Chapter 39: An Excited Heart, Trembling Hands
No one knew how much time had passed.
Song Qi slowly awoke from that profound and mysterious state.
“Has the effect of the medicine ended already?”
He wiped his forehead, feeling that his skin had returned to normal—not flushed and slightly hot as before. His muscles were still in poor shape, a dull ache radiating through his body. Song Qi could already imagine that come morning, getting out of bed would be a struggle once again.
Without hesitation, he took a drop of the life elixir.
“I’m going to need it anyway—better to take it now and save myself some suffering.”
Smacking his lips, Song Qi turned to the changing room and took out his phone.
“The time is... it’s only 8:50 PM?”
“So early!”
“Barely three hours have passed?”
Song Qi was surprised—yesterday’s session had lasted a full five hours before it ended.
“It’s clear that meditating with three movements is far more effective than with just one.”
“And what about my stats?”
Beep.
He opened his status panel...
Name: Song Qi
Class: Summoner
Level: 14
Experience: 462,311 / 500,000
Strength: 9
Constitution: 25
Agility: 22
Spirit: 120
Unassigned Attribute Points: 14
...
Both Strength and Agility had increased by one point each. Constitution had risen by two. More importantly, his Spirit had surged from 80 to 120!
Another massive leap of forty points in Spirit!
“Yesterday’s Spirit increase was 42 points—so today it’s down by two, but that’s not much of a drop.”
“It’s within an acceptable range.”
“And if I’m not mistaken, it took me less than an hour from the start of training to entering meditation—at most, just a few minutes over.”
Song Qi tried to recall, but could only roughly estimate the time; there was no clock in the training room, so he had relied entirely on his sense of time.
“Regardless, this should count as a success.”
“I can answer to the Lord Mayor.”
Song Qi grinned to himself.
He’d underperformed yesterday, disappointing the Lord Mayor. But today, he should be able to satisfy him.
Just then...
Ding-dong!
The elevator chime sounded, and the Lord Mayor stepped out.
His eyes immediately fell on Song Qi, who was peeking out from the changing room.
“What’s going on? Why aren’t you still meditating?”
The Lord Mayor’s brows furrowed at once.
“Have you already given up at the first sign of difficulty?”
In his mind, if Song Qi entered meditation with the first movement, the medicine’s effect should last at least five hours.
Yet now, Song Qi was wandering about outside, looking perfectly normal.
Did this mean...
This kid hadn’t really been meditating at all?!
Good heavens, I went to all the trouble of snatching this medicine from the Four Great Clans for you, and this is how you waste it?
The Lord Mayor was nearly driven to laughter by his own exasperation.
He could accept if Song Qi’s talent was somewhat lacking.
But he could not accept having his painstaking efforts squandered by a careless layabout.
His eyes narrowed slightly...
He resolved to teach Song Qi a lesson he would never forget.
Boom!!!
A terrifying aura erupted from his body, and boundless black mist flooded the entire floor!
Compared to their first encounter, this time the display was far more formidable!
But just as he was about to act, he felt a swirl of black mist wrap around his thigh.
“Wait a moment—something’s off.”
The familiar voice of the Black Mist sounded in his ear.
“The scent of the potion on him is faint, and it’s mixed with a strong smell of sweat.”
“Perhaps... he actually accomplished the goal you set?”
The tone of the Black Mist was uncertain.
At these words, the Lord Mayor calmed down a little.
“You’re saying he really mastered the Three Demon Forms in one day, and entered meditation?”
“No—that’s impossible. Even if he mastered them, it should take hours for the medicine to be absorbed, not just...”
Halfway through his sentence, the Lord Mayor suddenly paused, struck by a realization.
“He... really entered the state within an hour and burned through the medicine?”
He looked utterly incredulous.
This so-called “enter the state within an hour” had been a deliberately impossible task he’d set.
And now, the impossible had been achieved?!
Could this boy really be a once-in-a-century prodigy for the human race?!
The Lord Mayor withdrew his aura and approached Song Qi, his expression grave, gripping Song Qi’s arms in both hands.
He pinched his abdomen and thigh as well.
“There’s a measurable increase in physical strength, and no residual medicine.”
The Lord Mayor froze.
It was true.
The scent of the potion could be washed away.
But a surge in physical attributes couldn’t be so easily faked.
The truth was plain before him.
He muttered to himself for a moment, then looked at Song Qi with a frown.
“Song Qi, how long did it take you to enter meditation today? And what was the extent of your improvement?”
Song Qi answered with pride.
“Reporting to the Lord Mayor, I didn’t let you down—I entered the meditation state in about an hour.”
“As for improvement, my Spirit rose by forty points—just two less than yesterday!”
“My Strength, Constitution, and Agility increased only by one or two points.”
Crash!
The Lord Mayor’s pupils dilated, his body trembling uncontrollably.
This news struck him like a bolt from the blue—he was momentarily at a loss.
“You mean... you mastered the Three Demon Forms within an hour, and your main attribute only dropped by two points compared to yesterday?”
“That’s correct. Is there a problem?” Song Qi asked uncertainly.
A long silence passed...
Seeing the Lord Mayor unresponsive, Song Qi ventured, “Um... Lord Mayor, how did I do today?”
“You... you did well,” the Lord Mayor stammered, hands shaking as he pulled out a cigarette and lighter, needing several tries before he could get it lit.
At last, the Black Mist helped him flame the cigarette.
“Lord Mayor, why are your hands shaking so much?”
“It’s just too cold.”
“?”
Song Qi glanced out the window—it was summer.
After several deep drags, the Lord Mayor finally regained his composure.
“All right, you can go. I’ll be using the training room next.”
Scratching his head in confusion, Song Qi wondered what had come over the Lord Mayor.
“So, should I come at five again tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“All right, then I’ll head out.”
Song Qi stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor.
...
As the elevator display ticked to “1L,” the Lord Mayor could no longer contain his emotions.
“Hahahahaha!!!!”
“Heaven has not abandoned the human race!”
“With such a prodigy, how could our people not rise again?!”
The Lord Mayor, usually so stern and reserved, was now unable to conceal his wild elation.
Song Qi’s performance had utterly surpassed all his expectations!
Such comprehension, such leaps in his main attribute...
Forty-two points the first day, forty the second—what did that mean?
Even the Lord Mayor himself, the first time he used the Demon Elixir, had only gained a little over twenty, nearly thirty points.
The second day, his improvement was cut in half!
Even so, his performance had been enough to draw the attention of the top ranks and earn their favor.
But Song Qi?
He had doubled that!
Without exaggeration, with such talent and comprehension, unless misfortune befell him, becoming a Lord Mayor himself was all but certain.
He might even strive for the legendary supreme realm!
“This time, you really have struck gold.”
Even the Black Mist, for once, didn’t bicker with him, gazing after Song Qi with genuine admiration.
“Just so-so... he still needs some tempering in terms of character,” the Lord Mayor said, though the curve of his lips betrayed his heart’s delight.
The Black Mist turned away, helpless.
“Really, would it kill you to stop pretending for once?”