Gao Wu insists on cultivating immortality.

Chapter 201 Crimson Flame Flying Dragon
"Two paths?"

Gao Wu looked up at the portrait of Qin Liuhe. The portrait of the ancestor was quite imposing, and more importantly, there was a divine charm between his brows that gave the portrait a terrifying aura.

From now on, he can also call himself the successor of Emperor Wu.

If he were in the league, he would be the true successor, with impeccable lineage. Who could compare to him!
What does this old artsy guy mean by giving us these two paths?!

To be honest, Gao Wu despises artsy types who are awkward, stingy, and spend all their time on trivial matters, yet accomplish nothing of any value.

He remembered what the old man had said before: if you don't know, you can ask; don't try to be clever.

Gao Wu turned his gaze to Hai Wuji and asked with a forced smile, "Master, what's the difference between these two paths?"

Hai Wuji chuckled. This disciple was quite clever; at least he wouldn't act presumptuously.

"In the internet slang that you young people like, the first path is evil cultivation, and the second is the kingly way."

"Master, are these two things in conflict?" Gao Wu asked honestly.

"Of course there will be conflict."

Hai Wuji said slowly, "The true path is to cultivate patiently; medicine is merely an aid. The main focus should be on refining sword intent and honing one's source power."

"There are countless pioneers on this path who have accumulated valuable cultivation experience. Although your aptitude and talent are not top-notch, it won't be too difficult for you to advance to the King level by cultivating step by step."

Gao Wu nodded. This was easy to understand; it was just normal cultivation. Although he was injecting a lot of medicine, it could only be considered supplementary.

After all, what he truly relied on was the Book of Immeasurable Merit and the wondrous power of the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Mantra.

He then asked, "Master, what is the conflict between the second path and the first path?"

"As a heretical cultivator, you naturally pursue efficiency. Your physical talent is special, so you can try using large doses of potions. However, while potions can strengthen your body and mind, they cannot replace your cultivation."

"You need high-intensity combat to unleash your potential in life-or-death battles. This will increase your cultivation speed several times over."

Hai Wuji said, "If I'm lucky, I might be able to advance to the King rank in two or three years."

Gao Wu didn't rush to choose; his physical talent seemed perfectly suited to the first path. However, no matter how strong his physique, he only had one life.

If you're dead, you're really dead.

In his opinion, the second path was also good; he could become a king in ten years, and he wouldn't even be thirty then! He could definitely be called young and promising.

With Hai Wuji as his powerful backer, who in the alliance wouldn't give him some respect? Wouldn't it be wonderful to cultivate peacefully and steadily!
Gao Wu smiled obsequiously at Hai Wuji: "Master, I think it's quite good to become a king in ten years. I'm not in a hurry..."

"The second path simply means you have a chance to become a king within ten years."

Hai Wuji corrected Gao Wu's minor lapse in attention to detail, then added, "With your spiritual power, you should be able to sense the increasing density of the source energy in the real world. The other world is rapidly merging into the real world. Time is running out."

Hai Wuji was afraid that Gao Wu wouldn't understand, so he gave another example: "It's like a dam collapsing. The foundation is gradually being soaked and eroded by the flood. This process will last for a while."

"As the foundation is destroyed, the dam will slowly crack and develop a breach. As the floodwaters surge in, the dam will collapse rapidly."

"The spatial barrier has now cracked, and it may collapse in the next moment. We will then enter a new era of source power."

"I understand." Gao Wu also knew that the situation was not good, but he was not quite clear about the specifics.

Hai Wuji's explanation this time was undoubtedly very clear. It meant that the world was on the verge of collapse, and could be swallowed up by the surging tide of source energy at any moment.

For ordinary people, source energy isn't actually a bad thing. In fact, it can be very beneficial to the body.

The problem is that the Source Force has broken through the spatial barrier, and beings from other worlds may enter the world along with the Source Force.

Without the restriction of source energy, alien beasts and races would become extremely terrifying.

Human electronic technology, however, is suppressed by the Source Force. This imbalance, where one gains at the expense of the other, puts humanity in a very precarious situation.

Hai Wuji said to Gao Wu, "Think it over carefully first. For the next two months, cultivate with the others."

He suddenly smiled and said, "Actually, the Dragon King's Divine Dragon Scripture is also the crystallization of the wisdom of many powerful people in the Southern Continent. It is very profound. You can spar with Chu Shenxiu more often and see if you can learn some secret techniques from him."

Gao Wu was a little confused. As a direct disciple, he was actually going to eat from the same pot? No preferential treatment at all?

He stared blankly at his new teacher, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Hai Wuji also realized his mistake and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, it's been a long time since I've taken on a disciple, I forgot to give them a gift."

The Sword Saint pondered as he examined Gao Wu. The potion was obviously not a suitable gift; imparting secret techniques was what a teacher should do. As for the sword, the one in his disciple's hand was quite good, easily qualifying as a top-tier level six weapon.

Even the direct disciples of kings like Chu Shenxiu and Yan Qiushui don't have weapons of the same quality as those of high-level martial artists.

The main reason is that this sword has some kind of inseparable and wonderful connection with Gao Wu, making it truly worthy of being called a divine sword.

Hai Wuji hadn't made any preparations; his decision to take Gao Wu as his disciple was purely impulsive. He had originally planned to observe for a while before making a decision.

You can teach any student you want, but you can't just accept any personal disciples. If something happens to your disciple, you, as the master, will be responsible.

"I wonder if it's okay to give an 18-year-old a red envelope..."

Seeing Gao Wu's innocent and aggrieved look, Hai Wuji thought that a red envelope probably wouldn't work; the kid must have some money from advertising every day.

For a sword saint like him to give his new disciple a simple red envelope as a greeting gift is laughable. Although he doesn't care much about such details, he can't be too lenient with his apprentices.

"Uh, a few years ago I killed a level seven Crimson Flame Flying Dragon. Out of an experimental idea, I used its energy core and bone marrow cells to synthesize a set of bio-armor."

"The armor requires warriors to nourish it with their source energy and life force. However, this armor has dragon gene characteristics that cannot be removed, which is very troublesome."

Hai Wuji smiled warmly at Gao Wu: "If you're not afraid, I'll give you this Crimson Flame Flying Dragon Armor, how about it?" "Thank you, Master." Gao Wu was already very interested in bio-armor, so what was there to complain about if he could get one for free?

What gene invasion? He has the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Curse, what's there to be afraid of? Judging from the old man's troubled look, he probably can't come up with anything else of value.

"Whatever you like is fine," Hai Wuji said. "I'll have Xiaoli arrange the transplant surgery for you this afternoon. Don't push yourself too hard. If you feel unwell and can't handle it, tell me as soon as possible."

"Being invaded by alien beast genes is no small matter."

"I see."

After coming down from the third floor, Hai Wuji called his assistant Liang Li over and explained the matter of transplanting the battle armor to her.

Liang Li took out her phone and made a note, and then called the doctors and engineers in the laboratory to confirm the time for the surgery that afternoon.

After dealing with these matters, Liang Licai personally led Gao Wu to the guest rooms on the second floor of the annex on the right.

Gao Wu's guest room is next to Song Mingyue's and Chao Fengying's guest rooms. Each guest room has a separate bedroom, living room, bathroom, and even a kitchen. The room is decorated in a Chinese style, but there is very little furniture, which makes the space feel much more spacious and also more simple and clean.

“Since you are a disciple personally taught by the master, we can arrange a room for you in the main building,” Liang Li said. “This is a guest room, and the conditions are somewhat inferior.”

"This place is fine. Thank you, Sister Li." Gao Wu still wanted to live with Xiao Song. Living next to the old man was no fun and felt very restrictive.

Liang Li exchanged a few polite words, then added Gao Wu's phone number and Feixin (a Chinese instant messaging service), telling Gao Wu to contact her if he needed anything.

She was well aware of Gao Wu's importance as a direct disciple, which was something that students like Song Mingyue could not compare to.

In the mere Qinglin Garden, Gao Wu could practically be considered half the master. Naturally, any resources would be prioritized for him.

After politely seeing Liang Li off, Gao Wu went into Song Mingyue's room next door.

"My dear friend, let me introduce you to Gao Wu, the King of Youth, the dream lover of millions of girls, the Demon Slayer Vanguard, and the personal disciple of the Sword Saint!"

Gao Wu proudly showed off to Song Mingyue, whose bright eyes revealed a hint of surprise: "This is great news!"

She was truly happy for Gao Wu. He had missed out on Master Lu, but had instead become a disciple of the Sword Saint. This was a significant leap forward, crucial for Gao Wu's future.

"Shouldn't we celebrate this great occasion?" Gao Wu suddenly hugged Song Mingyue, grinning as he leaned in to kiss her.

Song Mingyue's fair cheeks flushed slightly, but she did not shy away. She simply lowered her eyes and blinked her long eyelashes.

Gao Wu gave him a quick kiss without ceremony, then whispered furtively, "We're both eighteen now, adults! We can play some games that only adults play. Like, Dou Dizhu!"

Song Mingyue knew Gao Wu was making another pointless joke, so she said softly, "Don't be so frivolous in front of Hai Gong."

"I think the old man just likes this kind of thing." Gao Wu didn't take it seriously. Hai Wuji was so old and still pretending to be cultured. He didn't look like a proper person at all.

He said matter-of-factly, "I'm being unserious in order to please the teacher and win his favor."

Song Mingyue thought about it seriously for a moment, and then she actually nodded slightly: "Maybe you are right."

"Then let's have one more." Gao Wu, not wanting to be outdone, noticed that Xiao Song was in a good mood and couldn't help but make an excessive request.

After being satisfied, Gao Wu wanted to go even further, but Xiao Song ruthlessly refused.

At 2 PM, Gao Wu and Xiao Song went to the basement of the left annex, which was a laboratory with extremely high security.

The elevator requires triple verification, and the main door is a heavy stainless steel gate, over 70 centimeters thick, similar to those in a bank vault. There are also two gates, one at the front and one at the back.

This was the first time in Gao Wu's life that he had entered a place with such tight security.

Liang Li explained to Gao Wu, "This is Hai Gong's private laboratory, which contains some very important and dangerous items. Therefore, the security is tight to prevent accidents."

The laboratory was very large, and Liang Li didn't intend to show Gao Wu around. Instead, she led them directly to the operating room.

Several people in white coats were already waiting; they were all wearing masks and had serious expressions.

They didn't stand on ceremony with Gao Wu, only asking his name and age. Then they measured his blood pressure, blood type, weight, and electrocardiogram, and performed various tests. They also carried out strict disinfection before pushing Gao Wu onto the operating table.

As Gao Wu requested, no anesthesia was administered. The bio-armor isn't worn on the body, but rather implanted as an external organ. While the surgery itself isn't difficult, it still carries certain risks.

Song Mingyue stood through the window of the sterile room watching Gao Wu perform surgery. It was clear that Gao Wu was in a lot of pain, because he was sweating profusely…

Liang Li watched nervously from the side. The surgery was a deep intervention, requiring the skin to be cut open and the armor to be connected to the bones and blood vessels through special biological fiber threads.

To sustain the bio-armor, one needs immense vitality. Therefore, only martial artists of the Martial Master level or above can use the bio-armor.

Such surgery penetrates deep into the body, inevitably causing intense pain. If Gao Wu were to circulate his source energy or contract his muscles in the unbearable pain, it would disrupt the surgery.

If the bio-armor is triggered by Gao Wu's source energy reaction, it could cause destructive consequences... Whether Gao Wu is injured or the bio-armor is destroyed, the consequences are very serious.

As an assistant, Liang Li was naturally aware of the implications. Therefore, she was also somewhat nervous.

An hour and a half later, Gao Wu walked out of the operating room shirtless.

A 20-centimeter square piece of red gold armor was embedded in his chest, resembling a coiled red dragon. It had a strong metallic texture, yet it was tightly embedded in his skin, giving it a surprisingly cool and beautiful appearance...

Gao Wu's face was a little pale, but his eyes were very bright. He pointed to his chest and asked Song Mingyue with a smile, "Am I handsome?"

Song Mingyue nodded seriously: "Handsome, very handsome."

Gao Wu laughed loudly, but after only two laughs, his face turned even paler...

(End of this chapter)