Blood Qi Martial Arts

"Heh heh heh... Little White, you must be joking. This isn't underwear—it's part of Xiao Kui's body structure. You saw it yourself. Xiao Kui really isn't human, but a robot, one left behind from before the Great Cataclysm. She was found in a shelter, and later I bought her."

Bai Ye was secretly astonished. A robot? Such an advanced robot?

He felt the absurdity of this world more keenly than ever. So many people could barely afford food, yet the wealthy even had bionic robots.

"By the way, Little White, I see that you're in good physical condition, and there are no signs of you having injected Genetic Potion. Do you practice Blood Qi Martial Arts, or are you a Transcendent?"

Seeing that Bai Ye could easily keep pace with everyone without so much as changing expression or breathing hard, Gao Bancheng could tell that his physical condition far surpassed that of an ordinary person. That was why he asked.

Blood Qi Martial Arts?

Bai Ye was no stranger to the term. His friendly exchange with the officer earlier had taught him quite a bit, including knowledge of Blood Qi Martial Arts.

It sounded mysterious, but it was actually quite ordinary. Put simply, it was exercising the body in coordination with breathing techniques.

After the Great Cataclysm, the people who survived underwent a certain degree of mutation as well. Though they looked no different from ordinary people, something called Blood Qi had appeared within their bodies—a form of biological energy.

Studies showed that people before the Great Cataclysm had possessed Blood Qi energy too, except it had remained hidden within their bodies. The mutations caused by the Great Cataclysm had merely awakened it.

After so many years of development, people continuously researched and applied Blood Qi, eventually forming Blood Qi Martial Arts.

It was not some martial arts manual from a wuxia novel. It simply used a specific breathing rhythm to mobilize the Blood Qi within the body, train it, and gradually strengthen it, granting physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary people.

Even without breathing techniques, it was still possible. As long as one had sufficient nutrition and kept training, Blood Qi would continue to grow stronger, making the body increasingly powerful. Breathing techniques merely improved efficiency.

Blood Qi Martial Arts was also called the martial path of the common people. Anyone could practice it, just as anyone could work out. But achieving anything required enormous effort, and in the end, it still could not compare to the strength a Genetic Modifier gained from a single injection.

A saying was popular in the wasteland: the poor relied on effort—Blood Qi Martial Arts—while the rich relied on technology—genetic modification and mechanical modification.

As for Transcendents, wealth made no difference. It all depended on talent and luck.

Bai Ye thought for a moment before replying, "Blood Qi Martial Arts."

He was not a Transcendent, nor had he taken injections or undergone mechanical modification. He had merely used a Taboo Object to plunder a bit of Blood Qi. Strictly speaking, he fell within the category of Blood Qi Martial Arts.

"Heh heh heh... Little White, a hero truly emerges in youth. Without great perseverance, it is difficult to achieve anything in Blood Qi Martial Arts. I can see that you have lofty aspirations!"

Gao Bancheng's high-EQ compliment made Bai Ye glance at him. He could praise that too? Was he really forcing a compliment?

Who did not know that Blood Qi Martial Arts was the path chosen by poor wretches with nowhere else to turn? Most people practiced Blood Qi Martial Arts for their entire lives, only to end up weaker than a Genetic Modifier after one injection.

The group continued onward amid idle chatter, and this perilous Black Mountain somehow carried the feeling of a spring outing.

Blending into the middle of the group, Bai Ye felt increasingly certain that his decision had been wise. They were already more than halfway through the journey, and they were expected to reach the vicinity of Shelter 189 tomorrow.

Their rapid progress was truly thanks to Gao Bancheng, Li Xiao, and the others. Gao Bancheng possessed a map of Black Mountain that he had acquired at great expense, allowing them to avoid many detours.

For some reason, Li Xiao seemed to have gone mad. He appeared eager to display his strength before Li You. Along the way, he never let anyone else act. Whenever they encountered a Mutated Beast or mutated plant, he always charged ahead, showing off all manner of flashy moves as he killed them.

Afterward, he would always turn back and glance at Li You.

At night, the already quiet Black Mountain sank into complete silence.

Only the faint crackling of burning firewood could be heard.

Bai Ye sat beside the campfire, roasting wild rabbit meat with a relaxed expression.

"We saved quite a bit of time again today. Heh heh..."

2 minutes 49 seconds!

That was all the time he had left. Ever since joining the group, he had not used Time Stop again. The others had handled every danger.

He took out his golden pocket watch and checked it. In another three hours, he would gain another minute!

Please don't let anything unexpected happen. Don't make me waste any more time. Let me get through tonight safely...

Bai Ye prayed while eating rabbit, and then... nothing really happened!

The next morning, the group set out once more.

Along the way, Bai Ye was slightly dazed. They really had not encountered any danger? The mountain forest was most dangerous at night, yet they had met with nothing. It felt somewhat unreal, and he even suspected that the rabbit meat had poisoned him and caused hallucinations.

Before coming to Black Mountain, they had practically run into three waves of Mutated Beasts a day.

During a chat with Gao Bancheng, Bai Ye's doubts were answered.