Chapter 37: Carefree, Blocking the Way

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Carefree, Blocking the Way

With three points added to his foundation, Lu Yuan’s physical aptitude improved once again. Out of his 1,000 experience points, Lu Yuan allocated 700 to the Cloud-Brushing Hand.

SWISH!

A massive influx of insights regarding the Cloud-Brushing Hand flooded his mind, filled with intricate details and subtleties about throwing Hidden Weapons. The Cloud-Brushing Hand rapidly reached the Great Mastery stage!

Reaching Great Mastery in the Cloud-Brushing Hand allowed Lu Yuan to channel his skill entirely into his Hidden Weapons. Combined with the Hidden Weapons he had just obtained, his close-combat capabilities surged once more, leaving almost no weaknesses.

He had 307 experience points left, which he left untouched. It wasn’t enough to even reach the entry level for the Nine Glories of Archery, so he decided to save them up. There was no rush in that regard for now.

[Martial Arts: Cloud-Brushing Hand (Great Mastery 1000/3000), Nine Glories of Archery (Entry 1/500), Cyan Gang Fist (Perfected), Wind-Breaking Nine Slashes (Perfected)]

Lu Yuan glanced at the panel. He went to the cafeteria for lunch first, then happily returned to the training grounds.

"Did something good happen again?" Liu Zhi couldn’t help but ask when he saw him. He suspected that Lu Yuan had just dragged a few more people into his traps.

"Nothing special. I just went to the cafeteria for a meal. The chef’s roasted mutton was pretty good today," Lu Yuan replied with a smile.

"Roasted mutton! Really?" Liu Zhi’s eyes instantly lit up. He loved eating that too. "Wait, you went to the cafeteria to eat and didn’t even call me?"

"COUGH, COUGH," Lu Yuan coughed, looking embarrassed. "I just happened to walk past, so I went in."

"I think you simply don’t care about me at all," Liu Zhi said, looking hurt.

Lu Yuan rolled his eyes. He thought, "Why would I care about you?"

He then explained, "I was just worried that if you were with me, you’d get mocked by the others again, so..."

Liu Zhi was deeply moved.

"I’m not afraid of that. Let them mock me if they want.

"Besides, didn’t you say you were confident you’d win and slap their faces in the end?"

"Who told you to not believe me? Your psychological endurance is too weak," Lu Yuan said, spreading his hands.

"You... I..." Liu Zhi was left speechless. He turned around and said, "I’m going to eat."

"Go ahead," Lu Yuan waved goodbye.

WHOOSH!

Liu Zhi sprinted toward the cafeteria. If he was late, he would only get leftovers. He had already wasted some time waiting for Lu Yuan earlier.

Lu Yuan spent the entire afternoon practicing his fist techniques and consumed two more Qi Nourishing Pills. By now, his True Qi had condensed several times over, bringing him very, very close to Gang Transformation. His physical strength had also increased significantly. Every aspect of his capabilities had surged. Once Gang Transformation was complete, Lu Yuan didn’t even know what level his strength would reach. He felt that he was in an excellent state.

"Work’s over," Liu Zhi said.

"Yeah, it’s over. Time to go home," Lu Yuan said as he gathered his clothes and saber.

"Squad Leader Chen didn’t show up all day." Liu Zhi’s expression suddenly turned grave.

"Isn’t it perfectly normal that he didn’t come?

"Being a minor squad leader is great. You don’t even have to come to work every day," Lu Yuan replied, shaking his head in sheer envy. He would love to have a life like that—getting paid on time without having to clock in every day.

Liu Zhi’s expression shifted slightly. He thought, "That’s not what I was getting at!"

"The Squadron Commander isn’t here either. They must have gone out on a mission," Liu Zhi added.

"As members of the Demon Suppression Bureau, isn’t going out on missions completely normal?

"What’s wrong with that?" Lu Yuan asked, genuinely puzzled.

"But... but..." Liu Zhi felt anxious.

"Alright, they do their thing, and we do ours. We’re newcomers, so we need to build up our strength.

"Besides, didn’t he say he’d give us three days to adapt to each other? Tomorrow is the last day, so he’ll definitely come." Lu Yuan patted Liu Zhi’s shoulder and started walking out.

"But the five of us still haven’t managed to get along," Liu Zhi said, sounding dejected. He worried that because of this, they really wouldn’t be able to go out on missions. He felt a profound sense of powerlessness.

"Relax. Tomorrow, those three will definitely make peace with us. At least, they will maintain harmony on the surface," Lu Yuan smiled.

"Really?" Liu Zhi’s eyes brightened.

"Unless they’re absolute fools," Lu Yuan affirmed. People from prominent families were all skilled actors. Putting up a front of harmony wouldn’t be hard for them.

"Then I can put my mind at ease," Liu Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. That would be for the best. He had been genuinely terrified of being eliminated. Then, the way he looked at Lu Yuan suddenly changed.

He thought, "This guy seems aloof and nonchalant, not caring about anything, but it feels like he sees right through everything... When will I ever be able to be this carefree and unconstrained?"

"Elder Wu, did you have enough wine today?" Lu Yuan walked up to Wu the Cripple and asked with a smile.

"Bring more tomorrow," Wu the Cripple replied, lifting his wine bottle. Who could possibly be satisfied with just half a catty of wine?

"Drinking too much is bad for your health," Lu Yuan advised.

"Then why the hell did you ask?" Wu the Cripple rolled his eyes. This kid really knew how to annoy people.

"This wine is very expensive!" Lu Yuan complained.

"You little brat..." Wu the Cripple waved his hand in dismissal. "Get out of here! Scram!"

"Alright, this kid will scram right now!" Lu Yuan leaped into the air, flipping a few times. Before long, he landed steadily at the main gate.

Wu the Cripple thought, "This kid’s Martial Arts have improved significantly again." A glimmer of sharpness flashed in his aged eyes.

"Hehe, I’m rolling out!" Lu Yuan darted out through the east gate.

"Brother Lu..." Liu Zhi caught up to Lu Yuan, envy shining in his eyes. "You’re truly amazing. How do you manage to handle everything so perfectly?

"How do you do it?"

"Am I really that amazing? Isn’t everything just a chaotic mess?" Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned by the question. "Maybe it’s just because I’m thick-skinned."

"No, that’s not it!" Liu Zhi shook his head. "I feel like it’s confidence! That kind of self-assurance radiating from within, and something inherent in your natural personality!"

"Don’t you already know the answer yourself?" Lu Yuan touched his own face. He thought, "So my skin isn’t that thick after all." He then said, "That’s right, it’s sheer talent!"

Liu Zhi was left speechless. He didn’t know what kind of environment Lu Yuan had grown up in or what kind of parents had raised him, but one thing was certain: it must have been a very happy upbringing. He was intensely envious.

"You guys..."

Just as they turned a corner, two figures appeared ahead of them: Jianng Hongfei and Yu Qiuyang.

"Liu Zhi, come here!" Jianng Hongfei beckoned.

"What do you want?" Liu Zhi instantly grew alert. They had not come with good intentions!

"When I tell you to come over, just come over. Why so much nonsense?" Jianng Hongfei frowned.

"It’s fine. If he dares to make a move, I’ll beat him up too!" Yu Qiuyang strode forward, brimming with confidence. He had already completed Bone Tempering and was currently undergoing Bone Marrow Cleansing and Blood Exchange. Furthermore, he had reached Great Mastery in several Martial Arts. Taking on two opponents at once was no pressure for him.

"Yu Qiuyang, private fights are strictly forbidden within the Demon Suppression Bureau!" Liu Zhi shouted in reprimand.

"Haven’t we already left the Demon Suppression Bureau?" Yu Qiuyang smirked, cracking his neck and his knuckles.

Liu Zhi’s heart churned. He thought, "This guy is truly lawless! I knew there were people like this who completely disregard the rules!"

SWISH!

He moved, spreading his arms wide to block Lu Yuan from the front. "Brother Lu, run!"

"Liu Zhi, you’re courting death!" Yu Qiuyang was furious. He raised his hand, thrusting a palm strike fiercely toward Liu Zhi.

SWISH!

Lu Yuan grabbed Liu Zhi’s shoulder and hoisted him aside. He easily dodged the strike himself, then looked at the two standing opposite them. "Yu Qiuyang, are you certain you want to beat me up tonight?"

"I am definitely going to beat you up tonight! I’ll beat you to a pulp!" Yu Qiuyang gritted his teeth. He had been putting up with Lu Yuan for two days already.

"Jianng Hongfei, do you want to beat me up too?" Lu Yuan shifted his gaze to Jianng Hongfei.

"That’s right, I’ve really been wanting to beat you up too." Jianng Hongfei nodded with a smile and slowly stepped forward.

"Brother Lu, what are you talking about? Why aren’t you running away?" Liu Zhi urged anxiously.

"Since that’s the case, you brought this upon yourselves," Lu Yuan smiled, looking genuinely delighted.

"Hmm? What do you mean by that?" Yu Qiuyang’s expression shifted, sensing something distinctly off about Lu Yuan’s smile.

Jianng Hongfei halted his steps, instinctively wanting to back away. "Yu Qiuyang, hurry up!" he shouted sharply.

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH!

At that very moment, Lu Yuan abruptly made his move, launching three Silver Needles into the air.