Chapter 23  : Becoming Strong

The size of the underground multipurpose training ground of the National Order Council Xianghe City branch Special Forces Unit was larger than that of a football field.

There were all kinds of training facilities here, including a running track. There was enough space for all kinds of training to be conducted, regardless of whether one wanted to use cold weapons or summon spells.

The group of people stared at Xia Ping’an with great enthusiasm. Xia Ping’an was somewhat surprised by this huge lineup. He merely merged with a divine fire boundary bead. He did not expect many of them would be waiting for him here.

Xia Ping’an touched his cheek and asked, “Is there something on my face? Why is everyone looking at me?”

An Qing smiled and was the first to respond, “There’s nothing on your face. However, it seems like the effect of a perfect merge is indeed incredible. Haven’t you realized that your skin has improved? I’m so envious of you.”

Upon hearing An Qing’s , Fang Lingshan actually also nodded in agreement.

The things that women focused on were always so different from that of men.

To be honest, Xia Ping’an noticed it too. Just now, when he was showering, he discovered that his skin had become better after he washed away the grayish filth. His skin became radiant and he seemed a little more handsome than he was before this.

“Normally, when one merges with a divine fire boundary bead, they will obtain less than 16 points of divine power. Hence, the baptism of divine power experienced by the person will also be less impactful than that of a perfect merge,” Mo Yanshao explained.

Li Yunzhou approached Xia Ping’an and casually patted his shoulder. He grinned and said, “Kid, not bad. You didn’t let me down. Did you sense the spell summoning slot of your fireball technique?”

Everyone rolled their eyes when they saw how shameless Li Yunzhou was. He put on the airs of a teacher in front of Xia Ping’an.

Tu Polu said right away, “Li Yunzhou, aren’t you shameless? You couldn’t even merge with the divine fire boundary bead perfectly. Xia Ping’an’s perfect merge has nothing to do with you.”

Li Yunzhou retorted confidently, “How is his achievement unrelated to me? He is a newbie under my guidance. I’m his guide to becoming a summoner. His success is naturally because of my teaching. Ask Xia Ping’an if you don’t believe me. I have taught him many things over the past few days. Big Tu, are you envious of me?”

Xia Ping’an smiled and said, “I have just become a summoner and have many questions. I was just about to ask Senior to guide me.”

Li Yunzhou cast an elated and proud glance at Tu Polu. He pretentiously coughed twice and began his explanation, “Just now, you mentioned that your consciousness is connected to a mysterious place. The place is the Summoning Mind Altar coalesced by every summoner. Since you have ignited the divine fire, the Summoning Mind Altar will reveal itself to you. However, your Mind Altar is still incomplete now. Can you see a head statue on the wall of your Mind Altar? There’s a colorful flame totem beside it. The flame totem is a spell summoning slot.”

Xia Ping’an recalled the events. What he saw was not a head statue. Instead, he could see the statue of Suiren from head to toe.

However, he would not reveal this information to others. Instead, he nodded and said, “Yup. That’s what I see.”

Li Yunzhou continued, “Summoning a fireball will consume four divine power points. After you have merged with all three foundation establishment boundary beads and become a summoner, you just need to insert four balls of light from the Mind Altar into the spell summoning slot in order to summon a fireball.

“Don’t underestimate the fireball technique. It is one of the trump cards of summoners. It is the most versatile and has strong destructive power. A fireball can kill a normal dimensional invasion creature or a demonic spirit. As for an ordinary human or beast, a fireball can turn it to dust.”

When Mo Yanshao saw that Xia Ping’an was listening to Li Yunzhou’s explanation attentively, he was also motivated to add on other related details. “Divine power is the foundation for a summoner to summon any technique. The divine power exhausted cannot be replenished through training. Summoners can only wait until the 15th of each month, when there is a full moon, for half of their total divine power points to be replenished. Another method of replenishing divine power is through consuming expensive divine power pills. Right now, you only have 16 points. It’s not a lot. Don’t go around wasting it. Even using four points is considered using a lot. Every single point of divine power is precious for a summoner.”

“Thank you for your guidance!” Xia Ping’an said.

“Cut the crap. You should test your physical abilities first,” Tu Polu interrupted.

“Alright. Let me test my physical abilities.” Xia Ping’an looked at the training ground. He seemed excited to try out the events.

Everyone was interested in Xia Ping’an’s current physical abilities because this was also a tradition of the Special Forces Unit-after someone merged a boundary bead, the person would experience a dramatic improvement in his abilities. As colleagues, the better they knew the person’s abilities, the easier it was for them to coordinate and work as a team in the future.

Big Zhou suggested, “You should try running 100 meters on the track first.”

Xia Ping’an did not say anything. Immediately, he went to the 100 meters running track. He briefly warmed up his body at the starting point. Then, he squatted down and got into the starting position.

“Ready...,” Big Zhou shouted from the podium at the side. Xia Ping’an arched his body, like a cheetah ready to pounce forward. His eyes were set on his goal ahead. He was ready to take off.

Big Zhou pressed a button, and a gunshot could be heard from the loudspeaker in the training ground.

As soon as the gun sounded, Xia Ping’an sprang forward.

When he was running, Xia Ping’an thoroughly felt the difference in his body at the moment. The explosive power from his muscles was so much stronger than before. Although usually he was not considered a slow runner, right now, he was faster than before and it was easier for him to do so. It felt as though he could take flight.

In less than 10 seconds, on the gigantic display in the training ground, the image of Xia Ping’an dashing past the 100-meter finish line appeared. There was also a time of 9.34 seconds displayed. His average speed over 100 meters was 10.706 meters per second.

Xia Ping’an was shocked at his own 100-meter record. He never imagined that he had run so fast. Xia Ping’an also did not feel tired at all.

At the starting line, Mo Yanshao raised his eyebrows and said, “Not bad. This speed has basically broken the Olympic World Record for the 100-meter race.”

“Head, why are we comparing ourselves against ordinary humans? Even if the person was a top-tier athlete, they are not on the same level as us. Shouldn’t it be expected that we would surpass them? Moreover, the baptisms of divine power from the foundation establishment boundary beads grant the greatest improvement to our physical fitness,” Li Yunzhou said with a look of pride.

As they were talking, Xia Ping’an had already returned to the starting line.

“Next, we will assess the time you need to complete 10,000 meters,” Mo Yanshao told Xia Ping’an.

Xia Ping’an came to the track once again and prepared himself for the run. A few seconds later, following the sound of a gunshot in between the sound of the horn, Xia Ping’an dashed out again and sprinted across the track.

More than 20 minutes later, Xia Ping’an dashed across the finish line for the 10,000-meter run. On the screen, Xia Ping’an’s time was once again displayed. He had run 10,000 meters in 23 minutes, 27.36 seconds.

This time was more than two minutes faster than the world record of ordinary people for the 10,000-meter race. Among ordinary people, it would be considered terrifying.

“Let’s take a look at other events,” Mo Yanshao said.

This time, when Xia Ping’an walked back, he was finally panting. After Mo Yanshao allowed him to rest for a while, he continued his assessments.

In the following assessments, Xia Ping’an could squat 410 kg, bench press 130 kg, deadlift 315 kg, hanging leg lift 75 kg, and his sweeping kick could deal 790 kg of force.

Xia Ping’an’s all-round physical fitness had a qualitative leap in improvement compared to before.

In all honesty, even Xia Ping’an himself was shocked at his current physical fitness. He had never imagined that he would undergo such a huge change after merging one boundary bead and gaining 16 points of divine power.

After Xia Ping’an completed the last assessment, Mo Yanshao came up to him.

“I need to inform you of some matters. Prior to this, I never imagined that you would perfectly merge with the divine fire boundary bead. In the National Order Council, those who perfectly merge with the divine fire boundary bead can apply to continue merging with the divine altar boundary bead the following day. Just now, I have already sent your information records over to the provincial office. They have already approved for you to merge with the divine altar boundary bead tomorrow.”

Xia Ping’an was somewhat surprised as he said, “Tomorrow? Didn’t you say that after successfully merging with the divine fire boundary bead, I would need to wait and serve the National Order Council for a year before I could merge with the second one? You also said that I would need to wait another year to merge with the third boundary bead after successfully merging with the second one.”

Mo Yanshao replied, “That is what usually happens. According to the protocol of the National Order Council, after a person merges with the divine fire boundary bead, the person is considered a provisional summoner. It will still take two years for them to finally be considered a summoner. However, if the person manages to perfectly merge with their first boundary bead, then, according to protocol, they can merge with the divine altar boundary bead the next day. This is striking iron while it is still hot. According to the statistical analysis of the National Order Council, the chances of succeeding by doing so is 12% higher than if you waited a year to merge with the second boundary bead!”

“Kid, this is a good thing. What is there to hesitate about?” Tu Polu chimed in as his huge hand patted Xia Ping’an on the shoulder. “I heard that performing a perfect merge with the divine fire boundary bead requires enormous luck. Now that you are considered lucky, you had better merge with the second boundary bead immediately. That way, the odds of success will be higher!”

“To become a summoner, sometimes you indeed need a little luck,” An Qing added as she nodded her head to the side. She was also convinced about luck.

Was it luck or just the superstition of summoners?

For others, it might be luck, but for Xia Ping’an, there was no luck involved. It was because he knew what role he had to play in the scenario of the boundary bead.

As he saw the others nodding in agreement, Xia Ping’an also smiled. He readily accepted their good advice as he nodded his head and said, “Alright then. I will prepare tonight and merge with the second boundary bead tomorrow!”

“Relax, I will look after you. Under my guidance, you might even become the fastest person to successfully merge with all three boundary beads in the National Order Council Xianghe City branch!” Li Yunzhou added.

Fang Lingshan swept a cold glance at Li Yunzhou. She coldly snorted and said, “Since you are so incredible, why don’t we leave the person behind the demonic spirit to you? The rest of us can take a break in the meantime.”

“How could I possibly take all the credit alone for such a contribution?” Li Yunzhou said shamelessly.