Chapter 72: 1262 Vitality Index

Chapter 72: 12.62 Vitality Index

Early morning, five o'clock.

When the first faint light had yet to pierce the thick atmosphere of the Morning Star, Qin Feng had already ended his meditation and awakened on time.

He did not rise immediately but, out of habit, raised his wrist, called up the terminal, and activated its built-in micro body data scanner.

A soft blue light shot out from the terminal, sweeping across his entire body.

Seconds later, a line of new data appeared on the light screen.

[Vitality Index: 11.007]

A night of high-quality sleep, combined with the continuous recovery and enhancement brought by the Intermediate Imperial Body-Tempering Method, had once again yielded a slight increase in his vitality index.

"Maintaining efficient cultivation and high-quality sleep really speeds up progress."

Qin Feng gazed at the number, silently calculating in his mind.

"My current basic physical constitution is still too much of a disadvantage in the private domain. Once my vitality index reaches 15.0, most of the physical shortcomings will be made up. Then, mastering the third defensive killing move, 'A Thousand Troops Guard,' will give me a fighting chance against senior students. By then, I should be able to break into the top ten thousand."

He set a clear goal for himself.

"Hope I can achieve this within the month."

Without further delay, he quickly got up, washed up, and headed once more to the public martial arts hall in the A-class district, throwing himself into another day of arduous training.

Inside the vast martial arts hall, he practiced the Intermediate Imperial Body-Tempering Method over and over again.

From the initial awkwardness and strain to the gradual smoothness.

His body was adapting at an astonishing speed to this extreme cycle of crushing and renewal.

Every time he reached exhaustion, the vast spiritual energy of the intermediate life potion replenished him;

Every deep muscle fatigue was healed by the medicinal bath repairing the inner damage of his flesh.

[Intermediate Imperial Body-Tempering Method Proficiency +1]

[Intermediate Imperial Body-Tempering Method Proficiency +1]

...

The system's notification sounds became the most pleasant accompaniment to his monotonous training.

His proficiency was steadily increasing.

When the progress bar finally reached 10 points, this profound cultivation method had at last crossed the threshold of "entry-level."

"The rate of improvement is even faster than I anticipated."

Qin Feng felt the surging blood and strength within him, understanding clearly.

This month marked his first full month as a C-level contractor, and the resources he could claim were a third more than last month.

Three intermediate life potions, three intermediate restorative medicinal baths—these were the foundations that allowed him to push himself so ruthlessly.

Although the Intermediate Imperial Body-Tempering Method was excruciatingly painful during practice, stimulating the body far beyond the beginner level, precisely because of this, each "break and rebuild" brought improvements far beyond what the beginner method could offer.

Combining the two, his growth rate did not slow but instead accelerated.

He did not slacken in the slightest, continuing day after day to immerse himself in this monotonous yet fulfilling cycle.

Each day was sharply divided into distinct segments: morning, extreme body tempering; afternoon, crushing defeats in the private domain; evening, continued body tempering; before sleep, meditation.

Time flew by in this regular rhythm.

In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed without a trace.

...

A-class district, private bathing room.

Steam filled the spacious room.

Qin Feng and Shi Potian, both wearing only shorts, stood before a massive alloy bathtub.

Qin Feng stood in front of a full-length mirror, examining the changes in himself over the past ten days.

The youth in the mirror was now nearly 1.9 meters tall, his figure straight as a spear.

His entire body was muscular and powerful, with smooth lines that were not bulky, exuding an explosive aesthetic.

On his flat abdomen, eight abdominal muscles were as clear as if carved by a knife, like a perfect chocolate bar.

When he tensed slightly, the quadriceps on his thighs showed a "shredded" state. And this was only the exterior.

Inside his body, his internal organs had been repeatedly tempered by spiritual energy, becoming extremely tough.

His cardiopulmonary capacity, hematopoietic function, and recovery speed had all reached a level several times that of an ordinary person.

"I've heard that warriors qualified to join star battle groups have extremely high vitality indices, with bodies reaching unimaginable levels."

Qin Feng mused inwardly. "Just relying on the physical body to adapt to most harsh environments in the universe—I wonder how long it will take me to reach that. Step by step, steady and solid."

"In the Dark Age, ordinary people would have needed to inject countless synthetic hormones to build a physique like this."

Beside him, Shi Potian looked at himself and Qin Feng in the mirror and spoke. "And the potions of that era were all 'non-spiritual' products, with huge side effects that drained life potential. Unlike now, where spiritual potions are gentle and nourishing, with nothing but benefits."

As he spoke, he tore open his [Intermediate Restorative Medicinal Bath Packet] and poured the dark red powder inside into the bathtub.

The clear water quickly turned into a blood-like crimson, emitting a faint herbal fragrance.

Qin Feng did the same, and then the two stepped into their respective bathtubs, immersing their entire bodies in the warm medicinal liquid.

Streams of pure energy, through every open pore, rushed into their bodies, repairing the hidden injuries and fatigue from days of hard training.

"What's your vitality index now?"

Qin Feng asked casually, eyes closed.

"11.03."

Shi Potian replied, then countered, "And you?"

"12.62."

Qin Feng said.

Shi Potian's eyes snapped open.

He turned his head, staring at the calm-faced Qin Feng beside him, his face filled with disbelief.

12.62!

In ten days, Qin Feng's vitality index had reached 12.62.

And he and Qin Feng had started from the same point, endured the same extreme training, and received the same C-level contract resources. In ten days, he had barely managed to raise his to 11.03.

The gap was too huge!

Shi Potian had always thought that the difference between him and Qin Feng lay mainly in the comprehension of killing techniques.

He had never imagined that in the most basic cultivation method, which was considered "something that yields results as long as you work hard," his progress would be so much slower than the other's!

Just as he was stunned, something even more incomprehensible happened.

He watched, wide-eyed, as the originally thick, blood-red medicinal liquid in the bathtub beside Qin Feng was slowly, visibly fading in color, becoming increasingly diluted.

Ten minutes in, the color had faded by half.

Twenty minutes, and it had already turned a pale pink.

In less than half an hour, the medicinal liquid in Qin Feng's bath bucket had completely become colorless clear water.

This meant that Qin Feng had fully absorbed all the spiritual energy from that entire pack of intermediate restorative bath medicine.

Qin Feng stood up from the bath bucket, water droplets sliding down his sharply defined muscles.

"I'm off, I'll practice a bit more. We'll grab lunch together later."

He smiled at Shi Potian.

"Alright."

Shi Potian nodded, forcing out a single word with some difficulty, "You practice a little and wait for me; I reckon I'll need another half hour."

After Qin Feng left, only Shi Potian remained in the bathing room.

He silently watched the still thick, crimson-red medicinal liquid in his own bath bucket, and after a full half hour more, the red finally faded completely.

A whole hour.

(End of this chapter)