Second Rank

Lu Hao stood to the side, watching her, and it wasn't long before Lu Aoyun breathed her last. Lu Hao also received a notification.

[Enemy killed, Slaughter Point +327]

It seems this Lu Aoyun wasn't far from the high stage of the second rank, Lu Hao thought.

He hadn't expected to take down a mid-stage second-ranker so easily, especially since two peak first-rankers had nearly threatened his safety before.

But those two weren't typical cases; they were special circumstances. One had obtained a large amount of equipment through connections with an Evil Cult, and the other was a complete madman.

Ordinary first or second-rankers would basically die once struck by Lu Hao's second blade, as they hadn't tempered their chest bones and couldn't withstand his attacks.

Lu Hao glanced at his Slaughter Points.

[Slaughter Point: 384]

This was enough for Lu Hao to temper seven bones, with 34 points left over—enough to recover 340 calories of vitality, which was sufficient for a battle.

After checking his gains, Lu Hao walked over to the bound Yu Jie. Only then did he realize that Yu Jie was also a martial artist, though given his weak vitality, he was likely only at the low stage of the first rank.

"How is it? Still alive?"

"Water... water..."

Lu Hao picked up the water from the table nearby and fed it to Yu Jie. He then used his phone to notify the investigating officer, telling him to come and handle Yu Jie, as he hadn't expected Lu Aoyun to have kept him tied up here for torture.

After returning to the Detective Bureau to submit the mission, Lu Hao went home. He couldn't wait to start bone tempering; once that was done, he would reach the second rank.

Back home, Lu Hao went straight to the Martial Arts Training Room to begin tempering his bones, not even taking the time to shower. After all, breaking through to the second rank was a massive boost for him, and he might even be able to fight a third-ranker once he succeeded.

Two hours later, after tempering two bones, Bai Qiuyao returned. Lu Hao came out to wash up and have a meal. After telling his mother about the two arrivals that morning, he returned to the Martial Arts Training Room to continue tempering his bones.

The next day, at ten in the morning, Lu Hao finally rolled out of bed, feeling groggy. He had tempered seven bones the previous night, which had consumed a significant amount of his mental energy, causing him to wake up particularly late today.

After getting up and eating breakfast, Lu Hao checked his panel.

[Slaughter Point System]

[Host: Lu Hao]

[Vitality: 313/313 cal]

[Mental: 206/299 Hz+]

[Storage Space: 10 cubic meters]

[Slaughter Point: 34]

His vitality had reached 313 calories, and his lower limb bones were completely tempered. Connecting the lower limb bones had provided him with ten extra calories of vitality.

Lu Hao was now a peak first-rank martial artist, but if anyone saw his vitality value, they would likely mistake him for a mid-stage second-ranker.

Lu Hao chose not to break through just yet, as his mental energy hadn't fully recovered. Expanding the meridians would require a fair amount of mental energy, and a failure in that regard could lead to a failed breakthrough.

Therefore, Lu Hao didn't continue practicing combat techniques, as that would also consume vitality and mental energy. He decided to give himself the afternoon off, clear his mind in the evening, and make a single, decisive push to break through.

With that in mind, Lu Hao headed out. As for his destination, he had none—he would just walk wherever his feet took him, as he was out to relax and recover his mental energy.

He spent the entire afternoon wandering through the Beiding District zoo and amusement park, having a fairly pleasant time.

The only thing that left Lu Hao dissatisfied was that rides like rollercoasters and drop towers felt like nothing to him now that he was a martial artist; given those heights, it wouldn't be a big deal even if he fell straight down.

In the evening, after telling his mother, he began preparing for the breakthrough under her watchful gaze.

It was similar to his breakthrough to the first rank, except that instead of expanding the meridians of the lower limbs, he was now focusing on the upper limbs. Under his mother's guidance, he remembered every detail clearly.

After swallowing a Bone Tempering Pill and an Organ Protection Pill, Lu Hao began guiding his vitality to widen his meridians.

One hour, two hours, three hours.

Bai Qiuyao watched from the side, though she wasn't as nervous as she had been during his first-rank breakthrough. Lu Hao had already brought her too many surprises during this period.

From his initial double-bone tempering and triple-bone tempering to the news she received today that Lu Hao had killed a mid-stage second-rank criminal, she had developed significant confidence in him. She now recognized his talent; in her heart, she believed that as long as Lu Hao didn't fall midway, he would certainly grow into a Grandmaster.

That was why she was now more supportive and attentive, offering him mental support rather than interfering with his choices. Lu Hao's growth had already surpassed her maternal perspective.

If she continued to raise him using her old methods, she would likely ruin his potential.

Three and a half hours later, Lu Hao completed his breakthrough. Opening his eyes, he felt a surge in his own vitality—it was almost becoming difficult to control.

He opened the panel.

[Slaughter Point System]

[Host: Lu Hao]

[Vitality: 93/345 cal]

[Mental: 104/314 Hz]

[Storage Space: 100 cubic meters]

[Slaughter Point: 3]

His vitality had increased by 32 cal in one go, nearly one-tenth of his original total, which explained why his control over his vitality was slightly lacking; furthermore, his mental power had broken through the 299 barrier, increasing by 15 Hz.

Moreover, the plus sign behind his mental power had disappeared, suggesting that his current mental power was at his limit; if he were to break through any further, his physical body might not be able to withstand it.

It was just that he only had three Slaughter Points left. Lu Hao had forgotten that his Slaughter Points would shrink after his breakthrough; had he known, he would have spent them to restore his mental power that morning. After all, there wasn't much difference between having them and not having them after the shrinkage.

As for his Storage Space, it had simply and crudely added a zero; if he reached the ninth rank, he feared his Storage Space might be large enough to hold the entire Hua Nation.

He had broken through to the first rank on March 1st, and now it was May 12th; it had taken him nearly two months to advance from the first rank to the second rank.

Since there were 62 bones in the lower limbs, Lu Hao's average tempering speed had been one bone per day.

Now that he had reached the second rank, he would only be able to gain Slaughter Points by killing second-rank targets, but second-rank missions were relatively rare; after all, those who could reach the second rank generally possessed some level of awareness.

They wouldn't be like those at the first rank who thought they were invincible just because they had become martial artists.

Therefore, his average bone-tempering time from here on out would likely be slower than one bone per day. With three and a half months left until school started in September, if he completed a few missions during this period and nothing unexpected happened, reaching the third rank before school started shouldn't be a problem.

After that, he could head to the Magic City Abyss. After all, the third rank was the typical time for an average person to enter the abyss. Martial artists of the same rank were not as hard to find in the abyss as they were now; they were everywhere there, and he would be able to advance rapidly once he arrived.

After chatting with his mother for a bit, Lu Hao went to take a shower, as he had produced quite a bit of foul blood during his breakthrough.