Lu Yu was somewhat excited, as this was his first time engaging in martial arts fishing. He didn't know what kind of treasures he might catch.
Without delay, he focused his mind, and the scene before him immediately changed dramatically.
The small dilapidated hut vanished, replaced by a sheer cliff.
Beyond the cliff lay a sea of clouds.
That was the Martial Arts Cloud Sea.
Before the Martial Arts Cloud Sea stood a fishing rod.
The fishing rod appeared ordinary, yet it had an unusual feel.
Upon closer inspection, one could see numerous inscriptions carved onto the rod. Their meaning was unknown, but they added a sense of Daoist aura to it.
"So this is the fishing rod used to fish for martial arts objects? It's truly unique."
After his amazement subsided, Lu Yu extended his right hand and grabbed the martial arts fishing rod.
In that moment, he felt a connection to the rod, as if they were bound by blood. It was quite extraordinary.
"I finally got a lucky object, I can't go home empty-handed. This time, I have to succeed. Otherwise, who knows when I'll get another chance."
Lu Yu thought to himself, then hung the Daoist Saint Jade pendant onto the hook.
Having done this, Lu Yu cast the rod with force, the fishing line swaying as the hook with bait plunged into the boundless sea of clouds.
Lu Yu sat cross-legged on the edge of the cliff, waiting patiently.
Fishing was nothing new to him; in fact, he was quite skilled at it.
It was something he had been doing since childhood.
His father, Lu Shan, loved fishing the most, and Lu Yu had watched him for so many years, even if it was only by observation, he had learned.
Moreover, from the age of six, he had been fishing with Lu Shan, and had long mastered the secrets of the craft.
It was strange, really.
As a fisherman, Lu Shan only fished, he never used a net to catch fish.
Even when other fishermen invited him, he would simply wave them away.
If it weren't for his excellent fishing skills, the father and son might have starved.
As for Lu Yu's mother, he had no recollection of her.
When he was younger, he had asked Lu Shan about it, but Lu Shan would remain silent, even becoming melancholic and resorting to drinking himself into oblivion.
After numerous times, Lu Yu stopped asking.
Now that Lu Shan was gone, this matter would likely remain a secret forever.
Just as he was lost in thought, the fishing line suddenly moved!
Lu Yu immediately snapped out of his reverie, preparing to reel in.
He gently flicked his right wrist, the end of the fishing rod trembled in response, and the fishing line swayed along with it.
This step was to ensure the hook was firmly embedded in the fish's mouth to prevent it from escaping.
Sensing that the fish had taken the bait, Lu Yu suddenly exerted force!
The fishing line immediately tightened, but Lu Yu's expression changed.
"How big is this fish?"
Lu Yu found it quite strenuous, so he loosened the line and applied force intermittently.
He was playing the fish.
This was a necessary procedure when catching a large fish.
Only in this way could one drain the large fish's energy and eventually reel it in.
Otherwise, under the immense force of the fish, the fishing line could easily snap, resulting in a failed catch.
Lu Yu was very patient, expertly controlling the alternating force of loosening and tightening the line.
After about a quarter of an hour, Lu Yu clearly felt that the large fish's strength had dwindled.
This was his chance!
"Now's the time!"
Lu Yu immediately unleashed all his strength, directly reeling the large fish out of the water!
Pfft!
A large, blue fish leaped out of the sea of clouds, its scales shimmered with a bluish glow under the sunlight, looking incredibly beautiful.
The next moment, the blue fish transformed into a ball of blue light and charged towards Lu Yu.
Lu Yu was startled, but in the next instant, he merged with the blue light.
The scene before his eyes instantly disappeared, and he returned to the hut.
However, a martial arts manual had appeared in his mind.
Heavenly Grade Lower-Ranked Martial Art, Wind God Leg!
Martial arts are divided into five ranks: Divine, Heavenly, Earthly, Xuan, and Yellow, each rank further subdivided into three tiers: Upper, Middle, and Lower.
This Heavenly Grade Lower-Ranked martial art was a rare find in the martial arts world.
To have such a significant gain from his first fishing trip, Lu Yu was overjoyed.
"This is a huge burst of good fortune! No wonder that fish was so difficult to catch earlier, it almost got away. Looks like the beginner's luck rule applies to the Martial Arts Sea too."
Lu Yu exclaimed with joy.
Wind God Leg!
This was a comprehensive martial art that combined light footwork, internal energy, and leg techniques.
Simply by mastering this martial art, one could establish themselves in the martial arts world, even conquer a region.
At this moment, the cultivation method for Wind God Leg had fully materialized in Lu Yu's mind.
Wind God Leg had six techniques, namely: Catching the Wind and Grasping the Shadow, Wind-Blown Grass, Violent Rain and Furious Wind, Thunderous Fury, Wind-Swept Remnant Tower, and Divine Wind Roar.
The first technique, Catching the Wind and Grasping the Shadow, was the foundation of Wind God Leg, focusing primarily on light footwork.
Moreover, Wind God Leg came with an internal energy cultivation method called Divine Wind Force.
Lu Yu sat cross-legged and focused his mind, and Divine Wind Force began circulating in his body.
He felt a divine wind arising in his dantian, sweeping through his eight extraordinary meridians, even his bones felt stronger.
"So this is internal energy? It's truly amazing."
Lu Yu stared at his hands, filled with awe.
"My talent seems to be pretty good. Just starting cultivation, I've already developed internal energy. I've finally stepped onto the path of martial arts.
Based on my current cultivation, I should be considered Third-Rate Initial stage, right?"
Martial arts cultivation has nine stages: Third-Rate, Second-Rate, First-Rate, Post-Heaven, Pre-Heaven, Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster, Heaven-Man, and Land Immortal.
Each stage is further subdivided into five tiers: Initial, Middle, Late, Peak, and Perfect.
Now that he had obtained Wind God Leg, Lu Yu had a way to support himself, but his cultivation was too low, he needed to develop his power quickly.
Lu Yu didn't know that his talent wasn't just good, but rather, monstrous.
Ordinary people who just start learning martial arts are impossible to instantly develop internal energy, it takes at least a year or two of honing.
Even for a genius, it would take at least a few days.
He had instantly cultivated internal energy, a truly monstrous feat.
Moreover, he was cultivating the high-difficulty Heavenly Grade Lower-Ranked martial art.
Of course, Lu Yu, a newbie in the martial arts, wouldn't realize this.
He had spent the entire night toiling away and finally reaped the rewards, putting Lu Yu in a great mood.
The evening breeze blew gently, Lu Yu stepped out of the door, and with a thought, a breeze of internal energy emerged beneath his feet.
The first technique of Wind God Leg, Catching the Wind and Grasping the Shadow!
Having learned martial arts, how could he resist the urge to try it out?
Martial arts cultivation is divided into five stages: Entry, Proficiency, Mastery, Perfection, and Transcendence. Lu Yu had just obtained Wind God Leg, he wasn't even at Entry level, so he naturally needed to practice diligently.
Under the moonlight, the young man in blue clothing seemed like a wisp of wind, drifting along the banks of the West Liang River.
After a quarter of an hour, Lu Yu was panting heavily as he leaned against a willow tree, but his face was filled with excitement.
"Refreshing! Wind God Leg is truly fast. Unfortunately, such a high-level light footwork technique consumes a lot of energy. With my current internal energy, three minutes is the limit.
Furthermore, I can only use the first technique of Wind God Leg right now. The other techniques can only be cultivated after I reach Entry level in Catching the Wind and Grasping the Shadow.
When I finally master the second technique, Wind God Leg will reach Proficiency level. No rush, I'll take it slow."
Lu Yu was content, after all, one bite at a time is how you eat an elephant.
After resting for a while and recovering some internal energy, Lu Yu returned home using Wind God Leg.
This night, Lu Yu was too excited to sleep.
He decided to cultivate internal energy instead of sleeping. While it wasn't as comfortable as sleep, it was still a decent rest.