the shield’s defensive power was astonishing, he naturally would not foolishly continue striking it with the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms. Given Qiao Feng’s strength, experience, and combat talent, he would have little difficulty either seizing Zhang Fang’s shield during the battle or attacking from a blind spot beyond its protection.
Still, setting aside an existence as abnormal as Qiao Feng, Zhang Fang could indeed now attempt to challenge opponents above his level in many situations.
According to the information provided by Wind-Snow-Moon, Reincarnators who achieved an E-rank evaluation within the first six floors of the Reincarnation Tower were all regarded as geniuses. Those who achieved an E-rank evaluation within the first four floors were super-geniuses with hopes of eventually making the Top One Hundred Experts Ranking. Those who achieved this evaluation within the first three floors were prodigies of heaven, individuals with the potential to break into the top ten of that ranking!
Before Zhang Fang, only one Reincarnator in the entire world had ever achieved an E-rank evaluation after completing the second instance world.
Her name was—Wind-Snow-Moon!
And Zhang Fang, having completed only a single instance world, already possessed combat power comparable to Wind-Snow-Moon’s after she cleared the second floor. If word of this spread, it would surely bring him an enormous amount of trouble…
Shaking his head, Zhang Fang decided to continue keeping a low profile. After gathering his spirits, he immediately used the teleportation point to return to Reincarnation Plaza.
With the National Day holiday drawing to a close, he, as a student, planned to clear the instance world on the second floor of the Reincarnation Tower before the new term began!
Unlike before, Zhang Fang’s objectives this time were far clearer:
Objective One: Obtain a supreme Yang-aspected internal cultivation manual that could perfectly complement the Immortal Life Sacred Qi—Yang!
Objective Two: Acquire as many points as possible!
(End of Chapter)
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