Chapter 210: You Just Go In And Come Out And It’s Done?
“Are those two really from the human race?”
Dona stared blankly as she watched the two figures bite down without the slightest restraint.
Their Half-Beast Race had always been known for ferocity, and biting enemies in battle was common, but that was only when dealing with other races.
As for biting monsters, even if you gave them twice the courage, they would not dare. The flesh and blood of a living monster was too tough, not to mention a Lord Monster. One bite and their teeth would shatter.
However, after watching for a short while, Dona quickly understood.
Those two figures were not really tearing into the monster, but were instead doing something even more brutal: gulping down the Shadow Leopard King’s blood in huge mouthfuls…
And for some reason, the Shadow Leopard King did not move at all at this moment. It only stared fixedly at the man whose one arm had turned to black charcoal while the other was raised high. In its eyes, there was actually a trace of dread.
Time passed, one second, two seconds. Everything around them seemed to be frozen. One man and one monster confronted each other like this, until after three or four seconds, the Shadow Leopard King suddenly moved.
With just a single roar, surging qi and blood erupted from its entire body like a volcanic explosion. Centered on the Shadow Leopard King, it spread outward, directly blasting everything within a radius of a hundred meters away and leaving a large pit in the ground. As for Lu Fanchen and the other two, they were sent flying a hundred meters on the spot.
Even Dona, five hundred meters away, was stunned by this scene.
The Shadow Leopard King had only exploded its qi and blood, yet it flattened everything within a hundred meters. This was much stronger than some Intermediate Lords she had seen.
Just as Dona thought the Shadow Leopard King was about to attack Lu Fanchen and the others, it only turned around, pressed its four limbs to the ground, and sprinted toward the depths of the wilderness, completely ignoring Lu Fanchen’s group, as if it had seen something filthy and just wanted to get away.
“It ran away just like that?” Dona stared, mouth agape, as the Shadow Leopard King quickly vanished from sight.
As the top predator in this area, the Shadow Leopard King would make other Junior Lords flee at the sight of it. If it encountered a city transport convoy, it would mean total annihilation.
Moreover, with the qi and blood and strength it had just shown, even if the city dispatched several Advanced Bone Forging Realm Martial Artists, they might still not be able to take it down.
Yet such a Shadow Leopard King chose to flee when faced with Lu Fanchen’s group of three?
On the other side, Lu Fanchen and the other two looked at the Shadow Leopard King running deeper into the wilderness, their expressions ugly.
“I haven’t had my fill yet. Why did it run?” Lin Xinyao said speechlessly.
In the previous attempts, they had each swallowed more than a dozen mouthfuls, but this time she had only drunk a few when the Shadow Leopard King fled, completely refusing to follow the script.
“This thing is getting smarter. It actually knows to run deeper into the wilderness.” Lu Fanchen frowned as he watched the disappearing Shadow Leopard King. “Now it will be even harder for us to find it.”
“What do we do then?” Li Tianxing said, unwilling. “Our later improvements are all going to depend on it. If it keeps heading deeper into the wilderness, we really might not be able to do anything about it.”
With the few mouthfuls they had just taken, at most he and Lin Xinyao could advance to Intermediate Martial Artists. The three of them as Intermediate Martial Artists might be able to go deeper into the wilderness, but the distance they could go was still very limited. Especially after devouring that pale golden blood, they needed a safe place to cultivate. If they went too deep, they might be discovered by monster packs during cultivation.
Monsters were even more sensitive to qi and blood than humans. They could sense it from a kilometer away, and during cultivation, qi and blood would naturally erupt and could not be concealed. If there were monsters nearby, they would be discovered immediately.
“We chase it as many times as we can.” Lu Fanchen sighed. “This game probably won’t let us exploit this bug for long. Let’s improve as much as we can while we can. If we can cultivate to Limit Intermediate Martial Artist, then even against high-level monsters, with Heaven Shaking Fist we may be able to kill them. I think there should be no problem completing the assessment.”
With that, Lu Fanchen’s group of three rushed off again toward where the Shadow Leopard King had disappeared.
“They are actually planning to go after the Shadow Leopard King. Who on earth are they?” Far away, Dona watched as Lu Fanchen’s group vanished into the depths of the forest as well, hardly believing her eyes.
These three humans in silver-gray clothing were clearly Martial Artists who had not even reached the Bone Forging Realm, yet they took the initiative to hunt the Shadow Leopard King. She wondered if the world had gone mad or if she was hallucinating.
Just as Dona was doubting herself, the communicator on her wrist rang.
“Lord Dona, how is the situation on your side?” the captain of the garrison asked in a low voice. “Do you need us to come support you?”
“No need. The battle is already over.” Dona shook her head. Thinking of Lu Fanchen’s group who had chased the Shadow Leopard King, she immediately ordered, “Investigate for me which factions of the human race use silver-gray long-sleeve windbreaker coats as their clothing. Report to me the first moment you find something.”
Three Martial Artists who had not even reached the Bone Forging Realm dared to hunt the Shadow Leopard King, and the Shadow Leopard King even showed fear. Monsters at the Lord level already possessed considerable intelligence. To not even fight and just turn to flee meant these three definitely posed a threat to the Shadow Leopard King, forcing it to escape.
The three were also wearing identical clothing, which showed they came from the same faction.
A faction that dared to hunt an Intermediate Lord was enough to make Dona quite curious. To hunt a monster like the Shadow Leopard King, one that was close to a High-Level Lord, would probably require the combined strength of their entire Half-Beast Race.
Such a terrifying faction, and she had never even heard of it before, so she naturally had to investigate carefully.
“Yes.” Although the captain of the garrison was puzzled why he was being asked to investigate this for no apparent reason, he still agreed without hesitation.
City of Light Chasing, Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.
The noon sunlight shone down on the training ground, making sweat roll down endlessly from the heads of the many Martial Arts Hall Guard Corps disciples undergoing training there, soaking nearly half the training ground.
Men and women whose strength had reached the Martial Artist level and who wore the guard captain’s uniform were drilling these new guard corps disciples, making them practice the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall’s hall protecting martial skill, Lightning Palm, over and over again.
If any disciple could not hold out, these Martial Artist captains would give them a harsh lesson, and only after finishing hundreds of repetitions of Lightning Palm would they stop and hand out Type 1 Healing Potions to repair damaged bodies, so they could begin the afternoon training.
“Xia Ling, I really didn’t expect you to directly join the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. I thought you would join one of the major powers of your family.” Zoe, a classmate from Light Chasing University, looked at Xia Ling, who had just completed the morning training, in surprise. “Didn’t the elders of your family invite you to join the Half-Scale training camp?”
As someone who had also participated in the Five Cities Competition, Xia Ling’s talent was no worse than hers and would normally receive the family’s invitation and cultivation.
As one of the ten great strong races of the City of Light Chasing, the Half-Scale Race had its own cultivation system and inheritance. In the whole city, their cultivation could be said to be second only to the Genius Training Camp.
She had come to the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to learn martial skills today, but had not expected that Xia Ling had actually joined the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall and even become a member of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall Guard Corps. She almost could not believe her eyes.
“They did invite me.” Xia Ling wiped the sweat from her forehead and said calmly, “But I refused.”
“You are crazy. That is key cultivation from your family. It is more useful than the Five Cities Competition itself. Don’t you want to get into the Genius Training Camp?” Zoe was stunned by Xia Ling’s voluntary refusal.
The Genius Training Camp was where the City of Light Chasing pooled its resources to cultivate experts for the city. The training camps established by the city’s ten great strong races could be considered preparatory camps for the Genius Training Camp.
As long as one entered the family’s training camp, their chances of entering the Genius Training Camp could increase by thirty to forty percent. She had not expected Xia Ling to give that up so easily.
“I am not crazy.” Xia Ling explained, “If I join the family training camp, then in the future I could only join the family’s factions and might not be able to join the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to learn its true skills. Also, joining the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall does not affect my chances of getting into the Genius Training Camp.”
“You don’t seriously think the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall Guard Corps’ training is better than the family training camp, do you?” Zoe glanced at several guard corps Martial Artists instructing on the training ground and said speechlessly, “I admit the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall is a major power with Bone Forging Realm experts sitting in town, but in terms of cultivation, it is far behind the family. The family directly invites Bone Forging Realm Martial Artists to guide us. Type 1 Potions are provided without limit and we even get the flesh and blood of high-level monsters as daily supply now.”
“I have only been there for two days and I am already close to a Limit Quasi-Martial Artist. In a few days, it will be the Five Cities Competition. I am confident I can become a true Limit Quasi-Martial Artist before the competition. With the advanced martial skills I have learned, it is not impossible to compete for a top twenty spot.”
As she spoke, Zoe displayed her qi and blood. It circulated around her body and had clearly started to slightly strengthen her internal organs, far beyond ordinary Quasi-Martial Artists.
This scene amazed many apprentices on the training ground who had come to the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to learn martial skills.
With such terrifying qi and blood at her age, becoming a Martial Artist was almost guaranteed.
Just as Zoe was about to say more, Meng Wei, the first leader of the Martial Arts Hall Guard Corps, came downstairs.
As Meng Wei descended, everyone in the hall could not help but glance his way.
Meng Wei had originally only been a Martial Artist elder of the Iron Heart Gang, but after joining the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, his strength had skyrocketed. He advanced directly from a Beginner Martial Artist to an Intermediate Martial Artist, a top expert even in the suburbs.
“These are the ten names with outstanding performance today. They may skip the afternoon training, each receive one bottle of Type 1 Energy Potion and one bottle of Type 1 Healing Potion, and go cultivate in the meditation room on their own.” Meng Wei said as he posted the list he held on the notice board at the training ground.
In an instant, the Guard Corps disciples who had just finished training all rushed over. The scene looked like a pack of wolves that had been starving for days suddenly seeing delicious fresh meat. They surged forward, afraid of being a step too slow.
Even Xia Ling, who had been chatting with Zoe, used Martial Artist level footwork to dart to the notice board in just a few steps, completely ignoring Zoe’s stunned stare.
“Yes! It is finally my turn today!” Xia Ling looked at the posted list, clenched her fists, and could not hide the joy on her face.
Zoe’s astonishment grew stronger at Xia Ling’s expression of wild delight.
“It is just a list granting free cultivation time. Is there any need to be this happy?” Zoe could not help but worry about Xia Ling’s future.
As people with some background in the Half-Scale Race, she and Xia Ling had trained hard from childhood every day without needing supervision. Training eighteen hours a day was normal. If they did not, they would have long been eliminated by other children in the family.
In terms of training, they were in a completely different league from the slackers recruited from outside by the various factions.
If Xia Ling had joined the Half-Scale training camp, she could be cultivating freely every day, with Bone Forging Realm experts specifically guiding her and providing targeted training, instead of being forced to follow the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall Guard Corps’ unified regimen that seriously slowed her growth.
“Zoe, I am going to the meditation room now, so I will not chat with you.” Xia Ling said, a bit impatient.
“Don’t mind me. I am only here to learn martial skills. After you finish today’s training, we can talk.” Zoe was unconcerned by Xia Ling’s urgency.
Xia Ling and the nine Guard Corps disciples selected that day went up to the third floor, while Zoe checked the time, saw that it was also about time for her scheduled instruction, and turned toward the training room on the first floor.
Beginner meditation room on the third floor.
“This feeling of controlling qi and blood is so good. It is a pity we can only come in for at most six hours a day. If only we could be here twenty-four hours a day.” Sitting in a partitioned corner, Xia Ling could not help but lament the effects of the beginner meditation room.
Before, she had not taken Meng Wei’s talk about the meditation room rewards seriously. The Obsidian Martial Arts Hall Guard Corps’ training was not bad either. Not only did they teach Lightning Palm and mental secret techniques rarely passed on, but in the afternoon they would go to the battle room to train against combat puppets, greatly enhancing actual combat ability.
So on the first day, she had not competed for that so-called six-hour meditation room reward.
The result was that on the second day, those who had entered the meditation room behaved like madmen, training as if their lives depended on it, all for the quota to enter the meditation room again.
That made her curious. Those people had also not cared at first. Some had even wanted to join the afternoon training instead, but were strictly refused by Meng Wei.
He said that if they did not want the quota, they could simply avoid making the daily top ten. But if they did make it into the top ten, they could not refuse and had to stay in the meditation room for the full six hours.
After those who had entered once fought desperately for the top ten the next day, it was clear the meditation room must have great benefits. Naturally, she wanted to see for herself and fought her way into the top ten.
The result was that she almost regretted it to the core.
Why had she not fought for the top ten on the first day?
Six hours of cultivation in the meditation room was even better than ten-plus days of cultivation outside. She was cultivating the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall’s Startling Spirit Breathing Technique first level. As a Quasi-Martial Artist, her cultivation speed was already very fast, but in the meditation room, her progress was like leaping a thousand miles in a day.
“Now I am at one hundred percent proficiency in the first level. I hope I can complete the second level of this cultivation method this time.” Xia Ling then took out the Type 2 Energy Potion and Type II Healing Potion her family had given her, drank them in one go, and began cultivating the Startling Spirit Breathing Technique’s Reverse Star Triple second level.
One hour… two hours… three hours…
As the sun set in the west, the people who had come to the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to learn martial skills gradually dispersed.
Zoe also walked out of the training room, satisfied, having clearly benefited greatly from Chen Ya’s instruction there.
“With this, my Eight Leaves One Sword Flash has reached proficient level. With my cultivation method physique, I should barely be able to use it twice in a row.” Looking at the practice A6-grade battle saber in her hand, Zoe’s eyes burned with heat. “Now there should be no problem for me to break into the top twenty. With the competition rewards, it will not be an issue to fight for a top ten spot in this year’s training camp.”
She then sheathed the practice A6-grade battle saber, ready to share the good news with Xia Ling.
But just as Zoe was about to call Xia Ling, a powerful surge of qi and blood descended from the third floor. Waves of heat filled the first floor lobby, making the apprentices there feel a heavy pressure, even making it a bit hard to breathe.
“This qi and blood! Did someone just break through to become a Martial Artist?”
“Recently more and more people have broken through to Martial Artists in this Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. It is a pity they do not teach Martial Artist level cultivation methods to outsiders. Otherwise, I would really want to learn.”
“You are dreaming. None of the major factions will easily pass on Martial Artist level cultivation methods, let alone the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. Even those who join the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall have to earn enough merit and reach one hundred percent proficiency in the first level cultivation method before it is taught.”
“I wonder which elite disciple of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall broke through this time.”
Those who had come to the hall to learn martial skills were all discussing enviously after sensing the powerful qi and blood pressing down from the third floor.
However, when they saw Xia Ling coming down from the third floor, everyone who had come to the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to learn martial skills was stunned.
“A Martial Artist! How is it her?”
“Isn’t she from the Half-Scale Race? I remember she is a disciple of the Martial Arts Hall Guard Corps. She already became a Martial Artist?”
When they saw that the one who had advanced to Martial Artist was Xia Ling, they could not believe their eyes.
It was not surprising for those disciples in silver-gray clothing of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to advance to Martial Artists, since they were direct disciples of the hall. But for an externally recruited Martial Arts Hall disciple to become a Martial Artist this quickly was simply unbelievable.
“Xia Ling, you became a Martial Artist?”
Zoe stared dazedly at Xia Ling descending the stairs, qi and blood surging all over her body, even forming faint wolf-smoke visible to the eye. Her qi and blood were clearly unusually dense, leaving Zoe completely dumbfounded.
A Martial Artist.
This was what she had been chasing all along. She had participated in the Five Cities Competition and joined the Half-Scale training camp precisely to become a Martial Artist faster.
Yet Xia Ling, whose talent was similar to hers, had been a Quasi-Martial Artist at noon when she went in, and by afternoon had come out as one?
