Chapter 48 - 48: Worldly Strict Selection

Noticing the young man's hesitation, Feng Zhaobai patiently explained. "The core of cultivation techniques is actually Extraordinary Power, the embodiment of laws, and it's not inherently superior or inferior." "On the contrary, if you've heard its name in the real world, that indicates its versatility is extremely high, and it can even be somewhat effective in reality." Saying this, Feng Zhaobai suddenly chuckled, raising the corner of his mouth, and patted the young man on the shoulder: "Don't worry, you can always trust 'Worldly Strict Selection'." "Worldly Strict Selection?" Carefully pondering these words, Zhu Haomiao seemed to grasp something, nodding slowly. "Then I'll choose Hard Qi Skill and Big Toad Qi." "Alright, what about Fighting Technique? Do you have a preference?" Feng Zhaobai tapped his tablet a couple of times and continued to ask. "Uh... Senior Brother Feng, I saw on the forum that everyone says to practice Basic Force, Eight Forces Combined, and become invincible in the world..." Feng Zhaobai suddenly froze, raising his stiff head to look at him. Observing the young man's clear yet foolishly expectant eyes, Feng Zhaobai finally confirmed the guy wasn't joking and painfully rubbed his temples. "Those fools on the forum are just joking around, don't believe them." "But I see everyone universally recognizes Basic Force as the strongest." Hearing this, Feng Zhaobai frowned with speechless complexity, organizing his words for a long time before patiently explaining. "I just told you, the essence of cultivation techniques is Extraordinary Power, the embodiment of laws, and it's not inherently superior or inferior." "Basic Force is merely the purest and most extreme, which is why it seems powerful." "Moreover, only experts can truly wield its power." "To use a not-so-apt analogy, you can think of the Eight Basic Forces as the most fundamental programming functions, whereas other Martial Arts fighting techniques are like packaged software!" "Indeed, in the face of different dangers, the individual moves of composite laws may seem stiff and inflexible, but the advantage is that you don't need to control it painstakingly yourself, just 'release' it with pre-set programs and muscle memory." As he spoke, Feng Zhaobai gave Zhu Haomiao a deep look. "Only those top masters who truly understand Fighting Techniques, integrate them thoroughly, and return to the basics would attempt to deconstruct, study the most fundamental things, and use them as weapons..." Hearing this, Zhu Haomiao bit his lip reluctantly. "I still want to give it a try." Feng Zhaobai, seemingly expecting this, curled his lip and calmly nodded. "Then I'll select Stacked Waves Strength for you to try practicing." "Alright, thank you, Senior Brother Feng." "You're welcome. Lastly, is there a movement technique you're interested in?" "Uh... I'm not really familiar..." "Then I recommend practicing Plum Blossom Step. It's excellent for small-scale dodging and weaving, and once you master it, your combat effectiveness will noticeably increase." Feng Zhaobai spoke while operating his tablet to finalize the choices. "Hard Qi Skill, Big Toad Qi, Stacked Waves Strength, Plum Blossom Step, a total of four cultivation techniques, each First Level costs 5 Contribution Points, coming to 20 Virtual Points in total." Upon hearing this, Zhu Haomiao couldn't sit still. "Only the First Level?" Feng Zhaobai glanced at the greedy young man, explaining helplessly. "Try practicing first, then move forward once you're in. If the affinity isn't suitable, switching cultivation techniques won't be a waste." "Oh, I see..." "Also, good news: the government has a policy allowing all contestants in the Ascension Competition to have interest-free periods during the competition, so your interest-free overdraft limit can go up to 110 points. Do you want anything else? Like... your outfit here." Pointing at Zhu Haomiao's tattered clothes full of patches, Feng Zhaobai implied with a smile. "Uh... any suggestions, Senior Brother Feng?" "Here, check this set out." Handing over the tablet to Zhu Haomiao, the stylish gear immediately caught the young man's eyes. "Basic Type·Explorer Suit!" "The innermost layer is a close-fitting nano combat suit, less than a millimeter thick, with excellent impact resistance, reducing most cold weapon damage and offering some protection against thermal weapons." "The outfit outside is primarily woven from Cloud Brocade Heavenly Silkworm Silk, overlapping in 12 layers. Its puncture resistance is equivalent to 2mm metal soft armor, though it's not very effective at reducing blunt weapon damage." "The boots are made from Titan Alligator Skin, blade-proof, water and fire-resistant, with titanium alloy plates integrated into the toe and sole, preventing traps and enhancing your kicking damage." "Finally, the outermost cape activates an array when you wear the hood, significantly reducing your presence to the point where those with insufficient spiritual power subconsciously ignore you, making it quite handy for stealth or avoiding attention." Listening to Feng Zhaobai's enthusiastic introduction, Zhu Haomiao felt a strange sense of time and space disorientation. "Senior Brother Feng, is this set a 'True Object'?" "How could it be?" "Then how does it have a nano combat suit? It's the 19th century now!" "Our Yanhuang Armory master craftsmen made it by hand." Zhu Haomiao: "..." Handmade nano combat suits, what kind of monsters are the master craftsmen at Yanhuang Armory? With a twitch of his lips, Zhu Haomiao inexplicably thought of those eighth-level workers who handcraft satellites, rockets, and missiles. Suddenly, another striking feature representing craftsmanship flashed in Zhu Haomiao's mind—expensive! "This equipment is good, but isn't it probably expensive?" "The whole set is 100 Virtual Points, but I'm authorized to give you a 50% discount, just 50 points." Looking at Feng Zhaobai's splayed fingers, Zhu Haomiao felt a sense of being induced to overspend by 'family' in a live stream. No need for 998, no need for 888, time-limited discount for 50 points! Family, what are you waiting for? Click the link! But after thinking for a long time, the young man still gritted his teeth and nodded. "I'll take it!" "OK, what color do you want? Available stock comes in black, white, green, and purple. If you want a custom color, that's possible too, but it'll cost more, though I don't think it's necessary. I suggest you simply go with black." Hearing this, Zhu Haomiao curiously looked at Feng Zhaobai. "Senior Brother, why directly go with black, is there a reason?" Feng Zhaobai lifted his eyes from the tablet, nodding calmly and solemnly. "Black hides dirt." Zhu Haomiao: "..." What you say makes perfect sense, so black it is! After confirming the purchase of the equipment, Feng Zhaobai looked Zhu Haomiao up and down: "Finally, do you have a weapon that you're proficient in?" "No, I don't." "Then let's not choose one for now. You can come back to pick once you're certain of your 'Path'." Searᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Feng Zhaobai tapped the tablet a couple more times, about to finish up, when he suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh, right, I forgot it's your first time entering the Illusion Realm; you haven't cast Divine Power on your Dragon Emblem yet, have you?" "Huh? Divine Power? What Divine Power?" "..."