178: This world has gone mad! He can kill a fifth-tier being?

"The King's Man?"

Qin Lang looked at the tsundere little kitten in front of him, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

"Why does that sound like being a live-in son-in-law who lives off a woman?"

"Or perhaps... a male concubine?"

Lilith's heterochromatic pupils instantly slit vertically, and she swiped a small paw hard against Qin Lang's chest.

"Shut up! That is a supreme honor!"

"In Azeroth, only the strongest warriors are qualified to stand by the Queen's side!"

Seeing her fur stand on end, Qin Lang couldn't help but chuckle as he reached out to pinch her soft ear.

"Fine, fine, fine. Honor, a great honor."

"But let's talk about practical matters first. That Star Gate—how exactly do we handle it?"

When the topic turned to business, Lilith's expression became serious.

Though she was in the form of a cat, her royal aura did not diminish in the slightest.

"To initiate an intergalactic teleportation, energy is the key."

"At least ten thousand cubic units of high-purity biological energy are required as a startup source."

Ten thousand cubic units!

Qin Lang's eyelids twitched as he heard this.

He had just been feeling smug about snatching a few Storage Pouches from the foreign races; now, it seemed like a mere drop in the bucket.

It was a bottomless pit!

"Furthermore, the spatial storms within the Star Gate channel are extremely violent."

Lilith continued to pour cold water on his hopes.

"With your current Physical Body strength, entering is certain death."

"You must at least wait until you Breakthrough to the Sixth-Order and evolve the Gods Left Hand to your entire body before you have a slim chance of survival."

"This is just a long-term goal; it can't be rushed."

Qin Lang nodded, silently keeping this pressure in mind.

Sixth-Order?

For others, it might be an insurmountable chasm, but for him, who possessed the System, it was only a matter of time.

"By the way, how is the throne inherited over in Azeroth?"

Qin Lang suddenly became a bit curious.

"It depends on bloodline, and it also depends on strength."

Lilith lifted her chin, her tone proud.

This Princess has the purest royal true blood flowing within her body; I am the first in line for the succession."

"However..."

Her eyes dimmed slightly, and her voice dropped lower.

"That old fogey father of mine had a bunch of children. Not a single one of my siblings is easy to deal with."

"It's hard to say if they weren't the ones pulling strings behind the scenes that led to me being stranded on Blue Star."

A classic case of Family power struggles.

Qin Lang rubbed his chin thoughtfully and suddenly asked an extremely tricky question.

"Then, if we really end up together in the future..."

He leaned closer to Lilith, his eyes sparkling with the light of curiosity—or rather, gossip.

"I'm saying 'if', of course."

"Is there... reproductive isolation between the two of us?"

"Can we have children? Would they be born human or cat?"

The air instantly froze.

On Lilith's cat face, a human-like look of bewilderment appeared, followed by visible shame and indignation.

"You... you rogue!"

"Such things... we'll talk about them later!"

Just as she was preparing to give Qin Lang a set of 'Meow-Meow Punches'—

Buzz!

The golden light on her body suddenly began to flicker.

Time was up.

"Remember our promise..."

Lilith gave Qin Lang a deep look, then her body went limp as the intelligence in her eyes rapidly faded.

"Meow~"

Xiao Bai let out an innocent cry, rubbed against his chest, and fell into a deep sleep.

Qin Lang shook his head helplessly and tucked the "Sleeping Beauty" away.

Although the journey ahead was long, the secret of the Star Gate was temporarily buried in his heart.

After handling these matters, he called Su Muyue to tell her he was safe. After some sweet talk, he finally fell into a deep sleep.

He slept soundly during this nap.

But what he didn't know was this.

During the time he was asleep, the outside world—especially the online world—had completely exploded.

A blurry battle video had been uploaded to the Martial Artist Forum by someone unknown.

The title was simple and crude: "Divine-Grade Battle Appears in the Taihang Mountains! One Person Fights Three Fifth-Orders Alone!"

Initially, when the students of Olympus Academy saw this title, most of them were dismissive.

"Tch, which clickbaiter is trying to grab attention again?"

"Marketing accounts these days really have no bottom line. A Third-Order fighting Fifth-Orders? Why not say he's fighting Ultraman?"

"Exactly. A Fifth-Order powerhouse is a grandmaster-level figure. Could they be soloed by a student? This boasting has hit the heavens!"

The campus network and various group chats were filled with voices of doubt and mockery.

However.

As some upperclassmen 'tech-gods' got involved, the tide began to turn.

"Holy crap! Something's not right!"

"Look at the frame at the 3-minute 20-second mark! The pressure released by that Shadow Demon distorted the surrounding space!"

"I used professional software to analyze the energy fluctuations. That is absolutely a genuine Fifth-Order Domain!"

"And that arrow shot by the Winged Race—that kind of destructive power is impossible for a Fourth-Order Peak!"

A single stone stirred up a thousand waves.

More and more students began to analyze the video frame by frame.

When they clearly saw the figure in the video holding a broken sword, clad in golden armor, and managing to counter-kill one person under the siege of three Fifth-Order powerhouses—

All of Olympus, and even the neighboring Kunlun Academy, were completely shaken.

That was Qin Lang!

They would recognize that face even if it were turned to ash!

"Crazy... the world has truly gone crazy!"

"Those are Fifth-Orders! A height that many Evolvers spend their entire lives unable to even look up to!"

"How old is he? A first-year freshman!"

"Two months ago during the Secret Realm Assessment, he was strong, but still within the bounds of understanding."

"How long has it been? He can already go head-to-head with Fifth-Orders?"

"This can no longer be described as a Genius; this is a freaking monster!"

The shock was like a Category 12 typhoon, sweeping away everyone's perceptions.

Overnight, Qin Lang's image was elevated infinitely.

From an outstanding freshman, he directly became a legend that could only be admired from afar.

And at this time.

The news also spread like it had wings to the ears of Qin Lang's nemesis.

Inside a secret Training Room of the He Family.

Bang!

A loud crash.

He Ye smashed a fist violently against the testing machine. Looking at the value that still remained stuck at Third-Order Late Stage, his eyes were full of irritation.

His stagnant cultivation had become his greatest psychological burden.

"That Qin Lang... he'd better die out there!"

He cursed through gritted teeth.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

It was a video sent in the Family group chat.

He Ye clicked on it absentmindedly. After watching for only a few seconds, his face instantly turned as pale as paper.

A fear originating from the depths of his Soul made his hands tremble uncontrollably.

Clang!

The phone fell to the ground, its screen shattering.

In the video, the scene of Qin Lang slaying the Fifth-Order Shadow Demon with one sword strike was still playing on a loop.

"Impossible... this is absolutely impossible!"

He Ye slumped to the floor, his eyes vacant, muttering to himself incessantly.

He had always thought the gap between him and Qin Lang was only temporary.

As long as he worked hard, he would catch up sooner or later.

But now... that was a Fifth-Order!

That was an existence even his father had to look up to!

"Fake... it must be fake!"

"He must have used some one-time trump card! A life-saving talisman given to him by Fei Changqing!"

He Ye screamed hysterically, trying to use this reasoning to comfort his crumbling Dao Heart.

But the next second, an even deeper despair welled up in his heart.

So what if it was a trump card?

Being able to produce such a trump card capable of insta-killing a Fifth-Order, and being able to perfectly wield it—that in itself was a manifestation of strength!

In this cruel world, luck and background were often more important than hard work.

Qin Lang had already become a Heart Demon that he could never transcend in this lifetime.

"Why..."

He Ye clutched his head, letting out a cry of impotent rage in the empty Training Room.

Tears of regret mixed with snot flowed down.

"Why didn't the Family... kill him directly at all costs back then!"

"Why did they leave this monster alive until now!"