Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Experience Baby-Extraordinary Talent(A faint, distant smile)

Luo Shui was completely stunned, her delicate face full of confusion. She suddenly felt as though she barely recognized Wang Jue, her childhood friend, after just a few days apart. No—that was wrong. It wasn’t just that he’d changed; he seemed like a wholly different person.

If the old Wang Jue had been someone who faded into the background, the man before her now radiated confidence from every pore. Luo Shui couldn’t fathom where his new self-assurance came from, but her beautiful eyes watched him anxiously as he strode into the gravity chamber, afraid he’d end up just like Lin Zifeng before, thrown out in disgrace.

Wang Jue made straight for the entrance of the gravity chamber. The crowd began to whisper among themselves, unable to understand what gave Wang Jue the courage to step inside at such a moment.

“Does this guy really think he’s stronger than Lin Zifeng?”

“That’s impossible. Lin Zifeng’s already reached the Spirit Convergence Stage, you know.”

“Let’s just hope he doesn’t get tossed out like the last guy.”

“…”

Under a barrage of bewildered stares, Wang Jue arrived at the heavy door, pushed it open, and stepped inside.

Bang!

The door closed automatically behind him.

In the next instant, Wang Jue felt the pull of one-times gravity. Even though his body was now comparable to that of a Spirit Convergence Stage martial artist, he still found the pressure uncomfortable. It was as if his whole body, even his internal organs, were being suppressed by some invisible weight. Even breathing was much harder than it was outside.

“It’s uncomfortable, yes, but if I have to adapt, it won’t be too difficult,” he mused, quickly scanning the room.

The gravity chamber was just over sixty square meters, and about a dozen tall youths were engaged in brutal physical training. Yet Wang Jue’s gaze didn’t linger on them—instead, he eyed the transparent bubbles scattered across the floor.

Seeing so much experience awaiting him, Wang Jue resisted the urge to collect them right away. He decided to give his body a moment to adjust to the new environment—if a fight broke out too soon, he’d be at a disadvantage.

Clearly, these people were no strangers to the gravity chamber, judging by how at ease they appeared. He, on the other hand, was new to this. The first time always took some getting used to.

It must be said: Wang Jue, a living, breathing figure standing there, was difficult for anyone to ignore.

“Huh… Someone else actually dared to come in?”

A buzz-cut youth soon noticed Wang Jue by the door. He cracked his neck, then barked rudely, “If you know what’s good for you, get out, now! Otherwise, I’ll break your leg and throw you out, just like the last guy.”

Wang Jue offered no reply. His expression merely grew cold as he swept a calm glance over the youth, then crooked his finger in a silent provocation.

“Looking for trouble!” The buzz-cut youth, enraged by the taunt, charged forward in a few strides and swung a vicious right hook at Wang Jue’s head.

By now, Wang Jue had more or less adapted to the gravity. Sensing not the slightest threat from this opponent, he calmly raised his own fist to meet the blow.

Retreat in the face of difficulty? No—he would face it head-on!

A moment later, their fists collided.

Crack—

A sound like an eggshell shattering echoed in every ear present.

In that instant, the buzz-cut youth’s eyes bulged with pain, his face twisted in agony. He felt as if the bones in his fingers, wrist, arm, and even shoulder had all shattered under the force of a thousand-pound hammer. The agony was so sharp that he opened his mouth, but not a sound came out.

It was absurd. Wang Jue himself didn’t even know the true extent of his strength. He might not yet have reached the Spirit Convergence Stage, but he was far beyond what a mere Body Tempering practitioner could withstand!

“Ah…”

The next second, a bloodcurdling scream rang out.

The buzz-cut youth was sent flying back several meters by Wang Jue’s punch, collapsing to the floor and rolling in pain, clutching his battered arm. He was clearly out of commission.

“What on earth…?”

“He just shattered a Ninth Level Body Tempering with one punch?”

“Is he a Spirit Convergence martial artist?”

“Damn, that was brutal!”

The other young men from the surrounding towns were all horrified, realizing that Wang Jue was by no means an ordinary opponent.

He was a genius, no weaker than Lin Zifeng—perhaps even stronger!

[Experience +9]

Wang Jue’s eyes gleamed as he saw five bubbles appear by the fallen youth.

Five at once?

He couldn’t help but speculate—did defeating an opponent drop more bubbles than they’d lose through training? If so, then every victory would net him more experience, and his progress would accelerate several times over.

“So, I may have just found a shortcut to rapid experience gain…”

With a thought, Wang Jue swiftly collected the bubbles. Over forty experience points from a single fight—still a drop in the bucket compared to the two million he needed, but it was a start.

“Looks like I’ll have to be proactive in harvesting these opportunities,” Wang Jue mused, lifting his gaze to the remaining towering youths.

The look he gave them was almost predatory. In Wang Jue’s eyes, they weren’t people at all, but walking bundles of ‘experience points’ delivered right to his door.

“We can’t take him one at a time—everyone, together!”

Exchanging glances, the outsiders immediately prepared to attack in unison, intent on avenging their fallen companion, unconcerned with notions of fair play.

Unfortunately for them, Wang Jue was no fool. He wasn’t about to stand still and let them coordinate their assault.

His eyes darkened, and with a flash of his advanced footwork, he shot toward the nearest youth in white.

The white-clad youth was just about to throw a punch when Wang Jue, moving far faster than him, struck first. Borrowing the same sweeping kick Lan Yiyi had once used against him, Wang Jue’s leg crashed into the young man’s chest.

Crack—

It was as if a speeding truck had hit him; several ribs snapped, and the youth was hurled across the room.

Bang!

He crashed into the wall with a resounding thud, knocked unconscious.

[Experience +9]

Another batch of bubbles appeared. Just as Wang Jue had hoped, defeating an opponent yielded far more experience.

He gathered the new bubbles without hesitation and lunged for the next target—a youth whose arms bulged with muscle.

This so-called Kirin-Armed youth had already been frightened half to death by Wang Jue’s display of power. His first instinct wasn’t to fight—it was to flee!

But with Wang Jue’s advanced footwork, he was several levels faster; there was no chance for escape. In a blur, Wang Jue caught up and, with a casual slap, sent the youth flying, his face grotesquely contorted from the blow.

After dispatching this one, Wang Jue didn’t immediately grab the experience bubbles, but instead threw himself at the next.

Bang!

…

Under Wang Jue’s overwhelming assault, only one remained standing—a hulking, over two-meter-tall muscle-bound brute. The rest lay groaning and writhing on the floor.

Wang Jue, ever efficient, didn’t forget to scoop up the experience bubbles that had dropped during their training. With the added windfall from defeating a dozen Ninth Level Body Tempering opponents, he’d accumulated quite a haul.

Though this batch didn’t match the spoils of his previous endeavors, it was still a respectable gain. In less than three minutes, he’d netted over three thousand experience points—more than satisfying.

“Not bad at all. As expected, the Ninth Level Body Tempering fighters yield more experience. If only they were Spirit Convergence martial artists…”

His heart surged with excitement as he eyed his growing experience tally. “Now, time to deal with the last one!”

Pick the softest fruit, as the saying goes. Wang Jue understood the principle well. With the underlings dispatched, it was time for the main event.

His gaze settled on the last standing youth—a foreigner, bald as an egg, even more imposing and savage in bearing than Niu Meng. His arms bulged with muscle, thicker than most men’s thighs.

“Come on, boy!” the muscleman bellowed, trying to bolster his own courage. “I’m right here. If you’ve got what it takes, come and break me!”

As he roared, something strange happened. His body seemed to swell, his already enormous muscles growing even more terrifying, his aura becoming even more menacing.

“What the… He can actually go berserk?” Wang Jue narrowed his eyes, speculating. “Is it a martial technique? A special skill? Or just innate talent? No matter—let’s finish this.”

Suppressing his curiosity, Wang Jue sprang into action. In less than half a second, he closed the distance.

The muscleman, clearly prepared, launched a massive fist straight at Wang Jue’s face. The force of the punch split the air with a shrill whine, like an arrow loosed from a bow—powerful and deadly.

It was clear that the muscleman’s strength was far from ordinary.

But just as the fist was about to connect, Wang Jue slipped aside, seemingly dodging by a hair’s breadth.

For Wang Jue, however, there was nothing risky about it at all—it was effortless, thanks to his advanced footwork.