After the meal, Li Fei, along with Lu Changwu and four other platoon leaders' sons, biked back to the family courtyard of the Inspection Bureau.
After saying goodbye to Lu Changwu and the others, Li Fei returned home and immediately reported the day's events to Li Lei.
"Uncle Li, how is your relationship with that Captain Lu?" asked Li Fei.
There must surely be power disputes within the Inspection Bureau, and if Li Lei and that Captain Lu weren't on the same side, then Li Fei would have to be extra cautious in his dealings with Lu Changwu.
"It's rare for you to specifically ask me about this," Li Lei said with a gratified smile on his face, feeling that the boy had indeed grown up.
"That Captain Lu is almost certain to be promoted to Deputy Supervisory Director; the other two captains can't compete with him."
Li Fei immediately understood; without the interest conflict, their relationship would at least not be hostile.
In that case, dealing with Lu Changwu wouldn't cause trouble for Li Lei.
"Today, what Lu Changwu told you was mainly the truth—the Tiger Saber Gang has nearly taken over the Martial Arts Hall of Xing City as if it were their own backyard. If you want to secure a spot for the Zhi Ge Department at university, you'll inevitably clash with the Tiger Saber Gang, so you can form connections with Lu Changwu and his people, but also be careful not to be used as a pawn by others. Do you understand?" Li Lei looked at Li Fei.
"I understand, don't worry, Uncle Li," Li Fei nodded.
"Do you need money for your martial arts training with Mr. Hao?" Li Lei asked again.
Without any hesitation, Li Fei nodded: "Yes, today my teacher taught me a Horizontal Training Skill, and he wrote a prescription for me that I need to buy at the Martial Arts Hall."
"Horizontal Training Skills?" Li Lei had not expected Hao Yi to teach Li Fei that, but he trusted Hao Yi's judgment and capability, so he took out his wallet and pulled out a stack of paper money to give to Li Fei:
"Here's two hundred yuan; take it for now, and let me know if it's not enough."
Li Fei took the stack of bills with both hands and solemnly said, "Thank you, Uncle Li."
"No problem; your Uncle Li has some savings, so don't be polite with me," Li Lei said casually.
His official salary was 100 yuan a month, but he also had various other sources of income, so over the years, he indeed had some savings.
However, those savings would probably barely cover the college expenses for Li Tianyu, let alone setting aside a portion for Li Fei.
Li Fei, looking at the stack of bills in his hand, had only one thought:
"A favor must be repaid with a spring of water for a drop of kindness!"
...
The next morning, Li Fei, as usual, took a glance at the Myriad Blood Pearl within his body:
[Rank: Level 1 72%
Blood Soul: 10]
Overnight, the rank level had risen by 1%, which was the result of Myriad Blood Pearl automatically absorbing internal energy, and the Blood Souls had also replenished to 10.
Through observation, Li Fei estimated that the recovery speed of Blood Souls was one per 24 hours, meaning that even if he sustained severe injuries, he would be fully restored in ten days.
After getting dressed and having breakfast, Li Fei jogged to the Martial Arts Hall and immediately went to the supply building to buy the medicine.
"Hello, the price for a full set of herbs on your prescription is 35 yuan," said the supply manager after checking the prescription.
"I'll take one set for now. Thank you," Li Fei handed over 35 yuan.
A full set of herbs would last for ten sessions; with the 200 yuan Li Lei had given him, he would be able to practice 'Heavenly Gang Dominator Body' fifty times.
With the medicine in hand, Li Fei carried the large package to the practice building.
He first applied for the Medicine Bath Room with Sister Zhang and received the key to Room 304, then went upstairs and entered.
Skillfully igniting the gas stove, Li Fei began to boil water, then poured the hot water into the wooden tub.
After filling the tub to a sufficient level, he followed the prescription and poured a pack of the medicine into the water.
Soon, the room filled with the scent of herbs.
When the time was right, Li Fei consumed a sachet of Medicine Powder, then stripped off his clothes and submerged himself completely into the wooden tub.
This was an essential step for practicing the 'Heavenly Gang Dominator Body.' An internal dose of Medicine Powder and an external medicinal bath were used to stimulate one's innate potential, making the practice of 'Heavenly Gang Dominator Body' more effective.
Li Fei quickly felt his body heat up, as if something was burrowing into him.
Not only that, but he also noticed that his Blood Souls were depleting.
This indicated that his body was undergoing damage.
Hao Yi had made it clear to him in advance that the drugs used for cultivating the "Heavenly Gang Dominator Body" could speed up his training, but at the same time, they could cause some damage to his body, so they should not be overused.
However, this was nothing to Li Fei, who had the Myriad Blood Pearl to share the damage. The drugs' damage to his body would be minimized, and even if there was any damage, it would fully recover within ten days without lingering side effects.
After soaking in the wooden barrel for about an hour, Li Fei got out and got dressed.
He "looked" at the Myriad Blood Pearl:
[Rank: Level 1 91%
Blood Souls: 9 beads + 82%]
The medicine had caused him harm, but it had also allowed the Myriad Blood Pearl to absorb energy. Now the Myriad Blood Pearl was only 9% away from the next level upgrade!
A moment later, Hao Yi walked in.
"Teacher."
"Uh-huh, perform the Heavenly Gang Qi Pile stance."
Hao Yi glanced at Li Fei to confirm he had taken the medicine before simply instructing.
"Yes."
Li Fei began to perform the stance, and perhaps it was due to the medicinal bath and the ingested medicine powder that he felt his breathing became scorching, and his body began to heat up slowly.
Hao Yi, standing nearby, took off the black leather gloves he wore, revealing his blood-red hands and then, palm after palm, began to strike various parts of Li Fei's body.
Slap!
Slap!
Slap!
A series of muffled hitting sounds arose in the room.
Every time Hao Yi struck Li Fei, he felt a wave of heat penetrate his body. The struck areas quickly reddened and swelled, creating a sense of pain.
Knowing that Hao Yi was helping him train, Li Fei took the initiative to disconnect the link between himself and the Myriad Blood Pearl, allowing his body to endure all the damage.
Not all damage is harmful to the body; for instance, muscle tissue needs to be torn and rebuilt constantly in order to get stronger.
The principle of various Horizontal Training Skills is similar. Li Fei could actively control the connection between himself and the Myriad Blood Pearl, which made it convenient for him to practice these skills.
Perhaps due to the effect of the drugs, Li Fei felt as if his body was an inflated leather drum, absorbing the impacts and bouncing them back.
"Control your breathing rhythm, keep up with my strikes, and imagine a flow of qi circulating within your body," Hao Yi instructed as he continued to strike with his palms.
He required that when his palm struck, Li Fei's breathing rhythm and body movements should correspond precisely, with the body's qi appearing at the struck locations.
The process was quite challenging; had Li Fei not already mastered the Mixed Element Qi Stance beforehand, he wouldn't have been able to keep up with Hao Yi's pace now.
From time to time, Hao Yi would stop and give Li Fei a moment to rest; the two continued like this for over an hour.
After this training session, Hao Yi's blood-red palms constantly emitted visible white steam, and his face showed clear signs of fatigue.
It was evident that maintaining such practices was quite exhausting for him.
On the other hand, Li Fei, having completed the session, felt refreshed and indescribably comfortable.
He looked at Hao Yi, showing obvious fatigue, and gave a fist salute:
"Thank you, Teacher, for your hard work."
Hao Yi waved his hand, his stern expression softening a bit:
"This step is called Qi Circulation, which activates your body and lets qi fill every part of it. Next, we will do impact resistance training. The process is similar to what we just did, but you need to strive to have your qi keep up with my strikes."
After saying this, he picked up the iron rod lying nearby with one hand, and struck Li Fei.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The sound of the iron rod's strikes was very dull, and like before, Li Fei used the Heavenly Gang Qi Pile to withstand the blows.
During this process, he periodically re-established the link with the Myriad Blood Pearl, using it to bear the damage.
He wasn't doing this to be lazy or because he was afraid of pain, but rather, he wanted the Myriad Blood Pearl to absorb more energy and level up faster.
With each strike of the iron rod, Hao Yi used clever force to shake Li Fei's skin and muscles to the greatest extent while trying not to injure Li Fei.
Nevertheless, each of his strikes was full of power, allowing the Myriad Blood Pearl to absorb a significant amount of energy.
After continuing like this for half an hour, Li Fei suddenly felt a tremor within the Myriad Blood Pearl, and a warm current emerged, giving him the sensation of soaking in a hot spring, with all the pain and fatigue in his body vanishing.
He hastily checked the Myriad Blood Pearl within his body:
[Rank: Level 2 1%
Blood Souls: 12 beads]
The Myriad Blood Pearl had finally leveled up!
...