Chapter 400 - 390: SSS-level Strength

Chapter 400: Chapter 390: SSS-level Strength

When one of the students saw the Points Chart, his jaw dropped and he gasped.

"F-five hundred thousand points?"

The others who saw it gasped as well.

The sound of sharp intakes of breath echoed across the entire plaza.

When students from the other institutes found out, an uproar immediately followed.

"He’s too strong!"

"Just how many Calamity Beasts did he kill? Is his body made of Delta Alloy?"

"They’re both SS-level geniuses, but Huo Wanyang only has 300,000 points. He’s way behind Lin Qi."

"The main thing is, Lin Qi is just on another level. Who can possibly compare to him?"

"I can’t even imagine how much money he’s going to make from this."

In the area designated for the Azure Sky Sixth Institute, Jiangtao sat watching the Points Chart, a wry smile on his face.

"I remember the last Disaster Beast Hunting Competition. Brother Qi had just broken through to the Fourth Realm and hadn’t even started an Intermediate Source Energy Technique, yet he still racked up 120,000 points."

"I’ve already finished my cultivation, but I still couldn’t break 120,000 points."

"Brother Qi is just a beast!"

The others nodded in agreement. Their scores were all hovering around 100,000 points; the gap between them and Lin Qi was just too vast.

ROAR!!

A completely red Sparrowhawk Fighter descended onto the plaza, drawing everyone’s attention.

The cabin door slid open, and Lin Qi was the first to step out, followed closely by Huo Wanyang.

Lin Qi watched the fighter depart before returning to the stands.

"Brother Qi, what’s the situation? Why did you come back in a Sparrowhawk Fighter?" Jiangtao asked curiously.

Lin Qi said calmly,

"Something happened. Just now..."

So, he told them how Yu Jing and the other nine had ambushed him.

He had already asked Xue Zhou; there was no need to keep the incident with Yu Jing and the others a secret.

After hearing his story, everyone was filled with righteous fury. Their killing intent flared, and they wished they could have stomped Yu Jing to death themselves.

"No wonder Yu Jing improved so fast. So he joined the Insect God Association."

"That bastard! Death was too good for him. To think he actually tried to kill Brother Qi!"

"..."

"Attention, students!"

As the students were discussing the matter, a projection of Vice-Principal Xu Wenji appeared once more.

He announced the final rankings and rewards for the Disaster Beast Hunting Competition, and then officially declared it over.

With the Disaster Beast Hunting Competition concluded, the students returned to their respective villas.

「Azure Sky Sixth Institute, Villa No. 1」

In the spacious living room, Lin Qi, Jiangtao, and Jiang Miaoyin were eating together.

Lin Qi devoured his Level 5 Nutritional Meal. He had expended a tremendous amount of energy and was in desperate need of replenishment.

Jiang Miaoyin said as she ate,

"Because of what you did last semester, Brother Lin Qi, no one dared to withdraw from the competition early this time."

"So my plan to break into the top five went up in smoke. We ended up in 8th place."

Then, her expression turned serious. "But I’m going to compete for the top three in the freshman competition starting tomorrow!"

Lin Qi nodded. Jiang Miaoyin’s strength had indeed improved by leaps and bounds since she entered Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy.

’Winning the championship would be tough, but she really does have a shot at the top three.’

...

A few minutes later, Jiangtao and Jiang Miaoyin left.

Lin Qi returned to the Martial Arts Room alone. He had Little Chan project a panel and began to review his performance in the three-day Disaster Beast Hunting Competition.

’His gains from this Disaster Beast Hunting Competition were immense.’

’His points alone reached a staggering 500,000, shocking countless students. That was a full 380,000 more than his 120,000 points from last time.’

’Converted to cash, it would be an astonishingly large sum of money.’

’Aside from the points, his greatest achievement was mastering the Shaking Mountain Realm, which allowed his Spear Technique to break through to Tier Four.’

After a moment of reflection, he sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate his Source Energy Skill.

The toll of the past three days had been immense, and his body was practically screaming for energy.

WHOOSH!!

Amidst gusts of a spiritual gale, vast quantities of Source Energy Particles poured into his body.

As the Source Energy entered him, his body devoured it crazily, like a man dying of thirst finding water.

His cells rapidly metabolized to recover, all while undergoing a constant transformation.

...

「In an undisclosed base」

"It was a failure. All the nanomachines are dead."

The red light in the eyes of the giant green mechanical insect faded as it spoke in a robotic voice.

The tall, black-masked man remained calm and replied nonchalantly,

"Failure is failure."

"Success would have been a bonus. Failure just means we lost a few materials."

"In any case, our Insect God Association can never be truly wiped out."

"Now, I should turn my attention to searching for the treasure."

After muttering to himself, he turned and left.

’Geniuses like Lin Qi and Huo Wanyang might, at best, become Eighth Realm Martial Artists when they mature.’

’If they get lucky and manage to break through to the Ninth Realm, their strength would still be considered ordinary.’

’They would have an impact on our Insect Race, but not a significant one.’

’What we truly fear is the emergence of another freak of nature like Emperor Red. His strength and talent were so high, it was hard to believe a genius like him could emerge from a minor planet like Blue Star.’

...

News that Li Zehao and the others had joined the Insect God Association eventually spread throughout the entire academy.

Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy posted the news on its official website. Countless people furiously condemned Li Zehao and the others, calling them traitors to the human race.

Even those who were once close to them immediately cut all ties.

As for their families, it felt as if their worlds had come crashing down.

...

The next day, the freshman competition began.

The Tenth Institute’s freshman hunting competition began at Fortress No. 9.

After an efficient overnight cleanup, not a single Calamity Beast carcass remained in the entire Disaster Beast Garden.

Only the faint, lingering smell of blood permeated the air, refusing to dissipate.

The fourteen students from the Tenth Institute stepped off the shuttle and gathered at the main gate.

Wan Ming, dressed in a blue Combat Suit, spoke up,

"According to the latest report, Huo Wanyang scored 300,000 points, and Lin Qi scored 500,000!"

"We need to step it up!"

Everyone was stunned to hear this. Those scores were simply outrageous.

Yu Zhuoran frowned. He wasn’t confident he could achieve such a high score.

Just then, a figure stepped out from the crowd. Dressed in a red Combat Suit and holding a Miao Blade, it was none other than the SSS-level genius, Chu Yu.

With his appearance, the ambient temperature began to rise, and a scorching aura filled the air around him.

Yu Zhuoran’s heart skipped a beat. He could feel that Chu Yu’s aura was significantly stronger. ’Could he have already broken through to the Sixth Realm?’

’An 18-year-old in the Sixth Realm... at this rate, he might even reach the Seventh Realm by the time he’s 20.’

Chu Yu flashed a confident smile.

"If Lin Qi can score 500,000 points, then I’ll just score a million. Exactly double his amount."

A hush fell over the crowd at Chu Yu’s words.

They couldn’t even fathom scoring 500,000 points, let alone a million.

They felt an immense pressure. With monsters like Lin Qi and Chu Yu setting the bar, they felt the urge to train desperately every single day.

...

「Azure Sky Sixth Institute, Villa No. 1」

In the Martial Arts Room, Lin Qi, dressed in a black Martial Arts Uniform, sat cross-legged.

A gentle breeze stirred the hem of his uniform. In his Consciousness Space, the Platinum Evil Tiger, as massive as a mountain, opened its cavernous maw and inhaled the dense Source Energy from the surrounding air with the force of a gale.

The Source Energy Particles converged into streams, like flowing water, pouring into his body to be devoured by the cells in every part of him.

Muscles, great tendons, skin, bones, and inner organs—every part of him was transforming simultaneously.

The damage his body had sustained from the attacks was healing at a visible rate. Destroyed cells were metabolized and replaced as new cells divided to take their place.

THUMP THUMP!!

His heart began to beat powerfully. Even though its initial refinement was complete, its function continued to strengthen.

The improvements were just no longer as dramatic as they had been initially.

A large amount of Source Energy gathered in his lungs. The lungs are one of the five major organs and govern respiration.

They are critical organs for respiration, and also key to the transformation of Source Energy.

The heart and lungs determine a person’s endurance and stamina. Once their refinement was complete, his stamina would see another major boost.

As he regulated his breathing, vast amounts of oxygen entered his lungs through his nose, where it was stored.

This oxygen was accompanied by a large quantity of Source Energy, which began to transform his pulmonary organs.

At the same time, the Organ Cultivation Liquid he had taken was also taking effect.

「Two hours later」

The aura within the Martial Arts Room settled. Lin Qi slowly opened his eyes. His chest rose and fell as he exhaled a puff of turbid air.

His breath was so long and steady that it stirred a gentle breeze throughout the room.

[You have completed a cultivation session. Your injuries have healed, and your body has undergone a transformation. Qi and Blood Value +20]

[Qi and Blood Value: 520→540]

...

Lin Qi slowly rose to his feet. He could feel a ceaseless power welling up from within as his blood circulated to every corner of his body.

The blockages caused by his injuries had completely cleared up.

His Qi Blood was abundant. In fact, recovering from his injuries had paradoxically caused his Qi and Blood Value to increase significantly.

In the last two days of cultivating with the Organ Cultivation Liquid, his Qi and Blood Value alone had increased by a full 40 points.

The refinement of his lungs was already almost halfway complete.

"Master, the rewards for the Disaster Beast Hunting Competition have arrived!"

The projection of Little Chan suddenly spoke from beside him.

She raised a delicate hand, projecting a screen.

[Student Lin Qi, due to your outstanding performance in the Disaster Beast Hunting Competition, you have earned a total of 509,000 points, breaking the all-time record. Your kills include 523 Level 1 Calamity Beasts, 3,258 Level 2 Calamity Beasts...]

[After conversion to prize money, your total winnings amount to 280 million Xia Country Coins. After a 10% personal income tax deduction of 28 million Xia Country Coins, your final prize is 252 million Xia Country Coins!]

...

Lin Qi smiled as he read the information on the panel.

’My haul from this competition was enormous.’

’I’d earned a full 252 million Xia Country Coins. It was a massive fortune.’

’I wonder how many Cultivation Resources I can buy with this.’

’Then again, my current combat power is already equivalent to a Sixth Realm Martial Artist.’

’Earning 252 million Xia Country Coins by slaughtering beasts in a safe environment like the Disaster Beast Garden... now that I think about it, it seems reasonable.’

’If I were on a real battlefield, money like this wouldn’t come so easily.’

He immediately checked his total assets.

[Account Balance: 560 million Xia Country Coins]

A slight smile touched Lin Qi’s lips as he saw his net worth.

’My net worth now is nothing to sneeze at.’

’Nearly 600 million, plus the several hundred million worth of Cultivation Resources Dean Liu is holding for me.’

His expression quickly returned to neutral, however. ’Because from now on, my main source of income will be the Global Martial Arts Tournament.’

’Then there’s the monthly stipend of thirty million Xia Country Coins, and the rewards from the Disaster Beast Trial Tower.’

’But my expenses are only going to become more terrifying.’

...

「Two days later, on the plaza of Fortress No. 9」

The Disaster Beast Hunting Competition for the freshmen had concluded, and the 14 Awakened geniuses were back.

Chu Yu, clad in his red Combat Suit, laughed as he looked at his massive lead on the Points Chart.

"One million points. I do what I say I’ll do. Not a point more, not a point less. Just right."

[Tenth Institute Points Chart]

[First Place: Chu Yu, Points: 1,000,000]

[Second Place: Yu Zhuoran, Points: 395,900]

[Third Place: Pei Jiu, Points: 367,800]

...

The others stared at the rankings in silence. The gap was just too big.

Yu Zhuoran tightened his grip on his battle saber. He had given it his all, yet he still couldn’t break 500,000 points.

When facing the Level 6 Disaster Beast, the Iron-Backed War Bear, he had been forced to use his Little Divine Power and had only barely managed to kill it.

’I can’t compare to Lin Qi at all, let alone an SSS-level genius like Chu Yu.’

’Even among geniuses, there are tiers. Today, I’ve truly felt that.’

...