Chapter 518: Breaking Through! Potential Perfected!

Grey Feather fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.

Her gaze passed through the window, landing on the distant skyline.

That was the end of the northwestern wilderness. Beyond that lay the wastelands of the Northern Territory, and even further up, past the atmosphere, was the cosmic Starry Sky.

“I suppose so,” she said softly, as if confirming a certain guess.

Ultimately, after exchanging one last glance with Lu Chao and instructing him to leave his contact number, she spoke.

“I’m leaving.”

Before her voice could even fade, her figure disappeared from the spot.

The wind from outside the window blew in gently, carrying the chill of late autumn.

Lu Chao walked to the window and swept his gaze across the street, but he could no longer see her figure.

“Non-human Level…”

His eyes flickered with thought.

Today’s events had happened rather suddenly. Lu Chao had never expected to suddenly gain a senior martial sister at the Non-human Level.

Moreover, her formidable strength in manipulating Force Fields far surpassed his own. He felt that perhaps only Mr. Ji could defeat her.

With this thought in mind, he remarked, “Fortunately, she means no harm.”

Lu Chao shook his head. Recalling their recent interaction and her instructions, he concluded that, at least for now, her words and actions held no ill intent and seemed fairly sincere.

“MEW~~”

Ghost Element let out a low cry, seemingly in protest.

It had never felt such a threatening presence before, and earlier, it hadn’t dared to resist in the slightest.

“Heh.”

Chuckling, Lu Chao stroked its soft fur in a comforting gesture.

He naturally realized that Grey Feather had been worried Ghost Element might lose control, turn against him, and hurt him, which was why she had deliberately intimidated the creature earlier.

A subtle trace of emotion welled up in his heart. It had been a long time since he last felt what it was like to be cared for by someone.

With this thought, Lu Chao looked at the small disc-shaped storage device in his hand.

This sudden gift had come at the perfect time.

Whether she harbored genuine goodwill or perhaps had some ulterior motive…

At the very least, his own strength would never deceive him.

“PHEW…”

At this thought, Lu Chao exhaled a heavy breath of stale air, his gaze gradually growing profound and calm.

It was time to break through.

….

Several days later, in Fortress Mountain City.

The morning mist had not yet completely dispersed when sunlight spilled down, falling upon the lands of Mountain City.

Residents emerged one after another onto the cobblestone streets, and the rubble of previously collapsed buildings had already been cleared away.

Engineering teams from the Alliance Country were busy pouring concrete, paving roads, and constructing buildings, while squads of patrolling soldiers kept watch from atop the fortress walls.

“Have you heard? News came back from the frontline. The military forces are almost fully assembled.”

“In a few days, we’ll be marching north. I won’t lie—I’m actually a bit nervous.”

“It’s fine. With Inspector Chen and the various commanders leading us, we’ll definitely earn a lot of military merits on this northern campaign…”

Such discussions echoed in every corner of Fortress Mountain City. Members of the Superpower Bureau guarding the command tower rotated shifts, and armored vehicles rolled down one by one from transport trucks.

Quietly, more and more military forces gathered in Mountain City. All seven major city circles in the northwestern region had dispatched armies and Superpower Level experts.

The black cat lounging by the window of the Cultivation Chamber watched this scene in silence. The sunlight reflected in its ruby slit pupils, making them gleam as brilliantly as amber.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, it turned its head to look inside the room.

SWOOSH!

Inside, Lu Chao stood bare-chested, his feet planted on the ground as steadily as an ancient pine.

With every breath he took, streams of white air swirled around him, blending seamlessly with the mist of his sweat until the two were indistinguishable.

Furthermore, with a heavy WHOOSH!

Amidst the heavy sound of his exhaling, the pores of his skin trembled. Wisps of sweat vapor sprayed out from them, lingering and drifting until they filled almost over half the space inside the Cultivation Chamber.

Looking closely, the veins on his body bulged like twisting roots, and his muscles were stacked like solid rock. Every inch of his flesh seemed to possess a life of its own, quivering violently along with his skin.

His body seemed to be undergoing a secondary tempering as a result. A rushing SWISH SWISH sound of surging vitality and blood echoed from within him, roaring like ocean waves.

Finally, a deep HUMMM rang out!

Brown Qi Flame surged from his body, enveloping him entirely.

The condensed Qi Flame surprisingly gave off a liquid-like sensation as it flowed into every inch of his muscles, slowly coalescing.

“Just a little more.”

Lu Chao’s eyes flashed like lightning. He had long since entered a state of ultimate focus and spiritual clarity, elevating his comprehension and accelerating his thought processes.

He could clearly feel the Qi Flame within him expanding to a critical tipping point, like a deep pool brimming with water.

That invisible barrier still blocked his path; he was only a hair’s breadth away from breaking through.

With this in mind, he looked ahead at a wooden table where six glass boxes sat.

Five of them were completely empty, leaving only one that still contained an orange-yellow crystal.

In a split second, without any hesitation, Lu Chao picked up the Essence of Qi before him and tossed it into his mouth.

CRUNCH… CRUNCH…

Amidst the chewing sounds, he consumed this resource that had been transported from the city circles—an item he had requisitioned in exchange for sixty thousand contribution points.

By this moment, he had long reached the absolute limit of the Exploration Level at 239 points.

And now, a resonant HUMMM echoed!

The frenzied medicinal efficacy diffused once more, merging with the remnants of previously undigested nutrients.

Like a surging river torrent crashing through his body, it continuously transformed into nourishment, causing his Qi Flame to coalesce and draw inward.

His eyes shining brightly, Lu Chao immediately followed the core principles of the 3rd Floor of the Ten Thousand Spirits Martial Arts Skill, “Ten Thousand Spirits.” He adjusted his breathing, guiding the Qi Flame to converge and retract into his pores.

Time and time again… Over these past few days, he had experienced many failures.

Even with his insights and experiences, he still needed to digest and fully understand them.

However, Lu Chao didn’t feel discouraged in the slightest; instead, he grew increasingly confident in himself.

Failure wasn’t without its rewards. Through countless trials, he had accumulated a wealth of experience, thoroughly integrating the breakthrough insights provided by his senior sister, Grey Feather.

At the same time, he also fused the martial epiphanies he’d gained during his battle against the Clare People into his mind.

And this time… HUMMM!

The brown Qi Flame retracted, coating his body. Under his highly efficient energy manipulation, it gathered steadily, flooding every single pore.

It was like water on the ground finding tiny crevices and seeping in effortlessly, or like countless streams of energy being compressed and fused together.

He flawlessly controlled every ounce of the Qi Flame. Like a liquid explosive discovering its point of equilibrium, the energies merged and swirled incessantly without dissipating.

Finally, the Qi Flame on the surface of his body vanished completely without a trace, revealing his knotted, sturdy muscles.

Lu Chao took a sharp breath, his chest inflating and expanding at a visible rate.

“HAA!”

HUM! BANG!!

The air exploded with a thunderous crack!

Countless blasts of brown air currents erupted from his skin’s pores.

It was like a massive energy explosion, sending shockwaves in all directions!

Even with Ghost Element using its Spiritual Power to interfere with reality and protect the entire room…

The Cultivation Chamber still jolted with a violent BOOM, shaking and quaking fiercely.

Shallow craters were blasted into the sturdy floor, and the metal walls on both sides shuddered with a CRACKLE, developing long, slender fissures.

Amidst the CRACK CRACK sound of splintering metal, Lu Chao’s gaze intensified. He clearly felt a certain bottleneck being forcefully shattered by him.

The Qi Flame within his body underwent a metamorphosis at this very moment, while his vibrating skin and muscles welcomed a new, secondary tempering.

“I did it!”

With a bright, piercing gaze, he instantly knew that he had finally broken through the shackles of the Transcendence Level.

All the remaining nutrients were rapidly converted into bodily energy, greedily absorbed by his evolving physique.

His Qi Flame, his bones, his flesh and blood…

Lu Chao could feel every ounce of his strength continuously growing and rejuvenating at this moment, while the absolute upper limit of his Life Energy was raised yet again.

Subconsciously, he shifted his gaze to his interface panel.

[Life Energy: 239 -> 240!]

The shifting numbers appeared before him, making his eyes shine even brighter.

However, without pausing, he moved his gaze down to look at another column.

[Potential Progress: 97%… 98%… 99%…]

Consuming so many nutritional resources in one breath naturally wasn’t just for the sake of breaking through the Transcendence Level.

Whether it was facing the geniuses of the Clare, or the impending northern crusade…

Or resolving that lingering grudge with Biotechnology…

The strength he sought wasn’t as simple as merely breaking through the Transcendence Level.

HUMMM!

In a flash, once all the nutrients were completely digested…

The panel data in Lu Chao’s line of sight shifted once again, accompanied by a series of notifications.

[Potential Progress: 100%]

[Potential Perfected!]