Chapter 301: Administrator Permissions Upgraded
City of Light Chasing, Martial Artist Association.
As the sun set in the west, the association, which should have quieted down, was instead brightly lit. Many martial artists gathered together, and the lively scene was just like a festival.
“What did you say? The more than ten Blood Condensation Realm masters hired by Earth Star Pharmaceuticals were completely wiped out, and Mo Xiao, one of Smiling Skull’s Seven Guardians, was killed. How is that possible!” The Winged Tribe noblewoman sitting in the VIP training room stared in disbelief at the golden-furred Ape Clan man who had entered, suspecting she had misheard.
“Possible or not, this news has already spread throughout the Wushan Region,” the golden-furred Ape Clan man explained. “And besides that, all the major powers bought Obsidian Martial Arts Hall training quotas at the Crimson Moon Auction. Each training quota went for more than one hundred thousand energy crystals. Even Lord City Lord bid for one, and I heard he plans to reward it to one of his outstanding geniuses. That information should not be false.”
“An Obsidian Martial Arts Hall training quota for one hundred thousand energy crystals, are those factions all insane?” The Winged Tribe noblewoman’s beautiful eyes widened. Hearing this news felt like pure fantasy.
As the Winged Tribe’s clan leader in the City of Light Chasing and also a Top Bone Forging Realm Expert, in her life she had not even seen fifty thousand energy crystals, let alone one hundred thousand.
Yet a single Obsidian Martial Arts Hall training quota could casually sell for one hundred thousand energy crystals. She did not know whether this world had gone mad, or she was simply too poor.
“This time Obsidian Martial Arts Hall is not simple. I heard that Obsidian Martial Arts Hall will teach trainees Limit Breaking Level Martial Skills, so the major powers, including the City Lord, all bought a quota.” The golden-furred Ape Clan man sighed. “The current Obsidian Martial Arts Hall can be said to be an existence far beyond our reach. I came to remind you not to get into any conflict with people from Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. When the time comes, even the City Lord will not be able to protect you or your Winged Tribe.”
“I naturally understand that.” The Winged Tribe noblewoman nodded, a trace of anticipation in her eyes. “Do you think if we let our clan’s geniuses join Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, they might have a chance to learn that Limit Breaking Level Martial Skill of theirs?”
For the Top Bone Forging Realm Experts in these cities, Limitless Level martial skills were like legends that they did not even dare to imagine. Without enough energy crystals to buy training quotas, they could only let their geniuses join Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.
As long as a clan genius had the chance to learn it, it would mean the whole Winged Tribe obtained it. Their clan foundation would rise by a large step, and breaking out of the City of Light Chasing would no longer be impossible.
“They should be able to. That training quota is equivalent to the treatment of a core disciple of Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. As long as the geniuses who join can become core disciples, I imagine they can learn it.” The golden-furred Ape Clan man’s eyes lit up, and he spoke excitedly. “This is an opportunity for both our tribes. As long as the geniuses we send become core disciples, then everyone in our tribes will have some chance to learn Limit Breaking Level Martial Skills.”
“The sooner the better. I think we should quickly send our geniuses over. If Obsidian Martial Arts Hall fills up its recruitment, then we will have no chance.” The Winged Tribe noblewoman spoke hastily.
“You are right. I will send our tribe’s geniuses over tonight.” The golden-furred Ape Clan man nodded in full agreement.
While the Ape Clan and Winged Tribe of the City of Light Chasing sent many of their clan geniuses to join Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, all the races in the City of Light Chasing, and even the city clans around Chiyue Town, rushed to Obsidian Martial Arts Hall overnight. Obsidian Martial Arts Hall became more bustling than ever before.
Chiyue Town, late at night.
In the beginner meditation room, after Lin Qi finished alone settling the players’ accounts for this town task, he soon turned his gaze to the cultivation methods on the table obtained from the auction.
“Seven beginner level Heavenly Human Realm cultivation methods, plus thirty-four Blood Condensation Realm cultivation methods, and one Heavenly Human Realm cultivation method and half of a Blood Condensation Realm cultivation method from the Star Energy Civilization obtained through a transaction with Precia. I wonder to what level I can fuse and optimize three cultivation methods.”
Looking at the table full of cultivation methods, Lin Qi felt both uneasy and expectant.
Previously, through more than ten incomplete Bone Forging Realm cultivation methods, he had fused three-system Super-level Bone Forging Realm Secret Techniques. Now there were forty-two cultivation methods. Although most of them were beginner and intermediate level cultivation methods, fusing and optimizing the three-system cultivation methods to reach advanced Blood Condensation Secret Techniques, or even mid-stage Heavenly Human Realm Secret Techniques, should not be difficult.
If he could fuse and optimize them into super-level Blood Condensation Secret Techniques, or high-level Heavenly Human Realm Secret Techniques, he would be set. At the very least, in the future when players broke through to the Blood Condensation Realm or even the Heavenly Human Realm, the difficulty would be much lower at the same stage, their physical fitness would be stronger, and a great deal of resources would be saved.
After breaking through to the Blood Condensation Realm, energy blood essence became a necessary item for cultivation, and a large city like the City of Light Chasing only produced twelve pieces a year.
If one cultivated an intermediate Blood Condensation Realm cultivation method, even if all twelve pieces a year were kept for oneself, with no bottlenecks in the cultivation method, it would still be difficult to break through to intermediate Blood Condensation Realm within two or three years.
But if one cultivated an advanced Blood Condensation Realm cultivation method, the consumption would be halved, and the required time would also be less. It might even be possible to break through to intermediate Blood Condensation Realm in one or two years. This was why a super genius like Xie Feina was so intent on pursuing Star Energy Civilization cultivation methods.
Without obtaining advanced Blood Condensation Realm or mid-stage Heavenly Human Realm cultivation methods, Xie Feina would rather die than break through. First, the foundation built at breakthrough was different; second, each future breakthrough would cost much less in resources and time.
As for Lin Qi, this was even more the case. Even if players could break through with intermediate Blood Condensation Realm cultivation methods, he would absolutely not allow it. Even advanced Blood Condensation Realm cultivation methods felt too costly to him. After all, he had to support a large group of players. The manufacture of energy blood essence and the resources and manpower consumed would also take a great deal of time. He did not want to still be stuck in the Blood Condensation Realm by the time he died of old age.
So his baseline was advanced Blood Condensation Secret Techniques. Although after breaking through to the Blood Condensation Realm, the cultivation effect would not differ much from standard advanced Blood Condensation Realm cultivation methods, because the condensed blood energy was higher, the consumption of energy blood essence would be much lower than with normal advanced Blood Condensation Realm cultivation methods.
System: forty-two cultivation methods detected. Begin fusing and optimizing existing cultivation methods now? （Tip: the higher the player’s administrator permissions, the better the fusion and optimization effects of the cultivation methods.）
“Administrator permissions have this kind of effect?” Looking at the system prompt, Lin Qi could not help but put off the idea of fusing and optimizing now.
For the fusion and optimization permission granted by the system, each cultivation method could only be fused and optimized once. It was impossible to infinitely stack and repeatedly fuse a single cultivation method.
With a limited number of cultivation methods, he naturally had to maximize their use.
Just as Lin Qi was about to ask Qin Mu about the martial arts hall recruitment situation, the door of the meditation room was suddenly knocked.
“Come in.”
As Lin Qi’s words fell, Wu Zhuoqun walked in, his expression very cheerful.
Seeing Wu Zhuoqun in such a good mood, Lin Qi asked curiously, “Is there good news?”
“Yes. Just a little while ago, we captured a fleeing Smiling Skull member,” Wu Zhuoqun said with a smile. “Hall master, you would never guess that the Smiling Skull member turned out to be Isaac, the White Feather Gang leader you have been searching for.”
“Isaac? You caught him!” Lin Qi abruptly stood up, unable to believe such good fortune.
Previously, he had sent players to deal with Smiling Skull essentially for Isaac. Besides Isaac repeatedly targeting him from the shadows, another reason was that Isaac knew many secrets, especially the Star Energy Construct Secret Method.
If the Star Energy Construct Secret Method leaked, even Domain City would be tempted. It was not impossible that they would strike with full force to annihilate Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.
“I have already brought him. Hall master, you can deal with him at any time.” As Wu Zhuoqun spoke, he snapped his fingers.
Lin Yan, whose strength had already reached the Bone Forging Realm, walked in carrying the tall Isaac as if carrying an object and threw him onto the ground.
At this moment, Isaac’s aura was chaotic, with multiple fractures all over his body, clearly having suffered a great deal during his capture.
“Do not kill me! I still have value! I still have great value!”
Looking at the imposing Lin Qi, Isaac hurriedly shouted, afraid Lin Qi would kill him without a word, leaving him nowhere to cry.
This time, when he followed the team to Chiyue Town, he had thought he could watch Obsidian Martial Arts Hall become a joke. Unexpectedly, Mo Xiao, one of the Seven Guardians, died instead.
Even though he had fled in different directions with the others, with only his advanced martial artist level, there was no way he could escape from the Bone Forging Realm Experts of the Martial Arts Hall Guard Corps.
Lin Qi did not rush to act. Instead, he smiled. “Value? Do you still have any value?”
In his view, Isaac’s only remaining value was his death, because only a dead man could keep secrets. Compared to that, any other value was inferior.
“I know something you, Hall Master Lin, want, something very important to you,” Isaac said quickly. “If you kill me now, you will definitely regret it.”
“Very important to me? Tell me.” Seeing how earnest Isaac seemed, Lin Qi could not help growing curious. “If what you say cannot satisfy me, then I can only have you atone with your life.”
“The metal plate of the body strengthening secret technique!” Isaac said directly. “I know where the metal plate of the complete body strengthening secret technique is!”
“The complete body strengthening secret technique?” Lin Qi was slightly surprised.
He had thought Isaac was worthless now, but did not expect Isaac to be hiding such a huge secret.
As one part of a complete set of secret techniques, the body strengthening secret technique was not as valuable as the energy secret technique, but it was crucial for cultivating the Star Energy Construct Secret Method.
In the ruins under Crimson Moon Mountain, the body strengthening secret technique in the metal chamber had been damaged, leaving only two complete stages. Even so, those two stages greatly improved both the players and him.
If he could obtain the complete body strengthening secret technique, its future help to him would be enormous. The complete set of secret techniques far surpassed their current civilization. Its value probably far exceeded even super-level Heavenly Human Realm Secret Techniques.
“That is right, the metal plate of the complete body strengthening secret technique. I know where that metal plate is.” Seeing Lin Qi’s interest, Isaac let out a sigh of relief.
He himself had not been sure whether Lin Qi would care about the body strengthening secret technique. Back then, he had thought it was tasteless and dangerous to learn, where a small mistake could cost his life, so no normal person would dare cultivate it.
If Lin Qi had not cared, that would have been perfectly reasonable.
“Name your condition.” Lin Qi took a deep breath and looked at Isaac. “As long as it is not excessive, I can agree. But if you are thinking of me letting you go, forget it.”
He was determined to get the complete body strengthening secret technique. Whether the Star Energy Construct Secret Method could ultimately be mastered depended heavily on it.
“I have only one condition. Do not kill me. As long as you promise not to kill me, I will tell you where the metal plate is,” Isaac said.
Lin Qi nodded. He found Isaac’s demand acceptable. “Fine, I promise you. But you will escape the death penalty only. You will not escape punishment. You will spend the rest of your life in prison. Do not think about anything more.”
“Good, as long as you do not kill me.” Isaac nodded as well, but inwardly he was secretly delighted.
At this auction, Obsidian Martial Arts Hall not only wiped out so many people from Earth Star Pharmaceuticals, but also killed Mo Xiao, an important figure of Smiling Skull. After Smiling Skull received this news, they would definitely not let it go. The idea of locking him up here for life was simply impossible.
“Alright, tell me where the metal plate is,” Lin Qi asked.
“Red Moon Merchant Guild,” Isaac said without concealment. “Back then, I sold it to the Red Moon Merchant Guild in the City of Light Chasing. That item is very likely in one of the Red Moon Merchant Guild branch halls in the Wushan Region.”
“In the hands of the Red Moon Merchant Guild?” Lin Qi frowned slightly.
Although he had already vaguely guessed this before, hearing Isaac confirm it still made him feel troubled.
Among the three untouchable existences in the Wushan Region, the Red Moon Merchant Guild was even more troublesome than Smiling Skull. Smiling Skull was just a bandit group with few good relations among the powers, but the Red Moon Merchant Guild was different; it had dealings with many factions.
If he tried to seize something from the Red Moon Merchant Guild by force, he would be offending a large number of powers.
“Hall master, could Isaac be playing us?” Wu Zhuoqun asked in a low voice as he watched Isaac being taken away. “We are now already enemies with Smiling Skull. If we also become enemies with the Red Moon Merchant Guild, it will be hard for our Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to gain a foothold in the Wushan Region.”
“Go investigate carefully. Whether or not he is playing us, keep him locked up first.” Lin Qi shrugged, completely unconcerned. “As for the Red Moon Merchant Guild, see if you can buy back the metal plate Isaac sold from them.”
The Red Moon Merchant Guild lived on business. Although the body strengthening secret technique was precious, very few people could truly cultivate it, especially without mental secret techniques for support. For other powers, its value was limited. It was entirely possible to buy it back from the Red Moon Merchant Guild.
“Then I will head over now.”
After speaking, Wu Zhuoqun left the beginner meditation room and went straight to the City of Light Chasing.
In the beginner meditation room, less than an hour after Wu Zhuoqun left, a pleasant system prompt suddenly rang in Lin Qi’s mind.
System: host has met the conditions to upgrade administrator permissions. Upgrade administrator permissions now?
