High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 437: Chapter 419: On the Assassination List

”Lin Qi, Marrow Refining is a delicate process. It requires extremely strong Spiritual Power.”

”You guide Qi Blood with your Spiritual Power to nourish the bone marrow. As your Realm increases, it will only become more important.”

”Marrow Refining...”

Mu Hong explained the key points of Marrow Refining. He didn’t have any sophisticated teaching methods.

However, the content he shared was all substance—information not found on the internet or forums. Some of it he had even pieced together himself.

Before they knew it, two hours had passed.

The two sat cross-legged. Mu Hong picked up two bottles of mineral water and handed one to Lin Qi.

Lin Qi took it, opened it, took a sip, and asked curiously,

”Teacher, since there are Awakened geniuses,”

”Then are there geniuses who have Awakened two Special Abilities?”

Mu Hong also took a sip and said with a smile,

”Of course, there are!”

”Everyone is different.”

”The same is true among geniuses. Among SS-level geniuses, some have mastered a Little Divine Power and some haven’t. The gap between them is huge.”

”There are also gaps between SSS-level geniuses.”

”Some SSS-level geniuses only have one Special Ability, while others can awaken two!”

’Just as I thought,’ Lin Qi mused. ’If I can awaken two, then naturally, others can too.’

Mu Hong continued, ”An SSS-level genius who awakens two Special Abilities is an extremely rare occurrence.”

”Each one is exceptionally rare.”

”We might not see one for years at a time. They are the absolute peak among SSS-level geniuses.”

”Most awaken abilities of the same attribute. For example, for the Fire Attribute, there are three Special Abilities: Red Flame, Light Ray, and Refining Fire.”

”But some people can awaken both Red Flame and Light Ray simultaneously!”

”This allows them to possess top-level strength and speed.”

”Because they both belong to the Fire Attribute, they can also stack on top of each other, greatly boosting their Combat Power.”

Lin Qi nodded silently after hearing this.

”If you awaken two abilities of different attributes, your arsenal against enemies becomes much more diverse.”

”At the same time, if you can integrate them into your Techniques, your Combat Power will also be greatly enhanced.”

Mu Hong paused for a moment before continuing,

”By awakening two Special Abilities, your physical talent and Comprehension will undergo two transformations.”

”The improvement to your physical talent is unimaginable.”

”Once they awaken, they can become an SSS-level genius without any observation period.”

Lin Qi heard this and said, ”I heard that after an SSS-level genius awakens, they need to be observed for a year before they can be signed?”

Mu Hong explained, ”As long as they’ve awakened, they can directly sign an S-level Contract.”

”And within that year, their Talent, Comprehension, and temperament are assessed to decide whether to upgrade them to an SS-level or SSS-level genius.”

”But it’s different for people who have awakened two Special Abilities.”

”The moment they’re discovered, they can sign an SSS-level Contract directly.”

”Every single one of them is a future Heaven-Supporting White Jade Pillar for humanity.”

Lin Qi nodded. Just the two transformations of one’s physical talent alone would be enough to turn even the most Ordinary talent into a Top Level genius.

Mu Hong put down his bottle of water and stood up.

”However, people who awaken two Special Abilities are far too rare. I’ve never even seen someone with three.”

”When I was chatting with a few old friends, someone speculated that Emperor Red might have awakened three Superpowers.”

”Most likely Red Flame, Light Ray, and Refining Fire. That’s why his strength far surpasses everyone else’s.”

”But that’s just a rumor, so take it with a grain of salt.”

”The most recent one is a senior this year.”

”However, he has already broken through to the Seventh Realm. He’s only 20 this year and didn’t join the competition for the Celestial Vault Institute.”

”The current number one, Shen Heng, is quite a bit behind him in comparison.”

”Breaking through to the Ninth Realm is just the starting point for them. Their goal is to become the strongest among Ninth Realm Martial Artists.”

Lin Qi was inwardly shocked. ’Shen Heng is already incredible—a twenty-year-old at the Peak of the Sixth Realm, the undisputed strongest. But now there’s a genius who’s the same age as Shen Heng but has already reached the Seventh Realm. Someone even stronger than him. The Seventh Realm and the Sixth Realm are on completely different levels. That’s the same level as Yue Feng, and I’m sure Yue Feng would be no match for that person.’

”So, Lin Qi, there’s always someone better out there.”

”Stronger geniuses will always emerge.”

”All we can do is maintain a humble attitude and constantly strive to improve ourselves.”

”You are exceptionally talented. None of us have ever seen a genius like you before.”

”There is a high probability that you can become a Ninth Realm Title Level Martial Artist. The future of our Xia Country rests on your shoulders.”

Mu Hong said with a serious expression.

Lin Qi also nodded seriously and said, ”I understand.”

「Half an hour later.」

Lin Qi bid farewell to his teacher, Mu Hong, and left.

Only Mu Hong, dressed in black, remained in the Martial Arts Room. He brandished his silver Long Spear, creating a dazzling display of spear flourishes.

The entire Martial Arts Room was enveloped in a blood-colored Mental Realm, which then transformed into a cyan Wind Domain.

Mu Hong thought to himself,

’I’m already 40 this year. I graduated at 22 and broke through to the Sixth Realm at 23. It took me six years to successfully break through to the Seventh Realm at the age of 29. Now, after spending another 10 years, I finally managed to break through to the Eighth Realm last year. Reaching the Peak of the Eighth Realm will probably take another ten-plus years. Breaking through to the Ninth Realm is basically impossible for me now.’

He was only able to break through to the Eighth Realm because he found a precious Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure in the wilderness, which allowed his body to transform in one go, complete the Blood Exchange, and reach the Eighth Realm.

The oldest person in Xia Country to break through to the Ninth Realm was the King of Mountains and Rivers, who was 50 years old when he made his breakthrough.

But he was a figure from the early days of the Martial Arts Era and had only started practicing martial arts at the age of 25.

Most other geniuses broke through to the Ninth Realm before the age of 40.

For instance, the recently ascended North River Sword King broke through to the Ninth Realm at 35, which is the most common age range.

”BEEP BEEP!”

”Master, you have a call!”

The smart lifeform in the corner floated up and projected a large green screen, on which a burly man in Battle Armor appeared.

”Old Mu, the Steel Great Wall needs you!”

”The Calamity Beasts have gone completely crazy lately. Their attacks are getting stronger and stronger.”

”The number of High-Level Calamity Beasts, in particular, has surged. We need reinforcements.”

Mu Hong’s expression turned grave. ”I understand!”

”I’ll head over immediately!”

After hanging up the video call, Mu Hong sighed to himself. The current situation was indeed getting worse and worse.

It wasn’t just Blue Star; the Otherworld was also suffering from Calamity Beast attacks, and they were even more frenzied there.

He thought of Lin Qi again. The boy’s Talent was already SSS-level.

In the future, he had a ninety percent chance of breaking through to the Nine Realm Title Level.

He was the hope of their Blue Star.

And for now, it was up to old-timers like them to hold the line and support the SSS-level geniuses until they were fully grown.

...

「Blue Star, within a secret base in Tianzhu Country.」

In a sealed conference room with walls made of a special gold alloy, a tall man in a black mask rose from a black chair.

He was over two meters tall, and his breathing stirred up gentle breezes.

His entire body radiated a powerful aura.

Suddenly, a terrifying aura erupted from him, and an intense black light burst forth from his body.

’To think I was so wrong about this Lin Qi.’

The masked man muttered to himself, looking at the information projected on the screen before him.

It clearly detailed Lin Qi’s results in the Celestial Vault Competition, information about his opponents in each round, and how he achieved victory.

The man in the black mask rubbed his chin.

’It’s only been a few months, and he’s already defeated an SSS-level genius. And he defeated an opponent from a higher realm, no less. Even among SSS-level geniuses, that’s not weak. In the future, he has a high probability of becoming a Ninth Realm Title Level Martial Artist. Damn it. I should have sent Insect Race Warriors to assassinate him last year. The difficulty of killing him now has increased dramatically.’

He then looked at an assassination list, which showed rows of headshots and information.

All of them were SS-level and SSS-level geniuses. And now, Lin Qi’s headshot was displayed prominently among them.

He looked at the list for a while, his gaze finally landing on Lin Qi’s headshot. He pondered for a moment before making his decision.

’I have to kill Lin Qi as soon as possible. Something’s not right about him; he gives me a bad feeling. I can’t let him live any longer!! In a little over a month, it will be the humans’ Spring Festival. As is custom, he will definitely return to Celestial Sea City. This is my last chance. I will dispatch two Eighth-level Insect Race Warriors. They are equivalent to an Eighth Realm Martial Artist on Blue Star. Although their Martial Arts Skills are a bit lacking, their physical attributes are more than enough to crush Lin Qi. I will strive to kill him in the shortest time possible.’

The man in the black mask quickly made his decision.

Deploying two Eighth-level Insect Race Warriors against a single SSS-level genius was a significant move, even for him.

...

「Otherworld, Azure Sky Base, Celestial Vault Institute」

Star Residence, Villa 36

Inside the villa, Lin Qi’s finger swiped across a screen as he typed a large amount of text.

He had just returned from the Martial Arts Room, where his teacher, Mu Hong, had explained a great deal about Marrow Refining.

He needed to summarize and review it to fully understand it!

This included the topic of Special Abilities, which he was very interested in.

From Mu Hong’s words, he now knew that it was possible to awaken two Special Abilities.

Some had even awakened three, and Emperor Red had most likely awakened three himself.

’Activating three Special Abilities at once... It’s hard to imagine how high one’s combat ability would soar. To have strength, speed, and defense all at once... you’d have no weaknesses. No one would be your match. That’s my future goal, too. Of course, awakening two Special Abilities of different attributes would be great too. Combining them would also increase my Combat Power.’

”Little Chan, prepare the barbecue!”

After letting his thoughts wander for a while, Lin Qi had Little Chan start roasting the meat.

He estimated that it would still take a few more months to awaken his second Special Ability.

He hoped to awaken it before the Global Martial Arts Competition, as that would significantly boost his Combat Power.

”SIZZLE!!”

Before his eyes, chunks of cooked Level 7 Disaster Beast Flesh were minced, stir-fried with green peppers and seasonings, and quickly turned into a plate of stir-fried shredded meat with green peppers.

He began to eat heartily.

Besides Special Abilities, his own physical constitution was the Foundation.

His Qi and Blood Value also needed to become much stronger.

When facing Shen Heng, he could clearly feel the gap in their strength and speed.

Shen Heng was a genius himself, surpassing other Martial Artists of the same realm in all aspects, and his Realm was also higher than Lin Qi’s.

Thankfully, he was currently stuck at the Peak of the Sixth Realm.

In less than five months, Lin Qi had to become even stronger.

After eating 80 kilograms of flesh, Lin Qi felt warm currents surging through his body.

He could feel that after breaking through to the Sixth Realm, his demand for Energy had grown even greater.

Even after consuming 80 kilograms of flesh, he was only about ninety percent full.

He entered the Martial Arts Room and took the *Platinum Evil Tiger Evolution Method* from his safe.

He flipped the golden Secret Manual to its final section—the Marrow Cultivation Chapter.

This was the final Chapter of the Intermediate Source Energy Technique. Once its Cultivation was complete, it would mean he had reached Perfection in this Cultivation Technique.

He would need to cultivate a new Cultivation Technique Secret Manual.

Lin Qi was also very curious. An Intermediate Source Energy Technique was already an Evolution Technique created from observing a Ninth-Level Calamity Beast.

’So what about the High-Level Source Energy Techniques cultivated by High Realm Martial Artists? Surely there aren’t Tenth-Level Calamity Beasts, are there?’

Thinking of this, he frowned, feeling it was unrealistic.

After all, to create a Cultivation Technique, one would need quite a few Tenth-Level Calamity Beasts.

And right now, there was no news whatsoever about Tenth-Level Calamity Beasts.

He began to read through the Bone Marrow Cultivation Technique. Its principles were very simple, similar to the Inner Organ Technique.

It was just much more difficult because bone marrow was different from the Inner Organs.

The Inner Organs occupied a large area of the body, while the bone marrow was hidden too deep.

It required greater control over one’s Spirit. One had to guide Qi Blood to gather using Spiritual Power, then use vibrations to condense Power for Refinement.

Due to the large amounts of food, flesh, and Potions he normally consumed, they all contained impurities.

These had also accumulated in his bone marrow, and he needed to clear them out.

A few minutes later, Lin Qi put down the Secret Manual, sat cross-legged, and began his first Marrow Refining Cultivation session.

...