Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Star Breaker, Perception into the Subtle
’A two-hundred-year-old Blood Spirit Ginseng. Not bad at all. I’ll save this Treasure Ginseng for when I break through to Neutralizing Force.’
A thought flashed through Fang Xing’s mind.
A two-hundred-year-old Blood Spirit Ginseng shouldn’t be wasted.
It was perfect for the breakthrough to Neutralizing Force.
Although he was already at the Peak of Dark Force, the Dragon Gate to Neutralizing Force was no easy hurdle.
A single step would create a world of difference.
In Neutralizing Force, Power becomes Primordial, fusing the ferocity of Bright Force with the subtlety of Dark Force.
A Harmonious Balance of Strength and Softness, achieving Primordial Unity.
[Enhancement Level increased. A random self-enhancement is now available.]
Just then, a crimson prompt suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Staring at the prompt, Fang Xing froze. A wave of joy instantly washed over him.
Aside from enhancing his Comprehension right after he first transmigrated, he had never found another way to enhance himself.
Trying to enhance his limbs directly had been useless.
There was no reaction at all.
Now, he had finally triggered his second self-enhancement.
Although it was just one random enhancement, strengthening any part of himself would undoubtedly allow him to reach a new height.
His enhanced Comprehension was the best proof of that.
Without his heaven-sent Comprehension, reaching his current level of Cultivation would have taken far longer.
Fang Xing suppressed the excitement in his heart and calmed down.
’So, this means that as long as my Enhancement Level increases, I can enhance some aspect of myself...’
The thought flashed through his mind. He had now found the way to enhance himself.
Increasing his Enhancement Level not only expanded the scope of what he could enhance but also granted him one random self-enhancement.
And it was free, to boot.
Snapping out of it, he quickly summoned the crimson panel and saw the prompt at the bottom.
’Enhance!’
The moment he willed it, a peculiar sensation enveloped his body.
[You have enhanced your Perception. Enhancement successful. Your Perception has reached the level of Perception into the Subtle.]
?
’Perception into the Subtle?’
Fang Xing stared at the crimson prompt, dumbfounded.
The random enhancement this time was for his Perception, which was completely unexpected.
Last time it was Comprehension, this time it was Perception.
The results were all over the place.
’Perception into the Subtle...’
Fang Xing tested it out. He could seemingly perceive the entire courtyard, and even the street outside.
He could even clearly perceive a single leaf in the courtyard.
’This is... a spider-sense?!’
Fang Xing stood up and tested it again. This Perception into the Subtle seemed a lot like a spider-sense.
It had drastically improved his body’s Perception Ability.
’In a fight, this ability would be excellent for support.’
A thought flashed through Fang Xing’s mind.
Using such a powerful physical perception in combat would surely have extraordinary effects.
Similar to a spider-sense, it meant he could clearly pick up on any trace and perceive even the slightest movement.
This ability was different from seeing with his eyes.
His physical perception, right down to his pores and every inch of his skin, was many times more sensitive than before.
’Not bad. The next self-enhancement won’t be until I reach Three-Star.’
Fang Xing let out a breath.
He now had a clearer understanding of the Enhancement Level.
The first time it was Comprehension, the second time, Perception.
’It’s a shame I can’t choose,’ Fang Xing sighed.
If he could choose what to enhance, he would definitely have picked Root Bone.
With his heaven-sent Comprehension, plus a powerful Root Bone aptitude...
...his Cultivation would absolutely skyrocket.
But with random enhancements, there were no guarantees.
The random enhancements were beyond his expectations.
Still, any improvement was good; enhancing any attribute was a net positive.
Even if an ability was ordinary, once enhanced, the change would be absolutely astonishing.
Perception into the Subtle was a perfect example.
Having calmed down, Fang Xing returned to his room.
He looked at the enhanced Dragon Blood Treasure Ginseng and Blood Spirit Ginseng.
’Now that my Enhancement Level has broken through, does that mean I can perform a second enhancement?’
As the thought crossed his mind, he focused his gaze, and the crimson text appeared again.
[One enhanced 150-year-old Dragon Blood Treasure Ginseng. Enhancement requires 15,000 Enhancement Points.]
...?
’How much?!’
Fang Xing shot to his feet, suspecting his eyes were playing tricks on him.
A second enhancement cost fifteen thousand points!
That was highway robbery!
It wasn’t cost-effective in the slightest.
With fifteen thousand Enhancement Points, he could enhance a hundred regular Dragon Blood Ginsengs and still have some left over.
Looking at the crimson prompt, Fang Xing turned his gaze to the Blood Spirit Ginseng. Its second enhancement required twenty thousand Enhancement Points.
Next, he took out his enhanced Martial Arts manuals, and the situation was the same.
Any item that had already been enhanced required a massive number of Enhancement Points for a second enhancement.
Seeing this result, Fang Xing immediately dismissed the idea of a second enhancement.
There was no need to even consider it; he definitely couldn’t afford to enhance them.
With that many Enhancement Points, wouldn’t it be better to enhance other things?
Any thought of creating some kind of infinite enhancement loop was a lost cause.
The cost of a second enhancement far exceeded any normal range.
It was even more absurd than the cost of enhancing gold and silver.
Snapping out of it, Fang Xing put away the enhanced Treasure Medicines and went into his bedroom.
He summoned the panel to check his status.
Name: Fang Xing
Cultivation: Peak of Dark Force
Enhancement Level: Two-Star (0%)
Enhancement Points: 8
’It took a total of one thousand points to get past One-Star. So how many will I need to level up from Two-Star...’
Fang Xing stared at the panel, lost in thought.
Two-Star!
He had reached a new tier.
’I’ll stop thinking about it for now. All my Enhancement Points are gone anyway.’ Calming his thoughts, Fang Xing closed the panel and looked toward the Cowhide Scroll.
He opened the Cowhide Scroll again, and a prompt appeared.
[A Superior Inner Elixir Skill. Enhancement requires one thousand Enhancement Points.]
’One thousand points...’
’That’s quite a bit more expensive.’
Fang Xing sighed internally. Still, he could understand a thousand-point price tag for Superior Martial Arts.
After all, even a Basic Martial Arts like the Grapple Skill cost sixty Enhancement Points, let alone Superior Martial Arts.
’One thousand... It seems I’ll have to consider this after I break through to Neutralizing Force.’
Fang Xing calmed himself.
Accumulating that many Enhancement Points at his current rate would take a very long time.
Although he had a "cleanup" plan, the Enhancement Points from it were all meant for his breakthrough to Neutralizing Force.
It wouldn’t be too late to enhance the skill after he crossed that Dragon Gate.
Strength was the core of everything.
Even if he enhanced the Superior Martial Arts, it wasn’t something he could master overnight.
Progress required steady, long-term Cultivation.
After a final glance at the Longevity Inner Elixir Skill, Fang Xing put the Cowhide Scroll away.
There was no rush for a dedicated Inner Cultivation Method; he could still train his Demon Suppression Skill.
’Time to rest.’
Closing his eyes, Fang Xing fell asleep.
「The night passed, and dawn arrived.」
After practicing his two Martial Arts, Fang Xing headed for the County Yamen.
...
In the General Guard Room, Fang Xing sat in a Grandmaster’s Chair, reviewing information about the various forces in North City.
His cleanup plan had to be executed step by step.
First, deal with the weak, then take out the strong.
From weakest to strongest!
But before he made a move, he had to have the most detailed information possible.
The North City underworld was a chaotic mess.
There were dozens of factions, large and small.
All of them were targets for his cleanup.
’The information on the Golden Wolf Gang is the most detailed... Hmm, they can be the first target.’
After reviewing for a while, Fang Xing quickly selected a target.
The Golden Wolf Gang!
The Gang Leader, the Military Advisor... The Golden Wolf Gang had a total of three Bright Force Martial Artists.
Fang Xing had already dealt with them back when he was promoted to Deputy Constable.
The Golden Wolf Gang had plenty of dirty secrets.
Basically, none of these underworld factions were clean.
He wouldn’t feel the slightest bit of mercy when he moved against these factions.
Eradicating them would not only earn him Enhancement Points but also rid the public of a menace and clean up the streets. Killing two birds with one stone!
He wouldn’t touch the major forces for now; he couldn’t bite off more than he could chew.
This was especially true for the Five Great Forces, who were powerful and deeply entrenched.
With his current strength, a head-on clash would be no different from suicide.
He wouldn’t even consider it without the strength of a Neutralizing Force master.
