Special Training Begins (Seeking Favorites and Recommendations)

"Come on, let me try that secret technique." Pagliu devoured the hot pot, meat and broth alike, leaving not a single drop behind. He flipped over to the opposite side and beckoned to Chen Rui with a casual wave.

"Watch out!" Having easily thwarted Gangke last time, Chen Rui felt a surge of eagerness himself. He didn't stand on ceremony, opening his palm and shouting in a low voice, "Aurora Blast!"

A massive ball of white light erupted from his palm at high speed. Pagliu's eyes brightened; he didn't dodge or parry. He flicked his left hand like lightning, catching the Aurora Blast as if it were a physical object. He then squeezed his five fingers together, and with a soft "pfft," the enormous orb of light vanished without a trace.

Although Chen Rui knew the Aurora Blast likely wouldn't faze Pagliu, he hadn't expected it to be treated like a child's toy. He secretly activated his

Analytical Eye

. Sure enough, the Poison Dragon's overall strength was displayed as "Unable to determine."

However, Pagliu, who had so easily neutralized the blast, looked at his palm with a hint of surprise. Several tiny lacerations had appeared on his tough skin, oozing green blood.

"I was a bit unprepared just now, but your attack is quite unique. It doesn't resemble a pure physical or magical strike; its destructive power far exceeds either, and it actually managed to pierce my defense." Pagliu seemed to recall something, his expression turning grave. "Chen Rui, your strength is progressing rapidly. I'm starting to truly believe in that Grandmaster inheritance. In my opinion, that Grandmaster Wukong was definitely more than just a Grandmaster Alchemist. His own combat power likely reached the demigod level or even higher!"

Chen Rui shook his head inwardly. Demigod? He was already beyond the three realms and not within the five elements—if this Grandmaster even existed, that is.

After listening to Chen Rui's explanation that the "Grandmaster inheritance" could continue to awaken, Pagliu's eyes lit up. "This kind of inheritance is somewhat like the bloodline awakening of the royal families; the further it goes, the more powerful it becomes. Your current strength is roughly equivalent to a newly advanced mid-level devil, perhaps even a bit weaker."

Upon hearing he was only at the mid-level devil stage, Chen Rui looked disappointed. Seeing this, Pagliu's temper flared. "You should be content! You possess the strength of a mid-level devil from birth, and you're a human carrying inherited power. Your potential far exceeds that of ordinary devil race members; even those of the royal bloodline can't compare to you! Hmph, excluding us dragons, of course. A dragon child has at least the strength of a devil king level at birth."

Chen Rui curled his lip in disagreement. So what if they're devil king level? It takes them over a thousand years to reach adulthood, and their birth rate is pitifully low. However, according to Pagliu's logic, his own starting point was already quite high, and the path ahead looked bright.

Pagliu pondered for a moment before pouring another bucket of cold water on him. "Although your strength barely meets the minimum standard for a mid-level devil, your combat experience and techniques are a complete mess. You can't even utilize your proper strength. You might be able to bully low-level devils, but if you run into an equal mid-level opponent, you'll lose without a doubt. If you want to quickly master your power and improve your combat effectiveness, you need some serious special training."

The Poison Dragon's original strength was at the devil emperor level, placing him among the peak powerhouses. Due to his seal and damaged strength, he could at most exert combat power at the great devil king level. Even so, it was far beyond what Chen Rui could currently contend with.

Chen Rui nodded, a resolute light in his eyes. In any world, strength was the ultimate authority. Although he had temporarily settled in Darkmoon City, his situation was far from optimistic. Allen viewed him as a mortal enemy, Joseph's strength was unfathomable, and there were many more powerful foes he might face in the future. Without strength, he would only be at the mercy of others.

While wisdom could bring temporary success, it was useless in the face of absolute power. Strength was the foundation of survival. Now that the

Super System

had provided the best opportunity, he had to seize it with his own efforts!

Combining strength with wisdom was the true path to success.

Chen Rui's determined attitude satisfied Pagliu. Although signing the

Symbiotic Contract

had been a last resort and he felt somewhat swindled, the Poison Dragon's perspective had begun to shift: this human carried a powerful ancient inheritance with limitless potential. If one day his strength reached the ranks of the elite and he could fight alongside him, that would be a partner in the true sense of the word.

"Bang! Bang!"

"Damn you, Pagliu! You actually ambushed me!"

The Poison Dragon's cunning laughter rang out: "You hypocrite, where did your craftiness go? Do you think a fight is just standing still and waiting to trade blows? The means to knock down an opponent is the strongest technique; there's no such thing as an ambush! But don't worry, I'll suppress my strength to the mid-level devil state; I won't kill you!"

"Ouch! We agreed no hitting the face!"

"You actually used a monkey-steals-peach move! Are all dragons this despicable?"

"..."

The Poison Dragon's training style was simple: no fancy footwork or posturing, only the most practical methods. Provided you could protect yourself, the most ruthless and effective attack was the best one.

After being knocked down by Pagliu countless times, a bruised and battered Chen Rui began to suspect the dragon was doing it on purpose and lodged a strong protest. Pagliu didn't care; he continued his enjoyable coaching job—a joy naturally built upon someone else's suffering.

"Show some guts! The more afraid you are, the faster you'll die!"

"Keep your center of gravity stable!"

"Don't just rely on your eyes! Use your senses to judge!"

"..."

Through repeated abuse, Chen Rui, a novice in combat, made significant progress. The Gang Realm was the first and most fundamental Star Meridian Point, focusing on the cultivation of the "body," much like the initial "marrow cleansing." But that cleansing was merely a passive transformation; what he needed now was to further temper and strengthen his body while truly mastering his own power.

Although Chen Rui possessed great power within him, he couldn't control it. His fight with Gangke had relied solely on the power of his ultimate move, the Aurora Blast. Now, under the high-intensity pressure of Pagliu's training, that massive power began to unravel like silk from a cocoon, gradually dispersing into his limbs and bones. He could clearly feel the flow of Star Power.

Star Power circulated through the entire body centered on the "Gang" point, a continuous, endless cycle. As long as he could grasp the rhythm of this circulation, he could use Star Power freely.

Having discovered this, Chen Rui felt a surge of spirit. The pain in his body seemed to lessen, and his focus sharpened. Pagliu didn't know that humans possessed the "Star Body" trait and was secretly startled. The intensity of the training he was controlling was effectively at the limit of Chen Rui's current strength. Unexpectedly, the human's endurance and recovery were far beyond his imagination. He was still going strong, and his comprehension and speed of progress were astonishing; his defense and counterattacks were even showing signs of improvement.

There was one other strange thing: usually, when facing an enemy of a higher rank, there would be a rank suppression that prevented one from exerting full power. The Poison Dragon had secretly shifted his strength to a higher rank, but this rule seemed to have no effect on Chen Rui.

The Poison Dragon struck even harder, knocking Chen Rui to the ground time and again, but the smile in his eyes grew wider: the stronger his future partner was, the better. This guy's future was definitely worth looking forward to!

When the human lay on the ground unable to get up again, Pagliu finally ended the special training. Despite his miserable appearance, Chen Rui's gains were substantial. The Star Power within him had shifted from passive triggering to active, spontaneous flow. His experience points, which hadn't budged, finally moved to 1%. It was a good start, and it seemed the special training was very necessary to continue.

Only, as he left, the Poison Dragon's "I had a great time" expression made Chen Rui's teeth itch with annoyance.

On the way back, he remembered that he had been so focused on training that he forgot to learn the Dragon Language Inscription. But since he hadn't grasped the previous inscription anyway, he would leave it for later. Today's gains were already enough to be pleasantly surprised by.

The recovery trait of the "Star Body" was fully utilized, which was the main reason he had persisted for most of the day under the Poison Dragon's training. Of course, the dragon hadn't truly gone for the kill. By the time the Triangle Rhino reached Darkmoon City, Chen Rui's injuries had largely healed.

Returning to the laboratory, he was surprised to find Athena and Alice waiting for him.

Hadn't Athena left two days ago? Right, today was the day to take the "antidote." Why was Alice here too? Could she have learned about the "poisoning" from Athena?

Although Chen Rui's injuries had mostly recovered, the bruises on his face hadn't completely faded, and his clothes were filthy. Seeing his state, Athena flew into a rage. "Chen Rui, who did this? I'll go kill them for you!"

You couldn't beat that guy... Chen Rui muttered to himself. Seeing Athena's angry expression, he felt a warmth in his heart and shook his head. "It's nothing, I just accidentally took a fall."

"Don't lie to me, how could a fall do this?" Athena thought of something, her anger intensifying. "Was it someone sent by Allen? That despicable coward who only knows how to play dirty! I've never liked him; I'm going to go beat him up and get revenge for you right now!"

"Wait!" Chen Rui quickly blocked Athena. "Don't go! It has nothing to do with him!"

"How did you become such a coward, afraid to even tell the truth?" Athena was about to berate Chen Rui for his cowardice, but she suddenly recalled the wisdom and courage this human had shown when facing the Poison Dragon. She trailed off; no matter what, Allen couldn't compare to the Poison Dragon. There must be some hidden story.

"We humans have a saying: if you don't endure small things, you'll ruin great plans. We can't let a moment of impulse affect the big picture. If you have a major conflict with Allen now, it will make the Princess's situation even more passive." Chen Rui could only persuade the violent woman by appealing to the big picture, conveniently framing Allen in the process. He was already at odds with Allen, so adding another black pot didn't matter.

At these words, Athena's anger gradually subsided. Alice, who had been acting like a curious child, nodded vigorously in agreement but asked, "Chen Rui, since you're such a smart person, why are you participating in tomorrow's Aerial Competition?"

"Tomorrow? Aerial Competition?" Chen Rui was taken aback. "How come I don't know I'm participating? Who did you hear that from?"