16: Break through to the third tier! I want both the fish and the bear's paw!

"Chichichi!"

A pale blue Saber Qi seemed to connect heaven and earth, tearing through space.

The man felt a stinging pain deep in his mind, watching in despair as the Saber Qi struck. He couldn't dodge it at all; the Saber Qi was like instant transmission.

Even though the man quickly moved left using a movement Martial Skill the moment Jiang Hao raised his hand to strike, he was still hit by the saber light.

At the moment he lost consciousness, the man angrily shouted in his heart:

"This isn't Weapon Combat Style at all!"

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for instantly killing a third-rank opponent, gaining 5 points!]

Jiang Hao let out a long breath. He had finally reached 200 points and could advance to third-rank.

Because he was going to the Otherworld Beast battlefield tomorrow and would be there for seven days, Jiang Hao decided to go shopping for cooked food and outdoor camping gear in the afternoon.

It seemed like time was suspended for items placed in storage tools. Cooked food placed inside for a night showed almost no change when taken out.

When camping outdoors, everyone was constantly on guard against attacks from Otherworld Beasts, unable to make a fire to cook, only able to eat cold compressed energy bars or self-heating instant meals.

But Jiang Hao, on the other hand, enjoyed steaming hot cooked food, eating whatever he wanted!

After all, one should treat oneself well when traveling.

Jiang Hao thought happily, then opened his system panel.

"It's time for the exciting attribute allocation again."

"system panel, allocate points!" Jiang Hao completed the process with a sense of ritual.

Then he invested 200 points.

[Realm: Second-rank Peak → Third-rank First Heaven] +

As the familiar physical reactions of a Breakthrough ended.

Jiang Hao reached out, and an almost transparent Yuan Power shield adhered to his body's surface. Jiang Hao's Yuan Power, comparable to a fourth-rank, made the Yuan Power shield even more resilient.

At the same time, Jiang Hao's Yuan Power could now support unleashing over a hundred Saber Qi attacks capable of instantly killing a third-rank!

Compared to the third-rank, his Yuan Power had almost tripled!

"Am I still a genuine Weapon Combat Style user? Why do I feel even more disgusting than a Spellcasting School user?" Jiang Hao took out his spirit weapon, wiped it, and thought:

"I can fight from farther away than Spellcasting School, can do area-of-effect or single-target attacks. I can kite enemies..."

Just then, a message suddenly popped up on his smart wristband.

[Fish and Bears Paw: Are you there? I asked my teachers and Family, and they all said Spellcasting School is best for me. But I still don't want to give up Weapon Combat Style, so I'm asking you again.]

Hmm? Is this the girl from the Xing Family who doesn't use punctuation? Didn't she ask this last time? Jiang Hao responded upon seeing the message:

[I Dont Eat Beef: Spellcasting School is very strong, I don't even have the talent for Spellcasting School.]

[Fish and Bears Paw: I know, but I still don't want to give up Weapon Combat Style. My great-grandfather also said my Spellcasting talent and Weapon Combat talent are equally strong, and he told me to decide for myself.]

Jiang Hao looked at the punctuation marks she used with relief. Did this guy go for tutoring?

[I Dont Eat Beef: Who is your great-grandfather, and how can he assert that your two talents are equally strong?]

[Fish and Bears Paw: I can't say...]

[I Dont Eat Beef: Alright, since you said you don't want to give up Weapon Combat Style, then don't give it up. Pursue both Spellcasting and Weapon Combat!]

[I Dont Eat Beef: Only ordinary Martial Artists make choices; true Prodigies always want everything!]

[I Dont Eat Beef: There's an old saying in my hometown: "Weapon Combat is inherently an invincible path, learning Arcane Arts adds another path."]

Jiang Hao typed quickly.

[Fish and Bears Paw: I understand, thank you for strengthening my resolve. Everyone in my Family advised me to specialize in one, but I also want to become like my great-grandfather, pursuing both Weapon Combat and Arcane Arts, someone whose name alone can deter foreign races. I want both the fish and the bears paw! I'll go Breakthrough to third-rank in a bit.]

Jiang Hao stared stiffly at the words on the screen. Didn't you say you couldn't say, that it was a secret? It's all exposed now, big sister!

According to Jiang Hao's understanding, and what was specifically introduced on Blue Star Net:

Among the eighteen council members on the entire Blue Star, only two council members from Xia Country followed the path of Dual Cultivation in Weapon Combat and Arcane Arts, becoming 'Destiny Star's who could scare away Otherworld Beasts and foreign races with their great names alone!

One was the founder of Shenzhou Martial Arts School: Xia Wushuang!

The other was the old Family Head of the Xing Family, Xing Huangtian, who almost led to the extermination of the Demon Clan!

It's over! He had tricked a council member's great-granddaughter into a difficult path.

But it doesn't matter!

He was just normally expressing his inner dream! He hoped that one day, he too could become a Dual Cultivation Martial Artist.

Jiang Hao silently typed a reply:

[I Dont Eat Beef: Actually, I just thought about it, pursuing two paths simultaneously is too difficult. It means you have to learn Arcane Arts while also practicing Martial Skills. This will hinder your progress in Cultivating Yuan Power.]

This really wasn't Jiang Hao chickening out!

Arcane Arts are different from Martial Skills. First, one must Awaken Arcane Arts-related talents.

In the past, the Spellcasting School emphasized brute force, with no fixed skills, relying entirely on self-exploration. This included using the environment to launch a powerful attack and so on.

This led to Spellcasting School Martial Artists with strong talents being completely different from ordinary Spellcasting School Martial Artists.

The current Arcane Arts are a product of an overseas council member directly copying magic from an Otherworld where magic is dominant, and then improving it.

As long as one raises their Realm, they can learn Arcane Arts corresponding to that Realm.

Arcane Arts, like Martial Skills, cost money to buy. Some powerful Arcane Arts are on par with Saint-rank Martial Skills.

Depending on the choice, they are also subdivided into control, output, support, and other styles.

If one Awakens an elemental talent with corresponding elemental bonuses, then a Spellcasting School Martial Artist only needs to learn that one element.

The only drawback is that most Spellcasting School Martial Artists can only learn Arcane Arts of the same rank.

The advantage is that Arcane Arts consume less Yuan Power than Martial Skills, and one can rely on Mental Energy to gather Yuan Power from the surrounding natural environment to enhance the Arcane Arts.

A third-rank Peak fire-attribute Spellcasting School Martial Artist can at least throw forty or fifty fireballs comparable to high-explosive grenades!

While a third-rank Weapon Combat Style Martial Artist is still charging in, performing a 'come at me, brother, let me cut you' act.

[Fish and Bears Paw: It's okay, I have 'Dao Heart Clarity'. Whether it's Arcane Arts or Martial Skills, I can learn it just by seeing it once, directly reaching Minor Achievement!]

???

Are young people so blatant with their cheats nowadays?

I could easily dominate in virtual combat, so why didn't I encounter anyone as flashy as you?

[I Dont Eat Beef: 6, with such strong talent, what were you hesitating about before? If it were me, I'd directly Breakthrough to third-rank and pursue Dual Cultivation.]

[I Dont Eat Beef: I forgot to turn off the lights at home, logging off now.]

Jiang Hao directly turned off his wristband. He had thought he led her into a pit.

He even wanted to throw her a rope. But in a blink, the other party flew up on her own.

"This time, I must vigorously rack up points on the Otherworld Beast battlefield! When my Yuan Power runs out, I'll use my spirit weapon to hack away!"

"As long as I see an Otherworld Beast, I'll eliminate them all. Otherwise, when I get to Shenzhou Martial Arts School and meet those people who are all cheating, how will I win first place among the new students?"

Let's go shopping now. Jiang Hao changed his clothes and pushed open the door.