Chapter 140: The First Tier-Two Hero

Qi Sisi did not put the contract away at once. Instead, she stood to one side, staring blankly at Chen Feng.

Chen Feng could not help touching his own face. He looked at Qi Sisi in confusion and asked, “What is it? Is there a flower growing on my face?”

“No, no!” Qi Sisi shook her head vigorously. Looking at him with complete seriousness, she said, “Chen Feng, I think you’re very much like President Xiao!”

“Very much alike?” Chen Feng looked at her, puzzled. “In what way?”

Qi Sisi thought for a moment before continuing, “In the way you handle things. You and President Xiao are very similar. You both belong to the sort of people who plan three steps ahead for every step you take. To be honest, I never imagined that you would move against those shareholders so directly. But after thinking about it carefully, if Chairman Xiao were standing where you are, she would probably have dealt with them as well!”

Chen Feng merely smiled. “Not really. I just didn’t like the sight of those bastards. From the information the Thorne Group provided me, I could tell more or less what they had been up to. Those so-called shareholders have done plenty to appropriate the company’s interests. They were never trustworthy to begin with, so dealing with them was necessary. Besides, with every new ruler comes a new court. Those people all have their own schemes, and there’s no guarantee they would obey Sister Xiao. Cutting them loose was perfectly normal.”

Qi Sisi could not help laughing. “Still, you were ruthless and quick. I never expected you to act so decisively!”

Chen Feng smiled, stood up, and said slowly, “Those are merely minor matters. All right, Sister Qi, we should hurry and take over the Liu Group. The first thing to do is settle everyone’s nerves. The Liu Group belongs to us now, so next we’ll simply follow Sister Xiao’s arrangements. There shouldn’t be anything else for me to do here, right?”

Qi Sisi nodded slightly. In truth, the matters that followed were no longer particularly troublesome. Whether Chen Feng participated or not had ceased to be all that important. Xiao Yu had already arranged everything; they merely had to proceed step by step.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything,” Qi Sisi said with a smile.

Then she looked at Chen Feng with some concern. “But Chen Feng, is Chairman Xiao really all right? Nothing will happen to her, will it?”

“Something happen to her? What could possibly happen?” Chen Feng shrugged and said indifferently, “She’s fine. I expect you’ll be able to see her again before long.”

Qi Sisi nodded and said nothing more.

******

Xiao Yu’s villa.

There was a basement beneath the villa. Every day after returning from the Qingxue Group, Chen Feng would go there. It was where Xiao Yu had secluded herself for cultivation.

The basement door was tightly locked. When Chen Feng arrived, he gently touched it with his finger. At once, a fierce chill burst forth, penetrating directly into his internal organs. His entire arm instantly went numb.

Whoosh!

Chen Feng quickly withdrew his finger, but his expression was far from pleasant.

The chill tonight was truly terrifying—several times more frightening than when Xiao Yu’s yin energy had erupted before. Although Chen Feng was now far weaker than he had been at that time, he could still sense the danger hidden within it.

Xiao Yu’s strength was extraordinarily formidable. Judging from Chen Feng’s estimates, she had probably already reached the level of a third-tier hero.

After standing outside the door for a while, Chen Feng felt helpless. Since he could not assist Xiao Yu, all he could do was pray in his heart that she would remain safe and overcome this crisis. When Xiao Yu had said she would enter seclusion to regulate the yin energy within her body, it had sounded almost casual. Chen Feng, however, could sense how perilous the process must be. The slightest mistake could truly cost Xiao Yu her life.

Still, the two of them were connected in spirit, and Chen Feng could sense that Xiao Yu was safe for the moment and in excellent condition.

Over the past few days, Chen Feng had remained at the Qingxue Group, overseeing a series of affairs. His abilities had won the approval of the vast majority of people, and everything had begun unfolding according to Xiao Yu’s plan. After Liu Shihui and his son were arrested, the turmoil outside gradually began to subside.

Although the final verdict had yet to be delivered, the father and son would almost certainly receive the death penalty. As for Wang Zhong, he would probably spend at least ten years in prison. In the end, while held at the detention center, Wang Zhong had no choice but to sign the contract and submit completely.

The Qingxue Group then swallowed up the Liu Group. Chen Feng subsequently renamed it the Baihua Group and spoke with all the managers of the Baihua Supermarket branches, reopening the supermarkets and launching a series of promotional campaigns. After all, Baihua Supermarket was considered a major supermarket chain in the country. Once it emerged from the shadow of the scandal, rebuilding its reputation would not be especially difficult.

Chen Feng was not particularly concerned with those matters. Most of his time was now devoted to cultivation.

After returning to his room upstairs, Chen Feng sat cross-legged and took several pills, tossing them into his mouth. Xiao Yu had prepared the pills for him. Chen Feng had gradually begun eating less and less ordinary food, and the pills had effectively replaced his daily meals.

The pills contained exceptionally potent medicinal properties and were highly nourishing. After taking them, Chen Feng found that they greatly aided the cultivation of his internal energy.

Through several days of cultivation, Chen Feng had gradually sensed changes within his body. Although Xiao Yu had drawn away most of his internal energy, he discovered that his Profound Yang Formula had already reached the stage of mastery.

Chen Feng was gradually beginning to understand that the accumulation of internal energy and the cultivation of a technique were two different things. The former referred to the amount of internal energy one possessed, while the latter determined the method by which that energy was accumulated and its inherent nature. Chen Feng had cultivated the Profound Yang Formula with astonishing speed. Later, after extracting Stephen Chow’s yang-based internal energy, he had forcibly pushed his Profound Yang Formula to the stage of mastery.

Although Xiao Yu had later drawn away a considerable amount of his yang-based internal energy, Chen Feng had retained the internal energy produced by the perfected Profound Yang Formula. His energy remained scorching hot, and under the same level of output, its power had not diminished in the slightest.

Not only that, Chen Feng could also sense that there was still an embryonic core within his dantian. As long as he continued consuming these highly nourishing substances and transforming them into internal energy, once the embryonic core was filled again, he would be able to return to the realm of core-force internal energy.

To break through into the realm of core-force internal energy, one first had to gather one’s strength and condense it into a core. This was the most difficult stage. Once the breakthrough was achieved, one’s internal energy could continue to grow. After that, the remaining process was merely a matter of accumulation.

Inhale. Exhale.

Chen Feng’s lower abdomen rose and fell in a steady rhythm as the pills he had swallowed were rapidly broken down. No one knew how much time had passed before he suddenly opened his eyes. He could feel his internal energy growing increasingly abundant.

He did not continue cultivating, however, and stopped there. His daily training was highly disciplined, and he had never expected to swallow a large quantity of pills in one breath and force his way directly into the realm of core-force internal energy.

Human ability had its limits. Cultivation could not be achieved overnight. After all, this was not some system that made one powerful the instant it gave an order.

Just as Chen Feng opened his eyes, his phone suddenly rang.

He picked it up and smiled. The call was from Fang Yue. He answered with a smile. “Yueyue, what is it? Do you miss me?”

“Yes!” Fang Yue replied with a nod. “Chen Feng, how are things in Donghai? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. What could possibly be wrong with me?” Chen Feng laughed softly. “School hasn’t started yet, has it? I’m not especially busy right now. Why don’t you come over for a visit?”

“Really?” Her voice was filled with delight. She had not seen Chen Feng for a long time and had naturally missed him terribly.

“Of course!” Chen Feng missed Fang Yue as well. Although he had fallen for Xiao Yu, Fang Yue still occupied a place in the deepest part of his heart. After all, she had been the girl who never left his side when he was at his lowest.

The two of them chatted for a while before Chen Feng coaxed Fang Yue to sleep. Then a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Once he entered university, he and Fang Yue would have to separate and endure a long-distance relationship. Rather than suffer that hardship, he might as well find a way to have Fang Yue attend university in Donghai too.

The instant the thought appeared, Chen Feng felt that it was entirely feasible. He was no longer the pathetic loser he had once been. He now had connections of his own. He simply did not know whether Lu Rui could help him take care of the matter.

With that thought, Chen Feng picked up his phone and prepared to call Lu Rui.

At that very moment, however, another voice suddenly appeared in his mind.

“Host, September has arrived. A new hero has been generated. Would you like to extract the hero?”

The system’s mechanical voice echoed through Chen Feng’s mind. His entire body trembled slightly, and an excited expression appeared on his face.

“A new hero has been born? And since it’s September, it should be a second-tier hero. I wonder who it is this time?”

With that thought, Chen Feng impatiently opened the Grand Extraction System.

(To be continued…)

(Second update. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I had an especially hectic day. According to my usual routine, I had to visit relatives in the morning, then people kept forcing drinks on me at noon. I didn’t wake up until after six in the evening, and my head felt like it was about to explode. Even so, I gritted my teeth and managed to complete both updates. Um… could I ask everyone for a few monthly votes? A new second-tier hero has been born. Why not try guessing who it is? Here’s a hint: this second-tier hero’s surname is Li.)