The hefty sum of 65,000 had been completely squandered by Lu Luo. Aside from the single dollar needed to ride the orbital train, he truly didn’t have a cent to his name.
Lu Luo sauntered back to Circle Studio and, amid the scrutinizing gazes of the other four, sat in his old, worn boss chair like a child who had done something wrong.
Zhou Kai, grinning, handed Lu Luo a cup of water and asked in a gentle, concerned voice, "Boss Lu, where did you wander off to these past three days? Did you spend all the money? Was it thrilling?"
They were scared stiff by poverty; Lu Luo was not. In his previous life, he had been well-off, so he simply nodded honestly.
"Spent it all, and yeah, it felt great."
Zhou Kai’s heart bled—65,000! An amount a regular person wouldn’t earn in ten years, just gone like that?
It was the feeling of having just acquired a large sum, only to have it spent by someone else.
A mix of jealousy and frustration made Zhou Kai snarky.
"You really didn’t go to the clubhouse? I heard from Qi Ge that she saw you at New Hope."
"Bullshit! Why would I go to New Hope?" You Xiaoqi was not willing to take the blame for that.
"How could I? As a fine young man of the Wasteland Alliance, I ought to spend money where it matters, not in some lavish clubhouse."
Yeah, right! Of course, you wouldn’t go if it cost money, but if it were free, you’d be the first to charge in.
"Ah, forget it!" Zhou Kai was the only one who knew that Lu Luo had taken not 5,000, but 65,000. This was a detail he had kept even from Gu Fangyi.
Zhou Kai’s financial reports had always listed 10,000, not the full 70,000. Lu Luo hadn’t wanted the others to feel uncomfortable about the money. Once he grew stronger, he would naturally help his brothers rise through the ranks.
Compared to Zhou Kai, the other three looked at Lu Luo with mixed emotions.
Gu Fangyi showed a mix of skepticism and surprise, while You Xiaoqi and Ding Peng were somewhat in disbelief.
You Xiaoqi suddenly kicked over a stool in a probing move. As expected, Lu Luo caught it effortlessly with one hand.
"You’re faster than before. Did you make a breakthrough?"
"If you count this as one, then yeah, I guess."
Lu Luo extended his hand, and a somewhat crude cyclone of air formed in his palm.
As confidants of Ludie, both You Xiaoqi and Ding Peng knew this was the Qi He of the Qi Path. Although the usage of Qi He was rough, it was indeed taking shape.
A breakthrough and Qi He weren’t issues, but how long had it been since Lu Luo got his hands on the "Six Paths" manual?
From the first time he met Ludie until today, it had been 41 days.
This meant Lu Luo had broken through his life’s limit and ascended to Transcendent status in, at most, a mere 41 days?
You Xiaoqi felt somewhat upset. If Lu Luo had indeed become Transcendent within 41 days, where would that leave their so-called genius pride?
There were still long days ahead. What if Lu Luo made another quick breakthrough to Second Tier? How would they get along then? Could they even live together peacefully?
"Lu Luo, care to practice a bit?"
This was a challenge from You Xiaoqi. In theory, a seasoned Second Tier shouldn’t challenge a newly advanced First Tier Transcendent.
But when You Xiaoqi challenged Lu Luo, the others found it to be expected, as if the two were supposed to be on the same level.
The girl can’t sit still; she’s starting to doubt her own talent and hard work. Normally, you would counsel her and help her overcome her doubts, which could result in her offering herself to you out of gratitude. But then, did you forget her arrogant demeanor when you first met? The time to make a strong statement is now!
Would Lu Luo get stage fright? Of course not.
He had just achieved a power increase and was, in fact, so full of himself that he was looking for a target to test his abilities.
You Xiaoqi coming to him was just what he wanted.
What the Observer said made sense—now was the time for a powerful demonstration! As long as he didn’t kill her, he would go all out.
As for losing, that was even less of a concern. No one had thicker skin than him. If he lost, he’d just play dead, and that would be that.
"Sure, let’s just have a go outside the door."
And so, the five high-ranking members of Circle Studio made their thunderous way to the storefront, ready for action.
Some curious ordinary staff stepped out to watch.
Even Brother Aqiang from the neighboring tool shop had heard the commotion and brought a stool over, a melon in hand, to sit at the entrance of his shop.
This position was perfect for spectating without getting in the way, and it also allowed for a bird’s-eye view of Lu Luo.
"Handsome, are you guys going to fight? I’m rooting for you!"
Lu Luo nodded at Brother Aqiang and gave a thumbs up. He hadn’t even turned around when You Xiaoqi made her move.
Youngsters these days have no martial virtue, sneak-attacking a junior like that. Shameful.
"What are you looking at? Being distracted during a fight is the most suicidal behavior."
You Xiaoqi’s voice came from behind Lu Luo. It was only a sparring session, not a fight to the death, so neither of them was using weapons.
That’s also why You Xiaoqi took the opportunity to remind Lu Luo while she was attacking.
You Xiaoqi was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, she had circled around Lu Luo, her small but domineering fist hurtling toward the back of his chest.
She wanted to subdue her opponent in one hit, to give Lu Luo a lesson.
But Lu Luo was not like other people.
Perhaps it was due to his past experience infiltrating the criminal underworld, or maybe he simply didn’t have a proper concept of sparring matches.
In his mind, anyone who sneak-attacked him would face his full might, a deadly response.
So, Lu Luo’s counterattack was fierce. The Mechanical Arm he hadn’t taken off immediately went to full pressure.
The 4 points of force Enhancement added to Lu Luo’s original 6 points of strength instantly brought his power level to a peak of 10 points.
It wasn’t over yet. The rough but immense Qi He began to envelop Lu Luo’s hand, further amplified by Sequence D-00 Extreme.
A punch like that could be almost lethal to a human, and even Second Tier You Xiaoqi was no exception.
Although You Xiaoqi, who cultivated the weapon path, also placed great emphasis on personal attribute Enhancement, her main attribute was agility.
At this moment, her strength wasn’t even at 10 points, naturally not a match for Lu Luo.
Added to the fact that she was unarmed, facing 10 power plus Sequence D-00 Extreme plus Qi He, she almost instantaneously fell into a dire situation.
"Lu Luo, stop! Seven!"
Lu Luo was momentarily stunned. Both the Observer’s prompt and Fat Ding’s warning made him realize that he had struck too hard.
But having just broken through his physical limits and not yet accustomed to his own state, Lu Luo simply couldn’t pull back his strength from such a close distance.
Ding Peng, watching from the side, had already charged over with a double Qi He Outburst: one under his feet for acceleration, and another Qi He solidified on his forearm for defense.
This was the best defensive action he could take under the circumstances. He grabbed You Xiaoqi with one hand while his Qi He-coated arm collided with Lu Luo’s.
Fat Ding’s Qi He skills were far superior to Lu Luo’s, but Lu Luo’s Qi He was too perfect.
This was the most perfect qi-acupoint deciphered by the Grade S Sequence Observer. This meant Lu Luo’s Qi He quality was virtually flawless.
Even with no technique, Lu Luo was still able to match Fat Ding in their clash of Qi.
Ding Peng, holding You Xiaoqi, was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into a wall and creating a huge hole in it.
Lu Luo also flew backward, smashing a flight of stone stairs into pieces, yet he was largely unharmed.
The collision of their Qi He caused a strong airflow that blew the onlookers back.
The other employees of Circle Studio looked at Lu Luo with shock and whispered among themselves.
"So the boss is this powerful! He even punched through a wall."
"Was that a whirlwind just now?"
"I heard that Seven and Fat Ding are Hunters. Is the boss even stronger than Hunters?"
It wasn’t just members of Circle Studio who were astonished. Even the onlooking Brother Aqiang got a huge scare, his melon dropping to the ground.
"It’s over, it’s over! The handsome guy is so strong, I can’t overcharge him next time! Forget it, I’ll give him something next time!"
See? I told you these people are shallow; they start overhyping things they’ve never seen before. Actually... if you hadn’t pulled back just now and had gone all out, you might have really proven your point, even if it meant killing her!
All the whispers of the crowd reached Lu Luo’s ears, but he felt no joy at all, only embarrassment.
Truth be told, he didn’t want it to be . He wasn’t one of those people who show off without considering the consequences. This incident was indeed a wake-up call for him.
I’m too strong. I need to stay low-key!