Chapter 77: Frenzied Absorption, the Versatile Genius

After finishing lunch, Lin Xiao was ushered straight into the afternoon’s training—without a single moment to rest. At noon, he had been served high-grade spirit beast meat, and now the energy surging inside him was nearly overwhelming. As it turned out, even though his body had been strengthened, he still couldn’t handle eating meat from a beast above the sixth level.

The reason for feeding Lin Xiao such advanced spirit beast meat was that the first two instructors assigned to him that afternoon were both responsible for honing his combat skills. Before this, the weights strapped to Lin Xiao’s body had been increased again; given his current physique, the previous burdens no longer posed much of a challenge.

The first session of the afternoon was devoted to combat technique. His instructor was Zhang Mingyuan from the retirement home. Although Zhang’s supernatural abilities were unremarkable, his prowess in martial arts was second to none.

Lin Xiao, of course, wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by, especially since he was about to burst with unspent energy. He desperately needed a good thrashing to burn it off.

This time, the sparring hall wasn’t just occupied by the two of them. Everyone from the home had gathered to watch. They all knew about Lin Xiao’s rapid progress—so fast that even those who hadn’t planned to pass on their skills to him began to reconsider. They were here to see for themselves just how extraordinary this young man was.

Zhang Mingyuan wasted no words and immediately engaged Lin Xiao in a bout. This was to gauge Lin Xiao’s fighting skills. Although Lin Xiao had previously practiced with Sun Zhiyuan, that training had focused on stamina and reflexes, not specialized combat techniques. So Lin Xiao stood little chance against Zhang Mingyuan and was subdued within a few moves.

Yet Zhang Mingyuan wasn’t disappointed—in fact, he was quite satisfied with Lin Xiao’s performance. He had expected to bring Lin Xiao down in a single round but was surprised when the young man lasted several. Lin Xiao had already surpassed his expectations.

Next, Zhang Mingyuan taught Lin Xiao various combat techniques, and it was then that he truly grasped how remarkable Lin Xiao was. Whatever technique Zhang demonstrated, Lin Xiao mastered in a single attempt and quickly integrated into live sparring.

Since the focus was on martial arts, no supernatural abilities were allowed. For Lin Xiao, however, his enhanced vision didn’t directly boost his strength, so its use wasn’t considered cheating.

In the following rounds, Lin Xiao managed to hold out longer and longer. If not for the vast difference in their fundamental abilities, Zhang Mingyuan suspected Lin Xiao might even have been able to turn the tables. This kid was truly a prodigy!

When the class finally ended, Zhang Mingyuan couldn’t wait to send Lin Xiao on his way—any longer and he might well have embarrassed himself.

After combat training came forging, a class Lin Xiao particularly enjoyed. He listened intently to the instructor while swinging a heavy hammer, forging metal to burn off the excess energy from lunch.

Previously, such abundant energy would have taken all afternoon to exhaust, but with his improved physique, Lin Xiao managed it in just two hours.

The next two classes involved different skills. In the third period, Lin Xiao learned the art of sleight of hand—essentially, thievery. Here, too, he excelled, even showing signs of outstripping his teacher.

The fourth class was hacking, focusing on programming. Lin Xiao’s phenomenal memory once again proved invaluable. His instructor, Liang Qixing, was so impressed he wished he could impart everything he knew to this young man.

Thus, Lin Xiao’s day of training came to an end. Throughout each session, the other residents watched in awe, thoroughly astounded by his talent. Many could no longer resist and went to find Sun Zhiyuan, urging him to arrange additional classes. They, too, wanted to pass on their skills to Lin Xiao.

By now, no one cared what Lin Xiao’s supernatural ability actually was. They simply wondered what it would be like if he mastered all their crafts. Even if Lin Xiao’s power was only F-rank, with such skills he would still be worthy of joining the Blades organization.

They found themselves looking forward to the future of this remarkable youth.

Sun Zhiyuan hadn’t expected Lin Xiao to perform so outstandingly. Initially, only ten or so residents had been willing to teach him, and Sun thought that would be enough to keep Lin Xiao busy for some time. But to his surprise, after just one day, the instructors were already coming to him with complaints. At Lin Xiao’s learning speed, a week would be enough for him to absorb most of their knowledge—after that, only practice would remain.

Sun Zhiyuan was astonished, but with so many more people now eager to teach Lin Xiao, his schedule could finally be properly filled.

…

The next two months were intensely fulfilling for Lin Xiao. Every day he absorbed knowledge at a frenzied pace. His studies were wide-ranging; he dabbled in every field imaginable. Despite the breadth, nothing seemed beyond him—he never felt overwhelmed or unable to digest what he learned. This put the elders at ease, and they entrusted him with all their skills.

In two months, Lin Xiao underwent a tremendous transformation. Though his supernatural ability was still at the first level, his physical strength rivaled that of a second-level strength-type adept. Most people would find this unbelievable, but Lin Xiao had accomplished it—this without even counting his mastery of various techniques.

In actual combat, he could probably defeat some fourth-level adepts by surprise. Of course, that was in a direct confrontation; if trickery or firearms were involved, his true capabilities would be anyone’s guess.

Lin Xiao now found himself at an impasse. The elders had little left to teach him—not for lack of desire, but because they had nothing more to offer. Having been kept busy for two months, Lin Xiao now felt a sense of boredom creeping in.

He turned his attention to his supernatural ability. He’d been stuck at the peak of the first level for a long time; during the secret realm assessment, he had already reached this bottleneck. According to the elders, he should have broken through by now. Many ordinary people remained stuck at the first level simply because they never aimed for more. The barrier between the first and second level wasn’t that difficult to cross. Lin Xiao trained daily, so under normal circumstances, he should have broken through already.

But here was the problem: two months had passed without the slightest sign of progress.

And now, at last, Lin Xiao sensed the opportunity for a breakthrough. Without hesitation, he sought out a meditation chamber.

Was he finally about to reach the second level? He had been waiting for this day for a long, long time.