The Mystery of Qi

"So by that reckoning, I have to kill a thousand Grunts like that to upgrade Void Kalpa to a blue weapon?!"

Zhao Cheng did the math in his head.

If this were some other "game," where killing a thousand Grunts could evolve a weapon, Zhao Cheng would have thought the developers were incredibly generous.

But in this "hardcore" game before him, Zhao Cheng felt like he was really screwed.

With his swordsmanship as it was now, even if a thousand Grunts lined up to let him kill them, he reckoned he could only guarantee killing one per simulation. Whether he could beat a second would depend on luck.

As for whether this city had a thousand Grunts, Zhao Cheng wasn't worried.

Each time he simulated, it was like loading a save and starting over. In a sense, the monsters would "respawn."

That was why the log had the line: First Kill: +5 Simulation Points.

That extra five points only came the first time. After that, he was guaranteed just one point.

Even so, that only made six.

Clearly, the right way to play this game was to fight bosses. Only then could he earn a large number of Simulation Points.

The only problem was that Zhao Cheng definitely couldn't beat one right now.

He even felt that fighting Grunts was taking a bit of a toll on him.

In the end, their fists were just too damn hard!

Thinking of this, Zhao Cheng couldn't help looking at the Enhancement Stones in the Shop.

Though in his previous life, he'd sworn a solemn oath that only dogs would touch enhancement.

But now...

After checking his Source Points, Zhao Cheng decided to think about it later.

A little pain was no big deal. He could still kill them, and it was a good chance to hone his swordsmanship.

Besides, one or two Enhancement Stones wouldn't bring about any qualitative change.

Compared with Enhancement Stones, Zhao Cheng felt he should first kill a hundred Grunts and let the Void Kalpa Sword complete its first evolution.

At 100% evolution progress, it would evolve into a blue weapon. In fact, every 10% of progress made Void Kalpa stronger, improving its attributes. But evolving from white to blue—that was a qualitative leap.

Zhao Cheng thought it over and concluded that all human suffering came from not having enough Source Points and Simulation Points.

Next, Zhao Cheng began checking the newly unlocked Monster Bestiary.

At that moment, the Monster Bestiary contained only one white card.

The image on the card was of the Gray Man he'd seen earlier.

The card was named Fist Art Master.

When he opened it, a short description appeared.

A being that had died awoke through some mysterious power. His memories had faded with the passage of time, and he had even forgotten his Self. Only his obsession with fist arts remained undying.

He wandered among the living, forever practicing his boxing. Perhaps complete annihilation would be a kind of release.

So that was where the Gray Man had come from—or rather, the being called Fist Art Master.

His boxing was actually formidable. If not for his stiff joints, Zhao Cheng would have stood no chance against him.

But what gave Zhao Cheng the most food for thought was the phrase "awoke through some mysterious power."

A single Fist Art Master was already this formidable. And this world had given birth to golden traits, as well as countless purple ones.

If the owners of those traits awoke through some mysterious power, just how formidable would they be?!

And was it even possible that if someone's will had been strong enough in life, they might retain some of their memories after being "resurrected" now?

Zhao Cheng fell into a reverie, his body trembling slightly.

Not from fear, but from excitement!

He was excited by the thought that one day, he could fight those formidable figures to the death—settle who was stronger, and decide who lived and died.

In an instant, Zhao Cheng's anticipation for the future soared.

After finishing the Bestiary, Zhao Cheng didn't forget to open the Treasure Chest.

Of course he'd save the good stuff for last!

Zhao Cheng looked at the White Treasure Chest x1 in his item bar and took a deep breath. The pain in his body seemed to fade a little. Then, he selected it with a thought.

(Note: The Treasure Chest is an aggregation of valuable information and energy, randomly drawn by the Hyper-Dimensional Body from the dimensional level, using causality as its guide. It is highly random.)

There was no strange phenomenon. Only the log refreshed:

You obtained: Simulation Point +1, White Enhancement Stone +1, Heavenly Phoenix Soaring Fist (Blue) (Middle Volume) x1

The Simulation Point and Enhancement Stone were things he already knew about, so Zhao Cheng immediately selected the unfamiliar Heavenly Phoenix Soaring Fist.

Heavenly Phoenix Soaring Fist (Blue): One of the branches of the Southern Dipper Phoenix Fist. Seventeen hundred years ago, its founder comprehended the Dao by the Dead Sea and created the illustrious Heavenly Phoenix School.

Fist rising and falling, like a heavenly phoenix descending upon the world, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes.

This fist art was one of the foundational techniques of the Heavenly Phoenix School. It recorded the mystery of qi that could turn a person into a combat expert.

If one practiced it to the point of breaking through their limits, there was a chance of comprehending a technique from it: Heavenly Phoenix Soar (Purple).

Zhao Cheng immediately set aside the many details that weren't very useful and focused on the key phrase: the mystery of qi.

Zhao Cheng didn't think this qi was the sort of neurological illusion found in the real world. It should be some kind of extraordinary energy, as he understood it.

The worlds couldn't possibly be exactly the same. There were bound to be enormous differences between them.

Take extraordinary energy systems, for example. It wasn't that the real world didn't want to develop one; it simply lacked the necessary foundations.

But in this world, even a blue-quality fist art contained the mystery of qi. Clearly, this wasn't some exceedingly advanced power.

It was even possible that one could cultivate it through white-quality fist arts.

The Heavenly Phoenix School had managed to pass down its teachings for over a thousand years without dying out. It was clearly an exceptionally formidable school.

Zhao Cheng selected the Heavenly Phoenix Soaring Fist (Blue) (Middle Volume) in the item bar. An interface the size of an ordinary book immediately appeared. Instead of traditional pages filled with fist techniques, it showed a little figure outlined in lines, practicing boxing.

In addition, the little figure's body had dots of light scattered across it, with lines connecting them.

There were also many written annotations that kept changing along with the little figure's movements.

"Acupoints, secret apertures, Essence Yuan, qi!"

Zhao Cheng skimmed through the manual and extracted several key pieces of information.

Since the fist art only included the Middle Volume, it lacked the introductory material in the First Volume and the sublimation material in the Final Volume.

But that didn't mean the Middle Volume couldn't be practiced on its own. It was simply incomplete, so even if he mastered it, he wouldn't be able to fully unleash its effects.

The Middle Volume mainly described the process of training the body's Essence Yuan and using the fist art to circulate it throughout the body, nourishing the flesh until it reached the limits of the human body.

Zhao Cheng guessed that the Final Volume explained how to condense Essence Yuan, while the First Volume explained how Essence Yuan could transform into "qi."

At the same time, even if this martial art were complete, it couldn't be practiced in the real world. Humans there didn't have the energy network needed to circulate Essence Yuan, much less qi.

But that alone was enough to fill Zhao Cheng with anticipation.

A whole new system of power meant a vista unlike anything he'd ever seen.

Besides, with the Panel, perhaps one day he could reproduce this world's power in his real body. It would only be a matter of how much it cost.

And if he mastered this power, it would surely bring a tremendous boost to his combat strength and help him "clear" the game faster.