Wu Youren instinctively wanted to take back the jade pendant—if he were to Weird Transformation, it would be too late to regret it!
However, at this moment, his body was stiff.
He even felt that his thoughts had been frozen, and his brain was starting to malfunction.
Damn it, I was careless after all... He sighed in a daze: I trusted the Weird-Repelling Jue a little too much.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he felt his internal energy begin to surge, making his muscles ache all over.
His temples on both sides of his head began to throb, and his heart sank: Oh no, he's about to break through!
The signs and omens associated with Knight Apprentice breaking through to the Knight are well understood by most martial artists.
Especially for the Gale series of Battle Qi, there are only a few signs when breaking through!
But now... how can we break through?
Wu Youren dreamed of breaking through, but not under these circumstances.
In his plan, the ideal situation is to secretly accumulate strength, and even if a breakthrough is possible, to forcefully suppress it.
If you wait until you're eighteen to break through, it won't attract as much attention.
It's no surprise that Liang would treat a prodigy from an enemy state with such an attitude, especially since he's a hostage!
What's even more crucial is, what will Ke Li think after he discovers his breakthrough?
The instructor had already said the unpleasant things upfront—he had paid a considerable price and was determined to obtain the strange creature.
Whether this round protrusion counts as a strange object is hard to say, but his breakthrough overnight makes it hard not to make connections!
Could Ke Li reason with him? Absolutely not. If he killed him in a fit of rage, the consequences would be the same.
If we attribute his death to the Weird Race, that would be even more perfect.
In cases like the deaths of Oliwen or He Wenhao, a brief explanation from the team's instructor would suffice.
However, even if he didn't want to break through, his body was currently immobile, yet experience points were still being continuously poured into his body!
"We're doomed! "Wu Youren was truly panicked.
He wasn't even sure if, after this breakthrough, someone discovered the anomaly and he would be dissected and studied by the Liang!
In other worlds, slicing might be an exaggerated rhetorical device, but in Liang, these people can definitely do it!
The strange object was clearly meant for Ability User, yet he successfully attacked Knight without even realizing it. What kind of mechanism is that?!
Wait a minute... Ability User?
Wu Youren only knew that Ability User existed in this world, but he had no idea how to break through or what awakening was all about.
According to others, the deceased father of the previous incarnation became a builder and was quite close to awakening!
However, he had come to Liang at a young age and had never been exposed to any theories. No one in the gang taught him either, so it remained a blind spot in his knowledge.
Fortunately, the transmigrated soul had some exposure to another set of theories—Daoist cultivation!
Back then, he could be called Ancient Divine Poster, so he paid considerable attention to fitness and health.
He even practiced the Eight Pieces of Brocade, Taiji, and studied classic texts such as the Seal of the Unity of the Three Awakening to Reality.
After transmigrating, he already had the Raging Gale Cultivation Technique, so there was no need for him to cultivate these.
As a hostage, his cultivation practice would be watched by the Liang. He tried the Eight Pieces of Brocade once, but he practiced it secretly behind closed doors.
But at this moment, he really couldn't care less; at the very least, he should try focusing his mind on his dantian.
The Raging Gale Cultivation Technique doesn't mention the dantian at all; it focuses solely on physical training.
Internal energy, such as Battle Qi, originates from muscles and will, which is different from the Daoist system; it feels somewhat like water without roots.
He had no other choice anyway; if he let the experience points wash over him, he was bound to become a Charge Knight!
Since he didn't understand the superpower system, he could only blindly rush in.
However, a miracle occurred immediately afterward. He had just focused his mind on his dantian when he suddenly felt a warm sensation in his lower abdomen...
Wu Youren didn't know how long he had been cultivating before he felt his body gradually warming up.
After moving around a bit, wow, it's not stiff anymore!
He checked the Weird-Repelling Jue; it was still slightly warm, but not too hot anymore.
That little round bump at the front of the jade pendant... Oh my god, what happened to it?
Wu Youren glanced down at the fallen light stick; its glow was already very faint.
At its brightest, the cold light stick can last for about half an hour, after which the brightness will gradually decrease.
Judging from the intensity of the light alone, he must have lasted for more than an hour.
He took out a cold light stick, lit it, and looked at the stone in front of him, only to find to his astonishment that the round protrusion was gone!
Instead, there is a small hole, which is not deep, but the internal space is larger.
In other words, this treasure was originally embedded in the boulder, and the small protrusion that is exposed is only a small part of it.
Had I absorbed all the treasures? Wu Youren was a little puzzled and couldn't help but sense them again.
That's really true; this place no longer holds that allure for him!
He was even more shocked when he took another look at the Weird-Repelling Jue; it had become even more translucent and warm to the touch.
Previous jade pendants looked more like stones than jade, giving them a strong sense of being cheap, low-quality goods.
Even if it improved somewhat later, it's hard to say how much stronger it became.
Even so, Ke Li thought it was pretty good, but now... it's even more different, it even has a bit of a jade-like quality to it.
We don't have any luster or anything like that yet; the material is a bit inferior, and it hasn't been polished.
That's good! Wu Youren secretly made up his mind that he would never play with the jade pendant again in the years to come.
If you were to polish a string of beads until it develops a patina or a lustrous sheen, that would be far too eye-catching!
He steadied himself, sensed his surroundings again, and, confirming that there was nothing else attracting him, turned and began to explore.
Before leaving, he made sure to take the broken tip of the dagger with him, determined to erase all traces.
However, what exactly happened to him in that hour or so still needs careful consideration.
It is certain that the process of attacking the Knight was abruptly interrupted by him.
Aside from the slight twitching in his temples, likely caused by throbbing veins, his cultivation level remained steadily at the Knight Apprentice level.
He had just stumbled out of the cave, his steps uneven, when he was suddenly stunned.
A dark figure stood silently ahead, the mountain wind blowing, causing the figure's short hair to flutter.
Wu Youren composed himself before speaking, "You startled me... It's not time to take over the shift yet, what are you doing?"
The shadowy figure was Cynthia. She sighed softly, "I wanted to take your place as soon as possible, but do you know what you're doing?"
"I'm here to find the ghost," Wu Youren answered without hesitation.
He even seemed somewhat self-righteous, saying, "The instructors couldn't be found, and they even avoided us getting close."
"Now that he and Qigeli are gone, anyone can come here. I'm just trying my luck. Is there a problem?"
Cynthia took two steps closer, and her face became clearly visible.
She reached up and took her Weird-Repelling Jue from her waist, dangled it briefly, and then looked at it again in the starlight.
Then she let out a long sigh of relief, "You're so bold! Why didn't you discuss it with me?"
Wu Youren replied seriously, "You worked hard yesterday too, I hope you can get some more sleep."
"Is that so?" Cynthia was clearly a little skeptical.
"I was also afraid of putting you in a difficult position," Wu Youren replied slowly. "What if I gain something from this? Shouldn't you tell the instructor?"
He couldn't possibly admit that he wanted to hog all the benefits—now that he'd already taken them, there was no way he could back out.
"He gave up on himself," Cynthia answered instinctively.
Then, she asked curiously, "What did you find?"
"We found nothing," Wu Youren said, shrugging. "If you don't believe me, you can go in and see for yourself."
"But..." Cynthia looked him up and down before speaking again, "Why do you seem a little different?"
It's definitely different now! Wu Youren knew perfectly well that at least this time the Qi Gathering was quite successful.
The phrase "experience points entering the body" is just a figure of speech; strictly speaking, he considers himself to have successfully Qi Gathering.
Moreover, the energy he collected has not been completely refined; he is currently still in a state of "overeating".
He estimated that it would take him a while to process tonight's gains.
In particular, one must consider whether to follow the path of the Daoist sect or continue on the path of the Knight.
If we could freely choose our path... Speaking of which, is the lack of a Daoist system in this world also due to the depletion of Spiritual Qi?
However, these considerations can be addressed later; for now, it's more important to dispel Cynthia's suspicions.
He took all the equipment from his hands and body and put it on the ground.
They had a lot of equipment, not to mention small shovels, backpacks, daggers, pistols, and even magazines.
Then, he even took off his coat, shook off the dirt, and said, "See, nothing to show for it."
While Cynthia was still in a daze, he brushed the dirt off his hair and put on his clothes.
The female warrior stamped her foot in annoyance, "I never said I didn't believe you!"
"Then I'll pretend I'm tired," Wu Youren waved his hand. "Could you do me a favor and take these things back to my residence?"
"Who helped you carry all this? It stinks," Cynthia scoffed, then paused before continuing, "Are you really tired?"
"Fine, I'll take it myself," Wu Youren said, putting on his bullets, dagger, and other equipment, and picking up a small shovel.
"Just help me with my backpack."
The backpack was full of miscellaneous items, including glow sticks, which are the easiest places to hide things.
Cynthia bent down, picked up her backpack, and followed him.
Instead of checking the backpack, she asked, "Aren't you going to fill the hole back in?"
"So what if the instructors see it?" Wu Youren replied casually, "They've already searched him."
"Sigh," the female warrior sighed, "Let's wait until dawn, then we can fill in the gaps a bit... Your situation doesn't seem very good."
Upon hearing this, Wu Youren glanced at her sideways, "It might be worse than you think. Fortunately, Red Pine is ultimately a place that follows the rules."
"Hmm?" Cynthia seemed interested in the topic. "What aspect is worse?"
"Who doesn't have their troubles?" the young man from Jin replied calmly, without offering any further explanation.