Muted again

Li Xian: [Hello, guys! Guess what? I've already reached the beginner Initiate level. I mean, come on, my talent is probably at Divine level or something even higher. 😏]

Li Xian: [And, oh, look who's the first one to reach it! Me, obviously. But no worries, guys, you can catch up... Well, maybe not really. 😜]

Luminara: [... 😶]

Gromm: [If you've reached beginner initiate, then I must be a beginner warrior. 😏]

Travis Head on the far-away Orion planet also looked at Li Xian's antics with a dumbfounded expression.

He couldn't help but express himself, even though he said he won't chat much here.

Travis Head: [... 😶 +1]

Li Xian expected replies like that from them, but he didn't expect that even the squad leader would not believe him.

Li Xian: [I know that none of you will believe me. But when we meet later, I will see how you will respond. And Captain... I didn't expect this from you. You should at least have some trust in your members, right? 😔]

Li Xian: [How can you lead us with such a personality? 😓]

Travis Head couldn't help but smirk at this reply from Li Xian. He decided to show him who the boss here was.

Travis Head: [Li Xian is muted for 1 hour for being overly dramatic and lying.]

Travis Head: [Also! I have some good and bad news for you all. I hope that each of you can put forth your best efforts to reach at least beginner initiate as soon as possible. I will share the news shortly.]

After saying that, his profile turned grey, indicating that he had turned off his device.

"Looks like everyone has a very nasty opinion of me... But it's alright! Once we meet, they will know that I am not speaking nonsense."

Luminara: [Oh! That serves you right, Li]

Gromm: [+1]

Luminara: [Looks like Petra and that other human are quite busy; they aren't replying.]

Gromm: [Yeah! They are the only ones that haven't added all the materials required yet.]

Luminara: [True! Once they add, we can redeem the points to buy things to quickly improve.]

Gromm: [Yup! By the way, what is the current progress? And have you tried that level 1 initiate potion yet?]

Luminara: [Yesterday, I was able to finish three stances completely. I think I can finish the fourth stance in another week. What about you?]

Luminara continued, as Gromm also started typing his reply.

Luminara: [No! I haven't used that till now, as I do not want to waste its effect of one hour. Right now I can only do three sets, and it takes me around thirty minutes with failures included before my stamina drains. 😅 But I am going to try it today, as the Captain said there may be bad news...]

Gromm: [Same here! I finished my third stance today.]

Gromm: [Yeah! I will also be trying it tomorrow.]

Gromm messaged, feeling tired for the day, making it difficult to move properly.

Luminara: [Alright then! I will talk to you all later. I will be practicing now. 💪]

Li Xian looked at their messages with a hint of amusement. These two, being the strongest apart from him, always seemed to focus on practice in their conversations.

He also wanted to message, especially since he hadn't tried the potion yet. However, due to the muted status, he frustratingly closed the chat, deciding to go on a walk and practice missions instead.

Li Xian went to the same park and the same spot with the big banyan tree. He opened his mobile and navigated to the buying section, where he clicked on the free button to redeem the level 1 initiate potion.

As soon as he clicked on it, a small bottle the size of his thumb landed in his hands magically.

And the 'free' label was replaced with 5 points, which made him smile wryly.

He then placed his mobile in his pocket and carefully absorbed the tiny bottle. It contained around 20 ml of blue-coloured liquid that could be seen from the outside.

[Just gulp it entirely before practice]

"Simple and such crude instructions."

There was only that instruction on the bottle, nothing more, nothing less.

Deciding to follow the written guidance, Li Xian took the lid off the bottle and gulped the entire liquid, not leaving a single drop.

"Nothing?"

Li Xian didn't feel anything except for a cool sensation in his throat and all the way to his stomach as the liquid passed.

He then assumed the horse stance to gauge the effects of it.

Thirty minutes passed; Li Xian started panting, but he continued his practice, still going strong. Currently, he was on the fourth stance of the first six entry stances, even surpassing Luminara and Gromm.

"Ahhh!"

Li Xian cried out loudly as he fell down, pain wriggling through all his limbs.

After calming down for some time, Li Xian couldn't help but get excited.

"Damn! I expected to complete the third stance at best, given my increased strength and stamina. But it looks like this potion helped me push up to the fourth stance... a fifty percent increase in practice. If I were to use that level 2 potion, maybe I could reach at least 2 sets in the fifth stance?"

Li Xian pondered the effects of the potion that allowed him to practice more than usual. He didn't understand how it worked.

He then checked the stats he gained from this session, which made him smile happily.

He gained a total of 12 points from this session alone. But he understood that even if he completes these four stances tomorrow, he won't get 12 points like today; instead, he would receive a bit fewer points.

From what he observed and read in the book, the first time completing a stance or sets would give a bit more points. However, once the practitioner gets used to it, they will receive fewer and fewer points from the same stances.

"Even still! 12 points is a huge bargain, hehe."

Li Xian smiled happily and stood up from his spot after some time. He then set the alarm for 9 PM, exactly six hours from now, before starting his walking mission.

Later that night, Li Xian reached their penthouse, having bought some snacks upon his return from the mission. He had gathered a total of 18 points today, of which 12 were already added automatically, while he kept the remaining six in the mission section.

"Where did you go, Old Li! We have been waiting for the presents for some time."

Kang Li hurriedly approached him with an excited smile. He had been anticipating what gift Li Xian brought for him from a foreign country since morning. Since childhood, he enjoyed receiving gifts the most.

"Alright, stop it! I know that you like gifts. I bought a watch for you and some local chocolates; I've already placed them in your cupboard."

Li Xian said, pushing the excited Kang Li and rolling his eyes at him.

Even though Chen Dong didn't say anything, he also looked at Li Xian with an expectant expression.

"Stop looking at me like that. It's what you expected. See, I even bought some snacks. Let's start without waiting."

Li Xian said, going inside his room to bring out the only bottle of liquor he purchased.

"Haha! That's how it should be. This is what a gift means; I know you understand me well, Old Li!"

Chen Dong finally got excited, taking the bottle from Li Xian's hands with an eager smile.

"Nice, nice... I wanted to try this one for so long. But it's always rare to get it here."

Chen Dong sounded even more excited upon realizing it was the brand he had been wanting to try for a long time.

"Alright! Let me freshen up a bit; we can start then."

Li Xian said, heading into his room.

Later that night, the three friends enjoyed their drinks and chatted. They asked a lot about Li Xian's journey and stay in Auckland. Li Xian patiently explained, mostly excluding the parts about his practice.

"Oh! Looks like you've charmed Miss Olivia. Old Li! Even though you look above average, your luck with ladies is always top among our entire class."

Chen Dong said a bit enviously, his face already a bit flushed upon hearing about Olivia.

"YYeah! Waybe bette thun evrione in thsi city."

Kang Li's words were too incoherent to understand. Both of them ignored him, as he was already wasted, and continued their chat.

Li Xian simply shook his head, as he had no romantic interest in Olivia. Having just broken up, he still harboured feelings for Ji Yan, even though he was suppressing them.