Chapter 312 - 30: Abnormal Movement of the Metal Sphere

The reason was simple: a single, normal training session now required half a vial of an intermediate-grade nutritional potion.

That was a good ten to twenty thousand yuan right there.

On top of that, he had his regular nutritional needs, which included dozens of kilograms of High-Level Exotic Beast Meat or at least one intermediate-grade nutritional potion every week.

All told, even if he didn’t focus on further developing his Life Energy, he would still need over two hundred thousand yuan a month just for nutritional expenses to maintain his body’s peak condition.

’Fortunately, the Superpower Bureau isn’t stingy.’

’Besides my salary, I get five units of Advanced Nutritional Resources and a bottle of energy mineral essence each month. The two thousand contribution points are also equivalent to another unit of advanced resources.’

Even so, Lu Chao knew this was all just the basics. If he wanted to improve faster, he had to complete more missions for the Superpower Bureau and earn more contribution points.

Lost in thought, he walked over to a corner of the Cultivation Chamber.

A black metal case was resting against the wall.

He entered the password and opened it, revealing two objects inside.

One was a black metal sphere etched with several golden lines, and the other was a tattered piece of brown parchment.

He instinctively picked up the sphere. It was cold to the touch, and he habitually began channeling his Martial Arts Flame into it.

At the same time, he unfolded the parchment, and the map within came into view.

Red River, Crow Valley, Nanyun Mountain...

This was the fragmented map he had taken from one of the warlord Lu Shan’s snipers during an attack on a wilderness settlement outside Ring City.

It showed the location of some old-era ruins in Nanyun Mountain.

Back then, he hadn’t been strong enough and the location was too far, so he had set the matter aside without looking into it further.

But now...

’The Red Maple City Circle isn’t too far from Nanyun Mountain—only a little over a hundred kilometers. That’s not exactly the deep wilderness.’

’Maybe I can check it out later?’

An idea began to form in Lu Chao’s mind.

With his current strength, boosted by his Titan’s Power talent, he could defend himself even if he ran into a Beast King or a mid- to large-scale warlord faction.

If he went to explore and managed to get some extra resources, he could naturally improve faster and perhaps even awaken a new talent.

’I should wait a bit longer.’

’I should learn more about Nanyun Mountain first, then make a plan.’

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Chao put the items down.

"Hm?"

His eyes suddenly focused. He looked down at the metal sphere in his hand, which was still absorbing his Qi Flame.

The golden lines etched into it had begun to flash with light—a strange reaction he had never seen before.

’This is...?’

Lu Chao was surprised. He had tried this right after breaking through to the Superpower Level, but even then, the metal sphere had remained completely intact, simply swallowing his Qi Flame, reacting exactly as it always had before.

To this day, he still didn’t know its origin or what kind of metal it was made from.

So why was it reacting so strangely now?

HUMMM!

Suddenly, Lu Chao’s keen senses picked up on something. He could clearly feel the suction from within the sphere growing stronger.

Without hesitation, he channeled even more of his Qi Flame into it.

One second... five seconds... ten seconds...

The golden lines glowed brighter and brighter, as if the sphere was about to activate.

With a look of anticipation, he continued to channel his Qi Flame.

HUM!

But in the next instant, the suction from within the metal sphere stopped abruptly, and the light from the golden lines died out.

Lu Chao’s expression tightened. He felt his Qi Flame, with nowhere else to go, flow back through his palm and return to his body.

’Something’s not right...’

His expression shifted as he sensed that something was wrong.

’All the signs pointed to the sphere being on the verge of activation, so why did it suddenly stop?’

’Was it because there wasn’t enough energy?’

A guess popped into Lu Chao’s mind, but it didn’t feel quite right.

’If that were the case, why didn’t it just drain all of my Qi Flame?’

’No, that’s not it.’

Suddenly, it dawned on him. Lu Chao had realized a key point.

’Even after I broke through to the Superpower Level, there was no strange reaction. That means there’s another reason for this.’

’And the only difference between then and now is...’

’Could it be...?’

An idea struck him, and Lu Chao summoned his Qi Flame again.

A faint brown glow appeared. He realized that the Golden Stone Flame he had previously cultivated had been completely consumed just now. It would take time to recover, leaving only his ordinary, uncompressed Qi Flame.

’Is it because of the Ten Thousand Spirits Martial Arts Skill?’

The more Lu Chao considered the possibility, the more likely it seemed.

’A lack of energy wasn’t the real reason. The key was the quality of the Qi Flame.’

’The Ten Thousand Spirits Martial Arts Skill enhances the quality of one’s Qi Flame. That’s why the sphere reacted strangely. It must have stopped because the quality of my remaining, ordinary Qi Flame wasn’t high enough.’

’If that’s the case, did I stumble upon the right answer?’

His eyes lit up with a newfound sense of anticipation.

He had always been intensely curious about this metal sphere.

Its unknown origin and indestructible material—which neither his Martial Arts Flame nor his Titan state could even scratch—spoke volumes of its mysterious nature.

’If I can master the "Hundred Refinements" stage and break through to the Peak of Limit-Breaking, will I be able to activate it?’

...

「That afternoon.」

Lu Chao pushed aside his speculation about the metal sphere and left his room.

His communicator was vibrating nonstop with multiple messages.

There were concerned messages from his Senior Brother Zheng Wu and missed call requests from Master Ge and others.

News of his breakthrough to the Superpower Level had spread like wildfire through most of Red Maple Shelter City, and his conflict with the Tan family had also become common knowledge.

But because he had been in seclusion for the past two days, everyone who was concerned about him had grown quite anxious.

"Senior Brother Zheng and Elder Ge came by twice, but since you said you were in seclusion and shouldn’t be disturbed, they left. Also, the Hunter Guild asked Master Ge to pass along their congratulations on your breakthrough."

Zhao Yuanqing and Chen Xiao flanked Lu Chao as they walked out of the apartment building, their faces beaming with pride for his achievements.

They hadn’t gone anywhere for the past two days, choosing to stay in the apartment to help him manage the recent turmoil and gather information.

"We’ll visit them after we take care of business," Lu Chao said with a nod, getting a clearer picture of what had happened over the past two days.

It wasn’t that he was being arrogant and intentionally avoiding them; rather, some matters were still unresolved, and he didn’t want to drag Zheng Wu and the others into them.

Take now, for instance. The reason he was leaving the apartment building was to go to the Superpower Bureau.

And the reason for that was simple.

Yao Jin had just contacted him. There was a resolution regarding the matter with the Tan family.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

With a steady pace, Lu Chao led the other two straight toward the Superpower Bureau.

He subtly extended his keen senses, noticing that the faint, malicious feeling of being watched had vanished.

’Have the people from the Biotechnology Company withdrawn?’

Lu Chao thought, a glint in his eye.

Soon after, as if making small talk, Chen Xiao casually brought something up.

Lu Chao stopped in his tracks, slightly surprised by what he heard.

...

BOOM!!!

A high-explosive round detonated in an alley within the Red Maple City Circle, blasting a shallow crater into the concrete.

Nearby passersby flinched at the sound, their heads whipping toward the source of the explosion.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Drones tore through the sky, converging on the alley.

A Biotechnology Company hovercraft skimmed past the high-rises, its rotating gun turrets on either side taking aim at the alley below.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Amid the gunfire, several squads of the Biotechnology Company’s elite security forces, clad in combat gear and wielding automatic rifles, surrounded the alley and opened fire.

The quiet alley instantly erupted with the roar of gunfire, kicking up clouds of dust and debris.

The barrage lasted for several moments before the gunfire ceased, and the alley fell silent once more.

One second... three seconds... five seconds...

In the eerie silence, the Biotechnology Company security personnel stopped firing and looked in unison toward their squad commander.

The commander hesitated for a moment, then looked up at the sky.

The hovercraft’s cabin door slid open. Advisor Sun, dressed in a black suit, stood at the opening with a grim expression, his clothes whipping in the wind. He looked down at the ground below, his gaze fixed on the dust-shrouded, deathly-silent alley.

"Get him!" he commanded in a low voice, the order echoing in every security officer’s earpiece.

’He dared to attack the Biotechnology Company’s headquarters at night. If we don’t catch him, how will we maintain our authority?’

"Yes, sir!"

The squad commander nodded quickly and waved his hand, signaling several teams to move in and surround the area.

Just as they were about to completely seal off the alley...

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Several eerie green fireballs shot out from inside, streaking toward them like missiles.

The pupils of every Biotechnology security member constricted as a chill shot up their spines.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Magic Power fireballs detonated like bombs, setting off a chain of explosions.

In an instant, the shockwave swept through the alley, clearing the dust and smoke.

A Caucasian man with eerie green pupils stood revealed in the center of the alley. He wore a wide-brimmed hat and a black woolen overcoat, and he held a silver-tipped cane in his left hand. His face was cold as he looked up at the sky.

Their eyes met. He stared up at Advisor Sun and broke into a sneer.

"You people think you’re worthy of coveting the Holy Scripture?!"