Chapter 38 - 33 Blood Profit
Chapter 38 - 33 Blood Profit
"From the new Development Zone? Completed talent check yet? Combat talent, right? Fill out the form yourself."
Behind the registration desk, a young man in the dojo's standard grey training suit, with unkempt hair and a dark scar on his cheek, looked at Tao Yu with impatience and pointed at the form next to him.
This was already the seventh one today, a bunch of freeloaders!
There were even some without combat talent taking advantage of that half-price privilege and the mandatory 'Skill Loan' condition to mooch off the place, it was really unbelievable. Skills are expensive for a reason, they aren't that easy to learn!
"Just to remind you, we don't care if you can learn it or not, there's a high entry threshold for skills here. If your talent isn't up to snuff, reaching level 4 in Basic Combat just to get started is pretty tough."
This warning somewhat surprised Tao Yu; in the Outsider areas, if they were teaching it openly, it meant the skill was learnable, but a level 4 threshold for starters was definitely not low.
Tao Yu's father, blessed with "Eagle Eye," could only maintain Basic Shooting at this level. If he pushed for level 5, he would reach the margin period, causing maintenance costs to skyrocket.
And that was an old hand who had toiled for decades and raised eight kids, definitely not a weak ability.
"I have a combat talent, it's already been certified."
Tao Yu then took out his 'partner's' certificate, which made the other person take a pause and then switch to a smile. Without bothering to look at the certificate, he stood up and led Tao Yu inside.
"Ah, bro, don't mind me. Got really annoyed by that group earlier, wasn't in the best mood, don't take it to heart. Come on, I'll take you over to the senior brother, are you looking to pick up some fist techniques? You must have two free entitlements with your partner qualification, right?"
Tao Yu still had two people behind him, but this guy just ignored them, and the two waiting didn't make a peep, just obediently waiting there.
"I do have two free entitlements, and I'm planning to use the half-price here as well."
"Brother, what I said earlier wasn't entirely to scare you, our dojo's core abilities are indeed quite challenging."
The registering student didn't probe too deeply but still emphasized the point again.
"Thanks for the reminder."
Tao Yu nodded, feeling somewhat confident about this.
Firstly, his physical fitness was certainly up to par. There definitely weren't many Outsiders with level 4 Basic Combat whose physical fitness could surpass his own.
His "Basic Combat - Modified" might only be at level 2, but after Deification, all aspects were definitely stronger than level 4.
Moreover, although he didn't have a physical talent, "Bullet Time" provided Dynamic Vision, enabling him to observe and record details accurately. Since others could learn, he probably could too.
The investment in Yuan Force might be higher than for those with physical talents in the later stages, but at least for beginners, he had an absolute advantage.
And so, Tao Yu followed the student to a corner of the dojo's large courtyard.
Inside the dojo's courtyard there were several wooden buildings, but most students practiced in the open on the square.
The ground was compacted with coal slag and broken soil, looking a bit uneven, and there were wooden posts, stone locks, weapon racks, and other training aids scattered about.
Although the environment seemed a bit rough, it was actually quite decent by the Outsider standards.
No wonder the dojo uniform was grey, dirt-resistant...
At this moment, there were seven or eight people in front of Tao Yu, one of whom wore the same dojo uniform, and the others were dressed differently, looking somewhat out of place.
Tao Yu also saw Zhang Wei.
The guy had an "Endurance" of D+, which indeed qualified him for a free slot.
Although he was still skinny and somewhat dirty, he seemed quite a bit more confident from his expression.
As Tao Yu was brought over, the special treatment that hadn't been offered to others made everyone look his way. Zhang Wei, seeing Tao Yu, stiffened his gaze and then took the initiative to smile and nod in greeting.
"Tao, you're choosing this side too?"
He knew Tao Yu had a B-grade "Dynamic Vision," so it was normal for him with such a talent to be brought over.
However, this was a place to learn fist techniques, and he felt that his "Endurance," a physical side of combat talent, might be more advantageous.
But deep down, Zhang Wei also knew that his change of attitude due to Wino might have left a poor impression on this man.
Yet, given the circumstances, he felt some regret but didn't think there was anything to lament, and if he were to do it all over again, he'd make the same choice.
"Yeah, we'll have to work hard together in the future."
Regardless of personality, Tao Yu did recognize Zhang Wei's abilities; he could endure hardships, had determination, and with the emergence of a combat talent, he should be able to make a name for himself in the Outsider area, maybe even get a chance to join the security forces.
"Senior brother Smith, this one's also here to learn boxing, and he's a partner, too."
Seeing his junior brother directly bringing someone over, the tall man with light yellow hair and a receding hairline at a young age understood it might be someone with decent talent.
But upon hearing it was a partner, he still couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
Here to mooch? Didn't they just complete the first Abyss exploration yesterday? And now a partner already?
The talent must be at least a B-ranking ordinary combat talent, even better than his own.
"Sure, we will definitely follow the company's requirements, but I have to be upfront, I will teach diligently, but whether you can learn or not is really up to you."
Smith nodded at Tao Yu as a greeting, and the scar-faced junior brother who brought him in explained to Tao Yu in a low voice
"Brother Smith is an old-timer at the dojo, all five of the boxing techniques are at lv3 standard, and the key is that he has reached this level in each one of them.
"The master said that as long as he can push all five boxing techniques to lv4, he can attempt to integrate and grasp Qi-Blood."
Hearing this, Tao Yu also had a thought, and then he lowered his voice to ask
"Brother, there's always been a rumor about a high-level breathing technique at the dojo, is it true? Is it used in combination with boxing techniques?"
"Uh, it does exist, but definitely, it's not something that is shared publicly, only a true disciple might have a chance, even Team Captain Ze Chuan of the security force has tried begging the master to take his son, but he did not agree."
This was not a secret, Tao Yu was just asking; if there was a chance, he would not pass it up, but that doesn't mean he had to learn it.
"My name is Yi Wei, if you don't understand anything you can ask me. I need to go back outside now, they are waiting for me there."
The scar-faced junior brother who brought Tao Yu had neglected him a bit before, whether out of pettiness or not, it was better to placate him first. Now that he did his due diligence, naturally, he had to return to his post, as this could be used to offset tuition fees, something not everyone could take advantage of.
"Alright, has everyone arrived?"
Smith scanned the group.
"It seems like two are still missing, I'll tell them to come over, brother, you start first."
The scar-faced junior brother quickened his pace and waved his hand at the same time, and Smith evidently had no intention of waiting for others.
"I know why you chose this place, simply because the skill tuition is expensive, but expensive has its reasons. The dojo's Five Gate Boxing Techniques are indeed the top skills one can learn in the Outsider area.
"Moreover, if you manage to learn all five gates, you'll have the opportunity to integrate them and seize the Qi-Blood, enhancing the body's limit."
The usual limit for Outsiders is the average human body limit! n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
This ability to enhance the human body's limit, just that description alone would energize people.
Some showed excited expressions, knowing they didn't choose wrongly.
But some others showed worry, as they would only have the opportunity if they could learn all five boxing techniques, and they didn't have the money to pay for the subsequent lessons.
It seemed that Smith noticed some people's concerns and chuckled
"In fact, you don't need to worry about how to gather money for subsequent lessons. Specializing in one boxing technique, the dojo will have workstations to offset the tuition fees. The first thing is to learn one technique well, as the entry is quite difficult."
Having said this, he directly sunk his waist into horse stance and then performed a set of boxing techniques on the spot.
He performed this set of boxing techniques very slowly and it seemed rather awkward, as if it lacked any killing power whatsoever.
But Tao Yu, possessing extremely strong dynamic vision, could discern something from the opponent's muscle twitches and the tension in the movements.
This must be some kind of skill practice, but he didn't know its relation to the boxing techniques they were learning. Weren't there supposed to be five gates? They should have the chance to choose from the beginning, right?
Tao Yu watched intently, memorizing every movement, and the others gazed with widened eyes, equally focused.
Even the two latecomers who ran in and didn't hear the start of the lecture didn't have the time to ask anything.
Some students even started to try practicing along.
About a quarter of an hour later, after the set of boxing techniques was completed, Smith also slowly exhaled a breath, completing the final form.
"You might be wondering what I would teach first among the five boxing techniques."
Smith wore an almost smiling expression
"Now I can tell you, the set we just practiced is the prerequisite required for learning all five boxing techniques, the Universal Stance Skill."
Seeming to know what the students were worried about, he waved his hands and said
"Don't worry, this skill, which is a free addition to each boxing technique learned, won't charge extra fees. It's simplified to facilitate your quick mastery and invest Yuan Force to accelerate. Reaching lv2 in this skill will make learning the boxing techniques a bit easier."
When everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Smith's lips slightly curled up
"But, precisely because this skill is taught, regardless of whether you can learn the subsequent boxing techniques or not, there are no refunds or exchanges..."
If you have talent and ability, one lesson equates to learning two skills. If the talent isn't enough, you'll only learn the introductory stance skill.
However, Tao Yu was excited on the side.
This Stance Skill was clearly an excellent movement for exercising the muscles throughout the body. If it truly becomes a skill and completes deification, it's like a free bonus, a huge gain...