As long as Qu Tong kept a close watch on Ma Xianhong, a crucial pawn in their hands, it was certain that this woman would also know about him acquiring Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements.
This was the risk involved in obtaining Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements, which appeared to be the easiest of the Eight Unique Skills to acquire.
Qingshui felt the risk was worth taking.
However, given the current situation, if he truly revealed some of the secrets hidden within the Body Cultivation Furnace, it wouldn't just be a risk of being targeted by Qu Tong; he would definitely clash with this mysterious woman!
Their strength and influence were not to be underestimated.
Even among the Eight Unique Skills, the abilities of Dual Hand were incredibly strange and hard to guard against. Qu Tong controlled the Yao Xing Society, a major Anomalous Human organization, and could readily summon a powerful group of subordinates using Dual Hand. Among them were experts like Chai Yan, a master of Chai School Hard Qigong, and Wang Guoping, another successor of Six Storage Immortal Thief.
While he wasn't necessarily afraid of this woman, he was still just starting out and had a lot of room for growth. There was no need to confront her now.
Because there was nothing to gain.
He could trick Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements out of Ma Xianhong, but he couldn't obtain Dual Hand from the flesh and blood that originated from Qu Tong.
And without Dual Hand, he couldn't recreate another Body Cultivation Furnace.
What was the point?
He wasn't so bored as to intentionally make enemies.
If he truly wanted to cause trouble, it would be a wiser choice to wait until he could sweep through the Anomalous Human world or had accumulated enough power and influence.
...
Half a month later.
*CRACK!*
A thick arm detached from Platinum and flew towards Qingshui, automatically attaching itself to his hand.
Compared to before, Qingshui didn't use Chakra Threads this time.
Because this entire arm had undergone Materialization and been transformed into a Magic Tool, with profound Sealing Runes carved onto it, enhancing the arm's Qi capacity.
The quality and volume of this arm segment were incomparable to the previous flying needle. For other Artificers, even if they possessed a top-tier refining method like Divine Mechanisms of the Mohist Sect, it would likely take six or seven years to complete Materialization.
With Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements, the efficiency was several hundred times greater than other Artificers. These steps were completed in just over ten days, reaching the final Magic Tool forging stage. After all, while Materialization was the most important and time-consuming phase in forging Magic Tools, it wasn't the entirety of the process. There were still other steps needed to transform a materialized object into a Magic Tool.
"As expected, directly driving a Magic Tool with Qi is more flexible and convenient than Chakra Threads, and its power ceiling has also significantly increased."
Qingshui gripped the Magic Tool gauntlet, clenched his fist, and nodded in satisfaction, feeling the abundant Qi within it.
If he weren't worried about making too much noise late at night, he would truly want to find a place to test its power right now.
Should he go out and find a desolate area to try it?
It was only 2016 now. Accidentally breaking a few trees in the mountains shouldn't be illegal, right?
Just as Qingshui was about to act, he suddenly looked up with a heightened sense of alertness, quickly donning the entire Platinum battlesuit.
Someone was heading towards his location in the middle of the night.
And he had never seen this person before in Biyou Village.
They might have just arrived today, but it certainly shouldn't be in the dead of night, and stealthily at that.
It was a man dressed simply, with a lean and short stature.
This face... I don't recognize it, but it looks very crude. It feels unnatural to me, like a disguise molded from someone else's face and then simply altered.
Using Transparent World to conceal his presence, Qingshui's heart sank as he looked at the strange man outside.
As a ninja, Qingshui was all too familiar with disguises and transformations.
Most of the time, ninjas would use Transformation Jutsu for disguise, but in most cases, a normal ninja's Transformation Jutsu couldn't fool the Sharingan or Byakugan of Konoha, nor could it easily deceive experienced sensory ninjas.
Therefore, some ninjas still practiced the art of disguise and makeup from before Transformation Jutsu was invented.
Moreover, Qingshui was a top-tier Medical Ninja with excellent Medical Ninjutsu skills, so he could see the unnatural alterations on a person's face even more clearly.
And in the world of Hitori no Shita, besides Qu Tong, who fully mastered Dual Hand, who else possessed such abilities?
It seems I've been targeted after all.
That's right, I was too naive earlier.
Just mastering Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements, which only a few could learn, was already tempting enough, not to mention the valuable techniques he displayed earlier to gain Ma Xianhong's trust.
With the Yao Xing Society's intelligence capabilities, it would be easy to investigate his identity.
Qu Tong must also know that Qingshui's current scientific achievements alone would be enough for him to easily reach the pinnacle of academia in the future, exert some influence in certain aspects of society, and undoubtedly become a top scientist, qualified to offer suggestions to the highest levels of the country in many fields.
Coupled with his identity as a disciple and grand-disciple of the contemporary Mohist Grand Master, a core direct descendant of the Mohist Sect, it certainly made sense for him to be controlled...
He just didn't know why Qu Tong would choose to act at this time.
While Dual Hand's ability to modify people's souls and spirits was heaven-defying, it was easier to do when the target was in a low mood or had a vulnerability in their mind.
Why would Qu Tong dare to directly attack him?
Did they have something to rely on, or did they simply underestimate his strength?
That's right, since arriving in this world, he hadn't made a move yet.
With Qu Tong's abilities, it should be easy to find out that he had only become an Anomalous Human a few months ago.
Normally, even if he possessed a few Mohist Sect Magic Tools, his strength wouldn't be much greater, and his mental fortitude might only be slightly stronger than that of an ordinary person.
After all, going from weak to strong takes time; it requires building a foundation.
"His aura is hidden, likely due to a spell or a Magic Tool he's carrying. I didn't even notice him until he was right on top of me, so his methods must be sophisticated.
His Qi is incredibly strong and active. While not yet comparable to my Grand Master, the Grand Master of the Mohist Sect, it's very close to some of the middle-aged and older experts in our sect who have reached the Will of Heaven realm. This guy is either Qu Tong themselves, or one of Qu Tong's more powerful older subordinates."
Qingshui's eyes flickered, a hint of excitement in his expression as he watched a figure outside the courtyard nimbly leap over the wall. He clenched his fists.
This guy doesn't seem weak. Perfect for testing the power of his Magic Tools!
Strike first to gain the advantage!
The next second, the brick wall exploded.
A silver-white metal arm, engraved with Sealing Jutsu runes, flew out. Before the newcomer could even react, it smashed heavily into them.
*"Bang!"*
The ground cracked, and two long, deep furrows were ploughed by a pair of feet wearing old-fashioned grey cloth shoes.
"What an amazing Puppet. With just one punch, even an old man like me feels my blood and Qi vibrating, my internal organs shifting."
The newcomer glanced at the large hole in their clothes and the faint marks on their skin, looking at Qingshui with considerable shock.
"Your Hard Qigong is also incredibly powerful. In the current Anomalous Human world, there can't be many with such Hard Qigong. Na Ruhuo of the Ten Elders, Ding Daoan of Quansheng? You certainly aren't them; those two powerhouses have far more ability than this. If they were here, I definitely couldn't beat them.
Huang Ninger of the Truth-Seeking Society? Doesn't seem like it either. Their strength can also reach the Ten Elders' level, and you're not quite there yet. So, your identity must be very clear, wouldn't you agree? Senior Chai Yan, your Transformation Jutsu is truly masterful."
The tall Platinum Puppet emerged from the rubble. Qingshui offered a slight smile, looking down at the approaching figure.
Having his identity revealed, Chai Yan paused almost imperceptibly.
In truth, there was no need for such complex guessing.
With such formidable Hard Qigong and a connection to Qu Tong, who else could it be but Chai Yan?
This individual's strength seemed just right to be his opponent.
Among the middle-aged and older experts, Chai Yan isn't considered exceptionally outstanding. He can't reach the level of the Ten Elders; his potential is limited by his talent. But that's when compared to old monsters like Lu Jin and Lu Ci, who are over a hundred years old, or middle-generation monsters like Na Ruhuo and Ding Daoan, whose strength transcends age.
His strength is not weak.
In the original story, this old fellow single-handedly withstood Zhang Chulan, who had unleashed Qi Body Origin, and Lu Lin, who had activated Reverse Life Second Stage—two top young experts—plus Feng Baobao, a Temporary Worker, and remained completely unscathed.
If it weren't for him seeing that Zhang Chulan possessed an ability similar to Divine Spirit, and knowing he lacked sufficiently powerful offensive means to defeat Zhang Chulan, leading him to kill his companions and himself under the influence of Dual Hand, then Zhang Chulan and the other two really would have been stopped.
From this, one can roughly gauge Chai Yan's level.
He's stronger than the top young experts and Temporary Workers, but not to the point of overwhelming them.
If we were to make a horizontal comparison, he's similar to Yuan Tao. The latter, when fighting a top young expert like Zhang Lingyu one-on-one, can suppress them and would definitely win given enough time, but cannot achieve a quick victory, and might even be entangled by Zhang Lingyu for a long time.
If one or two more opponents of that caliber were to appear, then the outcome would be hard to predict.
"There are many people skilled in Hard Qigong. How can you be so certain I'm Chai Yan?"
Chai Yan tore off his clothes, revealing a muscular physique, and sneered at Qingshui with a roughly altered face.
Of course, because I know your connection to Qu Tong!
"Of course there are many. But among them, those stronger than you don't need to hide. As for the rest, who lack renown, they probably don't have your level of skill."
Qingshui casually spouted nonsense as an explanation, while urging the Platinum Puppet to bear down on Chai Yan.
One punch, another punch, and another!
This arm, transformed into a Magic Tool, contained immense power.
Chai Yan's Hard Qigong was indeed formidable. Thanks to the defense of his external skin and muscles, there were no major external injuries on his body. However, the strength of his internal organs was far different from his outer body.
Even though his internal organs had undergone some strengthening and tempering, they still inevitably suffered internal injuries in the face of such tremendous force.
Chai Yan wanted to dodge, attempting to attack from other directions.
But the Platinum Puppet's strength wasn't limited to just one arm.
An A+ ranked Puppet, under the control of a Puppet Master of Qingshui's caliber, had no weaknesses. Its agility and speed were even greater than Chai Yan's.
Even the arm that hadn't been enhanced into a Magic Tool already possessed the strength to contend with a Hard Qigong master of Chai Yan's level.
Let alone the Magic Tool arm!
An all-encompassing numerical advantage!
*"Pfft!"*
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Chai Yan's eyes bulged, clearly having sustained significant internal injuries.
"This Magic Tool of yours… it seems the Mohist Sect truly values you. But any power requires energy to operate. With your limited Qi, how long can you sustain it?"
Chai Yan rolled clumsily, avoiding the Magic Tool arm's punch, and took the opportunity to wipe his mouth.
Stay steady!
As long as I hold out, I can win!
Ma Xianhong has been diverted. With only these Anomalous Humans from Biyou Village, whose strength isn't particularly outstanding, even if this Mohist Sect brat can call for reinforcements, I can still capture him alive with my incredibly tough body that even bullets can't penetrate!
The advantage is mine!
"You can try."
Qingshui scoffed.
Without an Arc Reactor, relying solely on his current Qi, he truly risked being exhausted by Chai Yan's body, hardened through Chai School Hard Qigong, which was far tougher than steel.
But fortunately, he had prepared for this.
As soon as he acquired the Divine Mechanisms of the Mohist Sect, Qingshui considered combining Sealing Jutsu with the Divine Mechanism Art.
By now, he had achieved some success.
The sealing runes, carved like patterns onto the surface of the Magic Tool arm, could store Qi or Chakra, improving the Magic Tool's output efficiency to some extent and constantly nurturing it.
At the current stage, the most important thing was the Qi stored in the seals, which could greatly enhance his current endurance, preventing him from becoming exhausted after just a few uses of the Magic Tool.
At least, beating Chai Yan to death wouldn't be a problem!
"Professor Zhuo!"
"What's that commotion over there?!"
"Oh no, someone's attacking!"
"Quick, go help!"
Upon noticing the sounds of battle, villagers from Biyou Village rushed to grab the Magic Tools crafted by Chou Rang and Ma Xianhong, surrounding Qingshui's location.
However, Qingshui didn't give them a chance to interfere.
The scene was too violent.
*Boom!*
A punch powerful enough to shatter mountains and crack rocks slammed Chai Yan into the ground.
The old man's internal organs were severely damaged, and he also had a concussion; his breathing was faint.
"Impressive. I heard that masters of Hard Qigong temper every part of their body to perfection. I truly can't find a weak spot on you."
Qingshui casually lifted the nearly unconscious Chai Yan and looked at the approaching crowd.
Fu Rong, who had rushed over with a fruit knife; Chou Rang, holding a gilded Ruyi scepter; Zhao Guizhen, stroking his beard and examining the Platinum armor.
Bi Yuan, Harichagai, Zhang Kun, Ding Zihuan, Guo Liang...
They formed a large circle around him.
"Where's Old Ma?"
"The village chief had an urgent matter and left in the evening."
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