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Sweeping Through Demons with the System Chapter 003: Great Success in Spear Skills
🕑 Added 2023-09-26 18:14:31 +0000 UTC
Gazing at the system panel, Lu Shaolin thoughtfully considered his options and finally chose to click on 'Three Extremities Spear'.
Currently, he was merely a young man with no livelihood. Just like his predecessor, he had no alternative but to hunt for sustenance. As such, improving his skill in the Three Extremities Spear was the logical choice.
With a mere flicker of thought, the plus sign beside 'Three Extremities Spear' blurred for a moment before freezing in position. The word within the parentheses shifted to 'Small Success'.
Just then, a torrent of memories related to the Three Extremities Spear flooded Lu Shaolin's mind. After assimilating these memories, he felt a wave of dizziness and an acute ache in his stomach—hunger gnawed at him!
Aware that his body was severely depleted, Lu Shaolin staggered into the adjacent kitchen by the courtyard. He ripped off some cured rabbit meat hanging from the ceiling beam and began to gnaw on it voraciously.
He simply couldn't afford the time to cook; the fear of collapsing from hunger loomed imminently!
Luckily, the father of his predecessor had been a famed hunter in the village, so the household had a reasonable stockpile of food. Otherwise, he reckoned he would have been the first transmigrator to starve to death upon acquiring a system.
Only after devouring an entire wild rabbit did Lu Shaolin finally feel considerably better, the dizziness in his head dissipating.
Yet, his mouth retained a fishy, salty aftertaste. He hurried to the courtyard's well and downed a ladle of icy well water in a single gulp.
Setting the ladle back into the wooden bucket, Lu Shaolin took a deep, prolonged breath.
He then walked into the main hall and settled into a seat, summoning the system panel once more.
The system panel now showed the Origin Points as 1.7, a decrease of 0.3. This indicated that elevating the Three Extremities Spear from Proficient to Small Success had consumed 0.3 Origin Points.
He observed that the plus sign remained beside the Three Extremities Spear, signifying that further upgrades were possible. However, Lu Shaolin dared not click on it again.
His physical condition was already frail, and he worried that another upgrade might be more than he could bear. He resolved to spend a few days recovering, amass a large quantity of food, and only then consider clicking for another upgrade!
Casting his gaze toward the sky beyond the door, he noticed it was nearing noon. Under normal circumstances, this would be the time to prepare lunch, but having just consumed an entire wild rabbit, he opted to nap first and cook only when hunger struck again.
With that in mind, Lu Shaolin closed the courtyard door and proceeded into his bedroom. Just behind the bedroom door, he rigged a small alarm system—a kerosene lamp.
This practice stemmed from his previous life as an undercover agent; prudence was the cornerstone of longevity!
Having set things up, he reclined on the bed and soon found himself drifting into the realm of dreams.
...
An hour later, Lu Shaolin awoke on the bed, stretching himself lazily.
Instantly, he sensed something amiss—his clothes felt somewhat constricting. Extending his hand for closer inspection, he found his palm covered in calluses, and his grip strength had visibly improved.
A spark lit up in Lu Shaolin's eyes. Could this be the system's doing? It had not only granted him an extensive repository of martial arts memories but also physically transformed him. It was as though he had genuinely trained in martial arts for a considerable period!
Rising from the bed, Lu Shaolin approached the bronze mirror. His complexion had markedly improved, shedding its earlier pallor.
True enough, his clothes had become snug, particularly around the arms, where he felt a distinct tightness.
His eyes fell upon the iron spear propped beside the bed. Lu Shaolin extended his hand to grasp it, applying a slight force to lift it.
The sensation was undeniably different—the spear now felt considerably lighter!
Just as he considered stepping into the yard to put the spear to the test, a growl emanated from his stomach.
Lu Shaolin let out a rueful chuckle, set the spear aside, and made his way to the kitchen to start a fire and cook.
He prepared a pot of stewed rabbit meat and steamed half a catty of rice.
When all was prepared, he settled down in the kitchen and commenced his meal.
Having finished his meal, Lu Shaolin strolled casually around the courtyard to help with digestion.
Half an hour later, he took up the iron spear and initiated his practice session in the courtyard.
The Three Extremities Spear consisted of three techniques: Falling Star, Water Severing, and Sky Breaking!
While the names of these techniques seemed grand, to Lu Shaolin they amounted to slashing, sweeping, and thrusting. What set them apart were the sophisticated force exertion methods, allowing him to direct the majority of his bodily strength into the spear.
With a "whoosh," a sound cleaved the air, leaving a dark afterimage streaking across the sky. Lu Shaolin forcefully swung the spear downward.
Just before the spear touched the ground, he twirled, directing the spear in a circular motion. With a "whir," he executed a horizontal sweep of the spear.
Upon completing the sweep, he retracted the spear and assumed a bow stance before lunging forward. With a "swoosh," he thrust the spear out sharply.
The entire sequence was fluid, like flowing water, and concluded in less than two seconds!
Eager to continue, Lu Shaolin lifted his spear and resumed his practice.
After nearly half an hour of rigorous practice, he began to feel a subtle ache in his internal organs. Eventually, he halted, standing still to catch his breath.
Could this be the consequence of weakened internal organs? Was it that even this degree of physical exertion couldn't be maintained? This was particularly surprising given that his Three Extremities Spear had already attained the level of Small Success!
Just then, the sound of lively chatter wafted into the courtyard from outside. Villagers who had been laboring in the fields were slowly making their way back home.
Lu Shaolin chose not to venture out. Apart from the fact that no villagers had paid a visit when his previous self was bedridden, he himself felt no particular attachment to this village.
After taking a short respite, he retrieved his spear and made his way back inside.
Over the subsequent three days, apart from eating and sleeping, Lu Shaolin intermittently practiced with his spear to maintain his honed skills.
On the morning of the fourth day, he cooked all the available meat and set a large basin of it on the wooden table.
First, he ate until he was fully satisfied. Then, with a flicker of thought, he clicked the plus sign beside Three Extremities Spear on his system panel once again.
A torrent of memories flooded his consciousness, followed by an extreme drain on his physical energy. A powerful wave of hunger assailed him almost instantly.
Without delay, Lu Shaolin set about eating and drinking.
He polished off a large basin filled with wild chicken meat and its broth, and also downed five bowls of rice!
Once his hunger was quelled, Lu Shaolin turned his attention back to the system panel.
The Origin Points displayed on the panel had dropped to 1.3, a decrease of 0.4, while the proficiency level of his Three Extremities Spear had elevated from 'Small Success' to 'Great Success'!
Sensing the enhanced potency of his Three Extremities Spear, now at the level of Great Success, a subtle smile graced Lu Shaolin's lips. The allure of growing stronger was genuinely enthralling!
With his body now fully restored, and in fact more robust than ever, the time had come for him to venture outside.
First on the agenda was to manage the funeral rites for his late father, Lu Zhong. Even if the body remained undiscovered, a memorial mound had to be constructed!
The second matter concerned martial arts. Armed with the system, he could quickly ascend his skills to the Viscera Refinement realm, provided he acquired advanced martial techniques!
Concerning the demonic creatures, he decided to address that issue when the time was right.
Thus, his course of action was to journey to Pingshan County Town. The town hosted martial arts schools, and he also needed to buy a coffin for Lu Zhong—a task that necessitated going to the county town.
Lu Shaolin rose to clear the table and then stepped into his father's room to begin his search.
Be it enrolling in a martial arts school or purchasing a coffin, he would require funds.
Based on his recollections, his father, Lu Zhong, had traded in mountain goods for years. While most of the profits had gone into building their house of green bricks and tiles, there should still be some money left.
After nearly half an hour of rummaging, he eventually discovered two taels of silver and more than twenty copper coins hidden in a small black box beneath the bed.
Holding the modest sum of silver in his hand, Lu Shaolin calculated—based on the prices he remembered—that it would only suffice for purchasing a coffin, falling short of the amount needed to join a martial arts school.
No matter; his first step would be to inquire at the martial arts school.
Stowing the money away, Lu Shaolin grabbed his black iron spear, secured the courtyard gate, and made his way toward Pingshan County Town, located three miles distant.
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