Lin Chang'sheng's heart stirred, he rubbed himself a few times, then looked at the system panel—in an instant, he saw the Golden Bell Shield section had changed.
[Golden Bell Shield · Fragment (First Level 4/100)]
"Rub four times, gain four experience points! That's... actually awesome!"
Lin Chang'sheng kept rubbing all over his body, feeling quite pleased as he watched the experience points keep rising.
Not even a quarter hour had passed.
[Golden Bell Shield · Fragment (Second Level 2/500)]
On the panel, the Golden Bell Shield had leveled up to the second level. A stream of information rushed into Lin Chang'sheng's mind and instantly fused with his consciousness.
It was a bunch of insights and techniques about cultivating the Golden Bell Shield.
At the same time—
Lin Chang'sheng felt his whole skeleton crackle all at once. Heat and an itchy numbness flooded his body, his muscles swelled, and a powerful sense of strength swept through him!
"Hell yeah! I'm already at the second level!"
Feeling his body grow a lot tougher, way sturdier than before, Lin Chang'sheng's eyes lit up. At this rate, wouldn't he reach the fifth level of training in just a few days?
Just the thought of it made him even more motivated. He walked over to the window, bathing in moonlight.
His hands moved rapidly, never stopping as he kept rubbing all over himself.
Sun and Moon Breathing Technique and the Golden Bell Shield, advancing together in perfect sync.
Golden Bell Shield · Fragment experience +1
Golden Bell Shield · Fragment experience +1
.......
Time slipped by. In the blink of an eye, it was nearly dawn.
Lin Chang'sheng wasn't sleepy in the slightest. He stared at his system panel, satisfaction on his face.
[Great Dao is Simple: Level 1]
[Lin Chang'sheng: 16/55]
[Cultivation: First-class (6532/12500)]
[Cultivation Techniques: Sun and Moon Breathing Technique (Great Success 94390/125000), Golden Bell Shield · Fragment Fifth Level 34620/62500]
[Martial Arts: Nine-Star Linked Beads (Arrow/Dark)(Mastered 2346/2500), Iron Sand Palm (Perfection), Flying Eaves and Light Body Skill (Perfection), Cyan Snake Sword Technique (Perfection)]
[Alchemy: Qi Replenishing Pill (Perfection 53578/62500)]
[Spend some silver taels to simplify cultivation techniques, martial arts, and so on.]
[Status: Yin Qi Invasion (Weakened)]
"Made it to the fifth level with one night of rubbing—just another half to go before Perfection. Damn, my hard work paid off!"
Lin Chang'sheng clenched his fists. After this night, his body was much tougher. He figured his current physical strength was about on par with Liao Jinzhong now,
Which was the level of a second-class expert.
And because the Golden Bell Shield was nearing Perfection, his cultivation experience had jumped by another 1,500 points.
He still looked pretty lean, but both arms had clearly defined muscles, his chest had eight-pack abs with sharp lines—all in all, he gave off an unmistakably solid vibe.
"My Golden Bell Shield's fifth level is about to reach Perfection, my physical strength's gotten a hell of a boost, my vital energy feels stronger than ever... So why is this Yin Qi Invasion still here?"
Staring at the "Yin Qi Invasion" on his panel, Lin Chang'sheng furrowed his brows deeply.
This Yin Qi Invasion was weird—even after all this, it still wasn't gone?
Could it be that my vitality is still not strong enough?
"Looks like I still gotta ramp up my vitality."
"Too bad I only know the first five levels. If I get my hands on the secret manual for Golden Bell Shield's full 12 levels... Who knows how powerful I'd be if I mastered all twelve?"
Lin Chang'sheng made up his mind—to get some sleep first. By daybreak, he'd max out Golden Bell Shield's fifth level. After all, it was just a matter of keeping up the rubbing to gain experience points.
As for the secret manuals for the other seven levels,
He'd just have to make another trip to Golden Bell Martial Arts Hall, check out the history of their Golden Bell Shield, and try to find clues for the next seven levels.
........
Lin Chang'sheng woke up after sleeping for two hours, feeling totally refreshed.
Yu Wenjing had already made breakfast.
Today, Lin Chang'sheng wasn't planning to go to Hundred Herbs Hall. He wanted to simplify the Wind and Thunder Saber Technique, then train the Golden Bell Shield to Perfection. The fastest way to improve was to boost his own power ASAP.
"Wenjing, I'm heading out. I'll be back by noon."
Lin Chang'sheng said to Yu Wenjing.
"Okay."
Yu Wenjing nodded. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but in the end just kept quiet.
By the Grand Canal—
[Would you like to spend 10 taels of silver to simplify Wind and Thunder Saber Technique?]
Sitting cross-legged on a massive rock, Lin Chang'sheng brought up his system panel—there it was, a red prompt.
"Simplify."
Lin Chang'sheng reached out and pressed the confirm button.
[Great Dao is Simple: Wind and Thunder Saber Technique Simplifying... Simplification successful! Wind and Thunder Saber Technique → Wear the Saber and Let It Face the Wind!]
He tapped confirm, and in less than a dozen heartbeats, a new red notification appeared on the system panel.
[Wind and Thunder Saber Technique Entry Level 0/100]
"What? Wind and Thunder Saber Technique got simplified to 'Wear the Saber and Let It Face the Wind'?!"
"So just wearing the saber on my back and letting the wind blow on it will grow my Wind and Thunder Saber Technique experience? A bit of breeze on the blade makes the sound of wind and thunder?"
Looking at Wind and Thunder Saber Technique on the panel, Lin Chang'sheng was amazed. He didn't have a saber, but he did bring a hatchet. Gripping it, he found a high spot and stood facing into the wind.
Wind and Thunder Saber Technique experience +1
+1
+1
.....
Standing there letting the wind blow, Lin Chang'sheng's experience kept ticking up. In less than a quarter hour, it showed "Proficient." At the same time, a stream of info flooded Lin Chang'sheng's mind and merged with his consciousness.
It was all the attack moves, techniques, and power control for the Wind and Thunder Saber Technique.
With this stream merged—
Lin Changchun felt like he'd been training the Wind and Thunder Saber Technique for five or six years.
"This is way too awesome—just wear the saber and you keep gaining experience. Looks like I really need to get myself a real saber."
He looked at the hatchet in his hands, mumbling quietly.
Now, as long as he carried a blade, he could rack up experience for the saber technique anytime, anywhere.
So, time to get a proper saber. And at night, he'd still need to visit Golden Bell Martial Arts Hall—to see if he could find any news about the Golden Bell Shield's seventh level and beyond.
.......
Lin Chang'sheng rushed home to put away his hatchet, then headed to West City Zhang's Ironsmith Shop.
As he walked, he kept rubbing his body, with Golden Bell Shield experience continually rising.
The sunlight bathed him, and his Sun and Moon Breathing Technique experience also grew steadily.
Just as he stepped out of the alleyway, a curvy woman with a generous chest approached—the familiar Yan Zhen, who happened to be carrying a box.
"Sister Zhen, where are you headed?"
Lin Chang'sheng called out to Yan Zhen.
"Chang'sheng, I made pork rib soup and dumplings today. They're ready and I was just about to bring you some! What a coincidence meeting you here! Perfect—come to my house and eat. You need to eat more, you're so skinny!"
Yan Zhen gave him a warm smile.
"Alright."
Lin Chang'sheng wasn't good at turning people down, so he nodded and followed Yan Zhen home.
"Chang'sheng, did you hear? Something big happened in West City today."
Yan Zhen set a big bowl in front of him, sat down across from him, and said eagerly.
"Oh? What happened?"
Lin Chang'sheng played dumb, acting like he had no idea.
He figured the news about the Black Tiger Gang getting wiped out must have spread.
"The Black Tiger Gang in West City was wiped out! No one will ever come collect monthly payments again! And the hero who took out Black Tiger Gang used the exact same methods as when the Cyan Snake Gang's Ma Zhankui was killed. There's a good chance it's the same person!"
"This hero saved me—and helped everyone in the whole city!"
Gratitude sparkled in Yan Zhen's eyes.
She knew full well—
If that hero hadn't killed Ma Zhankui, her life would've been miserable beyond words!