"Sister Zhong, this is what Qi Li left for you last night."

Upon seeing Zhong Huilan, Su Xuan handed over the beginner's manual for the Floating Cloud Sect.

"You've gone to a lot of trouble, Su Xuan, delivering this personally," Zhong Huilan said, gratefully reaching for the manual, but then she suddenly added, "Su Xuan, those mountain people are so formidable because they've learned this kind of strange manual. Your martial skills are quite good. Don't you want to learn it and improve your skills even further? I'm not in a hurry."

"I already flipped through it on the way here," Su Xuan said. "Studying this sort of thing requires a considerable amount of time, and I'm about to leave on a long trip, so I don't have time to research it. You should let your men learn it first!"

"Ah, I almost forgot!" Zhong Huilan suddenly laughed. "We can just make a copy! You take one too. You can look at it whenever you have a free moment."

Having said that, Zhong Huilan took the manual, intending to go and photocopy it. Technology had made so many troublesome tasks incredibly simple these days.

"There's no need to go to the trouble, Sister Zhong." Su Xuan raised a hand toward her. "Just let me see the manual again. I only have two pages left to read. I just want to get a rough idea."

His physique and willpower had been enhanced by the system a full twenty times, and as a result, his memory had become incredibly sharp—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had a photographic memory.

Su Xuan took the manual back from Zhong Huilan and finished the last two pages in an instant.

It was at that very moment that something strange happened.

"DING! Congratulations to the Host for learning the beginner's manual of the Floating Cloud Sect!"

"DING! The beginner's manual of the Floating Cloud Sect has automatically reached max level!"

"DING! Congratulations to the Host for comprehending the introductory martial technique of the Floating Cloud Sect, Cloud Wave Palm!"

"DING! Cloud Wave Palm has automatically reached max level!"

The series of system notifications left Su Xuan standing there, dumbfounded.

What does this mean? I only just finished reading the manual and haven't even started to practice it. How have I already learned it, and at the max level, no less? And the palm technique included in the manual has also been maxed out automatically! Is this a demonstration of the system's Phase Three abilities? Does this mean I don't have to put in the work myself anymore?

I get it now…

Su Xuan suddenly blinked, recalling something the system had told him at the very beginning: as the system upgraded, it would allow him to comprehend various skills. It seemed he had now unlocked an extraordinary learning ability!

But the system wasn't showing any progress toward its next upgrade.

Could it upgrade to a Phase Four? And what would that even be?

"Su Xuan, what's wrong?" Zhong Huilan called out, noticing his strange expression.

"Oh, it's nothing." Su Xuan collected himself and handed the manual back to her.

"By the way, Su Xuan, you mentioned you were going on a long trip. Where to?" Zhong Huilan asked. She genuinely believed he had only glanced through the manual. If she knew that he had not only memorized the entire thing but had also mastered it completely, she would have been utterly astonished. That wasn't something an ordinary person could do.

"I'm going abroad to visit Alice for a few days," Su Xuan said, not hiding anything from her. "She's a friend of mine. Her family used to own my house on Houhai Street."

"I know," Zhong Huilan, who knew Su Xuan's background well, nodded. "That's good. It saves me from worrying about your safety. After that incident with those mountain folks on our turf, I was really afraid they might come looking for revenge soon."

"You should be careful after I leave, too," Su Xuan said.

"Rest assured, there won't be any issues on my end." Zhong Huilan glanced at Su Xuan's handsome face. "You also need to be careful out there, and don't let anyone push you around. I… I can't protect you when you're so far away."

"I know." Su Xuan nodded, truly grateful for her concern. This elder sister of his really did take excellent care of him.

"You can rest assured about your home, too," Zhong Huilan added. "I'll have people watch over your house so that no one causes any trouble."

As she spoke, she glanced toward her desk, where a police-issue handgun lay. The "watching" she spoke of meant armed surveillance, not just a casual lookout.

Su Xuan understood her meaning. He thanked her again, but before leaving, he borrowed something from her. On her desk lay a thick book: a *Guide to Modern Firearms*. Under Zhong Huilan's puzzled gaze, Su Xuan walked away with the book.

「A little over two hours later,」

Su Xuan drove his Koenigsegg to the airport. The moment he parked, security personnel from Fei Lian Airlines covered the car with a vehicle cover, and a dedicated guard was posted to watch over it. Xia Zhengye's arrangements were indeed thorough, and the security personnel were from Shenfeng Security, making them their own people. They naturally protected the car with the utmost dedication.

"Boss, Yu Fei insisted on coming to greet you personally, but I didn't let her come," Xia Zhengye kept muttering as he accompanied Su Xuan through the private jet security check. "Her duties on this flight are crucial; she's responsible for everything on the private jet, and there absolutely cannot be any slip-ups. She's on the plane right now, doing a final check…"

"It's just an ordinary trip. You two don't need to be so nervous," Su Xuan interrupted with a smile.

"That won't do!" Xia Zhengye replied seriously. "You are our boss and the face of Fei Lian Airlines. We must ensure that everything is to your satisfaction!"

With that, the security check was completed. Su Xuan was chauffeured in a luxury transport vehicle directly to Fei Lian Airlines' private jet, avoiding the need to squeeze onto a crowded, stuffy shuttle bus like everyone else. This was another perk of being wealthy. The differences between being rich and poor were apparent in every aspect of life.

"Greetings, Boss!"

"Greetings, Boss!"

A line of people stood at the bottom of the aircraft's boarding stairs. Du Yufei was at the very front, dressed in a beautifully tailored uniform, her makeup deliberately exquisite. She looked as if she had stepped out of a CG animation, dazzling to behold. The captain was also there to personally welcome him, eager to get a look at the boss's demeanor. The others were security personnel for the flight—in other words, Su Xuan's personal bodyguards.

"Director Chen picked them out himself," Xia Zhengye said, pointing to the bodyguards. "After I told him about your trip, he immediately arranged for these elite warriors. He said that since we're not afraid of trouble on our turf, we won't be afraid of it abroad either—we're just as tough at home as we are on the road!"

"Heh, it's not like I'm going out looking for a fight," Su Xuan couldn't help but grin, guessing that Chen Yuesheng was afraid he'd get bullied by Richard's men again.

He then bid farewell to Xia Zhengye and boarded the plane, accompanied by Du Yufei and the others. Sitting in the luxurious airplane seat, he turned his head and looked out the window. Planes were lined up neatly at the airport, like birds waiting to take flight.

But all of a sudden, Su Xuan's pupils contracted sharply. He seemed to have spotted something highly unusual…

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