Chapter 292: Section 80: Am I very stupid?
The light from the coral rippled across the sea floor, illuminating the path ahead.
The leader of the trading caravan, Old Brown Scale, was walking side by side with the Mayor’s wife, the Fishman Shaman.
“Two days have passed; how has Benbo been faring?” The Fishman Shaman with a full beard of fish whiskers, hunched back, and bowed spine, leaned on her walking stick and asked as they moved forward.
“Oh, he’s recently been cultivating the Red Scale Frenzy,” Old Brown Scale chuckled.
The Fishman Shaman’s wife looked at Old Brown Scale in surprise, “You actually passed on your treasured Combat Skill to him so easily?”
“I think that originally, after tutoring Suancai for six years, you finally taught him this technique. And before that, you set a challenging test.”
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“Suancai endured many hardships to complete the test. He sustained serious injuries multiple times and returned. I had to intervene and heal him just to save his life.”
Old Brown Scale nodded, “This Dao technique is very precious; how else to make Suancai appreciate it without setting a challenge?”
“Of course, the main reason is that the technique itself has significant flaws.”
“It originated from a Fire Element elder. He was a Fire Element Druid who adventured across the world. On one occasion, he had an accident exploring an undersea volcano and was unexpectedly rescued by my ancestors.”
“To repay the life-saving grace of my ancestors, this Druid passed on his Dao technique.”
“Of course, this Dao technique is suitable for the Fire Element and not for us Fishmen.”
“My family has cultivated this Dao technique generation after generation, slowly refining it, and that is how I acquired the Red Scale Frenzy I now possess.”
“Despite the Fishmen’s many generations of refinement, the Red Scale Frenzy still has significant drawbacks.”
“If it is maintained for too long, the user’s body temperature will rapidly rise. If they don’t stop in time and insist on continuing, their blood will boil, and this technique will cook them alive; by then, all of their scales will be seared red.”
“And in the later stages of wielding this technique, the user’s muscles, bones, and brain will be affected by the heat, causing our movements to severely warp. Even though you intend to slash straight with your Dao, your actual attack path becomes highly distorted.”
“Because of these two points, it’s hence called the Red Scale Frenzy.”
Having heard Old Brown Scale’s detailed and frank explanation, the Fishman Shaman had an epiphany, “No wonder you set such a test for Suancai. You also wanted to use the test to enhance Suancai’s abilities, allowing him to have the strength to overcome the drawbacks of the Red Scale Frenzy.”
Old Brown Scale laughed heartily, “Yes, cultivating this technique is highly difficult.”
“For Benbo to master it proficiently, he would need at least a couple of months. I remember it took me a month and a half.”
“Currently, he is doing the foundational exercises, slashing at undersea rocks with his Dao.”
“In fact, this practice will run through the entire cultivation of the technique. Even I, after a period of time, will slash at rocks for a while to maintain my standard.”
“We’re almost there.”
Many rocks appeared ahead, submerged underwater.
Most rocks were predominantly yellow, with the occasional white rocks interspersed.
This was a stone field not far from the Fishman village.
For Fishmen, it was an essential resource site since their everyday tools were mostly stone. Even their weapons and equipment were primarily stony in nature.
The lighting within the rock field was dim, with not many light-emitting corals around.
The current was gentle, with few swift undercurrents.
The Fishman Shaman and Old Brown Scale walked into the stone field.
With her old and dim eyes, the Fishman Shaman noticed two sets of footprints on the ground: “Is Suancai here too?”
Old Brown Scale smiled, “I had Suancai come here specially to demonstrate the Red Scale Frenzy’s Dao technique to Benbo, but I instructed Suancai not to provide any further guidance.”
The Fishman Shaman paused slightly then let out a light chuckle, “That’s so like you, Old Brown Scale.”
She quickly understood the ingenuity of his approach.
On one hand, it was to show Benbo the tremendous power of a mastered Red Scale Frenzy Dao technique, strongly enticing him to continue his studies.
Secondly, during Benbo’s practice, displaying a more powerful attack effect would create a stark contrast with Suancai. With contrast comes disparity, compelling Benbo to humble himself and seek guidance from Old Brown Scale.
Thirdly, hadn’t Benbo just challenged and defeated Suancai? By showing his strength, Suancai would humble Benbo, quelling his victor’s arrogance and making it easier for Suancai to manage him in the future.
Receiving praise from the Fishman Shaman, Old Brown Scale sighed deeply, “Ah, I’m getting old. I hope to do more for our town while I’m still alive. If Benbo stays in town, our town will have one more Black Iron Fighter.”
“He has also learned my Combat Skill. In the future, when Suancai inherits my mantle and position, he could serve as Suancai’s deputy, helping to share the burden.”
“But it’s a pity, neither of them possesses the right Bloodline; at best, they’re Black Iron. If back then our town had a Silver Level Fighter, we wouldn’t have been overrun by Dao Fin Town…”
“Let it be, there’s no need to bring up the past,” the Fishman Shaman sighed softly, interrupting Old Brown Scale’s words.
They pushed deeper into the stone field.
A stone marked with several Dao Hen caught their eyes.
They paused to look. Old Brown Scale laughed, “This must be Benbo’s work. Look, there are only five Dao Hen on the rock.”
“He didn’t make a sixth cut; he feels the difficulty of this Dao technique for the first time.”
“It’s hard for beginners to maintain Red Scale Frenzy since it requires divided attention. On one hand, maintaining the circulation of Fighting Energy, and on the other, controlling their Dao’s trajectory. The route for Fighting Energy circulation is complicated and needs a vast amount of practice, training it until it becomes instinctive, only then can the Red Scale Frenzy be sustained for a long time.”
Old Brown Scale’s voice carried a hint of pride.
Caressing the stone surface’s Dao Hen, he reminisced, “I remember when I first learned, driven by determination, I fought tiredness for three days and nights to finally leave more than ten consecutive Dao Hen on a rock.”
The two continued on their way.
The stones marked with Dao Hen were the best guideposts.
After going through over a dozen stones like this, Old Brown Scale’s face changed, and he let out a “Hmm.”
The Fishman Elder Shaman fixed his gaze and saw that the cuts on the stone had broken through ten, ascending directly to fifteen.
Old Brown Scale felt somewhat embarrassed.
“Haha, it seems that this runner indeed has talent.”
“My judgment is always accurate.”
“I’m very relieved that he has entered the elementary stage so quickly.”
“However, the difficult part is still to come.”
“To truly master it, each strike must split the stone apart.”
“Back then, it took me a full seven days to reach this step. But that achievement was already very good, and my father praised me vehemently.”
“Running only leaves marks; there’s still a long way to go.”
Old Brown Scale shook his head.
As they walked a little further, Old Brown Scale’s complexion clearly changed again.
He discovered boulders that had been split open.
Pieces of rock, clearly cleaved by a blade, lay scattered about the base of the boulder.
“What is this?!” Old Brown Scale examined in astonishment, deducing the blade wielder’s trajectory from the chopped side of the rubble. It was clearly not the work of an amateur; the trajectory of the blade matched the previous marks. Could it be that Runner had managed to split the stones?
“My gods, how long has it been!” Old Brown Scale marveled in his heart.
The Fishman Elder Shaman smiled at him: “That must be Runner’s work, right? There’s still a large part of this stone unsplit. I know that Sauerkraut can chop an entire boulder into pieces.”
Old Brown Scale coughed twice: “Not bad, not bad, Runner has somewhat surprised me.”
“He has mastered this Combat Skill faster than I did.”
“However, that’s not a big deal. He still hasn’t broken the record of my grandfather’s grandfather.”
Old Brown Scale struggled to maintain the dignity of his predecessors.
He laughed, pointing at the partly split stone: “He didn’t continue chopping, surely because he couldn’t control it any longer. You see, the power of the last few strikes increased, but the direction drifted, which indicates that Runner couldn’t control it.”
“Although he has initially grasped this Combat Skill, he has also encountered the greatest difficulty in Cultivation of this skill.”
“Hahaha, even though I wasn’t here at the time, I can imagine the young lad frowning in deep thought.”
“Next, he’ll inevitably seek Sauerkraut’s guidance.”
“Sauerkraut will demonstrate what it really means to master the Red Scale Frenzied Blade skill.”
“He will feel the gap. At the same time, he’ll be very fortunate, glad that he managed to launch a successful attack early on, not allowing Sauerkraut to fully exhibit his skills.”
The two old Fishmen continued on their way.
Along the path, they discovered more and more stone fragments.
Old Brown Scale stopped in his tracks, pointing at a stone: “Haha, this was chopped by Sauerkraut. I’m very familiar with his blade trajectory; I can tell at a glance.”
“The one next to it must be Runner’s work, the difference is clear.”
The Elder Shaman nodded in agreement.
The boulder chopped by Sauerkraut was reduced to a stool-sized base. The stone Runner chopped still had over half remaining.
They walked a few more steps.
The pair discovered a second set of split boulders.
It was immediately obvious who had chopped them.
Old Brown Scale laughed: “Fish can’t get off the hook, they’re in a contest. I know Runner well, stubborn and wild. Having lost once, he surely can’t be content; he would definitely drag Sauerkraut into a second and a third challenge.”
“He will lose miserably.”
“He will clearly recognize the strength of Sauerkraut!”
Sure enough, the subsequent pairs of boulders bore the most direct evidence, confirming Old Brown Scale’s guess.
Because they needed to select suitably massive stones for the challenge, Runner and Sauerkraut didn’t stay in one place but kept moving further in.
The two old Fishmen followed their footsteps, moving forward.
Each time, it was Runner who lost the contest.
But Old Brown Scale’s expression gradually changed.
He realized that the gap between the two was narrowing. And the rate at which it was closing was accelerating!
This discovery shocked him!
Without question, Runner’s rate of improvement had exceeded all records known to him.
Finally, they met Sauerkraut.
Amidst a pile of rubble, Sauerkraut stood still as if he were a stone statue.
Not until Old Brown Scale called his name three times did Sauerkraut react with a dazed “Ah”.
He looked at Old Brown Scale with a lost soul: “Master, am I… am I very stupid?”