chsdbacks Chapter 96 Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood
Chapter 96 Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood
Bai Gu Xuan's shop is not large, but the walls are covered with a dazzling array of bone products, including bone skewers, bone hairpins, bone scales, dominoes, bone carvings, and even fans made of bone.
Lin Yan's gaze fell on the bone skewers he was most familiar with, and he took one out and held it in his hand to feel it carefully.
【Ox bone, fine-grained texture, clear grain, minimal polishing, superior material】
[Skill: Bone identification (proficient) (1537/2000)]
The value on the panel jumped.
Lin Yan's heart stirred, and she picked up another bone skewer.
[Deer bone, light and brittle, yellow in color, finely polished, of good quality.]
[Skill: Bone identification (proficient) (1538/2000)]
The proficiency has increased again. I wonder if [Bone Identification], as the first skill to appear on the panel, can break through and become a more powerful skill after reaching the mastery level, just like [Mountain Viewing]. Thinking of this, Lin Yan's eyes lit up slightly. He took down the bone artifacts on the wall and touched them one by one. With each piece he touched, the proficiency of [Bone Identification] increased by one point.
The owner of Bai Gu Xuan was a thin old man in his fifties with a small goatee. Because few people came into the shop to buy things, he was sitting behind the counter dozing off until Lin Yan came in and started taking off pieces of bone products, which made him slowly wake up.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to neglect you, sir. Please feel free to look around. If you like any of them, just tell me, and I'll give you 90% off all these bone products."
"Boss, where did you get these bone skewers from?" Lin Yan asked casually, his hands still moving.
"These were all collected from various places. Some were ground by farmers in the countryside, some were used by temples, and some were bought from vendors from the north," the shopkeeper stroked his beard. "If you think these are old and want to buy some new ones, please come with me into the inner room. There are some newly made ones on the shelves over there. Although they haven't been carefully polished yet, their quality is top-notch. You won't lose out or be cheated."
Lin Yan nodded, but did not go into the inner room. He continued to touch the bone skewers outside, having his own plans.
Although these bone skewers are old, the different storage times and environments have led to variations in bone quality, making them more effective in improving one's skill in bone identification.
Bone skewers, bone hairpins, bone numerals, dominoes, bone carvings—he touched and sensed each one. It was as if Lin Yan's fingers had grown a pair of eyes; every time he touched a bone, its past and present life would appear in Lin Yan's mind, its age, texture, pattern, density, and the degree of craftsmanship all vividly remembered.
[Skill: Bone identification (proficient) (1688/2000)]
[Skill: Bone identification (proficient) (1689/2000)]
[Skill: Bone identification (proficient) (1690/2000)]
After about half an hour, Lin Yan finally touched all the bone products hanging on the wall. The shop owner was getting really uneasy. He wondered what kind of strange person this was, bringing in a little girl and touching bones for half an hour without saying a word. Could he be sick?
Lin Yan scanned the skill panel and felt a surge of emotions.
[Skill: Bone identification (proficient) (1921/2000)]
Back in Zhenbeiguan, Lin Yan mostly dealt with human bones and was reluctant to touch the remains of fallen soldiers, so his [Bone Identification] skill level increased very slowly. As for animal bones, there were only a few types. However, after arriving in the capital, the bone products from just this shop alone increased his [Bone Identification] skill by nearly 400 points. If he found a few more shops, reaching the Great Perfection level would be just around the corner.
Lin Yan walked into the inner room, looked at some newly made bone skewers on the cabinet, and asked, "Boss, how much are these bone skewers?"
The old man stood on tiptoe, his gaze passing over Lin Yan's shoulder to look at the cabinet. "Which piece would you like, sir?"
"I want them all."
The old man paused for a moment, rubbed his eyes, and said, "All of them? Sir, you're not joking, are you? There are over ninety of them here..."
"I'll take them all." Lin Yan took out some silver from his pocket. "How much?"
The shopkeeper did the math, gave a price, and Lin Yan paid without haggling. He then wrapped the bone skewers in a cloth and took Lin Xiu home.
……
After lunch, Lin Yan returned to his study, laid out the bone skewers on the table, and began the afternoon's bone-reading practice.
Perhaps because the bones were relatively new, Lin Yan's skill in [Bone Identification] improved much more slowly than in the shop. It took him a full hour to work with these ninety-odd bone skewers and finally get his [Bone Identification] to the advanced stage.
Lin Yan let out a long sigh, put down the last bone skewer, and began to examine his skill panel.
【Bone Differentiation (Complete) (16/3000)】
【Simple Imitation (Great Completion) (2000/3000)】
【Observing Qi (Beginner) (184/200)】
[Basic Body Tempering (Minor Success) (400/2000)]
【Micro-Step (Mastery) (2099/3000)】
【Splitter Cutter (Great Completion) (1876/3000)】
[Mysterious Blade Technique (Mastery) (999/2000)]
【Swimming Body Palm (Mastery) (7/3000)】
【Berserk Mode (Incomplete) (Beginner) (3/200)】
Black Tiger Fist Technique (Beginner) (67/200)
【Herbal Gathering (Beginner) (1/200)】
【Key Techniques for Concentrating Qi (Beginner) (1/200)】
Lin Yan has already mastered the [Micro Dust Step] and [Firewood Slash] techniques he secretly learned at Jiming Ridge. However, these two skills were ultimately learned from a bodyguard and a hunter. Such low-level techniques are of little help to Lin Yan, who has already reached the Great Perfection of True Qi. He wonders if the skills will advance once he reaches full proficiency. If not, he should think of a way to find some new techniques to learn.
Lin Yan's proficiency in [Bone Identification] was already quite high. He only needed to visit a few more bone ornament shops to max out his proficiency. However, Lin Yan noticed [Herbal Gathering]. This skill appeared after he gathered the Seven-Leaf Heavenly Immortal Flower in Zhenbei Pass. After arriving in the capital, he hadn't paid attention to this skill.
But things are different now. The Ministry of Defense has no assignments for him, the Crown Prince hasn't contacted him yet, and his injuries from the martial arts competition haven't fully healed. As the saying goes, sharpening the axe doesn't delay the work of chopping wood. Skills and cultivation are honed little by little. Rather than sitting idly in the house cultivating, he should take advantage of this free time to practice all the skills he can and improve his proficiency.
Lin Yan walked out of the study and saw Lin Xiu sitting on the veranda, hugging her clay tiger and humming a tune she had learned from somewhere.
"Xiuer".
"Um?"
"Brother will take you to the outskirts of city tomorrow, do you want to go?"
"Okay, okay, where should we go?"
Lin Yan smiled and said, "Let's go up the mountain to gather herbs."
Lin Xiu jumped up excitedly, "Yay! Let's go play in the mountains!"
Hearing the commotion outside, Madam Chen frowned and came out to scold Lin Yan, "Your injuries haven't fully healed yet, why are you running up the mountain?"
"It's nothing, Mom. I'm just going out for a walk; I won't be doing any heavy work."
Mrs. Chen sighed, unable to persuade her son even with his strong personality, "Be careful, Xiu'er caught a cold."
"Okay, Mother."