Half a month later.
In front of a massive black body bag, Luo Yu stood solemnly, putting on a convincing show of silent mourning before finally opening his eyes.
Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have absorbed 4,232 points of energy. Keep it up!
Exorcising monsters had practically become a daily routine.
Each time brought in around four thousand points of energy—decent returns.
Over the past half month, with the combined efforts of the Blizzard Group and himself, they had accumulated more than eighty thousand energy points.
That said, these two weeks had also taught Luo Yu something important—
Leeching monsters wasn't as easy as he had initially imagined.
Demon-level monsters, in particular, were extremely rare.
The most common daily appearances were still Wolf- and Tiger-level monsters.
Demon-level ones were more like rare spawns—maybe once a week if you were lucky.
And even then, catching one wasn't simple. You had to rush to the scene, sometimes even to some lunatic's private laboratory…
So "monster-leeching" failed more often than expected.
Compared to that, the support provided by the Blizzard Group was far more reliable.
In that regard, Luo Yu felt genuinely fortunate that he had encountered them right at the start.
After absorbing the energy, he prepared to return to his rental apartment as usual.
But just then, the young woman leading the team called out to him, catching him off guard.
"Mr. Luo Yu, please wait. This is something the leader asked me to give you. You must accept it!"
The girl was named Lily.
A lily flower accessory sat atop her head.
She was pretty and lively.
Just a month ago, she had been ranked B-Class 74.
Now she had already surged into B-Class 36—her rise was nothing short of rocket-fast.
At this moment, she was holding an exquisitely designed key in her hand.
Almost simultaneously—
A jet-black motorcycle with a fierce, imposing build was pushed forward by the others.
The meaning couldn't have been clearer.
Seeing that Luo Yu still hadn't responded, the people pushing the motorcycle spoke in unison, their tone respectful.
"Mr. Luo Yu, please accept this. It's a token of gratitude from the entire Blizzard Group. If you don't take it, we won't leave today."
Luo Yu had always shown himself to be indifferent to fame and profit.
He had even turned down plenty of benefits before.
But he hadn't expected them to go this far today.
Honestly, all this effort troubled him more than anything—wouldn't it be better spent hunting monsters?
Still, refusing might only make them overthink things even more…
So Luo Yu accepted the key.
"Alright, I'll take it. But don't go to this much trouble next time. You should all head back early."
"Yes!"
Everyone responded in unison, then left in neat, orderly fashion.
Compared to how they had been when he first met them—
They now looked completely transformed, brimming with vigor and morale.
Which made perfect sense.
Soldiers led by a general who keeps winning naturally stay fired up at all times.
Back at the rental apartment.
Luo Yu put everything else aside and sat cross-legged on the floor.
"System, bring up my status panel."
Ding! Opening system interface…
Host: Luo Yu
Age: 20
Lifespan: 69
Combat Power: 10,350 (Demon-level)
Abilities: Heavenly Talisman Codex, Comprehensive Talisman Manual
Currently Deducing: Eight Extraordinary Techniques (17%)
Deduction Energy: 86,200
"Half a month, and it finally reached seventeen percent."
To conserve energy, he had deliberately waited for the progress to shift.
Now that it finally happened, he couldn't help but let out a breath of relief.
"System, increase the deduction progress of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques to just enough to unlock the second ability."
As soon as he spoke, system notifications rang out one after another.
Ding! Accelerating Eight Extraordinary Techniques deduction…
Ding! Deduction progress has reached 25%. Consumed 82,000 energy.
Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained Qi Entity Origin Flow!
Hearing the result, Luo Yu felt a twinge of regret.
A one-in-seven chance—
And yet he hadn't drawn the Divine Machine Crafting he wanted.
But as vast amounts of obscure knowledge flooded into his mind, that regret quickly faded.
The chaotic qi inside his body began circulating according to a precise, profound pattern.
The internal changes were violent.
What had once been qi like a small stream rapidly converged in his dantian, surging like raging waves.
The stream instantly became a vast ocean—
Which then condensed into a sphere.
The sphere transformed into an infant.
The infant rapidly grew—
Until it became a miniature version of Luo Yu himself.
The transformation was nothing short of astonishing.
Even without testing it yet, the knowledge of Qi Entity Origin Flow told him clearly—
He could refine all forms of biological energy back into qi.
In other words, his resistance to special and energy-based attacks was effectively maxed out.
Controlling qi had also become absurdly easy—
More flexible than even moving his fingers.
"This is… bizarre. Don't tell me my Qi Entity Origin Flow is already at the perfected stage?"
(Note: The Qi Entity Origin Flow in this story is an expanded version and differs somewhat from The Outcast.)
As these thoughts passed through his mind, more sudden inspirations surfaced.
His current control over qi was incredibly strong.
And that miniature figure inside his body could even help him draw talismans—
At an astonishing speed.
Almost instantaneously, with a single thought.
Previously, ten-layer talismans had been his absolute limit.
But now, as long as his qi supply was sufficient—
He could instantly stack them up to a thousand layers!
The boost to his strength was no longer incremental—
It was explosive.
"I thought my luck was terrible, but now it seems I was wrong."
"Qi Entity Origin Flow really is insane."
"And my combat power just skyrocketed… straight into Dragon-level."
The next day at noon.
On the streets of City A.
After a massively built man in a tank top punched straight through a gigantic carrot monster—
A crowd of men and women wearing tank tops erupted into cheers.
"As expected of the Tanktop Master—another monster defeated with a single punch!"
"His strength keeps growing. He'll probably reach S-Class Rank 14 soon!"
"At this rate, becoming the number one S-Class hero might not even be impossible!"
Hearing the praise, Tanktop Master waved his hands modestly.
"Every S-Class hero is extraordinary. Surpassing any one of them is incredibly difficult."
"It's lunchtime already. Let's eat together—I'll treat."
"Ohhh!"
The group cheered enthusiastically and followed him toward a restaurant.
But suddenly—
The sky darkened.
Purple-tinged clouds gathered ominously above a nearby skyscraper.
With a thunderous boom—
The building collapsed.
Amid the billowing dust, a purple figure slowly emerged.
Though only a little over three meters tall, the surging energy around it made hearts tremble.
"Ahhh—! A monster! A monster!!!"
Piercing screams rang out as people near the building scattered in panic.
"Trying to run?"
The purple monster grinned grotesquely, brilliant light gathering at its fingertip.
"Vaccine Beam!"
Boom—
The energy sphere shot forward—
Only to be intercepted midair by a car that suddenly came crashing down, causing the beam to explode prematurely into a massive fireball.
"Hm? Who are you?"
"You look pretty strong physically."
After sprinting over, Tanktop Master steadied his breathing and locked eyes with the purple monster.
"I am S-Class Rank 15—Tanktop Master."
"I'm here to eliminate you!"
The monster, purple-skinned with two antennae on its head—resembling a certain demon king—floated into the air and looked down disdainfully.
"I am Vaccine Man."
"I was born from humanity's endless pollution."
"I was sent by the will of the planet itself—to wipe you humans out!"
"And you think you can eliminate me?"
"Try surviving this first!"
"Tenfold Vaccine Beam!"
Suddenly, Vaccine Man's entire body was wrapped in energy.
Ten radiant spheres—each more terrifying than the last—appeared around him, all pulsing with destructive power.
Feeling the overwhelming pressure radiating from them—
Tanktop Master's pupils shrank to their absolute limit.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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