Chapter 177: Peak of the Supreme Realm, Deciding the Strongest!

"Looks kind of familiar, like some kind of furry ball."

Qin Shi felt a murmur in his heart; as this panel evolved to its end, he didn't know what it would look like.

The Furnace Heart melted within his body, gradually turning into nourishment for the Body-Cultivating Furnace.

Incidentally, it also activated a new achievement: Iron People Achievement.

He sensed the subtle changes within him; the Consciousness Sea carrying his Spiritual Field Power suddenly expanded, not only increasing his perception range but also capturing electronic fluctuations drifting in the atmosphere and even more obscure signal oscillations.

In his vision, like a pitch-black computer screen, data streams constantly floated.

This had surpassed the domain of the Spiritual Path; it was exclusive to the Mechanical Path.

"Iron People Achievement sounds like those remnants from the Great Turmoil period."

Qin Shi frowned slightly; the Dongxia Empire, which established the vast Galactic Regime, despite being ruled by generations of tyrants and foolish rulers, as well as warlord separatism.

But the true great disaster that brought down this ancient giant who swallowed the universe and was invincible, rendering it irrecoverable and collapsing, was still the Iron People Rebellion.

Waking from order and disorder, the Gear Emperor who held the authority of machinery and energy ruled the Star Sea.

Wherever His gaze fell, warships fell silent, cannons went mute, Divine Machines fell into silence, and fission ceased.

Wherever His footsteps passed, planets sank, flesh mutated, logic twisted, and steel revived.

That was a majestic power surpassing the Martial God, nearly approaching the Pillar!

Even the Star God Clan, slumbering in the planet's core with infinite growth potential, could not compare!

"Getting involved with the Iron People is worse than colluding with Secret Sect members or worshiping the Chaos Pillar; you might attract the Judgment Court's attention."

Qin Shi pondered, feeling something was off.

He was a model student of the Taian Metropolitan Area, a dark horse in the Hengzhou Hundred Strong competition, an Old Martial Arts prodigy who could be recommended to the Four Great National Universities, with a bright future ahead.

"Giving me this achievement, does it want me to be a rebel? No way, I am loyal to the Dongxia Empire!"

Qin Shi's mouth twitched as he glanced at the newly acquired Junior Achievement.

【Iron People Achievement: Steel fears nothing, superior to a heart of flesh! Machinery fears nothing, stronger than a weak body! Perhaps abandoning the mortal body full of limits and shackles will help you climb to the peak.】

【Trait: Your spirit will possess the 'Command' effect, allowing you to read or upload thoughts.】

【Advancement Route: Ruling the mindless is the inevitable evolutionary path for the Iron People.】

"The mindless? Like dead things such as mechanical puppets?"

Qin Shi pondered; this introduction about the spirit carrying a "Command" effect was too vague.

He stood silently on the upper steps; the Body-Cultivating Furnace roared, and rich radiance washed over his hundred bones.

After absorbing the Furnace Heart, his five viscera and six bowels seemed strengthened, each flashing with strange colors.

The extremely high concentration of radioactivity and energy factors in the Core Area were constantly being absorbed.

"The skin seems like a filter, filtering out impurities, leaving only strands of energy that increase flesh vitality... This is a sign of touching the Fourth Great Limit."

Qin Shi was quite excited; the Seven Great Limits of the Flesh were the Old Martial Arts path he had chosen.

The faster one breaks limits early on, the steadier the Martial Path.

Breaking four limits within a year was basically the promotion speed of the level of Qi Wuxiang and He Lanchan.

"Skin Limit, is it about to be achieved?"

"This guy is finally exhausted. As expected, too young, no experience, only knows to seek speed."

Ji Yuqi, slightly ahead, turned and looked down, looking down at Qin Shi from above.

Seeing the latter's climbing steps slow down, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The higher they went, the stronger the heavy pulse within Copper Mountain became, like thunderous drumbeats shaking heaven and earth, one wave higher than the next, impacting the mental will of all climbers.

Sweat the size of beans oozed from Ji Yuqi's forehead, his complexion gradually turned pale, his breathing rhythm had become chaotic, sometimes accommodating the pulse within Copper Mountain, sometimes returning to the right track.

This state repeated back and forth, exhausting both body and mind.

"Zhou Yuanchen can actually still hold on; his pressure should be greater than mine."

Ji Yuqi gritted his teeth; as the best senior-year student of Qiguang Heng University this year, he naturally regarded "Senior Brother" Zhou Yuanchen as a rival.

But since being deployed to the Core Area, Zhou Yuanchen had shown overwhelming strength as a top favorite for Champion, whether fighting head-on with Foreign Race creatures or climbing this bronze giant mountain steep in demonic nature.

"Could it be that I truly can't compare to him? Only able to take second place?"

Ji Yuqi was full of unwillingness; when such a thought surfaced, the battle cries and roars in his ears were almost tangible, the terrifying figure with an elephant's head and a human's body reflected in his eyes, as if about to revive.

Boom boom boom!

The rhythm of his heartbeat gradually approached the pulse of Copper Mountain.

The rust-green light originally at his fingertips had spread to his shoulders, invading toward his neck and trunk.

"My name is Gro Xux! The one who buries the earth!"

A roar like muffled thunder echoed in his heart; Ji Yuqi came to his senses, wanting to adjust his breathing rhythm to combat the demonic nature contained within Copper Mountain itself.

But it was too late; his flesh and blood were also stained with a few traces of rust-green light, like a huge cocoon tightly wrapping him.

"My name is Gro Xux—"

The determined look in Ji Yuqi's eyes slowly became blurred.

He unconsciously lifted his foot and took another step.

Tap, tap, tap—

Climbing quickly.

Until the three hundredth step.

The low murmurs from Ji Yuqi's mouth became more obvious; the awkward syllables spoken from his mouth were like thunder shaking the sky—

"My name is Gro Xux!"

……

……

「Damn it! This stage is way too hard. If I keep climbing, I'll have to use my loan limit! 」

Zhou Yuanchen's lips grew increasingly dry and cracked, the blood flowing through his body at a speed like a rushing river, making a splashing sound.

Abundant vitality surged like strands of radiant light, blooming from every inch of flesh and blood!

His legs felt as heavy as if filled with lead, the muscle groups throughout his body squeezed to the extreme, already on the verge of their limit.

「I must stop. If flesh vitality isn't replenished, continuing to climb will only increase the risk of assimilation. 」

Zhou Yuanchen stopped, sat cross-legged on the spot, and operated the Ten Directions Freezing Demon Path.

The most powerful aspect of this SS Martial Art of his was that while operating it, it reduced emotional fluctuations.

And entering the Wu Xiang State, thought speed and combat consciousness increased tenfold!

「My two implants are the Breath of the Throat and the Soul of Ice Skin. The former strengthens the throat to emit the Freeze Demon Roar; the latter, well, it facilitates training, transforming yin-cold air currents so I won't get frostbitten or suffer tissue necrosis. 」

Zhou Yuanchen's thoughts gradually became active, miscellaneous emotions and thoughts were slashed away, and the thunderous battle roars and howls beside his ears suddenly faded into the distance.

With each breath in and out, two thumb-thick white small snakes coiled around his nose tip; as yin-cold air currents filled his hundred bones, mist like shattered ice rose around his body.

Crack, crack, the space made fine sounds of condensation and shattering, as if boots were stepping on accumulated snow.

Zhou Yuanchen silently cultivated for over ten minutes, and his exhausted physical strength and flesh vitality recovered to about eighty percent.

「Climb, stop, rest, cultivate, maintain this rhythm. Probably by tomorrow morning, I can reach the 'Mountain Peak' at nine hundred and ninety-nine levels. 」

He slowly stood up, but saw a figure striding over, with a majestic breath surging recklessly, like a vast ocean churning and swaying.

「Ji Yuqi? 」

Zhou Yuanchen narrowed his eyes.

「My name is Gro Xux! 」

Ji Yuqi's eyes were filled with rust-green light, his voice hoarse, like metal grinding, sharp and piercing.

He stepped up the stairs one by one, his gaze tightly locked on Zhou Yuanchen, his majestic breath like black mist swirling, quietly condensing into a huge phantom with an elephant's head and a human body!

「Your will is too fragile. Your score has dropped; you're only fit to be an opponent at the ten-billion level. 」

Zhou Yuanchen shook his head, never expecting that Ji Yuqi, a top student of Qiguang Heng University, was actually the first person to be assimilated.

「Gro Xux! Earth Burial! 」

Ji Yuqi's flesh writhed like steel being squeezed, tearing through his bulletproof vest and stab-proof vest, revealing an exaggerated body shape carved from pitch-black rock, with large blood vessels bulging out like patterns, growing tightly on the body surface, outlining hard lines like mountain ranges.

Empowered by some demonic power, Ji Yuqi's vitality skyrocketed like a rocket, instantly reaching the threshold of ninety-nine points.

He raised his palm and slowly clenched his fist.

Boom!

The bronze steps, excavated by massive human power, were instantly torn apart, plowing out a deep trench.

Ji Yuqi seemed propelled by a shell, the air slightly distorted, his fist appearing instantly at Zhou Yuanchen's chest!

A terrifying impact burst forth, an overbearing and blazing radiance surging violently, like a volcano erupting after lying dormant for many years!

Boom!

Zhou Yuanchen operated the Ten Directions Freezing Demon Path, directly entering the Wu Xiang State; his thought reaction and combat consciousness instantly increased, his palm suddenly opened, perfectly parrying Ji Yuqi's sudden attack.

His body shook, and his powerful physical body hardily withstood Ji Yuqi's fist momentum.

The yin-cold qi transformed from his majestic vitality, like a bone-attached sore, tightly clung to Ji Yuqi's arm!

Crack crack, the latter's muscles were instantly covered with cold frost, flesh vitality greatly reduced, as if frozen stiff.

「Ten Directions Freezing Demon Path! 」

Rust-green light flickered in Ji Yuqi's eyes, and he grinned, saying:

「Can you block my Thunderlight Divine Thunder Fire! 」

Behind him, the vaguely visible elephant-headed, human-bodied phantom suddenly stamped its foot, raised its long trunk to the sky, and violent power poured into every blood vessel, making them thicken several times, as if about to burst, thumping and jumping.

His stiff arm, numbing the flesh, had large clumps of knotted muscles writhing, like dragons and snakes shaking, instantly dispelling the cold.

Within Ji Yuqi's hundred bones, the circulating breath multiplied by ten times a hundred times, condensing rapidly, as if substantial.

A strand of dazzling fierce light suddenly leaped, driving his fist straight to strike the heart!

The force of this punch was extremely fierce; before it was thrown, the air seemed to be sucked dry, turning into vast vacuums.

Five fingers as if tightly clutching gunpowder, waiting for the moment to explode!

「Junior Brother Shi, you truly live up to being a top student of Qiguang Heng University. 」

Zhou Yuanchen's thoughts flashed like lightning; at this moment, parrying was already too late, and once he was knocked down and defeated by the other party,

he would immediately fall into a disadvantage and find it hard to regain the initiative!

Therefore, he must break an offensive with an offensive!

Freeze Demon Roar!

Zhou Yuanchen hesitated not at all, opening his mouth, contracting his throat, and the yin-cold qi instantly solidified, as if countless ice particles surged forth!

Like a fighter jet's turbine engine, in an instant spitting out an ice and snow blizzard capable of punching through alloy steel plates several meters thick!

Sound waves exploded, cold surged wildly!

Ji Yuqi's fist had not yet arrived, but Zhou Yuanchen's Freeze Demon Roar had already struck first!

Roar!

Ji Yuqi's brain felt as if hit by a cannon, his eardrums nearly shattered; amidst the buzzing chaotic noise, half his body was swallowed by cold, as if he had stayed for dozens of days in an ice and snow world of minus thirty degrees.

Flesh showed signs of freezing, even freezing into several shocking terrible wounds, as if a slight touch would make the whole person shatter into pieces.

「A mere ten billion is far from enough! 」

Zhou Yuanchen's battle intent was intense, his confidence boundless, his double eyebrows raised like knife blades.

His extraordinary martial arts skills were forged from over ten billion in debt.

Every penny was spent on the blade's edge, absolutely incomparable to a hothouse flower like Ji Yuqi!

"Gro Xux! Never surrender!"

Ji Yuqi's gaze likewise blazed with sharp light, enduring the violent damage of the Freeze Demon Roar, and with the remaining half of his flesh and blood not frozen stiff, he finally operated a fierce breath like divine thunder and fire.

A brilliant ring condensed in his hand, striking Zhou Yuanchen's chest like lightning and flint, and immediately after, the qi jin shifted several times, unleashing seven layers of flame waves in an instant!

Pfft!

Zhou Yuanchen's inner and outer four layers of bulletproof vests were directly pierced, his skin scalded red and purple!

Fortunately Ji Yuqi had his vitality injured by the Freeze Demon Roar, his strength was exhausted afterward, and this palm lacked a bit of power.

Otherwise it could really have cost Zhou Yuanchen half his life!

"Damn it! Forcing me to use my Medical Insurance Quota for treatment!"

Zhou Yuanchen was furious, striking with his palm like playing a pipa, five fingers shooting out extreme cold qi, like silkworm silk spitting out, tightly binding Ji Yuqi.

This is the Top Hundred competition, not the Zhan Chang battlefield.

He did not want to get involved in bloodshed and invite trouble.

Simply use the Ice Silkworm Binding to capture Ji Yuqi and eliminate him.

After taking down his opponent, Zhou Yuanchen had some personal grudge, and his size forty-five boot heavily stamped on Ji Yuqi's face, kicking him into a pig's head and sending him rolling away!

"Eh, Ji Xuezhang of Qiguang Heng University."

Qin Shi, arriving at the three hundredth step, saw the figure rolling to his feet, and barely recognized Ji Yuqi from that swollen pig's head face.

He sensed the magic nature breath eroding about two-thirds of the other's body, and the murmured "Gro Xux."

He couldn't help but shake his head and say:

"Who made me love helping others? Ji Xuezhang, you also go down and settle down, settle down."

Pei Han, lying sprawled on the floor, finally mustered a trace of strength, piecing together his bones as if reassembling a fallen-apart skeleton, and supported his body.

Before he could stand up, he saw Ji Yuqi rolling over, looking at that pig's head and the half-frozen body like an ice sculpture, and felt much more balanced in his heart.

"Yo, isn't this Old Ji, why are you beaten so miserably. Quick quick quick, come over and lie down together."

Ji Yuqi opened and closed his mouth, his voice muffled:

"Gro Xux..."

"The inheritor of Nanhuang Dojo."

Zhou Yuanchen, about to activate his Medical Insurance Quota to heal his injuries, suddenly narrowed his eyes, seeing Qin Shi dozens of steps away from him.

His posture was upright, unhurried, at a steady and even pace, catching up to him.

"Is Hezhou Yuanchen?"

Qin Shi likewise looked up, calmly gazing at the short-haired man who had just experienced a great battle, his breath slightly weak, but his momentum at its peak.

(Chapter End)