Gao Wu: I have a dimensional gate

The sound grew more urgent and closer.

Lu Qiu lowered his body, his left hand slightly bent, and the tip of his right knife pointed diagonally at the ground, already beginning to gather the strength for a tiger's roar.

Whoosh!

A leopard-like beast, over two meters long, darted out of the dense forest, stirring up a patch of branches. The stripes on its fur constantly shifted between dark and light gray, clearly demonstrating its ability to mimic.

It is a first-order variant, the Shadow Leopard.

But it didn't even glance at Lu Qiu, letting out a terrified whimper as it fled in panic.

quack--

A sharp, explosive sound came from the treetops that blotted out the sky, and then a large bird swooped down, its iron-gray beak gleaming with a metallic sheen, pecking fiercely at the Shadow Leopard.

"Aww—"

The shadow leopard had a piece of flesh torn off, rolled on the spot, changed direction, and continued to flee.

Lu Qiu then noticed that the shadow leopard was covered in wounds, from which blood was seeping out.

The wounds were numerous, varying in size and depth, and were clearly not the work of a single iron-beaked raven.

After its successful attack, the iron-beaked jay flapped its wings and soared into the sky, letting out a triumphant cry. At the same time, a second iron-beaked jay swooped down.

Puff. Puff. Puff. Puff.

Five iron-beaked crows attacked the shadow-patterned leopard in a very regular pattern.

As the first one lands, the previous one is taking off, and the attacks continue in a loop without any pause.

The Shadow Leopard is significantly stronger and faster than the Ironbeak Crow. However, when faced with swarms of Ironbeak Crows that attack with great discipline, it can only be slaughtered at their mercy.

Before it had run a hundred meters, the shadowy leopard let out a mournful howl and lay motionless on the ground.

Lu Qiu slowed his breathing, focusing all his attention on the rhythm of the Ironbeak Crow's wings opening and closing.

The third form of the White Crane Stance, the Crane Soaring Form, was specially marked by its creator as being inspired by an observation of a crane-like beast pouncing and hunting, which led to the creation of this stance training.

Among them are fragments of phrases such as "like a white crane flapping its wings and striking".

However, Lu Qiu had never seen a crane hunting in his two lifetimes, and the video footage was not clear enough, so he was never able to find a model to imitate.

Although the iron-beaked crows in front of him were not white cranes, their swooping attacks gave Lu Qiu considerable inspiration.

The movements were clean and swift, without any hesitation or delay; the strike was followed by an immediate retreat.

Lu Qiu could see clearly the contraction and expansion of the wings during landing and ascent, and the details of the muscle contraction when pecking at the shadowy leopard, all within such a close range.

If we could observe the Iron-beaked Crow hunting other exotic animals a few more times...

The Iron-beaked Crow did not give Lu Qiu this opportunity.

Most of the mutant species in Zone 2 are those that were eliminated during the process of breeding alien beasts by units under the Human Federation Science and Technology Department.

Almost all the mutant species are irritable and difficult to tame, so they are assigned to the training base as targets for students to hunt.

The iron-beaked jay is one of the most aggressive species, and they are now targeting the hills.

"Gah—"

One of the iron-beaked crows let out a sharp cry, and the other four swooped down on Lu Qiu one after another.

stab.

Lu Qiu rolled on the spot to dodge the attack of three iron-beaked crows, but the fourth crow's beak still grazed his right arm.

The D-level combat suit was torn open, and a deep gash was left on his right arm, stinging painfully.

The fifth attack has arrived.

Lu Qiu hurriedly used the White Crane Step to dodge, narrowly avoiding the iron beak, but his backhand slash missed its mark.

"That's fucking fast."

Lu Qiu cursed, and in a flash, he activated the active ability of the Flesh Furnace, while simultaneously pulling out a Grade D internal injury potion from his belt and drinking it all in one gulp.

The healing effect of the potion was fifty times stronger under the influence of the Flesh Furnace, and the wound on the right arm began to heal at a visible speed.

Lu Qiu glanced at it; a wound of this depth, under normal circumstances, would take about a night to heal after taking medication.

It only takes a few seconds now.

Obviously, the duration of the potion's effect would be shortened by the Flesh Furnace, but Lu Qiu was confident that he could kill the five Ironbeaked Crows before the effect wore off, or at the very least, escape to the exit.

He focused intently on the movements of the iron-beaked crows, meticulously mimicking their swooping motions.

five minutes.

The series of attacks tore seven or eight holes in his combat uniform, but Lu Qiu had already caught a glimpse of the direction of the Crane Soaring Formation.

Eight minutes.

The lead crow suddenly stopped swooping down and circled above Lu Qiu's head, letting out a sharp cry that was completely different from its previous rhythm.

The other four iron-beaked crows simultaneously swooped down from four directions.

Lu Qiu dodged one, parried the second with his longsword, his left ribs were scratched by a bird's claw, and his right shoulder was pecked open.

He had just gotten used to the rhythm of the continuous attacks, but the simultaneous attacks from four directions still left him struggling to keep up.

ten minutes.

Five more cuts appeared on the combat uniform, but Lu Qiu seized the opportunity and cleaved the head crow in two with a single slash. At the same time, the panel displayed a message: "White Crane Stake Proficiency +1".

The flock of crows, having lost their leader, went berserk, but their attacks had lost all order. Lu Qiu managed to cut them all down at the cost of a single wound, and also gained three points of proficiency.

Lu Qiu sat down, panting, looking at the last wound on his thigh, which was healing more slowly.

The opening was shallow, and through imitating the Iron-beaked Crow, he had mastered the technique of incorporating the Iron-beaked Crow's movements into the White Crane Stance.

Even if you can't avoid it, you can move your body to minimize the damage.

A few minutes later, seeing that his wounds had healed to the point where they no longer affected his mobility, he deactivated the Flesh Furnace's active ability.

Under the attack of five Ironbeaked Crows, the effects of the Grade D internal injury potion can last for about ten minutes.

In those ten minutes, as long as there were no limb mutilations or internal organ ruptures, Lu Qiu could basically ignore the other injuries.

Lu Qiu nodded in satisfaction; the performance of the Flesh and Blood Furnace had exceeded his expectations.

As long as he has enough internal injury medicine, he doesn't have to hunt those exotic beasts that he can only kill with a 100% certainty. In life-or-death battles, his proficiency improves the fastest.

Lu Qiu opened the panel.

Name: Lu Qiu

Qi and blood: 9.6

Muscle: 9.18→9.19

Skeleton: 9.2→9.21

技能：第八套全国中小学生基础训练法（精通）、白鹤桩（精通丨15/500）、初级製药（入门丨20/50）、虎形拳（入门丨20/50）

Status: Minor Unity of Heaven and Man

Talent: Flesh Furnace (C-rank, 2%)

Realm: None

Personal Space: 108kg of ordinary Tier 1 alien beast meat, 12 crystallization disease antagonists

The White Crane Stake is the skill he has been hardest to improve so far, but he has already improved it by five points after just eliminating five Ironbeak Crows.

It seems that using the iron-beaked crow to hone the white crane stake is the most effective method so far.

He rested for two minutes to recover his strength. Under the passive effect of the Flesh Furnace, Lu Qiu's muscle fatigue recovery speed also increased.

He got up and gutted the five iron-beaked crows, but found no energy organs.

But as soon as he cut open the leopard's belly, he saw a strange sac between the end of the sternum and the abdominal cavity.

[Shadow Sac: An energy source organ that grows after the Shadow Leopard's second mutation. Consuming it can slightly increase the perception of shadow energy; it is highly toxic.]

The flat sac, about the size of a walnut, was a deep purplish-black. When sunlight pierced through the dense forest and shone on it, it created a flowing halo like the night sky, clearly a materialized source of shadow energy.

Lu Qiu tore off a piece of fascia to wrap the Shadow Pouch, then stuffed it into the small pouch at his waist and stored it in his personal space.

He had no idea whether there were any camera drones monitoring him, so it was best to be cautious.

Five Iron-beaked Crows yielded 250 points. Lu Qiu secretly praised the chief instructor for adjusting the hunting area and continued to venture deeper into the valley to find targets.

……

At 3 p.m., Lu Qiu encountered a shadowy leopard drinking water by the river. Its camouflage fur had turned grayish-brown and almost blended into the rocky beach at its feet.

Having witnessed the Shadow Leopard's mimicry abilities, Lu Qiu was exceptionally vigilant and launched the first attack on the Shadow Leopard.

The Shadow Leopard is a speed-specialized mutant, with attack power significantly weaker than the Skullcrusher Cat, but it is a perfect counter to the Landhill.

Just like Lu Qiu's assessment of Aota Sota, with the battle range greatly increased, he could only passively defend himself.

Especially shortly after the battle began, a second Shadow Leopard joined the fight, and the male and female launched a combined attack on Lu Qiu.

More than half an hour later, Lu Qiu finally managed to kill the two Shadow Leopards, panting heavily. Unfortunately, neither of them had developed a Shadow Sac.

The dozen or so mutated creatures we encountered afterward were all corpses, their blood still congealed, having just been killed by other beasts, some even uneaten.

A significant portion of these mutated beasts are not hunting for food at all, but simply kill.

Until it got dark.

The activity of the Iron-beaked Crows increased, and Lu Qiu encountered seven groups of thirty-eight Iron-beaked Crows on his return journey.

He had four more wounds on his body, two of which were almost to the bone.

Fortunately, he had already reached the cliff at the entrance. After a few leaps, Lu Qiu left Zone 2.

A total of 45 Tier 1 mutant species were obtained, yielding 2250 points, which was much more efficient than farming Iron-haired Wild Boars in the old 5th district.

Of course, Lu Qiu himself knew that the credit went to the Flesh Furnace's regenerative abilities and the White Crane Stake's bird-type beast special attack.

Mimicking the Iron-beaked Crow not only improves proficiency, but also allows Lu Qiu to better judge the Iron-beaked Crow's flight and attack routes, enabling more efficient dodging and counterattacks.

Lu Qiu still had to put in a lot of effort to deal with other variants.

As he walked back, he opened the panel to check. His muscle strength had increased by 0.01, but his bones and blood circulation remained unchanged. His proficiency in the White Crane Stance had reached (Mastery | 53/500).

Tiger Fist has also improved when hunting Shadow Leopards, and is now (Beginner | 22/50).

On the way back to the base, Lu Qiu planned what to redeem with his total of 2342 points.

The effects of D-grade potions have begun to wane significantly, but C-grade items will only be available for exchange next week. However, the three-dimensional upgrades cannot be stopped.

Qi and blood are at their highest level, so the pace can be slowed down slightly. Muscles can be replenished by consuming plenty of meat, so they should be prioritized. Bones, which are the most difficult to improve, should be given the highest priority.

Lu Qiu plans to exchange four D-grade bone-tempering agents, each costing 250 points.

Use 300 points to exchange for a Grade D internal injury potion to support high-intensity combat; leave the remaining 1,000 points untouched for now.

Bone-strengthening agents work differently from those for qi, blood, muscles, and bones because their effects are so powerful and potent that the user needs to concentrate fully to digest their medicinal power.

If the improvement is significant, then exchange for muscle-building potions to replenish your strength and quickly improve your weaknesses.

Conversely, one can exchange for a semi-source energy martial art that shares similarities with Tiger Form Fist, allowing the two to reinforce each other and be practiced together.

Back at the base, on the way to the resource exchange area, Lu Qiu attracted a lot of attention.

A D-grade combat suit is sufficient to deal with ordinary Tier 1 alien beasts, but the one he was wearing was tattered beyond recognition, clearly indicating that he had been seriously injured after a fierce battle.

His energetic state contrasted sharply with his pitiful equipment.

"That's Lu Qiu, a powerful figure with an average three-dimensional value of less than 9.5, yet he managed to comprehend the Lesser Unity of Heaven and Man?"

"Screw you, what does the average of the three dimensions have to do with martial arts talent?"

"My god, with his clothes so torn, did he go to Zone 1 or Zone 2? How many monsters did he have to kill to accumulate so many points?"

……

Even the girl at the redemption counter was surprised, constantly scrutinizing Lu Qiu: "Lu Qiu, don't you need to change into a brand new D-grade combat suit? It's only 200 points, which isn't much with your current points, right?"

"No need, I plan to switch to Grade C next week." Lu Qiu shook his head. "I need four Grade D bone-tempering agents and three Grade D internal injury medicines."

The girl cautioned, "Classmate, the bone-strengthening agent is very potent. Remember not to take it continuously, otherwise the toxicity will increase and there will be side effects."

Lu Qiu nodded, took the exchanged items, and left.

Back in his dorm, he put the internal injury medicine into his personal space, and laid out four bone-tempering agents on the table.

He had not yet reported his talent, so the exchange personnel naturally wouldn't know about it.

With the super-strong regenerative power granted by the Flesh and Blood Furnace, Lu Qiu could completely withstand the toxic effects of the four bottles of Bone Tempering Agent.

He pulled out all the stoppers and drank all four vials of reagent in one go.

The scalding liquid flowed down his esophagus into his stomach. Lu Qiu felt as if he had swallowed a large mass of molten lava. His lower abdomen was burning hot and even felt a slight pain.

He stood on his left foot, with his right foot lightly touching the ground, clearly displaying the most basic folded wing stance of the White Crane Stance.

Then Lu Qiu kept adjusting his posture, and the originally light and agile white crane flapping its wings slowly took on a hint of the charm of an iron-beaked crow spreading its wings and swooping down.

It is his own Crane Soaring Style.

Lu Qiu mobilized his qi and blood, actively meeting the violent medicinal power and guiding it to flow throughout his body, beginning to temper his bones.

All 206 bones in his body were continuously strengthened under the nourishment of this surging medicinal power, his body temperature rose rapidly, and the pain began to intensify.

Fifteen minutes passed.

The sweat seeping from Lu Qiu's body had already accumulated into a small puddle on the ground. His facial features began to contort, and the pain had reached an unbearable level.

The Flesh and Blood Furnace, activated!

His circulating blood and qi instantly boiled, ten times faster than before. The intense metabolism raised Lu Qiu's body temperature again, and his skin turned red.

The moment sweat seeps out of the pores, it evaporates into water vapor.

Thirty minutes later, Lu Qiu slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

As he opened the panel, he moved his hands and feet, feeling the changes in bone strength.

Name: Lu Qiu

Qi and blood: 9.6

Muscle: 9.2

Skeleton: 9.21→9.4

技能：第八套全国中小学生基础训练法（精通）、白鹤桩（精通丨53/500）、初级製药（入门丨20/50）、虎形拳（入门丨22/50）

Status: Minor Unity of Heaven and Man

Talent: Flesh Furnace (C-rank, 2%)

Realm: None

Personal Space: 108kg of ordinary Tier 1 alien beast meat, 3 x Grade D internal injury medicine, 12 x Crystallization Disease Antagonist

Bone strength increased dramatically by 0.2.

Lu Qiu moved his body slightly, assumed the tiger roar stance, his spine trembled, and in the blink of an eye, he completed the five stages of preparation without any hesitation.

He immediately bent his spine again, adding the sixth layer of power.

The familiar pain returned, but it wasn't as intense as when I tried it at noon; it was within a tolerable range.

He punched out with both fists, his bones making a clear, crisp sound, and the power of his bones returned to his body!

boom.

The fist ripped through the air, creating a thunderous explosion. The sixth level of Tiger Roar was complete.

As for the pain in his arms, Lu Qiu ignored it. This minor muscle injury could be recovered in a few minutes thanks to the passive ability of the Flesh Furnace.

Lu Qiu, at the level of "Minor Unity of Heaven and Man," can freely surpass the limits of muscle strength and exert force at a level equal to that of bone strength.

He had this feeling when he first tried the Tiger Form Sixfold Accumulation.

However, the improvement in muscle strength cannot be ignored. The closer it gets to the average limit of 10, the greater the imbalance in the three-dimensional strength will be, and the greater the limitation on the performance.

The flesh and blood furnace consumes source energy, and the source energy that his body can store is still very limited.

Over-reliance on this ability will lead to a dead end when the source energy is exhausted.

Lu Qiu slept in the dormitory until noon, then went to the exchange area to exchange for five standard muscular meal sets. After eating them all, he set off again for Zone 2.

The "insurance" still costs 60 points, bringing the total points back to 482.

The drone distribution in Zone 2 was twice as dense as in Zone 5. Lu Qiu used Wang Hao's software to calculate the paths several times before finding a hidden cave as a blind spot.

Touching the door-shaped mark and silently saying "shuttle," Lu Qiu returned to a secluded corner near the refugee area.

Following the route he had previously noted, he went to the home of the Li Chun sisters.

As they approached the refugee area, a faint smell of blood entered Lu Qiu's nostrils. He frowned and gripped his long knife tightly in his right hand.

It's human blood.

As he approached the entrance to the refugee quarter, he saw a bloody battlefield.

Severed limbs were everywhere, mostly belonging to refugees, while a few limbs were covered in combat suits made of synthetic fibers, clearly equipment that refugees could not possess.

Various types of energy converge and twist here, leaving only half-dried blood pools and rubble pulverized by the energy on the ground.

Lu Qiu's heart sank. He carefully concealed himself and approached Li Chun's residence.

The refugee district was enormous, with its crisscrossing alleys as intricate as a maze. He silently prayed that the two sisters were alright.

After turning several corners, Lu Qiu heard footsteps, immediately stopped moving, and slowed his breathing.

"Are the higher-ups crazy, sending us to this godforsaken place to arrest people? Several of our brothers have already died."

"I heard they're developing some new drug and need refugees as test subjects. You'd better keep quiet. If they don't catch enough, we'll just have to fill the gaps."

"Alright, search carefully. We were held back for a while by a few lunatics at the entrance, and now some have run away and others are hiding, so we'll be hard to find."

Lu Qiu felt a little more at ease.

The Li sisters' residence was located at the very back of the refugee district, some distance from his current location, so these people probably hadn't been found yet.

Furthermore, their strength was insufficient; otherwise, they wouldn't have suffered so many casualties.

Let's grab one of them first and ask about the situation.

The footsteps grew closer, and Lu Qiu lowered his tactical goggles and walked towards the two people who were talking.