It could be said that Yang Hao had guessed right. Jack’s longsword had been gifted to him by a renowned swordsmith, and even Jack himself wasn’t entirely sure of its hidden abilities.
“That’s right! That’s right!” Yang Hao eagerly jumped on the bandwagon. “Probably because this sword is just so good, it helped me survive. Thank you, Teacher Jack.”
“No need to thank me,” Jack mumbled absentmindedly, barely paying attention.
Worried that Jack might figure out the flaw in his excuse, Yang Hao quickly changed the subject. “Why did I pass out anyway? Was it just exhaustion?”
A faint blush crept onto Elf’s face, and she glared fiercely at Yang Hao. Indeed, over the past day or so, Yang Hao had fought several battles and had been fooling around with Elf twice. Even the toughest iron man would be worn out.
But Teacher Jack had a different opinion. “It’s not exhaustion. It’s called ‘Overcharged Vital Force.'”
“Overcharged Vital Force?” The term was unfamiliar to Yang Hao and the others.
“That’s right,” Teacher Jack explained. “Currently, the Empire’s martial education system is based on five fundamental techniques: Vital Force, Agility, Flight, Swordsmanship, and Object Manipulation. Among these, Vital Force is the foundation of the other four. Only with abundant Vital Force can one properly learn all the techniques.”
This was something teachers often taught before, and even the usually inattentive Yang Hao understood it clearly.
But what Jack said next was completely new to them. “Theoretically speaking, Vital Force is a power generated from within the body and then released externally. According to Imperial regulations and academic systems, Vital Force must be generated and released immediately. In other words, when we use sword techniques, we must first generate Vital Force within our bodies, which then transfers to the sword. No Vital Force should remain inside the body.”
Yang Hao nodded. Although this theory was complex, it didn’t seem too difficult to understand.
Teacher Jack looked at Yang Hao with concern. “But in practice, some people are so skilled in Vital Force techniques that they generate more than they can release. This excess Vital Force remains in the body, eventually accumulating to dangerous levels. This phenomenon is known as ‘Overcharged Vital Force.'”
“Like overeating and getting bloated?” Yang Hao offered a simple analogy.
“Something like that, but far more serious!” Jack’s tone carried a hint of warning. “Once Overcharged Vital Force occurs, the mildest consequence is unconsciousness. In severe cases, it could even be life-threatening.”
“Life-threatening?!!” Yang Hao and the two women exclaimed in unison.
Jack solemnly nodded.
“Am I going to die?” Yang Hao’s face turned deathly pale. He felt like his luck was turning bad again—just when things seemed to be improving, he was facing a life-threatening situation.
“Not necessarily,” Jack, a master of suspense, added with dramatic flair. “Overcharged Vital Force is actually quite common, and the Empire naturally has ways to deal with it.”
“What methods?” Upon hearing he might not die, Yang Hao was overjoyed.
“First, tell me why your Vital Force suddenly became so strong!” Jack looked at Yang Hao with twinkling eyes, clearly implying, “I know how weak you used to be.”
Yang Hao could only scratch his head again. He mumbled, “Since Wang Zhijun and others kept bullying me, I started training Vital Force techniques every night. I don’t know why I suddenly became so strong.”
Jack let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good. I was afraid you were practicing some forbidden techniques.”
“Forbidden techniques?”
“Exactly,” Jack nodded. “In the Empire, there are many forbidden techniques circulating. These techniques can make someone extremely powerful in a short time, but they come with severe side effects. That’s why the Empire has classified them as prohibited arts, and no one is allowed to learn them.”
“Since you haven’t learned any forbidden techniques, there’s no problem,” Jack concluded.
Yang Hao felt a wave of unease. In truth, he himself didn’t know why his Vital Force had surged after taking that pill, turning him into an expert overnight.
Seeing Yang Hao fall silent, Jack assumed he was still worried about the Overcharged Vital Force and took out a book. “The current solution for Overcharged Vital Force is to temporarily stop Vital Force training and instead learn more advanced sword techniques.”
“Advanced sword techniques?” Yang Hao glanced at the book and realized it was an advanced swordsmanship manual. But he hadn’t even passed the beginner’s course yet.
“The current standard sword techniques are all designed to work with Vital Force,” Jack explained. “Lower-level sword techniques can’t consume much Vital Force. Only higher-level sword techniques can help burn off excess Vital Force more effectively.”
“Bullshit! Complete bullshit!!!” A sudden roar broke the silence—it was Yuan Hun Zi, who had been quiet for a while. Yang Hao nearly jumped out of his skin. Although Yuan Hun Zi’s voice was inaudible to others, Yang Hao still felt uneasy. It wouldn’t be good if anyone found out there was another person hiding inside his belly.
Yang Hao practically snatched the swordsmanship book from Jack’s hands, hastily thanked him, and then sprinted toward the uninhabited back mountains. He only stopped when he reached the lakeside deep in the mountains. Putting the swordsmanship book and Yuan Hun Zi’s ancient manual beside him, he began calling out: “Master Yuan Hun Zi… Master Yuan Hun Zi…”
“What?” Yuan Hun Zi’s tone was clearly annoyed, still in a bad mood.
“Why did you suddenly yell just now?” Yang Hao stuck out his tongue. “You nearly scared me to death.”
“I smelled a stinky fart, so unbearable that I had no choice but to yell,” Yuan Hun Zi grumbled.
Yang Hao couldn’t figure out what had gotten into Yuan Hun Zi’s nerves. “Teacher Jack was just concerned about me, trying to prevent Overcharged Vital Force.”
“What nonsense is this called Vital Force,” Yuan Hun Zi angrily snapped. “All bullshit! Complete ignorance!”
“What’s wrong with you?” Yang Hao was confused, but suddenly thought of something important. “Hey, Master Yuan Hun Zi, are you practicing forbidden techniques?”
Yuan Hun Zi was furious. “What era is this now? It’s like black and white have been reversed! True cultivation is called a forbidden technique, while you learn some superficial nonsense.”
“Huh?” Yang Hao was stunned. “You mean the five fundamental techniques we learn at school are just superficial?”
“And complete nonsense!!” Yuan Hun Zi emphasized.
“That can’t be right,” Yang Hao, though usually a poor student, still wanted to defend the school’s honor. “The Imperial Army tests these five fundamental techniques. They’re considered the most practical martial training in the world. Almost every expert is trained this way.”
“Experts?” Yuan Hun Zi sneered coldly. “If all experts are built upon these five fundamentals, then the world must be full of useless people. In my opinion, these so-called five fundamentals are merely designed to prevent people from learning more powerful cultivation methods.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage