After some idle chatter, Chen Chu and Xia Youhui joined the group of teenagers and playfully wandered through the sea of lotus leaves and flowers.
By the time Lin Xue and the others had taken similar photographs, it was already noon.
Everyone located a high-end restaurant within the scenic area for lunch. Xia Youhui took care of the meal expenses.
The afternoon was free for leisure.
In the scorching summer heat, Xia Youhui, Qi Lei, and Lu Haitao found a lakeside gazebo to fish, while Lin Xue and the girls deliberated on what to do.
Chen Chu traversed a lakeside corridor to reach a small island. A large tree was planted in the center of the island, its shade covering an area of more than ten meters.
A grassy area sprawled beneath the tree, the gentle breeze caressed the surroundings, and lotus flowers abounded.
This place was perfect for a nap.
Just as Chen Chu was settling down under the tree, preparing to doze off, another figure arrived and sat down beside him—it was Luo Fei.
Upon settling down, she withdrew a simple easel from her backpack and set it up. She followed this with a folding drawing board, brushes, and a portable color palette.
The small backpack was like a treasure chest and surprisingly didn't contain typical girlish items like cosmetics.
Chen Chu curiously inquired, "I didn't expect you to have such a hobby. How skilled are you at painting?"
The girl slightly pursed her lips and modestly replied, "I'm decent. I've had this hobby since I was a child."
Feeling a bit drowsy in the autumn weather, Chen Chu lazily suggested, "Then you go ahead and paint. I'll take a short nap." He then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep in the gentle breeze.
The girl pushed a strand of windblown hair behind her ear, glanced at Chen Chu, who was lying on the grass beside her, and gently removed her sandals. She then sat cross-legged, unfolded a piece of paper, and took a paintbrush in hand.
Next, her gaze fell upon the surrounding scenery for inspiration.
Lost in thought, Chen Chu slept until after two o'clock.
When he woke up and opened his eyes, he saw the girl sitting cross-legged beside him, deeply engrossed in her painting.
The painting on the easel had progressed significantly. The lotus leaves were lush and green on the paper, and the white and pink lotus flowers were in full bloom, exuding a remarkably lifelike quality.
Even to an amateur like Chen Chu, Luo Fei's painting appeared remarkably beautiful.
After observing for a while, Chen Chu closed his eyes once more. However, this time, he didn't sleep; instead, he allowed his consciousness to drift towards his heavy armored beast clone.
The rocky riverbank extended 1.7 meters, resembling a crocodile. Slowly emerging from an underwater hole, a black armored beast, more ferocious than any crocodile, continued to grow and hunt, accumulating an increasingly ferocious and tyrannical aura.
Under Chen Chu's control, the heavy armored beast began its hunt for the day...
"Chen Chu... Chen Chu..."
As Chen Chu transformed into the mutant beast, wreaking havoc in the Jianghe area, he faintly heard someone calling his name. He withdrew a portion of his attention and opened his eyes.
Seeing him awaken, Luo Fei held up her phone and informed him, "The squad leader has called for us to assemble."
"What time is it?" Chen Chu was still somewhat disoriented.
"It's four thirty."
"So fast." Chen Chu sat up and was handed an oil painting.
The girl smiled gently and remarked, "This painting is for you as a memento of today's outing."
"Thank you." After a brief pause, Chen Chu accepted the painting. Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't the lotus painting Luo Fei had initially been working on.
The painting depicted a blue sky with white clouds and a small island surrounded by lotus leaves. Under the tree's shade on the island, a boy rested with his head on his hands, enjoying a peaceful nap. Beside him, a girl sat sideways, capturing the picturesque lakeside scenery on her easel.
In the painting, every detail, from the lotus leaves to the small island, even the boy lying on the island, was vividly portrayed, making it seem as though the two individuals were actually present.
Chen Chu complimented, "You have impressive painting skills."
The girl, in the process of packing her things, glanced back at him with a hint of a smile in her eyes. She then folded her simple easel, stowed it in her bag along with her color palette, and securely closed it.
After around ten more minutes, the two of them returned to the scenic spot's entrance to rendezvous with everyone. A group of young teenagers, laughing and chatting, departed from the scenic area, bringing their day of fun to a close.
...
Monday
As was his usual practice, Chen Chu intended to sneak into the cultural classroom for two classes. However, upon entering the classroom, he sensed that something was amiss with the atmosphere.
All the students in the classroom were engaged in whispered conversations, discussing something quietly.
Chen Chu took his seat and tapped Xia Youhui's shoulder in front of him, asking with curiosity, "Old Xia, is there something going on?"
Xia Youhui turned around and inquired, "Achu, you don't know?"
"Know what?" Chen Chu was clueless.
Xia Youhui spoke in a hushed tone, "Last night's news officially reported that Ke Luoya has been toppled and completely overthrown by local practitioners."
"Furthermore, those cultivators exposed their connection with the sinister **** religion, explaining why God Akunus established the earthly kingdom."
"Currently, the federal assembly is deliberating on whether to deploy troops to quell those cultists, and it's expected that troops will be dispatched by the end of the month."
"Well... these major events don't seem to concern us, right?" Chen Chu was a bit perplexed.
He genuinely lacked awareness of this matter. One reason was that he didn't have the habit of following the news, and after his return yesterday, he was either practicing or transforming into a mutant beast to hunt.
"It's true," Xia Youhui agreed. "But the international situation is tense right now. Shouldn't we show our support as the future elites of the Federation?"
Chen Chu was speechless, finding it quite baffling.
Initially, Chen Chu thought these matters were far removed from students like them. However, within just a couple of days, rumors started circulating at school.
There were rumors that the school's higher-ups were contemplating sending some freshmen to accompany the federal army to Koroya for a subsequent trial.
Chen Chu paid little attention to these rumors. He continued attending school daily, practicing diligently, and honing his control over the heavy armored beast as he steadily progressed in strength.
October 31st arrived.
Inside the personal training room, Chen Chu's muscles had slightly swelled, and the lines on his body were clearly defined, emanating an imposing aura, akin to a charging elephant.
Suddenly, Chen Chu's figure darted forward, unleashing his astounding speed in an instant. A strong gust of wind accompanied his roar as he materialized in front of the strength tester.
Boom!
His ferocious power caused the air to explode, and the strength tester mounted on the wall vibrated violently, its numbers rapidly skyrocketing.
Finally, it came to a halt at an astounding 7000 kg.
Nearly a month had passed since he reached the Second Heaven. During this period, while the progress of Dragon Elephant Kung Fu had been gradual, his avatar had continuously evolved and strengthened.
At this point, Chen Chu's physical attributes exceeded 130 points, and his strength attribute had surpassed 140 points, equivalent to fourteen times that of an average person.
With this formidable physique, his basic arm strength had reached an astonishing 1,200 kilograms, far surpassing the second heaven's 800 kilograms limit.
Combined with the amplified real power and explosive speed, a full-force blow could unleash a terrifying seven-ton force.
Under these conditions, even an elephant before him would have its skull crushed and its body overturned by a single punch. He had essentially become a humanoid beast.
Exhaling deeply, Chen Chu gradually calmed the surging blood within him and grinned as he observed the data on the tester.