34: Chapter 34 Further Advancement in Strength

Wang Pingan slipped back to his dormitory like a thief. He locked the door behind him and, still feeling unsafe, slid the bolt into place.

He leaned against the door, panting heavily. His heart was drumming 'thump-thump-thump' in his chest, as if it were about to leap out of his throat.

Exhilarating.

Too damn exhilarating.

The chill that had seeped out from the marrow of his bones back in the restricted zone hadn't completely dissipated yet.

After taking a long time to steady himself, he tremblingly pulled that precious treasure from his bosom.

Under the dim yellow light of his dorm, the palm-sized, purplish-black fragment shimmered with starlight-like glimmers that pulsed on and off.

Wang Pingan held it in his palms as if he were cradling a newborn son, his eyes fixated on it.

Eight thousand pay-to-win points.

Holy mother of god.

He counted on his fingers.

From the moment he awakened the system until now, after all his hard work, bluffing, cheating, and scavenging, how much had he actually amassed?

This single haul equaled the sum of all his past efforts; it was worth 800 low-grade spirit crystals.

Where else could you find such a deal?

In his previous life on Blue Star, he had worked 996 shifts until he coughed blood, yet a whole year's salary wouldn't have bought even a fraction of this thing.

He looked at the fragment in his hand, grinning like an idiot, drool nearly leaking out.

He was truly scarred by poverty.

He carefully placed the fragment on the bed, then drew the curtains, sealing the dormitory tight and airtight.

Only after doing all this did he sit cross-legged again. He took a deep breath, forcing his heart—which was about to explode with excitement—to slowly calm down.

"System."

He called out in his mind.

"Absorb."

[Command received, beginning conversion...]

As soon as he finished speaking, the light on the surface of the Starship Rune Core Fragment in his hand suddenly intensified.

Immediately after, a surge of pure energy so vast it made his heart skip a beat flooded into his body through his palms like an opened sluice gate.

The fragment itself dimmed at a visible rate, eventually turning into a handful of fine, inert black powder that slipped through his fingers with a soft 'poof'.

At the same time.

On the system panel in his mind.

The number representing his pay-to-win points balance began to tick upward frantically.

One thousand.

Five thousand.

Eight thousand!

When the number finally stopped at '8106'—a figure that made his head spin—Wang Pingan felt like he was about to float away.

An unprecedented, massive sense of satisfaction and security enveloped his entire being.

I'm rich.

This brother is a wealthy man now.

He looked at that number, a smile so wretched on his face that even a passing dog would probably get slapped twice.

With this huge sum, never mind Second-Rank; it might even be possible to charge straight into Third-Rank on the spot!

As soon as this thought surfaced, Wang Pingan's blood began to boil.

Go for it!

Do it now!

Push the realm directly to Third-Rank. When that happens, Lin Zhan and whatever 'elite' bullshit can all call me Daddy!

He rubbed his hands in excitement, ready to dump all eight thousand-plus pay-to-win points into his basic attributes.

But just as his hand was about to click...

His movement suddenly froze.

No.

Wang Pingan's mind, which had been clouded by the huge sum of money, instantly cleared up by half.

The fanaticism on his face also cooled down bit by bit.

He thought of Lin Zhan.

He thought of the sensation caused throughout the base when Lin Zhan broke through to the late stage of Second-Rank.

He thought of Instructor Chen Feng's eyes, which held a hint of inquiry and scrutiny when looking at him.

He had only just 'luckily' broken through to the middle stage of Second-Rank.

How many days had passed since then?

If he suddenly went 'bang' and became a Third-Rank Martial Artist right now...

How would he explain it?

He couldn't exactly say he had a dream last night where the Martial God himself patted his head, and then he suddenly attained enlightenment, right?

If he said that, even a three-year-old wouldn't believe it.

When that time came, he would no longer be that tragic genius with 'heaven-defying comprehension'.

He would become a complete monster.

A monster that everyone would suspect and pry into.

He might even be captured and sliced up for research.

Wang Pingan gave a violent shiver.

He had worked so hard and spent so much effort to establish this persona of 'steady progress with occasional bursts'; he couldn't let it be ruined like this.

Stay low.

Now was not the time to be flashy.

The advancement of his cultivation had to be slowed down.

At least until he found a more reasonable excuse to explain his rocket-like leveling speed, he absolutely could not have another major breakthrough in realm.

But then, would these eight thousand-plus pay-to-win points just sit there and rot?

Wang Pingan was unwilling.

Money only turns into strength when it's spent.

In the account, it was just a bunch of cold numbers.

His gaze swept back and forth across the system panel.

Since the realm couldn't be touched...

Then...

His eyes finally landed on the Martial Arts column.

A brilliant idea instantly took shape in his mind.

That's it!

Advancing one's realm is too conspicuous.

But proficiency in martial arts is a mysterious thing.

Some people practice a fist technique for a lifetime and only reach 'practiced' level.

Others are born geniuses; they learn it after seeing it once, master it in three days, and reach perfection in a month.

Where's the logic in that?

It all depends on 'comprehension'.

And isn't Wang Pingan's current persona that of a monstrous talent with 'heaven-defying comprehension'?

Using pay-to-win points to level up martial arts...

It would tangibly increase his combat power while fitting his persona perfectly. It was simply flawless!

Thinking of this, Wang Pingan no longer hesitated.

"System!"

"Upgrade [Meteor Fist Technique] to the Perfection!"

[Meteor Fist Technique] was currently his strongest offensive method and was personally given to him by Instructor Chen Feng. Prioritizing its upgrade was definitely the right choice.

[To upgrade [Meteor Fist Technique] to Perfection, 1000 pay-to-win points are required. Do you confirm?]

"Confirm!"

Boom!

One thousand pay-to-win points vanished instantly.

Immediately following.

An unimaginably vast torrent of information exploded in his mind.

It contained countless insights into the [Meteor Fist Technique]: force-exertion techniques, combat experience, and even the lifelong efforts of the technique's creator...

Everything was forcibly stuffed into his brain like a divine revelation.

He felt like he was no longer the rookie who had only recently encountered this technique.

He felt as if he had become a fist technique grandmaster who had immersed himself in this path for decades of bitter cultivation.

Every move and stance of the [Meteor Fist Technique] seemed etched into his bones and fused into his blood.

Subconsciously, in the cramped dormitory, he slowly threw a punch.

There was no whistling wind.

Nor was there any terrifying aura.

That punch was utterly ordinary.

But Wang Pingan himself knew.

The power of this punch was condensed at the tip of his fist in a near-perfect manner without the slightest leak.

Controlled by the heart, strength restrained within.

This was Perfection! This was Top-tier! (Voice cracks)