Previously, it took almost half a year just to accumulate a little.

This time, it only took a bit over two months to get some.

At this moment, he no longer hesitated.

He focused his attention on the plus sign next to Guanxu Skill, imagining pressing it harder.

Pop.

The number for attribute points changed from 1 to 0. And after Guanxu Skill, an extra “First Layer” appeared.

In an instant, a surge of warmth gushed out from his chest, flowing continuously throughout his entire body.

Brian Bolton felt as if his whole body was soaking in a hot spring, incomparably comfortable.

This feeling lasted for a while before slowly subsiding.

He stretched his legs, moved his arms and wrists, then stood up to check his condition.

‘Brian Bolton—Life 8-9, Skill: Guanxu Skill (First Layer Jingqiao).

Available Attributes: 0.’

Brian Bolton paused, quickly recalling Senior Sister David Green’s explanation.

‘The realms of Guanxu Skill are very simple, divided into: Jingqiao, Huanti, Zhuji, Neidan, Yuanying, and Lianshen.

I should now be fully initiated into the first layer of Jingqiao.’

He tried swinging his arms and kicking his legs, feeling no abnormality at all.

Aside from feeling a bit more refreshed mentally, there was no other change.

“This Guanxu Skill is really…” Brian Bolton shook his head inwardly.

Fortunately, he tested it—his attribute points could indeed improve his skills.

With this, if he learns martial cultivation techniques in the future, he can quickly catch up to others who have trained hard for years.

His current body is only sixteen years old; if he slowly accumulates attribute points in the future, the prospects are promising.

Having confirmed that skills can be improved with attribute points, the heavy stone in Brian Bolton’s heart finally dropped with a clang.

In the following days, Helen Shaw and his daughter returned, and Brian Bolton resumed his previous regular life.

The only thing that puzzled him was that ever since that gathering, Nathan Stewart hadn’t spoken to him again—at most, just nodded in greeting when they met.

At first, he couldn’t understand, but later, after hearing some rumors, he realized it was the other party’s choice.

Nathan Stewart had joined the small circle of James Reed, Jessica Lee, and Jessica, planning to distance himself from a disciple like him with no prospects.

After sighing at people’s pragmatism, Brian Bolton didn’t dwell on it. He ate, drank, and slept well every day, just waiting to recover his body soon enough to qualify for martial cultivation.

What surprised him, though, was that the first layer of Guanxu Skill was causing his Life attribute to slowly increase.

In the blink of an eye, it was July.

Brian Bolton’s Life attribute officially broke through the upper limit of 10 points.

It became “Life 9-10.”

He carefully noted this phenomenon for further observation.

If the Life increase brought by Guanxu Skill later on is greater than directly adding points to Life, he might consider focusing on cultivating Guanxu Skill.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 July 7th.

To the east of Qinghe Palace, in the rolling mountains, clouds and mist shrouded the dark green sea of trees.

Within the sea of trees, a small group of figures could be vaguely seen, leisurely climbing along the mountain ridge.

At noon, the sun shone brightly.

This small group consisted of four people: a man and a woman in front—the man tall and handsome, the woman petite and curvy.

They were disciples of Qinghe Palace out for a spring outing: Ethan Brooks and Emily Shaw.

The two behind carried large and small bags; one was drenched in sweat from exhaustion, the other was a bit better but still slightly out of breath.

They were Ethan Brooks’s personal disciple and Brian Bolton, who had come along with Emily Shaw.

All four wore light blue Daoist robes, fitted at the waist and with tight cuffs, very suitable for activities in the mountains and forests.

Brian Bolton didn’t carry much; he hadn’t brought anything for Emily Shaw, only his own preparations.

After all, he was also a cultivation disciple, not a martial cultivator, nor Emily Shaw’s servant, so refusing to carry things was normal.

But the other disciple was completely different. This man named Clark Bolton was a menial disciple. In order to curry favor with Ethan Brooks, he had finally managed to get this position, so naturally he was ordered around a lot.

Clark Bolton glanced at the two people in front, then at Brian Bolton beside him, who was carrying only a little, and a trace of displeasure flashed in his eyes.

But there was nothing he could do.

“Brother Wuyou, look, look at that little monkey over there, it’s standing up!”

“It’s actually peeing at us!”

“This fruit here is so strange, I wonder if it’s edible?”

“I’ve never seen this kind of butterfly before, can we catch it and raise it?”

Emily Shaw’s cheerful, bell-like laughter echoed through the forest.

Brian Bolton looked ahead from the back, seeing the gentle smile on Ethan Brooks’s face as he kept responding to Emily Shaw’s questions.

It looked just like a scene from a summer outing.

But as Brian Bolton focused on observing Ethan Brooks’s behavior, he felt something was a bit off.

And the man’s voice sounded somewhat familiar to him.

From his angle, he could see Ethan Brooks in his blue Daoist robe, long hair tied up in a Daoist style, secured with a jade crescent crown.

His features were regular, sword-like brows slanting into his temples, broad lips, and sharply defined cheekbones.

At a glance, he had a dignified and proper appearance.

Moreover, whenever they encountered a difficult spot, this person would always reach out to support Emily Shaw without directly touching her, yet still ensuring her safety.