Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

Power +1!

As expected, the Fire Element corresponded to the Strength Attribute upon conversion.

But unlike ordinary physical training for building muscle, this was achieved by increasing his vital energy.

In the real world, just the force of his heart pumping blood should have been enough to overwhelm his blood vessels and send his blood pressure skyrocketing.

But Su Chen’s body felt perfectly fine.

His Physique was clearly, gradually transcending the limits of an ordinary person, and the hematopoietic center deep within his bone marrow was quietly undergoing a transformation.

’Not bad.’

Su Chen lay on his back on the bed, raising his right hand before his eyes. As he clenched his fist and briefly exerted himself, he could feel a much more potent force surging forth.

The increase from 1 point in the Strength Attribute was clearly perceptible, but he had no way to gauge the exact magnitude of the improvement.

’Too bad there isn’t a hand gripper in the RV.’

He remembered how in high school, he always loved to secretly squeeze one in his desk drawer to train his grip strength.

After his graduation trip, his core training had lapsed somewhat. He rarely did any specific grip strength exercises, and it had been years since he’d last practiced the Sanda and combat sparring he’d trained in before.

Now, all that supported this body was a monster-level athletic talent and his combat experience.

Time really had changed a lot.

He was no longer a youth.

Right now, after gaining Physique +2 and Power +1, the 24-year-old Su Chen, who had neglected his strength training, reached a new physical peak.

And this was only the beginning.

Perhaps because the heat in his body hadn’t subsided, Su Chen found it hard to sleep and began to recall some long-buried memories.

His ex-girlfriend had once been in this RV. Around the time of their graduation, she had accompanied him on trips across the country. But the gravity of reality eventually pulled her back. She was a young lady from a wealthy family with a business to inherit, and she couldn’t accept a lover who was unwilling to return to a normal life for her.

The two eventually went their separate ways.

His thoughts drifted further back. He remembered his parents’ deaths. They had died when their scientific research vessel in Antarctica accidentally struck an iceberg and sank.

Given the mysterious factor of his ancestral Jade Pendant, if their bodies hadn’t been recovered—if they had only been reported as missing—Su Chen could have held onto the dream that they too had crossed over into a new world.

Before long, his thoughts gradually emptied, and the motion of his fingers rubbing the safety amulet on his chest had long since stopped.

The night passed dreamlessly and without incident.

During the night, a massive explosion rocked the north side of the base. The detonation of a gas canister trap woke some people, causing a brief panic, but they were relieved to learn that another giant bear had been blown up.

...

「The next day.」

At 7:00 AM, a thick fog had begun to permeate the entire Qingye Collection camping base at some point, and the indoor hygrometer, which was still working, read over 91% RH.

The dehumidifying function of the RV’s air conditioner was already running.

Having woken up early, Su Chen splashed his face with cold water to banish the last traces of sleepiness and began a high-intensity warm-up.

He dropped to the floor, tightened his core, and began doing alternating one-arm push-ups. Switching between his left and right arms, his movements were incredibly steady, completing eight consecutive sets without a single wobble.

His breathing was even, his heart rate only slightly elevated.

He wasn’t even breaking a sweat.

The boosts to his Power and Physique attributes had resulted in a significant improvement to his physical condition.

After this initial activation of his core muscle groups, he took a deck of playing cards from a drawer and began some simple throwing practice.

SWISH!

SWISH!

With quick flicks of his wrist, the cards shooting from his fingertips whistled through the air, flying straight into a cardboard box on the passenger side.

With sharp, rapid throws, he emptied the entire deck in about half a minute, with only three cards failing to land inside.

’Very good.’

A satisfied look appeared on Su Chen’s face. At least the increase in his vital energy hadn’t caused any decline in the fine control of his wrist.

’It would certainly be a headache if every point of Power +1 came with issues of losing my delicate touch.’

After he finished breakfast, the time was 7:28 AM. The white mist outside had thinned considerably, and the humidity was starting to drop.

The all-band radio on the table was on, broadcasting ”Dongfu’s Voice” on FM 98.5.

Just then, an important announcement was broadcast to the public.

”...In light of the large number of fake Rune synthesis formulas appearing on the market, which have been used to swindle the public by unscrupulous individuals seeking to profit wildly, a serious crisis of trust has emerged.”

”The Security Committee, adhering to the important principles of continuing human civilization and ensuring the survival of our species, and to effectively promote the healthy development of our city residents’ combat power, has officially decided to release all known synthesis formulas.”

”Please note, these formulas have been repeatedly verified and are guaranteed to be correct. We ask everyone to copy and use them with confidence.”

Hearing this, it wasn’t just Su Chen who was instantly riveted. Everyone listening to the broadcast first thing in the morning fell silent in respect, then erupted into cheers.

”Holy shit, they’re making it open-source!!”

”Thank God, we’re finally saved.”

In fact, just last night in the meeting hall, people had been selling numerous incorrect synthesis formulas under false pretenses. Not only were people scammed, but they also ended up with a Rune that was an incredibly poor match for them.

To risk your life for three hard-earned essences only to get such a result—it’s easy to imagine they felt like killing someone.

Beyond those with malicious intent, some people, genuinely unaware that the different orders of the three Elements in the synthesis would result in different Rune effects, had also unwittingly harmed some innocent people.

So, on a practical level, there was a real need for a trusted, authoritative organization to educate the public and dispel this ignorance.

And this was something only the Security Committee could accomplish.

Soon, the broadcast emphatically reminded listeners of a crucial piece of information: Rune synthesis must follow a strict order. The first, second, and third synthesis slots must never be mixed up.

After stating this important prerequisite, the formulas were announced one by one.

Su Chen also picked up his phone and began to quickly take notes.

The male announcer recited them clearly in a professional broadcasting voice. To ensure no one copied them down incorrectly, each synthesis formula was even repeated three times.

At the same time, he also made sure to explain the Rune’s effects and other important details.

「Some time later.」

The 35 repeatedly verified Rune synthesis formulas had all been announced.

Su Chen recorded all of them in one go.

Among them, there were many that he was particularly interested in.

For example, the other confirmed Damage Attachment Stream Runes:

Wind + Wind + Wind = Wind Split; Lightning + Fire + Lightning = Thunderblast

’Healing Runes in the Support Element.’

Wood + Wood + Wood = Healing Skill; Light + Wood + Water = Light Healing Skill.

The two had similar effects, but their mechanics were slightly different.

The former required touching the target to heal, while the latter could be cast from a distance and seemed to provide a greater amount of healing.

This made one suspect that the rarity of the Light Element essence also made its Runes a cut above the rest in value.

’The Summoning Element Runes are also worth paying attention to.’

Su Chen specifically categorized and formatted them.

Besides the Shadow Summoning he had mastered, which was also revealed, there were two others...

Wind + Lightning + Water = Wind Eagle Summoning; Fire + Light + Dark = Fire Element Summoning.