High Martial Arts 2077: I Rely on Beast Taming to Cultivate While Lying Down

Chapter 85 Zhurong Pantheon! Divine General System - Zhang Fei

North District Cafeteria.

The midday sun slanted in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the air was filled with the aroma of food.

The cafeteria was noisy, filled with students in school uniforms, gathered in twos and threes.

At the long table by the window, Su Chen, Zhou Chengjie, Jiang Yunxin, and the other two teams gathered together.

Zhou Chengjie's team had five members, Jiang Yunxin's team had six members, and Su Chen, Zhang Yan, Wang Yichuan, and Lin Xiyue sat in a row by the window.

"3000 points, I'm sure you all received them, right?" Zhou Chengjie spoke first, placing his chopsticks on the edge of his plate and glancing at Su Chen, Zhang Yan, and the others.

Su Chen nodded.

"This is the reward we received from our last practical assessment," Zhou Chengjie continued to explain. "The instructor awarded us a total of 40,000 points for that Mythical Spirit Orb. Our team received 21000. As agreed beforehand, it's split equally, so it's exactly 3,000 each."

He turned his gaze to Lin Xiyue, his tone now tinged with concern: "I heard from the teacher... that you are very compatible with the mythical spirit pearl of Ji Meng, the god of rain, which you obtained this time?"

Lin Xiyue was holding a soup bowl when she heard this. She gently put it down, nodded, and said in her usual gentle tone, "Yes, I've already decided to buy it."

"The spirit orb costs 10000 points, but they gave us a 20% discount. With this 3000 points, I have over 6,800. The teacher allowed me to buy the rest on credit."

The price of a basic spirit orb within the school generally ranges from 3000 to 1 points.

This spirit pearl is selling for 1, which is already quite top-tier!

Jiang Yunxin paused stirring the soup, looked at Lin Xiyue, and asked with a hint of joy for her, "Xiyue, when do you plan to fuse with it?"

"This afternoon..."

Lin Xiyue pursed her lips, her voice softening slightly, "Isn't everyone planning to go out for training tomorrow? I'd like to go too."

.

Zhou Chengjie nodded: "It is indeed scheduled for tomorrow morning."

He paused, put down his chopsticks, and his expression became serious: "However... before we talk about training, I have a few things that you might be interested in."

As he spoke, his self-shine fell on Su Chen.

Su Chen was putting a piece of green vegetable into her mouth when she noticed Zhou Chengjie's gaze and slowed down her chewing.

He swallowed the food, picked up the bowl, and asked casually, "Looks like it concerns me? What is it?"

"Liu Xiangdong successfully fused with the Spirit Pearl yesterday."

Su Chen paused for a moment while picking up food with her chopsticks, then continued to put the food in her mouth, chewed it, and her expression showed no significant change.

The food was...not bad!

Liu Xiangdong's spiritual affinity was already among the best in his grade, so it was only a matter of time before he fused with the spirit pearl.

This timing was indeed a little earlier than Su Chen had expected, but it wasn't too unexpected.

Zhou Chengjie observed Su Chen's reaction, waited about two seconds, and then continued, "From the Zhu Rong system."

"Clatter~"

Jiang Yunxin's spoon tapped against the rim of the bowl.

She raised her eyes, her voice filled with barely suppressed shock: "Zhu Rong!?"

The air went silent for a moment.

Everyone here has learned about the significance of the Zhu Rong system in the Lingzhu Theory class.

The righteous god of the fire element in China, the head of the four fire virtue star lords, the Red Emperor of the South.

Unlike those scattered immortals of the Jie Sect who were only included in the pantheon after their deaths in the Investiture of the Gods war.

Zhu Rong is a true ancient god, an ancient being who fought with Gong Gong for the throne and angrily rammed Buzhou Mountain.

The spirit pearls of the Zhurong lineage are born with the "authority of the god of fire." Their control over flames is not simply about burning and scorching, but rather an absolute suppression that is almost at the level of laws.

Even fire-type spirit orbs of the same level are automatically three points less powerful than Zhu Rong!

This is not a difference in skill level, but a difference in social standing.

One is the king, the other is the subject!

One is the master of fire, the other is merely its servant.

Such high-end heritage is extremely rare, and no school can possess more than a handful of these.

As the best high school in Jiangling City, No. 1 Middle School only has three primary spirit orbs of the Zhu Rong system. The conditions for exchanging each one are extremely strict, especially the selection based on the compatibility of the spirit orb itself!

Jiang Yunxin's fingers clenched and unclenched on the edge of the table.

Of course she knew about the existence of these three Zhurong-type spirit orbs.

Just recently, she even went to the Spirit Pearl Library to apply for contact, wanting to confirm her compatibility direction one last time before fusion.

The result is clear: it doesn't fit!

She still remembers that feeling clearly.

The moment her palm touched the surface of the spirit pearl, the powerful and violent flame energy inside the pearl did not respond to her senses.

That's why she had no choice but to settle for second best and choose another path.

But now, Liu Xiangdong has merged with Zhu Rong.

Liu Xiangdong! He scored 675 points in the ten-school joint exam, ranking fifteenth in his grade. That was a position he barely reached because he performed exceptionally well in his strengths in academic subjects and the theory of the Spirit Pearl.

In regular weekly tests, his ranking usually hovers around 20th or 30th.

She ranked ninth in the ten-school joint exam! Apart from Jiang Wei and Wu Chen, those three monsters standing at the top, Jiang Yunxin never felt that she had lost to anyone.

But now...

Jiang Yunxin picked up the spoon again, stirred the soup in the bowl that had cooled down a bit, and suddenly chuckled, "Heh~ I didn't expect it to be him!"

She raised her eyes, and a complex mix of emotions surged within them.

"Zhu Rong... to exaggerate a bit, being able to integrate this system is equivalent to sitting at the same table as Jiang Wei. It's a huge step towards becoming one of the nine super universities!"

Su Chen's expression remained calm, and his tone was unhurried: "Liu Xiangdong's best subject is spiritual affinity. It's not surprising that he can achieve this."

Zhou Chengjie smiled slightly but did not reply.

His gaze always fell on Su Chen.

Su Chen noticed and raised an eyebrow: "Anything else?"

"There is indeed some news that is quite relevant to you." Zhou Chengjie's tone had a subtle change.

"What news?"

"Guo Hao is also going to fuse with the Spirit Pearl."

Su Chen stopped holding the rice bowl.

He frowned, his fingers tightening on the rim of the bowl for a moment before slowly relaxing.

His facial expression had returned to normal, but his tone was noticeably more serious: "His spiritual affinity is on par with mine and Zhang Yan's. His overall score is around 20th or 30th in the grade. Logically, it should take at least half a month, right?"

Su Chen had already carefully considered this timeline.

He didn't make this bet on a whim by slamming his fist on the table.

In the subject of spiritual affinity, Guo Hao has consistently scored in the thirties, which is not bad, but certainly not outstanding.

When it comes to fusing spirit orbs, the higher the spiritual affinity, the faster it happens. For a promising talent like Lin Xiyue, who has top-tier water affinity, it's just one step away from success.

But Guo Hao is different. His spiritual affinity is only at the level of an average top student. At the normal pace, he would need at least two or three more weeks of polishing before he could confidently apply for the assessment!

Guo Hao follows the Divine General system.

The news that came from Class 5 earlier said that he chose the Divine General Zhang Fei.

This is not simply the ordinary military general Zhang Fei from history, who roared at Dangyang Bridge.

Now that the spiritual realm has opened and all the gods have returned to their places, the Zhang Fei in this spiritual pearl is the "Divine General Zhang Fei," who fought tirelessly on the battlefield and was deified after death to enjoy eternal incense offerings!

Blessed by a thousand years of incense and faith, his close combat power is among the top tier of divine generals. Moving mountains and filling seas is just the beginning; his fists can destroy cities and open up the heavens with ease.

Even if Guo Hao merges with Zhang Fei, the surge will only be in attributes like strength and stamina, which are directly related to head-on combat, as well as related fighting skills.

In terms of speed, they might get close at best, but there won't be a significant leap forward. This can be seen from the results of Jiang Wei and others.

Unless he fuses more spirit orbs later to strengthen him from all aspects.

But now... Guo Hao is about to fuse with the Spirit Pearl?

It's only been a week since the bet I made with him!

With three weeks remaining, if Guo Hao completes the integration next week, it will be a full two weeks of rapid advancement.

Two weeks is enough for someone who has fused with the Divine General's Spirit Pearl to completely close the gap in power and speed!

Zhou Chengjie nodded, his expression serious, clearly not speaking offhand: "Normally speaking, it is indeed as you think."

.

"But Guo Hao changed quite a bit after being scolded by Teacher Lei."

Zhou Chengjie paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words: "You all know what kind of person he used to be. He was incredibly arrogant, thinking the whole grade owed him something."

"But after he left the office that night, he was a completely different person."

"His eyes still didn't get along with me, carrying a domineering and ruthless quality, but also something unique that I couldn't quite put my finger on."

"These days, he's practically living on the training field, it feels like he's working 24/7!"

"Spirit Pearls are inherently mysterious things, not only related to physical constitution, but sometimes, they seem to also select personality, or even... soul?"

He paused, then focused his gaze back on Su Chen: "I only received the news this morning. He has already started applying for the Spirit Pearl, and he'll be taking a special assessment soon. If he passes, the fusion will be just a matter of this week."

Su Chen did not speak immediately.

He ran his fingers lightly around the rim of the bowl, then picked up his chopsticks, took another bite of food, chewed it, and swallowed it.

"That means it takes a week to complete the process, and after the integration, there's a two-week growth period." Su Chen put down his chopsticks, his voice now calm again. "The pressure is indeed considerable, but it's alright!"

Jiang Yunxin, who had snapped out of her reverie about Zhu Rong, immediately chimed in when she heard Su Chen's words.

A smirk played on her lips, her tone laced with schadenfreude: "Judging from your expression... things seem to have developed beyond your expectations. Looks like you're not entirely confident?"

Su Chen shrugged casually: "Haha~ Life isn't always smooth sailing, and things never go as planned. Learning how to deal with unexpected crises and gaining experience from them is much more valuable!"

"Unexpected events bring surprises, and life becomes more interesting and challenging!"

Jiang Yunxin blinked, her bright eyes widening with a deeper smile: "Hmm~ a million! I'd love to have one too."

.

That's a statement...

It's obvious he's still holding a grudge about the bet they made three months ago!

Su Chen turned his head to meet Jiang Yunxin's gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Why don't you see how badly Guo Hao lost, and then reconsider?"

"I hope your strength is as tough as your mouth!" Jiang Yunxin snorted lightly, crossing her arms back to her chest, but the competitive flame in her eyes had already rekindled.

Yang Xin sat next to Jiang Yunxin, quietly drinking her soup.

Hearing this, she put down her soup bowl, took out a tissue to wipe her mouth, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes lingered on Su Chen's face for a moment, then turned to Jiang Yunxin, and finally fell back on Su Chen.

"Su Chen's strength is indeed quite mysterious!" Her voice carried a hint of laughter, her tone relaxed, yet it didn't sound like a casual remark. "I actually quite hope he goes and fights with Guo Hao, Liu Xiangdong, and the others."

As she spoke, she turned to Su Chen and winked, a playful glint in her eyes: "The Zhu Rong system provides a significant boost to power, too. I look forward to your magical duel with him tonight!"

Su Chen shoveled the last bite of rice into his mouth, chewed it, swallowed it, and then twisted his neck, his cervical spine making a slight cracking sound.

He picked up a tissue and wiped his mouth, speaking calmly: "Hehe~ Just wait and see."

,

The Zhurong system provides a power boost, which is basic knowledge covered in class.

But Su Chen remembered very clearly that Liu Xiangdong's strength score in the ten-school joint exam was 483 kilograms.

At the time, in order to take into account the overall level of the other nine schools, the full score standard was not set too high, around 500 kilograms.

There are about sixty or seventy perfect scores among the students from No. 1 High School!

Liu Xiangdong is clearly not included in this list.

Weighing 483 kilograms, strength is considered a weakness among the top 30 students in his grade.

Even with the fusion of Zhu Rong, the enhancement effect of the Spirit Pearl will not be achieved overnight.

After fusion, there needs to be an adaptation period. The energy of the spirit pearl needs to slowly permeate into the meridians and bones. It is impossible to double the punching power overnight.

According to Su Chen's estimate, it is normal to gain 100 kilograms at the moment of fusion, but it is very difficult to break through 200 kilograms!

Zhou Chengjie sat quietly opposite him, observing Su Chen's reaction with unhurried eyes.

After observing for a while, Zhou Chengjie nodded to himself.

After Su Chen put down his chopsticks, he coughed lightly and steered the conversation back on track: "Then let's talk about the training! I definitely won't be participating in the exam tomorrow night."

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere at the table noticeably changed.

Zhou Chengjie observed everyone's reactions and continued, "In addition to the regular points, the training mission also rewards a significant amount of Beast Taming Points!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone at the table: "After this joint exam, the Beast Taming Mall will begin releasing its first wave of resources."

"Time is tight, and many people are trying to accumulate enough points to compete for the high-potential beasts that will be released later. They are definitely going to take on as many training missions as possible to earn beast points."

"So... in this training exercise, if our three teams really want to compete for the Lord-level bloodline beast tamer, then we'd better go all out!!!"

He picked up his phone and quickly swiped his finger across the screen a few times.

"I just checked the mission hall, and there are about a few training missions suitable for our three teams. I took pictures, and I'll send them to you now."

As soon as they finished speaking, several people's phones rang simultaneously.

Su Chen unlocked his screen, opened the picture sent by Zhou Chengjie, and glanced at the tasks listed on it.