Chapter 277: Transformation

Chapter 277: Chapter 277: Transformation

Lin Qi nodded. The strength of Modified Martial Artists was indeed formidable.

They were extremely powerful opponents within the same realm.

His opponent this time had been just like that—a Fourth Realm with the physique of a Fifth Realm, though his martial arts skills were a bit lacking.

Only a B-level Talent or higher could contend with them on even footing.

"The Insect God Association has been relentlessly hunted in our Xia Country, and their numbers have dwindled. But we’ve never been able to eradicate them completely, because there are always those who fall from grace and join their ranks."

"You were lucky this time; it was just an ordinary Modified Martial Artist. If an Insect Race Warrior had come after you, you probably wouldn’t have escaped."

Yue Feng switched the screen, and three figures appeared, identical to the ones Lin Qi had seen a few months prior.

They were tall and powerfully built, closely resembling humans, but their skin and some of their organs were clearly different.

"True Insect Race Warriors possess both exceptional physical attributes and Special Abilities."

"They’re the equivalent of our Awakened human geniuses. If you were to encounter one, you’d be dead for sure."

Lin Qi nodded. He knew that at his current level, he stood no chance against that kind of power.

’If the car door and Little Chan hadn’t helped me block that fiery explosion, I would’ve been severely injured.’

"Uncle Yue," Lin Qi suddenly asked, "what about the explosion in the parking garage? So many cars were destroyed. What’s going to happen with that?"

’In the heat of battle, I couldn’t worry about the surrounding vehicles while I was fighting for my life. I smashed several of them with my Big Gun.’

’They... aren’t going to make me pay for them, are they?’

Yue Feng chuckled. "Don’t worry. This kind of thing has only happened a few times in Celestial Sea City over the past decade. The Martial Arts Dojo and the government will cover the compensation together."

Lin Qi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

’If they made me pay, I really couldn’t afford it.’

"For now, just focus on resting."

"You should be able to get out of the hospital tonight." After offering a few more words of advice with a smile, Yue Feng turned and left the hospital room.

...

After a busy morning at the hospital, it was already past noon. Yue Feng returned home and had lunch with his wife and daughter.

Half an hour later, he was in his personal study.

His blue Alpha projected a screen for a video conference.

The leaders of the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo, the Chongming and Black Brilliance dojos, the police department, and other government officials all came online one after another.

"Hello, everyone. Since Master Wu is unavailable, I will be acting as the Hall Master in his place..."

Yue Feng gave a brief and serious summary of the situation. Finally, a middle-aged man in a police uniform spoke up.

"We’ve conducted a thorough search of Rongshan District. The assassin is dead, but we were still able to find some information on him."

Yue Feng nodded grimly. "Within one day, we need to find his handler and round up every last remnant of their group in Celestial Sea City."

After the meeting ended, Yue Feng examined the various documents projected before him.

Based on what Lin Qi had said, he was certain the boy was hiding something.

For example, how he managed to kill the Modified Martial Artist.

According to the data, when a Fourth Realm Martial Artist becomes a Modified Martial Artist, their physical attributes skyrocket. Even a Fifth Realm Martial Artist would find it difficult to kill them.

But Lin Qi had not only killed his opponent, he had also survived the self-detonation. The thought left Yue Feng deeply shocked.

’Looks like that kid Lin Qi has his own secrets.’

He didn’t plan on exposing him. Every genius had their secrets.

It was enough to have a tacit understanding. Prying further would be impolite.

The stronger Lin Qi was now, the greater his potential would be in the future.

A murderous glint appeared in his eyes. ’That’s twice now. Insect God Association, this time I’ll tear you out by the roots.’

...

「Meanwhile, in the living room of an unknown apartment.」

A burly man, completely bundled up, watched the news on TV. He clenched his fist, a surge of power flaring as he cursed:

"What a useless bastard! He actually failed!"

"Still, this Lin Qi is not to be underestimated. He even survived a self-detonation."

"It’s a shame I won’t get another chance to make a move on him."

He slowly rose to his feet and shouldered his backpack.

"I should get going. If the Three Great Martial Arts Dojos catch me, there’s no escape."

"Celestial Sea City... I’ll be back."

After muttering this to himself, he opened the door.

In the next instant, a figure appeared in the doorway before him.

The burly man’s expression changed dramatically.

"Hello there."

The middle-aged man in a black uniform standing in the doorway offered a friendly smile, but at the same time, a terrifying wave of Spirit pulsed from his body.

A chill went through the burly man.

’It’s over!’

...

「Seven in the evening. The sky had already grown dark.」

「Imperial View Mansion District, at the entrance of Villa No. 66.」

Lin Qi and his father, Lin Zhen, stepped out of a car, followed by Manager Sun, who was dressed in a black suit.

"Manager Sun, thank you for going to all this trouble," his father, Lin Zhen, said gratefully.

Manager Sun waved his hand with a chuckle. "It’s no problem. This is all part of my job."

"Let us know if you need anything else."

"Alright, I won’t keep you any longer."

With that, he turned, got back into the car, and drove away.

"Brother Qi!"

After Manager Sun left, Jiangtao, who was dark-skinned, and Jiang Miaoyin, who had a pure and innocent air about her, immediately rushed forward from where they were waiting by the door.

"Brother Qi, I knew you’d be alright!"

Jiangtao breathed a sigh of relief seeing that Lin Qi was unharmed.

"Brother Lin Qi is a good person; fate is on his side. Of course he’s going to be okay!" Jiang Miaoyin chimed in with a smile.

Lin Qi smiled back. "I’m fine!"

His mother, Fang Huiyi, called from the doorway, "Everyone, come inside for dinner!"

In the living room, his mother, Fang Huiyi, had prepared a table laden with food.

"Little Qi, for your own safety, you shouldn’t leave the house for a while," his father, Lin Zhen, said with a serious tone.

Lin Qi nodded. "I won’t go out again until the new school term begins."

Then he started to eat, practically inhaling the entire table’s worth of food.

An hour later, Lin Qi was back in the Martial Arts Room, staring at the spearhead in front of him. It was covered with several scratches and was slightly scorched.

That was from the explosion.

He opened his panel and began to review the day’s battle.

’This was without a doubt the most dangerous battle of my entire life. I almost died.’

’If I hadn’t had a trump card up my sleeve, I might have actually had to make Little Chan self-destruct.’

He clenched his fist, and a surge of power welled up, but the feeling of exhaustion remained. The weakness lingered, a clear side effect.

He opened a bottle of an energy drink and gulped it down, emptying it in just a few seconds.

Then, Lin Qi looked at his panel again. He hadn’t emerged from the life-or-death battle empty-handed.

[You fought a life-or-death battle against a Fourth Realm Martial Artist. Your mastery of Spear Technique has significantly increased. Spear Technique +3%]

[You fought a life-or-death battle against a Fourth Realm Martial Artist. Your mastery of Body Technique has significantly increased. Body Technique +3%]

[Spear Technique: Tier Three 34% → Tier Three 37%]

[Body Technique: Tier Three 15% → Tier Three 18%]

...

Thanks to the life-or-death battle with the assassin, both his Spear Technique and Body Technique had improved.

His strength had once again increased by a large margin.

Lin Qi let out a long breath, sat down cross-legged, and began his daily cultivation, hoping to speed up his body’s recovery.

...

The news of the assassination attempt on Lin Qi was suppressed. Meanwhile, the Three Great Martial Arts Dojos of Celestial Sea City, in conjunction with the police and the government, launched a massive search for the Insect God Association.

Several remaining members who had slipped through the cracks were rooted out.

At the same time, many of Lin Qi’s classmates also learned of the assassination attempt.

"Holy crap, Brother Qi was the target of an assassination!"

Inside a luxurious villa, Guo Heng was sitting in the living room watching the news when he shot up from his seat.

He immediately grabbed his phone to send Lin Qi a message.

"Don’t worry, Lin Qi should be fine now," said the short-haired Guo Yi beside him, waving a hand.

"You have no idea how ridiculous his Talent is now," she explained. "He’s the first exception in decades at the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo, competing for a spot in the Tenth Institute as a non-Awakened student."

"He managed to rank ninth out of fourteen people. Aside from my Special Ability, my Talent in other areas might not even be as strong as his."

"The school leadership would have given him equipment to protect his life."

Guo Heng lowered his phone and blinked in surprise.

"Brother Qi... is he really that incredible now?"

At this, the middle-aged man beside them, Guo Heng’s father, spoke up.

"How about this: in a couple of days, let’s pay him a visit."

"Alright," Guo Heng’s mother agreed with a nod.

Guo Yi didn’t object. There were only benefits and no downsides to being on good terms with Lin Qi, so why wouldn’t she agree?

...

Similar conversations were happening in other households.

"That kid Lin Qi was actually targeted for assassination!"

Wan Ming was also stunned when he saw the news on his phone and decided to pay Lin Qi a visit in a couple of days as well.

...

「The next morning.」

Villa No. 66 in the Imperial View Mansion District was unusually lively.

"Lin Qi, we’ve come to visit!"

At the door stood the burly Zhang City, carrying gifts and beaming as he announced their arrival. He had brought three or four children of various ages with him.

"Teacher Zhang!"

Lin Qi watched as one of the curious children asked Zhang City, "Teacher, is your Ability really strong?"

Zhang City laughed and said, "Only one of them is my son. The others are my comrades’ children."

"They sacrificed their lives, so I took them in and adopted them."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qi was filled with a deep respect for Teacher Zhang. He’d never expected this side of him.

Zhang City chuckled. "Don’t look at me like that. I don’t need your sympathy."

"I earn a good salary at No. 2 Middle School now, and my other comrades help out from time to time."

Lin Qi nodded. ’I remember Master Yue and Teacher Zhang were high school classmates. With his personality, he would definitely lend a hand.’

Everyone entered the spacious living room, where quite a few people were already seated.

Some of his former administrators from No. 2 Middle School had also come to visit, and the group was making small talk.

"I’m relieved to see you’re alright, Student Lin Qi," said Jiang Zhiguang, the principal of No. 2 Middle School, with a smile.

The others all nodded in agreement, marveling at his progress.

Who could have imagined that a once-Ordinary student would manage to place tenth in the entire country on the college entrance exams?

And that was only the beginning. In a single semester of university, he had gone on to defeat the top three students in the nation, becoming the undisputed number one.

When they received the news, it felt like they were in a dream.

At noon, everyone ate lunch together, which was yet another table piled high with dishes.

The meat served was Calamity Beast flesh, rich in Source Energy. After eating, the children were brimming with vitality.

Lin Qi also felt a pleasant warmth spread from his stomach as currents of heat surged through his body, restoring his damaged organs.

...

「Evening arrived in the blink of an eye.」

While his parents and their friends played mahjong in the living room, Lin Qi was in the Martial Arts Room. He had changed into his Martial Arts Uniform, sat down with his legs crossed, and began to practice his Source Energy Skill.

He let out a long breath.

In his Consciousness Space, the Vajra Tiger awoke. It seemed more real than ever, as if it could leap out of his mind and into reality at any moment.

ROAR!

Amidst the echoing roars of the tiger, all the surrounding Source Energy Particles were drawn toward him.

Wisps of Source Energy entered his body through the pores of his skin.

Lin Qi could feel an unprecedented craving for Source Energy from his body. As his cells absorbed it, they seemed to sing with joy.

It was like a starving man on the brink of death who, upon seeing food, begins to eat with wild abandon.

...