Chapter 42: Success Achieved

The day after the commendation ceremony ended, Xiao Pei did exactly as he had said during his speech—

He deployed the entire patrol squad of the sub-branch to conduct a thorough search of the Qingtai Hotel, the Red Oak Boxing Gym, and the surrounding area.

But in the end, there was no result whatsoever.

The patrol squad even carefully searched the VIP elevator in the underground parking lot of the Qingtai Hotel; the patrol officers specifically crawled into the elevator shaft and discovered that the area beneath that elevator was also sealed off.

Although this VIP elevator did indeed lead to a hidden floor, it led to a private club on the twenty-first floor of the hotel.

It was indeed illegal, but it was only a minor issue.

Lin Qing, as the leader of Group Seven, also joined the search of the Red Oak Boxing Gym.

He was not sure whether Xiao Pei was an informant for the Crimson Swallow Society, but whether he was or not, Lin Qing did not intend to expose the secret behind the locker room wardrobe so soon.

The time had not yet come.

And after Xiao Pei personally conducted the search, there was indeed no discovery.

It was unknown whether he truly found nothing or was merely providing cover.

However, this did not matter.

Lin Qing was also glad to see this result; he only needed to hide himself well and continue to develop.

January 23.

The Spring Festival of this era was no longer as grand as it had been a hundred years ago; at least the atmosphere was not as heavy, and it had been forgotten by many.

The temperature in Lin'an City dropped again, but since the Xiaoshan District was relatively close to the coastal metropolitan circle, although it could not enjoy the artificial climate system of the metropolitan circle, the temperature was obviously higher than in other districts.

"Leader, Happy Spring Festival."

In the warm office of Group Seven, Zhao Jiayi looked at Lin Qing sitting across the desk and asked, "Are we really on holiday for these two days?"

"Yes, Group Seven is collectively on holiday, considered a commendation reward." Lin Qing nodded.

"It seems we should have a New Year's Eve dinner during Spring Festival? Does your family have this custom, Leader?" Zhao Jiayi asked curiously.

"I am an orphan." Lin Qing glanced at her.

"... I didn't mean it." Zhao Jiayi lowered her head slightly.

"It's nothing." Lin Qing said casually, "I used to go to my cousin's house for New Year's Eve dinner, but this year my cousin is hospitalized, so I won't be eating."

"Then why don't you come to my house, Leader?"

Zhao Jiayi said cautiously, "I don't even know how to spend the Spring Festival yet."

"No need." Lin Qing shook his head, "There's no Spring Festival Gala to watch anyway..."

"Spring Festival Gala? What is that?" Zhao Jiayi asked in confusion.

"Just a custom." Lin Qing glanced at her, "You are on holiday for these two days, so just rest well."

"Oh..." Zhao Jiayi muttered, then mumbled a strange dialect that Lin Qing could not understand.

Lin Qing looked at her speechlessly, feeling as though she was secretly cursing him.

"By the way, Leader."

Zhao Jiayi suddenly said, "Didn't you say your intuition has been sometimes working and sometimes not lately? My dad said he knows a teacher from a mind meditation class; do you want to try it?"

"Mind meditation class?" Lin Qing asked in confusion, "What is it for?"

"I heard it covers sixth sense, intuition, and other mental aspects, allowing people to better utilize their intuition." Zhao Jiayi said uncertainly, "Anyway, many wealthy people have gone."

"Sounds like a scam to me." Lin Qing raised an eyebrow slightly.

"It is said that the teacher knows a true telekinetic awakener, seemingly a disciple, so it probably isn't a sham, right?" Zhao Jiayi propped her chin, tilting her head slightly.

"Oh?"

Lin Qing said thoughtfully, "If it is true, then it is indeed worth listening to."

"Then shall I ask my dad to register you?" Zhao Jiayi asked.

"Is it expensive?" Lin Qing asked.

Zhao Jiayi shook her head and said, "It mainly relies on connections; my dad just doesn't want to go anymore, so you can just take his class directly. No need to be polite to my dad, Leader; you saved my life last time, and I don't even know how to repay you."

"Alright, then let's do it in a while." Lin Qing nodded.

"In a while?" Zhao Jiayi asked in confusion.

"Let's talk about it at the end of February or in March." Lin Qing said, "I have been cultivating combat techniques recently and cannot spare the focus."

"Oh, then let's do it in a while; anyway, it's not urgent." Zhao Jiayi nodded.

That afternoon.

After returning home, Lin Qing summoned the Entropy Reverser panel to take a look—

【Current Order Level: 1.2】

【Number of Advanceable Items: 0/2】

【Advanced Item: Freedom Body Series Combat Technique 'Agility' (98.8% Completed)】

【Advanced Item: Qiqi Version Morning Sun Cultivation Method (7.1% Completed)】

"The combat technique 'Agility' only needs one last time to be completed."

Lin Qing did not waste time and immediately began the final cultivation to perfectly master the combat technique 'Agility'.

Not long after—

【'Combat Technique 'Agility' Completed'】 Lin Qing retracted the mysterious energy within his body and slowly exhaled, "After the combat technique 'Speed' reaches the entry level, I can advance it directly."

However, this time he was quite confident.

This was only the third day he had been learning the combat technique; under his constant attempts, he had already felt the mysterious energy within his body stirring, as if it might turn into the light and agile wind of the visualization image at any moment.

The combat technique 'Agility' simulates and converts that mysterious energy into bioelectricity to stimulate nerves and muscles.

And the combat technique "Swift" is a different kind of energy, incredibly light and agile, like the wind; it can reduce one's own weight while simultaneously forming a special airflow layer on the body's surface, optimizing airflow trajectories to thereby reduce air resistance.

This is also the key to "Swift".

"It should be soon..."

Lin Qing was not in a hurry either, continuing to patiently try again and again, immersing himself in the mental imagery brought by the visualization diagram.

After all, the combat technique "Agile" had already become instinct; his cultivation of other combat techniques in the Free Body series received a bonus, so it shouldn't be difficult to enter the door.

Sure enough, that very night—

"Huff, succeeded."

Lin Qing opened his eyes, a faint smile slowly revealing itself at the corner of his lips.

At this moment, he already felt that the mysterious energy within his body could at any time transform into the incredibly light and agile special energy of the combat technique "Swift".

"Entered the door in just three days; indeed, there is a bonus."

Lin Qing nodded slightly in satisfaction.

The last time he entered the door for the combat technique "Agile", it took him five days and he still couldn't succeed; it was only after his female cousin helped push him that he entered the door.

This time, relying entirely on himself, he entered the door in merely three days, showing how obvious the bonus effect was.

"I heard that for combat techniques in the same series, the more combat techniques cultivated to the instinct level, the greater the bonus; next, it should get faster and faster." Lin Qing couldn't help but secretly anticipate.

Next.

He just needed to adapt and become proficient step by step; at most half a year, and he would master the combat technique "Swift".

However, if one can draw in advance, there is no reason not to draw in advance unless one is sick.

In any case, it all relies on his own effort; drawing in advance and then repaying later is far more efficient.

"Order."

"Draw in advance, combat technique 'Swift'!"

After Lin Qing summoned the Entropy Reverser, he immediately moved his will and chose to draw in advance.

"Boom!"

At this moment, countless amounts of inexplicable information constantly poured into Lin Qing's mind.

According to the Entropy Reverser's deduction—

With his talent and his compatibility with the Free Body series combat techniques, to cultivate the combat technique "Swift" to its extreme, he must completely integrate the light and agile energy formed by the mysterious energy into his entire body and perfectly control the airflow changes in the boundary layer.

Only by completing it 68 times consecutively can the combat technique changes be perfectly integrated into instinct.

Then, a vast amount of memories suddenly floated up in Lin Qing's mind.

These were memories of him trying to cultivate the combat technique "Swift" again and again, from awkwardness to proficiency, from proficiency to consummate mastery, and even truly approaching perfection; he didn't know how long it had taken.

By the time he perfectly integrated the combat technique "Swift" into his instinct, an unknown number of years had passed.

At the same time, wisps of incredibly light and agile strange power began to surge out, permeating every part of Lin Qing's body, even flowing on the body's surface to form fine air currents invisible to the naked eye; this was a boundary that could significantly reduce air resistance.

As he subconsciously turned slightly, his body floated up lightly, as light as a goose feather.

Before long, all sorts of changes had completely ended.

"Done."

Lin Qing slowly opened his eyes and stood up.

"Let's try..."

He moved his feet lightly, using no force at all, yet his whole body was like an arrow leaving the bowstring; in the blink of an eye, he crossed the distance of the living room, and somehow arrived beside the window.

Moreover, it did not cause much wind movement.

"So fast!!"

Lin Qing turned his head in surprise, somewhat unexpected, "Indeed much faster than 'Agile'."

No wonder those who master the combat technique "Swift" are all extremely skilled in pursuit and escape; with a body this light and agile, how could the speed be slow? This gave him the feeling of an unparalleled lightness skill from martial arts novels.

After all, the house is still too small to measure the accurate speed.

However, according to the combat technique description, once the combat technique "Swift" is exerted to its extreme, movement speed can easily skyrocket to an astonishing degree; the key is that the instantaneous burst speed is extremely high, the air resistance received is extremely small, and the speed of striking can also increase significantly.

The drawback is that the movement speed is really too fast, making it easy to be unable to react in time, and it is hard to control.

"If I activate the combat technique 'Agile' again, I can be even faster, and it will be impossible to be unable to react in time."

Lin Qing pondered silently, "It's just that this speed is too fast, indeed hard to control; this drawback must be remedied. Fortunately, I can still learn another combat technique..."

Fortunately, this time, after perfectly cultivating the combat technique "Swift" 68 times, he could complete the process!

Cultivating five times a day means it can be completed in less than fourteen days.

"In a few more days, I will go learn a new combat technique to remedy the defects, and just in time to have the Headquarters confirm the fact of me being a combat technique genius."

"Then, I can go retrieve the merit left for me by the Crimson Oriole Society..."

(End of this chapter)