Chapter Sixty: The Gift (Sixth Update)

Heart rate: 75 per minute, blood pressure... Shang Qingjun looked at the various readings on the Azure Dragon smart watch—everything was perfectly normal, not a single anomaly. She touched Gao Wu’s forehead; his temperature was fine as well.

The Vajra Serum was the most potent, bar none, among the martial serums. Its danger was equally unrivaled. Martial artists had to use a specially formulated neutralizer in tandem with it, so ordinary fighters could not afford such a serum. Even military martial artists preferred to undergo biochemical modification surgeries rather than risk strengthening themselves with the Vajra Serum. Biochemical surgery was now relatively mature, with a success rate above ninety percent. Vajra Serum enhancement, according to incomplete statistics, had a five percent success rate.

As a biology student and a high-level martial artist, Shang Qingjun had a deep impression of the data related to the Vajra Serum. She had witnessed Gao Wu inject two milliliters, yet he used no cooling measures; within two minutes, he fully digested the serum’s effects and his body returned to normal. It left her stunned!

Her knowledge accumulated over more than a decade seemed to collapse in that instant... But she quickly regained her composure. Within the current knowledge system, there were several reasonable explanations: perhaps Gao Wu hadn’t injected the real Vajra Serum, maybe the formula was flawed, or maybe his body had reached the warrior tier?

Gao Wu looked proud. “Qingjun, aren’t I amazing?!”

Shang Qingjun wanted to speak but felt weak; she’d been too tense just now, and now her body was soft with relief. She gripped the armrest beside her and slowly sat down. “Don’t do that again. I have a weak heart—I almost died of fright just now…”

Only then did Gao Wu notice Qingjun’s pale face and a sheen of sweat on her smooth forehead. She was truly terrified. He chuckled awkwardly, unsure of what to say, feeling he'd gone a bit too far.

But Qingjun was a high-level martial artist. After a few deep breaths, she calmed herself. With a gentle voice, she said, “Let me take a look at the Vajra Serum.”

Gao Wu handed over the medicine pack. Qingjun examined it for a long time, then poured out a drop of the Thorn Dragon Energy Liquid, sniffing and tasting it...

“There are no marks at all—it’s definitely a knockoff. The energy liquid has a fishy smell, meaning the purification was incomplete…”

Without instruments, Qingjun could only rely on experience. In her view, the beast blood and flesh in the energy liquid had not been properly purified, causing significant harm to humans.

She spoke with concern, “You’d better not use these serums for now. Let me take them back to the university and test the ingredients. At the very least, I can purify them and remove the toxic impurities.”

Gao Wu shook his head. “Qingjun, I’ve already used six doses of Vajra Serum, and my body can fully withstand it. I’m telling you this just so you won’t worry.”

Then he lowered his voice conspiratorially. “You have to keep this secret for me.”

Shang Qingjun still felt uneasy, but she hadn’t detected anything unusual on Gao Wu. The human body is extremely delicate; a single change affects everything. Especially the skin, which is most sensitive—any side effect, from ulceration, sores, pus, etc., would quickly show. Physical and psychological states would also be greatly affected.

Gao Wu had injected multiple doses, yet not only was he fine, he was energetic and vigorous. That was why the old man hadn’t intervened.

“All right,” Qingjun said, suddenly feeling helpless.

As a top biology student, she had actually agreed to let her younger brother inject Vajra Serum directly. And she could do nothing to help.

“I’m not being reckless. I’ve been targeted by cultists of the Demon God. The college entrance exams are next year. Since I have a talent for drug resistance, I can’t let it go to waste.” Gao Wu spoke with gravity.

He’d performed the serum injection to let Qingjun know how tense the situation was.

Qingjun squeezed his hand gently, saying, “I just want you to be well. Nothing else matters.”

“Qingjun, it’s the bad guys who want to harm us. We must fight back—there’s no other way.” Gao Wu understood her concern; it was all for his sake.

Qingjun laughed instead. She knew Gao Wu too well—he loved to compete, to take risks, to seek excitement. Whether or not there were Demon God cultists, he would do this anyway.

She curled her finger and tapped his forehead lightly. “You always have so many reasons…”

The next morning, Gao Wu went to see Song Mingyue and told her about the close dealings between Huang Hai and Jinyuan Corporation. Song Mingyue also updated him: her grandfather would be coming to watch the Xuetao Cup.

“With this pretext, we can avoid arousing suspicion from Huang Hai’s group.”

Song Mingyue added, “Grandfather said that if you win the Xuetao Cup championship, he’ll personally reward you.”

Gao Wu was surprised. “What kind of reward?”

“I don’t know.” Song Mingyue shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Just focus on the competition.”

“All right.”

Gao Wu pulled out a gold medal with a red ribbon from his pocket and handed it to Song Mingyue. “Happy New Year.”

The rectangular piece of pure gold was crafted to the traditional 461 ‘Nothing Happens’ medal standard. Unlike the regular medal, the front was engraved with a fierce, clawed dragon.

The carving was crude, but the dragon seemed to leap skyward, its arrogance and dominance palpable. Song Mingyue turned it over; sixteen characters were etched on the reverse.

“Azure Dragon soars, Qi rises in the east. Ten thousand scales as armor, with life eternal.” Song Mingyue recognized it as an incantation, though she didn’t know its origin or meaning.

“I carved it myself.” Gao Wu grinned. “Sincere enough, right?”

Actually, the gold shop had outlined the dragon, and he’d refined it further. The inscription, however, was his own work. With his precise control over strength, such tasks were easy—just required patience.

The full Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation was over a thousand characters; Gao Wu had taught it to Qingjun before, proving the incantation had no special power on its own. Only when blessed by the Infinite Merit Scripture did the spell take effect.

In fact, Qingjun’s advancement to high-level martial artist was helped, in a small way, by Gao Wu’s daily blessings of the Azure Dragon Incantation.

The sixteen characters on the medal were mostly symbolic, expressing his sentiments.

To him, Qingjun was family, so gifts needed to be useful. Song Mingyue was wealthy, so a handcrafted gift was more meaningful.

Song Mingyue wasn’t accustomed to exchanging gifts during holidays. It was the first time an outsider had given her a New Year present, and she was moved, happy, and a bit flustered.

She was stunned for a moment before replying instinctively, “Thank you.”

“So, you definitely didn’t prepare a gift for me, right?”

Gao Wu could tell from her expression. Pointing to his own cheek, he said, “How about this, just give me a kiss.”

Song Mingyue hesitated. Although she was close with Gao Wu, not in that way.

“I’m just joking!” Gao Wu said seriously, “We absolutely cannot sully our pure and noble friendship with vulgar romance!”

Song Mingyue, not the most socially adept, still sensed something odd in his words.

She looked at Gao Wu in confusion. He chuckled awkwardly. “Don’t mention what happened just now to anyone else…”

For some reason, Song Mingyue suddenly couldn’t help but laugh...

On the first floor training hall, Gao Wu chased Song Mingyue, throwing punch after punch. Since injecting the Vajra Serum, his physical strength had soared, his power now at ten points—his punching force reached eighteen hundred kilograms.

In general, a martial artist’s maximum punch force was two thousand kilograms. His strength was already formidable, but his agility lagged, his technique was a step behind, lacking explosive coordination, so his punch force was capped.

Even so, his bones were like steel, his skin like iron, his fists deadly.

Gao Wu unleashed over a thousand punches, his assault like raging waves, while Song Mingyue stood like a rock, stable and unyielding, effortlessly countering every attack.

“Honestly, have you become a warrior?” Gao Wu paused, breathing irregularly, while Song Mingyue hadn’t even broken a sweat—a clear anomaly.

“Yes.” Song Mingyue’s reply was calm as a cloud, but Gao Wu gaped. “I’ve taken all these serums and I’m still just a martial artist, and Song Mingyue quietly became a warrior!”

This meant she could wield source power, transcending the limits of flesh, gaining extraordinary abilities.

The Alliance was vast, but eighteen-year-old warriors were exceedingly rare.

No matter where she went, Song Mingyue was a genius! Gao Wu was happy for her, but deeply envious. If only he were a warrior, he wouldn’t have to struggle so much!

Not only Anjing University, but all top universities across the states would actively invite eighteen-year-old warriors with lavish offers.

The gap in talent between people was truly immense. Song Mingyue must be one in ten thousand—a legendary martial prodigy!

“Your physical foundation is solid now. Your bone and muscle fibers have doubled in number, but it’s been too short a time—you haven’t fully tapped your body’s potential.”

Song Mingyue saw nothing remarkable in this. She’d long established her warrior foundation, but her spiritual strength was held back by an alien spirit.

Once that issue was resolved, her body naturally absorbed source power, condensed acupoints, and stepped firmly into warrior tier.

She was optimistic about Gao Wu’s current situation. “With two more months of training, you’ll reach the martial artist’s limit. Then, just boost your spirit, and you’ll naturally condense source power…”

To become a warrior, usually one must max out every aspect of physical ability. Only with that foundation can source power be gathered.

Ordinary martial artists who inject serums see their bone and muscle fibers increase by thirty to forty percent at most. Gao Wu’s innate talent was so high, his fibers had doubled.

Muscle consumes vast amounts of energy. The body naturally secretes muscle inhibitors to prevent excessive growth. Gao Wu’s muscle mass was now more than half his body weight—an astonishing ratio.

His heart’s smooth muscle and bone density had also greatly increased.

Now, Gao Wu’s physical strength was terrifying, absolutely at the martial artist’s limit. His endurance and recovery were astounding.

Gao Wu trusted Song Mingyue’s judgment; his good friend had powerful spirit and understood his physical state better than he did himself.

While most people relaxed and entertained themselves during the New Year, Gao Wu seized the time to inject serum and train.

On January tenth, Gao Wu injected his final dose of Vajra Serum. By the twelfth, all ten doses and Thorn Dragon Energy Liquid had been fully digested by his body.

His strength, according to the Infinite Merit Scripture, had reached 10.5—a stunning figure. In sheer strength, even newly minted warrior Song Mingyue couldn’t surpass him.

His agility had risen to 9.3, a fifteen percent boost. It seemed modest, but his punching force now hit two thousand kilograms!

Gao Wu clenched his fists, feeling the explosive power within, his confidence peaking: “Xuetao Cup, here I come!”