In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 198 Dealing with Cao Yang
When the five internal organs are in harmony, all the meridians are unblocked.

This represents the ultimate pursuit of internal cultivation by the Neidan school.

Most methods of Qi cultivation simply involve opening up a few main channels, thus ensuring 90% efficiency in Qi circulation.

To achieve the remaining 10%, connecting the remaining branches would require dozens of times more resources and effort.

Furthermore, this process also carries certain risks. A branch vein is like a muscle that exerts very little force, and it is easily damaged if one is not careful.

Lu Zhao asked curiously, "Did Master open all the meridians back then?"

"I didn't have it when I was young, and I haven't since," the old Taoist priest shook his head and said. "Your meridians will become stronger as your cultivation progresses, but opening up all the meridians can only be done when you are young."

Using modern classifications, if one can still achieve mastery at the fourth level, it would be effortless given the Qi and control at that stage.

But it's like the passage of time; if you don't achieve your goals when you're young, you can't get them back when you're old.

"But there is nothing wrong with pursuing the ultimate. When I was planning to rebuild my foundation, the first choice to solidify my foundation was to make all my meridians open."

Lu Zhao understood.

The difference between ancient and modern methods has been clarified. Modern methods are designed to mass-produce extraordinary individuals and are the choice made by the state apparatus after weighing the pros and cons.

The ancient methods aim to seek the Tao, and each school strives for the ultimate. There is no fixed number in spiritual practice; each stage has different methods of cultivation.

My master integrated these lineages and led them to a path of perfection.

After explaining the method, the old Taoist priest revealed, "The opening of all meridians has another benefit: it allows you to deal with the chaos before the five elements are harmonized more calmly."

Lu Zhao looked puzzled.

Thinking it over, and combining it with my master's teachings over the past six months, I could vaguely guess some of the clues.

The five elements interact with each other, generating and restraining each other. Practicing one element can suppress the other, but practicing too many without a complete set can easily lead to chaos.

He said, "Does Master mean that before the five elements are harmonized, side effects similar to my absorbing dragon energy will occur?"

The old Taoist priest praised, "It seems you've remembered everything I taught you."

"Excessive liver wood leads to irritability and anger; excessive heart fire leads to anxiety and mania; unstable lung metal leads to unresolved grief and sorrow. Weak spleen earth leads to indigestion and muscle wasting. Insufficient kidney water leads to tinnitus, night sweats, and weakness in the lower back and knees."

"When it acts on the meridians, it's like several different energies clashing, which will put you in a long period of weakness. But once all the meridians are unblocked, you should be able to avoid this period of weakness."

Lu Zhao couldn't help but ask, "If that's the case, even if it's difficult to complete the Hundred Meridians Connection, it shouldn't be abandoned, right?"

"From the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty, there was at least a thousand years. During this thousand years, dynasties rose and fell in cycles. If no one practices, even if you maintain it perfectly, it will disappear."

The old Taoist priest explained, "Many sects and clans, in order to prevent their descendants from becoming overly ambitious, naturally sealed things away. As generations of people did this, they naturally disappeared."

Lu Zhao looked enlightened and, drawing inferences from one instance, asked, "Cultivation is constantly being simplified. The modern method of breaking through the five barriers is a simplification of the internal cultivation of the five elements. Is there also a simplification in the internal cultivation of the five elements? What is the difference between Master's perfect cultivation and this?"

The old Taoist priest replied, "The simplification of internal alchemy lies in its grades. The internal alchemy school is divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. The key is the grade of the five elements' precious medicines used."

“What I have taken is the essence of heaven and earth, the wonder of all things. The ancient god circle you speak of is a blessed land nurtured by nature, and the five elemental beasts were called divine beasts in ancient times.”

Lu Zhao recalled some pictures of giant beasts from the classroom.

Many of them do indeed match the appearance of the mythical beasts in the legends.

Having said that, the old Taoist priest had given his answer, and knowingly asked, "I see that your peach blossom luck is in conflict, and your earthly branches are in a state of conflict, combination, and destruction. Has something happened recently?"

He rarely looked into reality, but he often paid attention to Lu Zhao's birth chart.

The character "刑" (xing) represents an incident caused by romantic entanglements, leading to verbal disputes.

"He" signifies being entangled in emotions, unable to extricate oneself from them.

There was originally another clash, foreshadowing that Lu Zhao would sever a marriage alliance. But he forcibly connected it, bringing the clash to the foreshadowing ahead of time.

Good fortune and misfortune are intertwined; the conflict may erupt, but it can also end Lu Zhao's romantic troubles, making his future love life much smoother.

But the old Taoist priest felt that emotions were always a minor matter. Lu Zhao was calm for a short time, but the next tribulation might be even more turbulent.

Lu Zhao is currently stable thanks to the Lin family, but there are still hidden evil influences in his destiny chart. To some extent, his fortune clashes with Liu Lin's.

Conflict may break out at some point in the future.

Leaving aside the mystical aspects of fate, from a pragmatic perspective, Li's birth chart shows the "killing, breaking, and wolf" stars, but he has the opportunity to change his fate to the "martial" star.

He was planning for his disciples, not simply because he was too idle.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhao said smugly, "Master, your calculation of Peach Blossom Encountering Punishment was not quite right. I have already solved the problem."

"Oh, how did you solve it?"

The old Taoist priest was curious. No matter how he looked at it, Lu Zhao didn't seem like someone who would change his fate through a love affair.

However, fate is both predetermined and infinite, and no one dares to say that their calculations are definitely correct.

Your destiny may reverse in the next instant; the so-called destiny chart is composed of the times, the individual, and opportunities.

In times of peace and prosperity, Sha Po Lang might just be a local thug, and Zi Wei Xing might just be a farmer.

Lu Zhao recounted the situation.

According to him, Li Dongxue turned hostility into friendship, and Lin Zhiyan was also reasonable.

A scene brimming with vitality, where everything flourishes...

After hearing this, the old Taoist priest couldn't help but chuckle softly.

He spent his life cultivating Taoism, and although he didn't experience any romantic entanglements, he still witnessed the full spectrum of human nature. Since ancient times, heroes have found it difficult to resist the allure of beautiful women, but the reverse is also true.

His disciple's adherence to principles both made him successful and limited him in some ways.

We should be reasonable in all things, but being too reasonable can be heartless.

Can he be ruthless? Obviously not.

Lu Zhao asked, "Master, what are you laughing at?"

The old Taoist priest smiled and said, "I am pleased that my disciple is intelligent, reasonable, and even knows how to reason with a woman."

Lu Zhao felt that it sounded sarcastic and frowned, saying, "Is there a problem with that? Xiaoxue and I have never crossed any lines, and my relationship with Lin Zhiyan was just a casual fling."

The old Taoist priest smiled and said, "My disciple's insight is brilliant."

His clear, melodious voice echoed in the chaos, calming the ceaseless roar of the spirit.

Bai Juyi wrote in a poem, "In heaven, we wish to be birds flying wing to wing; on earth, we wish to be trees with intertwined branches. Heaven and earth may end, but this sorrow will last forever."
-
March 2nd.

Lu Zhao slowly opened his eyes, a glint of fire seemingly flashing within them.

The clock on the wall was ticking away; it was just past four in the morning, and there were still a few hours left for meditation.

Lu Zhao got up and opened the refrigerator, which was filled with bottles of life supplements. The bottles were bright red, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, but there wasn't a single bottle of special liquor.

A bright red expanse, it's a sight to behold and puts one in a good mood.

Drink Honghualang for promotion and wealth, and Qingyunlang for rapid advancement.

Lu Zhao suddenly thought of this phrase; when he first took over as station chief, Old Zhang had been humming it all along.

A promotion is not just a change in power, but also a change in control over more resources.

Back when he was just a junior officer, Lu Zhao could only get fourteen bottles of low-level life supplements each month, and they were all inferior products that Lü Jinshan had obtained.

I've been drinking it for four years, but my vitality hasn't increased much; it's only good for supplementing metabolism.

Lu Zhao's metabolism is more than ten times that of an ordinary person, and the consumption of his dual supernatural powers is even greater than that of ordinary extraordinary individuals.

He needs to consume at least 40,000 calories a day.

This is just the daily consumption; those fourteen bottles of low-level life supplements couldn't even meet Lu Zhao's metabolic needs.

Lu Zhao counted and found that there were a full thirty bottles of safflower in the refrigerator, all of which were intermediate-level life supplements.

According to the Ninth Detachment's data, this is the basic quota for each month.

This treatment is worlds apart from that of the border station. If we could bring in people from the border station, not everyone could reach Tier 2, but at least two or three could.

Lu Zhao drinks safflower every day, which increases his life development by 0.4 per day, 12 per month, and 144 per year.

He should be able to advance to the third rank in about a year.

However, considering that the cost of achieving perfection is more than ten times that of the usual method, Lu Zhao still needs to supplement his resources.

More resources can be obtained through meritorious service, martial arts competitions, and the Divine Power Academy, among other means.

Master has not yet fully explored all the meridians, and there are still many ultimate paths to follow. If I were to fully explore them all, what kind of scenery would I be as a Marquis of Martial Arts in the future?

Lu Zhao couldn't help but yearn for it.

After calming his emotions somewhat, he took out two bottles of safflower extract and began trying to open up his meridians.

A surge of energy began to squeeze into the tiny meridians, causing a tearing, flesh-like pain throughout the body.

The dragon's energy, like a ball of fire, also squeezed into it.

Lu Zhao groaned and then opened his eyes.

"No wonder this meridian, which connects all the meridians, was abandoned."

The process of opening up the meridians involves using Qi to forcefully expand them time and time again.

In addition, the burning sensation accompanying the dragon energy felt like being hammered into flesh with a red-hot nail, each strike causing intense pain. Lu Zhao was quite sensitive and most afraid of pain and itching; he felt uncomfortable if his body wasn't kept dry.

Only when he is on duty can he restrain all his instincts.

Lu Zhao closed his eyes again and began to circulate his energy through all his meridians once more.

Fine beads of sweat, mixed with streaks of blood, appeared on his skin.

Three hours later, Lu Zhao opened his eyes, looking somewhat tired.

Sunlight streamed in through the window and shone on him.

The March sunshine wasn't even as warm as his body temperature.

Lu Zhao sighed, "Only half of it is connected. It will take forever to connect all the meridians."

There was some noise outside the door. I probed out with my spiritual power and saw that Comrade Xiao Wei was already standing outside waiting.

He didn't open the door immediately, but went into the bathroom to wash off the sweat and blood.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, two points of golden light were reflected in the misty water.

Lu Zhao was stunned for a moment, then reached out to wipe the water vapor off the mirror and saw that his pupils had gained a touch of gold.

The gold color slowly faded, but it reappeared with a slight movement of Qi.

"Is this a change brought about by the Horned Dragon Bow?"

Supernatural powers can affect the body, either positively or negatively. While the mental supernatural power caused Lu Zhao insomnia, it also allowed him to be energetic without needing to sleep.

Having absorbed the dragon energy of the Horned Dragon Bow, it's impossible for him to remain completely unchanged.

Lu Zhao carefully examined his body and found that no scales had grown.

"As long as it doesn't grow horns."

After washing up, Lu Zhao put on his neat military uniform, buttoning each button meticulously before opening the door.

Comrade Xiao Wei was clearly taken aback when he saw Lu Zhao.

Today, Captain Lu seemed even more spirited than yesterday. His phoenix eyes were bright and piercing, and making one's heart beat faster when they met his gaze.

Half an hour later, after finishing his breakfast, Lu Zhao went directly to the playground to watch the Ninth Detachment's morning exercises.

On the playground in the early morning, slogans resounded and dust rose slightly.

The soldiers, having just taken the life-sustaining supplements, are practicing military boxing to aid digestion.

Federal Military Boxing is not simply a boxing style; it evolved from ancient methods such as Five Animal Frolics, Eight Pieces of Brocade, and Yi Jin Jing.

There are three sets of military boxing. The first set focuses on stretching bones and tendons, with powerful and vigorous movements. It can effectively enhance physical strength, but excessive training can be harmful.

The second set focuses on internal training, with slow and gentle movements.

The third set is similar to Tai Chi, focusing on harmonizing Qi and blood and clearing the meridians.

They usually practice in turns.

When Lu Zhao was at the border post, he mainly led the team in practicing the third set of boxing because their life-sustaining supplements couldn't keep up with the consumption of the first and second sets of military boxing.

He led Comrade Xiaowei to the edge of the playground, where a commotion and whispers arose among the morning exercise group.

The squad leaders and platoon leaders who were leading the team immediately reprimanded them and maintained order. Then they also noticed Lu Zhao.

Everyone craned their necks to look at the new detachment leader.

On the one hand, the news of the expulsion spread, and everyone was indignant.

On the other hand, I heard that the new leader looks just like a celebrity.

Looking at them now, they're even more attractive in person than on TV, which makes me a little less hostile.

A squadron leader on duty ran over, stopped three steps away from Lu Zhao, and stood at attention and saluted.

Lu Zhao returned the greeting and said, "You can continue, don't mind me."

"Yes!"

Soon, with a series of short whistles, the morning exercise resumed.

But the atmosphere was noticeably more somber. No one dared to slack off, fearing that they might make a mistake that the new leader would remember and force them to resign.

Lu Zhao looked around for a while, his gaze sweeping over every face, young or not.

Some people were clearly too nervous, and their movements became distorted, which shows the pressure that the expulsion issue put on them.

Lu Zhao remained silent and offered no criticism. He certainly didn't need to question each soldier individually when persuading them to leave.

The correct approach would be to supervise and manage the non-commissioned officers, and at most question them up to the platoon leader level.

He walked past the various formations and arrived at the training ground of the mobile brigade.

At this time, apart from the companies that were on duty, all other units of the mobile battalion were engaged in combat drills and exchanges.

Fists and kicks flew, shouts echoed incessantly.

When Cao Yang saw Lu Zhao arrive, he did not order his men to stop, but instead scolded them to continue.

Only after all the pairs had finished their training did he turn to Lu Zhaoli, stand at attention, and salute, saying, "Report! The Mobile Brigade is conducting combat training. Please give instructions!"

Cao Yang's eyes were still full of aggression.

Lu Zhao's display of strength yesterday made him put aside his contempt, but it wasn't enough to make him completely convinced.

Moreover, the other party didn't give him any face at all.

Lu Zhao ignored his gaze and said, "You can continue."

Cao Yang turned and gave the order that the combat training should continue.

Lu Zhao observed from the side, trying to figure out which company to start with.

Starting with the companies with poor performance is undoubtedly the simplest approach, such as the companies mainly responsible for patrols in the First and Second Duty Battalions.

However, while it's simple, it's very time-consuming and laborious. Each company will have to urge and question them separately, and the task definitely won't be completed in three months.

Lu Zhao felt that they should start with the mobile brigade, targeting the most elite company to silence everyone's complaints.

The mobile brigade has been disbanded, so why should other unqualified teams be refused?
This would undoubtedly weaken the Ninth Division, but the Federation's resources are not meant to support private armies.

They can certainly shine in other departments after leaving the special operations forces. Resources and treatment may decrease, but the special operations forces were an exception to the law.

noon.

Lu Zhao summoned Cao Yang and handed him a list, saying, "This is a list of all the soldiers who need to be persuaded to leave. Go back and have them prepare."

Cao Yang looked at the list, and his face gradually turned ashen.

The list contains 25 people, 12 of whom are over 35 years old, 5 of whom have served for two years but have not yet reached the second rank, and 8 of whom have served for six years but have not yet reached the third rank.

Overall, most of the soldiers in the mobile battalion are excellent, and the number of second-class personnel is the smallest.

He said, "Detachment Commander Lu, I can persuade Category II personnel to leave, but I refuse Category I and Category III personnel."

If life development is not up to standard, no one can be blamed, but to force someone to retire based on age and length of service is absurd.

At least Cao Yang, as the battalion commander, was absolutely unwilling to kick out his excellent soldiers.

Financial and personnel costs, as well as the training of new talent, were not among his considerations.

Lu Zhao had anticipated this and said, "This is the order from the headquarters."

Cao Yang raised his voice and said, "Then go to the headquarters and have me dismissed!"

The sound spread and could be heard throughout the entire brigade headquarters. Everyone pricked up their ears and pretended to be busy.

On March 4, Cao Yang, the captain of the duty brigade, was given a warning and was prohibited from being promoted in rank, grade, or salary for three months.
-
Meanwhile, in the northeastern part of the Nantie District.

Zhou Wanhua, a blind man, is currently the head of the Seventh Criminal Investigation Team of the South China Sea Public Security Bureau and is investigating an illegal organ trafficking case.

He and three plainclothes detectives rode in a white van, following a refrigerated truck ahead.

At that moment, the green light turned on.

The refrigerated truck was driving forward when another truck suddenly appeared from the right, and the two vehicles collided amidst urgent honking.

boom!
With a loud crash, the refrigerated truck was knocked down by another red truck, and both trucks tipped over on different trajectories.

Items inside the carriage were thrown out.

Corpse, organs, white liquid...

Zhou Wanhua's legs were in contact with the vehicle, and the vehicle was in contact with the ground. Through the slightest vibrations, he could sense everything happening within a three-kilometer radius.

A familiar smell permeated the air, seemingly the scent of a life-sustaining tonic, but the transport vehicle was just an ordinary large truck.

Just like the refrigerated trucks that unload corpses and organs.

Both vehicles were involved in some kind of crime, but the latter was clearly more serious.

(End of this chapter)