Clash!
Rushing forward, the gang leader Wang Hao lunged at Li Mu, his sword slicing through the air in a blur. His movements were strange, almost ghostlike — a twisting footwork that let him slip around Li Mu like a phantom. His blade went straight for Li Mu's neck.
But Li Mu had already anticipated it.
He tilted away by mere inches, feeling the cold wind of steel graze past, and instantly countered. His knife shot forward, aiming for Wang Hao's throat. The strike landed, staggering the gang boss.
Li Mu's eyes flashed with cold decisiveness. This is my chance.
He stepped in to finish him — but Wang Hao suddenly roared, eyes turning bloodshot and wild. He swung his sword like a man possessed, his attacks losing technique yet gaining terrifying speed.
"I'll kill you! You rat—die!"
Li Mu gritted his teeth as he barely kept up with the frenzied blade.
If I don't end this quickly, I really will die here.
I can't read him fast enough… I'll have to push Infinite Insights to the limit!
With a decisive breath, Li Mu forced the ability to activate. His pupils turned ghostly white, and countless flashes of movement replayed in his mind at rapid speed.
"Up—down—no, right… again…"
The courtyard rang with metal and grunts. Dust swirled around them as their movements grew faster, both sides driven into a deadly stalemate.
Finally, Li Mu's expression sharpened."I see it."
Now.
He slipped past a strike meant for his shoulder, dropped low, rolled across the ground, and seized a broken shard of metal. Then, with absolute precision, he leaned just one centimeter out of the sword's path…
—and drove the shard straight into Wang Hao's chest.
A scream tore apart the night.
"Ahhhh—!"
Wang Hao's eyes widened. The force of the thrust pierced his heart cleanly. His blade clattered to the floor as he muttered brokenly:
"I… lost."
Thud.
His body collapsed, lifeless. Silence swallowed the courtyard.
Li Mu stood there, chest heaving, sweat soaking through his cloak. The aftereffects hit him like a hammer — sharp pain drilled into his skull, his vision darkened, and dizziness washed over him.
He collapsed unconscious, his head striking the cold ground.
Morning arrived.Rustling leaves and warm sunlight greeted Li Mu as he awoke in the same courtyard. He rubbed the ache in his temples, memories flooding back.
"I won… If I didn't have this cheat, I'd be dead."
His gaze drifted to Wang Hao's cold body. For a moment, he fell silent.
"That could've been me."
He forced himself to search the corpse. After several minutes, he found 100 steel credits and an old manual titled:
Meditation Technique
Curious, he skimmed the first page. It described a method to gather fragmented world energy — a necessity for cultivation even with technology augmenting human bodies.
Cultivation techniques were divided into two branches:
Body Refining — strengthening the physical vessel.
Meditation Techniques — strengthening the mind.
The mind path was much harder and required immense comprehension…
Which, for Li Mu and his Infinite Insights, was a clear advantage.
He closed the manual slowly, eyes gleaming.
A hybrid path of body and mind… That's the future. But for now, the mind first.
After fully ransacking the base and finding 1000 silver credits, Li Mu slipped out, shutting down the automated turret using Wang Hao's device. No traces left behind.
He hurried back to the market, avoiding attention. It wasn't time to reveal his strength — not until he had real power.
He returned before noon and rented a room at an inn. Just as he lay down to rest—
Knock, knock.
Li Mu frowned, stood, and opened the door.
A well-dressed maid stood there. She bowed politely.
"Please come with me. My lady would like to see you."