chsdbacks Chapter 14: Breakthrough Level
Chapter 14: Breakthrough Level
One day, at Hongshan College, in the afternoon.
After class, Yu Chen walked out of the teaching building at a leisurely pace, leaned against a pillar, his dark eyes half-closed, quietly waiting for that familiar figure.
"Boss! I'm finally out of jail!"
With a vibrant shout, a silver figure shot out like a cannonball. Na'er didn't slow down at all, charging straight at Yu Chen.
"Wait a minute! Are you in such a hurry to be reincarnated?"
Seeing the way the car was about to knock someone away, Yu Chen complained, but still opened his arms in compliance.
The next second, a huge force accompanied by a fragrant breeze crashed into his arms. The little firecracker wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and tried to wrap her legs around him.
"Hey, hey, hey, let go! Are you a sloth?"
Yu Chen held the pendant in one hand and sighed helplessly. A year had passed, and he had grown nearly ten centimeters taller and was now quite muscular; on the other hand, Na'er had only grown a little bit, and the pendant looked light and airy, making her appear more than half a year younger than Yu Chen.
"Enough talk! Let's go! I'm hungry!"
Na'er rested her chin on Yu Chen's shoulder and urged him on, her big purple eyes full of impatience, like a little devil nagging for her life.
"Yes, ma'am, my little firecracker."
"Enough talk! Let's go! I'm hungry!"
Na'er rested her chin on Yu Chen's shoulder and urged him on, her big purple eyes full of impatience, like a little devil nagging for his life.
Yu Chen smiled and shook his head, then supported her with one hand as they walked towards home.
The two, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, were an exceptionally pleasing sight on the journey. Yu Chen's face was handsome yet exuded a hint of majesty, with a subtle sense of oppressive authority between his brows; Na'er, with her silver hair and purple eyes, was as exquisite as a porcelain doll.
Their appearance, combined with their age, makes them prone to attracting unnecessary trouble.
And that's true. At first, some foolish thugs did try to kidnap them and sell them for money.
But when Yu Chen shielded Na'er behind him, demonstrating what it meant to be "a king descending from the sky, ferocious and furious," and then called the police, gave those thugs a silver bracelet, and even secured them a "secure job," those with ulterior motives abandoned their plans and kept their distance from the two of them.
Now all the thugs in the neighborhood know that this seemingly gentle young man is a ruthless character; that seemingly frail body hides a fierce and terrifying tyrannosaurus.
Since then, almost no one has dared to intercept Yu Chen and Na'er on the road, and the two of them are naturally happy to have some peace and quiet.
Back home, Yu Chen safely unloaded Na'er, this "human accessory," at home, changed into his work clothes, and went to Mangtian Studio.
"Brother Chen, you're here!"
Upon seeing him, Tang Wulin immediately revealed a look of admiration and envy.
"Oh, by the way, Wu Lin, are you still suffering from the torture of forging multiple alloys?" Yu Chen asked, tidying up the forging table.
Seeing Tang Wulin greet him, Yu Chen naturally greeted him back and asked him a question.
After spending this time together, Yu Chen became like an older brother to Tang Wulin, who always took care of him, and Tang Wulin greatly admired Yu Chen.
Now, under the constant guidance of Tang Ziran and his wife, Tang Wulin has very upright values and is a model young man full of enthusiasm. Therefore, Yu Chen has a very good impression of him.
"Yes...yes." Tang Wulin scratched his head, looking at the stubborn piece of metal in his hand. His tone was somewhat helpless, but not frustrated or confused. "Brother Chen, these multiple metals are really difficult to deal with, but don't worry, I will definitely not lose to it! Although I am progressing slowly now, this is precisely the time to test me."
"Very good, keep this mindset." Yu Chen nodded, greatly appreciating his positive attitude.
Tang Wulin chuckled, then rubbed his rumbling stomach, his eyes turning somewhat sly.
"Of course! By the way, Brother Chen, since you're about to break through to level ten, that's great news! Shouldn't we book a big meal in advance?"
"Oh? You're already thinking about food before you've even broken through?"
Yu Chen stopped what she was doing and looked at him with amusement. At that moment, Yu Chen inwardly groaned: Why is everyone staring at my wallet!
"This is called celebrating in advance!" Tang Wulin said matter-of-factly. "I heard from my teacher that breaking through to the next level takes a lot of energy, so you need to eat something good to replenish it. Brother Chen, you're so amazing, breaking through to the next level must have taken even more energy, so this meal has to be on you!"
"You..." Yu Chen was amused by his appearance. "Alright, you're good at calculating. Just because of your greed, I need to break through quickly so I can treat you to a big meal."
Although he was inwardly groaning, Yu Chen readily agreed to Tang Wulin's simple request.
"Then it's settled!" Tang Wulin immediately beamed, patting his chest and promising, "Brother Chen, you wait! I'll also work harder on my training, and when I catch up with you, I'll treat you to a big meal!"
Seeing his renewed enthusiasm, Yu Chen smiled and shook his head: "Okay, I'll wait for you to treat me."
Seeing the indomitable spirit in Tang Wulin's eyes, Yu Chen patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder to encourage him.
"Of course! Becoming a powerful Soul Master has always been my dream, and I've been working hard towards that goal!"
Hearing Yu Chen's encouragement, Tang Wulin nodded firmly, clenched his fist, and answered in a deep voice, his eyes full of determination.
......
After exchanging a few words with Tang Wulin, Yu Chen went to his work station and began his day's work.
According to Mang Tian, the reason why Yu Chen cannot undergo the Thousand Refinements is due to the limitation of his soul power.
Once you advance to the Soul Master level, you can begin to try Thousand Refinement, which makes Yu Chen even more eager to break through to the Soul Master level.
After some time, Yu Chen had completed his assigned task and passed Mang Tian's inspection, and then went home alone.
After dinner, the large amount of food consumed was transformed into the purest energy and absorbed by Yu Chen. Suddenly, Yu Chen felt his soul power fluctuate again, and he figured that a breakthrough was imminent that night. After chatting with Na'er for a few moments, he went to his room and began to meditate and cultivate.
Ten minutes, twenty minutes... two and a half hours!
Yu Chen felt a faint crackling sound emanating from his bones, followed by a warm current flowing through his meridians and spreading throughout his body.
Yu Chen immediately realized that he had successfully broken through to level 10.
The next step is to fuse with the soul spirit, only then can one truly enter the realm of a Soul Master.
For Yu Chen, fusing with a soul spirit would not be difficult. The inheritance left by his parents was enough to support him in purchasing a hundred-year-old soul spirit with some left over.
Yu Chen pulled himself out of his thoughts, calmed his breathing after the breakthrough, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Na'er lying by the bed.
The little firecracker seemed to sense his difference today and guessed that Yu Chen was about to break through to level ten. In order not to disturb him, she stayed by his bedside, wanting to be the first person to celebrate with him after his breakthrough. But in the end, she couldn't stay awake and fell asleep first.
Under the moonlight, Na'er turned her face to the side, her cheeks puffed out by her arm, and her eyelashes cast a fan-shaped shadow under her eyelids. The most eye-catching thing was the smear of strawberry jam on the corner of her mouth that she hadn't wiped off—she had obviously sneaked a dessert while he was cultivating.
She curled up, her toes crossed, looking completely unguarded.
Yu Chen's heart softened instantly.
He bent down, gently supporting her by the shoulder with one hand and slipping the other under her knee, and lifted her up horizontally. Her silver hair flowed down her arm, cold and soft.
Despite the extremely light movements, the slightest noise still startled Na'er, who was in a light sleep.
The girl wrinkled her nose in her dream, her eyelashes fluttered twice, but she didn't open her eyes. Instinctively, she snuggled closer to the familiar warmth in Yu Chen's arms, burying her head deeper, mumbling indistinctly in a soft, sweet voice:
"Hmm... Boss... I didn't sneak any dessert... Na'er... You brushed your teeth properly..."
"Tch, you still say you didn't steal any food? Your mouth is proof enough."
Looking at her sleeping face, which looked like she had done something wrong, Yu Chen couldn't help but rub the sauce stains on the corner of her mouth with his fingertip, a wicked smile curling up at the corner of his mouth.
"Hmm..." Na'er groaned sleepily, seemingly sensing danger. She instinctively opened her mouth and gently bit Yu Chen's shoulder, like a little kitten with its fur standing on end. "Bad boss... stole my cake..."
"Hey! You little firecracker, you dare to blow me up while I'm asleep?"
Yu Chen was both annoyed and amused by the "little milk teeth" biting him. Just as he was about to retaliate, the little one in his arms had already adjusted to a more comfortable position, burying his face in his chest, and his breathing became even and long again.
Looking at her delicate face, smeared with strawberry jam, Yu Chen's outstretched finger, which he had intended to use to play a prank, paused in mid-air, and ultimately turned into a silent chuckle.