Chapter 56: Attribute Improvement
[Name: Xiao Lin]
[Student ID: 201235]
[Credits: 40]
[Redemption points: 150+200 (200 points for full attendance)]
[Basic attributes: Strength 5; Agility 3; Intelligence 6; Physique 6]
[Skills mastered: Slashing LV3 (MAX), Basic Swordsmanship LV3, Basic Blocking LV2, Basic Physical Fitness LV3, Basic Common Language Mastery LV2, Basic Perception LV2, Basic Meditation LV3, Basic Body Techniques LV2, Basic Focus LV2, Basic Fire Resistance LV1]
After finishing lessons on the last day of the month, Xiao Lin checked the changes in his attributes in his dormitory room. His total Basic Attribute value of 20 points had doubled from the initial physical examination. If Dawn Academy recruited students with a requirement on a total attribute value of about 20 points, Xiao Lin finally met the minimum standard.
The effect of magic-martial art dual cultivation was incredibly promising in the earlier stages. The XP required for each skill level was relatively small, and generally speaking, he only needed 50 XP to get to LV0 from LV1, while going to LV2 from LV1 required only 100 XP. However, going from LV2 to LV3 required 500 XP, and LV3 to LV4 required 1,000 XP.
Xiao Lin had a few basic skills that were promoted to LV2 or LV3. Each upgrade would enhance the basic attributes associated with said skills. As someone who had 100% learning efficiency, he certainly took full advantage of it.
However, the higher the XP, the more difficult it was to upgrade. For example, Xiao Lin had upgraded to LV3 Basic Swordsmanship in the second week, but the latter half of the month had seen a marked decrease in his upgrade speed.
From LV3 onward, pure swordsmanship and slashing movements no longer increased his XP. Even with the Academic Genius talent, the bonus would remain at zero if the base XP increase was 0.
Xiao Lin had to repeatedly practice the foundational sword moves that Cheng Na taught in order to increase his XP, albeit slowly. The T-rex would sometimes be present to guide him, and even though those moves were utterly simple, there were many minutiae which affected the speed at which his XP increased, such as speed and distribution of power. Not a lot of people could execute them perfectly, but it was those details that had the most profound impact.
Of course, Xiao Lin felt that every time Cheng Na suddenly appeared was because she wanted to see if anyone disobeyed her. However, the students had been honestly practicing with real swords in the training hall from the second week onward.
The XP gained through training in pairs was indeed faster than individual training. Cheng Na’s personality was rather fierce, but her experience was something to be commended.
Xiao Lin continued practicing with Cheng Ming, and although his Basic Swordsmanship had been upgraded to LV3, he had also mastered Basic Blocking by accident during their repeated clashes. Cheng Ming had gradually become more adept at controlling his strength, and could suppress the power value that he exerted within 15 points. Nevertheless, there remained an insurmountable gap between the two’s strength.
Whenever Xiao Lin was badly beaten and covered with cuts, he ended up having to use the training hall’s automatic treatment system to heal him. Due to the severity of his injuries, he spent 50 redemption points every time, so much so that he found his points to be insufficient when he finally thought of buying some armor.
As a reward, his Basic Blocking had risen to LV2. There were also others who gradually mastered Basic Blocking, but he was the only one who had raised this skill by two levels.
Unforgettably, his LV1 Basic Fire Resistance was a skill given to him by Song Junlang, the head of the logistics department. On the weekend of the third week, he called Xiao Lin over again and prepared a kind of poultry called Fire Chickens. Unlike turkeys[1] on Earth, Song Junlang’s fire chickens were literally birds wreathed with flames. They were also the result of hybridization.
Due to the fire chicken’s characteristics, there was no way to cook it and had to be eaten raw. After consuming it, Xiao Lin spent the whole day vomiting and having diarrhea instead of collapsing like the previous time. His legs remained limp until the next day.
As a result, Xiao Lin acquired the brand-new skill of Basic Fire Resistance LV1. An astonished Song Junlang then comforted Xiao Lin by saying that there was no other person in their freshmen year who could possess that skill. The reason for that was because elemental resistance skills were extremely difficult to train, and such courses were often not offered until sophomore year.
Department Head Song felt that the diet’s effects were very surprising. He originally thought that eating fire chicken would increase one’s intelligence, or produce an elemental affinity toward fire, but in any case, he was very satisfied with the results of the experiment.
Xiao Lin did not waste his weekly opportunities for replication. When possible, he went to the sophomore meditation room to look for Wu Qin and replicate her maxed out Basic Meditation for three minutes’ worth of meditation. Nevertheless, as his level improved, the amount of meditation XP that could be increased each time became increasingly less too. He only gained 50 XP by the second time, and 30 after that.
However, he could gradually feel the added benefit to passive skills brought about by the high-level replication after his three-minute meditation. Even though his Basic Meditation would revert back to its original level, Xiao Lin had a more thorough understanding of the microcosmic elements. The most noticeable response to that was his amazingly quick meditation speed, surpassing even the other talented students and becoming only the second in the class after Gu Xiaoyue to reach LV3.
Basic Meditation LV3 was a level where one could already learn novice-level spells. Unfortunately, after he reached that level, there was little time left for Xiao Lin before the monthly exam, so there was no way he could ask for Gu Xiaoyue’s tutelage.
With only one day left before the end of the month, Qin Chuan—the instructor who had not been seen for a long time—reappeared and summoned all of Class Seven’s freshmen who had just finished their day’s lessons to the public classroom. He then handed out a few sheets of information.
Ever since the end of the admissions test, Qin Chuan rarely showed up in person other than to answer the freshmen’s doubts within the forum. It was unsurprising, since the so-called instructors were also students and faced a lot of pressure too.
After a month of life in the academy, the freshmen were no longer as naïve and clueless as they were when they first entered the academy. They also knew that Qin Chuan’s term as an instructor was actually only three months, and the comprehensive evaluation of each class after the three months would affect the rewards instructors gained.
Therefore, everyone’s respect toward Qin Chuan had diminished significantly since long ago. They communicated with each other after getting the information and had somewhat disapproving looks.
“I understand that some of you have achieved very good grades in the admissions test, but if you think that the monthly exam is equally as simple, you’re very much mistaken.” After passing all the information over, Qin Chuan took a copy for himself, then walked to the podium and looked unhappily at the students whispering in the audience. His tone gradually became more solemn.
“Information about the monthly exam has never been provided in the past, but after the academy took into account your freshmen’s adjustment period, they decided to hand out all the relevant materials needed for the exam. This is so your life won’t go to waste. You’d best be making the most of it, because this special treatment is only provided to freshmen!”
[1] It is worth nothing that turkey in Mandarin is 火鸡, which can be literally translated to fire chicken (火 = fire, 鸡 = chicken). The name supposedly comes from the red flap of skin under their necks. In this case, Song Junlang’s bird is not a turkey, but a chicken that’s on fire (a literal fire chicken, if you will).