I Can Merge Techniques-Chapter 53 - 52: "Running Technique" Perfection, Swift as a Gale

Chapter 53: Chapter 52: "Running Technique" Perfection, Swift as a Gale

As everyone watched, Chu Fan began to run faster and faster.

[Skill: Running Technique (Great Success) Progress (799/800)]

’I’m about to break through!’ Chu Fan picked up his pace, shooting forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

[Skill: Running Technique (Perfection) Progress (0/1500)]

The moment his Running Technique broke through to the Perfection realm, he finally slowed from a sprint to a walk.

He hung his head, looking somewhat tired, but the corners of his mouth were turned up in a barely perceptible smile.

His Running Technique breaking through to the Perfection realm raised his speed and Body Technique by a whole level. The improvement was far greater than when he went from the Small Success to the Great Success realm!

After taking a moment to feel the changes from his Running Technique’s breakthrough, Chu Fan suddenly broke into a run again!

WHOOSH!

The cold wind cut at his face like a knife.

He charged past like a leopard, kicking up a cloud of white snow!

In just a few moments, his top speed had become more than double what it was before!

Chu Fan leaped into the air...

BOOM!

Snow and dirt flew everywhere from where he pushed off!

He had already traced a graceful arc through the air, landing steadily over thirty feet away!

At this speed, not even a Blood Refining Realm expert could keep up!

Five days to bring his Running Technique to the Perfection realm, and it had raised his speed to such a degree!

Chu Fan was ecstatic.

This kind of cultivation and improvement intoxicated him.

He had originally planned to go out and buy medicinal herbs yesterday, but once he started cultivating, he simply couldn’t stop—

It didn’t matter if he was practicing the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber, cultivating his Blood Refining, or training his Running Technique. As he watched his hard work pay off and his Experience Points steadily climb, Chu Fan became completely immersed, unable to tear himself away.

Although his Running Technique had reached the Perfection realm, there was still immense room for improvement.

The progress bar for the Perfection realm alone required 1500 points.

After reaching 1500 points, he could even use the Map of Mountains and Rivers to Break the Limit!

Chu Fan was filled with anticipation.

He wiped away his sweat and walked into the dining hall.

In a corner of the dining hall, Zhao Tianxing waved at Chu Fan.

Chu Fan got his food, bought a roasted chicken, and walked over to sit opposite Zhao Tianxing.

Zhao Tianxing couldn’t help but ask, "Old Chu, you’ve been a bit strange lately... Why do you run around the Martial Arts Arena every day? Instructor Cao never taught this kind of cultivation method."

"Sprinting isn’t very useful for enhancing your qi and blood, and its effect on strengthening your muscles and bones is extremely limited. So why are you...?"

Nearby, Li Qingxue slowed down her eating and quietly perked up her ears.

She wasn’t one to eavesdrop, but she was curious why Chu Fan would do something so strange, especially since he was being taught by her uncle.

Chu Fan just smiled and said, "If I practice sprinting, I’ll be able to run faster."

Zhao Tianxing rolled his eyes. "What’s the use of being a tiny bit faster?"

Chu Fan said calmly, "As long as I run fast enough, sadness can’t catch up with me."

...Li Qingxue and Zhao Tianxing were both stunned.

They just felt that this guy, Chu Fan, was always doing and saying crazy things.

But if you thought about his words carefully, they always seemed to carry a special meaning, one that could draw you in.

...

On the other side, the three who chopped firewood in the same courtyard as Chu Fan stared at the roasted chicken in front of him and gulped hard.

"Brother," one of them said to his companion, "are we really going to muddle through our whole lives like this?"

"I think I’m pretty talented, and you’re outstanding too."

"How come Chu Fan gets Instructor Cao’s favor and gets to eat roasted chicken every day, while we can only gnaw on pickled vegetables here?"

"What are we missing?"

The other person nodded without a word.

The short, chubby youth said without raising his head, "Self-awareness."

...The two of them glared at him.

The short, chubby youth, however, pretended not to notice. He carried a plate of assorted mushrooms over and sat down next to Zhao Tianxing.

Zhao Tianxing’s anger flared the moment he saw him approach.

This damned fatty was always coming over to mooch chicken legs. Once or twice was fine, but every day? This was intolerable!

But the short, chubby youth put on a fawning smile and said, "Tianxing, Fan, try my mushrooms! They smell delicious!"

Zhao Tianxing sniffed instinctively. They really did smell delicious.

It was a plate of assorted mushrooms. Even though they weren’t stir-fried with meat, the savory aroma was still enough to make one’s mouth water.

The roasted chicken on their plates was fragrant, of course, but after eating it for several days straight, they were getting a little tired of it.

Zhao Tianxing slurped, sucking back the drool that was about to fall, and reached out to pull the short, chubby youth’s plate of mushrooms in front of himself.

Seeing this, the short, chubby youth beamed.

"I’ll have a taste!" Zhao Tianxing picked up a large piece of a mushroom and was about to put it in his mouth.

"Hold on," Chu Fan called out, asking in confusion, "Where did you get these mushrooms? I’ve never seen them in the dining hall."

Zhao Tianxing also looked at the short, chubby youth.

The youth said, "They’re not from the dining hall. I went out of the city to pick them myself and had the cook stir-fry them."

...Zhao Tianxing’s eyes widened. "You picked them yourself?" he said, displeased. "What if they’re poisonous!"

"Relax!" The short, chubby youth waved his hand. "I’m quite the mushroom-picking expert! Besides, I already ate a bunch just now. See? I’m fine, aren’t I?"

Zhao Tianxing breathed a sigh of relief. Chu Fan also put some of the mushrooms on his plate, preparing to eat.

But just then, the short, chubby youth added, "Growing up, I’ve eaten countless types of mushrooms and been poisoned over a dozen times. Who could be more experienced than me?"

...Chu Fan’s and Zhao Tianxing’s faces instantly darkened. They put the mushrooms they had raised to their lips back on their plates.

Zhao Tianxing tore off a chicken leg, put it on the plate of mushrooms, and then pushed the plate over to the short, chubby youth.

"Tianxing, you..." The short, chubby youth was a little embarrassed when he saw that the two of them didn’t dare to eat.

He was about to say something more when his expression suddenly changed, and he started foaming at the mouth!

!!!

Before they could react, the short, chubby youth’s body stiffened, his face rapidly turned black, and he fell to the ground with a THUD.

The once short and chubby kid had become a short and black one.

Everyone in the dining hall was startled.

Li Qingxue reacted with incredible speed. She bent down, held the youth’s head to examine him, quickly glanced at the mushrooms on the table, then pulled an ink-black Elixir Pill from a pouch at her waist and stuffed it into his mouth.

Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing watched from the side as the short, chubby youth began to convulse violently, foaming more and more at the mouth.

And then—

BLECH!

He violently turned his head and threw up everything.

And yet, his complexion rapidly changed from black back to a healthy pink!

"Got me... again..." he said weakly while heaving. "Th... thank you, Senior Sister!"

Li Qingxue frowned slightly and said coolly, "If you eat poisonous mushrooms again, there won’t be anyone around to save you."

"It was just a coincidence that I had a few Antitoxic Pills on me."

"This Fatty is really something else," Chu Fan said, speechless. "Poisoned over a dozen times and he still hasn’t died. And this time, Senior Sister happened to be here to save him."

The youth struggled to say, "Don’t... don’t keep calling me Fatty... I..."

He hadn’t even finished his sentence when Chu Fan turned and left.

"Hey..." the youth said, annoyed. "How rude! I wasn’t finished talking!"

Li Qingxue shook her head and also turned to leave.

The crowd that had gathered to watch the excitement also began to disperse.

...

Chu Fan walked out of the Seven Stars Gang Sub-Branch and headed for the apothecary.

He had nearly a hundred taels of silver on him, enough to buy six portions of medicinal ingredients.

’Today, I’ll buy three portions first. I’ll take a medicinal bath tonight and see how it goes.’

’Then, late at night, I’ll swing by the Huang Family estate to see if Huang Yu is back.’

’If he still hasn’t returned...’

’Then I’ll have to find a way to stir up some trouble and lure him out!’