Chapter 291: The Crucible Forges the Vajra

The next morning, Li Fei and the other two took a long-distance bus back to Xingcheng.

As the three stepped out of the bus station, they quickly saw Li Lei and Zhang Yuqing waiting for them in advance.

"Dad, Mom!"

Li Tianyu shouted excitedly, then carried her luggage and rushed over to embrace Zhang Yuqing.

"Uncle Li, Aunt Zhang."

Li Fei walked over with a smile.

"Xiao Fei seems to have grown taller and stronger."

Li Lei looked at Li Fei with a gratified expression.

He had already heard the rumors about Li Fei at the Martial Arts University and felt very proud!

"Why did you bring so many things back?"

Zhang Yuqing asked.

"Mom, these were all bought for you by Xiao Fei. There are cosmetics, supplements, and even two of the latest model watches."

Li Tianyu said with a smile.

"You child, it's such a waste to buy these; you need to spend a lot of money on your own martial arts training."

Zhang Yuqing chided Li Fei reproachfully.

Li Fei laughed: "It's fine, I didn't spend any money at the Martial Arts University, and I even have a scholarship."

"That's right, Xiao Fei is amazing now!"

Li Tianyu chimed in from the side.

"Even so, don't spend money recklessly. Keep that money for yourself; you'll have use for it in the future."

Li Lei glared at Li Tianyu, then said to Li Fei.

After the group chatted for a while, Chen Lixin, who had been standing quietly to the side, took the initiative to speak to Li Lei and Zhang Yuqing:

"Uncle Li, Aunt Zhang, I'll be heading off now."

"Lixin, do you want to come home with us for a meal?"

Zhang Yuqing asked.

Because they had grown up playing together, Chen Lixin used to eat at the Li household often.

Chen Lixin shook her head with a smile: "Thank you, Aunt Zhang, but no need. My mom is still at home waiting for me."

"Alright, then come over for a meal another day."

Zhang Yuqing said.

Afterward, Chen Lixin said her goodbyes to the group, giving Li Fei a deep look before leaving.

After returning home, the family had lunch together, chatting about what happened at the Martial Arts University, with the topic mainly revolving around Li Fei.

"Dad, Mom, Xiao Fei is now a peerless prodigy at the Martial Arts University!"

"Before, there was a Wang Fengqing, but Xiao Fei is even more powerful than her."

"Xiao Fei went to the Iron Peak Sect; do you know he stormed their mountain gate?"

"On the Dragon-Tiger Platform, Xiao Fei defeated several experts from the Chu family in a row."

Li Tianyu talked incessantly to Li Lei and Zhang Yuqing about Li Fei's exploits, her face full of pride.

"Actually, Sis is also impressive; she has already reached the late stage of Body Breaking."

Li Fei added from time to time.

More than two months ago, Li Tianyu was still in the mid-stage of Body Breaking. With the elixirs provided by Li Fei, her cultivation progress accelerated, and she broke through to the late stage of Body Breaking two weeks ago.

In fact, this speed was already very fast. Under normal circumstances, even with Grade A aptitude, it would take about a year to go from the Embryo Nourishing stage to the late stage of Body Breaking, while Li Tianyu only took over half a year.

It was only because she was in front of a monster like Li Fei that she seemed dim and lackluster.

In reality, those who could enter the Martial Arts University were all heaven's pride in this era.

"Next, when you break through to the Qi Transformation stage, you must pay attention to your safety."

Li Lei exhorted Li Tianyu.

Although he did not practice martial arts, he knew that the transition from the Body Breaking stage to the Qi Transformation stage was a hurdle, and it required life-and-death tempering.

"Don't worry."

Li Tianyu was full of confidence.

After the meal, Li Lei called Li Fei into his study.

"Sit."

After waiting for Li Fei to sit down, Li Lei got straight to the point:

"Xiao Fei, I already know about your Martial Aunt's situation. Is there anything you need my help with?"

He knew that Li Fei standing out to confront the Chu family was to help the Zhang family, or rather, to help Shangguan Xiao.

Since Li Fei had already stepped forward, he naturally wouldn't shrink back and intended to contribute his efforts.

Li Fei did not stand on ceremony with Li Lei, as he had returned precisely because he needed Li Lei's help:

"Uncle Li, my Martial Aunt received news that the Chen family has been secretly cooperating with the 'Beast King'..."

In the study, Li Fei informed Li Lei about the situation at Chen Family Village, and then they discussed how to proceed with their next actions.

That afternoon, Li Fei walked into the Martial Arts Hall.

Hao Yi's office location had not changed, and he walked in with familiar ease.

"Teacher."

Li Fei bowed respectfully to Hao Yi.

"You're here."

A smile appeared on Hao Yi's face, "Let's go."

He stood up and was the first to walk out of the office.

Li Fei was startled, then smiled as well, following him out.

The teacher and student walked into the practice building together and opened a practice room.

Just like before.

"Teacher, I obtained the 'Vajra Seal' and the 'Red-Sound Fire Vajra Method' at the Martial Arts University."

After entering the practice room, Li Fei said to Hao Yi.

"Red-Sound Fire Vajra Method? One of the Eight Vajra Sections?"

Hao Yi asked.

Li Fei: "That's right."

Hao Yi nodded: "Very good. Then you should practice the 'Vajra Seal' first, and then the 'Red-Sound Fire Vajra Method'."

He had originally prepared several martial arts techniques suitable for Vajra Force specifically for Li Fei, but since Li Fei had obtained better ones, he did not mention them again.

"You can only stay for half a month, so I will teach you some techniques for using force and one style of blade technique."

Hao Yi said.

"A new blade technique?"

Li Fei's eyes lit up.

When he followed Xu Jing to the Iron Peak Sect, he had heard Xu Jing personally recount the events of the past, saying that the Iron Peak Sect Master Gu Vanguard Commander couldn't even last fifty moves under Hao Yi's blade back then!

One must know that Gu Vanguard Commander was now hailed as the 'Blade King'.

From this, one could see how high Hao Yi's attainments in blade technique were!

Now that the other party wanted to teach him a new blade technique, he was naturally expectant.

Hao Yi did not say much, simply picking up a steel blade from the weapon rack.

"Use your Vajra Force to defend."

Hao Yi said.

Li Fei then activated his Vajra Force, his body shrouded in a layer of golden force, making him look like he was glowing with golden light.

Then, without seeing how Hao Yi moved, he simply slashed out with his blade.

Swish—

The steel blade in his hand ignited, wrapped in a mass of crimson flames.

Li Fei raised his arm to block this slash, and the flame force collided with his Vajra Force.

The steel blade in Hao Yi's hand could not withstand such a powerful collision of forces and instantly shattered into many pieces, but the flame force attached to the blade did not dissipate, slicing across Li Fei's arm in the shape of the blade's edge.

Hao Yi withdrew his blade, leaving only the hilt in his hand.

Li Fei stood in place; the sleeve on his right arm had been cut open, and a charred blade mark appeared on his skin.

With that single strike just now, Hao Yi had broken through his Vajra Force!

The most critical point was that Hao Yi had not exerted any particularly powerful strength; it still fell within the scope of the Qi Transformation stage.

"This..."

Li Fei carefully savored the changes in the force of that strike just now:

Vibration, spiral, cutting, piercing...

In just a short instant, the force contained over a dozen changes!

"I call this move the Armor-Breaking Style, specifically used for breaking through armor and protective body force."

Hao Yi said, "Your Vajra Force has different characteristics from my force; it is sharper, so it is even more suitable for breaking armor."

Following this, Li Fei began to learn the Armor-Breaking Style from Hao Yi.

The Armor-Breaking Style requires extremely high control over force, and its variations are not fixed; it requires adjustments based on the individual and the specific protective force of the opponent.

This is not something that can be learned simply.

Fortunately, Li Fei broke through his realm by way of "breaking the heart barrier," making his power of intent sufficiently strong, so his learning progress was quite fast, which pleasantly surprised Hao Yi.

After teaching for over two hours, Hao Yi took the initiative to stop:

"You are currently at the mid-stage of Qi Transformation. To break through to the late stage of Qi Transformation, you need your force to be sufficiently condensed and your power of intent to be sufficiently strong. Only then can you make your force leave your body and take shape. Based on my judgment, your power of intent is already sufficient; what is currently lacking is only the condensation of your force, and this point can actually be bypassed with a shortcut."

"A shortcut?"

Li Fei looked at Hao Yi curiously.

This teacher of his was upright and unyielding, never liking crooked or evil ways; he never expected that one day he would teach him how to take a shortcut.

"The force I practice is the Heaven and Earth Furnace Force, which happens to be suitable for forging your Diamond Force."

Hao Yi said.

The Heaven and Earth Furnace Force is a high-tier force, which he had used when he fought Yu Hu (see Chapter 110 of Volume 1 for details).

"The heaven and earth are the furnace, and creation is the craftsman"—this is the characteristic of the Heaven and Earth Furnace Force, which can be used to forge all things, removing the dross and keeping the essence.

If Li Fei's power of intent were not sufficiently strong, and if he were not practicing the Diamond Force, Hao Yi would not have chosen this method to help Li Fei take a shortcut.

Because tempering one's own force to make it increasingly condensed is inherently a process of exercising the power of intent and control, which should not be omitted.

But Li Fei's power of intent was already enough, and the Diamond Force itself was sufficiently pure; it could be said that Li Fei's breakthrough was a matter of course, and all that was lacking was time.

Therefore, Hao Yi felt that he could save this time for Li Fei.

After all, Li Fei had once told him that he only fought for the present moment!

"Then I will trouble you, Master."

Li Fei bowed to Hao Yi.

He had not expected to have such a benefit from coming back.

"Next, continue to circulate your Diamond Force."

Hao Yi said.

Thus, Li Fei once again circulated his Diamond Force to protect his body, and his whole body became golden and brilliant.

Hao Yi took off his black leather gloves, revealing his blood-red hands, and slapped toward Li Fei with a casual palm.

Boom—

Li Fei only felt as if he were inside a high-temperature furnace, his whole body wrapped in flames!

In reality, no flames appeared in the practice room; it was just a mass of red force wrapping Li Fei up.

Under Hao Yi's precise control, not a single bit of force leaked out; the temperature in the room did not rise much, and the floor and ceiling were not melted.

A moment later, Li Fei felt his Diamond Force being melted.

Under Hao Yi's guidance, Li Fei withdrew the "melted" Diamond Force back into his body and then circulated new force to fill the void.

This continued for over twenty minutes, and Li Fei's body was already filled with the "melted" Diamond Force.

He felt as if his body were filled with magma!

Hao Yi withdrew his force, and a look of obvious fatigue appeared on his face.

The Heaven and Earth Furnace Force is a high-tier force; having to circulate it continuously for over twenty minutes while maintaining precise control was much more tiring than fighting a Dao Foundation realm expert of the same level.

"Carefully experience the changes in the force, and try to control the force to condense it further."

Hao Yi continued to guide Li Fei.

Half an hour later, most of the Diamond Force in Li Fei's body had been consumed, but the remaining Diamond Force was clearly more condensed than before.

Next, he only needed to wait for the force to recover; if the newly recovered force could also have changes, then this "forging" would be effective.

"For the next half month, come to me every day to forge your force. Whether you can break through after half a month depends on your own fortune."

Hao Yi said.

"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Master."

Li Fei bowed to Hao Yi again.

For the next few days, he followed Hao Yi every morning to learn the "Armor-Breaking Style," and in the afternoon, he forged his Diamond Force with the help of the Heaven and Earth Furnace Force.

At night, in addition to practicing 【Phantom Leaf】, he also had to practice the "Wood Ghost Binding Curse," and he also had to study the "Diamond Seal" and the "Red Voice Fire Diamond Method," making him so busy he almost had no time to sleep.

Li Fei now wished he could split himself in two to use; he could only further compress his daily sleep time, sleeping only a little over three hours a day.

Fortunately, his physique was strong enough and his energy was sufficiently abundant, so he was able to endure it.

While Li Fei was busy training, Li Lei was also busy working.

After several days of preparation, the Inspection Court began to take action.

Changheng Street, Chen Mansion.

Four Inspection Court vans drove from afar and stopped outside the main gate of the Chen Mansion.

Lu Sheng, the captain of the First Brigade of the Inspection Court, got out of the car first, then led dozens of fully armed team members to barge directly into the Chen Mansion.

"Officer, please..."

"The Inspection Court is handling a case! Move aside!"

The guards at the gate wanted to intercept them, but they were pushed away very roughly by the team members Lu Sheng brought.

Facing the pitch-black gun barrels, the Chen Mansion guards dared not act recklessly.

Soon, Chen Li, the general manager of the Chen family, greeted Lu Sheng and asked neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"Officer Lu, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Acting under orders to make an arrest. Show him the arrest warrant."

Lu Sheng waved his hand, and an inspector beside him stepped forward and took out a piece of paper with a seal on it to show Chen Li.

"May I ask who Officer Lu is here to arrest?"

Chen Li remained calm.

"The Chen family is suspected of murder for money, illegal seizure of others' land, illegal detention, enslavement of others, and other charges. There are many people I am taking back today."

Lu Sheng said to Chen Li word by word, "And that includes you, Chen Li."

Chen Li's expression finally changed: "Officer Lu, you all..."

"Cuff him!"

Lu Sheng did not waste words with him at all and had two inspectors step forward to cuff Chen Li directly.

Afterward, he continued to lead his men to make arrests in the Chen Mansion, finally provoking the Chen family's guards.

These guards were all martial artists, and some were even force-practicing masters; even if they were empty-handed and had no weapons, the pressure they brought was very strong.

While the two sides were in a standoff, Chen Yujing, the head of the Chen family, arrived.

"Lu Sheng!"

Chen Yujing's face was gloomy, and he called Lu Sheng by his name directly, "This is the Chen family; aren't you being too presumptuous!"

After the Tiger Blade Gang fell, although all the remaining industries were taken over or cleared out by the Qingyuan City Management Company and the Chen family did not gain any advantage, their gains in the officialdom were huge.

The officials of the Tiger Blade Gang faction were either dead, had fled, or were arrested, leaving a large void.

There were also many officials of the Gu Zhenhui faction who fell, so the Chen family took the opportunity to wantonly win over and support their own people.

Compared to before, the Chen family's influence in the Xingcheng officialdom had at least doubled!

That was why Chen Yujing could scold Lu Sheng so loudly and confidently at this moment.

(End of chapter)