He followed the instructions of an unknown teacher, sat cross-legged on the bed, and just like in his dream, formed a sword-finger gesture with his right hand, while his left hand gripped his right index and middle fingers as if holding a sword sheath. Then, as if drawing a sword, his two fingers slowly slid out of the sheath, tracing a nine-character diagram in the air.

Then...

Nothing happened!

That made sense—if there really was a reaction, monks and Taoists would be flying all over the sky, and there’d be no need for planes or cannons.

Jack Linton tried repeatedly but to no avail. Thinking he hadn’t read the book thoroughly, he started flipping through it again.

Another annotating teacher followed up, pointing out what was missing: when drawing the diagram with the sword-finger, one needed firm conviction and spirit. An empty mind or a dazed, foolish state was useless; if your mind was a mess, it was all for nothing.

Then this well-meaning annotator was mocked by later readers, who added a sarcastic note: such an obvious principle being included in this book is laughable—who do you think you’re looking down on?

Jack Linton: “……”

He felt a bit offended.

He composed himself, recalled the dream from that night, and, following that subtle feeling, began to draw with the sword-finger gesture.

After three or five tries, he gave up.

Not only did he feel nothing, but the more he practiced, the sleepier he got. It was just absurd.

“Could it be that I have no talent?”

Jack Linton touched his own face—he was probably overthinking it.

He fell asleep with doubts, and in a hazy state, the silhouette of himself sitting cross-legged in the dream reappeared, this time very clearly.

The sword-finger traced in the air was indeed the nine-character diagram, and the face of that figure was unmistakably his own.

So handsome—clearly the chosen one. There’s no way that’s wrong.

Chapter 11: How Would You Know If You Don’t Try

After several days of cultivation, Jack Linton discovered a puzzling phenomenon: when awake, he simply couldn’t enter a cultivation state no matter what, but as soon as he fell asleep, his state was maxed out and his efficiency was off the charts.

This left Jack Linton scratching his head. Did this mean he had talent or not?

If not, then what was it?

Or maybe everyone cultivated in their dreams.

With no one to discuss or compare with, Jack Linton had no idea what level his cultivated mental power was at—whether it was a lot or a little.

Judging by the system’s evaluation, he was still a ‘mortal body of flesh and blood’. He’d get exhausted halfway through the nine-character mantra and couldn’t even complete a full cycle, so it probably wasn’t good.

He was pretty weak, but he did discover some nifty uses for his mental power. By channeling it to his eyes and ears, he could sharpen his senses, and if he focused completely, even his neural reactions were noticeably faster than usual.

Inner strength, true qi, magic power?

Jack Linton found it more and more interesting, and cultivated even harder, which led to him getting up early and staying up late, spending more time asleep than awake.

He couldn’t help it—at the moment, he could only cultivate in his dreams.

While Jack Linton was sleeping day and night, Steven Clark was stuck in a rut, both with Emily Harris and the case.

He followed Jack Linton’s advice and relentlessly pursued Emily Harris, and since his identity was exposed, he chased her without any reservations.

Emily Harris remained unmoved, and Steven Clark kept hitting walls. When he asked Jack Linton about it, he was told it was a test—if he just kept shamelessly at it, he’d eventually succeed.

Meanwhile, since there was no progress on the case, Sir Howard flew into a rage and gave Steven Clark a thorough scolding.

It should be mentioned that the clue had always been with David Carter. He was a perfectly good undercover, but out of fear for his life, he hadn’t dared tell Steven Clark.

Back to the main story—today, when Jack Linton woke up, he felt refreshed. Seeing the sun setting outside the window, he decided to get something to eat first.

As soon as he entered the living room, he saw Steven Clark with a bruised cheek, and David Carter was helping him apply medicine.

“What happened? Why does Ah Xing get beaten up every day?”

“This time’s different. He was beaten up by one of our own.” Steven Clark looked frustrated, and David Carter took over to explain.

“One of our own?”

“Yeah, today…”

With David Carter’s explanation, Jack Linton more or less understood the reason.

After school, Steven Clark was chased by a group of gang underlings with knives at the school gate. He was skilled and bold, so he wasn’t afraid at all. Unfortunately, his luck was bad—he ran into Officer Howard, who had come to pick up Emily Harris from work.

The gang underlings scattered, and Steven Clark was taken away.

Officer Howard recognized Steven Clark at a glance and knew he was trying to steal his girl. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, so he found a private room, planning to have a one-hour “chat” with Steven Clark.

Emily Harris arrived just in time and told her boyfriend not to get rough. When she was about to reveal Steven Clark’s undercover identity, he stopped her.

Coincidentally, he used his mouth to do so.

Because the scene was too “eco-friendly,” Officer Howard exploded and gave Steven Clark a good beating.

“Kissing someone in front of her boyfriend—if you don’t get beaten up, who will?”

Jack Linton shook his head and asked, “How did Ah Min react at the time?”

“No reaction—she was probably scared.”

Steven Clark sighed. This time, it was really over.

“Dummy, this means you’ve made it. Officer Howard is history now.”

“What? Why?”

“Kissed in front of her boyfriend, and Ah Min didn’t slap you on the spot—that says it all.”

“Brother Jie, you’re not lying to me, are you?”

“If I’m lying, you get candy!” Jack Linton said irritably.

Steven Clark was beaten up by Officer Howard, but the injuries on his face had another cause—because while Officer Howard was hitting him, he protected his handsome face the whole time.