Strength Increased

After dividing up the loot, night was nearly upon them.

"Let's go. Back to yesterday's shelter. We'll absorb the Crystal Root's energy tonight and begin hunting tomorrow."

There were still two days left in the practical assessment. They needed to kill another six Monsters with "Left Ears" before they could all pass.

Carrying the spoils from this trip, the group returned together to the six-story residential building.

This time, it was Qin Heng's turn to keep watch during the latter half of the night, so he could rest during the first half.

He did not waste any time. Upon returning to his room, he directly swallowed the first strand of Red Crystal Root and began cultivating the Innate Fetal Breathing Art.

The red Crystal Root strand was like gummy candy. Once chewed up and swallowed, it slowly melted in his stomach.

Strands of cool air coursed through his body, carrying a hint of tyranny as they rampaged recklessly about.

Following the rhythm of internal breathing in the fetal breathing state, the wandering energy was gradually absorbed by his body's meridians, flowing into his limbs and bones to nourish every inch of flesh, blood, sinew, and bone.

Qin Heng could clearly feel himself growing stronger.

The effect was even better than his usual cultivation!

By the time he had completely absorbed the Crystal Root's energy, three hours had passed.

When he opened his eyes, Jin Wenxin had already finished cultivating and gone to sleep.

"My strength has indeed increased. I should be able to throw a punch with around 1,500 kilograms of force now."

Feeling the brute strength contained within his body, Qin Heng was in high spirits.

He did not delay. Feeling that he could continue absorbing more, he ate the second Crystal Root as well.

After another period of cultivation, the sensation of power became increasingly formidable.

At two in the morning, Qin Heng opened his eyes and gazed at the bright moon beyond the broken window, a faint smile curling at his lips.

If I run into an opponent like Qian Feilong again, I should have at least a fifty-percent chance of taking him down within fifty moves, he thought to himself.

His cultivation speed had already been astonishing. Every morning after finishing cultivation, he felt far stronger than he had the day before.

Now that he had eaten two Crystal Roots, the increase was even more obvious. Compared to when he had fought Qian Feilong before, his strength had improved by at least fifteen percent!

If he could eat one strand of Crystal Root every day, he would probably be able to challenge the Intermediate Martial Warrior realm in less than half a month!

However, treasures like this were things one could encounter but not seek.

Once I return, that Elite Class slot should be in the bag, Qin Heng thought.

Qian Feilong had been an Elite Class student for a year, and his strength was only so-so.

With Qin Heng's current abilities, if he still could not get into the Elite Class, then the Heavenly Dao Martial Hall had to be blind!

His cultivation was over. It was time to stand watch.

Qin Heng woke Jin Wenxin and relieved Zhao Dongxing and Wu Ruijie, taking guard at the stairwell entrance.

With nothing else to do, the two spoke in low voices.

Jin Wenxin said, "Qin Heng, how do you feel? After absorbing the Crystal Root strand, about how much did your strength increase?"

Qin Heng said, "I'm not too sure. Probably around thirty kilograms."

Jin Wenxin said, "Wow, that much? I feel like I only gained around twenty kilograms, and that's already ridiculous. Normal cultivation only adds one kilogram of force a day."

Qin Heng said, "Hehe, I am a genius, after all."

Jin Wenxin said, "Uh, right... Come to think of it, it really is unfair. Someone as powerful as you was accused of taking a miracle drug and got cursed at for nothing. Whoever spread those rumors really deserves to die!"

Qin Heng said, "Yeah, he deserved to die, so he's already dead."

As they talked, the topic eventually drifted to their plans for the future.

Jin Wenxin asked, "What do you plan to do later on? You can't stay at the Heavenly Dao Martial Hall forever. Sooner or later, you'll graduate. After graduation, do you want to be a freelance martial warrior, or join some organization?"

Qin Heng shook his head. "I haven't decided yet. I'm not thinking that far ahead for now."

"Why not come to our MS Alliance? With your talent, you'll definitely receive special training and rise to a high position. Then you'll have an annual salary in the tens of millions and important resources in your hands. Even the mayor of the Base City would have to treat you politely!"

"Uh... Let's talk about it later. What if my talent suddenly stops being good someday?"

"Pah, pah, pah! Don't say that! We're counting on you to soar into the heavens and lift us up a little, so Jiancheng and I can live the good life too!"

"If that day comes, I definitely won't forget you."

Qin Heng was actually rather lost when it came to the future.

He did not even know which martial warrior organizations were the strongest in the world.

He had only been exposed to the martial warrior world for a little over a week. His understanding in every aspect was still far too shallow, and he needed time to take it all in.

As for which organization he would join in the future and what he would do, he could only cross that bridge when he came to it.

The only thing he could be certain of was that no matter how high he rose in the future, he could not forget his original goal.

That was—to let his parents and Ling Xue live a good life!

That day would not be far away!

The next day.

The group left the Abandoned Town and began their final hunt.

With the help of the Crystal Root strands, everyone's strength had increased to varying degrees, making combat much easier.

Huang Jiancheng's injuries had not healed, making it inconvenient for him to fight, but he had his specialty and could still play a crucial role.

Under the lure of his Estrous Female Beast's Cry, Qin Heng and the others did not spend much time before successfully collecting enough Monster Left Ears and completing all their tasks.

"Let's go. It's time to head back."

At three or four in the afternoon, the group began their return journey.

From departure to return, only two days and two nights had passed. After getting back, they could even rest with the Supervisory Examination Vehicle convoy for a day.

Everyone was in high spirits, filled with anticipation for the high-paying life that awaited them as official martial warriors.

Only Qin Heng felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

Although Wang Peng had not been killed by his own hand, the matter was still inseparably connected to him.

Wang Jianming was a Grandmaster. If he flew into a rage and decided to kill Qin Heng outright, Qin Heng feared he would find it difficult to escape.

Even if Wang Jianming apologized afterward, Wang Peng would not come back to life.

The seven-person squad crossed mountains and ridges, taking more than two hours to return to the Supervisory Examination Vehicle convoy.

Seeing them return, Chief Supervising Examiner Fu Yuntai revealed an approving expression. "Not bad speed. Take out your harvest and let's see whether you qualify."

"Yes."

One by one, everyone opened their backpacks, took out the Monster Left Ears stored in sealed bags, and handed them to the Supervising Examiners for inspection.

Fu Yuntai inspected them personally. Every time he picked up a sealed bag, he could accurately identify its origin.

"Giant Black Hound, Elementary Monster, qualified."

"Mutated Golden Retriever, Elementary Monster, qualified."

"Blood Claw Demon Wolf... Oh? You could even defeat one of these? You've got some skill."

Qin Heng's trophy made Fu Yuntai view him in a new light.

With his discerning eye, he could naturally tell that the slain Blood Claw Demon Wolf was not fully grown. Yet even a subadult was by no means something an ordinary Elementary Martial Warrior could handle.

So he asked, "What's your name? Which organization are you from?"

"Qin Heng, a Heavenly Dao Martial Hall student... I haven't formally enrolled yet," Qin Heng answered truthfully.

"Huh, you're Qin Heng?"

Fu Yuntai was even more surprised.

Qin Heng's name was now as thunderous as a clap of lightning.

Not only had he broken the citywide First Assessment record, he had also been accused of gaining his abilities by taking a miracle drug. He was currently at the center of the storm, and anyone who paid even slight attention to the news had heard his name.

Qin Heng nodded. "That's me. I didn't take any miracle drug. I cultivated on my own."

Fu Yuntai looked at him, his eyes gleaming.

After a brief pause, he said, "I need to let the Alliance representative know. We have to recruit a promising seedling like this."