Stronger with Crimson Modifier-Chapter 70: Meeting (Part 1)

Time passed quietly.

More than a week flew by in a flash.

On the sixteenth day, one of the new students finally broke through to the First Layer while practicing the Snake Form Posture, achieving the Qi Blood First Transformation.

In any previous class, achieving this in sixteen days would have been considered incredibly impressive.

Unfortunately for them, this class had the precedent of Hu Qi, who had cultivated Qi and Blood in just seven days.

By comparison, this person’s achievement seemed rather ordinary, not stunning at all.

Under these circumstances, it was natural for some to feel resentful and indignant.

Although Hu Qi had done nothing from the start, that didn’t stop people from coming to cause trouble for him.

As the first to cultivate Qi Blood Power, Hu Qi naturally became the target everyone in this class wanted to surpass and overcome.

Fame brings trouble. It was just one of those unavoidable things.

As evening fell, the air by the lake, where it had just rained, was exceptionally fresh.

The lake’s water was a deep color, like a piece of smooth, lustrous jade.

It reflected the azure sky, dotted with a few thin white clouds like scattered tufts of cotton.

Beside the pebble path along the shore, Hu Qi sat on a wooden bench, gazing at the distant surface of the lake.

Among several pairs of swans, a duck with purplish feathers was mixed in—it was the Camphor Tea Duck.

It had grown a size larger, and with its blackish-purple feathers, it looked like a small swan from a distance.

It was splashing about in the water, playing with the other swans and letting out the occasional, somewhat out-of-place, "QUACK QUACK."

Suddenly, the sound of several footsteps approached.

Hu Qi sensed something and looked up to see a few people standing before him.

The one in the lead was a tall, red-haired man, about one-point-nine meters tall.

He walked up to Hu Qi, his eyes narrowing slightly.

His gaze swept over Hu Qi from head to toe, then shifted to the Camphor Tea Duck on the lake, his eyes filled with a condescending scrutiny.

"You’re that duck-raising Hu Qi?"

"Alright, cut the crap. If you want trouble, you can have it. But you’ll be responsible for the consequences."

Hu Qi’s expression was indifferent.

As the only scenic spot in the area, many students came to the lake to exercise or run in their spare time.

As the genius who was first to cultivate Qi Blood Power, Hu Qi naturally drew attention wherever he went.

The events unfolding here quickly captured everyone’s attention.

"Tsk, now this is going to be a good show!"

It’s human nature to flock to a spectacle, and these students were no exception.

"I know that guy. That’s Cai Shizhu from our Fenglin City.

He’s really strong. He once challenged students and even instructors from the other branches in the city and never lost a single match."

Someone in the crowd recognized the red-haired man.

Hearing this, the crowd grew even more expectant.

Although Hu Qi had developed Qi and Blood in seven days, Cai Shizhu had also developed it.

It was hard to say who was stronger or weaker if they fought.

"Haha, good! You’ve got guts!"

Cai Shizhu let out a savage laugh and slapped his own chest.

"Don’t you worry, I’ll bear any consequences myself. But as for you, if I hurt you, don’t go around saying I’m a bully who..."

Before he could finish, Hu Qi leaned forward, fingers clenched into a fist, and threw a punch straight at him.

Throughout the entire motion, his butt didn’t even move an inch from the bench.

This arrogant attitude, this complete and utter disregard for him, thoroughly ignited the rage in Cai Shizhu’s heart.

He immediately threw a punch in return. Qi and Blood circulated through his arm, and his muscles visibly swelled by a size.

The next moment, their fists collided.

CRACK!

The look of rage and derision was still frozen on Cai Shizhu’s face, but his wrist bent at an unnatural angle and fractured.

The momentum of Hu Qi’s fist didn’t diminish in the slightest as it slammed directly into his chest.

The sharp pain from his wrist twisted his face into a grimace.

Before a scream could even escape his lips, Hu Qi’s punch sent him flying backward into the lake, creating a huge splash.

The sudden commotion startled the frolicking swans, sending them flapping their wings and flying off into the distance.

Only the Camphor Tea Duck remained. It flapped its wings a couple of times, and after realizing it couldn’t fly, it started paddling its feet and swam toward Hu Qi on the shore.

"You all saw it. He was the one who insisted on fighting me. If any trouble comes of this later, I hope you can bear witness."

As Hu Qi spoke, his gaze swept over several students who were filming with their phones.

"Of course."

The students’ expressions all turned serious.

"Let’s go!"

Hu Qi waved, called to the Camphor Tea Duck, and started walking away, not sparing another glance for the red-haired man still flailing in the water.

The blow he had just delivered seemed severe.

A broken wrist, for an ordinary person, would be a major injury requiring a hundred days of rest. A serious one might even leave lasting damage.

But if the injured party was a Secret Martial Artist who had cultivated Qi and Blood, the outcome would be entirely different.

Qi Blood Power had miraculous effects. By guiding one’s Qi and Blood, it could accelerate recovery.

As long as it wasn’t a severed limb, one could make a swift and full recovery with Qi Blood Power; it was just a matter of time.

...

"How can the gap be so huge?"

After Hu Qi left, the onlookers stared at each other, their faces filled with astonishment.

It was reasonable to expect Hu Qi to win.

The problem was, both of them were Secret Martial Artists who had cultivated Qi Blood Power.

Even if he was going to win, it would have been more logical for them to exchange a few blows, for him to perhaps seize an opening and defeat his opponent that way.

That was the kind of fight everyone had imagined.

But what happened instead?

While still sitting on the bench, he had casually thrown a single punch and sent Cai Shizhu—another cultivator of Qi Blood Power—flying. It was as easy as an adult hitting a child.

At the back of the crowd, Ye Li watched Hu Qi’s departing figure with a complicated expression.

’Cousin, you might have been truly wrong this time. A true genius is still a genius, no matter where they are.’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

She sighed internally.

She understood.

Barring any accidents, this man’s future accomplishments would be limitless; he might even be taken on as a personal disciple by the Sect Leader.

Unfortunately, because she had listened to her cousin’s advice, she had missed the best opportunity to befriend him.

...

「Three days later.」

It was the nineteenth day since they had been taught the Snake Form Posture.

Several more people had successfully cultivated Qi Blood Power, including Sims.

Feeling the faint, warm current rising within his body, a smile appeared on Sims’s face.

’So this is Qi Blood Power? Hu Qi, just you wait. I will eventually catch up to you, surpass you, and then return the humiliation you gave me a thousand times over!’

After learning of Hu Qi’s terrifying progress, he had been practicing day and night. With the help of the Spiritual Snake Ointment, he had finally succeeded in condensing his Qi Blood Power.

This also meant he had become a true Secret Martial Artist.

At this thought, he washed off the dried Spiritual Snake Ointment and headed out, preparing to tell Wang Luo the news of his breakthrough.

But just as he was about to reach the training hall, a pair of students walked out, passing by him.

"That Senior Brother Hu is too incredible! He actually broke through to the Qi Blood Second Transformation in just nineteen days!"