Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
In a second, remember this:
Mi Xiaonan couldn't do it alone, but aside from the secretive pouch, there was someone else who knew what was inside it—the Boss of the Lottery Ticket. Mi Xiaonan spent the night tracking down the Word Flower Boss. After nearly thirty hours of surveillance and eavesdropping, she finally discovered the information she needed. She rushed back to her villa and brought Cui Ming along to place their bets.
In just two days, eighteen hundred yuan turned into nine million.
Cui Ming highly praised Mi Xiaonan for her efforts: "Thirty hours of close tracking without being discovered, and the Word Flower Boss has twelve bodyguards. Mi Xiaonan, you’re impressive."
Mi Xiaonan humbly replied, "I kept thinking about what skills I had outside of Force, and then I thought of Ninjutsu. Ninjutsu is essentially a way for ordinary people to hide themselves, gather intelligence, and assassinate important figures. At first, it wasn’t that simple; I couldn’t get close to the Word Flower Boss at all. Then I suddenly realized that the Word Flower Boss might mention the pouch in front of his bodyguards. So I abandoned tracking him when he had guards and instead monitored from a distance. When the Boss sent his bodyguards away and was alone, I approached him. Hard work pays off; during breakfast with his son, he inadvertently revealed crucial information while teaching him."
Beiyue had been silent for a while before saying, "Thank you all."
Cui Ming added, "The biggest credit goes to Mi Xiaonan."
Mi Xiaonan modestly said, "If it weren't for Brother Cui Ming and Brother Li Qing, I wouldn't have realized my abilities outside of Force."
Ding Ze chimed in, "Maybe I should sell myself; at least it would prove I have some skills too."
Everyone laughed heartily, and the atmosphere lightened considerably. Beiyue accepted the money without any pretense and began searching for a suitable training venue.
With nine million, things became much simpler. First, I applied to rent an island, a small four-square-kilometer piece located twenty kilometers from the outskirts of Dawn City. Originally a marine testing point, it had been decommissioned. The size was just right—not too big, not too small—and since it was far from the city center, it had remained unused. The rental fee was reasonable at five thousand a year, but there were obligations: I had to assist anyone in distress within ten nautical miles and also take responsibility for cleaning up any debris that washed up on the island. Additionally, there was a usage approval process, which Evelyn helped navigate through backdoor channels with City Hall. They agreed to allow practitioners to use the island for training, granting certain privileges to practitioners as long as they did not disturb the lives of ordinary citizens in Dawn City.
Next came construction; I needed a place to live and power for my activities. I also planned for simulated buildings—like a four-story structure filled with dummies for training exercises where no harm could come to them.
Having money made things easier. Within a month, the island was ready. It was straightforward: a single-story house of one hundred twenty square meters provided basic accommodations and sanitation facilities, built with panel materials that were not very comfortable. The four-story building was modified from the existing marine observation structure and required no additional decoration; it was entirely in its raw state.
The buildings were located at the dock on the eastern side of the island. The rest of the island featured cliffs, forests, sandy areas, and some bare hills.
Finally, I needed to acquire equipment. A speedboat was essential; it looked impressive and luxurious—like a wealthy person's toy—but it wasn't expensive; a few tens of thousands would suffice for one. A small assault boat could be purchased for under ten thousand, which wasn't exactly extravagant. I also needed to buy essentials like a freezer, generator, bedding, and other necessities.
In just one month, my new home was constructed. However, it was quite rudimentary; the path was made of gravel left over from when the marine observation station operated. The added four-story building felt empty inside; living spaces were simply divided by panels with concrete used only in critical load-bearing areas. The flooring consisted of wooden planks that creaked underfoot—not the kind of wood used in homes but rather a type that made noise when stepped on. Beiyue and the others bought carpets and cut them themselves to make the place look much more presentable.
Everyone chose their preferred spots on the island. In the center stood a small valley with a stream running through it, surrounded by uniquely shaped stones. Although not large in area, the gentle elevation around the valley made it a favored private training spot for everyone.
How would we conduct our training? Aside from Cui Ming, the other four focused on teamwork and coordination—practicing in groups of four, three, or two—because during assessments, you never knew who you would face challenges with. As for Cui Ming, he hadn't yet reached the level of group collaboration; he needed to focus on his individual skills first. His training goal was to enhance his throwing cards' lethality; otherwise, they would merely be decorative items without any meaningful enhancement.
The first phase of strategy training went smoothly, but enhancements were continuous and not stage-specific. Cui Ming currently had sufficient technique but lacked power. There were several ways to increase his attack strength: first, by increasing card speed; second, by enhancing the rotation force of the cards; third, by gradually improving Cui Ming's force output. The third method required steady effort; he had no other good options but to diligently practice using his strength until his cards could inflict significant damage—enough that Ding Ze couldn't withstand multiple hits from them—and ideally make it difficult for Li Qing or Beiyue to endure consecutive strikes as well. At the same time, he needed to ensure seamless coordination between his cards and fortune-telling techniques.
The highest compatibility for card usage came from yellow attack cards in fortune-telling. These attack cards varied widely: some created fog for deception; others swapped positions with opponents; some slowed down enemies' running speeds; while others directly controlled movements like trapping or closing doors against thieves with Draw a Line to Trap cards. Cui Ming had no way of knowing what yellow card he would draw.
After three days of training, Cui Ming faced two choices regarding his flying cards: the first option focused on speed—using force to condense into his cards so they could fly without him needing to exert force himself. That would be incredibly fast—like a magician's hand far beyond ordinary imagination. For years, his only daily hobby had been card throwing; he could place poker cards in his sleeve and flick them out with two fingers at an astonishing rate of two and a half throws per second using just one hand. However, if he threw too quickly without adequate local force support, their impact would be significantly reduced.
The second option involved heavy strikes—briefly channeling force into the cards to turn them into metallic blades upon release. This method required more time due to its buildup process: bending his right hand inward while pinching the card between two fingers before injecting energy into it as it flew out—a process that took about two seconds.
Why can't it be used randomly? Because Cui Ming's goal is to make the objective an instinct; otherwise, one cannot focus on the Fate Card. In this case, training must be directed in a single direction.
However, as someone with a bit of cleverness, Cui Ming thought of another method: rhythmic instinct. Light, light, light, light—then suddenly heavy. Just like when Cui Ming falls from a height, concentrating Force at the point of contact with the ground is far more effective in reducing damage than spreading Force throughout the body. For instance, when dealing with Ding Ze, if heavy cards are used continuously, Ding Ze's Force will be on high alert. If only light cards are used, Ding Ze can easily protect himself from the front or side. But if there is a mix of light and heavy, Ding Ze must adjust his Force defense direction to follow Cui Ming's rhythm. Ding Ze can never treat rhythm as an instinct, while Cui Ming can turn this rhythm into an instinct.
Comment 0 Comment Count