After reading Ye Feng’s attribute panel, Shen Che’s face turned dark as he said, “How the hell am I supposed to fight that? The only thing I’ve got that surpasses him is charm—what am I gonna do, hope one day Ye Feng drops dead from how handsome I am?”
Ye Feng had all sorts of lethal skills—firearms, martial arts—while his own list was full of aristocratic talents. In the original book, Ye Feng was a myth among mercenaries. Not only was his combat power overwhelming, but he also had a master backing him and the protection of a protagonist’s halo.
All Shen Che had going for him was his knowledge of the plot. For now, he had to rely on Villain Points to strengthen himself. After a moment of thought, Shen Che asked in his mind, “System, about the exchange function you mentioned… can it be used to exchange for Skills?”
The Villain System responded, [Yes, Host, of course. Unlocking Skill Store now.]
Another blue screen appeared in front of Shen Che. It was filled with countless blue orbs lined up in a transparent white cabinet. Each orb had the name and level of a skill written on it.
In front of him were things like [Basic Appraisal], [Basic Swimming], [Basic Painting]—a bunch of miscellaneous Skills priced between 300 and 400 Villain Points.
Following the System’s instructions, Shen Che mentally scrolled through the store and soon found a blue orb named [Basic Martial Arts].
Before he could celebrate, he saw the price and cursed under his breath. “1,000 Villain Points?! I only got 2,000 for altering the plot this far!”
“This is daylight robbery! If just the basic martial arts cost 1,000, wouldn’t higher levels be even more expensive?”
Shen Che had read many novels in his past life and figured this Skill was likely upgradable.
Sensing his doubt, the System said, [Host, no need to worry. ‘Basic Martial Arts’ already includes various fist techniques and martial Skills. The power it can unleash is well worth the 1,000 Villain Points.]
After some thought, Shen Che figured the System wouldn’t scam him. His knowledge of the original plot was a solid advantage, but what about later? What if he encountered Ye Feng? How would he stay alive?
Thinking this through, Shen Che gritted his teeth and exchanged for [Basic Martial Arts], instantly losing half the 2,000 Villain Points he earned tonight.
[Purchase successful! Integrating ‘Basic Martial Arts’ now.] As the System notification rang out, Shen Che saw a flash of light, followed by a powerful surge of information flooding his mind like a raging tide.
Within moments, all that vast information poured in. It included detailed memories of martial arts techniques, training methods, and exclusive internal skills. The data seemed compressed into a tight bundle and exploded in Shen Che’s mind, rapidly spreading throughout.
At this moment, Shen Che felt like a sponge parched of water, with every cell in his body thirsting for the knowledge. He absorbed everything greedily, merging every bit of martial arts information into his neural pathways.
It wasn’t long before Shen Che completed the fusion of [Basic Martial Arts]. At the moment of successful integration, an indescribable sense of comfort swept over him.
Originally a frail bookworm who couldn’t even truss a chicken, he now stood as a top-tier expert, proficient in various martial arts.
The thrill of gaining this strength filled Shen Che with joy and excitement. He could feel the power surging within him, like he could shatter any obstacle with just a move.
The sensation of mastering himself and transcending the ordinary was so intoxicating, it felt better than tasting the finest food in the world.
“System, now that I’ve fused [Basic Martial Arts], how many people can I take on?” Shen Che asked curiously.
The System replied, [Host’s current combat power is enough to fight five of your own bodyguards simultaneously.]
Shen Che’s bodyguards were all retired special forces soldiers, recruited through professional channels. While it wasn’t to the extent of one man taking on twenty, each could handle five average adults. You are reading on novelping(.)com, the official source.
“So strong?” Shen Che was surprised. He had mentally prepared for [Basic Martial Arts] to be underwhelming, assuming it would be just a fancier version of some cheesy martial artist. But now it was this powerful?
[Every Skill sold by the System is tied directly to its price in terms of practicality and function. Host is advised to choose carefully,] the System reminded.
“Alright,” Shen Che replied.
He recalled various martial arts and techniques in his mind. Each style was etched into his memory thanks to the Skill integration, as if he had trained for ten years.
With a new Skill in hand, he naturally had to find a place to try it out.
“I remember there’s a gym on the first floor,” Shen Che recalled. The original Shen Che had a private gym inside his villa.
Though the original Shen Che was a workaholic, he still took an hour each day to work out… and, of course, never forgot to suck up to Xu Qiuchi.
A while later, Shen Che appeared in his private gym.
The space was large enough for him to go wild. The gym equipment was neatly arranged and fully equipped.
Shen Che’s gaze landed on a lone punching bag not far from the butterfly machine. That punching bag was perfect for practice.
He stared at it like it was his sworn enemy. Taking a deep breath, he focused his breath in his dantian, then suddenly flashed to the punching bag.
First, he threw a powerful straight punch. The sound of it slicing through the air was followed by a loud thud as it hit the bag.
Then came a swift kick, like lightning, slamming into the center of the punching bag, making it sway violently.
He followed up with a dazzling flurry of techniques—powerful hooks, agile elbow strikes, and forceful knee attacks. Each move carried years of imagined, compressed training and refined technique.
As time passed, sweat began to bead on Shen Che’s forehead, but he didn’t stop.
On the contrary, he grew more excited. His strikes became faster and fiercer, landing on the bag like a violent storm.
Soon, the room fell silent except for Shen Che’s heavy breathing.
Then, with a deep bang, the punching bag suddenly shook. The strap holding it snapped, and the bag collapsed to the floor, raising a cloud of dust.
Shen Che was surprised. He looked at the bag on the floor, stunned. “I didn’t even go full force… and this is what happened?”
Only now did he realize the terrifying strength of his new Skill.
Deep down, Shen Che was delighted. With [Basic Martial Arts], he finally had some real combat power. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“Right, System, compared to Ye Feng now, do I stand any chance?” Shen Che asked.
[Host, Ye Feng’s Attributes are at the peak of human limits. He’s studied martial arts for a long time and has years of battlefield experience,] the System replied. [By comparison, you might not last more than 3 minutes.]
Shen Che’s face twitched. Great. He spent all that effort, saved Xu Qiuchi, used up all his Villain Points, bought what he thought was a useful Skill… only to end up being Ye Feng’s punching bag.
The System, as if trying to show a bit of empathy, comforted him, [Host, don’t lose hope. If you keep disrupting the original plot, earn more Villain Points, increase your Attribute Points, and upgrade your combat Skills to master level, you can definitely defeat Ye Feng.]
Hearing this, Shen Che felt less frustrated.
That’s right. He had the System. He knew the original plot. If someone like him couldn’t beat Ye Feng, he’d really be a disgrace to all transmigrators.
“Alright,” Shen Che responded and shut down the System in his mind.
After scrolling through some short videos, bedtime approached, and Shen Che headed toward the bathroom.
As he opened the door, a refreshing fragrance filled the air. The bathroom was enormous.
It was so spacious it could rival the bedroom he had before transmigrating.
Truly—my bathroom is bigger than your room.
Shen Che couldn’t help but marvel. The life of the rich was so extravagant. Tomorrow, he decided, he’d reward himself with a milk bath.
After his shower, Shen Che lay on the wide bed, thinking about the upcoming plot. He’d read the original multiple times. He couldn’t just slack off or indulge himself now—what if Ye Feng snapped one day and wiped him out?
“No, tomorrow I have to break off the engagement,” Shen Che thought.
It was part of his strategy. He wanted Xu Qiuchi to realize that he, Shen Che, was no longer the simp who revolved around her every day.
After a while, Shen Che thought of someone. He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and made a call. On the other end was his assistant.
“Hello, Qiu Hang. I need you to look into a girl for me. She was sponsored by my charity foundation… about a year ago.”
Shen Che explained the girl’s background and name in detail to ensure there would be no mistake.
“Yeah, do it as soon as possible. Once you find her file, send it to me.”
After finishing his instructions, Shen Che lay back on the soft bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.