dkrc Chapter 2013: China's Transformed "First Order"; The Treasures of Heaven and Earth Be
Chapter 2013: China's Transformed "First Order"; The Treasures of Heaven and Earth Be
Chapter 2013: China's Transformed "First Order"; The Treasures of Heaven and Earth Belong Only to the Virtuous.
In Liu Suifeng's view, resources of this level cannot simply be obtained by waiting for things to fall into place naturally.
He had to "grab" and "fight," even if the methods weren't "refined," even if he had to endure Academician Wang's complaints.
"But three is still too few."
Liu Suifeng frowned slightly, his mind flashing through faces and names, trying to figure out who would be the most suitable person to use the name on.
The first and second sequences must be excluded. Which one in the third sequence is more suitable?
Liu Suifeng began to filter through the third sequence of strong individuals who met the criteria and were among the top performers.
"Han Xiao, the 'Winter General' of the Northern Frontier, is a third-tier expert with ice elemental abilities, so he might be a good fit."
"Su Lan, the 'Sea Singer' of the southeast coast, is a third-order water elementalist with abundant vitality, which is also acceptable."
"Shi Lei, the 'rock' of the southwestern mountains, is a third-tier earth-type ability called 'Heavy Rock.' With external assistance, he may be able to take that step in one fell swoop after accumulating strength."
"."
"Sigh, there are too many monks and not enough porridge."
Liu Suifeng rubbed his temples, feeling a familiar headache.
Every time there's an allocation of scarce resources at this level, it's the most agonizing time for him.
Both are equally important; which superhuman in the Tian Shu Bureau isn't a hero? Which one doesn't need to become stronger?
Moreover, compared to the first and second sequences, the third sequence has a significantly larger number of ability users, making it indeed difficult to make a decision.
"After we get back, let's carefully check everyone's recent information, and then talk to Old Chen and Old Li, and have a small meeting to decide on something."
Liu Suifeng sighed and left the research institute.
A hundred miles outside the capital, in a desolate mountain range.
This place was once a nature reserve, but now it has become the territory of mutated creatures. The air is filled with a faint, sweet, fishy smell, and from time to time, you can hear heart-stopping roars or hisses.
But in this region fraught with danger for humanity, a strange "quiet" permeates a circular clearing, hundreds of meters in diameter, carved out by a powerful force.
In the very center of the open space, Qin Tian sat cross-legged, shirtless.
His eyes were slightly closed, his face calm and serene, as if he were one with his surroundings; the vast spiritual energy in the air gathered towards him and merged into his body.
However, this "calm" only lasted for a moment.
Suddenly, something seemed to awaken within Qin Tian's body, and a deep, majestic dragon roar emanated from him!
"Yan!"
As the dragon's roar resounded, an intensely blazing golden-red light suddenly erupted from Qin Tian's body; in the blink of an eye, a phantom of a fiery dragon with clearly visible scales and prominent horns coiled around him!
The phantom of the Fiery Dragon raised its head high and roared at the sky. Its body was undulating, and every scale seemed to be forged from the purest flames and lava, flowing with the fiery Daoist rhythm of destruction and rebirth.
The golden-red flames burned silently on the dragon's body, igniting nothing but scorching and distorting the surrounding air.
The moment the illusory dragon appeared, a terrifying pressure originating from the level of life spread out in all directions like a tsunami.
"Waaah!"
"Ow!"
"hiss!"
The various mutated creatures that had been lurking and spying in the distance, even showing signs of restlessness, all seemed to have their throats gripped by an invisible giant hand, emitting cries of extreme terror!
Their massive bodies trembled violently, their limbs went limp, and they lay prostrate on the ground, burying their heads deep in the soil or gravel, not even daring to raise their eyes to look at the phantom of the fiery dragon.
Some of the weaker mutated beasts were so terrified that they foamed at the mouth and fainted.
Apart from the lingering echo of the deep dragon's roar and the faint crackling of the flames, the entire forest was shrouded in a deathly silence and fear.
This is the suppressive power of a first-order level expert over mutated creatures.
Without even lifting a finger, its mere existence is enough to silence the regional overlords, preventing them from even considering resistance.
This was merely a wisp of energy that Qin Tian naturally emitted during his daily cultivation.
The vast spiritual energy of heaven and earth suddenly accelerated its convergence, forming a visible vortex of spiritual energy that poured down towards Qin Tian's head like a funnel.
The phantom of the fiery dragon opened its mouth as if devouring the endless torrent of spiritual energy, and the golden-red light on its body became more solid and dazzling.
The cultivation lasted for about an hour.
As the last trace of milky-white spiritual energy was completely devoured by the illusory dragon, the majestic and imposing dragon shadow let out a satisfied groan, slowly receding its light and merging back into Qin Tian's body before disappearing completely.
The intense golden-red light on his body receded like the tide, revealing his strong, bronze-colored body, as if cast from steel.
Qin Tian slowly opened his eyes, a flash of golden-red flames appearing briefly before returning to a deep, calm gaze.
"After breaking through to a new level of strength, it is indeed not so easy to improve further."
He clenched his fist lightly, feeling the surging, ever-more powerful and vast Fiery Dragon energy within him, a power so immense it could easily tear mountains apart and dry up rivers.
But in contrast, there is a clear sense of "stagnation".
It's as if a once unobstructed river channel, after being widened a thousand times, not only increased the amount of water it could hold, but also inevitably slowed down the flow of the water.
If we compare his previous cultivation to a stream that is constantly widening and deepening, we can clearly feel the "water level" rising steadily every day. Even without actively cultivating, his body passively absorbs spiritual energy, and the speed is not much slower.
However, after his last transformation in life level and entry into a new realm, although the total amount of spiritual energy he absorbed and refined each day was much larger than before, the actual growth in his "cultivation" felt as slow as a tortoise crawl.
Just as a stream transforms into a great river, the amount of water flowing in each day is enormous. However, the accumulation required to raise the water level of the entire great river by even a fraction is far greater than that required in the era of the stream.
Qin Tian shook his head slightly.
There's nothing we can do about it.
His level of life and the strength of his soul have reached a completely new height; the "resources" required to climb even an inch higher from this height are naturally far greater than before.
"At this stage, the demand for resources is completely different."
He gazed into the distance toward the capital, his eyes filled with a distant longing.
Ordinary rare and precious herbs and energy potions have little effect on him.
What he needs are rare and precious materials containing even more terrifying spiritual energy, or resources that resonate with him.
However, given his current strength, while he may not lack such resources, they are certainly extremely scarce.
If it's a rare and precious material like the "Ice Crystal Flower," it's probably hard to find. But if it's made from mutated creatures of the "first-order" level, the difficulty is much lower.
The "first order" of China has transformed, but those mutated creatures have not.
In truth, apart from the "Kunpeng" in the ocean, there are probably no "mutated creatures" in modern China that can threaten them militarily.
Just as Qin Tian's thoughts were churning, pondering how to hunt "first-order" level mutated creatures to refine into potions to enhance his cultivation speed, his phone in his pocket vibrated slightly, displaying an incoming call—"Fire Feather".
He raised an eyebrow slightly and immediately answered the call.
Huo Yu rarely calls directly; she usually sends messages.
Is something wrong?
"Hey, Qin Tian!"
"You're not cultivating right now, are you?"
A clear, melodious voice, tinged with excitement, came from the other end of the phone. In the background, one could even faintly hear the whistling of the wind and the clear call of some large bird.
Hearing Huo Yu's tone, Qin Tian looked puzzled. Why was this guy so excited?
"It just ended, but there's been a lot of noise over there, right over Hangzhou?"
"Hehe, more or less."
Huo Yu said with a grin, then her tone changed to one of excitement.
"Let's get down to business. Guess who messaged me?"
"Who?"
Qin Tian asked cooperatively.
Even Huo Yu himself would find it hard to imagine that someone would be mentioned in such a tone.
It couldn't possibly be Doraemon, could it?
But if Doraemon is looking for Fire Feather, there's no reason for Fire Feather to call him.
"It's the Holy Light, the Corruption, and those three Druids!"
“They messaged me saying they’d discovered a secret place in eastern Siberia, near the ‘Kamchatka Death Valley’ close to the Bering Strait.”
Qin Tian's eyes narrowed.
Kamchatka? Death Valley?
He immediately thought of that dangerous place known for its frequent volcanic activity and highly toxic gases.
After the spiritual energy revival, has it become a secret realm similar to the far north last time?
"That's right, that's the place!"
Huo Yu affirmed, speaking faster.
"They said that on the edge of Death Valley, in a previously unrecorded rift valley, they sensed a spiritual energy fluctuation similar to that of the 'Ice Crystal Flower' in the far north, but this time the fluctuation was more turbulent and unstable."
"It's like there's an energy volcano buried underground that could explode at any moment."
"It is estimated that it is a rare and precious natural material with fire attributes, and it may also contain some toxins."
"They asked us if we were interested, and if so, they said they would wait for us to explore together."
A spiritual energy fluctuation at the same level as the "Ice Crystal Flower"?
Natural treasures with a fire-related attribute?
Qin Tian's heart skipped a beat, and the power of the Fiery Dragon within him seemed to sense some kind of mysterious attraction, causing it to stir slightly.
This news carries more weight than expected.
but
"Did they contact us proactively because they wanted to collaborate on this research?"
Qin Tian was somewhat surprised.
It's not that I can't understand the ideas of the Holy Light, the Fallen, and the Druids.
Although they are all genuine "first-tier" powerhouses with considerable abilities, it is precisely because they are "first-tier" that they are more aware of the terror of "secret realms" of the same level.
Last time in the far north, if it weren't for Qin Tian, Huo Yu, Chen Bing, Lin Kai, and others, it would have been impossible to successfully obtain the "Ice Crystal Flower" under the protection of several "first-order" level ancient ice dragons.
Holy Light and his group provided crucial intelligence and received substantial benefits, but they also witnessed firsthand the terrifying nature of the secret realm's guardians.
This time, the location is the even harsher and more complex Kamchatka Valley of Death. Anyone with a brain knows that the "things" spawned there or the "beings" guarding it will be no easier to deal with than those ice dragons, and may even be more troublesome.
Even if they wanted to take it all for themselves, they probably wouldn't have the ability.
Or perhaps they had already gone in to explore and found they were no match for Huo Yu, which is why they took the initiative to contact him.
"Of course we want to cooperate!"
Huo Yu's voice came through, carrying a knowing smile.
"That guy, Fallen, I don't know where he learned those words from."
"They said, 'Such rare treasures of heaven and earth should only be possessed by the virtuous. We are of meager strength and dare not presume to possess them. Therefore, we are informing you two of this news and sincerely invite you to explore together. The spoils will be distributed according to our efforts and the agreement.'"
"In other words, it's too scary inside. The three of us can't handle it, but we don't want to let others have it or go home empty-handed, so we're asking you big shots to protect us and make a fortune together!"
She simply didn't believe they hadn't gone inside to explore, and that's why she specifically invited them to come along.
They must have gone in and found they didn't have the capability before sending them the message.
"They at least have some self-awareness."
Qin Tian nodded.
This level of secret realm is indeed not something that the three of them can easily conquer.
Moreover, although they are called the "first tier," their "first tier" is actually not on the same level as the current "first tier" in China.
Unless they also make a breakthrough.
What specific information did they provide?
"The coordinates give a general range of latitude and longitude, which is deep in a turbulent area of spiritual energy on the southwest side of Death Valley."
"They said they would only take us in after our people arrived in the nearby area and confirmed our intention to cooperate, and that we had precise coordinates and a relatively safe entry route."
"That old fox, he's worried we'll shake them off."
Huo Yu snorted, then spoke again.
"In addition, they also warned that the turbulent spiritual energy and highly toxic miasma in the surrounding area could easily erode the defenses of ability users below the first tier, and if the duration was slightly longer, it would also affect the first tier."
"Moreover, there is a strong life reaction deep in the rift valley. Preliminary judgment indicates the presence of nearly ten 'things' with energy levels no lower than the first sequence."
"It could be a guardian beast, a strange life form naturally nurtured in the secret realm, or something else entirely."
"In short, they're not to be trifled with."
Huo Yu found this rather strange.
Where did all these "first-order" level mutated creatures come from? Is that rare and precious herb so effective at nourishing mutated creatures?
The same goes for the "Ice Crystal Flower" in the far north last time; she doesn't believe that the strength of those ice dragons has nothing to do with the "Ice Crystal Flower."
Nearly ten "Series One" level threats, coupled with an extremely harsh natural environment!
This intelligence sharpened Qin Tian's eyes even further.
"Reply to them that cooperation is possible."
"But you must not enter without permission before we arrive, nor leak any information to any other forces."
"Also, tell them that this cooperation is led by us."