This Martial Saint's Health Bar is Too Thick! Chapter 5 – Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Becoming a Disciple

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Becoming a Disciple

“Time starts now.”

Hao Yi pulled out a metallic pocket watch from his chest, glanced at the time, and then placed it on the table.

This pocket watch was also a product of the recent reforms, as the entire Da Lan Dynasty had now adopted the Western twenty-four-hour timing method.

A few seconds later, Li Fei began to feel itchy all over his body.

His expression unchanged, he continued to stand steadily in the horse stance.

The horse stance is one of the fundamental practices in the Zhi Ge Discipline of vocational studies; during three years of vocational training, Li Fei had gone from being able to hold the stance for just a few minutes to now being able to maintain it for half an hour.

Time trickled by, and after a few minutes, it wasn't just itchiness—Li Fei's entire body began to ache, and sweat started to appear on his forehead.

Seeing this, Li Lei showed a look of concern and subconsciously clenched his fists.

Li Fei took a deep breath, still keeping his composure.

He ‘looked' at the Myriad Blood Pearl within his body; the original count of 10 Blood Souls had now changed to 9 + 97%.

In other words, his blood volume had decreased by 0.3%.

“Just 0.3%, no big deal,” Li Fei muttered to himself.

As time passed bit by bit, his muscles went from soreness to pain and were accompanied by itchiness to his skin, indeed uncomfortable but still within a tolerable range.

His blood volume had only decreased by 1%.

Ever since he had crossed over to this world, Li Fei hadn't stopped studying the Myriad Blood Pearl inside his body and had conducted many ‘experiments'.

He found out that the Myriad Blood Pearl transformed his life force into 10 Blood Souls, tightly linking his body and the Blood Souls together; when his body suffered damage, nearly 99% of the hurt was absorbed by the Myriad Blood Pearl, taken on by the Blood Souls, making the injuries to his body appear much less severe than they should be.

For example, if someone slashed his arm with a blade, normally it could sever his arm completely, but because the majority of the damage was taken by the Blood Souls, the result was just a cut on his arm, while the count of Blood Souls inside decreased according to the actual damage.

Similarly, when Li Fei consumed elixirs, more than ninety percent of the damage caused by the elixirs was directly absorbed by the Myriad Blood Pearl, which greatly reduced the sensations of pain and itch he felt.

What would be unbearably uncomfortable for others was for him a situation that could be endured with just a bit more perseverance.

But to prevent Hao Yi from detecting anything unusual, Li Fei still tried hard to show an appearance of being in excruciating pain.

Tap, tap, tap, tap…

The room was so quiet that the ticking of the pocket watch's hand could be heard.

Nine minutes had passed, and Li Lei was nearly holding his breath in anticipation of the final result.

Hao Yi looked at Li Fei with even more satisfaction in his eyes.

The elixir he had given Li Fei to consume was a ‘Bitter Elemental Pill,' which could enhance the body's resistance to alienation by the Implant.

Taking this pill regularly could enhance the body's ability to adapt to the Implant, but as time went by after consumption, the sense of agony would intensify and persist until the effects of the pill ended.

The vast majority of people could hardly endure the first ten minutes of agony, let alone maintain the horse stance position.

Hao Yi required Li Fei to stand in the horse stance while enduring this kind of pain to see Li Fei's willpower.

Many individuals had talent but not the willpower, wasting their potential.

Yet Li Fei's performance had made Hao Yi think highly of him, seeing him as someone with potential.

“Alright, time's up, you've passed.”

A minute later, Hao Yi put away the pocket watch on the table, a hint of a smile crossing his face.

Li Fei let out a heavy breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and bowed to Hao Yi with a fist:

“Student Li Fei, greets Teacher.”

“Thank you, Mr. Hao!”

Li Lei stood up with a look of joy, then quickly said, “Mr. Hao, about the antidote…”

Hao Yi looked at Li Fei, “The medicine I've given you is beneficial for your future cultivation; the longer you can persist, the more benefits you will receive, but the ensuing pain will also become more intense.

So it's up to you to decide whether you want to take the antidote now or not. Rest assured, I've already decided to take you as my student, and whatever your choice, it won't affect this outcome.”

“This…”

Li Lei was at a loss for words.

Li Fei, without hesitation, said:

“If that's the case, I'm willing to endure for a while longer.”

He could see his own ‘health bar' and knew his health hadn't dropped much, so he wasn't panicked at all.

“Good.”

Hao Yi found Li Fei increasingly pleasing to the eye, “Sit down first.”

He stood up and walked over to the desk in the corner, picking up a bill and handing it to Li Lei:

“Captain Li, you should go pay the fee at the finance department first.”

Li Fei glanced at the bill, only seeing the bold words ‘Two Hundred Yuan'.

“Two hundred yuan for a semester's tuition?”

He was secretly shocked.

As a mid-level official of the Inspection Bureau, Li Lei earned only one hundred yuan a month; without any other income, the tuition would amount to two months of his salary.

However, considering Hao Yi's status as a top-level instructor, Li Fei thought it was reasonable.

Many people probably didn't even have the opportunity to pay this much.

Li Lei took the bill and left the office.

“Now adjust your breathing rhythm as I've told you.”

After Li Lei left, Hao Yi suddenly said to Li Fei.

“Of course, Teacher.”

“Three consecutive exhales, slowing down with each one, and then inhale…”

As Li Fei changed his breathing rhythm according to Hao Yi's instruction, gradually, the pain he experienced lessened a bit. With the Myriad Blood Pearl continuously sharing the damage, he almost didn't feel much at all.

Hao Yi was somewhat surprised to see that Li Fei's expression remained calm throughout.

The breathing skill he taught could only slightly alleviate physical pain, but its main purpose was to distract one's attention. Li Fei's ability to maintain such composure indicated that his willpower was stronger than Hao Yi had anticipated.

“Could this student possibly bring me some surprises?”

Hao Yi pondered the thought.

He looked at Li Fei and asked,

“Your father is a Platoon Leader at the Inspection Bureau. Wouldn't it be easy for you to get a job there after finishing junior college? Why would you choose to suffer in the Martial Arts Hall?”

Li Fei answered without hesitation,

“Because I want to become a Martial Artist.”

“For what purpose do you wish to become a Martial Artist?”

Hao Yi continued to inquire.

Li Fei recalled the unbearably dark two years of being oppressed in his past life. The image of the noodle shop owner lying dead on the ground flashed through his mind again, and he spoke with determination,

“To take control of my own destiny!”

In this life, he didn't want to be trampled upon by others like a beast of burden!

Hao Yi was taken aback and fell silent, saying nothing more.

How many people in this world could truly control their own fates?

Even the Emperor sometimes had no control over his own circumstances, so Hao Yi took Li Fei's bold assertion as mere youthful bravado.

Li Lei soon returned after settling the payment.

After waiting in the office for a while, Li Fei's health bar stopped decreasing.

His Myriad Blood Pearl had changed to:

[Rank: Level 1 49%

Blood Soul: 9 pieces 23%]

His health bar had dropped about 8%, which was not unusual, but the increase of 12% in rank energy was a pleasant surprise to Li Fei.

The food he consumed daily usually provided only 1% of energy to the Myriad Blood Pearl.

“Could it be that the elixirs also contain energy that the Myriad Blood Pearl can absorb?”

Li Fei speculated silently.

“Very good,”

Hao Yi broke the silence.

More than an hour had passed since Li Fei had taken the Bitter Elemental Pill, and its effects had now worn off.

Li Fei had endured through this period, fully absorbing the effects of the pill, which pleased Hao Yi.

“Starting tomorrow, you'll report to me at 6 A.M. sharp every day,”

Hao Yi told Li Fei.

“Yes, Teacher,”

Li Fei nodded in agreement.

Although he had not yet graduated from junior college, there was hardly any coursework left in the final month, and he could dispose of his time freely.

Afterward, Li Fei and Li Lei left the office together.

“Not bad, Xiao Fei, to have passed Mr. Hao's test.”

Li Lei said with a smile, “Now that you're his student, you might really have a chance to compete for a university spot in the future.”

He had brought Li Fei here today just to try his luck, never anticipating actual success.

“Uncle Li, could you tell me about Mr. Hao?”

Li Fei inquired.

He habitually liked to understand a person's character first in order to adapt his approach accordingly – a survival strategy within the system.

Li Lei recounted, “A year ago, I led a team tasked with solving a murder case. The suspect was a student from Xing City's Martial Arts Hall, a student of Mr. Hao.”

“His student?”

Li Fei expressed surprise.

Li Lei nodded, “The student was already an official Martial Artist, quite powerful. We were armed during the capture, yet many of our brothers were injured by him. In the end, it was Mr. Hao who personally apprehended him. After catching the student, Mr. Hao visited the Inspection Bureau to see him a few times. I facilitated some things for him during this period, so he owed me a favor.”

“Then Mr. Hao is indeed a man who values justice over personal ties.”

Li Fei contemplated.

“Indeed, he seems to despise those who commit crimes. You have an honest look about you, which should make it easy to gain his favor. Mr. Hao is a capable man, and becoming his student is a rare opportunity, one you should grasp well,”

Li Lei advised.

Li Fei nodded, “I understand, Uncle Li, don't worry.”

He then asked curiously, “Uncle Li, you mentioned earlier that when you went to capture Mr. Hao's student, you were armed but still suffered several injuries at his hands. How do these powerful Martial Artists combat firearms?”

Li Lei reflected for a moment before replying, “The suspect was very fast and agile, even able to run on walls, moving as easily as if on flat ground. Additionally, the terrain of the area where we apprehended him was complex, making it difficult for our men to hit him despite being armed.”

“I see,”

Li Fei said thoughtfully.

Li Lei glanced at him, patting his head with a smile,

“Now that you are Mr. Hao's student, you'll certainly become a powerful Martial Artist just like that.”

“Mm!”

They continued their conversation as they exited the building.

Li Fei looked ahead, a light breeze grazing his face. Leaves from the ginkgo trees lining the road rustled down, blanketing the ground.

The midday sun cast down a golden hue on the path before them.

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co

Chapter end