Chapter 7

Indeed, there's no such thing as a free lunch! The Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique seems incredibly easy from the outside, but Qi Feng only realized its true difficulty once he started practicing. A few movements that looked simple enough almost pushed him to his limits!

How can one describe it? It's like asking someone to lick their own elbow; it looks easy but almost exceeds human physical limits. And each of the movements in the first level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique is no easier than that! Qi Feng remembered the Nine Yin Manual, which mentioned the Bone Forging and Sinew Changing techniques. These techniques allowed one to change their body into incredible forms once their internal cultivation reached a certain level. It seemed that the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique worked in reverse, using external techniques to forge bones and sinews, thereby stimulating the circulation of internal energy.

However, after practicing just a few movements, Qi Feng started to feel soreness in his waist, back, and legs. Fortunately, Qi Feng was quite fond of sports, so his body control, strength, and flexibility were decent. Even so, after five or six movements, Qi Feng felt he had reached his limit and was about to injure himself, so he had to stop.

When his dorm mates returned from Zhongguancun with their purchases, Qi Feng was lying on the bed, grimacing and barely able to move. They didn't notice his unusual state and were enthusiastically discussing their new items. Of course, Old He wasn't there; he had gone to show Lily the couple's iPods as soon as he returned to school.

Old Feng, holding his new DSLR in automatic mode, started snapping photos around the dorm. Since it was a digital camera, he didn't have to worry about film. He was about to take a close-up of Qi Feng when he noticed Qi Feng's pale face and hurried over.

"Qi Feng, you were fine just a moment ago. What happened?"

Qi Feng sat up, holding the edge of the bed, and waved his hand. "Nothing, just a bit tired. I was exercising in the dorm."

Old Ji and Haozi were puzzled. "What? Exercising in the dorm?" They were all basketball fans, and Qi Feng was too. If they wanted to exercise, they would usually go downstairs to play basketball. Why exercise in the dorm?

Qi Feng honestly confessed, "I was practicing a divine technique. Want to learn? I'll teach you for free."

Everyone laughed at him. "Sure, right. Divine technique, like the Manual of the Sunflower or the Evil-Exorcising Sword Technique?"

Qi Feng thought for a moment and nodded. "The Sunflower Manual is probably out of reach, as it's on Blackwood Cliff. But if you really want to learn the Evil-Exorcising Sword Technique, I might be able to get it for you."

Qi Feng wasn't joking, but no one took him seriously.

"Ah, I offer my heart to the bright moon, but the moon shines upon the ditch. Do you think these martial arts manuals are cheap?" Thinking about the ten thousand yuan he had spent, Qi Feng still felt the pain.

"When I have more money, I'll buy the Seven Injuries Fist and the Two Instruments Sword Technique. Another ten thousand gone." Thinking about what else he should buy from Wei Xiaobao, he realized he needed more money. After practicing the Dragon Elephant Technique for a while, he was so exhausted that he fell asleep without eating dinner.

Waking up early, Qi Feng was hungry the next morning. Seeing that everyone else was still asleep, he quietly left the dorm. He bought breakfast at the cafeteria downstairs and wandered to a small forest near the dorm building. The morning air in the forest was fresh and cool, invigorating Qi Feng. Since he had woken up early and had nothing else to do, he decided to continue practicing.

In the middle of the forest, Qi Feng made sure no one was around (not because he was afraid of being copied, but because the movements of the Dragon Elephant Technique were quite strange, and he didn't want to be mistaken for a lunatic). He took a stance and started with the first movement.

Strangely, the movements that were quite difficult yesterday were easier this morning. Qi Feng was very excited, realizing that he had made some progress in the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique without even noticing. However, he felt his joints were not flexible enough, which caused problems in transitioning between movements. If his joints were more flexible, his progress would be faster.

Although even the most foolish person could master the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique in one or two years, Qi Feng didn't want to spend that long. The reason was simple: the technique had thirteen levels, and each level was twice as difficult as the previous one. In short, if the first level took a year, the second level would take two years, and by the fifth level, it would take thirty years! And the tenth level alone would take five hundred years! Even if one reached the tenth level, they would only be on par with Jinlun Dharmaraja.

So, Qi Feng's goal was to master the first level within a week!

"If only my joints were more flexible," Qi Feng thought, imagining the movements of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique. Despite his thoughts, his movements didn't stop, and he continued to repeat the initial movements. Fortunately, the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique didn't cause internal energy to go awry, or Qi Feng's distracted mind during practice would have been fatal.

Gritting his teeth, Qi Feng practiced until the sky was fully bright. Fortunately, it was easier than yesterday, even though he practiced longer. He relaxed his tense muscles and estimated it was around seven or eight o'clock. Remembering that he needed to deliver the beef, he returned to the dorm to get twenty taels of silver and went downstairs to the cafeteria. He had already instructed the cafeteria staff to open the door for him every morning, so no one would be around. He opened the "time-space door" in the kitchen and entered the Yuelai Inn.

Qi Feng had been coming to the inn every day for a month, and the waiter had already prepared the two hundred pounds of beef. With Qi Feng's strength, he had to make several trips to carry it all. Fortunately, it was only a few steps away.

After delivering the beef, Qi Feng had nothing else to do, so he sat down at the Yuelai Inn and ordered a pot of clear tea. As a regular and big spender, Qi Feng consumed twenty taels of silver daily at the inn, so the tea was free, and he was even given two small pastries.

Qi Feng sipped his tea and looked at the teacup, shaking his head. This was clearly an ancient porcelain cup from the Ge Kiln, which would be worth a fortune in the modern world. Stealing one would make him a small fortune. Unfortunately, the cup looked too new to be an antique, and a carbon-14 test would reveal its age. Sigh, money is hard to earn!

There were some guests in the inn, and about half of the ten tables in the hall were occupied. Qi Feng observed these travelers, feeling a bit envious. They could travel freely in this world, while he was limited to this inn. Ah, how he wanted to go out and explore.

At two tables, there were clearly martial artists, dressed in distinctive and uniform warrior attire, likely disciples of two martial arts sects. Qi Feng wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation but noticed their tense and guarded demeanor. He felt a chill and decided not to provoke them. Martial artists could draw their swords in anger without regard for the law or reason.

While Qi Feng was idly drinking tea, a strange young man suddenly ran into the inn, looking around. Seeing the waiter, he was overjoyed and ran over. "Hey, you're the waiter. Tell me what I should do. I'm great at RPGs; I just need to find someone like you. Give me all the tasks and clues..."

The waiter was bewildered by the young man's strange words and didn't understand a thing. Qi Feng, on the other hand, was speechless... What... Is this... the game's protagonist??

The young man persisted, and the waiter, annoyed, was about to kick him out when Qi Feng called out, "Waiter, add some tea and a cup. I'll treat this brother to tea."

The waiter glanced at the young man, but out of respect for Qi Feng, he went to the counter. Before Qi Feng could invite him, the young man sat down opposite him, acting very familiar.

The first words out of his mouth made Qi Feng facepalm. "You look like a special NPC. What clues do you have?"

Qi Feng laughed awkwardly at the protagonist's middle-schooler-like demeanor. "Yes, I am an NPC. And I have plenty of clues. I know everything about this world. However..."

Before he could finish, the young man slapped a silver ingot on the table. "I get it, I get it. NPCs always want money, just like the waiter at the Heluo Inn."

This straightforwardness left Qi Feng momentarily speechless. The young man, seeing Qi Feng's silence, asked suspiciously, "Or are you like that old man Nanxian, who wants a 'wisdom fruit'? I don't have any of those right now."

Qi Feng finally came to his senses, picked up the silver, and weighed it. It was at least twenty taels. "Hehe, what does Nanxian know? I can answer all your questions, as long as you have the silver. By the way, are you called Xu Xiaoxia or Xiaomai?"

"Xu Xiaoxia," the young man answered casually, then suddenly realized and jumped up, staring at Qi Feng as if he were a ghost. "What? You know that? I've never told anyone here my name!"

I'm dizzy. How could I not know? I controlled you over a decade ago. Who's the NPC here, really? Qi Feng thought, but on the surface, he maintained a wise demeanor. "I told you, I know everything about this world."

The game protagonist, Xu Xiaoxia, immediately perked up. "Great, you seem much more reliable than that old man."

Qi Feng smiled and held up a finger. "One hundred taels per question." His expression was that of a cunning merchant.

Xu Xiaoxia didn't mind (after all, the money was stolen from others) and immediately took out one hundred taels and pushed it to Qi Feng. "How can I get back? Nanxian said the leader of the martial arts alliance knows. Is that old man reliable?"

Qi Feng put away the silver, took a sip of tea, and said slowly, "He is reliable. One hundred taels, please."

Xu Xiaoxia was shocked. "One hundred taels? You haven't even answered my question yet!"

Qi Feng shrugged. "You asked if Nanxian was right, and I told you he was. That's a complete answer."

Xu Xiaoxia slammed the table in anger. "I asked how I can get back!"

Qi Feng leisurely continued drinking his tea. "Nanxian didn't tell you? Become the leader of the martial arts alliance."

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