Translator: Strivon

  "Apologies."

  Luo Nan scrambled out. The metal doors detected the human body, opening back up again. Driver Qin followed him out, still remaining silent, as if nothing had happened just then.

  The two cautiously avoided the person who they suspected to be mentally unwell. They rode the elevator up. In the end, Luo Nan’s skin was tender. It was hard for him to avoid feeling embarrassed. He repeated his previous words, "I’m sorry, Brother Qin. I was lost in thought just now."

  Driver Qin responded with a smile as usual, "No worries, Mr. Luo. Are we heading back now?"

  "Yes, let’s head back," Luo Nan said as he closed his notebook. He didn’t dare to continue looking. He had all sorts of matters squeezed into a single mass: his cultivation, Gear, outsourced work, security threats. Just adding researching the notebook into this was tantamount to tearing him apart into three pieces. He might not be able to endure it.

  But when he sat in the car, the silent atmosphere caused his thoughts to brew. Luo Nan was unable to stop himself. Thoughts and ideas came thick and fast, some being particularly meticulous.

  The words imparted to me by the gym master about the root receptacle, root nature, and root trigger—the subdivision of talent and nature—can conform with the Life Sketches. The internal refinement of the nine orifices and six roots is a way to polish the body. It is a way to form a more true ’self-portrait.’ The recordings within my grandfather’s notebook mostly consist of targeting drugs that influence the nervous system of the human body…… Maybe I should stop thinking of a unified theory, and instead just make a reference. Then perhaps I will make some progress?

  Oh man, I can’t take it any longer. What to do?

  Luo Nan smacked his forehead with his closed notebook. He felt both vexed and excited. Emotions surged from the bottom of his heart, each wave higher than the previous. It made him restless in his seat, as he wished to verify his own thoughts. But he didn’t know where to start…… This time, it wasn’t because he was at a loss. Instead, it was because there were far too many places he could begin at.

  Yes. In this moment, the radiating insight within Luo Nan’s brain was like the lightning of a thunderstorm. It flashed and flared intensely within the sea of his mind, branching with hundreds of thousands of streaks. It was like the crazed dance of a golden serpent, every streak whipping out within his heart.

  The more he thought, the more tormented he felt. Luo Nan sat shotgun as he pressed his notebook against his head. In the end, he caved in, giving in to the impulse of his insight. He drew in a breath of cold air, flipping open the leather notebook. He was about to write something on it, but a shred of reason still remained in him. He flipped open his own notebook and found an empty page. Then, he began to write at tremendous speed.

  The technique of subdivision. The internal refinement technique. Psychotropic drugs. Life Sketches…… Some of this crucial knowledge were familiar and came fluidly. Others only existed as concepts. However, they referred to each other in an overall system, and Luo Nan unconsciously formed a fuzzy, yet grand network. Everything was covered. Everything was explained.

  The insights came like lightning, while his writing speed was far too slow.

  Luo Nan’s legs shook with anticipation. The writing beneath his pen was done meticulously and neatly in the beginning, but in the end, it became slovenly and without form. Many thoughts simply became simple symbols in substitution. Some were even the sketches of emotions at will.

  In this way, Luo Nan soon filled up three complete pages with his pen. He wrote until his brain was suddenly empty, and the tip of the pen could no longer drop to the page. This burst of inspiration came to a grinding halt.

  Perhaps, he could only remember half of it…… no, a third!

  Sweat seeped from Luo Nan’s palms, back, and forehead. He didn’t care. He just flipped through the few pages within his notebook from front to back while reading. Some of the writings were far too illegible, but he tried to recall and decipher some of the abstractions, and he attempted to supplement them anew.

  It was a race between himself and time, himself and his memories. It was also a competition between himself and his most mysterious and unfathomable inspiration. He flipped through page after page like this, annotating, supplementing. Soon, he filled up seven more pages. This was more than what he had written down during his inspiration.

  Then he flipped through the pages a third time. This time, the pressure was much less. He looked over the ten pages that were completely packed with words, feeling more relaxed as he got closer to the end.

  Excellent, the compensation was much more timely. Over half of his thoughts still remained as traces. Some were even quite full and accurate.

  Luo Nan’s wristband vibrated, and Luo Nan completely ignored it at first. But then Driver Qin coughed to alert him, and only then did Luo Nan glance at the caller ID. Luo Nan’s scalp went tense.

  “Aunt?" gasped Luo Nan.

  "Where are you? Do you know what time is it? Why aren’t you home!" Mrs. Luo Shuqing’s tone was filled with repressed emotions, the pressure underlying everything. She was probably very angry.

  "I’m……" Luo Nan’s mind went blank. Right, where was he?

  He turned his head to look at Driver Qin. Driver Qin turned on the headlights of the car, indicating to Luo Nan to watch the signs up ahead. Luo Nan saw a road sign and immediately recited its words, "I’m at Rongxing Road. Cough, it’s outside the community. I’ll be there soon."

  Luo Nan was only able to confirm the time at this moment. He had been fine without knowing it, but his cheeks spasmed when he saw the time. 23:47. It was practically midnight.

  And at the same time, Luo Nan confirmed that the security vehicle he was riding had already stopped outside the community. He didn’t know how long it had been since they stopped. In the driver seat, Driver Qin sat upright quietly, maintaining his silence until now. This was his usual style.

  Luo Nan had to express his thanks. Otherwise, his recollection of his insights would have been interrupted, making it impossible for him to fill ten pages with inspired writings.

  "Much thanks, Brother Qin." Luo Nan revealed his awkward and clumsy tongue once more. He came to a screeching halt, not knowing what else to say.

  Driver Qin chuckled and did something rare for him. He spoke, "Cultivating. I never had the time for it, especially when I first learn a new move…… When I started learning martial arts, when I just learned some skills from my teacher, I would tweak my ears and scratch my cheeks in impatience, itching to master the skills the next day. And when I discovered my special ability…… well, that’s something that doesn’t need saying."

  Driver Qin was good at understanding others, and Luo Nan’s emotions of awkwardness were substantially alleviated. Luo Nan was in no rush to go back home, now that they were right at the entrance to the community. There was his current mental state, and he also held the boxes of drugs. There was an eighty percent chance that these items would be confiscated on the spot if he were to take them home.

  Luo Nan slowly adjusted his breathing, calming his mood. He easily asked about Driver Qin’s circumstances in what could be considered idle chatter, "Brother Qin is a martial artist as well. Are you dual cultivating in martial arts and in your special ability?"

  Driver Qin gave a subtle nod. "I was learning martial arts at the Luhe Gym when I inexplicably awakened to my ability. Then my martial arts became less and less pure. This made my master very angry."

  He had spoken modestly, but Luo Nan felt veneration for him. "The Luhe Gym. So Brother Qin is under Mr. Giant Arm."

  Mr. Giant Arm was an exceptional man with a pair of thick muscular arms. Luo Nan had an utterly deep impression of the man. The power of Giant Arm’s pure fleshy body could penetrate steel, the strength of his fists absolute. It was quite inconceivable. Luo Nan only came to find out later that Mr. Giant Arm was a powerful man ranked in the top ten of Xia City in terms of strength with the fleshly body. He was outstanding with the level of B-rank.

  Driver Qin quite revered Giant Arm as well. "Mister has purely tempered the fleshly body. His arts are the purest of the pure. I not only have been distracted by my special ability, my temperament is also a bit too gentle. I’m not quite suited for Mister’s punching techniques. I have only learned some superficial knowledge.”


  "Your special ability and your martial arts can’t push each other to higher heights?"

  Driver Qin chuckled, "My special ability is far too slanted for defense. Mister’s punching techniques pay particular attention to explosiveness. There are uncompromisable aspects for both sides in the end……"

  Luo Nan gave a grunt in response and subconsciously studied Driver Qin. But he forgot that his mind today was quite stimulated. His soul strength was also quite lively. He subconsciously observed him with clairvoyance.

  In an instant, Driver Qin’s body seemed to dematerialize, while a simple set of stars were arranged within. The stars were connected to each, forming a special image.

  This was a Life Sketch…… Oh, there was more!