The flat-bodied, ten-meter-wide stingray looked large, but it actually only weighed a few tons. Through a process of simultaneously eating and digesting, the armored beast completely consumed it in just over an hour.
Once the entire stingray was digested, the beast's body visibly grew at an astonishing rate, becoming increasingly hefty as its length extended to nearly three meters.
Having eaten its fill and quenched its thirst, the beast found a coral reef and dug out a deep hole beneath it to serve as a resting spot.
Beneath the sunlight on the hotel rooftop, Chen Chu slowly opened his eyes, reveling in the gradual surge of warmth that emerged from within and coursed through his body. A contented smile graced his face as he savored the sensation.
Even though he hadn’t made any further breakthroughs, Chen Chu's strength continued to steadily increase. In just half a month, his Strength attribute had already surpassed 200 points. After testing, his arm strength had reached 2,400 kilograms, surpassing the basic strength limit of 2,000 kilograms for the Third Heavenly Realm by a significant margin.
The overall growth of all four of his major attributes had also yielded other results. Chen Chu's speed and reaction time were now comparable to those of Third Heavenly Realm cultivators who specialized in agility-based arts.
His exceptionally high Spirit attribute had seemed to enhance his Insightful Eye Realm; his third-stage Insightful Eye was sharper and more acute than described. If there were any other aspects of the Spirit attribute, however, Chen Chu hadn’t found them yet.
Under the simultaneous reinforcement of his avatar, Chen Chu felt increasingly akin to a hexagon warrior[1], with every aspect at least as strong as those of cultivators of the same level, if not stronger.
In a corner of the cultivation ground, Xia Youhui was enveloped in a surge of earthy true power, resembling a heavy tortoise.
"Hahaha... I've finally broken through to the Third Heavenly Realm," Xia Youhui exclaimed, opening his eyes with a triumphant laugh.
It had been a month and a half since Xia Youhui's breakthrough to the Second Heavenly Realm. Ever since he had come to Kyrola, he had engaged in multiple battles and devoted himself to arduous cultivation using high-level resources.
Finally, all of that effort had paid off.
From afar, Bai Mu, Liu Feng, Li Meng, and others who were engaged in their daily practice bouts couldn't help but cast envious glances at the scene.
Who would've thought that this guy, who didn't even make it into the top fifty, would actually break through to the Third Heavenly Realm ahead of us? Is there any justice left in this world?
Seemingly aware of what they were thinking, Xia Youhui stood up and glanced over at them, smirking. "What's the matter, feeling resentful? Want to spar? Don’t worry, I don’t bully weaker opponents. You can all come at me once."
"Damn it, he’s too arrogant."
"Since you put it that way, it would be rude of us to refuse. Come on, let's go together."
With a low growl, Liu Feng and the other two, all in the late stage of the Second Heavenly Realm, unleashed powerful auras, creating fierce gusts of wind as they lunged towards Xia Youhui.
Li Meng charged in from the forefront, brandishing his heavy hammer with a ferocity akin to an enraged bear. The hundred kilogram hammer thundered down, seemingly shattering the very air as it descended.
The hammer slammed into the heavy shield, instantly unleashing a shockwave that ruptured the air within a meter radius around them. Despite the ferocious onslaught, Xia Youhui, whose shield was covered in yellow true power, stood steadfast, emanating a weighty and imposing presence akin to that of a towering mountain.
Bai Mu and Liu Feng appeared on either side of Xia Youhui. With swords in hand, they unleashed a fierce onslaught, slicing down with ear-piercing gusts of wind. Their attacks were ruthless and didn't resemble mere sparring at all.
"Good timing! Witness my Black Tortoise Shifting Mountains!" With a low shout, Xia Youhui's aura surged, and a yellow light shimmered around him, accompanied by a faint, invisible gravitational force.
The swords that were originally aimed at his sides were pulled to instead strike the shield, but the yellow true power attached to it didn't even waver in the slightest.
Xia Youhui sneered. "Did you all skip your meals? Put some more effort into it."
"Ah, I refuse to believe I can't break through your tortoise shell!"
Feeling mocked, the three no longer wasted words. They relentlessly attacked the thick shield, no longer caring about techniques or attacking Xia Youhui from behind. They simply refused to believe that a mere difference in Realm could prevent them from even budging a single heavy shield, especially when they combined their efforts.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Sharp swords slashed, and Li Meng unleashed the force of the Primordial Might Hammer, his blows coming down in a wild and chaotic barrage. Despite this onslaught, both Xia Youhui and his shield remained unwavering.
Just as he had said, once he absorbed the earthly aura from the Profound Yellow Crystal to break through to the Third Heavenly Realm, his defense would reach a terrifying level. He was even impervious to the relentless onslaught of Li Meng, who had once easily bested him when they had both been in the First Heavenly Realm.
Such was the terror of true martial arts. With the embodiment of the Third Heavenly Realm's true power, the differences between each individual's primary technique would become increasingly apparent. The ones specializing in defense grew more and more impervious, while those focusing on speed became faster and faster...
As Chen Chu strolled into the training area in his black military uniform to start limbering up, he observed Li Meng and the other two gasping for breath as they sat on the ground.
In front of them, Xia Youhui wore a smug expression as he mocked them.
Curious, Chen Chu walked over and asked, "What are you guys up to?"
Liu Feng, with an expression of indignation, said, "Chen Chu, you've come at just the right time. Come on, give this guy a good beating. He's too arrogant just because he broke through to the Third Heavenly Realm."
"Old Xia broke through?" Chen Chu's face lit up with a smile.
He wasn't surprised. Despite his tough talk, Xia Youhui had been truly diligent in his cultivation ever since they had first arrived in Kyrola. With the high-level resources and other factors, it was rather expected for him to break through ahead of Lin Xue and the others.
Not that Lin Xue was very far behind. She had mentioned in the group chat a few days ago that her progress seemed to be approaching a breakthrough as well, estimating that it wouldn’t take more than half a month. After all, she was the class monitor, the most talented in their class.
Xia Youhui grinned triumphantly. "Of course! I've always said I'm a genius. It's just that I used to be too lazy to practice, otherwise An Fuqing wouldn’t be a big deal."
...All four of them immediately fell silent at that.
This guy is good in every aspect, but his habit of boasting and talking big makes you want to smack him sometimes. It was bad enough with Lin Xue, but now he's comparing himself to that monster An Fuqing?
Observing the situation, Chen Chu felt an urge for some action. "Old Xia, I'd like to test your defense as well. How about we have a little sparring match?"
In his excited state, Xia Youhui was about to agree, but then hesitated. "Forget it, you're even more of a monster. I don't want to get beaten up."
Although Chen Chu hadn’t mentioned anything, both Xia Youhui and Liu Feng felt that this guy must have quietly broken through to the Third Heavenly Realm at some point.
Recently, the invisible sense of oppression emanating from him had grown stronger and stronger. Every time they met him, it had felt like they were facing not a person, but a dormant colossal beast.
This was also why Liu Feng had urged Chen Chu to beat Xia Youhui up.
The door to the individual cultivation room in the distance opened, and Li Hao strode out. Since breaking through to the Third Heavenly Realm, his aura had made his formidable two-meter physique even more astonishing. Just being near him made everyone feel a heavy and oppressive force bearing on them.
It was like a giant was approaching, somewhat similar to Chen Chu.
Li Hao's gaze swept over Chen Chu, and he suddenly said, "I heard you guys talking about Xia Youhui breaking through to the Third Heavenly Realm just now. Perfect timing. I have a plan here and I'm wondering if you guys are interested."
1. The nickname ‘hexagon warrior’ originally referred to Ma Long, a five-time Olympic gold medalist with 26 world championship titles. One of the best table tennis players the world has ever seen, Ma was given the nickname by a Japanese media outlet, which published a hexagonal chart evaluating a player’s strength, speed, skills, serving, defending and experience. According to their evaluation, Ma was given full scores in every aspect. The nickname later caught on among Chinese netizens, who also use it for anyone who is well-rounded and among the best in their field ☜