Hu Qi paid it no mind.
When it had first arrived at his home, it had been extremely ill-tempered, squawking nonstop.
But after Hu Qi slapped it twice and made a couple of threatening gestures at its neck with a knife, it became completely docile.
Initially, Hu Qi had been a bit surprised. The creature's behavior suggested it was quite intelligent.
However, he didn't dwell on it too much.
'Its high intelligence is probably because it's an Exotic Beast, a result of its Genes mutating.'
He placed the egg in the kitchen, saving it for when he cooked later.
'Crimson!'
With a thought, a phantom panel unfolded from the void like an ink wash painting.
[Host: Hu Qi]
[Status: Normal]
[Age: 21]
[Skills: Soft Palm (Mastery) △]
[Crane Leg (Mastery) △]
[White Ape Fist (Mastery) △]
[Mixed Martial Arts (Perfection)]
[Nourishing Essence Breathing Technique (Perfection)]
...
[Modification Points: 6 (73%)]
His three Fighting Techniques—Crane Leg, White Ape Fist, and Soft Palm—had all reached the Mastery level.
However, after reaching Mastery, even with his coordinating Trait, he could clearly feel his rapid rate of improvement slowing down.
Looking at the upgradeable Runes behind the three Fighting Techniques, as well as the few Modification Points he had gained from eating duck eggs during this time, Hu Qi thought for a moment, his gaze focusing on them.
'Crimson, modify Crane Leg, Soft Palm, and White Ape Fist!'
Before, without a stable source of Modification Points, Hu Qi might have relied on his own training.
But now, the Camphor Tea Duck laid one or two eggs every day or two, replenishing his Modification Points.
There was no need to be frugal.
Plus, the core class assessment was in just over half a month.
Naturally, Hu Qi wanted to improve as much as he could.
Besides, he was very interested in the limit of the human body that Chen Wu had mentioned.
As his thought settled, the number in the Modification Point column began to decrease, simultaneously transforming into three beams of light that shot directly into the three Fighting Techniques.
The characters blurred for a moment before becoming clear again.
---
[Crane Leg (Great Success) △]
[Soft Palm (Great Success) △]
[White Ape Fist (Great Success) △]
'Huh? I can still modify them?'
Hu Qi was a little surprised, his eyes falling to the bottom line.
Modification Points: 3
He recalled that after his Mixed Martial Arts had reached Mastery, it had required two Modification Points to modify it again.
He hadn't expected this upgrade to only cost one point each.
'Could it be because my Mixed Martial Arts reached Perfection, making my physical foundation far stronger than before, thus reducing the number of Modification Points needed?'
Hu Qi speculated internally.
Looking at the remaining three Modification Points, he activated the system with a thought and continued modifying!
He let out a breath.
A few moments later,
Hu Qi opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed through them for an instant before retracting.
He looked at the panel.
---
[Crane Leg (Perfection) Trait: Bounce]
[Soft Palm (Perfection) Trait: Resilience]
[White Ape Fist (Perfection) Trait: Hard Bone]
...
[Modification Points: 0]
The Modification Points were zeroed out again, and all three Fighting Techniques had been elevated to the Perfect Realm.
Just as Hu Qi had expected, after the three Fighting Technique Skills reached Perfection, they brought him three new Traits.
As he focused his gaze on them, information about these three Traits immediately surfaced in his mind.
Bounce: Increases the power of leg-based springs and jumps, with a partial bonus to the body's reaction speed.
Resilience: Increases the range of motion in joints and the stretching capacity of surrounding soft tissues such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments, reducing the risk of sports-related injuries.
Hard Bone: Strengthens the hardness of the arm bones, increasing the force they can withstand when striking.
'Not bad!'
A smile appeared on Hu Qi's face. He was very satisfied with the effects of these Traits.
Although these Traits wouldn't turn him into a Superhuman overnight, they provided a real, tangible boost to his strength.
Not only that, but with the three Fighting Techniques reaching Perfection, the skills felt as if they were carved deep into his body, becoming instinctual.
His own physique had also been significantly strengthened.
Because he didn't have a Force Tester at home, Hu Qi couldn't know exactly how strong he was now.
But one thing was certain: he was definitely much stronger than before.
GRUMBLE...
A pang of hunger emanated from his stomach.
It was similar to when he had upgraded his Mixed Martial Arts to Perfection.
Except this time, it was for three Fighting Techniques.
'Don't tell me the modifications also use my own energy?'
Hu Qi rubbed his stomach, recalling the cool stream of energy that had strengthened his physique, and made a guess.
Looking down at the two duck eggs he had just collected, Hu Qi muttered to himself,
"I'll make some scrambled eggs with chili and a tomato egg drop soup today. Good thing I still have some pork ribs in the fridge."
A dozen or so minutes later, two dishes and a soup were on the table.
Hu Qi wolfed down his food, and the hunger in his stomach finally subsided a little.
He rested for a bit. Just as he stood up to clear the dishes, his phone, which was sitting to the side, vibrated slightly.
A call was coming in. The contact name was none other than Li Yi.
'Huh?' Hu Qi was a little surprised. 'Why is he calling me?'
Although they were on good terms and had been in touch occasionally, they had mostly just chatted via text on the Paper Crane app. Most of the time, Li Yi contacted him to play games.
After a moment's thought, he answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Big Bro, I'm in some serious trouble! I was riding my bike just now and hit someone at the intersection."
"He's demanding money. Can you pay me back some of the money I lent you for that computer..."
An urgent voice came through the phone, the words slightly slurred.
Hu Qi froze.
'A debt? When did I ever borrow money from him?'
'Even if I did owe someone money, it would be Hu Lemei.'
'Besides, from what I remember, this guy only ever calls me Brother Qi, and he doesn't even know how to ride a bike.'
Hu Qi's mind raced.
But he said aloud,
"Alright, where are you? I'll head over now."
"Okay, I'm on Celestial Lake Road, in the alley by Qingyu Internet Cafe. You'll see me when you get here. Remember to bring a lot of cash..."
Putting down his phone, the smile vanished from Hu Qi's face, replaced by a flash of indifference in his eyes.
'Interesting. Is someone trying to cause trouble for me?'
The caller's words were riddled with errors, clearly meant as a hint for him.
If his guess was correct...
...Li Yi's final message was meant to tell him there were quite a few people on his end, and that he shouldn't come alone—he should bring backup.
...
"So? What's the word?"
In an alley outside a place called [Qingyu Internet Cafe], a few streets away from the Hanlin Garden District.
Five thuggish-looking young men with dyed, multicolored hair and tattooed arms stood there, intentionally or not, surrounding a thin, bespectacled figure.
The one who spoke was a young man with white-dyed hair, chewing on a betel nut.
His nose was slightly crooked, and a heavy metal chain hung around his neck, swinging as he moved and giving him a flashy, arrogant air.
"My big bro said he's coming right away. Gentlemen, let's talk this out. There must be some misunderstanding, I..."
Li Yi put down his phone, a forced smile plastered on his face.
But before he could finish his sentence, he took a kick to the stomach and fell, landing hard on his butt.
"So much bullshit. Did I fucking ask you anything else?" The white-haired young man spat, sending the betel nut in his mouth to the ground.
"Say one more word, and I'll beat you to death!"