"Actually, you don’t need to worry. It’s pretty fast to level up the first few layers of Inner Strength. An ordinary person can reach level six or seven in about ten or fifteen days. If you practice like crazy, a week should be just about enough."
"The levels later on slow down, so just take it slow. In the latter stages, you’ll definitely obtain more powerful Inner Strength, and then you can just switch to another one."
Xiao Jie thought, ’Okay, Inner Strength levels six or seven in a week, I can accept that pace.’ Duan Yu once said it takes three years to learn and ten years to practice. That had shocked him. If it really took him ten years to master it, it would indeed be deadly.
"What about this Saber Skill of mine? Do you have any advice on how to use it in combat?"
An Ran thought for a moment, "The most important thing about Saber Skills are the first three moves. If these movements aren’t simple enough, the whole set is basically ruined. In that aspect, your set of Saber Skills is pretty good."
"Ordinary monsters won’t give you the chance to execute a full set of Saber Skills. You’ll usually get in one or two, maybe three chops, then you have to prepare to defend or dodge the boss’s Attack. So the first three moves are the most crucial."
In PK battles, Saber Skills are similarly useless. In real life, a single strike might kill an opponent, but in the game, there are health bars. Even if you do strike, it’s useless; the opponent can still strike back or dodge."
So in player versus player combat, Saber Skills and Swordsmanship aren’t as useful as some powerful Combat Skills, especially those that have effects like reducing resilience, causing bleeding, or Limb Cutting, which can often determine the outcome in a single move.
However, against Little Monsters, Saber Skills are quite useful, especially when clearing those with low resilience. They can create a mindless combo effect, preventing the monsters from counterattacking."
Additionally, if the enemy can’t retaliate, like when they are stunned or immobilized, cyclic output of Saber Skills can increase the damage per second by at least 50% more than normal attacks.
Still, the greatest use of Saber Skills is to Comprehend the secret technique. Once you’ve Comprehended the secret technique, your life’s value in the art of Saber Skills is realized."
Xiao Jie knew about these secret techniques; they’re equivalent to a Super Kill. However, how powerful they were, he had only heard of.
"Can you tell me about this secret technique? How do you Comprehend it?"
"First, you need to level up a set of Saber Skills to full level."
Then your comprehension must be at least 20 points, the higher, the better."
"Then, when you use the full-level Saber Skills in combat, there’s a certain chance of Comprehending the secret technique from it."
As An Ran spoke, she suddenly showed a mysterious smile and said in a hushed tone, "Do you want to see one?"
Xiao Jie’s heart stirred, "Yes, I do."
"Give me your saber. I can’t try it out with a stick."
Xiao Jie obediently handed over his Brocade Spring Saber.
An Ran made a few gestures with it and couldn’t help but curl her lips.
"You should buy a better saber. This thing is just passable—watch closely."
As she spoke, An Ran’s expression suddenly became serious. She held the saber in both hands, slowly raising it, the blade was pointed obliquely at the vault of heaven. An aura began to swirl around her, the leaves and grass danced in the wind, even the tracksuit she wore billowed with it.
The next second, she swung the blade.
Secret Technique—surprising knife!
The sky seemed to darken suddenly. Immediately followed by a piercing white flash soaring through the air.
Swipe! The blade light pierced straight through a large tree, which seemed unchanged. But in a moment, the leaves on the tree began to fall.
With a click, the large tree was directly chopped in half, falling to the ground with a thunderous crash.
Xiao Jie was astonished. Such scenes were only seen in martial arts films, and even domestic films couldn’t reproduce these effects.
But An Ran casually twirled the saber, displaying the calm demeanor of a master, and casually tossed the saber back to Xiao Jie.
The moment he caught the Brocade Spring Saber, the blade cracked into several pieces.
"Your saber is too poor to withstand the vibration of my Inner Strength—another thing, my use of Inner Strength is still rough, no way around it, it’s all been rushed."
After finishing, An Ran seemed to suddenly remember something, "Shoot, let’s get out of here."
Then she turned and ran.
Xiao Jie was completely lost, "What’s going on?"
"Getting caught for deforestation comes with a fine." After saying that, she transformed into a lynx and disappeared into the trees with a few leaps.
Xiao Jie thought, ’Damn it,’ and considering the commotion might attract attention, he quickly ran off as well.