Chapter 5

4. The Yellow Dragon Team's Target

The Banya Shin Gong, one of the highest techniques of Shaolin.

In the past, this profound skill was only taught to the top disciples of Shaolin, but now that the martial lineage of Shaolin has been severed and all techniques have been leaked, it has ended up in the Ten Thousand Dragons Pavilion, gathering dust.

Generally, the sects that produce experts are already large sects with many experts, and it is difficult to become an expert unless one is a disciple of an expert.

Outstanding talent and tireless effort are prerequisites, and the guidance of a master to reduce all kinds of trial and error is necessary for a new expert to be born.

The Banya Shin Gong is a profound and difficult martial art that few achieved even when Shaolin was the supreme sect in the martial world.

It is inappropriate to practice in the Hidden Dragon Academy, where there is no one to share enlightenment or provide advice on Buddhist teachings.

Xiaozhongtian roughly understood why Chuo Ming was showing a serious attitude.

And at the same time,

The mission was completed.

"Shit."

I was wondering how to get people's attention, but to solve the mission this way.

Out of frustration, I inadvertently swore.

And the atmosphere around me turned cold.

"Did you just say that to me?"

Chuo Ming's lips trembled.

"What? Oh! No!"

Xiaozhongtian, realizing he was being misunderstood, was startled and denied it, but it was too late to fix the situation.

Xiaozhongtian felt a chill run down his spine when he met Chuo Ming's eyes.

'Oh, he's trying to kill me with his eyes. Is this what they call killing intent...?'

"You don't seem to like the mention of Shaolin's secret techniques. You chose a Shaolin martial art, so you must have some connection with them, right?"

Chuo Ming bared his teeth as if he wanted to devour him and continued in a harsh tone.

"Xiaozhongtian, I believe you had a plan in mind when you made this choice. Let's see how you progress from now on."

Xiaozhongtian shivered.

'I'm in trouble. I'm in a real mess, aren't I?'

He wanted to blend in with the other students and quietly explore the growth system through the lottery, but it seemed something had gone wrong on the first day.

He felt like crying a little.

* * *

"You seemed to be out of your mind from the beginning."

"..."

"Choosing a martial art to complement your weaknesses, and then suddenly deciding to learn a new internal cultivation technique, what kind of crazy move is that?"

Xiaozhongtian, sitting against the wall, sighed as Chao Yinghao's voice filled the room with criticism.

'Damn it. My weakness is the internal cultivation technique, you bastard!'

He wanted to yell, but knew that starting an argument would not yield a good result, so he only grumbled to himself.

"Come on, stop it. There must be a reason, as the instructor said. Even though Shaolin's martial lineage has been severed, the martial arts themselves haven't been completely abandoned, so it's still possible to learn them. And it seems you, Zhongtian, were already practicing Buddhist martial arts. So it makes sense, right?"

If it's the same type of martial art, starting anew won't completely contradict the existing martial arts, making it different from starting from scratch.

Xiaozhongtian couldn't bring himself to say no to Zhang Zijun's question, so he just kept his gaze fixed on the wall.

"Tch! No matter what, can you really achieve anything by learning a new cultivation technique from now until graduation? Or even make it to the Green Dragon Team next year?"

The training program at the Hidden Dragon Academy lasts three years, progressing through the Yellow Dragon Team, Green Dragon Team, and White Dragon Team.

Just entering the academy doesn't guarantee safety, as annual evaluations determine promotion, and failing these evaluations means immediate expulsion without the option of repeating the year.

Less than half of the students manage to graduate, so those who have experience in the Green Dragon Team or White Dragon Team often flaunt it.

"Learning a new cultivation technique is like starting over from scratch, isn't it? Everyone knows that group performance in missions is part of the evaluation. To be paired with such a burden!"

"Stop it, Yinghao. You don't need to say so much. We haven't even seen everyone's skills yet. How do you know Zhongtian won't perform well in the missions? Calm down."

"..."

Chao Yinghao grumbled and turned his body.

Amidst the noise, Hansahui remained silent, sitting in her seat with her eyes closed, not interacting with anyone.

'Now it's a bit quieter.'

The room became peaceful as Chao Yinghao fell silent.

As the atmosphere settled, Xiaozhongtian recalled the appraisal form he had obtained through the mission.

'Now that I think about it, I should appraise the colorless medicinal herb. I was so busy I forgot about it.'

When he opened his inventory and clicked on the appraisal form, a notification appeared.

Just as he was about to appraise the colorless medicinal herb he had obtained through the lottery,

"…If I could change my fundamentals."

Hansahui, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

The men in the room, who had not heard a word from Hansahui, reflexively turned their attention to her.

"Ah!"

Xiaozhongtian was the most surprised, not just because of the unexpected words but because the appraisal form had been used on her.

'Appraisal can be used on people too.'

His concentration was disrupted, and he looked at Hansahui, but he hadn't expected that appraising a person was possible.

'But her stats are much higher than mine? We're the same age, but there's such a big difference.'

The only stat where Xiaozhongtian was slightly ahead was his perception, which was in the high 80s, while the rest of his stats were inferior to Hansahui's.

Her bone and muscle stat, which was over 90, was particularly impressive.

'They did say her martial arts skills were similar to the other selected children. If her talent is at this level, it's considered high for someone my age.'

In martial arts novels, it's common to see great masters taking in children with excellent bone and muscle as disciples.

Given that Hansahui's highest stat is bone and muscle, it seems that this is the most important attribute for learning martial arts.

Anyway, even though he used the appraisal form on the wrong target, he learned that appraising people is possible and gained some comparative information, which was a benefit.

'The only martial art with a displayed achievement is the Shadow Palm. Can't appraise everything, I guess.'

Most martial arts are divided into 10 levels of achievement based on proficiency, with a 10-star achievement being considered a great success.

Seeing that the Shadow Palm was at 3 stars and the rest were marked with question marks, it seemed there were some limitations to the appraisal.

'Using the appraisal form, but being able to easily grasp such information in this reality. It's unrealistic in some ways.'

While Xiaozhongtian was examining the information window that appeared from the appraisal, Chao Yinghao changed his attitude and spoke to Hansahui.

"Ahem! Miss Han, what did you say just now?"

"..."

Hansahui, who had spoken, did not answer and closed her mouth tightly again.

"Ah! My throat is dry. I'll go get some water."

Chao Yinghao, feeling embarrassed, turned red and muttered to himself as he left the room.

Xiaozhongtian closed the information window and moved his gaze back to his inventory.

'Now I really need to appraise the medicinal herb.'

He used the appraisal form again, targeting the colorless medicinal herb.

He had some expectations, but the name that appeared was different from what he had imagined.

'Ginseng? It's too low-grade to be called a medicinal herb.'

Ginseng.

Even someone who knows little about medicinal herbs would have heard of this common herb.

'Even a wild ginseng would be better than this. So, the colorless grade is indeed the least useful.'

A 30-year-old ginseng might have good medicinal effects, but it seems too low-grade to be called a medicinal herb.

Xiaozhongtian checked the information on the ginseng that appeared in his inventory.

'Ha! Look at the description. But how do I consume it?'

It's not a proper medicinal herb, but it still needs to be consumed. He wondered if he could take it out of his inventory.

By poking it with his imaginary fingers, he found out that he could use it directly from the inventory without the need for such a hassle.

'Of course, I need to use it.'

As he confirmed this, a new notification appeared.

"Ah!"

He felt a warm sensation in his stomach, which then disappeared.

Checking the information window, he saw that his internal energy, which was 1.36, had increased to 1.37.

'So, it does increase my internal energy, even if it's just a little. A common herb like ginseng actually increases my internal energy. It must be because it's part of the game system.'

0.01 is a very small increase, but considering it's a colorless-grade item, it's understandable.

If he could obtain higher-grade treasures through the lottery, he expected to see much greater growth.

'To survive in this world, growth in martial arts is essential. To become stronger, the lottery is the answer, I guess. If I keep getting daily rewards and missions like today... '

He doesn't want to train and sweat like others.

Since he's been thrown into a game world, he wants to grow as conveniently as leveling up a game character.

'But I can't do nothing. Since I've been marked by the instructor, I need to show some effort.'

After finishing his task, Xiaozhongtian sat cross-legged and recalled the Banya Shin Gong.

'I thought it would be a jackpot, but it turned out to be a dud. Ugh... Is it really that hard to learn? The techniques do seem like abstract concepts... '

Once a martial art is registered, it can't be replaced with another.

Now, he has to delve into what he chose, whether it turns out well or not.

'Let's see how hard it is.'

He couldn't remember the overall techniques, but he had memorized the initial method of circulating the inner energy, which was complex but manageable.

'So... from the Huiyin point on the Conception Vessel to the Tai Duan point on the Governor Vessel...'

The energy he absorbed through breathing moved through his body according to his will.

'Then through the Yintang, Chengjiang, and Chong Vessel, from the Yinwei Vessel to the Yangwei Vessel...'

The meridians and acupoints he would have never known if he had entered this world without any knowledge.

If he hadn't had the memories in his body, he would have had to study for a long time before even attempting to learn the technique.

With ten years of experience in cultivating internal energy, handling the energy itself wasn't difficult.

However, just breathing and circulating the energy doesn't mean he has mastered the technique.

To achieve the minimum 1-star proficiency, he needs to form a qi nucleus in his dantian through repeated circulation of the inner energy.

Xiaozhongtian focused on practicing the Banya Shin Gong, repeatedly inhaling and exhaling energy.

Time passed, the day changed, and dawn arrived.

"Ah!"

Xiaozhongtian, who had fallen asleep late due to his practice, woke up to an alert, just like the previous day.

Chapter 6 of the Strongest Martial World Lottery