Chapter 424 - 85: Breakthrough, Exploration Stage Achieved

For several days in a row.

Numerous Rebel hideouts throughout the Red Maple City Circle were discovered and raided once again.

Gunshots echoed through the city blocks with increasing frequency, and explosive attacks became more common, continuing from day into night.

Yet, both the City Lord’s Mansion and the United Committee remained firm. Their public announcements only mentioned the continued advancement of the cleanup operation, with no intention of stopping.

As a result, the City Guard Army, patrol teams, the Superpower Bureau, and the Special Investigation Team all acted swiftly. They carried out their duties with greater frequency, launching demolition raids and wiping out hideouts within the city circle.

More and more Rebel members were captured or killed, and the prisons and morgues of the Red Maple City Circle grew increasingly crowded.

For a time, news reports within the city circle were non-stop, and discussions broke out in buildings all over the urban districts.

It was as if the winds of change were blowing, altering the very atmosphere.

And yet, Lu Chao was on extended leave, having all but vanished.

Not until the fifth day did a slight stir come from the Cultivation Chamber in his apartment building.

Looking inside, one could see him, stripped to the waist, standing as still as a brown Rock.

Wisps of brown Qi Flame flowed over the surface of his body, seemingly brewing some kind of change.

His breaths rose and fell like flowing clouds, leaving white trails in their wake and nearly resonating with the surrounding air.

Off to one side stood a storage cabinet against the wall, with five transparent glass boxes inside.

Two of the boxes contained orange-yellow crystals—unmistakably Essence of Qi.

The other three boxes, however, were empty. He had clearly consumed their contents completely to aid his cultivation breakthrough.

’Almost there.’

The thought seemed to echo in the room.

Lu Chao sank into a low stance, his eyes slightly closed.

A continuous current of air surged around him. He could feel the violent medicinal power within him transforming into a searing hot flow, rushing through every inch of his body.

Every bit of pure life nourishment was being absorbed by him at this moment. Both [Plunder and Grow] and his martial arts technique were working in tandem, constantly drawing in nutrients.

His Life Energy was skyrocketing, having long since reached its limit of 169 points.

But he could still feel an invisible bottleneck before him, as immovable as a great mountain, refusing to break.

’Qi Flame projection...’

His mind was clear. Lu Chao knew what this was.

Every realm breakthrough after the Superpower Level was a transformation of life itself.

It didn’t just bring a qualitative leap that multiplied one’s strength several times over; it also required a corresponding level of comprehension to truly step into that new domain.

In an instant, his Spiritual Power depleted rapidly as he once again entered the [Flow State].

With his full concentration, everything around him seemed to slow down. Lu Chao could feel his cognitive abilities temporarily enhanced once more.

All his past efforts now formed the most solid of foundations. All the sweat and sleepless nights of persistence transformed into Martial Arts Nourishment.

In the span of just a few breaths, numerous scenes flashed through his mind—countless sessions of cultivation and experimentation.

The multiple Qi Flame fusions of the [Ten Thousand Spirits Martial Arts Skill], from novice to mastery, and then to the cultivation essentials of the 2nd Floor, "Thousand Refinements," concerning the unique mysteries of the Qi Flame’s oppressive properties.

The Qi Manipulation Skill taught by Chen Xuanxing, including insights on Qi Flame projection, personally narrated by an Exploration Level expert.

In addition, there were the superpower courses he had spent contribution points on over the past few days via the Superpower Bureau’s intranet, featuring guidance from Exploration Level experts.

All this accumulated knowledge was now coming into play, solidifying his foundation like the roots of a tree digging deep into the earth.

Gradually, wisps of steam from his sweat rose and swirled above Lu Chao’s head.

The temperature in the room seemed to rise imperceptibly, and the Qi Flame rock armor solidified on Lu Chao’s body began to quietly change shape.

At times, it was like solid armor, giving off a sense of immense weight.

At others, it flowed and shifted, becoming a swirling current of water with a liquid feel.

Time passed, second by second.

Until finally, Lu Chao’s eyes snapped open, and a glint of Crimson Fire flashed within them.

BUZZ!

The next instant, he slightly raised his hand, and the brown Qi Flame coalesced in his palm.

WHOOSH!!

The Qi Flame shot from his body, slamming into the silver-steel training dummy in the distance.

BOOM!!

Like a cannonball’s roar, it instantly shattered the dummy. Alloy shrapnel exploded outward, striking the side walls with a series of loud CLANGS.

Lu Chao’s eyes shone as he fully grasped the final key.

"So this is Qi Flame projection."

Using subtle vibrations of the body’s muscles and skin to compress the power of the Qi Flame and release it as a concussive blast.

It sounded simple, but the frequency required varied from person to person. It also involved mobilizing energy at the cellular level and coordinating the entire body.

BUZZ!

In that instant, as he comprehended the corresponding Qi Flame technique, his Ten Thousand Spirits Martial Arts Skill finally broke through to the 2nd Floor, [Thousand Refinements].

At the same time, his Qi Flame converged back into his body, circulating rapidly.

Like countless rivers rushing through their channels and merging into one, his Qi Flame began to scour his meridians, making them tougher and wider.

At the same time, using the Qi Flame projection technique, he maintained a slight, uniform-frequency vibration in his skin, muscles, and bones, tempering his physique anew.

This cycle repeated, which in turn strengthened his Qi Flame, feeding back into itself.

"I see."

Lu Chao had a complete epiphany, finally understanding how to break through to the Exploration Level.

The Qi Manipulation Skill was a manifestation of one’s Martial Arts realm—a test of one’s control over their power and their spiritual enlightenment.

At the same time, it was complementary to tempering the physique and strengthening the Qi Flame.

Neither could be neglected. Only by reaching the required realm could one break through, and only by breaking through could one’s life transform and shatter the old limits.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK!

Immediately, the sound of bones and sinews cracking came from within his body.

Lu Chao could feel the Martial Arts bottleneck, once as solid as a mountain, now being shaken by him, with cracks gradually appearing.

He had finally reached the Exploration Level.

His strength, endurance, stamina, spiritual will, and more all began to rapidly increase.

’But this all seems like a cycle, and the key is having enough energy to support it.’

His eyes sharp, Lu Chao knew that a Qi Flame wouldn’t grow from nothing, nor would a physique strengthen easily.

It required ample nutrition converted into nourishment to replenish the body’s energy. Only then could it support the so-called transformation process and allow the realm breakthrough to proceed smoothly.

It was just like when he broke through with his Rock Martial Skill. That had drained his body of energy, but with insufficient external replenishment, it nearly led to a deficit of qi and blood.

Thinking of this, Lu Chao carefully assessed his own condition.

The nutrients from what he had consumed earlier were almost completely depleted. He glanced over at the two remaining portions of Essence of Qi on the table.

The reward for the live capture mission involving the two from Ink Green Rattan—a full fifty thousand contribution points—had been completely spent by him days ago to exchange for resources.

Only two days remained of the week-long deadline Li Junyi had mentioned.

He had to break through as quickly as possible, and even gain more abilities.

’Keep going!’

His eyes bright, Lu Chao immediately took out the remaining two portions of Essence of Qi and threw them into his mouth.

His Potential Progress was just a sliver away from completion.

He wasn’t just going to break through to the Exploration Level.

He was also going to use this opportunity to awaken a new intermediate-grade talent!

CRUNCH!

CRUNCH!!

He chewed mouthful after mouthful, crushing the medicinal crystals and swallowing them.

Gradually, the violent medicinal power spread out once more, broken down and reassembled by [Plunder and Grow] into the purest Martial Arts Nourishment.

The [Ten Thousand Spirits Martial Arts Skill] operated rapidly, guiding the nourishment and accelerating his breakthrough.

Moreover, Lu Chao’s eyes burned with intensity as he looked at the panel before him.

[Potential Progress: 94%... 96%... 98%...]

The numbers in his vision continued to climb.

Until finally,

[Potential Progress: 100%]

[Potential Complete!]

[Talent Specialty Activated Successfully!]

BUZZ!!

Lines of information appeared before his eyes, and Lu Chao’s expression flickered with shock.

Before he could even process it, the familiar pulling sensation returned. He immediately calmed his mind and went with the flow.

In just a few breaths, the scene before his eyes changed rapidly. His consciousness seemed to detach from his body and the current dimension, as if entering a deeper part of his own mind.

Finally, his vision settled.

Lu Chao once again saw the boundless darkness and the phantom of the giant standing at its center.