That feeling was quite marvelous, akin to an epiphany as described in martial arts novels. It was as if things that were once incomprehensible suddenly became clear in an instant.
The most important aspect of unarmed combat is not the mind, but the body. No level of intellect or speed of reaction can compare to the body's natural response. In addition to a deeper understanding and mastery of combat, Wang Lan's mind overflowed with numerous moves he had not known before.
This is... impressive.
He then applied skill points to the Close Combat Sword Skill, elevating it to the Bronze level as well.
In the past, Wang Lan expended the least effort on his sword skill. His private coach had also advised that the true essence of Close Combat Sword Skill, which was practical in real combat, couldn't be fully imparted to Wang Lan. If Wang Lan were to actually kill someone in combat, he himself would be executed.
Since Wang Lan couldn't learn the essence of a combat skill, he naturally wouldn't invest much effort in it. However, sword skill was an essential skill for Star Martial Warriors, with nearly ninety percent of them wielding swords.
Why? Because swords are simple, practical, and quick to learn.
How great is a jian? It has versatile moves and exquisite actions. Once mastered, its lethality is remarkable. But for most Star Martial Warriors, survival on the battlefield is key—what use is elegance if you can't save your own life?
With a sword in hand, you just slash away.
So although Wang Lan knew that learning the sword was of little use before awakening as a Star Martial Warrior, he still had to learn it. But now, with a few skill points allocated, Wang Lan's sword skill instantly surpassed the beginner stage and reached proficiency.
Even without having tested the technique with an actual sword, Wang Lan just felt it. A swordsman doesn't need to hold a sword all day to be aware of their own strength.
Compared to Basic Skills, Star Martial Skills are the foundation of a Star Martial Warrior.
The only Star Martial Skill Wang Lan had after awakening was one passive ability—a real stark naked start. He remembered when Jiang Xinyu awoke, a sneeze had frozen the cola in her hand, straw and all.
As for myself, I would have settled for an active skill, but what the hell, I got Self Healing. Am I supposed to be some kind of punching bag?
Despite his internal disdain, Wang Lan still allocated ten points to Self Healing, which elevated the skill to Bronze LV1. But just as the skill briefly shimmered, it suddenly disappeared.
Wang Lan jumped in shock at this scene until he looked up and saw that the Self Healing skill had turned into an active skill, which finally allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. Wait, passive skills can become active skills? Isn't that different from game settings?
Wang Lan concentrated his spiritual power on the new Bronze skill: "Consume Star Power to recover from injuries."
The description was still simple and straightforward.
Why would a passive skill become an active skill? Wang Lan didn't ponder this for long. When one first awakens as a Star Martial Warrior, they often cannot control their Innate Ability at first.
Just like when Jiang Xinyu first awoke, a sneeze had frozen Wang Lan's cola. Was she trying to attack me? It was purely a lack of control. For Jiang Xinyu at that time, wasn't it effectively a passive ability?
With this realization, Wang Lan felt relieved. This Self Healing is probably not as ordinary as I thought. As a man who prefers taking the initiative, the last thing I can accept is being passive.
No sooner had Wang Lan thought this than he acted upon it, grabbing a dagger from the weapon rack and lightly cutting his arm. At first, a dark red line appeared, followed by a slow seeping of blood.
He quickly channeled his Star Power to activate the Self Healing skill and stared unblinking at the wound—one second, two seconds, three seconds.
After five seconds, the wound completely healed.
Under normal circumstances, a wound heals by first scabbing over, and then the scab falls off. However, with the Self Healing skill, the wound didn't even form a scab; it soon looked as smooth and flawless as new, without a trace remaining.
The cut was small, so it healed quickly and didn't consume much Star Power—probably only about one-tenth or so. And this is just Bronze LV1 Self Healing. If I upgrade the skill to Silver, or even Gold later on...
Wang Lan suddenly felt elated. This is awesome!
The more he had disdained it before, the more he found it delectable now. Anyone else with the Self Healing skill could only hope to be a meat shield, but Wang Lan was a man with a system. As long as he had enough skill points, he could upgrade the skill indefinitely by just pouring points into it.
In due time, I'll become Wolverine... no wait, Wolverine is trash. I must be Deadpool... also trash. I'll be the Goddess of Death, a true Undying Body!
Self Healing equals Undying Body. This might not work for others, but for me, it's possible! However, this process might take a long while. Before I become a true Undying Body, I need to lay low and survive.
In high spirits, Wang Lan took out his phone and dialed a number. "Master Huang, are you free right now?"
Master Huang, whose name was Huang Feilong, was Wang Lan's personal trainer and a Star Martial Warrior of the Star Shine Stage.
There were clear divisions in the levels of Star Martial Warriors. By invoking Star Power to Open Star Palace, one could clearly and intuitively see their level. Newly awakened Star Martial Warriors were at the Starlight Stage, where a single star in the Star Palace was like a star in the sky.
The next level up was Star Shine, where the stars in the Star Palace were as bright and dazzling as the sun and moon. Above that were Star Cloud, Galaxy, and Star Sea. As for what realm lies beyond that, I have no idea.
As far as is known, the Star Sea Stage is already the pinnacle of combat power among Star Martial Warriors. But Wang Lan, deeply influenced by web novels, was entirely certain there must be a whole new realm above Star Sea!
A Star Shine Stage Star Martial Warrior willing to be hired by an ordinary person as a private coach? Those who don't understand might say Huang Feilong is degrading himself for money, abandoning the honor of a Star Martial Warrior.
But for most Star Martial Warriors who are stuck in the middle tier and have no chance of ascending to higher levels in their lifetime, this is a coveted job that turns eyes green with envy.
Star Martial Warriors need to eat too. And not just eat; their food intake is several times that of an ordinary person. Just ask around in Suzhou City—which brave soul dares let a Star Martial Warrior into their all-you-can-eat buffet?
During the imperial era, the status of Star Martial Warriors fluctuated, but most were held in higher regard than ordinary people. Since Jade Country ended the imperial era two hundred years ago, the promoted tenet has been national unity and equality among citizens, with no one permitted to lord over others.
It's an obvious truth that human civilization is like a machine, with each person within civilization being a part of that machine. The mission of Star Martial Warriors is to protect civilization from harm by external threats.
Protection is both a responsibility and a mission. If even Star Martial Warriors were to lord it over the people and act tyrannically, when humanity faces external threats, could anyone still expect them to risk their lives for protection?
Star Martial Warriors receive a state stipend and benefits, but absolutely no special privileges. The benefits and stipends are completely linked to strength. In the hierarchy of Star Martial Warrior groups, Starlight is at the bottom, and Star Shine is only slightly higher. The state stipend alone is not enough to feed them.
Then why not get a job? With the immense strength of Star Martial Warriors, they could earn money doing anything, right?
Indeed, they can make money, but not a lot of it. Star Martial Warriors are strong, but docks have cranes and forklifts. Star Martial Warriors are quick, but factories have robots on the assembly lines.
Compared to ordinary citizens, Star Martial Warriors have no advantage in the workplace. They lack the education and skills. And even if they did the same work as ordinary people, the income would not be sufficient to sustain a Star Martial Warrior's livelihood.
An ordinary person can live on 7,000 or 8,000 yuan a month, even afford to go singing and buy clothes. But for a Star Martial Warrior, a monthly food budget under 10,000 yuan can only be described as barely staving off hunger and cold.
Therefore, for many Star Martial Warriors, there are only two prospects: the military or the Pioneering Legion.
But the existence of a Star Martial Warrior is extremely cruel; it's survival of the fittest, where the great waves wash away the sand. It's considered lucky for the weak to retreat in one piece, especially for someone like Huang Feilong, who is nearly forty and whose strength is stuck at the Star Shine Stage.
They can either become someone's bodyguard or work as a private coach. Clearly, working as a private coach is somewhat more dignified. After all, coaches are addressed as Master or Teacher.
Huang Feilong was Wang Lan's full-time private coach, but Wang Lan knew he coached at least five other people and also ran a small martial arts gym, charging tuition to teach students.
Juggling so many jobs still meant they had to be scheduled around Wang Lan's commitments, as these side hustles could only be undertaken with Wang Lan's permission. If Wang Lan didn't allow it, Huang Feilong would either have to give up his 70,000 monthly salary and resign or dedicate himself entirely to being Wang Lan's private coach.
A 70,000 monthly salary could afford a Star Martial Warrior a comfortable life.
That's why to Wang Lan, Huang Feilong was always on call. Even if it meant leaving his wife at the most intimate moments, he would often just pull up his pants and leave without a second thought.
In less than half an hour, Huang Feilong's car arrived at the third level of the underground parking lot, and he came walking over, shirtless.
Huang Feilong's body bore many scars from blade wounds, remnants from his days in the Pioneering Legion. Scars on an ordinary man might mark him as a despicable villain, detested by women, but on a Star Martial Warrior, they were heroic badges of honor in the eyes of women.
And to have survived with so many scars yet remain physically whole, one had to be a battle-hardened veteran. Who would dare call him weak? Who would dare call him a coward? Go on, take off your shirt! If you could bear that many scars and not die, you'd earn respect as a true man too!
"Mr. Lan, why so early today?"
"Summer vacation starts tomorrow..." Wang Lan replied. He never carried the air of a rich scion, always speaking to others in a polite and approachable manner. This was also why Huang Feilong cherished this job so much.
Generous, easy to talk to, and he even lets me take on side jobs. Where else could I find such a good boss?
"So, Mr. Lan, what kind of training do you have planned for today?"
"Let's start with free sparring," Wang Lan said, removing his outer clothes to reveal the tight-fitting, stretch short-sleeve shirt underneath.
"I'm not wearing protective gear today; it hampers movement."
"Alright!" Huang Feilong was not one to be polite, hopping onto the ring with a smile. He stood with one hand behind his back and the other in front, signaling Wang Lan to begin.
That starting pose is a bit too flashy, and I've been annoyed by it for ages. But alas, even if he fought me with one hand, I still couldn't beat him. Showboating only counts if you have the strength to back it up. So, even though I've been irked for a long time, I can only endure it.
Wang Lan's movement technique had reached the Bronze level, an improvement from a sudden epiphany during a previous sparring session. What was it Master Huang said back then? 'Mr. Lan, your evasive footwork has reached a proficient level; all those punches weren't taken for nothing!'
Just listen to that. Enough to make you cry, right?
And now, I don't just want to dodge punches and kicks; I want to attack!
Without any probing, Wang Lan rushed straight at Huang Feilong. This change from his usual style surprised Huang Feilong for a moment. Wang Lan threw a punch aimed straight at Huang Feilong's center, but Huang Feilong unhurriedly blocked it and then countered with a kick towards Wang Lan's chest.