Chapter 85: Thunderclap Hands
Chapter 85: Thunderclap Hands
In Olympia, Ji Xinghuo casually strolled through several exotic shops, selling off the remaining exotics from Chaning in batches.
He understood Ren Mian's intention.
Chaning's exotics were distinct and easily recognizable, and selling them to Wang Longtai would be akin to announcing their involvement in her death. Should word get out from within Wang Longtai, other hunting teams who had also purchased Chaning's exotics, especially the team of five super-exotics, might put two and two together.
Their mutual exploitation in the city of Shixi people had essentially made them enemies, and it was imperative that they kept their identities hidden from one another.
The sale of the dozen or so exotics brought in a total of over 1.5 million.
Surprisingly, the highest-valued exotic was "Rapid Self-Healing," which was somewhat unexpected by Ji Xinghuo. The effect of this basic exotic was actually not very noticeable, far inferior to "Extreme Self-Healing," yet it sold for over 500,000 Asian yuan.
On the other hand, the formidable superior exotic "Tongue Spear" was only worth about 300,000.
Upon inquiring, Ji Xinghuo learned that the ability to attack enemies with one's tongue was considered too niche, and very few people would consider integrating it.
"Slippery Skin" was actually not bad either, as it could reduce a lot of attack damage, but the secretion of a layer of oil on the skin was too disgusting, and it didn't fit into any professional template. Unless someone had a peculiar fetish, there wouldn't be many buyers interested in integrating it.
With time to spare, Ji Xinghuo decided to browse the exotic shops further.
Whenever he came across an exotic that piqued his interest, he would ask to hold it, using the opportunity to examine the exotic's information with his Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupils.
Unfortunately, most of the exotics were not suitable for him.
The success rate of integration ranged from 60% to 75%.
This was already quite high. After all, the success rate of integration for other exotics, even for those within their professional templates, rarely exceeded 80%, and a success rate of over 50% was already considered very good.
So far, among the exotics he had not yet integrated, "Flash Step" had the highest success rate at 95%!
Next were "Star Power" and "High-Frequency Thought," both with a 92% success rate.
Moreover, High-Frequency Thought was one of the components of the Magnetic Maniac's professional template, so it was definitely going to be integrated.
The success rates of the other exotics were all below 90%.
"What's the deal with Flash Step and Star Power? Are they really that suitable for me?" Ji Xinghuo wondered as he examined the exotics. "The information given by the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupils includes an implied degree of fit in the success rate of integration, and this has been proven accurate. Does this mean that I should integrate Star Power and Flash Step in the future as well?"
He felt conflicted.
The number of times one could integrate exotics was limited, and expansion curios were incredibly difficult to find—a rare opportunity that might never come. How could he possibly have enough chances to integrate so many exotics? Just the Magnetic Maniac's professional template alone had seven exotics.
Normally, one would integrate one exotic per evolution.
Without any expansion curios, it would take seven evolutions to perfect the Magnetic Maniac's professional template, and by then, one would already be a Saint of the Stars!
This was obviously impossible.
Or should he, as Chi Zhonglin suggested, give up on some of the Magnetic Maniac's exotics and directly become a jobless exotic?
But which one should he give up?
Ji Xinghuo recalled the seven exotics of the Magnetic Maniac: Rotating Magnetic Field, Thunderclap Hands, Spirit Power, High-Frequency Thought, Overload, Electrostatic Field, and Superconducting Magnet.
Each one seemed indispensable.
"Perhaps..."
Ji Xinghuo thought of High-Frequency Thought. With his Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupils, he could, to some extent, make up for the function of High-Frequency Thought.
Especially when Myriad Phenomenon Forest was activated, his brain could process a massive amount of information despite the rapid changes occurring in an instant.
Although it consumed a large amount of stellar power and could not be maintained for long, the effect of Myriad Phenomenon Forest was obviously far superior to High-Frequency Thought, even surpassing the effect of "Super-Frequency Thought."
Ji Xinghuo couldn't be sure if High-Frequency Thought had its advantages as well. It consumed much less stellar power than Myriad Phenomenon Forest, allowing it to be sustained for a longer period. He didn't need to activate Myriad Phenomenon Forest in every battle; it was an ability to be used only in dire situations or when his life was on the line.
As his mind raced with thoughts, he suddenly spotted a strange yet familiar exotic.
"Thunderclap Hands!"
Ji Xinghuo was pleasantly surprised.
This exotic shop wasn't particularly large, and it could only be considered mid-to-high-end in Olympia, yet it had the Thunderclap Hands that he had been searching for a long time.
Thunderclap Hands was a quality exotic, and its exotic form was a pink tendon about ten centimeters long and only three or four millimeters in diameter. It looked rather inconspicuous, but Ji Xinghuo sensed a unique magnetic field emanating from it, distinct from the other exotics.
"May I take a look at this Thunderclap Hands?" Ji Xinghuo asked the shop assistant.
"Of course."
The shop assistant readily agreed, as Ji Xinghuo had just sold several exotics in the store and was likely to have money to spend.
Ji Xinghuo took the exotic, and the interface information immediately appeared before his eyes.
[Exotic: Thunderclap Hands]
[Grade: Quality]
[Integration Success Rate: 97%]
[Upgradable: Yes]
Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up. With a staggering 97% integration success rate, higher than Flash Step, Star Power, and High-Frequency Thought, Thunderclap Hands seemed to have the highest compatibility with him, taking priority over the other exotics.
"How much?" he asked without hesitation.
"1.7 million Asian yuan, sir."
Ji Xinghuo nodded slightly. Thunderclap Hands was one of the more common exotics with lightning-based abilities. Although it was only a quality exotic, it was more expensive than many superior exotics that served as the core of professions. Many exotics would integrate Thunderclap Hands to supplement their offensive capabilities.
"I'll take it."
Ji Xinghuo immediately bought Thunderclap Hands and left with the exotic.
However, he did not return to the villa but instead entered a medical service center not far away. This place provided medical treatment for injuries and offered implantation services for mid-tier and below exotics.
After explaining his intentions, Ji Xinghuo was quickly attended to.
Following a nurse, he entered a clean and bright operating room where he met the doctor who would perform the implantation surgery, a middle-aged man in his fifties. He introduced himself as Doctor Li, a PhD graduate with a medical license, and had performed exotic implantation surgeries for exotic humans tens of thousands of times, making him extremely experienced.
"Thank you, Doctor Li," Ji Xinghuo said as he placed his hand on the operating table and rolled up his sleeve.
"Please rest assured, Mr. Ji. I've performed the implantation surgery for Thunderclap Hands hundreds of times, and there won't be any problems," Doctor Li assured with a warm smile, putting Ji Xinghuo at ease.
Ji Xinghuo nodded slightly.
The success of the surgery did not guarantee successful integration, and he had signed a waiver, so even if it failed, the doctor wouldn't be held responsible.
"Please place your palm facing up, with your thumb and little finger touching each other," instructed Doctor Li.
Ji Xinghuo did as instructed.
A distinct muscle appeared on his wrist—the palmaris longus, which would be sewn together with Thunderclap Hands.
Nodding in satisfaction, Doctor Li said, "Mr. Ji's palmaris longus is normal, so we don't need to consider other surgical locations."
Not everyone had a palmaris longus, as it had atrophied in some people during evolution.
Doctor Li secured Ji Xinghuo's right hand to the operating table and then administered anesthesia. Soon, Ji Xinghuo lost sensation in his arm.
The surgical knife made an incision on his wrist, drawing blood. However, the bleeding quickly stopped.
Ji Xinghuo watched as Doctor Li cut open the muscle, located the palmaris longus, and then carefully inserted one half of the Thunderclap Hands tendon, wrapping it around the muscle a few times before fixing it in place and stitching the wound closed.
"Please do the same with your left hand now," Doctor Li instructed.
After about ten minutes, both halves of the Thunderclap Hands tendon had been implanted into Ji Xinghuo's hands, and the entire surgery was completed in less than half an hour.
"During the wound healing process, Thunderclap Hands will integrate with your palmaris longus, becoming one," Doctor Li explained. "If all goes well, you will gain the ability to discharge electricity."
Intrigued, Ji Xinghuo asked, "If I were to heal the wound prematurely, would it affect the integration of the exotic?"
"Of course not," Doctor Li replied.
Ji Xinghuo immediately activated Rotating Magnetic Field, causing the two wounds on his wrists to heal at a visible rate. Within seconds, the wounds had completely vanished.
Doctor Li was astonished. He had seen many exotic humans with self-healing abilities, but it was rare to see someone heal as quickly as Ji Xinghuo.
Ji Xinghuo immediately felt a tingling sensation in his wrists, but it wasn't painful.
His hands also trembled slightly.
Gradually, a weak current appeared under his skin, flowing along the palmaris longus towards his palm and then to his fingertips. As time passed, the current became more pronounced and intense, emitting a sizzling sound and even piercing the air with a burnt smell.
"Congratulations, Mr. Ji! It's definitely a successful integration. You're the fastest exotic human I've seen to integrate Thunderclap Hands," Doctor Li exclaimed with a smile.
"Thank you, Doctor Li," Ji Xinghuo replied, delighted.
The Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupils interface had already updated with new information.
[Exotic: Thunderclap Hands (Level 1/43)]
"The medical center has a training room, Mr. Ji. If you'd like to test your new ability, feel free to use it," offered Doctor Li.
"That won't be necessary," Ji Xinghuo declined. He didn't want to reveal too much in front of others. After paying the implantation fee, he left the medical service center.
Back at the villa, he headed straight for the martial arts field.
Ji Xinghuo raised one hand, and with a slight mental nudge, a silver-white lightning bolt burst from his fingertip after half a second, piercing the air with a loud blast.
Crackle!
This was a genuine lightning bolt, incredibly fast. It would be difficult to dodge without prior preparation.
Ji Xinghuo tried a few more times, gradually mastering the lightning and shortening the time from preparation to release to about 0.4 seconds, with an attack range of about five meters.
He could strike wherever he pointed, swift and agile!
When he activated Rotating Magnetic Field, the range of the lightning bolt increased dramatically to over ten meters, and its lethality escalated to a whole new level.
Thunderclap Hands could not only release lightning but also attach it to his palms or weapons for increased damage and a paralyzing effect. Moreover, he could generate lightning from both hands and alternate his attacks.
A single lightning attack consumed about 3-10 points of stellar power.
The longer he charged the lightning, the more lethal it became, and the more stellar power it consumed. The duration of the charge was entirely up to him.
Crackle!
Crackle...
The sound of electric shocks filled the martial arts field, and Ji Xinghuo felt a sense of novelty. As he became more proficient, he immediately channeled his Spirit Source Energy into upgrading Thunderclap Hands.
Soon, Thunderclap Hands reached (Level 2/173).
Ji Xinghuo didn't stop there and continued to invest his Spirit Source Energy, directly upgrading Thunderclap Hands to (Level 3/743)!
(End of Chapter)
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