51: Pre-war preparations

Zhang Sheng slowly rose from the meditation cushion in the center of the cold metal floor of the underground cultivation hall, tiny specks of dust floating in the beam of the energy lamp overhead.

"Zhang Sheng, why did you stop cultivating?" Wang Yu's voice carried a hint of surprise, echoing slightly in the spacious hall.

"It's not needed anymore." Zhang Sheng's lips curled slightly, revealing a faint, confident smile.

"Going out to get some air."

Inside his body, the Primordial Chaos Qi Refining Mind-Cultivation Technique circulated on its own like a precision perpetual motion machine. Coupled with the immense medicinal power of a supreme-grade qi gathering pill, his cultivation speed was currently five times faster than usual.

Precious cultivation time had unexpectedly become available.

"What happened that makes you so happy?" Wang Yu muttered, watching Zhang Sheng's back as he walked toward the alloy door.

The night wind blew against his face, carrying the lingering heat of the city's unique bustle; it remained sultry.

Zhang Sheng looked up. The deep night sky was like a giant curtain.

Beside a bright, clear moon, that massive planet emitting a faint blue halo— "Tianqi"—was clearly visible, its oppressive and mysterious aura rushing toward him.

"Perhaps when I reach the Divine Breath Realm, I will be able to truly step onto 'Tianqi'..." he thought to himself.

He tapped his wrist terminal with his fingertip, and the virtual light screen of Myriad Treasures Net unfolded before his eyes.

The Low Grade spirit tool flying daggers could no longer keep up with the strength of Late Stage Qi Sea Realm Yao Beasts.

During his last battle against that ferocious Phoenix Falcon, one of his five Flying Daggers had been destroyed.

His authorization was active, but in the resource repository, only two Medium Grade Flying Daggers were hanging there, lonely.

"It seems I'll have to go to a Yellow-rank Secret Realm to 'restock'."

Zhang Sheng's eyes sharpened. He instantly thought of Song Xian's giant sword, which exuded a chilling aura, and Lin Jin's long spear, which was wreathed in flames.

"High Grade... as expected, they won't easily enter the market. If I want one, I have to kill the Yao Beasts myself!"

Once his mind was made up, Zhang Sheng did not hesitate to use his Sequence Members authority to apply for a Yellow-rank Secret Realm subjugation mission.

Invisible spiritual power instantly condensed and extended behind him, transforming into a pair of massive light wings.

He tapped his toes against the ground, and his entire body shot into the sky like an arrow released from a bow.

In the night sky, he looked down at the earth.

Below, countless white specks of light converged into a flowing river of stars—the pulse of human civilization, stubbornly flickering in the darkness.

His light wings vibrated, tearing through the air currents.

Before long, the edge of a rainforest appeared in his field of vision, and a massive light gate emitting an earthy yellow glow stood on the ground.

Zhang Sheng retracted his light wings and descended toward the light gate with the precision of a shooting star.

"Sir, the official subjugation time is tomorrow morning!" A guard soldier wearing standard-issue armor immediately stepped forward to block him, his tone businesslike.

"Requesting identity authentication." Zhang Sheng's tone was calm and emotionless.

The guard did not dare to be negligent and quickly raised the identification scanner toward Zhang Sheng's face.

When the crimson "Sequence Members Authorization" label and a string of encrypted information popped up on the screen, the soldier's expression changed slightly. He immediately straightened his body, struck his right hand against his chest, and saluted:

"Apologies, Officer! You... are going in now? It is night inside, very dangerous!"

"It is fine." Zhang Sheng's gaze swept over the light gate.

"Yes! Please proceed, Officer!" The guard stepped aside and activated the access authorization.

Possessing the Perfected State Spiritual Eye Technique, the boundaries between day and night had long been blurred in his eyes.

Stepping into the light gate, the humid, sultry air, carrying the rich scent of rotting vegetation, rushed toward him.

Before him were massive tropical trees that blocked out the sky, gnarled vines hanging down like giant pythons, and a thick, soft layer of decaying leaves beneath his feet.

This was a living, breathing primitive world.

Zhang Sheng did not pause for a second; his pale gold light wings unfurled again behind him, and his figure shot up from the ground, breaking through the dense canopy layer and hovering high in the air.

The Perfected State Spiritual Eye Technique operated at full power, his vision instantly piercing through the layers of branches, leaves, and darkness.

The rainforest Secret Realm, covering tens of kilometers, transformed into a massive map of spiritual power veins in his eyes—countless bright and dim specks of spiritual power scattered like stars.

And the unique, turbid spiritual power emitted by the Yao Beasts, carrying bloodlust and violence, was like a roaring bonfire in the night, blinding and eye-catching.

"This time, you are not just bonfires, you are my prey!" A cold arc curled at the corners of Zhang Sheng's mouth.

Over ninety thousand units of immense spiritual power surged within his Qi Sea. With the body of a Perfection Qi Sea Realm Level 1, bearing a vast amount of spiritual power comparable to the Peak of the Qi Sea Realm, and combined with Perfected State Spells, a Perfection Qi Sea Realm Yao Beast was nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered before him!

His light wings vibrated violently, and Zhang Sheng transformed into a pale gold stream of light, speeding toward the core area where the turbid spiritual power was most intense and concentrated.

In the center of the rainforest, unexpectedly, a dead, silent black pool appeared. The pool water was viscous like ink, emitting a nauseating, fishy stench.

"The guys underwater? Perfect, I'll give you a welcome gift!" Zhang Sheng hovered above the pool, his right hand forming a sword gesture with his fingers, and he pointed sharply toward the sky!

Hum—! Scorching Fire-element spiritual power gathered crazily, and a massive fireball several meters in diameter condensed out of thin air.

The crimson light illuminated the dark pool below, and the terrifying high temperature caused the air to distort, with wisps of white smoke rising from the pool's surface.

"Go!" The fireball fell like a meteorite, smashing hard into the center of the black pool!

Boom—!!!

The deafening explosion tore through the silence of the rainforest!

The moment the raging fire made contact with the cold black water, a violent energy conflict erupted. A massive mushroom-shaped cloud of water mist, mixed with scorching steam, shot up into the sky, soaring hundreds of meters high, while searing water droplets scattered like a rainstorm.

Hiss hiss—! Through the churning, rolling white mist, pairs of icy blue, slit-pupiled eyes filled with resentment locked tightly onto the figure in the high air.

Seven giant snakes, as thick as buckets, with scales shimmering with a chilling metallic luster, raised their heads, their cold snake tongues flicking in and out.

"So it's a nest of Black Water Mysterious Snakes. Pity, only one is barely worth looking at." Zhang Sheng's gaze swept over them, instantly determining that among the seven snakes, only one emitted the aura of the Late Stage Qi Sea Realm, while the other six were all in the Early or Middle Stages.

"Water Binding!" With a thought from Zhang Sheng, the immense Water-element spiritual power instantly manipulated the black water in the pool!

Seven black water columns, as thick as dragons, shot into the sky. Carrying a bone-chilling cold and powerful binding force, they precisely and tightly wrapped around and constricted the seven giant snakes!

No matter how they madly twisted and struggled, the screeching sound of their sturdy scales rubbing against the black water could not help them break free in the slightest.

"Is that it?" Zhang Sheng's tone carried a hint of disappointment.

"Freeze!"

Crackle—! A bone-chilling ice power spread down along the giant black water columns!

The seven hideous giant snakes, along with the water columns wrapping them, were frozen at a speed visible to the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, they turned into seven huge, lifelike ice sculptures in various poses, reflecting a chilling luster under the moonlight.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Several cold lights flashed by, and the spirit tool flying daggers precisely struck the joints and vital points of the ice sculptures.

Clatter—! The solid ice, along with the frozen snake bodies inside, instantly disintegrated, shattering into countless pieces and scattering along the edge of the black pool.

Zhang Sheng waved his arm lightly, and an invisible force swept up the items dropped after killing the Late Stage Qi Sea Realm black snake: an ancient yellow jade plaque, a piece of iron essence shimmering with a metallic luster, and—a Flying Dagger, pitch-black all over, with a cold, sharp edge.

"High Grade!" Zhang Sheng gripped the Flying Dagger; it felt cold to the touch. His spiritual power flowed into it without obstruction, and the blade emitted a faint hum, a sharp intent radiating from it.

"A great start. Not bad luck."

The Secret Realm was limited in scope. Zhang Sheng followed the same method and soon found and killed another Late Stage Qi Sea Realm beast, a mountain-like Iron-Armored Savage Bull.

As for the other Yao Beasts in the Secret Realm, he did not wipe them all out; he had to leave some "spoils of war" for tomorrow's subjugation team.

Walking out of the Secret Realm light gate, the night wind brushed his face.

Zhang Sheng had a clearer understanding of his own combat strength.

"Perfected State Spells... are simply like instinct! The consumption is minimal, yet the power is doubled, and even more terrifyingly, they are cast the moment a thought arises! It seems it is time to master a few more Perfected State Spells to be able to handle different environments with ease."

... Just as he flapped his wings to return, his wrist terminal suddenly vibrated, and an encrypted message from Dean Hou Wu popped up.

"Is it starting?" Zhang Sheng's eyes narrowed, his light wings cutting through the night sky as he rapidly turned back.

In the underground cultivation room, the atmosphere was heavy.

Dean Hou Wu—this man was not only the helm of War God Academy but also the core person in charge of the "Cultivation Sequence" project. Looking around at the ten heaven-favored children before him, he said in a deep voice:

"The Chinese military can no longer wait. They have decided to officially launch a tentative subjugation of the 'Chinese Blue-level Secret Realm' tomorrow!"

As his voice fell, the expressions of the ten Sequence Members changed instantly.

Some had their pupils contract, their knuckles turning white; some took a deep breath, their eyes sharp as knives; others were calm, as if they had long expected this.

"Students!" Hou Wu's voice was majestic.

"You all know what tragic sacrifices the Chinese soldiers have made to obtain the core resources to maintain this Spirit Gathering Array! Facing a powerful enemy that is pressing step by step, we cannot hope for everything to be perfectly prepared!"

"Tomorrow will be a tentative offensive led by the military! They will use China's most cutting-edge modern weapons, as well as the most elite extraordinary troops, to attempt to shake the Foundation of the Blue-level Secret Realm with the power of modern civilization, and to hunt down those Divine Breath Realm Yao Beasts entrenched within!"

"What? Modern weapons against Divine Breath Realm Yao Beasts?!" Someone couldn't help but exclaim, their face filled with disbelief.

"What, you think it's impossible?" Hou Wu's gaze was like lightning, sweeping over the crowd with a hint of scrutiny.

"Therefore, the military's requirement for you Sequence Members is: voluntary participation! In tomorrow's battle, you ten Sequence Members can decide for yourselves whether or not to participate in this first tentative subjugation of the Blue-level Secret Realm!"

He changed the subject, his tone stern: "However! When the day of the final decisive battle arrives, all of you must participate! Furthermore, you will be strictly graded based on your performance in the decisive battle! Those who fail..."

Hou Wu's voice was like ice, "will be stripped of their Sequence Member qualifications! Don't forget, there is no shortage of candidates with SSS-level Talent!"

The cold verdict struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer. The cultivation room fell into a dead silence, the air seemingly frozen.

The resources, privileges, and status brought by the Sequence Member qualifications... no one was willing to give up this heavy glory and power.

After a brief silence, Song Xian was the first to speak, his voice calm and emotionless:

"Dean, I will send my Clone to participate in this operation."

A flash of light shone in Hou Wu's eyes: "Very good! What are your chances of success right now?"

"One-on-one, I have a seventy percent chance of killing a Divine Breath Realm Beast in the Early Stage. If I encounter three or more surrounding me..." Song Xian paused, "I can only guarantee my own safe withdrawal."

The others seemed to have long been accustomed to Song Xian's bizarre and unpredictable Clone ability.

"Good! If you can coordinate with the military to successfully kill a Divine Breath Realm Beast tomorrow, it will be a great merit! If it is not possible, preserving yourself is the top priority; there is no need to force it." Hou Wu nodded, then turned his gaze to the other side.

"Dean, this monk also wishes to go." Tie Fan pressed his palms together and bowed slightly.

Before entering the First Cultivation University, he had been a martial monk who practiced bitterly in the ancient Shaolin temple. His expression was calm, his gaze clear.

"Hmm." Hou Wu looked at the skin of Tie Fan, which was faintly glowing with a pale golden luster, and nodded, saying, "With your 'Indestructible Vajra' Talent, self-preservation should not be a problem. Be careful."