Jiang Qiu listened as Yang Yu explained the functions and uses of the Virtual Training Pod in detail. A long time passed without him realizing it.

"There’s also this food-ordering function. Because you’re one of the Optimizers, you can eat all the meals made from Middle Tier Demon Beast Meat you want. You don’t have to pay."

Yang Yu casually tapped an electronic display screen mounted on the wall. A dazzling array of dishes was listed, and although most of the icons were grayed out, there were still many available to order.

For instance, there were Low Tier Demon Beasts like the Iron Armor Lizard and Iron Feather Bird, and Middle Tier Demon Beasts like the Iron Armor Giant Lizard and Cyan Feathered Bird.

Spicy, steamed, grilled, stewed...

A slider bar could be used to adjust the portion size.

"How convenient."

Jiang Qiu couldn’t help but sigh softly. Back during the practical training hunt, they never had conditions like this. They had to kill and grill the meat on the spot.

Besides, Middle Tier Demon Beast Meat was incredibly expensive, and he hadn’t eaten any since returning from the practical training hunt.

He never thought he’d be able to eat it for free now, and with all these different preparations...

A CLICK interrupted his thoughts. He turned his head to see that Yang Yu had pushed open the bedroom door.

"Jiang Qiu, and this, the bed. You can use it to sleep. It’s very soft..." Yang Yu squeezed the clean white quilt with her right hand, then pointed to the wardrobe. "That’s..."

"..."

Jiang Qiu blinked, silently following Yang Yu as she introduced every table and chair in Virtual Training Pod No. 8, until she couldn’t find anything else to talk about, even after looking all around.

"It seems you know this place very well?"

Yang Yu’s eyelids lowered slightly. "My brother used to stay here. He brought me here many times, but that was many years ago... I’m sorry, I’ve wasted your time."

She fiddled with the corner of her jacket, lowered her chin, and turned to walk toward the door.

"No, thank you for showing me the Virtual Training Pod and its facilities."

"It was my pleasure," Yang Yu said, turning back suddenly with a faint smile. "I hope you can achieve a breakthrough in the Virtual Training Pod. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

With a soft CLICK, the door closed, and the girl’s waving figure vanished from his sight.

’She’s gone. Time for a shower.’

Jiang Qiu’s eyes lit up. He immediately walked into the bathroom, pulled the glass door shut, and soon the sound of rushing water, SHHH, filled the air as steam began to rise.

’This is great. I can stretch out my legs completely. There’s even enough room for another person to lie down. Once the rewards from the Military Department’s test come in, I can take a nice, comfortable medicinal bath.’

Lying in the hot water with only his neck and head exposed, he blew at the steam rising from the surface, his mind involuntarily drifting to his old friend in the Outer City.

’I still haven’t returned that large wooden bucket I borrowed a month ago. Even if she says her family doesn’t need it anymore, it’s not right for me to keep it. If I get the chance, should I give her a bathtub this big?’

’No, a bathtub like this would take up too much space in a house in the Shantytown. It would only be convenient if she had a house in the civilian district, at least...’

As he lay there, the hidden thoughts in his mind became somewhat strange. It was probably because his muscles were so relaxed; the long-lost feeling of ease made his thoughts wander.

By the time he got out of the bathroom, it was already the middle of the night. Fortunately, he could still order food. He feasted on a large portion of stir-fried Cyan Feathered Bird, then lay down on the big white bed, bare-chested. He licked his lips, his eyelids drooped shut, and the world went dark.

「The night passed.」

DING-A-LING—

The crisp sound of an alarm clock woke Jiang Qiu, who was sprawled out on the large bed. He opened his eyes, casually took a black shirt from his Storage Ring, and pulled it on over his head. He then washed up, just as he always did in Outer City District Eight.

All sorts of daily necessities were fully stocked in the room, which was very convenient.

He also ordered breakfast—ten jin of steamed Cyan Feathered Bird to whet his appetite.

[One instance of extremely Low-Quality Body Refining]

Even though he had already reached the limb bone stage of the Steel Bone Realm, consuming this Demon Beast Meat still brought a trace of warmth to his body, though the effect was not as pronounced as it had been before the Iron Flesh Realm.

After eating, Jiang Qiu stood before the great steel door of the lounge. He casually wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, his eyes shining. "According to what Yang Yu said, I just need to choose the activation path for the Virtual Training Pod, and then wait for Officer Liu Qi to come and formally activate it for me."

BEEP.

[Body Technique]

"But there are fewer Body Techniques to learn compared to the Tier Two techniques in Spear Dao and Archery Dao. The difficulty starts at four stars, and most are Five Stars."

Jiang Qiu muttered to himself as he scrolled through the list of Body Techniques on the screen.

Choosing a Body Technique was essentially a choice to focus on tempering the Physical Body Realm. Not only had Teacher Wu Shan advised him to choose this path, but Yang Yu had also given him a more detailed recommendation...

TAP.

His finger paused. The description of a Body Technique caught his eye. It was listed between the Tier One Body Techniques and Tier Two Body Techniques, currently without a rating.

[Shadow Stepping]

[Difficulty: ★★★★★]

[Description: Condense all Qi Blood and unleash it through the hands and feet. Step on shadows without a trace. Cross seven steps in an instant while your afterimage remains in the original spot. Extremely difficult to cultivate. Choose with caution.]

In the hands of one person, this Shadow Stepping technique had once been unrivaled among the peers of Gao Yuan City. Even Lin Wei, the strongest in today’s Prodigy Project, might not be able to handle it.

Moreover, this Body Technique was extremely efficient for tempering the physical body, especially suitable for a Horizontal Training genius...

Recalling what Yang Yu had said last night when she was most enthusiastic, Jiang Qiu felt tempted. ’For me, difficulty isn’t the problem. As long as the technique is suitable and strong enough, I can learn it. Plus, it will fill the gap I have in Body Techniques.’

With a TAP, his finger touched the two words "Shadow Stepping". The Virtual Training Pod was temporarily set to the Body Technique path, with Shadow Stepping as the chosen Cultivation Technique.

DING! DING!

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. A glint flashed in Jiang Qiu’s eyes as he strode toward the entrance.

Yang Yu had said that barring special circumstances, one needed authority at the Martial Arts Team Captain level or above to enter this building. Among the people he knew, only Liu Qi had that kind of authority.

CLICK. The door opened. As expected, a tall figure stood in his view, clutching a metallic, mechanical ID Card. "Jiang Qiu, how is it? Did Yang Yu explain the functions of the Virtual Training Pod to you clearly? Have you made your choice?"

"I’ve chosen."

Jiang Qiu smiled faintly and walked with Liu Qi to the steel door where the training path had been set.

"Hm?" Seeing the information for Shadow Stepping on the silver screen, Liu Qi’s brow furrowed. He glanced at Jiang Qiu from the corner of his eye. "Yang Yu recommended this?"

"Yes." Jiang Qiu nodded, his own eyebrows twitching slightly. "Can I not choose it?"

’Yesterday, I heard Yang Yu praise it so highly. It’s a Five Stars difficulty technique, and based on the description, it seems far more domineering and unyielding than something like the Water Leaping Step, which is just "as agile as a snake within seven steps."’

’It would be a shame if I couldn’t choose it...’

"You can choose it," Liu Qi paused, his voice as deep and heavy as a descending iron tower. "But I don’t recommend it.

This Body Technique places extreme demands on the body’s endurance. You must have exceptionally high physical talent. It’s incredibly difficult to master; in over a hundred years, besides its creator, only two or three people have comprehended it.

And one of them was Yang Yu’s older brother, Yang Zheng—the Horizontal Training genius who went down the wrong path.

The training opponent currently set up in the Virtual Training Pod is designed based on his template. To master Shadow Stepping, you have to walk a path similar to his.

In the virtual sparring for Shadow Stepping, even Lin Wei, who possesses the Martial Arts Talent, couldn’t surpass him when they were at the same Realm.

You could say that after Yang Zheng’s personal comprehension, Shadow Stepping was developed to a whole new level. It surpasses the scope of a Tier One Body Technique, but because he wasn’t a Martial Artist and lacked a Martial Artist’s Spirit Charm, it couldn’t be classified as Tier Two for now.

It can be called truly unrivaled."