Chapter 130: 123, Golden Body Sutra Second Layer, Success! (Seeking subscriptions and monthly tickets)
「6 hours later,」Lu Lin woke up on time.
After glancing around, Lu Lin quickly got into the zone and began cultivating. He had already consumed 24 bottles of Star Power Recovery Potion, and now he was just a step away. There was no reason for him to slack off. Moreover, after waking up from his nap, Lu Lin evidently felt the opportunity to break through to the Second Layer of the Golden Body Sutra. Today was the day he would possess 6,000 catties of enormous power.
With his eyes closed, Lu Lin focused his mind, guiding the Star Power within his body to permeate every corner, tempering it again and again. The Star Power in his Earth-Type Star Vessel was exhausted. Lu Lin activated his Eye Series Star Vein. When the Star Power in the Eye Series Star Vein was depleted, more than half of the Star Power in his Earth-Type Star Vessel had recovered. After Lu Lin drank another bottle of Star Power Potion, the Star Power in his body was instantly replenished. However, according to his Perception, this was already the limit of a Beginner Star Power Recovery Potion. When Lu Lin reached the Third Level Star-Core Fighter, a single bottle of Star Power Potion would not be enough to fully replenish both his Star Veins.
His muscles tore and reformed, becoming even stronger. His nerves broke and mended, growing more resilient. His skin shed layers of old tissue, giving rise to new, tougher, and harder skin. Even the hair on Lu Lin’s head, his eyebrows, and his beard fell out strand by strand, only to regrow. Star Power also permeated Lu Lin’s bones, making them stronger.
However, this was merely a side effect of cultivating the Second Layer. Only upon reaching the Third Layer would the tempering of bones begin. The first two layers of the Golden Body Sutra primarily tempered the body’s muscles and outer skin. Tempering through these two consecutive layers could maximally activate the human body’s potential, allowing a Martial Artist to increase their strength, defense, and nerve reaction speed. From the Third Layer onwards, it was necessary to begin tempering the bones within the body, starting with the legs. By then, the increase in strength would be even greater, and the Martial Artist’s body would further optimize and undergo Metamorphosis, trending towards the non-human and superhuman.
At this moment, after Lu Lin consumed another three bottles of Star Power Potion, the concentration of Star Power in his body reached its peak. The strength of his skin and muscles also attained the maximum limit he could currently possess.
Suddenly, a speck of golden light appeared on the skin of Lu Lin’s hands. This golden light rapidly expanded, and in an instant, it covered his hands, arms, shoulders, neck, chest, abdomen, legs, and feet. At this moment, Lu Lin’s entire body, except for his head, shimmered with golden light, resembling the bronze warriors from Shaolin Temple movies. However, when the golden light reached his jaw, it could not advance further to cover his face.
Success! The Second Layer of the Golden Body Sutra—he had succeeded!
Overjoyed, Lu Lin opened his eyes and stood up. When he saw his reflection on the metal wall of the travel cabin, he suddenly froze.
What the...? Did I actually turn into a golden man?
Lu Lin took off his T-shirt and pants. Except for his face, which still retained the appearance of a normal human, he had transformed into a completely golden man. His body shimmered with a dazzling golden light. Under such circumstances, how could he possibly attend university?
Lu Lin forcibly suppressed the anxiety in his heart and closed his eyes, entering the Consciousness Universe. After locating some basic information about the Golden Body Sutra within the Star Power Domain, he had an epiphany. So that was it. This shimmering golden state was a unique phenomenon specific to advancing to the Second Layer. It was a characteristic sign of Star Power tempering the body to a Perfect State. This condition would last for about half an hour before gradually dissipating.
Sure enough, after Lu Lin waited for half an hour, the golden light on his body gradually faded, and he returned to his original appearance. Furthermore, Lu Lin also found the answer as to why his face wasn’t covered in golden light: the Golden Body Sutra only involved cultivation of the head and face upon reaching the Seventh Level.
With that in mind, Lu Lin was no longer anxious. He took a shower in the travel cabin, changed into a fresh set of dry clothes, and walked out. The continuous cultivation had left him famished. After finishing the remaining seven boxes of dumplings, Lu Lin still felt it wasn’t enough. I should go to the restaurant to eat more, he decided. Whether it’s expensive or not is no longer a concern for me.
On the way to the restaurant, Lu Lin saw Li Na, the waitress who had given him chopsticks and vinegar before, at the entrance.
"Hi, how are you?" Lu Lin greeted her. Unexpectedly, Li Na glanced around, then approached Lu Lin and whispered, "Young man, leave as soon as you’re done eating. Those teenagers have been looking for you recently."
"It’s fine. No matter how many of them come, I can take them all on," Lu Lin said, unconcerned. "Sister Li, what’s on the menu in the restaurant now?" He had already perceived the situation the day he decided to intervene for Li Na. Of the seven teenagers, only Feng Yuanyu was slightly formidable; the others were cannon fodder he could defeat with a single punch each, not worth his extra attention. Even Feng Yuanyu was merely between the Seventh and Eighth Stage of the Zero Level. Yep, one punch each should be enough to deal with them too.
Seeing Lu Lin’s attitude, Li Na didn’t continue to persuade him and told him about the restaurant’s menu for the day. While Lu Lin was placing his order, Li Na quickly paid for it.
"Sister Li, what are you doing?" Lu Lin asked.
"Don’t ask, young brother. Just finish eating quickly and go back," Li Na urged. "I have to get back to work now." After saying this, Li Na hurriedly turned and left.
Lu Lin hadn’t expected that his first meal on the Starship would be paid for by someone else. Shaking his head, he sat down and ate slowly.
Starship C0977 had now been traveling for 34 hours, with approximately 40 hours remaining before it would arrive at the Alien Star. As Lu Lin ate, he browsed recent news on his Personal Terminal. The biggest news in the Federation recently was Zhao Lei’s breakthrough and promotion to the status of Titled King. The Federation announced Zhao Lei’s previously agreed-upon title and also compiled some of his past achievements for public dissemination, allowing people to understand the kind of person he was.
When Zhao Lei was young, his family conditions were very ordinary. During his school days, his family could hardly afford to buy him any decent clothes; he mostly wore his school uniform. When he had his Awakening at eighteen, Zhao Lei unlocked his Mountain-Origin Talent. However, due to his family’s poverty, he couldn’t even afford the transport fare to study at Alien Star University. After enrolling in university, Zhao Lei, due to his limited experience and poor social skills, became an obscure and solitary cultivator. It was precisely this dedicated focus on cultivation during his university years that allowed Zhao Lei to become the strongest graduate of his cohort and successfully secure a position to stay at the university. He remained at the Alien Academy of Iron and Blood, serving as an ordinary instructor.
Later, as he grew older, Zhao Lei became increasingly powerful. Before reaching the age of one hundred, he became the youngest Seventh Level Golden Body strong person at Iron Blood College. Thereafter, his advancement was unstoppable, reaching the ninth level and becoming a supreme strong person at the pinnacle of the Leakless Realm. After reaching the ninth level, Zhao Lei remained active on the Exotic Battlefield. Thirty years ago, he was specially recruited by the Star Investigation Office to serve as a Special Grade Safety Consultant. Zhao Lei personally participated in many of the major Star Core Warrior criminal cases within the Federation over the past thirty years. It was precisely because of this that he, more than other Level 9 Martial Artists, could understand the hardships faced by ordinary Federal Citizens. It was also because of this understanding that, upon his promotion to Titled King, Zhao Lei was able to make a great vow and set a grand ambition to dedicate himself tirelessly to the Federation until his dying day. The Federation conferred upon the Titled King Zhao Lei the title of Mountain Breaking King, hoping that in the future, he could cleave through the great mountains obstructing the path of the Federation and humanity.
Lu Lin looked at Zhao Lei’s photo in the news and chuckled. This photographer clearly doesn’t know Zhao Lei well. In my opinion, Zhao Lei isn’t as cold as he appears on the outside; he even has a bit of a hidden, endearing pride. It’s just that this photo doesn’t capture that at all.
The next news item concerned the Federal Education Department. After observing the current educational environment and atmosphere, the department concluded that most college students did not attach sufficient importance to the Exotic Battlefield. They believed that humanity’s momentum was flourishing and that sweeping across the Exotic Battlefield was an imminent prospect. The article stated that Divine Martial King Zhang Nutao, serving as an Honorary Advisor to the Ministry of Education, scoffed at this notion. He asserted that humans were not yet strong enough and were merely surviving in the interstices of the Exotic Battlefield. The article conveyed his strong stance: the arrogant mindset of contemporary college students was unacceptable, as the power of Alien Races and exotic beasts was beyond the imagination of ordinary people. He would soon return from the Exotic Battlefield to an Alien Star to launch a pilot education reform project...
Lu Lin flipped past this page. These major events hold no significance for a mere college student like me. All I need to do is listen attentively in class, study diligently, and if the opportunity arises later, go to the Exotic Battlefield and kill as many enemies as possible. One shouldn’t meddle in affairs that aren’t one’s concern; I’m not the type to idly worry about such things.
"Young man, hurry up and leave, they’re here!" Just as Lu Lin was about to check the next news item, Li Na suddenly ran over to him, anxiously urging him to leave.