Chapter 405 - 74: One Step Further

「Half a month later.」

In the training grounds on the third floor of the Superpower Bureau building.

A constant THUD THUD echoed as Superpower Members threw punches at sandbags, held round iron balls, and poured sweat across the various training areas.

Meanwhile, inside a gravity chamber to the side of the corridor.

The silvery-gray metal door of Gravity Chamber Four was sealed shut. Triple the normal pressure filled the room, making even the air feel heavy.

And yet, it was precisely in this environment...

HWOOSH!!

HISS!!

The sound of coarse, heavy breathing was like a wild ox drinking water, creating a whistling gale.

Looking closely...

A white vapor of sweat rose and diffused in the center of the gravity chamber, turning into a steaming mist.

Lu Chao, bare to the waist, stood his ground. His legs were planted like an old tree’s roots, his waist sunk in a low stance, holding the training posture for the Ten Thousand Jins Return Flow.

To the naked eye, the muscles on his body rippled and shifted. Thick green veins, like coiled serpents, writhed across his skin from time to time.

The pores on his skin opened and closed in time with his breathing, as if they had a will of their own. Even the membranes within his muscles pulsed faintly, emitting a subtle sound.

He had been training like this for a long time.

The triple-gravity environment subtly accelerated the cultivation speed of his Martial Arts hardening skill. The price was that his body’s energy was consumed much faster. A tide of exhaustion, the feeling of hitting his limit, washed over him from all directions.

One hour, two hours, three hours...

An entire morning passed.

Finally, he reached the limit of his stamina.

"Hah!!"

Lu Chao broke his hardening skill stance and exhaled a puff of scorching white air.

The jet of air shot out like an arrow, traveling several meters before dissipating.

’I’m still a little ways off.’

Lu Chao caught his breath and wiped the sweat from his face.

His flushed face gradually returned to its normal color as his body, pushed to its limit, finally got a chance to rest.

The difficulty of the Ten Thousand Jins Return Flow far exceeded a normal person’s imagination. It required one’s muscles to develop a kind of ’activity’—an unconscious, reflexive ability to disperse force—to truly achieve the "Iron Thorn" physique.

But even now...

...despite his Flow State talent and his ability to perfectly control his body, he was still stuck at the introductory stage, unable to achieve a true breakthrough.

’But it won’t be long now.’

His eyes shone brightly. Lu Chao could feel that he was not far from the "Iron Thorn" realm.

The reason for this was...

[Life Energy: 154→160!]

[Potential Progress: 58%]

He had taken three bottles of Essence of Qi over a period of time. Due to accumulated tolerance, the effects had diminished, only increasing his Life Energy by five points.

In addition, he had consumed over a dozen bottles of Senior-Level Nutritional Potion and nearly a thousand kilograms of High-Level Exotic Beast Meat as nutritional supplements for his training consumption.

As a Martial Arts hardening skill, Ten Thousand Jins Return Flow naturally required a massive intake of nutrients.

It was precisely because he had these resources as a foundation and supplement that he could maintain a rapid increase in Life Energy and a high efficiency in his Martial Skill training.

Beyond that...

Lu Chao’s eyes flickered. After resting for over ten minutes, he quickly began to practice the Ten Thousand Spirits Martial Arts Skill.

This Qi Flame cultivation method and his Martial Arts hardening skill were almost perfectly complementary.

Progress in the latter would naturally strengthen his physique, which in turn made fusing his Qi Flame much easier.

’After mastering the Hundred Refinements stage, I have to figure out how to break through to the 2nd Floor, the Thousand Refinements stage.’

’This requires grasping the mystery of circulating Qi Flame with flexibility. Only then can I release my Qi Flame externally and break the 170-point Life Energy limit.’

Lu Chao thought of Li Xiyuan.

Although Li Xiyuan was several years older than Yao Jin, breaking through the Exploration Level was definitely not something that could be achieved with time and resources alone.

This step was similar to the life-altering transformation of an Elite Level breaking through to the Superpower Level. Grasping the mysteries of the Qi Flame was the key.

’If my realm isn’t high enough, it’ll be difficult to break through even if I forcefully consume resources.’

’In that case...’

Lu Chao began fusing his Qi Flame again, making it even more solid and condensed.

With his Flow State talent, he wasn’t too worried about this step stumping him.

’If one burst of comprehension isn’t enough, I’ll just do it dozens of times.’

If all else failed...

His gaze shifted to his Potential Progress. The next talent awakening would be the "Spirit Transformation Dimension."

He wondered if the talent specialization he would awaken then would have a related effect, making it easier for him to overcome this barrier.

With that, he suppressed his stray thoughts.

Lu Chao focused on his training, using his "Tough Body" to continuously squeeze out his own potential.

It wasn’t until another afternoon had passed that he finally ended his training for the day.

After turning off the gravity, he walked out of the silvery-gray metal room.

He casually took out his communication watch and glanced at the contents.

"Hidden Streamer, ranked thirty-first among the Dark Web assassins."

"An Owl-class assassin from the Black Whistle organization..."

An image was stored on the watch. It was just a blank-looking sheet of rain, with not much of the scene visible.

The only thing visible was a strange area within the downpour—a hollow, human-shaped space, as if the rain were falling on an invisible person.

Looking at the image, a trace of curiosity flashed in Lu Chao’s eyes.

This was the information he had gone out of his way to find regarding the Dark Web assassin who had been tracking him that day.

Although the person hadn’t shown themselves again, the power of someone at the peak of the Exploration Level was not to be underestimated. He wanted to learn more relevant information to avoid being caught off guard if they met again.

After making several comparisons, he had identified his target from the Dark Web’s Earth Star assassin rankings.

The Hidden Streamer, a powerful assassin who had mastered an invisibility ability and was rumored to be just one step away from the Transcendence Level.

He had completed over a dozen A-rank missions, killed multiple Limit-Breaking Level Martial Artists, and was extremely famous on the Dark Web.

’I hope he knows what’s good for him.’

Lu Chao closed his watch, not overly concerned.

After all, he had disguised his appearance back then, so it would be very difficult for the assassin to find him again.