Chapter 37: Chapter 36: [Su-Su-Su...perman?!]
[Experience Points: 8000
Functions: Scan, Enhance
Martial Arts: > - 0/6000+ (Mastery: Perfect Top Grade Ocean-Boiling. Inner Strength +30, Strength +9, Fire Resistance +4, Burn +6, Hardness +4.) > - 0/500+ (Proficiency: Strength +2, Impact +1, Sharpness +2, Force +3, Hardness +2.) Note: The attribute bonuses in parentheses apply to both hands only.]
"???"
He Xiaotian stared at the upgraded Experience Points system, a look of complete confusion on his face.
The long descriptions of his martial arts had completely vanished, replaced by a stat display similar to what you’d find in an online game.
’The thirty points of Inner Strength... could that be referring to my years of Inner Power cultivation?’
’The Strength stat must have come from the Strength of Nine Bulls.’
’The Fire Resistance isn’t surprising. The manual once said: "When external cultivation reaches its peak, fire will not harm the skin or flesh."’
’Burn?’
’That must be for when my body is wreathed in flames and I attack an enemy!’
’Hardness is even simpler. The Fire-refined Golden Body isn’t just a Qi Gong technique, it’s also a Horizontal Training art.’
’As for the Iron Sand Palm’s Strength, that’s definitely from the Strength of Two Bulls.’
’Impact... is that the bonus from the first form of the palm technique?’
’Then Sharpness and Force must be from the second and third forms?’
But unlike the Fire-refined Golden Body, this one had an extra note at the end.
The attribute bonuses only apply to both hands.
So, the Strength +2, Impact +1, Sharpness +2, Force +3, and Hardness +2 only affected his palms, not his entire body.
’Spending ten thousand Experience Points on the upgrade was absolutely the right call.’
’At least this is much more intuitive than just trying to guess based on descriptions.’
"When I go to my cousin’s place tomorrow to pick up Mom, I’ll see if he has any Qinggong manuals." As the words left his lips, He Xiaotian closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
He was exhausted from the night’s events.
「The next day at noon」
He Xiaotian called a renovation crew.
The crew was recommended by the district’s security captain, Li Mingyang. He Xiaotian himself had next to no connections in Z County.
After they agreed on a price, the crew began to repair the cracked floorboards and shattered windows.
He Xiaotian would never forget the look on the workers’ faces, an expression that screamed, ’Did you guys make a bomb in here?’
He also had Li Mingyang send a security guard to supervise the entire process.
It wasn’t likely that anything would happen, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
It wasn’t that he was being overly suspicious; the thing was, he had two massive iron hammers weighing over three hundred jin each and two relatively well-preserved kappa corpses hidden in his room.
If someone discovered that stuff, how was he supposed to explain it?
His second-hand Audi slowly drove toward his cousin’s home in Huayuan District. The entire way, he was thinking about how to get his hands on a large sum of money.
Three hundred million!
Actually, he needed at least six hundred million.
He Xiaotian didn’t plan on living with his parents anymore. Not since he’d discovered that the way to get large amounts of Experience Points was to kill these demons and monsters.
From now on, he was destined to walk a path of no return.
If he was targeted by some powerful entity, was he supposed to lead it back home?
On his own, he had plenty of options, whether to fight or to flee.
But if it happened near his parents, he’d have no choice but to fight to the death.
If he could win, great. If not, his entire family would be wiped out.
That was undoubtedly a scenario he wanted to avoid.
"Sigh! What a headache."
He Xiaotian had never had to worry about money growing up, but now, he was a hero stumped by a single penny.
And it wasn’t just a single penny, but several hundred million.
But through it all, he never once considered turning to a life of crime.
For one, the man with the ear stud had said that most of the wealthy had recruited people with strange abilities as bodyguards.
Even if they hadn’t, was he really supposed to become a criminal?
"I’ll just have to take it one step at a time. But one thing’s for sure, I can’t stay in Z County anymore," He Xiaotian muttered to himself. With Black Shadow dead, how could the organization behind him not come to investigate?
When they did, it would undoubtedly stir up a whole new mess of trouble.
He could tell from that Blade of Resentful Spirits that this organization was incredibly powerful.
It could slice through space itself. If that wasn’t a divine blade, what was?
In any novel, anything involving the words ’time’ and ’space’ was never something to be trifled with.
So, moving was an absolute must.
Less than ten minutes later, after a smooth, traffic-free drive, he arrived at Huayuan District.
After parking the car, He Xiaotian rehearsed his words for a moment before heading upstairs.
When the door opened, he saw that his mom and dad, as well as his aunt and uncle, were all there.
"Xiaotian, you’re here?"
"What on earth have you been up to, young man? Why won’t you let us go home?"
His aunt’s greeting and his mother’s scolding rushed over him all at once.
"The missing workers from the factory have been found, right?"
"Huh? How did you know?" his father and uncle asked, exchanging a glance.
"We... need to move."
"What’s gotten into you today? First you wouldn’t let us go home, and now you’re suddenly talking about moving. What, you want to live in a bigger house?"
Hearing his mother’s words, He Xiaotian gave a helpless, bitter smile.
"It’s not just us. My cousin’s family needs to move too. We all need to leave Z County."
"What?!"
The four of them froze in unison. ’What kind of joke is this?!’
Their roots were here, and so were their careers.
’Telling them to move... Has this kid lost his mind today?’
"Listen to me. This world isn’t what it seems. It’s very dangerous right now. There’s more to the missing persons case and the biting incidents than you know." Before He Xiaotian could continue, his mother cut him off.
"One was just an infection, and the other was the work of a large-scale organ trafficking ring. The police have already given an explanation. What more could there be?"
"An infection and an organ trafficking ring? You actually believe that explanation? In reality, both incidents were started by the same organization. The person behind it is dead now, but I’m afraid that organization will send more people to stir up trouble. When that happens, I might not be able to protect you."
He Xiaotian said with a completely serious expression.
’It’s true,’ he thought. ’If some real powerhouse shows up, I’ll probably be singing "Cold Cold."’
"What is wrong with you today, child? Why are you spouting such nonsense?" Faced with the four of them staring at him like he was a complete idiot, He Xiaotian felt like shit.
So, he walked over to the table.
He picked up an ashtray and, right in front of them, slowly crushed the glass object into fine powder.
"Xiaotian, are you on steroids?"
"Mom, do you think a normal person, even a competitive eater, could eat twenty pork knuckles and fifty steaks in one meal?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a flame ignited in his hand.
The sight made the four of them jump. He Xiaotian was self-immolating... ptooey!
No, he was spontaneously combusting.
Immediately, a flood of tea was thrown at him.
But, enhanced by thirty years of Inner Strength, the tea all evaporated into steam.
The others could only watch, dumbfounded.
"Ma-ma... magic?!"
BAM!
The corner of He Xiaotian’s mouth twitched, and he slammed his palm down on the table.
The expensive coffee table, made entirely of solid wood, immediately shattered.
Then, it was incinerated into ash by the flames.
"Su-su-su... Superman?!"
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