NOVEL WEB Chapter 4 - Brute Bull Array
Burp!
Lu Lixing sprawled on the floor, letting out a contented belch. He had devoured every edible item in the refrigerator, banishing the gnawing hunger at last and feeling rejuvenated.
He couldn't pinpoint the cause of his sudden, ravenous appetite, but he was acutely aware of the boundless energy that now coursed through him after his feast—an entirely new sensation.
The mingling scents of food and his own foul odor assaulted Lu Lixing's senses, compelling him to rise and make a beeline for the shower. An hour's worth of scrubbing washed away the grime, revealing a tall, imposing figure beneath the cascade of water.
Dried off and standing before the mirror, Lu Lixing admired the defined muscle contours and the latent explosive strength they harbored. A realization crystallized in his mind.
He was no longer the laughingstock everyone deemed worthless—he had grown stronger in a mere night and three days!
The catalyst for this transformation was the bronze box he had nearly sold in haste.
The thought of the box propelled Lu Lixing, clad only in a bath towel, to the second-floor cultivation room. Where the bronze box once sat by the meditation mat, now lay a simple bronze ring.
Gazing at the ring on the floor, Lu Lixing was certain it was connected to the bronze box, possibly another manifestation of it.
With this in mind, he gingerly slipped the bronze ring onto his left pinky, a perfect fit. The ring may not have revealed any mystical qualities yet, but Lu Lixing resolved to keep its existence his most closely guarded secret, never to be shared with another soul.
Dressed and settled back on the meditation mat, Lu Lixing focused intently on sensing every nuance of change within his body. This mastery over his physical state assured him that his Brain Domain had undergone significant expansion in the last three days. The exact extent was unknown, but he was confident it was no less than 50%.
Above all, what captivated Lu Lixing's attention was the awakening of the Talent Rune and the practice of the Lightning Swallowing Technique!
Upon activating the lightning attribute Talent Rune, Lu Lixing also acquired a cultivation technique of the same attribute. He sensed that this was no mere coincidence but a serendipitous adventure!
Without a moment's delay, Lu Lixing embarked on his life's first cultivation journey, guided by the incantations of the Lightning Swallowing Rune.
“The cosmos is profound and yellow, the origin of all spirits. I cultivate my Lightning Rune to manifest my divine powers.”
As Lu Lixing delved into his practice, a faint thunderous rumble emanated from within him. Soon after, a delicate blue current of electricity emerged, enveloping his body in a dance of ebb and flow, an endless cycle of appearance and disappearance.
Completing one full cycle of the technique, Lu Lixing paused, his face etched with contemplation. To truly master the Lightning Swallowing Rune, mere meditation wouldn't suffice; he needed the Power of Thunder. The essence of the technique was to absorb this force and make it his own.
Without the aid of the Power of Thunder, reaching the first layer of the Lightning Swallowing Rune could take him upwards of two years!
Amidst his thoughts on cultivation, Lu Lixing's phone abruptly rang. It was Old Man Zha, the proprietor of the rune shop where he worked part-time.
Barely had Lu Lixing answered the call when a bellowing voice assaulted his ears, nearly deafening him.
“Kid, you finally decided to answer your phone?! Where have you vanished to these past three days? The shop's swamped! Did you get last month's paycheck and think about skipping town, huh? Would you believe I'd drag you back from school to work?!”
With a wry smile, Lu Lixing responded, “I'm on my way to the shop now, I'll be there shortly.”
He hung up before Old Man Zha could retort. Cultivation mattered, but so did his job. Provoking Zha was the last thing he wanted; finding another job as convenient and fitting as this one would be no small feat.
Reflecting on this, Lu Lixing immediately rose and made his way downstairs. He paused, taken aback, when he spotted the door sprawled on the ground, and it dawned on him that Sha Xiufen had come looking for him earlier that afternoon.
Recalling the words Sha Xiufen had said to him, a subtle smile crept onto Lu Lixing's face.
“Perhaps you're right; we truly are from different worlds.”
Zha's Rune Shop was situated in Skyhaven's burgeoning new district. The prime location boasted a specialty in selling a variety of meditation runes and cultivation resources, while also providing repairs for an array of magical tools. The shop enjoyed brisk business, and Lu Lixing's role was to assist customers with their purchases of cultivation resources. Repairing magical tools, however, was beyond his expertise.
Upon Lu Lixing's arrival at the shop, he found Zha tending to the bustling trade. Zha's cheerful demeanor quickly soured at the sight of Lu Lixing, and he grumbled irritably, “Get moving, kid, and take care of the customers. I've got a magic tool to fix.”
With a smile, Lu Lixing stepped in to handle Zha's responsibilities, warmly guiding customers through the selection of cultivation resources. Five minutes later, having bid farewell to a contented customer, he finally had the chance to turn his attention to Zha, who sat deep in thought, furrowing his brow over a watch-like magic tool. freewebno(v)el
In quieter moments, devoid of customers, Lu Lixing enjoyed standing by Zha's side, observing the repair of magical tools. Though the intricacies eluded him, he was fond of the atmosphere. This occasion was no different, and he positioned himself next to Zha, ready to watch the master at work.
Glancing at the watch cradled in Zha's hands, Lu Lixing chuckled and remarked offhandedly, “This watch's owner was quite careless to damage the Barbarian Bull Array on it. Fixing this is going to be quite the task.”
Zha, engrossed in his examination of the watch, glanced at Lu Lixing with a hint of surprise upon hearing his comment. “You've got a knack for this, don't you? You used to be baffled by even the simplest level one array, and now you've identified a level two Barbarian Bull Array and discerned how the watch got damaged. Your eye for detail has sharpened in just three days. Tell me, have you encountered this Barbarian Bull Array somewhere before?”
Upon hearing Zha's remark, Lu Lixing was momentarily taken aback.
He had instinctively named the Bull Array when he noticed the Rune on the watch, yet he had never encountered the Bull Array until today!
Despite the whirlwind of questions in his mind, Lu Lixing responded, “I've seen this model on a classmate's watch before, which is how I recognized the Bull Array.”
“I knew there was a reason you suddenly seemed so perceptive.”
Zha let out a chuckle, bending over to resume his work on the watch. Meanwhile, Lu Lixing, standing by his side, felt a surge of excitement and was eager to conduct an experiment!
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