Chapter 34 - 32: Passive? Not Enviable

What was even more tragic was that as he grew stronger, his passive abilities did too. In the end, he became a god in the Human World, and the entire Earth became incredibly fragile before him.

It got to the point where he had to live his entire life with extreme caution, as if he were in a world made of fragile porcelain.

An ability like that wasn’t something to be envied. On the contrary, it was a form of super-torture that no ordinary person could endure.

So in reality, a passive ability isn’t necessarily better just because it’s stronger.

’That was a close one. I almost got stuck with a life in slow motion!’

Zhang Deming heaved a few mental sighs of relief and looked at the code again. He needed to change the passive into one that could be turned on and off.

’Hm, I guess you couldn’t call it a passive then.’

’Should I call it a Bloodline? A Superpower? Or a Talent?’

’Whatever, it’s something along those lines.’

{If Spiritual Qi is supplied, Agility Technique will activate and run. If Spiritual Qi is cut off, Agility Technique will cease to run.}

Looking at the newly modified code, he thought, ’Hm, this effect shouldn’t turn my life into a slow-motion movie.’

Although the passive had become something akin to a Bloodline Magic, its effect was, strictly speaking, weakened.

’But for the sake of my future... "marital bliss"... I’d better pass on being the "fastest man alive" or whatever.’

’Otherwise, if I got careless while... "tending the garden" with a girlfriend someday, I wouldn’t be able to go at full speed, or even normal speed. It’d all be in slow motion.’

’What a painful realization that would be!!!’

’The mental image is just too beautiful to bear. Better not to think about it at all!!!’

’Laggy, frame-dropping... "gardening"?’

’I wouldn’t want that kind of power!’

’Anyone who envies that kind of life can damn well go and try it for themselves!’

’I’d much rather mess with the code myself and take the nerf. A weaker effect doesn’t matter. Being able to toggle it is the core issue—er, no... the key issue is avoiding that slow-motion effect.’

’That is my non-negotiable bottom line.’

His thoughts churned. Realizing both the power and the "danger" of a permanently active passive, Zhang Deming once again began to meticulously dissect the Runes, pondering and mulling over each one.

Only after confirming there were no issues did he nervously select "Confirm."

Countless Runes on the panel slowly coalesced into a white sphere of light.

Before Zhang Deming’s eyes, the sphere of light flew into his Dantian. Within the Dantian, the Spiritual Energy Group extended a Spiritual Energy Thread that connected directly to the sphere.

The sphere transformed into a Rune shaped like a pair of tiny wings. Connected by the Spiritual Energy Thread, it flew out of his Dantian and embedded itself in Zhang Deming’s heel.

Then, it slowly faded from view.

Unlike the raindrop-shaped Rune for the Little Cloud Rain Skill and the seedling-shaped Rune for the Growth Technique in his Dantian, the Agility Technique had an extra connecting thread of Spiritual Qi.

Zhang Deming nervously closed the panel, got carefully out of bed, and took a few steps around his bedroom.

After lifting a slightly trembling foot and taking a few steps at a normal pace, Zhang Deming let out a long sigh of relief.

’Thank goodness. No super-speed passive.’

’I can do without a passive Flash-like superspeed.’

’Slow-motion "drilling and plowing"... Whoever wants to get strong like that can go right ahead!’

’As for me, I’m just a simple man. I can’t handle that kind of drama!’

He looked outside. The sky was completely dark, and the stars were shining brightly.

He left his bedroom and went out into the courtyard.

Taking another deep breath, he focused his thoughts.

Spiritual Qi from his Dantian shot through the thread to his feet, and a pair of miniature Energy wings appeared on his heels.

Instantly, Zhang Deming’s pupils contracted slightly. In his vision, now suffused with Spiritual Qi, the darkness of night was no longer an obstacle.

At that moment, the world seemed to slow down slightly.

Zhang Deming tentatively lifted his foot to take a step.

"SPLASH..."

In a daze, Zhang Deming ran straight into Qingyou Pool.

"Dammit..."

After climbing out, Zhang Deming muttered a few curses, closed his eyes, and recalibrated.

With another thought, he activated the Agility Technique.

This time, having learned his lesson, Zhang Deming didn’t run into Qingyou Pool again.

Instead, he began sprinting around the perimeter of Qingyou Pool. After a few laps, Zhang Deming gradually grew accustomed to the speed.

He ran to the large pool behind the courtyard. The wings on his heels trembled faintly, and his speed abruptly increased. Reaching the waterfall, he bent his knees and, empowered by his new speed, leaped instantly.

In mid-air, the wings on his heels vibrated continuously. Zhang Deming’s body felt as light as a feather. He hovered for a moment before bounding up the cliff face of the waterfall in a few quick leaps.

Just like that, he’d scaled the waterfall, which was at least ten meters high.

Thrilled, Zhang Deming increased his Spiritual Qi output, and his speed increased once more.

"WOOHOO..."

He ran exhilarated along the river, letting out a whoop of joy.

"Who’s there?!"

Zhang Deming suddenly heard a low, startled cry. As he ran, he thought, ’Crap, I got carried away.’

Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned and fled. The wings on his heels vibrated furiously, and within a few bounds, Zhang Deming vanished.

No sooner had Zhang Deming vanished than a Law Enforcement Team emerged from the woods by the river.

The team leader frowned, scanning the area.

"Let’s go, Captain. Probably just some of those brats fooling around. That faint but obvious Spiritual Qi fluctuation had the signature of an Agility Technique."

"It’s the middle of the night, and these little rascals are running around instead of sleeping. I’d say they’re asking for a lesson," another team member chimed in.

"Hey, we were all that age once. Full of piss and vinegar."

"Ha! Li, is that the wisdom of the exhausted you’re spouting? What’s wrong, someone wring you dry?"

"Get lost!"

"Haha! Look at Li. That really is a painful realization, isn’t it?"

"You’re just a kid. What the hell do you know?"

"But Uncle, I *don’t* know! Why don’t you teach me?"

"Are you trying to get killed? All of you, scram! If you’re so jealous, why don’t you give up on promotion and go start a family?"

"Nah, never mind. I’ll stick to striving for the Tai Chi Stage."

"Right. We can talk about you losing your Primordial Yang after you fail."

The team continued on their way, laughing and joking as they left the riverside behind.

...

Zhang Deming sprinted back to Qingyou Pool, leaped down the waterfall into his courtyard, and finally let out a long breath.

’That was too close. I almost got caught.’

’If I’d been caught, losing Contribution points would have been the least of my worries. But now I’m probably on the Law Enforcement Team’s radar. If someone decided to use this to make trouble for me, it would be a real headache.’

Still, all that frantic running did allow him to get a good feel for the Agility Technique’s parameters.

The Agility Technique had now become something like a Superpower or a Bloodline Magic; it didn’t require any hand seals and could be activated with a single thought.

This was an effect typically found in the innate techniques of cultivators at the Tai Chi Stage.

As such, his combat effectiveness had increased significantly.

Furthermore, he had a grasp of the Agility Technique’s limits. When active, his speed ranged from roughly fifteen to thirty meters per second.

The exact speed depended on the amount of Spiritual Qi he supplied.

To put it in perspective, at maximum speed, he could probably run as fast as a car going one hundred kilometers per hour.

’And that’s a hundred kilometers per hour while ignoring the effects of terrain, of course.’

With the Technique test complete, Zhang Deming cut off the supply of Spiritual Qi. The miniature wings on his heels flickered and vanished.

Zhang Deming glanced around, then turned and went inside to sleep.

...