Then, Le Xaan walked up to a big tree and took his coat and towel from its branches before wiping down his body with the towel.
"How powerful is Dark Shadow at the Third Level? I want to give it a try." Ever since he reached the Third Level in Dark Shadow, he hadn't tested its full effectiveness. Now that his body was fully recovered, he was in the mindset to give it a shot.
Laying eyes on the big tree before him, Le Xaan was intrigued and exerted Dark Shadow Qi, channeling it into his right palm, and then landed a smack on the tree's trunk.
"Pong!"
A muffled noise sounded out. The intensity of his strength was slightly enhanced, but not that impressively. After all, Dark Shadow didn't function mainly as something that amplified one's strength.
Le Xaan withdrew his palm and saw a distinct jet-black palm mark on the trunk.
It was roughly five inches deep into the wood, from which a pungent, spicy odor was issuing.
Le Xaan lightly felt the periphery of the dent with one hand. Immediately, a sizable chunk of bark fell off, revealing a wrinkled pattern under it.
"It looks as though the wood were burned. Dark Shadow could be counted as a very high-tier set of inner body Qi cultivation method. What a shame that I only obtained an incomplete edition of it... but if I deduct it to a higher level with the cheat tool, perhaps it can be enhanced and become better than even its original version! "
Presently, his profound mastery of martial arts made him match someone who had practiced martial arts for over forty years.
"In the next, I have to practice a set of footwork. Whether it be Black Tiger Blade Style or other martial arts, they are equipped with only matched footwork for combat purposes. I don't possess a complete set of footwork to aid me in traveling, chasing, and fleeing."
It then dawned on Le Xaan that he had garnered a set of footwork back in Gourian City, Floating Cloud Footwork. But it was for combat purposes as well, which helped him dodge attacks more swiftly.
"Deep Blue." he whispered inwardly.
The window of the cheat tool emerged before him.
Le Xaan began to recall the Floating Cloud Footwork's training method. This set of footwork fell short of even Swallow Chasing Wind Blade Style in quality. Le Xaan hadn't bothered to transcribe it on a brochure but instead casually etched it into his memory.
As he recollected, Le Xaan slowly stretched out his left leg before mustering the calf muscles and turning it left while tapping his right leg on the tree trunk, throwing himself a fair distance forward. This was the first move of Floating Cloud Footwork's eight moves. The set of footwork had a total of three levels. It borrowed some ideas from Eight Steps Chasing Cicada, a famous footwork in Central Land.
Le Xaan practiced the footwork for a while. Due to his profound mastery of other martial arts, he soon got the hang of it. Then, he saw that the stats belonging to Floating Cloud Footwork emerged on the cheat tool.
He stopped his training and pressed the ' Modify' button by focusing his mind on it.
Instantly, the virtual interface flashed a little.
"Enhance Floating Cloud Footwork by one level." Le Xaan muttered in his mind.
The stats of Floating Cloud Footwork in the window immediately changed from "Inexperienced" to "Novice".
Le Xaan examined his physical state. He discovered that he showed no other reactions aside from a tingling sensation on his legs and the decrease of Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill's Qi by a small amount.
"It seems that I have grown so robust that... the modification on third-tier martial arts could no longer make my body heavily burdened." Le Xaan said to himself with a sigh, and then he set his eyes on the cheat tool's virtual interface.
"Floating Cloud Footwork: Novice."
"Elevate 'Floating Cloud Footwork' to the highest level, The Third Level!" Le Xaan murmured mentally with impatience.
"Swish!"
The stats of Floating Cloud Footwork glowed, turning from 'Novice' into 'The First Level'. Le Xaan experienced no strange sensations on his body.
"Swish!"
It became 'The Second Level'. He felt that his calves were a little itchy now.
Eventually, the stats changed into 'The Third Level'. Four-fifths of Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill Qi was used up, which would take Le Xaan a couple of days to recover.
Le Xaan sensed that countless insights and experiences on Floating Cloud Footwork sprang up in his mind and felt like part of his memory. His legs also became nimbler and stronger.
"Now have a try!"
Le Xaan laid eyes on a sparrow in front of him, which had just taken off from the grassy ground into the air.
He exerted strength in his legs and broke into a sprint.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
With eight consecutive swift steps, Le Xaan grabbed hold of the bird before it could make a turn in midair.
"My eruptive power is not bad. Dark Shadow Qi and Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill Qi both bolster it and improve my overall constitution. Under such conditions, it's hardly surprising that Floating Cloud Footwork proves so impressive in effectiveness. I wonder whether my current speed matches someone who practices Eight Steps Chasing Cicada."
In contentment, Le Xaan loosened his grip on the bird yet spotted a bloody mess falling from his palm down to the ground...
This was something he couldn't help.
"Now that the urgency on footwork is solved, I should look for some martial arts that could further strengthen my build. " Le Xaan pondered.
Over the past few months since he came to Mountainside City, he had secretly gathered the information that he was in need of.
In the underworld of Mountainside City, top martial arts experts couldn't be considered commonplace. This was due to the City Government's strict regulation of the underworld. In contrast, there seemed to be many more martial arts experts among the administrative staff and military forces in the city.
The most prominent one was Rueo Cincon, hailed with the title of 'Lush Peak Sword'. In comparison to him, other experts appeared overshadowed. Yet Rueo Cincon was currently eighty-seven years old, whose three sons were all high-ranking officials in the city. He couldn't be considered as someone approachable to Le Xaan.
Therefore, Le Xaan had to exclude Rueo Cincon from his plan.
"Then, my first option is dojos that impart martial arts. The second choice is the renowned expert from Central Land, Ney Rean, who went by Smashing Soul Palm."
Le Xaan had once looked into Ney Rean, knowing that he had moved his family from Central Land to Mountainside City to escape his enemies. Ney Rean's body was severely injured after a fierce battle. He then chose to migrate to Mountainside City to give his family a life free of strife.
"Even though he is injured, he still manages to make a name for himself in Mountainside City, which attests to his extraordinary strength. Palm techniques is something I am interested in, so I will go and have a look."