After an Answer
The entire gym was plunged into a solemn silence after Lam Minh's answer. His dream was so vast, so noble, that the petty squabbles of the three girls suddenly seemed incredibly ridiculous and childish.
Diep Chi was the first to bow her head. The pride of a young lady had completely vanished, replaced by shame and sincere admiration. She realized the man she admired was not only strong, but also possessed a great heart.
To Quyen's eyes were red-rimmed. She understood better than anyone the meaning behind his words. A blue sky, a world without walls... it was a luxurious dream, but also the most fervent aspiration of their generation. She felt that she understood him better now, not through his habits, but through his ideals.
Quynh Nhu, always the strong and sassy one, also quietly turned her face away, hiding a tear that was about to fall. As a soldier, she had witnessed too much death and suffering. Lam Minh's dream was the very reason she and millions of other soldiers fought every day. She suddenly realized that her attempts to get his attention, her jealous games, were truly so selfish.
"I... I'm sorry," Diep Chi mumbled. "I... was too childish."
"Us too," To Quyen said, looking at Lam Minh with guilt-filled eyes.
Lam Minh looked at the three girls and smiled gently. "It's okay. I understand. It's just that, instead of wasting time on pointless things, why don't we do something more useful together?"
He looked at the whole group, including the still-dazed Ly Thien Ba. "Our strength, whether great or small, can all contribute to that dream. Ly Thien Ba, you have the power of an Awakened. Quynh Nhu, you have the skills of Blacklight. To Quyen, you have the intellect of a scientist. Diep Chi, Hoang Long, Le Van Hung, you all have excellent martial arts foundations."
He paused, his gaze becoming serious. "We can become a team. Not a competition team, but a real team, ready to fight when needed. Do you want that?"
His offer was like an electric current running through everyone.
"I do!" Ly Thien Ba was the first to respond, without a hint of hesitation. "To fight alongside Master is my honor!"
"Of course I'm in," Quynh Nhu said, her strong demeanor returning. "But I'm telling you now, this team must be co-led by you and me. I won't accept being just a member."
"Alright, co-captain," Lam Minh smiled.
"I'll join too," To Quyen said. "I'll be the brains of the team."
"I... I want to join too!" Diep Chi timidly raised her hand. "Even though I'm not as strong as everyone else, I will definitely do my best!"
And so, from a chaotic "jealousy showdown," the first "Seed Squad," founded by Lam Minh, was officially born in the most unexpected way.
After that day, their relationship changed completely.
There were no more secret competitions or jealous bickering. Instead, there was unity and a focus on training. They no longer saw Lam Minh as a "prize," but as a captain, a true spiritual leader.
Lam Minh also changed his training methods. He didn't just teach them surface-level skills, but began to impart deeper knowledge about "bio-energy," about how to coordinate in group combat, how to support and cover for each other.
Ly Thien Ba and Diep Chi became the team's two "tankers," responsible for frontal assaults.
Quynh Nhu was the long-range "assassin," providing fire support and assassinating key targets.
To Quyen, with the support of high-tech equipment, became the command center, analyzing the battlefield and providing real-time tactics.
Hoang Long and Le Van Hung were the mobile force, specializing in harassment and flank support.
As for Lam Minh, he was the trump card, the one who could fill any position, and the one who would act at the most decisive moments.
They progressed at a frightening pace. The power of unity and a common goal had turned them into a fearsome fighting machine.
Meanwhile, Lam Minh did not forget his "grinding" mission. He continued to diligently "die and be reborn" in the simulation. With the knowledge gained from Mak'lar and the support of the Spirit Stone, his cultivation became much smoother.
A month later.
That night, in his bedroom, after being killed for the nth time by the Early-stage Foundation Establishment creature in the simulation, a familiar notification appeared.
[Host has revived.]
[Received 300 Immortality Points.]
[IMMORTALITY POINTS REACHED 40,150/40,000.]
[CONGRATULATIONS, HOST, FOR ACCUMULATING ENOUGH POINTS! BEGINNING BREAKTHROUGH TO MID-STAGE FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT!]
Lam Minh's eyes flew open, a wave of extreme excitement washing over him.
Finally! The day has come!
He immediately sat cross-legged, preparing for the breakthrough process. This time, he had experience. He knew it would be painful, but it would also bring a complete metamorphosis.
He took a deep breath.
"Bring it on! Let's see how terrifying the power of the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm is!"
[CONGRATULATIONS, HOST, FOR ACCUMULATING ENOUGH POINTS! BEGINNING BREAKTHROUGH TO MID-STAGE FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT!]
[WARNING: THE PRIMARY CORE REINFORCEMENT PROCESS WILL CAUSE INTENSE PAIN. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE HOST PREPARE MENTALLY.]
"Bring it on!" Lam Minh gritted his teeth, fully prepared.
Instantly, the milky white Primary Core in his dantian began to spin at a frantic pace. All the spiritual energy he had just absorbed and accumulated was compressed into it, creating enormous pressure.
The feeling of his organs being torn apart washed over him again, but this time, Lam Minh had experience. He no longer endured it passively. He operated the "Primeval Dragon God Art," actively guiding the flow of energy, using his will to control the reinforcement process.
He could "see" his Primary Core being compressed and polished. The remaining impurities inside were forced out, making it purer and more solid. The milky white color gradually turned into an ivory white, and its surface became smoother and more lustrous.
At the same time, his body was once again strengthened. His cells, already strong from the previous breakthrough, now continued to absorb the pure energy radiating from the Primary Core, becoming more resilient and durable. His strength soared to a new height once again.
This process lasted for nearly an hour. When it was over, Lam Minh let out a long breath. He no longer felt pain, but a sense of refreshment and being full of power.
He stood up and gently clenched his fist. He felt that he could now lift the entire Iron Horse 07 with one hand. His pure physical strength had increased by at least three times compared to the Early-stage.
"This is only the Mid-stage," he murmured. "What will it be like when I reach the Peak-stage, and then form a Golden Core?"
He looked at his status panel.
[Name: Lam Minh]
[Cultivation: Mid-stage Foundation Establishment]
[Immortality Points: 10,150]
[Next Goal: Late-stage Foundation Establishment (0/80,000)]
"80,000 points... The path of grinding is getting harder and harder." He sighed, but there was no discouragement in his eyes, only belligerence.
He knew that with his current strength, he was confident enough to "stroll" alone in more dangerous areas, looking for better quality "prey."
Lam Minh's breakthrough, though he tried his best to hide it, did not escape the notice of a few sensitive individuals.
During the next training session of the "Seed Squad," while Lam Minh was "instructing" Ly Thien Ba, he just "accidentally" patted him on the shoulder.
Ly Thien Ba immediately felt an indescribably warm but powerful energy flow into him, causing the qi and blood in his body to surge, and his strength seemed to increase by a level.
"Mas... Master!" Ly Thien Ba was astonished. "Just now... just now that was..."
"Just clearing my throat, it's nothing," Lam Minh waved his hand, quickly changing the subject.
Quynh Nhu stood from a distance, narrowing her eyes. She couldn't feel the energy, but a killer's intuition told her that the Lam Minh of today was much, much more dangerous than the Lam Minh of yesterday. He was standing there, but it felt as if he wasn't there at all, as if he had become one with the surrounding air.
His mysterious and rapid progress made her even more curious and... a little annoyed. She felt the distance between them growing ever wider.
Lam Minh's peace after his breakthrough didn't last long. A few days later, he received a surprise invitation from General Khang.
"Lam Minh, are you free?" General Khang's voice came over the phone. "Come to Blacklight headquarters. There's an important matter I need your help with."
Lam Minh arrived at the headquarters to find General Khang and Quynh Nhu standing in front of a large screen, their expressions very serious.
"Hello, General. What's the matter?"
"Look at this," General Khang pointed to the screen.
On it were lines of code and data streams running at a dizzying speed.
"This is our central network defense system," General Khang explained. "For the past 24 hours, it has been under continuous attack by a hacker. Not a Madakaros, but a human hacker."
"A hacker?" Lam Minh was surprised.
"That's right. An extremely skilled one," Quynh Nhu added, her expression a little annoyed. "Our entire team of cybersecurity experts has been stumped. This person isn't destroying anything or stealing data. They're simply... playing. They bypass all of our firewalls as if taking a stroll, leave a message saying 'You guys are too weak!' and then disappear."
This incident was a great humiliation for Blacklight.
"So... how can I help?" Lam Minh asked. He was good at fighting and cultivating, but he knew nothing about hacking.
"We've almost traced this hacker's location," General Khang said. "But they've set up a final layer of protection. A type of super-complex quantum algorithm password. Our experts say that even with a supercomputer, it would take several months to crack it."
He looked at Lam Minh. "But To Quyen told us that you have a transcendent mind, with the ability to 'guess' complex logical patterns. So we wanted to ask you... to give it a try."
Hearing this, Lam Minh almost fainted. "General, I only 'guess' basic physics stuff. These quantum algorithms..."
"Just give it a try," General Khang said. "Consider it helping us out. If you succeed, your military merits will certainly not be small."
Hearing the words "military merits," Lam Minh's eyes lit up a little.
"Alright, I'll give it a try," he reluctantly agreed.
He was led into a room full of servers and screens. A female expert with messy hair and dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep handed him a data tablet. "This is the structure of the code. Good luck."
Lam Minh looked at the jumbled lines of characters and equations, his head spinning.
But just as he was about to use his "wild guess method," To Quyen suddenly appeared.
"Let me help you," she said. "Two heads are always better than one. I'll analyze the structure, and you can use your 'intuition' to find the hidden pattern."
With To Quyen's support, Lam Minh felt more confident. He began to operate the "Primeval Dragon God Art," bringing his brain into a state of high concentration.
He didn't try to decode it. He just looked at the entire structure, feeling the flow of the data, searching for a "rhythm," a "melody" hidden behind the soulless numbers.
Time passed. To Quyen continuously provided analysis, while Lam Minh just sat in silence, his eyes closed.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes. "The password isn't a string of characters. It's a melody. A piece by Chopin."
"A piece of music?" Everyone was stunned.
"That's right," Lam Minh said. "Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2. Convert the notes of that piece into binary code according to their frequency. That's the key."
The cybersecurity expert was skeptical but did as he was told. She entered the binary code converted from the music piece.
Beep!
The final lock screen displayed a single word: [ACCESS GRANTED].
The whole room erupted. They had succeeded!
"Oh my god! Unbelievable! How did you do that?" the female expert asked Lam Minh in amazement.
"Ah... my mom made me learn piano when I was a kid, so I just 'guessed'," Lam Minh used another unbelievable excuse.
As soon as the final lock was opened, the hacker's location appeared on the map.
An old penthouse apartment, located in a rundown residential complex in District 8.
"Got him!" General Khang slammed the table. "Quynh Nhu! Lead a team there immediately! Capture that hacker alive for me!"
"Yes, sir!" Quynh Nhu accepted the order, but before leaving, she turned to look at Lam Minh and To Quyen. "You two... want to come along and see what this arrogant hacker looks like?"
Lam Minh and To Quyen looked at each other. They were also quite curious.
"Of course!"