Chapter 263 - 188: One Shot to the Soul, Accident

Chapter 263: Chapter 188: One Shot to the Soul, Accident

Stray hairs fluttered across Xia Lan’s forehead. Yu Fei’s senses were sharp; he noticed that Instructor Xia Lan was wearing light makeup today, and a faint, indescribable fresh scent hung in the air.

Yu Fei recalled the common knowledge about super-powered weapons from his general education.

"The firing mechanism for super-powered bullets was inspired by the gunpowder bullets of several hundred years ago; they’re fundamentally the same. The main difference lies in a special material: Red Sulfur Powder. By mixing Red Sulfur Powder of varying purities with other materials, you can create ammunition capable of absorbing extraordinary power. Paired with various metal warheads imbued with elemental attributes, you can produce immensely powerful super-powered bullets..."

Extraordinary raw materials were the fundamental reason for the lethality of super-powered weapons. Red Sulfur Powder was extremely scarce on the home planet. In ancient times, it was primarily used as one of the auxiliary materials for forging extraordinary cold weapons.

It wasn’t until modern researchers conducted more in-depth studies on the physical properties of Red Sulfur Powder, inspired by the gunpowder weapons left behind by the Great Ancestor, that super-powered weapons came into being.

This greatly changed the situation for low- to mid-level Martial Artists on the battlefield. Under the concentrated fire of dozens of super-powered weapons wielded by Qi Blood Martial Artists below the third realm, even an Inner Qi Martial Artist would have to give them a wide berth.

To say nothing of an Inner Qi Martial Artist using a Tier 2 super-powered weapon—that posed a significant threat even to a Gang Qi Martial Artist.

From then on, on low- to mid-level battlefields where no Grandmasters were involved, troop numbers began to have real significance. Battles were no longer one-sided affairs simply because one side had more high-realm Martial Artists.

As Yu Fei was explaining, his mind naturally turned to Ye Shuping’s remarks about the number of Martial Artists and the decision to control the population of first-realm Martial Artists.

’It all seems to fit together. Third-realm Martial Artists have the potential to break through to the Inner Qi realm. These two levels use Tier 1 and Tier 2 super-powered weapons, respectively, which are the most helpful on low- to mid-level battlefields. Meanwhile, Martial Artists who can’t break through to the second realm for a long time naturally have little potential to reach the Inner Qi stage.’

’The value in training such people is much lower.’

’In that case, it’s better to let them return to the mundane world. They can manage humanity’s home front, train the next generation of Martial Artists, and maintain social stability.’

’With a standardized curriculum, with every high school equipped with complete protective facilities for first-realm breakthroughs, and with a comprehensive social system in place... add in occasional patrols from the Security Bureau and omnipresent surveillance, and the mundane world can maintain a general state of stability.’

’On the other hand, the early stages of martial arts cultivation are a major test of a Martial Artist’s aptitude. Those with superior potential are filtered through layer after layer of selection. Then the college entrance exam system casts a wide net, ensuring all kinds of new blood are absorbed into the Martial Arts Extraordinary World, leaving no one behind.’

’Martial Arts Universities of all levels conduct further training and screening. After graduation, students are lured with resources, creating a steady stream of recruits for the military to fight for humanity’s survival.’

’Those unsuitable for combat are taught auxiliary knowledge to help build the extraordinary ecosystem, contributing to the Martial Arts Extraordinary World from the sidelines. After all, unless you completely lie down and give up on martial arts advancement, your entire path is arranged for you, plain and simple.’

While answering Xia Lan’s question, Yu Fei’s mind, boosted by a 15-fold increase in neural reaction speed, effortlessly mulled over some fundamental issues.

’I can’t say this approach is wrong. After all, the survival of the race is the highest priority. Swept up in this great tide, low-level Martial Artists have no real choice. They are simply guided to where they are needed. Strength determines everything.’

After entering Shenhan University, all the martial arts knowledge he learned, combined with Ye Shuping’s pointers, allowed Yu Fei to naturally grasp the essence of the system. Of course, he only saw a small piece of the puzzle, but he found himself involuntarily drawn to its logic. The rules that governed this world were clearly beneficial to the strong and the exceptionally talented.

’So what role did Sima Hong play in all of this? Did he really die by accident?’

’If his death was a deliberately engineered "coincidence," then how did Teacher Yan Sea, who was so close to him, manage to get out of it?’

’As the sole inheritor of the Calamity Sword, am I in some unknown danger? Could someone have been secretly watching me this whole time?’

’And what are Ye Shuping’s and Zhuo Feiming’s stances on all this?’

Countless questions churned in his mind. It seemed that from the moment he’d chosen the Calamity Sword, his path forward was destined to be fraught with peril.

Yu Fei silently pushed all these questions down and continued answering Xia Lan’s query.

’The weak should know their place. Even if I have the Fate-Defying Pearl and can hold my own against experts like Li Jueyin, I’m still just a third-realm rookie, a low-level Martial Artist.’

"For Martial Artists at the Inner Qi realm and above, due to the unique nature of their Cultivation Techniques, the Red Sulfur Powder requires further processing to be infused with specific attributes. This creates various types of super-powered bullets capable of inflicting elemental damage..."

"Super-powered bullets are also classified by function, distinguished by factors like armor penetration, lethality, bullet velocity, area of effect, and so on..."

CLAP CLAP CLAP...

Xia Lan was very satisfied with Yu Fei’s answer. For a beginner, prioritizing memorizing all the theoretical knowledge was an excellent choice.

"Very good. Everything you said is correct. Red Sulfur Powder is the soul of a super-powered weapon. Manufacturing the firearms and casings, by contrast, is very easy."

As she spoke, Xia Lan twisted open a super-powered bullet with her bare hands and poured out the reddish-brown powder inside. Mixed within it were tiny, star-like specks of fiery-red Crystal Stones.

"See? This is Red Sulfur Powder. Don’t underestimate it just because it looks plain. It can absorb extraordinary power in a short amount of time and enter an active state. When ignited by Dark Thunder Stone Particles, it generates a massive explosive force and simultaneously channels that extraordinary power instantly into the warhead. This process further intensifies the power, producing exponential damage."

Saying this, Xia Lan then removed the warhead. It was a grayish-black metal projectile with a complex geometric core.