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The solemn black uniform accentuated her exquisite, long legs. The girl had to be at least 1.75 meters tall.

She wore a brisk, ear-length bob, and with her bright, sharp eyes, she looked like a handsome young man at first glance.

But with her fair, charming face, full breasts, and slender, taut waist, not even a fool could mistake her gender.

Wan Qing raised a book as though presenting a treasure and called out:

"Xiao Cha, you're here~ I just bought a book. Hurry and read it to me~"

"You spent money on cultivation books again..."

Xiao Cha naturally knew her friend's long-cherished wish. Somewhat helplessly, she took the book and flipped it open, then froze slightly.

"Why is it in a foreign language... I can't read this~"

"I don't know. The bookstore sold it to me..."

"What a scam of a bookstore, not making that clear. It's fine~ I'll take it back and return it for you~"

Xiao Cha took the matter entirely upon herself, but Wan Qing looked somewhat disappointed.

"This book... contains the latest research findings on cultivation by Western scholars."

At that moment, Lu Li curiously stepped closer, wanting to see what book it was.

Xiao Cha's sharp, beautiful eyes swept toward him as she said coldly:

"Almost forgot the important matter! Wan Qing! How dare you let an unfamiliar man stay overnight? What if you ran into a bad man!"

Wan Qing replied as though it were only natural:

"Lu Li is a good person. Let me introduce you—this is my good friend, Luo Xiaochá, a constable~"

"Hey, you..."

Seeing her best friend's innocent expression, Xiao Cha could neither laugh nor cry.

But she quickly resumed her stern look. Flashing the badge and shackles at her waist, she barked at Lu Li, "Show me your identification!"

As soon as she said that, Wan Qing became unhappy. "What are you doing..."

Xiao Cha kept a straight face and said nothing.

Her childhood friend was far too alluring in both looks and figure, while her temperament was gentle and kind. She always attracted wicked men, and only Xiao Cha's usual watchfulness had kept anything from happening.

Even if this Lu Li looked proper and not like a bad person, one could know a face but not a heart. He had to be given a warning!

Yet unexpectedly, Lu Li was even more suspicious than she had imagined. He actually said:

"I just returned from overseas. I don't have identification."

Xiao Cha's almond eyes narrowed, and her suspicions surged. "Then where's your passport?"

Lu Li calmly replied, "Lost it."

"An illegal resident!"

Xiao Cha kicked off with her long legs and closed in like a female leopard in an instant. Reaching out, she felt him over from head to toe, assessing his level of threat.

"Strong body, but no Martial Arts cultivation. Never trained with guns. And he's a Cripple..."

Lu Li could not even see her movements clearly. He suffered the ravages of her jade-like hands, only to be judged from head to toe.

At last, Xiao Cha scrutinized his eyes and concluded:

"No Spirit Refinement cultivation either. Just an ordinary person. But your movements are suspicious, so you'll have to come with me~"

With that, she removed the shackles from her waist. She was clearly about to arrest him!

"Wait!"

At that moment, Wan Qing shouted with a flushed face, "Young Master Lu is a good person! There are so many pickpockets on the streets—maybe his documents really were stolen!"

Xiao Cha coldly reminded her, "How can you still not learn your lesson? Have you forgotten those 'human traffickers' who pretended to be kind, trying to trick you into a brothel?"

"Young Master Lu is different..."

Wan Qing bit her lip, her face full of urgency as she tried to persuade her best friend.

But words were ultimately powerless...

Suddenly, an idea struck her. She handed the book in her hands to Lu Li and said:

"I believe Young Master Lu really did return from overseas. He can definitely read foreign languages!"

Lu Li took the book and saw that it was written in Anglo-Saxon language. He immediately said:

"Understanding Brainwaves, by Hans Berger."

After saying that, he repeated it in Anglo-Saxon language.

The moment Xiao Cha heard his fluent, authentic accent, she knew that he truly had returned from overseas.

Wan Qing's pretty face lit up, and she said delightedly:

"Yes! That's the book! Many scientists have already confirmed that the essence of Spirit Refinement cultivation is continuously strengthening brainwaves! If I understand this book, I'll surely be able to embark on the path of cultivation!"

Xiao Cha felt helpless inside. How could it be that simple...

Wan Qing softly pleaded, "Young Master, please read it for me~"

"All right."

Lu Li naturally would not refuse the girl's request and continued reading:

"Brainwaves are bioelectric reactions produced when large numbers of neurons fire synchronously..."

The book was not long. It was more like a journal article, containing early research into brainwaves.

Wan Qing copied all the contents into her notebook, her face brimming with the joy of having obtained a priceless treasure.

With the atmosphere easing, Xiao Cha sat back down in her chair and crossed her legs.

Lu Li expressionlessly asked, "Constable, have my suspicions been cleared?"

"Hmph~ Only temporarily!" Xiao Cha raised her fair chin. "Hurry to the concession and get your documents reissued. I'll inspect them again in a few days~"

"Young Master..."

Wan Qing stepped between them, pulled another book from a drawer, and softly said:

"You can read this Spirit Illumination Meditation Method first. Spirit Refinement cultivation has nine realms in total, and this is the method for the first realm, [Spirit Concentration]."

"Thank you."

Lu Li quickly accepted it and began reading with ravenous hunger.

The book contained a thousand words. The first 950 explained what the Sea of Consciousness was, where it was located, and how to sense it.

That was far too simple for Lu Li. There was a Dharma treasure right inside his Sea of Consciousness.

The remaining fifty words explained how to gather one's mind within the Sea of Consciousness. Accomplishing that was "Spirit Concentration."

In other words, for this "secret manual"... Lu Li only needed to complete the final 5% of the progress bar to level up!

There was no time to lose. He immediately began trying!

The book used merely fifty words to explain the step of gathering one's mind, so one could imagine it was not difficult.

To put it plainly, it meant focusing one's attention.

When a person concentrated their attention on their eyes, they could see more clearly. Focusing it on their ears, nose, and so on would also grant corresponding enhancements.

But when it was concentrated within the Sea of Consciousness, what one gained was something miraculous!

At that moment, the neurons in Lu Li's brain instantly produced a vast amount of bioelectric activity, forming brainwaves.

This was human thought, or what could be called the mind.

Everyone possessed it. It was ordinary and unremarkable, yet it was the most miraculous creation of life!

They gathered in the Pineal Gland, continuously stimulating the organ.

Lu Li immediately felt a coolness spread through his entire skull!

His mind became crystal clear. His brain was like a dust-covered pearl being carefully polished, blooming with dazzling radiance!

If there had been a brainwave detector, it would have shown that the intensity of Lu Li's brainwaves was constantly rising. It soon reached three times that of an ordinary person—and continued increasing!

Meanwhile, Wan Qing said expectantly:

"Xiao Cha, let's research these brainwaves together. Maybe we'll be able to embark on the path of cultivation!"

Xiao Cha sprawled in her chair and lazily said, "You can research it yourself. I've already decided to focus on Martial Arts~"

Wan Qing softly reminded her, "Are you willing to be a Strongman for the rest of your life?"

"Strongman... a derogatory term for people who cultivate the body but not the mind. It sounds awful~"

Xiao Cha stared at the ceiling beam, and a trace of melancholy appeared on her carefree face.

"But Wan Qing, do you know... people are different from one another. The gap between people is even greater than the gap between people and dogs..."

"The day before yesterday, I met the Governor's daughter. She's a year younger than me, yet her Martial Arts cultivation is three major realms above mine. Killing me would take only the flick of a finger..."

The more Xiao Cha spoke, the more despondent she became, and her long lashes drooped.

"Hard work is useless. People have to accept their fate... Aahhh!!!"

In the middle of speaking, Xiao Cha suddenly opened her mouth wide and kept pointing toward Lu Li. She was so frightened that she could not get a word out.

Lu Li's eyes were blooming with brilliance like the stars!

His irises slowly expanded, crystalline and translucent like miniature cosmic galaxies, shrouded in a hazy halo that did not belong to the Mortal Realm.

The eyes were the windows of the soul, most directly revealing one's Spirit Refinement cultivation.

But Wan Qing could not see it. At a complete loss, she asked, "W-what's wrong?"

Yet precisely because she could not see, her senses of touch were extraordinarily sharp.

Soon, Wan Qing felt a gaze with tangible substance sweep over her, like fine spider silk brushing across her skin.

Her entire body trembled violently, and she said in a shaking voice, "The mind has gathered, and the gaze has substance... Young Master Lu has achieved Spirit Concentration!"

"It seems so."

Lu Li blinked several times. The strange phenomenon in his eyes slowly receded, though they remained far brighter than those of an ordinary person.