At this moment, Zhang San was utterly shocked.
He had thought the dream before might have just been a transmigrator's perk, which is why he had mastered deception.
But this time, the dream had actually bestowed upon him a Cultivation Technique, and it was presently circulating within his body on its own.
Zhang San could feel the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth continuously flowing into his body, then refining into his blood and transforming into traces of Qi.
With a mere thought, the Qi would gather in the palm of his hand, seeming ready to burst out at any moment.
Could it be that my Golden Finger is not deception, but dreaming?
Apart from his confusion, Zhang San was even more excited.
He looked around, searching for a hidden spot, and eventually found Wei who wasn't fast asleep.
Although there was less than an hour before the attack on Solitary Mountain Manor was to begin, in this wild and desolate region near the Demon Cult Followers' territory, Wei didn't feel the location was safe enough.
Hence, Wei had chosen a spot as far from Solitary Mountain Manor as possible, backed by a huge boulder, surrounded by overgrown weeds.
He then used Wood Series Spells to set up Blinding Methods around him, so if there were indeed any surprise attacks, the attackers would not notice him.
But Wei had never imagined that, despite his thorough concealment, he would still be found by this lad, Zhang San.
"Senior Wei, you've picked a great spot here! If something goes wrong, you can just turn and run, and it's not easy for attackers to find you. Good eye!"
Wei, whose covert location had been exposed, showed not a trace of embarrassment but instead appeared quite at ease.
"Speak up, what's up with you this time? Spit it out and get lost!"
Wei certainly had no desire to be associated with Zhang San and possibly suffer unwarranted disasters in the future.
"Senior Wei, that's quite an outsider thing to say. You've given me the gift of a Cultivation Technique, so it would only be right to call you Master."
"Talk if you have something to say, fart if you need to! Any more nonsense and I'll send you flying into Solitary Mountain Manor right now to have a happy gathering with the Demon Cult Followers."
Zhang San quickly waved his hands and got straight to the point.
"Senior Wei, I've just practiced your Technique and I'm still too weak. Do you have any Techniques or Martial Styles that are easy to master quickly? Anything that can save my life will do."
Wei glanced at Zhang San and felt that the lad was finally getting a bit smarter.
"You've seen my Technique, and you should remember there's a Martial Style in it called Eight Steps Xun Flash, right?"
Zhang San nodded vigorously; that move was a close-quarters combat step technique.
It allowed martial artists to move swiftly around their enemy, with a flash at every step, and within eight steps, in combination with a Blade Technique, it could take an opponent by surprise and slay a powerful foe in an instant.
But according to Wei's analysis and interpretation, this move was also an excellent evasion method in complex terrain and a second-to-none survival strategy when facing slower attackers.
The application might be a bit far-fetched, but placed in Wei's Secret Manual, it somehow made sense.
"Indeed, this Martial Style is mentioned with further details in your remarks, Senior Wei, and its uses are even more ingenious. If I didn't know any better, I'd think the Xun Wind Breathing Technique was your own creation."
Wei ignored Zhang San's flattery and continued his instruction.
"The key to Eight Steps Xun Flash is one flash per breath, so when combined with the Xun Wind Breathing Technique, one can achieve the best results in both burst and distance. But..."
Wei's tone shifted and then he gave Zhang San a cold look.
"If I teach you this Martial Style, can you make sure not to bother me for ten days?"
Zhang San chuckled with an innocent look, "How about three days?"
"So confident you'll survive for three days."
Even though Zhang San had mastered the art of deception, the genuine smile on his face was cracked by that remark.
"Senior Wei, I take you as my role model, destined to live as long as the heavens and the earth!"
"Only those with strength live long; without it, even a thousand-year-old turtle can only be used for soup."
Wei knew this kid was like a dog's skin plaster, impossible to shake off. He had warned Xu that the young man was not right and to stay away from him, but Xu, that too-kind soul, always thought of looking after the younger generation.
"When you practice the Eight Steps Xun Flash, after you inhale, divide your exhaled breath evenly into three parts, each corresponding to a step in the Xun Flash. This can achieve the effect of the Three Steps Xun Flash in a short time."
"Of course, the explosive power and distance are naturally far inferior to the Eight Steps Xun Flash, but the speed is exactly the same. Practice hard, if you are exceptionally talented, you might almost fully master it before an assault is launched."
Zhang San immediately knelt before Wei, ready to kowtow.
"Thank you, Senior Wei, for imparting..."
Bang!
Wei kicked Zhang San, tumbling him over with his foot.
If others saw this kid kowtowing to him, they might think he had some connection with the kid, and that would be troublesome.
The more he observed the kid, the less right he seemed; Wei couldn't wait to stay hundreds of miles away from Zhang San.
If it weren't for the boy's insistence on sticking close, with other martial artists nearby, Wei truly wished he had kicked Zhang San away from the start.
After returning, Zhang San immediately began to practice in the way that Wei had taught him.
In the time it took half an incense stick to burn, Zhang San had already mastered the Three Steps Xun Flash quite well.
Wei, who continued to hide in the distance, couldn't help but be shocked by this scene.
Had this kid really just started practicing the Xun Wind Breathing Technique? He looked so adept that if someone said he had been practicing for half a year, Wei would have believed them.
Otherwise, how could he have mastered it so quickly?
The shadow hiding within Zhang San's shadow also sensed the speed of Zhang San's practice. It was alarmingly fast.
Among techniques, runes, and martial styles, techniques are the easiest to learn; as long as you're not too dumb, you can master them. But how to use techniques to what extent is another issue.
Runes depend on innate talent; without strong giftedness, learning runes means leading a common life forever.
Martial styles are the hardest to practice. They require strong physical fitness, exceptional comprehension, great willpower, and constant practice and refinement to improve one's mastery of the martial style.
But in terms of martial style, Zhang San could be called a prodigy.
An incense stick's burning time is only five minutes, yet Zhang San had basically mastered a martial technique in two to three minutes.
And in the following one to two minutes, he completely mastered the technique.
The Shadow had been adopted by Bai Yucheng in his youth. Although he trained in shadow techniques, he also learned many martial styles. Being praised by Bai Yucheng for his extraordinary talent, the Shadow knew that in the whole Town Martial Office, he was considered among those with the top gifts.
But compared to Zhang San, the gap in talent was like comparing a fledgling sparrow to a full-grown black donkey.
No wonder Officer Bai had instructed him to secretly monitor Zhang San; this man was truly out of the ordinary.
After fully mastering the technique, Zhang San began to continuously probe the limits of the technique and his own limits.
Whether he could execute the technique consecutively in a short span of time.
Whether he would have trouble halfway through the execution because his Qi was insufficient.
How far he could charge using this martial technique...
While Zhang San was still testing, he suddenly smelled a faint fragrance in the air.
The night was beautiful, the moonlight intoxicating.
The arrival of the fragrance made everything three times more beautiful.
But in the next instant, Zhang San abruptly realized, could this damn scent be the fragrance of a woman's rouge or face powder?
In the middle of the night, what was going on!?