With Lin Xing's death once again, he returned to the past.
This time, when he opened his eyes, he found himself behind the door of the firewood shed, desperately blocking the door to prevent the old man from pushing it open.
His gaze swept the area and he noticed the doll still lying motionless on the ground.
However, he didn't feel the need to ask further about the doll's intent, as he believed he had already received an answer from what the other had just said.
"I can't defeat the great villain outside the door, obviously because I have never genuinely learned combat skills."
Lin Xing knew the doll was right; he had watched some self-defense tutorials online and though he had supernatural abilities, he was ultimately just an ordinary university student. It was normal for him not to be as good as someone trained in direct combat.
"The doll mentioned that this old man had learned sword techniques, and I don't know any skills, that's the difference."
"But on the other hand, if I also practice some fighting and martial arts, perhaps I could beat this old man."
"As for practice… what better way is there to learn than legitimate self-defense?"
With that thought, Lin Xing's eyes instantly filled with fighting spirit. He picked up a sickle beside him, flung the door open and charged at the old man, who looked on in surprise.
The doll on the ground, watching this scene, wondered, "Has this kid gone mad? Daring to charge like that without mastering any skills?"
Lin Xing was indeed quickly slain again, but the resurrected him was not discouraged. Instead, his eyes were full of determination; picking up the sickle, he charged again, trying to master more fighting capabilities in the life-and-death struggle.
How to dodge the old man's firewood knife, how to swing the sickle, how to judge the distance between them, and how to minimize his own injuries...
Lin Xing tried to learn how to fight in these repeated bouts, figuring out how to outskill his opponent.
With each repetition of the combat and learning, Lin Xing felt that as he and the old man continued fighting, he could more clearly sense the intense murderous intent emanating from his opponent, and even his own emotions became increasingly agitated in the process.
Amid this stimulation from their emotions, his body also seemed to gradually heat up, as if surges of warmth were coursing through him.
With these subtle changes in his body, that familiar feeling surged in his mind again, the kind of memories that were elusive seemed to be gradually surfacing.
Lin Xing felt as if something he had forgotten was about to emerge from his mind.
...
After Lin Xing died fifty times.
Watching Lin Xing trying to tangle with the old man, the doll on the ground scoffed, "This kid... wants to learn through combat? Such naive thinking for a newbie, utterly whimsical."
...
After Lin Xing died a hundred times.
The doll, observing Lin Xing maneuvering around the courtyard with the old man, expressed some surprise: "Huh? This kid is quite good at dodging."
...
After Lin Xing died two hundred times.
The doll, seeing Lin Xing wound the old man with the sickle, started to get surprised: "How can this kid use a sickle so well? He was just an ordinary person a moment ago."
...
After Lin Xing died three hundred times.
The doll, watching Lin Xing slightly struggling but holding his own in head-on combat, thought in amazement, "Too fast, the progress is too fast. He was just an ordinary person before, how could he soon master a skill?"
...
After Lin Xing died four hundred times.
The doll looked at the blood-covered old man lying on the ground and then at Lin Xing, similarly fallen and wounded, and felt utterly astonished: "A genius! A peerless genius! To master a skill in such a short span of battle!"
"Such a pity, such a pity, they perished together."
...
After Lin Xing died five hundred times.
The doll watched Lin Xing, agile and skillful, seemingly foreknowing and dodging the old man's firewood knife repeatedly. Lin Xing, who skillfully bled the man with his strikes and ultimately killed the old man without a scratch, left the doll astonished.
"He previously didn't know any skills at all, and yet he mastered one in such a short battle?"
"The old man's knife skills were completely seen through by him."
"A monster! An extraordinary monster! In all my years, I've never seen such an aberration."
Elsewhere, after Lin Xing had justifiably killed the old man in self-defense, he closed his eyes, finely feeling the changes in his body.
He could no longer remember how many times he had fought the old man.
During that fierce battle, a warm current flowed through Lin Xing's body, and he felt that something had been added to his mind.
It was a skill named Sickle Sword Technique (Level One).
As the skill emerged, his body seemed lighter, the right hand holding the sickle felt stronger, and the coordination throughout his body appeared to have improved slightly...
Lin Xing, somewhat surprised, sensed the subtle changes in his body and recalled the sickle sword technique that had appeared in his mind, realizing that it was all a summary of his repeated battles.
He thought in amazement, "Skills... so this is what skills mean, to actually enhance my physical body upon learning?"
At the same time, as he mastered the skill, more familiar memories surfaced in Lin Xing's mind, and he felt that some important memories he had forgotten had reappeared.
These were memories about learning, cultivation, and power.
Thinking back on the content of these memories, it became clear to Lin Xing, "So that's it, learn a skill, master it, refine it, and finally, comprehend the inheritance."
At the same time, Lin Xing also truly understood the real reason why the skinny man he encountered at school and the firewood knife-wielding old man he had just killed were stronger than him.
"The teleporter at the school must have mastered several skills, which is why he was so much more powerful."
"The old man, though not as formidable as him, had mastered two skills, which is why he was much stronger than me before."
"But neither of them had comprehended any inheritance."
In the memories resurfacing in Lin Xing, if one comprehended inheritance, they would definitely be much more powerful than the skinny man and the old man.
At that moment, there were two inheritance clues in his mind—one called Soldier and the other called Daoist Child.
"Skills... inheritance..."
Thinking about the magical power represented by skills and inheritance, Lin Xing just couldn't recall why he had such memories.
Especially that strong sense of familiarity within his memories, which puzzled him deeply.
Suddenly, he remembered the historical changes he had sensed earlier and couldn't help speculating, "Could my memories stem from the effects of historical changes?"
Unfortunately, there were too few clues about this matter, and Lin Xing knew that merely thinking about it wouldn't lead to any conclusions; he had to temporarily suppress it in his mind.
Then Lin Xing picked up the doll and said, "I owe you thanks this time. Without your reminder, I might not have been able to rightfully defend myself. Don't be afraid, I will definitely take you with me to escape."
The doll was full of doubts, thinking, "What is he talking about? When did I remind him? Did he notice something off about me? Or is he tricking me? But why would he trick me without any reason?"
Not dwelling on the doll's bewildered thoughts, Lin Xing tucked the doll into his chest and, holding the sickle, cautiously walked towards the courtyard exit.
He thought to himself, "I need to find a way to call the police..."
However, as the gate opened and he stepped out, he found himself back in his bedroom.
As soon as Lin Xing appeared, he immediately felt surrounded, with more than a dozen handguns aimed squarely at his position.