He tried again and again despite repeated failures...
Qiji had finally succeeded!
He had mastered [Flame Fist]!
Though strictly speaking, his mastery differed slightly from Huomu's...
Only when he touched the mask did he understand everything, thanks to the information it conveyed.
Why had he been unable to grasp Flame Fist for so long?
And why had he suddenly succeeded now?
Ultimately, the problem lay with his Heart Essence!
Unlike Huomu's, his Heart Essence did not possess the "fire" attribute.
No, rather than lacking the "fire" attribute, it was more accurate to say it had no attribute at all.
Because he was an "unregistered resident" of this world!
His Heart Essence had not been recognized by this world.
So it was not that his comprehension was inferior to Huomu's, nor that he had not worked hard enough. His Heart Essence itself had made it impossible for him to unleash [Flame Fist] like Huomu.
But why could he do it now?
Because-
Hope that never gives up is a miracle!
The [Mask of Miracles] on his face had responded to his unceasing efforts over the past month, and to the "hope" he had held so strongly.
And through a "miracle," it had helped him transform his "attributeless Heart Essence" into "fire attribute" Heart Essence.
The fire patterns on the mask were the manifestation of that "response" and "resonance"!
Wait!
At that moment, inspiration struck Qiji, and an idea flashed through his mind.
If the transformation into "fire" was the mask's response to his "hope,"
then what if his "hope" was directed at other forms?
The thought stirred in his mind.
And in the very next instant!
The flames blazing around Qiji abruptly faded.
In their place came a sound like a thousand birds chirping.
Blue-violet lightning began spreading from Qiji's fist!
Chapter 55: Thunder Fist, Ice Fist, Storm Fist, Haymaker!
Almost at the same time, the crimson fire patterns on Qiji's mask instantly dimmed and faded.
Blue-violet lightning took their place!
The lightning flowed across the mask, forming lightning-shaped patterns utterly different from the earlier fire patterns!
Meanwhile, a crackling sound came from Qiji's fist.
The leaping blue-violet lightning spread in an instant, like countless tiny silver snakes!
It covered his arm and shoulder, and even tiny sparks danced at the tips of Qiji's hair!
The lightning patterns on the mask faintly echoed the lightning around his body, making him look almost like a god who commanded thunder!
[Thunder Fist]!
Compared with the flames from before, the lightning was faint and unstable, and its range was much smaller.
Even the rate at which it consumed Heart Essence had increased noticeably.
But Qiji had undoubtedly succeeded once again!
The mask had responded to his "hope" again!
This had undoubtedly opened a new door for Qiji!
It meant that from now on, the [Mask of Miracles] could serve as a medium and amplifier, helping Qiji simulate the transformation of attributeless Heart Essence into powers of various attributes!
The possibilities for his future skill set were limitless!
As excited as Qiji was, he could not help reflecting:
No wonder the [Mask of Miracles] had cost several million even at ninety percent off.
Worth it!
The two growth-type passives and the conceptual "intangibility" alone had already seemed powerful enough to Qiji.
He had never expected another surprise like this on top of them!
"Come on! Let's keep going!"
Qiji let out a long cry, eager to invite the turtles to sample his newly mastered fist techniques.
His figure flashed as he charged into the orgy, like a tiger among sheep!
No-
To the turtles, Qiji was now more like a walking natural disaster!
"Bang!"
"Boom!"
"Crackle-!"
This punch carried thirty days of work behind it.
No turtle could stop it.
Fists flew, trailing scorching flames, bone-chilling frost, rending storms and raging thunder...
Powers of every kind, utterly different from one another, shifted around Qiji at a jaw-dropping speed!
The patterns on the mask shifted in turn.
Flame, frost, storm, lightning...
For a moment, the mask on Qiji's face looked like a painter's palette gone out of control.
Unpredictable and dazzling in countless ways!
The battle became Qiji's own impromptu performance.
It was also a spectacular release of everything he had held in for a month!
Some Iron Wall Turtles were burned to ash by scorching flames, leaving only black ash scattered on the ground.
Some were frozen into ice sculptures by bone-chilling frost, then shattered by the wind from his fists the next second.
Some were electrocuted into charcoal by raging thunder, giving off black smoke and the smell of burning.
Others were sliced apart by wind blades, their shells and flesh torn to pieces...
In moments, all the participants in the orgy on the riverbank voluntarily stopped their indecent group activities under Qiji's friendly persuasion.
The turtles dropped off to sleep, each lying more peacefully than the last.
And so-
The anti-pornography sweep was complete!
Qiji stopped where he stood, his chest rising and falling as he panted softly.
The mask on his face returned to pure white, all its brilliant patterns fading away.
It was as if everything before had been an illusion.
"Huff... huff..."
Recalling everything that had just happened, Qiji could not contain his excitement.
His [Flame Fist] was strong!
Extremely strong!
It complemented the body he had trained to its limits almost perfectly, producing astonishing power!
Judging by the power it had just displayed, he would most likely be able to break through the defenses of an Echoer with Armament activated head-on!
Before awakening his Echo, he finally had a way to face a third-tier opponent head-on!
But then Qiji thought of something and could not help frowning.
He realized something.
Unlike Huomu's, his [Flame Fist] consumed an enormous amount of Heart Essence.
He remembered that in the original story, Huomu could fight with Flame Fist for days and nights without a break, even growing more energetic as he fought...
Yet he had only used it for a short while. Why was his Heart Essence already running out?
Of course, Qiji only had to think for a moment before he understood.
It was because of the attribute conversion.
Attribute conversion consumed too much Heart Essence...
Still, though the consumption was enormous, the advantages were just as striking!
It was immensely powerful, flexible and versatile!
For the time being, it was perfectly acceptable to use it as a trump card at a crucial moment.
And as he grew more familiar with Flame Fist, it was not impossible that he could improve the efficiency of his Heart Essence conversion and make it last longer.
"Anyway... I did it."
At that thought, a satisfied expression finally appeared on Qiji's face.
His nerves, taut for an entire month, had finally relaxed completely during that exhilarating release.
His body went limp, and he fell backward, sprawling on the ground without a care for appearances.
The cool night breeze brushed through his sweat-soaked hair and over his heated body, carrying away his fatigue with a slight chill.
He gazed at the eternally distorted night sky within the rift, gradually letting his mind go blank.
After a month of frenzied training at an intensity that approached his limits, even Qiji, who had long been accustomed to being hard on himself, felt a little tired.
But his efforts had not been in vain.
This time, he had not only fully mastered Flame Fist but had also used it as a foundation to develop Thunder Fist, Ice Fist, Storm Fist and Haymaker...
He had even unexpectedly discovered a new use for the mask. He could be said to have gained a great deal.
It was just that...
When he thought about how Huomu had done in one day what it had taken him an entire month to catch up to...
Qiji once again felt there was nothing to be excited about.
Part of the reason he had pushed himself so hard this month was out of spite.
Even though he knew full well that Huomu was the protagonist of the show, possessed the "luck" favored by the world, and was undoubtedly a growth-type genius.
But...
He already had a cheat, and he had worked this hard.
So-
He really did not want to lose to anyone.
In any respect.