Enhancement Three

Burden 'The heavier the burden, the greater the power.'

Yu Hong carefully memorized the essentials of this leg technique, then rose and began assuming the stance, attempting to train.

The training method was simple. There were three moves in total, divided into three levels. The first move involved practicing only the low sweep kick.

It was the motion of kicking someone's calf. Perhaps because it perfectly suited Yu Hong himself, he trained it incredibly smoothly, as if every movement matched his habitual motions from daily life.

He only needed to coordinate it with the Visualization Diagram while practicing.

Everything went smoothly after that. Yu Hong trained the High Body Method and the first move of the leg technique every day, from morning until night. Seven days later, mushrooms began growing on Li Runshan's side. The two of them traded for some fresh mushrooms and cooked them into soup with other food. The flavor improved considerably, and only then did they pause for a while.

The Stone House at the Post Office, in the courtyard.

The sky was thick with dark clouds, and it looked as though it would rain soon.

Yu Hong and Li Runshan stood in the courtyard, looking at the yellow, paste-like substance stirred into a lump of sludge on the ground.

"This is more or less a success." Li Runshan set down the wooden stick and looked at the lump with satisfaction. He said quietly, "Next comes cockroach farming. Cockroaches reproduce quickly and lay plenty of eggs. A single ootheca can produce dozens of them, and they grow fat quickly too. I brought quite a few oothecae this time, so they'll finally come in handy."

"What's mainly in this?" Yu Hong asked from the side, wrinkling his nose.

"Mushroom scraps, some moss I found, roots and stems, oily plant fruits, and feces." Li Runshan casually listed a few things. "Just like growing mushrooms requires adding some sawdust or something similar, raising cockroaches also requires extra ingredients. You can't raise them properly by just tossing them in and leaving them alone."

Yu Hong's face went wooden. He had originally planned to raise some himself, but now it seemed that until he finished digging out the individual room, he absolutely did not want to raise them himself.

"I finally understand why everyone prefers eating lizards," he sighed.

"Mm. There's a huge difference between eating feces directly and eating it indirectly." Li Runshan laughed.

He turned his head to look at Yu Hong and asked, "How has your training been lately? Pay attention to your food, drink, and sleep. If you only train and neglect everything else, you'll hurt your body instead. That would be overdrawing yourself."

"Pretty well. I sleep a full ten hours every day and eat and drink my fill. There's absolutely no problem. But when are you going to teach me how to shoot a slingshot?" Yu Hong asked.

"Wait a while. First make yourself a slingshot frame, then we'll talk. I can give you some elastic cord here. Practice on your own first when the time comes."

Li Runshan smiled. "Also, I'm planning to visit the Glowstone Mine in a few days. Are you familiar with that place?"

"Not really." Yu Hong frowned.

"Then how did you get those Large Glowstones? You might be able to fool other people, but you can't pull the wool over my eyes so easily." Li Runshan laughed.

"..." Yu Hong kept his mouth shut. He had now trained four strands of Cooling Qi through the High Body Method. As for the leg technique, since he had only been practicing one move, he had gradually developed some sense of it after a week of painstaking training.

He had trained from morning until night. Aside from eating, drinking, relieving himself, going out to gather firewood, searching for water, and digging up vegetables, all his thoughts had been thrown into the leg technique.

Meanwhile, the Black Mark had continuously strengthened the Silver Symbol Array. By now, he had four Silver Symbol Arrays, including the one he had made earlier, not counting the one behind the door.

The Silver Symbol Array had one major advantage: after being used, it could be replenished and restored, becoming complete again for the next use.

He had even more ordinary symbol arrays, though he had not counted them. Whenever he had free time, he strengthened them and tossed them all into a corner. Ordinary symbol arrays were consumables and could not be replenished. They would be damaged after use, but fortunately, their strengthening time was short, making them very useful in emergencies.

"Large Glowstones and the like are enough when facing Ghost Shadows, but they're inadequate against Evil Shadows. You need to pile up enough of them to make a difference," Yu Hong said solemnly.

"You're right. The main use of Large Glowstones really isn't fighting Evil Shadows and Ghost Shadows. They're more often used as additives and catalysts in the production of other things. Ever since the Black Calamity was discovered a few years ago and the united organization Silver Tower was established, Sunshine Series things have become the true rarities." Li Runshan's face once again revealed his habitual smile. "I'll soon have some Sunshine Series Materials in my hands. They're excellent coatings that can disperse ordinary Blood Tides and conceal your presence from Ghost Shadows. They can even hold back Evil Shadows for a long time, as long as you supply them with electricity."

"...The Sunshine Series is really that powerful?" Yu Hong asked, somewhat disbelievingly.

"The Black Calamity attacked Hope City first, and so did the Evil Shadows. There were even more monster Evil Shadows far stronger than ordinary Blood Tides. What do you think the country relied on to survive?" Li Runshan said matter-of-factly. "The things encountered in major settlements are far more numerous than you can imagine."

"Right, when will the supply team arrive?" Yu Hong asked at last.

"Tomorrow. That's the announced time, but I don't know the exact hour. If you have enough supplies to trade, you can come find me. You can exchange for some food and useful tools too," Li Runshan replied.

Yu Hong nodded and turned to leave. He had come this time to ask whether the cockroaches had been successfully raised. Now that everything was proceeding smoothly, he felt relieved.

He quickly returned to the Safe House Cave, practiced the leg technique and High Body Method for a while, and then began choosing something new to strengthen.

Standing at the cave entrance, he took a saw and an axe and slowly began making some new thick wooden boards.

These boards were not for making symbol arrays. He planned to turn them into barrel-shaped full-body protective equipment.

He couldn't make a perfect cylinder. Cutting down a ready-made large tree would have been easier.

But this thing was too difficult to make. It had cracked easily every time he tried. Therefore, if the supply team arrived tomorrow, he planned to try trading for equivalent bulletproof vests and other protective suits.

After doing carpentry for a while, Yu Hong returned to the cave. He confirmed that the symbol array had finished strengthening once again, giving him another ordinary symbol array.

Then he took out, one by one, everything he could still strengthen, placing the most important things at the front.

The Solar Power Generator, dagger, Pistol, and boots.

After placing these items in front of him, Yu Hong first took out the boots. They were women's boots belonging to Jenny. He did not know who had worn them. They were waterproof long boots made of sturdy leather.

He looked at the dagger again. With the boots and dagger combined, Yu Hong had a rough idea in mind.

He moved the two items aside separately and placed his hand on them.

'Strengthen the Spiked Boots I can wear. Direction.'

An image surfaced in his mind of the long boots from the martial arts films he had seen before, with sharp blades extending from the toes.

Soon, the Black Mark gave him feedback.

'Strengthen the Spiked Boots?'

When this feedback appeared, it generally meant that the Black Mark could strengthen them. It did not mean that their completeness was insufficient.

Yu Hong's heart relaxed as he looked at the countdown on the boots: 1 day 3 hours 5 minutes.

"The time is acceptable." He approved of the Black Mark's feedback in his mind.

The countdown immediately began ticking. The boots and dagger flashed, and numbers appeared on their surfaces at the same time.

"So it seems that when combined, items placed together can also be synthesized and strengthened through the Black Mark. This is an additional synthesis function."

Yu Hong fell into thought.

'If combination synthesis is possible, its applications will be much broader.'

He lay down in the cave and slept for a while before getting up and beginning to train the leg technique again.

He gave this strengthened leg technique a fitting name: Heavy Leg Technique.

The name was straightforward and easy to understand, while also highlighting its key feature.

For a time, inside the cave, Yu Hong continuously swept his left and right legs low in front of him while visualizing the diagram in the manual. At the same time, he controlled the Cooling Qi in his body, circulating it along the meridians and blood vessels shown in the diagram.

At first, using his mind for three tasks at once, Yu Hong was still unskilled. But now that he had trained for a full week, he could perform the movements and coordination with ease.

This leg technique had been designed entirely according to his physical and mental condition, so his progress was extremely smooth.

By now, he could faintly sense the fifth strand of Cooling Qi in his body slowly taking shape. It probably would not be long before it successfully gathered.

Before long, Yu Hong stopped to eat. Then he began chiseling at the stone again.

When the sky grew dark, he continued practicing the Heavy Leg Technique.

'The first move of the Heavy Leg Technique, which is also the first level, must be trained until I can mobilize Cooling Qi at any time and unleash it instantly. At the same time, the meridian diagram must be activated in complete coordination both before and after the kick.'

After lighting a fire, Yu Hong stood bare-chested inside the cave and pondered carefully.

He stood for about five minutes. Suddenly, his right leg swung and kicked forward at an angle.

Swish! It was as though someone stood before him, with the outer side of their calf struck squarely by the kick.

This low sweep was fairly ordinary. Its speed and strength were only at the level of an average man.

Then Yu Hong retracted his leg and swept it forward again with sudden force.

Puff.

This time, his eyes were blank. A thin line protruded beneath his skin along his abdomen and rapidly flowed into his right leg.

This low sweep was much faster than the previous one. It even carried a faint rush of wind.

"The strength and speed have both increased greatly. This is the drive of one strand of Cooling Qi. Now I'll try two strands."

Yu Hong closed his eyes and tried the same kick again.

After standing still for several minutes, he suddenly swept his right leg forward.

Puff!!

This time, a muffled boom suddenly rang through the cave, far louder than before.

The sound of it cutting through the air was also much louder than before.

Yu Hong opened his eyes, his expression somewhat tired.

"Two strands of Cooling Qi really do increase the power by a lot, but... I have to concentrate completely to mobilize them. It's much less convenient to use than one strand."

He tried a third time, using the last strand of Cooling Qi to drive the leg technique.

Swish! This time, it was still much faster than at the beginning.

But this time, all four strands of Cooling Qi in his body were used up. It would take at least half a day of rest for them to condense and recover.

"It consumes too quickly. Tomorrow, I can go out and test its actual power."

Yu Hong's gaze fell on the long boots currently being strengthened, and anticipation filled his eyes.

He slept peacefully that night. Early the next morning, he got up and went to the Stone House at the Post Office to take a look at the supply team.

Before he arrived, he saw a middle-aged man carrying a large backpack chatting with Li Runshan in front of the Stone House.

The man had a full beard covering his mouth, messy hair, and a build slightly thinner than Li Runshan's, yet he exuded an inexplicable sharp competence.

He stood alone outside the fence, several meters away from Li Runshan, maintaining a relatively safe distance.

When he saw Yu Hong approaching, Li Runshan was the first to wave enthusiastically.

"Little Yu, come over, come over. This is Old Zhou. He came with the supply team and plans to settle here."

Old Zhou?

Yu Hong nodded, his gaze falling on Old Zhou.

"Hello. I'm Yu Hong, a Glowstone supplier in this area. If you need any, come find me to trade for Glowstone."

Glowstone manufacturer—that was the identity he had assigned himself. Ever since Li Runshan had tasted something wrong with the protein bars last time, he had become even more cautious, not daring to take out the things he had strengthened himself to sell. Selling a few could be explained as having gotten lucky and found some stored goods, but selling too many would cause trouble.

On the other hand, the strengthened Large Glowstones could be ground into powder and used to make ordinary symbol arrays. Selling them afterward would be safer.

After all, grinding Glowstone into powder and drawing it into symbol arrays was something many people could do. The difference was that symbol arrays were consumables requiring time and effort, and making them yourself did not necessarily produce better results than buying someone else's.

'As long as my symbol arrays are slightly more effective than other people's, I can stabilize the business and keep it flowing.'

Yu Hong had already made his calculations.

Selling Large Glowstones alone was too wasteful. Symbol arrays were much more convenient. They were lighter and worked better.