Free Web NovelChapter 199: Chapter 132: The Art of Metal and Stone, Senior-Level Potion
"Elite Level..."
"The little brat from back then has really grown up."
Outside Jinshi Boxing Hall, a sigh of admiration echoed from within a black sedan.
The man in black sitting in the back seat raised his hand slightly. A flickering flame suddenly appeared in his palm, and he used it to light the cigarette in his mouth.
The atmosphere inside the car fell silent for a moment, leaving only the sound of an exhale.
Zhou Qiang, in the driver’s seat, had a complex expression, a mix of admiration and envy.
Elite Level. That was enough to establish a foothold anywhere in Ring City. Even the inner circle would have to pay him some respect.
"Let’s go."
Finally, as the smoke drifted away, the man in the back seat spoke softly.
It was as if all his worries had been laid to rest in that moment.
VROOOM!
The engine hummed to life, and Zhou Qiang nodded lightly from the driver’s seat.
The black car drove off, leaving this troubled place for good.
...
TAP, TAP!
Amid the sound of footsteps, a gentle breeze rustled by.
In the boxing hall’s backyard, the green leaves of the trees swayed in the wind, rustling softly.
Vines coiled around the wooden-framed corridor, and the flowers of every color in the flanking flowerbeds released a medley of sweet fragrances.
Lu Chao followed Luo Qianshan all the way to a small concrete hut. His white training uniform was slightly torn, a mark from where Zhan Diao’s claw had struck him earlier.
The muscles exposed underneath were completely unscathed. The Body of Rock and the Iron Bone State had provided him with absolute defense.
One could say that while the previous battle looked like a back-and-forth affair, in reality, he had felt very little pressure.
It wasn’t that Zhan Diao was weak.
In fact, having mastered four Martial Skills and possessing the Thunder Fist, Zhan Diao was easily on par with some peak Elite Level fighters. He wasn’t much weaker than the masters of small to mid-sized halls like Cangyun or Flying Eagle.
But unfortunately for him...
’With the Rock technique and perfect control over all my strength, I’ve already reached the pinnacle of this level.’
"I never expected you to actually succeed in cultivating Rock, and to break through to the Elite Level in one fell swoop."
Luo Qianshan’s tone was filled with admiration as he walked over to the stone table in front of the wooden hut and stopped.
Looking back at Lu Chao, his eyes were full of gratification as he sized him up and down again.
It was as if he were seeing Lu Chao’s talent for the first time again. His eyes brightened, and he said with deep satisfaction, "This Martial Skill... back then, I went through hell and back, suffering through countless hardships in the wilderness, and it still took me a full year to master it."
"And you... you did it in less than four months."
Lu Chao was taken aback, not expecting Luo Qianshan to share this information with him.
Having broken through the hundred-point threshold, Luo Qianshan’s own talent was evident; he was clearly a rare genius.
’And yet, it had still taken him more than twice as long as it took me.’
’It was obvious that my Primary Fortitude talent was a perfect match for this kind of hard-style technique. Every time I pushed my stamina to its limits, it was indirectly accelerating my training speed.’
"Master Luo, you spent a long time in the wilderness?"
After a moment’s consideration, Lu Chao asked, partly in response.
Now that he had broken through to the Elite Level, he could finally perceive the other man’s Life Energy intuitively.
[Life Energy: 140 (Moderately Injured)]
’A full two times my own.’
’Even among the Superpower Level, that wasn’t a weak number.’
’But those two words, ’Moderately Injured,’ were a bit conspicuous. They clearly confirmed the rumors that he had been carrying an old injury.’
"Mm."
Luo Qianshan seemed to have expected his question.
Unlike his usual deep reticence on the subject, he poured a cup of hot tea from the celadon teapot on the stone table.
After taking a small sip, he shook his head gently and said, "Back in the day, I often hunted Mutant Beasts in the wilderness, traveling between the major alliance cities."
"Counting the years, it must have been over twenty years ago."
’Oh?’
Lu Chao’s gaze shifted, though he wasn’t particularly surprised.
He had known that Master Luo was a former Wilderness Hunter even before joining the boxing hall.
This was a profession dedicated to hunting Mutant Beasts, usually on behalf of large corporations or research labs to hunt specific target beasts.
The pay was generally very generous, but correspondingly, the requirements were extremely high.
One needed to be at least Professional Level to be eligible to accept missions, and you also needed a certain network of contacts—middlemen who dealt with the big corporations.
"Back then, I was only at the Elite Level."
A complex look, a flicker of reminiscence, appeared in his eyes.
Luo Qianshan explained, "While I was in the wilderness, I made some friends."
"We hunted beasts together, established ourselves in Red Maple Shelter City, started families, and each of us achieved a measure of success."
"We made some enemies along the way, but they weren’t anything we couldn’t handle."
His tone was calm, devoid of any intense emotion.
Luo Qianshan continued slowly, "Unfortunately, good times don’t last. On one particular trip into the wilderness..."
"By a stroke of luck, we came across a heavily injured Thunder Eagle Beast King. We paid a heavy price, but we managed to kill it."
His eyes grew distant as a flicker of reminiscence crossed his face, his mind drifting to memories of the past.
Hearing this, Lu Chao’s gaze sharpened, and he felt a slight sense of alarm.
’A Beast King.’
’The kings among the Mutant Beasts of the wilderness, equivalent to a Superpower Level human expert who has broken the hundred-point Life Energy threshold.’
’You could say its entire body was a treasure trove. Even heavily injured, it would have been no easy foe.’
’Master Luo had spoken of it lightly, but the price they paid was clearly not low. It was very likely that many people had died.’
"But we never imagined that because of that so-called Beast King’s Life Essence, we would be ambushed."
"After that day, everyone died. I was the only one who barely managed to survive, clinging to life."
Flashes of memory replayed in his mind, but Luo Qianshan didn’t elaborate. Instead, he said in a hollow voice, "The Thunder Eagle Beast King’s corpse disappeared. The Life Essence and all the materials from its body were nowhere to be found."
"After making numerous inquiries, I found my enemy, but he was already dead."
A complex emotion flickered across his face. Luo Qianshan finally shook his head with a sigh, his gaze growing profound once more. "Only later did I find out."
