Chapter 310 - 29: Ten Thousand Spirits Martial Arts Skill (2)

Superpower Team leaders could choose one Superpower Level Martial Arts Skill for free, an opportunity he had no intention of passing up.

Soon, he opened the Martial Arts Skill category, and his gaze swept over the listings.

[Overturning Sea Martial Arts Skill: Contains three layers of core principles, can be cultivated to the Transcendence Level. The Qi Flame possesses the high-pressure characteristics of ocean waves, providing at least a twofold boost to combat power in aquatic environments!]

’It needs a terrain advantage to unleash its full power...’ With a single glance, Lu Chao dismissed it.

[Blast Flame Fighting Skill: Contains six layers. The first three are at the Elite Level, and the latter three correspond to the Superpower Three Gates. Cultivating this skill requires switching Fighting Skills. The Qi Flame will gain a more domineering blast flame characteristic, increasing explosive destructive power against enemies...]

[Iron Rock Martial Arts Skill: Contains six layers... After cultivating this skill, the Qi Flame will gain a trace of the iron rock characteristic, becoming sturdy and powerful like molten steel, enhancing defense...]

[...]

Lu Chao read the detailed introductions for several skills in a row.

Most of them required switching to new core principles. ’While my Copper Flesh and Iron Bones wouldn’t disappear, the power boost they provide would be significantly reduced. My Golden Stone Flame would also change into a new type of Martial Arts Flame.’

’Copper Flesh and Iron Bones are what allow the Rock Martial Skill to reach its maximum potential. If its effects are weakened, that would be far from ideal.’

’Unless I can also redeem a powerful, compatible Martial Skill, but that would be even more costly, and most of my previous hard work would go to waste.’

His eyes flickered as he carefully weighed his options.

’If I don’t switch my Martial Arts Skill, then without the necessary core principles, it will be very difficult for me to break through to the next realm with my Golden Stone Fighting Skill.’

Caught in a dilemma, he looked at some other Martial Arts Skills that didn’t require a switch.

’They either required a terrain advantage to unleash their full power, or they were just too mediocre. Not ideal.’

"Hm?"

Just then, Lu Chao’s gaze sharpened as he spotted a particular skill.

[Ten Thousand Spirits Martial Arts Skill: Comprises three realms: [Hundred Refinements], [Thousand Temperings], and [Ten Thousand Forgings]!]

[To cultivate this skill, one must repeatedly refine and temper the Qi Flame... It allows you to retain all the special effects of your original Qi Flame and Fighting Skill. Upon successful cultivation, the Qi Flame will undergo multiple fusions and compressions, gaining a ’heavy pressure’ characteristic. The Qi Flame will become heavier and more solid, enhancing both defensive and explosive destructive power...]

[Warning: The cultivation difficulty and threshold for this skill are high, with specific requirements for physical constitution. Please consider your choice carefully!]

As Lu Chao finished reading the detailed description, his eyes lit up with interest.

’This Martial Arts Skill is a perfect match for the Golden Stone Fighting Skill.’

’Not only can I preserve the power of my original Fighting Skill, but it will also merge perfectly with the dense nature of my Golden Stone Flame.’

’A Qi Flame tempered and refined this way would be incredibly powerful, achieving a qualitative leap through quantitative compression. It would have no weaknesses in either defense or offense. It’s all about overwhelming opponents with pure force, perfect for direct confrontations. This suits my style perfectly.’

’As for the final warning, the required level of physical strength is even less of a concern for me.’

With that, Lu Chao made his decision.

A few moments later, he selected the [Ten Thousand Spirits Martial Arts Skill].

A beam of blue light shot out from his wristband, gradually forming a holographic screen.

He focused his gaze on the screen and soon saw the detailed core principles of the Martial Arts Skill.

A Superpower Level figure was personally demonstrating the method of compressing the Qi Flame through repeated tempering and refinement.

Gradually, as he became engrossed, Lu Chao quickly entered a state of cultivation.

...

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

「Underground World, Hive District.」

An elevator made of an iron frame and wire mesh, suspended by steel cables, descended slowly, emitting the heavy, grinding sound of gears.

High overhead, incandescent lights embedded in the subterranean rock were encased in metal frames, forming a web of light that barely illuminated the underground city.

The densely packed, dilapidated buildings resembled a giant hive. Tens of thousands of neon signs flickered everywhere, filling the air with the clamor and bustle of life.

A man in a blue hoodie watched all of this in silence, his expression cold, as he allowed the heavy, iron-frame elevator to continue its descent.

The elevator stopped multiple times as residents got on and off.

Some punks with cybernetic implants were even showing off the glowing patterns on their arms, which flashed with light as they puffed out smoke.

"Brother Liang, that’s awesome! Is that a third-gen civilian model implant? I heard with that thing, you can even beat some martial artists."

"Of course. This is from Steel Union Mechanical. They’re one of the founding families of our Red Maple City, and their tech is no joke..."

"As expected of Brother Liang. Of all of us from the orphanage, you’re the one who’s doing the best."

The conversation reached the ears of the man in the blue hoodie, and he glanced in their direction.

"What are you looking at?"

One of the young punks glared at him, deliberately trying to provoke him.

The man in the blue hoodie said nothing, his face obscured by a black mask that hid his expression.

But his eyes were exceptionally cold, utterly devoid of emotion, enough to send a chill down one’s spine.

"Forget it, forget it."

Sensing something was wrong, the cyber-enhanced young man called Brother Liang quickly waved his hand. When the elevator stopped again, he dragged his cursing companion off.

Soon, the iron-frame elevator returned to silence, leaving only the young man in blue.

His eyes flickered for a moment, but he remained motionless.

He didn’t move until the web of incandescent light overhead had faded away and the elevator passed beneath the Hive District, descending into an even deeper level of the building.

In silence, he exited the elevator and navigated the twisting underground corridors until he arrived at a prearranged secret room.

A rectangular metal table stood in the center, where several figures were already seated on one side.

"Old Ghost, I hear that kid who hurt your apprentice broke through to the Superpower Level. Aren’t you going to get some payback?"

"Fuck off. This is none of your damn business..."

"Hee hee, getting angry again? Your composure is slipping, Old Ghost. You’re not actually thinking of going after that kid, are you?"

The woman, Zhu Yue, provoked him as usual, causing the black-robed old man in the corner to glare viciously and snort coldly.

The man in the blue hoodie remained expressionless as he silently took his seat.

"Tsk, tsk. Seriously, is there something strange about that orphanage of yours?"

Seeing him arrive, Legos, who was seated to the side, lowered his voice and said with a teasing smile, "One of you from there was enough, but now it’s churned out another Superpower Level?"

Wu Yuntao didn’t respond, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his blue hoodie, acting as if the new Superpower Level being discussed had nothing to do with him.

"So composed. Tsk, tsk."

"Tell me," Legos said with a provocative smile, "if he finds out what happened back then, do you think he’ll come looking for you?"

After a brief silence, Wu Yuntao glanced at him and said flatly, "Are you threatening me?"

The atmosphere tensed, and a silver glint seemed to flash in his eyes.

"Heh, of course not."

Waving his hand dismissively, Legos jutted his chin toward the holographic screen at the head of the table, where new mission directives were being displayed.

"However, the leader has issued a new mission."

"We’re going to have to make some noise around here, and I’m just worried that if you do run into that kid, you might go soft..."

Hearing this, Wu Yuntao looked away.

The metal table before him gleamed coldly. He lowered his gaze, his voice as indifferent as ever. "He’s just a lucky tag-along."

"If he gets in my way, I’ll kill him."