Chương 175: Reborn as the Dragon — Chapter 175 - World BOSS Appears

"Elder Li, I feel great."

"The Dou Qi of this other world can indeed be cultivated along the circulation routes of the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic and the Sovereign Pole Scripture."

"As for whether magic elements work the same way — you'll need to find another partner to test that." Li Chen sat cross-legged on a flat rock and slowly opened his eyes. A sharp, cutting aura shot from his gaze like electricity from the depths of dark pools.

"Excellent! Truly excellent!" The white-bearded old man called Elder Li pumped both fists, his face alight with excitement.

"Who would have thought — our Celestial Dynasty's ancient martial arts, cultivated in another world, and shining brilliantly!"

"My grandfather used to tell me that the ancient people of the Celestial Dynasty, hundreds of years ago, could run along walls, strip leaves from flowers mid-air, and kill without leaving a trace."

"Back then I just took it as a good story. Now it seems every word was true. The world we live in simply grew too small for ancient martial arts to take root."

"Well then. Congratulations, Elder Li." Li Chen watched the old man's delight and couldn't help but smile. The entire world was scrambling to develop this other world now, the so-called Invasion Game, as that grand presence had called it. The Celestial Dynasty wasn't about to be left behind. Winning this gamble was the only way to keep their homeland safe. That meant getting stronger, constantly, without stop. Only strength gave you the right to stand firm when everything came crashing down.

And many experts were already speculating further: one day, they might be able to carry the knowledge and power of this other world back home. When that happened, all of Blue Planet would take a leap into an entirely new era.

"Congratulations for me?" Elder Li shook his head, stroking his beard as the wrinkles on his face deepened into a broad grin.

"No. The ones who deserve congratulations are our Celestial Dynasty region!"

"This should be an ability unique to our players. Ancient martial arts aren't exclusive to the Celestial Dynasty, don't forget, for centuries, martial artists from across the world have come to our ancients seeking guidance."

"And yet, so far, not a single report has come in of players in other regions' Starter Villages successfully cultivating ancient martial arts." His gaze settled back on Li Chen, warm and expectant.

"So tell me — any particular sensations you can put into words?"

"Particular sensations?" Li Chen closed his fist slowly, pressed his lips together, and turned his attention inward. After only one full cycle of the Sovereign Pole Scripture, there was nothing dramatic to report. No sudden surge. No thunderclap transformation. He checked his status panel. Every base attribute had ticked upward, fractions of a point each, but real. Solid. Earned through a single circulation of Dou Qi along the Scripture's path.

"The Dou Qi source was originally concentrated between the two kidneys," he said, still half in thought.

"But after running the Sovereign Pole Scripture, it's like the Dou Qi seeped into every part of my body. The cells woke up." Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"If I keep cultivating, once those cells can actually hold Dou Qi like reservoirs, my Dou Qi source might spread through my entire body."

"At that point, I'd be a berserker who almost never runs dry."

"And when the total volume reaches a certain threshold..." He trailed off, then said it plainly.

"Flying on a sword wouldn't be impossible anymore." Li Chen's voice climbed as he spoke. He couldn't quite contain it. Flying on a sword. How many nights had young men dreamed about exactly that? And now it was actually within reach, cultivated through the Celestial Dynasty's own heritage, by their own players. The pride of that alone was almost too much to hold.

"Good. The Sovereign Pole Scripture is a true emperor's internal classic, it speaks of unceasing vitality, of a source that never runs dry. That you can feel these things means it's working exactly as it should." Elder Li nodded firmly.

"Dou Qi and the Celestial Dynasty constitution seem to have merged cleanly under the Scripture's guidance. A perfect integration."

"I believe so too, Elder Li." The old man and the young one shared a look, both quietly pleased. Then footsteps. A soldier player in heavy armor jogged over and came to a sharp stop in front of Elder Li, feet together, spine straight, the posture of a man who'd spent years answering to ranks above him. He snapped off a crisp military salute.

"Chief. Metal synthesis has failed again."

"The air composition in this world is too chaotic. Melting points behave erratically, many chemical reactions that work fine on Blue Planet simply don't function here the same way." Elder Li's brow furrowed hard.

"Again?"

"Beautiful Country has already begun researching alloys. Modern weapons are only a matter of time for them." That was the crux of it. Thermal weapons had always been every nation's hardest shield and sharpest fang. If another region beat them to that capability, the gap would widen fast and wouldn't close easily.

"That shouldn't be possible. Even if Beautiful Country's military-industrial base is more advanced, surely we can start with the basics? Not the cutting edge, just something that already works?" The soldier shook his head, and the regret in the gesture was answer enough. The specialists had tried. They'd tried the advanced and the obsolete alike. The whole process was riddled with chemical reactions, and when even one step went sideways, the entire chain collapsed.

There was no shortcut, no workaround, just starting over from scratch.

"Chief, no other national regions have managed to produce thermal weapons. Only Beautiful Country."

"Not even nations with comparable military-industrial capability."

"So the working theory among our experts is that it may be a unique ability specific to Beautiful Country players. They might be able to bypass the abnormal chemical reactions of this world entirely, simplify complex procedures, synthesize metals faster, produce ordnance at a scale others can't match." Elder Li stroked his chin and nodded slowly. It tracked. Every nation's players seemed to carry something unique to them, the Celestial Dynasty had ancient martial arts. Beautiful Country apparently had this.

What other hidden abilities were out there, waiting to surface, was still an open question.

"Keep absorbing the other Celestial Dynasty Starter Villages." He straightened, hands clasped behind his back, voice carrying the weight of a directive.

"Only by upgrading the Starter Villages, fortress-level, city-level, territory-level, all the way to country-level, will we unlock more hidden information."

"Thermal weapons?" His chin lifted.

"Our Celestial Dynasty carries five thousand years of ancestral wisdom."

"Once we tap into that..."

"It won't be funny." His eyes blazed. Every player nearby felt the pressure of it and turned to look without meaning to.

[Attention! A World BOSS has appeared!] The system prompt hit without warning. Li Chen, Elder Li, and every other player in earshot went briefly distant, eyes unfocused, attention pulled inward to the information bar overlaid across their vision. [World BOSS marked on the map] [BOSS Name: Sea Monster, Storm Worm King] [BOSS Tier: 4, Level 39] [BOSS Description: The ferocious Storm Worm King has summoned a catastrophic tsunami and has already wiped out four Starter Villages along the coast: Simida No. 3, No. 5, No. 22, and No. 12 Starter Villages] [The Sea Monster, Storm Worm King poses a severe threat to the development of all players near Anlius. A bounty is now active for the Storm Worm King] [Note: A World-tier Teleportation Gate has been established] [You may now use the World-tier Teleportation Gate to reach the area where the World BOSS is active. Each teleportation consumes Invasion Points based on distance. Current location detected: Celestial Dynasty No. 1 Starter Town. Round-trip teleportation cost: Invasion Points / person] [BOSS Rewards: Hidden Class Scroll, Town Establishment Token, City Establishment Token, Platinum Treasure Chest, Instant Death Resurrection Rights, Massive EXP, Master-tier Equipment, and more (rewards distributed by contribution probability)] As the prompt faded, every player in Celestial Dynasty No. 1 Starter Town noticed it at once: a massive teleportation gate had materialized in the town square, pulsing with deep violet light. No one moved toward it.

No one could afford the fare.

[Random Drop: Anna x1] ➤ Next: Upholding Justice