Chapter 68 Snake-like Breath Holding Skill & Moon-evil Painted Skin & Level Two
The Snake-like Breath Holding Skill!
It could be told from its name that it was a style of breathing.
Once it was used by someone, his whole breath would be constrained. No matter how you transported your Internal Qi, and what actions you did, your breath wouldn't emit. Even the wind brought by your action would also be constrained, and it could hardly be noticed by people with a strong spiritual mind.
"It's so weird! There's actually such a weird secret skill in the world!"
As Junior Leopard came back to Wu Family, he practiced by himself and once again he applied the Snake-like Breath Holding Skill, the effectiveness of which still surprised him like before. The Snake-like Breath Holding Skill was used like the Extraordinary Strength Fist that Xue Wuya had passed on to him. The common point lay in their not conflicting with other martial arts skills when both the different skills were being applied.
Besides, this martial arts skill had special characteristics, which was simply the best way to attack people from behind. If this skill was incorporated with the Extraordinary Strength Fist that Xue Wuya had taught him and Three Realm Division, Junior Leopard could punch out his fist without any sound but with very strong power, which would surprise the enemy. Just thinking of this, he felt sweat upon his back.
Now it was already midnight. A bright moon hung in the sky, whose light looked like water pouring upon the earth and the whole yard revealed a quiet atmosphere.
Xu Yong was still busy in the Refining Weapon room. It was said that the Wu Family had received an order from the North West Tianshan school to make a suitable weapon for their little master. Only Xu Yong, who excelled in refining weapons, could complete this kind of order.
Therefore, Junior Leopard now became the new owner of this small yard.
In fact, there were no important people here and only the two footboys in green clothing.
The two footboys were responsible for household chores like serving tea or water.
Junior Leopard was the only descendant of Xu Yong, so he had a high status within the Wu Family. Apart from the two or three direct descendants of Wu Family, he had an equal status with other juniors.
However, Junior Leopard was very low-profile in accordance with Xu Yong, and he seldom showed off. Even when he faced the footboys in the yard, he was always very welcome and polite, not like Shi Jing who was full of arrogance. So he had a good relationship with the fellow core disciples, even with the ordinary inner core disciples.
Frankly, he was good at communicating with other people.
The inner core disciples in the Wu Family were divided into two categories: one group specialized in feats, and the other specialized in refining weapons.
Disciples from the both could get money while the question was more or less.
The inner core disciples who specialized in feat earned only a monthly stipend, which was not much, amounting to only two to three taels. As the important inner core disciple, Junior Leopard could get five taels.
Inner core disciples who specialized in refining weapons could get more money than the other group. Except the monthly stipend, they could get a commission from the weapons they refined each month. If they were lucky, they could obtain dozens of taels in one month.
Therefore, the disciples who specialized in refining weapon were much wealthier than those who specialized in feats.
Besides, the Wu Family majored in refining weapons, so they encouraged their disciples to practice the refining skill. After all, it was too hard to make breakthroughs in martial art skills alone. Even if you had the unusual genius, without enough opportunity, willpower and the help of treasures around the world, the Bone-Forging Realm was the highest level you could reach. Only the big sects with profound culture like Tian Long Taoism and the Mingyi School were able to cultivate these geniuses who could reach Level Eight by the age of 30, like the Wang She and Lu Shaoyou. It was absolutely impossible for the Wu Family who was only a small well-known family. Even though the Wu Family had produced one genius, he merely brought pride to the family and wouldn't play a role in changing the trend. Therefore, the Wu Family preferred to focus their whole attention to refining weapons.
Refining weapons was the fundamental business of the Wu Family.
As the saying went, you couldn't avoid being hurt if you were lingering in the Jianghu.
Although the Tian Long Taoism could protect the Wu Family, they would not be understanding if the Wu Family were asking for help all the time. In addition, the Nine Dragons Heavenly Fire Technique and the Wild Hammering Skill with 81 movements were all high-class skills. It could also be used by a Level Nine expert. The Wu Family had not had another Level Nine expert, since their founding ancestor. However, there was still this hope.
Therefore, the Wu Family wanted to cultivate Junior Leopard whose body and savvy were quite outstanding. It was better to have a hatchet man in their own family.
In conclusion, in the Wu Family, the core disciples who specialized in martial arts and refining weapons were equal in status, only different in how much money they possessed.
However, it did not mean that the inner core disciples specializing in feats had no chance to make money.
Since the Wu Family was a great family, there were all kinds of things that needed to be dealt with. They were in the Jianghu, so many of the things were related to dispute.
Therefore, when the inner core disciples specializing in feats achieved a certain extent, they would have the chance to choose various tasks to complete.
This was also considered to be a kind of training. After these inner core disciples had experienced various tasks, they became familiar with things in the Jianghu. Most of them would later be sent to the Wu Family branches in different places to hold positions, like Qin Xuanlong. The positions were decided by disciples' feats and places they were to serve. Generally, if ordinary inner core disciples were sent to big places, they could only hold middle and lower positions. But it was better for them to fight slowly from the bottom. As for the important inner core disciples like Junior Leopard, they could have the opportunity to choose what place they wanted to go. When they arrived there, they would also hold slightly higher positions. However, wherever they were sent, their main responsibility was to work as hatchet men.
The only difference was the distinction between the ordinary and the strong.
Similarly, when the disciples who specialized in refining weapons could complete their tasks without the help of the teacher, they would also be sent to different branches to improve the Wu Family's power in refining weapons.
These were too numerous to be discussed in the present.
Before the inner core disciples specializing in feats finished their apprenticeship, except for the monthly stipend, most of their income was from various tasks. These tasks usually were paid well, meanwhile all the costs along the way were paid for by the Wu Family. From Junior Leopard's point of view, this was just like traveling for free. Of course, it was based on your completing the task.
Junior Leopard had not been qualified to complete tasks yet. Although he was the important inner core disciple, he had to learn from his teacher for two or three years so that his martial arts reached the Basic levell. Then, once the teachers permitted him to do so, he could go out for different tasks.
The Wu Family did not request that the inner core disciples go strictly for tasks in their age and power range. Because there were various tasks in the Wu Family, even a Level One disciple could find tasks which suited him. As for the important inner core disciples, like Junior Leopard, the only condition for going out for tasks was his teacher's permission.
Their teachers were after all the Elders of the Wu Family, and disciples obeying teachers' orders was the basic respect for them.
Even if Junior Leopard had wanted to go out for tasks now, Xu Yong would not agree.
Junior Leopard did not care about the money. Five taels per month were more than enough for him to support all his expenses. In comparison with the condition of the Zhou's in the mountain village, it was much better. During his years in the village, it could be called a good harvest year if they earned five or six taels before his brother-in-law came back.
Since his attention was completely focused on practicing the martial arts skills, he had no time to go out and spend money.
Transporting the Snake-like Breath Holding Skill, Junior Leopard practiced the Moon-evil Painted Skin Punching Skill. After finishing the series of the punching skill, his body was so painful that he just wanted to put all his bones into hot water to wash several times. He had thought that his body had reached its limit, but now his body was improved again with both tendons, meridians and his muscles getting a little stronger.
When good luck came, Junior Leopard seemed to realize good ideas. Thus, he displayed the Moon-evil Painted Skin Punching Skill once again, bearing the pain throughout his entire body. However, this time the movement was much slower, and he did not use the Snake-like Breath Holding Skill either. He chose to gradually display the punching skill. As he moved, all his muscles bulged and compressed now and then, and there seemed to be friction sound from his skeleton. At last, with a long inhalation, a fiery red light surged from his body, the result of the Internal Qi of Nine Dragons Heavenly Fire seeping into his muscles.
"Haha..." Suddenly, Junior Leopard made a sound with a rush. Red Internal Qi flooded from tens of thousands of his pores, and his clothes burned instantly. However, Junior Leopard did not care about this, and he stuck to finishing the Moon-evil Painted Skin Punching Skill.
After practicing, he was completely surrounded by the red internal Qi. Entering his room with a leap, he was standing there naked when the red inside breath vanished.
"Damn! What a shame. Luckily, there's nobody here. Inside breath emerges out and migrates on my skin. I should break into the Level Two now. Good! Good!"
His cultivation had broken the phase of Level Two with the help of Moon-evil Painted Skin Punching Skill.
The internal Qi of Nine Dragons Heavenly Fire in his body could migrate freely between his skin and muscles, and release from all his pores.
The system of practicing in this world was very different from the novels he'd read in the past. In this world, the inside breath could not only be transported in tendons and meridians, but also be released into the skin, skeletons and veins. He had just entered Skin-Toughening Realm, and he barely arrived at the Level Two. He did not know how to constrain the fire strength of his inside breath, so his clothes had all burned.
"My goodness! One level promotion can strengthen my body 10 times both in power and strength. Moon-evil Painted Skin Punching Skill deserves to be the top player in Skin Toughening punching skill. As for the ordinary punching skills, Level Two is usually three or four times stronger in power and strength than Level One and only by continuing practicing, can Level Two be fixed and improved gradually. It couldn't make people become 10 times stronger immediately like me now."
"How lucky I am to have this teacher!"
Junior Leopard changed into another set of clothes with a satisfied smile, "I have to apply for a new suit tomorrow, Aha!"
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