With that goal in mind, Ash began training more rigorously than ever. Combined with the effects of the pills, his progress was rapid. He trained tirelessly all day, often pushing himself late into the night.
As a result, in just three days, he had reached the peak of a third-rate martial artist—only a step away from breaking through to the second rate, and now he was trying to break the barrier of second rate.
Bang!
Crack! At that right moment on his first try, he seemed to break through and shatter the barrier stopping him, like a paper without difficulty. The moment he broke, he clearly felt the difference from before, as it wasn't like his lukewarm breakthrough to third-rate martial artists.
This time, he felt the birth of large internal energy within him, which slowly nourished his body from blood to bones. Steadily, the mighty internal energy with a hint of star power was increasing his overall strength.
Not only had his physical abilities improved, but the power granted by his internal energy was something entirely different. He felt that with a single punch infused with internal energy, he could easily create a large hole in the trunk of a massive tree.
Now, he could kill most beasts with a single attack. For the first time since coming to this world, Ash felt a sense of relief as his growing strength gave him newfound confidence.
He used his eyes to quickly see how much he had changed.
[Ash/Asterion - Level 04(1/10)]
[Evolver Level - Middle Stage Awakened ]
[Martial Arts Level - Second Rate ]
[Strength- 7.6 (+6.1)↑]
[Speed- 7.5 (+6.1)↑ ]
[Physique- 7.5 (+6.1)↑ ]
[Spirit- 3.4 (+1)↑ ]
[Talent- Eye of Myriad Manifestation (Level- 01)]
[ Spiritual Ability- Mark of Lost Soul ]
[Soul Pet- Grim( Awakened Realm)]
[Cultivation Skills-108 Star Empyrean Technique [Level - 0 (116/5000)], Shadow Wolf Technique [ Level - 2 (35/80)]
[Martial Skills- Dragon Elephant Divine Fist [Level - 1 (179/3000)], Star Constellation Steps [Level - 1 (357/1000)]
Looking at the floating info, he couldn't help but feel proud as in less than a week he changed from a weak guy who could be blown away by winds to his current self. The improvement was staggering.
That wasn't all of it, as he just broke through, and his body would continue to improve day by day steadily as it slowly absorbed and adjusted to his internal energy.
By the end of two days, his physical stats should reach double digits, a very surprising number even for most peak second-rate martial artists, but he just broke through, and he already can rival that of veteran peak martial artists.
And all because of the mysterious 108 Star Empyrean Technique, which hasn't even reached the entry-level yet, it already started to show the difference between ordinary low-level and high-level martial techniques.
His spirit has also improved, and he has two Spirit Fortune pills, enough to improve his spirit quite a lot. According to his feeling, when his spirit reaches above five, he should reach the late stage of the awakening realm.
Now that he had made his breakthrough, it would take two days for his body to fully adjust. In the meantime, he decided it was the perfect opportunity to start learning archery. As he wanted to hunt various beasts in the forest.
He didn't know whom to ask for archery instruction, but thankfully, he now has a master. He can ask the old man; he would definitely know archery technique or know someone in the army, like the guy who killed the demon bear and saved him.
He quickly went out of his room and went towards the garden where old Caine was leisurely lying on a chair and was taking a sunbath; beside him was Grim, who was also silently sleeping, not caring about the world.
Seeing Ash coming towards him, old Caine opened his eyes and looked at him with a surprising expression as he already sensed his breakthrough.
He couldn't believe that the brat could break through second-rate in a few days. This inhuman speed of breakthrough made him think about the mysterious energy he felt a few days ago, but he could not find anything here.
Even the pet wolf he suddenly brought with him didn't seem particularly unusual, apart from being quite spiritual and intelligent. But that wasn't surprising—there were plenty of animals and beasts that were far more intelligent than they appeared. He still couldn't find any connection between the wolf and the mysterious aura he had felt earlier.
He could only sigh and let go of his thoughts; even his disciple was hiding some secrets. Then let it be; all that mattered was he was still his disciple.
"Not bad, not bad. You became a second-rate martial artist in just a few days," Caine said calmly, trying to appear unfazed, as though it was only to be expected from a big and powerful master.
"Hehe, it's just good luck—and the pills Master gave me. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible," Ash replied with a smile, glancing at his master.
Now that he had broken through and had also become a middle-rank awakener, he again tried to see if he could see his master level, but all he got was still the question mark. It seems the difference between them was still too big.
"Okay brat, tell me why you suddenly came to me. What do you need?" Caine asked, interrupting his thoughts.
"Haha, you understand me, Master! Now that I've become a second-rate martial artist, I can barely use the bow the village chief gave me. So, I was hoping to learn some powerful archery techniques," Ash said with an eager grin.
"Hmm, if you want to learn archery, I can't teach you. I don't know much about it," Caine said, glancing at the excited face of his disciple. "But there's someone in the village whose archery is quite renowned—even outside the village."
"Oh? Who is it, Master?" Ash asked eagerly.
"His name is Edward," Caine replied after a moment of thought. "Not a bad brat among the young ones."
"Ah." Hearing the name, Ash paused, feeling it sounded familiar. After a moment of thought, he remembered—wasn't Edward also the captain who had saved him from the demon bear with a single arrow?