The downsides, however, were just as apparent.
Entering the medical field, for instance, also required both time and capital.
So, while Qingshui would eventually enter this domain, it was still in the preparatory stages.
Currently, the company's main business scope had two areas. One was materials, generating revenue through patent fees.
Initial revenue was low, as its reputation hadn't been established yet. After covering operational costs, there wasn't much profit.
But if the products proved effective, this income would only grow, providing a steady stream of funds.
What Qingshui truly had high hopes for was the other venture: entering the gaming and entertainment industries.
For gaming, Qingshui had countless blockbuster titles from other worlds he could simply copy. In the cultural industry, there were also many renowned works to draw inspiration from.
Of course, these would need localization and adaptation to this world's culture, customs, people's lifestyles, aesthetics, and mental states.
But as long as humans remained emotional beings, experiencing joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, some truly classic works—as well as those exhilarating novels that particularly stir emotions and possess unique charm—would continue to possess a vibrant vitality.
Now, with the three hundred million from Giant Younger Brother and the one hundred million from Blizzard Group that was yet to arrive, the company's foundational structure could largely be set up.
After that, the company could be further expanded into a group, and professional managers could be hired to oversee various business areas.
Naturally, they would need to be professionals, tools who could follow the general direction Qingshui set.
Moreover, by then, Artificial Intelligence would likely be ready, capable of monitoring these professional managers to prevent them from manipulating things for personal gain at the company's expense.
Because time was tight, and he needed to both make money and cultivate, Qingshui had to split off a Shadow Clone to help manage company affairs.
Even though this Avatar lacked the almost limitless recovery ability of his main body, its physical form had been tempered to a point where it was as formidable as a mini-Superman, even without using Chakra or Breathing Style.
As long as his body could bear the burden of one Shadow Clone, there were no issues, especially since Qingshui had sufficient mastery in the spiritual domain.
Adding another Shadow Clone, however, would be more problematic.
His true body's usual training load was already very high; manifesting even one Shadow Clone was already his limit.
Soon, Qingshui discovered he was a genius at martial arts.
Not a natural martial arts prodigy like Garou, but a cultivated one.
At an uninhabited beach north of City D.
On the surface of the ocean, turbulent waves were gradually swallowed by a whirlpool.
At the center of the whirlpool, Qingshui was completely naked, with thick iron chains wrapped around his arms, waist, abdomen, and legs, as he practiced his fist forms in the seawater.
This should have created significant resistance, yet Qingshui's movements were fluid and unhindered.
This indicated that not only had his physical strength greatly increased, but his control over that strength had also become far more refined and effortless, allowing him to do as he pleased.
The latter was partly due to his excellent foundation; he was already a master swordsman. By viewing the sword as an extension of his fist and integrating the force-application techniques from the Flowing Water Crushing Rock Fist, he quickly got the hang of it.
Coupled with Qingshui's various abilities, such as Transparent World, he also had a high degree of mastery over his own muscles. Even if he couldn't directly copy Bang's techniques like the Sharingan, by observing more, sparring a few times, and perceiving the details, he could master them in a short time.
Qingshui could even finely adjust this set of fist forms based on his own physical condition, making it more suitable for himself.
If the Flowing Water Crushing Rock Fist in Bang's hands appeared calm but was actually a deep and enduring great river, blending both hard and soft, then in Qingshui's hands, this set of fist forms was a surging, torrential flood, destined to break through everything.
In his hands, while the Flowing Water Crushing Rock Fist still contained softness within its hardness, it was primarily focused on hardness.
If Qingshui was a first-rate genius who could quickly learn and master techniques and moves, then with the added tempering of his physical body, he was a true top-tier genius.
At least, that's what Bang said.
The reason was simple: others, no matter how talented, couldn't train their bodies to the point of collapse.
If they trained to the point of injury, they'd be laid up in bed for days recovering. Therefore, they needed adequate nutritional supplementation and plenty of rest.
But Qingshui was different.
Although this Avatar didn't possess a Perfect Demonization body and its stamina and recovery weren't as monstrous, it still had Medical Ninjutsu.
Injuries from high-intensity training, such as muscle tears, ligament strain, and joint damage, could be healed instantly.
His muscles also grew stronger with each cycle of tearing and rebuilding.
*CRASH!*
The oversized barbell, crafted from tungsten alloy, was gently set down, yet it still produced a dull thud.
Qingshui exhaled softly, feeling a bit underwhelmed.
It was too light.
After all, it was just a large, high-density metal barbell weighing less than twenty tons.
With the various high-level body-tempering techniques taught by Bang and the mechanism of limiters in this world, Qingshui quickly broke through the previous limit and steadily trained his static strength to over twenty tons.
This was purely physical strength.
If he used Breathing Style, Reverse Life Triple, and other techniques, this number would drastically increase, potentially unleashing over a hundred tons of force.
"In terms of physical ability, I'm still quite a ways off from the S-Class baseline. Tanktop Master, as a physical S-Class Hero, even though his strength is at the bottom of S-Class, can easily throw buildings weighing hundreds of tons. Puri-Puri Prisoner isn't much worse than Tanktop Master, not to mention Superalloy Darkshine.
Without any armor, just activating Breathing Style and Reverse Life Triple, my physical body should be comparable to upper A-Class heroes like Tanktop Master or Tanktop Vegetarian. But my combat skills are definitely S-Class, though still a tier below top S-Class like Bang.
However, with the added boost from armor and the various techniques I've mastered, I wonder if I could reach mid-S-Class level?"
It's hard to say, the gap between the upper and lower limits of S-Class is too vast.
The upper limit includes individuals like Tatsumaki and Blast, who are above Dragon-level and can even contend with God-level threats.
The lower limit, however, encompasses Puri-Puri Prisoner and Genos when he first joined the Hero Association.
They can defeat some Demon-level Monsters, but when faced with peak Demon-level threats like the Deep Sea King in the rain or the second-stage Mosquito Girl, they can only barely hold their own and are utterly incapable of winning.
However, most S-Class Heroes seem capable of contending with Dragon-level Monsters. Stronger ones, like Bang, Superalloy Darkshine, and Atomic Samurai, possess the ability to kill high-tier Dragon-level Monsters.
Qingshui is certainly capable of killing peak Demon-level Monsters now, as his stats are high enough and he has many methods. But for Dragon-level, it's likely difficult. Even though his armor has undergone Magic Tool Transformation, he lacks a Particle Accelerator to build a second-generation Arc Reactor, and nano-transformation hasn't been completed. He estimates he can only contend with weaker Dragon-level Monsters, and there's even a chance of things going sideways.
And if he encounters a high-tier Dragon-level existence like Giant Younger Brother again, he might be able to hold out a bit longer, but winning seems hopeless.
He's still too weak. He needs to keep finding ways to discover what else in this world can make him stronger.
But thankfully, he's already secured a baseline—Bang's legacy. By continuing his current training methods, he has a good chance of reaching Bang's level of strength, possessing power no less than high-tier Dragon-level, or even peak Dragon-level.
And that's just the upper limit of the physical realm.
In the Hero Association branch gym, under the awestruck gazes of the B and C-Class Heroes, Qingshui picked up a large cup filled with various medicinal herbs and chugged it down. Then, he strode towards the sauna room upstairs.
It was time to commission a higher-level, professional training facility.
The public equipment at the City D Association branch no longer offered much help to his training.
After all, it was only meant for B and C-Class Heroes.
Speaking of which, tomorrow seems to be when the Association's hero rankings update, right?
He wondered if the Association would promote him to S-Class this time.
He shook his head, clearing these thoughts from his mind, and wiped his face.
He hadn't rested long after leaving the sauna when he received a call.
"Ah, in the south district of the city? Demon-level? I understand."
Hanging up the phone, Qingshui's expression immediately turned a little strange.
Why did he always receive news related to Monsters when he was in the sauna recently?
But...
A Demon-level Monster?
He had been wondering if a single achievement of barely delaying a Dragon-level Monster for a short while would be enough for S-Class, especially since the Association attributed most of the credit to King.
However, if he could secure an achievement as the absolute main force in taking down a Demon-level Monster, it shouldn't be a problem.
Thinking this, Qingshui immediately summoned his Black Samurai armor and flew out of the City D Association branch.
Meanwhile.
Fubuki, carrying a box of gifts, was also in a luxurious car, traveling from the south district of City D to Qingshui's residence.
Until the street ahead was blocked by a commotion.
"Mmm~ I'm truly beautiful to the point of explosion. As expected of a perfect woman with godly, flourishing beauty~"
A woman over two meters tall, wearing a kimono, heavily made up, and with an internet celebrity face, was constantly posing for photos with a dozen or so selfie sticks extending from her body.
However, every time the flash lit up, the spot the selfie stick was pointed at would explode. Occasionally, several hearts would emerge from around her, causing those nearby to become momentarily dazed, their eyes turning into hearts as they followed the woman around.
She craved universal admiration and was addicted to her own beauty enhanced by filters. She also needed the most dazzling fireworks for lighting when taking photos, to capture that unique moment of her beauty in a photograph.
"Emergency evacuation alert! A Demon-level Monster disaster has occurred in the south district of City D. Residents nearby, please evacuate as soon as possible. Repeating, emergency evacuation alert! City D..."
The broadcast echoed throughout City D.
When Qingshui arrived at the Monster's location, he found someone else trying to steal his thunder.
Even if Fubuki currently looked like she was about to lose.
"Something's not right. Not only can't I be hit by the rays from her selfie stick's phone, but I also can't touch those hearts. But why is my psychic power being weakened?"
On a street of ruins, Fubuki retreated repeatedly, dodging the hearts flying towards her. She used her psychic power to lift fragments of rubble and hurl them at the Monster, but the force and speed of these projectiles were nearly half of what they normally were.
Fubuki clutched her arm, which was injured by the explosion, and looked at the Monster before her in shock.
Moreover, the psychic shield she had used to protect herself earlier was easily shattered by this Monster's explosion.
This shouldn't be happening!
Given the Monster's displayed strength, and with her psychic power, even if she wasn't its match, she shouldn't have been injured so quickly. She should have at least been able to hold her own for a while!
"Well, it's a fluctuation of the mind. It should be some kind of Mind Domain, a localized ability that can strengthen oneself while weakening surrounding enemies."
In the sky, Qingshui slowly descended, casually unleashing two cross-shaped sword slashes that collided with the Monster's selfie rays, causing explosions.
"Hm? Who are you? Are you also here to stop people from admiring my Selfie Queen's godly, flourishing beauty? Or are you here to admire it?"
The Selfie Queen looked at Qingshui and gave a winking gesture.
Another large, red heart floated towards Qingshui, seemingly slow but actually fast.
Qingshui moved his feet, instantly dodging the attack.
The red heart landed on an abandoned shop behind him, but it didn't explode; instead, it splashed out countless dreamlike pink bubbles.
"This is also a mental attack, looks like it's a charm type."
Qingshui looked at the crowd following Selfie Queen, chanting things like "My Queen," "I want to be your dog," and "Ah, I'm dead" after being charmed. Then he looked at Fubuki, and immediately formed a rough assessment of Selfie Queen's passive ability.
When it came to mental abilities, he was an expert himself.
Fubuki's face lit up when she saw Qingshui arrive.
"Mr. Qingshui, let's team up and deal with..."
"No need, Miss Fubuki, please step back. If I'm not mistaken, this Monster likely possesses a domain similar to a 'confidence aura.' Within this domain, she feels confident because of her beauty, which enhances her power. However, those who lack confidence, or even feel inferior, will have their minds affected and won't be able to perform at their full strength. The more insecure they are, the greater the impact."
Qingshui calmly unleashed slashes, annihilating every attack Selfie Queen launched. His movements were ethereal and unhurried as he spoke.
For him, this kind of confidence aura, similar to a Mind Domain, held significant reference value.
Although he hadn't encountered it before, with his mastery of mental abilities, he believed that with a bit more observation, he could understand its principles and create his own version of a Mind Domain.
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