The few veteran runners couldn’t help but slow down, even coming to a halt, to gaze at the mountain path in the distance.
From this spot, the view was wide and open. They could clearly see the winding mountain road, over ten kilometers long, wrapped around the mountainside like a glowing ribbon.
And Wan Ze’s figure was moving swiftly along that ribbon.
Maintaining a constant speed that left them dumbfounded, he rounded one bend after another, shrinking from a black dot into an even smaller one, before finally vanishing into the faint lights of the residential area to the west.
"Holy... crap!" a middle-aged runner exclaimed, his jaw dropping.
"That speed... that distance... Is he even human?" The one next to him gasped, hands on his knees, his face a mask of disbelief.
"Ah, to be young again!"
"What the hell does being young have to do with it!" The first middle-aged runner snapped back to his senses, laughing in exasperation. "Have you ever seen any young person run for over ten kilometers on a winding mountain road at a pace of at least forty to fifty kilometers per hour? His legs must be fitted with turbochargers!"
"And did you guys notice? His form was steady the whole time, but he didn’t look like he was at his limit at all. I’m afraid... he’s not an ordinary person."
The men looked at each other, speechless.
"What are you all standing around for?" The middle-aged runner slapped his thigh. "Turn around, let’s go find him! If our team can get this master for the city marathon this year... isn’t the championship basically guaranteed?"
As soon as the idea was out, the veteran runners, who had been utterly exhausted just moments ago, forgot all about finishing their planned workout. They turned and hurried off in the direction where Wan Ze had last disappeared.
...
Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall.
It had taken him less than two hours to complete the task. Wan Ze opened a bottle of salt soda water and took a small sip.
Running over a hundred kilometers in one go wasn’t as tiring as fighting enemies back in Yu Yang, but the prolonged duration had left his lower limbs feeling a bit sore.
But effort yielded rewards!
He immediately looked at the data frame.
[Illustrated Guide: Mysterious Shadow Step] (Ultimate, Mastered)
[Effect 1: Agility +0.01]
[Effect 2: Agility +0.02; Coordination +0.03]
[Effect 3: Instant Flash (All Attributes +0.01, Agility Attribute an additional +0.02)]
[Effect 4: Reverse Illusion (All Attributes +0.02, Agility Attribute an additional +0.03)]
...
"Reverse Illusion?"
Wan Ze was a little surprised. After receiving a stream of information, he came to a sudden realization.
When activating Instant Flash, an illusion would appear in the opposite direction to trick the enemy.
’To be honest, it really lives up to the "Mysterious Shadow" name!’
Wan Ze chuckled lightly.
With this, he had now mastered three Ultimate Martial Skills.
Ultimate Thunderbolt Breathing Technique!
Ultimate Iron Mountain Fist!
Ultimate Mysterious Shadow Step!
Night had long since fallen.
The number of people still training at the martial arts hall dwindled, and the noise gradually faded.
Inside the training room, Wan Ze scrubbed his body over and over with coarse sandpaper. After at least a hundred repetitions, the skin on his chest, back, arms, and thighs was completely red, as if seared by a blazing fire.
"HISS! This is no job for a human!"
Taking a sharp breath, Wan Ze decisively activated his qi and blood.
Under the surging of his qi and blood, the burning pain gradually transformed into a strange, tingling itch, as if countless tiny warm currents were constantly mending the layer beneath his skin.
In the blink of an eye, Wan Ze was completely immersed in this masochistic form of cultivation, losing all track of himself and the world around him.
He continued until Sun Fan and Zhou Xianchuan came looking for him.
Seeing that the light by his door was still on, the two of them exchanged glances.
"Isn’t he a little too hardworking?" Zhou Xianchuan couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.
Sun Fan said nothing. She lowered her gaze, feeling a pang of shame, then turned and walked away.
"Hey, Senior Sister, where are you going?" Zhou Xianchuan was stunned, completely bewildered.
"Back to train!" Sun Fan didn’t look back, her pace quickening. "Come find me when he’s done. I’ll drive you guys home!"
Zhou Xianchuan opened his mouth, then looked up at the sky. "Sigh. Such a beautiful night, and neither of them knows how to enjoy it."
He scratched his head.
He silently began to practice the Squatting Horse Stance by the door.
When he got tired of squatting, he looked back and saw no sign of Wan Ze’s door opening. So, he just sat down on the cold floor to rest. He had intended to close his eyes and Nourish his Spirit, but somehow, he fell asleep and began to snore softly.
"Fatty? Wake up... your wife is here!"
"Where? Where is she?" Zhou Xianchuan woke up drooling. He looked up to see Wan Ze’s teasing smile and immediately grew furious from embarrassment. "Damn it, I don’t have a wife!"
"Why were you sleeping here? You could have left after you finished training. I’ve been having a lot of insights recently, so I’ll be heading back late," Wan Ze said with a smile, pulling him up from the floor.
Zhou Xianchuan wiped his drool and glanced at his watch, stunned. "Holy shit! It’s already 11:30?"
With an exaggerated expression, he hurriedly rattled off the story of how he and Sun Fan had come looking for him.
"Alright then, let’s go find her," Wan Ze said with a smile.
Zhou Xianchuan picked up his backpack and followed, unable to resist showing off as they walked. "Ah Ze, let me tell you... I’ve been cultivating recently, and I feel like my qi and blood have gotten a lot stronger... Master Qin said that if I keep up this pace, I’ll probably succeed in Blood Tempering by early spring. What do you think? Big Bro Fatty is pretty awesome, right?"
"Awesome. My Big Bro Fatty is the man," Wan Ze played along, giving him face.
Zhou Xianchuan got even more excited. "Haha, but it’s so annoying. When I succeed in Blood Tempering and officially become a disciple, who should I choose as my master? Is your master the head of the hall?"
"Yeah."
"Then I’ll just choose him."
"...Choosing a master is a matter of fate," Wan Ze said tactfully.
"That’s true... Oh well, I’ll stick with Master Qin then. I’m already used to Master Qin. Besides, I heard the hall master is really fierce. Is that true?"
"A rumor, definitely a rumor!"
Chatting as they walked, the two soon arrived at Sun Fan’s training room. She happened to be in the courtyard, hitting a sandbag with sharp, powerful kicks and punches.
Seeing them arrive, she made a clean, decisive move to steady the swinging sandbag. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she was still slightly out of breath. "You two are done? Give me a moment, I’ll change and be right out."
A moment later.
The three of them left the martial arts hall together.
Zhou Xianchuan, knowing the routine, climbed into the front passenger seat.
Wan Ze and Sun Fan sat in the back.
As the car drove out of the alley, Zhou Xianchuan heard the other two naturally start discussing the techniques of Qi and Blood Tempering. Although it sounded like gibberish to him, he somehow felt there was sense to it and couldn’t help but perk up his ears to eavesdrop.
’These are the insights of two Martial Artists!’
"BOOM!!!!"
Halfway through their journey, a sky-shattering explosion suddenly erupted from an area north, behind the mountain. A dazzling, incandescent white orb bloomed across half the sky.
Then, raging flames shot a hundred meters into the air. Even from twenty kilometers away, Wan Ze and the others could see it clearly from the car.
This was followed by the delayed, terrifying boom, which sounded as if the very earth was being torn asunder.
A massive shockwave swept over them, causing the car to lurch violently. The driver, Old Li, quickly steadied the steering wheel, narrowly avoiding an accident.
However, a swath of trees along both sides of the road had been knocked down.
"Holy shit? What’s going on? Did a monster just awaken? Or did a natural gas pipeline explode?" Zhou Xianchuan’s jaw dropped in fright. He gripped the door handle with both hands, staring dumbfounded at the brilliant blaze in the distance.
The middle-aged driver’s expression changed, his tone becoming unprecedentedly grave. "That was no ordinary explosion. It sounded more like... a mortar. Hearing that, I’m afraid something big has happened! Miss, we need to head back immediately!"
"Take my two friends home first!" Sun Fan ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"...Alright, then. Miss, you all better hold on tight!"