Chapter 94: What Kind of “High Monks” Are You?

Yang Ling was practicing the Tiger-Capturing Saber Technique, Ethereal Steps, and the Twelve Paths Vajra Legs in the courtyard.

Gradually, Yang Ling suddenly noticed something strange.

To avoid any possibility of it being an illusion, he experimented for another hour or so.

During this time, he stepped with Ethereal Steps, occasionally leaping into the air to unleash the Twelve Paths Vajra Legs, yet his execution of the Tiger-Capturing Saber Technique never faltered. Instead, bolstered by the Ethereal Steps and the Twelve Paths Vajra Legs, his saber momentum became even more fierce and sharp.

"The Proficiency of these three Martial Arts Techniques is actually increasing simultaneously? It increased by 6 points in an hour."

Yang Ling was pleasantly surprised.

He had felt something was off when he first started practicing martial arts today. This time, after deliberately testing it, he finally confirmed that as long as he integrated these three Martial Arts Techniques and executed them together while cultivating, it was equivalent to practicing all three techniques at once!

"Ethereal Steps and the Twelve Paths Vajra Legs both happen to be types of leg techniques and body movement methods.

The Tiger-Capturing Saber Technique also requires body movement coordination. These three can be integrated together very well."

"I currently have 60 points of Spirit, which allows me to gain 6 points of Proficiency per hour."

"The current upper limit for the Vajra Bright King Technique has also increased to 30 Experience Points, but the time required has increased as well. It takes nearly six hours to fully gain that experience."

"Deducting time for eating, drinking, and other necessities, I have at most about seventeen hours left to practice Martial Arts Techniques."

"That means my daily upper limit is 100 points of Proficiency. With three techniques improving simultaneously, that's a full 300 points. This efficiency is extremely high, equivalent to taking a substandard Spirit Nurturing Pill."

A sharp gleam flashed in Yang Ling's eyes.

He was right. Spirit was the foundation of his foothold in the Divine Realm.

So far, none of the experts he had encountered had high Spirit.

The highest was Yun Ruo, with a full 20 points, and she was a disciple of the Nine Immortals Dao Palace.

This showed that he had already opened up a huge gap between himself and ordinary Martial Artists.

"The third layer of the Divine Ape Contemplation Diagram can still increase Spirit by 40 points, and the fourth layer can increase it by a full 80 points!"

"Once I cultivate to the fourth layer, my rate of gaining Proficiency will be three times what it is now!"

Thinking of this, Yang Ling felt a sense of awe in his heart.

Calculating at 300 points of Proficiency per day, advancing from Flawless Proficiency to Skilled requires 100,000 points.

That's merely... one year of arduous cultivation!

"And that's not just for one Martial Arts Technique, but for all three to advance from Flawless Proficiency to Skilled simultaneously. This cultivation speed is truly terrifying.

Even with my current 60 points of Spirit, it would only take three years of arduous cultivation.

Compared to the Natives of the Divine Realm, my cultivation speed is already shocking enough."

Yang Ling could now be certain that as long as he didn't die, all three of his Martial Arts Techniques could advance to Skilled within three years.

It might even take less than three years, as during that time he could also acquire Spirit Nurturing Pills!

It was also possible that the Divine Ape Contemplation Diagram would advance to the third layer, increasing his Spirit by another 40 points!

"One or two years. Within one or two years, my strength will show a trend of rapid, dramatic improvement."

"By then, I wonder if I can become a Fourth-Rank Grandmaster?"

A surge of fervent anticipation rose in Yang Ling's heart.

He didn't dare aspire to the First-Rank Land Immortal.

He didn't dare aspire to the Second-Rank Human Immortal either.

But the Fourth-Rank Grandmaster... that he could allow himself to aspire to.

Time passed bit by bit.

The Proficiency of the Tiger-Capturing Saber Technique, Ethereal Steps, and the Twelve Paths Vajra Legs all increased simultaneously.

When night fell, Yang Ling boiled water for tea and ate some small snacks in the courtyard.

A faint, rustling sound reached his ears.

The sound was very subtle, something ordinary people simply wouldn't notice.

Four black-clad figures had, at some unknown time, entered the small courtyard and were approaching Yang Ling from four directions.

The clouds in the sky suddenly drifted away, and moonlight cascaded down, instantly illuminating the courtyard brightly.

With a sweep of his gaze, Yang Ling read through the Status Panels of these four individuals.

Three of them were small fry, but they had successfully undergone their Class Change, all being Martial Monks from the Bitter Awareness Temple, with levels between 13 and 15.

Their three core attributes were pitifully low, with Agility and Spirit both in the single digits.

They weren't even as good as that Hui Neng from before, still extremely far from the realm of Ninth-Rank Martial Artists.

Only Hui Wu's Status Panel was barely worth a look:

Character: Hui Wu

Level: 22

Class: Martial Monk

Strength: 31

Agility: 16

Spirit: 15

Martial Arts: Bitter Awareness Heart Sutra (Comprehensive Mastery)

Swift Wind Step (Comprehensive Mastery)

Boulder-Splitting Palm (Comprehensive Mastery)

HP: 510

"The Bitter Awareness Heart Sutra is a Second-Rate Cultivation Technique. I don't know how many attribute points Beginner's Insight and Comprehensive Mastery gave him.

The fact that his Strength broke through 30 should be related to this technique."

"However... his Spirit is only 15, half of my initial 30 points. How can his internal technique also be at Comprehensive Mastery? Could it be that he also obtained something good, similar to a Foundation Consolidation Pill?"

Realization dawned on Yang Ling. For the other party to have been first on the Divine Realm Level Ranking back then, he must have had some fortuitous encounters as well.

Perhaps back then, this guy's Bitter Awareness Heart Sutra had already reached Comprehensive Mastery.

With the boost from an internal technique, leveling up would naturally be fast.

"May I ask, what brings you four here?"

Yang Ling slowly stood up, a feigned look of 'surprise' on his face.

"Benefactor, can't you tell we are from the Bitter Awareness Temple?"

One of them said with a smile.

All four were currently dressed identically to how Hui Neng had been before.

They wore the monastic robes of the Bitter Awareness Temple, their heads completely shaven.

"Bitter Awareness Temple? That's a major Second-Rate sect."

Yang Ling assumed a serious expression and cupped his hands in salute. "May I ask, what business brings four esteemed monks here?"

Hui Wu was quietly observing Yang Ling at this moment, a flicker of curiosity and scrutiny deep in his eyes.

"You are Yang Ling, correct? We came to inquire about what has happened to you recently in this place. Why... has your strength improved so rapidly?"

The same person spoke again.

Clearly, they did not intend to reveal their player identities first.

They were trying to use their identities as monks of the Bitter Awareness Temple to probe for information.

"So the four esteemed monks have also heard about it."

Yang Ling smiled and cupped his hands in salute.

"Has the news that I passed the assessment at the Changhe Prefectural Capital and became an Upper Eighth-Rank expert already reached the Bitter Awareness Temple?"

"Upper Eighth-Rank!?"

Impossible!

The four exchanged glances, each seeing a trace of shock and doubt in the others' eyes.

Being located at the Bitter Awareness Temple, they certainly knew more than the average player.

They had personally witnessed how powerful Upper Eighth-Rank experts were.

Based on their estimates, unless a player was around level fifty or sixty, their attributes simply couldn't compare to an Upper Eighth-Rank expert!

No, attributes at level fifty or sixty likely only just met the threshold for entering the Eighth-Rank!

They weren't sure how accurate their estimates were, but they were certain the person before them was lying!

The other party was only level 32, a bullshit Upper Eighth-Rank!

"Yang Ling, how dare you lie before the four of us, esteemed monks!?"

"What Upper Eighth-Rank do you have! You're full of shit!"

"You're the ones who are full of shit, you 'esteemed monks'."

The smile vanished from Yang Ling's face as he coldly swept his gaze over Hui Wu.

"You're Hui Wu, right? Speak. What is your real purpose for coming to find me, you four bald donkeys."