After converting all of his Qi into elemental Qi, Augustus was in a dilemma over which type of martial arts he should learn. He wanted to learn every strong martial art, but the system had other plans.
"You can only choose one per floor. Pick wisely," it warned him, reminding him that he couldn't learn everything, even with an abundance of spirit stones at his disposal.
'Of course, you won't let me spend my spirit stones,'
Undeterred, Augustus delved into the library of tomes, searching for the perfect one that he could learn.
As he was browsing, he found out that there's a pattern on every floor.
Each floor held its unique martial arts, each of which could be upgraded into a stronger version at higher floors. However, Augustus didn't know which ones could be upgraded and which ones could not.
How could he be sure he was investing in the right techniques? Which ones could be upgraded to maximize his potential? He couldn't afford to waste precious resources on dead-end skills.
"Ice and Water Technique..." Augustus slowly browses the books.
Augustus's search led him to the "Frost Palace Domain," a Grade-3 Martial Art that required twenty of each Ice Qi and Water Qi, as well as the prerequisite Ice Flowing Form.
As he read the actual book, Augustus noticed that he could learn the technique on his own without relying on the system, but it would take time and a thorough understanding of the basics, just like how he learned the art of trapping on his own.
With the help of the system, Augustus could devour the knowledge within the tome instantly.
As he read the technique, he realized that The Frost Palace Domain was a complex technique, one that required precise control over the surrounding environment.
It cost mental energy and huge amount of Qi to maintain the domain, he could manipulate the terrain to his advantage, changing the battlefield to suit his needs.
But first, he needed to learn the necessary skills, namely the "Water Flowing Form."
[Grade-1 Martial Art: Water Flowing Form]
[Requirement: Water Qi: 10, advanced knowledge of any weapon type]
[Cost: 100k Spirit Stones]
['Advanced Swordsmanship' has been upgraded to 'Water Flowing Form']
Augustus's mind was flooded with an immense amount of knowledge as he upgraded his swordsmanship to the Water Flowing Form. The pain was so intense that he felt light-headed and dizzy, struggling to maintain his balance. Unlike when he learned Cultivation Techniques, this felt like torture.
As the torrent of knowledge subsided, Augustus felt weakened and barely able to stand. But he also felt a newfound understanding of swordsmanship, a whole different level of movement. The system had also provided him with knowledge on how to complement his swordsmanship with the Water Flowing Form.
In that moment, he remembered Leo's words.
"How do I level up my Advanced Swordsmanship? It's not improving at all."
"You need to have your own unique style of swordsmanship, earned through countless battles and experience."
And now he understood what Leo meant, especially with the Water Flowing Form as his new technique.
With his sword in hand, Augustus tested out his new style of swordsmanship in the cramped space of the library. To his surprise, he moved with fluid grace, his sword not even touching the surrounding books and shelves. He marveled at how everything had become instinctive, a natural extension of himself.
Filled with excitement and anticipation, Augustus looked forward to learning the upgraded version of Water Flowing Form on the second floor.
[Grade-2 Martial Art: Ice Flowing Form]
[Requirements: Water Qi: 10, Ice Qi: 10, Water Flowing Form]
[Cost: 500K Spirit Stones]
['Water Flowing Form' upgraded to 'Ice Flowing Form']
Knowledge flowed through Augustus' mind once again, but this time it was lighter since he already knew the basics. The style had undergone significant changes, though, and it lasted for about ten minutes before the knowledge stopped flowing.
Augustus delved into the depths of knowledge imparted to him by the upgraded Ice Flowing Form.
[Ice Flowing Form Lvl 1]
The Ice Flowing Form is a martial arts technique that focuses on the manipulation of ice, emphasizing speed, agility, and precision in combat. It is an upgraded version of the Water Flowing Form, incorporating extra ice manipulation and footwork changes that use ice to move swiftly.
Augustus instantly moved on to the next one, as he wanted to get this over as soon as possible. He could barely walk straight at the moment.
['Ice Flowing Form' upgraded to 'Frost Palace Domain']
This time, it was on a different level. He attempted to process the overwhelming amount of information, but Augustus suddenly blacked out. When he finally came to, he was lying on the ground, his head pounding with pain.
"What happened?" he groaned, trying to shake off the dizziness.
As the fog in his mind began to clear, Augustus realized that he had just gained access to the Frost Palace Domain.
[Frost Palace Domain Lvl 1]
The Frost Palace Domain is a martial arts technique that involves manipulating the surrounding environment to create a terrain made of ice that favors the user. It possesses the passive abilities of the Ice Flowing Form.
Area of Effect: Water Qi * Ice Qi
Duration: Two Minutes
Cooldown: 24 Hours
The specifications set forth by the system were only guidelines. With the knowledge that flowed in, he had the power to control the area of effect, duration, and cooldown of his domain.
For example, the smaller the AOE, the longer he could maintain the domain.
He could push himself to cast it multiple times, but he risked suffering from Qi Fatigue and being unable to use Qi for extended periods.
After finishing his business in the library, Augustus quickly left and noticed that the robot did a perfect job. As soon as he entered the bedroom, he could sense the difference as there was not a single speck of dust. It felt much nicer.
"I need time to process all the knowledge I just acquired before I test it out in the backyard... never mind, I'll probably test it at the training ground later where I can go all out without destroying anything," Augustus thought to himself.
After a few hours of rest, Augustus was ready to test out the Frost Palace Domain, the new martial art that he had learned from the system.
Augustus moved to the training ground so that he wouldn't make a mess of the place.
"You're back. Let me ask you a question. Is there any chance for me to get real money to top up some games?" Leo asked.
Augustus let out a sigh and rubbed his temples. "Leo, there's no way for you to get real money to top up these games. I don't even understand how the games work here, let alone how to spend money on them. Just play the game normally."
Leo groaned. "But all the games are terrible! They're all pay-to-win, and I have no chance of beating anyone without spending money."
"Then play different games," Augustus suggested. "It's that easy. And don't bother me. I want to try out something."
Leo scoffed. "What? You learned new skills? You haven't even perfected your Ichimonji's Strike. There's barely been any improvement for the last few years here."
he focused on the area where he wanted the domain to exist and spread his water Qi all over it. Leo watched skeptically, unsure of what his friend was trying to achieve.
Augustus began to spread his influences as he stabbed his sword into the ground, causing the earth to turn into solid ice, spreading further and further. With each passing moment, his control over the domain grew stronger.
'One hundred square meters.'
Augustus experimented with the domain, creating walls and barriers that would prevent anyone from escaping it. He was pleased with his results, but he realized that every time he made changes to the surroundings, it would deplete his Qi.
"Interesting," Augustus mused to himself, intrigued by the limitations of it.
He attempted to enlarge the domain, but it quickly reached its limit at four hundred square meters. Just as he was about to expand it further, it suddenly collapsed.
"You learned it through a skill book, didn't you?" Leo asked, impressed by his friend's flawless execution of the skill.
"I don't know about skill books, but the system helped me. It just forcefully imparted knowledge to my head. It hurt like hell," Augustus explained.
"It's definitely a skill book. I could tell from the way you flawlessly executed the skill, as if you had been practicing it for years," Leo said with conviction. He was sure that Augustus wouldn't have been able to learn the Frost Palace Domain without relying solely on the system.
Augustus was intrigued. "Do you have something similar? Is it not exclusive to the system?"
Leo nodded, excited to share his knowledge. "Yeah, there's something similar. It can be found by exploring dungeons. Sometimes, a skill book drops if you're lucky. That's where it came from at my dimension. I'm not sure about your dimension."
Augustus was curious, but before he could ask any further questions, Leo interrupted him once again.
"So, can you ask the system to give me unlimited money?" Leo asked eagerly.
Augustus sighed, realizing that his friend was unlikely to give up on this topic. "System, can you please send Leo back to his world or something similar?"
[Release Leo]
Made due to user's request
[Cost: ??? points]
Augustus couldn't believe what he was seeing on the screen. "Is this really possible?" he exclaimed.
Leo looked at him quizzically. "What's going on?"
"I think I can release you from here," Augustus said, sounding confused.
Leo's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, you can do that?"
"It didn't say how many points were needed, but there's an option for it," Augustus replied, still in disbelief.
Leo was skeptical when Augustus said that, as he was sure there was no way they would let him go after what he had done.
"Not that I should release you anyway, you're a menace to the world," Augustus scoffed.
Leo was speechless when he heard Augustus say that. "What? Is that what you should say to your elder?"
"What elder? All I see is a no-life gamer who barely touches grass unless I arrive."
Without another word, Augustus made his way back to the Martial Seclusion House.
"Stupid brat," Leo scolded as Augustus left.
"Don't tell me the kid is the key for me to leave this place?" Leo gave it some thought, but midway, he remembered that he still had a weekly quest that he needed to do.
"Yep, don't care. I'm living my life here, probably until I'm tired of these crap games."
Meanwhile, at the Martial Seclusion House, Augustus's heart was racing with anticipation. He had been waiting for this moment for so long. It was finally time to test out his Frost Palace Domain.
As he sat in the newly built guest house, Augustus opened the Guest features, he then scrolled the guest list and chosen the '1-Star Daoist Friends' option.
He prayed fervently that his friend Ziyu would appear before him.
After a while, a person finally arrived.