Faced with Ye Fei’s confusion, Luo Zai just chuckled and didn’t say a word. Instead, he turned around, set up the grill, then skillfully sliced the meat and placed a large, thin piece on to cook.
SZZZLE~
A strange smell soon wafted out.
Next, he brushed it with oil and sprinkled on a generous amount of cumin and chili powder.
"I sliced this meat very thin. It’ll be ready to eat after a quick sear."
"But the smell is a bit strong, so brace yourself. Close your eyes and feel carefully. In the endless darkness, can you see tiny specks of starlight? Try to absorb that starlight. During this stage, you should also quickly activate your Superpower. Mobilize your emotions and use your consciousness to control that starlight."
Luo Zai recited this calmly, his tone flat. It sounded exactly like he was reciting an essay from memory.
You could tell he had seriously tried to memorize the original text.
"Most people’s Superpower Talent is actually pretty average. They can’t sense the so-called starlight at all, nor can they use their consciousness to control this mysterious energy that’s invisible to the naked eye. But it’s okay. You can just imagine that your breathing can draw in the starlight. You can also think of yourself as a plant, and with every breath in and out, the starlight will slowly drift over and be absorbed into your body."
"I... no, Doctor Liu named this the Breathing Technique."
"When you can clearly sense these Spiritual Power starlights and absorb them within three minutes, that’s the sign that you’ve mastered the ’Breathing Technique’."
"And by continuously absorbing Spiritual Power from food, you’ll become stronger and stronger. When you can throw a punch with 2,000 jin of force, your basic physical condition will have risen to a completely different level. We call this the ’Neo-Human’ standard."
"Once you meet both of the above criteria, you can use more drastic methods of Evolution. If you succeed, your Power will rise to another level, reaching the ’Elite’ rank of a Neo-Human."
Ye Fei listened very carefully as Luo Zai explained all this.
Finally, Luo Zai added his own opinion. "I think this is just a Spiritual Qi Revival. That’s what they call it in the novels I read. No need to make it so complicated."
Ye Fei smiled. "Your Idealism isn’t entirely without reason. Doctor Liu is probably a staunch materialist Warrior."
Luo Zai rolled his eyes and said with a laugh, "You intellectual types, always using words no one can understand. You love making simple things complicated."
Ye Fei didn’t argue. He took the slice of meat from Luo Zai and stuffed it into his mouth.
PTUI!
A foul, gamey taste shot straight to his brain, and Ye Fei couldn’t stop himself from spitting it right back out.
’This tastes absolutely disgusting!’
If he couldn’t see, he would have absolutely suspected Luo Zai of taking off his own underwear—unwashed for over ten days—and stuffing it in his mouth.
No wonder Luo Zai had to sprinkle on so much cumin. It was to cover up this horrible taste.
"Keep going." This chapter is updated first at g.com.
"I told you the taste was strong. You just have to bear it."
Luo Zai had an amused look on his face.
BLECH~
Ye Fei’s face twisted as he forced himself to swallow the meat, then quickly closed his eyes.
Yes, he could close his eyes too. All it took was to stop using his Superpower.
Huh?
Soon, Ye Fei was stunned. In his pitch-black field of vision, a faint speck of starlight suddenly flickered... no, it wasn’t starlight. It would be more accurate to call it a fluorescent glow seen through mist. The light was very weak, but it stood out clearly in the darkness.
’Whoa... could it be that I have some Talent for ’Cultivation’?’
Of course, it was also possible that the mushroom had given him an advantage. After all, he had extensive experience in sensing mushrooms.
Ye Fei didn’t overthink it. He immediately suppressed the thought, held his breath to focus, and moved on to the next step: breathing!
’I am a willow tree... I’m absorbing Spiritual Power just like I absorb sunlight...’
Ye Fei thought to himself, repeatedly hypnotizing himself. He entered a state between sleep and wakefulness. Soon, the speck of light drew closer and closer, growing brighter and brighter...
VMMMM!
Suddenly, a tremor ran through Ye Fei’s body, and his eyes snapped open.
The instant the speck of light reached his eyes, he felt an electric current jolt through his entire body. It felt so good he almost cried out. At the same time, he could feel that the strength in his body had increased.
’Is this the effect of the Spiritual Power speck...’
Ye Fei couldn’t help but be amazed. This Energy was incredible; its effect on the body was immediately noticeable.
’Perhaps this is also the culprit behind the mutations across the entire planet?’
At the same time, Ye Fei glanced at the time and was shocked. It had only felt like a moment, but half an hour had actually passed!
"Half an hour... Your Talent is about what I expected."
Just then, Luo Zai, who was standing to the side, spoke up. "For your first time using the Breathing Technique, finishing in half an hour means your Talent is neither good nor bad. You’d rank in the middle of our squad." Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
"What’s the best time?"
Ye Fei turned his head slightly, aiming his ear toward Luo Zai.
"I don’t know either. I only joined the squad three days before you."
"But I’m sure of one thing. Someone like our captain doesn’t need to eat meat. He can occasionally sense and absorb Spiritual Power just by sleeping."
"Absorb it directly!"
Ye Fei was stunned. He’d just been feeling proud of himself, but it turned out that some people didn’t even need the Breathing Technique. ’Isn’t the difference in Talent too huge?’
Luo Zai patted Ye Fei’s shoulder comfortingly. "Don’t overthink it. The gap between people can sometimes be bigger than the gap between a person and a dog. We’re already very lucky just to have awakened a Superpower."
"Besides, the stronger the Ability, the more dangerous it is. The monsters are getting craftier. They also know to eat flesh that’s rich in Spiritual Power."
After saying his piece, Luo Zai got up to test his strength.
Hearing the sound, Ye Fei also got up and asked to be tested. Following Luo Zai’s instructions, he slammed his fist into the testing machine.
BANG!
The numbers on the display jumped rapidly before finally settling at 1012 jin.
Taking a deep breath, Ye Fei continued to punch. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Four consecutive punches, and four numbers jumped up: 1009, 1008, 950, 699.
He hadn’t gotten the rhythm right for the last two punches, and his form had broken down, causing the numbers to drop sharply.
Nearby, Luo Zai also threw five consecutive punches—BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!—and his numbers were 1369, 1368, 1366, 1368, and 1366.
It was obvious that Luo Zai was stronger. Each of his punches was close to his maximum Fist Power, and his control over his body was much better than Ye Fei’s.
Ye Fei had tested with consecutive punches, so he took the median value of his Fist Power, 1008, as his new Fist Power record.
’That’s 8 jin of strength more than before I practiced the Breathing Technique. If I remember correctly, Luo Zai gained 20 jin.’
’Comparing it like this... this body’s Cultivation Talent seems to be really average...’
Ye Fei thought.
And he needed to reach 2,000 jin before he could use the more effective cultivation methods and enter the next stage.
After a quick calculation, Ye Fei felt pessimistic. He would need to practice the Breathing Technique at least 125 times. At half an hour per session, that would be 62 hours...
And that didn’t even include time for eating and sleeping.