A Night of Desperation

The consolidation and enhancement of the fourth stream of cold Qi brought joy to Yu Hong’s heart, lifting his spirits significantly.

After wiping away his sweat, he rested briefly and moved to a corner of the cave to prepare tools for carving out a new private room.

“To cultivate mushrooms and breed lizards, I need to carve out a separate space first. But where to dig and how to do it requires careful consideration,” he thought. With a knife in hand, he marked and mapped out structural plans on the ground.

As he pondered, night fell outside, bringing complete darkness.

It wasn’t until everything was pitch black that Yu Hong suddenly realized: there had been no knocks from the Ghostly Shadow tonight.

Normally, Ghostly Shadows would periodically knock on the door, pretending to be acquaintances or strangers to lure him into opening it. But now, in the fully enclosed space reinforced with Great Luminous stones, there wasn’t a single knock.

“Looks like the Luminous stone concealment method is working,” Yu Hong mused. Walking to the door, he gently slid open a gap in the barricade and peered outside.

Pitch darkness. Nothing was visible.

Confirming there were no insects nearby, he lit the fireplace, dragged over his sleeping bag, and settled down to sleep in peace.

If his throat hadn’t dried out, waking him up, he might have slept even longer.

Inside the sealed cave, cocooned in blankets, Yu Hong gazed lazily at the sunlight streaming through the cracks in the door. His body felt relaxed and unwilling to move.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had such a restful sleep,” he thought, lying still.

The scene reminded him of his past—back at home, curled under a blanket, air conditioning on, staring at the sunlight outside yet unwilling to leave the cozy bed.

It felt nostalgic, like a return to the good old days.

But nostalgia aside, life had to go on.

After a brief struggle, Yu Hong emerged from the sleeping bag. Following his previous plan, he began preparations for chiseling out new rooms in the cave.

Using his reinforced tools, he drew a circular outline on the cave floor with charcoal and started hammering away at the marked area.

The repetitive sound of hammering echoed through the cave as fragments of hard rock scattered, filling the air with dust. Yu Hong coughed from the dust and was forced to sprinkle water to settle it, using a cloth from Eve’s belongings as a mask.

The work was monotonous, but with his leg technique enhancement still underway, Yu Hong had plenty of time. Over the next three days, his routine consisted of eating, sleeping, exercising, and chiseling.

Piles of rocks accumulated, which he repurposed to build a simple stone fence outside.

When exhaustion set in, he used his cold Qi to recover. When he grew drowsy, he rested. This cycle, aided by his cold Qi, allowed him to make rapid progress—though by the end, the blisters on his hands became almost unbearable.

After three days, he had excavated a circular pit over a meter deep in the corner of the cave, complete with crude steps leading downward.

Still, this was just the beginning. Yu Hong saw this as a long-term project, planning to carve out multiple rooms for various purposes.

The excavated rocks would either form a perimeter wall outside or be used to dig a small pond for water collection.

A pond would be useful during droughts and could even enable small-scale gardening within the stone yard. He imagined transplanting and cultivating common wild vegetables in the future.

As Yu Hong delved deeper into his work, a sense of fulfillment filled him—it was the joy of building a home from scratch.

Another day passed. Rain drizzled outside, keeping Yu Hong indoors. He rested in his safe haven, keeping an eye on the countdown to his leg technique enhancement.

Ghostly Shadows remained absent, and the cave entrance he had sealed with a Luminous stone-etched board remained untouched.

As the countdown timer on the plank kept decreasing, Yu Hong’s mood grew restless. His intense anticipation made him stare unblinkingly at the numbers.

“What will the enhancement result in?”

“This is a much more refined and professional leg technique than the rough physical training I devised earlier. And with over four days of enhancement, it should definitely surpass the high-body technique from before.”

Yu Hong’s expression hardened as he fixed his gaze on the numbers.

“01 minute.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The last minute felt like an eternity.

Countless thoughts raced through Yu Hong’s mind.

Finally, snap!

With a soft sound, the plank blurred instantly.

Moments later, a thick stack of leg technique notes rapidly condensed into a black leather booklet, the size of a standard book.

On the cover, clear letters read: Enhanced Leg Technique.

“So the name didn’t even change from what I used before? Not even slightly refined?” Yu Hong muttered, feeling speechless as he stared at the cover.

“Well, the name doesn’t matter—what matters is the content!” He eagerly reached out and opened the first page.

*

*

* *

Li Runshan carefully cradled his daughter, gently placing her into a wooden box lined with dense layers of shimmering Luminous Stone. He closed the lid securely, ensuring his daughter was sound asleep before returning to his desk. Picking up the communicator he had been debugging, he spoke softly into it.

“This is indeed one of the origin points. I’ve already investigated the black disaster traces. The outbreak pattern matches the detected path.”

“Very good. If possible, I’d like you to collect some Luminous Stone essence,” a gentle female voice replied from the communicator.

“I’ll try. I initially thought someone here had already unearthed Luminous Stone essence, but it turned out to be just a similar material—completely unusable,” Li Runshan answered. “Also, the situation here is complicated. As soon as I arrived, I encountered a Evil Shadow. It had devoured at least a hundred people and even consumed some polluted individuals marked with blood tide imprints. The situation has mutated, but thankfully, I handled it in time. Without a host, it’s unlikely to return anytime soon.”

“You’ve worked hard,” the woman sighed.

“It’s fine. I need to try infecting Aisina with Luminous Stone disease anyway, to see if it can neutralize the imprint,” Li Runshan muttered.

“The radiation near the Luminous Stone mines is severe. You must constantly monitor Aisina’s condition and pay attention to the frequency of Luminous Stone replacement,” the woman cautioned.

“I understand,” Li Runshan nodded.

“What a pity… if Milian were still here…” the woman sighed.

Li Runshan said nothing, only remaining silent.

“All right. If you need assistance, report it promptly. I’ll do my best to support you,” she said softly.

“Thank you, Commissioner,” Li Runshan forced out before the communication abruptly ended.

Switching off the communicator, Li Runshan leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

Knock, knock, knock.

A soft knocking sounded at the door.

“Dad? Are you there? It’s Aisina,” his daughter’s voice called softly from outside.

Li Runshan glanced at the box where his daughter lay sleeping but remained motionless. He closed his eyes, quietly adjusting his breathing.

“Dad, open the door! It’s really me, Aisina. It’s so scary outside… something’s chasing me.”

The voice continued, gentle yet eerie.

Li Runshan paid no attention, as though accustomed to such occurrences. He reached under his desk and pulled out a blanket covered in fine white Luminous Stone dust. Tossing the blanket over himself, he completely concealed his body.

The voice outside abruptly ceased, vanishing as if it had never been.

*

*

* *

Inside the mountain cave safehouse.

Yu Hong, suppressing his excitement, carefully opened the black book to the first page. His eyes locked onto the contents, unblinking.

Four days of enhancement time—far exceeding the nine hours for a high body technique—meant that the power of this leg technique was undoubtedly far superior!

He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he studied the page.

“‘Enhanced leg technique is customized based on the individual’s physical qualities, mental state, and condition. It has no general application. Use with caution.’”

This warning was at the top of the page.

Below it was the specific content.

“First Move: Low Sweep Kick.”

The name hadn’t changed, but the details were far more intricate.

There was a detailed diagram of human blood vessels and meridians, with red and blue arrows indicating the flow of cooling energy and its repetitions. At the bottom was a unique visualization diagram depicting a bizarre metallic castle monster with thick, muscular limbs.

The monster’s limbs were made of sturdy metal, exuding power. One forelimb was raised in a stomping posture.

As Yu Hong examined the diagram closely, he noticed something eerie: the black lines outlining the castle monster seemed to correspond closely to his body’s meridian paths.

Looking up at the human diagram, he realized that the monster’s surface patterns matched the human meridians perfectly.

Below it, neat, meticulous text read:

“Leg techniques differ from fist techniques. Once initiated, success is imperative. Being blocked or countered risks losing balance. Balance and rooted stability are the fundamental principles of leg techniques.”

Yu Hong narrowed his eyes and turned to the next page.

“Ordinary leg strength far surpasses that of punches, but due to balance concerns, leg techniques should be decisive. If you use a leg technique, it must hit and defeat the enemy in one strike.”

Below this were sequential illustrations of the low sweep kick. A muscular, short-haired man bent slightly forward, lifting a leg for a sweeping motion. Behind him, a simplified sketch of the castle monster mimicked the action.

Further down was new text:

“The second principle of leg techniques is that the legs must be tough, durable, and indestructible.”

“Thus, one must first harden the leg bones and muscles to enhance defense.”

“Then, equip the legs with alloy guards and add sharp elements to increase armor-piercing capability. Using reinforced leg bones and muscles to absorb the shock of alloy collisions forms the foundation of the ultimate leg technique.”

“…” Yu Hong was speechless.

This leg technique… something about it felt off.

As he flipped through the rest, he found that the other two moves remained similarly enhanced, requiring visualization and forceful leg reinforcement. All three moves emphasized the use of protective gear to amplify destructive power.

On the last page, there was an additional note:

“The visualization diagram is tailored to the individual and cannot be shared. Using someone else’s may result in danger. Proceed with caution.”

“Mastering the enhanced leg technique accelerates movement, increases inner Qi refinement, nourishes leg muscles and bones, and explosively boosts power.”

“Core Tip: This technique amplifies force through leverage. The greater the personal load, the stronger the leg technique’s output. Physical tempering is key.”

“…” After finishing, Yu Hong could only acknowledge that the technique was, indeed, immensely powerful.

But for some reason, it was a far cry from the martial arts inner Qi technique he had envisioned.

(End of Chapter)