It's a lateral career transition!
Looking at the options displayed on the panel, Shen Hex wasn't much surprised, because this is the norm for advancement.
The Empire has conducted statistics in this regard. For ordinary professionals, the probability of several advancement outcomes is that lateral transition is greater than failure, failure is greater than advancement, and advancement is greater than fusion advancement, particularly at higher levels.
Shen Hex checked the data; for some professions with low intensity, lateral transition several times or even a dozen times is common. Some with poor aptitude and bad luck have even set records for dozens of lateral transitions.
The profession of the Beggar, within Tier One, is extremely low in intensity, and during this time, he hasn't done anything earth-shattering, merely killed a few beggars and burned down a dilapidated house. A lateral transition was expected.
But no matter what, a lateral transition is stronger than advancement failure. It can further enhance a professional's strength, which is extremely important to him now, having just escaped and with nowhere to turn to.
So, which of the three professions to choose?
Shen Hex has long researched this aspect; generally speaking, career choice should first consider the difficulty of gaining experience, followed by the intensity of the profession.
This is easy to understand because experience is the foundation of career enhancement. If the difficulty of gaining experience is too high or even impossible, activating a profession with explosive intensity is of little significance.
Take, for example, the Dragon Slayer Warrior. Is the intensity of this profession high?
Definitely high, if you're slaying dragons, how could it not be high?
But what if dragons are scarce or nonexistent in this world, and this profession can only gain experience by slaying dragons, then it would almost never be chosen.
Because its advancement difficulty is too high, potentially impossible to advance, nor can it transform skills and items, its prospects are grim, and even with strong combat power, it is only significant among peers, almost having no future.
Therefore, in general, the priority of experience difficulty should be higher than professional intensity.
Beggar's Gang Disciple.
Martial Artist.
Hero.
Among these three professions, which has the lowest experience difficulty?
Without a doubt, it's the Martial Artist!
Beggar's Gang Disciple needs to beg, or participate in gang disputes, Jianghu vendettas to gain experience. This involves entanglements with the Beggar Gang and skirmishes with other Jianghu factions and martial artists. It appears you could upgrade by fighting monsters, growing like a snowball, but the reality is not so rosy because the risks are equally immense, especially for Shen Hex now.
Given his current strength, can he participate in such Jianghu vendettas?
Clearly not, whether in this life or the previous, he lacks significant combat experience. Relying on ambushes and professional abilities, he can deal with beggar lords like Zhou San, but facing true martial artists and Jianghu experts, he would be purely serving himself on a platter.
The Hero is similar, although it can gain a lot of experience by slaying evildoers and performing heroic deeds, its risk is equally immense as it involves both the Jianghu and the government office.
Reality is not a novel, there is no dictum that everything serves the story. If a world possesses martial arts, the court and government office's force must be greater than Jianghu factions; otherwise, it wouldn't be a court or government office.
Breaking the prohibition with martial force, the Hero's experience difficulty and risk are above that of the Beggar's Gang Disciple. Shen Hex is too weak now, lacking enough capital to develop these two professions.
The Martial Artist, however, is different. He can be self-sufficient through "martial arts cultivation", without the need to risk fights, only requiring focused cultivation to enhance his strength, allowing Shen Hex to accumulate capital in the early stages.
Therefore, regarding experience difficulty, Martial Artist is the optimal choice at present.
Even in terms of professional intensity, Martial Artist is a contender for second or third place because someone is at the bottom, namely the Beggar's Gang Disciple.
Beggar's Gang Disciple, for Shen Hex, this profession can almost be described as the bottom of the bottom.
Because its main intensity lies in enhancing the cultivation effect of Beggar Gang martial arts and creating professional items like Dog-Beating Stick.
Beggar Gang martial arts?
Shen Hex has no interest at all, more accurately, none of the martial arts of this world hold much value in his eyes.
Because behind him stands the Human Empire, a Universe-Coveting and Star-Dominating Human Empire.
This world, being merely at a Small Thousand Level, how could its mortal martial arts compare with the Martial Arts System of the Human Empire developed over tens of thousands of years, spanning the universe, and shattering stars?
In reality, picking any martial art skill from the Empire and putting it into this world would probably be at the level of a Supreme Divine Skill, so how could Shen Hex forsake the Empire's treasure trove and foolishly cultivate this world's mortal martial arts?
Therefore, the professional advantages of Beggar's Gang Disciple hold no allure for him and are definitively at the bottom among the three options.
As for Hero, the advantage of greatly enhancing the physique is indeed enticing, but compared to the effect of improving qualification of the Martial Artist, it isn't so obvious.
One knows oneself best; Shen Hex is far from being talented in Martial Dao, he can almost be described as mediocre.
His parents painstakingly sought the "Cultivator" profession for him because the cultivation profession has significant advantages, and also knowing that their son has no development prospects in Martial Dao.
Hence, from all aspects, Martial Artist is the optimal choice presently.
After clarifying all this, Shen Hex acted decisively.
"Change profession — Martial Artist!"
"Profession change successful!"
"New profession acquired — Martial Artist!"
"Acquired Professional Talent - Static Posture!"
Gouwa (Shen Hex)
Profession: Martial Artist.
Professional Rank: Tier One Level One.
Professional Talent: Static Posture.
Professional Skills: None.
Professional Items: None.
General Skills: Yuan-Devouring Skill, Xingyi Fist.
...
Looking at the brand-new professional panel, Shen Hex said nothing, silently performing exercises leaning against the tree trunk.
Now he has two martial arts skills, one is the Yuan-Devouring Skill passed down from his parents, and the other is Xingyi Fist learned at school.
Although the Yuan-Devouring Skill is good, it currently only serves to absorb primordial qi and enhance diet, and cannot be used directly against enemies.
Thus, he is now practicing Xingyi Fist.
Xingyi Twelve Forms!
Although he had heard of this fist technique in his previous life, the two are completely different entities.
In his previous life, the Xingyi Fist he referred to was just an ordinary Huaxia fist technique, within the realm of mortal arts.
But now, the Xingyi Fist he practices is a martial art promoted by the Human Empire. Although it is basic, it is still extraordinary and has been refined to near perfection through the deductions of countless martial artists, even Martial Gods and Martial Saints of the Human Empire.
If it were not so, it wouldn't have become the foundational martial art advocated by the Human Empire, taught in various schools and martial arts halls.
A grand edifice starts from the ground up, and the importance of a foundation is self-evident. This Xingyi Fist encompasses twelve forms, twelve intentions, twelve poses, and twelve postures, incorporating almost all martial arts fundamentals, allowing for the transition to any martial skill. Many high-tier martial arts professionals, even Martial Gods and Saints, begin with this.
Now, Shen Hex is also using this as his foundation, formally commencing his martial arts cultivation.
Xingyi Fist, with its twelve forms, twelve intentions, twelve poses, and twelve postures, includes fist and palm techniques, body movements and footwork, weapon and posture techniques. It is a martial art integrating movement and stillness, internal and external cultivation.
A year ago, Shen Hex had secretly practiced the Pile Skill to strengthen his body and strategize for breaking his current situation.
Now, spending nights in the trees with limited room for activity, he continues to practice the Pile Skill, specifically the Static Posture within motion-stillness.
The so-called Static Posture involves standing still as a pillar, similar to sitting meditation or stance training, using specific movements and postures to circulate qi and blood, thus strengthening the body and achieving the purpose of martial arts cultivation.
Although Shen Hex's martial arts talent is average, after switching professions to Martial Artist, he gained professional assistance and talent enhancement, significantly boosting the effectiveness of Static Posture cultivation, compensating for his talent shortcomings in the early stages.
Lying on a branch, he initially practices the "Static Dragon·Coiling Posture" method to stimulate and mobilize his body's qi and blood.
Xingyi focuses on both form and intention; the intention of Dragon Form is not merely mimicking a flood dragon, for that only achieves semblance without essence.
The true intention of Dragon Form is to subdue, subduing one's inner dragon, controlling the body and qi blood circulation, gradually transforming, rebirthing, and ultimately becoming a dragon, achieving unity of form and intention.
It is said that one of the job requirements for becoming a "Dragon Blood Martial Saint" is to master Xingyi Fist to a perfect state, possessing the ability to subdue dragons and the power to transform into a dragon, reaching the peak of perfection and transcending into sainthood.
Shen Hex doesn't contemplate that far ahead, but presently, practicing this "Dragon Coiling Posture" benefits him greatly, effectively strengthening his qi and blood, enhancing his physique, and preparing for the burgeoning of inner strength.
The Martial Dao professional system has distinct characteristics in its early stages; Tier One refines true qi, Tier Two transforms true qi into Gang, and Tier Three true Gang forms Yuan.
An adept Martial Dao professional must not only elevate their professional level but also cultivate sufficient martial arts skills; otherwise, it's merely superficial strength, strong in appearance but weak in substance.
Shen Hex's current goal is to cultivate true qi through Xingyi Fist.
However, this true qi cannot be achieved overnight; it must be developed by initially refining qi and blood to produce inner strength, then using inner strength to open up the Qi Sea Dantian, ultimately refining true qi within the Dantian.
Over the past year, despite begging, Shen Hex has heard some Jianghu stories from the bragging of people like Zhou San and from various encounters while begging.
It is said that a martial artist who develops inner strength can be deemed a skilled hand in Jianghu, on par with elite disciples of various sects and schools. If true qi is attained, even more so; it allows one to establish a sect, becoming renowned in a region.
The Beggar Gang, as the largest gang in the martial world, has elders above the sixth grade who are masters proficient in true qi, and inner disciples below the sixth grade who have somewhat cultivated inner strength.
Seen from this, although this world is a Small Thousand World, the level of martial prowess doesn't seem that low; Shen Hex even suspects that within the court and major sects exist top experts who have cultivated Gang Qi.
Those are comparable to Tier Two professionals!
This is also the reason Shen Hex doesn't choose to become a Beggar's Gang disciple or hero—given his current state of not even having developed inner strength, participating in Jianghu conflicts would likely result in him being devoured without even leaving bones.
It's better to focus first on practicing martial arts, accumulating strength, and only entering the fray once he has certain capital to stir up the world.
Of course, if possible, Shen Hex hopes to cultivate to full level, even advancing to Tier Two and possessing an invincible strength before stepping out to conquer this world.
But given his talent...