Forge a path to success

"Can you feel it? That's the malice of the world," Ji Qiufeng said. "Malice is everywhere, it's all-pervasive. If you step onto the path of ascension without preparation, it's easy for your mind to be corrupted by it. That's why the sages created the 'Sealing Method' to isolate you from danger. From now on, you must perform the corresponding ritual for each ascension. The ritual location must be in a safe area free from pollution. You must never use a magic array different from the 'Sealing Method,' not even the slightest difference is allowed. You must remember this!"

Ji Qiufeng had never spoken so seriously. Chu Hengkong instinctively realized that this was a rule he had to follow to survive in this world. He suppressed his sense of crisis and memorized every detail of the magic array. After completing the gesture, he followed Ji Qiufeng's instructions and walked to the hollow circle in the center, placing his hands on the center.

"Concentrate your mind and silently repeat in your heart," Ji Qiufeng's voice drifted, "Skillful Hands."

Skillful hands.

As thought arose, colorless dust drifted into the hollow circle, forming the final symbol of the magic array. It was a large, powerful, and nimble "hand." The hand symbol magnified infinitely in Chu Hengkong's eyes, like an open door drawing him in. Memories and feelings surged excitedly, and countless images from the depths of his mind surged forth simultaneously!

It's children learning to box from pictures in books, teenagers fighting thugs wielding sticks, young men undergoing solitary rigorous training in the mountains, and adult assassins battling enemies between buildings. Fists, kicks, wrestling, punches, knives, guns, sticks, clubs… Bajiquan, Taijiquan, Piguazhang, Chuojiao, Karate, Kendo, Muay Thai, Kalapayat…

Every move and every stance was so familiar and reliable; just looking at the images brought back the feelings of that time. Because the person in each painting was Chu Hengkong himself; it contained all the moves and techniques he had learned since birth. Many fragments were even forgotten by himself, including flashes of inspiration during battles and moves or techniques that changed with his own ideas, all of which were included in this moment.

In the blink of an eye, the scene of martial arts practice and combat shifted to the final image, settling on that silver tentacle. All the past events merged together, transforming into the symbol of "skillful hands." That symbol now appeared incredibly clear, its simple structure seemingly containing endless information, captivating him completely.

Unconsciously, Chu Hengkong reached out to touch it, and the vivid symbol scattered into colorless dust, seeping into his body from his fingertips. In an instant, his vision cleared, and all the past events flashed through his consciousness again, but this time he perceived them in a completely different way.

It can be corrected. It can be improved. This move was still somewhat immature, and that move could be further developed. Chu Hengkong smiled with delight, as if a celestial being had bestowed a mysterious blessing upon him, and everything in the past would be different from now on. An indescribable "comprehension" filled his heart, and a fervent power surged through his limbs. He had never felt so sharp, so agile!

·

To the onlookers, Chu Hengkong simply stood there quietly, without uttering a word. He had been standing there for a full hour, until Jie An couldn't help but mutter, "What's wrong with this kid? Could he... not have gone in?"

“That’s the Secret Array settling accounts,” Ji Huaisu said. “To ascend to the Crafty Hand level, one must meet one of two conditions: either possess an extraordinary limb recognized by the Secret Array, or learn the superb skill of transforming an ordinary body into an extraordinary one. That tentacle meets the first condition, and now the array is calculating its second condition.”

Jie An glared at him: "Stop talking nonsense. Others take at most five minutes to advance to the Skillful Hand level, but he hasn't finished calculating in an hour? How much practice did he actually do?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the yellow light forming the magic circle faded, and Chu Hengkong finally moved. He clenched and unclenched his fist three times, while his tentacles continuously contracted and extended in sync. He jumped a few times in place, took a step forward, and threw a punch into the air!

The punch produced a whooshing sound, exploding loudly within the temple. Chu Hengkong's movements didn't falter; as he threw the punch, his knee strike followed simultaneously, then his left arm lashed out with a downward sweep, his body spinning as he delivered a powerful kick. After this exhilarating combo, he immediately turned to defend, shifting his body to dodge the "counterattack."

He was completely absorbed in the fight, even though there was nothing in front of him. He had no weapon, yet he used swordsmanship; he carried no throwing knives or pebbles, yet he launched several "hidden weapons" into the air. His absorbed state even infected the onlookers, who seemed to see the "enemy" as well, to witness that invisible battle… The enemy was also a man with tentacles, also skilled in various arts, weapons, and hidden weapons. He attacked with ever-changing techniques, while the real Chu Hengkong countered with even more ingenious and superior moves.

He is fighting against his imagined self, and every move he makes surpasses his past self!

Chu Hengkong laughed loudly, a truly joyful laugh. He had clearly been traveling for a day and a night, yet he felt no fatigue whatsoever. His strength was abundant, his inspiration plentiful, and even his strange tentacles had become coordinated. He no longer needed to "adapt" to his new limbs; his two hands were so dexterous and powerful, capable of handling any situation.

As Ji Qiufeng stomped on the floor, a massive boulder as thick as a city wall rose from the ground, blocking Chu Hengkong's path. Just as he was getting into the swing of things, silver tentacles naturally extended, shattering the test stone wall into dust with a single blow!

Chu Hengkong was about to turn around when he stopped. A subtle tremor in the ground alerted him; he realized his senses had also improved, now as acute as when he used his perception pendant. At that moment, the broken boulder sank, and a lifelike wooden dummy took its place. The dummy moved with incredible speed, wielding a long sword and employing a swordsmanship Chu Hengkong had never heard of before. Its swordplay was expansive and powerful, brimming with energy, yet also incorporating unique and cunning moves—truly a master swordsmanship.

Chu Hengkong dodged, his eyes lighting up. He carefully observed the wooden figure's moves, deducing the changes in its swordsmanship. After two rounds of exchange, a smile appeared on his lips. At this moment, the temple's layout shifted again, with various cold weapons emerging from the walls on both sides. Chu Hengkong reached out and grabbed a long sword, then slashed at the wooden figure, his attack trajectory exactly the same as the figure's.

At the same angle and at the same time, the scene was like two people in a mirror image wielding swords at each other, but one side had greater power and speed. In less than three rounds, Chu Hengkong had completely mastered this sword technique. He casually created a move that the wooden dummy could not reach, cutting his opponent's weapon down with a single strike.

He turned around cheerfully and asked with a smile, "Is there any more?"

Even Ji Huaisu was surprised this time: "What kind of logic is this?"

“Particle One, ‘Skillful Hands,’ can comprehensively improve physical fitness, enhance limb-related superpowers, and…” Ji Qiufeng smiled with satisfaction, “possessing the strongest learning ability among all particles!”

He snapped his paper fan shut, making a crisp sound. The ground beneath the temple trembled incessantly, and wooden figures wielding various weapons emerged one after another, forming a long line in front of Chu Hengkong.

"Here are three hundred sets of basic martial arts techniques prepared for the skillful stage." Ji Qiufeng glanced at his watch. "Don't damage the wooden dummy. Learn them before dawn!"

Chapter 20 Mastering Three Thousand Sets of Dragon Village

"Drink!" "Ha!" "Eeya-!"

The clock struck 5 a.m., and dawn was breaking. The last wooden dummy in the temple fell to the ground after being struck. Chu Hengkong withdrew from his stance, drenched in sweat. Although he felt a sense of exhaustion, his eyes shone brightly.

He said he would practice three hundred sets, and he truly practiced on three hundred wooden dummies. Chu Hengkong didn't rest for a moment throughout the night; the "comprehension" brought by his transformative skill was nothing short of miraculous, allowing him to learn the techniques at an unbelievable speed. These martial arts must have a profound origin; every move was exquisitely refined, and every action was devoid of any unnecessary redundancy. Without the accumulated wisdom and effort of generations of martial artists over a long period, such profound techniques could never have been created.

Therefore, Chu Hengkong was filled with satisfaction, excited to have come into contact with such wonderful skills, and delighted with his own progress. At this moment, he was far stronger than before. He would need to find another time to carefully review the newly learned techniques later, but for now, he couldn't wait to show off his skills!

The floorboards flipped, the wooden figure sank, and a black iron figure emerged, waving its arms and legs, eager to fight. Chu Hengkong was stunned for a moment, then turned his head in surprise: "There's more?"

Ji Qiufeng, holding a small book, chuckled, "After finishing the three hundred introductory sets, the next step is the six hundred beginner sets. That's a bit much; do you need a break?"

"No need. We can never have too much of this kind of good fortune!"

Chu Hengkong took a deep breath, mustered his spirits, and threw a punch at the Iron Man!

·

"Drink!!" "Ha!!" "Eeya-!!"

As evening fell, the last Iron Man collapsed under the heavy blow. Chu Hengkong braced himself on his knees, trying to calm his breathing.

He actually did it, learning six hundred more martial arts techniques in less than a day. If others told them, they would probably think he was crazy. He was able to learn so quickly thanks to his still-present "comprehension" and also to the content of these new six hundred techniques.

The content of these new martial arts techniques is truly bizarre, with most consisting of only a single posture or even a single movement. These postures and movements often utilize muscles and bones to their limits, with a few even requiring the use of hair and nails. If the first three hundred sets were concise and ruthless killing techniques, these latter six hundred sets are like military boxing from another world… or rather, military boxing broken down to the level of a single hair…

Even with Chu Hengkong's extensive experience, he couldn't immediately figure out how to use these stances in actual combat. But at least he had learned them; whether they were useful or not could wait. Right now, he was starving and drowsy, so he'd eat his fill, take a nap, and then unleash his full potential…

Just then, Jie An ran over carrying large and small plates. He lifted the lids, and an enticing aroma wafted out: braised goose meat, stewed fish soup, roast duck filled with broth, and tender bok choy cooked in broth; large bowls of rice porridge were filled with herbal roots and deboned fish slices, with two poached eggs in a golden color, and sliced ​​sausages were placed next to various sauces and side dishes.

This was the first time he had ever seen pork since arriving in this place! Chu Hengkong grabbed his chopsticks and began to eat heartily, feeling a surge of emotion: "This is too extravagant..."

Jie An handed him a cup of tea with a medicinal aroma, his face grave: "Stop talking, eat quickly. If you don't eat now, you'll miss your chance!"

"?"

Chu Hengkong had just stuffed a duck leg into his mouth when he saw the iron figure flip down to the floor, and then a golden bronze figure rolled up. Ji Qiufeng walked to the bronze figure and laughed heartily.

"Good, you have a good understanding! I'll give you ten minutes to finish your lunch. Next, you'll learn the disassembly section, which covers 1,500 sets."

Chu Hengkong stared blankly: "I'll learn it again tomorrow..."

"Don't even think about it." Ji Qiufeng's smile grew even more amiable. "The secrets of the first three days before you become a Master Technician haven't dissipated yet, which is when your comprehension is at its peak. You can't waste a single second. Eat quickly! Then practice!"

Chu Heng wanted to rush out the door, but found that Youyou had already sat down at the exit, blocking the way. He quickly lowered his head and frantically ate his food. Ji Qiufeng was definitely serious; if he hadn't finished eating in ten minutes, he would come and snatch the bowl!

·

“Drink…” “Ha…” “Eeya…”

He had lost track of time, and the last bronze statue still hadn't fallen, but Chu Hengkong was the first to collapse to the ground. He was dizzy and seeing stars. There weren't as many as 1,500 bronze statues beneath the temple, but each one could use dozens of moves, none of which had any practical value in combat. One move required the hand muscles to move five times in one second, the effect being a rapid hooking of the little finger. After mastering it, Chu Hengkong stared at it for ten seconds and concluded that its main use was probably quickly picking his nose. Even more extreme moves included those designed to train the pelvis, the cochlea, and even stimulate the cerebral cortex…

These 1,500 sets of techniques could be considered a modern-day dissection of martial arts, emphasizing meticulous detail but utterly useless application. He had long since given up on practicing them, but his damned comprehension allowed him to understand them at a glance… At this moment, Chu Hengkong disregarded the threat and lay down on the ground, panting heavily. Ji Huaisu squatted beside him, her face full of sympathy.

"That's a total of 1400! I'm truly impressed," she said. "Back then, I was completely out of luck at 1300; I couldn't understand anything beyond that. I don't have your talent!"

Chu Hengkong was out of breath: "How...how much...is left...?"

Ji Huaisu feigned concern, wiping the corner of his eye: "A total of three thousand sets."

"Three thousand?!" Chu Hengkong almost popped his eyes out.

"The Three Thousand Sets of Dragon Township Fist Techniques is an immortal classic compiled by the martial arts patriarch of the Shendong Realm, 'The Ethereal Fate Master.' It is an essential text suitable for all races to learn martial arts." Ji Qiufeng opened the small book and read it with intonation, "As the saying goes, 'Master the Three Thousand Sets of Dragon Township Fist Techniques, and you will be a master of martial arts even if you don't understand the Dao.' Only by mastering the Three Thousand Sets can you have a bright future."

Chu Hengkong's voice was weak: "But this thing is impractical... Look, even this dummy is shaking its tail!"

A long tail sprouted from the bronze figure and shook violently, seemingly a practical action used by some tailed race when relieving themselves. Ji Qiufeng's smile vanished, and a murderous aura flashed in his eyes: "Use your imagination to make up for it! Enough talk, train!"

Chu Heng let out a dry howl, got up, gritted his teeth, and continued. Youyou leaned over and glanced at the contents of Ji Qiufeng's little book, whispering, "Aren't you forcing things a bit too much?"

“How can this be called pulling up seedlings to help them grow? This is fertilizing the seedlings!” Ji Qiufeng laughed heartily.

That little book was the table of contents for "Three Thousand Sets of Martial Arts," with thoughtful notes next to it indicating the suggested training stages for each part of the martial arts: "The First Three Days," "As Easy as Using Your Arms and Fingers," "First Understanding of Intent and Spirit," and so on, up to the final "Refining Techniques and Condensing Intent," which was divided into ten sections.

It's true that "Three Thousand Sets" is an essential martial arts manual, but when the Master of the Misty Fate compiled this book, he intended for beginners to progress step by step from skillful hands to point 2. The three hundred sets for the "initial three days" were already completed last night; the rest were all content to be learned over years. This can't be called cramming; this is forcing the duck to burst with knowledge.

"Geniuses have their own training methods. Lay a solid foundation early on so you can better develop your own techniques later." Ji Qiufeng put away the book and shouted, "No slacking off! Practice!"

·

"Ugh..." "Hiss..." "Ugh..."

Eating, practicing martial arts, briefly closing his eyes, and repeating the process. He lost track of how much time had passed. Finally, after defeating all the bronze warriors, Ji Qiufeng personally took the book and demonstrated, combining theory with practice. After reading the book, he continued fighting.

His mind was a blur, yet his memories remained sharp. Chu Hengkong tragically discovered that "good comprehension" was such a torturous thing. Even if you were completely drained of energy and had no focus whatsoever, you could still learn something by forcing yourself to practice a few moves. Later on, the moves practically burrowed into his brain on their own. This wasn't just swimming in an ocean of knowledge; it was being ravaged and humiliated by it!

But he had to admit that these three thousand sets of moves were indeed impressive. Some of the moves seemed to require physical coordination that he didn't actually possess, yet he could perfectly replicate their essence through physical imitation. The techniques and memories were unforgettable, as if they were branded into his muscles and ingrained in his blood and bones.

"……Finish."

The teaching stopped without him realizing it, and Chu Hengkong stared blankly at the ceiling. His overflowing "comprehension" had finally vanished, and for a moment he felt dull and foolish. But even this foolishness was something to be grateful for now. He opened his mouth to speak, uttering a strange sound: "Waaaaba."

Chu Hengkong covered his mouth, controlling every muscle as he opened it, making even speaking feel like manual transmission. He stood up stiffly like a robot, his movements numb and his eyes glazed, each step resembling performance art.

"I've ruined my training." Chu Hengkong collapsed to the ground with a thud.

“You’ve got it!” Ji Qiufeng corrected. “You’ll get used to it after walking for a few minutes. Go and rest.”

He mumbled his thanks, scrambled out of the temple, and used his head to push off the floor as he entered the elevator. Once downstairs, he finally got the hang of it, lying on his back and using his back muscles to wriggle forward, then rolled over and began crawling along the wall.

The team members watched in disbelief as the strange creature crawled into the lobby from the elevator entrance, their eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

"What kind of evil spirit possession is this?!" "Brother Chu, are you alright?" "Is this the Octopus Divine Skill?"

"Don't speak," Chu Hengkong said in a muffled voice. "I'm recovering."

Everyone fell silent, watching Detective Chu climb to the ceiling, then flip over like a toad, landing on his hands and feet. At that moment, the police lights at the front desk flashed, and the patrol team's sirens blared: "There's a disturbance at 24 Fuquan Street; both targets are carrying belongings..."

"Received." Chu Hengkong pulled out a communicator with his tentacle. "I'm coming!"

He scrambled out of the hall as fast as he could, and the team members behind him panicked: "Brother Chu! Hands! Hands are still lying there!"

"Oh! Oh!" Chu Hengkong immediately flipped to his feet, using his tentacles and right hand to run off upside down. The team members behind him were even more anxious: "You're going the wrong way! You're going the wrong way!!"

Unfortunately, his words couldn't reach him. Chu Hengkong's speed was like a whirlwind; he was running upside down, yet he was more than twice as fast as before. As he ran, he touched the ground with both hands and actually lifted himself up from the ground, leaping up like a flea.

Chu Hengkong traced a graceful arc through the air above the street, and in the blink of an eye, he leaped from a lamppost to the rooftop of a building. Citizens looked up at the sky, mouths agape, and someone exclaimed, "Detective Chu's skills are unparalleled!"

At No. 24 Fuquan Street, in front of an abandoned building, two burly men were cursing at a construction team member whose head was bleeding profusely. A team member tried to intervene but to no avail. "This is a public area under government jurisdiction..." "Bullshit! This is my ancestral property!" "You two have been illegally occupying public property for a month! If this continues, we'll issue an administrative warning!" "The city lord's mansion is forcing people to settle privately! Ordinary people have no way to survive!"

Two burly men were wailing and screaming, completely oblivious to the fact that they had just severely injured an innocent construction worker. Lu Xing, on patrol, was both angry and anxious. He was angry because these two had never been around the abandoned building before, clearly intending to obstruct construction; he was anxious because the renovation project was of great importance and needed to be started as soon as possible. Unfortunately, these two were carrying his belongings, making them difficult to deal with…

Just as they were getting anxious, a green figure descended from the sky. Chu Heng landed with his back to the troublemakers, his eyes lifeless and his face covered in dust, looking as if he had been out there for ten years. His voice was slow and hoarse: "What...thing?"

"Detective Chu..." Lu Xing raised his hand in surprise, but his expression suddenly changed. "Detective, be careful!!"

Behind Chu Hengkong, two shadows suddenly surged. The burly men who had been causing the disturbance abruptly changed. One became as fat as a pig, his hands transforming into deep red beast claws; the other's muscles bulged, and sharp steel teeth sprouted from his body. Their vicious and arrogant expressions vanished, replaced by icy killing intent in their eyes. Each wielding a long club and a dagger, they lunged forward, their relic weapons aimed at Chu Hengkong's head and back!

A chill ran through Lü Xing. He realized that the two men not only carried relics and weapons but were also possessed by demons; they were assassins specifically sent to kill Chu Hengkong. Even a detective couldn't possibly handle such a deadly situation alone!

In desperation, he lunged forward, trying his best to save Chu Hengkong. But at that moment, he realized that Chu Hengkong hadn't moved an inch, and the silver tentacles flicked backward, producing a crisp cracking sound.

Snapped!

The demon-possessed men froze, their eyes extinguished by the whip, their gazes rolling back as they collapsed like dead fish. Two demonic phantoms shot out instantly, raising a cloud of dust as the burly men fell. Their bodies returned to normal, revealing a silver whip mark on their chests and abdomens.

The team members were speechless. One dedicated young man went over to check and exclaimed with utmost reverence, "He's unconscious!"

Lu Xing quickly stopped, still unconsciously uttering the unfinished words: "They're after you..."

"Good thing, it means I've made a name for myself," Chu Hengkong said vaguely. "How much are the bounties for these two?"

After a moment of identification, the team members said awkwardly, "It seems to be a new criminal..." "We haven't had time to put a bounty on him yet."

"I give up." Chu Hengkong waved his hand. "I'll just call it attempted murder and go home to sleep."

Chu Hengkong walked away, and everyone looked at each other, their faces filled with surprise and delight.

They'd been working for years and knew the standards for setting bounty amounts. A demon-possessed individual with relic weapons meant a minimum bounty of 100,000 orbs, like Hugos's. These kinds of enemies were incredibly difficult to deal with; normally, only Captain Huaisu could stall for time. And yet, these two were killed in a single blow…

When did Detective Chu become this powerful?

Chapter 21 Dragon God Medical Clinic

Two days later, in the cafeteria.

Chu Hengkong was facing a copy of the *Tuanli Daily*, the entertainment section's headline featuring a close-up of someone leaping into the air. Ji Huaisu, holding the newspaper, read aloud with dramatic intonation: "Detective Flea has mastered his superb skills; witnesses say he can now walk on his back!"

Chu Hengkong sighed, "You even kept a newspaper from a day ago..."

The team members around him, who were eating dry food, tried hard to suppress their laughter. Jie An, who was behind the counter, heard this and immediately shouted, "Hey, why isn't the chief detective climbing today?"

"It seems that after two days of seclusion, the Grand Detective has finally learned to walk upright," Ji Huaisu said with a wicked smile.

The team members, unable to hold back any longer, burst into laughter. Chu Heng pretended not to hear and waved his tentacle: "I'm not in seclusion, I'm sleeping."

He slept for two days and two nights straight, and even his disciplined biological clock couldn't stop him from falling into a deep sleep from exhaustion. The three days of transforming into a skilled craftsman were truly exhausting. If the skill had become part of his very being, then the fatigue had been suppressed deep within his heart, and he probably wouldn't be able to recover without proper care for a while.

"I'll take a break for the next couple of days," Chu Hengkong said, taking a bite of his fried dough stick. "Do you have any leads on the person who wants to kill me?"

“The employer is cunning, using a single-line contact system. The two idiots don’t even know who they’re working for.” Ji Huaisu shook his head. “But he must be a very rich person. There aren’t many people like that in the city.”

Chu Hengkong didn't care much. People who pay for assassins don't give up easily. If they can afford to hire an assassin once, they can naturally find opportunities to hire better ones next time. When the assassins come to deliver the food again, they will naturally leave new clues. Right now, he was concerned about more important matters.

"If you have time, please recommend a reliable doctor." He cracked his neck. "I trained too hard before, and I'm afraid I'll have some hidden injuries."

"Doctor?" Ji Huaisu repeated the word, then seemed to understand, "I get what you mean. Perfect, I have something good to broaden your horizons."