[Yin Yang Crab: On October 3rd, 2016 of the Xia Calendar, an angler caught a fist-sized Yin Yang Crab in their private fishpond. Its body was two colors, black and white. Experts stated this crab is an extremely rare chimera, the result of a genetic mutation under specific conditions.]
[Two-headed Shark: In the far west, marine researchers once discovered a two-headed shark. This severe deformity might be related to environmental pollution or genetic abnormalities. A call to protect the marine environment. No trade, no slaughter.]
[Blood-Colored Crow: At a chicken farm somewhere, a large number of chicks died. An investigation revealed the culprit to be a crow that was blood-red all over. Its call was clear, its body was two to three times the size of a normal crow—as big as a young rooster—and it was extremely ferocious.]
...
He scrolled through one news report after another.
In this world, there was no shortage of bizarre-looking Exotic Beasts.
New ones were discovered every so often.
Seeing this, his eyes lit up.
This undoubtedly represented a stable source of Modification Points for him in the future.
The only pity was,
although there was no shortage of Exotic Beasts,
they were still relatively rare compared to their ordinary counterparts.
Furthermore, the meat of most Exotic Beasts was firmer and more tender than their regular counterparts,
making them a favorite among some foodies.
This made them highly sought-after, and their prices were consistently high.
Therefore,
after these Exotic Beasts were discovered,
if they found the right buyer,
they could be sold for a handsome price—several, or even more than ten times, the price of their ordinary counterparts.
"What a waste!"
It pained Hu Qi to think about it.
'To him, these were all Modification Points.'
Afterward,
he checked his balance. In less than a month, he had already spent most of the thirty thousand he had.
Plus, he would need to buy any Exotic Beasts he came across in the future, which would be another huge expense.
So, the problem of making money was once again staring him in the face.
'Now that my Mixed Martial Arts has reached Perfection, I should be able to take the Federation's professional fighting certification exam. Making money will definitely be much easier after that.'
Hu Qi analyzed his current situation.
Afterward,
he logged onto the Xia Federation's largest forum site and short-video platform and posted a message stating he was looking to buy Exotic Beast Meat and information on Exotic Beast sightings long-term.
...
「In the training hall.」
Two agile figures were sparring fiercely inside. It was none other than Hu Qi and Song Jian.
At first glance, the two seemed evenly matched, making it difficult to tell who had the upper hand.
But in reality, Hu Qi was on the defensive most of the time and didn't initiate any attacks.
"BAM!"
In an instant,
Hu Qi cleverly deflected Song Jian's fierce attack, his arm lashing out like the wind. With his fingers pressed together, he slammed his palm into Song Jian's shoulder.
The two immediately separated.
Song Jian stumbled back a few steps and quickly reached up to rub his now-numb shoulder.
"You... you've gotten stronger again!"
Song Jian gasped for breath, the redness on his face from the pain gradually subsiding.
His eyes were filled with shock and uncertainty. He himself was quite talented, and he even had a personal nutritionist who carefully planned his meals to condition his body.
However, even so, he was still no match for Hu Qi.
Every time he thought he was about to catch up to Hu Qi, he would discover that the gap between them had somehow widened even further.
"Haha, just a little progress. Thanks for your business. QR code or cash this time?"
Hu Qi chuckled lightly.
In terms of pure skill, after his Mixed Martial Arts reached the Perfection realm, all the moves and techniques had been thoroughly integrated in his mind.
He could combine and use them at will, however he pleased.
Naturally, the Song Jian before him was no comparison.
'Even two Song Jians combined would be no match for him.'
Their frequent spars during this period had allowed him to completely grasp the extent of the other's strength.
It was roughly equivalent to the Minor Achievement level of Mixed Martial Arts. Compared to an ordinary person, this level was already considered outstanding.
But compared to him, the gap was enormous. In fact, if he had been serious, that last strike would have been enough to knock Song Jian down for the count.
However, Hu Qi wouldn't do that.
It wasn't that he was intentionally hiding his strength or trying to act cool.
It was simply because ever since losing to him last time, Song Jian had insisted on sparring with him every single day.
Once or twice was fine, but after so many times, Hu Qi naturally lost interest in fighting a "weakling" with such a huge disparity in strength.
But this Song Jian was truly a character.
Seeing Hu Qi's reluctance, he proposed a bet, unleashing his "superpower of money."
He would pay one thousand for a single match.
And whichever side lost would have to pay the other ten thousand.
Upon first hearing these incredibly sincere words, Hu Qi, a self-proclaimed pauper, was utterly stunned.
'It turns out this guy is actually a rich kid.'
He had just been worrying about money.
He had previously looked into the professional certification exam.
But due to the so-called procedures, he learned that he would have to wait at least a month after registering.
Furthermore, they had to wait for a certain number of applicants before a unified exam could be held.
If there weren't enough people, the exam date would be pushed back even further.
Just as Hu Qi was stressing about money, wondering if he should resort to some shady online loans to get by,
he never expected someone to deliver a pillow right when he was getting sleepy—someone had actually shown up to voluntarily hand him money.
Faced with this situation, he naturally didn't hesitate and agreed on the spot.
'This has nothing to do with money; after all, we're both students at the club, classmates of a sort.'
'I have to help him out with such a small matter.'
"QR code. By the way, are you still holding back? How come I'm always just a little bit short every time?"
Song Jian fell silent for a moment, but he still took out his phone and transferred ten thousand to Hu Qi.
"Not at all. That last move of yours almost got me. Just try a little harder, and you'll definitely beat me next time."
Seeing the payment notification, a gentle smile blossomed on Hu Qi's face.
Like a kind older brother, he patted the other's shoulder encouragingly, his tone incomparably sincere.
After spending the last few days together, and with Hu Qi's intentional efforts to befriend him, the two could be considered friends, sort of.
'Of course, even if we're friends, he still has to pay every last cent.'
"Forget it. I've already lost all my allowance for this month to you. We'll talk again next month."
Song Jian shook his head helplessly.
Hearing this, Hu Qi was momentarily speechless. In just a few days, he had fleeced this big sucker for eighty or ninety thousand.
'All that money was just his allowance for the month?'
'And that doesn't even include what he's already spent.'
'A rough estimate would put it at over a hundred thousand, at least.'
'Ah, the evils of capitalism!'
Just as Hu Qi was sighing about this internally,
a tall figure walked in through the doorway.
Chen Wu walked in, pinched out the burnt-down cigarette butt in his mouth, and casually tossed it into the cigarette butt collector by the door.
Seeing Chen Wu enter, everyone in the training hall stopped what they were doing.
They all shouted in unison, "Hello, Coach!"
Seeing this, Chen Wu nodded.
His gaze swept quickly around the room.
"Where are Lin Zhi and Chen Chang?"
"I saw them go to the restroom. They're probably still on the toilet."
Someone raised their hand and answered.
"Alright, then. Once everyone is here, I have something important to announce."
After speaking, Chen Wu said no more.
"Could it be... that?"
At that moment, Song Jian's expression grew solemn. He lowered his voice and said,
his tone laced with deep anticipation.