Near the botanical garden, Zeng Shen bought some grilled cold noodles, took a few bites, and drove to the Lihuo Martial Arts Hall.
By the time he arrived at the Martial Arts Hall, it was already two in the afternoon.
The Martial Arts Hall was quiet. Li Zhiyuan was the only person in the main hall, sipping tea at a coffee table off to the side.
"Young man, you're here." Seeing Zeng Shen enter, Master Li stood and walked over, as though he had been waiting for him for ages.
Zeng Shen nodded, then glanced curiously around the quiet hall. "Master Li, where are your students?"
"They're all taking their afternoon nap. They should be up in about half an hour," Li Zhiyuan said.
Zeng Shen nodded, then cupped his hands apologetically. "Master Li, I acted rather rashly last time. Please forgive me."
Li Zhiyuan shook his head with a rueful smile. "No, I was at fault too. I wanted to stand up for my nephew, but you ended up teaching me a lesson instead. Afterward, I pressed him for answers and found out that bastard had been abusing cats just to get views on his livestream."
Hearing this, Zeng Shen realized Li Zhiyuan hadn't taken what had happened the day before yesterday to heart, so he got straight to the point.
"Master, you said the day before yesterday that you would teach me some martial arts moves. What were you planning to teach me?"
"You've never had any formal training before, have you? Like joining a karate or sanda club at school?" Li Zhiyuan asked.
"No. Ever since I was little, I've just been a bit faster than most people. I've never learned any self-defense moves."
A bit faster?
Li Zhiyuan muttered that inwardly, then thought for a moment. "All right. I'll start with some practical basics, such as introductory hand-to-hand combat and sanda techniques. Once you've learned those foundations, I'll teach you moves from other styles. Of course, if you're interested in any weapons by then, you can learn those here too."
"Thank you, Master Li." Zeng Shen cupped his hands.
Li Zhiyuan waved a hand and smiled. "No need to be so polite. I have my own reasons too. Sparring against someone as fast as you will help my students improve-and me as well."
Before long.
Under Li Zhiyuan's guidance.
Zeng Shen began learning some basic hand-to-hand combat techniques...
About half an hour later, the students began appearing in the main hall, taking turns in friendly sparring matches with Zeng Shen.
In the center of the training hall.
Zeng Shen activated his twofold Agility Enhancement and launched attack after attack at Zhang Erhe opposite him.
But at that moment.
His speed wasn't nearly as absurd as it had been with a fivefold boost.
Drawing on his wealth of experience, Zhang Erhe could just barely dodge while trying to find an opening to counterattack.
When Zeng Shen's strike missed, he didn't grow impatient.
Just earlier.
Under Li Zhiyuan's guidance, he had gained a rough understanding of hand-to-hand combat and learned two or three moves.
Now, as he sparred with Zhang Erhe, he considered how to apply those moves in an actual fight and defeat him, thereby improving his own combat strength.
When the apocalypse arrived.
He would have more strength to keep himself safe.
As the sun sank in the west, Zeng Shen finished earning 1,500 survival points at the Lihuo Martial Arts Hall and drove to the Juling office building to wait for Li Yuqing and Liu Tongtong to come downstairs for dinner.
But after a long wait, only Li Yuqing came down.
Zeng Shen looked up, instantly dazzled.
At that moment.
Li Yuqing wore a red dudou beneath a gauzy hanfu shimmering with gold. Her silky black hair was swept into a bun, adorned with a golden orchid hairpin and jade jewelry.
Her clear, limpid eyes were gentle yet bright, as though they could see straight into a person's heart. Her cherry-red lips parted slightly in a warm smile that seemed capable of instantly spreading to everyone around her.
Zeng Shen stared, transfixed.
To him, Li Yuqing looked like a princess from ancient China. Despite her splendid clothes, she retained a simple, natural grace, radiating an enduring charm that stirred restless thoughts within him.
"My husband." Li Yuqing opened the passenger door and spoke in an imitation of ancient speech. "Sister Tong accompanied me shopping today and tired her legs, so she shall not be joining us for dinner."
Playing along, Zeng Shen replied, "Then, my wife, let us go and dine."
"Pfft."
Over an hour later.
Zeng Shen parked the motorhome outside the Juling building again.
"Honey, let's go upstairs and rest," Li Yuqing said.
Zeng Shen gave her a mysterious smile. "We're not going back to the studio to sleep tonight, honey."
"We're not going back to the studio? Where are we going, then? Your place?" Li Yuqing asked.
"No, we're not going anywhere. We'll stay right here and test out what this motorhome can do."
"Ah, here? No, someone will notice." Li Yuqing's expression showed a touch of alarm, yet a glimmer of excitement seemed to shine in her eyes.
Zeng Shen smiled. "No one will notice. Once I raise the privacy glass, nobody can see inside. And this vehicle has excellent soundproofing."
As he spoke.
Zeng Shen locked the doors, raised the privacy glass, then stood from his seat and headed toward the two individual seats in the back.
Passing between those two seats.
He reached the motorhome's sleeping area and lowered a convertible cushioned bed large enough for two. Then he grinned mischievously at Li Yuqing, who was still sitting in the passenger seat.
"My wife, it's time for bed..."
[Congratulations, host. Your followers have contributed 830 faith points.]
Early the next morning.
Listening to the notification, Zeng Shen turned to look at the naked Li Yuqing, who lay there as alluring as Sleeping Beauty.
Without delay.
He earned two hundred survival points in the motorhome in a way that delighted both body and mind, then got up, dressed, and took Li Yuqing to the studio so she could catch up on sleep.
Afterward, Zeng Shen began driving around to earn the day's survival points.
First, he earned 10 survival points by leaving the Juling building.
Next came the pedestrian street, followed by entering the Good Luck Residential Complex, then driving back out toward the sidewalk and the shopping street.
Finally, Zeng Shen parked outside the park plaza's main entrance and went inside to find Master Ma. Using sparring as a pretext, he triggered the suppression and defeat conditions again. Only then did he drive around Jinhai City for two hours, hoping to trigger every area that would award points.
His luck was good.
Besides triggering the department store street, Fuxing Avenue, and the botanical garden early that morning for 10 survival points each.
Zeng Shen also triggered first-time rewards in four more areas: the zoo in the east, Jinhai Wharf in the west, the quarry in the north, and the Entertainment World dance hall in the south.
After that round of point farming, Zeng Shen noticed it was already noon. He grabbed a few bites to eat on Hongmi Street, then headed to the Lihuo Martial Arts Hall to continue learning hand-to-hand combat from Li Zhiyuan and earning points.
He didn't leave until three hours later.
In truth, Zeng Shen felt that earning points at the Lihuo Martial Arts Hall was secondary. What mattered more was making up for his shortcomings in hand-to-hand combat and martial skills.
On the drive to see Li Yuqing.
Zeng Shen calculated that he had earned a total of 7,000 survival points that day, then opened his attribute panel to check.
[Survival points: 21,700]
"Twenty-one thousand survival points. I can do twenty pulls."
"I wonder if I'll get lucky again and pull a gold. No, gold probably isn't happening. I think fifty pulls guarantees a purple."
Muttering to himself, Zeng Shen brought up the lottery wheel, then boldly told the system:
"System, twenty pulls."
A white light flashed, and the wheel's pointer spun for a while before ten streaks of white light flew out.
[Congratulations, host. You have drawn 5 white cards: item card, Smart Mining Vehicle.] [Congratulations, host. You have drawn 3 white cards: building card, Divine Energy Smelting Furnace.] [Congratulations, host. You have drawn 2 white cards: building card, Spatial Warehouse.]
Zeng Shen looked at the ten white cards.
[Smart Mining Vehicle: Automatically mines minerals when given the appropriate commands.] [Divine Energy Smelting Furnace: A furnace that smelts minerals containing divine energy into embryonic membranes without losing any of their divine energy.] [Spatial Warehouse: A spatial warehouse with only one thousand square meters of space. However, its interior space can be continually expanded by merging it with another identical Spatial Warehouse.]
"With these white cards, doesn't that mean I can mine and use the two iron deposits in my divine realm?"
Zeng Shen murmured, turning his gaze to the eight green cards that had appeared in his inventory slots.
Among those eight green cards, the Divine Energy Rocket Launcher had appeared again-five copies of it, in fact. There were also three Divine Energy Battle Vehicles.
Zeng Shen felt that one more ten-pull would complete his Divine Energy Rocket Launcher squad. He might even be able to form a Divine Energy Battle Vehicle squad in the future. As he was thinking this, two notifications sounded in his ears.
[Congratulations, host. You have drawn 1 blue card: skill card, Healing.] [Congratulations, host. You have drawn 1 purple card: talent card, Divine Control.]
"A talent card!"
Zeng Shen exclaimed softly, turning his gaze to the two cards.