Early in the morning, Li Fei took an Elixir and then began to practice the Heavenly Gang Qi Pile.
The Elixir he ingested was known as the 'Nourishing Embryo Pill,' the most commonly used medicine during the Embryo Cultivation Stage to provide nutrition for the Implant.
And the Heavenly Gang Qi Pile was the Piling Skill most suitable for the growth of the steel armor Implant at his current stage. Hao Yi had instructed Li Fei to practice this Piling Skill after taking the 'Nourishing Embryo Pill.'
Half an hour later, Li Fei's body began to heat up, and he started to sweat profusely.
He wiped off the sweat and then applied a box of ointment to his body.
This ointment was called 'Golden Kui Ointment,' which was specifically designed for Gold Attribute Implants like steel armor to help accelerate the growth of the Implant.
Yesterday, Li Fei had purchased medicines at the materials building. A complete set of products for the Embryo Cultivation Stage, including the 'Nourishing Embryo Pill' and 'Golden Kui Ointment,' cost 95 yuan and could be used for a month.
Li Fei had bought one set, and he didn't have much money left.
After applying the 'Golden Kui Ointment,' Li Fei sat still and began to perform a Breathing Skill.
Fifteen minutes later, his skin had absorbed all of the ointment completely.
Glancing at the Myriad Blood Pearl, Li Fei noticed that some Blood Soul had decreased, but the energy had also increased somewhat.
This indicated that both the 'Nourishing Embryo Pill' and the 'Golden Kui Ointment' caused certain damage to the human body.
"Martial Artists often have short lives, dying either in conflict or on the path of cultivation,"
Li Fei recalled these words said by Hao Yi the day before, now with a deeper understanding.
He dressed and ran to the Martial Arts Hall.
As before, he started by soaking in a Medicine Bath, then waited for Hao Yi to arrive.
The training for the Heavenly Gang Dominator Body was also conducive to the rapid growth of the steel armor Implant inside his body, so the focus of Li Fei's forthcoming training would still be the Heavenly Gang Dominator Body.
After Li Fei finished his Medicine Bath, Hao Yi arrived on time.
The following training consisted of the same Qi Training and resistance to hitting that he had done before.
"You're in the Embryo Cultivation Stage now. The daily elixirs you take will cause certain damage to your body, so it's best not to train for the Heavenly Gang Dominator Body as frequently as before. Change it to once every two days,"
Hao Yi told Li Fei after the morning training session had finished.
If Li Fei's Blood Soul had been only 10 beads, he would certainly have taken Hao Yi's advice, as the Blood Soul he consumed daily was already more than he could replenish. But now that he had 16 beads, and the Myriad Blood Pearl was absorbing energy every day and continuing to be upgraded, he decisively replied to Hao Yi,
"Teacher, I want to try and maintain the same routine as before, practicing the Heavenly Gang Dominator Body twice a day. If my body can't handle it, I'll decrease the frequency."
Hao Yi pondered for a moment and then nodded, "Alright."
So, after a noon rest, the afternoon training continued.
After completing the second session of Heavenly Gang Dominator Body training, Hao Yi handed Li Fei a thick book with 'Complete Illustrated Guide to Implants' written on the cover.
"Now that you have embarked on the path of a Martial Artist, there are some basics that you should know. This book has information on over a hundred common Lower Three Grades Implants. Look through it whenever you have time,"
Hao Yi told Li Fei.
"Okay, thank you, Teacher,"
Li Fei took the book.
He said goodbye to Hao Yi and ran back home with his backpack.
That night, after finishing his physical and Embryo Cultivation training, Li Fei read the 'Complete Illustrated Guide to Implants' that Hao Yi gave him in his bedroom.
The book categorized Implants according to the Five Elements Attribute—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth. It recorded various Implants and their corresponding characteristics, abilities, and the Tao Foundation they could match.
Li Fei found the Second Grade steel armor in the book and discovered that this Implant could only match two types of Tao Foundation—'Earth Kunlun' or 'Steel Core.'
"The 'Steel Core' must be the Tao Foundation on which my teacher cultivated," Li Fei thought to himself. "If that Wang Qitai mentioned yesterday that my teacher needed to rebuild his Tao Foundation, could it be that there's a problem with his foundation?"
Unfortunately, this book only mentioned the names of the matching Tao Foundations and didn't provide a detailed introduction to the Tao Foundations. Moreover, Li Fei couldn't find the 'Mixed Element Heavenly Gold' that Hao Yi wanted him to cultivate on the book.
As for the 'Azure Brilliance' that Wang Qitai's granddaughter, Wang Fengqing, was cultivating, it wasn't mentioned in the book either.
"In other words, the Implants required for these two Tao Foundations aren't the common ones, which is why this book doesn't have any records on them."
Li Fei naturally came to this conclusion.
He then saw a line in the information about the Second Grade Steel Armor Implant: "Taking a 'Withered Fire Pill' can speed up the growth rate of the Steel Armor Implant."
"Withered Fire Pill, I wonder if the Martial Arts Hall's storehouse has this kind of Elixir?"
Li Fei thought that if it was available, he might consider purchasing it.
His own talent was only Grade B. Although his endurance could be infinitely enhanced by the Myriad Blood Pearl, there was no way to improve the compatibility with the Implant.
The best talent could complete the Embryo Cultivation Stage within a month, but with Grade B compatibility, it might take several months.
Although cultivating the Heavenly Gang Dominator Body twice a day could speed up the process, Li Fei was still not satisfied.
He had joined the Martial Arts Hall on July 9th this year, and the selection of candidates for the Zhi Ge Department in the university was determined in May every year, meaning he didn't have a whole year to prepare. At most, he had only ten months to vie for the spot for the next year.
Lu Changwu had told him that the slots for the Zhi Ge Department depended on an assessment, and one of the significant criteria was the monthly exam performance.
That meant Li Fei had, at most, ten chances to prove himself. If he took too long during the Embryo Cultivation Stage, he would waste the few opportunities he had.
Therefore, Li Fei wanted to complete the Embryo Cultivation Stage as quickly as possible.
If possible, he wished to achieve a good ranking in the monthly exam at the end of this month!
...
The next day, after finishing a day of cultivation, Li Fei suddenly asked Hao Yi:
"Teacher, I read in the book that the Withered Fire Pill can accelerate the growth of the Second Grade Steel Armor Implant. May I take this Elixir?"
Upon hearing this, Hao Yi was taken aback, looking at him seriously:
"Every Elixir will cause damage to the human body, especially those like the Withered Fire Pill that stimulate the growth of the Implant. Furthermore, if you accelerate the growth of the Implant, you'll also need to speed up the intake of Nourishing Embryo Pills, which will similarly hasten the damage to your body. The combined effect is something most people's bodies can't handle."
"That means as long as my body can handle it, I can take them,"
Li Fei thought to himself, nodding to Hao Yi:
"Teacher, I understand."
Hao Yi watched his eyes:
"You seem very eager to speed up your cultivation progress. Why?"
Li Fei fell silent for a moment, then decided to be frank as he still needed the other's help:
"Teacher, I want to secure a spot in the university's Zhi Ge Department!"
Hao Yi was not surprised and his eyes softened slightly, speaking with a hint of pride:
"If you're my student, you should naturally compete for that spot. However, the difficulty involved is not small. If you follow me and cultivate for three years, after three years, you should have the ability to vie for a spot."
"Three years?"
Li Fei shook his head, looked straight at Hao Yi, and said word by word:
"Teacher, three years is too long. Students only fight for the present moment!"
...