Just then, the ascending elevator jolted slightly. He looked up.

It had reached the thirty-third floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Hu Qi saw someone standing outside.

This person was no stranger; it was Wei Fan.

"What’s this? Going out so late?"

Hu Qi wore a smile, his expression as calm as ever.

Hearing this, Wei Fan’s gaze swept over Hu Qi from head to toe.

"No, my lighter at home broke. I was planning to go out and buy a new one."

He replied with a smile of his own.

"Alright then, you go ahead."

Hu Qi nodded, stepped out of the elevator, and turned sideways to make room, gesturing for Wei Fan to enter.

"Look at my memory! I forgot my umbrella!"

But Wei Fan glanced inside the elevator without getting in. Instead, as if he had suddenly remembered something, his eyes fell on the dripping umbrella in Hu Qi’s hand.

"Here, you can use this for now. I have another one at home."

Hu Qi said with a smile, holding out the umbrella.

"No need, I’ll just go back and grab mine."

With that, Wei Fan waved his hand, not waiting for Hu Qi’s reply.

He then turned and went back to his own apartment, opened the door, stepped inside, and quickly shut it.

Seeing this, a flicker of light passed through Hu Qi’s eyes.

’This guy must have sensed something was off, which is why he came out to check.’

If it had only been a guess before, he was now one hundred percent certain: the other man knew about the existence of Nightmares. He might even be one of those Transcendents capable of controlling them.

However, he didn’t expose him. Instead, he also turned and returned to his own room.

His most urgent task right now was to reach Entry-Level in the Inheritance Secret Martial Arts deduced by his main body before the real Nightmare arrived, and then use Crimson to advance to a Martial Arts Family.

Although that woman in the red dress today looked like a total weakling, it was hard to guarantee that wasn’t just because the Nightmare hadn’t fully descended.

To be safe, it was essential to increase his own strength.

The hallway fell silent once more.

They both lived in corner units, directly across from each other. From the peephole, one could perfectly observe the other’s doorway.

Right now, behind Wei Fan’s door, an eye quietly watched until Hu Qi entered his room before retracting its gaze.

’This guy...’

Wei Fan’s gaze hardened.

Just a moment ago, relying on the Dream Eye in his right eye,

he had sensed the aura of a Nightmare.

And that aura was inside the elevator.

At first, he thought a Nightmare incident had occurred.

He had even braced himself for the sight of an elevator filled with gore and dismembered limbs.

But instead, he saw Hu Qi calmly walk out of the elevator.

Such an overly normal expression seemed, on the contrary, rather abnormal.

’He probably wasn’t the one who encountered the Nightmare,’ he thought. ’It must have been someone else. And it was likely just a precursor to a Nightmare, not a true Nightmare manifesting in reality, which is why no one died.’

The reason he didn’t suspect Hu Qi was because no matter how mentally tough an ordinary person was, they would inevitably show some unnatural expression when facing a Nightmare.

Only a veteran Dream Master, one who had experienced several Nightmares, could possibly remain so calm.

But he was certain that Fang Xi had no Nightmare aura on him.

This also proved that the man was likely not a Dream Master, just an ordinary person.

As for why Fang Xi, who should have been dead by now, was still alive and well after several days...

He guessed it might truly be his own fault, a butterfly effect he had caused.

The predetermined future had deviated because of the change brought by his tiny influence.

For example, he had bought a lottery ticket, snatching the win from its rightful owner.

He had made his grandparents leave this residential building, where a Nightmare was about to occur, changing their fatal outcome.

All these things were changing the future.

Fortunately, from the looks of it, not much had changed. The general course of major events remained the same.

Thinking of this, he looked out the window at the fine rain.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

’Should I just kill this guy?’

The moment this thought appeared, he discarded it.

Of course, it wasn’t that he was soft-hearted.

In his past life, as a powerful Dream Master qualified to resolve a Level Nine Nightmare, the number of ordinary people who had died by his hand was not small.

He, Wei Fan, might not be a man of unforgivable evil, but he was definitely no saint either.

He abandoned the idea because he was afraid that doing so would cause an even more severe deviation in the future’s development.

That would be even more disadvantageous for him.

For now, he should wait for the right opportunity to get his hands on that Dream Eye.

As for that person, in the end, he was just an insignificant, ordinary man who couldn’t affect him in any way.

Thinking of this, he retracted the cold light in his eyes.

’Fang Xi, you should feel lucky. If it weren’t for my rebirth, you would probably be dead by now.

I hope you don’t do anything foolish. Otherwise, don’t blame me for disregarding old ties.’

...

「That night, at one in the morning.」

Inside Room 3310.

Hu Qi, who had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, suddenly opened his eyes.

His gaze fell before him.

——

[Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill (Entry-Level) △]

...

[Modification Point: 12842 (51%)]

Seeing this, a smile appeared on Hu Qi’s face.

’I’ve finally reached Entry-Level.’

This Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill was the Dharma Gate his main body had deduced, the one most suited for this body and this world.

’Crimson! Modify, raise the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill to the Third Layer!’

Hu Qi made the command in his mind and directly spent his points.

His reserve of Modification Points was abundant now, so he didn’t need to worry about their source at all.

Even if they weren’t enough, he could harvest the Exotic Beasts on Zero Ecological Island within his main body’s Grotto Heaven as a supplement.

Besides, there should be ways to harvest Modification Points in this world as well.

BUZZ!

The panel trembled slightly.

A full sixty Modification Points sank into the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill column.

Compared to upgrading an ordinary Inheritance Secret Martial Arts, the cost was much greater.

At the same time, the blood sphere within his body suddenly collapsed, imploding on itself.

An unknown amount of time passed.

With a BOOM,

the Essence Element Divine Treasure was successfully opened.

A scorching aura spread from Hu Qi’s body. At this moment, he was like a great furnace.

The First Realm of a Martial Arts Family, the Qi Blood Furnace, was formed.

Compared to other Inheritance Secret Martial Arts,

the Qi Blood Furnace condensed by the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill was far more terrifying.

This was because, fundamentally, it was different from other Secret Martial Arts.

Other Secret Martial Arts, in their Late Stages, were all about condensing Qi Blood True Strength to break open the Qi Vein Divine Treasure and draw Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy into the body.

But the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill was different; it was a special Secret Martial Arts for Extreme Body Refinement.

Thinking of this, a strange look appeared on Hu Qi’s face.

He reached out and curled his fingers into a fist.

BOOM!

A mass of dark red flames suddenly materialized, erupting from the pores of his body and instantly enveloping his entire arm.

The flames radiated an extremely high temperature, which could be discerned from the slight distortion of the surrounding air. Yet, strangely, they caused no harm to his hand or his clothes.

This was the most unique aspect of the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill.

It could condense a power known as Yang Fire.

This flame was completely under his control.

Furthermore, this Yang Fire possessed astonishing killing power against Nightmares—that is, against dark forces of a spiritual nature. One could even say the two were perfect counters to each other.

Beyond that, this Yang Fire was also the most critical element that allowed the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill to achieve Extreme Body Refinement.