22 A Friendly Acquaintance (1/2)

Fang trudged through the thick mud on the road. Despite the relentless flow of mud, he maintained a steady pace.

”Interesting...the mud is a thick sludge... a combination of the earth and water. It is an immense but underestimated force. No one understands it's true complexity. It is a relentless pushing force that can overwhelm any opponent through sheer volume and sheer power. Very interesting...” he muttered.

[Comprehension of Mud increased by 10%]

[1% increase in Law of Mud]

Fang's mouth twitched. Internally he was laughing with immense joy. He had finally found a way to exploit and trick the system.

All he had to do was make vague and obscure observations about the most ridiculous things. This way his ”insight” into these elements would increase, bringing him closer to learning the true essence and the true law of each of these elements. However, they weren't particularly powerful and could not possibly account for all the elements in the known universe. They were only the simplest possible laws.

In terms of power, they could never compare to the Law of the Scythe. But they would definitely help him in controlling his usage of the Universal Annihilation Palm. After all, gaining full control of the skill would allow him to do literally anything with his attack, creating multiple variations.

Smiling, he continued to ramble on about the beauty of the mud. Trudging forth, he looked like a hobo, driven mad.

A fancy carriage was coming the other way. Driven by beautiful white stallions, it was adorned with red and gold. Gold furnishings could be seen flashing in the sunlight, never losing their luster despite the heavy rain and the mud.

The carriage rushed past Fang, splattering him from head to toe. He shook his head in annoyance and began to clean himself up.

”HEY! Watch it!” he cried after the receding carriage.

The carriage stopped abruptly. The door opened quickly and a man dressed in cyan leaped out. He had the distinct look of a hero, although a cold and aloof one at that. Gazing carefully at the hobo who had just spoken, his eyes widened in disbelief. Speechless he ran over to the hobo.

Startled, Fang leaped back. This was a classic case of asking for trouble. How many times had he heard about this classic trope.

The MC would be here and there, doing their own thing when a villain would come out from god-knows-where and insult the MC and then pick a fight with them over unreasonable things. The MC, being the typical protagonist they are, would fight back and utterly devastate the opposing party, drawing the ire of stronger parties and gaining fame simultaneously.

Leaping back, he adopted a subtle martial stance.

”Look, I meant no harm--,” he began.

”My friend! It truly is you!” the man cried.

'Friend?' Fang thought.

”Do you not remember me? Tang Junxin?” the man asked nervously.

A flash of memory occurred through Fang's brain as he remembered where he had seen the man before. Smiling he greeted the man.

”Ah... Tang Junxin... did you win the competition?” he asked.

The man laughed.

”Not only did I win, I married the Emperor's daughter as well. I am on track to become the next Emperor. Meaning that I am now a Prince Consort!” he cried ecstatically.

Fang smiled, chuckling internally. Indeed, fine wines were best over time.

Tang Junxin immediately led Fang to his carriage.

”Please, sit down!” he offered.