Chapter 59: Qi and Blood (2)

Previously, when Wang Luo had shown them around, they had only looked from the outside and hadn’t gone in.

Only after stepping inside did Hu Qi realize.

The cafeteria wasn’t much different from a regular university’s. Rows of seats were neatly arranged in the spacious, brightly lit area.

Most of the seats were connected units, supported by sturdy metal frames.

The tables and chairs were wiped clean, though some tabletops still bore traces of students’ meals.

Rows of bright pendant lights hung from the ceiling, casting a soft glow downward.

At the service counter in the back, a few people were in line to get food.

There were stir-fried dishes, noodles, wontons, and he even saw snail-and-rice-noodle soup. All kinds of food were available.

Hu Qi picked up a stainless steel tray and got some food. He took the black card from his pocket and tapped it lightly on the card reader, which showed the payment was successful.

Here in the cafeteria, the black card allowed you to eat for free.

Furthermore, all expenses within Anshan Academy could be covered by the black card.

However, there was a monthly limit. Once it was used up, you had to pay with your own money.

He checked the limit and saw it was quite generous. As long as he wasn’t wasteful, he wouldn’t be able to spend it all in a month.

After getting his food, Hu Qi also grabbed a carton of yogurt. He turned and scanned the room, just about to find an empty seat.

Suddenly, a voice called out from a corner.

"Hu Qi, over here!"

He turned his head and saw Ye Li waving and calling to him.

Sitting across from her was a young woman who bore a slight resemblance to her.

Judging by the Red Snake pattern on her Martial Arts Uniform, she was a Level Two Student.

"This is Hu Qi, a classmate from my dojo. This is my cousin, Ye Lan."

Seeing Hu Qi approaching with his tray, Ye Li shifted in her seat and made the simple introduction.

"Hello!"

Hu Qi smiled and greeted her.

The woman named Ye Lan had a cold expression and merely nodded, clearly unwilling to engage in much conversation with Hu Qi.

Hu Qi wasn’t bothered by this and sat down to focus on his meal.

Seeing this, Ye Li seemed to start a conversation with Hu Qi to prevent the atmosphere from becoming too awkward.

"By the way, have you read that basic handbook yet?"

Ye Li asked, as if she had just remembered something.

Hu Qi chewed a piece of rib a couple of times and swallowed.

He replied casually.

"Not yet."

"That thing is really important. You should find some time to look at it when you get back," Ye Li insisted.

"It has information on the Shexin Sect, much more detailed than what I know.

For example, it has class schedules and some important things to keep in mind.

It also has photos and basic information on our Shexin Sect’s Sect Leader and the senior direct disciples.

You should at least get a general idea of who they are, since you might meet them in the future..."

Ye Li chattered on, doing almost all of the talking herself.

Looks can be deceiving.

Her talkativeness left Hu Qi somewhat speechless.

Throughout her monologue, Hu Qi barely had a chance to speak; she did all the talking.

Time passed.

Soon, Hu Qi had polished off the food on his tray in a few quick bites. He mentioned he had things to do back at the dorm and left.

Watching Hu Qi’s departing back, Ye Li’s smile faded.

She turned to her calm-faced cousin, Ye Lan.

"Sis, what was with you today?"

Hearing this, Ye Lan knew what Ye Li was referring to.

She shook her head.

"My dear cousin, I’m doing this for your own good. He’s not right for you."

"Sis, what are you talking about? That’s not what I’m trying to do."

A flash of embarrassed anger crossed Ye Li’s face.

"His strength is incredible.

He’ll surely thrive here, like a fish in water. I’m just trying to get on his good side and build a connection. It might lead to unexpected benefits in the future."

"Little Li, you don’t understand. Everyone who makes it here is a genius.

But the one thing this place isn’t short on is geniuses."

Ye Lan looked dismissive.

She looked at Ye Li.

"Your aptitude is even greater than mine. I don’t want you wasting time on this. You should be putting more energy into your training.

Here, strength is the only thing that matters."

...

Hu Qi was unaware of the conversation the two were having behind him.

Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared.

’As for Ye Li, I was just hoping to get some useful information from her, or at most, become friends.’

’As for so-called romantic matters, I have no such intentions.’

’If this were an ordinary world, I might have planned to make some money and find a girl I liked to marry.’

’But unfortunately, this is a world with the Extraordinary.’

’And with the existence of my panel, there’s no way I could ever be content with being an ordinary person.’

’Getting married and having children would only hold me back.’

’In this life, I only want to explore the unknown, achieve the Extraordinary, and grow ever stronger.’

’In my past life, the Extraordinary didn’t exist in my world. Even if I had this ambition, there was nothing I could do.’

’Now that such a great opportunity is right in front of me, there’s no way I’m giving it up.’

...

At eight o’clock the next day, after eating breakfast in the cafeteria, Hu Qi headed straight for a certain gray building.

Inside the huge classroom, many unfamiliar faces gradually trickled in.

Hu Qi scanned the room and only saw Sims and Liu Ping. Apparently, Wang Yue and Ye Li were not with them.

’They must have been assigned to other classes.’

The classroom was very large; even with more than forty people standing inside, there was still plenty of space.

Unlike a regular university classroom filled with desks and chairs, this place was completely empty.

Not long after everyone had arrived, a burly, bald man strode in.

The somewhat noisy room instantly fell silent. Wang Luo scanned everyone present and said:

"You all joined the core class to study the Limit-Breaking Technique.

Before I teach you the Limit-Breaking Technique, I need to briefly explain the general situation of our Shexin Sect."

At this, he saw the fervent gazes of the crowd below and smiled faintly.

"I believe you’ve learned a bit about this from the handbooks you were given yesterday.

Based on the different Limit-Breaking Techniques they practice, people are divided into different Schools.

"There are one hundred and fifty-one Schools registered in the entire Federation: one hundred and eight are Lower Class, thirty-six are Middle Class, and seven are Upper Class."

Here, Wang Luo paused.

"And my Shexin Sect is one of those thirty-six Middle Class Schools.

For you to be able to join our Shexin Sect is a tremendous opportunity.

I hope you train diligently and don’t waste this chance.

I won’t waste any more time on other nonsense."

Wang Luo paused again after saying this.

"The human body has its limits. The closer you get to this limit, the harder it becomes to improve. I’m sure you’ve all experienced this.

You can think of the limit as a cup filled with water.

If you want to hold more water, you need a bigger container.

The Limit-Breaking Technique was created for this very purpose. Its principle is to use special methods to stimulate the illusory and elusive Qi Blood Power within the body to strengthen oneself."

As he spoke, he held out his palm and clenched his five fingers into a fist.

The next moment.

The muscles in his arm suddenly swelled, and his skin took on a reddish hue, as if a faint red glow was seeping through it.

Yes, it was truly a red glow, not an illusion.

Even in broad daylight, it was incredibly distinct.