Chapter 11: Chapter 10: Fire-refined Golden Body: Lower Grade Scorched Earth
[Experience Points: 350
Function: Scan
Martial Arts: "Fire-refined Golden Body" -/300+ (Just Started)]
He Xiaotian, holding a bowl of ginseng soup, focused his mind and gently tapped the "+" sign.
The meter instantly filled to 300/300, and the text that followed began to blur.
Before his body could even react, he downed the entire bowl of soup in one go.
"GULP! GULP! GULP!"
A wave of fullness washed over him. At the same time, the searing Inner Strength in his Dantian began to boil like a pan of hot oil.
"Ugh!"
The Inner Strength was incredibly violent. In an instant, He Xiaotian turned as red as a cooked shrimp.
His whole body was crimson, and waves of heat steamed from the top of his head.
The essence of the soup was gradually consumed as his Inner Strength circulated.
After an unknown amount of time, a gnawing hunger returned to his stomach.
He endured the searing pain and swallowed the ginseng root whole.
"SLURP!"
His body suddenly began to swell, like an inflating balloon.
’Did I overdo it?’
A single wild ginseng root worth fifty thousand yuan was far more expensive than twenty large pork knuckles and fifty steaks combined!
His skin cracked open, but what was revealed wasn’t red flesh, but a layer of fair, tender skin.
He was like an old snake shedding its skin, reborn from the old.
’It hurts, it hurts, it hurts...’
He Xiaotian didn’t consider himself a tough guy. When he got the Experience Points system, he was just a college sophomore, after all.
This time, the pain was clearly far more intense than the previous two times.
It was a process akin to having every meridian in his body torn apart and then reassembled.
His muscles grew more developed, and he was vaguely starting to look like a real powerhouse.
Only after the entire wild ginseng root was devoured by the fiery Inner Strength did the tearing sensation finally subside.
It made him feel as if he had been reborn.
"My Inner Strength is even stronger, and my body is more robust than before. With just one hand, I could probably take on ten of my former self," He Xiaotian muttered to himself, looking at his strong, developed arms.
"Huh! Looks like I’ve gotten taller, too."
Before he started practicing martial arts, he was 1.75 meters tall at most. Now, he was at least a little over 1.8 meters.
He eagerly looked toward the top-left corner of his vision.
[Experience Points: 50
Function: Scan
Martial Arts: "Fire-refined Golden Body" - 0/500 (Minor Accomplishment: Lower Grade Scorched Earth. A casual strike can evaporate the moisture from the ground, causing the earth to crack, leaving it barren and charred black. The entire body is as hard as iron, as if clad in steel armor, impervious to blades and axes. Strength is greatly increased, like that of an ox.)]
This upgrade was different from before. Having reached the Minor Accomplishment level, the "Fire-refined Golden Body" actually came with a detailed description.
The first entry: A casual strike can evaporate the moisture from the ground, causing the earth to crack, leaving it barren and charred black.
’Is this the terrifying power of Inner Strength?’
’If it can do that to the earth, I can’t imagine what would happen if a person got hit!’
The second entry: The entire body is as hard as iron, as if clad in steel armor, impervious to blades and axes.
’In ancient times, I’d be considered a full-blown immortal.’
’They always say blades have no eyes. Mom will never have to worry about me cutting my fingers while chopping vegetables again.’
The third entry: Strength is greatly increased, like that of an ox.
’How much strength does an ox have?’
As far as He Xiaotian knew, a bull could carry a load of about 400 kilograms and had a pulling force of around 380 kilograms.
’If I used my full strength, I could punch through a wall.’
’Of course, that depends on the breed of ox. What if it means a rhino...’
He Xiaotian shook his head to clear it. He would worry about that later.
’Anyway, the point is, I’m super strong now.’
After cleaning up all the old, shed skin from the sofa, he immediately rushed home.
’I just hope things aren’t as bad as I think. Otherwise, Mom and Dad are in danger.’
Before leaving, he also grabbed his cousin’s "Iron Sand Palm" manual.
’Even though I’m very strong now, I haven’t systematically learned any real fighting techniques.’
’If I really run into trouble, my only option would be to flail around wildly.’
Of course, even if he didn’t know any moves, he would become a master the moment he used his Inner Strength.
Even a dozen burly men probably wouldn’t be a match for him using just one hand.
But if he killed someone, there would be hell to pay.
Even if his dad, He Sheng, was a somebody in Z County, he couldn’t bail him out of prison.
’I should read it and practice when I have time. Every Experience Point saved is a win.’
’After all, I still have no clue what those crystals are.’
Pearl Garden was the name of the residential complex where his parents lived.
The property prices here weren’t cheap, reaching as high as six thousand yuan per square meter.
In a first or second-tier city, that price would probably make people think they were selling tea eggs—dirt cheap.
However, the average housing price in Z County was only around three thousand yuan.
In some areas, it even dropped to two thousand.
By comparison, it was obviously quite expensive.
But you got what you paid for. The environment here was pleasant, and the security was excellent.
There were security guards on patrol twenty-four hours a day.
Visitors had to show ID and sign in.
Even homeowners driving back had to lower their car windows so the guards could see their faces clearly, preventing anyone with malicious intent from entering.
So even though petty theft was rampant in Z County, Pearl Garden had never experienced a single break-in.
"Stop!"
As the second-hand Audi reached the complex entrance, two security guards stopped the car.
"Hello, please lower your window."
"Brother Li, it’s me."
"Xiaotian, haha. Heard you couldn’t take Sister Wang’s nagging anymore and went to crash at your cousin’s place?" the middle-aged man in the lead said with a laugh. His name was Li Mingyang, the captain of the complex’s security team and a former reconnaissance soldier.
He was tall and powerfully built, with a frame of solid muscle.
At 1.9 meters tall, his presence alone was intimidating, no action required.
"Alright, Xiaowang, raise the barrier gate," Li Mingyang gestured to the guard at the gate.
"Catch you later, Brother Li."
After entering the complex and parking the car, he headed for his home.
"CLICK!"
"Xiaotian? Why are you back?" His mom’s voice called out. After changing his shoes, He Xiaotian walked over.
"Why am I back? You tell me. What’s really going on at home?"
"CREAK!"
Before his mom could answer, the bedroom door opened, and a meticulously dressed middle-aged man in a suit walked out.
"Uncle?"
He Xiaotian was instantly dumbfounded.
"Xiaotian, you’re back?"
Following behind his uncle was a woman—it was his aunt.
"What in the world is going on here?"
"..."
An eerie silence fell over the room, and He Xiaotian had a feeling he’d guessed right.
’Something big must have happened. The three of them rarely gathered like this.’
’The paper mill was always busy. My uncle is the second-in-command, and my aunt handles the finances.’
’Normally, they would never visit our home during work hours.’
"Sigh! Just... go in and see for yourself."
His uncle sighed and gestured toward the room behind him, his face a mask of resignation.
He Xiaotian’s brow furrowed. He had no idea what game they were playing, but he strode toward the bedroom.
The moment he stepped inside, an almost frantic energy washed over him.
The recent upgrade to his "Fire-refined Golden Body" hadn’t just massively boosted his Inner Strength and physique; his intangible senses had grown far more acute as well.
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