36: Bug, the road to heaven!
It was more expensive than Ye Hong expected, and he could get a discount, but that wasn't the point.
The point was this:
Below these Secret Manuals, a line of small red characters was conspicuously marked:
Three-star contribution allows for ten minutes of free reading.
A mere twelve characters, yet they made Ye Hong feel as if he had discovered a new continent, his body trembling violently!
He completely ignored the 'contribution' part at the beginning; the key was 'free reading'.
Ten minutes, for an ordinary Martial Artist, was purely a drop in the bucket.
After all,
Some people, for their physiological needs, would spend at least half an hour.
As for Secret Manuals, it was common for people to take ten days to half a month, or even years, just to get started.
Memorizing them was useless.
It was like a poor student copying answers, knowing what but not why, and still unable to remember.
But he was different.
Ye Hong could say without hesitation:
This seemingly useless reward rule was completely tailor-made for him!
"The source of contribution points generally comes from two channels..."
Ye Hong's mind raced.
One way was to use his money ability, heavily dumping gold on the World Martial Alliance; 10,000 credit points equaled 1 contribution point.
This idea was instantly shot down by him.
The three-star contribution standard was 1,000,000 contribution points; to donate that much would require burning a hundred small targets.
Even selling his underwear wouldn't be enough!
The second way was much more reliable, or rather, it was advocated by the human high-level.
That was to hunt Vicious Beasts, purchase a smart wristband, and all Vicious Beasts killed would be meticulously recorded.
If he was dedicated enough, he could go to the Wilderness Area outside the city.
He could directly head to places dense with Vicious Beasts, and within two or three days, he would be able to gather enough.
"A grand path..."
Ye Hong rubbed his temples, having already made a decision.
The Wilderness Area, he had to go; this concerned the explosive development of his future combat power.
Click.
Ye Hong's hands weren't idle either; he decided to spend his existing points first.
Ultimately, he decided on several Secret Manuals.
"Nine-Step Heaven-Shaking Stride — An ultimate movement Secret Manual, it explodes Qi and blood in exchange for powerful speed; with nine steps, one can easily break the sound barrier!"
"Hundred Refinements Finger-Flow — Refines the bones of the hands, eventually reaching a state as tough as silk and as strong as metal; even if the entire body is cremated, the fingers will remain intact!"
These two Secret Manuals accounted for the bulk of the cost, instantly consuming half of Ye Hong's points.
He continued to browse, finding five or six familiar fist-style Secret Manuals, and one that offered a nine-fold combat power amplification.
At this point, his points were completely depleted.
"Everything is ready; now I just need SF Express to deliver it to my home."
Ye Hong murmured to himself.
He then exited the Martial Artist forum, thought for a moment, and began searching online for some existing professional knowledge.
Human bone structure, modern medicine, the distribution of the twelve main meridians and eight extraordinary meridians, and even advanced mathematics, which he used to avoid like the plague...
Anything Ye Hong deemed beneficial to his current situation, he studied voraciously.
During this time, Luo Jinxuan quietly visited several times.
But seeing Ye Hong immersed in the ocean of knowledge, she hesitated to speak, and ultimately did not disturb him further.
They had been companions for many years.
She vaguely guessed that Ye Hong probably had a big secret, as his combat power had been increasing almost daily in the past few days.
But a smart woman knew what to ask and what not to ask.
Soon, time flew by, and it was evening.
Night fell, and the stars twinkled brightly.
A bright moon rose, and the myriad lights of houses illuminated the city, making it beautiful and brilliant.
Fifth High School in Yunhai Outer City.
At the school gate.
Many students in school uniforms, exuding youthful energy, walked in groups with their backpacks.
"Hehe, did you know? Ye Xue from my ninth class couldn't even afford the tuition for extra classes, and today she was called out by the teacher in front of everyone!"
"Ah? Really? I remember her family has a Martial Artist father."
"Sigh, that was in the past. Her father isn't a Martial Artist anymore. I think she won't even be able to afford next semester's tuition, let alone the extra class fees!"
Several girls whispered, their words full of schadenfreude.
Not far away, a girl in a school uniform with her long hair tied into a ponytail walked silently with her head down.
She was accompanied by a pretty girl wearing glasses.
"These guys, especially Mu Lanxin, who's leading them, are really going too far!"
The girl with glasses said indignantly.
After speaking, she looked at the silent girl again and quickly comforted her: "Xuebao, it's okay. Don't worry about the extra class fees."
"If it really comes down to it, I'll ask my parents for some money later. My old man still has some private savings; I know where they're hidden."
Ye Xue parted her lips, seemingly thinking of something, and forced a smile onto her face.
"Mm."
Her mood improved slightly. "Xiao Luo, let's go around them."
"Okay."
The two girls, adopting a conciliatory attitude,
did not wish to get entangled further and quickened their steps to leave.
"Oh, isn't this our Young Miss Ye Xue?"
Suddenly, a sharp voice with a hint of mockery sounded.
One of the girls blocked her path, arms crossed, a mocking smile on her face.
Ye Xue looked up, a flash of anger in her eyes. "Move."
"Heh."
The girl sneered, "Move? What, you were criticized by the teacher and dare not vent, so now you're being tough with me?"
The girls nearby burst into laughter, echoing her words.
"Exactly, weren't you quite arrogant before? How did you end up so down and out now?"
"Those stinky boys even called you the 'school beauty,' but look at your poor appearance, do you even deserve it?"
Ye Xue gripped her backpack tightly, biting her silver teeth, and said, "I'll say it again, move."
"Tch~ I won't."
The girl was clearly accustomed to being pampered.
Hands on her hips, her expression arrogant: "My dad is a school director of Fifth High School. Being able to talk to me is already a compliment to you."
"If you want to pass today, then you'll have to kneel and kowtow to me, otherwise, hmph hmph."
As she spoke, she beckoned with a finger.
Immediately, two girls stepped forward, looking ready to act at any moment.
"Hey, don't go too far!"
Seeing this, Yi Luo quickly shielded Ye Xue, glaring at the other girls, and angrily said:
"You're ugly yourselves, and your makeup makes you look like ghosts. You're just jealous of Xuexue's natural beauty. If I were your parents, I'd feel ashamed!"
"What did you say!?"
These words instantly broke the composure of the group of girls.
One of the taller girls raised her hand and slapped Yi Luo hard.
Yi Luo was caught off guard and took the full force of the slap, stumbling backward.
"Xiao Luo!"
Ye Xue cried out in alarm, immediately stepping forward to support Yi Luo, her eyes flashing with distress.
"Hmph, serves her right!"
Mu Lanxin sneered and took out a wad of banknotes from her bag.
"You, go, whoever slaps our school beauty's face until it's swollen, these money will be theirs."
The girls nearby, upon hearing this, all looked somewhat tempted.
"Tsk tsk tsk, slapping the school beauty and getting paid? We can't miss out on such a good thing."
Several girls exchanged glances, giggling, and prepared to act.