Chapter 135: A Newcomer?

A minute later, Jiang Cheng felt a dull ache in his head, as if needles were stabbing it, and each additional second of endurance increased the pain a notch.

Obviously, it was a signal that his brain was nearing its limit.

According to Shi Yan, gritting his teeth and holding on at this point, and doing so over the long term, can gradually raise the ceiling of his Spiritual Power.

Jiang Cheng decided not to, and after sensing the limit, he averted his gaze.

After all, Shi Yan's method was a dead end, but since he had obtained the Secret Martial Arts for training his spirit, he shouldn't just give up without a fight.

He glanced at the panel.

In that brief minute, the Lotus Visualization Method granted 20 points of experience.

If he followed the standard Visualization Method, a minute would yield only 0.1 Experience Value—a two‑hundred‑fold difference in efficiency! That means previously, without food or drink, it would take 28 days to reach Entry, whereas using the Visualization Diagram only takes 1.4 days.

"It seems the Visualization Diagram is the top priority,"

Jiang Cheng thought to himself.

Even though the time shrank to 1.4 days, it's still not easy to achieve.

Staring at the Visualization Diagram for a minute, like meditating to absorb Force into the body, drains all Spiritual Power from the mind; without six or seven hours, full recovery is impossible.

At two sessions per day, one can earn only 40 Experience Value per day, meaning it would take 250 days.

If he pushes harder to three times daily, the daily gain rises to 60, cutting the time to about 167 days—just under half a year.

Jiang Cheng felt that period was still too long.

Moreover, because he expended all his Spiritual Power on the Lotus Visualization Method, he couldn't refine Force, which isn't good news; Force Warrior and Spiritual Thought Master seem mutually exclusive.

One must choose either the Force Warrior path or the Spiritual Thought Master path; trying to practice both makes Spiritual Power a major obstacle.

The fact is indeed so.

Everyone's energy is finite; even on the Force Warrior road, one must pick either the flesh or the energy, or progress becomes terrifyingly slow.

Yet Jiang Cheng's ability to compress the Entry time for the Visualization Method to under six months already draws immense envy; many spend years, starting with fierce resolve, then doubting themselves, and finally ending with a dead‑hearted spirit.

"If only there were some Secret Medicine to speed up Spiritual Power recovery,"

Jiang Cheng thought of the Dawn Society.

Hong Cha had said that the Society not only holds Secret Martial Arts but also various Secret Medicines, and beyond that, wondrous items beyond his imagination.

With money, one can exchange for them.

Perhaps some of them are Secret Medicines that restore Spiritual Power? …

Two days slipped by in a flash.

On the first day, someone came by and processed identity documents for Jiang Cheng's family.

The leader's attitude was so friendly that Jiang Cheng wondered if the person was also a member of the Society.

The next day, the few received their IDs; after hearing Jiang Cheng's introduction, Chen Sao and the others felt a great weight lift from their hearts.

With this, they became residents of the Outer City District, no longer fearing being stopped and questioned outside.

Jiang Cheng's ID name changed as well, from Jiang Cheng to Li Cheng.

He specifically reminded his family, explaining that because of the Secret Martial Arts, they needed to disguise themselves, and the three took the warning to heart.

On the third day, Jiang Cheng bid farewell to his family and headed to Headquarters.

After a ten‑minute walk, Jiang Cheng finally arrived at his destination, the Infinite Martial Arts Hall.

The Martial Arts Hall seemed busy; cars filled the entrance, and the sounds from inside could be heard from a distance.

Instead of entering through the main gate, Jiang Cheng skirted along the wall, made a large loop, and reached the side entrance.

Inside, he immediately saw an old man seated behind the counter, reading a newspaper, with a landline phone beside him.

Hearing the movement, the old man looked up at Jiang Cheng and said, "You're at the wrong door; the main entrance is on the other side." Jiang Cheng smiled, pulled out a Golden-colored Card, and placed it on the table.

The old man's expression instantly grew serious; he picked up the Golden Card, examined it briefly, and laughed, "So you're the newcomer Hong Cha's kid that he brought back a couple of days ago."

"Cang Hai has met Senior Bai."

Jiang Cheng clasped his fists in salute.

"Heheh."

Bai Yun stroked his beard and smiled, "Hold on, I'll make a call; someone will come to fetch you shortly."

He picked up the nearby phone, pressed a key, muttered a few words, and hung up.

Sure enough, in less than a minute, the elevator doors opened nearby, and a forty‑year‑old man in a suit stepped out.

Halfway across, he reached out to Jiang Cheng, "You're Cang Hai's little brother, right? I'm one of the people in charge here; just call me Bing Li."

"Bing Li?"

Jiang Cheng was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered and shook his hand.

"Yes, ice that's frozen, strength that's forceful—I figured you'd show up within two days; I've been waiting. Come, let me give you a tour."

Bing Li finished, waved at the old man courteously and said, "Senior Bai, I'll be on my way; thank you."

Bai Yun waved, then lowered his head to read the newspaper again.

Jiang Cheng followed him into the elevator.

Bing Li produced his card, placed it on the elevator sensor, and explained, "Headquarters is underground; the elevator gets you there, but you need a card in hand. So remember never to lose it, or it'll be troublesome."

Jiang Cheng nodded.

The elevator descended slowly.

Jiang Cheng expected to arrive in a moment, but ended up waiting nearly thirty seconds.

"Hehe, for safety the headquarters is built thirty meters underground; even if a nuclear bomb hits above, you'll be safe inside," Bing Li laughed.

Jiang Cheng silently clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Ding‑dong."

A soft chime sounded as the elevator doors opened.

What came into view was a circular bar counter, surrounded by a ring of high stools, with good‑looking men and women standing behind it, mixing drinks.

A few more people sat around, chatting softly.

When they saw the two's arrival, the few people abruptly stopped their conversation, their gazes landing on Jiang Cheng.

"Newcomer?"

"A newcomer has arrived?"

"Brother Bing Li, who is this guy?"

"That's right."

Bing Li nodded and took the initiative to introduce, "This is the newcomer who just joined our group, Cang Hai."

"Cang Hai?"

"Interesting name."

"You look so young, little brother; want to come over and have a drink with sister?" a red‑haired woman tossed a flirtatious glance at Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng looked at Bing Li.

Bing Li, a little embarrassed, glanced at the red‑haired woman and said to Jiang Cheng, "Ignore her; this is the leisure area, offering all kinds of drinks for free. If you get tired, you can come over for a drink at any time, but you can't take them out. Come, I'll show you the other places."

(End of chapter)