23: Chapter 23 S-Rank Martial Skill, Phantom Skywalk

"Hey, fellow student, which school are you from? You're so badass! This assessment was so insane, yet you actually passed it!"

A moment later, the naturally friendly Chu Shaotian immediately stepped forward to strike up a conversation with Zhou Bai.

"Azure Bird Academy!"

Zhou Bai didn't hide it either and directly told him the name of his school.

"So it's Qing—"

Chu Shaotian spoke subconsciously, but then his words came to a sudden halt. With a look of utter confusion, he asked, "Does our Xia Country even have a university called Azure Bird Academy?"

Although Chu Shaotian was a freshman at the Imperial Martial Arts University, he was well-informed about other top-tier institutions. He had never heard of any Azure Bird Academy. There was a Qingcheng University, but Qingniao...

Beside them, Chu Lingyan was also filled with doubt, her mind racing as she searched for information on Azure Bird Academy.

"Azure Bird Academy is a Vocational College!"

At that moment, a young girl from the martial arts hall spoke up.

"Vo... Vocational College???"

Chu Shaotian's eyebrows shot up. Then, looking at Zhou Bai with a hint of annoyance, he said gruffly, "Buddy, this isn't funny. If you don't want to tell me, there's no need to lie..."

"A Junior College Student? With a perfected Shadow Step? Can those Junior College Students even understand how to practice it..."

"I really am from Azure Bird Academy!"

Zhou Bai shrugged and continued.

Seeing how serious Zhou Bai was, Chu Shaotian realized that he might not actually be lying.

"Wait, are Junior College Students these days really this badass?!"

Chu Shaotian couldn't help but exclaim, his face full of shock.

"Ling Yan, girl, so it was you who passed the assessment. I thought some great martial arts talent had appeared in Qingcheng, making me look forward to it for nothing..."

At that moment, a voice full of vigor rang out.

Gu Chen, with his white hair and beard, walked over with a smile, his eyes fixed straight on Chu Lingyan.

Clearly, Gu Chen assumed that Chu Lingyan was the one who had passed the martial skill assessment.

"Uncle Gu Chen, it wasn't me. It was this student who passed!"

Chu Lingyan looked at Zhou Bai, who was beside Chu Shaotian, and spoke in a cool tone.

"It wasn't you?"

Gu Chen was stunned for a moment, then looked at the young man beside Chu Shaotian.

"Zhou... Zhou Bai, it really is you..."

Seeing the familiar figure, Gu Chen's expression became somewhat dazed, filled with disbelief.

After hearing Grandmaster Yue Ying's words, Gu Chen had a fleeting thought that it might be Zhou Bai. But that thought vanished instantly; after all, Zhou Bai had been practicing Shadow Step for far too short a time.

"Uncle Gu Chen, do you know Zhou Bai?"

Chu Shaotian's eyes lit up as he asked.

"It's a long story!"

Gu Chen nodded, then looked at Zhou Bai, his gaze still filled with shock as he spoke.

"Zhou Bai, come with me. I will teach you Grandmaster Yue Ying's S-rank Martial Skill!"

...

Before long, Gu Chen led Zhou Bai to the third floor of the Moon Shadow Martial Arts Hall.

Inside an office on the third floor.

Gu Chen held a tablet and applied for access to view the S-rank Martial Skill.

Soon, the request was approved, and the mantra and cultivation method for the S-rank Martial Skill, Phantom Sky Travel, appeared on the tablet.

"Student Zhou Bai, take a look first. You have two hours to review this martial skill. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me, and I'll do my best to explain it to you!"

Gu Chen handed the tablet to Zhou Bai and spoke slowly.

"Alright, thank you, Instructor Gu Chen!"

Zhou Bai said.

Then, Zhou Bai immediately began to examine the S-rank Martial Skill on the tablet.

After a brief review, Zhou Bai couldn't help but admire Grandmaster Yingyue; she was indeed exceptionally talented to be able to create such a powerful martial skill.

Phantom Sky Travel was a top-tier movement martial skill. Not only was it incredibly fast, but the body could also shadow-ize and shift locations instantly.

Furthermore, when practiced to a deeper level, one could even manifest multiple phantom clones.

Although the shadow clones had no combat power, they were highly deceptive; ordinary high-rank martial artists wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

"Not bad, not bad. Once I learn this Phantom Sky Travel, my survival capabilities will increase significantly. Moreover, during battle, suddenly shadow-izing and producing several phantom clones will leave enemies completely bewildered. Its practical combat utility is very strong!"

Seeing how powerful Phantom Sky Travel was, Zhou Bai's heart was filled with joy.

I wonder what Phantom Sky Travel would be like after being enhanced.

At this moment, a thought surfaced in Zhou Bai's mind.

"Forget it, I only have one Skill Enhancement Card left. Better save it for a critical moment..."

"Besides, for my current stage, an S-rank Martial Skill is already enough. Learning an SS-rank Martial Skill would require even more learning points..."

"Moreover, with my current Qi and Blood Power, even if I learned an SS-rank Martial Skill, I'm afraid I'd hardly be able to use it. Better to keep it for now and see how things go later..."

Zhou Bai pondered for a while longer.

The higher the rank of a martial skill, the more Qi and Blood Power it consumed. For instance, once the S-rank Nine Heavens Thunder Saber was used, it would instantly drain a significant portion of Zhou Bai's Qi and Blood Power.

Therefore, for a martial artist, the combination of martial skills was also very important.

If you only had ultimate moves but no mana bar, it would still be useless...

"System, add points for me!"

Having reached a decision, Zhou Bai didn't hesitate and immediately used learning points to learn the S-rank Martial Skill, Phantom Sky Travel.

"[Ding! Congratulations Host, 10 learning points consumed. Phantom Sky Travel has been upgraded to Beginner level!]"

"[Ding! Congratulations Host, 50 learning points consumed. Phantom Sky Travel has been upgraded to Intermediate level!]"

With the two point allocations, a memory of diligently practicing Phantom Sky Travel once again flooded Zhou Bai's mind.

Before long, the memories merged completely, and Zhou Bai had fully mastered Phantom Sky Travel.

"learning points still run out too quickly. The points I worked so hard to accumulate are gone again!"

After finishing his study of Phantom Sky Travel, Zhou Bai looked at his remaining 6 learning points and sighed.

"Zhou Bai, don't be discouraged. An S-rank Martial Skill is, after all, a top-tier skill. Even for me, it would take a lot of time to practice. It's perfectly normal that you can't learn it right now!"

Seeing Zhou Bai sigh, Gu Chen thought he was frustrated because the S-rank Martial Skill was too difficult.

"If there's anything you don't understand, I can right now—"

"No, Instructor Gu Chen, I've already learned it!"

Zhou Bai then spoke honestly to Gu Chen.

"Huh? You... you learned it????"

Hearing Zhou Bai's words, Gu Chen was instantly dumbfounded, feeling as if his head was buzzing.

How long had it been? Not even two minutes, and you've learned an S-rank Martial Skill?

Could I have brought the wrong martial skill? Gu Chen quickly took Zhou Bai's tablet and checked it, only to find it was correct.

"Zhou Bai, perform Phantom Sky Travel now and let me see!"

After confirming he hadn't made a mistake, Gu Chen stared intently at Zhou Bai and said.

"Alright!"

Zhou Bai didn't hesitate either and immediately activated Phantom Sky Travel.

"Whoosh!!!"

As Phantom Sky Travel was activated, Zhou Bai's body seemed to transform completely into a phantom, darting back and forth within the spacious office.

"It's... it's true... he actually succeeded. Learning an S-rank Martial Skill in less than two minutes, this..."

Watching Zhou Bai, who had turned into a phantom-like figure, Gu Chen was completely frozen in place, feeling as if all his years of life had been wasted.

...