For nearly a month, from the fifth day of the Lunar New Year until the second day of the second lunar month, Dragon Head Raising Day, Mochuan underwent training under the guidance of Confucius, Marshal Long, the Old Daoist, and Master Wuhai in rotation.
The Old Daoist seemed to be very fond of Mochuan, his disciple's disciple, and taught him the most: "Yi Qi Hua San Qing," "Xiaoyao Fa," and Tai Chi. He also helped Mochuan dissipate his emotional energy.
The method of dissipation was simple: since Mochuan could now stably use "Yi Qi Hua San Qing," he could dissipate his own negative emotional energy by continuously beating up his "Self" and "Non-self."
However, due to the sheer number of souls Mochuan had refined, this method would not be completed in just one month, so Mochuan had a long and arduous road ahead.
Marshal Long taught Mochuan various combat techniques, helping him refine the long fist taught by Tea Pig and the Tai Chi taught by the Old Daoist.
Master Wuhai taught Mochuan a miraculous thing called the "Modoye Sutra." While it wasn't very useful in fights, it was surprisingly effective for dispelling pain and clearing self-debuffs. (Mochuan was still afraid of strong control at this point, so his preemptive strike with mercury was reasonable.)
Confucius taught Mochuan two things: "The Doctrine of the Mean" and "Benevolence."
These two skills were classified as passive by the system, but their effects were far more profound than they appeared on the surface:
[The Doctrine of the Mean]: The damage and control time you receive are reduced by 10%.
[Benevolence]: The shields, healing, and enhancement effects you grant to others are increased by 20%.
The problem was that both of these skills could be upgraded.
It could be said that in a short period, apart from fully fusing the fifth hero slot, Mochuan had no other significant avenues for enhancement.
In late February, the spring air was still sharp.
On this day, Mochuan called Tang Jingjing to an open space and asked, "Have you made up your mind?"
"I have," Tang Jingjing nodded.
This matter dated back to the Old Daoist's final lesson to Mochuan at the end of January.
At that time, as promised, the Old Daoist told Mochuan the name and usage of the craftsman's ruler:
"This item is called Luban's Ruler, one of the legendary treasures of the School of Artisans. Of course, what you hold is a projection of a treasure, hence its abilities are somewhat reduced, and it can only be used once."
"From my observation, it should be able to reshape an ability below S-rank into an S-rank ability, maintaining its tier but changing its nature. The specific ability is unknown."
Mochuan was astonished upon hearing this—wasn't this a lifesaver?
So, Mochuan looked around and decided to give this opportunity to Tang Jingjing, giving her time to consider whether to use it or not. Even an S-rank ability might not be as suitable for Tang Jingjing as her current Thousand Machine Umbrella. Such a life-altering decision required Tang Jingjing to think it through.
"Are you sure?" Mochuan asked, summoning the Luban's Ruler. "This is your only chance. Once it's changed, it might be like this forever."
"It's okay..." Tang Jingjing gently reached around Mochuan from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck, and said, "If it's not a combat-oriented ability, I'll just learn something else. As long as I can be with you and help you, I'll be content..."
After experiencing the war, darkness, despair, and near-death experiences over the past year, Tang Jingjing's temperament had changed significantly, becoming much stronger than her peers. Her "home" had vanished with Ye Ling's disappearance. With no one to rely on, she had only one desire.
That was to stay with her beloved (referring to Mochuan) for the rest of her life, do her best to support him, and ideally, bear him a child or two, be able to raise the child, and keep him tied to her.
However, for Mochuan at this moment, surviving in this chaotic world and completing his revenge plan were paramount. Thus, Tang Jingjing had to postpone her own aspirations. There was no hurry, as her competitors (Ronie and possibly Mo Fei) posed no immediate threat.
"Alright," Mochuan nodded and handed the Luban's Ruler to Tang Jingjing. "Summon the Thousand Machine Umbrella and channel spiritual energy into the Luban's Ruler simultaneously."
Tang Jingjing nodded and did as Mochuan instructed.
The Thousand Machine Umbrella and the Luban's Ruler simultaneously ascended. The Luban's Ruler flipped up and down, measuring the Thousand Machine Umbrella. Then, it hovered in place, its inscriptions for "Weapons," "Wood," "True Fire," and "Sand and Stone" illuminating.
As the Thousand Machine Umbrella transformed into specks of fluorescent light and entered Tang Jingjing's body, the Luban's Ruler became a beam of light that flashed across Tang Jingjing's forehead and then vanished without a trace.
Tang Jingjing fainted. Mochuan gently held her in his arms, waiting for her to wake up.
He waited for several hours.
It wasn't until the sun began to set, with smoke curling from the villages below the mountain, that Tang Jingjing slowly awoke.
"You're awake?" Mochuan gently wiped the fine sweat from Tang Jingjing's forehead and said.
"Mhm." Tang Jingjing sat up in Mochuan's arms. She clenched her right hand, and a delicate, compact wrist-mounted crossbow appeared in her hand. Then, she extended her left hand, and a more robust, purple repeating crossbow appeared.
"Strength..." Tang Jingjing exclaimed excitedly, "I feel a power even greater than the Thousand Machine Umbrella!"
"What are your abilities called?"
"The small one is called White Dust, and the large one is called Black Flow~"
Tang Jingjing was very happy. These two crossbows perfectly alluded to her and Mochuan's names, making her feel like they were her own children, filling her with immense happiness.
Mochuan was also very pleased. Without needing to guess, she had become a marksman. He was destined to be her support.
But it wasn't time to celebrate yet. "Spar with me, I want to see the strength of your new ability."
Saying this, Mochuan activated "Yi Qi Hua San Qing" and summoned "Self" and "Non-self."
The black "Self" swung its grappling hook, glaring fiercely at Tang Jingjing. The golden "Non-self" held a heavy nail hammer, looking at Tang Jingjing with icy coldness.
Mochuan moved to the side, ready to intervene at any moment.
Both sides entered a standoff, observing each other's weaknesses.
Finally, the most impatient "Self" attacked first, shouting loudly and swinging its chain at Tang Jingjing.
Tang Jingjing bent down, agilely dodging "Self's" attack, and then fired three arrows at "Self."
"Self" only dodged one arrow, then took two hits to its body to gain an opportunity to get close to Tang Jingjing.
Seeing the grappling hook flashing with a scarlet glow, Tang Jingjing guessed that this was Mochuan's enhancement skill and that she couldn't withstand it directly. She abandoned the chance to continue shooting and rolled away to create distance from "Self."
But at that moment, "Non-self," which had remained still, reached out and grasped.
Just as Tang Jingjing regained her balance, a spectral hand erupted from the ground, lunging towards her.