Chapter 70: Instinctual Cravings

Chapter 70: Instinctual Cravings

"Hehe, I'm fully prepared for this trial." Xia Youhui proudly unzipped his backpack, reaching inside and rummaging around before pulling out a fist-sized blue crystal.

"Ah Chu, catch," Xia Youhui said as he tossed the crystal to Ah Chu.

"What’s th—"

As Chen Chu caught the blue crystal, he immediately felt a surge of pure energy flowing inside. The energy was so concentrated that it almost seemed solid.

However, unlike Life Crystals, there was no response from the attribute page to this one.

Chen Chu's gaze fell on Xia Youhui's backpack. "Is this the good stuff you mentioned when we set out?"

"You got it!" Xia Youhui grinned. "My brother sent me a few blue crystals after he found out I was coming here for the trial. This is a better resource than Energy Crystals, since they have purer and denser energy. It's usually used by cultivators of the Sixth Realm or higher.

"You see, cultivators at the Second Realm like us have weak true power, and our refining speed is slow. After introducing crystal energy into the body, about sixty percent of it will dissipate. That's why low-level cultivators are officially restricted from using energy crystals, because it's too wasteful."

"Then isn't it even more wasteful to use blue crystals for cultivation instead of the energy ones?" Chen Chu asked in surprise.

Xia Youhui nodded. "Under normal circumstances, that would be the case. But, that's why my brother coated these blue crystals with a special substance. It’s basically an insulator, and it prevents the energy from escaping other than through this tiny white hole here. So, we won't draw out too much energy while cultivating, and the wastage rate is around thirty percent instead, which is much more cost-effective than exchanging for energy crystals.

"My brother also got me a special resource to enhance my physique. Once I absorb it, my combat power will skyrocket. Hey, Ah Chu, I wasn't joking with you earlier. This trial is the beginning of Xia Youhui's dominance."

Even Chen Chu couldn't help but feel envious.

This is how a second-generation martial artist should do—fully prepared for every aspect of the trial, with all the resources lined up perfectly. Such treatment... I can't help but envy it. Chen Chu sighed inwardly as he casually tossed the blue crystal to Xia Youhui.

Xia Youhui quickly caught the blue crystal and then looked at Chen Chu with confusion. "Ah Chu, what are you doing? This is for you."

"For me? No, you keep it. It's too valuable." Chen Chu was momentarily stunned, but shook his head in refusal.

Xia Youhui had mentioned before that his older brother was a high-level cultivator. According to the classification, cultivators below the Third Heavenly Realm were considered ordinary, while those at the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Realms were regarded as high-level cultivators. In order to get these crystals, his brother had to be at least in the Sixth Realm or higher.

With a high-level cultivator in the family, individuals like Xia Youhui would have a significant advantage over ordinary people like Chen Chu. Their path of cultivation would likely be much smoother, thanks to both the resources and the cultivation experience they could draw on.

Of course, Chen Chu didn't feel jealous. After all, it was well-deserved for Xia Youhui, and when Chen Chu became a high-level cultivator in a few years, he also planned to make sure everything was prepared for Chen Hu when he started high school.

He also felt that not only Xia Youhui, but also Lin Xue, Lin Yu, and Yi Rui, had probably made preparations long before deciding to participate in the trial. He was the only one who had been completely unaware of the truth behind the trial and thus had come unprepared.

Or, well, even if he knew about these things, he wouldn't have been able to prepare anything anyway. It was just the way it was; his family had no money and no connections.

He briefly wondered why the teachers hadn’t informed them about these things, before realizing that that was simply unnecessary. After experiencing two battles, anyone would naturally strive to cultivate diligently. There was no need for reminders, and the energy crystals that helped with that cultivation could be obtained on credit in advance without any delay.

With a sense of emotion, Chen Chu also sat cross-legged, holding the blue crystal in his hand, and began to cultivate.

Boom!

In the instant Chen Chu activated the Dragon Elephant Art, he felt a surge of majestic energy within the blue crystal in his hand, attempting to burst out. As Xia Youhui had described, the sturdy coating on the crystal blocked the surge of energy, leaving only a tiny, imperceptible hole through which the energy could pass.

Under the suction force of the Dragon Elephant Art, a subtle yet pure energy flowed into Chen Chu's body. Upon contact with his true power, it exploded and spread throughout his entire body.

Whoosh!

The energy was incredibly rich. With each breath Chen Chu took, he felt his true power growing stronger. As it circulated, the strengthening effect on his physique became even more potent. Every muscle and bone in his body greedily absorbed the energy several times faster compared to before.

Normally, it would have likely taken over a year for Chen Chu to break through to the Third Heavenly Realm. With this efficiency, however, he felt like it would now take four or five months at the most.This was just considering his average talent; the geniuses would probably progress even faster.

It was also overwhelming, however. Chen Chu frantically cultivated the Dragon Elephant Art, attempting to refine all the energy within his body. But as Xia Youhui had mentioned, their true power was weak, and much of the energy overflowed before they could refine it, scattering into the air.

Chen Chu, who had never used such a rich resource before, felt a pang of regret. It was such a waste.

After nearly three hours of cultivation, Chen Chu finally slowed down as his spirit began to tire. He then took a shower and rested early with Xia Youhui. In the middle of the night, he woke up right on time, his consciousness sinking and shifting over to the armored beast. He slowly crawled out of the cave and entered the river, searching for a midnight snack.