Chapter 462 102: Visualization Breakthrough, Another Upgrade!

At this moment, the [Star Ring] was much more unique. It was not simply a tool to enhance his spiritual perception and self-control. Instead, it could transform his spiritual aura into a genuine weapon, dealing a Spiritual Shock to the minds of others when unleashed.

"A Spiritual Shock on the level of aura..." Lu Chao mused, roughly grasping the effect of this move. This was undoubtedly a spiritual Martial Skill. It shared similarities with the Hunter's fear deterrence, and it seemed it could even be stacked with the Thunder Sound Skill to further amplify its power.

"Not bad," he murmured, nodding to himself in satisfaction before continuing to sense his condition.

His Spiritual Power had increased significantly, becoming much more condensed, and his passive spiritual resistance had grown tougher. He suspected that even if an expert at the Transcendence Level unleashed a spiritual Secret Technique on him, it might not necessarily be able to deter him.

As this thought flashed through his mind, Lu Chao glanced at his interface.

[Life Energy: 203 → 205]

[Potential Progress: 88%]

Quietly, his Life Energy had increased once more. Compared to a week ago, it had risen by a full five points. Part of this was due to the breakthrough in his Observation Method, while the rest was the result of consuming a substantial amount of resources over the past week.

He looked over at the table in his guest room. Four empty glass boxes sat in the center—the containers that had once held the Essence of Qi. Over the past week, aside from traveling, he had taken the opportunity to visit a local Superpower Bureau in a city circle along the way to test out his identity as an investigative commissioner.

Everything had gone smoothly. It had been incredibly easy to make the local Superpower Sub-Bureau follow his orders and stand by respectfully. Thus, he had spent a portion of his contribution points to exchange for the last four portions of the Essence of Qi in their temporary inventory.

"Up to now, counting the accumulation from killing Tan Yu and his group, I still have eighty thousand contribution points left... The Dark Web also provided a reward of twenty million Alliance Coins and sixty thousand points," Lu Chao muttered, his eyes flashing as he calculated the resources at his disposal.

He could feel that the effects of the Essence of Qi had weakened once again. It wasn't just a buildup of drug tolerance; more importantly, after his Life Energy broke the two-hundred-point threshold, the difficulty of further improvement had spiked. If it hadn't, there wouldn't be so many people stuck at this hurdle, and those at the Transcendence Level wouldn't be so extraordinarily rare—a tier considered top-notch in any faction.

Even so, he didn't feel overly anxious.

Lu Chao thought, "Once I reach Ring City, I can use all my contribution points... I can also continue gathering materials to produce biological serum or Life Essence." His line of reasoning was crystal clear.

He had consumed these two types of resources far less frequently. In fact, he had never even ingested the latter, so its medicinal effects were bound to be much stronger. Moreover, a glance at his interface showed that his Potential Progress was not far from reaching maximum capacity. Even if he solely relied on the Essence of Qi, he could still increase it by a large margin or even awaken a new talent once again.

With this in mind, Lu Chao gradually wrapped up his cultivation and suppressed any stray thoughts. Once everything was packed and ready, he threw on a black trench coat, pushed open the door, and stepped out of his guest room.

SPLASH! SPLASH! The sound of crashing waves echoed intermittently as gusts of wind swept across the river. The autumn river breeze carried a hint of desolation. Even though it was high noon, the wind still felt slightly cold against his face.

He had disguised his appearance long before setting off. At the moment, he wore the ordinary, thirty-year-old face of a Special Investigation Team commissioner—a look that wouldn't draw any attention in a crowd.

He glanced around.

"MEOW."

A low purr sounded as Ghost Element, resembling a black cat, walked toward him with elegant steps. A little girl, thoroughly amused by the creature, trailed closely behind it.

"Mister, can I pet it, please?" she asked. The little girl was adorable, sporting pigtails and wearing a finely crafted light-colored cotton jacket and trousers. She looked to be only five or six years old. Her large, watery eyes stared up at him, brimming with anticipation.

"What's your name?" Lu Chao asked with a smile, noticing several figures hurrying over from behind her.

"I'm Lin Keke," the little girl said softly, though her eyes remained glued to Ghost Element, utterly captivated.

"That's a very cute name," Lu Chao nodded, feeling rather good-humored. He decided to satisfy the little girl's wish.

THUD! THUD!

A flurry of rapid footsteps approached.

"Ms. Ke'Er!" a voice called out as several security guards in suits arrived on the scene.

The leading man appeared to be in his late twenties, yet he was already an Elite Level expert. Dressed in a black suit, he had a lean and sturdy build with a noticeable bulge at his waist, indicating a concealed firearm. He smoothly stepped in front of the little girl, casting a guarded look at Lu Chao.

"Keke, you wandered off again," a woman said.

"Ah, sister, I didn't mean to!" the little girl hastily explained in her soft, sweet voice.

A figure emerged from the center of the security detail. It was a young woman in her early twenties with rather heroic facial features and short hair, dressed in an androgynous gray suit. Her overall attire was highly refined, featuring embroidered cloud patterns on her cuffs. She immediately took the hand of the little girl, Lin Ke'Er.

"You really..." The heroic young woman sighed helplessly before turning to look at Lu Chao, who was blocked by the guards.

At some point, Ghost Element had quietly leaped onto his shoulder. Its beastly eyes, which resembled red gemstones, caused her to blank out for a brief moment. She seemed to instantly understand why her little sister had blindly chased after it.

"I apologize, my friend. My little sister has caused you trouble," she said, managing to snap back to reality. Her tone was apologetic and quite polite.

Lu Chao waved his hand dismissively, not taking it to heart. However, for some reason, he felt that her face looked somewhat familiar. She bore a slight resemblance to an old acquaintance. He then glanced at the security guards in suits and noticed a shield-like corporate badge on their left chests, which inexplicably triggered a trace of his memories.

"Are you heading back to Ring City?" Lu Chao suddenly asked.

The young woman paused slightly before giving a gentle nod. Meanwhile, the young security guard protecting her furrowed his brows, his gaze growing even more guarded as he scanned Lu Chao once again.

"Are you from Ring City, friend?" he interjected with a stiff and cold tone, subtly stepping back to shield the two sisters behind him. His stare made no secret of his vigilance, even carrying a hint of aloofness.

"You could say I'm half a local," Lu Chao replied calmly, having noticed the man's wariness. With that said, he turned and left without another word.

Seeing this, the young man's eyes flickered, and his frown deepened. He then whispered to the guards beside him, instructing them to raise their alert and not to be careless, lest someone exploit a loophole in their defense.

"Mr. Du, aren't we being a bit impolite?" the young woman asked softly. Although she knew he meant well, she still didn't want to needlessly offend a stranger.

"Ms. Weiwei, you've just graduated and returned from Yao Capital Academy, so you aren't fully aware of the current situation yet," the young man known as Mr. Du replied, gently shaking his head and explaining patiently. "There are quite a few people in the company who want to snatch the shares you hold. There's no telling what methods they might employ.

"Although we're only halfway through our journey right now, it's entirely possible that someone sent by them is deliberately trying to get close to you."

He made no effort to hide his speculations, emphasizing that they had to be careful in all things.

Lin Weiwei frowned upon hearing this. A trace of worry crossed her face as she wondered, "Is that true?"

"Then, once we return to Ring City..."

"Don't worry, Miss. Given their past relationship, the person from Jinshi Boxing Hall will definitely help you," Mr. Du said earnestly.

Although Lin Weiwei breathed a sigh of relief, she still felt a lingering sense of anxiety.

"Sister..." the adorable Lin Ke'Er said, squeezing her hand in a gesture of comfort.

Lin Weiwei managed a strained smile. With that, the group turned and headed toward a resting area on the deck.

Lu Chao silently watched their retreating figures.

"Hengjia Security..." His eyes flashed as memories resurfaced in his mind. He never expected to run into a security company from Ring City here. He still remembered when he had first begun practicing martial arts; he had dreamed of one day receiving sponsorship from this very company after becoming a martial artist.

As for the young woman, she bore a striking resemblance to Lin Qingxue—the very person who used to look down on him the most. It was obvious they shared some blood relation.

At that thought, Lu Chao shook his head to himself and reeled in his scattered musings.

His gaze naturally drifted toward the distant horizon of the Red River. The familiar high walls of the city circle came into view, along with the towering neon spires that pierced the clouds.

As his memories nearly overlapped with reality, a look of profound nostalgia settled in Lu Chao's eyes. He instructed Ghost Element to gather his luggage.

Ring City.

He had finally... returned.