Chapter 411 - 397: Strength Breakthrough
Lin Qi was the first to walk into the Refining God Tower.
"Let’s go!"
Wan Ming, Yu Zhuoran, Xia Lian, Han Zhen, and the others also walked in.
The interior of the Refining God Tower hadn’t changed much.
It was completely silent, with no one else around. The space was divided into dozens of seats, separated by white partitions to ensure privacy.
BOOM!!
As soon as they entered, the group felt a series of intense Spirit Shocks.
And there was no buffer zone!
Lin Qi felt the formless Spirit Shock slam into his head like a giant hammer.
It made him feel dizzy.
’Such a strong Spirit Shock!’
Lin Qi was alarmed. This Spirit Shock was already equivalent to the fourth or fifth floor of the Refining God Tower on Blue Star.
But here in the Celestial Vault Institute’s Refining God Tower, this was just the first floor.
The group continued toward the second floor. Most of them had a Spiritual Power level of over 400, so the first floor’s Spirit Shock didn’t have much of an effect on them.
Soon, they arrived on the second floor.
WHOOSH!!
An even more intense impact washed over them, and their spirits felt a powerful blow.
"I’ll stop on the second floor!"
Wan Ming shook his head, found a small cubicle, and sat down cross-legged, beginning to endure the Spirit Shock.
The others saw this and did the same.
Only Lin Qi shook his head and proceeded to the third floor, with Yu Zhuoran accompanying him.
BOOM!!
The moment they stepped onto the third floor, an even stronger Spirit Shock hit them like a surging tidal wave, crashing down layer after layer like it was smashing against a reef.
The tyrannical impact, strong enough to shatter boulders, made both of their spirits tremble.
They quickly entered their respective cubicles and closed the doors. The screen on the doors now displayed "Occupied".
Inside the cubicle, it was quite spacious, and incense was burning.
In the center was a white meditation cushion. He sat down cross-legged, took a small metal box out of his pocket, and slowly opened it. Inside was a transparent, capsule-like container.
It held a single drop of pure purple liquid—a Soul Essence.
It was a potion Lin Qi had bought to increase his Spiritual Power. Just one drop was worth 30 million Xia Country Coins.
He squeezed the drop into his mouth, and it went straight down.
Then, he fully immersed himself in resisting the Spirit Shock.
BUZZ! BUZZ!
Under the constant assault, his Consciousness Space trembled continuously. It was exceptionally painful and disorienting.
However, the gray fog that represented his Spirit was also constantly expanding. It was now the size of a yoga ball.
At the same time, he felt a cool sensation flow into his mind, and the dizziness quickly faded.
It was as if the soreness and fatigue from a long run had vanished, allowing him to endure for longer, and even run at a faster pace.
His Spiritual Power expanded and spread, and he could feel the gray fog growing at a visible rate.
His Spiritual Power was increasing dramatically.
The effects of the Soul Essence were immediately apparent.
Lin Qi liked this feeling.
In the blink of an eye, two hours passed.
In a nearby cubicle, Yu Zhuoran was drenched in sweat. His spirit was also quite strong.
His Qi and Blood Value was now at the Peak of the Fourth Realm, and his Spiritual Power was already over 400.
But after staying for just over an hour, he felt he had reached his limit here.
He opened his eyes and stepped out of the cubicle.
He felt his head spin, and his face was pale.
BANG!
At that moment, another cubicle opened, and Lin Qi walked out. His expression was calm and composed, as if he had just taken a nap inside.
Yu Zhuoran was puzzled. ’Lin Qi is completely fine? Just how high is his Spiritual Power?’
Meanwhile, Lin Qi felt refreshed and clear-headed. He looked at his panel.
[You have consumed a Soul Essence and endured the Spirit Shock in the Refining God Tower. Your Spiritual Power has been tempered and has greatly increased. Spiritual Power +45]
[Spiritual Power: 555 → 600]
...
’I actually increased my Spiritual Power by 45 in one go,’ Lin Qi thought with delight.
’This Soul Essence was so worth the price.’
The first time you use a new resource is always the most effective.
He still had four more vials of Soul Essence. ’Maybe I can raise my Spiritual Power to 700 or 800.’
...
At noon, Lin Qi returned to his villa, Number 36 at Star Residence.
For lunch, he ate a Level 5 Nutritional Meal. After a short rest, he resumed his cultivation of a new spear technique—the *Mountain and River Spear Technique*.
SWISH! SWISH!
The entire Spear Technique was majestic and grand. Its techniques were wide and sweeping, like mountains and rivers crashing down with unstoppable force.
When performed by Lin Qi, it was fierce and domineering. His spear moved like a dragon, tearing through the surrounding air.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Under three times gravity, the Tiger Slaying Spear in his hands became incredibly heavy, weighing a full 1,500 kilograms!
A single swing of the spear was like swinging an iron pillar, accompanied by a heavy thud and the sound of wind.
Lin Qi felt a tremor inside his body as his inner organs, bones, and muscles exerted force in unison, condensing a continuous stream of Golden Edge Power.
He immersed his Spiritual Power into the process and found that his control over the Power was much easier than he had imagined.
The Power condensed, flowing out to cover the surface of his body like a thin layer of armor.
BUZZ! BUZZ!
At the same time, the Power was also injected into the long spear, creating a resonance with the Tiger Slaying Spear.
Drenched in sweat, Lin Qi immersed his body and mind into the Mountain and River Realm of the Spear Technique.
His current Shaking Mountain Realm was also constantly improving, evolving toward the Mountain and River Realm.
With every thrust, he felt his spear getting faster, and its power continuously increased.
No change in his surroundings could escape his spiritual awareness.
He executed the Mountain and River Six Strikes one by one.
Mountain Town, Flowing Water Stab, Mountain and River Collapse, Clouds Surrounding the Mountain, River Fury, and Heaven and Earth Unite!
As he executed the final technique, Heaven and Earth Unite, all the Power in his body converged, as if heaven and earth were becoming one.
He suddenly exerted his strength, leaping high into the air. The Tiger Slaying Spear thrust down like a dragon, tearing the surrounding air and creating a deafening whistle.
Phew~
Lin Qi exhaled, feeling that his Spear Technique had become more proficient.
For a moment, it was as if he had truly transformed into mountains and rivers, and his Mental Realm began to evolve.
He looked at the Tiger Slaying Spear in his hand. Because of the increased gravity, the destructive power he could unleash had weakened.
’The difficulty of the *Mountain and River Spear Technique* is truly high. Even now, I can’t completely master all Six Techniques.’
[You have gained a new understanding of the *Mountain and River Spear Technique*. Your Mental Realm continues to evolve. Spear Technique +1%]
[Spear Technique: Tier Four 14% → Tier Four 15%]
...
Lin Qi looked at his reflection in the mirror. Sweat poured down like rain, and his black Martial Arts Uniform was soaked through.
Using a 1,500-kilogram Big Gun to cultivate for two hours straight was a huge test of his stamina.
If he continued like this long-term, his physical fitness would also improve significantly.
However, the improvement in his Spear Technique was also very obvious. He could already feel that the Celestial Vault Institute was a better cultivation environment.
「Half an hour later」
Lin Qi finished washing up, entered his brand-new Virtual Cabin, and logged into the Disaster Beast Trial Tower.
BOOM!!
A moment later, he opened his eyes and found himself in a new space.
Before him stood the Disaster Beast Trial Tower, soaring into the clouds.
Currently, only a few people were gathered outside the Disaster Beast Trial Tower. At the same time, several large screens were projected onto the tower itself.
Just like at Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, there were rankings for each year and an overall ranking—four leaderboards in total.
The only thing missing was the individual academy rankings.
Lin Qi’s gaze locked onto the trial rankings for his sophomore year.
[Sophomore Year Disaster Beast Trial Rankings]
[First Place: Du Shanyan, Floor: 14]
[Second Place: Yu Zhuoran, Floor: 10]
[Third Place: Kong Ruoxuan, Floor: 10]
"Brother Qi, you’re here too!"
Not far away, Wan Ming walked over.
He looked at the large screen and exclaimed:
"Du Shanyan is dominating first place right now. And he actually made it all the way to the 14th floor, which is incredible."
"You have to remember, the Trial Tower only has 16 floors!"
"Zhuoran is only on the 10th floor right now. The gap between them is just ridiculous!"
Lin Qi nodded. The 10th floor was the one you could only pass after breaking through to Fourth-stage Spear Technique and comprehending a Mental Realm.
Back at Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, he had also been stuck on the 10th floor. He came to the Celestial Vault Institute before he had a chance to challenge the 11th.
Wan Ming continued, "I just saw Chu Yu go in. I bet he’s aiming for first place."
"They’re both SSS-level geniuses. First place will be decided between the two of them."
Lin Qi nodded. His Spear Technique had improved, and it was the perfect time to test it in combat.
’I can’t compare to an SSS-level genius for now, but what about the other SS-level geniuses?’
’Where do I rank among them?’
With that thought, he walked into the Trial Tower.
BUZZ!!
A moment later, when Lin Qi opened his eyes, he was already in a ruined city, standing at the same crossroads as before.
[Student Lin Qi, welcome to the 10th floor trial. Trial content: Within 60 minutes, kill 500 Calamity Beasts, including 250 Level 2 Unihorned Black Pigs, 120 Level 3 Blood-Scaled Iron Pigs, and 80 Iron-Scaled Eagles!]
[Failure to kill all Calamity Beasts within the specified time constitutes failure. Death also constitutes failure!]
Lin Qi looked at the trial’s objectives.
The difficulty of each floor was getting more and more absurd.
He warmed up his body, changed into a black Combat Suit, equipped his Black Great Spear, and felt the power within him.
His current Qi and Blood Value had also been adjusted to 99, the level of the Peak of the Third Realm.
Among the Calamity Beasts he needed to hunt, there were no longer any First-Level Calamity Beasts. The weakest were now Level 2 Unihorned Black Pigs!
[Countdown: 3, 2, 1...]
[The 10th floor trial has officially begun!]
...
RUMBLE!!!
The ground trembled and the atmosphere grew oppressive. Lin Qi could feel a large number of life forms approaching him.
OINK! OINK!
GRUNT! GRUNT!
SCREECH!
The Unihorned Black Pigs roared at the sky. At the end of the concrete road, a massive number of them appeared.
They were accompanied by even larger figures—three-meter-tall Blood Scale Iron Pillars that resembled red armored cars.
They looked at the lone Lin Qi and revealed cruel smiles.
In the sky, there was also a black cloud—it was a flock of Iron-Scaled Eagles, diving down like a volley of ten thousand arrows.
An intense sense of crisis enveloped Lin Qi, but his body grew excited in response.
Golden Power emerged from his body and coated his Black Great Spear.
SWOOSH~
In the next instant, he shot forward like a bolt of black lightning, charging straight into the black tsunami of beasts.
The body of his spear stood like a mountain. With a sudden upward flick, the spear’s momentum was like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting, releasing a terrifying power.
*Mountain and River Spear Technique*—Mountain Town!
BANG!
A Level 3 Calamity Beast, a Blood Scale Iron Pillar, bore the brunt of the attack, its chin struck by the Big Gun!
...