In an instant, Jiang Lan felt several times lighter.
With just a slight step, he shot over to the door three meters away.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Lan opened the system panel again.
The information had been updated, and the final field now read:
[Upgrade requirement: first-tier ferocious beast essence blood x8]
He still had thirty-six bottles of essence blood.
What else was there to say?
Just do it!
Without the slightest hesitation, he took out eight bottles of essence blood.
[First-tier ferocious beast essence blood x8 detected. Use it to upgrade Indestructible Diamond Body?]
"Upgrade."
[Indestructible Diamond Body upgraded to level five!] [Defense +50, vitality +500, spirit +30]
A warm current suddenly surged into Jiang Lan's mind, making him instinctively close his eyes.
Jiang Lan's mind cleared, and his thoughts grew sharper. When he opened his eyes again, the whole world seemed a little clearer.
Although he did not feel any smarter, Jiang Lan felt better than ever, as if he had just woken naturally from a full night's sleep.
On top of that, Jiang Lan's senses had become much keener.
He could even hear Shen Qingqiu breathing in the kitchen from inside his room.
He could also hear the wind rustling the leaves outside.
Jiang Lan took a deep breath to calm his excitement, then looked at the panel again.
The next upgrade required sixteen bottles of essence blood.
Just as he had expected, the cost doubled with every upgrade.
But that was no big deal.
He took another sixteen bottles of essence blood out of the box.
The system prompt flashed at the same time.
[First-tier ferocious beast essence blood x16 detected. Use it to upgrade Indestructible Diamond Body?]
Without hesitating, Jiang Lan silently commanded, Upgrade!
[Indestructible Diamond Body upgraded to level six!] [Defense +60, vitality +600, strength +40]
Boom!
Jiang Lan felt as if his body were exploding, tremendous power flooding every limb and bone.
One punch. One cow. Dead.
After carefully getting a feel for his current strength, Jiang Lan reckoned he could probably kill a Meridian Opening martial artist with a single slap.
After all, he had experienced the force of an all-out strike from someone at Meridian Opening.
Honestly, it had not been anything special.
Even if Shen Qingqiu went all out now, he might not be a match for him.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Lan looked at the panel again.
Sure enough, the next upgrade required thirty-two bottles.
His current stock of essence blood was no longer enough.
But that was no big deal.
Lin Yu had said he could collect this month's cultivation resources at the start of next month. Those thirty bottles, plus the twelve he still had, would not only be enough but leave ten to spare.
He gathered his thoughts and read through his current stats panel from top to bottom.
[Host: Jiang Lan] [Realm: none (martial talent not awakened)] [Indestructible Diamond Body: level six] [Defense: 210] [Vitality: 2345] [Strength: 58.6 (ordinary human average: 10)] [Spirit: 40.8 (ordinary human average: 10)] [Agility: 29.1 (ordinary human average: 10)] [Constitution: 29.5 (ordinary human average: 10)] [Upgrade requirement: first-tier ferocious beast essence blood x32]
He was practically a monster.
He had no idea how many times stronger he had become than before the upgrades.
With this defense... even a third-tier ferocious beast might not be able to hurt him.
Of course, Jiang Lan was only entertaining the thought.
He had never encountered an actual third-tier ferocious beast.
Still, he imagined one would not be so easy to deal with.
Closing the panel, Jiang Lan stood up and lightly swung his fist at the air before him.
Whoosh!
The wind from his punch howled, compressing the air into a mass that burst with a rushing roar.
Startled, Jiang Lan quickly reined in his strength.
If he threw a full-power punch, he could probably smash a hole in the wall.
He tried jumping on the spot.
With a gentle hop, he shot off the ground, his head almost hitting the ceiling.
Jiang Lan hurriedly landed, afraid of making too much noise.
His strength and speed were both beyond anything he had ever dared imagine.
Tsk, tsk...
Now, if someone like Li Hu tried provoking him again, he could pin them down and beat them with one hand.
Just as Jiang Lan was getting completely carried away with his own strength, Shen Qingqiu called from outside:
"Lan, dinner's ready."
"Coming."
Jiang Lan answered and walked out of his room.
Several home-cooked dishes sat on the dining table.
Jiang Lan sat down and picked up his chopsticks.
Shen Qingqiu glanced at Jiang Lan, then suddenly raised his eyebrows.
"Did you... just use the essence blood?"
"Huh?" Jiang Lan feigned confusion. "How did you know, Auntie?"
"Nothing... I just felt like your body looked a little more solid, and you seemed..."
At that point, Shen Qingqiu seemed a little embarrassed.
Jiang Lan's muscles had visibly grown bigger, stirring a flutter of desire in him.
"Ahem..." Suppressing his wayward thoughts, Shen Qingqiu asked, "How much did you use?"
"Hmm..." Jiang Lan paused. "Twenty-eight bottles. There are twelve left."
Shen Qingqiu's face filled with surprise.
"In the time it took me to cook... that was only half an hour, right? A bottle a minute? Were you drinking it like soda?"
"Heh..." Jiang Lan rubbed his head. "It didn't feel strong enough, so I used a bit more."
"How do you feel?" Seeing this, Shen Qingqiu worried that Jiang Lan might have damaged his body.
Jiang Lan raised his arms and flexed them together.
"I feel ridiculously powerful!"
Shen Qingqiu rolled his eyes at him. "You... never mind. Stop showing off and eat."
Jiang Lan did not mind. He picked up a bite of food with his chopsticks and spoke as he ate:
"Auntie, I don't think Li Hu is a match for me anymore."
Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrows. "That confident?"
Jiang Lan nodded. "Yeah. I feel several times stronger than before."
Shen Qingqiu thought for a moment. "Then you should have the strength of an early Meridian Opening martial artist now."
"But actual combat and raw strength are two different things. Don't get careless."
Jiang Lan nodded. "I know."
The two chatted as they ate. A little later, Shen Qingqiu reminded him:
"Classes start tomorrow. Make sure you get some proper rest today."
Jiang Lan nodded in agreement:
"Don't worry, Auntie."
After dinner, Jiang Lan took the initiative to clear away the dishes.
Shen Qingqiu did not stop him this time, instead sitting on the couch to watch television.
After all, Jiang Lan's injuries had long since mostly healed.
After washing the dishes, Jiang Lan also sat on the couch and glanced at Shen Qingqiu beside him.
Shen Qingqiu suddenly asked:
"Tomorrow's your first day of class. Are you nervous?"
Jiang Lan shook his head. "Not nervous, just a little curious."
"Curious about what?"
Jiang Lan grinned.
"I've never been to school before, so of course I'm curious. Besides, my student number is 001. I wonder if there's anyone else in the Rocket Class."
"There should be," Shen Qingqiu said. "They just aren't martial artists with special talents. Still, everyone who gets into the Rocket Class is exceptionally gifted. You shouldn't underestimate them."
"Of course."
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