Chapter 138 - 121: Sun Scripture, [Rising Sun Ritual]

Chapter 138: Chapter 121: Sun Scripture, [Rising Sun Ritual]

Zhang Ji looked at the Vermilion Fruit in his hand.

It was slightly warm to the touch. Though reddish, most of its surface was still brown.

This thing wasn’t fully ripe.

The Qilin had simply seen an enemy it couldn’t defeat and decided to flee with the fruit.

He casually stored it in the [Ark of Hope], along with the Nine-leaf Vermilion Fruit plant itself.

Then, he landed another punch on the Qilin, finishing it off on the spot.

The meat from the giant whale he had been feasting on was almost gone anyway. With this Exotic Beast, he’d have a new supply of meat to eat.

...

「Capital City.」

Inside his newly constructed palace, Zhang Ji directly entered the [Ark of Hope].

The space inside was now teeming with all sorts of densely packed plants.

He had already cleared out a batch of Yan Fruits, and the same went for the Blue Bamboo. There were also some Gluttony Coconuts, as well as items he had acquired from various martial arts sects: the Spirit-Nourishing Tea from the Lishan Sect, the red plums from the Seven Peaks Alliance, the Fire Dates from the Southern Dao Sect...

Although it was crowded with items, the space didn’t feel cluttered.

A few AI robots were inside, performing maintenance.

Overgrowth was kept under control, and any mature plants were harvested and stored in a warehouse.

Zhang Ji just needed to periodically retrieve the items and hand them over to his people for processing.

Zhang Ji had found a separate plot of land for the Vermilion Fruit plant.

This thing was also an (Epic) level plant.

All the plants in the entire Ruins Realm combined weren’t as valuable as it was.

At this moment, the Vermilion Fruit plant had successfully taken root.

The energy radiating within the [Ark of Hope] was suitable for the growth of most plants. Even without lava and high temperatures, the Vermilion Fruit could grow well here.

However, to grow a single fruit under normal conditions would take at least a century.

Even inside the [Ark of Hope], Zhang Ji estimated it would still take two to three months for a single fruit to grow.

Zhang Ji had already handed over the semi-ripe Vermilion Fruit he had picked to a professional research team.

To better utilize these external resources, Zhang Ji had established a special department called the [Physics Department].

It corresponded to the [Physics School], a martial arts discipline that specialized in using external items to enhance one’s own power.

Their mission was to use existing scientific theories to study special plants and Exotic Beasts, helping Zhang Ji develop more effective dietary supplements, more useful restorative medicines, and various types of training environments.

And now, their efforts were proving to be quite fruitful.

They were particularly successful in refining and producing various medicinal liquids.

Then there were the 3,272 "Moon" drones.

They were specifically designed to collect moonlight for the Moonlight Cup.

When all of them were airborne, they formed a light-gathering matrix. With the Moonlight Cup placed in the center, a full cup of Moon Essence could be collected in just ten minutes.

Zhang Ji had drunk so much of it that he was starting to feel sick.

It was also worth mentioning that the concentrated solar power tower over at Gesite Lake was another one of their achievements.

They were the ones who provided the concept for its modification.

However, this was far from enough.

Zhang Ji needed many genius-level individuals.

No matter how many ordinary people you had, they could never compare to epoch-making geniuses like Robby and Iver.

Robby’s talent in Alchemy Technology was enough to easily change the entire world.

To say nothing of anything else, take the Alchemy Potion Zhang Ji had seen him use to accelerate the growth of the Divine Flower. On the entire Origin Star, no more than five people could have created it.

And Robby was the only one who could have created it in such an impoverished environment.

As for bloodline potions, Robby was so skilled it was as if he had a unique talent for it.

As for Iver, he would later use Space Technology to develop a miniaturized nuclear fusion reactor. This single invention would solve civilization’s most critical energy problem, directly launching them into the interstellar age. A genius like that was equivalent to single-handedly pushing the entire era forward by several hundred years.

Zhang Ji was already spending a fortune and offering high salaries to recruit talented people.

Currently, he was only certain that he could recruit Iver. As for Robby, Zhang Ji had no idea how to contact him; he didn’t even know where the man had gone.

He hadn’t found any of the other geniuses yet, either.

He would probably have to wait until after the "Battle of the Supremes" update, when they officially appeared on the stage of history. It would likely be a bit easier to find them then.

...

「September 4th.」

Zhang Ji received the Alchemy Potion that the [Physics Department] had created using the Vermilion Fruit.

By using Alchemy to purify and enhance the properties of these substances, the efficacy of the medicine could be greatly increased.

The only things comparable were methods from the "Spatio-temporal Disorder" update, like Demon Potion Science and Alchemy.

Sometimes, the three could even be combined, creating an even more brilliant synergy.

The "Vermilion Fruit Potion" was dark red. After testing on lab mice and monkeys, no significant side effects were discovered.

The research data showed that it could rapidly increase cellular activity in a short period and provide a certain amount of Flame Resistance.

After drinking the potion, Zhang Ji felt a slight warmth in his abdomen, which then spread throughout his body. The entire process lasted for about ten minutes before slowly fading.

Slightly clenching his fist, Zhang Ji could feel a significant increase in his strength.

After mastering the Heart Stabilizing and Body Lowering Method, his control over his own body was perfect, allowing him to perceive even the slightest change or increase in his power.

The Strength Attribute increase this potion gave him was roughly equivalent to a martial crystal from the "Five Forms True Skill".

As for the Flame Resistance, that was harder to test.

He already possessed the Dela bloodline. On top of that, he had the martial crystal for the Profound Iron Body Refining Skill, [Gluttony Technique], [Indestructible Vajra Body], and other Horizontal Martial Arts Training, as well as skills like the Nine Yang True Skill that all boosted his resistance. His defense was already difficult to measure, so this new increase was probably just another number added to the total.

But don’t be fooled by how easily he improved; it was an increase building upon his already substantial foundation.

If his base attributes weren’t high enough, this potion would have been nowhere near as easy to absorb.

This was clear from what happened when he used the Dela bloodline potion back when he was at the [C+] level.

Back then, he had truly hovered on the brink of life and death.

External enhancements were certainly useful, but without the power to absorb them, using them was no different from courting death.

"Almost there. I have three essences for the ’Five Elements Longevity Skill’ now. I expect to master it by mid-September. By then, with the combination of so many powerful martial crystals, I should have the combat power of the Saint King Level!" Zhang Ji muttered to himself.

The strength of the five Great Saint Kings wasn’t actually that far apart.

They were all around [A] level normally, with burst power at [A+].

Each of them had their own ace up their sleeve.

However, if one had to say, Elaven was probably the strongest.

Elaven’s Alchemy Furnace has four stages.

"Normal Combustion," "Ascension Stance," "Overload Stance," and "Destruction Stance."

There wasn’t much to say about the first two.

But upon reaching the "Overload Stance," he became an erupting volcano.

And once the "Destruction Stance" was activated, his damage output was maxed out.

His attack power and destructive range were on a map-wiping level; a single move could obliterate half a city.

However, Elaven couldn’t maintain this form for long.

He’d probably burn out and have to stop after three to five minutes.

The furnace was powerful, but it had its limits.

His own body and Spirit particles couldn’t endure such high-intensity bursts for too long.

’Even if I encounter his Destruction Stance, it only lasts for three to five minutes. As long as I don’t confront him head-on, I should be fine.’

’Once those three to five minutes are up, Elaven’s lack of stamina means I will be the one to win.’

’If I have two A-level martial crystals, then in the Battle of the Supremes, I won’t be playing 1v1.’

’It’ll be 1v5.’

’I’ll take on all five Saint Kings by myself.’

...

「September 7th.」

Someone from Guning Country arrived.

Hypnos had come to the Dragon Country. He was here to deliver something to Zhang Ji.

A red gemstone and two books.

The gemstone was a spark of the True Solar Flame.

The books were the *Sun Scripture* and the *Morning Sun Ritual*.

The former was an (Epic, Five-Star) bloodline combat skill, while the latter was an (Excellent, Eight-Star) [True Flame Sect] combat skill.

No one had delved into the *Sun Scripture* for a very long time.

Because no one could truly and completely master it.

That was why the current royal family of Guning Country all practiced the *Morning Sun Ritual* instead.

"Didn’t I say I would pay a visit later? Why did you come here first?" Zhang Ji asked with a smile, looking at Hypnos.

Guning Country had sent Zhang Ji an invitation.

But Zhang Ji had always replied that they should wait a little longer.

In his current situation, Zhang Ji was focused on quickly reaching A-level. How could he possibly go out and fool around?

So, even though he was interested in Guning Country’s combat skills, he had to put it out of his mind for the time being.

Who would have thought they would take the initiative and deliver it to him?

"His Majesty, the King, knows that Your Excellency is attending to a myriad of affairs and has no free time, so he dispatched me to personally deliver the true scripture," Hypnos said.

The way he looked at Zhang Ji was strange.

It held a hint of fanaticism.

One man against an entire country, who then took a bath in a nuclear explosion.

In the world today, no second person had ever done such a thing.

Especially since Zhang Ji possessed the pure bloodline of the Sun God, which made Hypnos mentally equate Zhang Ji with his own faith.

"Then I am truly grateful. Once I’ve finished the matters at hand, I will definitely pay a personal visit to Guning Country," Zhang Ji said politely.

"We will be waiting to welcome you with a grand reception," Hypnos replied.

...

After speaking with Hypnos and having someone arrange for his rest, Zhang Ji finally picked up the two combat skill books, the *Sun Scripture* and the *Morning Sun Ritual*, to look through them.

The *Morning Sun Ritual* was a very simple [True Flame Sect] combat skill. It was purely about using sunlight to accumulate True Flame energy within the body, to be used when needed.

The *Sun Scripture* was more complex and time-consuming. It wasn’t just a simple move or technique.

Rather, it was a complete [True Flame Sect] cultivation path.

It started with manipulating and utilizing high temperatures and flames, then moved on to step-by-step activation of the bloodline, culminating in condensing the True Solar Flame to achieve nirvana within the body.

Under normal circumstances, the entire process would take at least a century just to obtain a single wisp of True Solar Flame.

And that was assuming high bloodline purity and no lack of resources.

With insufficient bloodline purity and scarce resources, one could practice until death and never produce a single wisp of True Solar Flame.

In the entire royal family of Guning Country today, only Hasting possessed a tiny amount of True Solar Flame.

But it was definitely not enough for him to achieve nirvana.

Inside the red gemstone that Hypnos had delivered, there was a trace of burning True Solar Flame.

It flickered within the gem like a stream of water.

With the help of this spark of True Solar Flame, it would theoretically be much easier for Zhang Ji to master the *Sun Scripture*.

With a spark, all he needed to do was throw fuel into it to make it grow stronger.

It was much easier than condensing a spark from scratch.

However, if one’s bloodline purity was insufficient or their body wasn’t tough enough, they wouldn’t be able to contain this spark.

Instead, they would be burned to death by this wisp of True Solar Flame.

But Zhang Ji possessed the original Blood of Dela, and he had survived a nuclear explosion. Containing this spark shouldn’t be too difficult for him.