I maxed out the Scholar talent at the start, but I want to be a Warrior.

Early morning, drill ground.

When Gu Cheng arrived, Gu Chang'an was already standing there.

But today is different.

Instead of standing with his spear held horizontally as usual, the uncle planted his iron spear in the ground, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the distant mountains.

"Uncle, aren't we practicing spear techniques today?"

"I'm not practicing anymore."

Gu Chang'an turned around and drew his iron spear.

"Starting today, I'll teach you another set of marksmanship."

He paused for a moment.

"Seven Probes of the Coiled Serpent Spear"

Gu Cheng blinked.

Seven Probes of the Coiled Serpent Spear.

This marksmanship sounds familiar.

"Watch closely, I'll only demonstrate once."

Gu Chang'an took a deep breath and began to move.

The first shot – a bayonet.

Like the basic bayonet, the spearhead pointed straight out, aiming at the wooden stake three zhang away.

But just as the spear tip was about to touch the wooden stake, he flipped his wrist, and the spear tip suddenly sank, gliding past the side of the stake. Then, he spun the shaft, and the spear tip flicked upwards in a backhand motion, making an arc and heading straight for the top of the stake.

The second shot—the spear tip didn't retract, but instead coiled around like a snake on a branch, the shaft drawing a semicircle before piercing the stake again from another angle.

The third shot—the spear tip drew an S-shape in the air, veering left, right, and then left again, completing the three changes of direction in one smooth motion, finally driving straight into the wooden stake.

Deeper than three inches.

Gu Cheng was stunned.

This is completely different from the basic bayonet training he did for ten days.

The basic bayonet technique is a straight line—from point A to point B, simple and direct.

But the Seven Probing Serpent Spear Technique... the spear tip moves in curves, each thrust changes direction, like a snake slithering around a wooden stake, you can never guess from which angle the next thrust will come.

Fourth shot, fifth shot, sixth shot—

Gu Chang'an fought faster and faster, the tip of his spear leaving afterimages in the air, and six more holes appeared on the wooden stake, each at a different angle.

The seventh shot—

Gu Cheng's mind couldn't keep up.

Although the first six moves are complex, each move is an independent change of direction, and he can still see the trajectory of the spear tip.

But the seventh move is different—the six moves are linked together, and the spear tip no longer draws an arc in the air, but a blurry afterimage, moving through all six directions in an instant: left, right, up, down, left, right.

He only saw the spear tip finally drive into the wooden stake.

Deeper than three inches.

It went as deep as the previous six shots.

But Gu Cheng had no idea how the seventh shot went in.

Gu Chang'an holstered his gun and exhaled.

"How much did you understand?"

Gu Cheng honestly replied, "I understood the general idea of ​​the first six shots, but I didn't understand the seventh shot."

Gu Chang'an glanced at him but didn't say anything.

"The first six strikes are the six forms of the Seven Probing Serpent Spear Technique, each form corresponding to a change of direction and angle. The seventh form is the finishing strike, which connects the previous six forms in one go."

He paused for a moment.

"The core of this spear technique can be summed up in two words—change of direction. The basic thrusting spear technique moves in a straight line, which is fast but rigid. If your opponent can block the tip of your spear, you're out of options. But the Seven Probing Serpent Spear Technique moves in curves, and the tip of the spear is always changing. If your opponent blocks at one angle, you can thrust at them from another angle."

"Like a snake?"

"That's right. A snake won't rush straight at you to bite you; it will coil and slither, waiting for you to make a mistake before biting you."

Gu Cheng nodded, having gained a basic understanding of this marksmanship technique.

"Uncle, the seventh move... the six-move sequence, isn't it the hardest to learn?"

"The most difficult." Gu Chang'an nodded. "The first six moves are individual moves, you just need to practice them until you're familiar with them. The seventh move requires you to string the six moves together as a set, without any pauses, and to do it all in one go. It demands an extremely high level of physical coordination."

He glanced at Gu Cheng.

"You haven't even mastered the first move yet, don't even think about the seventh."

"Uncle, where did you learn this marksmanship?"

Gu Chang'an was silent for a moment.

"Back then, I was just a little kid, around ten years old, wandering around the city all day. One day, I saw an old man setting up a stall on the street. He had a tattered cloth spread out in front of him with four words written on it: 'Secret skill, no bargaining.'"

Gu Cheng: "..."

"I squatted down to take a look, and the old man grabbed my hand and examined it from all angles for a long time."

"What did he say?"

He said, "Young man, I see that you have extraordinary bones and exceptional talent. You are a martial arts prodigy who appears only once in a century."

Gu Cheng: "..."

"I was overjoyed and asked him, 'Really?'"

"The old man said, of course it's true. I've seen countless people, but I've never seen anyone with such potential as you."

"So what?" I said.

"The old man said that such talent should not be wasted. I have a unique skill here, the Seven Probing Serpent Spear Technique, which is perfect for you."

"How much?"

"One hundred taels."

"I said, it's too expensive."

The old man said, "No bargaining."

Gu Cheng: "..."

"and then?"

"Then I bought it."

"...Should we just buy it like this?"

"That's it then," Gu Chang'an said calmly. "A kid in his early teens, he gets all cocky after being praised a couple of times."

"One hundred taels...where did you get the money?"

"Stolen."

Gu Cheng: "..."

"I stole it from my grandfather's study," Gu Chang'an said, a rare smile appearing on his face. "One hundred taels of silver. My grandfather was heartbroken for days, and he beat me up every day to vent his anger. But one time after he beat me up, he saw the set of marksmanship and didn't say anything more."

"and then?"

"The old man taught me for three days. The first day he explained the principles of the spear, the second day he taught me the six techniques, and the third day he taught me the seventh technique. After he finished teaching, he patted his butt and left."

"Gone?"

"They're gone. I went back on the fourth day, and they were gone. The stall was gone, and the rags were gone too."

"Never appeared again?"

"There isn't one anymore. I've asked all over Shuofang City, but nobody knows that old man."

Gu Cheng opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

He bought a set of secret techniques for one hundred taels of silver, taught it for three days, and then disappeared.

Although it sounds a bit like a story from a folk tale.

But this Seven Probing Serpent Spear Technique is definitely not a deception.

"Alright, we'll tell the story later." Gu Chang'an picked up a training wooden gun and handed it to Gu Cheng. "Let's practice the first move."

"First move: The spear tip points straight out, then the wrist presses down a foot before it touches the target, causing the spear tip to drop and glide past the target's side. Now."

Gu Cheng took the wooden gun and took a deep breath.

prick.

The spear tip points straight out—

When he reached a foot, he pressed his wrist down.

The spear tip did indeed sink, but it sank too sharply and plunged directly into the ground.

"You used too much force," Gu Chang'an said. "Pressing down with your wrist is guiding, not smashing. You're drawing an arc, not hammering a nail."

Gu Cheng pulled out the tip of the gun and tried again.

Thrust, press down.

This time, the spear tip didn't pierce the ground, but the arc it drew was crooked, and it ended up veering off course by half a foot, passing right next to the wooden stake.

"Again."

The thrust, the downward pressure, went astray.

The needle pierced, pressed down, and then veered off course.

Thrust, press down—this time it was a little better, the spear tip grazed the edge of the wooden stake, but didn't hit it.

"Yes, that's the feeling," Gu Chang'an said. "The curves should be smooth, without any sharp edges. Think about how a snake swims—it doesn't move in segments, but with its whole body."

Gu Cheng closed his eyes, recalling the trajectory of the spear tip when his uncle demonstrated it.

Open your eyes again.

prick.

The spear tip extended straight out, and a foot later, the wrist pressed down, causing the spear tip to trace an arc—

Snapped.

The spear tip touched the side of the wooden stake, but it was off by two inches.

But the curve is round.

"Not bad," Gu Chang'an said.

The following morning, Gu Cheng practiced the first move repeatedly.

Thrust, press down, draw an arc. Thrust, press down, draw an arc.

Of the more than one hundred shots, less than ten hit the wooden stake, and all of them deflected more than an inch off target.

My shoulders ache, my arms are shaking, and my thumb and forefinger are numb.

But he didn't stop.

Because he discovered something during his training—

His marksmanship skills are improving rapidly.

In just one morning, his marksmanship improved from [Preferred Weapon: Spear (Beginner 10.2%) → Spear (Beginner 15.2%)]

This feeling of seeing his own progress gave him tremendous motivation.

"Cheng'er."

Gu Cheng holstered his gun and turned around.

Gu Chang'an looked at him with a complicated expression.

"You learn much faster than I expected."

"...How fast?"

"Take Qingshan as an example. He practiced shooting for twenty years before he became a senior. You've already figured it out in just ten days."

Gu Cheng was actually thinking about this question as well.

He discovered that his memory was now exceptional, completely different from his previous self before he traveled through time.

With a clear mind, one can memorize marksmanship after seeing it once, and gain new insights with each practice session.

He originally thought it was due to a cheat code, but judging from Gu Chang'an's expression, it seems there are other possibilities.

"Uncle, why do I learn so quickly?"

Gu Chang'an looked at him for a while.

"Perhaps it's because you have a high level of mental talent."

"Spirit?"

"Those favored by Heaven are divided into warriors and scholars. Warriors cultivate through strength, while scholars cultivate through spirit," Gu Chang'an said. "The fact that you can awaken two scholar skills means that your spirit attribute has reached over 60. Moreover, considering that you haven't done much scholar training before, it's very likely that you were born with a high spirit attribute. People with high spirit have much stronger comprehension and understanding than ordinary people."

He paused for a moment.

"You learn to shoot quickly, perhaps because you have high mental talent and strong comprehension, which allows you to grasp the principles of shooting techniques more quickly."

Gu Cheng thought for a moment.

High mental talent, isn't that right?

He glanced at the Spirit section on the panel—Spirit cap 100.

No wonder, no wonder I feel that with my current brainpower, if I were in my previous life, passing the civil service exam would be a piece of cake, and building rockets would be basic operations.

But it's still a bit short of the 100 cap. How can I increase it?

Gu Cheng quickly asked, "Uncle, how come your energy has increased?"

"Read more books, communicate more, and understand the classics of famous authors," said Gu Chang'an.

"read?"

"It's not about rote memorization." Gu Chang'an shook his head. "It's about truly understanding the principles behind them. Military strategy, policy discussions, classics, histories, philosophical works—once you've thoroughly understood them, your spirit will naturally rise."

He looked at Gu Cheng, his tone becoming more serious.

"Cheng'er, you are a scholar-type person favored by heaven. You will have to walk this path sooner or later."

Gu Cheng nodded, but he was thinking about something else.

Reading...understanding the classics...

But where can one find books in this remote and impoverished area?

Anle Village lacked even paper, let alone historical and classical texts.

To uplift one's spirit, one must go to places where there are books.

Shuofang City?

Forget it, scholars are no match for warriors.

With his white horse and silver spear, he wielded power and influence, captivating countless young men and women.

He suppressed the thought and continued practicing his shooting.

……

night.

Gu Cheng lay on the straw mat, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

My mind was filled with the spear techniques of the Seven Probing Serpent Spear Method from earlier that day: how many times I had practiced the arc of the first move, the angle of my wrist downwards, and where the spear tip should begin to change direction...

He simply got up and went outside the village.

The moon was very bright, making the mountain village look as if it were covered with a layer of frost.

Gu Chang'an sat by the wall of the stockade, holding a bowl of tiger bone wine in his hand, looking at the moon.

Gu Cheng walked over and sat down next to him.

"Can't sleep?"

"Um."

The two remained silent for a while.

"uncle."

"Um?"

"That old man who ran a stall...did you look for him again afterward?"

Gu Chang'an took a sip of wine but didn't say anything.

A while later.

"I've looked for it."

"Did you find it?"

"no."

Silence fell again.

The night breeze carried the scent of mountain plants and trees.

"However—" Gu Chang'an looked at the moon, his voice very soft, "some things, once missed, are missed forever. Whether it's people or opportunities."

He turned to look at Gu Cheng.

Under the moonlight, his eyes were complex, filled with emotion, regret, and something Gu Cheng couldn't decipher.