Chapter 16: Transcendence

Chapter 16: Transcendence

In the early morning, Chen Chu walked through the school gate along with the crowd.

The faces around him were filled with youthful spirit; whether male or female, everyone seemed hopeful about the future.

In the Xia District, as long as one attended high school, practice of the Body Refining Art was mandatory. Consequently, even some of the academic students were full of spirit, their expressions vibrant and energetic.

This scene would occasionally give Chen Chu the illusion that in this world, everyone was as mighty as a dragon.

Passing the building dedicated to the academic classes, Chen Chu traversed the training facility in Building B, where he had spent the last half month refining his skills. He reached the building in Zone C, where the entrance led to a ground-floor office area.

Observing Chen Chu as he walked in, the woman behind the desk on the side asked, "Which class are you from?"

"Class Three."

"Class Three is under Pang Long's supervision. Go find him on the third floor; take the elevator from there," the woman said, gesturing in the direction of said elevator as she spoke.

"Thank you." Chen Chu expressed his gratitude politely, then promptly took the elevator to the third floor.

This was a more spacious floor, spanning over a thousand square meters, with little obstruction in the middle save for sturdy, two-meter-diameter pillars.

The vast floor on both sides was filled with various equipment and high-tech products, and was divided into individual training areas, each spanning dozens of square meters.

At this early hour, there were no students practicing. Not far from the entrance, Pang Long, who had appeared on the first day, was sitting in the office, browsing on the computer.

Upon seeing Chen Chu enter after a knock, he pondered for a moment and then spoke in a deep voice, "Class Three, Chen Chu."

"Yes, sir," Chen Chu responded. He was somewhat surprised that Pang Long could recall his name. After all, they had only met briefly that day, and it was just the teacher introducing himself.

Of course, Chen Chu was unaware that the teacher had reviewed all of the students' profiles at the beginning of the year.

Pang Long nodded approvingly, "Well done. Completing your foundation in half a month is commendable. Your talent is acceptable. Take a look at this information. You have ten minutes. After you finish, I'll take you to build your foundation."

Pang Long pushed a folder in front of Chen Chu, who didn't hesitate, sitting opposite of him and picking up the folder. From the slightly worn cover, it was evident that many people had already perused it. Inside were guidelines and precautions for the upcoming Foundational Training, which involved drawing in transcendent energy from the surroundings and harnessing the extraordinary energy freely circulating in the heavens and earth.

Chen Chu stood to the side while Pang Long approached a counter resembling a self-service vending machine. He entered information and verified his identity, and the machine promptly spat out a card.

While Chen Chu waited, several more teachers came down, each accompanied by one or two students.

"Go ahead, Room Fifteen for cultivation. Remember, how long you can persist is entirely up to you," Pang Long instructed.

"Mhmm," Chen Chu acknowledged as he accepted the magnetic card.

He located Room Fifteen and inserted the card, and the heavy metal door slowly creaked open, just as slowly closing once Chen Chu entered. Subsequently, the white glass door in front of him opened, and a cool breeze swept through.

This was what happened when high-concentration transcendent energy flowed into a lower-energy zone. Chen Chu didn't dare to be negligent and quickly passed through the glass door, which automatically closed behind him as soon as it sensed his entry.

It was a small room, roughly three to four meters in length and width, totaling about ten square meters. A faint white light spilled from the ceiling, but apart from that, there was nothing—quite minimalistic.

Swoosh!

Inhaling deeply, Chen Chu stood in the center without any extravagant preparations and began his cultivation.

One of the fundamental requirements for Foundation Building was to perform ten cycles of the Body Refining Art in half an hour. This meant practicing one cycle every three minutes, with the goal of allowing the vitality throughout the entire body to surge.

Meanwhile, the Meditation Art aimed to enhance the concentration and purity of spiritual force, facilitating the capture of the free-floating transcendent energy from one's surroundings and the swift circulation of their vitality.

As Chen Chu continued his cultivation, the eighteen postures of the Body Refining Art shifted continuously, increasing in speed. The swift circulation of vitality throughout his body intensified, causing a growing sense of warmth and fervor.

After completing ten cycles, his whole body felt like a steamer as his vitality emitted extreme heat, and his spiritual force became sharper.

He felt the wandering energy around him immediately. It was faint and empty.

Now!

Chen Chu's expression stiffened and he started to practice the Body Refining Art at an even greater speed. At the same time, his spiritual force pulled the external energy he had detected into his body.

Bang!