Master-level martial arts?
Once again, the system effortlessly injected another memory into Luke's mind.
This time, however, the memory was far more massive.
On top of a giant rock facing the ocean, with waves crashing violently against the reefs below, he trained relentlessly.
Punching, palm strikes, bridge-hand, wing-arm blocks, wrist rolls—an entire Wing Chun sequence flowed from him with an elegance so minimal it felt absolute.
When he finished one set, he didn't stop. He stepped forward sharply, delivering a fierce palm punch.
"In literature, there's Tai Chi to bring peace to the world. In combat, there's Bajiquan to hold up the heavens."
The explosive, bone-rattling Bajiquan seamlessly followed his Wing Chun sequence.
Dragon-slaying, tiger-subduing, mountain-splitting palms, probing-horse strikes, tiger embraces, bear squats, crane steps pushing forward—he went through the moves one by one.
Although the "Eight Diamond Forms" were considered the entry-level basics of Bajiquan, in Luke's hands they radiated a ferocious, domineering power—like a man punching his way through life and death.
Then came an entire arsenal of martial arts spilled out of him.
Unlike swordsmanship, where styles were relatively limited, there were far too many kinds of martial arts.
According to his memories, it had taken him fifty years to gradually blend them all into one.
By the end, Luke no longer felt restricted by any single style.
He had truly reached the point where his heart dictated the style.
Decades of martial arts mastery were proving invaluable to Luke now.
For one thing, it massively broadened the kinds of action movies he could film—traditional martial arts choreography was now a piece of cake.
For another, master-level martial arts were perfect for self-defense. After all, living in the "magic kingdom" of the U.S., it would be some cruel cosmic joke if his Hollywood stardom ended in random violence.
Having received this master-level martial arts skill, Luke couldn't help but sigh:
"System, you're giving me way too much!"
If only it would hand out skills like this more often.
But the system was stingy—if he didn't flirt or help someone, where would these rewards even come from?
[Host successfully helped Taylor dodge a pitfall. Dedication rating: S!] [Host awarded skill: Kicking Techniques (Master-Level)]
!!!!
The slap-in-the-face came so fast.
What day was this, that even this counted as mission complete?
Excited, Luke braced himself for another memory dump.
"Fists open the door, but it's the legs that win the fight."
Compared to fists, the human leg had more power, longer reach, and deadlier potential.
Twelve-Tan Legs, knee strikes, Nine Palace Kicks, scissor kicks, Shadowless Kicks, Lost Step Kicks, Diamond Legs—one by one, the secrets of every kicking style poured into Luke's mind.
As his proficiency and experience with kicks grew, his freshly gained mastery of martial arts began to blend with them.
Separate, punches and kicks could not create a "1+1>2" effect—in fact, they could interfere with each other:
Should I attack with my legs or my fists?
But memory-Luke hadn't been stumped. He just kept training.
Hands and feet are part of the same body—blending martial arts and kicking skills is only natural.
And over time, Luke finally achieved perfect integration of fists and feet.
Golden system text immediately appeared before him:
[Host now possesses both Master-Level Martial Arts and Master-Level Kicking. Skills merging…] [Congratulations, Host—new skill acquired: Master-Level Hand-to-Hand Combat]
Within the system prompt, Luke realized his two skills had fused, creating something entirely new: Master-Level Hand-to-Hand Combat.
With the fusion came a flood of moves he'd never practiced before—footwork, continuous flips, kip-ups, lightning-fast backbends.
These were all foundational moves meant to link punches and kicks seamlessly, and the system handed them over as part of the upgrade.
A true jackpot.
This new Master-Level Hand-to-Hand Combat skill far outstripped the sum of its parts—"1+1>2" at its best.
And yet Luke sensed it still wasn't perfect. There was room to grow.
[When Host acquires Master-Level Ground Techniques, this skill will merge and upgrade into Master-Level Unarmed Combat.]
Sure enough, the system confirmed his hunch.
All his current techniques were for standing combat.
But without ground-fighting skills, could he really call himself a complete fighter?
The next fusion requirement made perfect sense.
Unfortunately, he'd have to wait for the next "interaction" reward to unlock Master-Level Ground Techniques.
Then another thought hit him: since fusion could eventually lead to Master-Level Unarmed Combat, could his Master-Level Swordsmanship also fuse with other weapon skills?
Maybe "Master-Level" wasn't the end. Maybe only by borrowing from every style could he reach the next tier.
With that in mind, Luke opened his status panel:
Name: Luke Age: 18 Strength: 15 Agility: 16 Constitution: 15 Unassigned Points: 1 Skills: Master-Level Swordsmanship, Master-Level Parkour, Master-Level Throwing Knives, Master-Level Hand-to-Hand Combat
Action Scene Risk (C-Level): Success Rate 90% Action Scene Risk (B-Level): Success Rate 32%
His attention zeroed in on the success rates.
C-Level had jumped from 80% to 90%. B-Level had climbed from 22% to 32%.
That was a huge boost.
Last time he'd assigned an attribute point, his B-Level success rate had gone up only 2%. Now it had shot up by 10%.
Clearly, skills were the key to tackling tougher stunts.
Two more skills like this and he might just be ready to go for it.
Reviewing his unfinished system tasks, he saw only two left:
[Mission 1: Star in a Hollywood movie with a global box office exceeding The Mummy Returns.]
This one had to wait. The Mummy Returns wouldn't release until May, and Jurassic Park III was set for June.
[Host has reached current potential cap. To break through, complete a mission: establish an intimate relationship with any non-B-type girl. Reward: surpass potential limit.]
This one was even trickier. Whether or not to "play the player" was one thing. How to do it was another.
Bottom line, neither task could be completed right away.
He stared at the lone unassigned point left on his panel. For someone with his level of OCD, it was pure torture.
"Damn it. Where can I scrounge up more attribute points?"
If only time would move faster.