When Lancelot returned to the special training camp, he immediately sensed a subtle change in the atmosphere.
"Congratulations on becoming an A-rank potential talent, Lancelot!" Windsor walked over openly, brushed a strand of hair back from her temple, and held out her hand.
"Just luck!" Lancelot shook her hand lightly and replied with a smile.
"Luck is a form of strength too, especially for ability users!"
"That's true!"
The two chatted as they walked toward the training ground. Their conversation was much more casual than before, and Windsor's manner was warmer. The barely perceptible barrier between them melted away like ice and snow.
That was the world of ability users. Only talents with potential of the same level had common ground and could earn each other's respect.
"Brother Lan, you're awesome! A-rank potential! I knew someone who learned that fast couldn't possibly have C-rank potential!"
Burke was thick-skinned, and his attitude hadn't changed at all. As carefree as ever, he came up and gave Lancelot a bear hug. This time, Lancelot didn't refuse and hugged him back without hesitation.
By comparison, Cole and Rui were a little more reserved. But when they saw that Lancelot's attitude was the same as ever, they breathed sighs of relief and went up to greet him with smiles, congratulating him repeatedly.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Burke asked, "By the way, Lancelot, now that you're an A-rank potential talent, are they going to reassign you to another team?"
Lancelot shook his head and smiled. "I joined the special training camp a little late, so the instructor is letting me stay on my original team."
At that, the eyes of Burke and the other two lit up, and they were overjoyed.
Burke was so excited that he jumped two meters into the air. "So our team has the best lineup in the special training camp now? One A-rank, one B-rank, and two C-ranks. Woohoo, we're going to be unstoppable!"
"Oh, give me a break. Say that after you've knocked Windsor down." Cole rolled his eyes at Burke. Although Lancelot's potential was outstanding, he hadn't had much time to develop and was weak. There wasn't much hope of him dominating the special training camp.
"It's only a matter of time. Trust our brother Lan. He'll definitely pin that chick underneath him and grind her into the dirt!"
Burke spoke with absolute conviction. He looked even more confident than Lancelot himself.
The four of them chatted and joked around for quite a while before each of them got down to training.
Although it was evening and time to rest, ability users were full of energy and only needed three or four hours of sleep a day. Most members spent the rest of their time training on their own to make up for their weaknesses.
Those who were poor shots went to the range to practice.
Those who weren't skilled at fighting sparred with other members.
Those whose ability development levels were rising too slowly simply had to grind away. There were no other shortcuts.
Elixirs could only provide assistance. In the end, ability users had to rely on themselves.
Lancelot didn't need to practice shooting or fighting at all. He spent almost all his spare time raising his ability development level.
He happened to have a bottle of Vitality Elixir left, so he drank it, assumed the standard posture of the General Genetic Exercise Method, and began training.
He activated the Flow Method, focusing his mind and sending his perception soaring. The more he used it, the faster its level rose, bringing him closer and closer to the state of absolute focus.
The Star Swallowing Technique, on the other hand, had no levels. This secret technique was extremely difficult to master, but once mastered, it was immediately at its maximum level, equivalent to gaining another passive talent.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
During that month, Grove and Gerard hadn't come looking for Lancelot again.
Unwilling to give up, they had approached some media outlets in an attempt to smear Lancelot's reputation. But under Deputy Mayor Kaidiwen's authority, they were soon forced to back down and ultimately abandoned the effort.
At the special training camp, two more ranking matches had taken place.
In the second ranking match, Lancelot's team placed second, while he placed fourth in the individual competition. His terrifying rate of growth had shocked everyone.
In the third ranking match, Lancelot's team placed second, and he placed second in the individual competition. He was now indisputably the second-strongest person in the special training camp.
Now, it was the eve of the fourth ranking match.
That evening, Lancelot stretched his body on his spacious balcony beneath the bright, clear moonlight.
Over the past month, his body had grown extremely quickly under the combined effects of intense training and the nourishment of the Vitality Elixirs.
His height alone had shot up by twelve centimeters, bringing him to 1.95 meters. He was tall and powerfully built without looking bulky. Every muscle fiber possessed its own distinct beauty, and in the moonlight, his perfectly proportioned physique displayed his masculine vigor to the fullest.
After a brief warm-up, Lancelot took a bottle of Vitality Elixir from the cooler beside him and drank it.
The familiar sensation filled his stomach, but the once-potent medicinal power now felt much weaker.
For one thing, Lancelot's physique had improved considerably, gradually diminishing the elixir's effect.
For another, his body had developed a resistance to the Vitality Elixir.
Over the past month, Lancelot had consumed Vitality Elixirs at a furious pace.
Not only had he used up all twenty bottles provided by the government and all five bottles he had won in the two ranking matches, he had also taken out a bank loan to buy ten bottles from Windsor.
Together with the three bottles he had consumed earlier, that made thirty-eight bottles in total.
Having just drunk the last bottle, he had now used up all thirty-eight.
It was perfectly normal to develop a resistance after consuming such large quantities of the same elixir in a short time.
Based on the changes in his physical stats on the information panel, Lancelot estimated that each bottle of Vitality Elixir was now seventy percent as effective as it had been at the start.
A full thirty percent had been lost, a considerable reduction in potency.
Still, that much waste was acceptable for the sake of rapidly improving his strength.
Two hours later, his bones crackled, and Lancelot visibly grew a good deal taller. Veins bulged across his pale-gold skin, and black light surged beneath it, bearing a distinct metallic sheen.
His muscles swelled like gnarled, intertwined roots.
He clenched his hand, and a terrifying sense of power filled his entire body, making him want to throw back his head and roar.
Forcibly suppressing the urge to roar, Lancelot called up his information panel to take a look.
[Lancelot] Life: 100% Species: Quebec Bloodline: ordinary human Tier: first tier Class: ability user Physique: 15 (6+9) Spirit: 4 Energy: 0.1 Charisma: 1 Mystery: 0.1 Luck: 1 Bloodline/talents: [Body of Steel Lv6] Active - upon activation, physique increases by 9-15 points, physical defense increases by 140%-200%, and life recovery speed increases by 20%-25%. Note: this bonus can raise physique to a maximum of 50 points! Note: activating this ability at its limit will put tremendous strain on the body. Control it yourself. [Tenacious Will] Passive - your powerful will and tenacious character grant you immunity to some forms of mental control and enthrallment. Knowledge/skills: [Epic Combat Skills: Lv45] - you possess Combat Skills and experience comparable to those of an Epic powerhouse, including 126 secret techniques such as [Flash Step], [Strong Fist], [Trapped Beast Fist], [Qi: Burning], [Qi Web], [Qigong Style: Primordial Qi Return], [Extreme Path Style: Cell Liberation], [Confinement Shackles], [Primordial Qi Tyrant Body], and [Star Swallowing Technique]. [Flow Method Lv14] Active - reduces mental entropy through a special method, improving mental efficiency and greatly enhancing perception, memory, and learning ability. It has three states: focus, Heightened Focus, and absolute focus. (Currently capable of reaching the Heightened Focus state!) [Astral Common Lv10] - you have mastered Astral Common. ... Combat power level (unit: Dale): 80-196 Status: good