Chapter 7: Spiritual Power: Level 3!
Three hours later.
Su Ke opened another potion, but this time a sudden idea struck him, and he decided to conduct an experiment.
After drinking all the potion, Su Ke casually tossed the empty test tube aside and rotated the Omnitrix, transforming into Heatblast.
In that instant, the DNA in his body was broken down and reorganized. The potion he had just consumed was broken down along with it.
At the same time, the medicinal energy was reorganized together with his DNA, integrating perfectly into his body without a single trace of waste. The effect was even better than so-called perfect absorption under normal circumstances, because this time it was directly fused into the deeper layers of his genes rather than ordinary muscle tissue.
Simply put, those who claimed perfect absorption outside were only utilizing about 90% of the potion's effects, while Su Ke achieved true 100% utilization.
"Ah—"
The sensation was so comfortable that he could not help but let out a sound.
Su Ke could clearly feel that his progress toward Level 2 had advanced significantly. At this rate, he would only need to take it one more time to successfully break through.
Although he was not sure whether this method could eliminate side effects, to be safe, he still waited for three hours.
Three hours later.
As a massive amount of Spiritual Qi converged toward Su Ke, he successfully broke through to Tier 1, Level 2.
After stabilizing the restless Spiritual Qi in his body, Su Ke immediately checked the Omnitrix.
Once activated, the silhouette of Heatblast appeared. He rotated the dial again.
As expected, a new Alien Hero had appeared.
"XLR8."
Looking at the new figure, Su Ke's heart filled with joy.
XLR8 was derived from a Kineceleran DNA sample. XLR8 relied on the lubricating fluid secreted from its feet and its unique physiology to achieve extreme speed, moving by rapidly alternating contact points with the ground.
It was completely immune to inertia. No matter how fast it ran, it could stop instantly without any recoil.
XLR8 was one of the few speed-type Alien Heroes in the Omnitrix. It was practically essential for strategic retreats.
Although Su Ke desperately wanted to transform immediately, he glanced at the cramped space in his room and restrained himself.
Even so, his excitement was impossible to suppress.
Su Ke headed to a plaza near his home. It was summer vacation, and the weather was scorching. Even at 4 p.m., the temperature remained high, so there were very few people around.
Few people did not mean no people. There were always some youths exercising and a few girls dressed lightly because of the heat.
Su Ke activated the Omnitrix and switched it to XLR8. This time, he did not slam it down hard, but pressed it gently.
A flash of green light flickered.
When it faded, a creature stood in his place. Its body was sleek and streamlined, resembling a velociraptor. Its head was covered by a smooth, helmet-like structure marked with an X-shaped pattern.
Its hands ended in three sharp claws, and a thick, flexible tail extended from behind. The Omnitrix symbol was embedded in the center of its chest.
The helmet was not mechanical equipment, but part of its natural body tissue, protecting its head during high-speed movement. Its tail was extremely agile, capable of striking enemies at high speed or gripping objects with precision.
Su Ke stretched his body, took a starting stance, and then—
Whoosh!
He shot forward.
Because his Realm was still low, the XLR8 he transformed into could not reach the terrifying speeds shown in animations. Even so, it could still reach about 40 meters per second.
This speed was already more than twice that of the fastest runner from his previous world. Although the difference might not seem dramatic, he could maintain this speed for an extended period, and it would only increase as his Realm improved.
This alone already surpassed some speed-type Supernatural Ability users with poor talent.
Moreover, unlike Heatblast, XLR8 did not constantly consume energy at a high rate, allowing Su Ke to maintain the transformation much longer.
At Tier 1, Level 2, he could maintain the form for about 10 minutes. If he ran at full speed, he could maintain it for about 5 minutes.
If it were Heatblast, even standing still, he estimated he could only maintain it for around 3 minutes.
Su Ke circled the plaza repeatedly, or rather, glided across the ground.
He lapped a jogger several times, then dashed into an ice cream shop and bought a cone. He accelerated away so fast that the cone did not come with him, leaving the scoop suspended in midair.
Just as it was about to fall, XLR8 ran back, caught it in his mouth, and then sped off again, helping an elderly woman cross the street along the way.
After having his fill of excitement, he finally ran back home.
On the way, he passed two girls wearing short skirts who were chatting. As he rushed past, the wind he generated lifted their hemlines slightly.
"Ah!"
The two girls hurriedly pressed down their skirts, but the surrounding gazes had already been drawn over. Someone even had a nosebleed.
'That wasn't on purpose.'
By the time Su Ke returned home, his Spiritual Power was completely exhausted, and he reverted to his original form.
"This is incredible!"
Back home, Su Ke immediately resumed cultivating.
After all, every time his Realm increased by one level, the Omnitrix would unlock a new Alien Hero. Just thinking about it filled him with anticipation.
Over the next 5 days, Su Ke stayed home cultivating. After finishing all 10 bottles of Spiritual Energy Potion, his Realm reached Tier 1, Level 3.
He could clearly feel that Level 4 was not far away.
However, the transition from Level 3 to Level 4 was the first major bottleneck of Tier 1, and it was not easy to cross.
Every three levels formed a watershed. Aside from the significant increase in combat power after breaking through, there seemed to be other changes as well, though Su Ke was not entirely clear on them.
He only knew that each Tier consisted of four segments: the first 3 levels, the middle 3 levels, the last 3 levels, and Level 10. Each breakthrough resulted in a qualitative leap in strength.
It could not be helped. As a former poor student, he could only search for this information online.
'It's fine. I'll ask Old Wang and A Ning later.'
Su Ke had already planned to go out with the two of them today.
Although he did not particularly enjoy being a third wheel, he did have questions he wanted to ask.
After getting dressed and tidying himself up, he headed out.
"Dad, Mom, I'm going out!"
"Have fun!"
In a pavilion inside a park, Wang Zhong and Lin Ning were sitting together, chatting.
"Be careful with what you say later," Lin Ning said softly. "Old Ke's talent isn't great. No matter what, don't bring up cultivation in front of him."
"Don't worry," Wang Zhong replied confidently. "I know what I'm doing. I definitely won't say a word."
Lin Ning sighed quietly.
'Why do you think I had to remind you?'
"Old Wang! A Ning!"
Su Ke's voice rang out as he approached.
"Old Ke's here."
The two stood up and walked toward him.
Once they were close, Su Ke spoke first.
"How has your cultivation been lately?"
Wang Zhong fell silent.
Lin Ning fell silent as well.
They had just agreed not to mention cultivation, yet Su Ke brought it up the moment he arrived.
"Uh… it's just average," Lin Ning said hesitantly.
"Yeah, yeah," Wang Zhong hurriedly added. "Cultivation is too hard. I haven't improved much either."
Su Ke looked at their stiff performance, the corners of his mouth twitching.
"Enough. Stop pretending in front of me," he said calmly. "I'm already at Level 3. There's no way the two of you are worse than me. If you know what's good for you, tell me the truth."