“Combat skills?”
Of course, Han Fei wanted to learn them. When he came back from the sea a month ago, he had realized this problem. His current combat skills were too scarce. In addition to attacking with his rod, all he knew was spiritual energy explosion attacks. He felt that even Little Black was more useful than him because he could bite people.
Han Fei immediately said, “Sure! Sister Qin, are you going to teach me combat skills?”
Jiang Qin nodded. “I can teach you, but you have to promise me something…”
Han Fei asked, “What is it?”
“It’s useless to tell you now, but you have to make a promise. If one day you become a strong soul warrior, you have to come back to the village once.”
Looking at Jiang Qin’s serious expression, Han Fei couldn’t help asking, “Strong? How strong?”
“At least stronger than Fang Ze.”
Han Fei: “…”
Han Fei scratched his head. “Sister Qin, you’re talking about Fang Ze! The legendary Hidden Fisher! Stronger than him? Is it possible?”
Jiang Qin continued, “If you can’t be stronger than him, then forget about it. I can teach you for free and you don’t need to fulfill any promises.”
Han Fei had long felt that this grandfather and granddaughter pair were very strange. The old man was obviously very strong, which was obvious from his fight with the village leader. At that time, the village leader had done all he could, but the old man just moved his fingers and threw the village leader out. He was sure that Jiang Qin was very strong too.
Han Fei scratched his head again. “Then, let me have a try.”
Jiang Qin looked at Han Fei seriously. “Think it over please. I know that you have the talent to become a spirit gatherer. When you reach the level of Fang Ze, you’ll be worshipped by everyone. However, a spirit gatherer is not the one to fight in combat. Although they can control spiritual energy, it is difficult for them to achieve great results.”
Han Fei was confused. “So?”
Jiang Qin explained, “A soul warrior owns the strongest combat power and the best weapons. The best soul warrior can have both the great defensive ability of an armorist and the explosive power comparable to that of a hunter. So are you willing to become a soul warrior?”
Han Fei felt as if he were dreaming. Not long ago, he didn’t even know what a spirit gatherer was. When he saw the armorist of the Wang Family at the fair, he thought that man looked so cool and was envious of him. But now he had not only become a spirit gatherer, but also might even become a soul warrior.
Han Fei felt his heart pounding. He swallowed and asked, “Why do you choose me?”
“You have a kind of luck that others don’t have. By rights, you should have died on the sea after having so many accidents in the fisheries, but you survived. Not only that, you are getting stronger and stronger and even… killed a fishing master.”
Han Fei ‘s heart had a quiver. “You knew this already?”
Jiang Qin shook her head. “Although I haven’t witnessed that battle, I knew Li Lang of the Tigers went to sea, but he never came back. He must be dead.”
“Sister Qin, do you choose me because of my talent?”
Jiang Qin asked with a smile, “Do you have talent?”
“Well…”
Han Fei felt that he was being despised, but whatever! He could be a soul warrior! If he learned combat skills, he didn’t have to keep knocking around his enemies with his rod!
Jiang Qin said, “Grandpa opposes you becoming a soul warrior for a reason. There are very few people who can be engaged in two professions. Even if there are, few of them are proficient in both professions. Are you willing to take the risk?”
Han Fei nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. “Yes, I am!”
Han Fei was certainly willing. He felt that a spirit gatherer of his current level was completely useless in battle! When his enemy attacked him, he could only use his rod. But once he became a soul warrior, he would be able to cut his enemies with a knife, stab them with a sword, or shoot them with a hidden weapon!
Jiang Qin nodded slightly. “Do you know why a soul warrior is almost invincible in close combat?”
Han Fei shook his head.
Jiang Qin explained, “Because of their strong physique, good weapons, and adequate combat skills. This is also one of the reasons that I choose you. You have huge strength, which is something that ordinary people lack. I don’t know what chance you have, but that must be the reason why you can advance so fast and have such incredible strength.”
Jiang Qin instructed, “Since you have made your choice, go to the village library to find me tomorrow.”
…
There was a library in the village, but no one took it seriously. It was said that the combat skills stored in it were all low-leveled. After the Fishing Trial, Han Fei was allowed to enter the library at any time to choose combat skills to practice, but he forgot about it. Now standing in front of the old building, he wondered, Could there be any good stuff in this shabby building?
Jiang Qin saw Han Fei’s face and asked, “Why is that look on your face? Do you despise the library?”
“No! Haha… I just think the design of our village’s library is… Um… Very simple.”
Jiang Qin said calmly, “Not only you, many people despise this library and don’t believe there can be any books about advanced combat skills here. But who tells you that the more advanced the combat skills, the better?”
Han Fei tilted his head and looked at her. “Aren’t they?”
Jiang Qin shook her head. “The higher the level of a combat skill, the more difficult it is to practice. In contrast, the lower its level, the easier it is to practice. For a soul warrior, any combat skill that is practical is good. Even the worst combat skill can be used in combat, can’t it?”
Han Fei clicked his tongue. Although what Jiang Qin said seemed to make sense, no one really wanted a junk combat skill. Besides, even if it was a low-leveled combat skill in itself, it was not necessarily a low-leveled one in his hands! He had a Demon Purification Pot, right?
Jiang Qin gave him the first task. “Now go in! Choose the combat skills you are interested in and take them out.”
Han Fei asked, “How many books can I take out?”
“As many as you want. After all, even if you take them out, I will not necessarily let you learn them.”
Han Fei: “???”
There was only an old man guarding the library, who looked like a janitor. Han Fei glanced at him, wondering if this old man was a recluse master.
But this old man was so ordinary and looked as if he might die at any moment. Han Fei shook his head. How can there be so many recluse masters?
He entered the library. As he expected, it was dilapidated inside and the wooden floor creaked when he stepped on it. The bookshelves looked as if they would fall down at any moment and there were many clusters of spider webs in the corners. Oh, isn’t there a janitor here? How come there are so many spider webs?
Unlike what was said that the higher the level a combat skill was, the higher floor it would be placed on in the library, this library had only one floor.
Han Fei stepped forward and found that there were fingerprints on some books. Obviously, the library still had visitors, but there was too much dust here. Each time he touched a book, it would leave a fingerprint on the book. But there were still many books full of dust and without any fingerprints.
Han Fei glanced over.
Rod Skill, Fist Skill Outline, Fishing Skill, Iron Fist Art, Iron Fishing Rod, and Fish Chopping Knife… A bunch of books that gave him no desire to read were placed here.
Han Fei twitched the corner of his mouth. Since the village library was like this, the town library probably wouldn’t be better.
Not minding the dust, Han Fei searched all the way and looked at each book’s name. Whenever he found a book’s name pleasing to his eyes, he took it out and threw it on the ground and then chose from these books.
Seven Knife Choppings. The name looks nice. Keep it.
Ho, Infinite Cudgel, nice! Keep it.
Sword in Sleeve, it sounds like some hidden weapon. Keep it.
Windy Rod, um, maybe it can be useful. Keep it.
Rod Shaking Technique. Is it used for fishing? Can it be better than my Hook Kiss? Not interested.
…
More than half an hour later, Jiang Qin was stunned to see that Han Fei came out with a stack of books that was up to his chin.
Jiang Qin was helpless. “Can you read all these books?”
“No, help me choose some. I have selected a few books myself. I feel pretty good about them.”
Jiang Qin agreed. “Show me the books you’ve selected.”
Han Fei pulled out three books from the bottom, which were respectively, Wind and Waves Technique, The Strongest Invincible Rod Technique, and Sea-Splitting Sword Art.
Jiang Qin: “…”
Han Fei was still smug. It took him a lot of energy to find these three amazing books!
However, Jiang Qin frowned and threw these three books to the ground at random. “So you just choose your combat skills based on the name? Did you only pick those with nice names?”
Han Fei replied, “Yes! I think an author who can work out such an amazing name for his book must be somebody. Am I wrong?”
“The fisher who wrote the Sea-Splitting Sword Art, um, was somebody indeed. After finishing this book, he went to an ordinary fishery with a sword and was killed by a Blade Fish.”
Han Fei: “???”
Jiang Qin continued, “As for the author of the Wind and Waves Technique, he wrote this book as soon as he became a fishing master. Then he went to a level-one fishery to brave wind and waves but ended up being stabbed to death by a Sword Fish.”
Han Fei: “???”
Han Fei asked carefully, “Then what about the author of the The Strongest Invincible Rod Technique?”
Jiang Qin shot this one down too. “Well, he accidentally knocked himself to death with his rod.”
Han Fei: “???”