Chapter 72: The Speechless Bully Clan

Imagine, if a Dreamer already possessed a basic footwork skill at Level 5, and then advanced through the five stages of the "Circus," they might elevate that skill all the way to Level 10 in one swoop! Coupled with a 50% increase in jumping ability, this would be immensely practical. The moment Wang Ling laid eyes on that training card, he recalled the head-stomping technique he had abandoned in the Mario World.

(Note: Percentage increases in jumping are applied only in the absence of other skill boosts. The original jumping height is simply increased by the percentage, so there is no compounding effect from multiple skills.)

Of course, if one activates the training card but fails to clear any stage, then the card is wasted. After all, training-type scenario cards can only be activated once.

Regardless, the "Circus" card was undeniably valuable. To illustrate, when upgrading a basic skill from Level 4 to Level 7, each level requires two skill points, and it gets costlier beyond that. Using a training card to enhance basic skills is akin to self-training—saving skill points and avoiding any impact on one's strength evaluation. It is undoubtedly a quick and convenient method.

Wang Ling was deeply tempted.

Unfortunately, the Circus card was priced outrageously. The seller had shamelessly marked it at a whopping 49,999 points! That price far exceeded Wang Ling's means, and certainly surpassed what other Dreamers could afford as well. Most Dreamers here had only completed fewer than ten main quests, making it difficult to accumulate much wealth. A crowd clustered around the seller, haggling as fiercely as if they were fighting.

In the end, a Dreamer from the intermediate zone got wind of it and purchased the training card, leaving Wang Ling with no choice but to depart in disappointment.

Leaving the free market, Wang Ling spent two full days in the training hall, familiarizing himself with the spiritual energy within his body. The flow of spiritual energy was governed by mental control; once familiar with the technique, mastery came easily. During this period, he focused entirely on studying the changes in spiritual energy.

Now, he could project his spiritual energy outward in the form of energy spheres, much like the "Hadoken" of the White Wolf in Street Fighter (commonly known as "Aduo's Fist"). However, the furthest he could launch it was five meters, beyond which it would dissipate completely. Its destructive power was not great, barely matching the Pink Heart skill inherent to Peach.

Nevertheless, Wang Ling was quite satisfied. After all, it only took him two days to unleash a spiritual energy wave. With further training, as his spiritual energy and control improved, perhaps he could one day release a super spiritual wave akin to Takuma Sakazaki’s "Haoh Shoko Ken" from King of Fighters.

He also intended to experiment with channeling spiritual energy into his fists and feet to enhance their striking power. This method was feasible, but his spiritual control was still lacking, making it difficult to maintain a stable attachment of energy. Whenever he made vigorous movements, such as punching, the attached energy would dissipate quickly due to divided attention.

Having mastered the circulation of spiritual energy, Wang Ling exchanged for a puppet to practice his skills.

Using the Plum Blossom Grand Seat consumed one point of mental power and three percent of vitality. Activating Immortal Aura required a one-time expenditure of 100 mental power. During training, he discovered that his recovery rate for health and mental power had increased significantly compared to before. Whether this was due to the spiritual energy in his body, the dragon bloodline, or the two dormant dragon souls, he could not be certain.

The training hall allowed currency points to be spent for full-body recovery, enabling Wang Ling to train at high intensity. Another two days passed, and after expending over 1,600 currency points, countless E-rated puppets were smashed, and even a pricier D-rated puppet was destroyed by Immortal Aura. He finally perfected both skills.

After completing his planned training, Wang Ling underwent a full recovery and left the training hall where he had stayed for four days. He did not pause to relax in the entertainment area, instead heading straight for his private room—he intended to activate the Kung Fu scenario card and challenge a new kung fu master.

Spending 1,000 currency points, Wang Ling entered the Kung Fu Tower within the scenario card.

Wang Long had already been reborn inside the scenario card and was training alone on the first floor, his Coiling Dragon Staff whirling with a gusty wind. Upon seeing Wang Ling, he happily put down his staff. "Boss, you're here? I've been bored out of my mind alone here. Can only stay on this floor, can't see Fourth Brother, Third Brother, Second Sister, or the Grand Commander, so I just amuse myself with staff practice. Are you here to have me train you?"

Seeing this burly man as lively as ever, Wang Ling was equally pleased and shook his head with a smile. "No, I'm here to challenge. The second floor is Peach Immortal, right? Could you tell me something about him?"

"Peach Fourth Brother is upstairs," Wang Long leaned his staff against the wall and rubbed his hands. "So soon to challenge Fourth Brother? If I may say, you're not likely to succeed!"

Wang Ling smiled slightly; his strength had soared far beyond what it was in the previous world—a leap that Wang Long could never imagine.

"Peach Immortal Fourth Brother was once a thief, but his skills were poor and he always got caught. In frustration, he went to India to study yoga. He trained to mastery at the foothills of the Himalayas, and when he stole afterward, his fingers twisted and turned, and with a single motion he'd snatch things away—amazing!"

"He was called a Yoga Master by the Indians, and his skill was a little stronger than mine used to be! But after following you, I got this iron staff and improved my martial arts, so I might now be a bit stronger than him. Wahahaha..."

Wang Long laughed proudly, then grew somber. "Too bad I can't go upstairs to see him, so there's no way to compare anymore... His yoga, he says, has reached a state of unity of mind and spirit, self and universe—all mystical stuff. Fourth Brother claims he can use willpower to stir his inner heart-fire, transform it into yoga fire, and spit it from his mouth. When we used to spar, he'd often burn my staff—damn it! Not sure if the current Coiling Dragon Staff can withstand his yoga fire."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ling mused: Wang Long's original wooden staff had fire-resistant red lacquer and wax, and even when engulfed in a fire wave triggered by an incendiary blast, it was not destroyed. It seemed Peach Immortal's yoga fire burned hotter than ordinary flames.

"Peach Immortal's yoga fire must not be underestimated. Tell me about the others—what are their strengths?"

As one who had sworn brotherhood with the Bullies, Wang Long was intimately familiar with each member and grew excited, spitting words with enthusiasm: "Third Brother Chen Heng has a meteor chain as his weapon, with a hammerhead that can smash skulls—one swing and a head is crushed, fiercer than my staff!"

"The best part about the meteor chain is it can not only smash but bind. Back when we hid in the woods beside the main road, if someone passed by, Third Brother would rush out and throw the chain, and it would whirl around the person. With a yank, the person was dragged over! Besides his skill with chains, Third Brother is also expert at wrestling—grab a person and slam them into the ground, snapping bones and killing instantly!"

Wang Ling felt uneasy and interjected, "What was your Third Brother's original profession?"

"Bandit blocking mountain roads!"

Wang Ling's face twitched slightly. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Go on."

"Sure! Boss, sit here and listen carefully!" Wang Long moved a wooden stool for Wang Ling, then continued, "If we're talking impressive, Second Sister is even tougher than Third Brother! She is a master of hidden weapons; her plum blossom darts—if she aims for your left eye, she'll never hit your right eye. Every dart draws blood! Plus, she's skilled in lightness techniques, ladder cloud leap! No matter how high the walls of an official's mansion, she can step lightly and scale them..."

"Excuse me for interrupting, but what was your Second Sister's original occupation?"

"A cat burglar!"

Wang Ling felt an urge to spit blood. These people were truly worthy of being called the Bullies: Wang Long the bandit, Peach Immortal the thief, Chen Heng the highway robber, and even the beautiful young woman was a burglar! Together with the three summoned beings of the Shadow Fighter—Broomhead Dwarf, Brute Strongman, and Hippie Fat Man—his subordinates were practically a syndicate. And he, a promising young man, had become the boss of a criminal gang.

"Let's talk about the Grand Commander Wu Tian," Wang Long's expression grew solemn, his eyes filled with admiration. "Our Grand Commander is summed up in one word: respect! All four of us together couldn't beat him! The Grand Commander is a master of Daoist internal energy, trained in the Gold Toad style from Wudang, capable of using Toad Skill!"

"My god, Toad Skill like in kung fu movies?"

"Exactly, it's powerful! The Grand Commander's Toad Skill has reached the innate level, able to wrap his body in energy and charge straight through the air like a mad bull! Ordinary people die on impact—even with all my fat, a hit would make me spit blood! When our Bullies were surrounded by government troops, the Grand Commander used Toad Skill to smash through those in armor, breaking a gap for us to escape."

"Innate energy? That must be mastery of qi. Looks like the Grand Commander is a full level above you all. Tell me, was your Grand Commander originally a bandit or robber too?"

Wang Long shook his head. "Of course not! The Grand Commander was a king among thieves—a rebel!"

Wang Ling had just relaxed, thinking that after defeating these people, with the Grand Commander to keep them in line, things would be easier. He was instantly petrified...

"A... a rebel..."

"Yes! The Grand Commander's lifelong dream is to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and drive those pigtails back beyond the frontier! We Han people have suffered terribly at their hands! You see, all the men of our Bullies shave their heads bald, refusing to wear pigtails!"

"Sadly, the Grand Commander spent half his life on this cause, but it was never accomplished. Every passionate Han was killed by the pigtails; the weak ones dare not rebel and just become docile subjects. No matter how fierce our Bullies are, aside from killing a few corrupt officials, robbing some county offices, and looting a few treasuries, what can we do? The pigtails still ride on the Han people's heads. The Han... have suffered..."

At this, Wang Long, the burly man, seemed to have something bright and wet in his eyes.