Combat Skills are divided into different schools.

Each school has its own unique set of forms.

A Warrior can study different schools at the same time, or they can choose to specialize in just one.

It’s just like a Mage learning Magic.

However, the main prerequisite for learning a Combat Skill school is... you need a Profession like Warrior or Assassin.

Mages, for example, are unable to master Combat Skills.

It’s like how a Level 1 Mage cannot learn a Tier Two Spell; it’s a law of the world.

And yet, the War God had offered to teach him a Combat Skill.

The corner of Lu Cang’s mouth twitched imperceptibly.

But then,

one form after another flowed into his mind with overwhelming force.

Punches, kicks, elbow strikes, knee strikes...

’This is actually a Combat Skill school driven by channeling Magic Power?’

It was the first time Lu Cang had ever heard of such a school.

Although Warriors and Mages were both Battle Professions, their fighting styles could almost be described as polar opposites.

"Refine Magic Power, temper the body, with Magic as the foundation..."

This school also had the effect of tempering the body.

Compared to the Invincible Stream that Chi Cheng had taught him, the school imparted by the War God should be more effective.

Not that the two could be directly compared.

Rather, it was because he didn’t have the Warrior Profession. Even though Chi Cheng had taught him the Invincible Stream, Lu Cang had only learned the basic forms for relaxing and training his body.

A complete Combat Skill school included the flow of Qi and Blood, the tempering of the flesh, the mobilization of bone and muscle, the union of mind and body, and so on.

Otherwise, even if one learned the forms, it would be all style and no substance, not even displaying one percent of its actual effect.

’It’s probably like what the novels from my past life said, how you need to pair martial arts with an internal cultivation method.’

After all, Lu Cang had never truly become a Warrior, so he didn’t understand the experience.

Only by becoming a Level 1 Warrior could one take the first step in practicing Combat Skills.

’Demon Quenching Stream.’

The Combat Skills of this school played out repeatedly in Lu Cang’s mind.

He had already committed it to memory.

Lu Cang felt as if his body had already learned this Combat Skill.

And in that very instant,

Lu Cang sensed that another Secret was hidden within this Combat Skill.

「Secret: Combat Skill - Demon Quenching Stream School」

「Hidden Object: True Meaning of Battle Technique」

「Unlocking Method 1: Reach Level 100 Skill Proficiency in all Combat Skills of the Demon Quenching Stream School, comprehend the True Meaning of Battle Technique」

"Kai Jia."

"Why do you know a Combat Skill for Mages?"

Lu Cang couldn’t help but ask curiously.

"Haha!! If you want to get strong!! You naturally have to study different opponents!!"

"But! This Combat Skill was also inspired by a friend of mine!"

"This set of Combat Skills! It should be the most suitable for you!!"

’He actually has friends...’

Lu Cang couldn’t help but think to himself.

With Kai Jia’s fight-fight-fight personality, he had thought the War God would have treated everyone as an enemy and chopped them to pieces.

"This Combat Skill... Am I the only one who’s allowed to know it?"

"Haha!! I don’t care who you pass it on to!! It’s not a Combat Skill that just anyone can learn anyway!!"

"But."

For once, the War God’s tone was no longer a booming roar.

"You must not share information about this place with anyone besides those who have received my legacy."

He lowered his voice and spoke to Lu Cang with newfound seriousness.

Lu Cang’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he nodded solemnly.

"Hahaha!! Then grow strong!! I look forward to the day you come before me in person!! And we can have a real fight!!"

"Kai Jia, are you here in person, or is this a projection?"

"What’s here! Is just a sliver of my will! But it has a consciousness of its own!!"

"Do your best!! Junior!! I’ll be waiting for you!"

Lu Cang wanted to use this opportunity to ask a few more questions, but just as he was about to speak,

the figure before him vanished.

And as he vanished,

a Teleportation Gate appeared.

Lu Cang glanced at the Void Pillar Guardian standing blankly to the side.

「Demon Quenching Stream: Demon-Piercing Sweep」

Magic Power gathered in his leg bone, and Lu Cang kicked the ankle of the Void Pillar Guardian.

THUD!

The Void Pillar Guardian didn’t move an inch.

’My leg bone hurts a bit...’

’No, more than a bit. It feels like my leg is broken.’

After fighting the War God for so long,

the most damage he’d taken was self-inflicted from his own kick.

Lu Cang clutched his calf and squatted down. With tears welling in the corners of his eyes, he swallowed the pill in his mouth.

A warm current flowed through his limbs and bones, finally gathering in his leg.

「Demon Quenching Stream: Demon-Piercing Sweep Skill EXP +10,000」

「Demon-Piercing Sweep (Level 3)」

’Oh...’

’It seems Skill Evolution also works on Combat Skills.’

’Skill Evolution is probably my most versatile Talent.’

As for Multiple Casting and Ascension, neither had any effect on the Demon Quenching Stream.

Because the scope of those two Talents was limited to "Magic."

’And a Combat Skill obviously isn’t Magic...’

’What a shame.’

’Still, it makes sense that Combat Skills would require Warrior Talents.’

Lu Cang glanced around again. The Teleportation Gate was now in the center of the area, but he didn’t leave immediately.

Instead, he flew a few circles around the gate.

Only after confirming there was nothing else hidden did he finally leave through the gate.

’Peeping into Secrets really is a useful skill.’

’But I have to see it or scan it with my Perception before I can sense the presence of a Secret.’

...

「By the time he left the War God Tower again, it was already late at night.」

Before entering the hidden door, Lu Cang had spent a long time digesting the rewards from the War God Tower.

It was thanks to this that his comprehension of the Root Source had accelerated so much.

Otherwise, he might not have truly comprehended his Tier Three Root Magic during the battle with the War God, and if he hadn’t...

...he feared he would have had to use a Soul Gathering Burst of a hundred million souls to win.

Lu Cang took out his pocket watch and glanced at the time.

It was already past nine at night.

’I’ve been fighting all day and haven’t eaten a thing...’

Lu Cang was starting to feel hungry, so he found a nearby restaurant to get something to eat.

’As expected of the War God’s two great Miracles.’

’The rewards have been plentiful.’

He’d comprehended Root Magic twice, and both times were inside one of the Miracles.

Although his own contemplation was part of it, the battles had truly given him great inspiration.

If he hadn’t gone through these battles, it probably would have taken much longer to comprehend the Root Source.

And besides the Root Source,

he had also learned Void Magic by exchanging ideas with others in the Battle Arena.

Xu Zhou’s Magic wasn’t that great when he used it himself.

But in Lu Cang’s hands, it was like a fish in water, ever-changing, with each application better than the last.

’Xu Zhou, my good brother from the Alien Race... your Magic really is amazing.’

’I wonder if my good brother has learned the Void Summoning Technique yet?’

’The creed of a Decryption Scholar... is to discover mysteries and solve them...’

’I’ve uncovered quite a few Secrets in just a few days. I wonder how I’m progressing with that creed.’

’Speaking of which, the *Decryption Scholar’s Guide* that Pari gave me mentioned that a Decryption Scholar’s own promotion progress is a mystery in itself.’

’Also, now that I’ve accepted the War God’s legacy, should I consider changing my Profession to Warrior?’

’After all, I’ve learned what seems to be a very powerful Combat Skill. It’d be a waste not to become a Warrior.’

’And now that I’ve comprehended a Tier Three Root Magic, can I advance to a Level 4 Mage?’

’Granted, I only just reached Level 3 a few days ago.’

’But I heard the biggest obstacle to advancing from Level 3 to 4 is creating your own spells, and I’ve already created over seventy. I’ve also comprehended the necessary Root Source. Have I met all the conditions?’

A series of questions once again flooded Lu Cang’s mind.

There were many more things waiting to be dealt with.

’But...’

’I really fought all day today. I’m dead tired.’

’My brain feels like it’s about to shut down.’

’Is this an after-effect of concentrating so hard in battle? The War God’s ability to fight tirelessly for so long is truly admirable.’

He staggered back to the hotel and fell asleep the moment he hit the bed.

...

The night was deep, and his sleep was sound.

RUMBLE—He felt the ground shake.

Lu Cang woke up instantly.

Lu Cang didn’t know what was happening, but his Shield activated instantly.

He immediately bolted out the door.

Lu Cang was worried the room would block Perception, preventing Obades from being able to protect him immediately.

The Central World Hotel was very protective of privacy; from his doorway, he couldn’t see the entrances to other guest rooms to the left or right.

But this also meant Lu Cang couldn’t see how others were reacting to the situation.

Lu Cang glanced at the elevator; it wasn’t on his floor.

He then looked over at the staircase.

It was a grand, spiral staircase, coiling upwards like a helix.

From the edge of the corridor, he could look straight down to the first floor.

Lu Cang vaulted directly over the railing and leaped into the air.

WHOOSH!

The wind came under Lu Cang’s control.

At the same time, part of his body dissolved into wind.

Wielding his own body like a spell,

When he landed, Lu Cang was like a gentle breeze touching down, feeling no impact whatsoever.

He landed in the hotel lobby.

Lu Cang looked out the main entrance.

The wide main doors were always open. They were about ten meters tall, magnificent and imposing.

Even though it was late at night, the celestial phenomenon of flowing fire still brought a fiery glow to the sky.

His extremely high Spirituality allowed Lu Cang to see things ordinary people could not.

He saw black clouds gathering in the sky, incredibly thick and heavy.

They roiled like ocean waves—

From within that bank of clouds, Lu Cang could feel an immense aura of death.

’This feeling.’

’It’s... the aura of a Death Priest.’

Lu Cang felt a sense of familiarity; it was the same kind of aura as his own Profession.

However, he then saw streaks of emerald light soaring into the sky!

The emerald light illuminated the previously dim night.

The projection of a translucent, jade-green giant tree appeared in the sky. When the dense black clouds were illuminated by the green light, they melted away like ice cream in boiling water.

The black clouds roiled and dissolved.

BOOM!

Then, a streak of crimson light slashed through the air!

A single strike sundered the heavens!

Tremors ran through the earth! A distant mountain range was sliced by this strike, its peaks all cleanly sheared off!

The crimson light flashed again, an astonishing red glow streaking across half the sky. Lu Cang saw countless black souls soaring painfully toward the heavens.

Immediately after, the earth returned to calm.

The black clouds in the sky had been shattered by the crimson light, losing their earlier oppressive weight.

Lu Cang didn’t know what had happened.

But he wasn’t overly curious either.

He could vaguely guess it was probably something to do with the Life Church and the Death Church.

Perhaps Chi Cheng had also helped.

Lu Cang didn’t know any more details.

Seeing the sky return to peace, he figured the matter might already be resolved.

However, Lu Cang didn’t let his guard down just because of his speculation.

A guess was still just a guess.

After a moment’s thought,

he drank a bottle of Awakening Potion and left the hotel,

heading for the Grand Library in the City in the Circle.

On a dangerous night like this,

sleep was out of the question.

Obades should still be protecting him. The Central World Hotel’s location was excellent; it wasn’t far from the Battle Arena, the War God Tower, or the Grand Library.

If something really happened,

Obades could easily provide support.