Chapter 16: Learning Makes Me Happy

Chen Mu was proudly showing off when he glanced down at Fang Yue's reaction and couldn't help but frown in confusion.

"What? You seem… unsatisfied?"

"Uh… no, I just don't quite understand how these martial arts are ranked."

So he had no concept at all.

Chen Mu suddenly understood, and a faint blush crept onto his face.

Talking big to outsiders always had this awkwardness—you didn't know what you were bragging about because they didn't know what you were talking about.

Chen Mu quickly began to explain.

"Martial Dao is divided into two types: unranked, crude martial arts; everyone in Gu Yue Cun except the three Captains learns this kind."

"The other type is ranked martial arts, which, by level, are divided into Xiantian First-Rate, Xiantian Second-Rate, Xiantian Third-Rate, Acquired First-Rate, Acquired Second-Rate, and Acquired Third-Rate."

"These two skills I hold, though both are Acquired Third-Rate, complement each other and form a system with astonishing power—that's why I can firmly surpass the other two Captains and become Chief Captain of Gu Yue Cun."

Crude martial arts, Acquired martial arts, Xiantian martial arts…

Hearing Chen Mu's explanation, Fang Yue roughly grasped the weight of the two manuals in his hands.

In simple terms, these two Acquired Third-Rate manuals were merely entry-level stepping stones—but across the entire Gu Yue Village, only three people knew them, utterly badass.

But…

Fang Yue suddenly remembered his Analysis Pupil and humbly asked:

"Captain, what level is Mortal Grade Lower Class?"

"Mortal Grade?!"

Upon hearing those two words, Captain Chen's pupils instantly shrank.

"Where did you hear those two words?!"

Fang Yue, seeing his agitation, quickly said: "I heard it from Lord Han."

"Lord Han… if it's Lord Han, then it's understandable. Lord Han is unfathomable—I don't even know how strong he is—but why did Lord Han tell you about Mortal Grade?"

The latter part wasn't addressed to Fang Yue—it was muttering to himself. Soon, he let out a light laugh and stopped worrying.

"Mortal Grade refers to a rank above Xiantian First-Rate. Powerful beings like Lord Han, who have transcended the mundane, refer to our martial arts as Mortal Grade techniques."

"Above Mortal Grade comes Human Grade. How numerous are ordinary humans, and how fierce their struggles!"

"If you don't distinguish between Mortal Grade, how could anyone claim their martial art is superior? After all… Human Grade is rarely seen."

Human Grade is rarely seen?

Fang Yue listened, stunned, his heart surging with waves!

Damn!

So both my skills are insanely overpowered?!

Fang Yue thought of himself walking freely in Heavy Rain, causing Lord Han to react so strongly—and suddenly felt that Human Grade Upper Class skill truly deserved to be called insanely overpowered.

But the Analysis Pupil skill… was genuinely a bit underwhelming; perhaps because it wasn't combat-related, Fang Yue often felt it had little presence.

Maybe… it still holds secrets I don't know about?

Suppressing his thoughts, Fang Yue thought for a moment and asked: "Captain, I have another question."

Chen Mu hadn't spoken of these things in a long time, and now he felt a spark of interest.

"Go on."

"Martial arts have ranks—so do people's cultivation stages have divisions too?"

"Of course. You, right now, are Unranked. After learning my Starfire Heart Method, you can accumulate internal energy, break through your realm, and become a true martial artist, entering Martial Dao—that is, the Acquired Third-Rate Stage. From Acquired Third-Rate, you ascend upward: Xiantian First-Rate, and even become a Human Grade powerhouse!"

"Human Grade…"

Fang Yue gazed dreamily, but then remembered something: "Then what level is Rain Grade?"

"Unknown."

Captain Chen shook his head.

"Unknown?"

"Yes, unknown. I've only heard Lord Han mention Rain Grade warriors—they can move freely in Heavy Rain, their power unfathomable."

"Then why does it drain HP when it rains? Wouldn't I lose HP during daylight too?"

"Of course not. Normal daylight never drains HP—unless it's days like Three Scorching Suns."

Captain Chen looked at Fang Yue: "Strange—didn't you ever see sunlight where you came from before you fled? Oh, right—I forgot you have no memories. How pitiful."

"Uh…"

"It's like this: there's an ancient legend circulating in the martial world that says humans cultivating martial arts defy heaven, angering the heavens—so heaven sends punishment, making weather bizarre and terrifying, turning night into a breeding ground for the strange, and making human survival conditions harsh."

Of course, there's another version of this legend: it's said that 【Cold Night】, 【Heavy Rain】, and others are powerful 【Chu Sheng Gui】, and some even call these weird phenomena… Transcendence-level Weird, meaning transcending the mundane, mysterious and unfathomable.

But such matters have nothing to do with us small folk—just surviving peacefully is enough; who cares about such grand affairs?

Indeed.

Even a few 【Chu Sheng Gui】 would be more than Fang Yue could handle—why bother worrying about such things?

Fang Yue looked at the two manuals in his hands and patted them… no reaction.

Wrong way to open them?

He flipped open a page at random and silently thought: "Learn."

Still no reaction.

What's going on?

Fang Yue was baffled—he'd never imagined he'd get stuck at this step.

"What are you doing?"

Fang Yue looked up blankly to see Captain Chen staring at him strangely.

"I don't know how to learn skills," Fang Yue admitted honestly.

"Look! Use your eyes to see, use your brain to think—won't you get it then?"

Chen's matter-of-fact reply left Fang Yue even more bewildered.

He mechanically flipped through the dense pages, glanced at a few randomly, then looked up at Chen again, lost.

"Still don't get it."

"Of course you don't!"

Chen got angry: "Are you a pig? You start reading from the middle? Who understands that? Read it from beginning to end!"

"Okay… fine, fine, no need to shout like that…"

Fang Yue sullenly read the Starfire Heart Method from start to finish; it was mostly diagrams of meridians and acupoints with some text, so he read it quickly.

When Fang Yue finished reading the manual…

"System Prompt: Would you like to learn 【Starfire Heart Method】?"

So this is how you learn skills!

"Yes!"

"System Prompt: Congratulations, you have learned 【Starfire Heart Method】."

The manual slowly turned to white light and vanished.

A flood of knowledge poured into his mind.

Chen blinked in surprise: "You got it?"

"Mm."

Chen circled Fang Yue excitedly, murmuring in awe.

"Incredible comprehension—absolute martial arts genius! Back when I learned it, I spent three whole years before the manual turned to white light and I barely got started."

No, no, no—he wasn't a martial arts genius; this must be a privilege every player had.

"By the way, when you learn a martial art, does the manual turn to white light too?"

"What kind of question is that? Every manual works like this—otherwise, wouldn't someone just copy and leak it? Wait, I heard some manuals can be learned multiple times, but those are specially modified."

Fang Yue fell silent.

He flipped through the entire Starfire Blade Technique.

"System Prompt: Would you like to learn 【Starfire Blade Technique】?"

"Yes!"

"System Prompt: Congratulations, you have learned 【Starfire Blade Technique】."

(End of Chapter)