Chapter 18 Park

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Ten days flew by quickly.

Ever since Lin Fei gained a portion of the Inner World's information a few days ago, he had been fully focused on constantly practicing the Basic Sword Technique and Qi Cultivation.

While having a clear understanding of his own strength, and without knowing the power levels of potential foes in the future, the only solution was to cultivate, cultivate, and then cultivate some more.

According to the records, F-tier was equivalent to a fully armed Special Forces soldier, of course not counting hot weapons. Taking his reference standards from military experts he had encountered in his previous life, as well as those like Uncle Wei and Sun Chengbin whom he had met before, Lin Fei more or less confirmed his own power level. Close to F-tier, but not fully there yet.

One should know that professional-level fighters and soldiers trained to kill were not comparable. The physical quality of professional fighters would definitely not be lower than that of Special Forces soldiers, but the combat styles determined their differences. More than ninety percent of the professional-level fighters would not aim to kill in combat.

Thus, if an encounter between the two were to happen, the professional fighter was very likely to die first. Life-and-death fights were often decided in an instant. Hesitation, indecision, and fear could lead to different outcomes.

"However, for a professional-level fighter, advancing to F-tier is quite easy. All one needs to do is change the combat style and get accustomed to the life-and-death fighting mode. After all, their physical quality and responsive nerves lie there," Lin Fei exhorted slowly, releasing a breath. He opened his eyes.

In the park at dawn, the air was fresh, and the green willow leaves of each tree hung down, swaying gently in the wind. In the plaza, a group of elderly men and women were twisting and turning, practicing their sword dance. The longswords in their hands, adorned with red tassels, swung in unison with their movements, accompanied by the loud music playing from the recorder on the ground.

The spot Lin Fei occupied was under a large tree deeper inside the riverside park.

Beneath the tree was a luscious green lawn, perfectly shaded from the morning sunlight by the tree canopy above, creating a cool refuge. At this spot, even if one were to exercise until noon, there was no worry about being exposed to the sun.

However, this small area was not exclusively Lin Fei's.

To his right was an old bald man practicing the Five-Animal Exercises. The elder, bare-chested, displayed solid muscles, and wore black silk trousers and flat cloth shoes below—an odd ensemble.

After Lin Fei finished practicing visualization, his body brimmed with vitality, and upon opening his eyes, it was time to rest. It wasn't appropriate to practice the Basic Sword Technique in such a public setting. After standing still for a while, he leaned over to watch the old man perform the Five-Animal Exercises.

Usually on weekends, he would specifically come to this riverside park to exercise and breathe fresh air. Cultivation also needed to be done in moderation; continuous high-intensity training required one to two days of rest per week due to muscle fatigue, which couldn't be ignored. Hence, during such times, Lin Fei would only practice visualization, not the Basic Sword Technique.

Taking a deep breath, the faint scent of roasted sweet potatoes wafted through the air. Not far away, there was a small cart selling them. Nearby the river, on the concrete ground, more than a dozen colorful mats were laid out. A group of women sat cross-legged on them, with their hands joined in prayer, occasionally making strange poses.

"Yoga is quite good for improving limb flexibility," remarked the old man as he saw Lin Fei's attention drift to the other side.

"Indeed," Lin Fei nodded, "and this type of pure health exercise is easy to popularize. It doesn't require much space either."

"Young man, I saw you standing there motionless for a long time, yet you're drenched in sweat. What are you practicing?" the old man asked, his voice resounding as he slowly finished his routine.

"Nothing much, just a Cultivation Technique related to Qigong that I happened to come across. I'm not sure if it's genuine, but I just practiced it anyway," Lin Fei replied with a smile.

"Ah, the Qigong craze," the old man sighed reminiscently, "I also followed it for a while back in the day. But later, due to lack of time to practice, I abandoned it. Looking back, the descriptions seemed somewhat exaggerated."

Lin Fei smiled shyly, somewhat resembling the Lin Fei of his past life before rebirth. He had noticed this change during the recent times. Facing the slightly strange looks from his family and peers, he felt that his behavior and interactions had changed a bit too quickly, too abruptly.

The two of them rested for a while, each picking up their water bottles from the grass, which were prepared beforehand with boiled water, convenient for replenishing fluids lost during exercise.

Sipping the saltwater from the cup in small gulps, Lin Fei once again assessed his condition. Ever since he practiced the first illustration of the Qi Cultivation section, gaining the benefit of rapid energy recovery, his attention naturally shifted to the second illustration. After numerous failures, Lin Fei realized that he hadn't yet reached the level required for visualizing the second image.

However, after the incident in the countryside last time, he felt a vague change in himself, and during the time since he returned,

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He had always diligently practiced the visualization of the first image, but he never tried to visualize the second one.

"Trying it now won't hurt. If it doesn't work out, the worst that can happen is only being able to visualize part of it. It won't affect my body." With this thought, Lin Fei suddenly felt tempted. He had previously given up because he knew he was far from ready. However, this time, he felt he might have made a breakthrough and that there was a possibility of success.

Slowly sitting down on the lawn, Lin Fei closed his eyes and slightly formed a Hand Seal with his hand.

The second image from the Qi Cultivation chapter began to emerge in his mind. At first, it was hazy, as if shrouded in countless mists, but gradually, as time passed, the image became clearer and clearer.

Lin Fei seemed to see its content, where a fierce monster vaguely appeared. It had the body of a lizard, the leathery wings of a bat, the head and neck of a king cobra, and a pair of curved long horns behind its head. However, he could only see its blurred outline and none of the specific details. He could only make out the monster coiled up, its head raised as if it was mid-roar in frenzied hissing.

'Meng, the fastest Divine Beast in the heavens and earth. Visualizing its form can greatly enhance one's own speed.'

Information slowly flowed beneath the image.

"I've succeeded!" Lin Fei rejoiced inwardly, but the excitement caused the image to blur again, clearly due to a lack of concentration, resulting in a failed visualization. However, this successful attempt proved that Lin Fei was indeed capable of visualizing the second image.

Exiting the visualization state and opening his eyes, Lin Fei could distinctly feel his muscles throughout his body relaxing, as if his own weight had become much lighter.

"This sensation." Lin Fei carefully felt it, and it seemed that every movement he made, every muscle in his body, was a little more coordinated.

"Is this the effect of the second image? Speed!"

"Grandpa! It's time to go back!" Suddenly, a crisp voice rang out nearby, interrupting Lin Fei's thoughts.

Only then did he notice, next to the old man who had been exercising with him, stood a young girl with a graceful figure, holding a black robe, standing next to the old man.

"Isn't it still early? Why the rush?" The old man said, rubbing the extra flesh on his belly.

Lin Fei noticed that the girl was about his age, and she was wearing the uniform of another key high school in Ping City, Shencheng High School. As key schools in Ping City, No. 3 Middle School and Shencheng High School naturally had a competitive relationship. Whether it was the leaders, teachers, or students, there was always a hint of faint hostility when they encountered each other.

No. 3 Middle School was famous in the city for its number one college entrance examination passing rate, while Shencheng High School was known for having the most wealthy students - which is to say, it was known as the aristocratic school. The teachers of Shencheng High School enjoyed higher salaries and better benefits. In the beginning, the teachers of No. 3 Middle School naturally compared their situation and felt envious because while their own performance was better, they received much less money, naturally leading to the desire to switch jobs.

One or two defections weren't a problem, but when it came to three or four, five or six, the teaching hierarchy of No. 3 Middle School once plunged into a predicament of being short-staffed. As a result, the leadership became infuriated. Although the situation was later rectified by increasing teacher benefits and stopping the trend, the grudge had been established.

The conflict between students of the two schools was more straightforward. Shencheng High School looked down on No. 3 Middle School for being 'poor', while No. 3 Middle School disdained Shencheng High School for their 'inferiority', with both sides taking pride in the aspects they surpassed each other in, holding mutual contempt.

The girl also noticed Lin Fei in his No. 3 Middle School uniform. Her gaze swept over him and finally stopped on the pair of white sneakers he wore on his feet, which were the cheapest kind of canvas shoes available, costing just over ten yuan a pair. They weren't stylish but were known for their durability, and were mostly worn by children from poor families.

Seeing the sneakers, a hint of disdain flashed in the girl's eyes.

At this point, the old man next to her waved his hand, "You go on back first, I'm going to stay here a little longer."

Lin Fei stood up, holding his water bottle, and smiled at the old man. "Old man, I'm heading back now."

The bald old man chuckled in response and continued to sit on the lawn, sipping water in small mouthfuls.