Mysterious Lucky Charm

The long night stretched on. Sitting around waiting for his injuries to heal was dull, so Chen Xu decided to open the remaining four brocade boxes.

He took out all the items from the boxes and placed them on the table one by one.

To make sure Chen Xu knew what each item was for, Academy Master Cheng had even thoughtfully prepared small notes explaining their uses.

"A mobile phone, healing powder supposedly ground from various medicinal herbs, a lucky charm wrapped in silk, its material unknown, and the essentials of Great Stone-Stele Smash." Comparing them against the notes, Chen Xu picked up the small porcelain bottle containing the healing powder.

After removing the stopper, he did not smell even a trace of the medicinal fragrance he had imagined. Instead, a strange, indescribable odor wafted out.

In short, besides healing injuries, it also had the added effect of refreshing the mind.

After applying the powder to the bloody hole in his chest, Chen Xu felt a faint numbness at the wound, and the pain immediately lessened considerably.

"Tianwu," he murmured inwardly.

Host: Chen Xu

Strength: 1.9 (1.2)

Constitution: 1.5 (1.0)

Agility: 0.7 (0.5)

Spiritual Energy: 0.2

Martial Path: None

Martial Arts: Chen-Style Tiger Roar Fist (Level 5), Bronze Body Technique (Level 1), Great Stone-Stele Smash (Uninitiated)

Special Effect: Tiger Might Level 1

After reading through the essentials of Great Stone-Stele Smash, the martial art had already appeared on the panel. As long as he had enough Spiritual Energy, he could learn it immediately.

The newly added attributes in parentheses were undoubtedly his current state. Compared with his peak, his strength had fallen by far more than a little.

Unwrapping the silk, Chen Xu placed the rough-textured lucky charm in his palm, his brow rising slightly.

The Spiritual Energy on the panel began to increase slowly and steadily by hundredths at a time.

Tiny yet indescribable currents of warmth flowed from the lucky charm into Chen Xu's body.

In just a few minutes, his Spiritual Energy had reached 3.56. Immediately afterward, its rate of growth gradually began to slow.

Without hesitation, Chen Xu swiftly focused on Tiger Roar Fist. Two points of Spiritual Energy vanished, and Tiger Roar Fist flickered before changing to Level 6.

From Academy Master Xu, he had already seen the power of focusing on a single martial path.

A master of Level 10 Tiger Roar Fist would absolutely crush a martial artist with Level 5 Tiger Roar Fist plus Level 5 Bronze Body Technique.

He would first raise one martial path to its peak. Once he had sufficient ability to protect himself, he could slowly improve the others.

Host: Chen Xu

Strength: 2.3 (1.6)

Constitution: 1.8 (1.3)

Agility: 0.8 (0.6)

Spiritual Energy: 1.56

Martial Path: None

Martial Arts: Chen-Style Tiger Roar Fist (Level 6), Bronze Body Technique (Level 1), Great Stone-Stele Smash (Uninitiated)

Special Effect: Tiger Might Level 2

It consumed more Spiritual Energy, but the efficiency of the increase in strength was clearly higher than during the first five levels.

As his strength increased, Chen Xu also felt his injuries recovering at an accelerated rate. The portion of his fighting power that he had estimated would take several hours to recover would now return in at most an hour.

"Once I get the chance, I should ask Academy Master Cheng where he bought this lucky charm." Chen Xu carefully traced the patterns on it. It might have something to do with a certain type of wood, but he could not determine anything more just by touch.

He now had another way to obtain Spiritual Energy.

The first method was the medicinal juice his previous self had concocted through blind experimentation. The second, Refining Liquid, was the most stable and least risky source. The last was this charm of unknown material.

For Chen Xu, the more methods he had for obtaining Spiritual Energy, the better, because more Spiritual Energy meant faster growth in strength.

He hung the charm around his neck, letting it rest against his skin.

He had already tested it. As long as any part of his body touched an item that provided Spiritual Energy, he could absorb it.

He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was already the middle of the night.

The wound in his chest no longer hurt. Chen Xu flexed and stretched his body a few times, then strode out of Chen Martial Arts Academy.

Other than the flashing neon lights, Jinning Commandery was rather quiet in the predawn hours.

After all, this was not one of Great Abyss's developed regions. It was equivalent to a fourth- or fifth-tier city from his previous life, still far from deserving the title of a city that never slept.

Pedestrians were few on the empty streets. A few scantily clad young women occasionally passed by and tried to have a deeper exchange with Chen Xu, but he sternly refused them.

After walking briskly for dozens of minutes, Chen Xu spotted Zhicheng Martial Arts Academy in the distance. It was at least as large as a dozen Chen Martial Arts Academies.

Its five-story building looked rather miniature beside the surrounding office towers that rose dozens of floors high.

The main entrance was closed, and the security guard was sprawled inside the guardroom, yawning repeatedly.

Chen Xu circled around half the building and stopped at the rear iron gate.

Surveillance cameras were high-end products in this world, and Zhicheng Martial Arts Academy clearly had no intention of wasting extra money on them.

He took out the dozens of key rings he had stripped from Academy Master Xu and began trying them one by one.

While circling the building, he had noticed that only the fourth floor had dim light shining from it, so he had no need to worry about the night watchman inside hearing any noise.

Besides, so what if he was heard? Chen Xu would be delighted if someone familiar with Zhicheng Martial Arts Academy came to show him the way.

Click.

Twisting the key, Chen Xu gently pushed open the iron gate.

Searching the lobby aimlessly for the warehouse where Zhicheng Martial Arts Academy stored its resources would be terribly inefficient. Chen Xu sighed inwardly and stepped onto the stairs leading to the fourth floor.

Chang Wei lit a cigarette and took several practiced drags, his eyes filled with desolation.

Once upon a time, he would never smoke cheap cigarettes that cost less than fifty Great Abyss coins. Now, even when his craving struck, he could not bear to buy cigarettes costing more than fifty.

He had no choice. Now that he had a household, he could no longer spend money as recklessly as before.

There was a huge difference in treatment between junior coaches and senior coaches. He had struggled for nearly twenty years to climb to that position, only to be knocked back to square one overnight.

His status at Zhicheng Martial Arts Academy had also plummeted. The rival deputy academy master candidates who had never gotten along with him were rubbing salt in the wound, eager to use this chance to kick him out of Zhicheng Martial Arts Academy.

"It's probably been fifteen years since I last worked a night shift. Experiencing the old days again isn't so bad." Chang Wei wore a bitter expression as he stubbed out his cigarette.

"I'm not used to it. The smell of this smoke is a little too harsh."

Just as he was sighing to himself, a young man's crisp voice sounded behind him. "Well, well, isn't this Coach Chang Wei? How did you end up in such a state?"

"Exactly. If it weren't for that Chen..." Chang Wei did not react at first and simply followed the thread of the conversation.

"Chen... Chen..." Cold sweat slid down Chang Wei's cheek. He felt that the voice sounded familiar, as though he had heard it somewhere before.

"Chen what? Go on, say it." Chen Xu lowered his voice with malicious amusement.

Turning around mechanically, Chang Wei forced out a smile uglier than tears. "Academy Master Chen, what brings you here?"

In those few short seconds, Chang Wei had already imagined all sorts of outcomes. For instance, Chen Xu had specifically found out that he was on night duty tonight because of what had happened during the day, and had come to take his life.

He had once bragged to the other coaches that if such a situation happened, he could take on as many opponents as came.

Now that it had truly happened, Chang Wei's face turned deathly pale, and his hands and feet went cold.

Chen Xu pinched his nose in disgust and pointed at Chang Wei's dampening pants.

"Are you so excited to see me that you pissed yourself?"

When everyone encounters ads like "Are you a True Person?", there is no need to pay attention. Just close them, and do not scan the code or send text messages!