"You're quite full of surprises yourself."
Qi Yuan glanced at the woman in the tight-fitting clothes.
She paused, a complicated look flitting across her attractive eyes. "You're not pretending to be sick, are you?"
There was a hint of astonishment in her gaze.
She had seen Qi Yuan's diagnosis report and spoken with that female doctor. There was nothing questionable about his medical diagnosis.
"How did you know? I really am faking it. Having a mental illness certificate makes it easier to get things done," Qi Yuan said earnestly.
He had kept that mental illness certificate with him all along. Right now, he was simply playing the role of a psychiatric patient.
"Really?" The woman looked at him with curiosity, her thoughts unreadable.
"Guaranteed authentic. Do I look like someone with a mental illness to you?" Qi Yuan asked as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Soon, the combo meals they ordered arrived.
Qi Yuan and the woman began sharing the food, chatting as they ate.
"Where's Cui Fan? Where is he? I have urgent business with him," Qi Yuan asked, chewing on a chicken leg.
Looking for Cui Fan was naturally to borrow from loan sharks—perhaps he could borrow up to a million.
The woman smiled charmingly. "He got arrested. He's in jail."
"Huh?" Qi Yuan froze. "What happened?"
What rotten luck!
Just the day before yesterday, he was chatting with Cui Fan, planning to borrow some loan-shark money to spend. How was the guy already behind bars?
"He's suspected of illegally running a loan-sharking operation, violent debt collection, and things like that, so he was rounded up. By the way, Tianyue City has been running a major crackdown these past few days, so most of the loan sharks got caught," the woman laughed.
Qi Yuan was rendered speechless.
"Are you short on cash?" the woman asked casually, looking at Qi Yuan.
"Yeah, I am. I was planning to borrow some from a loan shark," Qi Yuan answered honestly.
From what Xiao Mei said, borrowing from loan sharks was out of the question for the time being.
"The people behind loan sharks aren't to be trifled with. They're either tied to the underworld or tied to... If you're short on cash, it's best not to borrow from loan sharks," the woman named Xiao Mei said softly.
In Tianyue City, the connections behind loan sharks were intricate and entangled. The ones arrested were merely discarded pawns tossed out to take the fall.
"But... I need money," Qi Yuan said helplessly. "The police are working too diligently. Couldn't they wait until after I borrowed the money before making arrests? That way, I wouldn't even have to pay it back."
"What do you need so much money for, and how much do you need?" the woman asked casually.
"I want to practice martial arts, train my fists!" Qi Yuan's expression grew solemn; this was his main quest right now.
"Practice martial arts..." The woman paused, seeming to recall something. A complex emotion flashed in her eyes. "Martial arts have no future. Even if you become number one in Qinyuan Kingdom, the most you can do is become an influencer."
"As someone with a mental illness, wouldn't being an influencer make me a fortune? Or are you saying practicing martial arts has even less of a future than screwing bolts in a factory?" Qi Yuan asked in surprise.
The woman was struck speechless.
Her vantage point had been too high.
Indeed, for Qi Yuan, martial arts truly was an... outlet.
"If you're short on cash, I can lend you some. Do you want a hundred thousand?" the woman asked.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan felt disappointed.
When he borrowed money, he wanted loans he would never have to return. With someone like Xiao Mei, he would obviously have to pay it back.
"I'll borrow it, but could you lend me a bit more?" Qi Yuan had an urgent need for cash.
Apart from martial arts cultivation, his immortal cultivation also required purchasing various materials. He had to get his hands on more money.
"Do you have ninety million?" Qi Yuan looked expectantly at Xiao Mei. She seemed quite capable.
Might as well ask for a fortune in one go—what if it actually worked?
Xiao Mei was left speechless. She stared at Qi Yuan before finally speaking, "At most three hundred thousand."
Her calculation was precise. Three hundred thousand was enough for Qi Yuan to dabble in martial arts.
"Fine, three hundred thousand it is." Qi Yuan was easily satisfied.
As he spoke, he gave Xiao Mei his bank account number.
Xiao Mei narrowed her eyes, studying Qi Yuan. "This is our first time meeting, and it's a blind date. I'm willing to lend you three hundred thousand—aren't you afraid of... a trap?"
Indeed, anyone else would never have let such a thing happen.
"I have a mental illness certificate. I'm not afraid of traps," Qi Yuan said matter-of-factly.
"Now I'm really starting to wonder if you're actually faking it," the woman said.
"I've been faking it all along."
"All right, check your balance. I've already transferred the money to you. Bye-bye."
Decisive and brisk, the woman stood up immediately. Her black, tight-fitting clothes clung closely to her long legs, accentuating their firm contours.
"Wait, don't leave yet! The bill hasn't been paid!" Qi Yuan called out, stopping her.
The woman was taken aback. "I'm paying?"
"Have you ever seen a sane person let someone with a mental illness pay for their meal?"
The woman's expression froze. Gritting her teeth, she glared at Qi Yuan. "Fine, I'll pay!"
Qi Yuan kept his head down and continued eating his Qindeji.
After paying the bill, the woman left the restaurant and got into a black sedan parked along the road.
Inside the car sat two people: a male driver and a burly woman.
Both sat in front, while the woman in tight clothes took the back seat.
"Captain, is it done?" the burly woman asked in a deep, booming voice.
"Mm..." A profound look appeared in the woman's eyes. "I saw Master's son... Judging by his state, his health is decent. It seems our earlier intelligence was mistaken."
A few days ago, she had received word that Master's son was critically ill, so she had rushed back to see Qi Yuan.
Seeing him today, though Qi Yuan looked a bit frail, he could still eat with a hearty appetite, and her military-grade detection equipment hadn't picked up any major issues with his body.
Thus, the weight on her heart finally lifted.
"As long as he's all right." The burly woman managed a faint smile. "To be able to grow up safe and sound is a blessing in itself."
"He wants to cultivate martial arts," the woman mused, turning a small knife between her slender fingers, lost in thought.
"Martial arts?" The burly woman's pupils shrank. "Could it be... he knows about Master's death... and wants revenge? But... how could martial arts ever be enough..."
The woman smiled faintly. "You're overthinking it. From what I saw, his martial training is merely for physical fitness. As for Master's matter, we'll settle it ourselves."
"You're right." The burly woman nodded. "Sigh, I don't know what's going on lately. There are more and more missions. It feels like something strange is happening."
"Mm, there seem to be more missions exploring ancient tombs and ruins." The woman knitted her brows.
Such missions had popped up occasionally in the past, but they were rare. Lately, however, they had been springing up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
"I just have a feeling something big is about to happen," the burly woman murmured.
The driver in front chuckled. "Even if something big happens, could it ever fall on little people like us?"
...
Mingwu Dojo.
Located in Tianshan Building, it occupied three floors—the second, third, and fourth.
Mingwu Dojo's strength easily ranked among the top eight of all dojos in Tianyue City. Every year, many children came here to train in martial arts and build their physical fitness.
At this moment, inside Mingwu Dojo, a group of children in training uniforms were practicing in the main hall, punching and kicking in a disciplined manner.
Qi Yuan leaned against the railing, watching the demonstration below. "It's all just flashy showmanship. I could take down ten of them without breaking a sweat. Do you have real martial arts?"
The dojo staff member beside him couldn't keep a straight face, an awkward smile appearing on his lips.
The oldest of those kids practicing below was only eight or nine years old. You're an adult boasting about beating ten of them—do you have no shame?
"If you want to learn genuine martial arts, the registration fee is steeper—a hundred and twenty thousand. And there will be additional expenses later on..." the staff member said.
"Fine, sign me up right away," Qi Yuan said.
He didn't bother watching the children's moves any longer; those martial techniques were far too elementary. He wanted to see how the martial arts of this world differed from the martial arts of Canglan Realm.
Soon, led by the staff member, Qi Yuan arrived on the fourth floor.
"This is Second Senior Brother's office. To learn formal martial arts, you need to pass a test here."
"Shouldn't paying the money be enough to learn?"
Doing business still required a test? What if he failed?
"Cultivating genuine martial arts is naturally different." The staff member's gaze toward Qi Yuan had also changed.
As the saying went, the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts. Anyone who could genuinely learn martial arts had to come from a family with some wealth; otherwise, there was no way to afford it.
Soon, the staff member knocked on the door.
A deep voice came from inside the room.
"Enter!"
Qi Yuan followed the staff member into a spacious training hall.
The staff member said hurriedly, "Second Senior Brother, this person is here to learn genuine martial arts."
Qi Yuan also looked at the man before him, his gaze narrowing slightly.
The man had a crew cut, a square face, and a tall, sturdy frame—he looked immensely powerful at first glance.
Qi Yuan noticed that his nostrils were rather large, especially the left one, which was noticeably larger than the right.
Qi Yuan's gaze immediately dropped to one of the crew-cut man's fingers.
"You're here to learn martial arts?" Second Senior Brother looked at Qi Yuan with a strange expression. "Your health seems to have some issues."
"Just minor ailments, not worth mentioning. How do we test?" Qi Yuan asked curiously.
He wondered how he would refuse if it turned out to be a bone-reading test. This Second Senior Brother clearly picked his nose often.
"It's very simple."
Second Senior Brother opened a drawer and retrieved a wooden medallion. Pitch-black, it carried an antique aura.
"Drip a drop of blood onto it." Second Senior Brother set the medallion before Qi Yuan.
"A drop of blood? Why does this feel like immortal cultivation?" Qi Yuan looked bewildered.
After all, this was his first time seeing a martial art that required dripping blood.
Qi Yuan bit his finger, and immediately a drop of blood rolled down onto the wooden medallion.
Qi Yuan watched the medallion, curious to see what would happen.
After a few breaths, several white lines appeared on the pitch-black medallion, gradually spreading outward.
"Three lines. Mm... barely passes. Lower-middle aptitude. You can practice martial arts," Second Senior Brother delivered his verdict.
As he spoke, he put the wooden medallion back into his drawer.
Qi Yuan lightly tapped his finger, and the blood that had soaked into the medallion quietly returned to his body without a sound.
This scene went unnoticed by anyone else.
"These lines indicate aptitude?" Qi Yuan asked.
It seemed martial arts in this world truly differed from Canglan Realm.
"Mm!" Second Senior Brother nodded firmly. "In martial arts, your strength largely depends on aptitude. Generally speaking, we citizens of Qinyuan Kingdom all possess a certain degree of martial aptitude. The higher the aptitude, the better suited you are for martial cultivation, and the greater your potential achievements. When I took the test back then, I had five lines!"
At this point, Second Senior Brother straightened his shoulders.
Although martial arts were regarded as insignificant by the outside world—after all, decades of training might not compare to an injection of gene serum—within the martial circle, practitioners were still divided by rank and status.
"What's the maximum number of lines?"
"According to my master, twelve lines is the maximum. A genius like that could probably leap ten meters after only a few months of training!" Second Senior Brother's face filled with yearning as he spoke.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan was completely speechless.
Right now, he could already leap ten meters. It seemed the martial arts masters of this world were rather weak.
"How strong is the champion of the Martial Arts Tournament? How many meters can they cover in one step?" Qi Yuan asked.
This was what he cared about most. After all, he was a man destined to become the Human Dao Martial Master.
"Wouldn't that be over ten meters in a single stride?" Second Senior Brother looked at Qi Yuan. "Don't aim too high before you can even walk. The Martial Arts Tournament isn't something just anyone can enter!"
He looked at Qi Yuan as though seeing right through his intentions.
He had seen plenty of washed-up idols come to learn martial arts and enter the tournament just to revive their celebrity careers. Qi Yuan was remarkably handsome; even if he didn't achieve a high ranking in the tournament, showing his face would suffice. Maybe he would become an influencer.
Qi Yuan, however, was at a loss for words upon hearing Second Senior Brother's answer.
A leap of a dozen or so meters? The champion of the Martial Arts Tournament? Wasn't that way too weak? The difficulty of this mission was ridiculously low.
"Second Senior Brother, am I considered registered now? I'll transfer the money right away. When do I start learning martial arts?" Qi Yuan asked.
The martial arts of this world versus the martial arts of Canglan Realm... Qi Yuan wanted to see what made this world's martial arts so special.
"Mm, I'll give you a manual."
Second Senior Brother took out a thin booklet from his drawer.
Written across the booklet were five ancient-looking characters: *Mingwu Resonant Fist*.
"This technique is the supreme art of our Mingwu Dojo, consisting of twelve layers in total. Here are the first three layers for you. Remember, leaking this technique outside is strictly forbidden. Understand?" Second Senior Brother warned.
"What about the subsequent layers?" Qi Yuan asked.
"The subsequent layers... cost extra. Young man, these first three layers are enough to keep you busy for a year," Second Senior Brother answered honestly.
Back when he cultivated this technique, it took him seven months just to reach full mastery of the third layer. Qi Yuan's talent was lower than his, so taking a year would be entirely normal.
"How much?" Qi Yuan asked.
"Mm... three million in total?" Second Senior Brother answered truthfully. "Come, let me explain our dojo's supreme art to you. The Mingwu Resonant Fist emphasizes the unification of your internal organs with your muscles, achieving a state of resonance to unleash immense power... Don't let my lofty explanation fool you; executing it is exceedingly difficult. After all, what ordinary person can control the vibrations of their internal organs? This requires extensive experience... and..."
"Like this?"
Just then, Qi Yuan finished flipping through the three layers of the manual.
He thrust a fist forward with sudden force.
In that instant, his entire body and internal organs achieved an astonishing unity. The blood and vital energy throughout his body seemed to gather straight into his fist.
*Bang!*
A powerful punch blasted forth, echoing like a clap of thunder.
Second Senior Brother froze, his enlarged left nostril twitching upward.
"Are you Master's... illegitimate son?"
Chapter 282