Chapter 14: The class group chat is buzzing!
Returning to his apartment in Fenglin Elegance Residence, Zhang Fan stored the black gold heavy hammer back into his spatial belt and washed away the blood covering him.
He sat cross-legged, his consciousness sinking into his mind. On the pale blue panel, the numbers were clear:
[Available Attribute Points: 150]
"150 points... Not bad. One beast tide is worth much more than all my previous hard work combined."
Although it was a pity he missed the "harvest" at the southern part of the city, this total already made him very satisfied.
With these attribute points, his strength was about to experience another leap.
Zhang Fan's thoughts locked onto the martial art "Dragon-Elephant Extreme Path Art (Perfection)".
A prompt surfaced on the panel: [Detected that the cultivation technique has reached the limit of its current rank. It can be deduced and advanced to the Rank Six technique "Dragon-Elephant Holy Body Technique". Cost: 40 Attribute Points.]
"Deduce!"
40 attribute points evaporated instantly.
Boom!
His blood stopped rushing and instead transformed into a golden liquid as thick as paste and as heavy as mercury! On his bones, fine and complex dark gold patterns naturally emerged, like dragon scales and elephant markings intertwining.
His internal organs resonated, emitting a glazed treasure light. An aura of nobility, antiquity, and tyranny originating from the very source of life spread out from his body.
Beneath Zhang Fan's skin, the dark gold radiance completely withdrew, leaving his skin as smooth and warm as jade.
[Dragon-Elephant Extreme Path Art] advanced to [Dragon-Elephant Holy Body Technique (Entry)]!
The Rank Six Holy Body had begun to take shape!
"Is this... the power of the Holy Body?" Zhang Fan slowly clenched his fist; his pure physical strength had surged several times over!
110 points remained.
Zhang Fan turned his gaze toward his offensive technique, "Shattering Hammer Method (Entry)".
"Level up!"
With 20 attribute points invested, all sorts of profound insights into the Shattering Hammer Method came naturally, reaching [Perfection]! With the black gold heavy hammer in hand, it felt like an extension of his arm, and his destructive hammer intent became incredibly condensed.
The panel lit up with another prompt: [Shattering Hammer Method (Perfection) can be deduced and advanced to "Dao-Shattering Hammer Method". Cost: 40 Attribute Points.]
"Continue!"
40 attribute points were invested without hesitation. In his mind, that all-destroying hammer intent suddenly sublimated! It was no longer just about disintegrating matter, but faintly touched upon a trace of the "Dao," containing a terrifying intent that could shatter rules and shake the very source! Though extremely faint, it signified a qualitative change.
[Shattering Hammer Method] advanced to [Dao-Shattering Hammer Method (Entry)]!
50 points remaining.
Zhang Fan turned his attention to his fundamental survival skill, "Thunder Void Step (Entry)".
20 attribute points were poured into it. His comprehension of the movement technique reached the pinnacle; his figure became ethereal, nearly invisible. [Thunder Void Step (Perfection)]!
At this point, out of the 150 attribute points, 30 remained. Since it wasn't enough to advance Thunder Void Step, he would save them for now.
After this wave of improvements... the Holy Body was initially formed, he possessed the Dao-Shattering hammer intent, and Thunder Void Step was at perfection.
Feeling the brand-new power within his body, Zhang Fan assessed his own strength.
"Now, even against a true Rank Six martial artist, I have the strength to fight! In Songjiang City, I can be considered a top-tier combatant."
...
Top floor meeting room, Songjiang City Martial Artist Alliance Branch.
The atmosphere was serious, yet carried a hint of relief after surviving a disaster.
The head of the branch was Minister Chen, a middle-aged man with graying temples who commanded respect without needing to be angry.
"This beast tide was unprecedented in scale, especially that half-step Lord-level Giant Dragon Lizard. If Silver-Rank Consultant Zhang Fan hadn't turned the tide, the consequences would have been unthinkable."
"If he hadn't appeared, our Songjiang City Branch would have definitely had to ask the higher-ups for reinforcements."
The attending executives nodded one after another, their faces filled with admiration and curiosity for the mysterious "Silver-Rank Consultant."
"Inspector Ye, you have the most contact with Consultant Zhang Fan. The Alliance must reward his contribution handsomely! In my name, I will apply for an additional sum of contribution points from headquarters. We must not let a hero feel neglected."
Ye Zhenxi stood up and said solemnly, "Yes, Minister."
...
Buzz!
A slight vibration came from the Alliance watch on his wrist, waking Zhang Fan from the process of consolidating his cultivation.
It was a message from Ye Zhenxi, her tone respectful: "Senior, you have achieved great merit by defeating the beast tide and slaying the half-step Lord-level beast. After the Alliance's assessment, you have been awarded 800 contribution points, which have already been credited to your account."
"Your current total accumulated contribution points are 1,000. The Alliance Mall has opened higher permissions for you. You can browse and exchange them at any time if needed."
"1,000 points?" Zhang Fan raised an eyebrow; the magnitude of this reward was unexpected. It seemed the Alliance was going all out to win him over.
With a thought, he activated the watch's projection.
The light screen unfolded, and the Martial Artists Alliance exchange mall interface appeared. The dazzling list of items was overwhelming. With his permissions upgraded, many rare items that were previously grayed out and invisible had appeared.
Gene serums, cultivation techniques, heavy weapons... everything was there. Many items were like dreams to ordinary martial artists.
But Zhang Fan scanned through them one by one, mostly just pausing briefly. Now that he had the Dao-Shattering Hammer Method paired with the black gold heavy hammer, the Dragon-Elephant Holy Body, and the speed of the Thunder Void Step, he truly didn't lack offensive or movement capabilities in the short term.
"Defense..."
His gaze finally rested on the "protective armor" category.
This had always been his weak point.
Although the Dragon-Elephant Holy Body was powerful, if he were ambushed by an expert of the same level or hit by a long-range strike far exceeding his realm, he would still be in danger of falling.
A defensive item caught his attention: star-trace armor.
It was crafted using special memory liquid metal refined from meteorite cores, integrating nanotechnology and runic arrays.
It came in three versions: the Budget version (basic physical defense), the Standard version (added energy resistance), and the High-End version (liquid metal, adaptive form, with basic self-repair capabilities).
Exchange prices: Budget version for 200 points, Standard version for 500 points, and High-End version for 1,000 points.
"High-End version, liquid metal..." A sharp light flashed in Zhang Fan's eyes. This was exactly what he needed! This kind of armor could cover his entire body in an instant, providing incredible defense without affecting his movements at all. It could even be worn under normal clothes, offering excellent concealment.
Although it would instantly empty his contribution points, Zhang Fan didn't hesitate for a moment.
"Exchange for star-trace armor (High-End Liquid Metal Version)."
Even though his contribution points were wiped out in one go, Zhang Fan didn't feel any heartache.
With his current strength, the speed at which he could obtain contribution points would only get faster and faster.
...
At the northern city defense line station, the class beauty Liu Qian finished her day's patrol. Sitting in the lounge, her mind kept replaying that figure from the day, who looked like a god of war.
The black gold heavy hammer swung, and the beasts scattered. Thunder flashed, and the figure moved like lightning.
Was that really Zhang Fan?
That failed student who was once mocked by the whole class and could only join the Corpses Collection Team?
The massive contrast made her mind waver; it was unbelievable, yet she had to believe it.
That classmate who once needed her occasional pity had already grown into a towering tree that she had to look up to.
Beep, beep, beep.
Her personal communicator rang; the class group chat, which had been silent for a long time, had become active.
"I heard this beast tide was super scary! The west side was almost breached!"
"Eh? Have you guys seen the school hunk, Lin Feng? Why haven't we heard any news about him this time? Normally, in a situation like this, wouldn't our school hunk be showing off how amazing he is and how many beasts he's killed?"
"You don't know? Lin Feng died from his injuries after that clash between Thunder Martial Arts Hall and Red Heart Martial Arts Hall..."
Hiss... "He's dead? That's so sudden."
The class group chat fell silent for a moment.
In this era, it was still too dangerous. Even a genius like the school hunk Lin Feng could die instantly if he wasn't careful.
Soon, the topic in the group chat shifted back to the beast tide.
"If you ask me, that Silver-Rank Consultant is the real deal! He held a whole section of the wall by himself! I heard that if it weren't for him, by the time the reinforcements arrived, at least half of us would have died!"
"Liu Qian, aren't you in the City Defense Team? You were guarding the wall too. Did you see the Silver-Rank Consultant? What does he look like? Is he particularly tall and majestic?"
Looking at the messages flooding the group chat, Liu Qian's finger hovered over the screen, unable to press down for a long time.
She really wanted to tell everyone that the powerhouse they worshipped like a god was the corpse collector Zhang Fan they once looked down upon.
But the words reached her lips and she swallowed them back. Zhang Fan himself had never gone public, and the Martial Artists Alliance hadn't made it public either; they clearly wanted to keep it a secret.
If she spoke out rashly, it might bring unnecessary trouble or even... offend that existence who was now high above.
She could only reply: "That lord's status is noble. I... only saw his figure from a distance. He is very powerful."
In her heart, however, a wave of indescribably complex emotions surged.
...