Chapter 81: Chapter 81: The 1st-Place Reward from the Military Department Test Arrives

"Agreed."

[Optimizer Wu Hao has entered Pod 8]

As a mechanical, electronic voice sounded, the figure of a well-built young man materialized in the center. He appeared in a similar fashion to the faceless man: fluorescent blue streams of light converged into a model, and then color washed over it, starting from the soles of his feet and rising upward.

He wore loose-fitting black capri pants and a black tank top that couldn’t contain the massive muscles of his arms. Sweat dripped down his face. With a pair of thick, dashing eyebrows and large, frank eyes, he glanced at Jiang Qiu, cupped his hands in greeting, and smiled. "My name is Wu Hao, from Pod 10."

"Jiang Qiu, Pod 8."

Jiang Qiu also cupped his hands and stood his ground, his brow furrowing slightly and the corners of his mouth tightening.

’Wu Hao,’ Jiang Qiu thought. ’Ranked second on the Body Technique leaderboard. He’s already mastered the Five-Star difficulty Martial Gang Step, and his body has been cultivated to the torso stage of the Steel Bone Realm. He’s definitely on track to be one of the top ten prodigies.’

’He still has traces of sweat on his face. He must have just finished training and immediately requested a projection here.’

"Sorry to bother you," Wu Hao said. "I just finished training and noticed Pod 8 had been activated. When I saw that the chosen training focus was Shadow Stepping, I was a little surprised, so I thought I’d come pay a visit."

Wu Hao’s bright eyes sized up the young man before him, who stood ramrod straight despite his exhaustion. A flicker of amazement crossed his eyes as he inwardly marveled, ’Does it really say he’s been in a practical sparring state for ten hours? How is he still standing...’

’When I first reached the torso stage of the Steel Bone Realm, I couldn’t wait to learn the Martial Gang Step. But in less than three hours, the faceless man teaching it beat me so badly I couldn’t even lift my head.’

’It took me over a year of grueling training just to go from being a passive punching bag to actively making my own moves. Even when I finally grasped the Martial Gang Step, I still couldn’t defeat the faceless man.’

’And the Martial Gang Step isn’t even as difficult as Shadow Stepping. In the entire prodigy program, aside from Lin Wei, no one else is learning it, because no one else can.’

’I heard that the recent large-scale test selected a new Optimizer—a Horizontal Training genius who crippled King Niu’s right arm all by himself. I wanted to come say hello and get acquainted.’

’But then I glanced at the Virtual Training Pod directory and saw he was cultivating Shadow Stepping... the most difficult Body Technique below Tier Two...’

The thoughts flashed through his mind, and a complex light flickered in Wu Hao’s eyes.

He had heard this Optimizer named Jiang Qiu had given an astonishingly skilled performance during the major test. He’d figured Jiang Qiu would be another proud Horizontal Training genius who had appeared out of nowhere.

But he never thought he’d be *this* arrogant. To actually plan on using the single remaining month to learn Shadow Stepping?

Even Yang Zheng, who had the deepest comprehension of this Body Technique back in the day, wasn’t this ballsy!

’Officer Liu Qi couldn’t possibly have failed to explain the pros and cons of this choice. It must be that he insisted on it.’

’What a peculiar man.’

"Jiang Qiu, Shadow Stepping is not easy to learn," Wu Hao said, striding forward, his voice sincere. "Other Optimizers have chosen this path before. Three years later, while others had mastered two or three Spear Skills, that person couldn’t even walk properly anymore. A month isn’t a long time. It’s really hard to find a way forward with cultivating Shadow Stepping. You’d be better off trying more sparring exchanges. An occasional match is better than you purely focusing on learning Shadow Stepping."

’Sparring exchanges?’

Jiang Qiu’s brow twitched. He had a good idea of what Wu Hao meant.

After all, if even the faceless man could project a sense of power, the projections between Optimizers couldn’t be much different. In some ways, it could be comparable to a real combat match.

For others, this was a good way to quickly identify their own shortcomings. But for him, it was of little significance.

’There is only one path for me now: reach the Jade Sinew Realm as quickly as possible and fight for the top spot among the ten great prodigies!’

With this in mind, he shook his head. "No need. I think it’s more suitable for me to continue learning Shadow Stepping."

"..."

Wu Hao’s mouth twitched. ’What a proud and arrogant kid. Is Shadow Stepping something you can just decide is "suitable" for you?’

"Alright, I won’t disturb you any longer," he said, waving his hand. Before his figure dissipated, he left a final remark: "There’s no point in just training alone. If you get tired of your cultivation, you can find me for a sparring exchange."

’He’s gone already?’

Jiang Qiu’s brows furrowed and then relaxed. "Open the door. End today’s training."

CLICK. The large steel door swung open. The lights inside the training pod gradually dimmed. He let his arms hang limp and walked step by step back to the lounge. With a THUD, he collapsed onto the sofa, his eyelids drooping.

"Sparring exchanges, he says. If I keep ’exchanging,’ my limbs will be corroded off."

After lying there for a while, he used the base’s network to order ten catties of roasted Cyan Feathered Bird. Enjoying dinner would serve as his rest time.

[Extremely Low-Quality Body Refining x1]

A warm current flowed from his intestines to his limbs and bones. His organs, muscles, and skin gradually relaxed, and his mood lightened considerably along with them.

A DING-DONG from the doorbell interrupted Jiang Qiu’s chewing. He casually wiped the grease from his lips and walked quickly to the door.

CLICK—

Yang Yu appeared in the hallway, drenched in sweat. A damp, black short-sleeved shirt clung to her upper body. Her cheeks were flushed and red, and she was breathing lightly.

Glancing down, he could see she was carrying an alloy briefcase in her left hand and clutching an ID Card in her right. He caught a glimpse of the two words on it: "Liu Qi."

"Jiang Qiu, these are the rewards for placing first in the Military Department’s test. Officer Liu Qi is still at the base hospital for a check-up and couldn’t come, so I’m delivering them on his behalf..."

"Thank you for your trouble."

TAP, TAP, TAP. Yang Yu followed Jiang Qiu into the lounge with light steps.

She placed the briefcase flat on the solid wood table in front of the sofa. With a CLICK, she fiddled with the combination lock, her voice clear and sincere. "The rewards for this test are substantial. The top ten all receive one Gong Su Fragrance, one Qiang Su Fragrance, one Bone Su Fragrance, ten Wusu Fragrances, and ten Contribution Points, plus a 5% increase to their buyback price.

However, since you came in first, you get an extra Gong Su Fragrance, one hundred Contribution Points, and your buyback price increases by 10%.

There’s also a Bone Su Fragrance inside that General Mo specially approved for you..."

Jiang Qiu blinked. Hearing a soft DING, he saw the briefcase was open, revealing more than a dozen vials of different colors nestled in black foam, like a cluster of colorful stars.

"So much Su Fragrance."

He licked his gums, his eyes as clear as mirrors. One by one, the reflections of the vials appeared in his eyes as he picked them up with his slender fingertips. With a series of crisp CLACKS, he set them down on the solid wood table, arranging them in a row.

’If I used all of this for a medicinal bath at once, that feeling...’

HISS...

"With all this Su Fragrance, you should be able to close the Realm gap between you and Lin Wei," Yang Yu said, lightly biting her lip. She looked at him with wide eyes that held a hint of expectation. "You’ve used the Virtual Training Pod, right? How did it feel?"

"It felt great."

A pleased smile lifted the corners of Jiang Qiu’s mouth. He sighed casually, "It’s just that my body’s Realm can’t quite keep up with the training intensity of Shadow Stepping. I might have to wait and see after I use the Bone Su Fragrance for a medicinal bath..."

"Tonight?" Yang Yu blinked, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her T-shirt. Her gaze drifted to the vials lined up on the table, and she bit her lip. "You’re a Horizontal Training genius, so you should be able to try a medicinal bath with two doses of Bone Su Fragrance at once. The progress would be very fast.

If you agree, I can stay here and watch over you until midnight, in case you can’t handle the stimulation from the bath and pass out..."

’Watch over me until midnight?’

Jiang Qiu’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly shook his head. "No, it’s fine. I can do it alone. I don’t need to trouble you."

"But using two doses of Bone Su Fragrance at the same time is extremely stimulating. If your body can’t take it and you fall unconscious, you could be seriously injured."

Yang Yu’s Bright Eyes were wide, like a fledgling eagle stubbornly insisting on joining the flight—a mix of naivete and obsession.

"I’ve always come this far on my own. I’m not someone who needs to be watched over even for a medicinal bath."

Jiang Qiu’s resolute voice struck Yang Yu’s heart like a hammer. Her pupils trembled, and her gaze gradually dimmed. "Fine. I hope you can grasp Shadow Stepping. Goodbye."

"Mm, goodbye."

Glancing at the door as it CLICKED shut, Jiang Qiu sighed softly. He snatched the two silver-white vials from the solid wood table and strode toward the bathroom.

With a CLICK, the inner glass door slid shut. SPLASH. Hot water gushed from the showerhead into the bathtub.

When the tub was two-thirds full, he flicked open the caps with his thumb. DRIP, DRIP. The two doses of Bone Su Fragrance fell into the water like molten lava. He ripped off his sour, stinking clothes and lay down naked in the water.

Just like last time, the Bone Su Fragrance was like gallium dissolving metal. It seeped into his skin, passed through his flesh and blood, and clung to the bones of his legs like an army of ants, all without him noticing at first.

VMMMM—

Suddenly, a chill pierced Jiang Qiu’s heart. His pupils contracted violently. CHOMP! His upper teeth slammed down on his lower teeth. His eyes bulged like an ox’s. His entire torso went rigid in the tub as the soles of his feet curled, clenching tight.

CRACK, CRACK, CRACK— 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The leg bones, strong enough to withstand dozens of Powerful Penetration bursts, were shattered as easily as rotten wood, ground into dust. An intense pain, like a colossal tsunami, surged up from his lower body, overwhelming his heart, which was already pounding like a radar!

"ARGH—"

A low roar couldn’t force his clenched jaw open, but it was as if Thunder, brewing on a cloudy day, was rampaging in his throat. Veins bulged on Jiang Qiu’s face, which was flushed beet-red. His eyes were so bloodshot they looked like a demon’s claws!

The essence of the Bone Su Fragrance melted into his leg bones and began to reforge them.

He ground his gums, his fists cracking, wishing he could crawl out of the bathtub.

[High-Quality Body Refining x1]

[Body Metamorphosis]