Chapter 240: Transmitting the Technique

Hu Hao spent the morning in the command center writing his training manuals. Once he finished a section, he distributed it to the officers for review.

He then checked the large screens. The Mara Empire’s 1st Corps still hadn’t counter-attacked; they were completely focused on digging trenches.

Seeing this, Hu Hao gathered about a dozen guards, hopped into a civilian car, and headed toward Santong County to inspect the Special Operations Regiment’s training.

Every soldier stationed in Santong County belonged to the Special Operations Regiment. From top to bottom, everyone was subjected to grueling training. When Hu Hao arrived, he saw the soldiers still training intensely, even through the midday heat. They hadn’t taken a break. The soldiers held immense respect for Hu Hao and desperately wanted to learn his skills.

“Hao-ge, you’re here!” Dong Qipeng stopped his physical conditioning exercises and jogged over to Hu Hao, drenched in sweat.

“Can you handle it?” Hu Hao asked, taking a bottle of water from a guard and tossing it to Dong Qipeng.

“Hehe, I can handle it. I have to say, those methods you taught us are incredibly effective. How did you even figure them out?” Dong Qipeng asked, looking at Hu Hao.

Dong Qipeng was Hu Hao’s university classmate and knew exactly what his capabilities used to be. But Hu Hao had changed so drastically recently that Dong Qipeng couldn’t figure him out at all.

“Don’t worry about how I figured them out for now. If you can handle it, then endure it. Come on, let’s go over here and talk,” Hu Hao motioned for Dong Qipeng to follow him.

He led Dong Qipeng into the underground air raid shelter. This facility used to be an Allied hospital but had long since been cleared out. It now served as the rest area for the Special Operations Regiment. Hu Hao had installed several large air conditioners here to ensure the men could rest properly between their grueling training sessions.

Hu Hao led Dong Qipeng to a corner of the shelter furnished with a few tables and chairs.

“Have a seat,” Hu Hao said, taking a chair himself. Dong Qipeng sat opposite him. Hu Hao’s guards and communications officers tactfully moved to another area of the shelter, knowing Hu Hao wanted to speak with Dong Qipeng privately.

“Just call me Haozi. It’s just the two of us here,” Hu Hao said, opening a bottle of water a guard had left on the table.

“Hehe, Haozi, seriously, I submit to you. I never imagined you had so much potential, or that you’d be this incredible at fighting a war.

“I talked to Wang Yao on the phone yesterday. He told me he was over there with you, independently commanding a tank division. Even though he wasn’t the supreme commander, he said winning battles felt amazing. Just watching the Allied forces get devoured by our own troops while they couldn’t do a damn thing about it!” Dong Qipeng laughed.

“Ha, that kid. Yeah, commanding well feels great. But I came here today to discuss something specific with you.

“I want you to take the lead and mold this Special Operations Regiment into shape. You are my classmate, my brother. This regiment is no ordinary unit. You might not realize just how crucial their role will be, but I do.

“I absolutely must entrust this unit to someone I have complete faith in. I have my own selfish motives, too; I need a force I can trust implicitly!” Hu Hao stated, looking directly at Dong Qipeng.

Haozi, don’t worry! I promise I will train them like my life depends on it! This unit will answer only to you!” Dong Qipeng stood up and vowed.

“Sit down. If you want them to submit to you, you need true capability. Graduating from the Royal Command Academy only means you are qualified to be an officer; it doesn’t guarantee you can be their leader.

“You all undergo the exact same training. I know from our academy days that you can endure hardship. But here, you can’t rely solely on enduring hardship to surpass the others. It’s too difficult. Xu Hui is here, Jiang Bin is here, Zhao Yang is here. The reason I chose you specifically has everything to do with the fact that we shared the same dorm room. Like I said, I have my selfish motives!” Hu Hao told him, gesturing for him to sit back down.

“I understand,” Dong Qipeng said, taking his seat again.

“If you want them to respect you, you must have the skills to back it up!” Hu Hao emphasized.

“I know, but where am I supposed to get them? You know me! Aside from being able to endure hardship, I don’t have any special skills. Everyone here learned the exact same things at the academy!” Dong Qipeng sighed in frustration.

“Mm. That’s exactly why I’m here today,” Hu Hao smiled.

“Ah?” Dong Qipeng stared at him, confused.

“Where is the restroom?” Hu Hao asked suddenly.

“Uh, over there. See it?” Dong Qipeng pointed, assuming Hu Hao just needed to use the facilities.

“Good. I’m going to teach you something now. You must memorize it perfectly. Take this. I’m giving you five minutes to memorize the text and trace those specific pathways in your mind!” Hu Hao pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Dong Qipeng. It contained a set of mnemonic chants and a diagram tracing a specific pathway of meridians.

“What is this?” Dong Qipeng stared at the paper, utterly bewildered.

“Don’t worry about what it is for now. Just memorize these two chants, and then memorize the diagram below. You must remember every single point exactly!” Hu Hao instructed.

He couldn’t explain it to Dong Qipeng. On this planet, concepts like “internal energy” or “martial arts” simply didn’t exist. If someone was good at fighting, they were just considered “a good fighter.”

“Alright,” Dong Qipeng nodded, trusting Hu Hao implicitly, and began silently reciting the text. Hu Hao stood up and leisurely inspected the air raid shelter.

A few minutes later, Dong Qipeng called out to him.

“Haozi, I’ve memorized it!” Dong Qipeng announced, standing behind Hu Hao.

“Good. Remember this: without my explicit order, you are absolutely forbidden from sharing these chants with anyone. No one! If you do, I will kill you and whoever you told!” Hu Hao turned and glared at Dong Qipeng, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Ah! Oh! Understood! I swear!” Dong Qipeng nodded vigorously.

“Give me the paper,” Hu Hao demanded.

Dong Qipeng handed it back. Hu Hao pulled out a lighter, set the paper ablaze, and ground the resulting ashes into fine dust.

“Give me your hand. You are going to feel a warm current travel from your hand into your body. It will circulate according to the diagram you just memorized. You must remember this precise circulation route. From now on, you will use those chants to cultivate this energy yourself, guiding it along this exact pathway!” Hu Hao instructed.

“Ah?” Dong Qipeng was completely lost. He had no idea what Hu Hao was talking about. Was such a thing even possible?

“Close your eyes and focus on the feeling!” Hu Hao ordered.

He grabbed Dong Qipeng’s left hand and channeled a stream of his own internal energy into his arm. Hu Hao painstakingly guided the energy through Dong Qipeng’s meridians.

Dong Qipeng experienced alternating waves of intense comfort and excruciating pain, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.

Hu Hao guided the internal energy through three complete cycles within Dong Qipeng’s body before finally stopping and releasing his hand.

“Circulate it on your own twice. Focus on controlling it first!” Hu Hao instructed.

Dong Qipeng nodded, remaining perfectly still as he focused internally. Meanwhile, Hu Hao quickly backed away, putting at least thirty meters between them.

A few minutes later, Dong Qipeng opened his eyes.

“What is that smell? Why does it reek so badly?!” The moment Dong Qipeng opened his eyes, the stench hit him. Seeing Hu Hao standing so far away, he immediately started walking toward him.

“Don’t come any closer! Go to the restroom right now! Hurry!” Hu Hao yelled, stopping him in his tracks.

“What?” Dong Qipeng was confused, but suddenly, his stomach lurched violently.

“Holy shit!” Dong Qipeng clamped a hand over his rear and sprinted toward the restroom.

“Haozi! Bring me some toilet paper! I don’t have any!” Dong Qipeng hollered as he ran.

Hu Hao burst out laughing. There was no way he was going to deliver the toilet paper himself. He flagged down a guard and ordered him to take it. The poor soldier returned a moment later, his face pale, complaining bitterly, “That restroom smells like death!”

About half an hour later, Dong Qipeng emerged from the restroom, looking incredibly refreshed and energetic.

“My, my, someone looks lively after a good meal!” Hu Hao teased as he approached.

“What the hell did you do to me? I was covered in this foul-smelling grime! I had to scrub myself down with water several times after I finished my business just to get the stench off! What happened?!” Dong Qipeng demanded.

“Feel your own body and tell me,” Hu Hao smiled mysteriously.

“Now that you mention it… I feel like I’m bursting with strength! I was exhausted just a while ago, but now… this is so strange!” Dong Qipeng stared at his own hands in disbelief.

“You’ll understand it gradually. I can’t explain it clearly anyway. Just remember: you must cultivate this energy every night while you sleep. And for the next few days, you’d better sleep outside, or the others will beat you to death because of the smell! It’ll pass in a few days,” Hu Hao warned with a grin.

“What exactly are the benefits of this?” Dong Qipeng pressed eagerly.

“It will make your reflexes sharper, your strength greater, your speed faster, and your explosive power and endurance vastly superior. What do you think?” Hu Hao smiled.

“That’s impossible!” Dong Qipeng stared at him skeptically.

Coincidentally, there was a solid stone stool right next to Hu Hao. He crouched down, raised his fist, and slammed it into the nearly ten-centimeter-thick stone.

Boom!

The stone stool shattered down the middle, the point of impact completely pulverized into dust. Hu Hao then picked up a piece of the shattered rubble, about the size of an egg, and stood up.

Dong Qipeng’s eyes bulged, and his jaw dropped. He stared at Hu Hao in absolute shock.

He watched as Hu Hao squeezed the stone in his hand, grinding it directly into powder, which drifted lazily to the floor.

Dong Qipeng stood there, dumbfounded. Hu Hao didn’t bother trying to snap him out of it, knowing he’d recover eventually.

It took nearly a full minute for Dong Qipeng to regain his senses. He rubbed his eyes vigorously, stared at the ruined stone stool, and even walked over to kick the rubble a few times just to make sure it was real.

(End of Chapter)