Chapter 81: It Must Be Legal

Li Xiaofei felt a significant increase in his cultivation without using Starforce Reagents. When the horizon began to lighten with the first signs of dawn in the distance, Li Xiaofei felt invigorated despite having cultivated all night.

According to the official cultivation guide of the Great Xia, the Qi Refining Realm is divided into ten stages. Forming ten vortices in the dantian allows one to break through to the Limit Breaking Realm. What is the Limit Breaking Realm? It involves breaking the shackles within the body. These shackles are an abstract realm of limitations. They are also shackles of cultivation.

Li Xiaofei didn't plan to contemplate the Limit Breaking Realm just yet. However, a question suddenly arose in his mind.

Why must it be ten stages? If it's possible to cultivate ten vortices in the dantian, could it be possible to cultivate eleven, twelve, or even twenty or thirty?

This thought opened a new door to an unexplored world. Li Xiaofei felt it was essential to investigate this further.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Thump, thump, thump.

A knock on the door.

"Brother, breakfast is ready."

Little Jie's voice came from outside the door.

Soon, the three of them were seated at the dining table, where clear water, meat and vegetable soup, and thin pancakes were served. This was considered a luxurious breakfast in the slums. His aunt still didn't talk much. Little Jie, on the other hand, chattered away, sharing amusing stories from school. Li Xiaofei occasionally chimed in with a few comments.

At that moment, time seemed to slow down. This might seem boring for an average seventeen or eighteen-year-old. But for Li Xiaofei, a soul from five hundred years ago, the simplicity of this life was a rare and cherished pleasure. It was warm and sweet, a kind of enjoyment he seldom experienced.

After breakfast, his aunt washed the dishes as Li Xiaofei and Little Jie headed out to school. Little Jie was joined by six other children from the slums. Usually, Li Xiaofei walked to school. But today, when he reached downstairs, he saw the black modified motorcycle, and he felt a sudden urge.

Vroom.

In the next moment, Li Xiaofei roared off on the modified motorcycle. He felt the wind rushing past him as he sped along.

This bike needs more modifications.

The difference from Tan Qingying's high-end heavy motorcycle last night and this trophy he had seized from a branch of the Blackblood Gang was starkly evident. It was like switching from driving a Mercedes to riding a senior citizen's scooter. Or like having just dated a celebrity and then being set up with the unattractive girl next door.

"When I have the money, I need to get a better motorcycle," muttered Li Xiaofei, silently planning.

He only needed a quarter of his usual commute time to arrive at school. When he walked through the gates, he realized that the students of Red Flag High School were already doing their morning exercises.

Boys and girls were sweating and working hard on the vast playground. The scene gave him a strong sense of connection. He had gone through the same routine in his senior year of high school, five hundred years ago. Up earlier than the chickens, to bed later than the dogs.

Ah, the beautiful yet painful student days.

Li Xiaofei parked his motorcycle on campus and couldn't help but reflect.

Who would have thought that after traveling five hundred years into the future, I'd still have to go to school and study English, biology, and physics? I still can't escape the college entrance exam. Is the end of the universe really the college entrance exam?

But seeing his classmates so dedicated to both their studies and cultivation inspired him.

What are you waiting for? Get to work.

Li Xiaofei joined the students on the playground and began his cultivation.

"That's Senior Li."

"Senior Li is also joining the morning exercises."

"If even Senior Li is working this hard, how can we waste our time?"

Many students felt immensely encouraged when they saw Li Xiaofei cultivating with them. What kind of pressure would one feel if those stronger than them were working harder than them? When morning exercises ended, Li Xiaofei's busy day began anew. He didn’t finish his cultural theory classes until the afternoon.

During the martial arts special training class, he found Grandpa Qin, who wore a badge labeled Invincible Qin, and asked his question.

"Ten vortices are the physical limit for many people." In his Invincible Qin persona, Grandpa Qin lived up to his reputation and directly answered, "Therefore, ten stages are the upper limit for many in the Qi Refining Realm."

Li Xiaofei pondered deeply.

He asked, "So, if the body can withstand it, is it possible to have eleven, twelve, or even twenty stages?"

Grandpa Qin nodded and said, "Theoretically, yes."

Li Xiaofei then inquired, "Are there any special benefits to having higher stages in the Qi Refining Realm?"

Grandpa Qin replied, "Theoretically, the stronger the foundation, the easier it is to break through to higher realms."

Li Xiaofei asked, "Only theoretically?"

"Because almost no one has tried that direction," Grandpa Qin explained.

Li Xiaofei's eyes lit up and asked, "Almost no one means there are a few, right?"

Grandpa Qin hesitated for a moment, then said, "Such attempts are very dangerous. As far as I know, two people have tried it, but one died, and the other was left half-crippled."

Li Xiaofei gasped.

Should he give it a try?

He was undecided.

Better to take it slow and see how things develop. I haven't reached the tenth stage yet, so there's no rush to decide.

After the martial arts special training class, he spent the rest of the day surfing the net in the light core mainframe room. When he entered the light core virtual world, he checked the leaderboard forum as usual. One piece of news immediately caught his attention.

Breaking news: The registered gang Xuanshan Dojo, which had been operating in the Brightness Power Armor Assembly Plant area, was raided and shut down by the police last night. It was revealed that Xuanshan Dojo had been using its school facade to conduct numerous illegal activities, including star beast smuggling, drug trafficking, organ trafficking, and organizing prostitution...

Damn.

Li Xiaofei was taken aback. He had expected that Bu Feiying and his gang would face repercussions for speaking so disrespectfully to the city leader's daughter and would likely face reprisal from law enforcement. But he hadn't anticipated such a swift and decisive response from the authorities.

The crimes listed in the news were all serious offenses. Once these charges were proven, no one could save them. A registered, legitimate gang with decades of history had been dismantled overnight.

Bu Feiying and the gang leader of Xuanshan Dojo, whom Li Xiaofei hadn't even seen, probably still didn't realize that the catastrophe that had befallen them had been triggered by a reckless underling, Tao, who had harassed someone untouchable.

Li Xiaofei watched the news video, feeling a shiver of unease. The government was indeed formidable. When it moved, it struck like lightning. This served as a reminder for him.

Cloudy Sky Gang had to reform and correct its ways. It had to shed the bad habits of the old slum gangs. They needed to conduct legal business seriously and pursue sustainable development through lawful means. If one of their less perceptive members provoked a significant figure, they could all be doomed.

Li Xiaofei browsed the forum for a while longer. He noticed that no one mentioned the events that transpired at Old Chen's Offal Shop last night. His grand display seemed to have made no splash on the internet. It seemed he had overthought things. He exited the forum and entered the high school league's trials to continue earning points.

The next few days passed quickly. Li Xiaofei entered the Secret Time Pavilion once again. After consuming all the fourth-generation Starforce Reagents awarded by the Education Department, he finally broke through his bottleneck and entered the tenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm.

Li Xiaofei sensed the ten vortices in his dantian and smiled with satisfaction.

"I’ve finally reached the tenth stage. After more than a month since my transmigration, I've reached the highest level of the officially recognized Qi Refining Realm," said Li Xiaofei.

This was a small step on the path to becoming a strong practitioner. Yet, it was a significant milestone for many students just starting their journey.

Soon, the second round of Season 251 reignited. This time, Red Flag High School had to travel to challenge Longteng High School, which had ranked ninth overall last season. Unlike Qingye High School, Longteng High School was truly a top-tier school. The Longteng school team was also known to be a strong team.

"Red Flag High School is nothing worth mentioning. The so-called Fist King Li Xiaofei is just a product of media hype," said Xing Yuantao, a member of the Longteng school team, during an interview.

"I will personally shatter the myth of Li Xiaofei being a dark horse." Xing Yuantao issued his challenge to the camera.