Chapter 82: Profound Yellow Earth |
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Inside the personal cultivation room of the Federal Base, Chen Chu's figure moved like the wind, terrifying power erupting with every move. Each attack caused a small explosion that sent a half-a-meter-diameter alloy steel pillar, wrapped in mutated beast skin, swinging wildly up to two meters away.
He exuded a violent aura as he trained, and every time he dropped to the floor, the ground trembled as if an enraged elephant was stomping its feet.
With 185 points in the Strength attribute, Chen Chu's base arm strength now reached a terrifying level of 2,100 kilograms.
Coupled with the triple amplification of the Dragon Elephant Art, his explosive true power, and the kinetic energy boost of his movement speed, just his casual punch exceeded ten tons in strength.
Ten tons of force, erupting at an extremely fast speed and concentrated into an area the size of a fist, would blast the pillar with each strike. Meanwhile, the recoil force was directly blocked by the robust defense that the elephant patterns provided.
This was the characteristic of the Dragon Elephant Art, focusing primarily on strength and defense. After cultivation, it significantly enhanced the practitioner’s explosive power and defense, albeit making them slightly less agile.
Roar!
Suddenly, Chen Chu let out a low roar like an elephant. Every one of his muscles swelled and expanded violently, and his aura surged several times over. His arms were as thick as pillars as they slammed down.
The air exploded, and invisible shockwaves burst out. The sturdy and heavy alloy pillar emitted a sharp and piercing sound, and the welding points below even started to show signs of cracking.
It was the third move of the Dragon Elephant Art, the Raging Elephant Stomp. In an instant, an unparalleled level of power would erupt, shattering the enemy. Unlike the second move, it was a single-target execution move.
Phew!
Exhaling slowly, Chen Chu stopped. Despite being drenched in sweat, all he felt was invigoration. The feeling of releasing that kind of power was too exhilarating.
After a brief rest, Chen Chu glanced at the remaining attribute points. Rather than use them to strengthen weapons, he was instead preparing to accumulate them for two more days for the breakthrough of the Insightful Blade.
The characteristic of the Dragon Elephant Art he cultivated was to enhance his strength. Therefore, the true power he could attach to his weapon while in the Third Heavenly Realm was generally not as powerful as the qi obtained after breaking through a saber art.
The difference between the two was like that between an iron and steel saber. One seemed sharp, but would bend after a few cuts, while the other was tough, sharp, and could cut through a strand of hair with ease.
The Third Heavenly Realm was a significant milestone in true martial arts cultivation. Those who mainly practiced sword and saber arts would be at an advantage at this stage.
In the early stages, they were mediocre in all aspects, unable to match Chen Chu in explosive power or agility. But after breaking through to the Third Heavenly Realm, their killing power would surge. The saber could unleash fierce attacks of light, while the power of the qi coating it would be unparalleled, and the combination of both would result in a greater killing force.
Chen Chu and the others could practice another saber or sword art, but in doing so, their energy would be greatly dispersed, so each way had its pros and cons.
At 4 P.M., under the sunlight, Chen Chu walked through the base in his black military uniform, preparing to go back to the hotel, only to hear marching orders coming from ahead. "One, two, one, two…"
He saw about thirty soldiers, led by Second Lieutenant Zhang Hong, running around the base. Each person carried over 100 kilograms of heavy armor.
After the battle last night, these soldiers had also received two days of rest, not just Chen Chu and the other students.
When Zhang Hong saw Chen Chu, he shouted, "Attention!"
Instantly, the thirty soldiers formed two rows and saluted Chen Chu in unison, prompting him to quickly return the salute with slightly rusty movements. This was his very first time operating in the military, and suddenly gaining the rank of a special forces soldier was something he was still getting accustomed to, simply imitating what the others did for the military salute.
With a smile, Zhang Hong said, "Just finished training?"
Chen Chu nodded. "Yes, are you guys also on a training run?"
"Yes. These guys went to bed as soon as they got back last night. So, to keep them in high spirits, I pulled them out to run a dozen laps."
After exchanging greetings, Zhang Hong continued to lead his subordinates in their run, while Chen Chu returned to the hotel next to the base.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw Xia Youhui sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed in meditation. His hands were holding both a blue and a yellow crystal, and his body exuded a vast aura. It seemed that he had heard the sound of the door opening, as he slowly opened his eyes.
Chen Chu was somewhat surprised. "Old Xia, why are you back so early today? Didn't you go to spar and train with our classmates?"
For the past few days, Xia Youhui had been going on patrols and missions in the morning, practicing shield combat in the afternoon, and then cultivating his true power at night.
Well, "practicing.” It was more like just carrying a heavy shield and letting classmates attack as they pleased, then smugly mocking them and claiming they couldn't even push him back a half step.
"I have to work hard," Xia Youhui said somewhat enviously. "Li Hao got almost seven portions of level 3 essence from that mutated beast, and it’s a bovine type that perfectly matches his martial arts. Once he refines those, not only will his strength skyrocket, but he might even break through to the Third Heavenly Realm soon."
Chen Chu was somewhat surprised. "His absorption rate for the essence is that high?"
Under normal circumstances, cultivators had a limit to how much of each resource they could absorb, similarly to how drug resistance built up in microbes. The absorption effect was best with the first use, and then would gradually decrease with each subsequent use, becoming nearly useless by the fourth.
Mutated beast essence was no exception, and it was expensive to boot; the essence of a level three mutated bovine cost 10 contribution points each. It needed to be extracted from a beast’s blood and bone marrow, which would remove any positive effect the flesh and blood would have otherwise had.
Even finding someone to extract the essence wasn’t cheap; Li Hao had been hoping to earn some more money compared to converting contribution points into cash, only to end up having to pay more than five hundred thousand yuan for the extraction.
Chen Chu had come out more fortunate. If they had handed the carcass over to the officials, he would have received 12 contribution points, which would only amount to roughly 10,000 yuan.
"Ah Chu, don't forget that this guy's art affinity is perfect. Whether it's the cultivating speed and power, or being able to make use of the related resources and essence, they’re all enhanced greatly. Absorbing even ten portions won't be a problem for him."
"Really?" Chen Chu was somewhat astonished. Although he claimed to have a high affinity with the Dragon Elephant Art, that was only to cover up the true reason for his swift progress, so he hadn’t had a specific concept of what art affinity really meant.
Xia Youhui rolled his eyes. "Your Dragon Elephant Art is already so strong with just a high affinity. He has perfect affinity with a high-level art, so it's even crazier. If we're talking about who in our year can catch up to An Fuqing, Li Hao has the best chance.
This guy has both innate god-like power and perfect affinity with the Bull Demon's Mountain-Shaking True Art, which is a powerful combination. Once he finishes the early cultivation stages, he'll really take off."
Chen Chu marveled at that. "Impressive. It seems like I have to work even harder in cultivation."
Xia Youhui smirked. "But while he has a large amount of mutated beast essence to assist him, I have the Profound Yellow Crystal. Maybe I can catch up to him once I break through to the Third Heavenly Realm."
"Profound Yellow Crystal?" Chen Chu looked at the earth-yellow crystal in his hand.
Xia Youhui proudly said, "Yes, this. It's the good stuff my brother got for me, a high-quality resource[1] containing an earthly aura."
"Once I absorb that aura, my Black Tortoise Earthly Art's defense will be stronger, and at the same time, it will transform me into a Profound Yellow Body. Haven't you noticed that my defense has been stronger recently? I was sent flying by that mutated beast twice last night without any problems. It's all because of this."
"... Damn." Looking at Xia Youhui's smug expression, Chen Chu remained silent for a long time before finally uttering a curse.
Damn, I really want to beat him up. Chen Chu suddenly felt his hands itching, eager to give Xia Youhui a good beating.
No. Let this guy show off.
Chen Chu briefly wondered why there was an earthly aura inside that Profound Yellow Crystal, but he couldn’t be bothered to ask. Unable to stand the envy, he instead brewed a cup of tea and went outside to the balcony, preparing to bask in the sun to soothe his mood, while also shifting his attention to the armored beast to vent and relieve some frustration.
Looking at Chen Chu's conflicted expression on the balcony, Xia Youhui smirked.
Damn, you rely on your affinity with the Dragon Elephant Art, your overpowering strength, and your swaggering attitude in every battle. Now it's your turn to be envious, right?
But this guy seem to have improved his strength again. That aura emanating from him when he entered just now made me feel uncomfortable. Looks like I have to work even harder. With that in mind, Xia Youhui closed his eyes and continued his cultivation.
1. High-quality resources are found within high-level resources; they are essentially a higher grade of high-level resources ☜
