He first picked up the 2-star skill book: [Whirling Throw].
[Whirling Throw Skill Book: Teaches the user to comprehend the "Whirling Throw" skill. Success Rate: 100%.]
"This skill book was crafted by a powerful high-ranking Awakened," Su Xiaoxiao said, happy to chat more with Gu Ning as she explained some knowledge about skill books.
Skill books come in two types:
One type is crafted by Awakened Ones.
The other is a product of the Spirit Realm.
To craft a skill book, an Awakened must first master the skill to an extremely advanced level. Then, using a specific substrate, they record their insights for future users to learn from.
The substrate usually comes from the skin, bones, or other special parts of monsters that possess talent for the related skill. For example, to create a skill book for [War Stomp], the substrate typically comes from creatures like Kodo beasts, Rift-horned Rhinos, or Centaurs.
These substrates are difficult to find.For many rare skills, no known monsters possess the matching innate talent—so even if someone masters the skill, there's no way to record it or pass it on.
As a result, standard skill books are relatively available—anyone with enough Honor Points can attempt them multiple times.
But rare skill books created by the Spirit Realm?Those aren't something you can redeem with Honor Points so easily—most people don't even have clearance to access their listings.
Su Xiaoxiao added, "I suggest you learn the most valuable one first—[Unstable Shield]. It's a rare skill book from the Spirit Realm's Will. No one in the real world has ever successfully created one."
Gu Ning nodded. The more and stronger the skills an Awakened has already learned, the lower the success rate for new skills.So it made sense to learn the most precious one first while the odds were still high.
Gu Ning opened the [Unstable Shield] skill book. Immediately, glowing particles surged forth and turned into a stream of information pouring into his mind.
In his vision appeared a terrifying forge, filled with multicolored magical flames. Chaotic energies expanded rapidly, quaking, then reached a delicate balance—
Then boom, it exploded.
[You have learned the 2-star skill: Unstable Shield. Current Skill Level: 1.]
Along with the prompt, Gu Ning felt clearly that he had grasped the skill and could now view its stats.
The shield generated by Unstable Shield could absorb 45 points of damage—that's three times his END stat.
Likewise, when the shield detonated, it would deal up to 45 AoE shock damage to enemies nearby.
For an AoE skill, 45 damage at this stage was powerful.
The downside was a 3-second delay before detonation. Gu Ning had to be cautious—if enemies chipped away at him before the shield exploded, its power would be diminished.
He then picked up the [Whirling Throw] skill book. Now, the success rate had dropped to 97%.
"Still 97%?" Even the well-informed Su Xiaoxiao was stunned.
"I remember when Mad Dog learned his second skill, the success rate was 91%—and that was the highest in our batch. And his first skill was just a 1-star," Qilin murmured.
"Little Gu Ning must have an insanely high hidden stat—Comprehension!" Su Xiaoxiao declared.
Gu Ning simply smiled, then focused and opened the book.
A scene appeared before him—a mountain-like figure of an Awakened, crouched like a drawn bow. With a powerful swing, he hurled a shield that roared through the air in a graceful arc, smashing a distant tree in half.
The shield continued its arc and flew back to his hand.
No fluke occurred. Gu Ning successfully learned [Whirling Throw].
Now it was time for the third skill book: [Leap Slash].His success rate had dropped to 85%, but he still succeeded. Another mobility skill was always handy.
"Damn, his third skill's success rate is the same as my second..." Heihu muttered, clicking his tongue. "If you went for a fourth skill now, I bet you'd still have over a 60% success rate."
"I'm out of Honor Points," Gu Ning replied. Not just out—he was 300 points in the red.
"When you reach Level 2, learning a fourth skill will be easier. Success rates get better as you level up," said Su Xiaoxiao.
"Exactly," Qilin added. "Skill success rates depend on your level and class template. The stronger your template and the higher your level, the higher your success rate. Especially at Levels 4 and 7—those are big milestones where your gains are significant."
Gu Ning stretched and yawned. With everything done, exhaustion hit him like a wave.
Clearing three floors of the Bone Catacombs and learning three new skills in a row—it was enough to crush anyone.
"Go get some rest," Su Xiaoxiao urged. "Sleep. You won't recover your mental strength otherwise. Your room is #237. Here's the key."
Gu Ning yawned, "I still want to go over my skills a bit…"
But he could barely keep his eyes open.
…
When Gu Ning woke up, he checked his watch.
His assistant, Xiao Bai, reported:
"Master, you slept for 3 hours and 46 minutes. It is now 5:27 PM. You have a package at the door from Miss Su Xiaoxiao. She left a message as well."
Gu Ning sat up, feeling refreshed—his fatigue completely gone.
He opened the door and took the package. Inside was a set of clothes.
Su Xiaoxiao's voice played:
"Little Gu Ning, I bought you a new outfit—white hoodie, black pants, white sneakers. I thought it suited your vibe~"
To his surprise, the package also included unopened underwear and socks.
He covered his face in embarrassment. How did Su Xiaoxiao know he hadn't been wearing underwear after returning from the Spirit Realm…?
Must be the power of good looks. Gu Ning still wasn't used to this—being cared for and admired like a star. For over ten years, he'd always been invisible. It was a hard mindset to change.
He told Xiao Bai to scan the cost of the clothes and transferred the money to Su Xiaoxiao through his social account.
After being deregistered from the Security Bureau's restricted list, Gu Ning's personal account was now fully accessible.
Though he was broke, with only a small amount saved up, it was enough to pay for the clothes.
Suddenly, hunger struck hard. Gu Ning quickly got dressed and opened the door.
"Su Xiaoxiao said the base has a pay-per-meal cafeteria. Xiao Bai, locate it!"
Beep. The watch projected a map of the Shen Ce Army's Xicheng Base.
A green line extended from Gu Ning's current position, leading him through two turns straight to the cafeteria.
Gu Ning praised the smart terminal's convenience—he could never have afforded such high-end tech before. Now he followed the route and quickly arrived.
The cafeteria had a self-service setup and looked more like a café. It featured semi-private booths, each with two or four seats.
At this hour, the place was quiet. Only a few people were scattered around.
In the southeast booth, Gu Ning spotted Li Ling and Su Xiaoxiao sitting opposite each other.
Li Ling was on her personal terminal, looking visibly annoyed.
"Little Gu Ning! Over here~" Su Xiaoxiao waved.
Gu Ning carried a tray piled with food and sat next to Su Xiaoxiao, then started devouring everything like a storm. His energy reserves had taken a hit—he needed fuel, fast.
Su Xiaoxiao propped her chin in one hand and watched Gu Ning eat with amused interest.
She smiled lazily. "Sigh… Little Gu Ning, how do you eat so fast—and still look so good doing it?"