8: Is the owner of the ring sick?

In the small space, there was a pile of gold coins, and seven or eight jade bottles lay scattered nearby, all empty.

Among them, the most eye-catching were the scrolls haphazardly stacked together like a small mountain.

Cultivation Technique or Fighting Skill?

The moment Lin Xiu saw those items, a surge of ecstasy rose in his heart. He hadn't expected the ring from the skeleton to contain so many treasures.

Due to the presence of other people, although he was inwardly excited, he didn't take out those scrolls.

Before long, the day's assessment concluded, and a student came to notify and tally.

They would stay in Te Lan City for three days to recruit students, after which they would head to Canaan Academy. During this period, Lin Xiu and the others could choose to go home or wait in the square.

Tents were set up in the square, serving as temporary resting places.

Lin Xiu chose to stay in the square.

The student tallied the status of Fighting Skill Cultivation, and Lin Xiu, having never encountered Fighting Skills before, curiously asked for the reason.

The other party informed Lin Xiu that every year after new students enrolled, there would be an entrance examination, which would affect their class placement.

The assessment content was also very simple: the more opponents of the same Rank one could defeat with their abilities, the higher-ranked class they would be assigned to.

Often, students in these classes possessed exceptional Aptitude and could enjoy a certain degree of investment in Cultivation resources, and the teachers instructing them were also more formidable. Sometimes, there would even be Inner Academy Elders.

"Senior, what about someone like me who hasn't learned Fighting Skills?" Lin Xiu's predecessor was a household slave and had no access to Fighting Skills.

"It takes some time to reach Canaan Academy. During this process, the instructors will teach some Fighting Skills along the way, and you can work hard to learn them."

He spoke encouraging words, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

Because mastering Fighting Skills was not easy, students who had generally not encountered Fighting Skills could only learn low-Rank Fighting Skills in a short time, and might not even be able to use them proficiently.

Sometimes, being slow by one step meant being slow by every step.

At night, after dinner, Lin Xiu went into his tent to rest. Besides him, there were three other people, dressed simply, clearly from less fortunate families.

Not joining their conversation, Lin Xiu took out a few of the scrolls he had seen in the ring and spread them out.

"Yellow Rank Low-Rank Fighting Skill - Crushing Stone Palm, Yellow Rank Low-Rank Fighting Skill - Whip Kick, Yellow Rank Low-Rank Fighting Skill - Charging Fist, Yellow Rank Low-Rank Fighting Skill..."

He looked at seven or eight consecutively; all were Fighting Skills, with no Cultivation Techniques, and no Fighting Skills exceeding Intermediate Rank.

"Damn it, is the owner of this ring sick?" Lin Xiu was almost speechless.

Yellow Rank Low-Rank Fighting Skills were trash; who would bother collecting such things?

He was unwilling to give up and spent some time looking through all the scrolls, and indeed, there wasn't a single Yellow Rank Intermediate one.

These scrolls covered everything from fist techniques, palm techniques, to movement techniques.

It seemed the owner of the ring intended to find creative concepts by studying low-Rank Fighting Skills, thereby creating his own Fighting Skills.

He had initially thought he'd found a treasure, but it turned out to be a pile of junk.

The recruitment proceeded smoothly over the next two days. Lin Xiu, along with the others, learned two Fighting Skills from the academy instructors: Splitting Wind Palm and Rhino Mountain Strike.

Both Fighting Skills were not high-Rank, both being Yellow Rank Low-Rank.

The instructor probably adhered to the idea that low-Rank skills are easier to master, so he tried to teach simpler Fighting Skills.

With preparations complete, the Canaan Academy instructor led the newly recruited students away.

In the crowd, Lin Xiu looked back at the city, as if bidding farewell to his past as a household slave and to his original body.

After two days of travel, Lin Xiu unexpectedly encountered another Canaan Academy recruitment team. After learning about that team's information, he finally gained a rough understanding of the Doupo World timeline.

That team was led by Instructor Ruo Lin, a team heading to Wutan City for recruitment.

Lin Xiu merely glanced over and recognized Xiao Xun'er; there was no mistaking her, as her temperament was exceptionally outstanding.

On the first day of their encounter, someone from Lin Xiu's team went to provoke Xiao Xun'er. He silently mourned for the other party in his heart.

Because at this time, Xiao Xun'er was separated from Xiao Yan and carried a certain Qi in her heart. Provoking her would very likely result in a beating, and the instructor would not blame her.

After all, a sixteen-year-old six-star Fighter of such strength was enough to prove Xiao Xun'er's terrifying Aptitude, and the academy most favored people with such extremely high Aptitude.

In the morning, after finishing his Qi Refining, Lin Xiu walked out of the tent to an open space to practice Fighting Skills.

After several Cultivations, Splitting Wind Palm and Rhino Mountain Strike had already reached the introductory stage for Lin Xiu; their names could be seen in the abilities column.

Adhering to the idea that something is better than nothing, and accumulating experience could earn attribute points, Lin Xiu had been diligently practicing.

His background couldn't compare to Xiao Yan's, but he had the advantage of a system panel, and effort would always yield rewards.

Splitting Wind Palm was divided into three stances: downward chop, diagonal chop, and horizontal chop, emphasizing speed.

Through practice, Lin Xiu had already trained it to Rank 2, and his palm, like a blade, seemed to cut through the air when he chopped down, emitting a low whistling sound.

Rhino Mountain Strike was said to be derived from a Demonic Beast similar to a rhinoceros, focusing on explosiveness. When Cultivated to Major Achievement, it could unleash power not weaker than a Yellow Rank Intermediate Fighting Skill.

Lin Xiu had also trained it to Rank 2.

As the Rank of the two Fighting Skills increased, Lin Xiu felt subtle changes in himself, such as increased speed and some improvement in physical strength.

His Physique was originally 5, but these days of Cultivating Fighting Skills had increased it by 1 point.

【Physique 5 —— 6】

"Mining to Rank 4 left me with 1 attribute point. Adding the two Fighting Skill upgrades, I now have 3 attribute points."

Practicing until his muscles felt sore, Lin Xiu stopped to rest and added 1 attribute point to his Physique, and the fatigue in his body quickly receded.

He glanced at his panel.

【Name: Lin Xiu】

【Age: 17】

【Realm: Dou Qi Eighth Stage (32/80)】

【Physique: 7】

【Spirit: 5】

【Aptitude: 10】

【Abilities: Basic Qi Refining lv5 (70/500), Making Horse Feed lv5, Horse Training lv4, Mining lv4, Splitting Wind Palm lv2 (120/200), Rhino Mountain Strike lv2 (120/200)】

【Attribute Points: 2】

Gaining Fighting Skill experience was very difficult; each practice session usually yielded values between 5-10.

Compared to his other abilities, the experience gap was significant.

"Those low-Rank Fighting Skills in the ring don't seem entirely useless. Low-Rank means a lower barrier to entry. I can use them to farm attribute points and then add them to high-Rank Fighting Skills."

Because there were teachers and other students around, Lin Xiu didn't practice the Fighting Skills from the ring. His information was not a secret to the instructors, and practicing them would definitely attract attention.

In fact, Lin Xiu didn't know that he had already caught the attention of the lead instructor.

"What's his name? He practices the Fighting Skills you taught almost every day. Such a diligent student is rare even in Canaan Academy."

Ruo Lin sat beside another instructor. Diligence could be seen in everyone, but persistence was rare.

Especially when the Fighting Skills being practiced were only Yellow Rank Low-Rank.

Many students joined Canaan Academy partly for high-Rank Fighting Skills and Cultivation Techniques; they often didn't place much importance on low-Rank Fighting Skills.

"Lin Xiu. I've been observing him for a while. His Qi Refining Aptitude is average, but he picks up Fighting Skills very quickly."

The instructor had also been observing since teaching the Fighting Skills. Although Lin Xiu's Qi Refining Aptitude wasn't high, his speed in Cultivating Fighting Skills far surpassed others.

In just a few days, Splitting Wind Palm and Rhino Mountain Strike had already developed a certain charm.

"You can try teaching him something else. Qi Refining Aptitude is only at the Dou Qi stage. After becoming a Fighter, learning a better Cultivation Technique can compensate for that time difference."

Ruo Lin's suggestion made the instructor nod. He indeed had similar thoughts, considering it a test.