Successive Breakthroughs

On May 4, 2058, Chu He returned to Northeast Base City.

The people from Jackal Squad had gone out to the Wilderness Zone, and he couldn't even find anyone to have a drink with.

So Chu He took some wine from the White Jade Wine Pot that was good for the body and tasted a bit like fruit juice, then brought it home for Xu Qingqing and her daughter, Chu Xi.

They hadn't seen each other for three months. Although he often video-chatted with his family through his Communication Watch, nothing could compare to meeting in person.

As soon as he got home, Chu Xi bounced over and hugged Chu He. "Brother, how long are you staying home this time?"

"Huh?" Chu He was surprised.

Why wasn't Xiao Shuili calling him "stinky Chu He" this time?

"Hmm!" The little girl noticed his confusion. With her hands on her hips, she chuckled. "Brother, did you bring me anything tasty?"

"So you're only asking because you want something tasty!" Chu He ruffled the little girl's hair and said with a grin, "I didn't bring you anything tasty this time, but I did bring something good to drink. Want some, Xiao Shuili?"

Three months ago, Chu He would have known exactly what Chu Xi would say. She would have widened her eyes and asked, "Something good to drink? Where is it?" But this time was different.

Chu Xi shook her head sharply and brushed Chu He's hand away, puffing up her cheeks. "Chu He, don't ruffle my hair!"

"Mom says if you ruffle my hair, I won't grow tall!"

"And don't call me Xiao Shuili. I'm not a six-year-old anymore!"

"Hahahaha!" Chu He scooped Chu Xi up and held her high, laughing. "All right, all right! My Little Chu Xi is seven now, and she'll be starting first grade in a few months, right?"

Chu Tianxiong and Xu Qingqing watched the siblings play around for a while before finally smiling and pulling the little girl aside.

After chatting with his parents for a while and leaving a few bottles of "juice" for Chu Xi, Chu He returned to his bedroom.

After spending a few peaceful days relaxing, Chu He logged into the War God Palace for the first time from his bedroom that night.

He appeared in a vast, quiet room, dressed in a white robe.

A bed, a swimming pool, a desk and chairs, a luxurious dining table, a reclining chair, a training area with a yoga mat... Chu He ignored all the virtual furnishings and went to the desk, where he picked up the War God Palace Regulations and began to read.

Besides letting people log in from anywhere in the world, the War God Palace had many other features, such as the Mall, the Auction Hall, the Arena Plaza, and the Trial Tower.

"Wait! The Trial Tower?" Chu He looked at the page, mildly surprised.

"So the Trial Tower is mentioned in the War God Palace Instruction Manual? And there's an Arena Plaza, too?"

After inspecting the place in person, Chu He confirmed that it was all real and couldn't help pondering it.

"This Virtual Space is incredible!"

Aside from that, the only other noteworthy feature was that when a War God logged into the War God Palace for the first time, the Virtual Space would introduce itself and welcome them. That was how Chu He's name first became known to the other War Gods around the world.

His ranking was 3542, not far behind Luo Feng's at 3515.

Over the past nine months, there had been 27 more War Gods. That seemed about right.

Before the battle over the Wood Bud Crystals on Mist Island, Earth's War Gods had accumulated in numbers just like this, little by little.

Beyond that, there was nothing else that caught Chu He's interest.

The Mall, the Auction Hall... To be honest, there was nothing left there that could be of any use to him.

After logging out of the War God Palace and removing his helmet, Chu He returned to his usual training routine.

This time, though, he was there to teach Old Chu how to practice the Seven Star Blade Technique.

Chu Tianxiong had initially said that he was retired and didn't plan on accomplishing anything more, trying to use that as an excuse to avoid training and indulge in wine and women.

But when Chu He told him he was brewing a Spirit Wine that could help him break through to Elementary War God...

Chu Tianxiong immediately perked up and began hounding Chu He from morning until night.

From footwork to blade techniques, he studied every detail with utmost seriousness.

How could Chu Tianxiong not want to break through to War God?

His father Chu Jingfeng's earnest hopes for him, along with his own guilt over not having trained seriously in the past, had become a heavy burden that weighed on his heart.

Chu He's breakthrough to War God had eased that burden a little. But if he could break through himself...

Chu Tianxiong had already decided that, once he did, he would go on a killing spree in Changbai Mountain and the Greater Khingan Mountains!

People needed to see hope of success before they could find the motivation to act.

Ten days later, the Red Blood Wine brewed from the Black Scale Giant Python's heart was ready, and Chu He gave it to Chu Tianxiong.

Two days later, Chu Tianxiong broke through to War God.

Half a month later, the Red Blood Wine brewed from the Mountain Giant Ape's heart was ready, and Chu He went into seclusion.

A day later, Chu He successfully broke through to Advanced War God.

In his Sea of Consciousness, his Spiritual Force had nearly condensed into a river. It surged and roared, rushing through his Sea of Consciousness without restraint.

Time passed, drop by drop...

The problems Chu Tianxiong encountered were ones Chu He had faced before: he didn't know how to fuse the seven footwork patterns into one, and there were some issues with the way he exerted force in his blade techniques.

Fortunately, Chu Tianxiong's father, Chu Jingfeng, had been a War God—a gifted genius who had even created the Seven Star Blade Technique manual himself...

So Chu Tianxiong's genes and training talent were both quite good.

For various reasons, he simply hadn't been able to train properly before.

Now, with the help of Spirit Wine that Chu He provided to improve his fighting ability, targeted training that Chu He planned himself, and personal sparring sessions, Chu Tianxiong soon mastered the Seven Star Blade Technique completely.

His blade techniques had reached Conception Level, and so had his Movement Technique.

July 18, 2058. The Martial Arts Hall on the second floor of the villa.

Chu He looked at the two Spirit of Vegetation plants arranged before him—one Moon Nether Vine Heart and one Lingzhi—and finally made up his mind.

"My body is in peak condition now, and September is getting closer and closer. I can't wait any longer!"

"If there's no breakthrough method, I'll force my way through with sheer energy!"

"I've nurtured these two Spirit of Vegetation plants with the Spirit Nourishing Technique for so long. They should be enough to help me break through!"

"Today's the day!"

He took a deep breath!

Then Chu He grabbed the Moon Nether Vine Heart. His Spiritual Force took on a tangible form and pierced fiercely into the surface of the dark green crystal.

"Pfft!"

The dark green crystal shell was pierced, and the essence inside began to flow out slowly.

The dark green liquid brimmed with vitality. Under Chu He's control, it formed a dark green river that drifted through the air, its ends joined together.

The Lingzhi required no such effort.

The Lingzhi's cap was a full meter across. Its essence was a smooth, round purple pearl at the very center of the cap.

"Come on!" Chu He closed his eyes and opened his mouth.

Whoosh!

The astonishingly beautiful essence, brimming with boundless vitality, flew straight into Chu He's mouth under the control of his Spiritual Force.

The dark green liquid, carrying the purple pearl, plunged straight down toward his stomach.