Chapter 92

The next day, Qi Feng completely forgot about his part-time sales job at the second-hand tech resource store in the lower commercial district of Omega in the Mass Effect world. He excitedly rushed into the Yuelai Inn in the Qunxia Plane. As soon as he entered, he pulled over a waiter and asked, "Hey, has the main character been here?"

The waiter had just turned around to see Qi Feng and hadn't even had the chance to bow and greet him when he was startled by Qi Feng's swift and forceful approach. He was so startled that he swallowed the words "Young Master Feng, hello" back into his throat, only managing to let out a stunned "Ah" before regaining his senses. "The... main character? What main character?"

Qi Feng hurriedly laughed it off, "I mean, Xu Xiaoxia, has he been here? The young man I bought drinks for the first time..."

The waiter, who was well-versed in his job, wouldn't forget a customer like Xu Xiaoxia. He quickly replied, "Oh, Young Master Feng is looking for Xu Xiaoxia? He hasn't been back since he left last time."

Qi Feng was somewhat disappointed. Xu Xiaoxia had been in this world of martial arts for quite some time, with the protagonist's aura, and had been leveling up with Zhang Wuji, practicing various high-level martial arts. He would be a good experimental subject to verify Qi Feng's hypothesis. This guy was easy to deal with; a few pieces of information in exchange would do.

And Zhang Wuji, who had been personally trained in the Wudang Nine Yang Gong by Zhang Sanfeng since childhood, had a deeper understanding of internal martial arts than most martial artists. Consulting him on the Nine Yang Divine Skill would not only verify whether the practice methods translated by the universal tool were correct but also help improve his new system. Zhang Wuji, being a straightforward person, had agreed to help him with three tasks. He wouldn't go back on his word.

Unfortunately, these two had been leveling up and hadn't returned, possibly because they felt they weren't yet a match for Cheng Kun and were still working hard.

"Well, never mind," Qi Feng sighed, instructing the waiter, "If you see Xu Xiaoxia, make sure to keep him here and have him wait for me in the inn. Tell him I have urgent business with him and Zhang Wuji."

The waiter nodded eagerly, "Young Master Feng, rest assured, I will definitely pass the message on! Young Master Feng hasn't been here in a long time. Would you like to try our inn's cuisine today?"

The braised beef at the window Qi Feng and his friends had run had been popular for several months, but the craze had finally died down. After all, even the liver of a dragon and the marrow of a phoenix would get tiring if eaten every day, let alone just beef. This had already lasted much longer than they had expected. After a series of calculations by Haozi, the dormitory unanimously decided to sell the now popular window. Unexpectedly, the operating rights of the window sold for tens of thousands, marking a successful end to their first entrepreneurial venture. Everyone was very satisfied with their first business experience and still often went to the window to eat, affectionately calling it their own window. They no longer needed to transport beef back and forth. Qi Feng, who had been focusing on two other planes, hadn't been there for quite some time.

"Sure! Bring some pastries and tea first, and I'll have lunch here later." Qi Feng tossed a silver ingot to the waiter and casually found a bright spot to sit down. After all, it was almost exam season at school, and most courses had ended, leaving only self-study time. He could stay here all day without any issues. The Yuelai Inn was much better than the school library, which during exam season had seats as scarce as train tickets during the Spring Festival! Every day, students had to fight for seats, unlike here where one could eat and drink leisurely.

Soon, the waiter brought various pastries and a pot of tea, placing them on the table for Qi Feng to enjoy. Being a regular, the waiter knew his habits and didn't need to hover around to serve him.

Qi Feng hadn't even had breakfast, so he ate pastries and drank tea while taking out the original version of the "Nine Yang Divine Skill" and comparing it with the translated version on his phone. He wanted to find something in the original text to support his hypothesis. However, after reading a few pages, he completely gave up on this idea. The translated version and the original text couldn't be directly compared. The quantum computer in the universal tool had used various combinations and logical deductions to re-express the entire scripture in modern language, rather than translating it sentence by sentence.

Qi Feng weighed the booklet in his hand, feeling a bit regretful, and shook his head, tucking it back into his chest.

The inn was not short of martial artists, none of whom would have guessed that the young man sitting there casually held a booklet that contained a world-shaking divine skill.

Qi Feng sat there, slowly sipping tea, and continuously pondering his new system in his mind.

"Two people with the same cultivation level and the same cultivation method, would they generate the same amount of bioenergy? ... Hmm, probably not. The meridians control secondary bioenergy, similar to how motor nerves control muscles. People differ not only in motor nerves but also in muscle strength. Those with good motor nerves aren't necessarily stronger, and similarly, those with high brain domain development don't necessarily have more bioenergy in their bodies..."

Qi Feng was in a semi-trance, constantly talking to himself and answering his own questions.

"For example, the two dragons from the Tang Dynasty. They practiced the Longevity Decree, reaching the innate stage, and their brain domain development far exceeded the average level of martial artists. However, due to their short practice time, their body's bioenergy hadn't been trained, so their cultivation was still minimal. Therefore, when they faced strong opponents, they were at a disadvantage in terms of power, but they could always use their strong meridian control to achieve surprising victories with a small amount of power... Yes, that makes sense! Cultivation methods, realms, and levels are all about the development of the brain domain's meridians, while the total amount of bioenergy is in the body. Just like muscle strength, it needs to be trained and improved over time. Of course, those with good motor nerves can build muscles more efficiently, and those with good internal cultivation methods can accumulate power faster. Yes, reasonable!"

Feeling that his thoughts were flowing smoothly, Qi Feng couldn't help but lightly tap the table and secretly cheer.

"Then, the counterexample... Hmm, it's Duan Yu! His power, or bioenergy, was all absorbed from others, and the total amount was enormous. However, his brain domain's meridians were barely developed, and his control was too weak. So, he had a vast amount of power but couldn't use it effectively. The Six Pulse Sword Technique was sometimes effective and sometimes not. Later, after absorbing the power of the Great Wheel Mingwang Jiumozhi, the bioenergy in his body became so excessive that even with his poor control, he could easily gather enough energy to use the Six Pulse Sword Technique, making it seem like he had achieved great mastery. In reality, each time he used it, it was probably less than a few percent of his total power! Ah... What a waste!"

Thinking about this, a question that had troubled Qi Feng for years was also clarified: why, despite having several hundred years of cultivation, Duan Yu's combat power didn't seem to be off the charts.

Xu Zhu was in a similar situation. His cultivation was slightly less than Duan Yu's, but his brain domain's meridians were somewhat stronger (though he was taught by Tian Shan Tonglao, his talent was poor, so his brain domain's meridian development was only slightly higher than Duan Yu's). Therefore, his combat power seemed to be on par with Duan Yu's.

Qi Feng was thoroughly enjoying his deductions, and his system was becoming more self-consistent. Although it might not be the absolute truth, it seemed more reasonable than the original meridian theory. However, where had Xu Xiaoxia and Zhang Wuji gone? Come back quickly!

Just then, a commotion from a few tables away caught Qi Feng's attention. He turned his head and saw several beggars sitting at a table, while a young, thin one seemed to be excluded, standing with his head down, being scolded. Without even needing to listen closely, Qi Feng heard one of the seated beggars yell, "Get lost, we don't take you in the Beggar Sect. Go find a cool place to stay..."

The young beggar meekly replied, "...Then, can you give me some food..."

This comment made the so-called Beggar Sect disciples burst into laughter, "We've only heard of us asking others for food. Today, the sun must be rising from the west for someone to beg from the ancestors of beggars!"

Qi Feng was speechless. These organized beggars were showing superiority, which was neither funny nor annoying. The young beggar was pitiful, being looked down upon and even bullied by his peers. Qi Feng's compassion welled up, and he called over the waiter, pointing to the young beggar, "Bring another set of utensils and some dishes. I'll treat this young brother to a meal!"

The waiter responded with a "Sure thing," quickly bringing a new set of utensils to the young beggar and inviting him, "Sir, please come this way. Young Master Feng is inviting you."

Qi Feng couldn't help but praise the waiter's service. The young beggar, who had been treated poorly everywhere, was so moved by the waiter's warm and respectful tone that his eyes welled up with tears.

"Hey, what's this?" The Beggar Sect disciples felt their pride wounded by Qi Feng and stood up. The waiter quickly whispered a few words to them, and their faces changed, and they immediately sat back down, not looking back.

Qi Feng's hearing was very sharp, and he heard the waiter whisper, "That young master is the son of the chief of the Imperial Academy..." Since ancient times, the common people did not fight with officials, and these Beggar Sect disciples quickly backed down. The waiter was truly experienced in the ways of the world and knew how to handle situations.

The young beggar came to Qi Feng's table, bowed, and said, "Thank you, brother."

Qi Feng, hearing his tone, which didn't sound like a beggar's, invited him to sit down, "No need to be polite. There are some pastries on the table. Have some to tide you over." Then he poured a cup of tea for him.

Although Qi Feng believed in equality, he regretted inviting the beggar to sit down after a moment. The beggar, though polite in his words and actions, had a strong odor from not having bathed in a long time. Qi Feng hadn't noticed it when he first came over, but after sitting down for a while, he realized it was quite strong.

Qi Feng couldn't help but wrinkle his nose. The young beggar, noticing Qi Feng's expression, stood up awkwardly, took a step back, and bowed, "Sir, I think it's better if I take some food and eat outside..."

Hearing this, Qi Feng felt a bit guilty, stood up, and waved his hand, "No problem, sit down." He then invited the beggar to sit down again, held his breath (the smell was really strong), walked to the beggar's side, and took out a few Clean Clothes Talismans from his inventory, slapping them on the beggar's back.

The Clean Clothes Talismans turned into faint wisps of light and disappeared. Qi Feng tried to breathe normally, and indeed, the effect of the talismans, even though they were the cheapest ones, was immediate. The smell was gone. However, the beggar's clothes were so tattered that it was hard to tell if they were clean or dirty.

Qi Feng sat back down and saw that the beggar's face was much cleaner, and he looked quite handsome. From his skin, he didn't seem to have a hard life.

The beggar, clearly feeling the change, looked at Qi Feng in amazement, unable to speak. Qi Feng chuckled and said, "It's just a small trick, nothing to be amazed about..." (To be continued...)