On the other hand, the Ouyang Family has the background of a Great Martial Master of Ninth Stage Peak Realm, and I need a powerful teammate to cover my back at critical moments, or even take a blade for me.
Chapter 41: Breakthrough to Second Stage
Shěn Qīnghé's frankness made Qǐmíng slightly lower his guard. His life was valuable, and he needed the help of a teammate. His identity was awkward, and he needed someone to take the fall if he were exposed. This person couldn't be too weak, couldn't have a strong affiliation, couldn't be afraid to confront the Ouyang Family, and couldn't be too afraid of death. Qǐmíng was a perfect fit. Thinking this, Qǐmíng felt that Shěn Qīnghé's efforts to secure him an auditing student position made perfect sense.
"I don't want contribution points. Give me 500 grams of Yangstone, and I'll take a blade for you until the matter is resolved."
1000 contribution points, if unrestricted, could only exchange for 200 grams of Yangstone. Qǐmíng's audacious request was for several hundred million. But he promised to stand in front of Shěn Qīnghé.
"Alright. After I confirm the information, I'll find you at the Origin Martial Department."
The next day, Shěn Qīnghé personally delivered the Yangstone and a dedicated communication device to Qǐmíng, and they agreed to infiltrate an Ouyang Family suspected processing plant together in three days to collect evidence. It was during the holiday break, so there weren't many students in the academy, and their interactions didn't attract attention.
In the following three days, Qǐmíng continued to absorb Yangstone madly, compressing his Origin Power. When his Origin Power felt completely compressed into a "liquid" state and then accumulated to full capacity again, he had roughly three times the energy he had before. It was a natural progression. Qǐmíng finally managed to channel Origin Power into his brain. With a "boom," a dense fluctuation of Origin Power filled the entire dormitory. A surging pillar of overflowing Origin Power rose, even surpassing the building and shooting straight into the night sky. In the dark sky, a phantom azure halo appeared. The vast starry sky seemed to become even more radiant, with brilliant starlight converging towards the azure halo.
The entire academy's high command was shocked.
"Star Power! Someone has opened a Star Wheel!"
"What's going on? Someone broke through to Peak of Sixth Stage Realm?"
"Is there anyone in the academy still at Perfection of Sixth Stage Realm? One of the big shots from the teaching staff?"
"What teaching staff! Isn't that the direction of the student dormitories?"
From the Sixth Stage Realm onwards, Origin Martial Artists begin to sense Star Power, connecting their own Origin Power with the power from the universe. Minor Achievement in Sixth Stage Realm means drawing star formations within the body. Major Achievement in Sixth Stage Realm means connecting the star formations to star locks. The completion of the star chain and its protrusion from the body marks Perfection of Sixth Stage Realm. Building a Star Wheel in the starry sky, visible to all, is considered Peak of Sixth Stage Realm. From then on, Origin Martial Artists can utilize cosmic power for combat and temper weapons with Star Constellation Fragments to imbue them with power. The appearance of a Star Wheel is a hallmark of a Mid-level Elemental Martial Artist breaking through to become a High-level Elemental Martial Artist. Among the Kyushu Border Security, the number of powerhouses who can take this step is extremely limited, and each one is a focal point of attention. But what is happening today?
In the office of the Military Martial Academy's principal, several people conversing on the sofa simultaneously looked up at the window. Táng Zōngxuán's mental power immediately swept towards the dormitory area, his expression somewhat peculiar. In the void, a powerful mental entity, invisible to the naked eye, looked down at a sweaty Qǐmíng. Its astonishing pressure masked everything else in the room. Seeing the extremely dense Origin Power released by the burning Yangstone filling the room, it lightly exerted force with great interest, forcibly compressing all the Origin Power into Qǐmíng's body. Qǐmíng's entire body trembled as if struck by a heavy blow. The Origin Power within him suddenly released an extremely powerful fluctuation, and his eyes snapped open, their eerie green glow particularly dazzling in the night sky.
A demon god? No. There was no trace of any integration with the Demon God Organization. So, was he just a terrifying child with a high infection rate? A terrifying tide of mental power receded like water. Qǐmíng, as if having lost all strength, collapsed onto the ground and fell unconscious. Before him, the entire 100 grams of Yangstone, borrowed from Wáng Jǐngteng, had turned to dust. The azure Star Wheel that had briefly appeared in mid-air also turned into an illusion.
"Elder Táng, this is?"
The four vice-principals of the Military Martial Academy and the principal Kǒng Mùshēng were discussing matters in the principal's office. At this moment, these Martial Masters of the Seventh and Eighth Stage Realms all adopted respectful attitudes, seeking instructions from the man seated at the head.
Táng Zōngxuán had a kind face, like the most approachable elderly neighbor, and said with a light smile, "It's nothing, probably the influence of solar tides. The dormitory area is unharmed."
Solar tides affecting the night sky to reveal a Star Wheel? This was too far-fetched, but when the words came from Táng Zōngxuán, others couldn't help but doubt. After all, Táng Zōngxuán was one of the only two Ninth Stage Peak Realm experts in the vast Kyushu Border Security.
Kǒng Mùshēng shook his head helplessly, "Indeed. There are probably no quasi-Martial Masters in the academy capable of breaking through to Peak of Sixth Stage Realm for now."
"Worry less. Children will have their own fortunes. I see some excellent seedlings among this year's freshmen, and they will grow up sooner or later. If you have that much time, why not focus on breaking through to Ninth Stage Peak Realm yourself?"
Kǒng Mùshēng gave a wry smile. If Ninth Stage Peak Realm were that easy to break through, there wouldn't be only two individuals. There was indeed a good child among the freshmen, Shěn Qīnghé, known as having the potential of a Martial Master at sixteen. However, it was uncertain if humanity could even last until he grew up.
"We can't focus on that for now. I must go to the decisive battle at Shanhai City. I will bring some teachers and students from the academy, but you four vice-principals should stay behind! We must leave some seeds of the Ninth Stage for the Military Martial Academy."
One of the vice-principals, Jiāng Fēng, with white hair and a look even older than Táng Zōngxuán, immediately refused, "Don't even think about going to play the hero by yourself. This old man is old, and there's no hope of breaking through in this lifetime. Since there's a decisive battle, why should I stay behind?"
Vice-Principal Jiāng Fēng, a Great Martial Master of Eighth Stage Realm! He had fought his whole life and acted boldly his whole life. In his old age, why would he shrink from battle?
Zhào Chángshān also said, "I'll go too! They've already bullied us to our doorstep. If we lose Shanhai City, wouldn't our ten years of human war be a complete failure!"
"One step back, and every step will be a retreat. In the end, the border will be lost, and everything will be over."
"Me too! Anyone who wants to engage in factional disputes in an ivory tower is mistaken. These things are simply not suitable for us Origin Martial Artists."
"Let's go together!"
"Yes, together! The reputation of The Five Elites of Military Martial Arts wasn't gained from teaching and nurturing, but from killing on the battlefield!"
"Enough!" Kǒng Mùshēng roared, suppressing the four of them. "You are acting recklessly! Why did we establish the Military Martial Academy? Have you forgotten! Heritage is more important than fighting on the front lines! Elder Táng, don't listen to their nonsense. We at the Military Martial Academy will not retreat from this battle, but the roots of the academy must remain."
Táng Zōngxuán chuckled. These old fellows were putting on a show for him!
"You don't need to do this. The great battle must be fought, but our base cannot be lost. No one said we are going to touch the roots of the Military Martial Academy. But the battle at Shanhai City is indeed critically important, and we have very few people we can mobilize. How about this: Kǒng Mùshēng and Old Jiāng will come with me. The three of you younger ones will stay and guard the house. Don't worry, it's not the end of the world yet! With me and Ouyang here, the sky won't fall."
Chapter 42: Infiltrating the Secret Factory
The great battle was about to begin, and undercurrents were stirring, but all of this seemed distant from Qǐmíng, who had just broken through to the Second Stage Realm. The morning alarm rang, and the fluorescent lights in the corridor turned on. Qǐmíng groggily opened his eyes. To his surprise, he didn't feel the exhaustion of his hard-won breakthrough. Instead, his body felt filled with immense, inexhaustible power, and even his vision seemed clearer. Is this the Second Stage Realm? Looking at the Yangstone that had turned to powder, Qǐmíng sighed. He hadn't expected the breakthrough to consume so much. Fortunately, he had acquired more, otherwise, he would have run out again, which would have been painful. To consume a full 100 grams of Yangstone in one night, when had his speed become so fast? His phone vibrated incessantly beside him, and Qǐmíng finally answered.
"Qǐmíng? What's wrong?" Shěn Qīnghé had been calling him all morning! Anyone else would think he had stolen money and fled! Qǐmíng chuckled awkwardly. Unable to explain that he had just broken through, he mumbled, "I overslept."
Overslept? Qǐmíng was sleeping in? Shěn Qīnghé was astonished. Could people from the wasteland sleep so soundly? Couldn't even hear the phone ring? He had even thought that the Star Wheel anomaly yesterday might have something to do with Qǐmíng. Bah! What could a Star Wheel have to do with a Second Stage Realm cultivator?
"Alright, get ready and meet me at the school gate. We'll head out soon."
The processing plant Shěn Qīnghé had found was also located in Mianbei City. Although it was nominally unrelated to the Ouyang Family and was just an ordinary armor processing plant, the Security Committee knew it was an Ouyang Family industry. Mianbei was a chaotic place; what legitimate businesses could there be?
"This is the ventilation shaft. According to the intel, it should lead directly to the underground processing plant."
Shěn Qīnghé, dressed in black and with a black mask covering his face, blended into the night. Qǐmíng nodded slightly. "I'll go down first."
It was pitch black below the ventilation shaft. Qǐmíng activated his Divine Sense to strengthen his eyes and looked down. He found a safe landing spot and descended, clearing away any dangers before signaling for Shěn Qīnghé to follow. It was indeed a model of industrialized, ultra-modern production. Various robotic arms worked seamlessly in their respective process stages. The assembly line, dozens of meters long, required no human workers; the intelligent system could handle everything perfectly.
"Just looking at the production floor, I can't see any signs of abnormality."
Shěn Qīnghé shook his head, opened a micro-computer on his arm, and began scanning. His black clothing had automatically shifted to a silver-gray that blended with the environment. "Of course, these things wouldn't be displayed openly. However, as long as they are involved with parasitism, there must be living demon gods present. The detector found something down here before, and now we need to pinpoint the location."
Qǐmíng nodded. So that was it. A flicker of blue flashed in Qǐmíng's pupils. He quickly provided the answer, "I see it. About 30 meters underground, in this direction."
Shěn Qīnghé looked slightly surprised. "Is your Divinized Sense enhanced in your eyes?" After watching him fight a few times, he had thought his enhancement was in his arms! After all, this guy could punch straight through a person's chest with his hands! And even if it was his eyes, weren't his eyes better than his own detection equipment?
Qǐmíng remained expressionless. So, Enhancement Types were distinguished by enhancement location? But his enhancement seemed adjustable to any direction. When Origin Power flowed into his eyes, Qǐmíng could see colored outlines around hostile targets, judging their combat strength, which was why he had used this method to find the demon god just now.
Seeing Qǐmíng remain silent, Shěn Qīnghé suddenly realized. "Sorry, I shouldn't have pried into your Divinized Sense." Qǐmíng had already been very clear with him: they were cooperating for mutual benefit, but it didn't mean they trusted each other. Prying into each other's Divinized Sense was too private.
"If it's underground, I think I know where the passage is."
The two continued deeper. Around a corner, they suddenly encountered two guards. This place was seldom visited, and the guards were drowsy. Qǐmíng naturally bypassed them, and Starfall was already in his hand.
"Hey! Don't kill anyone!" Shěn Qīnghé whispered, his voice faint. One guard still looked over instantly. Before the guard could react, Shěn Qīnghé suddenly fired an electromagnetic suction cup at the ceiling and zipped up. Qǐmíng also instantly kicked off the wall, hiding in another dead corner.
"What's wrong?" the other guard asked, confused. "Nothing, I thought I heard someone talking."
The guard actually laughed. "No way, talking? You must be half-asleep. There's no third person in this factory besides us. Who would be talking?"
"You're right..." The guard scratched his head and leaned against the wall again, bored. The two let out a quiet sigh of relief. On his phone, Shěn Qīnghé's text message was transmitted via shortwave: Don't kill anyone! We can't handle the bodies, it will definitely expose us! Qǐmíng hadn't considered this and replied: Then what do we do?
Shěn Qīnghé was speechless. How could this guy resort to killing at the slightest provocation? He sent a "stay calm" emoji, opened his micro-computer, took a picture from an angle, and then projected it on the spot, creating a false, solid wall. "Let's go." The two walked softly behind the projection, which remained unchanged. Qǐmíng was truly amazed, not knowing that holographic projection could be so realistic. The two guards probably never dreamed that what they were seeing was just a fabricated illusion. In fact, how many people in this world also looked at what others had created, believing they were seeing the truth?
After bypassing the guards, Shěn Qīnghé approached a door that looked very secure. He placed his hand on the lock, and soon, the door silently opened, revealing a deep elevator shaft within. "My Divinized Sense is dissolution, it can make things within a certain distance disappear out of thin air." He had inquired about Qǐmíng's Divinized Sense earlier and was now explaining his own. Qǐmíng instinctively asked, "Including human bodies?" They descended to the very bottom, stowed their equipment, and Shěn Qīnghé finally explained, "Including anything." Qǐmíng became instinctively cautious. This Divinized Sense was also incredibly heaven-defying! The best way to destroy evidence in the world! Even if it required contact to activate, it meant that hitting someone in the chest was equivalent to piercing the heart. If it could be transmitted through objects, wouldn't it be even more terrifying? Good kid, he just said he couldn't handle bodies, but he's also a master of playing weak to hide strength. Using the same trick to open the elevator door, the two finally entered the hidden underground factory. "Roar—!" The dark underground space was cold and damp. The ground was no longer marble but moss-covered earth, a stark contrast to the clean and tidy factory above. The air was filled with a rotten stench, and faint, suppressed, eerie roars could be heard intermittently. The two exchanged glances: there were demon gods! Definitely living demon gods!
Chapter 43: Silicon-Based Lifeform
They silently entered a long corridor, both extremely vigilant. After a few steps, a gust of wind hit them. Qǐmíng shoved Shěn Qīnghé behind him and then strengthened his body, preparing to resist. Fortunately, it wasn't an attack, but just a gust of malevolent energy from some demon god roaring somewhere. Qǐmíng's surging Origin Power quietly subsided. Shěn Qīnghé realized he was covered in cold sweat. "You reckless kid!" Hearing Shěn Qīnghé's suppressed voice, Qǐmíng also exhaled the breath he had been holding for a long time. "I said I'd take a blade for you."
??? Shěn Qīnghé almost couldn't catch his breath. Although this was indeed the service he was paying for, he was still a bit taken aback when Qǐmíng actually said it... Was he being a knight in shining armor? However, Shěn Qīnghé did feel some gratitude and shock. In that split second, neither he nor Qǐmíng knew if the sudden gust was just wind or a terrifying attack, but Qǐmíng had truly and without hesitation fulfilled his promise. Moreover, the Origin Power burst Qǐmíng displayed in that moment was terrifyingly strong! At least three thousand Origin Units! He himself had been at the Second Stage Realm for two full years and was on the verge of forming a core, yet he didn't even have that much Origin Power! Qǐmíng didn't pay much attention to these things. He hadn't felt any real danger in that moment; it was just a reflex action. Shěn Qīnghé was speechless at Qǐmíng's nonchalance. "There must be a control room for the management system in here. Once we find it and copy the data, our mission will be complete. Let's go in and take a look."
In this underground space, towering cages dozens of meters high were extremely sturdy, containing different types of demon gods of various sizes. Many demon gods had complex pipelines connected to their bodies, and many had had crucial body parts removed, barely clinging to life. Qǐmíng felt no pity for these creatures. He only felt a sense of melancholy. Humans, possessing the ability to defeat and even capture such behemoths, were using this power for such heinous acts internally. Truly, the fire was raging in their own backyard. If humanity were ever to go extinct, it wouldn't be due to weakness, but only due to selfishness and ignorance! "They've been cut up like this, yet they're still alive." Shěn Qīnghé also frowned, looking at the chilling scene before him. "Demon gods are silicon-based lifeforms, unlike us. As long as their core, their 'seed of fire,' is still functioning, no matter what state their bodies are in, they are, in a broad sense, alive."
Silicon-based, like sand, like stones! Just like the demon god's core, the seed of fire, was also a stone! Even if that thing left the demon god, it was still alive! How fragile humanity was, feeling pain when falling, dying when injured. Diseases, viruses, accidents... so many things could easily take a human life. But demon gods? Behemoths that could struggle to survive even when reduced to fragments, how could humans fight them? Shěn Qīnghé gave a self-deprecating smile. "There used to be an unassailable theory about demon gods, that carbon-based lifeforms like humans were merely a precursor program to guide the activation of silicon-based lifeforms. When we return to dust, our earthly forms returned to dust, this world would eventually be occupied by silicon-based lifeform demon gods, and the sand on the seashore would be the masters of the future."
After the Nova Cataclysm, Earth was shattered, and human civilization continued in the ruins. Not everyone was confident in fighting external enemies. Voices advocating for peace, submission, and even pessimistic extinction of humanity were never in the minority. No one knew what kind of misunderstandings and struggles those still fighting on the front lines had gone through.
Qǐmíng did not understand these things. "I don't understand what you mean by carbon-based or silicon-based lifeforms. I only know that Blue Star is humanity's Blue Star. Anyone who doesn't want me to live on Blue Star, I will fight them to the end, regardless of whether they are human, demon, or god."
Shěn Qīnghé was stunned. This guy! Was it because he knew too little, understood too little, that he could possess such firm and pure fighting spirit? "Beep— Beep—" Suddenly, a faint electronic sound rang out. The two quickly dodged into a corner. Shěn Qīnghé lowered his voice. "We're doomed. Divine Sense Robots. I didn't expect these things to exist. The electronic equipment on me and the Origin Power you just used are probably exposed!\