Storm Center

The last two pages of the booklet are Zhunti Method speculations about the fourth Breathing Technique of the Cundi method, as well as expectations for it.

On the second-to-last page, the commentator wrote:

According to some details recalled by the Buddha Lord before he was kidnapped, practicing the fourth Breathing Technique was extremely dangerous. If successful, ripples like Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire would appear on his face; if he failed, he would become an idiot, ravaging incoherently all day long.

The Buddha Lord had not taught the fourth Breathing Technique to the others in the mysterious organization before, because he was worried that they would become mentally impaired.

As for what the Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire blooming on the surface actually look like, the commentator has never seen it, and the Buddha Lord has never demonstrated it, only saying that he succeeded.

This detail also aligns with the Knight's Breathing Technique.

Qing Chen understood that this so-called "extreme danger" probably referred to the Heart's Inquiry.

Only those who have gone through the ordeal of Heart's Inquiry will understand how difficult it is.

If Qing Chen hadn't been so determined, he probably would have become mentally challenged, just like geniuses like Lin Xiaoxiao, Ye Wan, and Li Dongze, who couldn't make it through.

Fortunately, Li Shutong was able to control their pulse and adjust their breathing rate, thus leading them out of the Heart's Inquiry; otherwise, these three would probably have become mentally impaired as well.

It's not that they lack talent, but this stage doesn't consider talent; it only tests their mental fortitude...

Mr. Li once said that this mysterious organization requires its followers to offer themselves unconditionally, including the bodies of female followers.

Qing Chen didn't believe that the leader of such an organization could Heart's Inquiry.

Therefore, the commentator said that since the Buddha Lord had never shown the Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire, Qing Chen strongly suspected that the Buddha Lord had not passed the Heart's Inquiry, but only pretended to pass it and was in control of the entire organization.

If all the clues are indeed correct, and just as Qing Chen guessed.

Therefore, the Breathing Technique that the knight is currently using is very likely something that the "Last Twelve Knights" plundered from the snowy mountains.

Moreover, it is said that the knights dealt a heavy blow to a very tyrannical organization, a tyranny that seems to be corroborated by the old man Li.

Although kidnapping others is not a good thing, Qing Chen almost burst out laughing when he thought about how that Buddha Lord had to face twelve A-level experts at the same time.

Anyway, he's not a good person either. If it were him, he would have stolen it too.

Qing Chen carefully recalled whether Li Shutong had ever said what the knight's creed was.

The knights carved the words on the Green Mountain Cliff: "Only faith and the sun and moon are eternal."

So what is this belief? It is to Forever Young.

What is most important for a young person? It is the courage to make a decision without regret.

It seems that his master never actually told him to be an upright person; uprightness was just how outsiders perceived the knight.

So, once you've taken it, you've taken it; don't regret it—that's the knight's creed.

Qing Chen felt he had grasped the meaning.

However, there was one thing he didn't understand: since the Twelve Knights had kidnapped the mysterious organization's Buddha Lord and obtained the fourth section of the Breathing Technique, why hadn't they obtained the first three sections? Or perhaps they had obtained them but simply felt that the first three sections were useless?

It's highly likely that Buddha Lord deliberately only gave us the fourth section of the Breathing Technique!

This Buddha Lord knew how terrifying the Heart's Inquiry was, so he wanted to use it to kill the knight.

Buddha Lord did not expect that the knight's ancestor Qin Sheng was steadfast in his beliefs. After mastering the fourth Breathing Technique, he not only did not become mentally impaired, but instead guided the knights onto a new path.

After completing seven Life and Death Trial challenges, Li Shutong had already reached the level of a demigod. In the Zhunti Method, this could be considered a perfect achievement.

Wait a minute, Qing Chen felt something was off.

There are many people in that mysterious organization who have mastered the first three sections of the Breathing Technique, so the knight wouldn't be so careless as not to seek confirmation from others.

Therefore, the knight's ancestor must have received the first three sections of the Breathing Technique.

After all, you're just idling around anyway.

Twelve A-rank powerhouses went to rob a small organization whose highest B-Class. If they managed to steal something after the robbery, it would be very unlike the style of a knight...

Qing Chen suspected that the Knight had kidnapped many members of the mysterious organization, but because Buddha Lord was too important, the booklet only recorded Buddha Lord's kidnapping, while the kidnapping of others was simply not recorded.

Why didn't the Knight Organization pass down the first three sections of the Breathing Technique?

Qing Chen speculated that the first three Breathing Techniques were used to refine the "bright spots" and "energy channels," which was a real way to change the body using energy.

If the body is honed, the knight is no longer an ordinary person.

The fourth section, reversing the Breathing Technique, can shut down the Gene Lock, but it cannot dissipate the refined bright spots and energy channels. Therefore, the knight, unable to return to being an ordinary person, is unable to complete the next life-or- Life and Death Trial.

It's useless even if it's completed.

Qing Chen's Knight True Qi appeared after the first Life and Death Trial. It could be used to devour the Qi generated by the first three Breathing Techniques, thus avoiding the need to refine the 'Bright Points' and 'Qi Channels', and preventing him from severing his own cultivation path.

But the problem is, other knights after B-Class can also use the first three sections of Breathing Technique to strengthen their Knight True Qi, so why was it lost?

Could it be that the other knights are unable to absorb the energy generated by the first three sections of the Breathing Technique?

Qing Chen didn't know that he was a special case, so he couldn't use him as an example to infer the situation of all knights.

That might be the answer, or it might not.

The events that occurred in the snowy mountains of Southwest China were too distant in time for Qing Chen to know what exactly happened back then. A thousand years later, all his guesses are just that—guesses.

However, to be fair, this cultivation method did indeed give him quite a pleasant surprise.

Qing Chen tried the first, second, and third Breathing Technique in turn, but the effects were all similar, with the only effect being to strengthen the Knight True Qi.

He then tried to maintain the first Breathing Technique to enter the mysterious world of "Conquer by Virtue," and confirmed that even while cultivating in the mysterious world, he could increase his Knight True Qi every moment.

Although it's slow, Qing Chen is willing to persevere as long as there is progress.

He roughly estimated the rate at which his true energy was growing, and that he would be able to infuse his entire body with Knight True Qi in at most six months!

I wonder if I'll be able to give my master a surprise when the time comes.

Most importantly, while most other Time Walker were still worried about not having a path to cultivation, Qing Chen already had extra paths to cultivation to teach others.

To establish his authority at the Li Clan Academy and unite the Li family members, the Zhunti Method was indispensable.

At that moment, in the group chat system built by Yi, Liu Dezhu sent a private message to the boss's account. "Boss, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Boss: "What is it?"

Liu Dezhu: "Boss, I heard about Hu Xiaoniu and the others training with Qing Chen. So, I'd like to train with Qing Chen too..."

Boss: "You're already at C-Class, so regular training won't help you."

Liu Dezhu: "I know that regular training may not be useful to me, but I also want to learn how to kill the enemy... Besides, everyone else is training, and I'm the only one not training. It feels like I'm not part of the group, which is kind of awkward."

Qing Chen it for a moment and said, "Today you will train with me for a day. Go to Qing Chen house at six o'clock in the morning. Actually, I originally planned to let you train after the base was built, since you live a bit far from Qing Chen house. But since you asked for it yourself, don't complain about it being too hard or tiring. You have to listen to Qing Chen arrangements."

Liu Dezhu was overjoyed. "Yes, yes, I will definitely do as you say, and I will not complain at all. Boss, get some rest. May you have a long and peaceful life!"

It was at Liu Dezhu's home in Xinglong Garden.

Just as he was filled with excitement, Liu Youcai pushed open the door and asked curiously, "Why aren't you asleep so late?"

Liu Dezhu glanced at the time and realized it was almost 3 o'clock.

He thought for a moment and said, "Dad, we have money now."

Liu Youcai was stunned. "What nonsense are you talking about, you silly child?"

"We're really rich now," Liu Dezhu opened his mobile banking app and showed Liu Youcai his balance. "Our organization just closed a deal, and the boss rewarded me with 1 million, a whole million!"

Liu Youcai hesitated for a moment. "What kind of business do you do that can give you such a large reward for a single deal?"

"A 25 million deal," Liu Dezhu said in a low voice, "Not only will there be 1 million this time, but also a fixed income of 100,000 every week thereafter, every week!"

Liu Youcai hesitated even more. "Our Liu family can't do anything corrupt or illegal."

"Of course it wasn't corruption or bribery," Liu Dezhu said after thinking for a moment. "I can't tell you the specifics; it's a secret of our organization. But don't worry, Dad, I absolutely didn't break the law, and I did something good."

Liu Dezhu thought to himself that, apart from deliberately acting to scare Zhang Chengze and holding a knife to Zhang Chengze's neck, there was indeed nothing illegal about it.

He said to Liu Youcai, "Dad, I'll transfer this money to you tomorrow. You and Mom can go look at apartments. Let's move to one of those complexes with elevators, so Mom won't keep complaining about her knees hurting!"

"Let's forget about it. Let your mother keep the money and use it to get you married," Liu Youcai said.

"That won't do," Liu Dezhu shook his head. "If you're reluctant to buy it, I'll buy it myself. By the way, starting today, Dad, you don't need to make me breakfast anymore. I have to leave at 5:30 every day to receive training from an expert in the organization."

"What kind of expert?" Liu Youcai asked, puzzled. "I've heard people outside say that you're the real expert."

Liu Dezhu recalled Qing Chen's swift and decisive killings at Laojun Mountain, and immediately shook his head. "There are people in the organization who are more capable than me."

Liu Youcai asked curiously, "What level are you at?"

C-Class.

"What level is this expert?"

"E-Class"

Liu Youcai frowned and remained silent for a while before saying, "I understand. Your organization... is ranked by bra size?"

Liu Dezhu: "???"

Return countdown: 160:00:00.

At 8 o'clock in the morning, Qing Chen arrived at Luocheng Longmen High-speed Railway Station with a worn-out backpack on his back.

Math teacher Tian Hailong, along with Xu Zimo, Wang Jiale, Zhou Xuanying, Xia Xiaoran, had already gathered at the entrance.

"Qing Chen, over here!" Tian Hailong waved and said, "I was worried you wouldn't come. Did you bring your ID?"

"I brought them," Qing Chen said calmly, glancing at the group. "Isn't the high-speed train at 8:30? Why are you all here so early?"

Xu Zimo replied, "I usually get up at 6:30 in the morning to memorize English texts. I've already developed a biological clock, so I might as well come over early."

"Let's allow you some extra time. After we arrive in Xiancheng today, we'll settle you into the hotel first. The school has arranged single rooms for everyone so you can rest well, no need to share," Tian Hailong said with a smile. "Qing Chen, how are your preparations going?"

The other four students glanced at Tian Hailong, thinking to themselves, "Why didn't you ask the others how their preparations were going? Why did you only ask Qing Chen?"

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, "The preparations are alright, I should be able to make it into the finals."

"Alright, let's go into the station," Tian Hailong said, leading the team into the high-speed rail station.

Once everyone was seated in the car, Qing Chen glanced at the weather forecast, then sat down without a word, closed his eyes, and entered the mysterious world of "Conquer by Virtue."

At the same time, he maintained a strange breathing rate.

Once everyone was on the bus, they took out the snacks and fruits that their parents had prepared and chatted while eating.

Xu Zimo sat next to Qing Chen, silently observing the boy beside him, noticing his worn-out backpack...

She had seen this backpack a long time ago. In her memory, Qing Chen carried it on his first day of high school at Luocheng Foreign Language School.

Many people don't know that Qing Chen was the top scorer in the high school entrance exam, achieving perfect scores in all subjects except Chinese, and his tuition was reduced by half.

Xu Zimo knew about this, so she noticed Qing Chen earlier than others.

More than a year has passed, Qing Chen has not changed, but the backpack is getting more and more worn out.

She recalled the rumors circulating at school about Qing Chen's work-study program and thought to herself that this classmate certainly couldn't afford to buy as many snacks as the other students.

Xu Zimo hesitated for a moment, then took out a bag of potato chips from her backpack, intending to hand it to Qing Chen.

However, when she thought of the scene where Qing Chen rejected her at the classroom door, she hesitated again.

The girl was one of the most dazzling people in the school and had never been rejected before, so she felt a little hesitant after being rejected.

After hesitating for a while, Xu Zimo gently patted Qing Chen's arm and asked, "Qing Chen, do you want some potato chips?"

Qing Chen didn't even open his eyes. "No need, thank you."

Xu Zimo pursed her lips. There was no need for the words "thank you." She had heard them several times already, as if the boy only knew how to say those four words.

What she didn't know was that Qing Chen was already rich, even richer than most students.

While other students were still preoccupied with exams and grades, he had already begun planning for the future of an organization.

Xu Zimo's knowledge of Qing Chen was limited to his interactions with him at school.

The other, unknown side is the world she cannot access.

During this time, Qing Chen opened his backpack once, and Xu Zimo was surprised to find that it was full of snacks.

There were no textbooks, no test papers, only snacks.

But then Qing Chen pulled a small piece of paper out of his backpack and opened it. On it was written by Li Tongyun in crooked handwriting: Good luck on your exam, Brother Qing Chen!

Qing Chen smiled knowingly. The snacks in the backpack were all bought for him by Jiang Xue at Xiao Tongyun's request.

He said that Xiancheng is very close, only an hour and a half by high-speed rail, so there's no need to bring anything.

But Xiao Tongyun said, "That won't do. Everyone brings snacks when they go on long trips. No one prepared them for you before, but I will prepare them for you from now on."

Qing Chen found it cumbersome.

Xiao Tongyun almost got angry with Qing Chen over this, saying that she had to finish all the snacks when she came back!

Xu Zimo glanced at the contents of the note and his feelings became complicated. Could this be Qing Chen's girlfriend?

I've never heard of this at school.

We arrived in Xiancheng at noon. The sky was covered with dark clouds, as if someone had forcibly covered it with a black cloth.

Qing Chen frowned; the weather made him feel somewhat somber.

Looking around again, he deliberately kept a distance from the other students as he exited the station, as if they were complete strangers.

Wang Jiale muttered to himself, "Why does Qing Chen always deliberately distance himself from everyone?"

Xia Xiaoran smiled and said, "I've heard he's quite aloof. Don't worry about it. He's a top student; it's normal for him to have some quirks."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zimo turned to look at Qing Chen, only to find that Qing Chen's expression was solemn, as if he had something on his mind.

After arriving at the hotel, Qing Chen greeted the others and went into his room. Suddenly, his phone vibrated.

In the daytime group chat system, Liu Dezhu privately messaged him, saying, "Boss, when I went home for lunch, I found several emails next to my pillow."

Qing Chen calmly replied, "What did you write?"

Liu Dezhu: "First letter: Qing Chen is your most capable subordinate, isn't he?"

Liu Dezhu: "The second letter, about the bloodshed on the Xingshu Road, made me very angry."

Liu Dezhu: "In the third letter, I was deeply saddened by the deaths of so many of my subordinates in Los Angeles."

Liu Dezhu: "Fourth letter. Now that Qing Chen has left Luocheng, I've decided to make you sad too."

Liu Dezhu: "Boss, these four letters... Is Huan Yu planning to make a move on Qing Chen? I heard he went to Xiancheng today to prepare for tomorrow's math competition."

Boss: "Okay, I understand."

Liu Dezhu: "Boss, do you need me to rush to Xiancheng for rescue? I can take responsibility for escorting Qing Chen back. Don't worry, as long as I'm alive, I will definitely bring Qing Chen back."

Boss: "Between the point and attack the reinforcements, the enemy took the initiative to declare war in order to lure us out of Luocheng's home ground with Qing Chen. I now suspect that Xiancheng is the city where Huan Yu is located, and it is his home ground."

Instead of killing Qing Chen silently, the other party informed the entire Daylight Organization by writing a letter, letting the "boss" know that Huan Yu was going to kill Qing Chen in Xiancheng.

This suggests a larger scheme is at play.

After thinking for a moment, Qing Chen gave Liu Dezhu a few final instructions and then turned off his phone.

He had already anticipated what Liu Dezhu was saying.

He had only just arrived at Xianyang High-Speed Railway Station when he discovered that someone was tailing him.

That's why he deliberately kept his distance and distance from his classmates to avoid affecting innocent people.

"Go back to Luo City?" Qing Chen pondered. "I probably can't go back."

Huan Yu wanted to besiege the city and attack reinforcements, so he would keep Qing Chen alive to lure Bai Zhou's people to Xiancheng.

But if Qing Chen wants to return to Luocheng, the other party will definitely take action immediately.

Thinking about this, Qing Chen calmed down.

He was like someone in the low-pressure center of a tornado; the more he was caught in the storm, the calmer he became.

There's a 5,000-word chapter, and another chapter at 11 PM.

Thank you to my wife, who is also a friend of this book, for becoming a new ally. The boss is so generous; the watermelons the boss buys are always guaranteed to be ripe.