Turning Harm into Gain

Warriors in this world could wield source power and possessed all manner of extraordinary abilities.

In his view, the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation was also a way of circulating source power, though it should differ somewhat from how warriors wielded it.

Old Huang had offered him the Blood Dragon Agent on his own initiative for no reason other than to set him up. If he pretended to resist, Old Huang would instead willingly give him the Blood Dragon Agent for free.

As the saying went, he had ruthless technological tricks, while Gao Wu had mystical arts and divine powers!

Thinking of Old Huang delivering freebies right to his door, Gao Wu could not help but chuckle...

With a good start, everything afterward would be easier.

Each time, Gao Wu injected two milliliters of Blood Dragon Agent, then recited the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation ten times to purify it.

After a little over an hour, he had completely absorbed all ten milliliters of Blood Dragon Agent.

The Blood Dragon Agent could boost the body's metabolism, greatly increasing one's appetite for a short time. Stimulated by the drug, the bones and muscles would break past their normal limits, crazily absorbing energy as they grew.

The Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation refined his primordial Qi, meeting part of his body's energy needs. It also spared his body the extra burden of gorging himself.

Finally, Gao Wu practiced the Nine Dragon Forms twice. Using the reclining posture of Hidden Dragon Does Not Act, he adjusted his breathing and visualized a Divine Dragon lying hidden in a deep, tranquil Abyss, quietly recuperating.

His body naturally curled up, his heartbeat slowed, and his mind entered an infinitely profound state. He became exceptionally calm and steady, quickly falling into deep sleep.

When Gao Wu opened his eyes again, it was exactly six in the morning.

The sky outside was still dim and gloomy, but the moment he opened his eyes, Gao Wu felt clear-headed and full of energy. The groggy feeling that usually came after a long sleep was completely gone.

It was said that warriors could easily enter deep sleep, needing only two hours a day for their body and mind to receive complete rest.

Some stronger individuals could even continuously improve their vitality through deep sleep, even healing all sorts of injuries and illnesses.

He felt that his improved mastery of the Nine Dragon Forms had also improved his sleep quality. It seemed that as long as he persisted in cultivating the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation, he would eventually enter a deep sleep without dreams or thoughts.

Gao Wu first opened the Boundless Merit Book and saw that his Merit had increased by more than two thousand.

That rate of increase greatly delighted him. He checked his lifespan status as well. There were no problems there either, putting him in an even better mood.

After a simple wash, Gao Wu put on his weighted clothes. He hopped twice and found the sixty-kilogram weighted outfit too light, so he added ten-kilogram steel weight plates to both his chest and back. Only then did he head downstairs in satisfaction.

The morning light had just begun to rise. Gao Wu jogged north along the long street, all the way to the summit of Bailong Mountain north of the city.

It was early winter. Snow blanketed the entire mountain, and ice covered parts of the trail. Gao Wu ran swiftly to the summit through the dim morning.

From the most open spot atop the mountain, he could overlook the entire city of Dongjiang.

Through the winter morning mist, lights dotted the urban area, while headlights occasionally flashed along the roads.

Gao Wu liked this tranquil, peaceful sight. He stared at it blankly for a while before beginning to practice the Nine Dragon Forms.

In the open wilderness, Gao Wu did not have to worry about disturbing anyone and could exert his strength and breathe out to his heart's content.

Before long, several other teenagers arrived at the mountaintop. They had a certain tacit understanding among themselves, each spreading out to practice silently, minding their own business.

Gao Wu had practiced boxing here year-round and was actually acquainted with all of them. But coming here to train so early in the morning, none of them wanted to waste time chatting nonsense.

After practicing the Nine Dragon Forms, Gao Wu nodded to the other teenagers in greeting and headed down the mountain.

By the time he ran home, it was exactly seven.

Today, he had added twenty kilograms of weight, and the round trip up and down the mountain was roughly twenty kilometers, yet he was still ten minutes faster than usual. The effects of his improved physique were extremely obvious.

Of course, the Blood Dragon Agent might have contributed a little as well.

Gao Wu bought breakfast and ate with the old man.

Back in his bedroom, Gao Wu took out his phone and checked the local Kuaiyin channel. Two of the videos of him saving people had already received thirty or forty thousand likes, ranking near the top and drawing considerable attention.

The video quality, however, was hard to praise, and the accompanying captions were poor too. They failed to show his compassionate chivalry in standing up for justice, or his courageous decisiveness in the face of life and death.

He contacted Shen Yue through Feixin and arranged to meet him at Seahorse Buffet Restaurant at noon.

Videos like these had a limited window of relevance. While they were still gaining attention and the Song Family apparently had no intention of restricting their spread, they should produce the short video as soon as possible.

Whether he became famous was not important. What mattered was gaining Merit through short videos and expanding his influence.

Not to mention, if he truly became well-known, Huang Hai would not dare casually keep him under his thumb, even as his coach.

Besides, the speed at which this incident had accumulated Merit far exceeded his expectations. If they handled it properly, earning one hundred thousand Merit was not impossible!

Tianxiang City, Dongjiang City's largest leisure and entertainment center.

Seahorse Buffet Restaurant was located on the top floor of Tianxiang City, occupying five hundred square meters. The buffet area offered all kinds of seafood and Strange Beast meat.

For that very reason, many Martial Artists liked coming here for the buffet.

The moment Gao Wu stepped out of the elevator area, he saw the small, skinny Shen Yue standing at the restaurant entrance. The way he craned his neck and looked around made him seem somewhat furtive and sleazy.

"Old Gao,"

The moment Shen Yue saw Gao Wu, he brightened. Walking quickly to Gao Wu's side, he said in a low voice, "I just checked. It's 499 per person. What a rip-off. Let's go somewhere else."

His family was quite well-off, and he did not care about the cost of a buffet. But he knew Gao Wu's family circumstances and felt a little embarrassed to make Gao Wu spend so much.

"That won't do. I've already said I'm treating. How could I go back on my word?"

Gao Wu grabbed Shen Yue and strode into the restaurant. Shen Yue was his best friend at school, and now that he had money, treating him to a buffet was no big deal.

Besides, he needed Shen Yue to make videos and promote them.

Friends were friends, but even if he did not pay him, he could not use him for nothing. He had to show some appreciation.

He had gone to the bank earlier and deposited the rest of his money. Electronic payments were convenient now, while cash was actually rather inconvenient.

After paying with his phone, Gao Wu led Shen Yue straight to the Strange Beast food section.

Braised Iron-Horned Black Sheep ribs, grilled Red-Scaled Beef Skewers, Six-Eyed White Shark sashimi, and Thorn Seahorse Soup.

These foods made from artificially raised Strange Beasts were all supplied in limited quantities, with one serving per person based on their number tag.

Having gotten the most valuable items, there was no need to rush for things like lobster and wagyu beef.

Although Gao Wu had neutralized the side effects of the Blood Dragon Agent with the Divine Mantra, he still had an especially strong urge to eat. He first piled several large plates with ordinary steak, grilled meat, high-sugar cakes, and more.

Shen Yue knew Gao Wu could eat a lot, but seeing a whole table of high-fat, high-sugar food, he could not help feeling concerned. "Can you finish all that?"

"I could finish another four or five servings."

Gao Wu glanced at the Thorn Seahorse Soup in front of Shen Yue and unceremoniously took it all. "This stuff is too potent. You can't have it. I'll suffer the hardship and handle it for you."

Thorn Seahorse Soup was mainly used to strengthen virility and was famously fierce medicine. For Shen Yue's slight frame, drinking it would do more harm than good.

"You say that as if you have a girlfriend!" Shen Yue said, somewhat unconvinced.

"I can refine essence into Qi. You can only use it to cast spells. That's not the same." Gao Wu gave a wicked grin.

Feeling guilty, Shen Yue did not dare continue that topic. He took out his phone and handed it to Gao Wu. "I've finished editing the video. Take a look and see if it works."

After all, Gao Wu was the main character, so he definitely needed Gao Wu's opinion. As for the rescued girl, her face had been mosaicked out to avoid any trouble.

Gao Wu watched it once. The video was only one minute long. It began with a wide shot showing someone in the lake, then switched to close-ups of him diving in, bringing the girl ashore, performing CPR on her, and finally the girl being supported away by the crowd...

The rapidly shifting shots gave the video a quick rhythm, highlighting three scenes in particular: diving into the water, breaking through the ice while carrying her forward, and professionally saving her. Combined with the stirring background music, it was quite impactful.

The caption and title were also about a hot-blooded youth, breaking ice and parting water, saving someone in the midst of danger...

Overall, it looked good—several grades above the other rescue videos. His deskmate had some genuine professional skill.

Still, Gao Wu felt it was lacking something. It was not quite stirring enough.

"What is it?" Seeing no change in Gao Wu's expression and sensing that he did not seem very satisfied with the video, Shen Yue could not help asking.

"It's excellent. But forgive me for being blunt, there's still a gap between this and the top tier."

"Then tell me how to change it." His professional ability being questioned, Shen Yue's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.