60: Chapter 6: Special Training for the Hong Army!
It felt as if he had been fighting fiercely for three days and three nights straight, yet deep within, he was filled with the satisfaction of a great harvest.
He glanced at the time on his tactical watch and was instantly stunned.
"Holy crap?! Two days have passed?!" He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. He felt like only half a day had gone by at most!
He hurriedly checked his messages, and sure enough, there were dozens of unread messages and missed calls.
Most of them were from Song Yunle and Chu Weiwei.
[Zhou Heng, Weiwei and I have returned to the fortress first. There are some school matters that need to be handled. The safe house permissions have been opened to you and Chen Ye; you can use it as you wish. Keep in touch. — Song Yunle]
[Zhou Heng, stay safe and get some good rest. — Chu Weiwei]
[Zhou Heng, Song Yunle and I went back first. Contact me when you finish your cultivation. — Chen Ye] (Yesterday)
[Not out yet? — Chen Ye] (Yesterday evening)
[I'm at the safe house. — Chen Ye] (One hour ago)
There were also a few messages from his younger sister, Zhou Xiaoxuan, filled with her daily complaints and greetings.
A warmth spread through Zhou Heng's heart. He hadn't expected that guy Chen Ye to stay behind and wait for him all this time. This brother was someone worth knowing!
He quickly replied to Chen Ye: [Just finished my seclusion, coming back now!]
He carefully placed the stone—still charred black but now with a faint purple current flowing inside—into the safest spot in his spatial ring. Then, dragging his exhausted but excited body, he left the cultivation room.
At checkout, seeing the six-figure star coins deduction, Zhou Heng's heart bled again. "Damn, cultivation really burns through money..."
Back at the safe house, he indeed saw Chen Ye sitting on the living room sofa with his eyes closed, cradling his blade. A faint chill emanated from him; clearly, he was also cultivating.
Hearing the sound of the door opening,
Chen Ye opened his eyes. Seeing Zhou Heng's pale face and eyes that were frighteningly bright, he frowned. "Are you okay? How did you end up like this?"
"I'm fine. The harvest was huge, it was just a bit mentally taxing." Zhou Heng grinned and collapsed onto the adjacent sofa. "Thanks, Ye Zi, for waiting specifically for me."
"It was on the way," Chen Ye said succinctly, handing over a bottle of chilled energy drink.
Zhou Heng took it and gulped down a large mouthful. The icy sensation refreshed his spirit. "Young Master Song and Senior Sister Weiwei went back?"
"Yeah, they left yesterday."
"Alright, then let's head out too! Back to school!" Zhou Heng stood up. Though tired, he was eager to return home.
He couldn't wait to get back and properly study the Thunder Seed and begin attempting to cultivate the Thunder Extreme Blood Burning Art.
Chen Ye nodded and picked up the car keys.
The two went downstairs and got into that domineering military G-Wagon. This time Zhou Heng drove while Chen Ye sat in the passenger seat.
The engine gave a low roar as the vehicle sped out of Tengtian City, racing toward the Donghuang fortress.
They were silent all the way. A few hours later, the familiar, grand silhouette of the Donghuang fortress appeared on the horizon.
Back at Military Martial University, the two first went to the mission hall for the final settlement. Their merits and academic credits were officially credited.
Looking at the skyrocketing numbers in his account, Zhou Heng was in a great mood.
After parting with Chen Ye, Zhou Heng couldn't wait to return to his dorm. He took a hot shower to wash away his fatigue and then fell fast asleep.
The depletion of mental energy couldn't be quickly recovered by yuan energy alone; deep sleep was necessary.
He slept until he lost track of time, only waking up the next day at noon to the notification sound of his tactical watch.
It was an email from his teacher, Hong Yuanhai.
[Zhou Heng, come to my residence at 3 PM today. Prepare to begin special training. — Hong Yuanhai]
"An email from Master Hong!" Zhou Heng sat up with a start, his sleepiness vanishing instantly. "Special training? It's finally here!"
He had long heard that disciples under Master Hong would receive a special training session before the Freshman Tournament. It was said to be incredibly effective and was an exclusive benefit of Master Hong's lineage.
He immediately replied: [Received! Teacher, I will be there on time!]
Checking the time, he had a little over an hour. He quickly got out of bed, washed up, changed into clean training clothes, and adjusted his state to its peak.
After a moment's thought, he took out the bottle of S-grade Yuan Recovery Elixir that Song Yunle had given him from his spatial ring and carefully poured out and drank nearly half a bottle. The pure energy instantly dissolved, nourishing his parched yuan sea and exhausted spirit.
"Good stuff..." Zhou Heng felt his strength rapidly recovering and mused, "Young Master Song is a good guy to know. When he has money, he really gives it away."
At 2:50 PM, Zhou Heng appeared punctually outside Hong Yuanhai's villa.
The courtyard gate was still open. He took a deep breath and walked in.
Hong Yuanhai was still standing in the center of the martial arts field with his hands behind his back, looking like an eternal statue of a thunder god. Sensing Zhou Heng's arrival, he turned around, his gaze like lightning as it swept over Zhou Heng.
"Teacher," Zhou Heng bowed respectfully.
"Mm." Hong Yuanhai nodded slightly, a flicker of surprise flashing briefly in his eyes. "Peak Seven-Star Spirit Awakening, vigorous blood qi, initial thunder bone formation, minor mastery of spear intent... your progress is acceptable. It seems this mission yielded no small harvest."
Zhou Heng was secretly shocked; Master Hong had seen through most of his trump cards at a glance. He was truly formidable. He answered honestly, "I was lucky enough to gain something."
"Luck is also a part of strength," Hong Yuanhai said calmly. "Starting today, we begin special training. My lineage's rule is that before the Freshman Tournament, one must undergo the 'Nine Refinements of the Thunder Prison.' How much you can endure depends on your own fortune."
"Nine Refinements of the Thunder Prison?" Zhou Heng's eyes lit up; the name alone sounded powerful!
"The First Refinement: Thunder Sound Soul Tempering." Hong Yuanhai pointed his fingers like a sword and tapped the air!
Buzz!!!
Zhou Heng felt the surrounding scenery change instantly! It was as if he had been cast into a massive thunder furnace! The familiar martial arts field was gone, replaced by an endless ocean of lightning!
Rumble rumble rumble!!!
The deafening thunder did not come from the outside world but exploded directly in the depths of his soul! Every thunderous sound was like a heavy hammer, violently striking his spiritual consciousness!
"Ugh!" Zhou Heng groaned. He felt a splitting headache, and his consciousness seemed on the verge of being shattered by this terrifying thunder! His thoughts instantly became sluggish and chaotic!
This was not a yuan energy attack but a tempering aimed directly at the spirit, will, and soul!
[Mental energy is undergoing extreme pressure and tempering!]
[Myriad Tribulations Thunder Prison Body is operating automatically to resist!]
[Thunder Breathing Technique is becoming disordered!]
[spear intent is vibrating!]
Hong Yuanhai's cold voice transmitted directly into his nearly collapsing consciousness: "Guard your mind! Draw the thunder sound into your soul to sharpen your will! If you can't hold on, you'll faint. Once you faint, the refinement ends!"
Zhou Heng gritted his teeth, his eyes instantly becoming bloodshot! The veins on his forehead bulged! This pain far exceeded physical torture!
But the ruthlessness in his bones was completely triggered!