Chapter 80 - Breaking Through to Four-Star (1/2)

“A breakthrough?” Though the female soldier didn’t like Park Jong-Hwan prideful attitude, she couldn’t help but add a tone of admiration in her words. “I recall that you were at three-star strength when you first came. Are you now at four-star strength? Just how old are you? You’re a genius.”

“Oh, really?”

Park Jong-Hwan laughed but didn’t deny it. People had called him a genius since he was very little. Much time passed where he observed martial artists of the same age advance much slower on the path of the martial dao. Park Jong-Hwan had gradually begun to accept people calling him things like this.

Today Park Jong-Hwan had broken through to four-star strength. He was confident that not even a few recruits were able to do this in the entirety of the recruit training camp. He was worthy of being called a genius.

Park Jong-Hwan enjoyed the rays of sunlight upon walking out of the gravity chambers. His lips lifted to the side in a smirk. “I think I’ll go back to the living quarters and take a look around.”

His feet sped up, his four-star strength unleashed. Park Jong-Hwan dashed through the wind, feeling a certain spiritual enjoyment.

A different gravity chamber’s door opened a dozen or so minutes later.

The door that opened was the door to the 1.5 times gravity chamber. The female soldier stared blankly at Qin Fen, who stood at the entrance.

This…. This young man, who had been in something akin to a vegetative state, had actually done closed-door cultivation! And he actually came out of closed-doors!

Park Jong-Hwan had come out glowing with health and vigor. In comparison, weariness could be seen all over Qin Fen’s face. For the sake of breaking through to the four-star level, he very nearly died of fatigue. He felt none of the joy of breaking through when he woke up. All he felt was an entire body heavy with fatigue and a stomach howling in anguish.

It’s been far too long since he last ate! If the figure of light hadn’t done some special adjustments with his body, he would have long since fainted from malnutrition and hunger from all these days in closed-door cultivation.

“You… you….” The female soldier didn’t know what to say for a time.

Qin Fen supported himself using the door frame. He asked, weak and without strength, “Excuse me… is there food being served at this time?”

“Yes yes yes.” The female soldier saw Qin Fen and how his body lacked all strength, but his eyes glowed when he asked about food. The female soldier quickly nodded, “There’s always food in this place. I’ll bring you over.”

Qin Fen strode with a weak and powerless step. “Is it still next door?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll go by myself, so as not to bother you.” Qin Fen nodded. His breakthrough this time had been much more troublesome than last time. It would be better to make more preparations for the next one.

Qin Fen arrived at the small kitchen and its canteen, and Cook saw Qin Fen in an instant. “You came out of closed-doors, kid! Hey, it looks like you made a breakthrough from your aura.”

“Yeah, I broke through.” Qin Fen maintained his basic courtesy and sat his but down at the dining table. “I’m starving to death from it. Is there something to eat?”

Cook gave a deep look at Qin Fen, his gaze totally that of a grumbling elder generation looking at a young generation for being reckless. “We’ll see if you dare to make a breakthrough by staking your life on it the next time. Nobody tries to make a breakthrough like you, not eating, not drinking, believing himself to be an iron man.”

He chopped vegetables, turned on the stove, added oil….

“Hold on. You’ll need more nutrition with how hungry you are. I’ll make you something good.”

As Cook spoke, he tossed a few vegetables that Qin Fen had never seen before into the pan. The vegetables and the scalding oil created a sizzling sound without end. It didn’t take long for a large steaming hot nutritious meal to come out from the kitchen.

Qin Fen was really far too hungry. He gave the cook a word of thanks and immediately started eating like a wolf.

The food this time had a taste that was even worse than last time, but it was indescribably delicious to Qin Fen when it entered his mouth.

Indeed, there was no such thing as disgusting food in this world. What was believed to be disgusting was caused by a lack of hunger! This viewpoint of Qin Fen’s, which he had concluded in the past, was confirmed to be true once more, and the feeling was that of incomparable delight.

Cook laughed as he started to make a second serving of an even larger nutritious meal. He was confident in Qin Fen’s self-control from his chats with Squad Leader Hao. No matter how hungry Qin Fen was, he wouldn’t ruin his body by eating and drinking unreasonably. He would certainly stop eating once he reached critical values.

As he stirred with a large spoon, Cook held his cellphone and gave Squad Leader Hao a call. He reported that all was well. “Old Hao, the kid Qin Fen has come out. He’s eating over at my place. Okay! I’ll have him wait for you here.”

Qin Fen annihilated his third serving of the large nutritious meal when Squad Leader Hao charged into the canteen.

“Kid! You’re okay, right!?” Squad Leader Hao grabbed Qin Fen by the skull with his two hands. He observed him, “The heck were you doing!? Nobody does closed-door cultivation like that! Are you seeking to die?”

Qin Fen could only smile wryly. Doesn’t everybody want to do closed-door cultivation like normal? The problem was with the figure of light in the dream. The figure of light hadn’t discussed things with him at all and had placed him in a bind before he had broken through.

“What are you smiling for? One must avoid being rash on the path of the martial dao at all costs. Your deadly closed-door cultivation was a bit rash. It’s quite easy for things to go wrong.” Butcher’s tone was that of lecturing, but it was brimming with the love of an elder generation toward a younger generation.

Qin Fen could do nothing but smile wryly. It was best to keep the matter of the figure of light and the liquid metal a secret. On that day, several people had struggled in deadly battle. The situation clearly had something to do with the liquid metal. Who knew what sort of secrets were concealed in the background. It would be best to keep it a secret even from people who he had the most intimate of relationships with. This was to avoid involving them in whatever dangers in the future.

When it came to the liquid metal, Qin Fen always avoided thinking about the scene of that day. Anyone would feel a certain dangerous vibe when thinking about killers in dark alleys.