18 Mystic Body Art, Learning It Instantly
The scene blurred for a moment, and Yan Zhen felt himself falling back onto the bed. Looking down, the crystal pendant still hung around his neck, dangling near his chest.
As if the fiery starry sky, the grand pillared plaza, and the beautiful senior martial sister were just a vivid dream.
But he knew it wasn’t a dream – it was the beginning of his rise to power!
“The beautiful senior martial sister truly lives up to her name, so gorgeous~”
In fact, the beautiful senior martial sister could be considered the original heroine.
Not only did she have the most scenes, but she was also the closest to Yan Zhen, even presiding over his grand wedding as his elder later on.
Truly, their master-disciple bond ran deep.
Even if their relationship solely consisted of the reverence and affection between master and disciple, it didn’t disqualify her from claiming the heroine’s position!
[Ding! System Reminder: This is a harem world without a true heroine. Host, please do not attempt to designate one.]
“I know, I was just musing. Don’t you think the beautiful senior martial sister is amazing?”
[Negative assessment.]
“Hmph.”
[System’s assessment: The host is simply blinded by her voluptuous assets.]
“How dare you sully her pure reputation so groundlessly!” Yan Zhen immediately flushed red with indignation. “Am I that shallow of a person? I’m not! I look upon the beautiful senior martial sister with admiration, respect – practically reverence!”
[Heh heh.]
This blasted system, turning the tables and learning to mock him.
Yan Zhen decided to ignore the worthless pile of code’s opinion and stretched lazily.
“Morning already? I need to take Huang Fu Wenqing out shopping later. Might as well pick up some medicinal materials on the way – Blood Drop Grass, Magnolia Blossoms, and Water-Patterned Pearl, those three right? Wonder if I have enough savings.”
[Ding! System Reminder: The host still has an unopened newcomer’s gift box.]
“Ah right, the newcomer gift box has a million reserve funds!”
A million, enough to instantly make him a minor tycoon.
*Cough* The system…not bad at all.
Yan Zhen happily retrieved the newcomer gift box from his system bag and opened it.
A flash of radiance, and four items sprang out.
One million universal spirit crystals, a first-grade mystic pellet of his choice, a first-grade mystic artifact of his choice, and a ‘Mystic Body Art’ manual.
The spirit crystals were ready to use as needed.
As for the mystic pellet, he currently had no use for it. Their potent medicinal power was too strong for a Mystic Disciple like him to refine, so ingesting one would do more harm than good.
The mystic artifact was the same – without a Mystic One’s mystic power to support it, using a first-grade artifact would be extremely taxing.
However, this ‘Mystic Body Art’ manual’s description mentioned it was a foundational skill to enhance one’s offense, defense and speed by channeling mystic power.
At the Mystic Disciple realm, applications of mystic power were extremely simplistic with no special techniques. Combat was purely trading blows head-on.
Whereas the ‘Mystic Body Art’ seemed capable of adding some flair. He could try cultivating it.
Yan Zhen opened it, and three options appeared before him: [Learn], [Manifest], and [Reclaim].
Learn? Was this a true “learn it instantly” skill book?!
Yan Zhen’s eyes lit up as he immediately tapped [Learn].
The ‘Mystic Body Art’ manual instantly transformed into specks of radiant light that drifted upwards and rained down upon him from above his head.
Yan Zhen’s mind was quickly flooded with the key essentials of the ‘Mystic Body Art’. In a mere moment, he had fully grasped this special skill, even achieving a “proficient” level of mastery.
This…is formidable!
Yan Zhen clenched his fist and threw a punch forward.
*Swish*
A faint sonic boom sounded in the room – the sheer force of the punch’s shockwave could extinguish a candle flame.
His striking speed had increased somewhat. If his movement speed improved as well, then facing off against someone six or seven levels above would be no issue.
After all, fights between Mystic Disciples were simply trading brute force – if he could move faster, he could attack by surprise before being struck back. Then victory would be his.
Having learned the ‘Mystic Body Art’, Yan Zhen happily bathed, dressed in simple yet stylish casual wear that accentuated his handsomeness, and tidied his hairstyle before heading out.
As soon as he exited the small courtyard, he was met by Yan Meng’er’s smiling visage approaching.
The young lady wore a peach-pink dress today, her slender waist tightly cinched by a red silk ribbon that made her ample chest curves appear even fuller and rounder.
Her long, faintly pinkish hair had been meticulously brushed until smooth and lustrous, adorned with a peach blossom hair ornament. Her lovely face bore subtle makeup, with crystal eardrop earrings – evidently having put in great effort with her appearance.
As she neared him, a sweet fragrance wafted over along with her equally sweet voice:
“Cousin, good morning~ Are we going out to play in the city today?”
No, you’re not included. Grandfather only told me to take Huang Fu Wenqing out for a stroll…
Yan Zhen had intended to say that, but seeing the anticipation in Yan Meng’er’s eyes and the effort she had put into her attire, he could only nod:
“Let’s go get Wenqing first.”
“Mm!”
Yan Meng’er immediately beamed with delight, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she clung to his arm in an affectionate manner.
Feeling the girl’s softness pressed against his arm, Yan Zhen couldn’t help his face heating up as he hurriedly suppressed the stirrings in his heart before heading to the guest courtyard.
Just as they arrived at Huang Fu Wenqing’s room, she emerged.
Huang Fu Wenqing had also put effort into her appearance, having changed from a plain green dress into an elegantly styled jade green one, her hairstyle now a princess braid adorned with a green leaf ornament instead of her usual simple ponytail.
The hem of her skirt fell just past her knees, revealing her slender, porcelain legs clad in white stockings, with high heels on her feet.
Simply standing there, the phrase “jade-like, gracefully upright” immediately came to mind.
“Yan Zhen, you’re here.”
Upon seeing her fiance, before Huang Fu Wenqing could feel pleased, she noticed Yan Meng’er also present and shamelessly clinging to Yan Zhen’s arm, immediately dampening her mood.
—She had gotten careless, allowing that vile Yan Meng’er to take the initiative again! She, Huang Fu Wenqing, was Yan Zhen’s fiance. That mere cousin should stand aside! Had she known, she wouldn’t have waited reservedly for Yan Zhen to fetch her, instead going to him directly!
“Are you ready? If there’s nothing else, shall we depart?”
Hearing Yan Zhen’s words, Huang Fu Wenqing recomposed herself and shyly took his other arm despite her bashfulness.
Truth be told, she disliked being so clingy in public, but to counteract Yan Meng’er she had no choice but to be so bold.
“Let’s go then.”
“……”
With one on each arm, such an arrangement was quite overwhelming for Yan Zhen, a 20-year-old titanium-grade perpetual bachelor. Yet he dared not offend either lady, so he could only proceed this way for now.
Under the bewildered gazes of the servants, the trio exited the Lord’s Manor and ventured into the streets.
“Cousin, where should we stroll to?”
“Let’s grab a bite first, we haven’t had breakfast yet.”
“Good idea, does Wutang City have any specialty snacks?”
“Of course, let’s head to the snack street, the vendors should be open by now.”
Arriving at the snack street, the three browsed and sampled various foods, occasionally feeding each other as they merrily ate and strolled.
“Cousin, have some cherries to cut the grease~”
“Meng’er, you should try these grilled wheat gluten strips – aren’t they fragrant and spicy?”
“Yan Zhen, I want to have a taste of your big sausage, just a little bite~”
“I’ve had that skewer, so I’ll give you the untouched one.”
“N-No need, I can’t eat that much, I just want a taste.”
“Alright then, open wide.”
