'It will take three days to reach a new equilibrium!'
'During this time, it's best not to use my abilities recklessly, or I could easily lose control!'
He had to admit, Jomoya's diary was quite valuable. It made Chen Qi's painstaking efforts to decipher it worthwhile.
As for which skill to upgrade, Chen Qi already had a plan. It would naturally be [Body Control].
In truth, this was a dilemma most likely unique to Chen Qi.
Other people's initial Cards only had one ability, so there was no choice to make.
Fortunately, after upgrading one ability, upgrading the other would be much simpler.
He had Jomoya to thank for paving the way. It was a shame the guy got dug up and eaten by dogs; otherwise, Chen Qi would have definitely offered some incense in his memory.
...
Taruno's cleanup work was proceeding smoothly. He could now be considered a kingpin in Talin City's underworld.
The next steps were to install various surveillance equipment at the mine and form patrol teams, but Chen Qi didn't need to worry about any of that.
Chen Qi had already returned to Talin City. However, he didn't go home, but instead headed to the Red Falcon Sect's martial arts hall.
His fight with Flette today, especially the Secret Technique he used at the very end, made Chen Qi realize that his understanding of Fighting Techniques wasn't as deep as he had thought.
"You killed someone?"
The moment they met, Mu Wanqing noticed the scent of blood on Chen Qi.
For a Martial Artist who was used to life-or-death battles, it was not an unfamiliar smell.
"Just cleaned up a few annoying little bugs."
"But one of them was indeed quite troublesome."
Chen Qi said it nonchalantly, but Mu Wanqing circled him, sizing him up nonstop.
This left Chen Qi completely bewildered.
...
"Hmph, you actually trained your Red Falcon Fist to the Master Level. You were just pretending before."
"No, that's not right. You also used another fist style, one that pushed your muscle utilization efficiency to 30%!"
"You really are special. To survive under such a massive strain!"
Mu Wanqing's words sent a shockwave through Chen Qi. She had seen right through what happened in his previous fight with just a glance.
'I really did underestimate Martial Artists!'
As for the strain a Grandmaster Level Fighting Technique put on the body, Chen Qi's life level of 4 was just barely enough to withstand it.
"You should be familiar with this, right?"
Chen Qi held a Blood-colored Chip between his fingers and waved it in front of Mu Wanqing.
Since he had come here to probe for some secrets anyway, he might as well show some sincerity first.
"A [Extreme Path Chip] from the Black Blood Federation? How did you get your hands on it?"
Mu Wanqing was genuinely stunned. The appearance of the chip made her breathing quicken, and her eyes turned red.
"I got this after killing a guy named Flette Loren!"
"This chip is loaded not only with the Grandmaster Level Divine Tiger Fist, but it also has the Secret Technique, [Evil Tiger Carrying Corpse]!"
With every sentence Chen Qi spoke, Mu Wanqing's expression changed.
Clearly, she knew of both Flette and the Divine Tiger Sect.
"Out with it. What exactly do you want by coming here?"
"Surely you didn't just come to show off your achievements, did you?"
Mu Wanqing stared at Chen Qi with icy eyes. It was obvious she thought he had ill intentions or an ulterior motive.
"Calm down, calm down!"
"I'm a reasonable person. Since we've already started a transaction, we're friends."
"I'm just very curious about the principles behind Secret Techniques, so I was hoping to ask a few questions."
Chen Qi described in detail the bizarre changes when Flette used the Secret Technique, only to find Mu Wanqing glaring at him with annoyance.
"Do you think a Master Level Martial Artist like me would know about Secret Techniques? That's a special skill even among Grandmasters!"
Perhaps because her emotions had been on such a rollercoaster today, Mu Wanqing finally lost her composure in front of Chen Qi.
"I thought it was common knowledge among Martial Artists!"
Chen Qi said blankly, only to see Mu Wanqing's gaze grow even sharper.
"Only the Sect Leader knows about Secret Techniques!"
"If you can cure him, he can naturally tell you everything."
Mu Wanqing was telling the truth. In any sect, Secret Techniques were top secret.
"Perfect. I've pretty much understood the Red Falcon Fist. I can complete our deal in a few days."
"I'll examine the Hall Master's body right now. It shouldn't be a problem to get him to speak."
In three days at most, Chen Qi's [Body Control] would reach Lv. 2.
Although he had already obtained a chip that contained the Secret Technique [Evil Tiger Carrying Corpse], Chen Qi's interest in Secret Techniques had, on the contrary, grown even greater.
If he wasn't mistaken, the [presence] that formed inside Flette's body when he used the Secret Technique must have also been a type of [Spirituality].
Fighting Technique, or perhaps the Martial Dao, wasn't as simple as he had previously thought.
He had come to the Red Falcon Sect because he wanted to know the origin of the Martial Dao.
...
Mu Wanqing naturally wouldn't refuse Chen Qi's proactive offer to "treat" him.
Under her guidance, Chen Qi entered a bedroom and saw Yu Hongwu, who was "lying there like a corpse."
He was a plain-looking man in his fifties. He should have been quite robust, but now he was incredibly weak and haggard.
Inside the room, Chen Qi also saw the other disciples of the martial arts hall.
There weren't many of them, only seven people. These were the last disciples of the Red Falcon Sect.
One could only say that the Red Falcon Sect was now on the verge of complete annihilation.
It was no wonder they had agreed to Chen Qi's deal. Otherwise, given how much a Martial Dao Sect valued its legacy, they would never pass on a Secret Technique, even if it meant their destruction.
Perhaps this was all thanks to the Black Blood Federation's heavy-handed suppression of the Martial Dao, which had stripped them of their pride and glory.
...
"Is that the playboy? He actually has the nerve to pursue Senior Sister Mu!"
"That's him. I heard he's a billionaire. He actually became a disciple to learn Fighting Techniques just to get close to Senior Sister Mu!"
"This guy looks so unreliable. Can he really cure the Hall Master?"
The group chattered among themselves, and the content of their discussion left Chen Qi rather speechless.
'When did I ever say I was pursuing Mu Wanqing?'
"Enough nonsense. You're not needed here. Hurry up and get back to your training!"
A flicker of unease crossed Mu Wanqing's face. As the senior sister, no one dared to disobey her words.
Soon, the room fell silent.
"Hall Master Yu, I'm going to examine your body!"
Yu Hongwu couldn't even blink his eyes, so he naturally couldn't respond to Chen Qi.
Chen Qi didn't mind. He materialized a Puppet Thread from his left index finger and pierced it into Yu Hongwu's body.
Although Chen Qi's current state was a bit unstable, controlling two or three Puppet Threads to do some probing was still no problem.
This was the first time Chen Qi had come into contact with a true Grandmaster Level Martial Artist, and he was quite curious about Yu Hongwu's body.
However, to Chen Qi's disappointment, there were no extra or special organs inside Yu Hongwu's body.
A Grandmaster Level Martial Artist was still a normal human, at most with stronger muscle fibers and bone density than an ordinary person.
Of course, it wasn't that there were no abnormalities at all.
Chen Qi discovered that his Puppet Threads were encountering some kind of interference inside Yu Hongwu's body, causing them to spread at an abnormally slow speed.
It was as if an invisible Force Field was repelling the existence of the Puppet Threads.
Unfortunately, the Force Field was too scattered and weak. It only managed to slow the Puppet Threads' speed and couldn't stop Chen Qi from controlling Yu Hongwu's body in the slightest.
Under Chen Qi's control, the Puppet Threads replaced the damaged neurons, allowing Yu Hongwu to temporarily regain some of his bodily functions.
"You're not the [Jomoya] from before. Didn't that guy die?"
This was the first thing Yu Hongwu said after regaining his ability to speak, and it was also the first time Chen Qi's identity had been seen through by a non-player.