But Hu Qi was different. Backed by his Spirit Devouring Talent, his body converted any food with one hundred percent efficiency, wasting not a single iota.

Combined with effective exercise.

This was the reason for such a drastic transformation.

WHOOSH!

A moment later.

In the center of the room, Hu Qi, holding a posture with his arms wrapped around his chest, suddenly opened his eyes.

A stream of white vapor, three to four meters long, shot from his mouth. It resembled a long, white dragon, only dissipating after it struck the gray-white wall.

The next second.

The color of Hu Qi’s skin, once crimson as blood, rapidly faded back to normal.

He relaxed his Pile Posture and felt a pang of hunger from his abdomen.

He walked over to the table, picked up a bowl of steaming, black medicinal soup, and without a moment’s hesitation, tilted his head back and downed it in one go.

The decoction slid down his throat, a bitter and warm sensation tracing its path down his esophagus.

Soon, his stomach began to churn.

The black medicinal soup was instantly digested the moment it entered his stomach, nourishing his physical body and Qi and Blood like a trickling stream.

The fatigue weighing on his body quickly receded under the influence of this power.

"Crimson!"

[Owner: Hu Qi (Fang Xi)]

[Status: Normal]

[Age: 19]

[Talent: Spirit Devouring, Twisted Light, Primordial Eye]

[Skill: Elephant Yuan Posture (Entry-Level) △]

[Extreme Fighting Technique (Perfection)]

[Violin (Proficient) △]

[Modification Points: 12859 (51%)]

——

The panel now showed two more skills than before.

One was the Extreme Fighting Technique, used to train his physique.

Under Hu Qi’s control, it had taken only a day to easily reach Perfection.

The other was a Pile Skill called Elephant Yuan Posture.

This Pile Skill was one Hu Qi had specifically created for this body.

For Hu Qi’s original self, so-called Pile Skills and Inheritance Secret Martial Arts held no secrets whatsoever.

Therefore, creating a new Pile Skill was a trivial matter for Hu Qi, one that didn’t require using the Crimson panel at all.

In just three short days, he not only successfully brought his Fighting Technique to Perfection but also reached the Entry-Level with this Elephant Yuan Posture.

’Crimson! Modify and upgrade the Elephant Yuan Skill to its limit!’

The moment he gave the command, seventeen Modification Points vanished, sinking into the Elephant Yuan Posture.

The next moment, the Qi Blood Power in his body, originally as thin as a strand of hair, swelled rapidly like an inflating balloon.

RUMBLE!

The sound of a rushing river echoed through the once-quiet room.

The sound was coming from inside Hu Qi’s body.

Wisps of white steam now rose from the surface of his skin.

With Introspection, Hu Qi could clearly see the terrifying Qi Blood Power inside him gathering and condensing, forming a blood-red sphere in his chest.

Once the sphere of blood finished forming, the strange phenomena on Hu Qi’s body subsided.

His gaze fell upon the panel.

——

[Elephant Yuan Skill (Ninth Layer)]

...

[Modification Points: 12842 (51%)]

At this moment, he had reached the peak of a Qi Blood Realm Secret Martial Artist.

’Next, I can start cultivating the Inheritance Secret Martial Arts!’

Hu Qi’s eyes flickered.

But his tone carried a hint of regret.

’The human bodies in this world are ultimately different. At most, one can only reach the level of a Martial Arts Family.

Still, this is enough. Once my original body deduces the Inheritance Secret Martial Arts, I can use the panel to quickly reach the limit. Then it will be time to make contact with the so-called Nightmare!’

Although the human bodies of this world possessed the Essence Element Divine Treasure, they lacked the Qi Vein Divine Treasure, so they naturally couldn’t absorb Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy into their bodies.

At most, one could only reach the Perfection of a Martial Arts Family.

Moreover, if possible, he naturally wanted to learn about other Extraordinary Systems. Although Secret Martial Arts were acceptable, exposure to other Extraordinary Systems would surely bring benefits.

For example, when it came to deducing future paths of development.

As he thought of this, his mind turned to Ouyang Shuokong, who had come to this world with him. Possessing a trace of the other’s Divine Soul Origin, Hu Qi could vaguely sense his location.

However, he didn’t go looking for him.

It wouldn’t be too late to contact him when he had more time.

’With that guy’s abilities, he probably won’t die so easily.’

After all, he was a Child of Celestial Destiny from a civilization on Earth Star.

Thinking of this, he looked at the filth expelled from his body due to the increase in his Qi Blood Cultivation and walked into the bathroom to wash himself.

He then noticed a faint stench lingering in the room.

He walked to the balcony and opened the window. A cold wind immediately blew in.

A fine, thread-like drizzle struck his face, bringing with it a deep chill.

He looked outside.

The sky was dark and gloomy. A cold wind howled, and it was still raining.

For three days, the rain had never truly stopped.

Seeing this, Hu Qi couldn’t help but frown.

Qishan City had a humid tropical monsoon climate with distinct monsoons, so frequent rain was common.

But a situation like this, raining continuously for three or four days, was quite rare.

He keenly sensed that something was amiss.

’This part of the year is already after the start of autumn and approaching December, so some cold is normal.

But I’m now a peak Qi Blood Realm Secret Martial Artist. My physique is as strong as an ox. Even solid ice shouldn’t feel this cold to me, let alone mere rain.’

Suppressing his thoughts, he put on some clothes, picked up the garbage bag, and walked out the door.

While waiting for the elevator, his gaze lifted slightly, his peripheral vision catching sight of a black and red door at the end of the hallway.

That was the home of Wei Fan.

He could clearly sense a gaze from within that door watching him.

It had been like that ever since he made a sound leaving his apartment.

Given their previous encounter and his own suspicions, he had devoted some energy to observing the other party during this time.

Hu Qi had discovered that the day after Wei Fan returned, the two elderly people who lived there, Wei Fan’s grandparents, had packed their bags to leave on a long trip.

He overheard them saying they had won a prize: a fifteen-day vacation trip.

So, the couple, who had never traveled in their lives, decided to take this opportunity to enjoy themselves.

’Too much of a coincidence,’ Hu Qi thought.

’If I’m not mistaken, Wei Fan must have arranged it deliberately.’

And as for that gaze right now, he didn’t even have to think to know who it was.

It was the young man named Wei Fan observing him.

Thoughts spun in Hu Qi’s mind.

He recalled the sense of danger he had felt from him before.

He temporarily suppressed the urge to walk over, break down the door, and demand to know what he was doing.

His face remained expressionless.

He stepped into the elevator.

By the time the elevator reached the ground floor, he discovered a circle of funeral wreaths at the building entrance. Figures with white cloths wrapped around their heads occasionally came and went, heading to an apartment on the third floor.

Obviously, someone had died.

He saw a photo of an old man at the entrance.

The photo was grayish-white, and in this environment, it seemed inexplicably grim and eerie.

It was as if the person in the photo was silently watching the people coming and going.

The original owner, Fang Xi, had seen that person before. He was an old man with some difficulty walking, who liked to sit in his wheelchair at the building entrance and sunbathe when he had nothing else to do.

’To think he’d be gone in the blink of an eye.’

Hu Qi didn’t find death strange at all.

Happiness Garden District was a resettlement housing complex, built as compensation for demolition. Seventy to eighty percent of the residents were elderly, so it was normal for someone to pass away.

There were even some funeral service shops at the district’s entrance.

...

Over half an hour later, having eaten and drunk his fill outside, Hu Qi returned to the district.

Just as he reached his building’s entrance, the sound of a suona was already playing, and faint crying could be heard.

The sound was a bit noisy, but it was only five or six o’clock, and given the special circumstances, none of the residents said anything.

However, hearing this sound, Hu Qi’s brow furrowed slightly.

Amidst the clamor, he heard a strange, rhythmic noise.

It was faint.

’Probably just static from the machine playing the suona music.’

At the same time.

The elevator doors opened.

No one was inside. Hu Qi stepped in.

He pressed the button for his floor.

As the elevator slowly ascended.

The sounds of the suona and crying first became clearer as he approached the third floor.

Then, as the elevator climbed higher, they grew fainter.

However, after noticing this, Hu Qi’s expression suddenly darkened.

Because he discovered that the strange sound hadn’t faded away with the crying and the suona.

Instead, it had become clearer.

The sound seemed to be just outside the elevator.

But the elevator wasn’t stationary; it was continuously rising.

At the same time, without the interference of the other sounds, Hu Qi could now clearly identify the strange noise.

It was a dull thumping sound, like a rubber ball bouncing on the ground.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

This sound was not unfamiliar to Hu Qi, because he had heard it before.

It was the exact audio clip posted by the user named ’BurningTheMidnightOil’.

The two were exactly the same.