I Contracted Myself

Zhang Ping weighed the Corpse-Eating Dog's paw in his hand and asked, "Grandpa Liu, what's the difference between a Corpse-Eating Dog and regular dogs?"

"The fur of a Corpse-Eating Dog is always black, its eyes are red, and the most distinctive feature is its human-like teeth. Once you see those teeth, you can be sure it's a Corpse-Eating Dog," Liu Tiefeng replied.

That makes it pretty easy to identify.

Zhang Ping thought for a moment, recalling a photo he had seen online of a dog accidentally wearing false teeth, and almost burst out laughing.

Next, he carefully examined the paw of the Corpse-Eating Dog.

The paw was heavy, about ten pounds despite being the size of a regular dog's paw, and it had a decaying smell.

"Come over here, this is the grinding tool, I'll show you how to use it," Liu Tiefeng said, walking over to a green machine.

"Yes, sir!"

Zhang Ping carried the paw over.

He spent the entire morning learning.

Compared to the knowledge he gained in school, what Liu Tiefeng taught was more practical. With his rich life experience, including his early years in the Investigation Team, Liu Tiefeng was well-versed in the monsters around Mingzhu City. His teachings could save Zhang Ping a lot of trouble in the future.

After lunch.

While Liu Tiefeng took a nap, Zhang Ping sat by the stove practicing his Fire Eater abilities.

Currently, he could only wrap the flames around his hands.

If he tried to wrap them elsewhere, his clothes would burn first.

He didn't have the ability to control the flames; even with constant practice, he could only concentrate the fire elemental energy in his body to a single point for output.

This would form a flame in the shape of a palm print, which could be used for both attack and defense.

He named this move Flame Palm.

Besides Flame Palm, he had come up with several other uses.

For instance, he could burst flames from his feet or shoot flames from his shoulder blades, but the former would destroy his shoes, and the latter would damage his clothes, making them impractical for casual use.

Last night, he had burned through the soles of his shoes and felt heartbroken for a while.

But in a life-or-death situation, he would definitely use these moves if necessary, though he preferred not to if he could avoid it.

In fact, bursting flames from his feet and shooting flames from his back didn't require much skill.

The real skill lay in another move, Flame Blade.

The technique for Flame Blade was simple: release fire elemental energy from three points on the side of his hand. When increasing the output, two of the flames would pressurize the middle one, forming a sharper flame.

This way, when he slashed at an enemy with his hand, it would have a powerful attack effect.

"Excuse me, how much is this knife?"

A weak voice came from behind him.

A customer?

Zhang Ping turned around in surprise and saw a slender, somewhat effeminate-looking boy timidly watching him.

He stood up, walked over to the boy, glanced at the knife he was asking about, and replied, "This knife is not for sale. Only the ones with price tags are for sale."

The knife the boy was interested in was a Mingzhu Blade that Qiu Qiang had casually forged and then set aside. If the boy hadn't asked, Zhang Ping might not have remembered it for a while.

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

Zhang Ping sighed, "I'm just an apprentice helping out in the shop. Sorry, I can't make decisions on this."

"Alright, sorry to bother you," the boy said dejectedly.

Zhang Ping looked at him curiously, "Which grade are you in? I don't think I've seen you before."

Mingzhu City had only one school, and Zhang Ping remembered most of the students around his age, but this boy wasn't one of them.

"Huh? I've never been to school. I've always studied at the martial arts school my family runs," the boy replied, startled.

Mingzhu City didn't have compulsory education. Wealthier families would hire private tutors, and some families, where the parents were strong, would teach their children themselves instead of sending them to school.

Martial arts school.

Zhang Ping made a mental note of it. As he looked up, the boy had already left.

He returned to the stove but kept thinking about the martial arts school. The organization behind Liu Sishan might be strong, but not as strong as a Mutated Beast King. Perhaps he could find additional support.

A martial arts school should have some strong individuals.

Zhang Ping decided to check out the martial arts schools in Mingzhu City during his night patrol.

...

At night.

Zhang Ping climbed out of the window of Iron Soul.

He hadn't gone far when he saw Liu Sishan flash past in a small alley. He immediately followed her into the alley, moving towards the shadows.

"What's up?"

They met in a dead-end alley, and Zhang Ping asked in a low voice.

The next moment, he felt the ground beneath him give way, and he found himself in a dark room. Liu Sishan also descended from above, landing steadily.

"The organization has begun a preliminary dissection of the Tianchang Fox and a detailed analysis of its abilities. There's a problem: when the Tianchang Fox attacks, others will automatically rationalize its behavior. If a Tianchang Fox attacks you, I need you to give me a signal. Otherwise, I might see it as you just talking to an ordinary person," Liu Sishan said, looking at Zhang Ping.

Zhang Ping nodded and then pondered, "The signal can't be something like 'help,' or it will definitely be distorted. Let me think..."

This was indeed a problem.

When 'Luo Shiyu' ate that girl, everyone else 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 bloody, cruel, and terrifying.

"A signal might not always work. Let's prepare a few backup plans. When I shout 'Wind's tight, let's go,' it means I'm under attack. If I take out a coin and toss it into the air, it also means I'm under attack. Whenever I encounter a Tianchang Fox, I'll use my left index finger to touch the ring on my right hand and point at the Tianchang Fox with the ring-wearing finger. Watch my movements closely," Zhang Ping said.

Liu Sishan didn't think Zhang Ping was being overly cautious; in fact, she thought he wasn't cautious enough. She took out a wooden ring and said, "This ring is part of a pair with the one I'm wearing..."

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

Liu Sishan frowned, "No, it's made by our support team using their abilities."

"Then it might not be useful," Zhang Ping said with a bitter smile, raising his hand as flames suddenly engulfed his palm.

Liu Sishan was stunned, "Isn't your ability the Greed Gem?"

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

Zhang Ping stopped releasing the fire elemental energy, not explaining further.

After all, his abilities would only increase over time. There was no need to hide them, but also no need to reveal everything.

"It seems your abilities are quite unique. But that's your business. Since you have this ability, I can give you this," Liu Sishan said, handing him a jade token.

She then explained that the jade token was also part of a pair, one called Cold Jade and the other Warm Jade.

Cold Jade would transfer heat to Warm Jade when exposed to flames, and Warm Jade would absorb Cold Jade's temperature when exposed to cold, making Cold Jade even colder.

Zhang Ping received the Cold Jade. If he encountered danger, he only needed to cover Cold Jade with flames, and the Warm Jade in Liu Sishan's possession would become scorching hot, signaling her to come to his aid immediately.

After finalizing their plan, they returned to the dead-end alley.

Zhang Ping left the alley first, looking back to find Liu Sishan already gone.

He guessed that Liu Sishan either had the ability to manipulate water elemental energy for invisibility or possessed an invisibility tool.

Unfortunately, his Appraisal Skill wasn't strong enough.

If only he could appraise the equipment his targets possessed as well.

Emerging from the alley, Zhang Ping continued his night patrol. With Liu Sishan secretly protecting him, he felt more confident exploring places he previously dared not go.

Mingzhu City didn't have a city planning department, so its structure was highly complex and chaotic. If not for the risk of attacks from flying Mutated Beasts, the city would likely have many architectural wonders.

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

The school occupied a large area and had a rather imposing name: Beast King Boxing School.

Even at night, the school was brightly lit, with many adventurers coming and going. Zhang Ping guessed that the school's clientele were mostly adventurers.

He thought for a moment and decided to enter the school.

Under the lights, his Night Walker effect was diminished.

"Welcome, is there anything I can help you with?" A young lady in martial arts attire approached with a flyer, smiling as she handed it to Zhang Ping.

Zhang Ping took the flyer, which detailed the pricing.

Basic Boxing Technique: 500 Mingzhu Currency.

First Three Forms of Beast King Boxing: 3000 Mingzhu Currency.

Middle Three Forms of Beast King Boxing: 3500 Mingzhu Currency.

Last Three Forms of Beast King Boxing: 5000 Mingzhu Currency.

Ultimate Technique of Beast King Boxing: 9999 Mingzhu Currency.

One look at the prices told Zhang Ping that Beast King Boxing was out of his reach.

He put down the flyer and asked, "Can I take a tour inside?"

"Sorry, that's not allowed. We've had cases of Copycat Awakeners stealing our techniques during tours, so the inner training rooms are off-limits," the young lady replied with a wry smile.

Zhang Ping was puzzled, "But the thing is... if someone really had copying abilities, they wouldn't need to enter the school. They could just watch your students practicing outside."

"I'm not sure about that. Sorry, but those are the school's rules," the young lady said, still smiling.

Alright.

Rules were rules.

Zhang Ping left the school and continued his night patrol.

From the Beast King Boxing School, he understood the purpose of martial arts schools.

Even adventurers needed to learn new skills, especially those who enhanced their physical bodies. Their combat required various fighting techniques and weapon skills.

These things were hard to master through life-and-death experiences alone. Without multiple lives, it would be difficult to achieve great success.

Thus, martial arts schools emerged, providing fertile ground for their existence.

Zhang Ping continued gathering information on martial arts schools, visiting several expensive ones.

The owners of these schools usually had a unique martial skill, and some were powerful Awakeners or renowned adventurers before opening their schools.

The schools themselves had strong cohesion.

The students and even graduated Awakeners would naturally protect the school's reputation, and some adventurer groups used the school as a bond, only accepting Awakeners from the same school.