Chapter 240: Showdown with the Green Car God

Chapter 240 -239: Showdown with the Green Car God

This throttle!

This roar!

This power response!

‘It was just a small mod, and I didn’t see anything special while I watched them do it, but damn, the results are fantastic!’

As he tore down the road, Shi Tiexin felt a joy in his heart and soul, deeply experiencing the pleasure of racing. The kind of captivating pleasure that existed even without the golden light, even without any rewards.

POP. A golden star flew over and slammed into the progress bar with earth-shaking force.

Basic Driving Technique: Level One, Proficiency 99, Limit Level.

‘This mod is… so… freaking… good!’

The next day was another one for diligent study. Only, in addition to the Six Basic Heart Techniques, he had now added modification techniques to his curriculum. Sakuragi Kenji enthusiastically brought over a pile of textbooks on vehicle modification to give Shi Tiexin a theoretical foundation.

While flipping through these textbooks, a prerequisite notification unexpectedly appeared on his Vision System.

[Associated Heart Skill: Basic Physics]

[You must possess at least a qualified cultivation level in the Second Layer of Basic Physics to comprehend this manual. Comprehension speed and limits are linked to your progress in the Second Layer of Basic Physics.]

A closer look revealed that the mechanical modification tutorials indeed contained a lot of information about circuitry. If one didn’t understand the basic principles of electricity, it would be impossible to grasp the differences between various electrical gates, making it impossible to learn this content.

But as luck would have it, his Physics had just reached the second layer, which covered electricity and magnetism.

Shi Tiexin felt he truly had a talent for physics; his progress was the fastest. Among the four subjects he had newly broken through, Physics was leading the pack, being the first to reach the Excellent realm. And with the foundation of a Second Layer Physics skill at the Excellent realm, his learning progress in Basic Modification Techniques wasn’t slow either.

On the morning of the third day, at 5:30 AM, Shi Tiexin rode his motorcycle to the summit of a mountain in the ring surrounding the outskirts of Tokyo.

Today was the day of the decisive race against the Car God, Fujiwara Jizhen.

There were no crowds of spectators, no starting girls, no sizzling flares, no shivering youths, no acrid smell of exhaust, and no cameramen filming at the corners.

All the elements invariably present in street racing were completely absent here.

Only a single racer was waiting here.

The bike was green, and so was the man. The hat he was holding… ahem, helmet, was also green. This man, who was quite short compared to Shi Tiexin, was silently gazing at the distant Tokyo City.

This man was the apex of the Tokyo Biker Gang, a legend among all of Japan’s Biker Gangs, the Car God of Mingchun Mountain, Fujiwara Jizhen.

This was the meeting between the Car God and the Black Venerable.

This was the race to decide who was the true king.

A mountain breeze blew, bringing a slight chill.

A somber, charged atmosphere permeated the area.

At 5:30 AM, the sky was still dim, making the short Car God’s silhouette seem more profound. The environment made him seem a little taller than usual.

The Car God didn’t turn around.

“You’ve come.”

“I’ve come.”

‘Such classic lines.’

The Car God turned around. “You—HOLY SHIT!” Fujiwara had just turned his head when he seemed to receive a tremendous fright, stumbling backward with a look of terror on his face. If not for the guardrail, he would have missed his step and taken a Leap of Faith right off the cliff.

Shi Tiexin tensed and quickly looked behind him, thinking there was an ambush. But after looking left and right and seeing nothing, he turned back, confused. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Er… haha… you just startled me, that’s all. My apologies, my apologies…” After a long, slow breath, Fujiwara Jizhen composed himself, bowing and apologizing profusely, not daring to reveal the truth.

‘It’s 5:30 in the morning! The shadows on a certain someone’s face were deep enough to be ravines. Seeing that suddenly was enough to scare the crap out of anyone!’

But with that little scare, the atmosphere of a decisive battle completely vanished.

The two began to talk normally. Fujiwara Jizhen’s Mandarin was so-so, though of course, his pronunciation of “holy shit” was perfect.

“I feel bad for making you accommodate me,” Fujiwara Jizhen scratched his head awkwardly. “It’s so early. I don’t know if you’re used to it, Mr. Black Venerable. Would you like to rest for a bit?”

5:30 AM, no audience, a private duel—these were all conditions proposed by Fujiwara Jizhen, and Shi Tiexin had agreed to all of them.

“It’s fine. I usually wake up this early anyway.” Shi Tiexin’s pseudo-core was now formed, his mind-essence was strong, and his sleep schedule was regular. He was brimming with energy and not the least bit tired. “But let me be clear about something beforehand. Even though there’s no audience for this race, I still plan to publicize the results. After all, you know my situation. I need a bit of a reputation. You can understand that, right?”

‘The amount of golden light was related to the level of recognition a competition received. Shi Tiexin wasn’t sure if the golden light from a silently completed race would be the same amount as one completed under the watchful eyes of the masses.’

So, even though he had agreed to Fujiwara’s request for a private race, he still had to generate some hype afterward.

“I get it, I get it. Gotta get paid, right? I understand that more than anyone. If it wasn’t to get paid, why would I be out here street racing?” He pronounced the two words “get paid” with perfect Mandarin, too.

Fujiwara Jizhen seemed to be in a very talkative mood.

“Black Venerable, I’ve seen your races. You’re an exceptional racer. You’re not like a Biker Gang member; you’re like a true speedster.”

“Many people have asked me how I became the Car God. I ask them in return: have you ever seen Tokyo at 5:30 in the morning? I see it every day. That’s why I became the Car God.”

“And you… from your complete lack of dark circles and your effortless vigor, I can tell you weren’t lying. You’re also used to what Tokyo looks like at 5:30 in the morning. That’s why you possess such superb racing skills. That’s why you became the Black Venerable.”

“I’m truly happy that in this day and age, I can still meet a pure speedster like myself.”

‘Uh… Mr. Fujiwara, you really shouldn’t praise me like that. I’m not some pure speedster. I just ground out my Basic Driving Technique. I’m nothing like someone like you, who trains so diligently and legitimately.’

‘Besides, I don’t get up early to race, I get up early to study!’

However, seeing how full of emotion the other man was, and to preserve his feelings and the atmosphere of the moment, Shi Tiexin decided to just go along with it.

Fujiwara Jizhen looked at Shi Tiexin seriously.

“After leaving the professional circuit, it’s been a long time since I’ve looked forward to facing another racer this much. And I’ve been looking forward to today’s race for a long time. However, I once thought our race would be purer, but it’s clear this era no longer allows for such purity.”

“Getting paid… it’s truly unavoidable.”

“You need to get paid, and I need to get paid. It’s easier for you to get paid; it’s harder for me.” Fujiwara Jizhen smiled with a hint of resignation. “So, after I beat you later, I’ll have to publicize it too. When the time comes, I’ll have to ask for your cooperation to publicly admit defeat. It would be even better if we could hold a press conference to announce to the world that your skills are inferior to mine.”