WHIR!

That evening, the tram door slid open, and Lu Chao stepped out of the car.

The dry sweatshirt he wore offered a small measure of comfort. He had just finished another day of training, dragging his exhausted body back to District Two.

CLANK!

The reinforced glass door of the car slid shut again, and the tram pulled away from the platform, heading toward the next street.

Hands stuffed in his pockets, a backpack with his dirty clothes slung over his shoulder, Lu Chao recalled Luo Qianshan’s final words as he walked.

’Closed-door Disciple...’

A sigh escaped him as a flicker of understanding crossed his eyes. He knew what Luo Qianshan meant.

It wasn’t that Luo Qianshan didn’t want to openly accept him as a True Disciple.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

He didn’t want him to go down the same path as Shen Tianchen.

’If I fail to master the Rock Martial Skill, he wants me to publicly sever ties with the hall. That way, I won’t be crippled during a competition.’

As he walked, brushing past one pedestrian after another, a peculiar feeling stirred within Lu Chao. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

’Master Luo is considering the worst-case scenario,’ he thought. ’He also wants to leave an escape route for the Jinshi Boxing Hall.’

’But...’

’Is the True Disciple of the Thunder Extreme Martial Arts Hall really that strong?’

He was a little curious.

’I’m already at the peak of the professional level; there’s no way Master Luo can’t see that.’

’But for him to still be this cautious can only mean one thing.’

’My future opponent is no simple matter.’

’Perhaps I’ve been underestimating the Thunder Extreme Martial Arts Hall all this time.’

’After all, a Martial Artist with a Life Energy score over one hundred presides over it. They must have higher-level Martial Skills and Secret Techniques.’

Lu Chao was lost in thought.

His conversation with Luo Qianshan earlier had opened up new lines of thought.

Some Mid-Level Martial Skills and Secret Techniques had powerful effects. If he could master them, he might actually be able to contend with an Elite Level expert, even at his current peak-professional level.

At this, Lu Chao began to understand Luo Qianshan’s reasoning.

His pace quickened, and he walked straight home.

He flipped on the lights. Zhao Yuanqing was still working overtime at the Prosthetic Clinic and hadn’t returned yet.

Lu Chao glanced around. Though exhausted, he didn’t rest right away.

Instead, he walked into his alchemy room and looked at the pharmaceutical equipment: the herb grinder, the liquefaction filtration device, and more.

He also looked at the dozens of bottles and jars arranged on the metal cabinet.

Semi-finished Basic Nutrient Liquid, finished Awakening Potion, finished Basic Qi and Blood Supplement...

These were all the fruits of his recent potion-making attempts.

By now, creating Basic Potions was no longer a challenge for him.

As for elementary and mid-level potions...

His mind made up, Lu Chao tapped his wristband and accessed the Patrol Department’s internal network.

He looked through the categorized data files at the theories and formulas for elementary and mid-level potions, all of which required contribution points to redeem.

His finger tapped the screen, and just like that, all five thousand of his contribution points were gone.

...

「Several days later.」

A black SUV cruised down the street.

Sitting in the back seat, Lu Chao, dressed in black casual wear, periodically swiped through text and images on his wristband screen.

He was reading *Detailed Explanation of Biological Elements*, *Biological Material Extraction Method*, and *Theory of Elementary Alchemy*.

These were the three elementary branches of Superpower Knowledge—Activity, Materials, and Synthesis—that one needed to master to become a junior Alchemist.

According to the texts, only after gaining a basic mastery of these three subjects could one follow a formula to create simple, elementary-level potions.

This was the Superpower Knowledge he had exchanged his contribution points for, along with the formulas for two elementary Life Potions.

To eventually become a mid-level Alchemist, one not only needed a success rate of over eighty percent when creating elementary potions, but also had to master another six or seven elementary and mid-level subjects across the three branches, such as *Drug Conductivity and Absorption*, *Theory of Flesh and Blood*, and *Mineral Extraction Theory*.

’So complicated,’

Lu Chao thought, shaking his head inwardly as he continued to scroll through the theoretical knowledge on his wristband, committing it all to memory.

His Flow State talent could double his comprehension, but that didn’t mean he could create something from nothing.

It all had one prerequisite: he first needed to build a foundation of knowledge.

This was true for Martial Skills, Secret Techniques, combat methods, and Superpower Knowledge alike. Without that foundation, his efficiency would plummet, even in the Flow State.

However...

Perhaps it was due to the Fixed Star Observation Method.

Lu Chao’s eyes were bright. He could feel his Spiritual Power had grown slightly stronger, and his efficiency at memorizing theoretical knowledge had also improved somewhat.

’Half a month at most. Once I gather the materials, I can start trying to make potions,’ he thought to himself, a rough plan forming in his mind.

The black SUV they were in drove out of District Two, heading straight for the river that separated it from the inner city.

"Listen, Xiong Cheng,"

"There’s no need to be so nervous. We don’t have a lot of strict rules here in Squad Three."

Chen Xiao, also in casual clothes, said from the driver’s seat. His tone was mostly reassuring.

Lu Chao’s gaze followed the voice to the passenger seat, where a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six sat.

He had a buzz cut, a few freckles, a chubby build, and was wearing an old black jacket.

He was one of the new members of Squad Three, reporting for his first day.

"Y-yes, thank you, Brother Chen,"

he stammered, his voice thick with nervousness.

"Hey, don’t mention it. We’re all teammates here. From now on, we’ll be brothers, running missions together."

Chen Xiao said with a laugh, adding, "Besides, if you really want to thank someone, you should be thanking the captain."

The new team member, Xiong Cheng, nodded repeatedly, thinking that made a lot of sense.

’Life Energy of twenty-five, a Level Three Patrol Officer.’

From the back seat, Lu Chao watched the entire exchange without interjecting. He felt like he was looking at a reflection of himself when he had first joined the Patrol Department.