Chapter 42: Extraordinary Perception — Notes of a Foundation Establishment Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect

"【Extraordinary Perception】: You have awakened the sixth sense from the beyond, gaining a +(1 + Tier) bonus on all checks related to Perception."

After gaining Extraordinary Perception, Fang Shi's Perception attribute bonus was already equivalent to 23 points.

This meant Fang Shi now possessed the ability of premonition.

Before danger arrived, he could sense it in his heart.

This greatly enhanced Fang Shi's ability to stay alive.

If firearms still existed, Fang Shi could begin dodging the moment the other party aimed at him, before the trigger was pulled.

Unless Fang Shi's perception could be suppressed, or unless there were simply too many firearms, sealing off every inch of space.

Otherwise, Fang Shi could demonstrate what it meant to dodge bullets.

It was also especially useful in attack, effortlessly spotting an enemy's openings, effortlessly spotting an enemy's assault.

Combined with high Agility, one could dance on the edge of a blade.

And this was only before entering a Tier; as the Tier rose,

the bonus from Extraordinary Perception would grow ever greater.

By the time one reached Legendary, it would be equivalent to gaining 10 extra attribute points out of thin air.

This was why Extraordinary attributes were so hard to come by.

Theoretically, Fang Shi's breathing method, if practiced to the fifth layer, had a chance of reaching 20 in Strength, Constitution, and Agility.

But that was only theory; in fact, in his previous life, Fang Shi had never heard of anyone reaching the fifth layer.

The difference between theory and reality was like haggling — you would never succeed at it.

Fang Shi had even heard a saying.

Even the best breathing method in the settlement could not be practiced to the fifth layer.

The fifth layer was merely a conjecture, a hope, of the strong.

To reach Extraordinary attributes, one either had to allocate points oneself, or rely on external opportunities.

The reason Fang Shi had 18 points in Perception before his rebirth was also due to an opportunity.

Unfortunately, that opportunity had come too late.

He had just obtained the settlement when it was destroyed; before Fang Shi could show his mettle, he had already joined the flight.

"Since I've been reborn, that opportunity should still be there."

"When the time comes, I'll wait for the opportunity to open and go once more."

"Although the higher the attribute, the harder it is to improve, raising it by another one or two points shouldn't be a problem."

"However, right now I've gained a free attribute point from a reward — should I allocate it?"

Fang Shi thought it over for a moment, and ultimately decided to hold on to it.

The him now was completely different from the him before the rebirth.

Powerful total attributes and feats had given Fang Shi powerful strength.

The so-called Fire-Winged Bird no longer posed a threat to him.

Fang Shi was now qualified to hold onto a free attribute point.

To be used later when breaking through other Extraordinary attributes.

Only this way could the free attribute point be utilized to its maximum.

"Name: Fang Shi"

"Race: Human"

"Attributes: Strength 15, Agility 15, Constitution 15, Intelligence 14, Perception 21, Charisma 15"

"Class: Level 4 Martial Artist"

"HP: 45/45"

"Experience: 4709/10000"

"Attribute Points: 1"

"Survival Points: 1480.9"

"Racial Feat: Versatile I"

"Life Skills: Focus 12…"

"Class Skills: Stealth 8…"

"Personal Trait: Extraordinary Perception"

"Personal Feats: Iron Will I, Athletic I, Encyclopedic Memory I, Resilient I, True Dragon Armor III, Shi Breathing Method III, Divine Step I, Lightning Reflexes II, Weakness Insight I"

"Class Feats: Flurry of Blows I, Unarmed Strike I, Steel Bones I, Crushing Fist I, Reflexive Dodge I, Improved Initiative I, Cannon Fist I, Leap Step I"

Fang Shi sighed inwardly — in just four short days, he had reached Level 4.

Even excluding the Mystical Realm trip, he had reached Level 3.

If it were the him from before the rebirth, he would still be hiding in a building, shivering.

Only able to kill zombies inside the building as best he could, scavenge for food, and finally hold out until the others arrived.

And this was not the end.

Apart from the boost to combat power from leveling up,

Fang Shi had also obtained a Black Iron Treasure Chest and a Silver Treasure Chest.

If good items came out of them, that would also be a kind of boost to combat power.

"Do you open the Black Iron Treasure Chest?"

"Yes."

"You obtained item: Martial Artist's Training Garments."

"Martial Artist Training Garment"

"Durability: 2"

"Endurance: 10"

"Weight: 700 grams"

"Evaluation: Clothing worn by martial artists during training."

Alright, a bit shady.

But the style is decent, similar to a tai chi training outfit.

Though it's not wide-sleeved, nor overly loose.

Instead, it's a fitted garment with tightened cuffs and trouser legs.

The whole body is black, inlaid with white trim, and looks rather nice.

It's just that the durability is a bit low, only slightly stronger than ordinary clothing.

"Forget it, I'll just use it as a whetstone for the knife. Hopefully the Silver Chest will yield something good."

Fang Shi had long been mentally prepared; the chest could yield far too many things.

Getting something usable would already be good, no need to demand so much.

Just hoping the Silver Treasure Chest can also yield something usable.

"Do you wish to open the Silver Treasure Chest?"

"Yes."

"You obtained a book: Notes of a Foundation Establishment Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect."

"Notes of a Foundation Establishment Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect"

"Durability: 5"

"Endurance: 10"

"Weight: 150 grams"

"Evaluation: This is a notebook from a Foundation Establishment disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, recording some daily trivial matters and cultivation insights."

What is this thing?

And which world's sect is the Heavenly Sword Sect?

Fang Shi's heart was filled with thick curiosity.

One must know that even the worst the Silver Treasure Chest can yield is a first-tier marvel.

A single notebook being worth this much is absolutely extraordinary.

Either this book has some miraculous effect.

Or the knowledge recorded in the book is very precious.

In the apocalypse, knowledge is power is no longer an empty phrase.

Breathing techniques are knowledge, the training of specialties and skills is knowledge, the use of magic is also knowledge.

Some records about powerful creatures and deities are even more priceless.

Suppose a book records a legendary spell.

Even if the book's material is utterly ordinary.

The value of this book can still rival a fourth-tier marvel.

And that's only for the simplest legendary spells; some legendary spells can only be measured by divine artifacts.

So Fang Shi got up, drew open the curtains, lit a smokeless lamp, and couldn't wait to begin reading this notebook.

……

Two hours passed, and Fang Shi had roughly skimmed through the notebook once.

The notebook recorded some of the experiences of this Foundation Establishment disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect after entering the sect.

Apart from some minor matters, the main thing was a story.

A story of a clash between two geniuses.

These two geniuses had entered the sect in the same batch as him, but their talent was simply heaven-defying.

Practicing basic swordsmanship, they reached perfection in one day.

Then practicing advanced swordsmanship, they reached perfection in seven days.

And on the tenth day after entering the sect, they successfully comprehended Sword Intent.

Startling the sect's upper echelons.

In less than half a year, they overcame the Lei Jie and achieved Jin Dan.

Such geniuses appeared simultaneously in the Heavenly Sword Sect, two of them.

One could say it was the blessing of the Heavenly Sword Sect's immortal ancestors.

But unfortunately, the two were at odds, fighting fiercely within the sect.

For a time, internal division began to appear within the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Until the more formidable of the two defected from the sect, and this struggle finally ended.

But it also caused regret among some within the sect.

If the two had joined forces, the Heavenly Sword Sect would have been even more glorious.

To be honest, Fang Shi read it in a fog.

This notebook's records were too fragmented.

A bit here, a bit there, basically no main thread.

All personal impressions.

The information above was summarized by Fang Shi after he finished reading it.

As for what constitutes an advanced sword technique, what Foundation Establishment is, and what Jin Dan is.

Fang Shi knew nothing about any of it.

He couldn't possibly apply the settings from pre-apocalypse novels.

Fang Shi felt that wasn't the case; after all, before his rebirth, he had heard of Martial Dao Immortals and Peerless Sword Immortals.

Moreover, this notebook was drawn from a Silver Chest.

It must have a system corresponding to the attribute panel.

However, Fang Shi had heard of Sword Intent.

Simply put, it was an enhanced version of Epic Longsword Weapon Specialization.

That is, Longsword Weapon Specialization III.

When Fang Shi first saw the record of comprehending Sword Intent in ten days, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Comprehending a specialization that only Legendary experts could comprehend in just ten days.

How monstrous was this talent?

At least Fang Shi felt that those who ascended to Legend absolutely did not possess such talent.

The future achievements of these two geniuses would surely far exceed Legend.

They very likely would become Immortals like the founder of the Heaven Sword Sect.

He just didn't know if they were of the same category as the Martial Dao Immortals and Peerless Sword Immortals he had once heard of.

Fang Shi believed there was a high probability they were not.

If such geniuses existed on Blue Star, wouldn't they have directly punched through the apocalypse?

If Fang Shi had an offensive Epic specialization after ten days.

He would have already slaughtered everything indiscriminately.

This was merely one specialization; basic sword techniques and advanced sword techniques hadn't even been counted.

In short, the Heaven Sword Sect, a cultivation sect in this other world, was an overwhelmingly powerful force.

It was something people on Blue Star could hardly hope to match.

After reading this notebook, besides learning this story, Fang Shi also gained some benefits.

"You have read the notebook of a Foundation Establishment disciple of the Heaven Sword Sect."

"You have gained some insight into the use of long swords."

"You have comprehended Longsword Weapon Mastery."

"You have obtained partial information on Longsword Weapon Focus."

"You have obtained partial information on Longsword Weapon Specialization."

"【Longsword Weapon Mastery I】: Through long training, you can better unleash the power of long swords. (Hit +1, Damage +1)"

This was what Fang Shi comprehended by reading some cultivation records in the notebook.

Of course, it was also the result of Fang Shi's long-term accumulation and sudden breakthrough.

Having experienced so many battles, he had also gained some insight into using long swords like the high-steel sword.

Fang Shi, who used a blade before his rebirth, under this series of coincidences.

Instead learned to use a sword; one could not help but say fate played tricks on him.

However, Fang Shi didn't mind; in the apocalypse, the stronger one could be, the better.

Besides, he had a plan for the path of the Sword Immortal.

Now that he had inadvertently stepped onto this path, he would have to operate carefully when he reached level 5.

The value of this book was still very high; Fang Shi decided to preserve it well.

He would read it from time to time, striving to comprehend the other two specializations.

By then, his combat power would make another great leap.

One could only say it was no wonder this was something produced by a Silver Chest.

Most importantly, this was still a book that could be circulated.

Unlike equipment, which could only be used by one person.

Fang Shi estimated this notebook was at least equivalent in value to a Tier 2 Oddity.

If comprehending specializations didn't also require one's own ability, it would be a Tier 3 Oddity.

PS: Thanks to the Head of the Dark Peaks for the 200 donation.