The next day, Zhang Ping woke up as usual, and under Liu Tiefeng's supervision, he continued practicing Doughsmithing Art.

No skill could be mastered without practice, unless one had the aid of a corresponding superpower. The only way to truly master a craft was through relentless practice, pushing the skill to a level comparable to superhuman abilities.

This wasn’t easy.

Zhang Ping realized that practicing Doughsmithing Art, particularly the kneading process, had many benefits. His hands became more sensitive to materials, and with each kneading movement, he had to engage his entire body, making the exercise as intense as doing push-ups.

It was a win-win situation—learning a skill while also building physical strength. Moreover, he could focus on controlling the fire element within his body during the kneading process. It was like hitting three birds with one stone.

Once the kneading practice was over, Zhang Ping moved on to learning how to differentiate various materials and understand their functions.

The material room on the third floor was filled with all sorts of strange materials—some were ores, others plants, but most were body parts from Mutated Beasts.

This time, Liu Tiefeng took out a material shaped like a dog's paw and said, "This material is taken from a Mutated Beast called the Carrion Hound. Mingzhu city practices cremation, so there are no Carrion Hounds here, but there are many villages outside the city that still follow the ancient tradition of burial. Those places might be home to Carrion Hounds."

"Outside Mingzhu city, there are villages?" Zhang Ping asked in surprise.

He had always thought Mingzhu city was a solitary city with no villages for miles.

"Of course. These villages are often isolated, backward, and xenophobic. Many even worship Mutated Beasts as deities. If you come across such a village in the wild, it’s best to avoid it. Don’t let them capture you and turn you into a slave or a sacrifice," Liu Tiefeng replied slowly, puffing on his cigarette.

Zhang Ping thought for a moment and said, "So, most people in those villages could be considered enemies?"

"Haha, they aren’t even human in our eyes. Adventurers often call them Barbarians. Sometimes, the biggest danger in the wild isn’t the Mutated Beasts, but these Barbarians. If you ever become an Adventurer, your seniors will tell you these things," Liu Tiefeng said with a hint of sarcasm.

There had been naive Awakeners in the past who tried to communicate with the Barbarians of these villages. The result was that they became sacrifices, and even their companions who tried to rescue them died at the Barbarians' hands.

The Barbarians had their own customs and ways of thinking, entirely different from the civilization in Mingzhu city. Outsiders were seen as nothing more than objects to them.

"Anyway, let's get back to the Carrion Hound," Liu Tiefeng said, tossing the paw to Zhang Ping. "Its claws have a unique 'earth suppression' property. This property cannot be smelted, so it must be ground into powder. When crafting weapons, pour the powder into the mold along with Fire Oil. This will create a weapon that has a certain suppressive effect on earth element energy."

Zhang Ping weighed the Carrion Hound's paw in his hand and asked, "Grandpa Liu, what’s the difference between a Carrion Hound and ordinary dogs?"

"The Carrion Hound’s fur is black, its eyes are red, and the most obvious feature is its human-like teeth. Once you see its teeth, you’ll know it's a Carrion Hound," Liu Tiefeng replied.

That was easy enough to identify.

Zhang Ping thought for a moment, and a photo from the internet popped into his mind—a dog wearing dentures. He almost laughed out loud.

Next, he closely examined the Carrion Hound's paw.

The paw was heavy. Though it was the size of an ordinary dog's paw, it weighed almost ten pounds and gave off a decaying smell.

"Come over here. This is the grinding tool. Let me show you how to use it," Liu Tiefeng said as he walked over to a green machine.

"Yes!" Zhang Ping nodded and walked over with the Carrion Hound’s paw.

The entire morning was spent learning.

Compared to what he had learned at school, Liu Tiefeng’s teachings were far more practical. Liu Tiefeng had a wealth of life experience and had once been part of the Investigation Unit. He knew a great deal about the monsters around Mingzhu city. Under his mentorship, Zhang Ping would avoid many mistakes in the future.

After lunch, while Liu Tiefeng napped, Zhang Ping sat by the stove practicing his Fire Eater ability.

At the moment, he could only wrap the flames around his hands.

If he tried to wrap the fire around other parts of his body, his clothes would be burned off first. He didn’t have full control over the flames yet, and despite constant practice, he could only focus the fire element in one area at a time.

The result was a fireball in the shape of a palm, which could be used both as an attack and a shield.

He named this technique "Flame Palm."

In addition to Flame Palm, he also explored several other ways to use the fire element.

For example, he could create a burst of flames from his feet or shoot flames from his back. But the former would burn his shoes, and the latter would damage his clothes, so these moves couldn’t be used recklessly.

Last night, he had been upset when his shoe sole was burned through.

But when things got serious, he would definitely use whatever technique was necessary, though he preferred to avoid them unless absolutely needed.

In fact, the foot burst and back flame weren’t particularly complex techniques.

Zhang Ping only needed a little thought to figure them out. The real challenge was his next technique—Flame Blade.

Flame Blade was simple to execute. He released fire element energy in three spots along one side of his palm, and by increasing the output, two of the flames would pressure the middle flame, making it sharper.

This way, when he slashed at the enemy with his palm, it would produce a powerful attack.

"Excuse me, how much is this knife?"

A faint voice interrupted him.

A customer?

Zhang Ping turned around in surprise and saw a thin, slightly feminine-looking boy nervously staring at him.

He got up, walked over to the knife the boy was interested in, and replied, "This knife is not for sale. The knives with prices are the ones for sale."

The boy had his eyes on the Pearl Blade, which Qiu Qiang had casually made earlier and left unused. If the boy hadn’t asked, Zhang Ping would have forgotten about it for a while.

"Those knives are too expensive," the boy said apologetically.

Zhang Ping sighed. "I’m just an apprentice helping out at the shop. Sorry, I can’t make that decision."

"Alright, thanks anyway," the boy murmured and turned to leave.

Zhang Ping watched him go, curious. "What grade are you in? I don’t think I’ve seen you before."

Mingzhu city only had one school, and Zhang Ping could remember most students his age, but he had no recollection of this boy.

"Ah? I never went to school. I’ve been learning at a martial arts school run by my family," the boy explained, caught off guard.

Mingzhu city didn’t have compulsory education. Wealthy families would hire private tutors, and some families with strong parents would choose to teach their children themselves.

A martial arts school.

Zhang Ping silently took note of this. When he looked up, the boy had already left.

He returned to the stove, but his thoughts lingered on the martial arts school. Liu Sishan's organization might be powerful, but it certainly wasn’t as strong as a Mutated Beast. Perhaps he could seek additional support.

Anyone capable of running a dojo must be a strongman.

Zhang Ping decided to check out the martial arts schools in Mingzhu city tonight.

...

That night, Zhang Ping snuck out of Iron Soul through the window.

He hadn’t gone far when he saw Liu Sishan flash past an alley. He quickly followed, entering the alley and moving into the shadows.

"Something wrong?"

The two met in a dead-end alley. Zhang Ping whispered.

Suddenly, he felt his feet leave the ground, and in the next moment, he was dropped into a dark room. Liu Sishan landed gracefully from above.

"The organization has conducted a preliminary dissection of the Skyborn Fox and analyzed its abilities in detail. There’s one problem—when a Skyborn Fox attacks, others automatically rationalize it. If a Skyborn Fox attacks you, I need you to give me a signal. Otherwise, I might just see you talking with an ordinary person," Liu Sishan said, looking at Zhang Ping.

Zhang Ping nodded thoughtfully. "The signal can’t be something obvious like ‘help,’ or it’ll get distorted. Let me think..."

It was indeed a tricky problem.

When 'Luo Shiyu' devoured that girl, everyone thought the girl was lucky to share a meal with 'Luo Shiyu.' In their eyes, it was a harmonious and beautiful scene, but to Zhang Ping, it was nothing short of gruesome, brutal, and terrifying.

"The signal might not always work," Zhang Ping continued, "so let’s prepare a few backups. When I say ‘Breeze tight, scatter,’ or when I toss a coin into the air, it means I’m under attack. Whenever I encounter a Skyborn Fox, I’ll touch my left index finger to the ring on my right hand and point at the Skyborn Fox with that hand. Pay attention to my movements."

Liu Sishan didn’t think Zhang Ping was being overly cautious. Instead, she thought he wasn’t cautious enough. She took out a wooden ring and said, "This ring is a matching pair with the one I wear..."

"Wait, is it fireproof?" Zhang Ping interrupted.

Liu Sishan frowned. "No, it’s not. It was made by our logistics team using their abilities."

"Then it’s probably useless," Zhang Ping said with a wry smile. He raised his hand, and flames suddenly erupted from his palm.

Liu Sishan was stunned. "Your ability isn’t the Greed Gem?"

"This is one of the abilities of the Greed Gem."

Zhang Ping stopped releasing the fire element and didn’t elaborate further.

After all, his abilities would only continue to grow. There was no need to hide them, but there was also no need to reveal everything.

“It seems your ability is quite special, but that's your personal matter. Since you have this ability, it’s just right that I give you this.” Liu Sishan continued probing into Zhang Ping's abilities, taking out a jade token and handing it to him.

She explained the jade token: it was a pair, one called Cold Jade and the other Warm Jade. Cold Jade would transfer heat to Warm Jade upon contact with flames, while Warm Jade would absorb Cold Jade's coldness and become colder in response to low temperatures. Zhang Ping received the Cold Jade, and in case of danger, all he needed to do was cover it with fire, which would cause Liu Sishan's Warm Jade to heat up. That would signal her to rescue him immediately.

Once the plan was settled, they returned to the dead-end alley.

Zhang Ping stepped out first, but when he turned back to check, Liu Sishan was already gone.

He speculated that Liu Sishan might either manipulate water element energy to become invisible or possess an invisibility device. Unfortunately, his Identification Skill wasn't strong enough yet.

If only he could identify the equipment along with the target.

Exiting the alley, Zhang Ping continued his night stroll around the city, now feeling more confident knowing Liu Sishan was watching over him. With her protection, he felt bold enough to visit places he had once avoided.

Mingzhu city lacked a city planning department, so its layout was chaotic and complex. If buildings weren't too tall, they might fall prey to aerial Mutated Beasts. It was likely the city had many architectural wonders.

Half an hour later, Zhang Ping discovered a martial arts school.

The gym, named Beastlord Punch Gym, was spacious and impressive. Despite the late hour, the gym was brightly lit with many Adventurers coming and going. Zhang Ping guessed that most of the gym's clientele were Adventurers.

After considering it, he decided to walk in.

Inside, his Night Walker effect was diminished by the lighting.

“Welcome! How can I help you, young master?” a young woman in martial arts attire greeted him with a smile and handed him a pamphlet.

Zhang Ping took the pamphlet, which detailed the pricing structure.

- Basic Fist Techniques: 500 Mingzhu Coins.

- Beastlord Punch First Three Moves: 3000 Mingzhu Coins.

- Beastlord Punch Middle Three Moves: 3500 Mingzhu Coins.

- Beastlord Punch Last Three Moves: 5000 Mingzhu Coins.

- Beastlord Punch Secret Technique: 9999 Mingzhu Coins.

After seeing the prices, Zhang Ping knew that the Beastlord Punch was far beyond his reach.

He set the pamphlet down and asked, “Can I take a look inside?”

“Sorry, that’s not allowed. In the past, a copying-type Awakener came and stole techniques by observing, so the inner room where martial arts are taught is off-limits for visitors,” the woman explained with an apologetic smile.

Zhang Ping was confused. “But if someone really had copying abilities, they wouldn’t need to visit the gym—they could just watch the apprentices outside practicing the Beastlord Punch and learn it that way, right?”

“I don’t really know the answer to that, sorry. It’s just the gym’s rule,” she replied, a bit taken aback, before giving a wry smile.

Well, the rules were the rules.

Zhang Ping left the gym and continued his night exploration.

The Beastlord Punch Gym had helped him understand the purpose of martial arts schools. Even Adventurers had a need to learn new skills, especially those who relied on physical strength. Their battles depended on various fighting techniques and the proper use of weapons. These were things that, unless learned through direct experience in life-or-death situations, would be hard to master without multiple lives.

Thus, martial arts schools had found their niche and thrived.

Next, Zhang Ping continued gathering information on other gyms, visiting a few more expensive ones for investigation. Gym owners who could afford to run such businesses usually possessed their own martial arts skills. Some had even been powerful Awakener or renowned Adventurers before they opened their gyms.

Martial arts schools had strong cohesion. Apprentices and even former students who had advanced to Awakener status would naturally uphold the gym's reputation, and certain Adventurer groups would only accept Awakeners from the same gym.