Chapter 69: Enchantment

With Chen Chu's current Strength and Agility, even if he encountered disciples of the Third Heavenly Realm, he could still outmaneuver and slay them. There was no urgent need for a significant increase in combat power, not that these few attribute points could strengthen much in the first place.

Instead, he had always felt uneasy about his defense. He was most afraid of being targeted by the rebels’ sniper rifles, especially those equipped with armor-piercing rounds, which could fly at a speed exceeding several times the speed of sound and were capable of piercing through twenty millimeters of thick steel plates.

If he were to be locked onto by the enemy during battle, even if he sensed the danger beforehand, he likely wouldn’t be able to react in time.

The two encounters they’d had were fortunate; the enemies used conspicuous weapons like rockets for their ambushes. With their speed, the students didn't give the enemy a chance to shoot a second time.

But what about next time? After all, as freshmen, they were likely to be targeted first.

With that in mind, Chen Chu placed his hand on the battle armor and issued a mental command.

Use 2 attribute points to strengthen the battle armor.

As Chen Chu finished his sentence, the remaining attribute points on the attribute page became 6. At the same time, an invisible force enveloped the black and red armor, making it appear slightly more profound.

There wasn't much change in the armor's appearance, but when Chen Chu picked it up, he found that the set of armor had become thicker, giving him a sense of solidity.

Thunk!

Chen Chu's fingers tapped lightly on the lightweight armor, producing a low, resonant sound.

With just a 2 point enhancement, however, the change was minimal. Chen Chu pondered for a moment, then issued another mental command.

Consume all attribute points to strengthen the battle armor.

Buzz!

With a second enhancement of six attribute points, a faint buzz emanated from the air around the battle armor, and a faint glow flashed across its surface. The surface gloss of the battle armor dimmed slightly, giving it a deeper appearance, and there seemed to be subtle changes in the overall internal structure of the armor as well.

Fortunately, there weren't too many changes in appearance, just a faint sense of oppression. Such alterations would seem normal amid the battles and turmoil of the next few days. As Chen Chu examined the strengthened armor, transparent text appeared before his eyes.

"This full-body armor is made of ordinary alloy and soft steel wire, and currently has Durability +8. It is an ordinary transcendent item with decent defensive capabilities.

"The surface alloy can withstand ordinary sniper bullets, while the internal soft steel wire can prevent full penetration from armor-piercing rounds. The helmet can withstand attacks from sniper armor-piercing bullets.

"Note: Due to material limitations, the durability attribute can only be enhanced up to 10 points. To further improve the quality, consider incorporating high-level materials."

"It upgraded directly to a transcendent item." Chen Chu's face lit up with satisfaction.

The effects of the enhancement didn't disappoint him. The armor could now withstand sniper bullets, finally relieving him of the worry of being ambushed by a sniper rifle. This kind of enhancement was somewhat akin to enchantment, with minimal changes to the overall appearance.

Chen Chu's gaze shifted to his straight saber placed on the table in contemplation. "If the defense enhancement works so well, then what about the weapon?"

The characteristic of an F-grade straight saber was its sturdiness, but in terms of sharpness, it wasn’t much different from an ordinary steel saber. If the attribute points were used to enhance it to the point where it could cut through iron like mud, even a Third Heavenly Realm cultivator could be split in half along with their weapon if they weren't careful.

This thought proved fleeting, however, as Chen Chu shook his head and dismissed it from his mind.

It was premature to consider these matters now. It would be best to prioritize advancing his cultivation to the Third Heavenly Realm first; with the continuous physique enhancements provided by the avatar, he would rank among the strongest in the Third Realm.

Next, Chen Chu crossed his legs and began to cultivate the Dragon Elephant Art...

Hmm?

After just two cycles of the art, however, Chen Chu exclaimed in surprise. He realized that the concentration of transcendent energy here was so low that the effectiveness of cultivation was severely lacking. If the concentration of transcendent energy in the city of Wujiang was 10 points, here it was closer to just 1.

Chen Chu slowly opened his eyes, his brows furrowing slightly. "So this is why Old Xia said the training environment here is too poor."

But the question is, why is the concentration of transcendent energy so low here yet so high in East Xia, when both are on the same planet?

He was rather puzzled by this.

"Right." Chen Chu suddenly remembered something, taking out his phone and opening the trial class group chat. As expected, he found classmates discussing the same issue.

It seemed the authorities had already prepared a solution for this, however. In the morning, before setting off, Pang Long had mentioned that he had sent out a list of high-level resources that were temporarily unlocked for them. Among them was an Energy Crystal that could normally only be exchanged for by those in the Fourth Heavenly Realm.

Unlike the Life Crystals from mutated beasts, which enhanced physique, Energy Crystals were pure energy aggregates sourced from special mineral veins. The energy they contained could be absorbed by cultivators to accelerate their cultivation or used to quickly replenish true power, albeit possessing no other effects.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Due to their rarity, these crystals were classified as strategic resources. Normally, only people directly connected to the authorities and cultivating in the Fourth Heavenly Realm could exchange for them.

The authorities were being quite generous this time. Energy Crystals normally cost 15 contribution points each, but here, the students could purchase them for just 5 points, which was equivalent to a three-fold discount. They were also allowed to purchase the crystals on credit, if they had just arrived or otherwise didn’t have enough points.

These perks, however, only counted for two crystals per month. If they wanted to buy more, they would have to pay the normal price, though that wouldn’t really be an issue; under normal circumstances, a cultivator in the Second Heavenly Realm wouldn't exhaust the energy from even one crystal in a month.

After reading through the information about the Energy Crystals, Chen Chu flipped through the list again. He even found the Colossal Beast’s Essence listed, but the exchange price was too high. It wasn’t like any other cultivation resource could match the attribute points converted from Life Crystals.

After scrolling through his phone for about half an hour, Chen Chu finally set it aside, deciding to go to the logistics department after dinner to purchase an Energy Crystal on credit.

Seeing that it was still early, his consciousness shifted over to where the armored beast was. At the estuary where the rushing waters flowed into the sea, the beast slowly lifted its head from the mud and sand below. With a slight exertion of its limbs, it started to swim, stirring up swirling sediment.

After a month, the armored beast's physique had become increasingly ferocious and robust. Its limbs had become thick and sharp, resembling a lizard or crocodile clad in heavy armor from a distance.

With each kill, a savage and brutal aura had begun to envelop it. Many small fish and shrimp would scatter in fear as soon as it approached. As the armored beast swam past, two one-meter-long ‘small’ fish on the murky riverbed were suddenly startled. With a flick of their tails, they darted ten meters away in an instant.

Fortunately, the armored beast didn't bother with these ordinary fish. It merely cast a cold glance at them before continuing its search for mutated fish.

In the evening, Xia Youhui, sweating profusely, opened the door to the room. Seeing Chen Chu sitting cross-legged by the window, he assumed he was cultivating and called out, "Ah Chu, it's time for dinner."

"Already?" Chen Chu slowly opened his eyes.

The two of them entered the third-floor dining hall, where Chen Chu noticed that each of their classmates was similarly drenched in sweat. As he sat down with his tray of food, he couldn't help but express his curiosity. "What were you all practicing this afternoon? You look like you've been through a three-day battle."

"The concentration of transcendent energy here is too low, so cultivating in meditation is progressing too slowly." Xia Youhui’s words were slightly muffled as he ate heartily. "So we spent the whole afternoon sparring to increase our combat experience."

It seemed like it was the same for everyone.

Suddenly, Xia Youhui said, "Oh, by the way, Ah Chu, have you seen the list of resources in the trial chat group, like the Energy Crystals that can accelerate our cultivation speed?"

"I've seen it," Chen Chu replied as he took a bite of the ordinary mutated beast meat.

Xia Youhui nodded. "Good that you've seen it, but I don't recommend you exchange for any," he advised.

"Why?" Chen Chu paused.

Xia Youhui whispered mysteriously, "Just trust me on this. Finish your meal quickly. When we go back to the room later, I'll show you something good."

"What thing?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Don't worry, bro, I won't deceive you."

"Okay then..."