Chapter 170: I Am The Expert

Li Xiaofei's face lit up with uncontrollable joy. The One Yang Finger was one of the premier finger techniques of the Jin Yong martial arts world. Moreover, the book's description of the One Yang Finger was quite detailed, and its grade depended on the practitioner's internal energy.

It ranged from the ninth grade to the first grade, from low to high. The lower grades of the One Yang Finger were easily mastered moves. However, they weren’t that strong, since it was merely a contact-based acupoint move. At the highest grade, the first grade, it could harm opponents from a distance.

Legend had it that mastering the One Yang Finger to the first grade was one of the requirements for cultivating the ultimate skill, the Six Meridian Divine Sword. In the era of

The Legend of the Condor Heroes

, the One Yang Finger was the signature skill of one of the Five Greats, the Southern Emperor Master Yideng. In Master Yideng's hands, the One Yang Finger was an unparalleled technique that could kill enemies from a distance.

"Although it's not the ultimate Six Meridian Divine Sword, it's still the pinnacle of finger techniques."

Li Xiaofei was more than satisfied with the lottery draw. He immediately opened the One Yang Finger manual and began working through it.

Li Xiaofei had an exceptionally strong aptitude to begin with. With his current cultivation at the nineteenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, his combat strength far surpassed that of the original Southern Emperor. Cultivating the One Yang Finger was not a challenge for him.

Five days later, Li Xiaofei had completely mastered the One Yang Finger. He pointed into the distance with his middle finger.

Whoosh.

An invisible force that was comparable to sword energy shot through the air. Its effective range was a full ten feet.

"Any Qi Refining Realm martial artist hit by this finger within ten feet is dead," Li Xiaofei said with a satisfied expression.

It was far more effective to use starforce qi to power martial arts techniques from the wuxia world. Li Xiaofei took out the Nine Yin White Bone Claw manual and began to study it.

Five days passed in a flash as he also mastered the Nine Yin White Bone Claw. In wuxia novels, characters with profound internal energy could quickly learn any technique. Some could master dozens of martial arts in a single day. So, Li Xiaofei's rapid progress was not excessively extraordinary.

"The One Yang Finger is suited for ambushes. Whether in close combat or at a distance, unleashing it at the right time can definitely turn the tide of a battle. On the other hand, the Nine Yin White Bone Claw is ruthless and formidable. Right now, I’ve mastered it enough that I can even tear through a titanium board. Most combat suits on the market won’t be able to hold up against this claw strength."

Li Xiaofei carefully assessed the power of these two martial arts.

Since he still had twenty days before the Secret Time Pavilion closed, Li Xiaofei sat cross-legged and began practicing the True Dragon Breathing Technique. He took out a bottle of fourth-generation pure Starforce Reagent and drank it.

As he breathed in, a golden starforce qi surrounded his body like a small universe, transforming into shadowy golden dragons. They roared and moved around him, creating a spectacular sight.

The True Dragon Breathing Technique, created by the first-generation Saint Taiyi and only allowed to be transmitted to one person by an inspector, lived up to its reputation. Each breath generated wind, clouds, and dragon roars that constantly tempered the body. Both the efficiency of nurturing qi and strengthening the body far surpassed any previous breathing techniques.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. A loud dragon roar rang out as another golden dragon shadow appeared around Li Xiaofei. He was now at the twelfth stage of the Qi Refining Realm’s Hidden Secret Realm. His inner qi swirled and increased, and his body perfectly withstood the intensity without any adverse reactions. His aunt’s massages were likely the greatest contributing factor.

I love my Little Aunt!

Li Xiaofei drank another bottle of Starforce Reagent. These Starforce Reagents from his beloved inspector teacher were several times more effective than those available on the market. After he consumed them, the number of starforce qi vortices around him grew rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, eighteen days passed. Li Xiaofei's cultivation reached the thirtieth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, but he still hadn't hit his body’s limit. He was very satisfied with the results of this cultivation session, so he exited the Secret Time Pavilion and returned to the real world.

The night passed without incident. But an urgent ringing woke Li Xiaofei up the next day. He reached for his light core to check.

Damn. It’s only five-thirty in the morning.

The emergency call was from the chubby Yang Cheng.

"Boss, something happened." Yang Cheng's voice was filled with an undeniable urgency. "Our hunting team's truck was intercepted, and Old Chu has been detained."

Li Xiaofei jumped out of bed immediately, ready for action.

***

Moments later, Li Xiaofei appeared at the entrance of the Cloudy Sky Gang headquarters.

"What exactly happened?" he asked. "Who dared to intercept our convoy?"

Yang Cheng replied, "It was the people from the Zhiyuan Vehicle Rescue Service Center. Our truck broke down about ten miles outside the city. But before we could call for rescue, the Zhiyuan people showed up, demanding a flat rate of 500,000 star coins for their repair and rescue service."

"500,000 star coins?" Li Xiaofei was incredulous. "That's outright robbery!"

"Exactly," Yang Cheng was fuming. "From what our brothers on the scene said, Old Chu refused their offer and planned to fix the truck himself. But the Zhiyuan people beat up our mechanic and demanded 250,000 star coins as an appearance fee even if we repaired it ourselves. Old Chu didn't agree and tried to negotiate. But it turns out Zhiyuan was prepared for this. They not only injured our men but also seized the truck and its cargo."

Li Xiaofei pondered this information. He hadn't expected to encounter roadside bandits five hundred years later.

"What’s this Zhiyuan Vehicle Rescue Service Center’s background?" Li Xiaofei asked further.

Yang Cheng quickly responded, "We've already investigated. Zhiyuan is an auxiliary industry of the Mu family, one of the five major families. Their main business is rescuing, towing, and repairing vehicles outside the city. They have good relations with the city defense army and have access to many resources. However, this company has gang affiliations. It's actually owned by the Dragon Claw Gang, one of the major gangs."

"The Dragon Claw Gang?" Li Xiaofei immediately asked, "The same Dragon Claw Gang who collaborates with the Flying Cloud Sword Gang, Daxing Gang, Iron Palm Ltd, and the new real estate company Paradise Island registered by the Ye family?"

Yang Cheng replied, "That's them. Boss, I think this situation isn't simple. There might be a trap."

Li Xiaofei nodded.

Is this a coincidence? I encountered members of the Dragon Claw Gang at a hotpot restaurant a while ago.

He thought for a moment and said, "The area outside the city walls is a chaotic zone. The army and police can't cover that area. If they're intercepting our convoy outside the city, they must have everything arranged. They probably want to lure me out."

Yang Cheng said, "That's exactly what I'm worried about, boss. If it doesn't work out, we can swallow our pride and find a way to avenge ourselves later."

"No, extorting money is just an excuse. They'll come up with even more despicable methods." Li Xiaofei shook his head. "Moreover, it would damage our morale."

Yang Cheng suggested, "Then we could ask the army to mediate..."

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Li Xiaofei shook his head again. "We only have so much goodwill with the army, and it gets used up quickly. We need to handle this kind of small issue ourselves... Pick a few smart and trusted brothers to come with me. I’m heading out."

"No way." Yang Cheng hurriedly tried to stop him. "If they have experts lying in ambush... it could be dangerous."

"Experts?" Li Xiaofei sneered. "I am an expert."

He had been behaving like a good student for a while now. But it seemed some people really thought he was easy to mess with. This time, he would teach them a lesson and test out the One Yang Finger and Nine Yin White Bone Claw.