Chapter 81: Three-minute Hero

Senior Mingxiu’s bandaging technique surprised Ai Hui . She had said before that her limited medical knowledge came from her brother who was an exceptional doctor .

However, the way he saw it, her medical knowledge was not little at all, but rather, quite detailed .

She started by wrapping the bandage diagonally across the top half of his body, then down his shoulders and arms to his wrists . Lastly, the Blood Bandage was tied to a knot on each of the Sword Rattan Gloves; this way, the bandage wrappings on both left and right arms were symmetrical to each other .

The Blood Bandage was surprisingly long, enough to wrap around the necessary body parts .

Ai Hui became acutely aware of his clumsiness after taking more than ten tries to get it done .

Finishing, he felt a change had taken place .

Chilly killing intent from the bandage entered his body, exerting a calming influence on the elemental energy mass . Ai Hui immediately felt his body relax, and the feeling of being as lithe as a swallow returned to his body once more . It seemed the Blood Bandage’s tight wrapping did not limit his body’s movements but made him more agile instead .

“Now try untying the knots on the gloves,” Mingxiu encouraged .

All eyes were trained on Ai Hui, especially the old man’s who looked on somewhat nervously .

Taking a deep breath, Ai Hui untied the knot on his right wrist .

The elemental energy mass in his natal residence shuddered before a strand of elemental energy swam out from it and rapidly entered his right palm .

Despite the elemental energy strand’s weak nature, it was extremely pure . It swam through his body with lightning speed, reaching Ai Hui’s right palm in no time . Just as it was about to penetrate through the Sword Rattan Gloves, it unexpectedly stopped in its tracks, blocked by an invisible wall .

The gloves woven by a master weaver were indeed extraordinary!

Joy coursed through Ai Hui, and realizing he could control this strand of metal elemental energy, he became even more excited . With a jolt of his body, he appeared like a phantom before the trunk of a large pine tree in the corner of the courtyard .

It had been a while since he last practiced [Arching Fish Back], but now it activated instinctively, ferociously slamming him backwards .

Crack!

The pine tree, as wide as two men together, shattered, the point of impact spraying countless wooden shavings . The top half of the tree snapped and flew through the air .

Rumble!

It smashed into the courtyard wall, filling the air with dust and dirt . The wall remained standing, thickly dotted with numerous wooden fragments .

Everyone was dumbstruck with terror after witnessing such a ferocious strike from Ai Hui .

“Is this guy a bear?” the old man muttered .

Ai Hui stared with similar astonishment at the tree stump, unable to believe the sight before his eyes . Was this truly the [Arching Fish Back]?

“Now you can feel the power of it, right?” The old man returned to his senses and spoke with excitement, “Even though it’s just a small strand, the high-quality elemental energy can generate far greater power than what is generated by low quality elemental energy . This is also one of the reasons for training . The elemental energy you are able to wield now far surpasses your base level . The benefits are already quite obvious . Your fighting capabilities will improve immensely, and you will gain a stronger tempered body .

“So why, then, do we need the Sword Rattan Gloves? With these, you’ll be able to direct the elemental energy to your palms . This will be useful in activating the palaces in your left and right hands . It feels good to be an expert, right? Now since we’ve finished talking about the benefits, let’s talk about the drawbacks . ”

Ai Hui pricked up his ears .

Seeing Ai Hui’s calm countenance, rather than ecstasy, after obtaining stronger powers, the old man subtly nodded .

Ai Hui truly deserved to be his disciple . His maturity at such a young age was rarely seen!

“The problem is that there will be a heavy strain on your body . Does this sound confusing? There’s actually nothing complicated about this . When this strand of elemental energy slowly revolves in your body, it will help in your training . However, in combat, the elemental energy will revolve very quickly around your body—the higher the level of elemental energy, the faster its revolution speed . This is what will strain your body greatly . When the pressure gets too great, your body will sustain irreversible damages . ”

“How long can I fight?” Ai Hui asked calmly .

The old man held out three fingers and answered, “Given your current physical status, it is considered safe to fight for no more than three minutes . ”

“That’s quite good; at least I can be a three-minute hero,” Ai Hui quipped .

When Han Yuqin and Ming Xiu heard the phrase “three-minute hero”, they broke out in laughter .

“You’re right . However, during this period of time, as your body becomes stronger, the duration will increase as well . Your main objective is to activate the palaces in your left and right hands; once you do, not only will you be able to use more elemental energy, it will be much safer for you as well . You have to keep in mind that although you have the Blood Bandage, that mass of elemental energy remains in your body as a ticking time bomb . If anything goes wrong, your body will explode into countless pieces with a bang,” the old man chimed in .

This result was within Ai Hui’s expectations . He remained unperturbed as he knew that this was inevitable . He was not someone born under a lucky star . You win some, you lose some, there was nothing to be surprised about .

Everyone present thought Ai Hui was joking when he mentioned the phrase “three-minute hero,” but that was not the case, and he was fine with it . Although three minutes were short, it was still enough for him to accomplish many things . A real battle could be decided in an instant . With a whole three minutes of immense powers, Ai Hui would not waste a single second . With a straight face, he asked, “How should I train?”

“You won’t need to go to the Suspending Golden Pagoda for very long,” the old man teased before a solemn look overtook his face and he continued, “There’s a crucial problem with your training—the strand of elemental energy cannot return to the natal residence . If it does, it will only be absorbed back into the elemental energy mass once more . ”

Hearing these words, the previously calm Ai Hui lost his composure, and he asked, “How should I train then?”

The basis of training was to direct elemental energy using the Circulatory Cycle Revolution of which the natal residence was both the starting and ending point . If the elemental energy could not return to the natal residence, how could he train?

The old man revealed a smirk, replying, “I have already come up with a solution for this problem . It’s simple—we won’t use the Circulatory Cycle Revolution . ”

“Not using the Circulatory Cycle Revolution?” Ai Hui thought he misheard .

Han Yuqin and Mingxiu revealed surprised expressions as well .

“That’s right! No Circulatory Cycle Revolution!” the old man replied without hesitation . “What’s the purpose of the Circulatory Cycle Revolution? To purify and absorb elemental energy . Currently, the elemental energy in your body does not need to be purified since it is already extremely pure in nature . Furthermore, there is an abundance of it . What you need to do now is toughen your body, especially your palms .

“To activate the palaces in your left and right hands, there are two conditions . The first is to make sure your hands are sensitive to elemental energy . The second condition is to make sure there is enough elemental energy . The elemental energy you have is pure in nature, but the amount you control is far too little; it is far from enough to activate the palaces in your hands . ”

Ai Hui felt that what his master had said made sense, and he could not help but ask, “What do I need to do specifically?

“For this, you will have to depend on your mistress . ” The old man smirked .

“Depend on me?” Han Yuqin was baffled . Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she thought of something . “Are you talking about…”