Nine Heavenly Tomes, corresponding to nine common traits.
Unlike unique traits, common traits have levels, from Lv. 1 to Lv. 9. Their values increase with each level. The maximum for a normal character is Lv. 8; only by possessing the corresponding Heavenly Tome can a common trait be raised to Lv. 9.
The names and effects of these nine common traits are as follows.
Innate: Gain an additional percentage-based bonus to your maximum Internal Breath.
(Increased by practicing normal cultivation methods.)
Adamantine: Gain a fixed, level-based increase to your base Physique strength.
(Increased by withstanding attacks and practicing body-tempering cultivation methods.)
Overwhelm: When your overall rating is higher than an enemy's, gain a percentage-based damage increase and damage reduction equal to half that amount, based on the level difference.
(Increased by quickly and efficiently defeating those with a lower overall rating.)
Godspeed: Gain additional Internal Breath burst speed.
(Increased by practicing lightness skills and similar events.)
Duel: When both your party and the enemy's party consist of only one person, or when all other combatants can be fully affected by 'Overwhelm' from you and the main enemy, gain a level-based percentage increase to Physique strength.
(Increased by completing one-on-one duels against strong enemies and winning.)
Martial Prowess: Based on the 'Martial Prowess' level difference between you and the enemy, inflict a percentage-based Physique strength suppression corresponding to that difference.
(Increased by accumulating prestige through winning multiple major battles consecutively.)
Adversity: You gain a percentage-based damage increase and damage reduction equal to half that amount, based on your missing health.
(Increased by fighting and winning against enemies with a higher overall rating.)
Unrivaled: Gain a certain percentage-based increase to Physique strength based on the number of enemies.
(Increased by winning group battles where you are outnumbered.)
Clear Mirror: Reduce the duration of control from soul-stealing techniques and lower the probability of being plagued by inner demons.
(Increased through special story events.)
The methods for improving most common traits involve combat. However, the game doesn't fully endorse mindless grinding. Leo Young remembered that farming mobs on the map yielded almost zero common trait experience. In contrast, most story battles, as long as you won, would grant enormous amounts of common trait experience. Even losing certain story battles could lead to significant improvements. In a way, it was a case of "training makes a beggar, wandering makes a great hero."
In the game, this was a design that encouraged players to explore side quests and reject mindless grinding. The game's massive scale and abundant side quests were more than enough to support this design. But now... all Leo Young could say was that the feeling was truly bizarre.
["The nine Heavenly Tomes... If I find them all, will it be useful? The place I return to... will it be my world?"]
Leo Young didn't dwell on such matters for too long. He had always been good at letting things go.
["Whatever, I'll just take it one step at a time."]
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Early the next morning.
Thanks to his lack of a nightlife, Leo Young had been forced into the early-to-bed, early-to-rise routine of an old man. Seeing that it was still early and figuring no one would come looking for him, he changed his clothes and decided to go for a morning run—practicing internal arts did improve one's physique, but it was best for both to advance in tandem.
—Of course, the more... characteristic way of improving in this world was actually to get beaten up in story battles...
"Hah... hah..."
The scenery on Zhenwu Mountain was magnificent. Leo Young maintained a slow jog, exercising at an unhurried pace. Many disciples on Zhenwu Mountain were early risers; while the sky was still dim at the break of dawn, many were already up practicing their skills.
After managing to run a kilometer and a half, although he still had some energy left, Leo Young didn't want to get drenched in sweat today. He began to stroll slowly back.
Along the way, he passed a huge plaza where a few disciples in Daoist robes were scattered about. This was the place where Zhenwu Mountain disciples practiced their martial arts daily.
Leo Young had already received his Zhenwu Mountain Daoist robes the day before. Though he wasn't officially registered yet, he was already a disciple in practice. Watching here now, he wasn't worried about breaking any martial world rules, so he decided to observe for a while.
But after running for a while, his back was sore and his knees were weak; even standing felt tiring. Sitting or squatting on the ground wouldn't be very dignified. Leo Young scanned the area and walked towards a corner of the plaza. A few bluestone tables were set up there, where senior members of Zhenwu Mountain and some well-dressed pilgrims gathered in small groups. They were either pointing at certain disciples, their expressions showing satisfaction or utter disdain, or they were engrossed in fierce battles of strategy over the tabletops.
"Oh? It seems we're quite fated to meet." As soon as Leo Young drew near, he heard a woman's teasing voice. Turning his head, he saw it was the woman he had met on his way up the mountain the day before. She was seated at a bluestone table, playing a game of strategy against an old man with the air of an immortal.
After she had left yesterday, Leo Young had learned some information about her while chatting with Xu He.
Her surname was Fang, and her given name was Ying. She was the second disciple of Su Tianqing, the Sect Master of Zhenwu Mountain and wielder of the Heavenly Punishment Sword. Her age was unknown. She had joined the sect with her skills already developed, and her martial cultivation was exceptionally high; almost no disciple on the mountain was her match. Furthermore, her personality was rather self-centered.
Yesterday, Leo Young hadn't even joined the sect yet and was a complete outsider. Yet Xu He had used the word 'self-centered'—a pejorative term in any era or place. This showed that it was a universally acknowledged fact on Zhenwu Mountain, to the point that there was no need to sugarcoat it for outsiders.
Now, Fang Ying was displaying this very self-centered attitude, calling out to Leo Young as if no one else was around.
Unable to run any longer, Leo Young walked over slowly, his peripheral vision casually sweeping over the Zhenwu Mountain disciples.
Had it been anyone else, no matter how high their Comprehension, they wouldn't have been able to discern anything. Merely observing the form of a martial art is useless; it must be paired with the circulation routes of Internal Breath within the body and its verbal incantations. Otherwise, it's just a 'fighting technique'.
If Leo Young had just arrived, it wouldn't have mattered if he were ten times smarter. However, over these past few days, he had gained a certain understanding of the principles of martial arts, and now he could actually make out a few things.
[Flowing Water Swordplay]
[An introductory swordplay of Zhenwu Mountain. It follows the momentum of flowing water and has no practical combat application. Practicing this swordplay can nourish the physique, dispel hidden injuries, and prolong life.]
[Cultivation Requirement: Comprehension 7]
[Cultivation Formula: 15y]
(In the cultivation formula, x defaults to Constitution, and y defaults to Comprehension)
[Current Realm: Utterly Clueless (0/7000)]
[Final Experience Gain Multiplier: 14.38]
(Because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him.)
Both were entry-level techniques, yet the final experience gain multipliers for the internal art and the martial art were worlds apart. This was determined by the nature of each. Internal arts required martial aptitude, whereas external arts were more influenced by Comprehension. Leo Young's Comprehension and martial aptitude were on completely different levels, which ultimately led to this huge disparity.
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