Chapter 044 Uncle Sam's Iron Mountain
The so-called "Golden Outpost" is actually a landmark on the border of the Omar Empire. It is a half-collapsed clay bell tower, indicating that there was a human gathering point here a hundred years ago.
But now, there is not even a decent mechanical city here, and it is so remote that no normal people will pass by.
But this is the only way for the Omar Empire to sneak into the "Glorious City".
…
The existence of the "Glorious City" does not seem to be a big secret to a certain class of people.
At least judging from the prosperity of the "Golden Outpost", there are a lot of scavengers coming and going here.
All the buildings here are for the purpose of serving the wasteland hunters, including the custom tavern, the gun shop, the potion shop, the equipment supply station, the mechanical repair station...
There are also various speculators waiting here for the scavengers returning from there, and buying their goods as soon as possible.
The information passed by the Thorn Birds Chamber of Commerce spread rapidly, and the well-informed large-scale hunting teams all knew about the ruins and mineral deposits that appeared in the City of Glory...
Professional hunting teams quickly gathered towards this small town from all directions and entered the mountains in batches.
When Ryan and his companions arrived, there were already ten times more scavengers here than usual.
The hundreds of kilometers from here to the Alcoron Mountains are mostly rugged mountain roads. Large mechanical cities cannot pass through, so the only way is to walk or use some miniature mountain transport vehicles.
Moreover, this section of the journey will cross a section of highland mountains, where powerful monsters roam all year round. The environment and the degree of danger are even more complicated than the "Bakenya Highlands" that Ryan had mistakenly entered before.
To this end, the old butler Benjamin hired a veteran hunting team called "Mountain Antelope Hunting Team" as guides.
Although the leader of this hunting group is only a second-level [Advanced], and the group has only more than ten people, they are well-known old guides who often walk this route. At least, many hunting groups stronger than them disappeared on this road, but they have been active for five years...
The Countess still had no intention of getting up and walking, and she looked like a wealthy lady who had lived a life of luxury and had never been tainted by the world of luxury.
Then, I don’t know where the old butler got a mountain mechanical troop carrier from.
This spider-like eight-legged steam machine can move briskly in complex mountain environments, while the cockpit is very stable due to its sophisticated and complex suspension and shock absorption system.
Ryan looked at this "black technology" with envy, but thought that this thing must be expensive.
The Countess enthusiastically invited Ryan to ride with her, but the narrow cabin would be so crowded that their skin would inevitably touch.
Lei felt that he could not control himself and did not dare to overstep the line, so he simply stayed away.
So, he chose to walk like everyone else.
…
On this day, the team set out and headed deep into the endless mountains.
The weather has been good these days, with no rain or cloudy weather, and the mountain roads are easy to walk on.
After a few days of getting along, Ryan has become quite familiar with the Countess's bodyguard, Uncle Sam, who claims to be a third-level shield rider.
If it were an ordinary person, anyone who could advance to the third level [Demon Hunter] would be considered a top-notch master , and they would be extremely arrogant.
But this simple and honest strong man always modestly said that his martial arts skills were mediocre.
He would also patiently answer some of Ryan's most basic introductory questions.
The fog in the mountains is much lighter than that in the plains, and the scenery is nice.
There are dense primitive jungles here, as well as the fragrance of flowers and the chirping of birds.
Occasionally, when the breeze blows, you can hear the sound of waves coming from the sea, which is fresh and pleasant.
As the journey was a bit boring, Ryan walked up to Sam again and started asking for advice.
He wanted to learn some martial arts of the fighter level and needed a knowledgeable guide.
Ryan asked with a smile: "Uncle Sam, I just advanced to the extraordinary level not long ago, and I want to learn fighting boxing. Do you have any good recommendations?"
"Hehe... Why would a doctor like you want to learn combat skills?"
Sam joked, showing his signature honest smile.
But he didn't really delve into it, and directly replied: "If you want to learn fighting boxing, you must first understand what route you plan to advance to after you break through the second stage of the gene lock."
"Is there anything special about it? I just want to learn some introductory skills now, but I also need to consider the routes after the second level?"
Ryan was sincerely seeking advice, as this was a blind spot in his knowledge.
Although he decided to advance to the "combat doctor" sequence, this did not prevent him from learning some martial arts to support himself before finding suitable exclusive skills.
This is the extraordinary system of this world. As long as you are willing to learn, you can learn any professional skills.
Even if you are a warrior, you can learn to make little fireballs...
But the end result is that, compared to a professional magician with high elemental affinity, what you rub out is just a flame, while theirs is a fireball as big as a watermelon.
Only by learning skills that match your own awakened extraordinary abilities can you maximize your combat power.
Ryan's "Combat Doctor" sequence awakens the attributes of high strength, high toughness, and high perception, and the martial arts of the Fighter sequence are most suitable for him.
"Of course there are some rules!"
Sam introduced: "After the second level of the fighter sequence, there are two mainstream branches. One is the [Qigong Master] who practices internal energy, and the other is the [Martial Artist] who practices technical skills. Although the other non-mainstream sequences are slightly different, they are roughly the extension of these two categories."
As he spoke, he patiently explained: "You'd better decide now which path to take. The muscles and internal energy trained in the two sequences are completely different. One focuses on 'using Qi to control force' to fight continuously, and the other focuses on 'explosive skills' to kill the enemy quickly."
“So that’s how it is…”
Ryan's eyes showed enlightenment. It was the first time he heard this statement.
After thinking about it, he asked with a smile: "Uncle Sam, which one do you think is more powerful?"
"There is no saying that any of the extraordinary professions has the most powerful sequence. There is only the strongest extraordinary person."
Sam shook his head and smiled.
It seemed as if he had heard this question from many young people before.
He shared his experience and said, "Even if there is a difference in the quality of advanced potions, it does not necessarily mean that the Transcendents who advance with Silver Potions are stronger than those who advance with Black Iron Potions. The enhancement brought to Transcendents by acquired hard training and experience is far more important than potions... On the road to transcendence, potions are just the beginning, and practice is the process!"
"oh……"
Ryan nodded, not quite understanding, and asked in a different way: "Uncle, which branch do you think is more competitive?"
Sam answered without thinking, "In terms of choice, more than 70% of combat-type extraordinary people will choose the [Martial Artist] branch, because this sequence has a wider range of advancement and can form combat effectiveness in a short period of time."
At this point, he changed the subject: "But from the perspective of the top-level masters, [Qigong Masters] obviously have more stamina. Although it is more difficult to advance, once they advance to the fourth-level [Demon Hunter Master], the advantages of this sequence will become greater and greater..."
Ryan vaguely understood, isn't this the difference between Huashan Sword Sect and Qi Sect?
He was unsure which one to switch to, so he asked, "Can I learn both?"
"You can... but you can't be proficient in any of them. People's energy is limited. No matter which branch you choose, it takes a lot of energy to learn. And there is another very important point..."
Uncle Sam smiled and continued, "From your medical point of view, the physical properties of the two branches of potion awakening are also very different. [Martial Arts] focuses on the growth of white muscle fibers, and [Qigong Master] focuses on red muscle fibers; white muscles are mainly for explosiveness, and red muscles are mainly for endurance. There is not much difference in general martial arts, but the effects of some exclusive skills and secrets are very different."
"oh……"
After hearing the professional terminology, Ryan completely understood it and nodded frequently.
At this moment, a subtle gleam of brilliance flashed across Sam's eyes, and he added calmly, "If you really meet an expert, these tiny differences will be enough to cause fatal flaws."
After listening to these words, Ryan felt as if he had listened to a lecture by a master, and felt awe-inspiring.
He tilted his head to look at Sam's burly figure, and said jokingly with a smile: "Uncle Sam, you seem to know everything. Are you amazing?"
At this time, Sam showed his signature silly smile again, and said very modestly: "I am good at talking, but my martial arts skills are average."
“…”
Ryan didn't comment or ask further questions.
Anyway, the third-level [Demon Hunter] is already out of his reach now.
Then, he turned his eyes, revealed a wicked smile, and said, "Uncle Sam, can you teach me some common martial arts for warriors?"
Sam seemed to have expected this and smiled, "What do you want to learn?"
Maybe it was because of the Countess, but Ryan always felt that Sam was very polite to him.
He thought for a moment and said, "Well... learn something that can save your life! It would be best if you can injure the enemy..."
Sam raised his eyebrows, picked one from his knowledge base, and said, "There is a universal martial art called 'Iron Mountain Lean' among strength warriors... three stages of charging, collision, shock, and collapse! Three stages of damage, blocking, wounding, and knocking away... This is the martial art that I can think of that best meets your requirements. Do you want to learn it?"
Ryan's eyes lit up: "Learn!"
Sam didn't say anything more and walked directly to a giant tree with a diameter of nearly one meter beside the mountain road. "Watch carefully, I will use the force in this move... The force starts from the ground, penetrates the waist, and collapses in the shoulders and arms!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure flashed, and he had instantly rushed forward two meters and leaned directly against the big tree!
I only heard a "pop" sound, as if time stood still for a moment, and then in a very short time, I heard another "crack" sound from the second force...
"Bang!"
With three bursts of force, the giant tree seemed to be blown up by explosives, wood chips flew everywhere, and was broken by Sam!
After the demonstration, Sam patted the sawdust on his shoulders without even taking a breath: "Did you see it clearly?"
This was obviously done so Ryan could see more clearly, as the demonstration was deliberately slowed down. How the feet pushed the ground, the order in which the muscles exerted force, how to use the luck... were all demonstrated in great detail.
But even so, it is still incredibly powerful.
"Look carefully. Wow... Uncle Sam you are awesome!"
There were little stars in Ryan's eyes, and he felt admiration from the bottom of his heart.
Even if he didn't see the details clearly, the "intelligent brain" saw them clearly.
This move may seem ordinary, but the power it unleashes is terrifying.
This is Uncle Sam obviously restraining himself. If he really hits someone, wouldn't the bones be broken and blood be shed?
Uncle Sam touched the back of his head, smiled modestly and said: "It's not a very powerful move, most warriors can do this..."
Little did he know that these self-deprecating words made the soldiers of the "Mountain Antelope Hunting Group" who heard the noise from afar look strange.
You can do the “Iron Mountain Leaning”, but not everyone can knock down a giant tree as easily as you do...
At least, the second-level hunting leader felt that he couldn't do it.
At this moment, they also recognized that the Countess's bodyguard was a great master.
…
At night, repair.
Ryan sat in meditation.
Set the program: Intelligent brain, practice "Iron Mountain Backrest" in dreams!
Soon, in the dream, the scene of Uncle Sam demonstrating how to break a huge tree during the day seemed to be played over and over again...
Ryan looked serious and began to imitate and learn little by little.
