【Skill Extracted—Stone Skin (proficient)】
【Learn immediately?】
Jiang Lin looked at the system with satisfaction and silently selected the 【No】 option.
Before him was the familiar ceiling and Jiang Lin's wooden sword. Matt, whose throat was being pressed by the tip of that sword, still found the situation somewhat unbelievable.
He had actually been taken down by Jiang Lin with just two punches?
And he had been completely defeated in a head-on clash of pure strength?
But how was that possible?
Wasn't he just a level 3 paladin?
For knight-type classes without mounts, shouldn't their strength be lower than that of a warrior class at the same level?
And his own strength was superior even to warriors of his level, not to mention he was two levels higher than Jiang Lin...
"Good match."
Jiang Lin withdrew the tip of his sword. At the same time, he began to ponder a certain matter.
Did he need to buy a sharpened iron sword?
Otherwise, in the secret realm mid-term exam a few days from now, a wooden sword would have no lethality at all.
It was fine for fighting people, but if the secret realm mid-term exam required fighting demonic beasts, a wooden sword would be no different from a toy.
While Jiang Lin was thinking, the surrounding students erupted in a frenzy.
"Holy crap, Jiang Lin jumped two levels to beat Matt?!"
"And he took him down with only two punches?"
"Are you kidding me? Matt is considered one of the top combatants even in our tail-end class. Wasn't Jiang Lin part of the weakest group in the class?!"
"Is this the result of him seizing every moment to cultivate?"
"Hey, do you remember that rumor about Jiang Lin not sleeping at night?"
"Of course I remember, but is it really okay not to sleep at night?"
"I heard there are magic potions that can offset the effects of staying up late. Should we try them later?"
"Hiss, I think I'll observe for a while longer."
"I'm going to go back and try it..."
"..."
Due to the previous fight with Anya, where Anya had been suppressing her level and both had basically only used the 【Basic Swordsmanship】 skill, the crowd didn't have a very clear understanding of Jiang Lin's true combat power.
"I lost."
Matt stood up, looking somewhat dejected.
"You are indeed very strong. Even though I'm two levels higher than you, I was crushed in terms of strength. My skills are indeed inferior."
Jiang Lin shook his head.
"No, your strength is actually above mine, but your control over your own power isn't strong, and your application of that power isn't proficient enough. That's why you fell into a disadvantage during our exchange."
Pausing, Jiang Lin directly assumed the stance of 【Basic Punching】 and began to demonstrate in front of Matt.
"For example, that right straight punch just now—you need to use your right leg as the core, borrow power from the ground, and let your waist drive your right fist, twisting your entire body's strength into a single force to strike out all at once.
"The specific learning requires a lot of practice on your part in the future. You must turn these movements into instinct before you can use them effectively in battle."
Matt nodded in surprise.
"Thank you for the guidance."
He hadn't expected the usually unremarkable Jiang Lin to know so many combat techniques and have such high insights even into a non-primary skill.
Turning to the other students in the tail-end class, Jiang Lin said:
"You're all welcome to come and spar with me. After we spar, I will do my best to share some of my insights with you."
Upon hearing this, some students who hadn't originally intended to challenge Jiang Lin felt a surge of interest.
Jiang Lin's move was, naturally, to attract more people to duel him, thereby allowing him to copy skills or increase his skill proficiency.
And all of this looked quite different in Anya's eyes.
'Teaching and learning go hand in hand... It seems Excellency Jiang Lin is also a person who enjoys helping others and is obsessed with combat...'
Thinking this, her gaze toward Jiang Lin gained a few more hints of admiration.
...
Back in the classroom, the news of Jiang Lin's feat hadn't spread yet. Little Black, who had stayed in the room, was practicing the breathing technique alone.
After Jiang Lin sat down, he claimed the skill copied by the system.
The next moment, images began to surface before Jiang Lin's eyes.
He entered a space where he continuously practiced 【Stone Skin】, a low-level defensive skill.
From stumbling at the beginning to successfully releasing it after becoming initiated.
A layer of petrified skin appeared on his body. Although this petrified layer enhanced his defense, allowing him to resist slashing damage from swords, once the petrified layer appeared, he would be locked inside it and unable to move.
As time passed and his proficiency increased, the layer of stone skin gradually merged with his own skin, turning into a faint gray halo.
Although the original petrified layer had become a halo, the defense it provided didn't decrease; instead, it became even more resilient than before, making his skin harder to cut.
【Stone Skin (uninitiated) → (proficient)】
Having reached the proficient level of 【Stone Skin】, he could move while using it, though his movements were still slightly hindered.
To eliminate this slight obstruction, Jiang Lin would need to raise his proficiency from proficient to perfect or superlative.
After claiming the system reward, Jiang Lin also began to practice his breathing technique.
...
As more people returned to the classroom, the story of Jiang Lin's two-punch defeat of Matt began to spread.
"Two punches to blow away a level 5 warrior? Isn't he a swordsman?"
"He just threw his sword into the air and went in with his fists! Man, it was so cool at the time!"
"Exactly! And after he was done, he caught the wooden sword falling from the sky behind his back! I really want to learn that move!"
"Hey, I know that Matt. I remember him being pretty strong, right? At least stronger than us in the tail-end class! Getting into a Middle Magic Academy wouldn't be a problem for him!"
"Does that mean Jiang Lin has instantly become the number one in our class?"
"..."
At the same time, Anya returned to her class and conveyed Jiang Lin's message to a few of her friends. However, most of the students in the elite class were uninterested. After all, a student from the tail-end class wasn't worth their time to spar with.
Of course, a few people did take it to heart. After all, some students from the elite class who studied swordsmanship had been present when Jiang Lin fought Anya a few days ago.
Some among them also wanted to experience Jiang Lin's swordsmanship.
Only one person was not calm:
"What?! The first time is free?!
"Then what were the two silver coins I spent?!"
Zach was fuming and decided to go find Jiang Lin for another spar.
...
During the break, Zach ran from the elite class to the tail-end class, intending to challenge Jiang Lin to a duel.
But just as he reached the back door, he saw Jiang Lin sitting by the window in the back row, practicing his breathing technique.
'Practicing a breathing technique?
'Has he already entered a meditative state?
'Then I'll come back during the next break. After all, entering a meditative trance through a breathing technique takes some time.'
After a moment's thought, Zach decided not to disturb Jiang Lin.
Similarly, others who came to challenge Jiang Lin saw him practicing and turned to leave as well.
This continued until the next break.
"Hmm? Why is this guy Jiang Lin still practicing his breathing technique? Doesn't he get bored or tired practicing for so long?"
Zach was surprised.
He pulled over a student from the tail-end class and asked:
"How long does Jiang Lin usually practice like this?"
"Huh? He usually practices until after school when we've all left. As for how late he stays, I don't know."
Hearing this, Zach was shocked.
He wanted to see just how long Jiang Lin could persist.
With that, he silently left.
...
Time passed quickly, and soon it was time for school to end.
With the ringing of the bell, most students from the tail-end class rushed out of the classroom.
However, compared to yesterday, more people stayed behind to practice or study, stimulated by Jiang Lin's example.
This included Tie Chen and Dean, who had pulled an all-nighter the night before.
The physical constitution of an adventurer was not like that of a normal person. With the support of mental power, even after staying up all night, they wouldn't be so sleepy the next day that they couldn't keep their eyes open.
'If I don't sleep for the next few days, I should be able to raise my theory scores to the standard required by most Middle Magic Academies...'
Tie Chen thought to himself as he reviewed problems.
This sense of accomplishment made him feel fulfilled, and he wanted to keep it up.
'Once my theory knowledge reaches the passing line, I'll work hard to level up. If I can really be like Old Jiang and practice the breathing technique almost twenty-four hours a day, I can definitely reach level 5 before the final assessment. It might even be possible to reach level 6...
'What have I been doing for the past three years...'
There are always people who start regretting their choices the day before an exam, but it wasn't too late for Tie Chen to have his epiphany now.
Recalling how he had overheard other students saying Jiang Lin had defeated a level 5 warrior with two punches during the break, Tie Chen felt a sense of urgency, and his motivation grew stronger.
From the look of it, when he sparred with Old Jiang before, the other guy could have won even without using those dirty tricks.
But since he could win, why did he have to use such a dirty move?!
Every time he thought back to yesterday's battle, Tie Chen felt a lingering warmth in his pants.
Damn it, I have to make sure Old Jiang uses that move to prank someone else!
...
Since school was over, Zach walked directly into the tail-end class.
To his surprise, several of these supposedly good-for-nothing tail-end students had actually stayed behind to study or practice.
This scene was quite an eye-opener for Zach.
At the same time, he looked at the man himself.
In the fading light of the sunset, the clean-looking youth sat cross-legged at his desk, slowly performing meditative breathing. With every breath, the magic essence in the world slowly gathered toward him.
A black cat was also lying on the windowsill, seemingly sunbathing. However, to someone with sharp spiritual perception, they could see that magic essence was also slowly gathering toward the cat.
This scene was almost identical to when Zach had visited the tail-end class earlier.
Zach was amazed.
He was starting to feel stubborn; he wanted to see how much longer this guy Jiang Lin could stay in this state of meditative breathing.
So, he simply pulled over a stool, sat down not far from Jiang Lin, and also began to sit cross-legged to practice his breathing technique.
At the same time, a beautiful figure appeared at the classroom door. With golden hair in a high ponytail and golden eyes, she locked onto the two people in the classroom.
Anya was surprised:
'Why are both of them practicing breathing techniques here?'
She had heard from some classmates that Jiang Lin would practice for a long time after school, so she had come to investigate.
And so, she witnessed the scene before her.
She mused for a moment, then followed Zach's lead by dragging over a stool and began practicing the paladin breathing technique not far from Jiang Lin.
Not long after, several other elite class students, who had taken a while to find where the tail-end class was, also saw this.
They didn't know Jiang Lin, but they knew Anya, the rank one student, and Zach, the rank two student.
What was going on? Why were the top two students in the grade here?!
Why were they all practicing breathing techniques?
There must be a reason for them doing this!
...
Jiang Lin, who was in the middle of his practice, frowned slightly.
'What's going on?'
'Why did so many more presences suddenly start absorbing magic essence?'
'Are these tail-end classmates stimulated?'
'Why are they copying me like this?'
'If you guys work this hard, it's hard for me not to work twice as hard!'
Thinking that so many classmates in the tail-end class were starting to catch up, Jiang Lin felt a strange sense of urgency.
Only Tie Chen, who was working on problems nearby, was quite startled.
Several of the people present were famous figures in their grade.
As the top student of the tail-end class, he had naturally heard of these people.
Though he was a bit confused, he decided to continue studying.
'The elite class students are working so hard; I have to work even harder!'
...
Time passed quickly, and soon it was the time Jiang Lin usually left school.
He frowned slightly.
'Since when could these tail-end classmates stay so composed? Those additional presences from earlier haven't broken once since they started, unlike before when they'd stop after a while due to distraction or other reasons.'
It wasn't until he stopped his meditative breathing and opened his eyes that he was startled.
He saw four or five unfamiliar figures around him.
He recognized two of them: one was Anya and the other was Zach. The others he only had a slight impression of; they seemed to be from the elite class, but he didn't know them.
'What's the situation?!'
Seeing that several of them had somehow found stools and were sitting there practicing breathing techniques, Jiang Lin began to think:
'Even the elite class students have started practicing after school. Should I leave now?'
'If the rank one student is still practicing, won't me—the rank last student—leaving make me look like I have a lack of ambition and am not working hard enough?'
'Anyway, going home is just changing locations to practice the breathing technique. Since there are so many people accompanying me at school, I'll wait for them to leave first...'
Thinking this, Jiang Lin quickly entered a meditative state again and resumed his meditative breathing.
...
Zach's mood currently wasn't very pleasant.
As the first person to imitate Jiang Lin's after-school meditative breathing, he was now being cornered by the people who came later.
With Anya, the rank one student, practicing ahead of him, taking the lead to leave would make him look arrogant.
With other high-ranking students behind him, leaving first would give him the illusion that he was being overtaken.
Furthermore, this degenerate Jiang Lin from the tail-end class didn't show the slightest intention of leaving.
'Is this guy even human? Why can he endure so much?'
'Doesn't he have an old grandpa in his ring? Why does he still need to do the meditative breathing himself?'
'Fine, I'll just wait for someone else to leave first, then I'll go...'
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