Shackles of Humanity

Luo Kai rose early the next morning. He now had profound control over his sleep; by simply lowering his heart rate, he could fall asleep in an instant. An hour or two of this sleep was enough to guarantee he would be full of energy all day. Not only that, but this deep sleep also accelerated the recovery of his Spiritual Power.

After washing up, he practiced the Soft Body Technique in his room to limber up. He was beginning to appreciate just how powerful the Soft Body Technique was. The Mighty Dragon Fist paled in comparison. The Soft Body Technique could transform his body from the inside out, whereas the Mighty Dragon Fist was merely a power-generation technique.

After a light warm-up, he sat cross-legged on his bed and turned his consciousness inward, continuing to explore the secrets of his Little Cosmos.

Inside his body, his various organs operated smoothly. Granny Hua’s medicinal baths had restored their vitality. A vast amount of Blood Qi was stored within them, which, once mobilized, could grant him astonishing Explosive Power. This was the greatest skill he had to rely on.

The reason he had been contemplating the secrets of his Little Cosmos these past few days was that he had a faint feeling his superhuman control over his body was most likely related to it. An unnatural ability like controlling the speed of his Qi and Blood Circulation and the operational efficiency of his various organs probably didn’t come from Body Techniques, but rather from the deepest level of his cells, possibly even involving genetic memory—that is, heredity.

Besides his own vital systems, there was also a faint cluster of Evil Energy in his chest, slowly revolving around his heart. It seemed that tiny wisps of Blood Qi were leaking from his heart and being absorbed by it.

Luo Kai was stunned for a moment. He hadn’t noticed this before. He sent his Spiritual Power into his bloodstream to study it in detail.

Blood is the body’s energy transport system. When a person consumes external energy, the body filters, digests, and absorbs it. The resulting Energy is then transported via the bloodstream to every part of the body to maintain cellular function at the deepest level. During this process, waste from dead cells is also carried to the internal organs and the surface of the skin to be expelled.

These wisps of Blood Qi came from dead cells. ’Does this mean that when cells die, they also produce Evil Energy?’

’The energies that exist in the outer Great Cosmos must also exist within my own Little Cosmos.’ Luo Kai’s expression grew excited. Just as he was preparing to investigate further, his heart suddenly began to race uncontrollably. The hair on his body stood on end as a feeling of extreme danger washed over him. Without a moment to think, he scrambled off the bed. In that instant, a searing-hot bullet grazed past his forehead, and the acrid, distinctive smell of gunpowder filled his nostrils.

This bullet was incredibly powerful. It pierced straight through the thick concrete wall behind him, and a few terrified screams echoed from the room next door.

Luo Kai stood by the window with a grim expression. On the rooftop of a distant building, a figure flickered and then vanished.

The power and speed of that shot far surpassed any ordinary firearm. Even with his keen senses, he had almost been hit. It was a shot from an extreme distance, at least two thousand meters by his estimate. He couldn’t sense the sniper’s presence in the slightest. The moment the shot missed, his opponent fled—clearly an experienced assassin. ’When did I make such a terrifying enemy?!’

He recalled the astronomical bounty he had heard about last night. ’Someone put a thirty-million-Star-Dollar price on my head. This sniper must be after that reward.’

With the Evil Energy in his chest diminishing, he had been feeling refreshed and invigorated lately. He was reluctant to kill, because doing so would inevitably cause him to absorb the Evil Energy of the dead.

Others might only absorb ten or twenty percent of a dead person’s Evil Energy, but he would absorb eighty or ninety percent. If it accumulated, he might relive his previous ordeal. The feeling of being controlled by Evil Energy at the Su Family estate had been utterly terrifying. If Big Beard hadn’t snapped him out of it, the consequences could have been irreversible.

He had tried to convert all the Evil Energy in his chest into Black Flame and expel it from his body, but the speed at which the Evil Energy circulated was dictated by his emotions. Only under extreme emotional states would the Evil Energy transform into Black Flame; under normal circumstances, it was impossible to use.

...

As the largest hotel in Jinlan Prefecture, the Jinlan Hotel naturally took responsibility for its guests’ safety. Soon, a large group of armed guards swarmed into the room. The head of security, who was a Martial Artist, asked Luo Kai a few questions before turning to stare at the small hole in the wall. His expression grew increasingly grim. He could tell how powerful the bullet had been; no ordinary firearm could have produced such an effect, even at close range, let alone from an extreme distance.

Liu Hou walked in, leading a few students. After a look at the scene, he immediately called Luo Kai aside.

"Xiaokai, do you know who you’ve offended?"

Luo Kai gave a wry smile. "If I knew who it was, I would have already taken care of the problem. I wouldn’t have let them send an assassin after me."

Liu Hou thought for a moment, his face dark. "Could it be one of your competitors in this tournament? You just got your Martial Artist status and an assassin immediately comes after you. It can’t be a coincidence!"

Luo Kai shook his head. "I don’t think so. There should be quite a few Martial Artists participating in this competition."

"Hmph. I’m afraid it’s some people who don’t want to see me win. My teacher and I have quite a few old rivals in Jinlan Prefecture!"

In the end, the hotel moved Luo Kai to a windowless room. All Luo Kai could do was remain on high alert and wait in the hotel for the competition to begin.

He had barely sat down when there was a knock on the door. After sensing who it was, he got up and opened it. Standing outside was an unremarkable-looking, middle-aged man. The moment the man saw him, he smiled broadly, extended a hand, and said, "You must be Mr. Luo. Luo Kai, right? I’m the Sun Mercenary Corps’ liaison for the Xingma Kingdom. My name is Zhou Zheng. Captain Hongyun sent me to find you."

Luo Kai shook his hand, a little confused. "Hello, please come in."

"It’s like this, Mr. Luo," Zhou Zheng began. "Captain Hongyun asked me to relay a message. She said someone has posted a thirty-million-Star-Dollar bounty on your life on the Hunter Guild’s dark web. Many Bounty Hunters who have been inactive for a long time are now heading to the Xingma Kingdom. She told me to tell you to be careful."

Luo Kai frowned slightly. "Does Hongyun know who it is?"

Zhou Zheng shook his head. "The Hunter Guild’s dark web never reveals the name of the client. Miss Hongyun doesn’t know either. She wanted me to stress that you must be extremely careful. If it comes to it, you should leave the Xingma Kingdom. She says she will guarantee your safety."

A warmth spread through Luo Kai’s heart as a charming, pretty face flashed through his mind. "Please thank Hongyun for me. I still have a few things to take care of in the Xingma Kingdom. I’ll go find them after I’m done."

"Okay. Also, Miss Hongyun has one more thing to trouble you with." Zhou Zheng took an envelope from his pocket and handed it over.

Luo Kai reached out and took it. The envelope was very thin, as if there was only one piece of paper inside. "What’s this?"

Zhou Zheng explained, "Inside is a check for ten million Star Dollars. It’s the payment Lord Yiven gave you all last time. Captain Gao thought the check was backed by the Xingma Kingdom’s treasury, so it would definitely be fine, but when he went to the bank to cash it, he found it couldn’t be redeemed at all."

Luo Kai was stunned for a moment. No wonder Yiven had been so quick to pay up at the time. "So you’re saying we’re dealing with a deadbeat."

Zhou Zheng sighed. "Yes, and that’s the problem. Yiven is a Great Lord. If he really decides to default on the payment, there’s not much we can do. We can’t exactly go to war over ten million."

"Hmm... So what are you proposing?"

"Miss Hongyun said to give you the check. If you can collect on it, it’s all yours. If not, then forget about it. She estimates Yiven will be stepping down soon anyway, and our Mercenary Corps will figure something out then."

Luo Kai had never cared much for money, but he felt he had to repay the favor of Hongyun giving him the Genetic Potion. He hadn’t really contributed much after joining the Mercenary Squad, and he couldn’t just take their things for free. He nodded. "Alright."