When he thought of this, his brow furrowed slightly. If that was the case, then some of his earlier conjectures made sense. But if that really was the case... Then... He turned to look out the window. He got up and walked over. It was night. There were no clouds in the sky, and the moon shone brightly, spilling over him like liquid silver. He had already tested that moonlight contained no Source Value. He was thinking of something else. If his idea was right, then wouldn't that mean he'd found a source of continuous Source Value? Was that sun some kind of Strange Specter, too?! If so, wouldn't that mean it was alive? The instant the thought arose, an indescribable terror seemed to descend over him, leaving Hu Long short of breath. If that great sun was alive, was it dead already, or was it sleeping? If the former, that would be all right. But if it was the latter... If it woke and so much as moved, the Earth Star beneath his feet might be reduced to ashes. At the thought, Hu Long felt cold sweat trickle down his forehead. The conjecture was too terrifying. He shook his head. Hu Long forcibly pushed the thought aside. There was no point dwelling on it now. Getting in his own head was a major taboo. For now, he needed to rest, then cultivate Secret Martial Arts to deal with the problem plaguing him. With that in mind, he went into the bathroom. After what had happened before, he didn't dare take a bath again. He took a quick shower, then lay on the bed and closed his eyes. ... The night passed without incident. Hu Long barely slept. Not because he had too much on his mind. He'd had several nightmares, all of them about that ghostly thing wrapping its hair around his neck and choking him. Perhaps they were lingering memories from his body's previous owner, or perhaps the thing was eroding him more severely as time went on. He'd been having dreams often these past few days, though never as frequently as tonight. Fortunately, his body was in good shape now. One sleepless night was nothing. After a simple breakfast in the morning, Hu Long drove away from home. ... Tongbei Club. It was less a club than a martial arts school. The main hall was sparsely decorated, with only a few calligraphy pieces and paintings hanging on the walls, lending the place a solemn air. The air carried the mingled scent of wood and faint ink. "Hello. Are you Mr. Hu Long?" As soon as Hu Long stepped inside, a young woman in plain clothes came over to greet him, her voice warm and polite. "That's me." Hu Long gave a slight nod. "Please, come with me." The woman smiled gently and led him farther inside. After passing through a short corridor, they arrived at the door of a reception room. "Please wait inside. Chief Instructor Hu should be here shortly. If you need anything, just call for me." The woman bowed. When Hu Long nodded, she turned and left. Hu Long walked inside. He'd thought he had arrived early. But the others had gotten there even earlier. The remaining four were already in the room. "Brother Long's here! Come on, sit down!" When he saw Hu Long arrive, the Hu Clan member in the black tank top, tattoos covering his arms, immediately stood up. He motioned for Hu Long to sit first. Hu Long remembered that the man was called Hu Wei. If he recalled correctly, he was a year older than Hu Long. But he called him "brother" without the slightest hesitation. At this, Hu Long didn't stand on ceremony and sat down. Seeing Hu Long arrive, Hu Zetong, seated off to the side, snorted. But when he noticed Hu Long's gaze, he instinctively shrank his neck. Growing up, no one had ever been a match for him in sheer strength. So even though he was unconvinced, he couldn't help feeling a little afraid of Hu Long. Hu Long only smiled faintly at his reaction and didn't pay it much mind. After all, at fifteen or sixteen, it was normal to be full of teenage angst. And as an elder, he naturally couldn't take it personally. Of course, sometimes a proper scolding was still in order. After Hu Long arrived, the others didn't talk much. An odd silence settled over the room. But it didn't last long. Footsteps sounded outside. "Sorry to keep you waiting!" The man who entered was burly, with bulging muscles and a broad waist. His muscles weren't sharply defined; they were the kind hidden beneath a layer of fat, but he still looked strong. In fact, this build was undoubtedly more dangerous in a fight. After entering, he swept his gaze around the room, lingering on Hu Long and Hu Zetong. Clearly, he had already heard something about them. "My name is Hu Qitian. I'll be teaching you Secret Martial Arts from here on. I'll guide you until you master force and reach the Body Casting Realm." Hu Qitian smiled. He didn't seem at all imposing. "Hello, I'm Hu Long. I look forward to learning from you!" Hu Long immediately held out his hand. Hu Qitian paused for a moment. Seeing the hand extended toward him, he couldn't very well refuse, so he reached out and shook it. "You're Hu Long, right? I've heard of you. You did very well at the Ancestral Rite. You're a prodigy." "Not at all. I still have much to learn from you." Hu Long smiled. He didn't put on the slightest airs of a prodigy. As he spoke, a thought stirred in his mind. The man was called Hu Qitian, but Hu Long didn't recall seeing him among the Hu Clan members at the Ancestral Rite. It seemed the main clan had more members than the thirty or so he'd seen at the rite. The other four hurried to stand and shake hands as well. They were afraid the teacher might think they were being disrespectful. At this, Hu Long discreetly stepped aside. Lines of silver text faded across his retinas.
[Target: Hu Qitian] [Skill 1: Mountain Standing Stake (Level 9)] [Size: 20 MB (Status: Unavailable for download)] (Description: A prerequisite cultivation method for the Spirit Ape Secret Martial Art. Once mastered, it can reduce the difficulty of cultivating the Spirit Ape Secret Martial Art.) ... [Skill 2: Tang Hand (Master)] [Size: 2 MB (Status: Unavailable for download)] (Description: A close-quarters method of fighting with fists and feet...) ...
His opponent had quite a few skills, but apart from Mountain Standing Stake, most of them were ordinary. Take Tang Hand, for instance. As a master-level skill, it only required two megabytes for him now. Compared to before, the cost had dropped by more than half. However, given his current situation, these ordinary skills were of little use to him. They didn't help him much. If he wasn't mistaken, Mountain Standing Stake was the cultivation method Secret Martial Artists needed to practice. Unfortunately, he had only a little over one wisp of Source Value, nowhere near enough to download it. After a brief introduction, Hu Qitian led Hu Long and the others out of the reception room. After they'd passed through a couple of corridors, shouts rang out from farther ahead. Hu Long looked toward the sound. In a room nearby, a dozen or so people were practicing with one another. "Are we training with them?" Hu Zetong asked curiously from beside him. "No." Hu Qitian shook his head. "They're all outsiders raised by the clan. They're there to serve the main clan. If they show exceptional talent, they may choose to marry into the clan or join it as a son-in-law." He spoke as if it were only natural. That made sense. A clan built around Secret Martial Arts, a supernatural power, needed to ensure a steady supply of practitioners if it wanted to endure for generations. But cultivating Secret Martial Arts required sufficient aptitude. No clan could guarantee that. Whether a family, a company, or a dynasty, all were caught in much the same cycle. The older generation might build a glorious legacy, but the next generation might not be able to inherit or sustain it. Examples of family fortunes falling and dynasties collapsing were everywhere. A clan bound by blood might be somewhat more resilient than an ordinary organization, but it still struggled to escape that seemingly fated cycle. No one could guarantee that every generation would have the aptitude to cultivate, or the strength to keep the clan from declining. To maintain their strength, clans had to keep bringing in fresh, high-quality blood. So many clans actively recruited gifted fighters. Compared with ordinary people, they had better aptitude and greater potential. If clan members paired with people like them, the odds of their descendants having excellent aptitude would naturally be higher. Even if they weren't chosen as marriage partners, they could be trained as peripheral Secret Martial Artists or capable subordinates. This practice was quite common among the clans. Only the scale and scope differed.