Chapter 517 - 493: Shock

Chapter 517: Chapter 493: Shock

"That’s Lin Qi from Xia Country! Why is he here too?"

"Don’t tell me he broke through to the Seventh Realm already?"

"Obviously. What genius comes to the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar for any reason other than to cultivate a High-Level Source Energy Technique?"

Someone’s exclamation of surprise drew the attention of many others.

Even the two SSS-level geniuses, Jenos and Niting, looked over.

They watched Lin Qi from a distance. A profound and domineering aura radiated from his body.

Even in a crowd, he stood out like a crane among chickens.

His presence here was clear proof that he had successfully broken through to the Seventh Realm Blood Exchange.

Jenos sighed in admiration. "What astonishing Talent!"

The dozen or so geniuses behind him echoed his sentiment. They were all talents who had graduated a year or two ago.

They had only just broken through to the Seventh Realm and come to the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar for Cultivation.

By now, they were already 23 or 24 years old.

But Lin Qi was several years younger than them.

Niting Reddy, the SSS-level genius from Tianzhu Country, rubbed his shaved head. He was inwardly shocked for a moment before his expression returned to calm.

’With his Top Level Talent, it’s only natural for him to break through to the Seventh Realm now,’ he thought.

After disembarking, Lin Qi scanned his surroundings, sensing a multitude of powerful auras.

The Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar had truly gathered the greatest number of geniuses from all over Blue Star.

He extended his Perception and found that, aside from the staff, everyone present was a High Realm Martial Artist.

Besides the giant pillar before him, there was also a white, square building.

"Lin Qi, let’s go," Dean Liu said from the side.

The group walked to the white building, where rows of robots were waiting for them.

A lean, middle-aged man with graying hair approached Lin Qi.

His temples were streaked with white, a mark of his age; he didn’t look young.

"Hello. I am the director of the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar management office—Fu Xuan!"

Dean Liu was the first to shake his hand, smiling as he said,

"We’ll be in your care, Director Fu!"

Lin Qi then shook his hand and could feel an astonishing power contained within the man’s 1.8-meter-tall frame.

This was an Eighth Realm Martial Artist, and his Qi Blood was vigorous. He was by no means an Ordinary Eighth Realm Martial Artist!

Director Fu smiled and said, "Student Lin Qi, Student Zhang Tianyang, welcome to the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar!"

"I will be your host this time."

"Let’s head upstairs first."

With that, he led the three of them into the white, square building.

"There are only two buildings here. Our usual work involves maintaining the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar and receiving the geniuses who come from various countries."

"It’s also where everyone stays during their Cultivation period!"

Director Fu explained with a smile. Lin Qi could see receptionists from many countries, responsible for hosting the geniuses from their respective nations.

The three took the elevator to the third floor, where they were assigned rooms.

"Student Lin Qi, this is where you’ll be staying for the time being."

The door opened, and the three of them stepped inside. Lin Qi’s gaze swept across the room.

It was a four-room apartment with a living room: a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a Martial Arts Room.

The largest of them was the Martial Arts Room, at one hundred square meters.

After Fu Xuan left, Dean Liu sat down on the sofa and said,

"Lin Qi, you can rest for a day. You can start your Cultivation in the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar tomorrow."

"I’ll be returning to the Celestial Vault Institute. When you’ve finished your Cultivation, you can notify me, and I’ll come pick you up."

Lin Qi nodded and asked,

"Dean Liu, Director Fu is an Eighth Realm Martial Artist. Logically, shouldn’t he look younger?"

Dean Liu smiled and explained,

"Director Fu was born before the year 1999 of the Martial Arts Calendar. He’s from the same generation as Emperor Red, the King of Mountains and Rivers, and the Overlord."

"It’s just that his Talent only supported him up to the Eighth Realm; he couldn’t break through any further."

"For us Martial Artists, a Third Realm Martial Artist has a lifespan of 100 years."

"Breaking through to the Middle Realm can extend one’s maximum lifespan to 150 years."

"And for a Seventh Realm Martial Artist, our bodies undergo another transformation. Theoretical research suggests many can live for 300 years."

Lin Qi nodded to himself. 300 years. The lifespan of an ancient dynasty was also about 300 years.

Compared to a 300-year lifespan, being in your twenties was incredibly young.

Dean Liu continued, "An Eighth Realm Martial Artist can live for 500 years. A Ninth Realm Martial Artist is even stronger and can live for a millennium."

"Our Martial Arts have only been developing for 48 years. We are still far from reaching the limits of our lifespan."

"As for Director Fu, he was too old when he broke through to the Eighth Realm, and he doesn’t pay much attention to his appearance."

Lin Qi nodded. In the early days of the Martial Arts Era, facing the invasion of Calamity Beasts, Xia Country had also gone through a period of brutal, rapid development.

There weren’t many Martial Artists back then, and the High-Level Disaster Beast Flesh and Blood from hunts was eaten indiscriminately.

Anyone who didn’t die and survived would become at least a High Realm Martial Artist. In addition, the exploration of the Otherworld revealed Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures everywhere.

High-Level Disaster Beast Flesh and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were used to brute-force a whole group of High Realm Martial Artists into existence.

And Director Fu was one of them.

Martial Artists created through such brute-force methods lacked high Comprehension, had weak Martial Arts Skills, and possessed much lower Combat Power compared to other Martial Artists.

That’s why it was better for them to be stationed in important locations within Xia Country.

Lin Qi quickly deduced the reasoning behind it.

Lin Qi stood up and said,

"Dean Liu, starting my Cultivation tomorrow is too long a wait. Let’s just start in a bit!"

Dean Liu laughed.

"I knew you’d say that!"

"Alright, you can start your Cultivation this afternoon!"

"DING DONG."

Just then, the doorbell rang. When the door opened, it was the burly Zhang Tianyang. He said with a laugh,

"Teacher, I can’t wait until this afternoon to start cultivating."

Dean Liu smiled. "I knew it!"

The three sat on the sofa, and Dean Liu slowly began to speak.

"To comprehend the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar this time, we’ll need an auxiliary item: Level 9 Disaster Beast Blood."

"By consuming the blood, we can stimulate our own bloodlines and create a resonance with the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar, making it easier to find the most compatible Calamity Beast."

"And from that, comprehend a High-Level Source Energy Technique!"

"Unlike at the Disaster Beast Pyramid, where you only get a few drops of blood..."

"Comprehension is a long-term process. You’ll need to consume at least two drops every day."

"A one-month supply is 60 drops, which will cost at least two hundred million Xia Country Coins!"

Lin Qi was shocked. ’That price is truly expensive!’

The entry fee plus the Level 9 Disaster Beast Blood already amounted to 400 million Xia Country Coins.

After deducting this amount, he would have less than a hundred million left.

Dean Liu took a sip of water.

"Transfer the money for the Level 9 Disaster Beast Blood you need to me. I’ll report it to Director Fu so he can make the preparations."

"Then you can go right in and start your Cultivation this afternoon!"

...

Half an hour later, after a simple Level 6 Nutritional Meal, the three of them went downstairs and headed toward the black building.

At the entrance of the black building was a mechanical passageway, flanked by tall, silver robots.

Every Seventh Realm genius entering or exiting had to pass through the machine’s scan.

"BEEP!"

[ACCESS GRANTED!]

The three of them passed through the passageway’s scanning device and entered.

Lin Qi keenly sensed an invisible light scanning his body, verifying his genetic information.

Passing through a thick alloy door, the three entered the building, and a dazzling white light appeared before them.

It was a vast space, an open area of over a thousand square meters.

The walls of the surrounding structure were made of a special alloy, and on the ceiling hung a huge incandescent lamp, like an artificial sun.

It illuminated every corner of the space, making it as bright as day.

In the very center of the space stood a colossal, blood-red stone pillar.

The pillar, over ten meters in diameter, shot straight up to the dome. The visible portion alone was already over 20 meters high.

As the three continued forward, the view suddenly opened up, and the blood pillar came into full view.

It was a hundred meters tall; what they had seen before was less than a fifth of its total height.

Before them was a huge, bowl-shaped basin.

It was like looking down at the Ancient Roman Arena from above, with white steps descending tier by tier.

But Lin Qi’s gaze remained fixed on the massive stone pillar, unable to look away. Its entire body was a deep, blood-red color.

The pillar seemed to be formed from the coagulated blood of countless Calamity Beasts, its surface intricately carved with dense patterns of them.

Each one was lifelike, exuding a heart-pounding aura.

It was as if they could leap out from the pillar at any moment.

"Is this the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar? It’s breathtaking!"

Beside him, Zhang Tianyang’s eyes widened as he stared at the sight before him in utter shock.

It wasn’t just him; everyone who saw the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar for the first time was lost in awe.

"My God!"

"This is simply divine craftsmanship! Something only God could create!"

"What powerful being could have carved this!"

The geniuses from every country were stunned.

Dean Liu laughed. "The first time I saw the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar, I was just as shocked as you are!"

"It’s hard to imagine what kind of powerful being carved it."

"Emperor Red paid a tremendous price just to transport it back to the base!"

Just then, Director Fu walked over, followed by an intelligent robot carrying one or two Metal Boxes.

He opened one, revealing rows of embedded red spheres, each about the size of a pill.

Fu Xuan explained, "This is all Level 9 Disaster Beast Blood, encased in a dissolvable material that automatically dissolves after being swallowed."

"One box contains 60 drops, a one-month supply. You can purchase more after you run out."

Lin Qi took the Metal Box. The image of a Platinum Evil Tiger was printed on its surface.

Fu Xuan pointed at the white steps that spiraled downward. Dozens, even hundreds, of figures were already sitting there cross-legged.

Their eyes were wide, completely focused on observing the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar. Some radiated powerful auras, with special Energy fluctuations brewing around them.

Beside each of them was an identical metal box containing Level 9 Disaster Beast Blood.

"Once you go in, you can find any spot you like to begin observing," Fu Xuan said with a smile.

"Who’s ranked first?"

"Why is the strongest genius from our White Eagle Federation only ranked third?"

A sudden commotion drew the attention of the four of them.

Not far away, a group from the White Eagle Federation was staring at a large screen projected in mid-air.

"It’s the Cultivation time leaderboard!" Zhang Tianyang said.

Lin Qi looked up at the projected leaderboard, which was densely packed with a vast number of names.

...