High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 181: Chapter 181: Great Increase in Spiritual Power

”ROAR!”

Lin Qi controlled the Mastiff Dog to launch a surprise attack, clashing with the Iron Spike Wild Boar.

He was still unfamiliar with the Mastiff Dog’s attack patterns, and the instantaneous, massive collision sent a violent tremor through his Spirit.

”BANG!!”

The Mastiff Dog was sent flying by the Iron Spike Wild Boar’s charge, and Lin Qi felt as if his own Spirit had taken a heavy blow.

Then, the Mastiff Dog died, dissolving into Golden Light before vanishing. Seeing this, Lin Qi once again used visualization to summon another Mastiff Dog and continue the fight.

He relentlessly attacked the Iron Spike Wild Boar. At the same time, his Heart Eye Talent activated unconsciously, and his control over the Mastiff Dog grew more and more adept.

Its combat power soared.

After dying twice more in this fashion, the Mastiff Dog finally hunted down and killed the Iron Spike Wild Boar.

”BOOM!!”

The Iron Spike Wild Boar and the Mastiff Dog dissipated, and the entire Consciousness Space trembled violently.

Within the pitch-black space, wisps of gray mist began to emerge, slowly gathering together.

They finally coalesced into a single mass. A realization seemed to dawn on Lin Qi: this ball of gray mist was the manifestation of his Spiritual Power.

[You have reached the Beginner level of the Hundred Calamities Atlas and completed your first Cultivation session. Spirit +3]

[Spirit: 34 → 37]

...

Seeing this, Lin Qi broke into a satisfied smile. The Cultivation was a success, directly increasing his Spiritual Power by three points.

”I feel great right now. The effects of the Spirit Potion haven’t worn off yet, so I can keep going.”

With that thought, Lin Qi decided to strike while the iron was hot. He opened the Red Scroll again, conjuring an Iron Spike Wild Boar and a Shadow Cat to begin a one-on-two battle.

”HAAH... HAAH...”

”MEOW~”

The massive Iron Spike Wild Boar and the agile Shadow Cat attacked simultaneously from different directions.

Lin Qi controlled the Mastiff Dog to launch its own attack.

Spiritual combat wasn’t like reality. He could infinitely heal the Mastiff Dog’s injuries and resurrect it without limit until its opponents were utterly destroyed.

「An hour later」

”HAAH... HAAH...”

”MEOW~”

After letting out blood-curdling screeches, the Iron Spike Wild Boar and the Shadow Cat vanished from the Consciousness Space.

[You have consumed a Spirit Potion. Through arduous Cultivation, your Spirit has improved. Spirit +2]

[Spirit: 37 → 39]

...

Lin Qi opened his eyes and slowly stood up.

Cultivating for over an hour straight was draining, even with the help of a Spirit Potion, but the results were tremendous.

A smile touched Lin Qi’s lips as he looked at the 39 points of Spiritual Power on his panel.

This rate of improvement was like riding a rocket; he had gained five points in one go.

’If only my Qi and Blood Value could increase this quickly,’ he thought. ’I’d have no rivals among the new students.’

「A few minutes later」

”SHHHH!!”

In the bathroom, hot water cascaded over Lin Qi’s body, washing away the sweat, grime, and fatigue.

His gaze fell upon his panel.

[Name: Lin Qi (18)]

[Class: Martial Artist]

[Template: True Monarch Erlang Yang Jian]

[Fusion Degree: 15%]

[Talent: Stomach Enhancement, Dragon Energy and Tiger Fierceness, Steel Bones and Iron Flesh, Heart Eye]

[Cultivation Technique: Hunyuan Posture, Five Elements Fist (Five Elements Training), Vajra Tiger Evolution Technique, Foundation, Mountain Shattering Spear Technique, Drip Water, Pan Stone, Mountain Splitting Spear Technique, Thunder Light Body Technique]

[Spirit: 39]

[Qi and Blood Value: 33]

[Fist Technique: Tier Two 62%]

[Spear Technique: Tier Two 57%]

[Body Technique: Tier Two 38%]

...

A smile appeared on Lin Qi’s lips. Compared to before, his panel’s data had changed significantly.

His Template Fusion Degree had reached 15%.

’To break through to 20%, I estimate it might take a few months, maybe even a year,’ he thought.

His Spiritual Power was now far higher than his Qi and Blood Value, and he could already feel the benefits of this increase.

His Perception of everything around him had become much clearer.

This made him look forward to his upcoming Martial Arts Cultivation.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror, his expression suddenly freezing. He leaned in for a closer look.

Right between his eyebrows, a faint vertical mark had appeared. It was so light that it was completely unnoticeable unless you looked closely.

’When did this appear?’ Lin Qi wondered, touching his forehead. It didn’t feel any different.

He knew that the Erlang God possessed a Divine Eye. ’Could it be that when my Fusion Degree reaches a certain level, I’ll develop a Divine Eye too?’

...

「The next day, under the bright sun」

Outside the Refining God Tower, several cars were parked in front of the building.

Several figures exuding extraordinary auras stepped out of the cars one after another. Lin Qi looked up at the Refining God Tower, which soared into the clouds, wondering just how many floors it had.

’What would be there if I reached the top?’

”Every time I see the Refining God Tower, I’m just blown away!”

”I heard the Refining God Tower was built under the supervision of Emperor Red. He supposedly obtained a treasure from an Otherworld.”

”Some say it was a drop of blood, others say it was a fragment of a Weapon. There are all sorts of theories. Whatever it is, it’s said to emit an intense spiritual pressure.”

”And they use equipment inside the tower to weaken the Spirit Shock, allowing us to cultivate. Who knows if that’s true or not?” Guan Mountain remarked with a sigh.

”Who cares? Let’s just focus on increasing our Spiritual Power first,” Jiangtao said dismissively, taking the lead and entering the Refining God Tower.

The others followed him into the tower.

They were all geniuses, so they walked up the stairs and all went to the second floor of the Refining God Tower.

”I feel like my Spiritual Power has increased a lot these past few days. I’m sure I’ll be able to enter the third floor soon.”

Full of motivation, Jiangtao entered the blue area. An invisible spiritual pressure washed over him like a surging tide.

He found a meditation cushion and sat down. The others also entered one by one and began their Spiritual Cultivation.

”Brother Qi, hurry up and come in!” Jiangtao said, forcing his eyes open against the pressure.

But Lin Qi shook his head. ”You guys train here. I’m going to the third floor!”

Hearing this, the others’ eyes widened in shock. Jiangtao was also stunned. ”Brother Qi, what’s going on?”

Lin Qi smiled. ”I felt a breakthrough in my Spiritual Power yesterday. The second floor doesn’t have much effect on me anymore.”

With that, he turned and headed for the third floor.

Jiangtao was astonished. He and the others had secretly gone to the third floor before. The Spirit Shock there was a huge step up from the second floor; even they couldn’t last long.

’Brother Qi’s Spiritual Power is improving way too fast, isn’t it?’

The others had looks of astonishment, exchanging glances and all feeling an intense pressure.

Wang Qiufeng clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. ’I haven’t even mastered my Spiritual Technique yet, but Lin Qi’s Spirit has already broken through.’

’He’s stronger than me even without mastering a Spiritual Technique. What’ll happen once he does? Is this what a genius is?’

...

Lin Qi slowly arrived on the third floor. It was just as spacious, but there were fewer people. Not many were on the meditation cushions, and most of them had powerful auras, clearly senior students.

His gaze was sharp, and he quickly spotted a few familiar figures.

There was Duan Chuchu, with her beautiful features and curvaceous figure; Ao Feng, with his pale skin and delicate features; and Huo Wanyang, nicknamed Marquis Wen, the number one new student.

This was all within his expectations. However, two other figures took him by surprise.

They were a pair of beautiful twins, but they had different temperaments.

He knew that the Azure Sky Third Institute had taken first place last year. Unable to pick a top genius this year, they had simply recruited a pair of twins.

One was ranked 28th, the other 29th.

Both were S-class geniuses. With them, the institute’s overall strength didn’t seem any worse than the others.

’I didn’t expect their Spiritual Power to be so much stronger than the other top students.’

Lin Qi glanced around, found a spot, and stepped into the blue area.

”BUZZ...”

A faint buzzing seemed to sound around him, as if a giant wave was about to crash down on him.

”BANG!”

Lin Qi’s body froze. He could feel that this Spirit Shock was significantly stronger than the one on the second floor.

’If I hadn’t mastered the Hundred Calamities Atlas, I might have fallen flat on my face and embarrassed myself the moment I came up here.’

Not far away, the beautiful twins both opened their eyes and saw Lin Qi.

”This Lin Qi has a few tricks up his sleeve. It’s his first time on the third floor, but he didn’t collapse immediately,” the older sister said.

The younger sister nodded. ”He probably cultivated a Spiritual Technique and adapted to the second floor’s Spirit Shock before coming up. A cautious choice.”

A moment later, Ao Feng also spotted Lin Qi from a distance and gave a disdainful smile.

’It took him several days just to get to the third floor. Lin Qi’s Spiritual Power is truly pathetic.’

He then closed his eyes again to continue enduring the Spirit Shock.

At the same time, some of the senior students also saw Lin Qi. The constant stream of new students reaching the third floor made them feel immense pressure.

Lin Qi’s Perception was much sharper now. Even while withstanding the pressure, he could feel dozens of pairs of eyes fixed on him.

He paid them no mind, immersing himself completely in the tempering of his Spirit.

He silently compared the three cultivation methods in his mind.

’The easiest method right now is taking a Potion. It increases Spiritual Power without any pain.’

’Next is cultivating a Spiritual Technique. It can be tiring, but it’s not painful, and the improvement is the most significant. However, it costs money to buy the Cultivation Technique and resources.’

’The weakest in effect is the Refining God Tower. You have to endure pain and withstand the impact of the spiritual pressure to temper your Spiritual Power.’

’The downside is that the cultivation process is extremely painful. The upside is that it’s free, and you can train here indefinitely.’

”BOOM!!”

Lin Qi felt layer after layer of Spirit Shock. Under the assault, the gray mist in his consciousness was constantly being refined, and even more mist was being formed.

His Spiritual Power had increased by 5.

Once he adapted to the immense Spirit Shock, it was no longer so unbearable.

Time slowly passed.

In the blink of an eye, an hour went by.

”Huu!”

Ao Feng was now drenched in sweat, unable to maintain his composure. He adjusted his breathing and gritted his teeth, trying to hold on.

But the splitting headache made it impossible for him to endure any longer.

He stood up and walked out of the area covered by the blue Spirit Shock.

Only when the Spirit Shock dissipated did he feel a wave of relief and let out a long breath.

He looked around and saw that Huo Wanyang was already gone. The latter had arrived long before him, so it was normal for him to leave.

On the third floor, Duan Chuchu and the twin sisters had all arrived after him. Right now, they didn’t look to be in good shape and were struggling to hold on.

But when he saw Lin Qi’s condition, his brow furrowed deeply. Lin Qi was merely frowning and gritting his teeth, with not a drop of sweat on his forehead. His overall state was remarkably calm.

’We arrived at roughly the same time, no more than 10 minutes apart. If he’s been this stable the whole time, doesn’t that mean my Spiritual Power is inferior to his?’

He clenched his fists, unable to accept such a fact.

A moment later, Duan Chuchu of the Ninth Institute also couldn’t take it anymore. She opened her eyes and slowly walked out of the blue area.

She wiped the sweat from her brow and looked over at Lin Qi, a look of astonishment on her face as a thought surfaced in her mind:

’This Lin Qi’s Spiritual Strength is definitely not weak. He’s an expert.’

Not long after, the twin sisters also reached their limit and left the blue area, frowning.

They saw that Lin Qi, who was still enduring the Spirit Shock, was in perfect condition. They also saw that Ao Feng and Duan Chuchu hadn’t left yet.

They all exchanged a look, and the same thought occurred to each of them:

’This Lin Qi’s Spiritual Power is incredible!’

...