Xu Qing the Craftsman

But after the excitement faded.

Once he calmed down,

Xu Qing still felt a lingering fear.

If those robbers had started by spraying bullets today,

or if he had been unlucky and been discovered before his attack succeeded,

there would still have been a risk of death.

Likewise, Liu Yun's experience had served as a warning to him.

Moreover, if he had not been there today, Liu Yun would certainly have been doomed.

Put himself in her shoes.

If one day, a group of enemies far stronger than him came after him,

wouldn't he end up just like Liu Yun had today?

When that time came, who would save him?

Besides, the people he had killed this time were merely ordinary people. Though vicious and evil, their physical abilities had not been much better than those of normal people.

What if the criminals today had been powerful martial artists? What would he have done then?

Xu Qing sobered up at once.

Reality told him

that this world was chaotic, cruel, and ruled by the strong.

"I'm still not strong enough! I have to keep getting stronger! I have to become even stronger!"

Xu Qing took a deep breath.

He set his phone aside, kept only one brass-colored bank card, and snapped all the rest before putting them into his pocket.

He planned to throw them directly into the large trash bin beneath the dormitory building when he went downstairs.

On this planet, if you lacked strength, you would always be a lamb awaiting slaughter.

He had to become stronger!

Not merely to survive!

But to live with dignity!

"All this money will become nourishment for my progress."

Xu Qing silently told himself.

Then he looked at the keys and the silver card printed with a strange sparrow-like bird.

Those keys should have belonged to the robbers' properties.

They were useless to Xu Qing.

He had considered finding those people's homes to see whether there was any money or valuables there.

But worried about exposing his identity, Xu Qing gave up on the idea.

The keys could only be discarded.

As for that silver card,

he looked it up online.

Xu Qing found the answer.

The card was an access card for the Silver Sparrow Warehouse Storage Company in nearby County City 0121, a larger county city.

The warehouse was a private storage facility with excellent confidentiality.

People from several nearby county cities often stored things there.

If some storage units remained unclaimed for fifty years, they would be publicly auctioned off.

It was said that many people had bought valuable storage units through those warehouse auctions.

That meant Xu Qing no longer had to worry about exposing his identity.

"Looks like I'll have to make a trip to 0121 County when I get the chance. Maybe those robbers have some good things in their storage unit."

Xu Qing muttered to himself before putting away the card.

"Besides, I should start using weapons in combat."

Especially when his slash had been blocked by that robber last night,

Xu Qing had only been able to win through brute force, and it instantly filled him with concern.

What if one day he encountered an enemy stronger than him, with better weapons?

The outcome of life and death would be reversed.

There was an enormous difference in combat power between martial artists who used weapons and those who did not.

After all, how could human fists possibly be harder than weapons?

"I need to put weapons training on the agenda too. Compared to others, Xing Yi Fist, which originated from spear techniques, has practically prepared weapons for me by nature."

"The next time I go to the county city, I'll take a look at weapons."

"As for a Combat Suit, the cheapest full set from the company costs two hundred thousand right now. That's too expensive. I'll think about it later. If necessary, I'll buy it piece by piece."

"Or I could join the Security Department and receive a set directly."

"But I don't want to take risks. Once I join the Security Department, I'll have responsibilities to bear."

"Forget it. One step at a time."

After making up his mind,

Xu Qing finally turned his attention to the metal combination lockbox before him.

He silently recited the code and opened the box, revealing three rows of transparent test tubes.

Xu Qing directly picked up one bottle, unscrewed the cap, and without hesitation tipped back his head and drank the potion.

"Gulp."

The Gene Potion was icy cold as it entered his mouth.

The slightly bitter liquid ran down his throat into his stomach, quickly transforming into warmth that spread through his entire body.

Soon after, a faint numbness spread throughout Xu Qing's body.

He could feel the cells within him seeming to rejoice.

A sensation both piercing and intoxicating left Xu Qing slightly dazed.

He put away the box and rushed downstairs in his tracksuit.

He needed to practice his fist techniques!

After entering the woods behind the dormitory, Xu Qing made a slight adjustment and stood firmly in place like a great tree.

Xing Yi Fist, Three Postures Stance.

This fight had given Xu Qing many insights.

He desperately wanted to find that flash of inspiration concerning fist techniques.

Suddenly,

his entire body shook.

"Whoosh!"

He threw a Drilling Fist,

and Xu Qing became like a fierce tiger unleashed from its cage,

then like a divine dragon moving through the clouds, bursting into motion as his fists and kicks poured forth like flowing water.

Every move.

The air trembled.

Every punch and kick.

Like cannons and spears!

At one moment,

Xu Qing planted his left foot, fiercely kicked off with his right, and exploded forward like a fully drawn bow.

His fist was like a sharp arrow.

Instantly unleashed!

Boom!

Crushing Fist!

An even louder explosive crack erupted in the air!

Yet Xu Qing was still unsatisfied. As his fist fell, he withdrew half a step, his body becoming a full moon bow as he threw another left punch.

Boom!

Another, even more violent blast rang out!

Half Step Beng Fist!

The force of his punch had barely fallen when Xu Qing suddenly moved.

Like a nimble deer leaping, he abruptly twisted his body, shifting and turning with smooth, flowing grace.

Whoosh!

Finally,

he abruptly withdrew his fists and stood in stance. The air in the forest suddenly went still.

The dust settled.

"Fuuu—"

Xu Qing's exhaled breath shot three meters away like a long dragon.

The muscles all over his body rose and fell violently,

while fine sweat covered him from head to toe,

giving him a beauty of both strength and refinement.

"Again!"

Boom!

The sound of exploding air erupted through the woods again.

After repeating this three times,

Xu Qing finally stopped. He sat down comfortably, like an old monk in meditation.

He used the Three Yuan Gene Method, breathing in the subtle energy of the universe and sensing the gentle flow of blood within his body.

At this moment, everything in the world seemed to be sending him signals.

And Xu Qing sensed and comprehended them one by one.

At this moment, he had completely forgotten killing, battle, life, money, weapons, Gene Potions, and Zhou Tong.

He devoted himself entirely to comprehension.

He felt progress unlike anything he had experienced before.

He had a feeling that he was not far from Xing Yi Fist's next realm.

In the days that followed,

Xu Qing gradually began to feel the E-grade Gene Potion transforming his body.

Though the changes were subtle, they were steady.

His strength improved every day.

He could almost fully absorb the effects of one E-grade Gene Potion every five days.

And his practice with the Form and Will Spear gradually began to bear fruit.

He had borrowed the spear from an old member of the Security Department.

The practice spear weighed fifty jin.

After overcoming his initial discomfort, Xu Qing quickly found it exhilarating.

Because practicing the spear was practicing the fist.

And practicing the fist was practicing the spear!

The Five Elements Fist forms within Xing Yi Fist had originally evolved from spear techniques!

Yet even with such a shortcut, Xu Qing still began by learning the basics of spear techniques.

Only after mastering them all did he slowly begin converting fist techniques into spear techniques.

Once he had truly become proficient in the Xing Yi Five Elements Spear,

information about spear techniques finally appeared on the panel.

Name: Xu Qing

Lifespan: 15/72

Fist Technique: Ancient Martial Xing Yi (Peak Mastery) (+)

Spear Technique: Xing Yi Five Elements Spear (Beginner) (+)

Cultivation Method: Three Yuan Gene Method (Perfection)

Available Attribute Points: 0

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

Xu Qing continued his fulfilling daily routine while taking Gene Potions.

Working, practicing fist techniques, practicing the spear.

Occasionally, he went to Zhou Tong's home for a meal.

After the robbery incident, Zhou Yu, the boss, sent Zhou Tong back to the moon in the second month.

When she left, the girl had been extremely reluctant to part with him. She had clearly come to see Xu Qing as a friend.

Xu Qing, however, showed no reluctance.

Now that the girl was gone, he could finally focus entirely on practicing his fist techniques.

What was worth celebrating was that after becoming a full employee, Xu Qing gradually began coming into contact with Combat Suit manufacturing techniques.

And because foreman Li Yuan "respected and feared" him, he practically fawned over Xu Qing while teaching him the craft.

In just one short month.

Xu Qing had learned how to independently make a full set of Combat Suit.

Of course, this was inseparable from Li Yuan's guidance and his own powerful physique and control over his strength.

Company policy stated:

Employees who mastered the ability to independently make Combat Suits would receive the treatment of "craftsmen."

That meant their monthly salary would rise to 50,000 Alliance Coins.

And for every C-grade Combat Suit completed, they could earn a 50,000 Alliance Coin commission.

In just half a year,

Xu Qing had successfully made six sets.

Basically, one set per month.

Including his salary and the robbers' money, Xu Qing had saved a total of 950,000 Alliance Coins.

His efficient production rate greatly increased his value on the assembly line.

Not only did he earn the appreciation of many veteran employees, but he also got his own independent Workshop.

During that time, he also made a trip to the county seat.

He directly bought three sets of Gene Potion and a C-grade Alloy Battle Spear that could be dismantled into two sections.

The clerk from the Lunar Surface Commerce Alliance was still Wang Yang, the one who had received Xu Qing the first time.

Wang Yang did not ask where Xu Qing had gotten the money.

Satisfied by that, Xu Qing spent 420,000 in one go. Besides buying the potions and weapon, he also paid off his outstanding debt.

After returning,

aside from work,

Xu Qing devoted nearly all his energy to practicing Xing Yi Fist and the Form and Will Spear.