Breakthrough in Mental Secret Arts

"Yes, it happened the night before last. The place we were staying at was smashed through by mutated creatures, and Lao Bai was dragged away by the herd while trying to protect Yuanyuan."

Liu Mengyao sighed.

Yuanyuan was their daughter, a very adorable child.

Hearing Liu Mengyao's words, Xu Feng felt a pang of pain in his heart and sighed, "My condolences. For Yuanyuan's sake, you must hold on."

After a pause, Xu Feng said softly, "If you need anything, you can come find me at Room 102 on the east side of the Shanty Town. I will do my best to help."

"Thanks."

Liu Mengyao clearly had no heart for further conversation and soon bid him farewell before leaving.

Watching her depart, Xu Feng sat behind his stall and stared blankly.

He had never experienced the death of a colleague before.

This feeling was too strange.

He looked up at the azure sky that lacked a sun, gazing at it for a long time.

Not long after, Xu Feng took a deep breath, packed his things, and began to head back.

Another good person he knew was gone.

The joy of earning money this morning was instantly washed away.

Returning home.

Xu Feng first told Xiao Dan to do her homework, then sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes to rest his mind.

Everything else was hollow; only strength was real.

Lao Bai's death had sobered Xu Feng up once more.

He was nothing; he had to work hard!

Ten minutes later, when he felt refreshed and full of energy.

Xu Feng closed his eyes again and began to practice the Mind Movement secret technique.

It wasn't until after five in the afternoon that Xu Feng opened his panel to check.

[Mind Movement · Novice (48/50)]

"Just two more times to go."

He didn't rush to continue.

Because an afternoon of cultivation had left his brain aching and his blood flow sluggish.

Xu Feng got up to make dinner first, and after eating, he stood up to practice the Nine Star Body Refining Art twice more.

Xiao Dan also sensed that something was wrong with Xu Feng's mood, so she very obediently did not disturb him.

Having finished his warm-up, Xu Feng sat back on the bed and closed his eyes.

"With a movement of the mind, the spirit flows; focus the spirit in the heart, let the soul stir in the heavens."

Xu Feng did not know how long he had been practicing or how many times he had gone through the motions.

But at a certain moment.

He suddenly had a strange sensation.

Even with his eyes closed, he could suddenly perceive his surroundings.

The slightly dry shanty.

The walls and roof made of alloy and special plastics.

The "swish-swish" sound of Xiao Dan's pen tip.

The chirping of insects, the rustling of grass, and the blowing of the wind outside the house.

Suddenly, that sensation dissipated in an instant.

Xu Feng opened his eyes, feeling that his spirit was fully replenished and his thoughts had become clear.

[Mind Movement · Proficient (1/200)]

Indeed.

The secret technique had broken through.

Xu Feng savored the feeling from just a moment ago.

Was that mental power?

No, it hadn't reached that level yet.

That was merely the explosive sensation during a mental breakthrough.

It was just a fleeting glimpse of the ability of a higher realm.

According to the secret manual.

As long as one completed the introductory training of the secret technique, even an ordinary person would have their mental perception ability enhanced.

As for how much it increased, it varied from person to person.

This mental perception ability was what was commonly known as the "sixth sense," "inspiration," or "spiritual sense."

Or, to put it simply, Xu Feng's sensory perception had become much sharper.

Other than that, there were no powerful supernatural abilities as one might have imagined.

But was that really all there was to it?

Xu Feng got out of bed, feeling unwilling to accept this, and stepped outside.

After several attempts, Xu Feng was pleasantly surprised to discover that his "durability" had increased.

This "durability" was not the kind you were thinking of.

It was the durability for training.

For example, in the past, he would be exhausted and unable to muster any energy after practicing his sword techniques ten times at most.

But tonight, he had practiced a full twenty times and still felt that while his body was tired, his mind was not.

Afterward, he practiced the Nine Star Body Refining Art a few more times.

He discovered that his body seemed to have become very "hungry."

His previous limit of six training sessions could no longer satisfy his body.

Every cell in his body was still craving energy.

Thus, Xu Feng practiced a seventh time, an eighth time...

It wasn't until the tenth time that his body felt slightly "full."

To Xu Feng, this was a huge surprise.

This meant that the number of times he could train each day had increased again.

Consequently, his training progress would become faster and faster!

"What a powerful mental secret technique! It truly lives up to being created by the most mysterious Psionic Master!!"

Xu Feng suddenly took a deep breath, his body and mind feeling extremely pleasant, and the gloom from the afternoon was swept away.

Around dusk, when the sky was beginning to darken.

Liu Yu arrived with a bowl of pork ribs.

"I ate at your place last time, so I'm returning the favor."

As soon as she entered, Liu Yu said with a smile.

Then, without waiting for Xu Feng to speak, she went off to play with Xiao Dan.

Xu Feng was happy that Xiao Dan had someone to keep her company, so after chatting briefly, he continued his training.

Watching Xu Feng's figure outside the window, Liu Yu couldn't help but ask Xiao Dan, "Is your dad always this diligent lately? Does he train every night?"

"Mm-hmm, Dad has been working really hard lately. Sister Yu, do you like my dad?"

Xiao Dan tilted her head, blinking her large eyes as she asked curiously.

"Ah?" Liu Yu's pretty face turned red instantly. She looked at Xiao Dan in astonishment, then quickly waved her hands. "What would a little girl like you know! Don't talk nonsense!"

Xiao Dan covered her mouth and giggled, "I think Dad has seemed more handsome lately."

"I think so too." Liu Yu nodded subconsciously.

She immediately realized what she had done and looked at Xiao Dan, hurriedly trying to make amends, "Don't you go guessing wildly! Although your dad is not bad, he's not my type."

Xiao Dan chuckled and shrank her neck, "Then why does Sister keep running over to my house lately?"

"I'm doing that to see you, of course!" Liu Yu said, her face flushing.

"But I feel like you're always looking at Dad! He's already forty! You guys have no hope!!"

Xiao Dan puffed out her cheeks as she spoke.

Liu Yu immediately clutched her forehead, "You little girl, what do you know?"

"Hee hee, actually, I've already picked out a good stepmother for myself. You've met her."

Xiao Dan whispered.

"Who?" Liu Yu was immediately interested.

"Teacher Lu!" Xiao Dan said excitedly.

"Her?" Liu Yu frowned instantly, then she looked down at herself and puffed out her chest. "Where am I worse than her?"

Xiao Dan widened her eyes and said, "She's a martial artist! And a graduate student at Sky Moon Martial University!"

Liu Yu was suddenly at a loss for words. After holding it in for a long while, she finally said, "But can she cook delicious food?"

Xiao Dan shook her head immediately, "That she can't. Teacher Lu is a disaster at daily life."

Liu Yu patted her chest triumphantly. "Cooking is my specialty. How can a woman who knows how to run a household not know how to cook?"

Xiao Dan scrutinized her carefully for a moment before nodding. "Hmm, you're right. I'll consider it."

"Consider your head! Who would ever fancy your old man of a father!" Liu Yu was instantly rendered speechless.

She couldn't believe she had been led around by a little girl.

The next day, Xu Feng received a call from the manager asking him to return to work.

He was even offered a raise.

It was because they were short-staffed.

The beast attack a few days ago had cost the team a quarter of its manpower, and with new shipments arriving constantly over the last two days, they were in desperate need of hands.

Xu Feng naturally didn't refuse; he changed his clothes and headed straight for the base's airport.

As for Xiao Dan, he had once again sent her back to school and left her in Lu Fei's care.

Whoosh!

At the airport, the other porters froze in shock as they watched Xu Feng hoist two crates weighing nearly five hundred kilograms all by himself, staring at him in astonishment. "Old Xu, have you found your second youth?"

"That must be nearly a ton of force, right? Old Xu, you've had a breakthrough! Are you a quasi-martial artist? Or a martial artist?"

A group of colleagues crowded around him, asking questions out of curiosity.

Xu Feng waved his hand modestly. "I've just been training a bit more diligently lately, and with the crisis that night, the pressure helped me make a small breakthrough."

"Then you should hurry and register for your quasi-martial artist certification at the base! You can get an extra hundred bucks a day in wages!"

A colleague patted Xu Feng on the shoulder, urging him on.

"There's such a thing? I'll go ask the manager. Thanks, man."

Xu Feng had originally intended to keep a low profile, but since today's work was paid by the piece, he had gradually revealed some of his strength to earn more money.

He hadn't expected the base to offer such a benefit.

He certainly couldn't miss out on that.

Under the envious gazes of his colleagues, Xu Feng walked toward the manager, who was busy verifying the manifest in the distance.

"Quasi-martial artist certification?" Upon hearing Xu Feng's request, the manager's face showed a hint of skepticism and surprise.

Seeing that Xu Feng was completely serious, a smile immediately spread across the face of the manager, Zhou Xu. "Oh! This is great news! Impressive!

You're one of the few people I've seen at your age who can still have a breakthrough in their vital energy and blood! Amazing!

I'll submit the application for you right now. You can take the assessment this afternoon, and you'll get an extra 150 in quasi-martial artist subsidies every day."