Chapter 309: A Change in Status

Chapter 309: Chapter 309: A Change in Status

A few minutes later, Lin Qi’s muscles bulged and veins popped as he abruptly unleashed his strength. A torrential Power surged out from him.

THWUMP~

A muffled explosion echoed through the air as a ring of white shockwaves radiated outward.

The blast of wind rustled the curtains in the Martial Arts Room and whipped across Lin Qi’s face.

He felt that his control over his Power had reached a new level.

[Your Qi and Blood Value has greatly increased. Your bones have been fully tempered, allowing you to generate an even more immense Power. Your mastery of Power has improved. Spear Technique +2%]

[You have gained a new understanding of the >. Spear Technique +1%]

[Your mastery of Power has improved, and your Body Technique has broken through. Body Technique +5%]

[Spear Technique: Tier Three 48% → 51%]

[Body Technique: Tier Three 23% → Tier Three 28%]

...

Looking at the notifications popping up on his panel, he reviewed his gains from the past four days.

Inside the Pyramid, besides absorbing Source Energy for Cultivation, he had focused on practicing his Spear Technique and Body Technique.

After a few days of this, his gains were substantial.

Unlike his other skills, his Qi and Blood Value increased by larger and larger increments as his Realm rose.

It could also be boosted by consuming various Cultivation Resources. Martial Arts, on the other hand, were different. For skills like Spear Technique and Body Technique, while there were auxiliary training methods, they fundamentally came down to pure practice.

Furthermore, the higher the Realm, the more difficult every 1% increase became.

It was said that at higher levels, it wasn’t uncommon for Fifth or Sixth Realm Martial Artists to still be at Tier Four in their Spear Technique.

Phew~

Lin Qi exhaled, sweat dripping from his forehead. But he didn’t feel tired.

The massive increase in his Qi and Blood Value had also improved his physical constitution.

He had already fully adapted to the Otherworld’s 3x gravity. Even while wearing the 2,000-kilogram Gravity Ring, he felt no discomfort.

Phew~

He closed his eyes and exerted his strength in an instant. His body vibrated as Power formed, and simultaneously, the Source Energy Particles latent within him surfaced.

They began to fuse with his Power.

His Source Energy had changed, now coated with a sharp Attribute.

As they completed their fusion with his Power, the Power itself took on this Attribute.

’My Power has also changed. It feels somewhat similar to a special Power.’

Lin Qi thought to himself. He felt his Power was quite similar to the special Power Xiang Long had unleashed back then.

This change made his Techniques more powerful, but they still couldn’t compare to a true special Power.

It felt like a burly strongman developing tougher skin.

He would still be no match for an Ordinary person holding a Sharp Blade.

However, the one benefit of this change was that it allowed him to close the gap between himself and the special Power of an Awakened genius.

It slightly increased his chances of victory.

’My second Killing Technique will be about how to use this fused Power—how to coalesce it into an even stronger Killing Technique.’

Lin Qi thought to himself, then settled his mind and focused on practicing the >.

...

Time flowed on, and Lin Qi’s days remained a monotonous cycle of Cultivation.

He scheduled his daily training time, cultivating his Source Energy Skill, Spear Technique, and Body Technique with rigid discipline.

After successfully mastering the >, he could clearly feel a drastic increase in his Cultivation efficiency.

His Qi and Blood Value was increasing by whole units at a time.

With the help of the Bone Tempering Liquid, his speed at tempering the bones of his torso was still quite fast.

At the same time, he also learned about the others’ progress from Teacher Yi Wei.

At noon on April 3rd, after twelve and a half days, Huo Wanyang successfully completed his Cultivation of the Source Energy Skill.

On the afternoon of April 3rd, after nearly thirteen days, Pei Jiu successfully completed his Cultivation of the Source Energy Skill. This was a speed only seen in SS-level geniuses.

It surprised Dean Liu and the other leaders. Dean Liu even told Lin Qi that Pei Jiu was already showing the potential of an SS-level genius.

Once Pei Jiu and the others completed their Cultivation, they all chose to leave the Pyramid immediately.

The reason was simple: the rankings.

Lin Qi and Yu Zhuoran currently held the top two spots, and the others were not about to be outdone.

They were all just eighteen-year-old kids, and Martial Arts geniuses at that. They placed great importance on the academy rankings and refused to be left behind.

Next to finish were Song Qing, Wan Ming, Xia Lian, and Lan Yue, all of whom took fourteen to fifteen days to complete their Cultivation.

Only Han Zhen, who finished last, took sixteen days to complete his Cultivation.

Just as Teacher Yi Wei had predicted, most of them finished their Cultivation within twelve to fifteen days.

Only Lin Qi and Yu Zhuoran were in a league of their own.

Finally, there was Xiang Long. Living up to his reputation as the "eternal number three," he completed his Cultivation in just thirteen days.

However, that still placed him firmly in the S-class genius category, ranking him fifth among the fourteen students.

...

「Time passed without notice, and soon it was April 21st.」

Nearly a month had gone by since everyone arrived in the Otherworld.

Inside the Martial Arts Room of Villa E86.

Phew~

Lin Qi, dressed in a black Martial Arts Uniform, sat cross-legged. His skin radiated a golden light, a glow emanating from the bones visible through his flesh and blood.

Gusts of fierce wind swirled around him. Within his Consciousness Space, a majestic Platinum Evil Tiger, over a hundred meters tall, roared at the heavens, using its Gale Technique to absorb the surrounding Source Energy.

Countless pores on his body opened, drawing massive amounts of Source Energy into his system.

Lin Qi expertly guided this unique Source Energy to temper the bones of his torso. A tingling numbness spread through his body as his bones were ground down and forged anew.

He savored this metamorphosis, his body growing stronger bit by bit, his physical potential gradually being unlocked as he walked the path to the Extraordinary.

「Two hours later」

The pores on Lin Qi’s body stopped absorbing Source Energy. The undigested Source Energy Particles now lay dormant within him.

Much like body fat, it was stored away when the body couldn’t absorb it, ready to be used as a supplemental source of Energy when his stamina was heavily drained.

BOOM!!

He snapped his eyes open, looking as if a Ninth-Level Calamity Beast—a Platinum Evil Tiger—had just awoken from a long slumber.

A ceaseless torrent of power surged from within him.

He slowly rose to his feet and looked at the updated data on his golden panel.

[You have completed a session of Source Energy Cultivation. The bones of your torso have been fully tempered, and your progress has accelerated. Qi and Blood Value +2, Qi and Blood Value +2...]

[Qi and Blood Value: 207 → 231]

...

A satisfied smile spread across Lin Qi’s face as he looked at the increase in his Qi and Blood Value.

In the nearly twenty days since the 2nd, his Qi and Blood Value had continued to advance by leaps and bounds.

His Qi and Blood Value had increased by a full 24 points!

"If I cultivate in the Otherworld for a few more months, I could break through to the Fifth Realm!"

Lin Qi clenched his fists. The Cultivation environment in the Otherworld was just too good.

He was almost reluctant to leave!

Phew~

He exhaled, putting force into his body. His Qi Blood surged and his insides vibrated. As he felt the Source Energy fused with his Power, Lin Qi suddenly thought it felt remarkably similar to the Inner Strength from wuxia novels.

As his physical constitution continued to improve, the amount of Source Energy his body could contain would also grow, perhaps accumulating more and more over time.

This would allow more Source Energy to fuse with his Power, unleashing even greater might.

Take, for example, the world’s number one expert he had seen in the Platinum Evil Tiger’s memories: Emperor Red.

With a casual wave of his hand, he unleashed a Red Flame Saber Aura dozens of meters long that split the sky.

That single Saber Aura had been enough to slay the Platinum Evil Tiger, one of the most powerful Ninth-Level Calamity Beasts.

’Alright, time to head to the party.’

Lin Qi glanced at the sky. It was already 6:30 p.m. He quickly freshened up and left his villa.

...

Villa E85 was right next door to Lin Qi’s.

It was the villa where Wan Ming lived.

On the eve of their departure from the Otherworld, he had specially organized a party and invited the other thirteen geniuses.

The villa had been specially decorated for the occasion, which mainly meant it was now filled with all sorts of delicious food, the aroma wafting through the air.

"Brother Qi, you’re finally here!"

The party’s host, Wan Ming, was wearing a special-issue blue school uniform. His eyes lit up as he saw Lin Qi and called out.

The newcomer was none other than Lin Qi, dressed in the red and white uniform of the Azure Sky Sixth Institute, his posture tall and straight, his appearance handsome and spirited.

Wan Ming felt the domineering aura radiating from Lin Qi and was inwardly startled.

’What a domineering aura. Even I feel suppressed by it.’

’He’s truly worthy of being the top genius, the first one to complete his Cultivation.’

Lin Qi was taken aback for a moment when he heard what Wan Ming called him. Wan Ming used to just call him by his name, but now that had changed.

But then he thought it over and his expression returned to normal.

"Wan Ming!" he greeted with a smile.

"I’m so glad you could make it! This party just wouldn’t be the same without you," Wan Ming said with a laugh.

"Lin Qi!" The others also greeted him with smiles when they saw him arrive.

Lin Qi looked at Wan Ming. A month had passed, and the other man had successfully cultivated the Middle-Level Source Energy.

The ocean-like aura about him had grown even deeper.

He glanced around at the others and saw it was the same for them all. Their auras were far more distinct. The Source Energy Skill training in the Pyramid had allowed everyone’s strength to skyrocket.

"Lin Qi, you’re incredible!"

"How on earth did you do it? You were even faster than Brother Jiu!"

Xia Lian, a girl with delicate features in a green school uniform, sidled up to him with a plate piled high with food and asked curiously.

Behind her, Pei Jiu and Han Zhen also drew near.

"Just natural Cultivation," Lin Qi replied with a laugh. "All I do every day is cultivate, cultivate, and cultivate some more. Success just came naturally."

"So you’ve dropped the modesty and gone straight to humble-bragging!" Xia Lian retorted, taking a bite of a doughnut.

Pei Jiu also chuckled. "Compared to you, the rest of us just seem lazy."

"Congratulations, Lin Qi. You’re now ranked in the top two of all the new students at Azure Sky Martial Arts University."

Lin Qi smiled back. "I still have a lot of room for improvement!"

The group continued to chat idly. Shen Zhenzhen tried to eagerly join the conversation, but Lin Qi ignored her.

Both Wan Ming and Pei Jiu had told him that Shen Zhenzhen had been bad-mouthing him quite a bit.

If even a good guy like Pei Jiu said so, it had to be true.

He couldn’t even be bothered to pretend to be polite.

Seeing Lin Qi’s attitude, Shen Zhenzhen’s expression froze. With so many people watching, her face gradually darkened. She turned on her heel and left without a word.

「A few minutes later」

Once everyone had arrived, they gathered around the massive dining table in the living room, which was laden with exquisite dishes.

All thirteen geniuses were present. Wan Ming raised his glass, stood up, and announced loudly:

"Before we knew it, we’ve been in the Otherworld for a whole month."

"Everyone has made incredible progress."

"The purpose of this party isn’t just to get together, but also to cheer everyone on."

"On April 25th is the Global Freshmen Tournament. We need to give it our all."

"I hope all of you can participate, so we can win the final championship for our Xia Country," Wan Ming said earnestly.

...