Free Web NovelChapter 203: Chapter 133: Intermediate Talent: Tough Body
’It’s really an elementary-level resource?’
It inevitably reminded him of the Magic Power crystals.
"That’s not right..."
Lu Chao narrowed his eyes. His keen senses detected a slight difference.
Although this resource was also elementary (deficient), his intuition told him its medicinal energy was a cut below the Magic Power crystals.
"I’ll try it and see."
He didn’t hesitate. Driven by curiosity, he quickly consumed it.
It tasted slightly bitter but was effortless to chew, and he swallowed it down easily.
Very quickly.
BUZZ!
A torrent of violent medicinal power erupted from his lower abdomen, surging to every part of his body. It scoured his meridians and muscles, penetrating deep into his limbs and bones.
In an instant, his devouring growth ability activated, forcibly taming and breaking down the violent medicinal power and transforming it into gentle, warm currents.
"Not enough."
A glint in his eye, Lu Chao perceived the difference.
Although it was also an Advanced Nutritional Resource, the Celestial Brocade Bone-Strengthening Ointment was clearly about twenty percent less effective than a Magic Power crystal.
He wasn’t disappointed, though. The Magic Power crystal had been a complete stroke of luck.
But he had two full portions of this advanced ointment.
Immediately.
Without hesitation, Lu Chao consumed the second portion of the Celestial Brocade Bone-Strengthening Ointment. The heat flowing through his body surged violently.
The combined effect was nearly as intense as the eight mid-grade potions he had taken before.
Sinking his waist and setting his stance, he adjusted his breathing.
Lu Chao immediately followed the training principles of the Golden Stone Fighting Skill, guiding the medicinal power to stimulate his body’s acupoints and maximize the use of every last bit of energy.
Time passed, second by second.
His Potential Progress began to increase.
At the same time, Lu Chao felt something else, too.
It was as if all the medicinal power had been absorbed by his muscles and skeleton, sparking a secondary growth and giving rise to a new ability.
He quickly checked his panel and finally saw the notification.
[Basic Toughness has successfully transformed!]
[You have obtained a new talent specialty: Intermediate Toughness — Body of Toughness!]
As the two messages flashed past, Lu Chao’s eyes narrowed, a hint of pleasant surprise in them.
His [Basic Toughness] had already been in the process of transforming and was on the verge of upgrading.
And at this moment, the two portions of Advanced Nutritional Resources had undoubtedly accelerated this progress!
In other words, he had obtained an intermediate talent specialty!
At this thought, his gaze shifted back to the panel.
[Body of Toughness: An intermediate talent specialty upgraded from Basic Toughness!]
[Effect 1: You will gain a secondary enhancement to your recovery, including but not limited to power, stamina, and spiritual power!]
[Effect 2: You can consume bodily energy to accelerate injury recovery and change your body shape and appearance within a small range! Unless struck in a fatal vital area like the heart or brain, you will be exempt from certain-death states!]
After reading the information, Lu Chao was visibly shaken and amazed.
The effects of an intermediate talent specialty had truly exceeded his expectations.
First, there was the first effect.
The comprehensive, secondary enhancement to his recovery abilities wasn’t a surprise.
He focused his senses. The recovery rate for his stamina, power, and everything else was more than double what it had been. In other words, it was now three to four times that of an expert at the same level.
Because of this, the duration of talents like [Adrenaline] and [Flow State] would likely be extended, and the negative effects of the subsequent weakened state would be reduced.
But that wasn’t the crucial part.
His gaze turned to the second effect.
’Unless struck in a fatal vital area like the heart or brain, you will be exempt from certain-death states!’
His eyes burned with intensity. Lu Chao knew exactly what this meant.
Death! The one thing all living creatures fear most.
And there were countless ways to die.
Sickness, poisoning, excessive blood loss...
In other words, with the blessing of the Body of Toughness, even if his arteries were severed, he encountered a fatal poison, or lost a large amount of blood, he would not die immediately.
The ultimate reason lay in the first half of the second effect.
’Consume bodily energy to accelerate injury recovery.’
This meant that on top of a base recovery rate already three times faster than a fighter of the same level, he could accelerate his healing even further.
"Time to test it."
Acting on the thought, Lu Chao immediately grabbed a military dagger.
But he quickly ran into an awkward problem.
With his Body of Rock, it was already very difficult for him to get injured.
Even if he forced it, he’d probably cause a huge commotion, and the military dagger would likely shatter.
"No, wait."
A glint in his eye, he quickly pulled a pair of python-skin gloves out of a cabinet. They were the Fighting Weapons Brother Hao had given him.
Then, with a few quick movements.
He slipped the glove onto his left hand and extended the silver-steel spikes at the fingertips.
Silver-steel was a special alloy, much sturdier than ordinary metal. Even an Elite Level expert would find it difficult to destroy.
Brimming with curiosity, Lu Chao decided to force it.
He suppressed the instinctive circulation of his Martial Arts Power. The muscles on his left arm bulged as he used a power-generating technique from the Stacked Force Fist to amplify his strength, and he swiped forcefully at the back of his right hand.
He barely tore open a long, thin wound.
Lu Chao stared intently, his expression quickly changing.
Blood had barely begun to well up before the wound started scabbing over with incredible speed.
This was a manifestation of his enhanced recovery ability.
Elite Level experts already had astonishing physiques and powerful recovery, and he had just received a secondary enhancement on top of that.
He immediately tried again, tearing a longer, deeper gash in his arm.
A sharp pain flared, and blood welled from the cut.
Lu Chao gritted his teeth against the discomfort and, following the method provided by the talent’s feedback, began to consume his body’s energy.
It was like extracting a trace of power from every cell in his entire body and gathering it at the location of the wound.
Soon.
The blood solidified and started to scab over. The gash, about a finger long, healed with astonishing speed.
One second, five seconds, ten seconds.
After about a minute.
Lu Chao looked again.
His wound had vanished, scab and all, as if it had never been there in the first place.
"This..."
His expression shifted as he clearly felt the power of this effect.
As long as he had enough bodily energy, and as long as the injuries weren’t too severe, he could heal quickly. Even a severe injury could be reduced to a moderate one in a short time, then gradually to a light injury, and even return to a healthy state.
Now that he fully understood its effects, Lu Chao was secretly astounded.
He recalled how Qiu Shan, an Elite Level expert, had been in such a wretched state simply because his injuries wouldn’t heal, causing his power to decline.
Clearly, that would never happen to him.
’But this accelerated healing must have its limits.’
Focusing again and relying on his perfect control over his body, Lu Chao quickly discovered the ability’s upper limit.
This ’accelerated recovery’ was just a massive, short-term expenditure of bodily energy on top of his natural healing rate, stimulating the rapid growth of flesh and bone cells.
Just like the Frenzy State and his Flow State talent, the effect was extraordinary, but it was all fueled by his own body.
If he were to encounter a severe situation like losing a limb or having his internal organs crushed, it would be very difficult to heal quickly relying solely on his own bodily energy.
’If that really happened, I’d probably need a massive energy supplement to slowly regrow lost bones...’
’The process wouldn’t be easy, and it certainly wouldn’t be quick.’
He now had a rough idea, a clear understanding of this talent’s limits.
Lu Chao wasn’t disappointed. On the contrary, he was more than satisfied.
In his Body of Rock and Iron Bone State, even a peak Elite Level expert would struggle to injure him.
Severe, near-fatal injuries like severed limbs or crushed organs were even less likely to happen to him.
Just the current effect was enough to double his survivability again. He no longer needed to worry in the slightest about ordinary light or moderate injuries.
Furthermore.
With a thought, he looked at the other part of the talent’s second effect.
’Change my body shape within a certain range, and even alter my appearance?’
It seemed like a bonus effect derived from the accelerated healing.
Or maybe it was a special ability he’d gained after his physique’s transformation and his achievement of perfect control over his body.
A little curious, Lu Chao quickly decided to try it out.
A moment later.
As he channeled his bodily energy, his bones and sinews made CRACKLING sounds.
Unlike the passive heightening and muscle expansion of the Iron Bone State, this allowed him to make subtle changes to parts of his body at will, within a limited range.
His limbs, neck, chest, abdomen—anywhere with bone and flesh was under his control.
After some experimentation.
Lu Chao first shortened his bones and sinews, making himself a few centimeters shorter. A moment later, he gave himself uneven shoulders. Then he shot up in height and contracted his muscles, turning into a tall, lanky figure.
His face also underwent subtle changes under muscle control.
For some reason, Lu Chao suddenly realized he had gained a new tool.
A trump card for disguise.
And what’s more, he thought of a certain person.
That high-ranking Rebel cadre wanted by the Superpower Bureau.
Faceless Legos.
