The internal energy in Liu Yun and the others' bodies is accumulated through repeated cultivation. If it is completely depleted, it would probably take at least one or two months to replenish it. This would also require successful cultivation, high talent, hard work, and being in a place with abundant vital energy.
The places with abundant spiritual energy are not the most suitable for cultivation, unlike the popular belief that famous mountains and rivers have a higher concentration of spiritual energy. Unless there is a treasure that can condense spiritual energy, the concentration of spiritual energy is usually higher in densely populated areas. For example, Shanghai has a much higher concentration of spiritual energy than Zhang Lei's original small town.
It's certainly not easy to calm down and practice in such a noisy place, but once you can calm down, the results will be much better.
However, this did not pose a problem for Zhang Lei. His internal energy circulation method was different. His method of absorbing internal energy was basically at the innate level. Every day, the internal energy he absorbed through automatic circulation was already close to the limit. When practicing, he mainly used this internal energy to strengthen himself and make up for the losses caused by the extraction of internal energy.
Moreover, Zhang Lei basically exhausted all his internal energy each time. What Liu Yun detected earlier was only the internal energy he had absorbed over the course of half a day, which was pitifully little compared to their reserves over several months.
This is also why they are so economical when using their abilities, because one use is basically equivalent to completing a full cycle of the Great Heavenly Circuit at their level, which is at least an hour and a half of cultivation. They don't have Zhang Lei's automatic Qi vortex; if they wanted to wait for it to recover automatically, they wouldn't even consider it for at least half a month.
Zhang Lei used to struggle because of his superpowers, but that problem is long gone now. Their total internal energy is certainly much greater than Zhang Lei's, who only stored it for a day, but in terms of the flow rate of internal energy, even if they were on a plane, they couldn't catch up with Zhang Lei.
"Alright, the results are in. Don't be discouraged. As long as your superpower is strong, even if your internal strength is weak..." Liu Yun glanced at the display on the instrument and couldn't help but sigh. This was too much of a coincidence. In his opinion, even a truly useless superpower for Zhang Lei would be better than this one. Even if it was just an ordinary useless superpower, as long as it was used properly, with Zhang Lei's superpower index, which ranked in the top ten in the entire branch's action team, Zhang Lei could still enter the ranks of experts. At least his future would not be worse than his own, the squad leader.
But it's precisely this special ability, the support-type self-examination, that has a name that's not much different from the one Zhang Lei came up with.
"Sigh, your special ability is self-examination, you know that?" Liu Yun sighed and said to Zhang Lei.
"Yeah, I know. What's wrong? Is it bad?" Zhang Lei looked at him, a bad feeling rising within him.
"Self-examination, that's supposedly one of the strongest superpowers! Our head instructor's superpower is self-examination!" Before Liu Yun could answer, Tian Xiao exclaimed from the side.
"Well, this ability is quite powerful, but for you, it's probably not as good as an ordinary ability!" Liu Yun considered that Zhang Lei couldn't accept too much of a difference, so he had already tried to be as gentle as possible.
Upon self-examination, this ability has appeared quite often. If its effect is merely internal vision within one's internal energy, then it doesn't qualify as one of the strongest abilities.
Self-examination is far more effective than internal vision. With increased proficiency, one can not only see the flow of internal energy, but also clearly see every basic cell in the muscles, bones, and internal organs. As long as the internal energy is sufficient to activate self-examination, all exercises can achieve optimal results under its guidance.
This "optimal effect" isn't just talk. Without the guidance of self-examination, most practice is futile, and may even have the opposite effect—something no one can claim to avoid. However, those with superpowers who practice self-examination dare to say that, under the guidance of self-examination, they can achieve at least ten times the effect of the same intensity of training.
Moreover, this self-examination is also beneficial to the circulation of internal energy, and the progress of internal energy will be much faster than normal. In fact, Zhang Lei is also enjoying this effect.
Moreover, self-examination can play a significant role in combat. Under the guidance of self-examination, every bit of internal energy can play a huge role in combat, which is equivalent to improving combat ability. Furthermore, under the guidance of self-examination, the effect of internal energy healing will be much stronger than that of other masters, second only to masters specializing in healing.
Therefore, self-examination is considered one of the strongest abilities for discovering superpowers. The deputy captain of the action group and the head instructor of the new recruits both possess this ability.
However, in Liu Yun's view, this kind of superpower is undoubtedly very unsuitable for Zhang Lei, at least at this stage. The self-examination mainly plays a role in daily training, and does not have a direct effect in combat. The superpowered person's strength is based on a physical body and internal strength that are far stronger than ordinary people, and Zhang Lei seems to lack both of these qualities.
Needless to say, Zhang Lei's internal strength is questionable. Liu Yun has completely dismissed Zhang Lei's talent in internal strength. Even with self-examination guidance, he won't make much progress. Without strong internal strength, no matter how strong his body is, he won't be that powerful. His other superpowers, with their high indices, can make up for it to some extent, but self-examination won't have much effect.
Moreover, Zhang Lei's physical body has been greatly weakened. Even if he mastered the method, it would be difficult for him to recover to the level of a normal person in a short period of time, let alone be as powerful as the two experts in the group.
Liu Yun was also facing a difficult decision. Should Zhang Lei be brought into the organization? There was still the Zuo family blocking the way—that's the good thing about us Chinese. Unable to decide, he had to consult his superiors.
Given the complexity of the situation, it would be difficult to explain clearly by simply reporting over the phone, and there was also a risk of leaking information by phone. After consulting with his superiors, Liu Yun decided to return to Beijing to report.
Although Liu Yun couldn't decide whether to accept Zhang Lei into the team, he still shared his self-examination and physical training methods with Zhang Lei, which seemed to open a new door for him.
However, before leaving, Liu Yun still had one question to clarify: "Since your ability isn't a direct combat ability, how did you kill Zuo Jian? You have to understand that he's not an ordinary person. Internal injuries from a rollover are absolutely impossible. That height wouldn't have caused him much harm at all!"
“That…” Zhang Lei’s eyes darted around. “At that time, I seemed to hear the voice of the old man who taught me internal energy. I moved according to his instructions and felt a heat rising from the soles of my feet to my palms. Then he just died!” Zhang Lei tried to be as simple and concise as possible so that he could be believed. The longer a lie goes, the more flaws it will have.
"Transmitting power through objects, what incredible skill! This must be the limit we know so far. May I ask who your master is?" Liu Yun asked.
"I'm sorry, he told me not to say, and he never told me who he was!" At this moment, Zhang Lei seemed very honest and adorable, answering all questions without asking for any extra fees.
"Sigh, never mind then." Liu Yun sighed. These kinds of experts often have some strange tempers. Even if they didn't have them before, they would develop some after becoming experts. His own master was like that. He would inexplicably have some taboos and would never allow his disciples to violate them. If they did, they would be severely punished.
What's most outrageous is that his rules are constantly changing. If any disciple is out of the loop, they're in for trouble. I really don't know if they created these problems just to mess with the younger generation for their own amusement.
"I shouldn't be telling you this, but we're kind of destined to meet, and I find you agreeable, so I'll tell you anyway. The Zuo Jian that your master killed last time wasn't from an ordinary family. You'd better be careful from now on..."
Zuo Jian is one of the key members of the Zuo family in this generation. At the age of eighteen, he was able to withstand the bullets from a Type 54 pistol. Moreover, he is closely related to the direct line and is the third grandson of Zuo Jian, the old steward of Zuo Zuzhi, the head of the Zuo family.
The Zuo family was not originally a martial arts clan. Their ancestor was a high-ranking official in the Qing Dynasty. Later, a martial arts master who served the official left several of his unique skills to the Zuo family, the most important of which was Iron Shirt.
Iron Shirt is one of the ultimate external martial arts techniques. Combined with some unique internal martial arts techniques they later collected, the Zuo family's Iron Shirt technique still had a certain reputation in the modern martial arts world.
However, every large family inevitably produces a special group of spoiled brats. While not all spoiled brats are incompetent, it's undeniable that the percentage of successful spoiled brats is relatively small. Therefore, several large families are trying to avoid this situation, and each family has its own unique methods. Some limit their children's spending, some send them to the military for training, and some have them challenge martial arts masters from various regions.
The Zuo family's approach was to send their children out to gain experience.
Not all members of the Zuo family were qualified to go out and train. The first requirement was to master the family's martial arts to a certain level, one of the most important of which was being able to, under certain circumstances, stop a bullet fired from a Type 54 pistol. It didn't require being completely unharmed, but rather that the bullet couldn't penetrate the shell; at least a bullet tail should remain outside.
The Type 54 pistol bullets are notoriously penetrating. Being able to clamp such a bullet with your muscles is no easy feat. Countless members of the Zuo family have been stopped at this hurdle. Of course, this trial is for young people. If you are over thirty, you should just settle down, get married, and have children. There will be no more opportunities.
Other Iron Shirt techniques focus on the outer layer of skin, but the Zuo family's Iron Shirt, after modification, has become a system where each layer of skin, muscle, and bone is stronger than the last. Under the same skill level, the outer layer of skin may not be as protective as other Iron Shirts, but once attacked by an attack that can penetrate the skin, other Iron Shirts are like torn paper, while the Zuo family's Iron Shirt can provide protection like a thousand layers of paper, making it possible to trap bullets.
Of course, while cheating at this stage isn't easy, there are still many tricks to it. For example, the examiner's timing in firing the gun can be crucial. They might fire just as the candidate has gathered their breath, or make the candidate hold their breath for an extra half-minute; the result will be completely different. Even slight differences in the firing position or the distance between the gun and the target can influence the test outcome. Therefore, those who pass the exam either possess exceptional skills or have good connections within their family; of course, some skill is also necessary.
Regardless, the safety of people from the Zuo family is generally guaranteed. However, while their Iron Shirt technique is formidable, their offensive methods are much weaker. Moreover, due to the excessive emphasis on the hardness of muscles and bones, they also lack speed. Against other equally skilled opponents, let alone five middle school students, even five adults would not pose any threat, and would not even have a chance to get close.
Aside from death, nothing else matters. During the five-year trial period, the Zuo family members will not receive any assistance from their families unless their lives are in danger. For example, Zuo Jian was arrested, but as long as he was not sentenced to shooting practice, no one in the Zuo family would try to get him out until the end of the five-year trial period. Of course, his performance during these five years will still be one of the criteria that affect Zuo Jian's future status.
But who could have imagined that Zuo Jian would be killed by a mere junior high school graduate with a single blow? Every five years, several members of the Zuo family would venture out for training and encounter danger, some even falling to their deaths before rescue could arrive, but never had anyone died so ignominiously. This was no longer just a matter of a training disciple's death; it had become a laughingstock among the major families. Whether he was beaten to death by a child or fell to his death, it was something the Zuo family could not tolerate. A person could die, but face could not be lost.
Because of the unique way the Zuo family rose to prominence in the martial arts world, although they can be considered a martial arts family on the surface, they always seem out of place with other major families.
The state's attitude toward these families is very clear: a balance of cooperation and suppression. It cannot completely cut off their livelihoods, nor can it allow them to become too arrogant. Although some places may be lenient, they are absolutely not allowed to break the law in public, which would cause public dissatisfaction. After all, the foundation of a country is its basic people.
Therefore, the Zuo family could only conduct their investigation in secret. Although the higher authorities had granted the Zuo family permission to investigate through an exchange of benefits, they would still secretly set up some obstacles to make the investigation difficult. Moreover, Liu Yun and his team discovered the possibility that Zhang Lei possessed supernatural abilities from Zuo Jian's unexpected death, and thus began their investigation into Zhang Lei.
Of course, Zhang Lei's arrival in Shanghai was outside the traditional power base of the Zuo family, and Zhang Lei's changes to his appearance were also reasons for their slow progress.
If it weren't for the fact that a girl from the Zuo family also developed supernatural abilities and joined the National Bureau of Extraordinary Abilities, then as soon as Zhang Lei was found to have supernatural abilities, regardless of what kind they were, the government would have immediately declared protection for him and prohibited the Zuo family from causing him any trouble. There would have been no need for Liu Yun to go back and ask for instructions.
This is also due to the fact that there are too few people with superpowers, especially those who have been discovered. Moreover, people with superpowers in large families often prioritize family over country, which is the nature of most people and is difficult to change no matter how much they are educated.