Chapter 003: [The New Card]
With no one disturbing him, Su Jingxing’s days settled into a cycle between the dormitory, the work area, and the canteen.
To increase his opportunities to come into contact with corpses, he even took on extra shifts for others from time to time.
As a result, it didn’t take long for Su Jingxing to earn himself the nickname “Righteous Little Su.”
Although some people mocked him behind his back, Su Jingxing couldn’t be bothered to care. If he went around telling people about these effortless gains, he would be the real fool.
[Corpse found. Collect?]
“Yes!”
[Corpse found. Collect?]
“Yes!”
…
As time passed, his cache of Vitality Cards and Power Cards grew steadily. Each card would yield pills once unlocked, the number varying—sometimes as many as five, sometimes only one.
Su Jingxing rarely consumed the Vitality Pills, but with each Power Pill he obtained, he consumed it on the spot.
Every Power Pill increased his strength by ten pounds. Moreover, the Power Pills also tempered his physique.
So, within just a few days, not only did Su Jingxing grow stronger, but he also became noticeably more robust. His height shot up from just over 1.7 meters to nearly 1.8 meters.
At fifteen or sixteen, it was the age for growth spurts. The changes in Su Jingxing’s build didn’t attract much attention. Even Kong Dabao merely teased him a few times, saying that before long, Su Jingxing would surpass him in height.
Secretly increasing his strength, Su Jingxing simply smiled.
For someone who had been consistently taking Power Pills, growing taller was just a side effect. What truly concerned him was the extent of his overall strength.
To find out, Su Jingxing deliberately chose a quiet time, slipped into an empty room on the first floor of the dormitory, and stood before a dynamometer.
This was a strength-testing machine, designed for measuring force. Su Jingxing had wanted to try it for some time, but there were always people around.
Now, with the room empty, he clenched his fist and struck the sensor with all his might.
Bang!
The indicator flickered rapidly.
When it settled, the display read “818.”
Su Jingxing glanced at the number, switched hands, and punched again.
Bang!
The numbers flashed and finally settled on “936.”
“Good!”
“My left fist can exert 936 pounds, my right 818. With a few more days of Power Pills, I’ll be comparable to a ninth-rank martial artist!”
Su Jingxing took a deep breath to suppress his excitement.
On Planet Earthstar, martial artists were classified from rank one to nine according to their strength—ninth being the lowest, first the highest.
Among these, one hallmark of a ninth-rank martial artist was both hands exceeding a thousand pounds of force.
For Su Jingxing, reaching this benchmark was simple—just keep taking Power Pills.
But to become a true ninth-rank martial artist, that wasn’t enough. For ninth-rank martial artists, immense strength was only secondary; the true foundation lay in internal force!
Internal force, a potent energy cultivated through specialized techniques.
On Earthstar, martial arts were promoted for all, but ordinary people had no access to genuine martial arts teachings.
Take the Yu Nation, for example; the only martial art available to the masses was a foundational routine known as “Thirty-Six Body-Tempering Forms.”
Though called a martial art, in reality, it was more akin to a set of calisthenics for health.
For the commoners, cultivating internal force required alternative paths.
One: gain admission to a martial academy.
Two: join a sect.
Three: enroll in a martial arts school.
Of these, entering a martial academy was the fairest—everything depended on individual talent.
And that talent wasn’t limited to martial ability; intellectual aptitude was essential as well. The reasoning was simple: with advanced martial arts, without the capacity for understanding, one couldn’t even comprehend, let alone master them.
Su Jingxing’s talents were average, and he’d already dropped out of school—this path was clearly closed.
Similarly, he held little hope of joining a sect, as they recruited only the most gifted in martial arts.
So of the three paths, only the last remained viable for Su Jingxing.
Martial arts schools!
As long as one had money, one could enter any martial school in Qinghe City and learn martial arts.
Once he cultivated internal force and his strength soared to ten thousand pounds, a hundred thousand pounds…
Taking revenge on Wan Rong would no longer be a distant dream!
The obsession left by his predecessor haunted Su Jingxing’s dreams each night.
This “shackle” had to be cast off as soon as possible!
Therefore, he had to continue moving corpses.
Being near corpses brought him Vitality Pills and Power Pills—it was both profitable and empowering.
What a delight!
…
[Corpse found. Collect?]
“Yes!”
[Corpse found. Collect?]
“Yes!”
[Corpse found. Collect?]
“Yes!”
…
Collect, collect, collect…
Vitality Card, Power Card, Power Card, Vitality Card…
The days went by.
Patient and determined, Su Jingxing accumulated more and more Vitality Pills; his strength in both hands surpassed one thousand pounds, edging toward two thousand.
Yet, no new types of cards appeared.
Just when Su Jingxing thought there were only Vitality and Power Cards, a new card suddenly emerged.
Internal Force Card!
According to the description, this was an Internal Force Card equivalent to two years of cultivation.
In simple terms, using it would instantly grant Su Jingxing the internal force that a martial artist would gain after two years of hard training.
The method of use was direct—just press it to the center of the brow.
What a surprise!
He had resigned himself to saving up money from selling Vitality Pills to enroll in a martial school. He hadn’t expected such an unexpected windfall.
His golden finger had provided two years’ worth of internal force, allowing Su Jingxing to become a true ninth-rank martial artist overnight!
“Hahaha…”
Unable to contain his excitement, Su Jingxing went to the crematorium’s back hill to use the Internal Force Card. Feeling the warm current flowing through his body, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
To obtain internal force directly—what a pleasure.
Though training in martial arts could make one stronger, the process was terribly tedious.
Now Su Jingxing possessed internal force without any of the effort.
If other martial artists knew of this, they would be driven mad with envy.
He would have to keep a low profile. Very low.
A few clearing coughs helped him calm down and regain composure.
“Why did I only obtain Vitality and Power Cards before, but now suddenly receive an Internal Force Card?”
Su Jingxing pondered.
There must be a reason for everything.
If he could uncover the cause, perhaps he could obtain even more new cards.
With this in mind, Su Jingxing returned to the crematorium and seized an opportunity to access the corpse records.
The crematorium had strict protocols. Every corpse delivered, whether claimed or not, had its information collected and logged.
With the register in hand, Su Jingxing went through the records one by one.
And soon, he found the answer.
A martial artist!
The corpse from which the Internal Force Card was extracted had, in life, been a ninth-rank martial artist.
The others had all been ordinary people.
“So, the key is martial artists!”
“It makes sense—only martial artists would possess internal force.”
“The function of the golden finger must be to extract from corpses whatever they possessed in life, by some means…”
Wait a moment!
Suddenly, Su Jingxing’s eyes lit up.
“If I can extract the internal force a martial artist had in life, could I also extract the martial arts manuals they had learned?”
…
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