High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 524: Chapter 498: First in History

”It’s Lin Qi from Xia Country!”

”He succeeded in his cultivation?”

”He’s the champion of the Global Martial Arts Tournament. It figures he’d be the one to succeed.”

”When did he get here?”

”I remember he arrived on the same day I did. It’s only been 25 days!”

”Twenty-five days? Are you sure you’re not joking?”

Everyone gasped when they heard the number.

This cultivation time was set to shatter the all-time record.

”We’re about to witness history!” Niting Reddy of Tianzhu Country said slowly, his eyes fixed on Lin Qi.

Just as the crowd had given up on their own cultivation and was buzzing with discussion, a figure swiftly passed through the security checkpoint not far away and appeared on the steps.

The newcomer wore a silver robe. He had a lean, powerful build, graying temples, and an ordinary aura that nonetheless carried a unique sense of authority.

It was Fu Xuan, the Director of the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar management office. His normally placid expression gave way to shock as he spotted Lin Qi in the crowd.

’This phenomenon...’

’Did Lin Qi just comprehend one of the six top-level techniques?’

’It’s been less than a month, and he’s already succeeded. His Talent...!!’

Fu Xuan watched Lin Qi, whose eyes were tightly shut and whose aura grew ever stronger, and sighed to himself. ’It seems I underestimated this genius’s Talent.’

...

Meanwhile, Lin Qi was completely immersed in his cultivation, oblivious to the changes around him.

Following the instructions of the Golden Emperor’s Secret Manual, he began to circulate the Source Energy within his body.

His body began to seethe as the Source Energy circulated along a specific path. Then, at a certain moment...

CRACK!

In that instant, he felt as if a shackle deep within his bloodline had been broken.

His entire body relaxed, as if a great weight had been lifted. His connection with the world around him grew tighter.

Endless Source Energy from the surrounding air surged wildly into his body.

A vast amount of Source Energy had gathered around the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar. According to Director Fu, this was because the pillar itself had the effect of gathering Source Energy.

As a result, the Source Energy Concentration in the area was incredibly high—even higher than in his top-tier luxury villa.

He had never been in a place with such density.

The Source Energy was like a river pouring backward into his body, and his cells instantly became even more ravenous.

His genes began to transform, raising his upper limits. Every single one of his cells was metamorphosing.

Like ravenous taotie beasts, they frantically devoured the Source Energy, causing every part of his physical body to undergo a transformation.

WHOOSH!!

’It’s changing. The effect is so significant.’

Lin Qi could clearly feel the difference. His cells’ ability to digest the energy had increased dramatically.

They were madly absorbing Source Energy. At the same time, the Platinum Evil Tiger blood he had consumed during this period was also being absorbed by his body.

Two Special Abilities emerged, roaming through his body and inducing a unique transformation.

A slight change in his genes triggered a comprehensive, inside-out transformation of his body.

At the same time, he could feel the power of Gold.

His power now had an extremely strong Affinity for the Metal Attribute.

’In the future, on the path to comprehending Gold, I might go further than anyone.’

...

「One hour later.」

Lin Qi felt his body signal that it was full. The Golden Emperor Tiger in his Consciousness Space dissipated, and he snapped his eyes open.

”ROAR!”

A tiger’s roar erupted along with a burst of Golden Light. A powerful wave of energy rippled outward.

[You have observed the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar for 24 days and successfully comprehended the High-Level Source Energy Technique, Golden Emperor’s Secret Manual.]

[You completed the visualization of the Demon Beast Golden Emperor Tiger in just one day. Your Spiritual Power has been refined and greatly increased. Spiritual Power +300.]

[You have cultivated the Blood Exchange Chapter of the Golden Emperor’s Secret Manual, successfully broken your body’s shackles, absorbed a massive amount of Source Energy, and transformed your physical body. Qi and Blood Value +200.]

[Having consumed a large amount of Platinum Evil Tiger blood, your body has completed its transformation. Qi and Blood Value +150.]

[Spiritual Power: 5,000 → 5,300]

[Qi and Blood Value: 4,350 → 4,700]

...

Lin Qi smiled as he looked at the increased stats on his panel.

Observing the Golden Emperor Tiger had tempered his will and refined his Spirit.

Cultivating the Golden Emperor’s Secret Manual and absorbing Source Energy had caused his Qi and Blood Value to skyrocket.

Now, he was only 50 Qi and Blood Value away from the second Blood Exchange.

He slowly stood up, feeling the vigorous vitality and the ceaseless power welling up within him. He felt himself growing stronger.

The physical transformation wasn’t huge, but his foundation had become much stronger.

This was the powerful foundation bestowed by a top-level technique like the Golden Emperor’s Secret Manual.

Suddenly, he looked around, and his expression faltered.

He had only just realized that a crowd had gathered around him at some point.

They were sitting more than ten meters away, glancing at him from time to time.

Within his Perception, he could feel at least a hundred pairs of eyes on him.

Zhang Tianyang walked over, took a deep breath, and said:

”Lin Qi, that was just ridiculous!”

”You broke the record!”

After speaking, he pointed to a projected screen in the air. The rankings on it had already changed.

[Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar Cultivation Rankings]

[First Place: Lin Qi (Xia Country), Time: 25 days, 01 hour]

[Second Place: Sunx Saint (Xia Country), Time: 42 days, 03 hours]

[Third Place: Li Tianxing (Xia Country), Time: 45 days, 06 hours]

...

Lin Qi looked at the rankings and saw that the first-place spot had indeed changed.

He had successfully replaced Sunx Saint, becoming the genius with the fastest time.

The others also exclaimed in amazement as they looked at the rankings.

”He broke the record!”

”I can’t believe it’s only been a few years and someone has already broken Sunx Saint’s record—and by a full 17 days!”

”Is he even human? He completed the three stages of comprehension, visualization, and breaking the shackles in only 25 days.”

”In that amount of time, I couldn’t even comprehend the technique.”

”The gap between people is just too vast!”

”Compared to him, how can we even call ourselves geniuses!”

The crowd buzzed with discussion. Some were amazed, others dejected, but the way they all looked at Lin Qi had changed.

In the distance, Ivan watched Lin Qi with a complicated expression.

He had spent over three months just to comprehend the technique, and it would take him at least another week to succeed at the visualization.

In total, it would take him more than four months.

But Lin Qi had completed the entire cultivation process in just 25 days, breaking the record and surpassing every other genius.

Shen Heng felt the same way.

’He had originally thought Lin Qi was strong, but only about on par with Xu Qin.’

’Now, he could see the gap between them was immense.’

’He might even be the strongest genius Blue Star has seen in decades.’

...

”Lin Qi, you’re way too calm about this!”

Zhang Tianyang remarked, seeing Lin Qi’s placid expression. ’If I had even made the top ten, I’d probably be going crazy with joy.’

Lin Qi just smiled and didn’t answer.

His gaze returned to the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar, which still stood there majestically.

At the top of the stone pillar, besides the Golden Emperor Tiger, there were five other Demon Beasts of the same level.

They were a Dragon Form, a bird form—or perhaps something like a mythical phoenix.

The remaining three were an Ape, an elephant, and a whale.

All of them were beasts on the same level as the Golden Emperor Tiger.

In an instant, his gaze fell upon the dragon’s head, and his eyes met its.

”ROAR~”

In that moment, he seemed to hear a dragon’s cry ring out beside his ear.

As he looked at it, he felt a strange sense of familiarity, and his body began to stir and seethe.

’It seems... I’m also highly compatible with this Demon Dragon!’

The thought suddenly surfaced in Lin Qi’s mind.

”Lin Qi!”

A familiar voice reached his ears. He turned to see that Director Fu had appeared beside him at some point.

Director Fu smiled.

”Congratulations on breaking the record and becoming the fastest SSS-level genius.”

”Now that you’ve completed your cultivation, come to my office for some tea!”

Lin Qi glanced at the crowd around them and nodded.

”Alright!”

The two of them then left the steps and walked toward the entrance, passing a group of High Realm Martial Artists from various countries.

They looked at Director Fu with expressions of envy.

”Why doesn’t our country have a genius like this?”

”I’m so envious of Xia Country. The top three on the rankings are all from Xia. In the future, they’ll have three of the most powerful experts.”

As the two of them exited the security channel, the envious voices of the crowd followed them.

「A moment later, in an antique-style office.」

Lin Qi looked at the brown tea table, which showed the marks of age. There was even a thermos on it that was developing a patina from long use.

Director Fu took out a small packet of green tea leaves.

He began to brew the tea with practiced ease.

”This is a green tea grown in the Otherworld using special soil. It has the effect of nourishing the Spirit.”

”I’m usually reluctant to drink it myself. But today you set a historic record, so it’s worthy of a celebration.”

Lin Qi nodded. A faint, fragrant aroma of tea drifted to his nose, refreshing his weary Spirit.

He hadn’t slept all night, keeping his Spiritual Power highly concentrated. Now that he had relaxed, a wave of exhaustion washed over him.

He accepted the hot tea from Director Fu and took a small sip. The warmth rushed to his head, and he instantly felt more alert.

Director Fu also raised his teacup and said with a smile:

”In the year 2008 of the Martial Arts Calendar, Emperor Red found the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar in the Otherworld and brought it to the base.”

”Over the next 10 years, geniuses from all over Blue Star studied the pillar and comprehended High-Level Source Energy Techniques from it.”

”In 2018 of the Martial Arts Calendar, the cultivation rankings were established. It doesn’t include anyone from before then, but it covers every genius over the 30 years since.”

”Sunx Saint was first, and Li Tianxing was second. Now you’re first, and Sunx Saint and Li Tianxing have been pushed to second and third.”

”The top three are all from our Xia Country now.”

As he said this, a look of pride appeared on Director Fu’s face.

Then he continued:

”Only when a country is strong, with a good cultivation environment and a sound system, can it produce more geniuses.”

”Our Xia Country is the undisputed land of geniuses.”

”While other countries aren’t weak, their systems for nurturing geniuses aren’t as good as ours, and the quality of their geniuses reflects that.”

”If this continues, Xia Country will only grow stronger and produce more and more geniuses.”

”By the way, regarding the six top-level Demon Beasts at the top of the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar, including you, only 10 people have ever comprehended one.”

”And until now, no one had ever comprehended the great tiger carving. You’re the first.”

”Now, all six of the top-level Demon Beasts have been comprehended by someone.”

Hearing this, Lin Qi furrowed his brow in surprise.

”Only 10 people? That’s so few?”

’In the 48 years of the Martial Arts Calendar, with hundreds of Ninth Realm Martial Artists and hundreds more geniuses worldwide, he had thought the number would be in the dozens.’

...