116: Chapter 116 The New Hextech, the Academy Wants

Xia Xi and Qian Shuying exchanged a look.

The two stood by the bed, the air quiet in an eerie way.

Lu Cheng lay on the bed, his jacket askew, collar undone, the scent of alcohol mixed with a hint of beast meat broth, sleeping soundly.

Xia Xi's ears were burning red, and after holding it in for a long time, she finally spoke softly.

"Let's help Lu Cheng sit up first, I'll take his clothes... take his clothes... off..."

Her voice grew quieter as she finished.

Qian Shuying glanced at her, nodded, knelt on the bed, and helped lift Lu Cheng's upper body.

Lu Cheng's body was heavy.

Usually, seeing him joking around, one only realized how exaggerated his physical strength was when actually trying to lift him.

Xia Xi took a deep breath and reached out to undo Lu Cheng's jacket.

The zipper slid down.

The clothes were pulled open.

The dim bedside lamp shone on Lu Cheng, revealing clear abdominal lines and well-defined muscle contours, as if carved by a knife and axe... no, this was a body polished by continuous battle.

Scars of all sizes crisscrossed his chest, shoulders, and waist.

Some were shallow and almost faded.

Others still bore signs of fresh wounds, with the abrasions from the deathmatch earlier in the day already scabbing over.

Xia Xi froze.

Qian Shuying also went quiet for half a second.

Both of their faces flushed red simultaneously.

This was the first time Xia Xi had seen Lu Cheng's body from such close proximity.

She had indeed cared for Lu Cheng when he was in the hospital before, but tasks like changing dressings, cleaning, and treating wounds were basically handled by specialized nurses and medical equipment.

At most, she would sit by the side, watching the treatment pod operate.

Right now, the distance was far too close.

Close enough to see the rise and fall of Lu Cheng's chest, close enough to see those scars move slightly with his muscles.

Qian Shuying whispered, "What are you zoning out for? Didn't you say you were going to wipe him down?"

"Oh, oh!"

Xia Xi hurriedly turned to the bathroom and brought out a warm towel.

She wrung out the towel, and when her fingers touched Lu Cheng's shoulder, she stiffened again.

So hot.

Not the heat of a fever, but the warmth of a martial artist with abundant Qi and blood.

She carefully wiped across Lu Cheng's shoulder and chest area, her movements excessively gentle, her face flushed as if it might bleed.

Qian Shuying's mouth twitched slightly as she watched.

"Are you wiping off dust? Use some strength."

"I'm afraid of hurting him."

"He didn't even cry out in pain when he was smashed around on the ring today; do you think a towel is going to make him cry?"

Xia Xi bit her lip, applying a bit more pressure.

Lu Cheng had been closing his eyes, his head still spinning.

The alcohol hadn't fully worn off, but his body was very sensitive.

He felt groggily that someone was supporting him, and something warm was wiping across his chest.

Not good.

Very not good.

His eyelids twitched, and he mumbled a sentence.

"Come to think of it, I'm drunk..."

Xia Xi's hand paused.

Lu Cheng slowly opened his eyes, looked at the two girls close by, then looked down at his exposed clothes.

"...Not dizzy..."

The air in the room froze for a second.

Lu Cheng blinked.

Xia Xi also blinked.

Qian Shuying's hand supporting his back hadn't let go yet.

The next second.

"Ah!!!"

Xia Xi's scream exploded, she jumped back half a step, and the towel slapped onto Lu Cheng's chest.

Lu Cheng was shocked sober by thirty percent.

"Wait, what are you screaming for? I'm the one who's half-naked, right?"

Xia Xi's face turned red to her neck, and she turned and ran for the door.

Qian Shuying was clearly a bit bolder than her.

Before letting go of Lu Cheng, she swept her gaze downwards and reached out to quickly touch his abs.

The movement was very fast.

So fast that Lu Cheng didn't even react.

Qian Shuying stood up expressionlessly, but the tips of her ears were red.

"Feels pretty good."

After saying that, she turned and left the room with Xia Xi.

The door slammed shut.

Lu Cheng sat on the bed with his clothes half-open, looked down at himself, then looked up at the closed door.

"Are heroines this bold nowadays?"

He rubbed his head.

This scare made most of the alcohol wear off.

Originally, he wanted to use the drunkenness to get some sleep, but now his mind was ridiculously clear.

Even a little awkward.

From outside the door, Xia Xi's lowered voice could be faintly heard.

"Qian Shuying! What were you doing just now!"

"Verifying the results of Body Refining Realm."

"You're making that up!"

"You wanted to verify it too."

"I did not!"

Lu Cheng's mouth twitched, and he simply got up to change his clothes.

The sleepiness was gone.

He simply sat cross-legged on the training mat and began to circulate his Guiding Technique.

Qi and blood flowed in circles within his body, and the depletion caused by the Holy Dragon Roar during the day was slowly being replenished.

[Guiding Technique - Origin] continued to operate, and his Qi and blood increased bit by bit.

For the next two days, Lu Cheng basically didn't run around.

On Saturday during the day, he went to the Shengwu Society training gym.

Han Yue was still receiving treatment, Bai Zhou was running to the medical center every day, and Lin Yifang was busy organizing the connections and venue resources left vacant after the dissolution of the Zhenwu Society.

Shengwu Society suddenly became famous.

The outside world didn't know the details of the deathmatch, but the Zhenwu Society dissolving overnight and Qin Zhaoye never appearing again meant this couldn't be hidden.

When Xia Xi saw him these two days, she would always subconsciously avoid eye contact and stutter when speaking.

Qian Shuying was normal, at most glancing at his waist and abs occasionally.

Lu Cheng felt a chill down his back every time.

By Sunday night, near midnight, Lu Cheng was the only one left in the training room.

He sat in the center, Qi and blood surging around his body, a faint red luster faintly showing on the surface of his skin.

His Qi and blood value was stuck at 2.99.

Just short of the final 0.01.

But this 0.01 was like a wall, no matter how he tried to push, he couldn't get past it.

Lu Cheng exhaled, opened his eyes, and checked the time.

23:58.

"Close is close enough."

He loosened his stiff neck.

"Let's wait for the Hextech to refresh and see what we can get this week..."

The time jumped to midnight.

The familiar system notification sound rang out.

[Ding!]

[Weekly random Hextech trait has been activated.]

[This week's Hextech: Heartsteel (Gold)]

[Obtained item 'Heart of Resolve', the carrier gains 40 points of maximum Qi and blood value daily.]

[Heart of Resolve (SSS Rank): After equipping, it can significantly enhance a martial artist's physical defense and Source Power resistance. When attacked, the Heart-Protecting Holy Rune will automatically distribute the impact, providing 10% damage reduction. When the life state is higher than 'Average', gain 18% damage reduction.]

A dark gold crystal appeared out of thin air and slowly merged into Lu Cheng's chest.

The next second, his heart jolted violently.

Thump!

The Qi and blood value jumped directly from 2.99 to 3.39.

The barrier inside his body that had been stuck for the whole night was shattered on the spot.

Lu Cheng's chest heated up, and a faint golden pattern faintly appeared on his heart, soon sinking back under the skin.

"Holy crap..."

He looked down at his chest, his eyes lighting up.

"Gold Hextech, it's so good."

After entering three-fold compression, the Qi and blood in his body were so dense that it was extremely difficult to push, and every point of improvement was strenuous.

Originally, Lu Cheng planned to break through to the Source Gathering Realm after three-fold compression.

But now that he had Heartsteel, which could increase maximum Qi and blood every day...

His thinking changed... What if he continued to compress?

Five-fold?

Seven-fold?

Even... ten-fold?

Once this thought popped up, it couldn't be suppressed.

Lu Cheng opened his terminal and began to look up information.

There were many papers and case studies regarding Qi and blood compression in the Body Refining Realm.

Most were discouraging.

The higher the Qi and blood compression, the harder it is to condense the prototype of the Source Core when breaking through to the Source Gathering Realm.

If the Qi and blood are too dense, it prevents the Source Qi from taking root smoothly, and the Source Core is prone to collapsing when forming.

In the history of the Human Federation, many geniuses had tried it.

Some were stuck in the Body Refining Realm for over a decade; once their physical peak passed, their Qi and blood began to weaken, and in the end, they could only grow old with regret.

Lu Cheng scrolled down and suddenly saw a name.

Lu Changfeng.

[Human Federation Public Archive: Lu Changfeng, broke through to the Source Gathering Realm after five-fold Qi and blood compression in the Body Refining Realm; Source Core condensation was stable, with no obvious obstacles in subsequent realm improvements.]

Lu Cheng stared at this line of text, his finger stopping.

This name again.

Five-fold Qi and blood to enter the Source Gathering Realm.

This was already one of the most successful cases in the entire Human Federation's public records.

Continuing further, there were people who reached seven-fold compression.

But that person ultimately failed to condense the Source Core, their Qi and blood declined at forty-two, and they eventually died of old age.

Lu Cheng watched for a long time, then finally turned off the terminal.

"Just because others can't do it doesn't mean I can't."

Heart of Resolve increases the maximum Qi and blood value by 40 points every day.

Converted to his current display, that's a stable increase of 0.4 per day.

If the goal is ten-fold compression, the time required isn't exaggerated.

About sixteen days.

Sixteen days in exchange for a Body Refining foundation that might be unprecedented.

This deal is too worthwhile.

Lu Cheng took a deep breath and closed his eyes again.

"Then let's not break through for now."

"Ten-fold Body Refining, let's try it."

The next morning, Lu Cheng was woken up by Avril's notification sound.

The pink-haired virtual girl leaned half her body out of the terminal, a standard smile on her face.

"Student Lu Cheng, your first class today is a large-class theory lecture. The classroom location has been sent; please do not be late."

Lu Cheng rubbed his eyes and got up.

"Avril, your tone is like a death sentence."

"Being late will result in a deduction of academic credits."

"Lead the way."

Under Avril's guidance, Lu Cheng arrived at a large lecture hall.

Many freshmen were already sitting in the classroom.

The people from the Shengwu Society were scattered in the middle area, and the teacher for the class was the old instructor who acted as the head referee during the deathmatch the day before yesterday.

When the old instructor walked in, the classroom instantly went quiet.

His gaze swept across the room, stopped on Lu Cheng for half a second, and quickly moved away.

"Today we are talking about breaking through from the Body Refining Realm to the Source Gathering Realm."

The light screen lit up, and the diagrams of human meridians and Source Qi flow unfolded.

"The Body Refining Realm, simply put, is using Qi, blood, and Source Qi to polish the body. Skin, Tendon & Bone Stage, flesh, organs, Extreme Realm—every step is laying the foundation for the body."

"Starting from the Source Gathering Realm, martial artists truly begin to absorb Source Qi and condense the prototype of the Source Core within their bodies."

The old instructor pointed to the core position on the light screen.

"After the Source Core prototype is formed, the martial artist can briefly burst with Source Power, perform basic martial arts, and their physical recovery ability will be significantly enhanced."

"Starting from this realm, you will gradually move beyond the category of ordinary people."

A student raised their hand.

"Instructor, the higher the Qi and blood compression, the stronger one is after breaking through?"

The old instructor looked at him.

"Theoretically, yes."

Many eyes in the classroom lit up.

The old instructor tapped on the podium.

"Don't get excited too soon.

Compressing Qi and blood will increase the difficulty of condensing the Source Core.

Talent, physical body, spirit, breathing techniques—missing any one of these might lead to failure."

"The Academy does not oppose you pursuing the limit, nor will it bear the consequences for you."

Lu Cheng sat below, listening very carefully.

The old instructor lectured for two hours, going over the core risks, breakthrough preparations, and failure cases of the Source Gathering Realm.

Near the end of the class, he turned off the light screen and suddenly said something.

"There is one more thing: starting this year, the Navigator Academy will officially enter the public eye."

A low murmur rose in the classroom.

The old instructor raised his hand to quiet the noise.

"Starting this week, all students must accept one Academy mission per week."

"If the mission is not completed, corresponding academic credits and points will be deducted."

"If points reach zero, you are directly disqualified from the selection."

When these words fell, the expressions of many in the classroom changed.

Previous selection processes had never had such a rule; mandatory weekly missions were a first.

However, those who could enter the Navigator Academy were basically geniuses from all over; after a brief surprise, more people showed expressions of eagerness to try.

Lu Cheng opened his terminal and checked his schedule; he only had to go to Shen Guhong's for his mentor class in the afternoon, with a gap in between.

He simply went to the mission hall.

Academy missions ranged from S-rank to D-rank.

[S-rank: Deep Ruin Exploration Assistance]

[A-rank: Border Contamination Zone Clearance]

[B-rank: Military Frontline Supplies Escort]

Looking further down, the types of missions were very singular.

Ruin exploration.

Border fighting.

Contamination zone reconnaissance.

Basically all linked to combat.

At this time, the role of the society became apparent.

The Shengwu Society also had a mission system running in the background.

The source of the missions was much broader than the Academy's.

The military, Inspectorate, Reconnaissance Department, police, and various city commissions could all be undertaken through the society's channels.

High-end mission rewards were about the same.

For mid-to-low-end mission rewards, the Shengwu Society's were clearly higher, and the types were more flexible.

Escort, investigation, assistance in arrest, urban anomaly handling, beast material recovery.

Many freshmen quickly discovered this.

By that afternoon, a group of people wanting to join the society appeared at the entrance of the Shengwu Society training gym.

Of course, for President Ji Guyan, it was a headache; a society isn't better just because it has more people, as many need to be screened, and he had a busy time ahead of him.