Essence Devouring Art

Chapter 41: Chapter 40: Settling on the Path Ahead

Once the Overlord Whale Fist reached the Meticulous stage.

As expected, the information on the attribute panel had changed—

[Physique: Hero (Minor Achievement)]

[Extraordinary: Essence Devouring Art (65% Potential Release)+

Overlord Whale Fist 150 years (Thunder Listening)+]

[Teleportation Points: 40]

One hundred and fifty years of Overlord Whale Fist Power!

Wu Dao’s expression flickered.

He knew the attribute panel’s upgrades were measured from a mortal’s perspective.

The reason was likely that when he first arrived in this World, his body was completely mortal, with nothing extraordinary about it.

What was surprising was that for a mortal to cultivate the Overlord Whale Fist to the Micro Realm, it would actually take a full one hundred and fifty years!

This was no longer a matter of diligence.

It was a matter of lifespan!

In this World, although those in the Foundation Establishment realm could possess various kinds of Non-human Power, they were ultimately still mortal. And because they over-developed their physical bodies, their later years were plagued with countless ailments, making it difficult to live past one hundred.

Only by undergoing Rebirth and ascending from Extraordinary to Saint would a person’s lifespan greatly increase. A single Rebirth through Martial Arts Cocoon Breaking was needed to gain a lifespan of one hundred and fifty years.

One could only imagine how unattainable the Micro Realm was for mortals. It was the exclusive domain of geniuses and Demons; completely impossible for the common folk!

After a brief sigh, Wu Dao noticed the plus sign that still remained after Overlord Whale Fist.

’So, reaching the Meticulous stage with Thunder Listening isn’t the Limit of the Overlord Whale Fist?’

’Or does the Meticulous stage have its own tiers?’

Wu Dao was a little confused.

According to the Overlord Whale Fist manual, its creator was only in the Micro Realm at his peak!

This proved that the Limit of the Overlord Whale Fist was the Meticulous stage!

But according to the attribute panel’s judgment, this Cultivation Technique seemed to have no Limit!

’If that’s truly the case, then the Essence Devouring Art...’

Wu Dao’s breathing grew rapid.

He had previously suspected that the attribute panel could help him break the shackles of his past life, but it had only been speculation.

But now, the plus sign that remained after Overlord Whale Fist dispelled all of Wu Dao’s worries, forging a true Heaven-Reaching Great Dao for him!

Of course, the premise for all of this was that he could find enough ’food’!

’Anomalies...’

A glint in his eyes, Wu Dao stepped out of the cave. He gazed at the vast sea of clouds under the morning sun below the mountain, contemplating the path ahead.

The next leap for the Essence Devouring Art required a full three hundred Teleportation Points.

As for the Overlord Whale Fist, which was a tier below, the upgrade to break its Limit after reaching the Meticulous stage with Thunder Listening now also cost two hundred.

This meant that every future upgrade would require him to feed on a large number of anomalies.

Of course, if he followed the instructions to the letter, the Essence Devouring Art would also progress quickly with enough resources—but it would be slow compared to using the attribute panel.

Ignoring a shortcut to just train blindly—how could he call himself a Human Extreme of his generation for doing that?

Thus, he had to face a very practical problem:

’How can I find and hunt anomalies quickly and efficiently?’

The anomalies of this World seemed to have appeared only after the Dali dynasty fell into decay and the fortune of the Human Dao waned, allowing yin to rise as yang fell.

They mostly hid in desolate mountains, ancient forests, and the shadows of the human world. Unless they took the initiative to harm people, only those from the Extraordinary World had any contact with or understanding of them.

Under these circumstances, an individual’s power was extremely limited before reaching a certain level.

Running around searching like a headless chicken was no different from looking for a needle in a haystack—not only a waste of time, but also highly inefficient.

’I need to leverage the power of others!’

Wu Dao gazed at the red sun illuminating the world at the edge of the sea of clouds and thought of Zhao Wei.

His original plan was to use Zhao Wei as a contact to get into the White Whale Martial Arts Hall.

He would use it as a stepping stone to make contact with the Extraordinary Influences of this World and to understand it better.

He would also use the White Whale Martial Arts Hall’s vast intelligence network to gather information on anomalies and safely pass through his weaker phase.

In Guangqing Prefecture, the White Whale Martial Arts Hall was second only to the Four Seas Gang. It dominated the northern region, with its halls blossoming everywhere and its thousands of disciples scattered across every corner of the Prefecture.

If an anomaly appeared anywhere, the upper echelons would know immediately.

After all, the existences on the Extraordinary Side of this World also seemed to feed on anomalies, so they couldn’t possibly ignore them.

Unfortunately, life is unpredictable.

Zhao Wei had ’bad luck’.

And so, that connection was broken.

Moreover, there was the matter of his slightly tarnished reputation.

Last night in Pan Shui Town, three Boxers from the White Whale Martial Arts Hall had already memorized Wu Dao’s face.

It was hard to say, but with Zhao Wei having been gone for so long, they might have already entered the mountains to search for him by now.

Last night, Wu Dao had left in a hurry and hadn’t cleaned up the battlefield. A discerning person could easily discover the truth and realize someone had swooped in to reap the rewards.

In this situation, especially with Wu Dao’s sudden leap in power, anyone who wasn’t a complete idiot would guess he was the one responsible.

He would definitely gain a reputation for being ruthless, vicious, and willing to plot against his own comrades.

However, these were all minor issues.

How many people in the Jianghu weren’t driven by profit, with hundreds of schemes in their hearts and a ”winner-take-all” mentality? It was the pot calling the kettle black.

Besides, Wu Dao and Zhao Wei were merely chance acquaintances. Why should he be expected to live and die with him? It made no sense.

Of course, the most important thing was that Zhao Wei was only at Foundation Establishment!

And now, Wu Dao was comparable to a cultivator in this World who had undergone a Second Rebirth!

There is no eternal friendship, only eternal interests.

This was even more true in this Extraordinary World, where competition was far more brutal and intense.

As long as the leaders of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall didn’t have shit for brains, they would understand which was more important.

’As for why it had to be the White Whale Martial Arts Hall?’

This involved a question of alignment.

There were three major powers in Guangqing Prefecture: the Fangcun Sword Hall, the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, and the Four Seas Gang.

Among them, the Fangcun Sword Hall was the leader of the righteous path in Guangqing Prefecture. Its legendary Grandmaster, Yang Wufeng, was said to be upright and uncompromising, unable to tolerate even a speck of impurity.

For someone like Wu Dao, who had no sense of moral black and white and was driven only by self-interest, to present himself at their door would be no different from walking into a trap.

In contrast, the gray-aligned White Whale Martial Arts Hall was a much better choice. It was neither purely good nor purely evil, and Wu Dao’s mastery of the Overlord Whale Fist would be an excellent way to get his foot in the door.

As for the purely evil Four Seas Gang...

To put it bluntly, even if Wu Dao, with the murder of Meng Qingshuang on his hands, went to the Four Seas Gang to pledge his allegiance, their Gang Leader would likely agree with pleasure.

After all, the more ’dark’ a person was, the more they valued their own tangible interests.

This wasn’t some profound insight into human nature; it was simply a matter of experience.

In the sixty turbulent years of his previous life, Wu Dao had risen from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of the World, encountering people from all walks of life, of every personality, and with every possible standpoint.

He knew exactly what kind of rules different people lived by to survive, and where their moral bottom lines lay.

However, as for the Four Seas Gang, Wu Dao had other plans for them down the line.

His intention was to devour them whole, and there would be plenty of opportunities to offend them and push their limits one step at a time.

He naturally wasn’t reckless enough to treat them like fools and stir up trouble right under their noses.

’Why not choose a greater power outside Guangqing Prefecture?’

Wu Dao hadn’t considered it for now.

Although he had made some achievements, he was at best a piranha, capable of stirring up trouble in a lake. If he entered the ocean prematurely, his way of doing things would easily offend the sharks.

Wu Dao had never been an arrogant person who treated everyone else like an idiot.

On the contrary, he never shied away from or denied his own ’shortcomings’.

Naturally, he wouldn’t let those shortcomings lead him into danger.

’They should be there by now...’

His thoughts returned to the present.

Wu Dao looked toward the direction of last night’s battlefield, guessing that the Boxers from the White Whale Martial Arts Hall had already found the forest.

The traces left behind from their chase and fight last night were too obvious; it would be easy to follow the clues.

Wu Dao’s knowledge of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall was limited—he didn’t even know where its main hall was. Rather than waste time investigating, it would be better to let those three Boxers lead the way and, in the process, learn about the White Whale Martial Arts Hall’s organizational structure and its upper echelons.

Thinking of this, he stretched his body slightly in the morning breeze.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

His heroic and stalwart Steel Body moved like a war engine, its internal components colliding with the resounding clang of metal on metal.

Then,

BOOM!!

Wu Dao suddenly bent his knees and exerted his strength. Like a giant god stomping on the earth, he shattered the black stone ground beneath his feet. Trailing a long wake of turbulent air, he rapidly accelerated to near-sonic speeds, his velocity infinitely approaching the sound barrier.

RUMBLE—

A howling gale instantly swept through the deep mountains. The sound of rolling thunder echoed ceaselessly as the hurricane-like airflow, created by the compression of his physique, blasted apart, forcing giant trees to sway and bend. Countless plants were swept up and torn to shreds.

Looking down from above, one could clearly see a wide furrow ploughed through the forest behind Wu Dao, whose physique glowed faintly red from air friction. The gale, carrying fragments of vegetation, continuously swept forward, extending the path of destruction.

Near-sonic movement!

For a Hero-level expert whose physical abilities completely surpassed those of natural creatures, this was a piece of cake.

Once he reached Great Success, his Physique would become even heavier and more indestructible, his Power limitless. He would be able to withstand far greater air friction and pressure.

He would be able to move at supersonic speeds!

A single lap around a modern city, and he’d be a walking natural disaster!