Chapter 62 Tree Hollow Slot: You’ll Have to Ask the Double Strength Society

This dinner gathering turned out to be worthwhile. The information he needed had been acquired, and the camaraderie among the brothers had deepened considerably. With great ceremony, Hu Sanyi handed Zhang Chu the identity card symbolizing the captaincy of the "Swiftwind Squad."

When the meal ended, Zhang Chu sent the others off first, then hoisted Hu Sanyi up, preparing to take him back to the academy. As a martial arts instructor, Hu Sanyi had a single apartment on campus.

Just as they passed by a private room, the drowsy Hu Sanyi tugged at Zhang Chu, pointing at the half-open door. “Chu, isn’t that… isn’t that Ms. Su?”

Zhang Chu glanced over—it was indeed Su Mingyue. She wore an ivory bodycon dress that accentuated her alluring curves. Several older men were clustered around, coaxing her to drink. Although Su Mingyue kept dodging, a few hands managed to grope her in turn.

If it had been the former Zhang Chu, the hopeless romantic, he would have barged in to play the hero. But now, he only glanced at the man beside her—a well-dressed figure in a suit with gold-rimmed glasses, sporting a distinctive badge on his chest.

“Old Hu, you really can’t hold your liquor. You see Su Mingyue everywhere,” Zhang Chu said, and carried Hu Sanyi away.

He could roughly guess what was going on. Su Mingyue’s sudden rise to a level 3 warrior and her outstanding performance in the non-official warriors’ tournament likely meant she’d found herself a “sponsor.”

No sooner had they left than Su Mingyue caught a glimpse of a figure by the door. “Zhang… Zhang Chu?”

...

After leaving the Imperial Pavilion, Hu Sanyi dragged him off to devour skewers and down beer crates until midnight. Only after putting him in a rideshare bound for the Martial Arts Research Institute did Zhang Chu prepare to drive home.

The Leizhan L1 featured a brand-new advanced smart home system. He set his destination by voice command, reclined in the passenger seat, and activated sleep mode. The car drove itself toward Xishayuan.

By the time he got home, it was already two in the morning. Bored on the drive, he tried the “Immovable Meditation Technique.” In less than five minutes, all traces of alcohol vanished, his eyes wide awake as bronze bells—he didn’t need to sleep at all.

“Damn, who would have thought that the first benefit of becoming a Dual-Force Warrior is being able to treat beer like barley juice.”

Unable to sleep on his bed, Zhang Chu opened the forum section of the “Warrior Mall” and searched for popular threads about the Gifted and the Starbeast Burrows.

The forum’s explanation of the Gifted matched what Hu Sanyi had told him. But what Zhang Chu cared about most was the Starbeast Burrows.

According to the posts, Starbeast Burrows were dimensional spaces created by spirit realm practitioners using “Great Arcane Power” on millennia-old Spirit Trees—strictly speaking, ultra-high-level formation spaces. The so-called spirit realm practitioners surpassed even Dual-Force Warriors. Nationwide, there were only 999 Starbeast Burrows.

Originally, the Starbeast Burrows had been intended as sanctuaries for Dual-Force Warriors to shield them from the adverse effects of the Gifted Storm. Later, to make things more interesting, all kinds of starbeasts were released into the burrows, turning them into unique hunting grounds.

Training in the Starbeast Burrows for a few days was far superior to the outside world. So whenever the Gifted Storm approached, countless Dual-Force Warriors would try every means to gain access, often through institutional recommendations.

After reading all the posts, including some livestreams from those who’d entered the burrows, Zhang Chu understood the benefits:

First, with the Starbeast Burrows made from Spirit Trees, the spiritual energy inside was far richer, perfect for nurturing mental power.

Second, the starbeasts within were stronger than those outside.

Third, the burrows opened only once every fifty years. Occasionally, if lucky, one might encounter Fragments of the Spirit Realm left behind by spirit realm practitioners. Warriors who found these fragments had a much greater chance of ascending to the spirit realm themselves.

“It seems I made the right choice joining the Martial Arts Research Institute.”

Only after reading these posts did Zhang Chu realize how wise his decision had been. He’d originally planned to quietly train in the academy’s forest hunting grounds, absorbing the vitality of the plants to break through to level 2. He hadn’t expected the Gifted Storm to descend and the Starbeast Burrows to open.

Binzhou had two Starbeast Burrows—one in the Boundary Stone Hall, the other within the Martial Arts Research Institute’s forest hunting grounds.

“When luck comes, you just can’t stop it!”

Zhang Chu was thrilled. Since the Starbeast Burrow was in the Martial Arts Research Institute, didn’t the institute’s instructors have special privileges?

He stayed excited until the latter half of the night, then finally dozed off for a while.

While brushing his teeth in the morning, his smart mirror popped up a message from Huang Lili: “Zhang Chu, I heard you became an inspector at the Martial Arts Academy. Do you know any way to prepare for the Gifted Storm?”

“Prepare for it? Besides, you’re only a level 1 warrior—the Gifted won’t descend on you anyway,” Zhang Chu replied by voice.

“I’ve been feeling a buzzing in my head lately, almost like auditory hallucinations. I checked the forum, and they say that’s a sign you’re about to receive the Gifted,” Huang Lili messaged back.

“That’s just a cold… Take some medicine.”

Zhang Chu left it at that. He needed to hurry to the academy and secure a spot in the Starbeast Burrow. He wasn’t the only Dual-Force Warrior at Binzhou Martial Arts Research Institute.

At the same time he drove out, at the Warriors’ Home, Huang Lili lay on her bed, reading Zhang Chu’s message. She touched her forehead and muttered, “So I really do have a fever—slip of the tongue there!”

...

Arriving at the academy, all the security guards stood to attention and saluted as he entered. The Inspector’s Office was, after all, their leadership.

No sooner had Zhang Chu parked than he saw Zhang Xueying’s car slowly pull up.

“Good morning, Sister Xueying.”

Today, Zhang Xueying wore a pink long dress with white high heels, her hair tied simply with a headband, looking every bit the picture of a pure student.

“Mr. Chu, you’re an inspector now. Calling me ‘sister’ all of a sudden, you’re scaring me,” she teased.

Their relationship was quite close, so they joked easily. Zhang Chu took the initiative to carry her bag. She was surprised but didn’t refuse. Over the years, many male teachers at the academy had wanted to help her with her bag, but only Zhang Chu had succeeded.

“Mr. Chu, you’re being so attentive today. Do you need my help with something?”

“There’s nothing I can hide from you, Sister Xueying. I do have a small favor to ask.”

A level 1 Dual-Force Warrior following a level 6 warrior around—what explanation could there be, apart from courting Zhang Xueying?

They went to breakfast together, and Zhang Chu quietly shared his thoughts.

“So you know about the Gifted Storm arriving early and the urgent opening of the Starbeast Burrow?” Zhang Xueying looked at him in surprise. “But I can only take you to see them; I have no authority over the Dual-Force Society’s affairs.”

Dual-Force Society?

This was the first time Zhang Chu had heard of it.

“The Dual-Force Society is a department specifically in charge of the academy’s Dual-Force Warriors. You were hired directly by the dean, so there hasn’t been a chance to introduce you yet.

“Also, my uncle said the location of this Gifted Storm is a bit unusual. The energy fluctuations in the Starbeast Burrow are unstable. To prevent the Fallen Gods League from infiltrating, the selection process is extremely strict this time,” she added.

Fallen Gods League?

At the mention of that name, Zhang Chu’s brow furrowed slightly. Why did it seem so familiar?