Chapter 78: A New Spirit Technique—Weakness Detection

Lin Xiao’s actions naturally did not escape the notice of some of the elderly residents in the care home. When they learned that he was about to break through to the second tier, the old folks became quite excited. Lin Xiao had been stuck at the peak of the first tier for so long that they had already sensed something was amiss. Now, if he succeeded, they would finally see what changes his abilities would undergo.

Many of the elderly gathered outside the quiet chamber where Lin Xiao was making his breakthrough, waiting eagerly for him to succeed. Lin Xiao, however, had no time to concern himself with them; he was seated cross-legged within the chamber, focused entirely on his cultivation. Over the past two months, he had attempted to break through the first-tier bottleneck numerous times, but something always seemed to be missing. This time, at last, he felt the opportunity was right.

He controlled his spiritual energy directly, launching himself against the bottleneck. The barrier that had once seemed so unyielding now felt brittle; after only a few attempts, he shattered through. Lin Xiao couldn’t help but let out a satisfied sigh—the sensation was as if a mountain had been lifted from his shoulders. In that moment, he had finally become a second-tier ability user.

He didn’t allow joy to cloud his mind. Almost immediately, he began to examine the new ability he had gained from his breakthrough. When he sensed the nature of this new power, Lin Xiao was at a loss for words.

Weakness Detection: upon activating this spiritual technique, there is a certain chance to perceive an opponent’s weaknesses; the specific probability is related to the opponent’s level.

Lin Xiao was quite satisfied with this new spiritual skill. It was extremely useful, though the only pity was that, at his current tier, the probability of detecting weaknesses in a fourth-tier or higher opponent remained very low. It did not trouble him much, though; against a ninth-tier powerhouse, even if he knew their weakness, there was little he could do. Besides, he would continue to grow—when his cultivation grew stronger, the true value of this skill would reveal itself.

He couldn’t help but imagine: if he became a ninth-tier master, able to spot his opponent’s weakness before the fight even began, wouldn’t that be a natural advantage? Still, Lin Xiao felt a tinge of regret—he was already at the second tier and still hadn’t obtained an offensive spiritual skill. Was he fated to be support by nature? He quickly dismissed such unrealistic thoughts. Given his current combat ability, how could he ever be content with being mere support?

Beyond the increase in spiritual energy, Lin Xiao’s breakthrough brought other changes. As Song Mingze had previously mentioned, the pill Lin Xiao had taken contained the Immortal Dragon Grass, whose effect was to boost strength with every breakthrough. This was indeed true; his strength had grown significantly compared to before. Though he wasn’t sure exactly how powerful he had become, it certainly wasn’t weak.

Now, having succeeded in his breakthrough, there was no reason to remain in the quiet chamber. He opened the door, and immediately saw the eager eyes of many elderly gathered outside. With their cultivation, they could sense at a glance that he had succeeded.

“Xiao Lin, congratulations! You’ve finally broken through.”

“That’s right, kid. You really had a rough time of it. With your talent, I honestly didn’t expect it would take you this long to reach the second tier.”

“What’s your new spiritual skill? Let us give you some guidance.”

The old folks vied to offer their congratulations, and Lin Xiao was truly moved. If nothing else, their blessings were sincere. He told them about his newly acquired skill. When they heard it was Weakness Detection, the elderly were momentarily speechless. Only at their level did they understand how practical this skill was.

“This is an excellent skill. You’re really lucky, boy.”

“It’s a pity, though—your ability makes it so hard to acquire spiritual pearls. We don’t have any suitable ones here, either. Otherwise, absorbing another right now would further boost your strength.”

“We all know your abilities, Xiao Lin. I think you should absorb a pearl with an offensive trait.”

“That’s true, but pearls relating to sight are already rare, and offensive ones even more so. It won’t be easy.”

Listening to the elders discuss his future, Lin Xiao felt his eyes sting a little. Over the past two months, though he’d undergone all sorts of training, he could feel that these old folks truly cared for him.

“Elders, there’s no need to force the matter of spiritual pearls. But I’d appreciate it if you could keep an eye out for me. I’ll search as well.”

“That goes without saying. To celebrate your breakthrough, Old Song, won’t you cook us a special dish today?”

Song Mingze laughed heartily. “No problem, I’ll show you what I can do today.”

“I’ll help, too,” Lin Xiao quickly offered.

Song Mingze had no objections. Over the past two months, Lin Xiao had nearly mastered his cooking techniques; his skill in the kitchen was hardly inferior now. In fact, Lin Xiao’s quick thinking often led him to create new dishes, which the elderly residents always enjoyed.

As Song Mingze and Lin Xiao went off to prepare the meal, the old folks looked after Lin Xiao with reluctant affection.

“Sigh, just thinking about this boy leaving soon makes me feel uneasy.”

“Oh, come off it. I remember you were against letting him stay in the first place. How come you can’t let go now?”

“That’s different! Back then, I didn’t know him. Now, after spending so much time together, it’s not the same.”

“What’s the point of saying all this? We’re old; Xiao Lin is still young. We can’t expect him to stay here forever. The world outside is vast—he needs to see it for himself.”

“That’s true. I’m just saying… When should we tell him?”

“Let’s do it at dinner. He’s leaving tomorrow morning anyway. Who’d have thought he’d break through today? We should take this chance to tell him; the start of Lingwu Academy is just days away. He’ll need time to adjust.”

“Though I’ll miss him, I’m curious to see what kind of stir this boy will make at Lingwu Academy. He’s not one to play it safe.”

“Haha, exactly! And who taught him, after all?”

“Enough talk. Since he’s leaving, I’d better prepare a farewell gift. Can’t let him be bullied as soon as he steps out of the home.”

“Indeed! I’ll prepare one too. It must be something worthy.”

Lin Xiao had no idea that the elderly had already decided to send him to Lingwu Academy. At that moment, he was busy preparing food with Song Mingze. Song Mingze, pipe in hand and a kindly smile on his face, simply watched as Lin Xiao worked.

After today, he thought, such leisure would be a thing of the past.