"The Abyssal Realm..."

Chen Yu looked out the car window.

The Abyssal Realm was filled with many unforeseeable risks.

One might even encounter some kind of indescribable entity.

The chances were even higher in an unexplored Anomaly Realm.

Of course, it could also be a land of treasure.

Anything was possible.

But in most Abyssal Realms, there was an extremely high probability of encountering mutant beasts.

’I wonder what kind of world it will be...’

Chen Yu sighed to himself.

It was impossible not to be curious.

Although there were many descriptions of Abyssal Realms online, experiencing one firsthand was completely different.

The Crane Ridge Anomaly would be the first Anomaly Realm he ever entered.

...

Half an hour later, Li Qing dropped him off at the entrance to his residential complex. After offering a few more words of advice, Li Qing drove away.

"Chen Yu?"

Just as he was about to walk into the complex, a voice suddenly called out.

Chen Yu stopped and followed the voice with his eyes. Beneath a streetlight, a young man came into view.

Xu Bo!

He had fled to the Qing City Safety Zone with him.

However, they hadn’t kept in touch after arriving at the Qing City Safety Zone.

Chen Yu had almost forgotten about him.

"It really is you!"

Recognizing his face, Xu Bo quickly walked up to him.

"I haven’t seen you in days. You live here too?" Xu Bo asked, looking at him with surprise.

"Do you need something?" Chen Yu asked, his gaze indifferent.

"No... I was just surprised to see you," Xu Bo said with an awkward smile.

"If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving," Chen Yu said flatly.

"Wait," Xu Bo called out, stopping him.

Chen Yu paused and looked back at him. "Aren’t you in school anymore?"

Chen Yu’s brow furrowed.

Xu Bo stepped forward. "If you want to go back to school, I can help. My uncle has some connections in Jingzhou and can secure an extra enrollment spot."

Hearing this, Chen Yu looked at Xu Bo, a strange expression on his face.

"I know we were wrong to leave you behind last time, but we had no choice. The situation was desperate," Xu Bo said with a serious expression. "So... I want to make it up to you, and also repay you for saving us back then."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu’s expression softened slightly.

Whether he was sincere or not, the fact that he could say such things did improve Chen Yu’s impression of him.

"No need." After saying this, Chen Yu turned and left.

Xu Bo stood frozen on the spot, watching Chen Yu’s retreating back. It took him a long moment to snap out of it.

’Oh well, I won’t force it.’

Sighing, Xu Bo walked towards the residential complex.

—

Back home, Chen Yu took a cold shower, then lay on his bed, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate.

He was only one step away from becoming a Level 2 Martial Artist. Regardless of whether he went to the Crane Ridge Anomaly, he had to break through this barrier.

Once he reached Level 2 Martial Artist, his strength would increase yet again.

With his Extraordinary physique, he could fight a Third-level Martial Artist head-on, even without using Skills.

The night passed quickly.

The next morning, Chen Yu’s eyes flew open. A vast wave of Qi erupted from his body.

RUMBLE—!!!

A thunderous roar echoed from within his Dantian, and the vortex of Qi inside him expanded to five times its previous size.

His acupoints were cleared and his Dantian expanded. His Qi instantly increased severalfold, and his Qi Sea grew stronger.

The Qi vortex spun, endlessly circulating Qi.

Even his spiritual energy had improved significantly.

The physical changes to his body weren’t as obvious, but there were improvements nonetheless.

"Level 2!"

Chen Yu clenched his fists, feeling the immense Qi within him.

The feeling was incredibly invigorating.

’With my current Qi reserves, I could use Frost Breath a dozen times without any problem...’

VMMM—!

He opened his hand, and a burst of Qi erupted from his body, weaving between his fingertips.

Releasing Qi externally!

WHOOSH—!

With a flick of his finger, the Qi at his fingertip shot out like a sharp needle.

This ability to release Qi externally far surpassed that of a Level 1 Martial Artist. When executing martial techniques, it could unleash far greater power.

He retracted his Qi and began circulating the Starry Sky Breathing Skill, absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi until the aura around him gradually calmed.

Reaching Level 2 meant he had surpassed ordinary people by a fair margin.

However, Level 2 was far from enough.

In this day and age, even Levels 4 and 5 were nothing special.

Level 2 was just past the beginner stage.

After stabilizing his aura, Chen Yu got dressed, went downstairs to eat, and then returned to his apartment.

Sitting on the sofa, Chen Yu activated his Life Watch and entered the Spirit Realm.

He selected combat mode, spent two thousand yuan to simulate a Third-level Martial Artist, and directly entered the Spirit Realm arena.

The figure of a burly man appeared.

"Begin!"

He gave the command without hesitation. The Spirit Realm Assistant snapped its fingers, and the burly man charged forward.

Chen Yu moved in a flash, charging forward to meet him.

BANG—!

A shockwave of Qi spread out as the two figures were thrown back. An immense force washed over Chen Yu, rattling his internal organs.

Even after breaking through to Level 2 Martial Artist, there was still a gap in strength compared to a Third-level Martial Artist.

And this was with his evolved physique; normally, a Level 2 Martial Artist facing a Third-level Martial Artist would be completely crushed.

Their strength would be completely overwhelming!

Not to mention the difference in Qi.

A Third-level Martial Artist has at least 3,000 kilograms of force, and the more powerful ones can even reach 4,000 kilograms.

A Level 2 Martial Artist is around 1,000 kilograms.

A difference of several times in strength!

Chen Yu had secretly tested his strength once at the Mercenary encampment. After his second physical Evolution, his strength had reached 3,000 kilograms.

Now that he had broken through to Level 2, his strength had increased, but the boost was nothing compared to the one from his physical Evolution.

He wouldn’t have much of a problem going head-to-head with a Third-level Martial Artist.

His physical Evolution was an all-around enhancement.

Strength, constitution, agility...

With all these factors combined, he wouldn’t be at much of a disadvantage even when fighting a Third-level Martial Artist.

Without using any martial techniques, Chen Yu fought using only his fundamental abilities.

On the arena, figures flickered.

Fists whistled through the air!

...

THUD!

Seizing an opportunity, he landed a heavy punch. The fist, wrapped in Qi, made the very air crackle.

The body fell, dissolving into motes of light. Chen Yu let out a breath of relief. It was a narrow victory.

Without using his Freezing Skill, he could barely defeat a Third-level Martial Artist.

Chen Yu was very satisfied with this result.

If he used his Freezing Skill, it would be a complete stomp.

He could even freeze a Level 3 Mutant Beast solid.

Breaking through to Level 2 had raised his overall combat power again, and the Freezing Skill was his trump card.

’Should I try simulating a Level 4 Martial Artist?’

Chen Yu looked at the options, hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth and spent five thousand yuan to simulate a Level 4 Martial Artist opponent.

’Money can always be earned!’

He wanted to know just how big the gap was between himself and a Level 4 Martial Artist.

"Begin!"

At his command, the Spirit Realm Assistant snapped its fingers, and the figure opposite him moved in an instant.

BANG—!

The speed was Extraordinary; even his reflexes couldn’t keep up.

His body was sent flying back, feeling as if it were being torn apart. His organs felt like they were about to explode.

SWOOSH—!

He had just regained his bearings when a sonic boom erupted. A suffocating aura washed over him as a massive fist filled his vision.

FWOOSH—!

In the nick of time, Chen Yu instantly unleashed his Frost Breath.

An arctic gale swept out, covering the burly man’s body in frost and ice.

But the layer of ice held for only a few seconds before instantly shattering.

THUMP!!

A solid punch landed, and his body instantly dissolved into motes of light.

In the Spirit Realm White Palace, Chen Yu’s eyes opened.

His pupils were filled with shock.

The gap was too wide. It was a complete stomp.

’At least I could hold on for one exchange. That’s something,’ Chen Yu thought to himself.

The good news: he could survive one exchange.

The bad news: he could *only* survive one exchange.

In a desperate situation, those few seconds would at least give him enough time to escape.

’I need to practice the Freezing Skill more.’

With that thought, Chen Yu quickly entered training mode.

If he could master his Frost Breath, it could bring some unexpected surprises.