I Live Forever With My Proficiency

Chapter 22: Cloud Smoke Steps

For the next two or three days, Chen Ping appeared in the eastern market of the city every day.

He didn't sell talisman skins, but instead searched for suitable defensive ancient books. There were some in the shops, but they didn't feel suitable, so he came to the market to search. Unfortunately, he still didn't find anything.

Fortunately, there were also surprises.

He found a heavily annotated ancient book called "Micro-Wind Nine Swords" Sword Technique. Many cultivators had the sword technique of "Micro-Wind Nine Swords," so this book didn't attract much attention. However, those annotations were quite valuable. Chen Ping didn't know if they would be useful, but he bought it with the attitude of giving it a try.

Anyway, he wouldn't lose anything. If worst comes to worst, he could sell it after reading it.

In addition, he also bought a book called "Cloud Smoke Steps."

A specialized footwork for escaping.

Although my defense is not good, I can run fast.

It can also keep me away from danger.

When he was in the core area of the market, he saw a group of people gathered together watching something from a distance.

Chen Ping didn't go over and asked one of the cultivators who was about to go over, "Fellow Daoist, may I ask what happened there?"

"Fellow Daoist haven't heard? It is said that a cultivator returned from Azure Cloud Sect and is telling everyone about the recent events at Azure Cloud Sect." The cultivator said, and then lowered his voice, "It is said to be related to the loud noise three days ago."

After speaking, he gave Chen Ping a meaningful look and couldn't wait to go over and join the crowd.

Chen Ping was hesitating whether to stand far away and listen, but he saw in the crowd that one fair-skinned cultivator was listening attentively, while another cultivator secretly stole spirit stones from the fair-skinned cultivator's chest.

Using some kind of spell, the spirit stone flew into the thief's sleeve with a "whoosh."

And the fair-skinned cultivator was completely unaware.

Chen Ping shook his head inwardly and gave up the idea of listening to the commotion.

Indeed.

There is no good in crowded places.

He didn't want to encounter such a thing.

If he wasn't careful, he could lose his wealth, and if he caught the thief while being cautious, it would also be troublesome and likely to lead to conflict.

This was not what he hoped for.

At this moment, he also saw a city guard watching this scene closely from a distance.

Chen Ping turned around and left.

This kind of thing happens every day, and he can't control it.

He also doesn't have the ability to control it.

When Chen Ping returned from the market, he was surprised to see that the gate of Yu Qingyi's house was open, and there were clothes hanging in the yard.

Did "Micro-Wind Nine Swords" Seventh Form come back?

No.

Did Yu Qingyi come back?

Chen Ping returned home and thought it over. He decided it would be better to pay a visit.

Yu Qingyi had a good reputation and was said to be a righteous person. But Chen Ping had never met him and didn't know him specifically, whether he was fierce or kind.

But since he chose to live next to Yu Qingyi's house, there was no need to avoid it.

As neighbors, and being younger, he should visit openly.

Chen Ping acted decisively. Since he had this thought, he immediately took some of his own marinated exclusive Demonic Beast meat and went to visit.

But as soon as he walked into his own yard, he heard the bustling sound coming from Yu Qingyi's house, and there were even people standing in the yard.

It seemed that they were all visiting Yu Qingyi.

Chen Ping smiled wryly, didn't join the crowd, and returned home alone.

Closing the door, he took out "Cloud Smoke Steps" and began to study it.

"Cloud Smoke Steps" was a footwork manual. After mastering it, one's speed could become so fast that their figure couldn't be seen. When fully mastered, only a trail of green smoke would be visible, but the person would not be seen.

Hence the name "Cloud Smoke Steps."

"This is a good thing." Chen Ping's mouth slightly curved upwards.

"This is like a bridge between offense and defense. It can attack and defend."

"Moreover, my 'Micro-Wind Nine Swords' itself pursues the concept of 'speed,' killing in the blink of an eye. But due to my current footwork not being fast enough, I can't fully unleash its power, which resulted in my loss in the battle against the dark-skinned cultivator."

"With 'Cloud Smoke Steps' as a complementary footwork, it greatly enhances the power of 'Micro-Wind Nine Swords.'"

"It's very useful."

Chen Ping raised his eyebrows and opened the manual.

He began to study the Cloud Smoke Steps.

The Cloud Smoke Steps were divided into levels such as leaping, sidestepping, and evading.

The levels intertwine with each other, and there is no specific order for cultivation and practice.

Chen Ping followed the instructions in the register and moved around in the limited space of the room, practicing the Cloud Smoke Steps.

After dozens of repetitions, he looked at the panel and realized that he hadn't made any progress.

"It's difficult. No wonder many cultivators choose to find a master to learn from. Trying to explore cultivation on my own is not an easy task."

I'm not a cultivation genius either, so I can only explore step by step.

Wait a minute.

Although it is said that there is no specific order between the levels of cultivation, each stage should have its own emphasis, right?

Trying to comprehend everything at once will only scatter my understanding.

What if I focus on one level first?

For example, "Levitation".

If I concentrate on this aspect, would it be easier to make progress?

For others, this might not be a good approach as it could lead to deviation and affect subsequent practice. But for me, as long as I enter the door, there won't be any problems with the rest. I can leave it to the proficiency panel without worrying about its impact on future practice.

Chen Ping made a decisive decision and started practicing.

One step, two steps, three steps.

Every step was astonishing.

After a few sets of movements, Chen Ping vaguely felt the sensation of "quantum cultivation".

It was like the enlightenment of Schrödinger's cat, but the feeling was still not enough. It was elusive, as if a kite in the sky that could break free and fly away if not careful, never to be caught again.

Chen Ping didn't dare to stop and continued practicing without a break.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye, but that feeling was still elusive, which frustrated Chen Ping.

Is there something wrong somewhere?

Is it my posture?

Or is it my speed?

"Since Cloud Smoke Steps emphasizes speed, and one of the key points of Micro-Wind Nine Swords is also speed, can I practice them together?"

"I'm already proficient in the first six forms of Micro-Wind Nine Swords. Will using Micro-Wind Nine Swords to complement Cloud Smoke Steps help me progress faster?"

With this in mind, Chen Ping decisively started practicing.

Micro-Wind Nine Swords focused on hand movements, while Cloud Smoke Steps focused on footwork.

They complemented each other perfectly.

After a few rounds of practice, Chen Ping indeed felt a more fulfilling sensation.

He was overjoyed.

Seizing the opportunity, he continued practicing.

Finally, that sense of enlightenment broke through the clouds and became clear.

On the panel:

[Spell: Micro-Wind Nine Swords (Six Forms): 1000/1000. Bone-Shifting Technique (Proficient): 257/1000. Aura Concealing Technique (Novice): 210/1000. Cloud Smoke Steps (Novice): 1/1000.]

"I've made progress," Chen Ping raised an eyebrow.

The next steps would be easier.

Chen Ping sacrificed sleep and food, without taking a moment's rest, and immediately began to increase the proficiency of Cloud Smoke Steps.

Cloud Smoke Steps (Novice): 2/1000.

Cloud Smoke Steps (Novice): 3/1000.

Cloud Smoke Steps (Novice): 4/1000.

Cloud Smoke Steps.

Cloud Smoke Steps.

Until the sun set, Chen Ping finally stopped pushing himself.

Rome wasn't built in a day. I'll continue tomorrow.

He looked through the window at the yard of Yu Qingyi's house, and it seemed like no one was there.

He decided to pay a visit.

He slapped a few cleansing talismans on himself and tidied up a bit. Then he picked up some of the Demonic Beast meat he had marinated and went out to visit his neighbor, Yu Qingyi.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Senior..."

The creaking wooden door opened.

A face of a girl full of innocence came into view.

(End of this chapter)