Chapter 269 - 11: The Alliance Country’s Number 1 in Body Technique (Part 2)

Lu Chao cupped his fists in a salute and thanked him sincerely.

He knew the man truly saw him as a close junior, like a nephew, which was why he was patiently offering guidance and saying a few extra words.

"Mm."

Seeing that Lu Chao understood his meaning, Ge Hongfeng nodded in satisfaction.

Then, during their casual chat, he chuckled. "Actually, the reason I’m telling you all this is because of my own personal experience."

"In my younger years, I relied on my mastery of the Dragonwalk Steps to roam everywhere, unafraid of offending anyone. Later, I nearly got myself killed. If it wasn’t for your master desperately saving me, I wouldn’t have made it out alive."

He sighed, as if reminiscing. "There’s always someone better, and always a higher heaven."

"Even the Starry Sky Hero of the past, Shadowless Body, never claimed to be number one in Body Techniques."

Oh?

Lu Chao and Song Yan were both taken aback, not expecting him to reveal such stories from his past.

But...

’Shadowless Body?’

A glint flashed in Lu Chao’s eyes as he recalled the special commissioner team leader who had assessed him.

A man in his thirties, dressed in a sharp black suit, with a calm expression and a respectful demeanor.

"Master Ge, you knew Shadowless Body?"

he asked curiously, knowing that the man was actually close to sixty years old.

By his calculations, the Starry Sky Heroes had only left Earth Star thirty years ago. It was possible they had met.

"Heh, how could I possibly know Elder Ji?"

However, Ge Hongfeng chuckled, seeming a little embarrassed.

"He, along with Robert, Elder Zhou Wuhai, and the others, were Starry Sky Heroes. He was already an expert who had passed the Superpower Three Gates long before I made a name for myself."

"Me... I’ve only ever seen him from a great distance, just once."

His tone was respectful, even reverent.

Lu Chao’s heart tightened upon hearing this. He hadn’t expected the level of the Starry Sky Heroes to be even higher than he had imagined.

’Above the Three Gates?’

By now, he was already well aware of the so-called Superpower Three Gates.

Those with 100 to 300 points of Life Energy were at this level.

The Limit-Breaking Level, the Exploration Level, and the Transcendence Level.

Each gate was a world of its own. The gap between each level was comparable to the difference between an ordinary person and someone with a hundred points of Life Energy.

Suddenly, Ge Hongfeng’s tone shifted, and he smiled. "However, although I wasn’t familiar with Elder Ji..."

"...I have met his descendant, Mr. Ji, several times."

Hearing this, Lu Chao pushed aside his distracting thoughts and looked at the man.

"Ji Lixian. It’s like his ancestor has descended upon the world—a truly excellent name. Honestly, in terms of appearance alone, he’s about fifty or sixty percent similar to Elder Ji."

"Moreover..."

His tone was full of admiration as Ge Hongfeng said, "Coming without a shadow, leaving without a trace; a body like a meteor, streaking through the empty sky at extreme speeds."

"His talent in the path of Martial Arts is also similar to Elder Ji’s. Although he’s only in his early thirties, if you look at the entire Alliance Country... there’s probably no one faster than him."

As his voice fell, the figure reappeared in Lu Chao’s mind.

Although he had expected it, he still hadn’t realized that Mr. Ji was so powerful.

’No wonder he has so much influence.’

’No wonder even the Biotechnology Company is unwilling to offend him.’

His previous doubts dissipated in that moment. He then chatted with Ge Hongfeng for a long while.

Finally, after obtaining the key principles for the latter half of the Dragonwalk Steps, completing the technique, he also took the opportunity to ask for some pointers on breaking through from the Elite Level to the Superpower Level.

Only then did Lu Chao offer his thanks and leave.

...

「Two days later.」

The Alliance Country’s calendar turned another page, entering October.

People came and went on the streets, most wearing light jackets.

The Red Maple City Circle had entered autumn, and the weather was gradually turning cold. The Red River, which flowed through Satellite City No. 4, was even colder. Passengers on the ferries could be seen bundled up in woolen coats and even thicker outerwear to ward off the chilly river wind.

"I can’t believe we’re back here again."

A black jeep was parked on the side of the road by the harbor. Chen Xiao and Fang Xu stood by the vehicle, one keeping watch while the other periodically glanced towards the crowded area of the port.

Both looked at the riverbank with a sense of nostalgia. This was where they had first entered Red Maple City.

From feeling anxious to looking toward the future, from being adrift like duckweed to gradually finding their footing—unbeknownst to them, more than two months had already passed.

"Time really flies."

Sitting in the back seat of the car, Lu Chao also sighed with emotion as he looked around.

Figures of various ethnicities disembarked from the ferry, some carrying suitcases, others with backpacks. A few distinguished-looking individuals were surrounded by security and left in a hurry.

Normally, they should have been on duty at this time.

But he had some urgent personal business today and needed to wait here for an old friend.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Lu Chao withdrew his gaze, turning his attention back to his wrist-watch.

The six large words, [Theory of Intermediate to Senior-Level Potions], were particularly eye-catching. The contents were mostly theoretical knowledge about various intermediate and senior-level potions.

From material preparation and the crafting process to aspects like property fusion, everything was covered in exhaustive detail.

This was one of the eight intermediate-to-senior level Superpower Knowledge subjects required to become a Senior Alchemist.

Because their mission some time ago had been attacked by [Rebels], the contribution point reward for the mission had been increased substantially.

He had used all of them in one go to redeem this knowledge of intermediate and senior-level Superpower Potions.

[Muscle Frenzy Potion: A Senior-Level Potion that grants the user a temporary, localized increase in muscle mass, boosting strength and lethality...]

[Advanced Antidote Serum: Can neutralize toxins from intermediate and advanced-level Mutant Beasts or plants. Effective if taken within two hours prior to exposure...]

[Hallucinogenic Mist: A senior-level medicinal mist. It is invisible and odorless, can dissolve into the air in a short time, and causes strong hallucinogenic effects on Life Energy developers below the Superpower Level. In sufficient doses, even Superpower Level experts will be mentally affected...]

Lu Chao browsed through the effect descriptions of several Senior-Level Potions. Although there were no formulas, it was still an eye-opening experience for him.

The higher the grade of the potion, the more varied the types became, covering almost every aspect imaginable.

The potions that provided temporary combat boosts and the special poison types, in particular, gave him some ideas.

’If I could use these in battle, they would definitely serve as a supportive measure, influencing the outcome and increasing my chances of victory.’

"Oh, right, Captain."

"Isn’t our team’s assessment ranking for this month about to be released?"

Chen Xiao, standing near the car door, suddenly asked, feigning a casual chat. Hearing this, Fang Xu also looked over.

Lu Chao paused for a moment, then closed his wrist-watch interface.

"Why the sudden question?"

The Superpower Bureau’s management was stricter than the Patrol Department’s. Every month, each Superpower Team in the bureau was assessed and ranked based on the number of missions completed, the amount of contribution, and so on.

The higher the rank, the more additional contribution rewards a team would receive. It could even affect some of the benefits for the Superpower Team leaders to a certain extent.

The Fifth Squad was about middle-to-lower tier—not at the bottom, but not standing out either.

"It’s nothing, I’ve just been hearing some rumors lately."

Chen Xiao, wearing a black crew-neck sweatshirt, hesitated for a moment before speaking. "A lot of people are talking about that Jiang Hua guy, always comparing you to him."

"I saw that he was first in the last assessment..."

He was a little worried, and Lu Chao immediately understood what he meant.

Recently, someone had deliberately spread the news, so many people in the Superpower Bureau now knew about him and Jiang Hua swapping positions.

Meanwhile, the other party had been particularly high-profile lately, with an extremely high mission completion rate, and was only one step away from the Superpower Level.

In contrast, he himself seemed unremarkable, and many people were privately mocking him and enjoying the show.

"It’s fine."

With a calm expression, Lu Chao stepped out of the jeep and stood beside the two of them.

"We’ll take it one step at a time. We just need to do our own thing well."

He wasn’t bothered by the gossip.

Because once his strength increased, those people would naturally shut up.

He glanced at the time on his wrist-watch.

Lu Chao’s gaze shifted, looking out at the tributary of the Red River beyond the harbor.

Another White Ash Ferry slowly sailed in, passing through the checkpoint in the city wall, clearing security, and gradually docking at the harbor’s riverbank.

In an instant, his gaze swept over it.

Lu Chao spotted a familiar figure on the deck.

The person was tall and sturdily built, wearing a gray long-sleeved hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants, carrying a suitcase.

As if sensing his gaze, the person looked over from the ferry.

Their eyes met.

Lu Chao’s eyes lit up, and he waved.

The other person also had an excited expression. Clutching the several precious Super Thunder Pearls in his pocket, he waved back enthusiastically.

"Junior Brother Lu!"