Chapter 97

Su Zhong had already tried many times, but the cultivation of hard qi gong was completely without a clue. At most, he could improve his physical fitness to two or three times that of others.

Although it seemed very impressive, in reality, it was nothing compared to the previous two worlds.

Unable to strengthen his own power, this almost cut off Su Zhong's path of self-cultivation. Fortunately, Su Zhong also knew that in this world, alchemy was the orthodox path.

After understanding his strengths and weaknesses, Su Zhong's restless heart gradually calmed down.

Being good at alchemy was not necessarily useless.

Thinking about the alchemy gate that the main antagonist of this world sought to seize, Su Zhong had a vague realization.

"Was it impossible to activate the Boundary-breaking Pearl in the previous world? Could it have been intentional?" Su Zhong's expression was somewhat strange.

The more he thought about it, the more suspicious the Boundary-breaking Pearl's reaction seemed. He spent over two years, with abundant energy and powerful techniques, but the Boundary-breaking Pearl remained completely still.

But as soon as the Ten-Tails appeared, it suddenly jumped out, snatched everything clean, and then ran away.

Su Zhong suddenly felt that this mysterious Boundary-breaking Pearl was somewhat despicable. Was it waiting for the Ten-Tails all along?

"No wonder I felt the world's malice from the beginning. It was because it had already noticed!"

In the world of "Smiling Proudly," the rules were complete, and there was no way to openly seize. The only way was to cultivate sword intent to replicate the world's rules, accumulating internal energy as power.

In the ninja world, where energy was lively, the rules were also sufficiently relaxed, so the Boundary-breaking Pearl took the initiative to start seizing!

"In the world of alchemists, the only thing worth seizing is the Alchemy Gate." Su Zhong quickly figured out the true treasure of this world.

As for the Philosopher's Stone, Su Zhong didn't take it seriously.

To put it bluntly, the Philosopher's Stone was just a form of energy.

Now that the Boundary-breaking Pearl had absorbed the chakra of the entire world, what kind of Philosopher's Stone could surpass it?

"Alchemy Gate..." Su Zhong made up his mind.

Every day, he followed the Elric brothers to learn alchemy, and he didn't find it boring. This technology, which could change the world through a few symbols, was truly fascinating.

Destruction and creation could both bring intense pleasure, which was probably the strong sense of existence that came from changing the world.

Alchemy was a technology that combined destruction and creation, and Su Zhong quickly became engrossed in it.

...

A relatively simple transmutation array was drawn on the ground. Su Zhong's expression was serious as he placed his hands on the ground.

Buzz...

A red light flashed, and a square black iron block appeared in the center of the transmutation array. Su Zhong picked up the ten cubic centimeter iron ingot and examined it.

"Sharp edges, flat surfaces. Not bad, this reshaping was very good." Su Zhong smiled in satisfaction.

Edward still had a sour look on his face and said with a sneer, "What are you so proud of? You've been practicing this simple transmutation array for over half a month. You've already made almost a ton of iron ingots. Do you want to sell iron?"

Wendy giggled beside him. An alchemist making iron ingots to earn money? How miserable must they be?

Building a house would earn more money.

Su Zhong didn't mind: "It's not useless. At least Bina has enough materials for mechanical processing. Right, Wendy?"

Wendy immediately nodded and said happily, "Yes. Not only does Grandma have materials, but I have materials to play with too!"

Influenced by Bina, Wendy had a great interest in mechanical manufacturing, and most of Su Zhong's iron ingots were reserved for her.

With sufficient materials, she could experiment and manufacture without worrying about costs. Even Bina had been in a good mood these past few days.

"Do you want to continue practicing this transmutation array?" Edward changed the subject, looking angry.

Su Zhong shook his head. Although he was strict with himself, he wasn't so stubborn as to stick to one thing.

"A solid foundation makes it easier to learn alchemy arrays in the future. But now, it's almost there. See, there are no traces of alchemy on this iron ingot!" Su Zhong held up the iron ingot.

"Kolon, you're amazing. The master also said that a good alchemist should have solid skills and minimize the traces of alchemy." Alphonse sincerely praised.

Su Zhong chuckled: "I'm not doing this for the sake of it. I'm focusing on reshaping because I want to forge a knife. If I can't erase the traces of alchemy, the knife won't be usable."

"What are you forging a knife for, Kolon?"

"Of course, to learn knife techniques. I have a lot of related training in my head, and I want to try it out."

Su Zhong was talking about the killing knife techniques he had modified from the Twelve Fatal Swords. These techniques were originally taught to the Akatsuki in the Naruto world. Now, Su Zhong wanted to cultivate them himself.

His body couldn't be significantly strengthened, which made Su Zhong feel insecure. Practicing knife techniques was to enhance his close-combat skills.

The killing knife techniques, after Su Zhong's improvements, relied more on physical strength. As long as one had enough strength, they could unleash its power, unlike the Twelve Fatal Swords, which relied on internal energy.

Since this world had no internal energy, the killing knife techniques became Su Zhong's best choice.

"Besides knife techniques, do you know anything else?" Edward couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Sure, I know some combat techniques. I can teach them to you to increase your combat ability." Su Zhong said enticingly.

Edward's face twisted, and he said dejectedly, "What can I practice in my current state?"

Su Zhong chuckled, "Bina's mechanical skills are excellent. Let him design a mechanical arm for you, and you'll be back to normal."

Edward trembled but didn't say anything.

Su Zhong didn't push him. As long as there was a hint of interest, it was a good start. He could take it slowly.

Ignoring Edward, who was lost in thought, Su Zhong pulled Alphonse to continue learning alchemy.

He only knew how to extract iron ingots through alchemy, and there was still a lot to learn.

The days spent immersed in alchemy passed quickly.

Su Zhong continued his initial learning strategy. He would repeatedly experiment with each alchemy array until he was thoroughly familiar with it and understood the principles before moving on to the next one.

This method was time-consuming. Sometimes, Su Zhong wouldn't finish learning an alchemy array even after a month.

However, this made his foundation incredibly solid. The more he progressed, the more evident this foundation became. His practical skills were very strong.

As time passed, his learning speed increased. Later on, as long as he thoroughly understood an alchemy array, he could perfectly complete the alchemy with just two or three trials.

Edward could only look on with a不服 (unconvinced) expression. Alphonse, on the other hand, praised him loudly, not caring about his brother's sour face.

...

Two years passed quickly. Edward was already ten years old.

Through Su Zhong's relentless training, his artificial body developed rapidly. In two years, he grew significantly, towering over Edward by a head. At first glance, he looked like a teenager of thirteen or fourteen.

"Are you finally going to start forging your knife?" Edward asked with a sense of relief.

Two years ago, Su Zhong had said he would forge a knife, but he only started now. Their initial excitement had long turned to numbness.

"Of course. I've prepared enough over these two years. I'll aim for success on the first try."

He delayed for two years for two reasons: to improve his alchemy skills and to strengthen his body. Two years ago, his height and strength were not suitable for a normal-length knife.

Now, although his height was still a bit short, his strength was not lacking.

His current strength had reached its limit, allowing him to lift over 200 pounds, almost twice that of an average adult.

Now was the perfect time to start practicing the killing knife techniques.

Placing his hands on the ground, red light flashed. The materials in the center of the transmutation array began to melt and fuse. The liquid then contracted and elongated, forming a slender yanjing knife in the center of the transmutation array.

The yanjing knife was slightly wider than a katana and had a smaller curve. Overall, it was slender and aesthetically pleasing.

As for whether it was the best compared to other knives, Su Zhong didn't know. He simply liked its shape. In terms of effectiveness, it often depended on the user.

Gripping the handle, Su Zhong swung the knife a few times. With his considerable strength, the knife sliced through the air, producing a whistling sound.

"Amazing!" Wendy, though not knowledgeable, felt that Su Zhong's knife techniques were very impressive, with the long knife moving freely in his hands.

Edward's face also showed surprise, "You really know how to use a knife?"

"I don't have time to fool you," Su Zhong rolled his eyes, "Once you install your mechanical arm, I'll teach you combat techniques."

He tapped the blade, and it hummed.

"Use it for now. I'll forge an alloy knife later." Su Zhong muttered. Although the knife was good, it was just an ordinary good knife, with no outstanding materials.

Su Zhong decided to forge another one when his alchemy skills improved further.

"Kolon, I've taught you everything I can about alchemy. The rest is up to you to research and accumulate." Edward said with a tone of admiration and surprise. He hadn't expected Su Zhong to learn alchemy so quickly.

Su Zhong nodded in acknowledgment. Over the past two years, he had dedicated all his time to learning alchemy, except for eating and sleeping.

With an adult's mindset and stronger comprehension, he had read all the alchemy books in the Elric household. As Edward said, the rest was up to him.

However, Su Zhong didn't plan to rely solely on steel alchemy. Compared to the explosions of the Crimson Lotus alchemist Kimblee and the flames of Roy Mustang, the ability to change weapons was not very practical.

So, Su Zhong had long intended to research other alchemy techniques.

He didn't know alchemy before, but over the past two years, he had steadily built a solid foundation in steel alchemy. As long as he found a direction and persisted, with the Boundary-breaking Pearl as his ammunition, Su Zhong was confident he could create his own alchemy.

His goal was the Alchemy Gate, and without sufficient offensive power, he wouldn't dare to confront the homunculi.

Not to mention the even more powerful father.

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