The sun was setting, casting long, bloody shadows across the floor of the West Wing.
Lin Hao sat on the floor, his legs crossed. In his hands, he held the cheap, stapled booklet that Chen Long had tossed at his feet days ago.
"Iron Muscle Mantra."
It was a mortal-grade exercise manual. A "servant's technique" used by the Chen family to train their gatekeepers to carry heavy luggage. It was an insult made of paper.
Lin Hao ran his thumb over the rusted staple. He remembered the look in Chen Long's eyes. The absolute, aristocratic certainty that Lin Hao was trash, incapable of understanding real power.
"Thank you for the gift, Prodigy Chen," Lin Hao whispered, a cold smile touching his lips.
He placed his hand flat on the cover.
"System. $Object Upgrade$."
[Mortal Manual: 'Iron Muscle Mantra'] [Details: Basic isometric exercises for external hardening. Crude. Inefficient.]
He had 35,860 UP. He could afford the best.
[Upgrade: Mid-Grade Spirit Tier Body Technique: 'Vajra Body Mantra']? (Cost: 1,500 UP)
One thousand five hundred. It was expensive for a technique, but a Body Technique was different from a cultivation method (Gongfa). A Gongfa generated Qi; a Body Technique consumed it to forge the flesh into a weapon.
"Confirm."
[Deducting 1,500 UP. 34,360 UP Remaining.]
The booklet didn't change shape. It simply disintegrated into golden light, shooting directly into his forehead.
GONG.
A sound like a massive temple bell rang inside his skull.
Knowledge flooded him. The crude "isometric exercises" were replaced by a complex, brutal system of channeling Qi into the fascia, the connective tissue wrapping every muscle and organ.
He stood up. He took a breath, channeling his [Level 7] Qi according to the new blueprint.
HUMMM.
His skin didn't just look tough; it changed.
A faint, translucent, golden sheen overlaid his skin. It wasn't metal; it was energy made solid. He felt heavy, immovable, like a statue cast in divine gold.
He walked over to a leftover steel rebar rod from the construction. He picked it up.
He smashed it against his own forearm.
CLANG!
The sound was pure metal-on-metal. The rebar bounced off, vibrating violently.
Lin Hao looked at his arm. There wasn't even a red mark.
His [Level 1: Iron Skin] was passive. His [Level 7: Viscera Fortification] was internal. The [Vajra Body Mantra] was the active, impenetrable armor on top.
He was a tank.
"But a tank is slow," he muttered, dropping the bent rebar.
He thought back to the fight with the tiger. He had relied on "acting" clumsily, but in reality, his movements had been linear. Simple. If he fought a real expert, someone like Li Wei, but competent, speed would be the deciding factor.
He needed agility.
He grabbed his laptop. He spent five minutes finding a PDF on a "Free Running" forum.
"Parkour Basics: Vaults and Rolls"
It was a guide for urban kids jumping over railings.
"System."
[Mortal Manual: 'Parkour Basics'] [Upgrade: Low-Grade Spirit Tier Movement Technique: 'Phantom Step']? (Cost: 500 UP)
"Confirm."
[Deducting 500 UP. 33,860 UP Remaining.]
The blue light hit him.
The knowledge of leverage and momentum shifted. It wasn't about pushing off the ground; it was about sliding through the air resistance. It was about using Qi to reduce friction to zero.
He took a stance in the center of the vast room.
He triggered the technique.
Swish.
He didn't run. He blurred.
One moment he was in the center of the room; the next, he was standing by the window, fifty feet away.
Behind him, in the space he had just occupied, a faint, gray afterimage of himself lingered for a split second before fading.
"Phantom Step," he whispered, looking at the fading image.
He had a High-Grade Gongfa for unlimited energy (Azure Ocean). He had a Mid-Grade Body Technique for invincibility (Vajra Body). He had a Low-Grade Movement Technique for speed (Phantom Step).
He was no longer just a "cultivator." He was a warrior. A complete combat unit.
He checked his balance.
[Upgrade Points (UP): 33,860]
He flexed his hand, the golden light of the Vajra body glimmering faintly.
He was ready for the Daily Grind. He was ready for Level 8.