Chen Chu was very satisfied with these results. The Dragon Elephant True Power the Second Heavenly Realm now granted him had directly doubled the amplification of his strength, giving him a punching strength of over 3900 kilograms and a kicking strength of almost 5700.
The breakthrough had also granted him a sublime transformation. His Physique and Strength attributes had increased by 30 points each, with his strength reaching 100, nearly equivalent to ten times that of an ordinary person.
In addition, Spirit and Agility had each increased by 20 points, making his overall strength skyrocket.
Finally, his defense had experienced a significant boost, enhanced by the elephant skin patterns he had manifested during his breakthrough.. When hitting the alloy test panel with his physical body, he had experienced only a slight discomfort. It made sense, after all; strength and defense were reciprocal, with one enhancing the other.
Among low-level arts, the Dragon Elephant Art belonged in the strongest category, since it simultaneously combined strength and defense. The largest drawback, however, was that its explosive power rapidly consumed stamina.
But, with the utilization of true power, Chen Chu sensed that he could now sustain a full-force onslaught for a maximum of ten moves before reaching exhaustion. If he refrained from unleashing his explosive power and instead maintained a steady state in battle, his current endurance was more than enough for him to fight for an entire day and night.
Next, Chen Chu began cultivating the complementary skill of the second stage of the Dragon Elephant Art—the Dragon Elephant Fury Quake. His arms swept in all directions, and every move and step exuded a ferocious and roaring intensity, like the stomping of an elephant’s legs.
Under the erupting fury of true power, the entire cultivation room seemed to resonate with a buzzing vibration.
It was a little past four in the afternoon when the school bell rang for the end of the day, marking the conclusion of Chen Chu's training for today.
Despite the enhancement of his martial arts through the attribute points, Chen Chu still knew that the daily cultivation shouldn’t be neglected. Every bit of progress counted, after all, even the baby steps, and the reinforcement from the attribute points wasn’t able to do everything. Actual practice was still necessary to become familiar with the art’s skills and techniques.
Arriving on the thirty-third floor, Chen Chu found Luo Fei already engrossed in a book, occupying her usual seat by the window. Due to the overcast weather, however, there was no sunshine as normal to complete the scene.
Browsing the shelves, Chen Chu found a book titled Deductions on the Relationship Between Mutated Beasts and Mythical Creatures.
As Chen Chu took a seat across from her, the young girl raised her head, a smile adorning her lips. However, after a brief moment, she let out a soft hmm and hesitated before speaking.
"Chen Chu, have you made progress in your cultivation again?"
In Luo Fei's eyes, Chen Chu emanated an inexplicable sense of oppression—dense and ferocious. It felt as if a colossal creature were seated right before her, a sensation that hadn’t been present yesterday.
Chen Chu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "...Mhmm, I exchanged for some cultivation resources today. I improved my strength a bit with them."
"Congratulations." The girl smiled, not dwelling on the topic, and pointed to the bag on the table, saying, "By the way, thanks for the shirt yesterday. I've already washed it."
“You’re welcome.” Chen Chu couldn’t help the subtle smile that graced his lips as he recalled her appearance yesterday, after they had gotten caught in the rain. His gaze swept across the pure and beautiful face opposite from him, the smile growing a little wider when he realized the emotions he was feeling.
Yes, I’m in the prime of my youth again. I need to be prudent in most of my actions and decisions, but it’s okay to be a bit more carefree here.
In the subtly romantic atmosphere, Chen Chu casually flipped through the book in his hand. He didn’t pay attention to the words, however, his consciousness instead shifting over to the armored beast.
The armored beast, now one meter in size, slowly opened its eyes. It moved its limbs, leaving deep footprints on the ground with its claws.
Despite its mere one-meter length, it now weighed over a hundred kilograms thanks to its high density and black exoskeleton, rendering its body as heavy as if it were forged from steel.
Underneath the icy surface, about twenty meters deep, Chen Chu directed his avatar to slowly drift through the water. Around it, fish of various sizes swam by from time to time.
The armored beast had no interest in these fish. It simply examined them for abnormalities on their bodies, seeking out mutated species and ignoring the ordinary ones.
After meandering for half an hour, a fierce mutated fish, measuring over two meters in length, suddenly came into its view. The fish had a conical-shaped head with yellow cheeks, and its mouth was wide open, revealing sharp teeth. Its entire body gleamed in the dim light, entirely covered in silver scales the size of a palm.
The armored beast’s eyes lit up, and its tail swung violently, stirring up rolling mud and sand as it shot up explosively from the riverbed.
Just as the beast launched its attack, the mutated fish also noticed it. Rather than evading, the larger fish accelerated towards the beast, its wide-open mouth aiming to snap shut and bite off the armored beast’s head.
The instant the fish was close enough, the armored beast slapped its upper jaw from the side. Under the terrifying force, half of the fish’s head collapsed, immediately annihilating it.
Observing the mutated fish's lifeless body floating in the water, the armored beast approached calmly. It grabbed onto the fish's back with its claws, and with its mouth wide open, it bit down on the fish's head, crushing it directly. Blood mixed with white substances spread in the water, creating a gruesome scene and making the black armored beast appear particularly fierce.
After killing its prey, it was time for the feast. Chen Chu directed the armored beast to tear apart the fish’s body, greedily devouring large chunks of its flesh. It consumed mostly the flesh, bone, and valuable substances like gelatin, leaving only the internal organs intact.
After finishing the meal, it thickened and lengthened at an observable speed.
As Chen Chu continued to hunt and kill mutated fish, his consciousness became increasingly cold and ruthless. He became more decisive and proficient, and tearing and devouring prey alive brought no discomfort. Instead, the brutal slaughters gave him a sense of exhilaration and satisfaction.
Swimming deep into the river for over ten miles, the armored beast hunted and killed another mutated fish, measuring two meters in length. It returned to the cave only after being fully satiated, to digest its meal.
By the window, Chen Chu withdrew his consciousness. A trace of a chilling indifference appeared in his eyes, and his entire demeanor became inexplicably terrifying.
It only lasted for a moment, however. When Chen Chu closed his eyes and opened them again, his gaze had returned to its usual gentleness.
Chen Chu pondered for a moment and said, "It seems like I need to pay attention to this."
Luo Fei closed the book in her hands, lifting her head with curiosity. "Pay attention to what?"
Chen Chu smiled slightly, changing the subject, "It's almost six o'clock. Shall we go back together?"
"Sure." The girl nodded.
Chen Chu followed Luo Fei, putting the books back in their place. He carried the bag with his shirt as they entered the elevator.
Other students, who had also been studying, gradually started to get ready to go home themselves. As more and more of them entered the elevator, Chen Chu moved back slightly, positioning himself between them and Luo Fei, who was in the corner. The two ended up standing quite close to each other as a result of his shielding.