Half a Month

"This is indeed difficult..."

After a day of studying, Tao Yu, preparing to go home and inform his family that he'd be staying at the dojo for a few days, couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

His Myriad Flow Stance had reached the introductory level three times!

And now, with the Deified Myriad Flow Stance as his foundation, he couldn't even reach the introductory level of the first form in a single day, even with Smith constantly correcting him and teaching him personally!

As expected, the learning difficulty for all five martial arts had skyrocketed. No wonder they had simplified the stance practice first to accelerate Wish Power generation.

"But I've already vaguely grasped the core principles. Two more days at most, and I should reach the introductory level."

His proficiency was visibly improving, and he hadn't encountered any bottlenecks or incomprehensible areas.

With the foundation from the stance practice and his excellent physical condition, mastering all five martial arts was not an issue.

And then there was the Saliva Swallowing Technique, a skill that aided digestion.

This was Tao Yu's goal for the month.

Although the interval for entering the Abyss was only five days after awakening his talent, Tao Yu still planned to learn as much as he could and exhaust nearly all his Wish Power before venturing into the Abyss again.

"Sharpening the axe won't delay the woodcutting!"

Compared to the Abyss, the current world was more peaceful and allowed him to learn skills.

"Huh? Uncle Hu, what are you doing here?"

As Tao Yu arrived at his doorstep, he saw Uncle Hu and two members of the Security Team smoking and chatting by the entrance.

His third brother, Tao Tong, who rarely went out, had also come out in his wheelchair.

Third Brother also possessed Dynamic Vision and had previously joined the Security Team through Uncle Hu's connections. He was smiling more than usual as they chatted.

"Yo, our great genius is back."

Uncle Hu, with a cigarette in his mouth, saw Tao Yu and grinned, waving him over.

"Uncle Hu?"

Tao Yu jogged over.

"I heard you went to the stronghold to learn skills? How was it, smooth sailing?"

Uncle Hu looked Tao Yu up and down and asked casually.

"It was great, the Dojo Master and senior disciples were very welcoming."

"Of course, an A-class talent is welcomed everywhere."

After a brief exchange, Tao Hu explained the reason for his visit.

"You've heard about the Li Family incident, right? I'm actually here because of that."

"I heard. It scared me to death. Please, go on."

Tao Yu listened obediently. It was clear they weren't there to suspect him as the murderer, but likely about the Blood Orchid.

"We've already got some leads. You did a great job passing on the information about the Blood Orchid yesterday. I was a bit negligent before."

Tao Hu praised Tao Yu first, then explained the current situation.

"We can now confirm that the Li Family was betrayed by their allied partners. Based on the Li Family's connections, we could have narrowed down a few targets, but they were very cautious, and none of them showed any weakness. After you sold the information, it should have ended there."

Tao Hu spoke very directly, just as Dojo Master Liu Yi had predicted.

The target wasn't the Security Team; it was purely an issue of profit distribution within the Li Family.

If the Li Family had cooperated with the Security Team as a whole and then been wiped out, everyone would have united against the enemy and even escalated the matter to the company's security department.

But now, with this internal dispute over spoils, they were reluctant to get involved.

"...Originally, you would have been in danger too, but thankfully you were quick-witted. The problem should be resolved now."

"Hehe, I also sent some to the Dojo Master and got a few free skills. I've been staying at the dojo these past few days."

"Haha, you're quite clever. I guess I worried for nothing."

Uncle Hu chuckled and patted Tao Yu's shoulder, feeling that the kid had grown taller, making the pat a bit awkward.

He then took out a wristwatch from his pocket and handed it to Tao Yu.

"Here, this is from Miss Sun. Congratulations on getting your A-class talent."

Tao Yu was taken aback, then quickly took the wristwatch.

Unlike the old pixelated receiver, this wristwatch was clearly a sleek, smart watch type with many functions.

"Two important figures from the Floating City have learned of your A-class talent and your partner's identity. They've sent a message..."

Uncle Hu cleared his throat and seemed to be relaying the message directly:

"'We understand your thoughts. You don't need to worry too much. If you're willing to come, we can ensure your safety. If you're not comfortable, you can come over later. For now, focus on improving your strength and don't let your talent go to waste.'"

It seemed that the people who had returned these past three days generally had rather average talent levels. Tao Yu's A-class Dynamic Vision was considered quite noteworthy.

After speaking, Uncle Hu handed Tao Yu a card.

"Because of your talent, they've given you three thousand Wish Power as startup capital. The guy who was in charge of your district before tried to skim some off, but I beat him up."

Holding the Wish Power card in his hand, Tao Yu felt a pang of emotion.

Compared to the methods of the Li Family and Yosef, the two individuals from the Floating City were indeed much more magnanimous.

They were high and mighty, yes, but they earned people's favor with real money.

They didn't resort to oppression through strength or status.

Their approach was simply: "Great rewards attract brave men."

"Uncle Hu, you're feeling more confident, huh? What, got a chance this time?"

Tao Yu teased Tao Hu back.

Tao Hu actually grinned.

"It's not confirmed yet, not confirmed. I'm just acting for now."

This genuinely surprised Tao Yu. He hadn't expected it. It seemed Uncle Hu had maintained contact with the important person who appreciated him all along!

With his mechanical arm, Uncle Hu's strength was enough to be a deputy captain of the Security Team in the South District. However, that position definitely required background and connections.

After all, based on Tao Yu's estimations, the strength of a Security Team deputy captain, without armor, would still be vulnerable if surrounded and shot at by ordinary people in an open space. It wasn't just about reaching a certain level of strength.

But this was a good thing too. Keeping the benefits within the family...

The Li Family's tragedy had been the talk of the town for half a month. But since Tao Hu had already told Tao Yu about the Security Team's attitude, there was no way anything significant would come of it. The families suspected were also unlikely to show any 'weaknesses.' They only caught some petty thieves and drug dealers who had been operating under the radar.

Afterward, the attention gradually shifted.

The people in the Outer City primarily focused on filling their stomachs and surviving. Many who had some spare money were also consumed by 'pleasures,' leaving them with little energy to follow the gossip.

As for the dead, people saw quite a few dying at the teleportation plaza every day. It was only the sheer number of people in the Outer City that kept things going...

During training hours, the Myriad Flow Dojo was still filled with the sound of synchronized shouts.

Among those who had been receiving special training from Smith, only Tao Yu and Zhang Wei remained. The others had already joined the main group for drills.

Zhang Wei, relying solely on his D+ talent in [Stamina], had stubbornly managed to master the stance training. He grit his teeth and started learning the boxing techniques, choosing the Bear form, which emphasized defense and endurance, with a bit of hard-body training feel.

As for Tao Yu, he had already gained an initial understanding of all five boxing forms. He still came to the dojo now, not only to practice but mainly to replenish his body with Qi Replenishing Soup.

His Wish Power was also almost completely used up.

Due to his increased strength, the efficiency of Wish Power had decreased. Coupled with the diminishing returns as his physical condition approached its limit, Tao Yu felt his training efficiency declining visibly every day.

"Sigh, I need to find a way to make money again, and a way to push my limits further..."

Tao Yu finished the ape-like arm swings in his hands, producing a crisp sound in the air.

[Myriad Flow Ape Form · Modified] had also reached Lv2. Although the Wish Power consumption for the five forms was significantly higher than for ordinary skills, Tao Yu had finally managed to brute-force it to Lv2.

Then, the new change Tao Yu had been eagerly anticipating appeared.

The five skill orbs combined and rotated, giving birth to a new skill orb in the center!

This new ability, which originally required all five ordinary forms to reach Lv4 before there was a chance to achieve mastery, was now unlocked for him at Lv2 in all forms due to Tao Yu's Deification.

[Five Forms Unification] Lv1: Master the Tiger, Crane, Bear, Python, and Ape forms, strengthening the body's Blood Essence and capable of enhancing physical limits to a certain extent.

If the stance training was the prerequisite for the five forms, then the five forms were the prerequisite for Five Forms Unification!

This was just the ordinary version. Seeing the 1200 points of Wish Power required for Deification, even though he only had 2000 left in his body, Tao Yu didn't hesitate.

Deify!