The Mysterious Sound of the Blade, Lu Chongwei Desires Strength

The night deepened.

Lu Chongwei lay on his bed, his breathing steady as he drifted into a deep slumber.

Moonlight spilled through the window, illuminating the Zanpakuto hanging on the wall.

Suddenly.

"Hum—"

The blade of the Zanpakuto trembled slightly.

An eerie red light emanated from the scabbard, appearing exceptionally bewitching in the dark room.

In his sleep, Lu Chongwei's brows furrowed tightly, as if he had fallen into some kind of nightmare.

Within the dream.

Lu Chongwei found himself standing in a vast, boundless space of darkness.

There was nothing around him, only endless void.

Yet, strangely, it was not cold; instead, it was shockingly hot.

This heat did not come from the outside, but seemed to surge from the depths of his soul, as if magma were rushing through his veins.

"Haa... haa..."

Lu Chongwei gasped for air, his clothes soaked through with sweat in an instant.

The temperature continued to climb.

One hundred degrees... five hundred degrees... one thousand degrees...

The surrounding dark space began to distort, as if even the void itself were about to be scorched through by this intense heat.

Just as Lu Chongwei felt he was about to be roasted alive.

An ancient and majestic voice, as if traversing the ages of time and space, boomed through this realm.

"Do you wish to become stronger?"

The voice contained supreme pressure, each word striking heavily against Lu Chongwei's heart.

Lu Chongwei jerked his head up, attempting to find the source of the sound.

"Who is it?!"

He shouted aloud.

"Do you wish to master this power that burns all things in the universe to ash?"

The voice did not answer him, but continued to ask on its own.

As soon as the words fell, an even more terrifying wave of heat swept over him.

Lu Chongwei felt his very soul trembling.

It was a craving for ultimate power, as well as an instinctive fear of destruction.

"I..."

Lu Chongwei just started to respond.

However.

Before he could even utter the word "do,"

"Crack!"

A crisp shattering sound rang out.

The entire dark space instantly fractured, dissolving into countless specks of light.

The mysterious voice ceased abruptly, as if it had never existed at all.

"Hah!"

Lu Chongwei bolted upright in bed.

He panted heavily, his chest heaving violently, his entire body drenched in sweat.

"What was that just now..."

Lu Chongwei wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, looking at the Zanpakuto on the wall with lingering fear.

Ryujin Jakka hung there quietly as before, its red light retracted, as if everything that had just happened were merely a hallucination.

Yet, he could clearly feel that something within his body was awakening.

The lingering heat deep within his soul felt terrifyingly real.

"It seems my power is still far from enough."

Lu Chongwei clenched his fist, a flicker of determination flashing in his eyes.

To be kicked out before even seeing the owner of that voice meant that, as he was now, he could not yet fully control the power of this strongest fire-type Zanpakuto.

The next morning.

Lu Chongwei finished washing up, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and headed to the guild feeling refreshed.

As soon as he stepped through the front door, he sensed that the atmosphere today was a bit different.

Everyone was whispering to one another, their faces filled with gossipy expressions.

"Morning, Lu Chongwei!"

Cana was wiping down the bar counter; seeing Lu Chongwei walk in, she greeted him with a smile.

"Morning, Cana."

Lu Chongwei sat down at the bar. "The usual, hot milk."

"By the way, where is Erza?"

Lu Chongwei scanned his surroundings but did not see that scarlet figure.

"Erza went to see Porlyusica," Cana said while pouring the milk, a hint of pity in her eyes.

"The Master said that Porlyusica might have a way to treat her eye. Although it can only be replaced with a prosthetic, at least it will make her look like a normal person again."

Lu Chongwei nodded.

This was good news to him.

While a prosthetic eye couldn't fully restore her vision, it would at least help Erza shed the insecurity of being one-eyed, which would be a great help to her psychological recovery.

"What about Gray?"

Lu Chongwei asked again.

"He's over there."

Cana pointed toward the guild's backyard.

Lu Chongwei turned his head to look.

He saw Gray shirtless, frantically doing push-ups in the open space of the backyard.

Sweat streamed down his muscular frame, dripping onto the ground and forming a puddle.

"Nine hundred ninety-eight... nine hundred ninety-nine... one thousand!"

Gray finished the set, flipped up to his feet, and punched at the air, the flames of vengeance burning in his eyes.

"Erza! You just wait! Next time, I will definitely win!"

"And Lu Chongwei! I'm going to defeat you too!"

Lu Chongwei smiled helplessly.

This kid was truly full of energy.

After finishing his milk, Lu Chongwei walked straight toward the job board on the second floor.

His goal right now was very clear—to make money.

The rent for the guild dormitory was tens of thousands of J every month, plus the cost of daily meals, buying cakes, and the occasional compensation for the destruction caused by using Ryujin Jakka...

His wallet had long been cleaner than his face.

"I have to buy a house."

Lu Chongwei looked at the shriveled wallet in his hand and secretly made up his mind.

Living in the dorms forever wasn't a long-term solution, and if he ever accidentally unleashed his power while dreaming and burned the place down, the compensation fees would surely force him into indentured servitude.

"This one looks good."

Lu Chongwei's gaze locked onto a subjugation quest notice.

[Subjugate the Giant Magic Bear entrenched in the Eastern Forest. Reward: 500,000 J.]

"500,000 J, that should be enough for a down payment, right?"

Lu Chongwei tore the quest notice off the board, his eyes shimmering with the glow of gold coins.

"For the sake of a house! For the sake of never paying damages again! Charge!"

He took the quest notice and ran to Makarov to register it.

"Master, I'm taking this job!"

Makarov glanced at the notice, then looked at the high-spirited Lu Chongwei, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Go on, be careful. Remember not to burn the whole forest down, or I'll have to deduct it from your pay again!"

"Don't worry, Master! I know what I'm doing!"

Lu Chongwei patted his chest with confidence, turned around, and dashed out of the guild doors.

For the sake of a wonderful life as a homeowner, let's get to work!