It was through Swimming Dragon's words that Lu Yuan suddenly realized.

It seemed that the three Sure-kills of the Crane Sect—namely, "Crane Shadow Floating in the Air," "Mistakenly Picked Immortal Orchid," and "Penglai Vastness"—were all offensive moves. None of them were defensive.

This was indeed unusual. A martial arts tradition, after hundreds of years of inheritance, perfection, and improvement by countless disciples, should be relatively mature, even if not perfect. It should entail both offense and defense—that's the basic principle.

At least in Swimming Dragon's Dragon Sect, there was "Dragon Hide Body" that could be used for evasion and defense. But the Crane Sect had none. It wasn't that they were missing; they simply didn't exist within its tradition. Such techniques were likely part of the Snake Sect's heritage.

Is it the case that the Crane Sect is not top-level, and only when it combines with the Snake Sect to form a complete Heaven Water Sect can it be considered on the same level as the Dragon Sect? Lu Yuan wondered, staring at his Fighter panel.

After he comprehended the True Intention of the Crane Sect, a Lv. 1 "Spirit Crane True Intention" skill had been added to his panel.

Honestly, he didn't feel that the Spirit Crane True Intention was inferior to Swimming Dragon's Dragon Form True Intention.

But the fact that Swimming Dragon said so indicated that he... could be even stronger!

"You can ask for the Snake Sect's techniques from your sect's seniors after returning and try to combine the two to make up for this defect in your martial arts system..." Swimming Dragon suggested.

Lu Yuan shook his head. "My sect only has the Crane Sect's tradition. As for Snake Sect martial arts... I don't know where to learn them."

"Uh..."

Swimming Dragon paused for a moment and then frowned. "The traditions of both Snake and Crane should exist in the Sum Nation Heaven Water Sect. How can you not know where to learn them?"

"I don't originate from the Sum Nation Heaven Water Sect, but the Weishan Heaven Water Crane Sect."

"Weishan Heaven Water Crane Sect..."

Swimming Dragon's eyes flickered for a moment, and he soon understood.

"I see. Your lineage is the old Crane Sect that was expelled after being defeated in the dispute between the Snake and Crane. The Heaven Water Sect long ago unified the Snake and Crane sects. Internally, though they might still distinguish between the two factions, externally, they all refer to themselves as the Heaven Water Sect..."

"So that's how it is."

Lu Yuan remained calm, but an indescribable feeling stirred in his heart.

He had always proudly considered himself a successor of the Heaven Water Crane Sect. He never imagined Liu's branch had actually been expelled by them long ago.

The Snake Sect of old was also long gone.

It now represented the orthodox... Sum Nation Heaven Water Sect!

It seems like Liu had a terribly difficult time during his battle years ago. Not only did he lose four out of five limbs, but he also failed to preserve his sect's tradition and reputation. No wonder... no wonder he's so obsessed with unifying the martial arts world.

Lu Yuan's feelings were complicated; his heart wasn't at ease.

Liu was unequivocally good to him, always saving the best for him. Compared to Lu Yuan, the other direct disciples of the Crane Sect seemed to be treated by Liu as if they were children from a previous marriage.

I'll visit the Sum Nation Heaven Water Sect when I have a chance...

I must regain our reputation for Liu. At least, I must help him vent that frustration.

Lu Yuan thought silently.

"...You are not from the orthodox Heaven Water Sect."

Swimming Dragon murmured, "In that case, after you officially join Yellow Bear, you could go to Yellow Bear's Pure Martial Repository and check it out. You probably earned a lot of points in this New Blood Assessment, which should convert to a considerable amount of Merit. If the Heaven Water Sect's Snake Sect techniques are in Yellow Bear's Pure Martial Repository... you should have enough Merit to exchange for them."

"Yes."

Lu Yuan chatted with Swimming Dragon for a while longer and then got up to leave.

On his way out of the White Dragon Martial Arts Hall, Lu Yuan called up his profession panel.

From the battle with Swimming Dragon, his Fighter class had gained more than 3,000 Experience Points.

It was almost the same amount as from the battle with Calophis of the Crow God Sect last time.

The gains from this battle were quite substantial.

Not only did he successfully comprehend True Intention, but he also "stole" a Sure-kill from the Dragon Sect—"Dragon Hide Body."

In the future, there might be other powerful Sure-kills like "Dragon in Clouds," "Dragon Spreads Rain," and "Dragon Tail Flick."

At the Fighter level, Lu Yuan's arsenal of techniques against enemies would be greatly enriched.

What would my True Intention be like if I also realized the True Intention of Dragon Sect martial arts? Would it be a fusion, or would they exist independently?

As Lu Yuan pondered, he reached the entrance of the White Dragon Martial Arts Hall. He casually hailed a driverless taxi, inputting the next S-level mission point as the destination.

Sitting on the comfortable seat of the taxi, Lu Yuan gazed at the rapidly shifting high-rise scenery outside the window, his expression calm and his demeanor serene.

In fact, Lu Yuan felt that the Heaven Water Sect's Snake Sect techniques weren't as important to him as Swimming Dragon made them out to be.

The Spirit Crane True Intention alone might have defects.

But... as long as his True Intention was strong enough, these defects could be completely compensated for.

Enhancing his True Intention was much simpler for him than for an ordinary Fighter. He could directly add points to his True Intention skill or increase his Intelligence attribute.

If the intensity of his True Intention was ten, twenty, or even thirty times that of others... would that flaw still be considered a flaw?

Even an elephant riddled with weaknesses couldn't be brought down by an ant.

And I also have the enhancement of pure Physical Strength. Even if my True Intention isn't strong enough, as long as my fists are hard enough and my strength is great enough... One punch could shatter even a Grandmaster; who would care about True Intention then?

Not long after, Lu Yuan arrived at his destination.

This second S-level mission point was located in a suburb of Smokeless City No. 3, inside an enormous building shaped like a tin can.

Lu Yuan squinted at the tin can-like building, then casually tapped open the mission display on his wrist device.

His current point total was approaching 500,000!

Swimming Dragon's mission alone had rewarded him a full 300,000 points. He figured Swimming Dragon must have given him the highest possible evaluation, tripling the base point reward.

The participants in the general chat channel were going wild. Messages scrolled by so fast that even Lu Yuan, with his 18 points in Agility, could barely keep up.

Don't these people have missions to do? Do they just chat all day long?

Lu Yuan shook his head and opened the details of the next mission—

[Mission Level: S-]

[Mission Objective: Defeat the Bearman]

[Mission Reward: 100,000 points (base)]

[Mission Details——....

Bearman: A+ rank, biochemically modified human, excels in....]

Lu Yuan briefly skimmed through the information and found nothing particularly unusual.

He then closed the information on his wrist device, his expression calm, and quickly entered the tin can structure.

The inside resembled an old, abandoned chemical factory. The air was thick with the pungent, irritating smell of rust and chemical waste.

Lu Yuan navigated the winding paths within the factory for about two minutes.

He finally stopped at a large, rusty iron door.

With a harsh GRIND, the heavy, rusted iron door yielded to Lu Yuan's push, its mechanisms groaning.

WHOOSH— A wave of acrid, putrid heat billowed out. Lu Yuan frowned instinctively and sidestepped it.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally chose to step inside.

Outside the iron door, the ground was paved with rusty wire mesh, which, combined with the dim, somber atmosphere, evoked the feeling of an old horror film.

Inside the iron door, however, it was completely different.

Blinding white light bathed the entire space, rendering it stark white.

Apart from a small area near the entrance still covered in wire mesh, the rest of the floor was paved with neatly arranged white stone tiles. These stone tiles, made of some unknown material, looked exceedingly fine and felt incredibly solid. They were also unusually thick, rising a good seven or eight centimeters above the entrance area's floor, forming a step-like platform before Lu Yuan.

Among these white stone tiles, at intervals of every few meters, were embedded hemispherical objects, perhaps indicator lights, about ten centimeters in diameter, emitting a faint yellow glow?

The moment Lu Yuan stepped into the room, an indescribable, intense sense of oppression washed over him. It felt as if the atmospheric pressure in the room was exceptionally low, making him slightly uncomfortable. So, he didn't hurry further in, pausing just before the white stone-tile platform.

Of course, there was another reason—Lu Yuan's attention was quickly captivated by a scene roughly twenty meters ahead of him—

There, a huge long table made entirely of white stone stood.

In front of the table sat a man.

An exceedingly lean yet powerfully built bald man.

He wasn't tall, but his muscles were dense and perfectly proportioned. His skin was a light coppery tan, and his features, down to the contours of his muscles, were exceptionally well-defined. He looked as if forged from raw iron, exuding an intense... sense of unyielding solidity.

The bald man sat at the table, leisurely eating his meal, his upper body bare.

Above the table, a fist-sized opening continuously extruded a white, viscous substance that landed before the man. The bald man showed no aversion, continuously stuffing what looked like some kind of high-protein nutrient paste into his mouth.

Only when the feeding tube ceased dispensing food did he wipe his mouth and leisurely rise from the table.

A smile touched his lips as he walked step by step towards Lu Yuan.

He stopped about five meters away from Lu Yuan.

His iron-cast body slowly stretched, emitting distinct CRACKING sounds from his bones.

He tilted his head back slightly, his spine arching subtly, as if attempting to block the glaring white light overhead, casting it behind him.

An oppressive aura suddenly radiated from the man.

"Welcome, Examiner."

The man looked down at Lu Yuan with a smile, enunciating each word. "Are you prepared... to experience the taste of fear?"

"Uh..."

Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned.

He stared at the bald man before him for a good while before his senses returned.

With a placid expression, Lu Yuan stepped onto the white stone-tile platform before him and spoke in a low voice.

"How dare you... steal my line?"

「Meanwhile...」

In the spacious, empty room, Song Cong stared at the bald man on the light screen and frowned. "I remember the last time I saw him, he was a mountain of flesh weighing several hundred kilograms."

"It's the Water Bear modification; the body undergoes the most suitable and perfect changes according to the environment. Don't you think he looks much more presentable now than that previous lump of flesh?" Su Zhaohui, holding his wine glass, remarked with a hint of nostalgia.

"Of all the test subjects in the Water Bear No. 1 Biochemical Modification Program, he was the sole survivor. If not for his significant personality defects, he might be one of us sitting here right now..."

"Now is not the time to discuss this," Song Cong said coldly. "The Bearman is far more dangerous than Swimming Dragon. And this is his home turf. What if something happens to Lu Yuan?... He's no ordinary New Blood!"

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