Edgar Bennett casually picked up his warhammer and said seriously, “Battle techniques are both a means of training for warriors and a way to fight enemies. There are as many schools of battle techniques in this world as there are stars in the night sky—countless. Battle techniques have no fixed hierarchy, because there are no useless techniques, only useless warriors. A warrior’s mastery of battle techniques is divided into four levels: apprentice, proficient, expert, and master. Each school contains several techniques, from shallow to deep. The higher your mastery, the stronger the techniques you can use within that school.”

Owen Clark listened to his explanation and suddenly understood—it was just like unlocking a skill tree: the higher your mastery, the more skills you could use.

Battle technique schools were much like martial arts in wuxia novels: the moves were the skills, but after training in battle techniques, even without using specific moves, your abilities would surpass ordinary people.

The warrior profession had a long history, tracing back to the lost homeland of warriors, Stianbada. Battle marks granted warriors special powers, but they also consumed a lot of stamina, so the main way of fighting was still through battle techniques.

A warrior’s physical strength was like a fountain, and battle techniques were the spout—the bigger the spout, the more power could be unleashed.

Edgar Bennett paused with his warhammer. “I will teach you the dwarves’ powerful battle technique: the Suspended Hammer Style.”

“Dwarven battle techniques have always focused on strength. The Suspended Hammer Style—holding the warhammer aloft, spinning it like a windmill—requires tremendous arm strength. It’s the military battle technique of the dwarven nation’s ace corps—the ‘Iron Hill Legion.’ Watch closely.”

Edgar Bennett stopped talking. With his warhammer angled toward the sky, both hands gripping the end of the handle, he suddenly performed the Suspended Hammer Style. The warhammer spun like a windmill—thrusting, smashing, chopping, swinging—drawing circles in the air, vertical, horizontal, and diagonal. With each rotation, the power increased, sweeping out with a whistling wind.

Every time the warhammer completed nine rotations, under Edgar Bennett’s powerful control of his arms, waist, and legs, it would suddenly halt, releasing the accumulated force, shattering the air in a wide area with a thunderous boom, and sending ripples of air spreading outward.

In Edgar Bennett’s hands, the warhammer seemed to transform into a dragon’s iron tail—agile yet heavy. Just watching made Owen Clark feel a powerful aura that left him awestruck.

Edgar Bennett practiced slowly, giving Owen Clark plenty of time to memorize his movements.

After performing it three times in a row, Edgar Bennett finally stopped. “Did you remember it?”

Owen Clark looked at the small warhammer in his hand and said helplessly, “Can I learn a different weapon? Hammers are just too uncool.”

“Uncool?” Edgar Bennett burst out laughing. “You’re wrong. The warhammer is one of the most terrifying weapons.”

“What’s so terrifying about it?”

Edgar Bennett kept laughing. “If your enemy is wearing armor, bladed weapons lose much of their lethality, but blunt weapons can ignore most of the enemy’s defenses, transmitting force through the armor to directly damage the body. If you have enough strength and stamina, the warhammer is the perfect weapon for you. And for us Shapeshifters, strength is the easiest ability to accumulate.”

Owen Clark imagined himself wielding a warhammer in the future, chasing people with it. The image was ridiculous, but the scene was picturesque.

===Chapter 4: Preg—Pregnant?===

Time flew by, and two years passed quickly.

Before awakening battle marks, warriors are divided into apprentice, official, and elite.

A battle technique apprentice is an apprentice warrior; proficiency in battle techniques makes you an official warrior; expertise in battle techniques makes you an elite warrior.

As for master-level battle technique mastery, that requires comprehending the essence of the school.

Any battle technique can reach expert-level mastery through long-term training, but master-level cannot be achieved just with time.

After two years of hard training, Owen Clark’s Suspended Hammer Style reached expert-level mastery.

Two years of training also caused Owen Clark’s body to shoot up. Though only eight years old, he was already 1.5 meters tall, with a well-proportioned build.

“Shockwave!”

Owen Clark held the warhammer out with one hand, twisted his wrist sharply, and the hammerhead flipped, sending an invisible wave from the hammerhead that shattered the snow within a meter in front of him.

“Stomach Chisel!”

Owen Clark switched to holding the hammer with both hands, spun it in a circle, and struck hard at the air. The immense force made the handle tremble. This move was a fierce attack on the enemy’s abdomen. Though it looked simple, by rotating his legs, he channeled all his strength into this one blow. The warhammer attacked the enemy’s soft abdomen like a chisel—if it hit an ordinary person, it could split them in two.

Dwarven battle techniques were famous for being concise and powerful. Beneath Owen Clark’s unremarkable muscles was strength far beyond his peers.

“In just two years, you’ve already become an elite warrior. I’m truly amazed.”

Edgar Bennett stood to the side, his tone full of praise. Shapeshifters had great potential, but for Owen Clark to reach elite warrior level at eight years old was far beyond his expectations, leaving him in awe. “You’re a true warrior prodigy. When I first started training, it took me three years to reach your current level.”

“My ambition is to be a civilized person. With my looks, if I were to transmigrate, it should be into a Qiong Yao drama. All this fighting and killing just isn’t for me.” Owen Clark weighed the warhammer in his hand. At this moment, he felt his own image was completely ruined.