Design

Lu PingAn's current combat strength had, in truth, gone down the wrong path.

"Compared to a Gardener, you're more like a heavily armored warrior."

Big Cat's words left Lu PingAn unable to argue. A Gardener's professional abilities required time to cultivate, and its growth curve—weak early, strong late—was right there for all to see.

If he relied solely on being a Gardener, it would be difficult for Lu PingAn to develop immediate combat power in the short term.

With powerful enemies appearing one after another and immediate combat strength urgently needed, Lu PingAn had naturally resorted to some unconventional methods.

It could be said that over ninety percent of his current combat power rested on a combat platform centered around Zhi Xi.

The Breathing Method, professional abilities, extraordinary martial arts, Silver Taboo Items, flame arts, and so on were all weapons loaded onto that "platform," ultimately allowing them to be used in an integrated fashion.

"Zhi Xi is actually an empty framework."

This was not a malicious description, because that had been the original design. Lu PingAn needed a framework, a platform, to integrate his scattered abilities and make one plus one far greater than two.

At the same time, he needed a protective shell to shield his "fragile" self.

In reality, Lu PingAn had succeeded—more successfully than even the best result he had anticipated.

When he had been using a pile of Tier 1 and Tier 2 abilities, he had already pieced together Tier 3 combat power. Once his professions generally reached Tier 2 and Tier 3, he had even attained Law Decree-level combat power.

And now? He could probably go toe-to-toe with ordinary Tier 4 or Tier 5 opponents.

As for the defensive capabilities he had originally pursued, after being enhanced with Divine Bone powder and stacking at