Chapter Forty-Two: Sister Ban Dispels Doubts (Part One)

This was a problem Zhao Li had never encountered before when practicing basic body-strengthening techniques and combat skills. At a certain point, his cultivation simply stopped progressing. This perplexed him greatly.

His days had passed in a regular pattern; the exhilaration of cultivation made him forget everything around him. He barely remembered who had spoken to him or what they had said; his mind was wholly absorbed in his training.

Then, unexpectedly, his progress came to an abrupt halt. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't advance even a single step. At that moment, it was as if Zhao Li returned to his old self, compelled to seriously ponder what had gone wrong.

The only person he could consult about the nameless technique was the old warden. Yet when Zhao Li earnestly sought advice, the warden refused, claiming he had never practiced it himself. This left Zhao Li angry and helpless. Since the warden said so, what could Zhao Li do? Could he beat up the warden and force him to talk?

If Zhao Li dared such a thing, he knew for certain he would be the one to suffer, not the warden. He had enough self-awareness to recognize that much.

It was clear there was a hurdle on his path of cultivation. It felt as though he only needed to leap lightly to overcome it, but no matter how much effort he put in, he was always just a tiny bit short. The sensation was subtle and mysterious.

Besides the nameless technique, Zhao Li often practiced the grappling skills during his free moments. Lately, his mind was filled with nothing but cultivation methods and grappling techniques, complementing each other, combining internal and external disciplines, which was the only way to see results.

He would often, like a fool, suddenly strike a grappling pose while walking, waving his arms a couple of times. To his comrades and the inmates, Zhao Li was a madman obsessed with training. They'd seen dedication before, but never someone so reckless, sometimes even forgetting his patrol shifts unless Jiang Hao came to drag him away.

The bored prisoners would always joke with Zhao Li at times like this or deliberately try to disrupt his concentration. When he was deeply focused, they'd launch a surprise attack. Even without true energy, their brute strength was formidable enough to make Zhao Li instantly sense danger and snap out of his immersion.

At first, he was always caught off guard by their pranks. They had their own rules, too: first, they'd shout loudly at Zhao Li, then launch a quick attack.

That shout always jolted Zhao Li awake, and he would instinctively defend himself. By then, their prank was already successful—they would feint an attack, then withdraw, laughing heartily at Zhao Li's guarded stance.

Jiang Hao didn't know how to advise Zhao Li for such behavior, so he simply let things be. Fortunately, the old warden's presence kept those inmates in line; aside from teasing Zhao Li, they did nothing excessive. The other guards also let things happen, no longer interfering.

Recently, however, things seemed to have changed, and everyone began to look at Zhao Li differently.

As usual, Zhao Li was lost in his training when Sanders decided to stir up trouble again. Normally, the routine was a loud shout followed by a mock attack, but this time Sanders, whether out of revenge or mischief, attacked without a sound.

Troubled by his bottleneck, Zhao Li had buried himself in practicing grappling techniques, so much so that he could now simulate the moves in his mind without actually striking a pose.

As soon as Sanders launched his prank attack, Zhao Li responded as if he had eyes all over his body. He reached out naturally and executed a counter-grappling move he'd practiced countless times in his mind.

This Zhao Li was not the Zhao Li whose true energy was sealed, but the one stuck at a bottleneck in the nameless technique. With a single movement, Sanders couldn't even retract his hand before Zhao Li seized it, effortlessly exerted force, and locked Sanders in a hold. Zhao Li's grip tightened unconsciously, and with a faint crack, Sanders' extended arm was easily dislocated.

Only then did Zhao Li regain his senses, realizing what he had just done, staring at his own hands in disbelief. He had beaten Sanders before, but only when armed with the police baton. Bare-handed, even with true energy, he could never have subdued Sanders so cleanly.

Even Zhao Li himself couldn't believe that one unconscious twist could subdue Sanders. Jiang Hao, beside him, was even more astonished, eyes wide: "What move was that? So powerful!" He'd watched the whole thing happen right before his eyes—Zhao Li reached out and pressed Sanders down, dislocating his arm, yet the actual technique was too quick to catch. How could he not be shocked?

Zhao Li stared blankly at Sanders on the ground. Sanders, too, looked at himself in disbelief, as if he'd seen a ghost, muttering incessantly, "Impossible, impossible! How could this be?" His voice was so loud that the surrounding inmates gathered to watch.

Had he really done that himself? Zhao Li could hardly believe it. Watching Jiang Hao fuss over Sanders, Zhao Li's mood grew restless. "Keep an eye here. I'm going to see the shift supervisor."

"Go ahead, go ahead!" Jiang Hao, seeing Zhao Li's state, felt nervous himself. These days, Zhao Li had been training as if possessed, frightening everyone. Only when he was with Ban Yunchan did he appear a bit more normal. Now, after his sudden outburst, Jiang Hao feared he might do something even more drastic, so it was best to let him go if he wanted.

Zhao Li hurried over, swiped his card to open the door, and rushed inside. From afar, he saw that serene figure, sitting as always, and felt a wave of relief wash over him as he approached.

"What happened?" Ban Yunchan looked up at Zhao Li, stood, and drew him down to sit, taking out a snowy white handkerchief and gently dabbing his forehead, soaking up the cold sweat.

The subtle fragrance from the handkerchief calmed Zhao Li further; even he was surprised by what had just happened.

"Sister Ban, do you think I've gone mad lately?" Once he'd regained control of his emotions, this was Zhao Li's first question.

"Why do you say that?" Ban Yunchan's voice was as gentle as ever, slow but rhythmic, and very clear. "You're just tired. You look exhausted."

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