Peerless Genius

In the run-down alley, the atmosphere was tense.

Facing the angry stares of the four thugs, Fang Can showed not the slightest fear.

The people opposite him, however, were not feeling nearly as good.

Hand over anything valuable... and give him your clothes too...

"He... he stole all my lines! Who the hell is the robber here?"

The thug who had just climbed back to his feet felt an absurdity rise within him.

"What, was I hard to understand?"

Fang Can impatiently rolled his neck. He saw nothing wrong with robbing back people who had dared to rob him.

Though there were five of them, they were all starving, bottom-rung thugs. How could their physical condition compare to his, with his decent diet and training?

Besides... before crossing over, he had been a special-type Superpowered at least County-class.

Why should he fear dealing with a few street punks now? It was not as though these pieces of trash could kill him.

I'll deal with these guys first, then study that white panel. As Fang Can thought this, he slightly tilted his body and dodged the diagonal slash of a thug wielding a rusted dagger.

"A weapon?" A trace of satisfaction appeared in Fang Can's eyes. After all, once he knocked these people down, that weapon would be his.

"Kill him!" The leading thug clutched his cramping abdomen and pointed at Fang Can as he shouted.

At his command, the thugs pulled out weapons such as daggers and sickles from their waists and charged at Fang Can.

Even a light cut from rusty iron could leave a long wound prone to infection. If it struck a vital spot, it could even directly trigger an instant-kill effect.

"Then I just won't get cut."

As the thought arose, Fang Can felt his body undergo an earth-shattering transformation.

At the same time, a long string of text began to emerge in the Description Bar of the hidden panel.

Description Bar:

Detected that the host is in an extremely harsh environment. Talent 1 [Extreme Misfortune Brings Prosperity] has been triggered.

Corresponding hidden attributes increased (comprehension ↑ aptitude ↑ luck ↑ intuition ↑ willpower ↑ logic... ↑)

...

In merely an instant, Fang Can felt as though he had undergone an immense transformation.

The entire world seemed to have been simplified into something easy to understand before his eyes. The difficulty of this game called life had gone directly from hell to easy mode.

Driven by danger, his mortal body, which he had inhabited for more than a decade, transformed from a cocoon into a butterfly in an instant.

The difference was like upgrading a Little Smart to a 4090T. This transformation from the inside out gave him a feeling that he could do anything.

Different fields had different descriptions for this feeling.

Daoists called it becoming one with the Dao, while Buddhists called it enlightenment.

Terms such as the zone, genetic locks, sixth sense, enlightened sword heart, unity of man and nature, and the realm of the gods all had different outward manifestations, but they all described this power.

In ordinary, straightforward terms, it meant one thing: a peerless genius!

"It's finally surged forth... It's been years since I last felt this kind of mental enhancement brought on by the possibility of death."

Looking at the enemies only a few steps away, Fang Can's eyes flashed with the exhilaration of returning to the realm of genius.

After his talent increased, many things he had been unable to do before now came effortlessly.

More efficient use of his muscles could increase his force by several times; his grasp of martial arts allowed him to search through countless combat techniques he had seen before; his instinct for danger let him react without thinking...

There was no need to think. Or rather, defeating these pieces of trash was not worth wasting brain cells on.

Fang Can directly reached out with his right hand and grabbed at the incoming dagger.

"You're courting death!"

Seeing the outstretched hand, excitement flashed in the dagger-wielding thug's eyes. Fang Can actually dared to seize a blade barehanded, as though he did not value his life.

But the next moment, searing pain shot through his wrist.

Accompanied by the crisp crack of shattering bones, Fang Can tightly gripped the thug's dagger-wielding arm, turned the blade around, and viciously stabbed it into the man's shoulder.

"Pfft—"

The blade pierced through flesh. Its tip burst out from the thug's shoulder blade, and blood dyed the dagger red.

One hand gripped the dagger, while the other clamped down on the thug's waist.

The next moment, every muscle in Fang Can's body suddenly tensed. His muscles stood out in sharp definition as a savage aura erupted from within him.

Amid the thug's agonized scream, Fang Can forcibly lifted his body off the ground.

Using the blood-and-flesh body as a shield, Fang Can's eyes flashed with ruthlessness as he charged fiercely toward the remaining people in the alley.

"Quick... get out of the way!"

Seeing the two figures charging at them like a raging bull, the leading thug tried to shout.

But in such a narrow alley, where was there room to dodge?

"Pfft." Another scream rang out as the dagger protruding from the thug's shoulder blade stabbed into someone else's body.

With a muffled groan, the two of them were skewered together by a single dagger and pinned to the brick wall of the alley.

Letting go, Fang Can fixed his gaze on the remaining three thugs. A warm smile spread across his lips. "You refused a toast only to drink a forfeit. Now there are only three of you left."

"Y-you, don't come any closer!"

Looking at their wailing companions, the three thugs wished they could flee as far away as possible.

But behind them was a dead end formed by stone walls. There was no room to escape, and they could only watch helplessly as the calamity before them approached step by step.

Two minutes later, the five thugs, beaten beyond recognition, lay scattered across the dead-end alley.

Yet Fang Can frowned as he looked at the thugs lying before him, confusion flashing in his eyes.

Although the buff enhancing him had weakened considerably, it had not disappeared completely.

He had clearly knocked these people down, so the danger should have vanished entirely. Could there still be some hidden threat nearby?

Fang Can looked around. When he raised his eyes, he seemed to see a fierce tiger perched atop the wall.

After a brief daze, he saw a broad-shouldered, powerfully built man standing on the wall, staring at him intently.

His intuition had failed to notice someone nearby just now?

The instant their eyes met, Fang Can felt as though he had been targeted by a prehistoric tyrannosaur. His entire body prickled as if pierced by needles.

His intuition, which had just failed him, now frantically warned him of the danger posed by the man before him.

"Hmph." Suddenly, the corners of the man's mouth lifted. With a light leap, he descended from the wall without the slightest flourish, making no sound at all.

"You have never practiced martial arts." Looking at Fang Can, the man spoke what should have been a question in an utterly certain tone.

"What's the problem? And who are you?"

As he spoke, Fang Can carefully examined the other man.

He was nearly six and a half feet tall and powerfully built, with sharply defined features. Even his perfectly tailored long robe could not hide his bulging muscles, and exquisite tiger-pattern embroidery could faintly be seen on his lapels.

"Li Fengtian, Hall Master of the Tiger Fiend Sect." The man spoke as though it were only natural. He did not explain what the Tiger Fiend Sect was, as if it were common knowledge.

"Tiger Fiend Sect... never heard of it," Fang Can said honestly.

"Never heard of it..."

Li Fengtian's tone stalled. Looking at Fang Can's out-of-place clothes and short black hair, he said, "Looks like you definitely aren't from this county, kid."

"Why are you asking so many questions, Uncle Li? And you were secretly watching from the side this whole time. Don't tell me you were planning to avenge them?" Fang Can smiled and gestured with his thumb at the five unconscious men on the ground.

"Who would care about such scum? What I care about now is you." As he spoke, Li Fengtian stared intently at Fang Can.