Because activating Fury had left his body exceptionally fatigued, Shen Qiang had fallen into a deep sleep that night, but the persistent ringing of the doorbell in the middle of the night eventually woke him up.

His eyes were dry and gritty, as if they were bloodshot.

He picked up his phone and found there were over a dozen missed calls. Sleepy-eyed, Shen Qiang accessed the visitor surveillance system bound to his phone and immediately saw Zhong Yongxi, Zhong Jixiang, and over a dozen men with formidable statures who clearly possessed strong cultivation, anxiously standing downstairs under the watch of seven or eight security guards.

He glanced at the time, 1:30 AM.

With eyes aching from dryness, Shen Qiang spoke with a hint of annoyance, "What do you want?"

Upon hearing Shen Qiang's voice,

Zhong Yongxi's eyes brightened, "Great Uncle Master, are you alright?"

Shen Qiang frowned, about to chide him for not getting overly familiar, when he caught sight of the white-haired and venerable Zhong Jixiang.

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"So late at night, with so many of you here, have you come to fight me?" Shen Qiang asked.

Zhong Jixiang hurriedly explained, "Great Uncle, please don't misunderstand. We've come here in the middle of the night because Yongxi mentioned that you were earlier comparing Bone Setting techniques with the heir of He's Bone Setting. We worried that the person might become desperate, so we gathered some people to cheer you on."

Hearing this, something warmly stirred in Shen Qiang's heart.

His mood also became somewhat complex.

An old man of his age, bringing along such a large group in the dead of night, must have gone to a lot of trouble.

The Zhong Family wanted to learn the Young Plum Blossom Needle Technique.

This was their reason for showing goodwill towards Shen Qiang.

But at the same time, even Shen Qiang had to admit that they had done well.

At least, coming together in the middle of the night for his sake, and the old man himself taking the field at such an age, this by itself showed the regard the Zhong Family had for Shen Qiang.

One should recognize and respect such gestures.

No matter the intentions of the Zhong Family, at least now, they were indeed treating Shen Qiang's matter as an important issue.

That was enough.

Because Shen Qiang always lived by the rule: show me an inch of respect, and I'll show you a yard.

"It's over now, I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired and it's too late for inviting you up for tea. Please go back," Shen Qiang's tone was markedly softer.

Zhong Jixiang quickly replied, "Great Uncle, since you're fine, we'll be leaving now. If you need anything, feel free to call us at the Zhong Family Medical Hall any time. We will be at your service immediately."

"I understand."

Watching Zhong Jixiang turning to leave with his group on the video system, Shen Qiang sighed and then said, "Zhong Yongxi."

Zhong Yongxi immediately stopped in his tracks and responded, "Great Uncle Master, I'm here."

Shen Qiang spoke in a stern voice, "When you have time, pass a message to Life-extending Hall for me. Next Wednesday, I'll be challenging their establishment. They have two choices, either roll out of Provincial City or accept the challenge. If they lose, I will personally smash their signboard."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yongxi's eyes instantly lit up, "Great Uncle Master, rest assured, I will definitely deliver the message. Our Zhong Family..."

"It's me, Shen Qiang, who is going to challenge them. It has nothing to do with the Zhong Family," Shen Qiang cut him off.

Zhong Yongxi was momentarily stunned.

Zhong Jixiang, the old patrician, with his eyes shining keenly, hastily interjected, "Great Uncle, I understand your meaning. Please rest assured, we will handle this matter well."

Shen Qiang said, "Hmm, let's leave it at that. I'm tired. You've had a hard day. I'll treat you to tea some other time."

"It's no trouble at all!"

"Great Uncle, you should rest early. Your health is the most important. We'll be on our way now."

He casually turned off the visitor system linked to his phone.

Lying on the bed, Shen Qiang took a deep breath, and his eyes became inexplicably sharp.

"Life-extending Hall, since you dared to prod He Fatty into competing with me in bone setting and dared to send an assassin my way, don't blame me. I don't trouble others unless they trouble me, but if someone offends me, I must eradicate them root and branch!"

With that thought in mind,

Shen Qiang, extremely fatigued, turned over and sat up.

He began to check the state of his body.

After taking a Guiyuan Pill, followed by two hours of sleep,

Shen Qiang's True Qi had not yet reached its peak state of fullness.

But it was at least over eighty percent.

Based on past experience,

In such a condition, Shen Qiang's state should have been invigorated and vibrant.

But the current situation was not like that.

His body was not injured, and the wounds on his face, after being treated with Jade Cream, had already healed without leaving any scars.

The state of his True Qi was also not bad.

However, the fatigue in his body not only did not lessen at all, but it felt even more intense due to the relaxation of his spirit, which forced Shen Qiang to think.

"The Medical Saint Inheritance records that the use of Fury overstretches Life Force, but what exactly is Life Force? According to the records, using Fury causes irreversible reduction in lifespan, but what is the principle behind this? If life has a term limit, how long should it actually be?"

"At the time of the founding of the country, the average lifespan of our citizens was only in the thirties, but now it exceeds seventy. Even if it were halved, it's still equivalent to the normal lifespan of that era."

"Moreover, the lives of cultivators are even longer."

"How did the Medical Saint determine that using Fury would reduce lifespan? What is the amount of reduction? Has it been verified through a wide range of tests? Does lifespan always decrease with the use of Fury?"

Shen Qiang furrowed his brows.

Because when using Fury, whether it was speed, power, or various other aspects of the body, it was terrifyingly strong. To have such great power and to not be able to use it freely was undoubtedly a form of torture for Shen Qiang.

Unlike the quasi-feudal society of the Immortal Realm, Shen Qiang had received a modern education.

To put it bluntly, once Shen Qiang obtained the Medical Saint Inheritance, as long as he didn't die, he was destined to surpass the Medical Saint in medical skill.

What the Medical Saint knew was in the inheritance.

What the Medical Saint did not know, Shen Qiang did, such as the subjects of modern medical science, which were not recorded at all in the Medical Saint Inheritance.

For instance, infectious diseases like typhoid, were still categorized as plagues in the Medical Saint Inheritance. Besides determining that this thing was contagious, all research on bacteria was completely absent.

Anatomy, pathology, microbiology, psychology—they simply did not exist.

It was for this reason that although Shen Qiang admired the Medical Saint Inheritance, he absolutely did not follow it blindly.

He preferred to think about problems with the mindset of a modern person.

"What's being consumed is not True Qi, not the spiritual energy of nature, but rather a powerful force obtained at the expense of life."

"What is life?"

"What supports the lifespan of humans?"

"Cells!"

Shen Qiang's eyes suddenly lit up, his gaze becoming excited.

"Apart from viruses, all organisms are made up of cells! Assuming no disease or accidental injury, the side effect of lifespan reduction after using Fury only has one possible explanation! That is, this power originates from the cells, and tapping into this part of the power is equivalent to accelerating cell aging!"

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