Chapter 528 - 502: Xia Country’s Crisis

Chapter 528: Chapter 502: Xia Country’s Crisis

Lin Qi reviewed the Cultivation Technique again.

It detailed the compression of Power and how to integrate various Special Abilities to induce a qualitative change.

It described how to cultivate Gang Power, with each step explained in exceptional detail, but the difficulty was also very high.

The Golden Emperor Tiger was naturally of the Metal Attribute.

It didn’t matter which type of Metal Attribute Special Ability one had awakened. The more Special Abilities one possessed, the stronger the resulting Gang Power would be.

As for Spiritual Mind Masters, their situation was rather pitiful.

Although they lacked Special Abilities, they could still condense Gang Power, but it was a "blank slate" version, offering only a limited increase in might.

Therefore, close-quarters combat was extremely disadvantageous for them.

Lin Qi sorted through the method for cultivating Gang Power from the Cultivation Technique and immediately began to try it.

"To cultivate Gang Power, those with poor Talent must practice diligently for a year to succeed!"

"Those with average Talent can succeed in several months."

"Those with better Talent can succeed in just one month!"

"Cultivating the Golden Emperor’s Secret Manual requires completion within seven days!"

Lin Qi shook his head. He hadn’t expected the difficulty for an ordinary person to master Gang Power to be so high.

Even a genius capable of comprehending a technique on the level of the Golden Emperor’s Secret Manual needed seven days.

And these were the most top-tier SSS-level geniuses.

That meant the "better Talent" category referred to ordinary SSS-level geniuses.

Ordinary SS-level and S-class geniuses would probably need several months.

WHIRRR!

Lin Qi circulated his Power, and his body vibrated as a massive amount of Source Energy gathered within him, coalescing into streams.

After these Source Energy Particles were digested by his body, it was as if they were branded with his mark, completely under his control.

This was something completely impossible to do in the Sixth Realm.

No wonder one had to be in the Seventh Realm to condense Gang Power. The difficulty of just controlling Source Energy alone was exceptionally high.

The Source Energy and Power merged, flowing through his body like a current.

BOOM!

In an instant, golden patterns appeared on Lin Qi’s body, erupting in a Golden Light.

The two powers of his Special Abilities, [Jin Feng] and [Golden Light], converged.

They spiraled into his Power.

The convergence of these forces was potent, but it was merely a simple superposition of power.

It was like stacking two wooden swords together; their combined might and destructive force would still be inferior to a single iron sword.

What was needed was a qualitative change—a compression and condensation into a single, unified force.

Once circulated, it should naturally condense to form Gang Power.

Lin Qi began to attempt the compression, using the method from the Golden Emperor’s Secret Manual to merge the four distinct forces.

BOOM!

A moment later, Lin Qi’s body jolted. His blood surged violently, and the power dissipated in all directions.

COUGH, COUGH!

Lin Qi coughed hard.

’I failed!’

Lin Qi frowned, feeling a sharp pain from his Inner Organs.

The failed compression had instead resulted in internal injuries from the backlash.

However, his Inner Organs were tough, and this bit of pain would heal quickly.

So, he continued the compression, his Spiritual Power seeping into his body like a stream of water.

High-Level Control Technique—Ten Thousand Rivers Stream!

With the addition of his Spiritual Power, his control over the four forces became much smoother.

「A few minutes later」

BOOM!

Lin Qi’s body jolted again. A lump formed in his throat, and blood trickled from his mouth.

The compression had failed once more.

Lin Qi felt a dull ache in his Inner Organs. ’Sometimes, being too strong isn’t a good thing,’ he thought. ’If you can’t control it, the impact on your body is immense.’

He got up, took a bottle of Healing Potion from a cabinet, and drank it.

Then, he sat cross-legged again and resumed his attempt to condense Gang Power.

WHIRRR!

A golden glint shone from his eyes as the golden patterns in his pupils swirled. His Talent, [Golden Eyes], activated!

The entire world became clearer. His eyes gained X-ray Vision, allowing him to see his own Inner Organs through his skin.

Within his body, the trajectories of his Source Energy and his two Special Abilities became visible.

At the same time, he mobilized his Spiritual Power, making full use of every advantage he had.

As he tried to merge the four forces again, Lin Qi found it significantly easier.

’Golden Eyes is such a cheat! Its effects are too powerful!’

Lin Qi marveled at it. With the help of [Golden Eyes], he felt it wouldn’t take him long to condense his Gang Power.

And so, he settled his mind and began to condense his Gang Power!

...

「That afternoon, in Dean Liu’s office at the Celestial Dome Tower」

Several figures sat on a sofa, the aroma of tea filling the air as they chatted over their cups.

Vice Principal Xu Wenji, dressed in a red and white robe, remarked with a sigh,

"Lin Qi is truly extraordinary. He, along with Sun Saint and Li Tianxing, has become one of the top geniuses of our Xia Country!"

"His future is limitless!"

"When does he plan to head to the battlefield?"

In Xia Country, there was an unwritten rule: after breaking through to the Seventh Realm, every Martial Artist had to go to the battlefield, sooner or later.

No genius was exempt.

Dean Liu, sitting opposite him, said, "He’ll head to the battlefield once he masters Gang Power."

Xu Wenji nodded. "That gives him some time. With his Talent, about ten days should be enough!"

"You should prepare yourself as well!"

Dean Liu shook his head. "Unfortunately, Old Xue and the others have already gone to the [Relic], intending to pass its trial and break through to the Ninth Realm!"

"I hope he can successfully break through to the Ninth Realm this time!"

Xu Wenji shook his head. "It’s very difficult. It’s too hard for an SS-level genius to pass the trial of the [Relic]."

"The few who have passed all had their own fortuitous encounters. Strictly speaking, they already fall into the category of SSS-level geniuses."

According to the rules of the Three Great Martial Arts Dojos, once one breaks through to become a High Realm Martial Artist, their talent level can no longer be upgraded.

It’s considered meaningless at that point.

Dean Liu sighed as well. Unless Xue Zhou had some other fortuitous encounter that could raise his Talent again, his chances of breaking through were slim.

...

「Martial Arts Calendar, Year 2048, August 15th」

In a second-floor lecture hall at the Celestial Dome Tower, all 55 third-year students were present.

With a few minutes left in class, the Martial Arts General Education Course instructor projected the news.

"According to our latest report, at 5 AM today, a Super Large Disaster Beast Tide erupted in Japan. Five Ninth-Level Calamity Beasts and one unknown Tenth-Level Calamity Beast have appeared!"

"At the same time, a Super Large Beast Tide erupted in the Silla Kingdom. Four Ninth-Level Calamity Beasts and one unknown Tenth-Level Calamity Beast have appeared!"

"At 7 AM, a Super Large Disaster Beast Tide erupted once again in our country’s North River Province. According to frontline reports, nine Ninth-Level Calamity Beasts have already appeared."

"Along with one unknown Tenth-Level Calamity Beast!"

"Our country’s Martial Artists are fighting tenaciously to resist the Disaster Beast Tide..."

"Meanwhile, large-scale Disaster Beast Tides have also erupted in Cang Province, Sichuan Province, Guangdong Province, and other areas!"

Seeing this, everyone’s expression turned grim.

Wan Ming shook his head. "Three Super Large Disaster Beast Tides within a few hours!"

"Japan, Silla, and our Xia Country... three Tenth-Level Calamity Beasts emerged from the Otherworld at the same time."

"This is a massive catastrophe!"

"I can’t imagine how many people will be sacrificed. Perhaps even a Ninth Realm Martial Artist will fall."

Pei Jiu gave a bitter smile. "Why North River Province again? North River is truly plagued by disasters."

Yu Zhuoran nodded. "I don’t care about the other countries, I just hope our country doesn’t suffer too great a loss."

"It’s a good thing it’s in North River Province this time. That’s where our country’s strongest Martial Artist forces are concentrated."

"Several Ninth Realm Martial Artists are there. The King of Mountains and Rivers and the Overlord are both there. Hopefully, they can hold them off!"

The students all discussed amongst themselves, feeling immense pressure.

This attack on North River Province was even more ferocious than the last. A full nine Ninth-Level Calamity Beasts—that alone would be a national incident at any other time.

Now there was an even more terrifying Tenth-Level Calamity Beast on top of that.

It was uncertain if they could even hold them off.

RING RING RING!

"Class dismissed!"

As the bell rang, the instructor turned off the projector, and the classroom filled with the sound of discussion.

"My brother is in North River Province, at the Black Dragon Base. I hope he’s okay!"

"My teacher is already in North River Province. He was seriously injured last time."

"He just barely recovered, and now a Tenth-Level Calamity Beast shows up. I can only hope he’ll be alright."

"My two older sisters are both in North River Province. I hope they’ll be safe."

The students walked along the path, talking as they went.

Pei Jiu also smiled bitterly. "I have two older brothers and an older sister in North River Province."

"I hope they’ll be okay!"

The others comforted Pei Jiu. With so many siblings on the battlefield, there was too much to worry about.

The more people you had there, the higher the chance of an accident.

Jiangtao clenched his fists. "Brother Qi, we have to get stronger!"

Lin Qi nodded as well. With his strength, he estimated he would be a great help if he were to step onto the battlefield.

...

A few minutes later, the students dispersed. In the oppressive atmosphere, they all chose to train desperately.

Lin Qi was no different.

He returned to his Villa No. 9, where several platters of food sat on the dining table, steaming fragrantly.

Lin Qi picked up his bowl and began to dig in.

In half an hour, all 300 kilograms of beast meat were in his stomach.

HUFF!

Lin Qi let out a breath. He only felt about 80% full. After breaking through to the Seventh Realm, his appetite had increased dramatically.

He entered the Martial Arts Room and took another Healing Potion.

Then, he sat cross-legged, feeling the heat in his body as a double layer of golden patterns emerged on his skin, his Special Abilities flaring to life.

His eyes erupted with a golden glint, and he immediately activated [Golden Eyes].

He had been cultivating for two days now and felt he was getting closer and closer to success.

Although his Inner Organs had taken considerable damage in the process, by constantly splurging on High-Level Healing Potions, his Inner Organs not only recovered quickly but also became even tougher.

’Today,’ he thought, ’I will finally condense my Gang Power!’

WHIRRR!

His body vibrated as he began to condense his Gang Power, activating the three major functions of [Golden Eyes]: X-ray Vision, Energy Vision, and High-speed Capture.

Inside his body, the four forces—his Power, Source Energy, [Golden Light], and [Jin Feng]—appeared clearly in his sight.

The four forces each operated on completely different trajectories.

Now, under Lin Qi’s control, they spiraled together, compressing and condensing.

An unknown amount of time passed as the forces continued to compress, compress, and compress again.

They were compressed to the absolute limit!

BOOM!

Suddenly, Lin Qi’s entire body trembled. A vibration ran through him as a terrifying aura erupted from within.

’Success!’ A completely new power was converging inside him.

It condensed and compressed into a sphere before dispersing like a liquid current, merging into his blood and flowing to every corner of his body.

Lin Qi could feel that this power was fierce and domineering; its very essence had undergone a complete transformation.

Its nature had changed from ordinary wood to steel tempered a thousand times!

HUFF!

THUMP-THUMP!

At that moment, Lin Qi’s body was also undergoing a drastic change!

He felt that he was about to undergo his second Blood Exchange!

...