Chapter 7

Is the water from the jade sword useful?

Li Hao had no idea. He had worn the Starry Sky Sword for many years. The jade sword had been exposed to water many times, like when he took showers, and he never took it off. He never noticed any effects before.

When he was a child, he even put it in his mouth several times, but there was no effect at all.

But this time, it seemed to work, at least for the black leopard.

In the kitchen.

Li Hao took out a large soup bowl and placed the Starry Sky Sword inside.

He added a pot of boiling water, thinking whether boiling water was necessary.

When taking a shower, he naturally wouldn't use boiling water. Perhaps the temperature in the past wasn't high enough to activate some mysterious substance on the jade sword?

When the black leopard licked a few times, there didn't seem to be any effect.

It wasn't until Li Hao used boiling water to disinfect it, and the black leopard drank the water, that the black leopard reacted, its fur quickly becoming smooth.

"If boiling water doesn't work, I'll try boiling it again."

"Otherwise, I have no other options. Could it be that only dogs can absorb the mysterious substance?"

At this moment, Li Hao was in a state of inner conflict.

He felt lost, excited, and hopeful, yet worried that it might all be for nothing.

He yearned to enter the mysterious realm!

Perhaps then, he would have a way to deal with the Red Shadow.

At this moment, he needed to gain such power. Someone was watching him from outside, the Red Shadow could come at any time, the Night Patrol might be looking for someone who could see the Red Shadow, and there were traitors within the Night Patrol...

Thinking about all this, Li Hao's eyes became more determined.

If this didn't work, he wouldn't give up.

The Starry Sky Sword had been soaked in boiling water for a while, but there was no change in the water in the bowl.

The black leopard, lying on the ground, seemed a bit drowsy. It looked at the bowl with a longing gaze but didn't seem to want to drink anymore, lacking the urgency it had before.

"Phew!"

Li Hao took a deep breath, not rushing to drink. He carried the bowl out of the kitchen.

He locked the security door and drew the curtains.

Ensuring no one could see, and that he could detect anyone who might intrude, Li Hao sat on the sofa with the bowl.

In the bowl, the jade sword seemed even more translucent now.

Of course, it might just be his imagination.

"Li family's sword... Could it have some mysterious qualities, having been passed down through folk songs for so many years?"

Li Hao lifted the bowl, bit his lip, and placed his gun nearby, ready to grab it at any time. He then carefully took a small sip, the water still a bit hot, but Li Hao didn't mind.

After swallowing the boiling water, there was no immediate reaction, just the heat.

But slowly, Li Hao seemed to notice something different.

A warm current gradually spread in his stomach.

However, this warm current quickly disappeared.

Li Hao's eyes flickered wildly. Was it really working?

Or was it just an illusion?

He feared it might be his imagination, a psychological effect, and not a real warm current.

"As long as it doesn't kill me!"

This time, Li Hao was a bit bolder, taking another sip, a bit more than before. This time, the sensation was more noticeable!

There was really a warm current flowing in his stomach!

Not only that, at this moment, Li Hao looked down at his stomach, and it seemed there was a faint starlight shimmering around his belly.

"Mysterious power?"

Li Hao was amazed. Was this the mysterious power?

He had drunk the water and could see a starlight-like glow with his own eyes.

However, the next moment, Li Hao's expression changed.

The starlight-like glow suddenly began to fade, gradually disappearing and dissipating around his body.

The drowsy black leopard suddenly opened its eyes and crawled toward Li Hao, its tongue out, licking the air, but it seemed to lick nothing.

"Hmm?"

Li Hao frowned, quickly analyzing the situation.

"Is the starlight the mysterious power?"

"It first appeared in my stomach, then overflowed and disappeared... Is it that I can't retain this power?"

He knew nothing about mysterious power.

But he had practiced grappling and combat, and he knew that anything needed some method or rules to organize and store it.

Random training sometimes not only fails to strengthen the body but can even ruin it, as his teacher Yuan Shuo had once said.

And now, he was a complete novice.

This power might be the mysterious power he craved, but he couldn't retain it, letting it flow out of his body.

"Do I need some kind of manual or system to harness mysterious power?"

At this moment, Li Hao glanced at the black leopard. The black leopard, of course, didn't know any cultivation methods, but it didn't cultivate either. It just let the starlight power flow through its body, and even a short stay of this energy seemed to have a strengthening effect.

At this moment, Li Hao looked at the remaining water in the bowl.

He quickly drew several conclusions.

First, the jade sword really contained a starlight-like energy, but it needed boiling water to release it into the water.

Second, this energy had a strengthening effect, but he couldn't retain it.

Third, obtaining mysterious power might require a manual or system, not just absorption or consumption.

Fourth, was he a failure?

Thinking about the fourth point, Li Hao wasn't just speculating. He was considering whether there were any requirements for cultivating mysterious power, and whether he met those requirements.

If others drank the water, could they retain it, while he couldn't?

This wasn't impossible!

If everyone could possess mysterious power, the vast city of Yincheng wouldn't be so oblivious, and the Night Patrol would be more widely known, and their numbers would likely be greater.

Recording these points, Li Hao felt his body.

He didn't feel much change.

He didn't suddenly become incredibly strong, nor did his hair turn black and shiny like the black leopard's fur.

"It feels like a hot spring. My stomach is warm, but there's not much else."

Li Hao muttered, feeling a bit helpless.

Why is my change even less than a dog's?

The black leopard drank the water, and its fur visibly became shinier, but he felt almost nothing.

"Could I be even worse than the black leopard?"

Li Hao laughed bitterly.

He was also guessing whether the first batch of water was more effective, but he couldn't be sure. Maybe he was really worse than the black leopard?

That would be frustrating!

"This won't do. All that starlight energy seems to have been wasted, flowing out of my body and disappearing quickly."

Li Hao frowned, looking at the remaining water in the bowl, now hesitant to drink more.

He was afraid of wasting it!

The energy could still be retained in the water and enter his stomach, but once it overflowed, it would disappear.

"Can the Starry Sky Sword be soaked in water indefinitely, or is there a limit?"

Too many uncertainties made Li Hao hesitant to waste the water.

"I lack the ability to retain the starlight energy. If I could absorb all of it, maybe there would be some changes..."

"But that's not right!"

At this moment, Li Hao suddenly thought of something, muttering, "The main issue is that I'm like water without a source. The energy enters my body but is quickly absorbed and disappears, possibly because I lack the root of mysterious energy..."

It was just a guess, and Li Hao knew very little about this.

"I can't let it go to waste. I don't know how long this water will remain effective..."

He stood up, thinking of something.

Maybe he could try the "Five Animals New Book" his teacher had passed down to him.

A simple method for proper health maintenance, adapted by his teacher from ancient records. His teacher, in his seventies, could still move swiftly and even beat up Li Hao. The "Five Animals New Book" had some effect.

The "Five Animals New Book" didn't involve specific techniques or moves. It focused on maximizing the reasonable exercise of all muscles and bones, and had no connection to the mysterious system.

At this moment, Li Hao thought that exercising might help him absorb more starlight.

Whether it would work or not, he could only try his best and leave the rest to fate.

The "Five Animals New Book" described the basic reactions of five animals in their daily hunting and fleeing: the ferocity of the tiger, the comfort of the deer, the steadiness of the bear, the agility of the ape, and the lightness of the bird.

Li Hao's teacher, Yuan Shuo, was particularly skilled in the methods of the ape and the bird.

In simple terms, Yuan Shuo hoped to be as agile as an ape in fleeing and as light and swift as a bird, able to leap over various obstacles, which would help in escaping danger quickly.

As for Li Hao, during his time at the Yincheng Ancient Academy, he only learned the ape method, and only briefly touched on the other four, without delving deeply. Mastery required persistent learning and practice.

"Let's try it!"

Li Hao wasn't indecisive. Besides, trying wouldn't cost him anything.

He warmed up a bit, feeling more adaptable than before. Soon, he lifted the soup bowl and took a sip of the water from the jade sword.

The next moment, Li Hao moved like an ape, agile and quick. He lifted his heels, pushed off with both feet, and leaped into the air. His hands, as nimble as an ape's, instantly hooked onto the hanging ring in the middle of the living room, swinging on it.

This ring was installed by Li Hao later, specifically for practicing the "Five Animals New Book."

The ape method emphasized agility.

This was also what Li Hao's teacher was skilled at, so it was the first thing Li Hao learned. He used the existing environment to create the best, fastest, and most efficient escape methods.

At this moment, Li Hao entered the state, feeling his body much more agile than before.

He grabbed the ring, swung for a while, kicked the wall with his feet, and used the momentum to leap into the air again, grabbing the back of the sofa like an ape.

Using his hands for leverage, Li Hao continued to move around the small living room.

The living room was small, with many objects, but Li Hao's figure flashed rapidly, extremely agile.

He wasn't particularly strong or muscular, unlike his friend Zhang Yuan, who was more like a bear.

Li Hao's build was well-suited to the ape method.

A larger build would be less effective in the small space.

"Phew!"

Rapid breathing echoed in the small living room.

This seemingly simple ape exercise was extremely tiring, requiring the breathing techniques from the "Five Animals New Book" to use one's strength effectively.

The breathing techniques weren't some profound martial arts secret; they simply taught how to adjust breathing, when to inhale, when to exhale, how to hold one's breath, and how to avoid shortness of breath...

Of course, it was easy to say but hard to do. Yuan Shuo, who adapted the "Five Animals New Book," spent a lot of effort on the breathing techniques to match the exercises.

So the "Five Animals New Book" wasn't rare in the Yincheng Ancient Academy; many people knew it, but Yuan Shuo kept the breathing techniques, which seemed less important, to himself.

Yuan Shuo only passed these breathing techniques to a few students.

At this moment, Li Hao's breathing became rapid, and he began to adjust it.

The entire set of ape exercises took only about three minutes, but three minutes of high-intensity, rapid movement was enough to exhaust an adult.

Li Hao had practiced for three years and could barely complete two sets, about six minutes, before becoming too tired to continue.

His teacher, in his seventies, had more stamina than Li Hao. It was said that his highest record was five sets, lasting 15 minutes.

Such high-intensity, high-speed, and highly agile movements for 15 minutes, Li Hao found hard to believe.

If one could escape like an ape for 15 minutes without tiring, the safety would be greatly increased.

Of course, Li Hao wasn't thinking about this at the moment.

Under the black leopard's astonished gaze, Li Hao moved quickly.

The tables, chairs, sofa, coffee table, and walls in the house all became Li Hao's leverage points. The entire room was filled with Li Hao's sweating figure.

"Two sets!"

Returning to the starting point for the second time, Li Hao's breathing was unstable, but he felt he still had some strength left. His eyes lit up with joy.

He didn't know what other benefits the mysterious starlight energy had, but at this moment, Li Hao felt it enhanced his stamina and made his body feel lighter.

In the past, when doing the ape exercises, Li Hao always felt uncomfortable, his body too heavy, and each jump and leverage was very tiring.

But today, it felt easier.

"Maybe I can do another set!"

At this moment, Li Hao had time to look at his belly. The visible starlight had faded, but his skin seemed to have a faint starlight glow.

Of course, this starlight would quickly fade, but Li Hao could feel that he had absorbed much of it.

At this moment, Li Hao's heart stirred.

What is mysterious power?

Why are the experts in the Night Patrol so mysterious?

He didn't know if they were just skilled or had some special abilities like the Red Shadow, such as invisibility or the ability to set fire?

If it was just skill, Li Hao thought he didn't need to understand the Night Patrol. Maybe by drinking this water and continuing to train, his skills would improve.

"Continue!"

Li Hao couldn't think about it anymore. At this moment, he was extremely excited.

Although he was tired, having already done two sets, he felt he could continue. The key was that he hadn't finished the water from the jade sword.

He took another large sip and leaped up again.

...

"The upstairs neighbor is at it again!"

At the same time, the neighbor on the second floor cursed. Li Hao used to like exercising at home, but it usually lasted only a few minutes.

Today, it was as if he had taken drugs.

It had been half an hour, and there was still noise upstairs.

The old building's soundproofing wasn't good. If it weren't for Li Hao being a Night Patrol officer, the neighbor on the second floor would have come to complain.

...

"Bang!"

After several rounds, Li Hao rested for a while, drank some water, and continued.

This time, he didn't stop after two sets like before.

He continued until the water in the bowl was finished. Then, like a sandbag, he fell heavily to the ground, feeling too exhausted to even get up.

"Phew!"

He panted heavily, then closed his mouth and began to adjust his breathing according to the "Five Animals New Book."

After exercising, heavy breathing wasn't good.

The "Five Animals New Book" explained that at this moment, one should slowly adjust breathing to avoid wasting the effects of the exercise.

"Phew..."

Li Hao adjusted for a while, his eyes full of joy.

Nine times!

Of course, not nine consecutive times. There were breaks in between. His teacher's record of five times was under continuous conditions, and Li Hao hadn't broken his teacher's boastful record.

But today, Li Hao had done three consecutive sets, lasting 9 minutes!

And after that, he still had the strength to continue, which was terrifying.

"This water... it's divine water!"

Li Hao thought, drawing a sharp breath. Could the Night Patrol or the Red Shadow have become powerful through such means?

Just his first time drinking and first contact, and he felt the effects were beyond imagination, with his stamina feeling much better than before.

If those people trained persistently, even without special abilities like setting fire, they would be extremely formidable.

"I... might have underestimated the Night Patrol. If they improve daily without using special abilities, could even the Third Generation Vortex really hit them?"

Almost impossible!

The effective range of the Third Generation Vortex was only 50 meters. Beyond 50 meters, Li Hao had no accuracy.

Within 50 meters, Li Hao felt he might not even have time to shoot before the opponent closed in and snapped his neck!

If they had some special abilities, like setting fire from a distance, they would be impossible to harm.

"Firearms... might be useless!"

Li Hao felt even more wary. Firearms might be ineffective against the Red Shadow.

The next moment, he looked at the