Chapter 330: The Name Of Obsidian
“Wait, the Red Moon Merchant Guild, Smiling Skull, and Earth Star Pharmaceuticals sent nearly a thousand Blood Condensation Realm masters, plus several Half-step Heavenly Humans, to deal with the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, and in the end all three suffered a crushing defeat. What on earth happened?” Ying Hu stared in astonishment at the unshaven Fei Long, feeling completely dazed.
Leaving aside Feng Kuang’s Twilight Shadow Michalu and Lexa for the moment, just that battle of nearly a thousand Blood Condensation Realm experts alone had not appeared anywhere in the Four Regions for decades. The last time something like that occurred was during the colossal monster tide that swept through one of the regions.
When so many Blood Condensation Realm experts attack a single faction, and there are even several Half-step Heavenly Humans among them, as long as a Heavenly Human Realm Grandmaster does not step in to stop it, wiping out a top-tier major power of the Four Regions would be an easy matter.
Yet the result was that all three forces suffered a crushing defeat?
He seriously suspected that Fei Long had been training too hard lately and his brain had stopped working properly.
“You don’t know?” Fei Long was slightly surprised, then slowly explained, “This matter has already spread everywhere. Those three forces fought the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall in the Mountain of the Dead. Nearly one-third of their close to a thousand Blood Condensation Realm masters died, and each of the three forces lost one Half-step Heavenly Human. The losses were so heavy that even for them, it was the first time since their founding. If they did not have Heavenly Human Realm Grandmasters sitting in town, this battle might have knocked them out of the Four Regions’ top-tier factions.”
“Now, with Heavenly Human Realm Grandmasters unable to act lightly, the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall is probably already the number one faction below the Four Great Domain Cities.”
“Is the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall really that strong?” Ying Hu looked at Fei Long, feeling that the more Fei Long said, the more absurd it sounded.
Nearly one-third of close to a thousand Blood Condensation Realm masters being wiped out was already unbelievable. Half-step Heavenly Humans were such existences that, without several Half-step Heavenly Humans of equal level besieging them, there was simply no way to kill them if a Heavenly Human Realm Grandmaster did not act. Let alone killing three in one go. How many Half-step Heavenly Humans would you even need for that?
If the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall really had that many Half-step Heavenly Humans, in the entire Mist Mountain Region back then, besides the Mist Mountain Domain City itself, who would have dared to provoke the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall?
“That’s exactly why I came to ask you.” Fei Long looked at the utterly unconvinced Ying Hu and showed a wry smile. “I heard that in that battle, the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall had quite a few experts capable of matching Half-step Heavenly Humans. Among them, one grey-robed Bone Forging Realm disciple killed the Half-step Heavenly Humans of the Red Moon Merchant Guild, Smiling Skull, and Earth Star Pharmaceuticals one after another, then defeated Twilight Shadow Michalu, scaring Lexa into fleeing on the spot. Many people now believe that this grey-robed disciple of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall is the number one person below the grandmasters.”
“You and Ling Ye both have cooperation with the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, and you even opened a martial arts hall for them in the domain city. I thought you would know a lot of details. If it was true, I was hoping you could introduce me to that expert. Now it seems you, the great genius, are even more out of touch than I am.”
“A Bone Forging Realm martial artist who defeated Twilight Shadow Michalu, scared Lexa into running on the spot, and became the number one person below the grandmasters?” After hearing this, Ying Hu felt as if it were pure fantasy and could not help saying, “Does such a genius really exist?”
He considered himself a peerless genius of his generation and had already reached a level comparable to the previous generation’s Lexa.
But now he was being told that Lexa, whom he had finally caught up to, was scared into fleeing on the spot by a Bone Forging Realm disciple of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. His previous dreams and pursuits suddenly felt like a complete joke.
“I heard that disciple of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall is very young, around twenty-five or twenty-six.” Fei Long sighed. “Since Lexa came back from outside, he has kept his mouth shut about this matter and only applied to Lord Vice City Lord for access to the grandmaster training room to attempt a breakthrough to the Heavenly Human Realm.”
“No way! He is attempting a breakthrough to the Heavenly Human Realm at this time?” Ying Hu could not help being shocked.
Breaking through the limits of the body from the Peak High-level Blood Condensation Realm to achieve the Half-step Heavenly Human Realm was already difficult, but going from Half-step Heavenly Human to Heavenly Human Realm Grandmaster was even harder.
In the Four Great Domain Cities, every generation in each domain city had several Half-step Heavenly Humans, but in the past decades, the total number of people who had achieved Heavenly Human Realm Grandmaster across all four domain cities was only a handful.
And that was with the support of the domain cities’ resources. For other factions, the odds of producing a Heavenly Human Realm Grandmaster were even lower.
The main reason was that the risk of fully strengthening the brain was too great. Once the strengthening began, even the slightest mistake in the process would cause the entire brain to explode, with no possibility of rescue. This was why so many Half-step Heavenly Human Realm experts remained at that stage.
Lexa had not been a Half-step Heavenly Human for very long and was still very young by the standards of a Half-step Heavenly Human. Normally, they would spend seven or eight years, even more than ten years, accumulating and further improving their qi and blood, waiting until they were close to no longer being able to maintain peak qi and blood before attempting Heavenly Human Realm. Trying to break through now was basically an act of throwing his life away.
“He is probably doing it to resolve his current predicament.” Fei Long said with emotion. “Previously, did Lexa not declare that no one was allowed to introduce the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to Lord Vice City Lord? Now that the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall has crushed those three factions, and with Heavenly Human Realm Grandmasters forbidden from acting casually within the Four Regions and required to explore the Forbidden Zone together to seek a way out, the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall has already become the number one faction below the Four Great Domain Cities.”
“By then, many factions and teams, along with many experts, will likely try to win over the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to explore the Forbidden Zone together. To curry favor with the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, it is very likely they will exclude him. Heavenly Human Realm Grandmasters never form teams with those below the Heavenly Human Realm. When that time comes, his only options besides hiding in Tianhe Domain City for life will be to break through to Heavenly Human Realm.”
“On the other hand, you are very lucky. Not only did you introduce him to Lord Vice City Lord, but you also cooperated with the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to open a martial arts hall in the domain city. When you form teams to explore the Forbidden Zone in the future, with the strength of that Bone Forging Realm disciple, the number one below the grandmasters, you will all be much safer.”
At this point, Fei Long could not help feeling a bit envious of Ying Hu and the others.
The many top-tier factions and experts of the Four Regions were frantically exploring the Forbidden Zone, not only to seek a way out, but also to go further. After all, the area where people could still live was only the Four Regions, and based on the range humans had explored a hundred years ago, the Four Regions’ total area was less than three percent.
Although the Forbidden Zone was extremely dangerous, there were countless ruins there. Within those ruins, there might be things that allowed people to break through.
Many Half-step Heavenly Humans in the Forbidden Zone had broken through thanks to opportunities gained in those ruins. Even many of the existing top-tier factions’ Heavenly Human Realm Grandmasters had more or less achieved their breakthroughs thanks to chances found in the Forbidden Zone.
For peerless geniuses like them who wanted to break through to Heavenly Human Realm in the future, exploration of the Forbidden Zone was indispensable. And the deeper they went, the more dangerous it became, so having a strong team was extremely important.
“I really am quite lucky.” Ying Hu also laughed.
Originally, he had only been moved because Ling Ye and Yi Feng, after returning, praised the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to the skies, especially those intermediate gravity chambers and beginner meditation rooms that could aid cultivation. That was why he had been willing to introduce them to Lord Vice City Lord.
He had not expected to profit so greatly. In future explorations of the Forbidden Zone, he could cling to the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall’s thigh.
While Ying Hu and Fei Long were talking, all the major factions in the Four Regions who had received the news were also developing a new understanding of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. It was no longer just a major power within a single region, but an existence capable of defeating three top-tier factions.
The Obsidian Martial Arts Hall!
From this day on, the Four Regions undoubtedly had another top-tier faction that could not be provoked, and one even stronger than the existing top-tier forces. As a result, they all warned their subordinates not to provoke the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall unless absolutely necessary. They even ordered their members to investigate all information regarding the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall so that everyone would at least know the basic facts.
Otherwise, if they passed near the Mountain of the Dead in the future and a conflict broke out, they would not even know how they died.
Mist Mountain Region, Chiyue Town.
At the top floor VIP suite of a steel skyscraper located very close to the Cultivation Tower.
“Mond, senior brother, you did not get it wrong, did you?” Xie Feina looked in surprise at the middle-aged man of the Forest Race in front of her, unable to believe the information he had brought. “Those three factions sent nearly a thousand Blood Condensation Realm experts to attack, and two hundred or more Blood Condensation Realm masters died, and three Half-step Heavenly Humans were killed. How could the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall possibly have such strength?”
“This has already been confirmed as fact. There is no need to doubt it.” The middle-aged Forest Race man, whose strength had reached Half-step Heavenly Human, spoke with complete certainty. “But this incident has caused such a huge stir and dealt such a heavy blow to those three forces that their grandmasters are furious. They even put forward conditions to our Mist Mountain Domain City to hand over the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall’s hall master for severe punishment. If we refuse, they will cut off all future cooperation with Mist Mountain Domain City, including joint exploration of the Forbidden Zone.”
“Are those three forces insane?” Xie Feina could not help saying.
Although she did not know why the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall had suddenly become so strong, the fact that the three factions’ grandmasters would put forward such terms to the domain city made it clear how huge an impact this battle had had on them, to the point they were willing to tear their faces with Mist Mountain Domain City.
“The losses of those three factions really were that severe, especially all those Half-step Heavenly Humans they had painstakingly cultivated dying just like that. If the same thing happened to our Mist Mountain Domain City, we might go crazy too.” The middle-aged Forest Race man said with a wry smile. “But this time the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall can be considered to have taught those three arrogant factions a lesson.”
“What did Lord City Lord and the others say?” Xie Feina asked worriedly.
Among the three factions, Smiling Skull was one thing, pure bandits who carved out their own kingdom in the Mountain of the Dead, making trade routes between the Mist Mountain Region and the Tianhe Region even more dangerous than they already were. Mist Mountain Domain City had originally wanted to wipe them out, but Smiling Skull had more than one grandmaster.
If Smiling Skull’s grandmasters really went berserk, and without the combined forces of the other three domain cities, the price Mist Mountain Domain City would have to pay would be too high. So they had always chosen to turn a blind eye to Smiling Skull as long as they did not cross the bottom line.
But the other two were different. The Red Moon Merchant Guild’s trade routes spanned the Four Regions, and the transportation of countless items depended on them, while Earth Star Pharmaceuticals monopolized the vast majority of advanced potions in the Four Regions. If those two really cut all ties with Mist Mountain Domain City in the future, the losses for Mist Mountain Domain City would be significant.
Of course, such losses would not be one-sided. The Red Moon Merchant Guild and Earth Star Pharmaceuticals would be affected as well. But if those two truly set their minds to it, there was nothing Mist Mountain Domain City could do.
“Of course they refused.” The Forest Race middle-aged man’s expression grew slightly dark. “Those three forces think that by joining hands they can pressure our Mist Mountain Domain City, as if we are just for show. In response, Lord City Lord and the others have already decided to forbid anyone from those three factions from setting foot in the Mist Mountain Region again. In addition, my teacher sent me to remind you to warn the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. Within the Four Regions they do not need to worry about the grandmasters of those three factions, but once they enter the Forbidden Zone, they must be careful.”
“The Forbidden Zone is beyond the control of the Four Great Domain Cities. Before they possess sufficient strength, it is best not to set foot there, and they should not take any further actions against those three forces either. If the grandmasters of those three factions truly go mad, even if the Four Great Domain Cities ultimately manage to stop them, the price paid will be beyond what the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall can bear.”
“I understand.” Xie Feina let out a sigh of relief. “I will inform Hall Master Lin as soon as possible.”
The current outcome could be considered the best possible. If Mist Mountain Domain City had chosen to turn a blind eye, the entire Chiyue Town might well have been doomed.
“Right.” The middle-aged Forest Race man had just been about to leave when he suddenly stopped and said, “Junior sister, your application for the grandmaster training room has been approved. You can return at any time to break through to the Blood Condensation Realm.”
“Thank you for telling me, senior brother Mond. But could I postpone using it until next time?” Xie Feina asked. “I would like to break through to the Blood Condensation Realm here in Chiyue Town.”
“It is possible.” Mond looked at Xie Feina in puzzlement. “But are you sure you will not use the grandmaster training room to break through? Breaking through to the Blood Condensation Realm is no small matter. The price of failing even once is not light.”
“I am sure.” Xie Feina smiled. “The conditions at the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall are very good. I am very confident I can break through successfully.”
The domain city’s grandmaster training room was the place with the densest energy in the city, significantly better even than the training rooms on the second floor of the Cultivation Tower at the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.
But she felt that for breaking through, the beginner meditation room was more suitable, since the cultivation method she practiced was not just an intermediate-level Blood Condensation cultivation method, but one above the intermediate level.
“Very well.” Mond nodded. “Once you break through to the Blood Condensation Realm, contact me. My team can take you into the Forbidden Zone for a look. That should help you reach the Peak High-level Blood Condensation Realm faster.”
“Thank you, senior brother Mond.” Xie Feina said gratefully. “I will break through as soon as possible.”
Although she had never been to the Forbidden Zone, she knew quite a bit about it. The Forbidden Zone outside the Four Regions was not a place one could visit at any time. Only by going during the correct time periods would it be relatively safe. Going during other times would at least double the danger, if not more.
There was not much time left before the next safe period. If they missed it, they would have to wait a long time.
“Be careful.”
After this brief reminder, Mond flew straight out of the window and quickly disappeared from Chiyue Town.
In the room, Xie Feina checked the time. It was already four in the afternoon, and there was still a while before the martial arts hall closed. She stood up and headed to the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, planning to inform Lin Qi of the domain city’s decision.
Inside the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall’s intermediate gravity chamber.
Under a terrifying pressure of two hundred times gravity, all the cells in Lin Qi’s body were trembling, and blood was continuously flowing from his seven orifices. But Lin Qi still had no intention of stopping his cultivation. Instead, he picked up a Fruit of Life from the side and took a bite.
In an instant, with the dense energy of the Fruit of Life flooding his body, Lin Qi’s cells seemed to break through some kind of shackle, rapidly destroying and reconstructing themselves. After more than ten seconds of this, Lin Qi’s entire body had become noticeably thinner.
His muscles were no longer bloated, giving the impression of a sleek cheetah. Even in the dark of night, if one looked closely, one could see a faint luster on his skin.
“This Body Strengthening Secret Technique Third Level is really not easy to cultivate.” Lin Qi felt his current condition and could not help but sigh inwardly. “So this is a complete pseudo-supernatural life form?”
To master the Body Strengthening Secret Technique Third Level, he had spent a total of five Fruits of Life. Fortunately, they had not disappointed him. He had finally completed the third level of the Body Strengthening Secret Technique. From now on, he was also a complete pseudo-supernatural life form, no longer just a biological being, but one that could be regarded as a true lifeform by the Star Energy Civilization.
But before Lin Qi had time to properly enjoy the comfort and sense of achievement brought by the breakthrough, both the ground and the room began to shake violently. An indescribably powerful surge of qi and blood spread throughout the martial arts hall. The pressure of this qi and blood was so strong that even Lin Qi felt somewhat suppressed.
“Is someone breaking through? What is going on?” Feeling the terrifying qi and blood storming in, Lin Qi was completely stunned.
Right after that, a system prompt sounded in Lin Qi’s ears, leaving him utterly dumbfounded.
System: Congratulations to the host, a player has broken through to become a Blood Condensation Realm martial artist. Hidden building advanced lounge unlocked.
