Level Up in Martial World

His vision returned to the luxurious interior of the carriage, where his mother lay with her eyes closed in slumber.

"What just happened?" Lu Zhen thought, his expression marked by bewilderment. He was certain it wasn\'t a hallucination. The movements of the illusory figure were imprinted in his memory, and he could subtly sense changes in his body, as if he had absorbed muscle memory from countless battles.

Although his physical strength hadn\'t improved significantly, it seemed his body had undergone a transformation similar to the man in his vision.

It didn\'t require a genius to comprehend why this had occurred. To confirm his suspicions, Lu Zhen summoned his status with a mere thought, focusing on the skill section.

[Skills]

[BATTLE INSTINCT: LEVEL 1]

[Gluttony: level 8]

[Appraisal eye: level 5]

[Saber mastery: level 6]

[Adaptability: level 5]

[Aura control: level 5]

[Meditation: level 2]

[Dual cultivation: level 2]

[Alchemy: level 2]

[Sword mastery: level 2]

[Qian mastery: level 1]

[Staff master: level 1]

[Chain mastery: level 1]

To his surprise, the skill was displayed in bold letters and written in a resplendent golden hue.

Lu Zhen\'s crimson eyes transitioned to a gleaming gold as he intently focused on the "BATTLE INSTINCT" skill. Instantly, a detailed prompt materialised, unveiling the details of the "BATTLE INSTINCT" skill.

[Skill name: BATTLE INSTINCT] (Golden)

[Remark: A golden-ranked skill that grants the user battle instinct, enhancing muscle memory for combat and harmonising body with mind.]

His eyes widened with excitement as he digested the information. Countless thoughts raced through his mind, calculating the potential applications of this newfound skill.

"This is definitely something I\'ve been missing," Lu Zhen thought, though it struck him as odd that there was no mention of the vision he had experienced.

"System, why did this happen?" he inquired.

[Host, due to the low level of your appraisal skill, the full details of the "BATTLE INSTINCT" skill weren\'t initially revealed. As you level up the "BATTLE INSTINCT" skill, the visions will become more vivid, and your battle instinct will further intensify, as you\'ve already begun to experience.]

"Alright, I understand," Lu Zhen replied, nodding his head.

"But why is it a golden rank? I haven\'t seen that in other skills," he inquired.

[Host, this is a special-grade skill. Other skills you possess are of an upgrade rank. In the future, you may experience visions like this when acquiring golden-grade skills. However, most of your current skills are ungraded. They can evolve to possess a grade, but the chances are quite slim, as seen with your Alchemy skill.

Although it evolved from the Cooking skill, it has yet to reach a golden rank.]

Lu Zhen was curious about the skill\'s grade. "What determines the grade of a skill?" he asked.

[Host, this is a new feature in the system, and based on current knowledge, there is only one golden rank. The brighter it shines in your status, the higher the grade of the skill. To achieve a better skill grade, you must become stronger, allowing the system to absorb more data from the world.]

"Alright," Lu Zhen said to the system as he felt some movements and focused his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Lu Ying, staring at him with curiosity as she gazed right into his face.

Lu Zhen was a little stunned, almost jumping from shock.

"Mother, when did you get here?" Although he was a bit distracted by the system, he had used his five senses to remain alert just in case. Lu Ying had seemingly passed right through his senses as she appeared before him.

"I just arrived, seeing you lost in thought," Lu Ying chuckled. She paused, then asked, "Do you know how I passed right through your senses?"

Lu Zhen had a curious expression as he nodded his head.

"Sure, tell me what you were thinking about first, seeing you in such a thoughtful expression," Lu Ying said with a smirk on her face.

"I was thinking about my \'battle instinct,\' mother," Lu Zhen replied, not lying as he was indeed pondering these skills.

"Eh, what about it?"

"I seem to have gained an instinct related to battle from the fight with that second-stage martial artist, Xia Di."

"Is that the reason why you were able to make a second-stage martial artist so miserable?" Lu Ying asked with a doubtful expression.

Lu Zhen nodded but quickly moved his head to avoid a knife that was aimed at him.

"Let\'s test your battle skill then," Lu Ying said, amused by how Lu Zhen had dodged the attack with such precision, showing no unnecessary movements.

"What about my question then?"

"This will naturally get answered in this fight as it is better for you to experience it rather than telling you." Suddenly, Lu Ying seemed to have disappeared from Lu Zhen\'s senses, blending into the surroundings better than he could.

Lu Zhen\'s eyes narrowed as he couldn\'t sense Lu Ying anywhere, as if she never existed. He couldn\'t detect any trace of her aura, and even when he used his five senses, he couldn\'t determine her location.

Suddenly, his instincts warned him of danger as three small daggers, almost like kunai, came at him from behind.

However, Lu Zhen moved slightly, dodging the daggers by a split second. Another dagger came at him from the back as he had turned around, which he couldn\'t sense using his five senses, but his instincts alerted him to the danger. He moved again, dodging by a thin margin, causing him to break out in a sweat.