Chapter 64: Completion of the Side Quest

Shen He raised a finger and pressed it against Li Jiaojiao’s forehead, gently pushing her back. Then he said, “You’d better listen less to Officer Rabbit. She’s quite silly.” Li Jiaojiao did not argue—in fact, she nodded in agreement. In her view, her best friend, Wu Xiaoxiao, did indeed seem a bit naive and sweet. Sometimes she even wondered how this girl managed to get into police academy, graduate smoothly, and end up assigned to the Southern District precinct. Could she have some connections up above?

Li Ding glanced at Shen He and said, “Tell me, are you even human? Not even my monstrous junior brother could beat you.” His junior, Li Shaojie, had been praised by the family elders as “the greatest genius in a hundred years.” Born with immense strength, his physique was like that of a tiger or leopard. Yet he still lost to this fellow who had studied martial arts for less than half a month. It was as if a rookie pony had just entered the world and killed a tiger demon—truly unbelievable. It was hard to remain calm.

Shen He smiled. “Of course I’m human. Don’t worry; you can do it too someday.” Li Ding and Li Jiaojiao shook their heads in unison. They were self-aware enough to know that sometimes, fate had already decided the outcome. Effort could only raise the lower limit a bit.

After greeting them, Shen He walked straight outside. His goal was achieved—he had defeated Li Shaojie, the expert in internal boxing, and collected all five slots. It was time to return and see what unique features this “Martial Artist” profession held.

Shen He had dinner outside, then returned to his rented apartment. Though he now had some money, he had no plans to move just yet. In the future, it would be easy for someone with his abilities to find a better place to live. And, in times to come, whether this apartment would be worth anything was another matter. There was no need to spend all his money on a knife handle.

Once home, Shen He settled on the sofa and immediately brought up his Martial Artist advancement quest panel.

[Martial Artist Advancement Quest!]
[First fists, then legs, followed by grappling; weapons and internal boxing, five-in-one.]
[Defeat five masters from the relevant fields to complete the advancement!]
[Currently defeated: Li Ding (fist), Liu Mu (leg), Zhang Qiang (grappling), Lin Helu (weapons), Li Shaojie (internal boxing).]
[Quest completed!]
[……]
[Congratulations, player, you have successfully advanced to Martial Artist.]
[……]

Seeing the completed quest and the words marking his successful advancement, Shen He let out a breath of relief. The quest was much simpler than he had imagined.

He hadn’t expected to finish it in a single day—it was truly surprising. He continued reading.

[Side Quest One: The Beginning of Martial Arts]
[Completed!]
[Quest reward: Ready to claim]
[……]
[Congratulations on successfully advancing to Martial Artist. You have earned the honor achievement “First Step in Martial Arts” and 1000 points.]
[Survival Guide: Well, well! Who would’ve thought you really are a genius. But the world is full of talent, countless prodigies have risen since ancient times. Kid, remember: never be complacent or arrogant. Only by pursuing your ambitions diligently, through bitter effort and exhaustive study, can you one day make your mark.]

Ignoring the Survival Guide’s barking, Shen He focused on the 1000 points. Together with the 300 points he had saved, he now had enough for ten draws with some to spare. Not bad at all.

He rubbed his hands together and claimed the reward. In the next instant, a glowing “Comprehensive Martial Arts Primer” appeared before him. He stared at the floating book, momentarily stunned. What was this—a skill book?

Shen He tapped the book, and it instantly dissolved into a shower of sparkling light, rushing into his mind. A torrent of information flooded in. When he opened his eyes again, a flash of insight gleamed in his gaze.

So this was the “Comprehensive Martial Arts Primer.” It contained records of all martial arts systems throughout history, both domestic and foreign, and even included corresponding body refinement techniques. Perhaps due to it being the primer, it felt more like a martial arts encyclopedia. Even so, for others, it would be an extraordinary opportunity. At the very least, with this, Shen He could accelerate his physical improvement.

He glanced at the screen before him.

[Player: Shen He]
[Profession: Martial Artist (Tier One)]
[Progress: 0/30]
[……]

He had successfully advanced and gained another cheat. He hardly needed to practice anymore; in terms of techniques and experience, he could already crush Li Shaojie. Of course, he would still need to train a bit.

After all, he had yet to form muscle memory and couldn’t fully control his body. Judging by the progress bar, it seemed skill points were needed to advance. Thirty skill points to reach Tier Two? That was outrageous—the value had dropped to the floor. He wondered how much progress he could make if he trained on his own.

Shen He sighed inwardly. At that moment, Side Quest Two quietly activated.

[Side Quest Two: Increase Profession Level]
[Now that you are a mature Martial Artist, it is time to train hard and push yourself further.]
[Quest objective: Martial Artist Tier Two]
[Quest reward: Equipment Forge]
[……]

Staring at the newly floating Side Quest Two, Shen He was momentarily taken aback. Equipment Forge? Was it what he imagined—a place to throw gathered materials on, and then “clang, clang” out comes whatever gear he desired? Or would it require blueprints?

If so, could he upgrade gear in the future? Would there be a star ascension function? Could it reach +18?

He stroked his chin, suddenly remembering the exquisite ruby he had acquired. This gem could ignore time and usage wear. If the equipment ascension function appeared, would this count as “usage”? If so, embedding the ruby would mean endless upgrades, never worrying about gear breaking.

Thinking of this, Shen He’s eyes lit up. If it worked, then the ruby would truly live up to its “Legendary Gold” status.

He cleared his throat and dismissed the floating panel. Then he began practicing stance work in his room. Martial arts are like rowing against the current—if you do not advance, you fall back. Not a single day can be neglected!

At ten o’clock that night, Shen He finished his training, finding his stamina attribute had increased by 0.1. Good—the eighth-level stance had not been in vain.

He stretched lightly and went into the bathroom. After a simple wash, he climbed into bed to rest.