Chapter 40 - 35 Upgrade
"Success!"
After completing the process for the third time, Tao Yu didn't care about appearances, and plopped down onto the coal cinder ground, panting heavily to recover his strength.
Smith, who originally wanted Tao Yu to relax a bit and not sit down immediately, also became a bit dazed upon hearing this.
"Success?"
It was successful just like that?!
When Tao Yu had begun his first attempt, Smith knew this highly talented student was a quick learner. Moreover, he had predicted that the student could grasp the basics in a single day!
But what was this situation with mastering it after three attempts?
One of those attempts was even with the student watching while he demonstrated, with him making corrections only after the next two!
Although it was just the basics, it also meant that Tao Yu could continue to invest Yuan Force into this ability to accelerate its mastery!
Thinking of this terrifying talent, Smith truly felt a bit jealous.
But quickly, that tinge of envy in his heart was suppressed, and his face showed a mixture of shock and joy.
"Junior brother is really too talented, isn't he? Is this what a Grade A talent looks like? It's truly unbelievable."
Then he turned to the other equally shocked students and said,
"Do you see? Why aren't you working harder? Speak up now if you have any questions."
At this moment, Tao Yu also raised his hand and spoke up proactively,
"Senior brother, I want to buy some Qi-tonic Soup to recover a bit, and then take advantage of the momentum to accelerate with Yuan Force."
"Alright, you all wait here. Keep practicing on your own for now, and I will take questions when I come back after seeing off Tao Yu."
Smith promptly left the others behind to continue self-practice, as he took the initiative to lead Tao Yu to the direction of the mess hall.
Left behind, Zhang Wei and the others, although grumbling inwardly, didn't voice any complaints, watching helplessly as Smith escorted Tao Yu towards a large wooden house that was probably the mess hall.
The circumstances of Tao Yu's three-time mastery, while a blow to them, had also instilled them with some confidence.
They wouldn't need three times; mastering within three days should be possible, right?
After all, it was merely a basic skill broken down for the convenience of teaching!
They could surely do it!
...
On the other side, Smith also led Tao Yu to the mess hall.
The Myriad Flow Dojo's mess hall was a large single-story wooden warehouse, filled with rows of square tables. Being off mealtime, chairs were turned upside down and placed on the tables, resembling a scene from a rural banquet.
Although mealtime had not yet arrived, the kitchen was already bustling. The sound of chopping vegetables was incessant, and a rich fragrance wafted over, making Tao Yu's mouth water.
It smelled delicious.
"That is the smell of Qi-tonic Soup, a privilege for the students. Everyone who studies here with the means won't miss out,"
Smith explained kindly on the side.
As a senior student already serving as a Teaching Assistant, he certainly had some influence. After a brief visit to the back kitchen, he brought out three large bowls.
"Today's on me."
But time is money!
Crack, a sour feeling emerged throughout his body, Qi-Blood constantly roiling inside, his muscles twitching and swelling—a savagely pleasant sensation. Yet, Tao Yu bore it through the characteristic of [One Proof Forever Proof] and stubbornly continued.
As long as he could endure the pain, without worrying about ruining his body, he could be this unrestrained!
With both skills accelerated simultaneously, Tao Yu also noticed that this wasn't as straightforward as 1+1=2. The Breathing Technique could stabilize Qi-Blood, and Stance Skill could just right transport Qi-Blood. Just one set alone was enough to exhaust the remaining effects of the Qi-tonic Soup!
This rate of acceleration meant needing roughly the energy provided by two bowls of Qi-tonic Soup in just fifteen minutes, which made Tao Yu inwardly astonished.
It was also a good thing he had the Qi-tonic Soup; if he had been in the Abyss relying solely on roasted meat, even constant eating wouldn't sustain the simultaneous accelerated practice of two abilities!
The consumption of Deification abilities was indeed great.
Tao Yu was willing to invest four hundred units of Yuan Force every hour for acceleration, and with Qi-tonic Soup costing ten units per bowl, he naturally couldn't be frugal...
...
As the sky gradually dimmed, Tao Yu finished another set and his tightly wound spirits began to scatter, even his energy starting to fade under the cumulative soreness that surged forth, causing his muscles to twitch uncontrollably.
"That's enough for today," he said.
Dragging his weary body to the dining hall, Tao Yu received yet another two bowls of Qi-tonic Soup under the odd gaze of an aunt.
Since he had mastered the skills and had Yuan Force acceleration as an excuse, drinking a bit more Qi-tonic Soup wasn't too unusual, after all, others didn't know exactly how much he had accelerated.
With plenty of students here and those practicing core abilities in the dojo often consuming more than him, it was likely he wasn't the only one.
Still, even so, he had become somewhat conspicuous today, so it was a good time for Tao Yu to stop training.
Afterwards, while walking to relax his body, he arrived at a corner of the dojo and stood in front of a stone weight.
The stone weight was marked with its mass—100 kilograms!
With a single hand, Tao Yu casually lifted the stone weight, feeling a significant amount of leftover strength, and without even placing much strain on his post-training aching muscles.
Suppressing the impulse to toss it up and catch it again, he quickly set the stone weight down.
The human body's limit was roughly about grasping just over 100 kilograms with one hand and over 200 kilograms with both hands, being able to hold it over the head and persist for a while. If just deadlifting, the human limit would probably be about 500 kilograms.
Tao Yu knew that with the help of eating Blood Orchid, his normal body capacity without relying on skill bursts was slightly stronger than this level upon his recent return.
But now, he clearly felt he could throw and then catch this 100-kilogram stone weight with one hand!
He had become stronger, and it was a tangible increase in strength!
This was the real utilization of the increased limits provided by the Breathing Technique, Blood Orchid, and the Stance Skill!
Tao Yu also felt that this was not yet the limit of his potential and that further development was still possible.
However, feeling his Yuan Force drop to just over ten thousand units, Tao Yu couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Stronger...
At the expense of money...
But [Basic Breathing Technique - Modified] had already passed the halfway point of level 2, allowing for an even more abundant mobilization of Qi-Blood.
The [Myriad Flow Stance Skill - Modified] had also reached level 2, likewise increasing a bit of Qi-Blood and significantly improving flexibility and various other aspects of the body due to the efficiency of the Deification skill, which was definitely much better than the conditions posed by its regular version.
This hefty investment was made in hopes of expediting the learning process for boxing, and then to get the boxing techniques to the introductory level!
Tao Yu had planned it out: Five Gate Boxing Techniques, two free slots, one at half price, he would purchase another, and then add one more 'skill loan' to complete the set!
He aimed to master all five before entering the Abyss again, getting them Deified once more before returning to the Abyss to earn money.
Regardless of the difficulty of mastering the Five Gate Boxing Techniques or the learning cost, his primary goal was just to get them to an introductory level...