[Dharma’s Twelve Gates Golden Bell Shield - First Gate]-∞ (Exceptional: Pain -50%, Injuries -10%)
When He Xiaotian saw the first attribute, he was visibly taken aback.
Besides the Perfect Dao Foundation, which increased the power of all Daoist arts by fifty percent, this was the second time an attribute with a percentage sign had appeared.
Although it wasn’t a special attribute, in a way, it was even better than one.
A fifty percent reduction in pain didn’t look like much. It might even seem like a waste of over sixty thousand Experience Points.
But that wasn’t the case. Everyone has a limit to how much pain they can endure.
This "Pain -50%" attribute had essentially just raised He Xiaotian’s limit by a whole fifty percent.
At a critical moment, it could very well save his life.
As for the "Injuries -10%" attribute that followed, it was even more of a game-breaker.
’And this is only the First Gate of the Golden Bell Shield. What about the second, the third, or even the final gate? What would the attributes be like then? I can’t even imagine. And I shouldn’t underestimate 10%. An attack that should have been fatal would, with the "Injuries -10%" attribute, be reduced to a severe wound instead. It feels like sixty thousand Experience Points was a bargain.’
’Looks like I should tell the shopkeeper to keep an eye out for the remaining manuals for Dharma’s Twelve Gates Golden Bell Shield.’
The remaining 99,050 Experience Points were not enough for him to max out both of the remaining two skills.
He could only choose one of them.
After a moment of thought, He Xiaotian decided to upgrade the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Skill.
Before the world changed, this martial art was extremely famous, to the point that it eventually became as cliché and widespread as Golden Bell Shield, Iron Cloth Shirt, and Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Cross Training.
Any protagonist in a novel who practiced martial arts was bound to learn it.
He never imagined that today, his past complaints would actually apply to himself.
’But as the saying goes, it doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white; as long as it catches mice, it’s a good cat.’
He focused his Spirit and with a light tap, nearly one hundred thousand Experience Points drained away like a bursting dam. The sight was enough to make his heart bleed.
[Dragon Elephant Wisdom Skill - First Layer]-500/500 (Uninitiated) -> 1000/1000+ (Initiate) -> 2000/2000+ (Novice) -> 4000/4000+ (Adept) -> 8000/8000+ (Proficient) -> 16000/16000+ (Mastered) -> 32000/32000+ (Pinnacle) -> [Dragon Elephant Wisdom Skill - First Layer]-∞ (Exceptional).
A stream of pure, thick Inner Strength originated in his Dantian, flowing ceaselessly through the major meridians of his body.
His muscles, bones, and membranes all strengthened to varying degrees.
He could clearly feel his own strength surging.
This skill was the supreme Dharma Protector divine art of Esoteric Buddhism, divided into thirteen layers. The external power of its palm strikes was fierce and formidable. For each layer cultivated, one would gain the power of one dragon and one elephant. Upon reaching the thirteenth layer, one would possess the immense power of thirteen dragons and thirteen elephants.
When facing an enemy, there was no need for Inner Strength; a single palm strike could flatten a great mountain.
It was, one could say, the quintessential divine skill for any muscle-bound brawler.
Of course, such an extraordinary martial art inevitably had its flaws.
Because the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Skill was meant to be practiced in a gradual, step-by-step manner, there was no reason one couldn’t eventually master it.
Even a complete blockhead, if they followed the steps methodically, could certainly reach the thirteenth layer.
The only thing that was a total pain, however, was that unless you could live to be a thousand years old, you might as well just wash up and go to bed. Don’t even dream about it.
What was even more frustrating was that with this skill, more haste meant less speed.
If you practiced too intensely or progressed too quickly, you could die unexpectedly.
If He Xiaotian remembered correctly, the original source material had mentioned one unlucky soul.
This unlucky fellow practiced all the way from the first layer to the ninth, then, in one fell swoop, continued to advance with vigorous courage.
Unfortunately, as he was training to the tenth layer, a Heart Demon suddenly arose, and he lost all self-control.
He danced madly for seven days and seven nights before finally dying from his meridians rupturing.
’So, idiots need a thousand years, and geniuses go mad and die. This fucking skill is a goddamn trap.’
’I really have no idea how all those protagonists in other novels, the ones who got the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Skill and mastered it overnight, managed to avoid all these dangers.’
Of course, He Xiaotian was fearless. With the system in hand, he had nothing to worry about.
The only issue so far had been the self-immolation caused by the imbalance between the overwhelming Inner Strength from his Fire-refined Golden Body and his comparatively weak physical body.
Once the feeling of being strengthened subsided, He Xiaotian immediately checked his stats.
[Dragon Elephant Wisdom Skill - First Layer]-∞ (Exceptional: Strength +85, Constitution +20, Qi and Blood +20, Special Attribute - Heart-Tearing Dragon Claw Hand +1)]
He Xiaotian, the great brute, gulped. ’This is insane!!’
’Just the first layer gave me 85 points of Strength. Before this, all my martial arts combined only gave me a total of 128 points in Strength. And now, a single Dragon Elephant Wisdom Skill adds more than half of that amount on its own.’
’If I can collect all thirteen layers and cultivate them to grand completion...’
’Holy shit!’
’What in this world could possibly stop me then?’
’No matter the enemy, I’ll just slap them, and not even dust will be left.’
And with the bonus to Constitution and Qi and Blood, He Xiaotian just wanted to scream one thing.
"The power of the Dragon Elephant is awesome!" he bellowed, his voice cracking.
At this very moment, he didn’t care how much of a cliché the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Skill was. To him, it was the best thing ever.
After using the three secret manuals, he was left with only 33,550 of his two hundred thousand-plus Experience Points.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Hearing the knock, He Xiaotian got up and walked to the door.
"Boss, your mask."
It was his trio of lackeys, who had returned after buying the mask.
He Xiaotian reached out, took it, and examined it closely.
The mask was cast entirely from bronze, depicting the ferocious and terrifying face of a Rakshasa.
Two sharp, curved horns on its forehead jutted toward the heavens.
Between its brows was a cluster of crimson flames, radiating a menacing aura.
Three strange, golden patterns adorned each cheek, giving it an exceptionally sinister look.
All in all, "green-faced and long-fanged" was a fitting summary.
"You guys did this on purpose, didn’t you?"
He Xiaotian’s mouth twitched. If he wore this mask out on the street, he had no doubt that people would keep a ten-meter radius from him.
If he ran into the city’s Cleaners in the middle of the night, both sides would probably roll up their sleeves and get ready for a brawl.
Even if he ran into evil spirits, they would probably mistake him for one of their own.
There was no other reason for it; with this thing on his face, there was no way he could look like a good guy!!
"Hehe, Boss. This was our carefully chosen, unanimous decision. With your strength, your mask has to be awe-inspiring."
He Xiaotian: "..."
’You guys make a good point, I’m speechless... My ass!’
’I never would have guessed. You three wanderers are actually major chuunis.’
’What’s next, you want me to wear colored contacts and a hanfu robe?’
"Alright, you’re free for the afternoon. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the workplace." He Xiaotian dismissed the trio and prepared to head home. He needed to have his family move to the Imperial Garden, and he’d also draw some Daoist talismans for them to carry for protection.
That way, even if they ran into evil spirits, they could annihilate them with a turn of the hand.
’This mask in my hand? I’d better stick to a regular face mask for now. This thing is just too embarrassing!! If I go outside wearing this, people will think I’m a pervert.’