Exquisite Mind

After leaving the room, Dug did not rush to find food for Feng Jiu.

Whether it was the world outside the Simulation Arena or the martial arts world within it, both were unfamiliar to him. He needed to gather more information.

Earlier, when he had fed Feng Jiu blood to forcibly maintain him, he had clearly sensed Feng Jiu's nervousness.

Thinking of Feng Jiu's earlier claim that he could eliminate him at any moment, Dug guessed that the contestants within the Simulation Arena were competitors. The so-called Commoner School and Elite School were probably opposing factions as well.

Feng Jiu had once expressed disdain for the Commoner School teachers' instruction to "not reveal your Keyword."

But Dug believed the teachers would not say such things without reason.

Under competitive circumstances, keeping one's Keyword hidden was absolutely the right idea.

Take Feng Jiu's Taotie, for example. It was indeed a good Keyword, but if someone deliberately targeted him and cut off his food supply, that would mean cutting off his growth.

Putting himself in Feng Jiu's shoes, Dug would never casually reveal information about his Keyword.

And the best way to hide one's Keyword was to get rid of oneself.

Body-snatching was a covert matter, yet the numbers on the panel had been dropping rapidly in such a short time. There was only one possibility: nine times out of ten, they had been taken out by their own people...

So Feng Jiu was definitely not sincerely cooperating with him.

The reason Feng Jiu kept eating those nearly inedible straw mats without pause was probably because he wanted to recover his strength before Dug did, then eliminate him! Of course, since Feng Jiu had awakened before him, he could also have pretended to be a native and deceived him first.

But Feng Jiu's injuries had probably been no lighter than Dug's. He had been forced to rely on eating straw mats to heal. Even if he wanted to eliminate Dug, he likely lacked the strength to do so.

Besides, for someone seriously injured, gnawing raw straw mats was far too abnormal.

Just as he had said, once someone had eaten even a straw mat, such a Keyword was far too easy to identify.

Without knowing Dug's Keyword, Feng Jiu had probably assumed Dug had exposed his own. That was why he had thought to numb him through cooperation and stall for time...

The one thing he had not expected was probably that Dug would recover faster than he did.

"...Let's work together. Big brother will carry you..."

"...After we get out, I'll find a way to transfer you into the Elite Academy..."

"Lulling me in, then tempting me with benefits... Heh, such childish lines!" Dug chuckled. He did not hesitate to speculate about the other man with the utmost malice. Lacking key information, he knew his deductions had plenty of holes, but as long as most of the information fit logically, he could reach a conclusion. How could there be so many absolute certainties in the world?

The sun was shining brightly outside, and the air was exceptionally fresh. Dug greedily inhaled a breath of fresh air rarely found on Earth, becoming even more impressed by the realism of the Simulation Arena.

If he had only transmigrated and had not encountered Feng Jiu, he would most likely have treated this place as a real world and taken countless detours.

This world was far too realistic. It had truly been built to be no different from The Matrix.

Judging by Feng Jiu's attitude, he had not treated this place as a game either. Instead, he had treated it as a real world. That probably had something to do with the Alien Battlefield he had mentioned.

He just did not know what this so-called Alien Battlefield actually was.

No matter what.

Transmigrating was far more enjoyable than living those days on Earth where he could see the end at a glance. It had already brought him plenty of surprises and thrills right from the start. It was worth playing through properly.

The Martial Arts Cultivation Courtyard was a long, narrow compound. Rooms of identical design stood in two connected rows, making it look like employee dormitories.

In this world, martial arts training depended on aptitude. Sparring partners had slightly poorer aptitude than disciples. People like Feng Qi, whom Dug had possessed, and Feng Jiu, were children from impoverished families taken in by the Feng Family from a young age. Their indenture contracts were held by the Feng Family. If they found no future in martial arts, they were doomed to have no prospects. Their treatment was only a little better than that of household servants.

At this moment, several people dressed like him were in the courtyard. Most bore injuries. Some had bandages around their arms, while others leaned on crutches...

No one had a smile on their face.

When they saw Dug pass by, they merely lifted their heads lazily to glance at him. No one said much, which saved Dug some trouble. Although Feng Jiu had explained things to him, he could not match a single one of these people to a name. The more he spoke, the more likely he was to make a mistake.

Ignoring the injured men, Dug pondered how to use his Keyword as he slowly made his way toward the exit of the Martial Arts Cultivation Courtyard.

"Old Seventh, you can walk already?" A burly man in his thirties approached him, staring at Dug in surprise.

"It looked serious, but I'm not actually hurt that badly. I recovered after resting." Dug clutched his chest and said with difficulty, "Old Ninth is more seriously injured than I am. I came out to find him something to eat..."

"Don't go. I'll go!" The burly man looked at Dug with pity. "Old Six and I carried you back yesterday. How could I not know how badly you were injured? You'll need at least two months to recover. This time, Third Young Master really hit too hard."

"You can't blame Third Young Master. He was preparing for the Martial Arts Convention. If he gets a chance to enter the Qiao Family Sacred Land, it will only benefit the Feng Family..." Dug said casually.

"To hell with the Martial Arts Convention. It's been years. When has the Feng Family ever—" The burly man's voice came to an Abrupt Stop. He suddenly turned to look behind him.

There was no one there.

Turning back, the burly man stared at Dug in astonishment, his eyes filled with suspicion.

Having inadvertently maintained the Feng Family's interests, Dug's body felt increasingly lighter. Naturally, he knew the man before him had grown suspicious.

This really was a real world!

The NPCs were far too intelligent! Without the original owner's memories, no matter how well he disguised himself, he would eventually give himself away before people who had lived with him day and night...

Since he would be exposed sooner or later, Dug sighed and decided to change tactics. The instant his body had lightened earlier, he had understood the ultimate essence of maintenance. Maintaining just one person was too narrow-minded. Maintaining an entire group was the true path.

Feng Jiu had mentioned the top ten in the Simulation Arena several times. Perhaps the top ten received some sort of special reward.

Dug truly wanted to see the real world after transmigration, but judging by the ranking numbers that kept changing, it seemed that once one exited the Simulation Arena, there was no way to enter again.

It would be too much of a shame to leave such a fun world directly.

Experiencing every kind of world would make life more exciting. He could treat it as a second transmigration. In any case, the Simulation Arena only eliminated people; it would not kill them.

As for the top ten, Dug felt he could strive for a spot.

He was a serious person. No matter what he did, he always gave it his all.

Dug looked at the burly man and said in a low voice, "I should still go get food for Old Ninth. And in the future, don't speak badly of Third Young Master behind his back. It would be bad if someone overheard."

The burly man's expression changed slightly. He hurriedly defended himself, "Old Seventh, did I say anything? You must have misheard."

Dug looked at him with a faint, ambiguous smile.

The burly man grew nervous. He swallowed and forced a smile. "Old Seventh, Fourth Brother has always treated you the best."

"Fourth Brother, don't be nervous. What's yours is mine!" Dug naturally learned how to address him and said earnestly, "Still, illness enters through the mouth, and disaster comes out of it. Fourth Brother, some things are better kept in your heart. Saying them aloud only gives others something to use against you. I'm only looking out for you..."

Having grasped the true essence of maintenance, Dug began unconsciously cultivating the habit of considering others at all times. Every time he maintained someone, whether naturally or by force, his body received immediate feedback. The simulator seemed unable to distinguish whether he was sincere or hypocritical.

He liked the feeling of receiving rewards immediately. It was far better than working for a month on Earth and then agonizing while waiting for payday.

"Mm, I understand." Feng Si's expression was somewhat unnatural as he changed the subject. "Old Seventh, go to the kitchen yourself! I have other matters to attend to..."

"Fourth Brother, go ahead." Dug smiled and nodded.

Feng Si gave Dug one last look. He frowned as though he wanted to say something, but ultimately said nothing and hurried away.

Dug continued outward. After leaving the Martial Arts Cultivation Courtyard, he did not head for the Martial Arts Adoration Courtyard's kitchen. Instead, he turned toward the Training Ground. Feng Jiu's straw mat would last him a while longer, so there was no rush to bring him food.

"Hah! Ha!" Before he even reached the Training Ground, Dug heard a cacophony of shouts. He quickened his pace slightly.

Feng Jiu had been vague. He had only told Dug that this was a martial arts world, not the levels or standards of martial arts here—whether it was a high-martial or low-martial setting.

At the very least, Dug could not sense any flow of Internal Energy.

Perhaps there was Internal Energy, but he did not know how to use it.

In short, his possessed body felt no different from his body on Earth.

That was why he desperately wanted to see what martial arts in this world looked like. Were they the same as described in Earth's martial arts novels? Dressed in a sparring partner's clothes, Dug was not stopped along the way. Only occasionally did curious gazes fall on him, as though people were amazed that he had suffered such severe injuries yet still headed for the Training Ground. Those disciples had nearly gone mad preparing for the Martial Arts Convention. Even if they had not been so badly injured, they should have found an excuse to hide for several months. Why come out looking for a beating?...

Upon entering the Training Ground, Dug was immediately drawn to the two people fighting on the practice field.

One was a sparring partner dressed like him, while the other was a young man in a white training uniform. The two exchanged blows back and forth.

They leaped and darted with startling speed, circling and weaving around one another as fists and kicks flew in all directions, slicing through the air with howling force. It was far more dazzling than MMA on Earth.

However, no special effects appeared. This should be a low-martial setting.

Dug made his judgment, then discovered tragically that the sparring partners really did know martial arts, while he possessed no memories whatsoever of martial arts. To hell with bodily memory...

Suddenly.

The young man in white, barely over twenty, feinted before driving a palm strike straight through the sparring partner's chest.

Crack!

The sparring partner screamed and flew backward through the air. He crashed into a weapon rack with a clatter before falling to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood, struggled a few times, then went still. It was unclear whether he was dead or alive.

Dug stared gravely at the sparring partner whose chest had caved in and who no longer moved.

At that moment, he suddenly understood why Feng Jiu had been so eager to escape the Feng Family. These people truly did not treat sparring partners as human. With his breastbone crushed, he would most likely not survive...

Cheers jolted Dug awake.

Dug looked back toward the practice field. Apart from the sparring partners mourning their own fate, the Feng Family's direct disciples and household servants watching around them all shouted their approval.

Did they really treat human lives so lightly? Dug curled his lip. What a trash family!

The young man in white smugly drew a folding fan from his waist, snapped it open, and held it before himself as he fanned gracefully, happily enjoying everyone's praise.

A middle-aged man with a long beard leaped to the sparring partner's side. He lowered his head to inspect the man's injuries, then summoned two people to carry him away. Looking at the young man, he praised, "Yunjie, your Heart-Shattering Jade-Cutting has become increasingly refined. It is impossible to guard against."

"Second Uncle flatters me. Give me another three months. Once I master the Gold-Breaking Jade-Shattering Hand, I will surely win a place for the Feng Family at the Martial Arts Convention." Third Young Master seemed quite satisfied with his strike. He looked down at his palm, then turned to the middle-aged man and smiled with a nod. From beginning to end, he never looked again at the sparring partner he had beaten half to death.

Gold-Breaking Jade-Shattering Hand? What a low martial arts name. It was obvious at a glance that it was not the martial art of any great family, Dug mocked inwardly.

Third Young Master Feng, Feng Yunjie, and Feng Shiyi, younger brother of Feng Family head Feng Shiren—Dug matched their identities one by one in his mind.

Feng Shiyi stroked his long beard and laughed heartily as he looked at Feng Yunjie. "As expected of our Feng Family's young tiger. You have ambition. Yunjie, for these next few months, you need do nothing but train. If you need anything, tell your Second Uncle at any time. Whether the Feng Family can finally hold its head high rests entirely on you."

Fortune was found amid danger.

After pondering for a moment, Dug suddenly straightened his back and called out loudly, "Second Master Feng, Third Young Master, I have an urgent matter to report regarding this Martial Arts Convention..."