Dai Pengfei was intrigued by the story of Zhang Wei and the clans that followed in his wake. It was fascinating to learn about the different groups and their abilities, and he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have his own powers.

As class ended and lunch break began, Dai Pengfei went to the cafeteria to grab something. However, his thoughts kept drifting back to the possibility of having superpowers.

He wondered if it was possible to cultivate powers like one would with martial arts or meditation.

Lost in thought, Dai Pengfei was startled when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to see a group of rowdy boys staring at him.

Dai Pengfei looked at the group of boys with annoyance and trepidation. He knew from experience that these boys were troublemakers who often picked on others for their own amusement.

One of the boys snickered as he pointed to Dai Pengfei's lunch box.

"What's that, rabbit food?" he jeered. "Can't afford a real meal?"

Dai Pengfei clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the taunts. He knew that his lunch of steamed ginseng and herbs with boiled cabbage was not what most students would consider a "normal" meal, but he needed to eat them to increase the volume of his qi.

However, the boys weren't satisfied with just verbal taunts. One of them suddenly kicked Dai Pengfei's lunch box, sending it tumbling to the ground.

Dai Pengfei felt his face flush with anger as he knelt down to pick up his spilled food. He could feel the eyes of the other students on him, and he knew that the situation was humiliating.

But despite the embarrassment and frustration, Dai Pengfei refused to let the bullies get the best of him.

He stood up, straightened his shirt, and calmly walked away from the scene, ignoring the jeers and laughter of the boys behind him.

After school, Dai Pengfei was on his way home when he saw the same group of boys from the cafeteria in an alley behind the school. They were smoking and drinking, and when they saw him, they started to laugh.

"Hey, it's the herb boy," one of them taunted.

Dai Pengfei felt his blood boil with anger. He didn't want any trouble, but he wasn't going to let them mock him and his food again. He stepped forward, clenching his fists.

"Leave me alone," he growled.

The boys laughed even harder, and one of them stepped forward, throwing a punch. Dai Pengfei managed to dodge it, but he was quickly surrounded by the rest of them.

They all began to attack him at once, throwing punches and kicks.

Dai Pengfei tried his best to defend himself, using his martial arts skills to dodge and counter their attacks.

The fight was intense, and he felt his body being pushed to its limits. He managed to land a few blows of his own, but the boys were relentless.

Eventually, Dai Pengfei managed to knock out two of his attackers, but he was exhausted and injured. The remaining boys fled, and Dai Pengfei was left alone in the alley, panting and bruised.

As Dai Pengfei caught his breath and examined his injuries, he noticed something different about himself.

He had always been able to use and circulate his qi, but during the fight, he had found a new level of control.

He realized that he had been able to conserve his qi, using it in short bursts to deal real damage to his opponents.

In the past, he would have used all of his qi at once, leaving him vulnerable and drained. But now, he had learned how to use it strategically.

Feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment, Dai Pengfei slowly made his way home. He knew that he still had a lot to learn, but he was excited about the prospect of getting stronger and possibly even developing his own powers.

As he lay in bed that night, nursing his injuries, Dai Pengfei couldn't help but think about Zhang Wei and the clans that had formed around him.

He wondered if he would ever be powerful enough to join one of those groups, or even start his own.

With those thoughts in mind, Dai Pengfei drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a future filled with strength and possibility.

Dai Pengfei slowly woke up, his body aching all over. He tried to sit up, but a wave of pain washed over him. That's when he noticed Shen Xia sitting next to him, her head slumped on his shoulder.

"Shen Xia?" he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

She stirred, her breath smelling strongly of alcohol. Dai Pengfei couldn't help but cringe at the smell.

"Ugh, your breath," he muttered.

Shen Xia groaned and opened her eyes, rubbing her head.

"What happened?" she asked, looking around.

Dai Pengfei chuckled at her question, shaking his head.

"You don't remember?" he asked. "You must've stumbled into my apartment last night, drunk out of your mind."

Shen Xia's eyes widened in shock, and then embarrassment.

"Oh no," she groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe I did that."

Dai Pengfei waved it off, trying to stifle a laugh.

"It's okay," he said. "You needed a place to crash, just try not to make it a habit, okay?"

Shen Xia nodded, still looking sheepish. "I'll try my best," she promised. "And I'll try to brush my teeth before I come over next time."

Dai Pengfei chuckled again, feeling a little better despite his soreness. It was good to have a friend like Shen Xia around to lighten the mood.

Shen Xia began to use her healing powers to soothe her hangover. Dai Pengfei watched as she closed her eyes and placed her hands on her head. He couldn't help but notice the way the qi around them started to move and flow. It was almost as if her powers were affecting the energy around them.

That's when he realized, that maybe the mutation that Ms. Lei told the class, might've been more than just that. Maybe it was because people of this world began to create, mold, and disperse a new type of energy.

With that, he now unlocked a way to solve how the Heavenly demon was able to absorb qi from objects directly.

The Heavenly demon must've been the first human from his world to have mutated like the individuals of this world.

But that also brought up a tougher question. How can he, mutate, so that he can do the same thing?

Or should he still pursue the soul cultivation route as he first thought?