Chapter 574 - 528: Seventh Blood Exchange

Chapter 574: Chapter 528: Seventh Blood Exchange

"Star Hall!"

At the mention of the name, their eyes filled with intense longing.

Only Ninth Realm Martial Artists could enter Star Hall. It was the ultimate symbol of status—what Martial Artist wouldn’t dream of joining?

Across all of Blue Star, only a little over a hundred people were qualified to enter.

Lin Qi committed the name to memory. The Ninth Realm... He was still a long way from reaching it.

But he was certain that one day, he would be among them.

As they chatted, they arrived back at the base before they knew it. At the main entrance of Black Dragon Base, dozens of large green screens were projected onto the walls.

They displayed rankings for each Realm.

There were also real-time news updates, while the largest screen was dedicated to a memorial for the fallen Martial Artists.

Lin Qi took in the information on the screen.

[Fallen Martial Artists Today: 165]

[Sixth Realm Martial Artists (2), Fifth Realm Martial Artists (8), Fourth Realm Martial Artists (16)...]

...

Lin Qi stared at the count. So far today, 165 Martial Artists had fallen, and the number was still climbing.

If a Tenth-Level Calamity Beast were to appear, that number could easily be ten times higher.

Pei Hongfeng gazed at the large screen and suddenly remarked with a sigh,

"For some reason, the number of fallen Martial Artists has actually been decreasing over the last three months."

"It’s down by nearly ten percent."

"The Calamity Beasts’ onslaught has grown more ferocious, yet the number of casualties is dropping. It’s so strange."

He then glanced at Lin Qi, a faint suspicion forming in his mind.

But he quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.

’Lin Qi is only a Seventh Realm Martial Artist. He couldn’t have that much of an impact.’

Dean Liu, however, watched Lin Qi. He knew exactly how terrifying Lin Qi’s kill rate was. ’He’s monstrously efficient, an absolute monster in combat.’

A moment later, the group dispersed, each heading back to their own apartment to rest.

HUM!

The door to Apartment 206 slid open without a sound.

Lin Qi stepped inside and stripped off his Battle Armor. He looked at the severely damaged Black Gold Armor, which was covered in cracks and claw marks.

His Black Gold Spear had also accumulated countless nicks, and even its sharp tip had grown dull.

Lin Qi shook his head. ’Fighting an Eighth-Level Calamity Beast really puts severe wear and tear on one’s weapons.’

The skin, scales, and bone spurs of an Eighth-Level Calamity Beast were exceptionally hard. Constant impact would naturally cause such damage.

Lin Qi opened the House of War app. The Disaster Beast Tide was over, and he had only one day to rest.

Most Disaster Beast Tides erupted every two or three days, though in rarer cases, they could happen once a day, or even multiple times in a single day.

He selected the repair service and submitted his Black Gold Armor and Black Gold Spear for maintenance.

The cost was a mere 5,000 Merit Points. With that done, Lin Qi headed into the bathroom to shower.

SHHHHHH!

Steam filled the bathroom as the hot water washed the grime and dust from his skin.

"Little Chan, open the House of War Personal Center!"

"Yes, Master!"

Little Chan projected a green panel into the air.

Lin Qi looked at the information on the panel.

[Name: Lin Qi (Black Dragon Base)]

[Realm: Seventh Realm Blood Exchange]

[Merit Points: 1,001,000]

[Base Ranking: 50 → 20]

[Overall Ranking: 180 → 60]

...

Lin Qi smiled as he looked at his rankings. Before heading out today, he had been ranked 50th at Black Dragon Base and 180th on the overall leaderboard.

Now, after a single battle, his base ranking had jumped by 30 spots, and his overall ranking had soared by 120.

Even more impressive, his Merit Points had broken the one million mark!

Before he left, he had 160,000 Merit Points. In a single day, he had earned another 841,000.

A full 600,000 of those points came from the Level 8 Disaster Beast, the Earth-Split Dragon.

’Hunting Eighth-Level Calamity Beasts really brings in a ton of Merit Points,’ he thought with satisfaction.

Although he had already accumulated several million Merit Points from hunting Calamity Beasts over the past three months, this single-day haul had successfully shattered his personal record.

A moment later, Lin Qi changed into a clean, black Martial Arts Uniform.

He opened the door, placed the Battle Armor and Black Gold Spear into a metal case, and handed it to a staff member waiting outside.

He then sat down at the dining table, which was laden with food as usual. In the kitchen, Little Chan was still busy cooking.

With practiced ease, Lin Qi began to dig in.

He picked up a small piece of meat and began to chew. It was incredibly tough; even after being cooked, it had the chewiness of beef tendon or a rustic, free-range chicken.

An Ordinary Martial Artist would need astonishing bite force just to chew it properly.

Lin Qi, however, chewed and swallowed it with ease.

Within moments, he could feel his body starting to grow warm.

’This Level 9 Calamity Beast flesh is really something else,’ Lin Qi thought. ’The essence in it is so much more potent!’

He mused to himself that the reason he was able to complete Three Blood Exchanges in just three months was largely thanks to this Disaster Beast Flesh and Blood.

For the first two months, he had consumed massive quantities of Level 8 Disaster Beast Flesh. By this month, even that had started to feel insufficient.

So, he had started consuming Level 9 Disaster Beast Flesh and Blood, which contained an astonishing amount of essence.

With his stamina depleted from the battle, Lin Qi could feel a pleasant warmth spreading from his stomach as it furiously digested the essence within the meat.

While eating, Lin Qi also started shopping.

’Now that I have over a million Merit Points, there’s no reason to hoard them. I might as well spend them on Cultivation Resources and push my progress even further.’

He opened the House of War app.

The first thing he looked for was the Blood Spirit Potion. He immediately ordered two vials, which cost him 200,000 Merit Points.

They were expensive, but they would bring him one step closer to his Seventh Blood Exchange.

And his scheduled duel with Gu Jian was only a few days away.

If he could achieve his Seventh Blood Exchange before then, his victory would be all but guaranteed.

’I’ve still got 800,000 Merit Points left!’

Lin Qi checked his Merit Point balance and continued to browse, his gaze falling upon the plate of Level 9 Disaster Beast Flesh on the table.