On the second day of concentrated training, Ren Suo went to eat and discovered that the students from Team Eight were all secretly giving him thumbs-ups. Some even directly approached him to say, "Awesome!"
Ren Suo was clueless until Xie Qiansi explained, "I didn't expect a guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes like you, not as handsome as I am, to be so quick on the uptake."
"Quick on the uptake with what?"
"Stop pretending. I only just found out myself. You said you were going out for a stroll last night, but you actually went to the girls' dormitory upstairs! Someone saw you coming out of Qiao Muyi's dorm, and everyone was like, 'Oh, he came back alone!'"
Ren Suo was puzzled. "I just bought some playing cards to play with them."
For the sake of the Key, Ren Suo naturally wanted to seize every opportunity to get close to Qiao Muyi.
There were no classes last night. The trainees were still recovering from a tiring day, and the Spiritual Energy congregation effect wasn't active on the sports field at night.
So Ren Suo bought a pack of cards and went up to the girls' dormitory to play. Although there were four people in Qiao Muyi's dormitory, it didn't matter—they played Fight the Landlord, and whoever lost would leave the game.
According to Ren Suo's college experience, playing cards was one of the shortcuts to building relationships!
"Tch, no need to explain. Explanations are just cover-ups," Xie Qiansi patted Ren Suo's shoulder. "If you need help from your bro, just say the word!"
Even though Ren Suo had previously snubbed Xie Qiansi a few times, after sharing a room for one night, they basically had no grudges left. Plus, Ren Suo was the only one in Team Eight capable of using the Advanced Breathing Technique, so he was bound to have a brilliant future. Xie Qiansi naturally wanted to maintain a good relationship with him.
What was the most important thing for a public servant? Connections.
After breakfast, they followed Instructor Zhao Jingzhong to another sports field.
"Today, you will undergo Cultivation training here."
In front of Ren Suo was an open-air gym surrounded by a running track, with many pieces of fixed fitness equipment on the ground. Many people were already HUFFING AND PUFFING while working out on the equipment; the scene was very lively.
Zhao Jingzhong said, "In the morning, you will use these devices to cultivate. During the Cultivation process, just maintain your Breathing. After a rest at noon, you will go to the track and field for running Cultivation in the afternoon."
"The schedule for the next two days will be similar. You need to develop your Qi Cyclone as fast as possible."
Li Qingxuan raised her hand and asked, "Won't we be too tired? After yesterday's morning training, it took us almost a whole day to recover..."
"Yesterday was for you to familiarize yourselves with the Breathing Technique," Zhao Jingzhong said. "Now that you're basically familiar with it, even if you exhaust your Physical Strength in the morning, starting this afternoon you'll be able to drink 'Spiritual Liquid No. 3.' After drinking it and sleeping for about an hour, you'll recover most of your Physical Strength and can continue Cultivation in the afternoon."
The trainees were shocked. There's such a good thing?
And it's called Spiritual Liquid No. 3? That sounds quite high-end.
"Each person gets one bottle of Spiritual Liquid. If you still have Physical Strength left, the effect of the Spiritual Liquid will be greatly diminished." Zhao Jingzhong glanced at them. "What are you waiting for?"
With a chorus of "Ohs!" the trainees scattered to work out and practice their Breathing.
Zhao Jingzhong watched them, then turned and walked to the dormitory building just outside the sports field. He took out his phone and sent a message:
'Today, the target did not appear.'
'Do you have any suspected targets?'
'No.'
'Continue observation.'
「 」
For the next two days, the students followed the instructors around various sports fields, allowing them to find the training method most suitable for themselves. For instance, some who were slow at running and couldn't use the Intermediate Cultivation Method found fitness exercises quite easy, significantly improving their efficiency.
Although Deputy Director Yu Kuangtu hadn't said it, the civil servants currently at the training base were all considered 'key technical personnel' and were very likely to become strategic assets in the upcoming era of Spiritual Energy revival. Naturally, the government wouldn't shortchange them on their Cultivation—at least not before they mastered the basics.
At the same time, they also needed to find their most suitable training method—this data was to be reported to the government for statistical analysis.
Meanwhile, it was said that various cities were preparing to build Spiritual Energy training centers or add 'plugins' to existing infrastructure so that civil servants could continue their Cultivation using local facilities after returning home. However, due to limited funding, the construction of these facilities couldn't cover every training method. Therefore, which Cultivation Method was more suitable for local civil servant Cultivators became an important factor when planning the construction of local Spiritual Energy Sports Fields.
After three days of trying out all the facilities in the Spiritual Energy Sports Fields, the morning of the fourth day was free training. From the second day onward, people had started screaming like seagulls while running, working out, playing soccer, basketball, or badminton. Rest assured, this wasn't because their otaku nature and athletic disposition were clashing, leading to a mental breakdown. Rather, it was because they had awakened their Qi Cyclones.
Simply put, they now had a controllable 'organ' in their lower dantian, a development even more profound than childbirth. After awakening their Qi Cyclones, they had to train even more intensively. After all, such excellent facilities as Spiritual Energy Sports Fields wouldn't be available back home, and they also needed to master the Intermediate and Advanced Cultivation Methods as soon as possible.
The instructors weren't surprised by the students' swift progress at all, as they themselves were Cultivators meticulously selected from various military units. People like Zhao Jingzhong were among those top talents who had awakened their Qi Cyclones on the second day.
Ren Suo claimed that he only awakened his Qi Cyclone on the morning of the third day. This was around the average time for most people, so it didn't draw much attention.
However, only Ren Suo knew that he had awakened his Qi Cyclone right from the start.
On the very first day of Cultivation, Ren Suo had felt a subtle pulsation in his lower dantian. At the time, he thought it was a normal sensation until he attended the Spiritual Energy Recognition Class and learned that it was the Qi Cyclone.
However, the Spiritual Energy Recognition Class mentioned that the formation of a Qi Cyclone would be accompanied by a noticeable sensation. Ren Suo asked others, and they too said the feeling was quite distinct.
But Ren Suo had no idea when he'd awakened his own Qi Cyclone!
He thought it over and decided it must be due to the 'Physical Fitness Optimization.' Because he had been fast asleep at the time, he was unaware of what was happening to his body. Ren Suo couldn't find any other explanation.
But this didn't affect his training. It was now the fourth day, and the training would end tomorrow.
The mere thought of returning to his Mini-World Game Console made Ren Suo as eager as an arrow to leave the bow, his anticipation almost unbearable.
At the cafeteria during lunch on the fourth day, Ren Suo finished his Spiritual Liquid and waited for his roommates to finish eating so they could all go back to the dormitory to sleep. They needed to properly digest the Spiritual Liquid in preparation for the afternoon's training.
But he wasn't idle. He took out a deck of cards to play Fight the Landlord with Qiao Muyi and the others. My favorability rating should be high enough by now, right?
She'll sleep soundly enough for me to feel around for a few minutes and get the Key, right?
Over the past few days, at Ren Suo's 'strong request,' his roommates had always dined with Qiao Muyi and her group. The other roommates hadn't objected—in fact, they wore mischievous yet righteous expressions, as if they had split personalities. They'd pat Ren Suo on the shoulder and say, "We'll definitely help you, but you have to help us too, okay!"
Ren Suo almost thought they were offering to team up and help him, like a troop of Calabash Brothers.
Just then, the sound of an argument came from the cafeteria entrance, and everyone curiously looked over. Ren Suo took the opportunity to tilt his head and peek at Li Qingxuan's hand of cards—she was the Landlord now.
"What are you looking at?" Li Qingxuan curled her slender finger and flicked Ren Suo's forehead. "Can't you even play cards honestly?"
The noise at the cafeteria entrance grew louder. It seemed as if someone had started a fight. The spectators quickly cleared a circle to watch, and the already crowded entrance became even more congested.
Ren Suo, seeing that he was almost certain to lose to the Landlord, put away his cards and said, "Everyone's finished eating, right? Then let's go back and sleep."
Everyone placed their trays on the recycling conveyor belt. As they prepared to leave and passed by the entrance, they saw that a fight had indeed broken out. Two male students wearing gray vests were being pulled apart by others, their eyes blazing with anger as they glared at each other, much like two rival dogs posturing in a park.
But the fight seemed unlikely to continue. People were already holding them back. After all, the students here were civil servants with a high degree of self-discipline; they wouldn't let the fight escalate.
However, just as they were about to leave, a Furious Roar suddenly erupted from the crowd: "I'll kill you!"
BOOM! Like a torrent, countless Fiery Flames rapidly spread across the ground!