Chapter Twenty: The Invitation

Song Mingyue had just returned to the villa at Yunhu Manor. She hadn’t even had time to shower or change when she received a message from Gao Wu.

“Friend, the alien spirit in White Scale Lake is dangerous. What if someone else accidentally falls in? This is a huge hidden danger!”

Reading this message, a complex look flickered in Song Mingyue’s clear eyes. This young man genuinely cared about others.

Song Mingyue found it hard to comprehend Gao Wu’s especially enthusiastic spirit of helping people. On the other hand, she could sense the powerful, vigorous energy radiating from him and his intense passion for life and the world.

As someone who had benefited from his help, she didn’t actually agree with his tendency to meddle in everything. Yet, she couldn’t help but envy the vibrant lifeforce within him.

It was like the short videos he made—always brimming with positivity and drive.

Such a person was truly charismatic and contagious.

Ever since her mother passed away, Song Mingyue had developed a resistance toward everyone. Only around Gao Wu did she feel a sense of closeness. Being by his side felt easy and comfortable.

Responding to Gao Wu’s concern, Song Mingyue replied quickly: “Only I can resonate with the alien spirit, only I can draw it out of the Void. Even if others fall in, it won’t attract the spirit.”

Relieved by her answer, Gao Wu let out a sigh. Swimming was forbidden in White Scale Lake, but every summer, droves of students still played in the water.

If there really was an alien spirit causing trouble, who knew how many people might die.

But this also meant his plan to use the spirit to temper his mental strength was now moot.

If he wanted to refine his mind, it seemed he’d have to team up with Song Mingyue. Would she be willing to keep trying?

Gao Wu wasn’t sure. Whenever Song Mingyue came in contact with the spirit, her condition deteriorated rapidly—if not for his Azure Dragon Divine Qi Chant, it wouldn’t be surprising if she died on the spot.

With such immense risk, she might not be willing to attempt it every day.

No matter—he’d ask her tomorrow. Maybe she’d say yes…

Pushing the thought aside, Gao Wu injected himself with another dose of Blood Dragon Serum. Before the Flying Mouse Serum arrived, he wanted to finish all ten doses.

The imitation Blood Dragon Serum had significant side effects, but the effects were undeniably potent. However, the efficacy diminished with each use.

This dose only made him feel hot all over, without the previous sensation of blood boiling or body burning inside and out.

Clearly, his body was developing a tolerance.

Even if he took thirty doses, his strength probably wouldn’t reach nine points.

Though he had expected this, Gao Wu still felt a touch of disappointment.

According to his calculations, reaching eight points of strength would let him punch with a force of a thousand kilograms.

But a thousand kilos was just the baseline for an advanced martial artist. The truly powerful ones could reach two thousand.

A mere ten percent advantage in punching power could create a large gap. Double the force meant an overwhelming difference in combat ability.

If only he could reach nine points in strength—with his resilient physique, he’d be unrivaled among East River’s high school students.

Fortunately, meeting Song Mingyue today meant he could get the Flying Mouse Serum, which would greatly boost his speed and reflexes.

Gao Wu had been reluctant about using serums at first, but after trying them, he found them irresistible.

No wonder so many people risked the side effects, charging forward without hesitation.

With the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Chant, his resilience was extraordinary. He should find a way to get more imitation serums from his coach…

The immediate effect of the Blood Dragon Serum was intense hunger. Luckily, Gao Wu had learned from experience and had already ordered a box of energy bars online.

These lesser-known bars weren’t as high-quality as the big brands like Taiji, but they were cheap—a hundred to a box, only a thousand yuan, ten each.

He wolfed down more than a dozen chocolate-flavored bars, his throat tight from the sweetness, then gulped down most of a bucket of water before finally feeling full.

Taking advantage of his prime state, Gao Wu practiced the Nine Forms of the Dragon several more times.

Before bedtime, he checked the Infinite Merit Ledger and saw his merit was still just over fifty thousand—hardly any increase.

Clearly, the rescue video had run its course. Even his “one against five” video had lower viewership and converted merit very inefficiently.

As for his training videos, they probably didn’t yield any merit at all.

The next morning, Gao Wu went to exercise at Bailong Mountain as usual, bringing his selfie stick and sports camera to film his workout.

Even if the videos didn’t grant merit, gaining some fame was valuable. Fame brought money, and money bought serums and martial arts resources.

After a century of development, the martial arts system was extremely mature. With enough money, even those with average talent had a chance to become warriors.

That night, Gao Wu decided to dine at Sea Horse Buffet.

He still had over seventy thousand yuan and, with a daily food budget of five hundred, enough to last several months.

Since the Blood Dragon Serum spurred his bones and muscles to develop, he needed to replenish his energy and nutrients to make the most of the serum.

Before he could leave campus, Song Mingyue invited him to dinner.

If someone offered him a meal, Gao Wu rarely refused—it would be impolite. Especially since it was Song Mingyue, he couldn’t possibly decline.

As her lifesaver, having a few meals on her was perfectly reasonable!

Exiting the campus, he saw a black luxury Pegasus sedan already waiting, the golden double-winged horse logo on the hood shining brightly, drawing the eyes of many passersby.

It was his first time in such a high-end car, and he was curious about the exquisite interior.

“Aunt Lan, this is Gao Wu. He’s the one who saved me at White Scale Lake.”

Song Mingyue took the initiative to introduce her driver. “Aunt Lan has raised me since I was little—she’s the family member I’m closest to.”

Aunt Lan appeared to be around forty, with refined features, a gentle temperament, and elegant attire. She was very polite to Gao Wu, repeatedly thanking him for saving Song Mingyue.

Gao Wu could tell that Aunt Lan was much more sincere than Song Yunhe. The nearly hundred-point merit increase on his Infinite Merit Ledger was proof enough.

He also noticed that while Aunt Lan was mild in nature, she possessed a calm demeanor and graceful movements—likely a formidable warrior, at least more skilled than Huang Hai.

Aunt Lan had a very good impression of Gao Wu. She thought this young man was sunny, open, and enthusiastic—an ideal friend for Mingyue, someone who could help her become more cheerful.

Aunt Lan and Gao Wu chatted the whole way, while Song Mingyue barely spoke.

When they arrived, Gao Wu found himself at an upscale restaurant called Yunhu Pavilion.

The private room was decorated in a refined, traditional Song Dynasty style, which was rare in East River.

The dishes were all made from materials sourced from other worlds, whether vegetables, meat, or even drinks brewed from otherworldly fruits, all rich in source energy particles.

There were eight dishes in total, all normal portions. Song Mingyue ate little, Aunt Lan didn’t even enter the room, and Gao Wu managed to finish all eight, leaving him uncomfortably stuffed.

Once he was done, Song Mingyue spoke. “You’ve been using Blood Dragon Serum, haven’t you?”

“Yeah.” Gao Wu saw no reason to hide it and nodded.

“Blood Dragon Serum stimulates rapid growth of skeletal muscles and tendons, especially at our age, near the end of our development. It’s quite effective,” Song Mingyue said softly. “There are thirty million muscle fibers and four thousand tendons, and 206 bones. Under the serum’s stimulation, bone density increases greatly, tendons and muscle fibers become stronger and more resilient, and the total number can increase by up to forty percent.

“Blood vessels, the heart, and the digestive tract are mainly composed of smooth muscle. The serum also strengthens these.”

She paused, gazing intently at Gao Wu. Though Blood Dragon Serum was low-level, its effects penetrated every part of the body.

Especially for teenagers, the side effects could destabilize genetic integrity, making muscle and bone mutations—and, by extension, organ malformations—very likely.

Surveys showed that most physical deformities in young martial artists were caused by Blood Dragon Serum.

Gao Wu dared to use it without a neutralizer—quite bold. Yet, miraculously, his body hadn’t mutated; all his changes were positive, which was remarkable.

Perhaps it was this unique talent that allowed Gao Wu to withstand spirit attacks, or even help her dispel the chill of alien spirits.

“This is a process of rebuilding your body’s foundation—crucial and extremely dangerous,” Song Mingyue continued. “During this time, you absolutely must not use other serums. On the other hand, you need to use cultivation techniques to guide the internal changes, helping them develop in line with martial logic…”

She asked him, “Your technique is the Nine Forms of the Dragon, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Gao Wu was somewhat impressed; even Shang Hongyi, a source energy warrior, seemed less knowledgeable about the serum and physical changes than Song Mingyue.

“I practice the White Snake’s Nine Transformations, which complements your technique well. We can train together for a while and learn from each other.”

She concluded, “At night, we can go to White Scale Lake together to challenge the alien spirit and use it to temper our minds…”