this infinite world

Ochi completed his exchange.

It must be said that the Cloud Thunder Giant truly lives up to its reputation as the closest to the Titan royal family, possessing the supreme bloodline. The moment Ochi finished exchanging his power, he felt an ancient and violent force surging through his veins, as if about to break free of his physical constraints, causing him to involuntarily close his eyes and open his mouth—

"Crack—!"

Just as Ochi opened his mouth to let out a soft cry, the void suddenly exploded!

As a blinding flash of lightning ripped through the air, Ochi's unconscious breath transformed into a ball of lightning the size of an infant's fist, bursting with leaping electric light and reflecting his astonished face.

Although Chu Hao shattered the small ball of lightning with a mage's touch in the next moment, Oqi had not even unlocked the first-tier gene lock yet. The fact that he could display such power as soon as he completed the exchange was enough to show how terrifying this bloodline was.

Exhalation forms clouds, thins the sun and moon, conceals light and shadow, senses thunder and lightning, divine transformations...

For some reason, Chu Hao recalled the words used to describe dragons, but at this moment, it seemed appropriate to use them to describe Oqi's state as well... Thinking of this, Chu Hao patted Oqi's shoulder and said, "It's an exchange with unlimited potential. In addition, you have memories related to your past life, so you should be able to develop this bloodline by leaps and bounds."

"Come on, Ochi, don't underestimate yourself."

Upon hearing this, Ochi nodded repeatedly, his face full of excitement. It was clear that Chu Hao's praise and recognition had greatly affirmed the young man.

"Well then... J, you go first."

On the other side, Zhang Heng, who had finished exchanging his items, had reunited with Lu Zixue. Judging from Zhang Heng's excited gestures, he was obviously showing off the Golden Cloth he had just exchanged... Chu Hao didn't intend to interfere with the exchanges of Lu Zixue, Maria, and the soon-to-be-resurrected Aikel. He simply looked at J, Ares, and Jenny, who were also considering their future paths, and called out J's name first.

"Haha, I won't stand on ceremony with you. Consider it repayment for covering my retreat."

Knowing that Chu Hao had gained a great deal from this battle, J, who only possessed B-level internal energy at most, didn't bother to be polite and said directly, "Then, I plan to pursue the path of body refinement. If possible, Chu Hao, could you help me search for relevant skill exchanges?"

"Aren't you going to continue raising your internal energy to A-level?" Chu Hao asked, closing his eyes and contacting the main god.

"No, based on my experience facing the Xenomorphs before, what I lack now is actually the ability to control energy, not the total amount of energy."

J smiled sheepishly, clearly recalling how, despite possessing advanced internal energy exchange and an exoskeleton armor, he had been at a disadvantage the moment he faced the alien: "I've figured it out. My B-grade internal energy is enough to support my consumption in battle, but the speed at which my internal energy circulates depends on my control."

"Actually, I've seen similar situations in your Eastern martial arts novels. It's about a prince from another country who, by chance, possesses incredibly powerful internal energy, but he's completely unable to use or unleash it..."

At this point, J thought for a moment and said, "Let me think about what the original words in the novel were... 'May everything go smoothly'? That must be the phrase. It's true that your Eastern culture is so hard to understand."

"It's alright. The fact that you can use this word correctly already puts you ahead of a considerable number of people from the East."

Chu Hao smiled tolerantly. Although J was not entirely proficient in Eastern martial arts culture, he was at least much better than those from countries where "Huashan Sect" and "Plum Blossom Sword Technique" would inevitably appear in martial arts novels.

However, J only took Chu Hao's sincere praise as a consolation. The burly black man waved his hand and said with a wry smile, "It's alright, no need to say that. Perhaps a simpler and more direct energy source suits me better. I won't upgrade this bloodline until I have mastered my own internal energy to the point of complete control... but I don't know when that day will come."

As for that last sentence, it was J's self-deprecation... Chu Hao didn't say much, but instead checked with the main god for suitable exchanges for J.

Since Chu Hao hadn't officially become the captain of the Arctic team when J made his last exchange, he didn't know which exchanges were suitable for him. But this time, with the help of the captain's authority, he quickly presented two exchanges to J: "Take a look, J. First, this exchange, I think it's more suitable for you."

"The Eight Gates technique forcibly breaks through eight energy shackles in the body's meridians to release the hidden life force. Each time a gate is opened, one gains exponentially increased power, but at the same time, the burden on the body also increases exponentially... This volume records the methods for opening the six gates: Open, Rest, Life, Injury, Block, and View. To exchange for it, one B-level side quest is required, and the reward is 5,000 points."

"Note: Practitioners must remember that every advancement in this technique comes at the cost of burning one's life."

"This is the first redemption I've chosen for you."

After J and the rest of the Arctic team had finished reading the introduction from the main god, Chu Hao continued, "The essence of the Eight Gates is a forbidden technique system that uses the overdraft of life to exchange for instantaneous explosive power... Considering that your fighting style leans towards pure physical combat, this simple and brutal way of amplifying power is similar to the Kaioken in Dragon Ball. Both use the body as a price to exchange for overwhelming combat power."

"Of course, this skill perfectly fits your 'simple and straightforward' requirement; secondly, the process of opening the Eight Gates is itself an extreme way of tempering energy."

"Imagine this," Chu Hao continued, describing the future to J: "If you can master the Eight Gates through years of training and eventually reach the state where Might Guy keeps the sixth gate open all the time, then your control over the energy in your body will probably be unmatched even by those masters of internal energy who have cultivated for decades."

J stared at the skill description in his mind, a description brimming with violent aesthetics, and his expression suddenly became somewhat subtle. He touched his nose, a wry smile tinged with nostalgia on his face: "Um... actually, my idol since childhood has always been Bruce Lee."

As he spoke, this burly black man, who was surprisingly Chinese at heart, even demonstrated a classic Jeet Kune Do starting stance: "I was hoping to fight like him, using elegant kung fu aesthetics."

—How does your fighting style resemble Bruce Lee's?

These were the thoughts of the team members who had fought alongside J. As a heavyweight champion in underground boxing and a high-ranking enforcer belonging to a criminal family, he had killed at least eighty to a hundred people. His fighting style was naturally simple and efficient, primarily based on battlefield combat techniques… It was astonishing that someone like him could actually enjoy reading Chinese martial arts novels. "However, perhaps that's precisely why J became disillusioned with reality, leading him to enter the Main God Space and even exchange for Eastern internal energy. Just like how everyone might harbor a corresponding martial arts dream…"

Besides confirming once again just how famous Bruce Lee was in the United States, Chu Hao also roughly guessed J's specific thoughts. So he said in a reassuring tone, "It's okay, the original character who used this skill was actually based on Bruce Lee. So in a sense, you've fulfilled your dream."

Chu Hao wasn't lying about this, because Might Guy's real-life prototype really is Bruce Lee... Whether it's that iconic tight-fitting suit or the use of nunchucks as a weapon, you can see the author's intention to pay homage to Bruce Lee.

"Although exchanging for the method to open the seventh gate requires two B-rank side quests, and exchanging for the method to open the eighth gate requires one A-rank side quest, the advantage of these eight gates of escape techniques is that they can be paid for in installments... For now, six gates should be enough for you."

"Okay, then I'll do as you say."

In the blink of an eye, J's first enhancement exchange was finalized. But then, as if remembering something, his expression suddenly darkened. The man rubbed his empty wrist and sighed softly, "Unfortunately, the exoskeleton armor I exchanged before was completely lost in the Alien vs. Predator world, and I can never find it again."

"That cost me quite a few reward points..."

J's voice carried a clear sense of regret, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the inside of his arm where he had once been equipped with the exoskeleton, a hint of reminiscence flashing in his eyes. Clearly, that exoskeleton armor was not only the first piece of equipment he had redeemed, but also more like an old comrade-in-arms who had fought alongside him.

Before anyone else could respond, J suddenly shook his head self-deprecatingly, a helpless smile curving his lips: "...No, even if we could find it, the armor would probably have been completely destroyed and rendered unusable by the alien's mouth."

"Out with the old, in with the new, so I found this exchange for you."

Chu Hao smiled and directly announced the second item he had prepared in advance: "It's also an exoskeleton armor, but it's an upgraded version of the exoskeleton armor you exchanged before, the Bio-engineered Armor."

"The Bio-Armor, a biological weapon system developed by the interstellar civilization known as the 'Descendants,' is standard equipment of the alien group. Through organic fusion with the host, it can comprehensively enhance the user's life form and automatically generate a 'Bio-Armor' unique to the user... Requires two B-level side quests and 10,000 reward points."

"Compared to the exoskeleton armor you redeemed before, which only had the most basic night vision function and could pop out military daggers from your wrist, this 'Bio-Bio Armor' is a fully upgraded version of that one... or rather, it would be more appropriate to call it 'Biological Exoskeleton Armor'."

While J was diligently reading the description of the Guyver armor from the main god, Chu Hao explained it to him. This wasn't just for J's benefit, but also to ensure everyone in the Arctic team knew: "For example, you can high-frequency particleize the elbow tissue to form a cutting force field blade; deploy a particle acceleration matrix on the chest armor to release high-energy beams; or awaken gravity field manipulation organs to achieve free maneuvering within the atmosphere..."

"...That was too far in the past for me."

Listening to Chu Hao's rambling explanation, J had to wipe the sweat from his brow and interrupt him: "Although it sounds wonderful, this must be an operation that can only be performed after the power of this exchange has been brought to an extremely high level, right?"

"Right now, I've only activated the first stage of my genetic lock before I die. Could that be a bit...?"

"Don't worry, even as a simple piece of armor, the performance of this bio-armor is worth its price."

Chu Hao saw right through J's thoughts. Before his death, J still held a place in the team. After being resurrected, he suddenly realized that the team had grown stronger and stronger, while his first-stage gene lock was no longer up to par. It was normal for him to have such thoughts... Even his previous reluctance to continue strengthening his internal energy might have been due to this mentality.

That's why Chu Hao wanted to dispel J's thoughts; otherwise, doubts would hold him back in the future. With a flash of light, an exoskeleton suit and a jade slip appeared in his hand. Chu Hao then handed these two items to J, saying, "Don't worry, J. No matter what happens in the future, we'll always be together."

“We stood shoulder to shoulder until death, right? That proves we’re partners now… Supporting each other and moving forward together is how partners should act.”

"...Then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

After a moment of silence, J suddenly smiled and said, "You're right, we're partners... partners shouldn't say things like that."

As he spoke, he took the things from Chu Hao's hands, and at the same time, he secretly wiped away his tears.

Seeing this, Chu Hao smiled slightly, then turned to Jenny on the other side and said, "Jenny, it's your turn next... What would you like to exchange?"

"Magical girl!"

Jenny finally realized what was happening: "I want to exchange for a magical girl!"

"A magical girl?"

Chu Hao wasn't surprised, nor were Ares and J. During their first mission, Skyfall, the four of them had sat down at a table and discussed their dreams and what they wanted to exchange for upon returning to the Main God Space. At that time, Jenny, influenced by her sister, wanted to become a magical girl… or rather, a magical girl heroine, like Superman, Green Lantern, and other heroes, fighting for justice around the world.

“...However, Jenny.”

He closed his eyes and connected with the Supreme God. When he opened his eyes again, Chu Hao's expression turned somewhat strange: "Although it's not really appropriate to ask this at this time..."

"But which type of magical girl do you want to exchange for?" (End of Chapter)