After browsing for a while, Rowan found himself unimpressed by anything ranked below B-tier. So, he updated the filters only A-tier and above.
Suddenly, only a sparse handful of manuals remained just over a dozen in total.
Of those, only two were blade techniques.
Mantis Leaf Swift Blade
Category: Blade Technique
Rating: A-tier
Price: ¥300 million (full), ¥150 million (discounted requires 2-star contribution)
Thunderclap Draw Slash
Category: Blade Technique
Rating: S-tier
Price: ¥500 million (full), ¥250 million (discounted requires 1-star contribution)
(Note: Requires psychic force to practice)
Rowan glanced at Mantis Leaf Swift Blade and quickly dismissed it it was designed for dual-wielders, and that wasn't his style.
But the second one, Thunderclap Draw Slash, piqued his interest.
It had been developed by a late War God-tier martial artist. Since the creator had passed away, proceeds from the manual were paid to his surviving family, making it notably cheaper than most S-tier techniques.
Rowan dove into the description and instantly, the technique's mechanics fascinated him.
Thunderclap Draw Slash was the culmination of years spent mastering the art of the quick draw. But more uniquely, it blended psychic force into the strike.
Traditional quick-draw styles relied on the friction between the blade and its scabbard to build up tension and release it explosively maximizing speed and power.
But this technique used psychic force instead.
While preparing to draw, the practitioner applied a restraining force with their mind, holding the blade back like pulling a bowstring taut. Then, in the moment of the draw, they released the restraint and simultaneously projected psychic energy forward, as if launching the blade with an invisible bow.
The resulting slash combined raw physical strength, built-up momentum, and a burst of psychic acceleration.
The synergy of all three could produce an attack far beyond the practitioner's current power level.
Rowan's eyes gleamed.
The technique reminded him of Phantom Lance Strike, a move used by the alien warlord Katran in the original story. Katran had fused psychic energy and brute force in his spear throws, devastating even stronger opponents.
Thunderclap Draw Slash followed a similar principle except with the added dimension of stored tension.
"This is it. I'll take it," Rowan muttered.
He clicked the Purchase button without hesitation.
Hybrid techniques that integrated martial skill with psychic power were incredibly rare. And at such a low price, this one was a steal.
He placed his finger on the biometric scanner again.
With that purchase complete, his thoughts began to shift.
If none of the standard martial arts stood out to him, what about the manuals for psychics?
Psychic combatants weren't exactly common on Earth, but they weren't unicorns either. Surely some of them had developed unique fighting methods.
He refined his search filters again this time, to psychic arts manuals.
The marketplace updated.
Only three entries appeared.
"That's it?" Rowan blinked, a little surprised.
But after thinking it through, it made sense.
High-ranking psychic warriors were extremely rare. Most of them were also wealthy and had no incentive to sell their signature techniques online. At best, they might share knowledge through private mentorships or exclusive guilds.
Besides, selling such knowledge could make them vulnerable rivals or enemies might study their techniques for weaknesses.
As for lower-ranked psychics, most barely had enough spiritual force to experiment with anything useful. Let alone develop viable manuals.
Rowan read the titles of the three available entries:
Psychic Shock
Category: Psychic Arts
Rating: SS-tier
Price: ¥500 million
Beast Whisperer
Category: Psychic Arts
Rating: SS-tier
Price: ¥600 million
Facial Morphing
Category: Psychic Arts
Rating: A-tier
Price: ¥200 million
"Psychic Shock, Beast Whisperer, and… Facial Morphing?"
Rowan read the titles aloud, amused. Despite their simplicity, the names were oddly intriguing.
He tapped on the description for Psychic Shock first.
After scanning it, he nodded slightly. It wasn't completely useless just rudimentary.
This was a basic psychic assault compressing spiritual energy into a focused mental "spike" and jabbing it into an opponent's mind.
Crude, but effective on weaker targets.
According to the description, it could only affect enemies who were at least three tiers below the user in spiritual strength.
Rowan was currently a Junior Warrior-class psychic, so using Psychic Shock would only have any noticeable effect on low-level fighters.
But he didn't mind.
"Even if it's primitive, it'll expand my toolkit," he said.
He purchased it immediately.
Two months of selling rice had netted him over ¥10 billion. Most of that had gone into buying chromium-alloy, but he still had a few billion left.
At just ¥250 million (discounted), Psychic Shock was well within budget.
And soon, once he sold the Extremis Virus formula to Limit Hall, money would never be a problem again.
He moved on to the next manual Beast Whisperer.
Its concept was simple but intriguing: using psychic force to establish a mental link with monsters or beasts, forming a primitive bond through mutual understanding.
Basically, a very roundabout way of becoming "friends" with a creature.
To a psychic on Earth, this technique might be unremarkable but to Rowan, it was valuable.
In the Marvel world, even the lowest-ranked beast soldier from his universe could probably go toe-to-toe with someone like Captain America.
If he could tame a few of them… the strategic advantage would be massive.
He hit Purchase again.
Then came the last manual Facial Morphing.
Rowan opened it… and couldn't help but laugh.
No wonder it was only rated A-tier and priced so cheaply.
The technique used psychic energy to manipulate facial powder, creating a superficial disguise. Then, by subtly refracting light, it could "remodel" the face's appearance in real-time.
It was, essentially, advanced psychic makeup.
In fact, a skilled makeup artist with enough tools and time could probably achieve the same effect. But this method required no tools and worked instantly.
Once mastered, the user could alter their face in seconds.
Still, Rowan bought it.
"Never know when I'll need a new face," he muttered. "When it comes to shady business, every alias counts."
With these purchases complete, he had no further interest in exploring the manuals for now.
So, he opened the Weapons Marketplace instead.
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