The following days were the most agonizingly exhilarating Xiang Lie had ever experienced. The training room became virtually his second home. And his beloved "Ah Zuo" and "Ah You" formally replaced barbell plates, becoming the most core, most precious "consumables" on his path to mastery.
"Next round! Big oaf, you're arming with Jing. Your opponents are Mo, Bell, and Tong!" Ling sat ringside, like a stern head instructor, a rapid stream of data flashing across her tablet, recording Xiang Lie's every advance and every ounce of depletion.
She had discovered an astonishing truth. Xiang Lie could not only arm with a single Weapon Girl; within his limits, he could even arm with multiple girls simultaneously!
*BOOM—!*
In the center of the training arena, Xiang Lie, wielding the black long spear, was simultaneously draped in Tong's optical camouflage cloak. Beneath his feet, he wore a pair of power boots, formed by another girl's armament, capable of short bursts of incredible acceleration. He was locked in fierce combat with Mo, who wielded twin daggers, and Bell, swinging her chain-blade. This "multi-armament" consumed a colossal amount of his energy, but the combat power he could unleash increased exponentially!
At times, he vanished with the cloak, launching deceptive surprise attacks; at others, he activated the power boots, bursting with astonishing speed at critical moments to evade lethal strikes. The long spear in his hand was wielded with furious might, a seamless extension of offense and defense.
*CLANG!*
Xiang Lie skillfully parried Mo's dagger with an exquisite spear technique, but failed to defend against the chain-blade that swept in from his blind spot. The sparking chain lashed viciously across his right arm, leaving a bone-deep gash!
"Xiang Lie!" Xiao Lin and the other girls watching the training cried out in alarm.
"Pause!" Ling immediately called a halt to the session.
However, just as everyone expected Xiang Lie to fall, disabled by the searing pain, an unbelievable sight unfolded. The gruesome wound on Xiang Lie's right arm writhed and healed at a visible rate! New tissue rapidly regenerated, and in mere moments, the hideous gash vanished, leaving behind skin as flawless and even firmer than before!
'ARM MUSCLE GROUP REPAIR COMPLETE.'
A stunned silence filled the command room. Everyone watched in wide-eyed disbelief, as if witnessing a miracle.
"This… how is this possible?" Bell murmured, bewildered. "His self-healing ability… shouldn't it be limited to his trapezius?"
Ling's eyes blazed with an unprecedented, fervent light, like that of a discoverer of a new continent! Her hands flew across her tablet, complex data models rapidly constructed only to be overturned. She looked up, staring intently at Xiang Lie in the arena, as if gazing upon an invaluable treasure.
"I understand! His body is a constantly evolving, continuously upgradable 'energy wellspring'!" She quickly logged her conclusion onto the tablet: "Based on the past three days of observation, the trapezius muscles' repair speed decreases to 75% of normal after being consumed approximately fifteen times consecutively. But as his physical stamina recovers and he continues to train, this 'fatigue threshold' will continue to rise…"
"And now, his arm muscle group has joined this sequence! My gods, what kind of monster is this guy?"
Xiang Lie, in the arena, was now curiously flexing his perfectly healed right arm. "Incredible!" He felt the surging power in his arm, immensely satisfied with his new ability.
"Alright, special training continues!" Ling's voice rang out again, though this time, her tone held a hint of excitement she herself didn't notice.
The combat resumed. Xiang Lie fought as if some internal barrier had fallen away, unlocking his full potential, his fighting style becoming even more uninhibited. Since his arms could also instantly heal, he had far fewer reservations, even deliberately taking minor, non-fatal injuries in exchange for more decisive attack opportunities. He moved like a stubborn piece of taffy that simply couldn't be broken, holding out for longer and longer periods under the furious onslaught of the three girls.
Finally, the high-intensity combat session concluded with Xiang Lie exhausting his last ounce of stamina, as Mo gently tapped his throat with the hilt of her dagger. He slumped to the ground, gasping for breath, a broad, exhilarating smile on his face.
Mo, Bell, and Tong also disarmed, reverting to their human forms, similarly glistening with sweat. They walked up to Xiang Lie, ready to collect today's "tuition."
Mo habitually prepared to lean in towards Xiang Lie's already finely-marked 'Throne,' covered in small teeth indentations.
"Wait." Ling's voice suddenly cut in.
She glided over in her wheelchair, looking at Xiang Lie with keen interest, and proposed, "Big oaf, since your arms can heal now, how about… letting them sample your arms? Try your most prized biceps, see if the repair speed is any different compared to your trapezius? This would be very valuable experimental data."
Xiang Lie blinked, taken aback. *There's such an option?* He cast a puzzled glance at his rock-hard biceps, then at Mo's pretty face, etched with curiosity. In the end, he nodded.
"Alright, then… let's try it?"
Given permission, Mo lowered her head, a little shyly, and very carefully, gently took a small bite from his right bicep.
The familiar sting and sensation of energy draining away followed. Then, under everyone's expectant gazes, the small teeth-mark wound healed rapidly, visibly, before their very eyes.
"It worked!" Ling exclaimed, slapping the armrest of her wheelchair in excitement.
Xiang Lie, meanwhile, grinned. He felt as if his body's 'Thrones' had… gained another pair of new seats, ready to offer "paid service" at any moment.