Then.
He turned to the side, standing with his legs apart and slightly bent, his weight evenly distributed.
He held his left fist in front of him, knuckles angled upward and back. His right hand guarded the side of his face, level with the tip of his nose. He tucked his chin slightly and focused his gaze.
WHOOSH!
He stepped forward, his entire body coiling as one. The power traveled up from his waist, through his spine, and into his arm as he threw the punch.
BANG!
The rubber impact panel immediately caved in, leaving a clear impression of his fist. The dent slowly receded until the surface was smooth again.
At the same time, a string of numbers appeared on the monitor above.
[211 kg!]
This was an astonishing figure, reaching the Third Rank of the Silver Fist Level.
But it still fell far short of the Golden Fist Level, not to mention Sims's earlier performance.
Hu Qi wasn't surprised by this result.
The higher one's strength, the harder it was to improve.
'When it comes to mastery of Mixed Martial Arts, though, I bet neither Sims nor even the coach would be my match.'
While improving one's Fighting Technique did increase strength, the gains were limited.
The main benefit came from mastering the techniques themselves—how to generate power, strike, and defend.
With that in mind, Hu Qi threw another punch.
This time, he used the power generation technique of Cannon Fist.
The numbers changed again.
[234 kg!]
'Not bad!'
Hu Qi glanced at the number, a satisfied smile on his face.
'An increase of just over twenty kilograms isn't huge, but it's still pretty good.'
'After all, it had taken me less than a month to get from being an ordinary person to where I am now.'
'The world's so-called "fairness" was always just a facade.'
'Some people don't study or do homework, yet they still get the best grades in the class.'
'Some people stare at their phones all day, yet still have perfect 20/20 vision.'
Sims had innate Divine Power.
'But what is that compared to my cheats and my hard work? Give me a little time, and surpassing him will be no problem at all.'
He had also discovered that once an ability was upgraded on the panel, the effects were permanent. There was no risk of his physical fitness or skills declining, even if he didn't train for a long time.
'As for Sims... if we really fought, the outcome would still be up in the air.'
'After all, the stronger person doesn't always win.'
'If that were the case, why even bother with fighting techniques? We might as well just have a strength competition.'
Technique, reaction speed, agility, and durability were all equally important in a fight.
Hu Qi glanced around. Seeing that no one was watching, he reached out, cleared the numbers on the screen, and then turned to leave.
...
BUZZ BUZZ!
On the nightstand, the screen of the charging phone lit up as a blaring alarm suddenly shattered the silence of the rented room.
SMACK!
A strong, well-defined arm emerged from under the covers and deftly silenced the alarm.
Then, Hu Qi sat up in bed, laced his fingers together, and stretched his arms high above his head.
The covers slipped from his shoulders, revealing a powerful torso with lean, flowing muscle definition.
Hu Qi's eyes were clear.
He glanced at the air conditioner on the wall, which was blasting cold air, its display showing 23°C.
He casually picked up the remote and turned it off.
He went to the window and drew the curtains. The darkness of night was receding, and the first light of dawn was faintly visible in the east.
He glanced at his phone.
5:50.
Seeing the time, Hu Qi threw on some clothes and left his apartment complex.
He walked along the road for a few hundred meters until he reached a nearby park.
It was early in the morning, and the faint figures of elderly folks could be seen starting their exercises, walking and strolling through the park.
At this hour, most young people were still asleep, having worked or stayed up late.
The elderly, on the other hand, tended to go to bed early and wake up early.
The park was very large, with a heart-shaped lake in the center.
Its banks were lined with rows of willows, their long, slender, pale green branches drooping downwards.
Some branches brushed against the lake's surface. A gentle breeze stirred the willows, sending ripples across the water.
After a few simple stretches, Hu Qi started a slow morning jog along the red rubber path that circled the lake.
INHALE... EXHALE...
He breathed in a steady rhythm as he ran, his arms bent in front of him. He would occasionally throw a punch or a kick, practicing his strikes as he jogged.
It was a training method for a Fighting Technique, designed to build his physique.
'Originally, I'd planned to run at night. It's quieter and not so hot and humid.'
'But the thought of that strange creature lurking in the dark made me settle for the next best thing: running during the day.'
At this thought, his gaze drifted to the empty space before him.
——
Soft Palm (Minor Achievement)
Crane Leg (Minor Achievement)
White Ape Fist (Proficient)
Of these three Fighting Techniques, Soft Palm was a grappling and wrestling style.
Crane Leg, as its name implied, was a Fighting Technique focused on legwork. Mastering it would improve his speed and evasion.
White Ape Fist was the Fist Technique Hu Qi had seen before. It was a Fighting Technique created by imitating great apes, adopting their stances and movements. The fist style was both fierce and agile, making it well-suited for practical combat. In fact, the Cannon Fist from his Mixed Martial Arts was derived from one of its moves: Spiritual Ape's Probing Claw.
Hu Qi had learned all of these from Chen Wu.
Of the three, two had already reached the Minor Achievement stage.
Hu Qi hadn't used any Modification Points to advance them; this progress was purely from his own hard work.
Because he had discovered something.
After raising his Mixed Martial Arts to the Perfection level, the Coordination Trait he'd awakened was a massive help in his Cultivation of other Fighting Techniques.
This coordination allowed him to control every part of his body, making them work together in perfect harmony with respect to timing, position, and force. He could execute any given movement with efficiency, precision, and fluidity.
It was similar to the jaw-dropping contortions of an acrobat.
The same principle applied to Fighting Techniques.
Furthermore, his Mixed Martial Arts already incorporated the fundamentals of many other Fighting Techniques.
All these factors combined were the reason for Hu Qi's lightning-fast progress over the past few days.
The minutes ticked by.
As the sun climbed higher, the morning mist began to dissipate.
The sky where the sun was rising was a magnificent, layered halo of light.
The cool of the night gave way to the encroaching heat of the day.
More people began to fill the park.
Hu Qi stopped his training, ending his jog and the accompanying punches and kicks.
By now, his tank top was soaked in sweat, clinging tightly to his powerful frame and clearly outlining the sharp definition of his abs and pecs.
The physical transformation and the change in his Essence, Qi, and Spirit, all brought on by his recent Cultivation of Fighting Techniques, had even made his once-plain face handsome.
As he walked, he naturally drew frequent glances from young women.
Some of the bolder ones even approached him to ask for his number.
However, Hu Qi politely turned them all down.
He found a breakfast stall, sat down, and had just placed his order.
His phone chimed in his pocket.
Hu Qi pulled out his phone and unlocked the screen.
At the very top of the screen was a private message notification from an online forum.