Yu Bu'e stopped.
While practicing the Meridian-Opening Fist, he had deliberately guided the flow of qi within him to batter the final bottleneck.
He had expected it to take a long time, but he did not mind. He had plenty of time, after all.
As long as he persevered, even dripping water would eventually wear through stone.
He had never expected to open that final Spirit Meridian so quickly.
The lingering medicinal effects of the Meridian-Opening Pill must have helped.
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Today really is my lucky day..."
He closed his eyes and felt the qi flowing within him.
With all twelve Spirit Meridians open, his body had undergone a tremendous transformation.
He could sense the spiritual energy filling the world, a strange kind of energy that surged toward him from every direction.
Strangely, though, when he tried to draw it in, he could not figure out how. He remained unable to absorb any spiritual energy into his body.
That feeling... was not good.
He soon understood why.
The Meridian-Opening Fist was meant to help open Spirit Meridians during the Meridian Opening Realm.
Now that he had opened all twelve Spirit Meridians, he had entered the Qi Refining Realm. Naturally, he needed a new martial arts technique.
Looks like I need to find a cultivation method for the Qi Refining Realm, Yu Bu'e thought.
Opening twelve Spirit Meridians qualified him to enter the Martial Arts Academy.
But as far as he knew, becoming an official student still required passing the academy's assessment.
He wanted to improve his strength as much as possible, giving himself a better chance when the time came to take the assessment!
Once he returned home, Yu Bu'e ordered takeout.
As he ate, he kept thinking about Qi Refining Realm martial arts.
From what he knew, the Martial Arts Academy had an explicit rule forbidding any student from sharing Qi Refining Realm martial arts with outsiders.
Anyone caught would be expelled immediately! If serious consequences resulted, they could even face criminal charges!
It was not that the Martial Arts Academy wanted to hoard its knowledge. Rather, the most important step in Qi Refining Realm martial arts was absorbing the world's spiritual energy through controlled breathing.
That step was crucial! Even with the academy's original techniques, the slightest mistake could cause irreversible damage to the meridian channels.
In more serious cases, it could destroy the Spirit Meridians outright, leaving the practitioner crippled and unable to cultivate ever again.
That was why learning Qi Refining Realm martial arts required professional guidance from a teacher to prevent accidents.
Suddenly, he thought of Luo Feixuan.
Exceptionally gifted students like Luo Feixuan and Cheng Ruxin had opened all twelve Spirit Meridians long ago. Naturally, they would not waste their time afterward.
With their family backgrounds, finding a Qi Refining Realm martial arts manual would not be difficult. Perhaps he could ask her how to get one.
With that thought, he got straight to work!
He composed a message and sent it to Luo Feixuan.
He asked whether she could help him find a Qi Refining Realm martial arts technique involving controlled breathing, offering to pay for it himself.
With the six hundred thousand Luo Feixuan had given him earlier, the nine hundred thousand Chen Sinian had contributed, and the savings his parents had left behind, he had quite a sum.
He was now a modest little rich man with nearly two million in his bank account!
Add in the Meridian-Opening Pills he still had... Yu Bu'e, who had grown accustomed to pinching pennies, could finally shout at the top of his lungs: "I've got money to spare!"
When Luo Feixuan received the message, surprise flickered across her face.
Has this guy already opened all twelve Spirit Meridians? But... how long has it even been?!
Though it seemed almost unbelievable, she quickly accepted it and replied, "That should be possible. Let's talk in detail when we meet tomorrow."
Yu Bu'e had surprised her so many times lately that she was almost getting used to it.
Holding her phone, she considered it for a moment, then opened WeChat and sent her best friend a voice message.
"Yueyue, do those romance shorts and novels you recommended really work?
"I've studied them all, but why does it still feel like... I can't get him interested?"
The Grand Court Villa Complex, home to a concentration of wealthy residents, stood in Fish City's new district. Its location was exceptional, with Purple Smoke Mountain at its back, earning it a reputation as a "natural oxygen bar."
Despite occupying land where every inch cost a fortune, Hao Ting had spared no expense, excavating an artificial lake that covered ten mu.
Not only that, but Hao Ting boasted a first-class domestic security system. Even its patrolling guards had to be at least seventh-level Qi Refining Realm martial artists, and a Furnace Flame Realm martial artist was stationed there as well.
In Fish City, where average housing prices were not particularly high, Hao Ting's Villa One had sold at auction three years earlier for a staggering six hundred and seventy million.
Inside Hao Ting's Villa Three.
In a Nordic-style room, Luo Feixuan sat cross-legged on a rocking chair on the balcony, dressed in light sleepwear.
Her champagne-colored silk nightdress set off her delicate, cool-white skin. From time to time, she picked up her phone to check the screen, then set it aside again in disappointment.
"He really does only contact me when he needs something..."
A knock sounded at the door. She stepped onto the soft carpet with her bare feet and opened it.
"Miss, your father is home. He asked you to come downstairs," Aunt Zhang, the housekeeper standing at the door, said gently.
"All right. I'll get changed."
Luo Feixuan returned to her usual cool demeanor. In no hurry whatsoever, she took her time choosing her clothes.
By the time she had changed and gone downstairs in her slippers, twenty minutes had passed.
In the spacious, luxuriously decorated living room, a middle-aged man in a shirt and waistcoat sat on the sofa, carefully reading a document in his hands.
He looked barely over forty, his hair impeccably groomed.
Hearing her footsteps on the stairs, he removed his black-framed glasses, closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Do you have any idea how important today's banquet was? Who gave you permission to leave?"
Expressionless, Luo Feixuan sat on the sofa to his left, called Aunt Zhang over, and asked for a glass of warm milk.
The man frowned deeply, turning a sharp gaze on her. "You're becoming more and more ill-mannered! I'm talking to you. Didn't you hear me?"
"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't beat around the bush." Luo Feixuan blew on her nails, showing no deference even to her own father.
As the head of the Chen Group, Chen Qiao naturally carried the air of a man accustomed to authority.
An ordinary person meeting his gaze would feel an invisible pressure bearing down on them.
Luo Feixuan, however, clearly was not impressed.
Chen Qiao sighed and said, "Your Uncle Zhao couldn't find you at the banquet, but he had plenty of thanks and praise for you.
"I heard you helped him find a Meridian-Opening Pill of exceptionally high quality?"
Luo Feixuan knitted her brows and gave a quiet "Mm."
"Your Uncle Zhao said that Meridian-Opening Pill helped his youngest son open all twelve Spirit Meridians. Quite unbelievable!"
Suddenly, Chen Qiao gave Luo Feixuan a gentle smile.
Luo Feixuan set down her glass. Whenever she saw that smile on Chen Qiao's face, she knew he wanted something.
"Your Grandpa Tang called earlier. He hopes you can help him find another Meridian-Opening Pill."
Chen Qiao got straight to the point. "You know his grandson isn't particularly talented. He urgently needs a Meridian-Opening Pill to open his Spirit Meridians."
"Oh," Luo Feixuan said, then suddenly asked, "What the hell does that have to do with me?"
Chen Qiao immediately frowned, his expression turning frosty.
"Old Tang is crucial to the Chen Group. He controls dozens of important distribution channels..."
"Mm..." Luo Feixuan nodded. "So... what the hell does that have to do with me?"
Before you continue