"Hm?"
Chen Wu's expression changed slightly as he snapped his head up.
His gaze was sharp, instantly locking onto the source of the sound.
In a corner of the training room, a young man with an ordinary face, dressed in a black and red Martial Arts Uniform, held his arm in a striking pose.
Seeing this, Chen Wu strode over to Hu Qi.
"Did you just make that sound?"
Hu Qi lowered his arm, a perfectly timed look of confusion flashing across his face.
"I'm not sure what happened. I was just training, and then... that happened. Coach, I didn't mess something up, did I?"
"Haha, no, not at all! There's nothing wrong. You're doing it perfectly. Keep it up, I have high hopes for you!"
Chen Wu laughed heartily and patted Hu Qi on the shoulder.
Others might not have known, but how could he not?
That sound was unmistakably the essence of the first form of Mixed Martial Arts: the Cannon Fist.
To land a punch like that, even if it was a fluke, proved he had already reached a proficient level in Mixed Martial Arts.
'He Chi, it looks like I'll have you pinned down again. You won't be able to turn the tables this time!'
At this thought, Chen Wu's mood soared. He found himself looking at Hu Qi with great approval.
The other students resting nearby saw this and couldn't help but exchange confused glances.
Although they didn't understand the significance of the sound, anyone who wasn't blind could guess what it meant from Chen Wu's reaction.
In the training room, near a wall in the corner.
Song Jian, who had been chatting with his companions, also looked over.
His brow furrowed involuntarily as he looked at Hu Qi's face.
"Do you guys know his name?"
At his words, the people next to him exchanged glances, unsure how to answer.
Although they had been training together for a few days, they hadn't interacted much.
At best, they could only say he looked familiar. Recalling his name was another matter entirely.
"I think he said his name was Hu Qi during the introductions."
A girl named Lin Rong, who was sitting to the side stretching her arms, thought for a moment before adding.
"Don't worry about him. His movements were really awkward before. He's nowhere near your level, Song Jian."
"Yeah, Brother Song, we all know how strong you are. That guy isn't even worthy of shining your shoes."
A few other companions chimed in with a laugh.
Song Jian looked away and said nothing.
Indeed, just as they said, even if the guy had some Talent.
He was still a world away from him.
He had only asked out of idle curiosity.
The man wasn't even qualified to be his rival.
Hu Qi paid no mind to what the others were thinking.
What he had just done was, of course, deliberate.
He did it to shake things up and catch Chen Wu's attention.
While it was necessary to feign weakness when you were outmatched, it was also crucial to appropriately display some value. That would undoubtedly be more to his advantage.
Of course.
He hadn't used his full strength; he was still holding back.
Reaching a proficient level in Mixed Martial Arts in just a few days was still plausible.
But reaching the Minor Achievement level would be far too outrageous.
...
「In the rented apartment.」
A sharp blade slid across a neck, spraying crimson blood onto Hu Qi's face.
In the sink.
A large, sturdy rooster with a blood-red comb and vibrant feathers lay crookedly in the sink.
A ring of feathers had been plucked from its neck, revealing a gash on the exposed skin that nearly severed its head.
Blood flowed from the wound, trickling down into the drain.
As it lost blood, the rooster's Vitality drained away, and its struggles weakened until its wings stopped flapping.
Finally, it went completely still.
'So it still doesn't work, huh?'
Hu Qi glanced down at the rooster he had just killed, then looked toward a point in empty space, his brow furrowed.
'The Modifier panel is great, but it's useless without Modification Points.'
Over the past few days, he had made several attempts.
From ants and insects to this large rooster, yet his Modification Points hadn't budged at all.
'Do I have to touch antiques and absorb some kind of cool energy from them?'
Hu Qi pinched the bridge of his nose.
Recalling scenes from novels he had read in his past life, he figured it wasn't out of the question.
'Whatever, I'll eat first.'
With that, he glanced at the rooster in the sink, turned to boil a pot of water, and began to expertly pluck and clean it.
Tens of minutes later, a fresh pot of stove-top chicken stew was ready, complete with flatbread stuck to the sides and a garnish of chopped scallions.
'Looks like my Culinary Skill hasn't gotten rusty.'
Hu Qi picked up his chopsticks, lifted a piece of chicken, blew on it, and popped it into his mouth. The rich, savory flavor of the tender meat spread through his mouth, and a look of pure enjoyment crossed his face.
Perhaps due to his Cultivation of Mixed Martial Arts and the Nourishing Essence Breathing Technique, Hu Qi's appetite had recently increased dramatically.
He had devoured the entire rooster by himself.
And this was no small rotisserie chicken from the market, barely bigger than a fist.
However, the upside was that his physique had been improving day by day.
When he undressed for a shower, he could clearly see the defined outlines of muscle on his arms, abdomen, chest, back, and legs.
About ten minutes later, he had eaten his fill.
After a quick cleanup, Hu Qi grabbed the black trash bag and headed out the door.
He tossed the bag into the dumpster downstairs and started walking out of the apartment complex.
His destination was Moshi Street, about ten kilometers away.
He had crashed his electric scooter on the way to the market to buy the chicken, breaking the right handlebar. It was still at the repair shop.
With his scooter out of commission, Hu Qi planned to take the bus.
Subways existed in this world, but for some reason, they weren't widespread.
As a third-tier city, Qirong City currently had only one line, and it had been built just recently.
The East District, where he lived, was part of the old city and naturally didn't have a subway line.
Fortunately, there were plenty of bus stops. One was located just across the street from his apartment complex, not far from his building.
It was now around three in the afternoon.
A thick blanket of clouds covered the sky, veiling it in gray and making the air hot and stuffy.
There weren't many people waiting at the bus stop at this time of day.
There was only a grandmother and her granddaughter, both wearing sun hats.
Hu Qi glanced around before pulling a pair of earbuds from his pocket, putting them in, and playing a popular song.
Anyone standing close would have noticed that his breathing was exceptionally steady, as if following a specific rhythm.
This was the Nourishing Essence Breathing Technique.
After he had raised this Dharma Gate to the Perfect Realm, it had completely replaced his normal way of breathing.
Unlike Mixed Martial Arts, the Nourishing Essence Breathing Technique didn't provide a quick and obvious boost to his strength. Instead, it subtly improved Hu Qi's Physique over time.
Compared to the other students, he had far more stamina and recovered much faster.
Hu Qi even had a feeling that, with the help of the Breathing Method, he might be able to advance his Mixed Martial Arts to the Mastery level soon, even without using the Modifier.
Time passed.
A few minutes later, the B3 bus arrived.
Hu Qi got up and boarded the bus behind the grandmother and her granddaughter.