Stronger with Crimson Modifier-Chapter 71: Meeting [2]
"It’s infuriating when you compare yourself to others. To think I was once one of the top geniuses at my club."
"But I still haven’t even condensed my Qi and Blood, and he’s already broken through to the Second Transformation of Qi and Blood. The gap is just too big."
The other person’s face was grim, looking deeply shaken.
Seeing this, his companion patted his shoulder and comforted him.
"Try to look on the bright side and don’t get so hung up on it. Think about it—isn’t everyone who made it here a genius? We’re already much luckier than most ordinary people. At least we have a chance to become Extraordinary."
"Sigh. Now I understand why people say it’s ’better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.’ This feeling is just crushing!"
Soon, the sound of their conversation faded as their figures disappeared around the corner of the hallway.
They didn’t notice Sims, who was frozen in place.
"The Second Transformation of Qi and Blood... How is that possible..."
A dry, hoarse voice sounded.
Sims’s once-towering frame seemed to deflate like a popped balloon, and his face turned ashen.
He understood then. Barring some miracle, he would probably never get a chance in this lifetime to avenge the humiliation he had suffered.
...
Gossip is human nature.
As time went on, it took less than half a day for the news of Hu Qi’s breakthrough to the Second Transformation of Qi and Blood to spread.
Everyone who heard the news was in an uproar.
But by now, beyond the shock, everyone was starting to feel a bit numb.
Such a terrifying cultivation speed was second only to that of the legendary senior brother from the rumors.
In an instant, Hu Qi’s name became known to every student. His speed was so despair-inducing that it was hard for anyone to even think of catching up.
This also led to any new student who ran into Hu Qi lowering their head and respectfully calling out, "Senior Brother Hu."
Whether it was sending Cai Shizhu flying with a single punch,
or his speed in breaking through to the Second Transformation of Qi and Blood in just nineteen days.
Among the new students, he was now the undisputed number one.
...
In his dorm room, Hu Qi finished the fried egg in his bowl, then took a sip of the carbonated drink beside him, feeling the bubbles pop on his tongue.
He looked at the panel before him.
————
[Snake Form Posture (Fifth Layer)]
[Cloud Iron Body (Minor Achievement) △]
[Ghost Slaying Saber (Uninitiated)]
...
Modification Points: 1 (72%)
After the Camphor Tea Duck returned to normal a few days ago, its egg-laying frequency hadn’t increased, but there had been some other changes.
Before, one duck egg would only provide Hu Qi with about fifty percent of a Modification Point. Now, that had increased to around sixty or seventy percent.
Although the increase wasn’t huge, it would add up to a considerable amount over time.
Additionally, he had raised his Snake Form Posture to the Fifth Layer,
and a new Skill called Cloud Iron Body had appeared in his Skill list.
This was the new Qi Blood Technique he had chosen after breaking through to the Second Transformation of Qi and Blood.
Unlike the Ghost Slaying Saber, you could tell just from the name that this was a Qi Blood Technique for increasing defense.
"Crimson, modify. Upgrade Cloud Iron Body."
Hu Qi thought the command.
Instantly, he felt the skin and membranes of his body grow faintly hot, as if being roasted by a blazing fire.
This was somewhat similar to the changes in Qi and Blood caused by a breakthrough in a Pile Skill, yet it was different.
The most crucial part of upgrading Cloud Iron Body was the strengthening of his skin and membranes.
In contrast, upgrading Snake Form Posture strengthened his entire physical constitution.
By comparison, the former’s strengthening was more potent but highly specialized.
The latter, while less potent, was more comprehensive.
A few minutes later, the burning sensation faded.
————
[Cloud Iron Body (Mastery)]
...
[Modification Points: 0 (22%)]
This modification consumed 1.5 Modification Points. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
Hu Qi lifted his hand and slightly circulated his Qi and Blood.
In an instant.
His skin, as if coated in a layer of wax, took on a faint brassy sheen.
At the same time, several winding, grayish-white lines appeared on its surface. These were cloud patterns, the mark of having reached Mastery in Cloud Iron Body.
Hu Qi picked up the fork he had just used to eat the egg and jabbed the sharp end toward his arm.
Immediately, he felt a sense of resistance. As he increased the force, the resistance grew stronger, until the tines of the fork began to bend slightly. Only then did Hu Qi let up.
On his skin, there was only a faint red dot.
After he removed the fork, the red mark faded and disappeared within a few breaths.
"To think it’s reached this level..."
Hu Qi was rather astonished.
Just now, he had used half his strength, yet had only managed to create a small red dot.
One had to understand, with his current strength, he was far beyond an ordinary person. The force he just used would have been enough to pierce through a normal person’s flesh.
A realization surfaced in Hu Qi’s mind: ’This level of defense is probably enough to be immune to some blade slashes!’
’According to the description for Cloud Iron Body, once it’s cultivated to Perfection, it can even withstand shots from a regular handgun.’
Thinking of this, he looked down at the Horizontal Blade placed to the side and frowned slightly.
’It’s just a shame that I still haven’t reached Entry-Level with this Ghost Slaying Saber...’
The difficulty of this combat-oriented Qi Blood Technique was beyond his imagination.
Moreover, he always felt something was missing—he was just short of that spark of insight. If he could just grasp it, he should be able to reach Entry-Level.
But that was easier said than done; grasping it was extremely difficult.
The Modifier was great, but if he couldn’t reach Entry-Level, he couldn’t use Modification Points to upgrade the skill.
He had asked Wang Luo about this, but it seemed the other man wasn’t too sure either, only suggesting that he could try honing it through real combat.
"Real combat, huh?"
Hu Qi muttered to himself. According to the records on the Ghost Slaying Saber, everything proved that it was a Dharma Gate created for the sole purpose of killing enemies.
Without real combat, how could he ever improve?
Just as he was thinking this, his ears twitched, and he turned to look toward the door.
The next moment, KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...
A rhythmic knocking sounded, and at the same time, a woman’s voice came from outside.
"Is Senior Brother Hu in?"
Hu Qi frowned. Since everyone had their own private room, the dorms weren’t separated by gender, so it wasn’t strange for a woman to be here.
However, he was usually a loner who didn’t fit in and rarely interacted with others.
He didn’t understand why someone would come looking for him.
Thinking this, he got up and walked over.
The door opened to reveal a woman with short hair.
The woman had an ordinary face, fair skin, and a fine figure.
Her loose-fitting Martial Arts Uniform was stretched so taut across her chest that it looked more like a form-fitting shirt.
"Can I help you?"
Hu Qi searched his memory. The woman looked somewhat familiar; she was probably a student in his class, but he had no idea what her name was.
"...Um, Teacher Wang is looking for you. He asked me to come get you..."
The short-haired woman had been about to raise her hand to knock again, but when Hu Qi opened the door, her hand froze in mid-air.
Perhaps because his body had begun generating Qi and Blood, his twenty-one-year-old frame had started developing again. Hu Qi’s height had surpassed 1.8 meters, which, combined with his increasingly handsome face,
at such close range, made the short-haired woman feel as if she were being hit by a wave of fiery, masculine energy.
It caused a rare blush to creep up the cheeks of the normally carefree woman, and her voice became uncharacteristically flustered.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you."
After understanding what the woman was trying to say, Hu Qi nodded, offered his thanks, and closed the door again.
