Chapter 134 - 117: Dragon Country Founded, Preparing for Xia Yu Country

Chapter 134: Chapter 117: Dragon Country Founded, Preparing for Xia Yu Country

After enduring some brutal torture, Lin Yuan and the others finally revealed information about the old factions preparing to resist Zhang Ji.

They were smart enough to know they stood no chance against Zhang Ji on their own, so they had apparently planned to contact foreign powers and deal with him together.

However, the few countries they had contacted had already sent congratulatory messages to Zhang Ji.

They had no intention of paying them any mind.

Zhang Ji would have gotten the information a little later anyway.

As for these people, Zhang Ji’s way of dealing with them was simple.

He would just handle them the same way as before.

It didn’t matter how many of these guys died; it just opened up positions for their successors.

As long as the overall system could barely continue to function, it was fine.

And just like that, more heads began to roll.

Many of the newly promoted also took the opportunity to clear out obstacles and build their own teams.

Zhang Ji didn’t care.

As long as they got the job done for him, they could fight amongst themselves however they pleased.

But if they failed to do his work properly...

He might vent his anger on every single one of them, along with their families and friends.

’The power and resources I give you aren’t for free.’

’If you don’t have the ability, you’d best not take that position.’

’Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless and cruel.’

...

「July 23rd.」

Gu Jie regained consciousness.

With the help of various medical devices, his heart transplant surgery had not actually been difficult.

In less than five hours, his Alchemy Heart had been successfully transplanted.

However, only now had he truly, officially regained consciousness.

Through the glass, Zhang Ji asked Huang Ran, "What’s his condition?"

"His recovery is going exceptionally well. That heart is affecting the rest of the cells in his body. As his blood circulates through it, it undergoes certain changes. His cellular activity has increased dramatically, and his Recovery Power is far beyond what it was before. We estimate he might only need a month to return to a normal life," Huang Ran said with a sense of awe.

"Oh? Such astonishing Recovery Power?" Zhang Ji raised an eyebrow.

Even a Grandmaster who specialized in life-preserving cultivation techniques probably couldn’t compare to this level of Recovery Power.

With this kind of Recovery Power as a foundation, practicing Horizontal Martial Arts Training would lead to absolutely meteoric improvement.

’Has this kid, Gu Jie, finally seen the end of his suffering?’

’He’s endured so many hardships, his parents are dead, yet he’s still alive and has even managed to turn a disaster into a blessing.’

’It might be a little disrespectful to think this,’

’But isn’t this the classic fate of a protagonist?’

Shaking his head slightly to dismiss the inappropriate thought, Zhang Ji asked, "Can I go in and have a word with him?"

"Yes," Huang Ran said.

Zhang Ji walked in, and Gu Jie’s gaze shifted as he entered.

But he was wearing an oxygen mask to help him breathe, so he couldn’t speak.

Zhang Ji said, "You haven’t shamed me. When you’ve recovered, I will hold a formal ceremony to accept you as my True Disciple. Focus on getting better."

A ripple of emotion flashed through Gu Jie’s eyes, and he grew very excited.

To him, Zhang Ji was perhaps the only true family he had left.

Not even Kratos counted.

Kratos was only kind to Gu Jie out of respect for Zhang Ji.

From beginning to end, only Zhang Ji had been truly good to him without asking for anything in return.

Earning Zhang Ji’s approval was his greatest ambition.

And now, he had it.

...

「July 27th.」

Zhang Ji mastered the Nine Yang True Skill.

His physical strength increased again, and another special type of Primordial Qi appeared in his body.

In total, he now had four types of Primordial Qi in his body.

The Five Elements Primordial Qi from the *Five Forms True Skill*.

The Vajra Primordial Qi from the [Vajra Indestructible Body].

The Nine Yin Primordial Qi from the *Nine Yin Divine Skill*.

The Nine Yang Primordial Qi from the *Nine Yang True Skill*.

All four types of Primordial Qi were stored within his cells, stable and without interfering or affecting one another.

It wasn’t unheard of for martial artists in ancient times to cultivate multiple types of Primordial Qi martial arts.

But they were mostly selective in what they combined and would never have dared to train like Zhang Ji.

Especially since, to a certain extent, the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Primordial Qis were considered to be in conflict.

If a Martial Artist from ancient times had played around like Zhang Ji, they probably would have suffered from Qi deviation and died.

However, Zhang Ji’s constitution was truly special. Forget four different Primordial Qi cultivation techniques; he could probably accommodate four more.

This adaptability and tolerance for energy perfectly showcased the talent of a "player."

With a thought, Zhang Ji stored all the fighting crystals on his person into his Limited Space.

Then, his consciousness also entered the Limited Space.

At this moment, he had eight (Excellent) grade fighting crystals in his Limited Space.

In theory, he only needed two more to step into A-rank.

However, Zhang Ji excluded the Wind God Kick’s fighting crystal from this synthesis.

Therefore, he still needed three more.

Next up was the *Lishan Qingsheng Skill*.

And from the Xia Yu Country, the *Heart Stabilizing and Body Lowering Method* and the *Five Elements Longevity Skill*.

With the resources he now possessed, he could master the *Lishan Qingsheng Skill* by August 5th at the latest.

Then he would make a trip to the Xia Yu Country.

He would obtain the last two martial arts.

By September, at the very latest, he should reach A-rank.

That still left him a solid two years, at least, before the start of the "Ultimate Fighting" tournament.

It would be an absolute steamroll by then.

By the time the competition actually started, he might even have two or three powerful A-rank fighting crystals.

The *Lishan Qingsheng Skill* was the ultimate, sect-defining technique of the Lishan Sect.

It was a Wood Attribute Primordial Qi martial art.

Upon mastery, it could significantly boost cellular activity, allowing the body to contain more Primordial Qi, granting greater Recovery Power, stronger defense, and so on.

Although it was only rated (Excellent Eight-Star), Zhang Ji believed its Star Level was one star lower than techniques like the [Vajra Indestructible Body], *Nine Yang True Skill*, and *Nine Yin Divine Skill* only because it was more of a support-type skill and less comprehensive—definitely not because it was weak.

With the aid of the Lishan Sect’s medicinal supplements, Zhang Ji spent about twelve hours and produced the first wisp of essence.

With the enhancement from just that single wisp of essence, Zhang Ji felt a massive change occur in the cells of his body.

He felt a sense of lush, vigorous vitality, as if his body were flourishing like a thriving plant.

To put it simply, his body had gone from a state of calm to one of activity.

This activity manifested in every aspect.

His cells’ self-division, growth rate, repair speed, and more had all changed.

’The number of cells has increased!!’

After closing his eyes and sensing it for a moment, Zhang Ji roughly understood the principle behind the *Lishan Qingsheng Skill*.

It was a martial art that increased the amount of Primordial Qi one could contain by increasing the number of cell divisions.

It was somewhat similar to his [Great Eater Technique].

Both could increase his body’s cellular activity and density, significantly raising the upper limit of Primordial Qi he could contain.

However, the *Lishan Qingsheng Skill* was clearly more specialized in increasing one’s Primordial Qi capacity.

Just from this one wisp of essence, Zhang Ji felt his once-full reserves of Primordial Qi suddenly drop by forty to fifty percent.

’If I master this, wouldn’t it increase my current Primordial Qi capacity by about ten times?’

Even Zhang Ji himself was finding it difficult to quantify his amount of Primordial Qi.

He could only roughly estimate that if it really increased tenfold, based on the amount of Primordial Qi he used to destroy the missile in Lianshui City, he could probably fire about five thousand shots in one go.

That was truly ridiculous!

In terms of sheer Primordial Qi quantity, he might even be able to compete with an A-rank fighter from the [Primordial Qi Sect].

...

「Time passed to August 1st.」

After mobilizing immense manpower and resources, Zhang Ji’s palace was finally completed two days ago.

The main structure was even an original ancient building.

On this day, the founding ceremony of the new nation was held.

The new nation was no longer called the Eastern Extreme Country, but was renamed the "Dragon Country."

Previously, Liu Hetong and the others had discussed many names. Some suggested "Jin Country," symbolizing that Zhang Ji came from Golden Hook Mountain, the place where his rise began.

Others proposed "Shan Country," which was based on Shanli Island.

There were even those who wanted Zhang Ji to use his own surname as the country’s name.

But in the end, Zhang Ji decided on "Dragon Country."

Back then, Yan Ruifeng had asked him if a carp could transform into a dragon.

Zhang Ji’s answer had been yes.

Now, the carp had become a dragon, so the name was fitting.

The ceremony was held with immense grandeur.

There were all sorts of honor guards, performances, and the like.

However, Zhang Ji simply appeared in the formal suit they had prepared for him—adorned with a blue dragon pattern—said a single sentence, and then turned and left.

Compared to these empty formalities, he was far more concerned with his own power.

’I haven’t even obtained the title of Saint King yet. It’s too early to be enjoying myself.’

As for Zhang Ji’s departure, Liu Hetong and the others could only accept it helplessly, despite their exasperation.

After all, he was the current Monarch, a Saint.

Only he had the right to criticize others; how could the common people dare to criticize him?

At least he had shown up for a few minutes, which was considered giving them enough face.

It was much better than having the Monarch absent at the founding of the new nation.

So, after saying a few pleasantries, Liu Hetong and the others continued with the rest of the ceremony.

...

The common people didn’t really have any direct feelings about Zhang Ji’s ascension to the status of a Saint.

He had directly replaced the ruling class, but the operational framework hadn’t changed much. On the whole, it was still the same old model.

It was just that Zhang Ji now served as the absolute, centralized core of power.

Moreover, because he had killed off more than half of the large, entrenched capitalist groups of the old class structure, many resources were freed up. As the vacuums were filled, numerous new interest groups were born, which in turn gave the populace the sense that many new opportunities had appeared.

On the international stage, many countries sent their congratulations.

Especially the Guning Country.

They had made it perfectly clear that they intended to align themselves with the newborn Dragon Country.

They even sent Zhang Ji an invitation for a friendly visit to the Guning Country.

Zhang Ji would go, of course, but not now.

...

On August 5th, Zhang Ji mastered the *Lishan Qingsheng Skill*.

The benefits from this fighting crystal were even greater than he had anticipated.

His total internal Primordial Qi was now twelve times greater than before.

In other words, based on the amount of Primordial Qi he had used to destroy the missile back then, he could now release six thousand Divine Dragon Waves.

However, in reality, he didn’t have that much Five Elements Primordial Qi; it only made up a portion of the total.

This was because he also had Vajra Primordial Qi, Nine Yin Primordial Qi, Nine Yang Primordial Qi, and Cyan Prosperous Primordial Qi.

By that calculation, the Five Elements Primordial Qi actually made up less than a fifth of the total.

If he were to actually release Divine Dragon Waves, he estimated he could probably fire just over a thousand of them.

Of course, he could also gather all his Qi and release it in one massive wave.

’The resulting spectacle would probably look amazing.’

But the current Zhang Ji wouldn’t waste his Primordial Qi on such an experiment.

It now took him the better part of a day to completely replenish his Primordial Qi, even at the concentrating solar power tower by Gesite Lake.

He needed that time for training.

Sensing the abundant Primordial Qi and his further enhanced strength, Zhang Ji was very satisfied.

He said aloud, "It’s time for a trip to the Xia Yu Country!"

’Time to get the last two fighting crystals and reach A-rank!’