Chapter 39: Rescue

【Check-in task completed, received random reward, Combat Skill +1】

【Combat Skill LV1: Moves flow from intent, mastery of all techniques, one punch or strike decides victory】

Hum—

As if a thunderclap exploded in his mind, in an instant, the core principles of dozens of combat styles flooded Qin Yun's consciousness: boxing's short-power explosion, wrestling's center-of-gravity control, jujitsu's joint locks, Wing Chun's close-range striking and short-power, Muay Thai's knee and elbow strikes, Sanda's rapid strikes and quick retreats, Xingyi's chopping, crashing, drilling, and horizontal strikes, Taiji's unstoppable force, Bagua's circling footwork—

His vision shifted abruptly; every gesture of passersby, even the subtle curve of clothing stirred by the wind, became exploitable flaws. The trajectory of his opponent Chu Qiao, the shift in her stepping weight, the rhythm of her breath—all were laid bare before him; with just one precise point of force, he could unleash devastating damage with minimal exertion.

After these memories flooded his brain, his body underwent sudden, violent changes.

This was the greatest physical reaction Qin Yun had experienced since gaining the system. A searing heat surged through every part of him—from head to toe—racing wildly through his limbs and meridians. Wherever it passed, bones emitted faint, rapid creaks, muscle fibers trembled and restructured, blood flow accelerated sharply, creating waves of heat within his vessels.

The changes were immense—so immense he could no longer think, only endure them passively.

He stood outside the Meifu Ciyun Chan Yuan's main hall for over ten minutes before the transformations finally ceased silently.

The temple bustled with visitors; pilgrims hurried past, most glancing briefly at the dazed young man before continuing on. Only a few felt puzzled, casting him curious glances. Fortunately, no one approached or touched him—otherwise, they would have been startled by his transformation.

"Hey, what's wrong with this guy? Standing here all this time like a wooden statue." A woman with a incense bag tugged at her companion's sleeve; her voice was low but clear enough to reach Qin Yun's ears—he realized his hearing had become several times sharper.

"Who cares? Probably just tired. The paths up Mount Putuo aren't easy, and young people these days don't exercise enough." The old man replied offhandedly, not slowing his step.

The murmurs continued intermittently, until Qin Yun suddenly opened his eyes, filled with disbelief.

He instinctively clenched his fist; the muscles along his arm flowed into defined ridges, explosive power surging through his body. The combat knowledge in his mind was no longer fragmented snippets—it had become instinct.

The memories of combat were like a vast scripture hall, so numerous they made him a walking encyclopedia of fighting. Combined with his physical transformation, he had achieved complete mastery in practical combat.

Every move, every technique—his intent guided his actions, his movements followed his will. He had never imagined such potent real-world combat ability could truly exist.

Qin Yun's heart churned with shock and awe. In his original understanding, boxing matches and UFC were the pinnacle of combat—but compared to him, he felt almost monstrous. He had countless ways to ignore weight-class differences and effortlessly knock down those champion fighters.

Of course, in his current view, master-level combat simply meant achieving an extremely high level of strength, speed, and reaction. But constrained by the body's natural limits, strength had an upper bound—it could not increase indefinitely, since it depended on the recruitment of muscle groups.

With his current strength, he believed that if he fully engaged all his muscle groups, one punch could easily kill a person.

"Fucking awesome!"

Qin Yun muttered a curse under his breath, his heart flooded with awe and wild joy.

He flexed his wrists; though his height hadn't changed, his entire body had been fundamentally transformed. He didn't know where this energy came from, but the changes seemed scientifically plausible—not wildly beyond reality.

He didn't linger long at Meifu Ciyun Chan Yuan. After leaving the monastery, he headed straight for the Short-Gu Wharf ticket counter. After buying his ferry ticket, he stood in the waiting area, unable to resist repeatedly clenching his fists, lifting his legs, twisting sideways—each motion carried the fluid grace of perfected technique, a restless urge to fight burning within him.

Too bad this was a time of peace—he had no one to test his skills on. This mastery was destined to become a solitary, self-admired ability.

Moreover, he couldn't imagine what LV2 Legendary level would be like—if LV1 was this powerful, would it break human limits? Qin Yun looked forward to it with great anticipation.

The number of tourists on the back deck gradually increased; the ferry's horn echoed in the distance. Qin Yun joined the crowd boarding the vessel, found a window seat on the second floor, but had no interest in the sea view outside—he was still lost in thoughts of combat techniques.

After an unknown length of time, the boat shuddered slightly and slowly pulled away from the dock.

After the ferry had sailed for fifteen minutes, he rose and stepped out of the cabin, intending to get some fresh air on deck.

As soon as he pushed open the cabin door, a salty, briny sea wind struck his face. The next second, a heart-wrenching scream pierced the deck's noise.

"Ah… Xiao Bao… no…"

Qin Yun froze. He turned toward the sound. At the deck's edge, a young mother gripped the railing with both hands, her face as pale as paper, her eyes hollow as she stared at the sea—her voice dripped with despair, sending chills down anyone's spine.

The baby carrier strapped to her waist, and her expression, instantly gave Qin Yun a terrible premonition.

Did the child fall into the sea??

Almost instinctively, Qin Yun sprinted to the woman's side, leaned over, and looked out—then he saw a small figure bob once in the waves, then vanish instantly.

"Shit!"

He had no time to think—he pushed off hard with his feet, launching himself like an arrow released from a bow, soaring through the air toward the spot where the child had fallen.

This happened too fast—tourists on deck hadn't even reacted. After a brief silence, a chorus of screams erupted.

"Shit, someone fell in the sea!"

"Quick, stop the ferry! Someone fell overboard!"

"I saw it—a kid accidentally tumbled over, and a guy jumped in to save him!"

Tourists erupted into chaos: some frantically ran to find ferry crew to stop the vessel, others fumbled for their phones to record, others stared back at the sea—but only foam and churning waves remained, nothing else visible.

"What's wrong? Linlin, what happened? Where's Xiao Bao?"

At that moment, a young man in a short-sleeved shirt rushed over. Seeing his wife collapsed on the ground, wailing, his heart plummeted.

"Husband… Xiao Bao fell… fell in… waaaah… what do we do… Xiao Bao fell in…"

The mother was incoherent, nearly insane. Her own child, held in her arms just moments ago, had slipped into the sea—anyone would break down under such a blow.

"What?"

The young man froze. His face turned instantly pale, his lips bluish, his whole body trembling as he stared at his wife in disbelief.

"You… what did you say?"

Just then, someone shouted loudly: "Look! Is that a figure? There's a child on his head! Shit, this guy's insane—he actually saved him!"

In the instant he hit the water, Qin Yun reached out—but missed the child. Fortunately, the child hadn't sunk yet, still bobbing. Otherwise, the murky waters of Zhoushan Sea would have been a death sentence.

Qin Yun held his breath, kicked his legs, and swiftly grabbed the child's collar.

The child screamed in terror, voice hoarse, gulping seawater. Qin Yun had no time to comfort him—he surfaced, placed the child atop his head, and looked toward the distant ferry.

The wind howled, waves churned. The sea's power was far more terrifying than a swimming pool—hidden currents surged, and one misstep could drag you under. Qin Yun was no longer an ordinary man—his physical strength far surpassed any normal human's.

Not even swimming ten kilometers would be a challenge for him.

At this moment, the ferry had already sailed several hundred meters away.

"Xiao Bao… Xiao Bao…"

Onboard, the couple heard the tourists' shouts and suddenly found strength—they pulled themselves up, gripping the railing, staring into the distance. But by now, the ferry had moved further ahead; all they saw were glittering waves and roaring surf.

"Husband… husband… what do we do?"

The young man had no idea what to do—but someone pulled out a phone, zoomed in, and tried to spot the figures. And surprisingly, modern phones with hundreds of millions of pixels weren't entirely useless.

"Found them! Look right here!"

The couple and several others immediately rushed over; when they saw the scene on the phone, both burst into tears, clutching their mouths as they trembled uncontrollably.

"That's the young man who just jumped down."

"He saved the child—he saved him."

The tourists erupted in cheers, their voices echoing across the deck.

The young couple stared at the phone screen, weeping uncontrollably. At that moment, the ferry finally lowered a rubber rescue boat, heading toward Qin Yun's location.

As the rescue boat drew closer, the two crew members quickly spotted two figures—one large, one small.

Qin Yun first had them lift the child aboard, then flipped himself up.

"Brother, you're awesome!"

The crew members were utterly awed by Qin Yun; a child had fallen into the sea, and he'd jumped straight in to save him—against near-certain death, this man had defied fate, as if divine.

And if a life had truly been lost, they too would have suffered consequences.

Fortunately, it now appeared both the adult and child were unharmed.

Soon, the rescue boat returned to the ferry.

"Xiao Bao… Xiao Bao, my Xiao Bao…"

Two figures stumbled over, seized the child in their arms, and clung to him tightly, refusing to let go.

It was fortunate the weather was still warm; had it been winter, this would have landed them with a serious illness.

"Plop!"

The young couple suddenly knelt before Qin Yun, wailing as they bowed their heads to the ground.

"Thank you… thank you…"

Qin Yun reached out and helped them up: "Save your thanks for later—first, take the child for a hot shower. The seawater's still cold, and I need to clean up too."

"Yes… yes…" The captain, who had just arrived, immediately said, "The ferry has shower facilities—I'll take you there."

Under the captain's arrangement, Qin Yun quickly washed up. Fortunately, his phone was waterproof, and he still had spare clothes in his bag in the cabin; otherwise, he'd have gone home soaking wet.

Once everything was settled, he appeared before the captain with the couple and the child.

The captain, surnamed Sun, was a middle-aged man in his forties. He first expressed deep gratitude to Qin Yun, knowing that if this had turned into a tragedy, he as captain would have been the first held accountable.

Whether or not the incident was his fault, as captain, he was the primary responsible party.

Qin Yun's act of rescue didn't just save one life, one family—it saved his own career.

After countless thanks, Qin Yun gave him a phone number.

When he returned to the cabin, he drew hero-like attention; everyone looked at him with admiration. It made him uneasy, but fortunately, the journey from Shanggu Dao Head to Mount Putuo Passenger Center was only thirty minutes.

By the time he boarded the boat to Wugongzhi Pier, no one remembered him anymore—only his legend lived on in whispered tales.

Riding his motorcycle, he arrived at Zhouyu Dormitory before three in the afternoon. As soon as he got home, Fang Nan sent him the edited video of the car repair.

Qin Yun didn't watch it; he put his things away first, then drove toward his mother's workplace. Hu Fen worked at a state-affiliated unit in Zhoushan, with a relatively light workload, and such units truly delivered benefits only after retirement.

Though her salary was low, when he was a child, he thought his mother was incredibly good at earning money.