Chapter 57: Heavenly Ruler Chu - Battle Armor

After finishing the meal and delegating the dishwashing and other chores to Chen Hu, Chen Chu went upstairs to cultivate. Once he went through the Dragon Elephant Art, he focused his attention on the avatar.

In the pitch-black cave, the fierce armored beast opened its eyes, and its increasingly heavy body began to move, leaving deep claw marks with each step.

Soon, the water splashed at the entrance of the dark hole, and a shadow entered the river.

Boom!

Huge waves ran through the deep water as the beast firmly bit onto a four-meter-long mutated fish, one covered with thick scales and bearing dorsal fins that resembled a thicket of spikes.

The fish struggled wildly, its body bursting with astonishing strength in the water, but it couldn't free itself from the beast's grip and was firmly pressed onto the riverbed.

Despite the armored beast being half of the fish’s size, its weight was far greater. Coupled with the ability of a hundredfold strength, it completely overwhelmed the fish in every aspect.

In the end, with a crunching sound, the fish’s spine was bitten in two. A rich cloud of blood permeated the river.

As the armored beast started tearing into the fish meat, Chen Chu slightly diverted his attention, contemplating what genetic material the beast should fuse with next.

Should it be an electric eel capable of generating electricity, or something that would improve speed and agility?

After some thought, Chen Chu gradually leaned towards prioritizing speed. Currently, the armored beast had already acquired abilities in defense and strength, capable of almost instantly killing all mutated creatures of the same size.

However, as it grew, it also exposed some weaknesses.

The largest was how the increasingly heavy body was pulled down by gravity, causing its speed to slow down.

This wasn’t a problem in the water, where the buoyancy countered its weight and helped it remain only slightly slower than the fish. On land, however, it was leaving deep footprints with each step.

***

On the morning of November 5th, as soon as he arrived at the school, Chen Chu approached Pang Long. “Sir, I want to sign up for the trial.”

The young man standing before him had left a deep impression on Pang Long. Chen Chu was the only freshman who broke into the top fifty of the grade with a low-level art, and had also broken through to the Second Heavenly Realm just half a month after the competition.

Such a situation could only indicate that his true martial talent far surpassed many so-called “geniuses.”

Unfortunately, due to the rules that assigned permissions based on initial cultivation results, Chen Chu couldn’t practice high-level arts despite his outstanding talent. His strength would certainly be even greater if he had been allowed to practice high-level arts.

In contemplation, Pang Long spoke in a deep voice. "Are you sure you want to participate in the trial?"

Chen Chu nodded. "Yes."

"Alright, sign this agreement. It goes over the risks and precautions for this trial, as well as some benefits provided by the school." Pang Long handed Chen Chu a document, who sat down to carefully read through it.

The first page detailed the risks that might be encountered during the trial, such as the possibility of coming under enemy fire from weaponry: pistols, submachine guns, hand grenades, bombs, and even snipers.

The agreement then explained the lifting of restrictions on weapons and normal legislation. All students participating in the trial were allowed to carry weapons, and the authorities would provide a special full-body armor.

This armor was similar to a bulletproof vest, and consisted of two layers. The inner layer was made of a special steel wire mixed with flexible material, and the outer layer was a lightweight steel alloy-cast thin battle armor.

Even the joints, the weakest points, could block pistol bullets, and the front could withstand rifle bullets without any problems. If a bullet somehow managed to penetrate the surface alloy, the inner layer of flexible steel wire would, at the very least, slow it down enough that it would only be able to pierce through the upper layer of muscle, not even able to reach vital organs, much less go all the way through.

The strongest part of this armor was the helmet, made of a thick alloy that even sniper bullets couldn’t penetrate.

All of this protection, however, had a limit; it wouldn’t be able to withstand anti-material armor piercing rounds, rockets, or any other kind of heavier firepower, which meant evasion would still potentially be necessary.

The entire suit was specifically designed for cultivators. Weighing thirty kilograms, it would be difficult for ordinary people to move in once they put it on.

As for the legalities, almost all restrictions on killing another human had been lifted. As long as someone was a rebel or heretic, one could execute them on the spot if they were armed and posed a threat.

In simple terms, it was a license for violence. Even Chen Chu couldn't help but shudder at this realization. With the power, speed, and explosive strength of a cultivator at the Second Heavenly Realm, coupled with the full-body battle armor that ignored ordinary firearms, they would be invincible against ordinary rebel forces.

Of course, those who did kill would inevitably be targeted for retaliation, which was why the last part of the contract was a death warranty. If a participating freshman died in combat, the school would provide some compensation to their family, but would not bear any responsibility.

After carefully reading all the terms, Chen Chu signed his name on it.

Pang Long took the contract. "Focus on your cultivation from now on. Come to the school on Sunday morning. There will be a special plane taking us to Kyrola."

"Us? Are you going too, sir?"

Pang Long nodded. "Yes, I will be one of the teachers supervising this trial. We will be responsible for dealing with potential experts if any show up."

Hearing this, Chen Chu hesitated for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "Sir, may I ask which Heavenly Realm you’re in?"

"Why, curious?"

"A bit."

Pang Long smiled. "There's nothing to hide. I’m at the peak of the Sixth Heavenly Realm, but I have been stuck at this level for several years."

"Several years and still no breakthrough?" Chen Chu was surprised.

With a hint of irritation, Pang Long said, "Do you think breaking through realms is as easy as drinking water? Many people become stuck at the Fourth and Fifth Heavenly Realms their entire lives."

He then sighed. "Your generation is lucky. So many of you have broken through to the Second Heavenly Realm in just your first year."

"Ten years ago, breaking through to the Second Heavenly Realm at the age of twenty would be considered a genius, let alone in the first year of high school."

Chen Chu was somewhat surprised. "Is that exaggerated?"

“No,” Pang Long said. At the time, there were no Foundational Arts, and the schools didn't have many resources. Only one in ten people could enter the path of cultivating true martial arts, and progress was very slow. Anyone who broke through to the First Heavenly Realm in a year was considered a super genius. It was normal to take two or three years to reach the Second Heavenly Realm.

"Back then..." Encouraged by Chen Chu’s curiosity, Pang Long became enthusiastic, talking about the cultivation conditions of a decade ago.

The entire time, Chen Chu listened with fascination, gaining insight not only into the past, but also the experiences of breaking through to the Third Heavenly Realm.

*

There were nearly eighty geniuses at the Second Heavenly Realm in the entire school, including Chen Chu, Xia Youhui, and the others. Not everyone had the courage to face these kinds of life-or-death situations, however; they were still only freshmen in high school. In the end, out of these eighty people, only about fifty of them chose to participate.

In the afternoon, Chen Chu went to the private room for Lin Xue’s club. In the resting area, Lin Xue, Xia Youhui, Luo Fei, Yi Rui, Lin Yu, and Jiang Jiameng were already chatting; compared to Class Three, Class Nine only had two people who had broken through to the Second Heavenly Realm so far.

Chen Chu greeted them one by one, and then Yi Rui, who had initiated this gathering, spoke. "Just yesterday, the Federation announced the suppression of the Kyrola rebels, and that they will now begin to restore the local economy and citizens’ livelihoods."

Lin Xue nodded. "Compared to the Federation, the strength of the Kyrola rebels was simply negligible. If it weren't for the rules about autonomy, the Federation would have already taken action to suppress the rebellion."

"But we can't be too careless,” Yi Rui cautioned. “The situation over there is still chaotic, so I suggest that all of us here form a small team. This way, when participating in battles, we can watch each other’s backs, give mutual assistance, and make sure none of us get ambushed. What do you think?"

"Sounds good."

"I agree..."

Chen Chu had no objections. After all, this added an extra layer of security. Compared to other classmates, he felt more reassured with these familiar faces.

Therefore, everyone formed a chat group named "Southern Sky Sanjiu" for easier communication.

As soon as Chen Chu joined the group, he recognized everyone through their avatars. However, after seeing their online handles, his eyebrows rose a little.

Lin Xue's online name was “The Queen,” which somewhat matched her personality. Lin Yu, who looked gentle and soft, went by "Gentle Sea Breeze," a more girlish choice.

Luo Fei was “Dream Song Maiden,” which also suited her temperament.

But what in the world was Xia Youhui's "Super Jiba[1]?”

And Yi Rui, who seemed composed and astute, went by “You Only Live Once."

Feeling Chen Chu's judgemental gaze, Xia Youhui protested, "Ah Chu, don't look at me like that. Aren't you the same?"

Heh!

This time, not only Luo Fei, but also Lin Xue and Lin Yu, as well as the girl Jiang Jiameng, couldn't help but laugh.

Because Chen Chu's handle was "Heavenly Ruler Chu." Such an edgy online handle was a stark contrast to the mature, stable, and indifferent Chen Chu they knew.

"

Cough!

Uh, I chose this handle during my junior high days, and I forgot to change it." Chen Chu cleared his throat in embarrassment. "But for the sake of clear communication in the future, I suggest everyone change their handles to their own names."

Eventually, everyone agreed to Chen Chu’s strong suggestion, changing their handles to their actual names.

1. "Jiba" is a slang word for "penis" in Mandarin ☜