Extra Reinforcement! (Seeking Follow-ups!)

When he returned home, Lu Jue got straight to the point and handed the contract he signed with the Martial School to his father.

"What is this?"

His father carefully wiped his hands with the corner of his clothes before taking the heavy contract.

He read the dense clauses over and over, his eyes filled with confusion, but more so with an ineffable excitement.

Although he didn't know the specific differences between this "Seed Student" agreement and the sponsorship agreement Zhang Lu had signed, he vaguely remembered that many famous martial artists he saw on television mentioned in their biographies, "Once a Seed Student of a certain Martial School."

This alone was enough.

"This is great! My son is going places!" His father looked up, his eyes a little red, clutching the contract tightly as if it held the hope for their entire family's future.

He didn't understand profound martial arts, nor did he grasp the complex resource clauses within. He only knew that his son being valued so highly by the Martial School was a tremendous blessing, a source of pride that would allow them to stand tall in front of his coworkers!

Lu Jue seized the opportunity and asked, "Dad, did you secretly find another job?"

Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, his father sighed heavily. "Xiao Jue, Dad knows you're worried about me. Even though you're a 'Seed Student' now, you'll need a lot of money in the future! Every bit counts. Dad doesn't have much talent, just this strength to help you out a little..."

"Focus on your martial arts training and make something of yourself. If you succeed, Dad will be content even if he's tired!"

Lu Jue took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the sting in his nose, his voice low but filled with undeniable resolve.

"Dad, you should quit that part-time job. And see if you can switch to the day shift at the factory."

His father wanted to refuse, but under Lu Jue's insistence, he could only nod, agreeing to settle his wages for the second job the next morning.

The next morning at eight o'clock.

Lu Jue arrived at the agreed-upon location near the supplier and transported eight hundred pounds of Spirit Beef back home. He eagerly took out pots, pans, and bowls to start cooking.

This time, Lu Jue didn't plan to add any Energy Powder. The energy contained in the Spirit Beef was between that of Spirit Pig Meat and Giant Horned Barbarian Bull. Eight hundred pounds was enough to quickly master the "Iron Bone Stance" to Perfection.

With swift and precise movements, he chopped the large pieces of Spirit Beef into small cubes.

Into the pot, add water, turn on the heat.

Two hours later, a rich meaty aroma had already filled the entire small room. The soup in the pot had turned a thick, milky white, a sign that the essence of the Spirit Beef had completely dissolved into the broth.

Lu Jue looked at the more than twenty bowls and pots filled with steaming hot meat broth lined up before him. He sat down cross-legged and summoned his panel.

"Panel, begin rapid mastery!"

Boom—!

The moment the command was given, a familiar suction erupted from within him, as if every cell had transformed into a greedy black hole, voraciously consuming energy!

Lu Jue immediately picked up a bowl of broth by his side and gulped it down!

Pure and gentle Spiritual Energy exploded within his body like a refreshing rain falling on parched land, quickly supporting the terrifying consumption.

The energy from this Spirit Beef was indeed remarkable. Although not as potent and wild as the Giant Horned Barbarian Beef, it was significantly stronger than the Spirit Pig Meat he had consumed before.

A torrent of energy surged and circulated within him, and the progress bar for "Iron Bone Stance" on the panel steadily climbed!

At the same time, the bones throughout his body began to emit a low, dense hum, as if countless ants were gnawing and restructuring deep within his marrow. An agonizing pain, reaching into the very core of his bones, assaulted him.

"This is wrong. The 'Basic Body Tempering Exercise' before brought about a comprehensive strengthening of muscles, tendons, bones, and even overall Qi and Blood. But the 'Iron Bone Stance' is like an incredibly precise scalpel, focusing all the energy onto the body's two hundred and six bones!"

"It's equivalent to compressing ten years of normal bone tempering and transformation into just over an hour!"

Pain!

Pain that etched itself into his bones!

It felt as if countless red-hot steel needles were piercing and churning through the gaps in his marrow. Every hum of his bones was accompanied by a grating "creak," like rusty metal being forcibly reshaped.

"Argh—!"

Lu Jue gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. Large beads of sweat instantly soaked his clothes.

He felt every bone in his body emitting a mournful cry of being overloaded, yet under the support of the immense energy, they were being forcibly shattered from their old forms and reassembled into tougher, more perfect ones.

This was a brutal sublimation of life's essence, a necessary nirvana on the path to becoming stronger!

He desperately held onto his consciousness, his hands trembling slightly from the extreme pain, yet he mechanically picked up the next bowl of meat broth and tilted his head back to drink.

Time became incredibly long at this moment, each breath accompanied by the shattering and rebirth of his bones.

After an unknown period, when the energy from the last bowl of meat broth had completely integrated into his bones, the maddening pain receded like a receding tide.

Hum—!

An incredibly solid and weighty sensation erupted from the deepest part of his bones!

[Rapid Mastery Complete!]

[During this rapid mastery, you primarily consumed Spirit Beef. Your talent, Barbarian Ox Strength, has been enhanced!]

[Please select one additional enhancement from the following options!]

[1. Barbarian Ox Elite: Bones and sinews resonate, strength pierces through a thousand jun! The strength gained through your talent, Barbarian Ox Strength, is permanently increased by twenty percent.]

[2. Barbarian Ox Hide: Skin like tanned leather, tough as ox hide! The toughness of your skin is significantly enhanced, increasing resistance to punches, kicks, and blunt weapon attacks.]

[3. Heart of the Savage Bull: Pain perception weakened, willpower strengthened. Your injuries will have difficulty affecting your strength.]

"Extra reinforcement? Growth-type talents have this kind of thing too!"

Lu Jue's pupils contracted sharply as he looked at the options that appeared before him.

In fact, he had already had many questions when he first obtained [Barbarian Ox Strength].

In terms of growth potential, the [Hundred Tough Fat Armor] obtained by eating Spirit Pig Meat before would also strengthen as his own Qi and Blood Value increased.

Why did [Barbarian Ox Strength], granted by the prestigious Calamity Beast Meat, only focus on increasing basic strength?

At this moment, this sudden extra reinforcement option instantly resolved the doubts in his heart—it wasn't that the Calamity Beast Meat talent was weak, but its true potential needed to be stimulated after reaching a specific stage!

"The [Hundred Tough Fat Armor] from Spirit Pig Meat grows steadily, while this [Barbarian Ox Strength] needs to 'break through limits' during growth!"

Lu Jue's thoughts raced, and his gaze was fixed on the panel.

Among the three options, he naturally filtered out [Barbarian Ox Elite] first.

Most Cultivation Techniques and Calamity Beast Meat had the effect of enhancing strength. This seemingly direct 20% increase would appear mediocre in the long run.

[Barbarian Ox Hide] was similar; one could achieve the same effect by practicing some Hardening Kung Fu techniques targeting the skin.

Strength could be accumulated through hard practice, and defense could be compensated by Cultivation Techniques. What was truly precious were those unique and hard-to-obtain traits!

His gaze finally locked firmly onto [Heart of the Savage Bull].

In battles of the same level, temporary strength might depend on power and speed, but what ultimately determined life and death was often who could endure more, who was more tenacious, and who could unleash their final fighting power in desperate situations!

"Panel!"

"Select [Heart of the Savage Bull]!"