Unexpected Change

Chu Kuang's face lit up upon hearing this. He'd heard that even in the elite classes, very few students qualified for the first-class scholarship; most only received the second-class scholarship.

As for the special scholarship, only Ye Qingfeng had managed to obtain it at Third Middle School in recent years.

In fact, starting from the second-class scholarship, the rewards were no longer just Federal Coins but also various rare Exotic Source Energy Items.

These treasures would be of great benefit to Chu Kuang's cultivation.

Thinking of this, Chu Kuang couldn't help but smile and say, "Then thank you very much."

"If you bring honor to me, this is what you deserve. Besides, the first-class scholarship assessment is strict; whether you can pass also depends on your strength and potential."

Chu Kuang nodded and then said, "My Iron Armor Technique has reached Perfection. For the subsequent techniques, I'd like to apply directly through you."

Xu Yue decisively taught Chu Kuang the Bronze Armor Technique. After a moment's thought, he directly granted Chu Kuang permissions, "Your progress is rapid. Constantly asking me for techniques wastes time. I'll give you the authority. From now on, as long as you cultivate a technique to Perfection, you can directly apply for the subsequent ones."

He paused slightly and added, "Of course, this is only up to the Apprentice Level."

Chu Kuang nodded. To prevent techniques from being stolen by other races and to protect the interests of the creators, techniques above First Order in human civilization were not free. One either had to earn credits at a university, exchange them for Federal Coins and Human Race Points, or obtain special approval from high-level school officials. In the future, Chu Kuang would essentially have to follow these three paths to obtain subsequent techniques.

Getting back to the matter at hand, now that Chu Kuang had the cultivation method for the Bronze Armor Technique, he wasted no more time and immediately went into seclusion to cultivate, with Xu Yue guiding him. Although Xu Yue hadn't practiced the Bronze Armor Technique himself, his perspective as someone who had cultivated a High-grade Martial Body provided significant benefits to Chu Kuang's practice.

During the cultivation process, Chu Kuang discovered that the difficulty of practicing the Bronze Armor Technique was at least three times that of the Iron Armor Technique, and the difficulty of breaking through bottlenecks was likely also about three times greater. Fortunately, with the "Compendium of External Martial Arts" trait bolstering him, and the foundation of his perfected Iron Armor Technique and Basic External Martial Arts, his initial cultivation progress was remarkably swift. In just half an hour, he had brought the Bronze Armor Technique to the introductory stage.

At this rate, with an ample supply of Nutrient Solution, I can reach Minor Accomplishment in the Bronze Armor Technique within a month, Great Accomplishment in three months, and Perfection in nine months. Chu Kuang mused. This speed was already considered very fast. With the boost from his golden trait, his external martial arts talent was equivalent to that of a genius with Top-grade Bone Structure. For a top student like Jiang Feng, who had Seventh Grade Bone Structure, it would likely take at least three to five years of arduous practice to bring the Bronze Armor Technique to Perfection, and he might not even be able to break through that stage. Without the opportunity in the Dark Domain, most elites in the elite classes would find it difficult to cultivate Intermediate Internal and External Martial Arts to Perfection within their three years of high school.

"To reach the introductory stage in such a short time, your comprehension might truly be Peerless Grade, or at least very close to it," Xu Yue said with a smile, seeing Chu Kuang's progress. He then turned serious. "With your current strength, your chances of making it into the top 100 in your grade this year are very high. There's still a month left; you need to seize this opportunity to further improve your strength. The upcoming trip to the Dark Domain for the final exam holds a significant opportunity."

Chu Kuang was taken aback and asked, "What opportunity?"

"An opportunity that can help break through the limits of techniques," Xu Yue replied, a smile playing on his lips. "If you can seize it, even just a small share, your strength might increase dramatically. At the very least, it could greatly accelerate your Bronze Armor Technique cultivation and significantly shorten the time to reach Perfection."

Chu Kuang nodded immediately and said, "Then I will work hard."

"Good." Xu Yue nodded and looked out the porthole at Tian Yuan C Star, which was drawing closer. "We're almost home. You've also been tired for three days; go back and rest for a day first."

Chu Kuang nodded and watched as the Alligator Dragon landed at Tian Heng Third Middle School. He then returned home with the others. As he was heading home, intending to share the good news with Mother Chu, he noticed an unusual atmosphere. Mother Chu was in the living room, tears in her eyes. A one-armed man in tattered Battle Armor was speaking to her, his eyes filled with immense anger.

Chu Kuang recognized him as Lin He, a teammate of Father Chu. Lin He had cultivated a perfected Beginner External Martial Art and had a Life Level of around 7.6, making him a core member of Father Chu's squad. Yet, Lin He was now missing an arm, clearly not due to ordinary combat. With current human civilization technology, reattaching a severed limb would leave minimal sequelae if the limb could be found. The fact that Lin He hadn't even found his arm indicated he had encountered a terrible predicament.

Thinking of this, Chu Kuang's heart sank. "Uncle Lin, what happened that brought you here?" he asked, a tremor in his voice and a bad premonition creeping in.

Seeing Chu Kuang return, Lin He's expression turned grave. "We went to the Dark Domain on Gushen Star to search for treasures. We had quite a good harvest, but we were ambushed by the Azure Fang Squad. We scattered to break through, and then Captain Li and Brother Chu were pursued by the Azure Snake Squad. I had my arm severed and managed to escape. I've come to ask for reinforcements to rescue them."

Chu Kuang's face changed drastically upon hearing this. He immediately grabbed his spear, ready to leave. But Lin He stopped him, his expression extremely serious. "The Dark Domain is dangerous; don't go in there to die."

Chu Kuang quickly calmed down and directly asked, "How long ago were Father and the others pursued? How many people were in the Azure Fang Squad, and what were their strengths?"

"The battle was four hours ago. There were five of them, most with Life Levels between 7.5 and 8. But their captain, Brother Snake, is extremely powerful, with a Life Level of at least 8.5. Captain Li Gang is no match for him."

Chu Kuang's heart sank. Father Chu's Life Level at his peak was 8.5, but with one arm lost, his overall strength had significantly declined, and he was definitely no match for Brother Snake. Li Gang was strong, but his Life Level was only around 8.2, making him likely no match for Brother Snake either.

Four hours. If they weren't cornered, there should still be time. Chu Kuang mused. With Father Chu and the others' vitality, they might have a chance of survival if they focused solely on escaping, or at least could buy some time. He then asked Lin He, "Did you find any other reinforcements?"

Lin He gave a bitter smile and replied, "My other brothers and sisters are unreliable. I heard your father has quite a few siblings; I was hoping one of them might be a master willing to go to the rescue?"