Chapter 36: Taking Medicine to Level Up Martial Arts? Absurd!

Warrior Center, 13th floor.

Fan Chengcheng’s voice boomed through the air.

It was so loud that the previously bustling mercenary service hall fell silent in an instant. Even the staff behind the glass windows were left stupefied.

“Brother Fan, just look at the way these people stare at us like they’ve never seen the world before. If we weren’t dragging along the corpse of a Sky-Tiger, I doubt anyone would have believed we completed a level-3 mercenary mission!”

“What do you know? This is exactly what Brother Fan wants—the envious, jealous, and resentful glares from all the other mercenary squads!”

“It really does feel good.”

With the attention of over a hundred people in the hall focused on them, every member of the Five Tiger Generals Mercenary Squad reveled in their secret delight, even tilting up their chins in pride.

Fan Chengcheng cleared his throat and put on a humble smile. “We were just lucky to scrape by with the level-3 mission. Don’t worry, you’ll all have your chances in the future!”

While the five of them basked in their self-satisfaction, everyone else in the hall was left dumbfounded.

Did they break their brains during the mission?

Is this truly the standard of the Martial Arts Institute?

Could it be they just got access to the internet?

Yes, that must be it—they just got online!

“Sorry, but the task of hunting the Sky-Tiger was completed and delivered by the Gale Squad three days ago at one in the afternoon.”

“Your mission was not completed.”

Hearing the receptionist’s words, the Five Tiger Generals immediately looked up at the electronic display screen.

Impossible!

Who the hell are the Gale Squad?

Completed the mission in four hours?

Fan Chengcheng nearly collapsed right then and there.

Not only had the Five Tiger Generals failed to make a name for themselves, they were now the butt of a joke.

Six million gone, just like that!

It was the six million that truly stung.

Fan Chengcheng’s heart was bleeding.

He rushed to the window and anxiously asked, “Miss, could you check how the Gale Squad managed to complete the mission so quickly?”

“Brother, it looks like you really did just get online. Check the forums.”

“The Mercenary Squad section on the Warrior Forum is blowing up. Word is, the mysterious figure from the Gale Squad, Zhang the Great, took down six Sky-Tigers all by himself.”

The mention of the mysterious “Zhang the Great” set the mercenary squads abuzz.

Fan Chengcheng whipped out his phone and scrolled through the forums, finding every post dominated by talk of the Gale Squad and the enigmatic Zhang the Great.

There were even fangirls openly confessing their love to him.

Damn!

After skimming through a dozen posts, Fan Chengcheng’s vision went dark and he collapsed to the ground.

...

After his shower and a change of clothes, Zhang Chu finally headed out.

This was his first time visiting a karaoke bar since his reincarnation.

Hu Sanyi was treating, and they ordered an entire table of food.

They spent five thousand.

The four of them drank heavily, each calling him “Brother Zhang” with every toast.

Monkey even downed a bottle in one go, saying it was a toast to his adoptive father, to thank him for leading him to make money.

It was nearly dawn before they finally wrapped up.

He ordered a car to take them home.

Zhang Chu then called a designated driver and took his Thunderstrike car to the Warrior Black Market.

Midnight was when the black market was at its liveliest.

A thunderous roar split the sky as the Thunderstrike made its dazzling entrance.

The moment the vehicle appeared, all eyes were drawn to it.

“Xiao Chu, you’ve really made it now. You’re the only level-3 warrior from our welfare home!”

“And this car is even cooler!”

Li Dashan and Wang Peng sat in the car, barely able to contain their excitement. They had the driver circle the black market a few times before finally, still unsatisfied, entering the shop with Zhang Chu.

The three ordered takeout and chatted for a while before Zhang Chu dumped out all the exotic beast corpses from his storage ring.

After tallying everything up, Li Dashan transferred Zhang Chu three million six hundred thousand.

As soon as the money landed in his account, Zhang Chu pulled Wang Peng along to the largest elixir shop in the black market.

One Vitality Pill cost thirty-five thousand.

Zhang Chu bought out the entire stock.

The shop owner quickly realized he was dealing with a major client and personally served them tea.

Forty level-1 Vitality Pills—he swiped his card for one million four hundred thousand.

Wang Peng was overjoyed.

Not only did he earn a commission of one hundred forty thousand, but Zhang Chu also gifted him five Vitality Pills.

By the time they left the black market and got home, it was deep into the night.

Zhang Chu collapsed into bed and slept.

He woke naturally the next day, well into the afternoon.

This time, he didn’t order takeout.

After washing up, Zhang Chu sat cross-legged on the carpet.

On the table before him lay ten cores from level-3 exotic beasts, which he treated as appetizers.

He ate them one by one.

With each one, the system chimed in his mind.

After finishing all ten, Zhang Chu checked his personal info panel again:

“Vitality increased by 10,000!”

“Total vitality: 20,105/50,000!”

There were still twenty days until the finals of the Off-Duty Warrior Tournament. Reaching level-5 warrior was no longer a dream.

Seeing his vitality climb higher, Zhang Chu took out the Vitality Pills from his storage ring.

For completing the mercenary mission, the team had been rewarded with ten Vitality Pills.

At the karaoke bar last night, Hu Sanyi had given him three more.

Added to the thirty-five he bought at the black market.

Zhang Chu treated them like candy.

This training at Dangdang Mountain had brought his martial skills to a whole new level.

He had a feeling that today, his martial proficiency would break through.

Handful after handful, he crushed the pills, swallowed them, and waited.

“Ding! Detected that host has consumed thirty-eight level-1 Vitality Pills, vitality +570!”

Within five minutes, the system’s voice rang in his mind.

Just as expected.

A white pop-up appeared on his personal info panel.

But this time, there were three options:

1: Spend 200 vitality to raise “Iron Mountain Shield” to Advanced Proficiency;
2: Spend 28 vitality to raise “Blazing Thirteen Swords” to Advanced Proficiency;
What astounded Zhang Chu was the third option: “Expected cost of 550 vitality—upgrade level-1 low-grade martial skill ‘Skyward Cannon’ to level-1 mid-grade!”

“Holy—!”

Zhang Chu stared in disbelief, overcome with excitement.

It was one thing to enhance martial proficiency with pills.

But to actually upgrade the grade of a martial skill?!

It was well known that not all martial skills were extensible, especially level-1 skills, which usually had no room for improvement.

Only level-4 skills might be developed into level-5 or level-6 versions.

In other words, as long as he devoured enough pills and his vitality soared, Zhang Chu could evolve even the most mediocre skills into level-6 advanced techniques—or even divine arts!

Zhang Chu could hardly believe it.

Years from now, if he could unleash “Skyward Cannon” with the might and standard of a divine art, how many people would be left speechless?

“Please make your choice, host!”

The system’s voice snapped Zhang Chu back to reality.

“The third one!”

Without any hesitation.

Instantly, a tiny figure in his mind began to practice “Skyward Cannon” tirelessly, elevating both his technique and explosive power to a new realm.

After about ten minutes, Zhang Chu slowly opened his eyes.

He checked his personal info panel again, and it had changed:

Total vitality: 20,121/50,000
Martial Skill: Skyward Cannon (Level-1, mid-grade)
Proficiency: Beginner

He now had beginner proficiency in the level-1 mid-grade “Skyward Cannon.”

“Looks like I need to visit the Covey Research Institute and see Qin Zaiye tomorrow. I need a huge supply of experimental drugs—an absolutely massive amount!”

Zhang Chu was elated.

As long as he had enough medicine, he could master a level-6 martial skill or even a divine art within a month.

Just as Zhang Chu was preparing to head to the Warrior Center’s virtual hunting ground to test out his new mid-grade skill, his phone rang:

“Congratulations, Mr. Zhang Chu! You have passed the preliminary round of the Off-Duty Warrior Tournament. Please bring your relevant documents to the Martial Arts Institute Committee for an interview tomorrow.”