Chapter 47 - 42 Half a Month
Chapter 47 - 42 Half a Month
"Indeed, it's very difficult..."
After studying for a day and planning to go home to inform his family that he would be staying at the dojo for the next few days, Tao Yu's face involuntarily showed a hint of emotion.
He had entered the beginner stage of Wanliu Stance Skill three times!
And now, even with the foundation of Deification's augmented Wanliu Stance Skill, he still hadn't managed to master even one form in a single day, despite Smith constantly correcting and personally instructing him by his side!
As expected, the difficulty of learning the five fist techniques had greatly increased. No wonder they simplified it into the stance skill for practice first, to facilitate the acceleration with Yuan Force.
"But I have already vaguely grasped the essence. At most two days, I should be able to master it in at most two days."
His proficiency could be seen visibly improving, and there were no bottlenecks or incomprehensible areas.
With the foundation in stance skills and superior physical quality, learning all five fist techniques shouldn't be a problem.
There was also the Swallowing Fluid Technique for promoting digestion.
These were Tao Yu's goals for the month.
Although the interval between visits to the Abyss could be as short as five days after awakening his talent, Tao Yu still planned to learn as much as possible and spend almost all of his Yuan Force before entering the Abyss again.
Sharpening the axe will not hinder the chopping of firewood!
Compared to the Abyss, the environment in the present world was still a bit more comfortable, and he could learn some skills as well.
"Huh, Uncle Hu, what brings you here?"
As Tao Yu arrived at his home's entrance, he saw Uncle Hu chatting and smoking with two members of the security team at the door.
His rarely seen outdoors third brother, Tao Tong, was also there, rolling out in his wheelchair.
His third brother possessed Dynamic Vision, had once joined the security team, and was Uncle Hu's connection. Now he was chatting with a rare smile on his face.
"Yo, our great genius is back."
Uncle Hu, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, saw Tao Yu and grinned, beckoning with his hand.
"Uncle Hu?"
Tao Yu trotted over.
"Heard you went to the fortress to learn some skills? How's it going, everything smooth?"
Uncle Hu sized up Tao Yu and casually asked.
"Very well, the dojo master and senior brothers are very enthusiastic."
"Of course, a Grade A talent is welcomed warmly everywhere."
After a brief exchange, Tao Hu then explained the reason for his visit.
"You've heard about the Lee family's incident, right? Actually, I'm here because of that."
Although the interval between visits to the Abyss could be as short as five days after awakening his talent, Tao Yu still planned to learn as much as possible and spend almost all of his Yuan Force before entering the Abyss again.
"Huh, Uncle Hu, what brings you here?"
Sharpening the axe will not hinder the chopping of firewood!
As Tao Yu arrived at his home's entrance, he saw Uncle Hu chatting and smoking with two members of the security team at the door.
Compared to the Abyss, the environment in the present world was still a bit more comfortable, and he could learn some skills as well.
His rarely seen outdoors third brother, Tao Tong, was also there, rolling out in his wheelchair.
"I've heard, scared me to death, please go on."
Tao Yu listened attentively; clearly, their visit wasn't to suspect him as the culprit but rather concerning the Blood Orchid.
"We've already got a lead. Yesterday, you passed on the information about the Blood Orchid as a side note, which was quite well done; I've been somewhat negligent before."
Tao Hu praised Tao Yu first, then talked about the current situation
"We can now roughly confirm that the Lee family was sold out by their allied partner. Actually, according to the relations within the Lee family, we can narrow down a few suspects, but they're very cautious, not one has shown any slip-up, and it should all be over once you sold the information."
Tao Hu spoke very plainly, just as Dojo Master Liu Yi had predicted.
The other party was not targeting the security team but purely a matter of the Lee family's distribution of interests.
If the Lee family had approached the security team for overall cooperation and then were eliminated, there would definitely be common indignation, and they might even escalate the situation to get the company's security department involved.
But now, they couldn't be bothered with this problem of unevenly divided spoils.
"...Originally, you would have been in danger too, but fortunately, you were clever. The problem should be solved by now."
"Heh, I also sent some to the dojo master, exchanged for a few free skills. I'm staying at the dojo these days."
"Ha-ha, you're smart, I guess I worried too much."
Tao Hu laughed and patted Tao Yu's shoulder, feeling that the boy had grown taller and it was a bit awkward to pat him now.
Then he took out a wristwatch from his bosom and handed it to Tao Yu
"Here, this is a gift from Miss Sun, congratulating you for acquiring a Grade A talent."
Tao Yu was taken aback and then quickly accepted the wristwatch.
Unlike that pixel-style receiver from before, this smartwatch is clearly of the sleek, intelligent type, with many functions.
"The two bigwigs from Floating City are already aware of your Grade A talent, and they also know about your partnership, and have sent a message..."
Tao Hu cleared his throat, seemingly quoting directly
"'We have a rough idea of what you're thinking, and frankly, there's no need for excessive worry. If you're willing to come over, we can guarantee your safety. If you're not at ease, you can come over after some time, just focus on strengthening your abilities first, and don't waste your talent.'"
It seems that among the people who have returned in the past three days, the talents are generally quite average, with Tao Yu's Grade A Dynamic Vision standing out as particularly noteworthy.
After finishing, Tao Hu also handed a card to Tao Yu
"Because of your talent, they've given you three thousand Yuan Force as start-up capital. The guy previously in charge of your area wanted to skim some off the top, but I beat him up for it."
Holding the Yuan Force card in his hand, Tao Yu was somewhat moved.
Compared to the style of the Li family and Joseph, the two from Floating City do seem much more magnanimous.
While they are high above, they do indeed win hearts with real silver and gold.
They don't rely on their strength and status to oppress others.
Their approach is to reward the brave handsomely.
"Uncle Hu is more confident now, huh? What's up? Got a chance to move up this time?"
Tao Yu teased Tao Hu in return.
And Tao Hu actually grinned and laughed
"Not confirmed yet, not confirmed, just acting as a proxy for the time being." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
This actually surprised Tao Yu. He really hadn't seen it coming—it appears that Uncle Hu and that appreciative bigwig have been in touch all along!
In terms of strength, with his mechanical arm, Uncle Hu could already be the deputy captain of the security team for South City, but that position would definitely require background and connections as well.
After all, as Tao Yu estimated, the deputy captain of the security team, if not in armor, could be gunned down by a crowd of ordinary people in an open area and perish; it's not just about having sheer strength.
But this was also good news; keep the benefits within the family...
...
The tragedy of the Li family had been the talk of the town for half a month, but since Tao Hu had already expressed the security team's stance to Tao Yu, they naturally wouldn't cause any commotion, and the few powers under suspicion wouldn't reveal any 'flaws,' just catching some small-time thieves and contraband dealers as usual.
Afterwards, the attention slowly shifted elsewhere.
Outsiders still had to focus mostly on filling their stomachs and surviving; those with spare money were often consumed by 'pleasure' and didn't have the energy to gossip.
As for the dead, well, there were plenty dying each day around the transportation plaza, sustained only by the Outsiders' high birth rates...
...
During the daytime training, the Wanliu Dojo still echoed with the orderly shouts of practice.
Of those who were originally receiving special training with Smith, only Tao Yu and Zhang Wei remained, with the others joining the main group for drills.
Zhang Wei had relied solely on his Endurance D+ talent, mastering the Stance Skill, and with a stubborn resolve, began learning the Fist Technique, choosing the Bear Form which was known for defense and robustness.
As for Tao Yu, he had entered the preliminary stage in all five boxing techniques and now continued to come to the dojo not just for practice, but also to bolster his body with Qi-tonic Soup.
His Yuan Force was almost entirely spent by now.
Due to the enhancement in strength, the efficiency of the Yuan Force decreased, and with the diminishing returns that appeared as his physical fitness approached its limits, Tao Yu felt that his training efficiency was visibly declining each day.
"Ah, I need to find a way to make money again, and also ways to keep pushing my limits..."
Tao Yu finished swinging his arms in the manner of an ape, creating a crisp sound in the air.
"Five-Form Ape Technique, Improved" had reached level 2, and although the Yuan Force consumption for Five-Form Boxing was much greater than ordinary skills, Tao Yu had still managed to force it to level 2.
Then, the new change Tao Yu had been hoping for occurred.
The five skill orbs combined and revolved around each other, creating a new skill orb in the center!
Normally, one would need the ordinary Five-Form Boxing to reach level 4 to have a chance to integrate the skills, but due to Tao Yu's Deification, reaching level 2 for all was already enough.
"Five Forms as One" level 1: Integrates tiger, crane, bear, python, and ape boxing techniques, enhancing Qi-Blood throughout the body and somewhat increasing physical limits.
If the Stance Skill is a precursor to Five-Form Boxing, then Five-Form Boxing is in turn a requirement for Five Forms as One!
This was still just the standard version, and seeing the 1,200 Yuan Force needed for the Deification, though he had only 2,000 Yuan Force left in his body, Tao Yu did not hesitate.
Deify!