Mumbling to himself, Zhu Haomiao pulled out a large stack of silver notes, suddenly feeling a bit disinterested, and shook his head self-deprecatingly.
The money in the Illusion Realm is like data in a game; it can't be taken with you in life or death, just enough to use, one shouldn't get lost in this illusory satisfaction!
After that, the young man focused his consciousness on the Dragon Emblem on his chest, carefully sensing the mysterious information contained within.
The knowledge, indescribable in words, flowed into his mind like a babbling stream, and in just over ten minutes, Zhu Haomiao gained a rudimentary understanding of the four cultivation techniques he purchased.
With a thought, new information surfaced on the Book of Black.
Hard Qi Skill: LV.0 (Beginner)
Big Toad Qi: LV.0 (Beginner)
Stacked Waves Strength: LV.0 (Beginner)
Plum Blossom Step: LV.0 (Beginner)
Inner Strength, external skills, fighting technique, movement technique, the most basic cultivation conditions of Chinese Martial Arts are all set, and the rest is to train diligently in the hot summer and cold winter, through constant effort...
Unconsciously moving his fingers, a shining gold coin appeared out of nowhere, flipping and dancing at the young man's fingertips.
In the mysterious depths, Zhu Haomiao seemed to feel that the coin in his hand could, besides literally "buying" hearts, also "purchase" something else!
After contemplating for a while, Zhu Haomiao looked at the cultivation technique information on the Book of Black with an intuitive insight, slowly squinting his eyes.
Following his instinct, the young man's thumb gently flicked, and a streak of golden light traced a graceful arc, transforming from solid to ethereal mid-air, fading and disappearing.
The profound and mysterious authority twisted the timeline, forcibly turning the ethereal "fruit" into reality.
The next second, the Big Toad Qi on the Book of Black burst into dazzling golden light, and a massive flood of information poured into his mind, as if Zhu Haomiao had practiced tirelessly for months, suddenly achieving enlightenment and making a breakthrough.
Big Toad Qi: LV.0 (Beginner) → LV.1 (Entry-level)
He jumped up from the sofa in a flash, feeling the abundant energy settling into his body out of thin air, his eyes widened with joy.
Clenching his fist, according to his "months of diligent practice" experience, the young man took a slow and deep breath.
The breath lasted for nearly twenty seconds, Zhu Haomiao's chest and abdomen swelled high, and as he held his breath, moving the Inner Qi, his five viscera and six internal organs undulated, emitting a faint croaking sound like a toad's call in summer.
After a few minutes, the cold, damp, dry, hot, pandemic, and poisonous energies that were usually undetectable were eliminated, expelled as Zhu Haomiao slowly exhaled a foul breath, ridding his body of impurities.
Exhaling lasted for another twenty seconds, and the breath expelled was so foul that even Zhu Haomiao himself couldn't stand it and hurriedly opened a window for ventilation.
Indeed... there are still some drawbacks to shortcuts...
Breathing in the fresh night air, Zhu Haomiao sighed regretfully.
For instance, the basic internal cleansing process that was supposed to be gradually completed over months, he skipped entirely, so he still needs to spend time making up for that deficit in the future.
Another point is that the attributes that should have gradually grown over several months were forcibly compressed into an instant gain, seemingly violating the most basic physical laws, and can only settle deep within the spirit and body, awaiting time to be digested and absorbed.
Through this experiment, Zhu Haomiao also realized that the attributes gained when Original Sin upgrades must follow the underlying laws of this dimension, just like cultivation technique upgrades, so they cannot be instantly "realized."
But by extension, if the underlying laws of the Illusion Realm are not stringent or more relaxed, could these powerful energies be bestowed upon him simultaneously at the moment of upgrade?
After contemplating for a few seconds, Zhu Haomiao shook his head, burying these speculations deep in his heart, his gaze passionately fixed on the remaining three greed coins.
Reaching out with a virtual grasp, the Book of Black instantly materialized solidly in his hand, opening automatically.
With one hand poised above the open pages, Zhu Haomiao gently loosened his fingers, and the three greed coins gradually dropped from his palm, like pebbles falling into a lake, sinking into the pages with radiant golden light, causing the Book of Black's pages to ripple with faint principle ripples.
The next moment, the remaining three cultivation techniques emitted brilliant golden light, completing the "fruit" that would usually take months to achieve, in a manner beyond Zhu Haomiao's comprehension.
Hard Qi Skill: LV.0 (Beginner) → LV.1 (Entry-level)
Stacked Waves Strength: LV.0 (Beginner) → LV.1 (Entry-level)
Plum Blossom Step: LV.0 (Beginner) → LV.1 (Entry-level)
His brain, overwhelmed by the massive, intricate "experience," was somewhat sluggish. It took Zhu Haomiao several minutes to sort out these "virtual memories" that appeared out of thin air.
Like a child who got a new toy, Zhu Haomiao slowly squatted down and sprang out like a spring.
Just as he was about to collide with the dining table, the young man's toe lightly tapped the ground, and his whole body glided softly past the table, without a trace of mundane aura.
Like a black swimming fish, Zhu Haomiao darted back and forth in the furniture-filled living room, maintaining a high speed throughout, yet strangely not touching any furniture.
After a few minutes, Zhu Haomiao suddenly stood still, nodding with satisfaction.
As expected of Senior Brother Feng's highly recommended movement technique, it's indeed practical for quick maneuvering in small spaces.
With Plum Blossom Step, three or five average people couldn't surround me, and I could completely depend on movement technique to position myself, taking down each enemy one by one, significantly enhancing my combat power in close quarters combat.
After testing Plum Blossom Step, Zhu Haomiao picked up the fruit knife on the table, slowly took a deep breath, and held it in.
Inner Qi surged, permeating the whole body, and every slender muscle suddenly tightened. The originally slender and frail young man inexplicably gained an aura of ruggedness.
Raising the fruit knife, he lightly slashed across the back of his hand. The sharp blade left a faint white mark on the skin, but the sensation on the hand felt like cutting through thick, tough old cowhide.
Pausing for a few seconds, Zhu Haomiao slashed again, this time using skillful force, adding some strength, and eventually easily breaking the skin, leaving a blood-seeping red line.
It seems that the entry-level Hard Qi Skill has limited protective power against sharp weapons, and to completely disregard cold weapons, it would likely require reaching a very advanced level.
Zhu Haomiao squinted his eyes thoughtfully, but on second thought, he shook his head.
The spear and shield have a spiraling progression; when your "shield" becomes robust, others will naturally find ways to penetrate it.
For instance, forging more powerful divine weapons, or utilizing the basic forces designed to counter Horizontal Refinement, such as Armor Breaking Power and Penetration Force!
And in the Illusion Realm, which possesses a certain level of technological advancement, specially made armor-piercing bullets and anti-tank cannons are innate nemeses to Transcendent Martial Artists, with piercing strength enough to penetrate a meter-thick homogeneous steel plate, striking with silence.