The torturous practice class finally ended. As the bell rang, the old laborer beamed like a withered flower finally getting water. Once Professor Shi untied his hands and feet, he scurried off to the school's finance office to collect his payment. This money was undoubtedly the hardest-earned in the world.

University classes are 90 minutes each, with two classes in the morning. Today's second class was a self-study period, meaning students weren't required to attend.

Shen Xingkong left the classroom quickly, ignoring Chang Le calling after him. He headed straight for the school library, a place he had never visited before, mainly looking for a quiet and private spot.

The vocational school's library was indeed quiet since the students had no habit of going there. They preferred spending their time playing online games or flirting.

When the librarian saw Shen Xingkong, he immediately extended his large hand with a rude attitude.

"Student ID. What are you here for?"

"To pee. Would you allow that?" Shen Xingkong snapped back, handing over his student ID.

The librarian frowned. He had been working there for years and rarely saw students. He had grown used to his leisurely days.

"Hurry up. I've got a lunch date. Seriously, wasting time here reading books," the librarian grumbled, handing back Shen Xingkong's ID.

Without further fuss, Shen Xingkong took his ID and walked into the book area. Rows of bookshelves covered in thick dust greeted him.

Like a secret agent meeting a contact, he cautiously walked to a bookshelf, making sure no one was around. He cleaned the dust off a chair and table, sat down, and took out his needle pack. Spreading the sheepskin roll on the table, he stared at the needles, lost in thought.

What happened during the practice class puzzled not only Professor Shi but also Shen Xingkong.

Unlike Professor Shi, Shen Xingkong felt the surge of heat from his body, felt it being drawn into the old laborer's Hegu acupoint, just like the special abilities described in online novels.

After a while, he took a needle from the pack, mimicking the needling motion, trying to recreate the sensation of the heat flow.

No matter how many times he practiced, the mysterious heat didn't reappear. He looked like a fool, jabbing the needle into the table. Anyone who saw him might think he was insane.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"SHIT, what's going on?" Frustration mingled with curiosity as he wondered if the earlier incident was just a fluke.

He tried a few more times with no success. Just then, the impatient librarian shouted from the entrance, urging Shen Xingkong to leave so he wouldn't miss his lunch date.

Reluctantly, Shen Xingkong put the needle back into the sheepskin roll, cursing the librarian's lack of professionalism. He lamented the vocational school's declining student enrollment, deciding to continue his experiments at home.

As he packed up, he noticed something odd about the needles in the roll. Counting them with his fingers, he found there was one extra needle.

The needle pack should have thirteen needles, including various types like plum-blossom needles, three-edged needles, fire needles, and filiform needles, with several filiform needles of different sizes.

But there were fourteen needles now. Identifying each one, he pulled out a ten-centimeter-long "filiform needle" that he had never seen before. How did it end up in his pack?

Examining the strange needle, he noticed its unusual shape. Unlike other straight acupuncture needles, this one had a bent handle.

Forgetting about the librarian's calls, Shen Xingkong bit his finger in thought and remembered picking up a needle from the road last night after fleeing the hill and boarding the truck.

His curiosity piqued, he realized that he might have used this needle during the practice class. He had been nervous, focusing entirely on the old laborer's hand and not paying attention to which needle he had used.

Holding the bent needle handle with his right thumb and index finger, he examined the needle closely, running his left hand along its length. He couldn't determine the material.

Acupuncture needles are typically made of silver, with high-quality ones being silver-plated gold, also called gold needles. A set of gold needles could cost Shen Xingkong a year's living expenses, and even silver needles were expensive. Most students and doctors used stainless steel needles, which didn't rust and had good flexibility.

The needle in Shen Xingkong's hand had a faint golden hue, but it wasn't gold. It was too light for gold, smoother to the touch, and it seemed to emit a mysterious glow in the sunlight from the library window.

To use a classic line from "Journey to the West," it was "neither gold nor silver, nor copper nor iron." Of course, this needle had nothing to do with the Star Official of the East.

"Hey, can you hurry up?" The annoyed librarian suddenly appeared, his face angry and his words harsh.

Shen Xingkong rolled his eyes at him, said nothing, and packed up to leave. As he reached the library door, he paused, turned, and looked the librarian up and down before sighing deeply.

"Sigh... there's no time..."

"Huh? What do you mean, no time?" The librarian was taken aback and instinctively asked.

Shen Xingkong's eyes showed sadness as he opened his mouth to speak, but then shook his head and continued walking.

"Hey, hey, stop! What do you mean, no time?" The librarian, confused by Shen Xingkong's cryptic behavior, hurried to catch up.

"You... don't know yet?" Shen Xingkong asked, surprised and puzzled.

"Know what? Explain yourself."

"Sir, have you been feeling an itch on your back recently?" Shen Xingkong asked seriously, tilting his head in thought.

"My back? Hmm, yes..." The librarian thought for a moment and nodded, realizing he had indeed been feeling an itch on his back frequently.