Extreme Values (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Extreme Values (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Camphor Tea Duck was an extremely famous dish from Hu Qi's previous life.

Its preparation was quite elaborate, requiring the duck to undergo numerous processes: marinating, smoking, steaming, frying, and more.

A variety of spices were used during marination. After being smoked with camphorwood and tea leaves, the duck meat would take on a distinctive smoky fragrance.

The finished dish had a bright red sheen, crispy skin, tender meat, and a rich flavor, giving off a dense aroma of camphorwood and tea leaves.

Hu Qi loved it dearly.

Giving the other party this name also carried immense expectations.

"...According to data from current Federation experiments, a thousand jin of strength is the limit of the human body.

"Of course, that is only a theoretical limit.

"No one could possibly reach it.

"Ordinary people can only train in various ways, bringing their physiques closer to that figure.

"In reality, most people's physical limits fall between 200 and 300 kilograms.

"Converted, that's around five hundred jin.

"Only those truly endowed with exceptional talent

"might reach above 400 kilograms, infinitely close to the thousand-jin mark. Such people are freakish prodigies, rarely seen in a lifetime."

In the corridor outside the training room, two figures stood facing one another.

Chen Wu looked at Hu Qi before him and explained with a smile.

Ever since their last exchange, Chen Wu's attitude had grown increasingly friendly.

He was convinced that, with Hu Qi's strength, joining the Core Class would not be a problem at all.

Naturally, he needed to build ties with someone like that in advance.

Whenever he had spare time, he would seek Hu Qi out for a chat, trying to deepen their friendship.

Though he was a coach at the Red Scale Club and a Silver Fist Class combat expert, with an easy job and decent compensation, only he himself knew

that before students truly capable of entering the Core Class, he was nothing.

People like him were merely failures.

They simply could not compare to the gifted heavens of the Core Class.

As for Chen Wu's overtures of goodwill, having struggled and clawed his way through society for over thirty years in his previous life, how could Hu Qi fail to understand what the other man was thinking?

That had also been the purpose of revealing part of his strength earlier, so naturally, he did not refuse.

Before long, the two seemed like old friends who had known each other for years.

At this moment, Chen Wu was answering the question Hu Qi had just raised.

"A thousand jin!"

Hu Qi's expression shifted slightly as he recalled what Song Jian had told him before.

He looked at Chen Wu.

"Then does the Core Class possess a way to break through this limit?"

Chen Wu did not answer immediately.

His gaze swept over the surroundings. Only after seeing that no students were paying attention to them did he lower his voice.

"Looks like Brother Hu knows a thing or two.

"In that case, this old brother won't hide it from you."

At that, he smiled into Hu Qi's probing gaze.

"That's right. The Core Class possesses a Limit-Breaking Method capable of shattering the limit. Those who master such methods may be called Martial Dao Practitioners. They are the true strong."

"How strong are Martial Dao Practitioners?"

Hu Qi's heart stirred. He had a premonition that he might be about to touch upon this world's hidden side.

"I don't know the specifics either. My talent was too poor, and I never entered the Core Class back then.

"Once you get in, you'll naturally find out. The only thing I can say for certain is that they are incredibly powerful. Some can even withstand gunfire without suffering the slightest injury."

Chen Wu shook his head.

"His flesh taking bullets head-on?"

Hu Qi's eyelids twitched.

That was simply inhuman.

Afterward, he pressed for more details.

Unfortunately, Chen Wu said he did not know.

He had only heard these things from a student who had entered the Core Class before.

"I don't know much else, but there's one saying: before practicing the Limit-Breaking Method, the stronger your physique is—the closer it is to the limits of the human body—the greater the benefits you'll gain."

Chen Wu said in a deep voice.

"Is that so?"

Hu Qi's gaze flickered.

The only good news now was that his earlier deduction had been correct.

This world truly was not simple. There existed mysterious powers far beyond ordinary people.

Just then, someone downstairs called Chen Wu's name.

Chen Wu answered, then turned and left.

Watching his retreating back, a strange glint flashed through Hu Qi's eyes.

He was growing more and more eager for the Core Class assessment in half a month.

Hanlin Garden residential area.

Hu Qi parked his electric bike properly, carried the groceries he had bought, and went upstairs.

He had just stepped out of the elevator and was about to take out his key when the red-painted door at the end of the corridor to his right opened.

A man in a white T-shirt, his face somewhat pale, emerged from inside.

The man wore sunglasses. Upon seeing Hu Qi, he nodded at him.

Hu Qi nodded back.

A young couple lived there.

Over the past month, Hu Qi had run into them several times.

Although the man wore glasses, judging by his build and height, he was undoubtedly the boyfriend.

Their paths crossed, and the man entered the elevator.

Watching the elevator doors close, Hu Qi wrinkled his nose slightly. He had caught a strong whiff of perfume from the man, pungent enough to sting the nose.

Hu Qi looked at the tightly shut door beside him, a trace of suspicion rising in his heart.

A few criminal cases he had once read about flashed through his mind.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen that woman for several days. Don't tell me..."

Just as this thought surfaced in Hu Qi's mind—

Click!

At that moment—

The door opened again. A twenty-year-old woman with her hair pinned up, a graceful figure wrapped in a nightgown, poked her head out.

"Hubby, you forgot your keys..."

She stopped halfway through when she did not see anyone.

Noticing Hu Qi looking over, she smiled awkwardly.

"That guy, always forgetting this and that..."

Muttering under her breath, the woman shut the door with a bang.

Hu Qi stood where he was, rather speechless.

Looks like I was overthinking it. How could there be so many coincidences in the world?

He shook his head, opened his own door, and went inside.

However, Hu Qi did not notice that behind the closed door, an eye was hidden behind the peephole, watching him enter his home.

"Quack, quack!"

Hu Qi had just entered and put down the groceries, not even having time to change his shoes.

Camphor Tea Duck's cries came from inside.

Following the sound, he looked over.

Near the base of the wall stood an iron cage.

The bottom of the cage was covered in soft hay, and a duck with purple feathers was squatting inside.

In one corner of the cage sat a small wooden feed trough containing rice grains and water.

"Good afternoon, Camphor Tea Duck!"

Hu Qi walked over, opened the iron cage, and reached his hand toward its rear.

Seeing this, Camphor Tea Duck ruffled its feathers and reluctantly shifted its rump aside, revealing two duck eggs the size of fists beneath it.

Faint purple stripes covered the eggshells, and they were warm to the touch.

"Not bad, Camphor Tea. You actually laid two this time. I'll give you an extra meal tonight."

Hu Qi smiled at the sight.

He reached out and stroked its smooth purple feathers.

Feeling Hu Qi's large hand, Camphor Tea Duck stiffened its neck and froze where it was, its scarlet eyes fixed tightly on Hu Qi as though it were terribly afraid of him.