Chapter 439 92: Breakthrough, Iron Thorn Body!

For half a month straight.

News concerning the Jinggang Chamber of Commerce and the Tan family continued to dominate the headlines across major media outlets in the Red Maple City Circle. The scandal caused a massive uproar throughout the entire Alliance Country.

The once-foundational family had completely collapsed, with most of its members arrested by the City Guard Army and the Superpower Bureau. The Jinggang Chamber of Commerce was thoroughly taken over by the City Lord's Mansion, and its affiliated factions faced sweeping purges and intense scrutiny.

"Take all these people away."

"Be careful on the road later."

A fleet of black SUVs belonging to the Superpower Bureau parked along the street. Dozens of heavily armed Superpower Members escorted individuals who had colluded with the Tan family out of a local corporate building.

"To think the Tan family would actually fall."

"Honestly, if the Group Leader could see this, he would definitely feel avenged," Wang Dali blurted out subconsciously. Standing by the car door, he watched as the pale, despairing suspects were handcuffed and escorted away.

As soon as the words left his mouth, many members of the Fifth Group paused, falling into a heavy silence. Gao Hu's expression turned complicated as he looked away. Chen Xiao, who was walking over with a rifle while escorting a suspect, quietly stopped in his tracks, his mood visibly dropping. Fang Xu, who was working alongside him, shared a similar look and pursed his lips.

"Who knows how the Group Leader is doing now..."

Their eyes were filled with worry. As trusted aides who had followed Ruan Hui from Ring City, they understood the impact of his situation better than anyone. From their initial shock at the wanted posters and the hidden truth, to their lingering anxiety over his sudden disappearance, they had implicitly guessed that he might have anticipated this outcome and chosen to leave on his own accord.

"I just hope Old Lu is okay," Chen Xiao sighed, wondering what kind of expression Captain Yang would have when he found out.

Fang Xu nodded. In truth, he was glad that Lu Chao had left early and avoided capture by the Biotechnology Company.

For a moment, the team sank into a somber, complicated mood as a gentle breeze swept through the block.

At the same time.

Inside the Platinum Hotel.

The curtains were drawn in the room at the end of the fourth-floor corridor, blocking out most of the sunlight and making it impossible to peek inside. For a full half month, Lu Chao had spent the vast majority of his time indoors.

The reason was simple.

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH!

The sound of deep, whale-like breathing echoed continuously. A half-naked Lu Chao stood with his legs firmly planted on the floor, deeply immersed in his indoor cultivation.

Every inch of his muscles twitched as if possessing a mind of its own. Bulging veins squirmed intermittently, teeming with some strange vitality. Every pore on his body had opened up, seemingly breathing autonomously. Wisps of misty sweat seeped from his pores, swirling around him and forming a lingering white cloud.

He had been training continuously like this for an unknown amount of time, sustaining himself entirely through the terrifying recovery power of his [Resilient Body].

"Almost there," he said, his eyes bright as he stood perfectly still.

A month ago, he had sensed that he was on the verge of mastering [Ten Thousand Jins Return Flow]. Over the recent period, after repeatedly refining medicinal efficacy and utilizing his grand completion of the Rock hard body skill as a foundation, he had made multiple attempts. He could now feel that the first level, [Iron Thorns], was only a single step away.

HUM!

Suddenly, with a shift of his will, the pores and flesh all over his body began to breathe autonomously once more, inhaling and exhaling the misty clouds. His blood grew scalding hot, akin to boiling water, as more white steam billowed out.

In a daze, Lu Chao felt as though every part of his body had come alive. His skin vibrated on its own, while his muscles contracted and stretched. Every inch of his physique was undergoing a new tempering process; it was as if he had quietly shattered a certain limit.

In a split second.

CRACKLE!

His gaze hardened as a sound like popping firecrackers erupted from within his body. He could clearly feel his physical form undergoing a profound metamorphosis, becoming vastly sturdier and more powerful.

But at the exact same moment, all the energy within his cells was forcefully drained to support this physical evolution.

"Just as I expected," Lu Chao thought, his eyes flashing without a hint of surprise.

Instead, he immediately looked at the four bottles of Essence of Qi resting on the table against the wall. Over the past half month, he had already made the decision to accept the promotion to the Special Investigation Team's commissioner. The Essence of Qi before him was exchanged on the internal network using the mission contribution points he had earned from the Wu Yuntao incident.

CRUNCH!

CRUNCH!

He swallowed the four portions of Essence of Qi one after another. The violent medicinal power surged into his stomach like a raging river. Because of his past experience with reaching the grand completion of the Rock hard body skill, he had prepared these resources in advance to prevent any severe deficit of qi and blood. And just as he had anticipated, they came in perfectly handy.

Gradually, [Predatory Growth] activated once more, breaking down the medicinal efficacy and restructuring it into pure energy. Lu Chao maintained the cultivation principles of [Ten Thousand Jins Return Flow], breathing the misty clouds in and out while guiding all the nutrients toward his limbs and bones.

As the minutes and seconds ticked by, the physical metamorphosis driven by the Ten Thousand Jins Return Flow continued unabated.

Until the very end.

Outside the Platinum Hotel, the sky neared dusk, painted with a brilliant crimson sunset. Only then did Lu Chao feel that all the medicinal power had been completely absorbed. The physical evolution was finally complete, and he could clearly sense an abundant surge of new strength coursing through his body.

He then looked at his interface.

[Life Energy: 180 → 186!]

[Potential Progress: 23%]

"Oh?"

Slightly surprised, Lu Chao hadn't expected this session of hard body cultivation to yield such a massive improvement. A full six points of Life Energy. He was not far from matching a veteran Exploration Level expert.

"After all, this is a Martial Arts technique left behind by the Starry Sky Heroes, and I also ingested several portions of Essence of Qi. It's not too surprising to see an increase like this," Lu Chao thought, quickly coming to terms with it.

He then carefully examined his body, quietly comprehending the changes brought about by his breakthrough in the Martial Arts technique. His strength had skyrocketed by nearly fifty percent. More importantly, his physical toughness had reached an astonishing level.

"Perhaps it is already comparable to manganese steel alloy," he mused. He immediately walked over to the wall and picked up his Ink Blade.

SWISH!

He slashed the black blade against his arm, leaving behind only a faint white mark. Lu Chao's eyes narrowed, a trace of burning excitement gradually appearing in his gaze.

Manganese steel alloy was already considered a top-tier alloy on Earth Star. Its durability was unquestionable; Fighting Weapons forged from it could block low-speed shells head-on, making it the most ideal weapon material for the majority of Superpower Level combatants. Beyond it, only the exceptionally rare Kade alloy could surpass it in terms of hardness and density.

There was no doubt about it. Now, relying solely on his physical strength, he was fully capable of dealing with most Exploration Level experts. Even without activating his Titan's Power, he could momentarily withstand multiple Low-speed Gravity Shells, shatter armored vehicles head-on, stagger light tanks, and tank the fatal finishing moves of peak Exploration Level powerhouses.

Furthermore.

"Rebound Force," he murmured.

His eyes shining brightly, Lu Chao recalled the effect mentioned in the cultivation principles. Upon successfully cultivating the first level, [Iron Thorns], one would acquire a Body of Iron Thorns. In close combat, relying strictly on one's physique, it could rebound thirty percent of incoming physical attacks back at the enemy.

Acting on the thought, he immediately mobilized his physical strength according to the principles. He then swung the Ink Blade, slamming its flat surface against his arm.

CLANG!

A crisp sound echoed, like two pieces of solid steel colliding. Lu Chao's right arm trembled slightly as he clearly saw the surface of the Ink Blade vibrate continuously. Simultaneously, a wave of force struck back along the hilt.

It wasn't a simple collision of objects; it was a true Rebound Force carrying a significant amount of kinetic energy. He carefully observed himself, trying to grasp the underlying mechanics. He soon realized that his muscles, bones, and skin were imbued with a strange vitality. Whenever they encountered external impact, they automatically coordinated, consolidated, and rebounded the force like a coiled spring.

"So that's how it works."

Lu Chao gradually understood the unique aspects of this Martial Arts hard body skill. He finally realized why one needed to foster this so-called "vitality" within the muscles to truly cultivate the Body of Iron Thorns.

"Truly worthy of a Martial Arts technique left behind by Senior Robert."

Lu Chao's face displayed not only satisfaction with his increase in strength but also deep admiration for this Starry Sky Hero. What kind of talent and brilliance did it take to create such a Martial Skill?

Lost in thought, he stepped forward and pulled open the curtains. The sky was vast, the fiery crimson sunset drawing to a close.

Even a powerhouse of that caliber ultimately chose to step into the Starry Sky in pursuit of a higher ceiling for Life Energy development. Moreover, he had been gone for more than thirty years. No news had ever been sent back, and he had never been seen again.

"What exactly did they encounter out there?" Lu Chao wondered, the doubts and curiosity in his heart growing ever stronger.

In the next second.

BUZZ!

His communication watch suddenly vibrated, snapping him out of his reverie. He looked down. Soon, as he clearly read the contents of the message, his expression turned visibly cold, and a flash of killing intent darted through his eyes.

"What a bold move by the Tan family."