Chapter 201: Return To The City And A Sensation
“So strong!”
“He’s holding down two bosses alone. Is this the hall master’s strength now?”
“Looks like I chose the right class back then. The strength system is the child of the version. Once I reach high-level martial artist, I should be able to be like the hall master, smash a small fry with one swing!”
The players locked in a bitter fight with the unicorn golden winged snakes looked at Lin Qi, who was suppressing two unicorn golden winged snakes by himself. Although they were not particularly surprised, they were still amazed by Lin Qi’s strength.
With one swing, the ground seemed to be sliced open by lightning, leaving a ravine hundreds of meters long. It was simply inhuman.
But the ones who were most overjoyed were Fang Zhen and the others who had switched to the strength system.
Previously, Ye Qinglu’s sword control had stunned everyone. No one expected the balance system to be played like that; it was practically broken in group battles.
But now, seeing the strength Lin Qi displayed, with two bosses barely able to resist, they could see how terrifying the potential of the strength system was. At the same level, they could completely overpower monsters. What they needed to do was quickly train the corresponding strength-system martial skills to the limit; then they would naturally become as powerful as Lin Qi.
On the battlefield, until Lin Qi finished off the two unicorn golden winged snakes, the two convoys had lost quite a few people due to being heavily surrounded by golden winged snakes and rampaged by three unicorn golden winged snakes.
However, with Lin Qi, this suspected bone forging realm expert, present, the people of the two convoys had completely lost their previous panic and instead were earnestly dealing with the golden winged snake swarm.
Then, from the distant small valley, a pitch-black warplane over a hundred meters long flew in. No one knew what it fired at the small valley, but the entire valley was shrouded in a massive thunder fire. When the thunder fire finally dissipated, the whole valley looked like it had been scooped out by a giant spoon. All rocks and forest were gone, leaving only a massive crater hundreds of meters deep.
Just as everyone fell into confusion, a heaven-shaking roar came from within the valley-turned-crater, sending the besieging golden winged snakes fleeing in all directions, abandoning their slaughter of the convoys.
“These golden winged snakes are just running away?”
Everyone watched the hundreds of golden winged snakes escape, and while they sighed in relief, they were also full of curiosity about what had just happened, unable to understand the situation.
As they were discussing, a tall black figure jumped down from the passing pitch-black warplane and landed in front of everyone.
As that figure landed, everyone present was stunned.
Because this figure was none other than the convoy leader Bai Luo. But at this moment, Bai Luo was extremely battered, bleeding from many places, with one arm twisted out of shape. His tier 2 battle armor, beyond B6 alloy battle armor and made of unknown monster materials, was heavily damaged.
As a genius bone forging realm martial artist who had graduated from the genius training camp this year, Bai Luo’s strength was far above ordinary bone forging realm martial artists. It was hard for everyone to imagine what could injure a genius martial artist like Bai Luo to this extent.
You had to know that earlier, even when the convoy encountered lord-level monsters, Bai Luo had not found it difficult to respond. Yet now he was severely wounded.
“That high-level lord has already been bombed and forced to retreat. It shouldn’t appear in this area again for a while. Rest for one hour, then all return to the city with me,” Bai Luo said calmly, not caring about their stares.
Although his voice was calm, the news caused a storm in everyone’s hearts.
High-level lord!
This term had not appeared in the City of Light Chasing for twenty to thirty years.
From the beginning, people classified monsters as low-level monsters, mid-level monsters, and high-level monsters, roughly corresponding to beginner martial artists, intermediate martial artists, and advanced martial artists.
As for monsters above high-level monsters, they were called lord-level monsters, corresponding to bone forging realm martial artists. Lord-level monsters were further divided into junior lords, intermediate lords, and high-level lords.
Among the many large towns in the wilderness that had been destroyed by monster tides, over ninety percent had fallen to monster tides triggered by intermediate lords, while high-level lords were already capable of threatening cities.
Their convoy was now less than three hundred kilometers from the City of Light Chasing, and in such proximity, there was actually a high-level lord entrenched nearby. For the major powers living in the City of Light Chasing, this was an earth-shaking matter.
As Bai Luo was about to get back into the armored transport vehicle to rest, he caught sight of the five unicorn golden winged snake corpses lying on the ground, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.
“Five unicorn golden winged snakes? Who killed these unicorn golden winged snakes?” Bai Luo asked the surviving members of the city guard.
As high-level monsters that ranked among the top in power even within their tier, unicorn golden winged snakes were extremely formidable. Although the teams of the city guard included advanced martial artists, and all were experts even among advanced martial artists, killing one was already difficult. Killing five was pure fantasy.
The city guard being able to avoid being wiped out by five unicorn golden winged snakes was already impressive.
“Vice leader, these unicorn golden winged snakes were all killed by Hall Master Lin Qi of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall,” Morton, who had survived, said respectfully, pointing at Lin Qi collecting materials not far away.
“Obsidian Martial Arts Hall? The same Obsidian Martial Arts Hall that was declared war on by the four major powers in the suburbs?” Bai Luo asked, slightly puzzled.
“Yes, that Obsidian Martial Arts Hall,” Morton nodded.
“Interesting.” Bai Luo immediately smiled, looking toward Lin Qi in the distance. “I did not expect these suburban factions to be this bold, actually daring to provoke a bone forging realm martial artist with such dense qi and blood. No wonder there are so many genius martial artists signing up for the genius training camp this year.”
“Vice leader, those four major powers don’t have that kind of courage. They probably didn’t even know Hall Master Lin was a bone forging realm martial artist,” Morton said awkwardly. “Even I only just realized it. The measuring instrument previously showed Hall Master Lin as only an advanced martial artist.”
“The measuring instrument showed him as an advanced martial artist?” Bai Luo couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle. “Looks like that testing instrument needs a serious upgrade. Leaving aside his dense qi and blood that has already reached the bone forging realm, just the fact that the Martial Artist Association recently certified this Hall Master Lin as a beginner martial artist with special grade potential… Do you think in such a short time he could ‘only’ have become an advanced martial artist?”
For a high-level martial artist to kill a unicorn golden winged snake was extraordinarily difficult. Even when he himself had been a high-level martial artist, he couldn’t do that with a tier 2 weapon, let alone someone like Lin Qi without a deep foundation.
He also knew a bit about this genius martial artist Lin Qi; after all, he was previously certified by the Martial Artist Association as having special grade potential, a genius with a 100% chance to enter the genius training camp.
But now it seemed those tests were wrong—or Lin Qi had used some method to conceal his strength, causing the instruments to misread him. His real strength should be that of a bone forging realm martial artist.
A bone forging realm martial artist under twenty-five years old was far beyond ordinary genius martial artists.
“I also think the testing instrument must have malfunctioned. It’s impossible for someone to go from beginner all the way to advanced in less than a month,” Morton nodded, convinced it had to be an error.
Rising from beginner to advanced in less than a month was unheard of not just in the City of Light Chasing, but likely even in those powerful mobile cities.
“All right. After you get back this time, rest well. We’re probably going to be very busy in the days ahead,” Bai Luo said with a smile, his gaze turning solemn as he looked toward the vanished valley. “This time a high-level lord appeared this close. The impact of the frontline’s monster-clearing issues has started to show. From now on, places outside the city will no longer be safe.”
Morton’s expression suddenly turned dark and ugly.
He did not expect the consequences of the frontline’s failure to clean up monsters to show so quickly. In the future, the major powers in the city would likely face difficult times, and the fall of the City of Light Chasing was not impossible.
Especially for a faction like the Boran Family that controlled large towns in the wilderness, the pressure would be enormous.
In the past, the worst monster attacks on towns had only reached the level of junior lords. But now, with monsters like high-level lords, if they launched an offensive against a town, the consequences would be disastrous.
After the convoy had rested for more than an hour, Lin Qi borrowed three B6 armored transport vehicles from the other convoy, loaded them full of monster materials, and safely returned to the City of Light Chasing.
Once Lin Qi and the others returned, news that Lin Qi was a bone forging realm martial artist spread through the City of Light Chasing like wildfire that very night, leaving all major powers who heard it unable to believe it was true.
“What did you say? Hall Master Lin is a bone forging realm martial artist?” Xia Ling, cultivating in the training room, stared in shock at the butler reporting the news. “How is that possible? Wasn’t Hall Master Lin only certified as a beginner martial artist not long ago? How is he already a bone forging realm martial artist?”
She knew Lin Qi’s situation very well. When she first met him, Xia Ling could tell Lin Qi was not even an apprentice.
Now she herself had only just become a quasi-martial artist. To say Lin Qi had already become a bone forging realm martial artist—how could she dare believe it?
“Miss, it’s true,” the old butler said excitedly. “On the way back to the city, Hall Master Lin killed five unicorn golden winged snakes by himself. Many saw it with their own eyes. And after the convoy returned, those four major powers chose to hand over all their territory to the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to save their lives. Their senior officials all hid in the city proper, terrified of Hall Master Lin’s retaliation.”
“At least they were smart enough to know they couldn’t hold those suburban territories and chose to give them up to survive,” Xia Ling said with a wry smile.
“Actually, even if the four major powers didn’t hand over their territory, it would be difficult to keep it,” the old butler said. “This transport was attacked by seven unicorn golden winged snakes and a large number of golden winged snakes. The family heads of the Peiwen and Bei En families among the four powers were killed by golden winged snakes. Wright of the Gorilla Gang and Kai Dewen of the Bei Ao family were both seriously injured while protecting people in the face of waves of unicorn golden winged snakes. One had an arm shredded into mince, the other had a leg bitten off. Both are crippled. Even though they were advanced martial artists, they can no longer hold up the banner.”
“No wonder they were so decisive,” Xia Ling said in sudden realization.
“Miss, after receiving this news, the master also received an invitation from our half-scale race elders,” the old butler said cautiously. “You can now enter the half-scale training camp to prepare for the genius training camp.”
“The half-scale training camp?” Xia Ling’s face showed surprise.
As a powerful race in the City of Light Chasing, the half-scale race specially selected talented individuals for cultivation to ensure their continuation. The half-scale training camp was established by powerful members of the half-scale race who invested massive resources.
Its purpose was to cultivate more geniuses who could enter the genius training camp.
After she became a quasi-martial artist, she had applied several times and been rejected. She had not expected the elders of the half-scale race to now personally invite her.
The old butler said excitedly, “The master hopes you will report as soon as possible. With the resources of the half-scale training camp and long-term guidance from martial artists, if you are promoted to martial artist, you might be able to enter the genius training camp this cycle.”
The half-scale training camp possessed advanced cultivation methods left behind by half-scale powerhouses that touched that higher realm. If she could learn them and advance to martial artist, she would have at least a seventy percent chance of entering the genius training camp.
“No, I won’t go to the half-scale training camp,” Xia Ling shook her head. “Entering the half-scale training camp means that in the future, I must join one of the half-scale factions.”
“Miss, you don’t want to join? Those factions were all founded by strong members of the race. Even if you don’t get into the genius training camp, there is still a chance to become a bone forging realm martial artist,” the old butler said in disbelief.
As one of the top ten powerful races in the City of Light Chasing, the half-scale race’s foundation was far beyond that of other races. Even without city resources, they had a chance to reach the bone forging realm, and even that higher level was not out of reach.
Countless young people in the various half-scale factions dreamed of joining, yet Xia Ling was refusing, which he found incomprehensible.
“If you had asked me when I had just become a quasi-martial artist, I would have accepted such an invitation without hesitation,” Xia Ling explained. “Even when I was preparing for the Five Cities Competition, I wouldn’t have hesitated. But after I got a small taste of the Startling Spirit Breathing Technique at the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall in the past few days, I feel that this cultivation method is not simple. Now that Hall Master Lin has advanced to the bone forging realm, it proves my guess: the training method taught by the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall is not a martial artist-level method. It should be a bone forging realm cultivation method, and not a low-grade one.”
“Miss, even if the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall teaches a bone forging realm cultivation method, the half-scale training camp has methods that touch that higher realm. And our half-scale race’s foundation is not something the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall can compare to. What we can provide is far beyond what that hall can offer, and those things are more important than a cultivation method,” the old butler tried to persuade her.
Profound cultivation methods were hard to obtain, but cultivation resources were even harder. Without sufficient resources, even the best method was useless.
“You don’t need to persuade me. I know father means well, but I still plan to join the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, and I intend to go register there early tomorrow morning,” Xia Ling said, shaking her head. Her gaze toward the old butler was incomparably firm, even tinged with a trace of fervor.
Before she trained at the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, she also thought that hall only had Lin Qi propping it up. But just two days ago, she accidentally learned something about the hall that made her hair stand on end.
The high-level martial skills she had been learning were all created by the hall’s disciples.
High-level martial skills.
Such powerful skills that greatly increased combat power were so difficult that even genius bone forging realm martial artists might not create one in their entire lives. Yet a group of people at mere martial artist level in the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall had created so many high-level martial skills. Those disciples could no longer be described as geniuses; they were monsters.
Throughout history, any genius capable of creating a high-level martial skill had a 100% chance of becoming a powerhouse among bone forging realm martial artists, and over twenty percent of them could step into that higher realm.
If such a group of monsters grew up, she could hardly imagine what the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall would become.
Completely taking over the City of Light Chasing?
Or dominating a region?
And even leaving aside their future growth, just being able to coexist in the same hall with such monsters and be personally taught by them was something even the genius training camp could not offer.
After only a few classes, her Point Star had already reached 32% entry level. Her progress was skyrocketing, and it was foreseeable that before the Five Cities Competition, she would be able to bring this high-level martial skill to proficient level.
And what she was learning now was only what the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall prepared for outsiders. If she joined the hall, she might receive even more and better guidance, and her future achievements might rival those who graduated from the genius training camp.
At dawn, as the sun rose.
The abandoned area that used to be sparsely populated had, thanks to the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, become crowded. Large numbers of vagrant humans were hawking their wares on the streets, and members from various factions had come to train at the hall, making the entire human race abandoned area flourish.
“Big brother Qin Mu, what brings you here?” Lin Qi asked in surprise as Qin Mu stepped out of an association flying car.
It had only been a few days, but Qin Mu’s ride had already upgraded to a flying car. That was some serious promotion.
“Brother Lin, you really hid deep. A big expert of the bone forging realm like you actually willing to live here… If that lord hadn’t personally told me, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Qin Mu said with a bitter smile.
Thinking of how he used to say he covered this abandoned area and would ensure the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall could develop in peace, it all seemed like a joke now.
A dignified bone forging realm big shot could take his life in an instant. There was no need for his protection.
“Did I hide?” Lin Qi looked at the embarrassed Qin Mu, momentarily unsure whether to explain.
“Forget that. I’m here today on urgent business,” Qin Mu said directly. “That lord from the association has returned from outside and wants to meet you. Do you have time now?”
