The roar of the engine.
Headlights pierced the pitch-black night sky, entering the bustling Mo City and soon arriving at the entrance of Mo City University.
It is now 1 a.m., but the downtown area of Mo City is still lively with lights and revelry.
Following Bai Yan's instructions, Jinx brought him to a men's clothing boutique.
Bai Yan had experienced quite a bit tonight, yet he hadn't had a chance to change his clothes, which bore specks of blood and large stains of dirt from when he was beaten; he couldn't return to school in such attire, so he had to change.
Amid the astonished gazes of several Caucasian shop assistants, the glamorous blonde Jinx breezily purchased a dozen sets of costly menswear, all stylishly designed!
"My God! Is this Asian man a pretty boy?"
"Good heavens! It's Jinx! Out of the thirty-one participants from Mo City in the supermodel competition, only she claimed the title from this edition!"
"Why is she so nice to this little Eastern man? Could it be that between them..."
The shop assistants whispered amongst themselves, their expressions shocked, yet their eyes burning with the fierce flames of gossip.
Gossip knows no borders, and scandals are most pleasing to people.
Both Bai Yan and Jinx, being Abnormal People with sharp senses, naturally heard these ordinary people's whispers.
Jinx's pretty face blushed, her beautiful eyes turned soft, and her gaze filled with tenderness remained on Bai Yan.
Conversely, Bai Yan appeared very calm; amidst the many expensive suits purchased by Jinx, he chose the most common and cheapest: a white shirt and jeans, simple and convenient, fitting his student identity.
As for the other clothes, Bai Yan wanted to return them, but Jinx wouldn't allow it.
"Keep them. I'll store them at my place, so you can change into them whenever you come over."
Jinx held Bai Yan's hand, her beautiful eyes pleading.
She dared not call Bai Yan 'master' in front of others, so her words carried an indistinct tone of ambiguity, as if a beautiful goddess was coquettishly pleading with the man she loved.
Jinx felt that buying these ordinary clothes for her master was part of her duty as a Demon Servant.
Bai Yan nodded, not refusing.
"How enviable, this Eastern man is truly lucky."
"God! I also crave Jinx's mercy!"
"He's actually holding hands with Jinx! Oh, damn it! I want to hold Jinx's tender little hands too!"
The male shop assistants were all green with envy, looking like they had caught the red-eye.
The female shop assistants had long pulled out their phones, secretly taking pictures; Jinx was very famous in Mo City, rivaling ordinary celebrities in popularity.
Bai Yan hurried back to school, Jinx politely declined other people's requests for group photos, and quickly left with Bai Yan.
Next to a street near Mo City University, Bai Yan got out of the car, sent Jinx away, and walked towards the school.
On his way back to school, Bai Yan encountered a minor trouble.
Due to the loss of his student ID and temporary green card, he was supposed to be unable to return to school, but fortunately, Bai Yan had often engaged in work-study programs in the past, entering and leaving the school frequently, so the security guards recognized him.
Borrowing a phone from a security guard and making several calls to his advisor to confirm his identity, Bai Yan eventually managed to enter the school.
Back in the two-person dorm of the international students, his roommate, Chen Yudong, who was also an international student, was already sleeping like a log.
Thankfully, this guy didn't lock the door when sleeping, or else Bai Yan wouldn't even know how to get in.
Bai Yan tossed and turned on the dorm bed, unable to sleep, feeling very energetic.
Already possessing superhuman strength, Bai Yan found it difficult to measure himself by ordinary standards. Since he couldn't sleep, Bai Yan started to play with and study the Blood Cross.
Under the moonlight shining through the window, the Blood Cross looked even more crystalline, as if something was slowly flowing inside it.
The Blood Cross looked very mysterious, and Bai Yan guessed that he wouldn't be able to uncover its secrets anytime soon, so he reluctantly put away the treasure.
With the night dragging on, Bai Yan simply pulled out the "Martial Arts Nine Realms Secret Book" to flip through.
Because there were other people in this room, the environment was not safe enough for Bai Yan to attempt cultivating immediately to test the ancient book's effectiveness.
He could only suppress the impulses in his heart and began to intensely study the ancient book, utterly fascinated.
The "Martial Arts Nine Realms Secret Technique" originated from the Human World, recording a Martial Arts Heart Method that includes numerous Ancient Martial Techniques and Martial Arts Divine Skills.
Upon closer inspection, the ancient book was strikingly similar to the divine skills of immortals from the myths and legends of Bai Yan's motherland in the Orient, Hua Xia!
Though named Martial Arts, it's more akin to the exquisite techniques of immortals!
This ancient book details Heart Methods across nine major levels of cultivation: Wisdom, Solidify, Soul Condensation, Century, Divine Burning, Shattered Soul, Wuzhen, Nirvana, and Legendary Realm. Excluding Legendary Realm, each Realm is further divided into nine stages. Cultivating to the utmost limits, one could transform the body to traverse the universe, transcending ordinary beings, with divine powers comparable to ancient immortals!
The ancient book records various Ancient Martial Techniques, many of which are very familiar to Bai Yan, such as Eight Diagram Palm, Cloth Touching Eighteen Falls, Dragon Step, Tai Chi Boxing, and more. These Ancient Martial Techniques appear very concise and straightforward but each technique embodies endless variations.
The ancient book clearly states that any Ancient Martial Technique recorded therein is a genuine and authentic technique, without falsehood! Even a common technique, if cultivated to its peak, can make one a true Martial Arts Master on Earth.
Above the Ancient Martial Techniques in the ancient book, there are even more mysterious and profound Martial Arts Divine Powers!
Such as Divine Feet, which can travel thirty thousand miles in a day! Cloud Ascending Step, soaring through the clouds and across the sky! Dharma Image Fist, capable of smashing a kilometer-high mountain with a single punch!
Finally, the ancient book records that this "Martial Arts Nine Realms Secret Technique" is just a basic Martial Arts method of the Human World.
Above it, there are even more powerful Heart Methods and Divine Skills in various major Martial Arts, the most famous being the "True Emperor Treasure Scroll" cultivated by the masters of the Human World, which is touted as the supreme Martial Arts technique!
"Gosh, this thing is already so formidable, and there are even stronger Heart Methods out there? Am I reading a novel?"
Bai Yan gasped in astonishment, the various things recorded in the ancient book surpassing his imagination and greatly impacting his modern thinking!
The emergence of the System and the Abyss dimension had been shocking and memorable enough for Bai Yan, but this ancient book also gave him no less of a shock!
He could hardly stand it, really wanting to try cultivating...
Bai Yan gritted his teeth, as probably any person who got this ancient book wouldn't be able to resist the urge to cultivate thoroughly.
Naturally, Bai Yan was no exception.
Moreover, he now greatly needed something that could enhance human status and strength to help him balance the power disparity between his Demon and human identities.
If this ancient book is real, then that's the best!
Even if it's fake and harms Bai Yan's body, with the terrifying life force of his Demon identity, Bai Yan still wouldn't be in any danger to his life.
Bai Yan glanced at Chen Yudong who was still soundly asleep, hesitated briefly, then decisively got out of bed, left the room, and found an unoccupied laboratory in the university, where he locked the door.
Spreading out the ancient book, he sat cross-legged and, following the guide in the book, Bai Yan began his first cultivation session.
During the late night hours, unknown to anyone, a Hua Xia international student within Mo City University diligently practiced the mysterious Martial Arts Heart Method.
And unbeknownst to the Abnormal People forces of various countries, the Martial Arts Secret Technique they had desperately been searching for, lost in a major battle a month ago, had come to Mo City through various means and fallen into the hands of Bai Yan to be cultivated.
Of course, Bai Yan, diligently cultivating at this moment, also didn't know that something related to him was happening elsewhere in Mo City...