bookbashuk Chapter 3 Slow Progress
Chapter 3 Slow Progress
The waterfall roared, and the water mist was like smoke.
Fifty miles outside Chonggu City, there is a canyon called "Luoyingjian".
A waterfall cascades down a hundred-foot-high cliff in the valley, its powerful flow carving out a deep pool below over time.
For ordinary people standing by the pool, the sound of the waterfall crashing down is enough to make their eardrums hurt, let alone practicing shooting against the current.
Yang Hui is standing directly below the waterfall at this moment.
The rushing water crashed down on his shoulders, back, and head from a height of hundreds of feet, each blow feeling like a powerful punch from a soul master.
His legs were deeply embedded in the pebbles by the pool, his knees slightly bent, making him look like an iron stake driven into the water.
In his hand, the Soul-Shattering Spear was slowly thrusting out.
The water flow caused the gun to shake constantly, and each inch of thrust required several times the effort of ordinary shooting practice.
What's even more painful is that his grandfather, Yang Wudi, also demanded that every shot must maintain the trajectory of the spear tip without the slightest deviation.
"The spear tip is off by half an inch, start over!"
Yang Wudi's voice came from the edge of the pool, cold and inhuman.
Yang Hui gritted his teeth, sheathed his gun, and thrust again.
Sweat mingled with the waterfall of water as it slid down his cheeks, the muscles in his arms trembled violently, and the soul power in his meridians circulated rapidly, barely maintaining the stability of the gun.
Since returning from the Star Dou Great Forest, this kind of training has continued for seven days.
Every day from early morning to noon, they practiced shooting under the waterfall for four consecutive hours.
The afternoon session was a real combat sparring match, with Yang Wudi personally taking to the field and managing to make him flustered with just one finger.
What upset him the most was that his grandfather forbade him from using any soul skills during cultivation.
"Accumulating power? Soul skills? Those are things used in life-or-death battles."
Grandpa's words still echoed in my ears: "The more you practice the basic marksmanship, the more powerful your soul skills will be when you use them in the future. For a true master, soul skills are just the finishing touch; the fundamentals are the key."
If someone else had said this, Yang Hui might have scoffed.
But coming from a master of gunplay at the level of a Contra, he could only grit his teeth and do as he was told.
Another thrust of the spear.
This time, the spear tip cleaved through the water, its trajectory as straight as a line.
"This time was good."
Yang Hui felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He put away his gun, stood up, and gasped for breath.
Yang Wudi walked across the water from the edge of the pool, and the waterfall parted automatically three feet in front of him, without even wetting the hem of his clothes.
He looked at his grandson's face, which was pale from being soaked in water, and a fleeting, almost imperceptible pity flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by sternness.
"Take a 15-minute break, then begin the second training session for today."
Yang Hui climbed ashore and plopped down on a blue stone by the pool, every muscle in his body protesting.
He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his mind.
The panel appeared before my eyes.
Skill Panel
[Martial Soul: Soul-Shattering Spear]
[Talent: Spear Breaks All Laws (lv1) - Proficiency: 87/5000]
[Special Effect: Speed +100%, Attack +120%, Penetration +180%]
【Soul Skill 1: Break (lv1) - Proficiency: 12/1000】
[Effect: Soul power condensed at the spear tip ignores 30% of the target's defense, penetration power +50%]
【Soul Skill 2: Charge (lv1) - Proficiency: 8/1000】
[Effect: Increases penetration by 5% per breath while charging, up to a maximum of 30 breaths, with an additional 100% penetration. Movement speed is reduced by 30% during charging.]
Yang Hui's gaze swept across the panel.
After seven days of arduous training under the waterfall, my talent proficiency level rose from 0 to 87, averaging more than ten points per day. At this rate, it will take nearly two months to reach level 2.
too slow.
However, he also understood that improving one's talent level was far more difficult than improving one's soul skill. In his previous life's game, there were many ordinary players who would grind for half a year just to level up a talent like "Spear Breaks All Laws" by one level.
He was somewhat surprised by the increase in proficiency of the two soul skills.
Even though his grandfather forbade him to use soul skills during cultivation, his proficiency still increased. Although it only increased by one or two points each time, it was definitely increasing.
He recalled carefully and realized that every time he practiced shooting under the waterfall, his proficiency in "Break" would jump when he was fully focused on the trajectory of the gun tip. And every time he calmed down and looked for the best time to shoot, his proficiency in "Accumulate Momentum" would increase.
It turned out to be the case.
The essence of soul skills is the technique of using soul power.
Even without actively activating soul skills, as long as the relevant artistic conception is touched upon during spear technique training, proficiency will naturally increase.
This discovery gave him new ideas for his future practice.
"Have you rested enough?"
Yang Wudi's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Yang Hui opened his eyes and stood up: "That's enough, Grandpa. What do we practice next?"
Yang Wudi stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the cliff top above the waterfall.
"Go up."
Yang Hui was taken aback: "Go up?"
"Starting today, your training will be changed," Yang Wudi said. "Practicing spear under the waterfall has already made your spear stance stable. Next, you will practice—spear thrusting while moving."
He pointed to the top of the waterfall, "Charge down the cliff while keeping your marksmanship consistent. The faster the current, the more you need to maintain a continuous shooting motion. This is what you need to practice: 'moving and building momentum'."
Yang Hui looked up at the hundred-foot-high cliff.
The waterfall roared down like a white dragon, the water crashing against the protruding rocks and exploding into a cloud of mist. The cliff face was slippery and covered with moss, making it difficult to even stand, let alone practice shooting while rushing down from above.
"What, scared?" Yang Wudi said calmly.
Yang Hui took a deep breath and gripped the Soul-Shattering Spear tightly.
"I'm not afraid."
He turned and walked towards the cliff face.
Yang Wudi watched his grandson's retreating figure, a slight smile playing on his lips.
For seven days, the child has not uttered a single complaint.
Every time he thought Yang Hui wouldn't be able to hold on, the six-year-old child gritted his teeth and persevered.
What burned in those eyes was not only the pride of a genius, but also a ruthlessness that even he found chilling.
"Our Soul-Breaking Spear clan... may truly produce a titled Douluo."
He muttered to himself, then stepped forward and leaped into the air, becoming the first to reach the top of the cliff.
When Yang Hui climbed to the top of the cliff, his body was already half-soaked by the water mist.
Looking down from here, the deep pool turned into a small patch of turquoise, and the roar of the waterfall exploded in your ears, making your scalp tingle.
"Watch closely, I'll only demonstrate once."
Yang Wudi walked to the source of the waterfall, where the rushing water reached above his ankles.
The Soul-Shattering Spear materialized in his hand, its jet-black blade gleaming eerily in the mist.
The next moment, he moved.
Yang Wudi rushed down the slippery rock wall at the edge of the waterfall at an astonishing speed, his feet barely touching the moss before he rose again, maintaining perfect balance throughout.
But the Soul-Shattering Spear in his hand never stopped.
Thrust, flick, sweep, chop, point, and strike—each thrust lands precisely on a different splash of water, the momentum of the spear flowing continuously, like a black dragon tumbling and swimming in the waterfall.
The speed of the water flow did not interfere with his marksmanship; on the contrary, it seemed to be drawn by the momentum of the spear, dancing with the tip of the spear.
From the top of the cliff to the surface of the pool, a distance of a hundred feet, he fired forty-nine shots.
Each shot had a completely different force, angle, and trajectory, yet they were seamlessly connected, as if the entire waterfall had become part of his marksmanship.
Yang Hui's pupils contracted as he looked.
This is not just about marksmanship.
This is about integrating "preparation" into the transition between each shot. The residual force of the previous shot has not yet dissipated, and the preparation for the next shot is already complete. There is no pause between the forty-nine shots, but each shot carries the penetrating power of prepared momentum.
The true essence of accumulating power while moving is not to accumulate power while stationary, but to leverage power while in motion!
Yang Wudi landed back at the edge of the pool, his body completely dry.
"Do you understand?"
Yang Hui did not answer immediately.
He closed his eyes, his mind replaying every move his grandfather had just made.
A moment later, he opened his eyes and nodded emphatically: "I understand."
"Let's begin."
Yang Hui walked to the source of the waterfall, where the rushing water washed over his ankles, its coldness biting to the bone.
He gripped the Soul-Shattering Spear tightly and took a deep breath.
The first thrust was made.
He slipped and lost his balance, rolling downstream with the current.
Yang Wudi appeared below expressionlessly, picked him up, and put him back on the cliff top.
"Again."
Yang Hui gritted his teeth, adjusted his footing, and fired again.
This time he managed to steady himself for three steps, but on the fourth step, the tip of his gun struck a protruding rock, and the huge recoil caused the gun to fly out of his hand.
"Again."
The third time, on his fifth step, he was swept off course by the current, his spear missed its mark, and he crashed into the rock wall, his shoulder burning with pain.
"Again."
the fourth time.
the fifth time.
tenth time.
……
As the setting sun painted the waterfall gold, Yang Hui finally completed his first full plunge.
From the cliff top to the pool surface, a distance of a hundred feet, he fired eleven shots.
Although his marksmanship was clumsy and his trajectory was erratic, and although he was in a sorry state when he fell into the water, he did manage to maintain his gunfire while moving at high speed.
[Accumulation Proficiency +11]
[Spear Breaking All Techniques Proficiency +21]
The fluctuating numbers on the panel were the best reward.
Yang Hui lay on the blue stone by the pool, every part of his body aching.
Shoulders, back, knees—bruises were everywhere from the impact.
But he grinned and smiled.
Yang Wudi walked to his side, unusually without a stern face.
"That's enough for today." He bent down and picked up his grandson. "We'll continue tomorrow."
Yang Hui was held in his grandfather's arms, feeling the warmth from that broad chest. He suddenly remembered that in his previous life in the orphanage, no one had ever held him like this.
He mumbled a reply, "Mmm."
The grandfather and grandson walked back as dusk fell, with the roaring waterfall of Luoyingjian behind them.