The next day.
Xu Feng went to the Trading Zone and bought quite a few things.
It was rare for him to visit the Potion Shop, so for the first time, Xu Feng boldly bought five standard Blood Qi Potions.
Each potion cost ten thousand, and while it couldn't compare to the one Lu Fei had given him before, it still had some effect.
Besides that, he also bought some medicinal bath additives to boost his blood qi and emergency medicine for treating injuries.
That filled in the essentials he'd been missing.
He spent around eighty thousand in total, which made Xu Feng wince painfully.
Over the next few days, Xu Feng quickly returned to his quiet routine, commuting between work and home every day.
Aside from work, he spent nearly all his time training.
With the help of two Blood Qi Potions and the medicinal baths,
Xu Feng's blood qi had increased by ten points in just one week!
He was now only three points away from the 250c blood qi required to qualify as a true Primary Warrior!!
But that increase went without saying. What pleased Xu Feng most was his breakthrough in the White Wolf Blade Technique.
That's right. After a week of frenzied practice, Xu Feng's blade work had finally reached the Master realm.
But this breakthrough made him feel something different.
If his blade work had previously been limited to techniques for applying strength,
then the Master-level White Wolf Blade Technique had brought a qualitative leap in his body coordination and skill at generating force.
Every move came as naturally as instinct; every ounce of force flowed seamlessly.
After breaking through, Xu Feng felt as though he'd fused the blade technique with his instincts.
With a casual swing, he could unleash as much power as he'd previously managed with an all-out effort.
"Lifting a heavy object as if it were light" and "moving as one with nature"—those phrases captured the feeling perfectly.
According to the martial arts textbooks, if the human body's strength was worth one hundred points,
an ordinary person who could deliver a punch with fifty points of force was already making decent use of their strength.
A trained Quasi-Warrior who could reach seventy or eighty points was considered quite talented.
But a true warrior, one who had mastered their training, could use ninety or even all one hundred points of their strength!
And Xu Feng's current state meant he could casually use all one hundred!
At this level, blade work could no longer be considered merely blade work.
If Xu Feng had to describe it in one phrase, it would probably be "skill nearing the Dao."
When he swung his blade, Xu Feng truly felt like a ferocious wolf, his very presence changing along with it.
It was a feeling he couldn't quite put into words.
He didn't know how strong he was now, but he wanted to test the waters.
"Old Xu, did you hear? There was another clash in the south last night. Four people died, and apparently one of them was a senior engineer!"
Fatty Wang Long said as he ate a bowl of potato and chicken stew, spitting out chicken bones as he went. He scattered them all over the ground in front of Xu Feng's house like he was sowing seeds.
"A senior engineer?" Xu Feng frowned at the chicken bones on the ground and asked in surprise, "Don't those people all live in the base's residential area? What were they doing in the Shanty Town?"
"To get their feet rubbed, obviously. You know all about that, don't you?"
Fatty grinned and winked at him.
"Quit winking at me. What are you looking at me for? Do I look like that kind of guy? Go on, sweep the floor."
Xu Feng rolled his eyes, then got up and went inside to add another bowl of rice.
"Fine, I'll sweep after I eat." Fatty followed him in to get more rice. "The chicken tastes pretty good, doesn't it?"
"Where'd you get it?" Xu Feng asked curiously.
Fatty had somehow gotten hold of the chicken in the pot. It smelled delicious, and the meat wasn't tough at all.
"Heh, I tested out a new drug. It works pretty well on Beast Soldier-level Mutated Creatures, so it's great for hunting.
"So Old Huang gave me this chicken in exchange for the medicine I made for him."
Fatty sounded pleased with himself.
Only then did Xu Feng remember that this guy was a biopharmaceutical engineer.
He immediately scoffed. "Come on, you're a biopharmaceutical engineer. Can't you come up with something more impressive?
"What's so special about getting a chicken? If you're really capable, get me a Beast General-level Mutated Creature to see."
"A Beast General? Buddy, if I could get something like that, would I be sitting here eating chicken with you?"
Fatty rolled his eyes. "I heard the senior engineers in the base eat Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone! You know what I mean?
"Red Scale Demon Snake meat is a top-grade tonic. So tender! So fresh! So delicious!
"And soup made from Blazing Tiger bones lets you go at it nine—nine times in one night!!!"
"Brother Fatty, nine times what?" Xiao Dan asked curiously, holding her bowl.
"Don't call me that. I'm your uncle! I call your dad 'brother'!" Fatty sensed Xu Feng's murderous aura and hurried to change the subject.
"Huh? But you're not much older than me. 'Uncle' sounds so old, and you're still young."
Xiao Dan said what she thought.
"Then wouldn't I have to call your dad 'uncle' too?" Fatty was speechless.
"I don't mind." Xu Feng laughed.
"Xu, don't joke around."
Fatty said with a helpless chuckle.
Xu Feng continued, "So what if he was a senior engineer? He still ended up dead in the street."
Fatty nodded in agreement. "That's true."
As the two were talking, someone came to the door carrying something and knocked. "Is Brother Xu there?"
Fatty glanced at the person outside and whispered to Xu Feng, "Xu, someone else has come to pay their respects."
"Pay your respects, my ass." Xu Feng put down his bowl, annoyed, and went outside.
Something else had made him feel that his life had changed over the past few days.
His house was now surrounded by neighbors.
People kept coming over to pay their respects and say hello, bringing plenty of gifts with them.
Xu Feng found it hard to get used to.
Since when had he become so popular? After killing someone?
After seeing the visitor off, Xu Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat down by the door.
"Another recruitment pitch?" Huang Sen had appeared from inside at some point. Carrying a cup of tea, he sat in the porch chairs with Fatty and Xu Feng.
"Yeah. For once, I didn't have to work today, and I was hoping to relax. Damn it."
Xu Feng couldn't help cursing.
"That's normal. You've got a little bit of a reputation now, so all those private organizations want to recruit you.
"My brother was just like that once. Then he got carried away, and then he died in a clash."
Huang Sen chuckled derisively.
"He was asking for it. He let his dick do the thinking. If he'd had your sense, he wouldn't have gotten himself killed."
Fatty dismissed the idea. "You're exaggerating, aren't you? I think Xu's more than strong enough.
"That woman from the Light Swan Society just now was gorgeous, wasn't she? If I had Old Xu's strength, I'd have joined her in a heartbeat!"
Xiao Dan was inside doing her homework, so the three of them spoke without holding back.
Huang Sen scoffed. "You're letting your little head call the shots. You should think about it: if what that woman was offering were really so great, would they be asking Quasi-Warriors like us?
"Real warriors could just take on a side gig. Think it through—the risks and rewards don't add up."
"Old Huang's right. By the way," Xu Feng said, nodding in agreement before asking, "Old Huang, have you been going hunting lately?"
"What do you need?" Huang Sen asked curiously.
"I'd like to learn from you," Xu Feng said, sharing what he'd been thinking.
"You usually never leave the house. Why do you suddenly want to learn to hunt with me?"
Huang Sen asked in surprise.
Xu Feng answered honestly. "I want to get some real combat experience. The way I see it, hunting is the closest kind of training to fighting someone without actually having to fight a person."
"Real combat?" Huang Sen's heart tightened. "Who are you planning to kill?"
Xu Feng laughed in exasperation. "I'm not planning to kill anyone. Don't I have a right to defend myself?"
"Fair enough. I'll let you know next time I head out." Huang Sen didn't press him. He nodded and smiled.
Then he turned to Fatty. "You coming?"
"Me?" Fatty hesitated, then waved him off. "Forget it. I've still got a new drug in testing.
"If it works, I won't just be talking big—I might even be able to dream of becoming the richest man in the Shanty Town."
"Whoa! Badass." Xu Feng and Huang Sen exchanged surprised looks and spoke at the same time.
"Once you make it big, don't forget us." Xu Feng cupped his hands toward Fatty.
"Make it big. Forget us." Huang Sen kept his words to a minimum.
Fatty leapt to his feet. "Old Huang, are you fucking insulting me?"
"Hahaha, no, no."
It was a rare chance to relax, and all three were in high spirits.
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