Upgrade (Please Keep Reading)

Seeing this, Hu Qi paid it no mind.

At first, when it had just arrived at the house, it had been terribly ill-tempered, squawking nonstop.

But after Hu Qi gave it two slaps and waved a knife around its neck a couple of times, it became thoroughly obedient.

At first, Hu Qi had been somewhat surprised. It seemed to possess quite a high degree of intelligence.

However, he had not paid it much attention.

Its intelligence might have been high because it was an Exotic Beast, the result of genetic mutation.

He placed the eggs in the kitchen to use for cooking later.

"Crimson!"

At a thought, an illusory panel unfolded from the void like an ink wash painting.

System Host: Hu Qi

Status: Normal

Age: 21

Skills: Soft Palm (Mastery) △

Crane Leg (Mastery) △

White Ape Fist (Mastery) △

Comprehensive Combat Technique (Perfection)

Nourishing Origin Breathing Method (Perfection)

...

Modification Points: 6 (73%)

Crane Leg, White Ape Fist, and Soft Palm had all entered the Mastery level.

However, after reaching Mastery, even with Hu Qi's coordination trait, he could clearly feel that the breakneck pace of improvement had slowed.

Looking at the upgrade runes behind the three combat techniques, as well as the few Modification Points he had gained from eating duck eggs lately, Hu Qi pondered for a moment and focused his gaze on them.

"Crimson, modify Crane Leg, Soft Palm, and White Ape Fist!"

Previously, without a stable source of Modification Points, Hu Qi might have relied on training himself.

But now, every day or two, the Camphor Tea Duck could lay one or two eggs, replenishing his Modification Points.

There was no need to be frugal.

Besides, the Core Class assessment was only half a month away.

Naturally, Hu Qi wanted to improve as much as he could.

Moreover, he was very interested in the human body limit values Chen Wu had mentioned.

As his thought descended, the number in the Modification Points column began to drop, while three streams of light shot directly into the three combat techniques.

The text blurred slightly, then became clear again.

Crane Leg (Great Mastery) △

Soft Palm (Great Mastery) △

White Ape Fist (Great Mastery) △

"Hmm, they can actually be modified again?"

Hu Qi was somewhat surprised as his gaze fell on the bottom line.

Modification Points: 3

One had to know that after Comprehensive Combat Technique had been raised to Mastery, modifying it again had required two Modification Points.

He had not expected this upgrade to require only one point.

Could it be because Comprehensive Combat Technique had reached Perfection, making the foundation of his physique far stronger than before and thus reducing the number of Modification Points required?

Hu Qi guessed inwardly.

Looking at the three remaining Modification Points, he moved his mind and continued modifying!

"Whew..."

A few breaths later.

Hu Qi opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed through them before quickly fading.

He looked toward the panel.

Crane Leg (Perfection) Trait: Leap

Soft Palm (Mastery) Trait: Flexibility

White Ape Fist (Mastery) Trait: Hardened Bones

Modification Points: 0

The Modification Points had been reset to zero once more, and all three combat techniques had been raised to the realm of mastery.

Just as Hu Qi had expected, once the three combat technique skills reached mastery, they brought him three traits at the same time.

As he stared at them, information regarding the three traits immediately surfaced in Hu Qi's mind.

Bounce: The power generated when the legs spring upward to jump; provides a partial boost to the body's reaction speed.

Flexibility: Expands the range of joint movement and the stretching capacity of soft tissues around the joints, such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments, reducing the likelihood of sports injuries.

Hardened Bones: Strengthens the hardness of both arms' bones, increasing the force they can withstand when striking.

"Not bad!"

A faint smile appeared on Hu Qi's face. He was very satisfied with the effects of these traits.

Although these traits could not turn him into a superhuman in an instant, the boost to his strength was undeniably real.

What was more, after the three combat techniques reached mastery, their skills seemed to have been carved deep into his body, becoming instinct.

His physique had also been strengthened considerably.

Since there was no force tester at home, Hu Qi had no way of knowing exactly how much strength he possessed now.

But one thing was certain: he was definitely much stronger than before.

Grrr...

A wave of hunger rose from his stomach.

It was much the same as when he had raised Comprehensive Combat Technique to mastery before.

Except this time, it was three combat techniques.

"Could it be that modifying also uses my own energy?"

Hu Qi rubbed his stomach. Thinking of that cool current that strengthened his physique, he came to a guess.

Lowering his head to look at the two duck eggs he had just received, Hu Qi muttered to himself.

"Today, I'll make stir-fried eggs with chili and tomato egg soup. There are even some spare ribs left in the fridge."

More than ten minutes later, two dishes and a soup were placed on the table.

Hu Qi wolfed everything down, and only then did the hunger in his stomach ease somewhat.

He rested for a while. Just as he got up to clear the dishes, the phone beside him gave a slight vibration.

An incoming call came through, labeled Li Yi.

"Hm?" Hu Qi was a little surprised. Why was the other party calling him?

The two had a fairly good relationship, and they had kept in touch now and then recently, but at most they had only exchanged typed messages on Paper Crane PP. Most of the time, the other party contacted him to play games.

After thinking it over, he answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Bro, emergency! I was riding my bike at the intersection just now and hit someone.

He wants me to pay up. Can you return some of the money I lent you to buy your computer last time...?"

Li Yi's urgent voice came through the phone, his words somewhat indistinct.

Hu Qi paused.

Owed money? When had he ever borrowed money from the other party?

Even if anyone owed money, it was Li Yi who owed Hu Leimei.

And according to his memories, this guy had always called him Brother Qi. Besides, this guy did not even know how to ride a bicycle.

Hu Qi's thoughts raced.

But he said aloud, "Sure. Where are you? I'll come find you now."

"Okay, I'm on Tianhu Road, by the alley entrance next to Qingyu Internet Cafe. You'll see me when you get here. Make sure you bring plenty of cash..."

After putting down the phone, the smile on Hu Qi's face faded, and a trace of indifference flashed through his eyes.

"Interesting. Is someone looking to make trouble for me?"

The other party's words had been riddled with errors, clearly hinting at something.

If his guess was right, Li Yi's final meaning was that there were quite a few people over there, and he wanted Hu Qi not to go alone—to bring more people with him.

"How is it?"

In an alley a few streets away from the Hanlin Garden residential area, outside a place called Qingyu Internet Cafe.

Five youths with hair dyed in every color of the rainbow, looking like street thugs with tattoos on their arms, stood there. Deliberately or not, they had surrounded a thin, bespectacled figure in the middle.

The one asking was a youth with bleached white hair, chewing betel nut.

His nose bridge was slightly crooked, and a heavy metal necklace hung around his neck, swaying as he moved. He gave off an ostentatious, arrogant air.

"My big brother said he'll be here soon. Heroes, let's talk this out. Is there some misunderstanding? I..."

Li Yi lowered his phone, piling a smile onto his face.

But before he could finish, a kick landed in his stomach, sending him down onto the ground flat on his backside.

"You've got a lot of bullshit to say. Did I ask you anything else?" The white-haired youth spat, spitting the betel nut from his mouth onto the ground.

"Say one more word and I'll beat you to death!"