Chapter 642: Four Source Veins! (Requesting Monthly Votes)

Lin Qi finished reading the message and glanced at his account balance.

He still had hundreds of billions of Xia National Currency, earning tens of billions each month.

But he couldn't buy any cultivation resources useful to him.

As for merit points, he still had several million—equivalent to just a few hundred Deep Space Coins.

As for Deep Space Coins, he had over fifty thousand; he could say he was extremely poor.

Lin Qi opened the official website and reviewed the rules of the Deep Space Talent Competition.

"Round One: Stellar System Selection. Only 1,000 slots advance to Round Two."

"Contestants who rank within the top 1,000 receive rewards based on their placement—the higher the rank, the greater the reward; if you make the top 16, you'll earn millions of Deep Space Coins…"

Lin Qi's eyes lit up. With his current strength, he couldn't guarantee top placement in the Sol System, but within the Triangulum Galaxy, entering the top 100 was effortless.

If he could secure millions of Deep Space Coins, he could buy several Source Crystals.

He then turned to Round Two: the Sol System Selection.

When he saw that top-ranked competitors could earn tens of millions of Deep Space Coins, his heart stirred.

The rewards were ten times greater than Round One—this sum alone would be enough to carry him to the peak of the Skyriding Realm.

He then looked to Round Three, the final round, where the finest geniuses from hundreds of star systems would compete.

Lin Qi had a feeling that geniuses with special physiques would appear.

"Geniuses ranked 1st to 3,000th will receive rewards ranging from hundreds of millions to tens of millions of Deep Space Coins."

"They may also choose to join the Supreme Factions."

Lin Qi sucked in a sharp breath upon reading this.

Hundreds of millions of Deep Space Coins?

The final rewards were overwhelmingly generous—not only could you join a Supreme Faction, but you'd also earn hundreds of millions of Deep Space Coins.

This sum was too vast; he suspected he'd never lack funds even in the Second Cosmic Realm.

What a grand gesture!

He must secure this reward!

…

The next day, Capital City, Chiqiong Martial Arts Hall Headquarters.

In a spacious reception hall, Lin Qi received a silver metal box from Yi Ming, head of the Transactions Department.

Director Yi smiled and said:

"Jin Di, the Deep Space Talent Competition is 29 days away. This time, Blue Planet Civilization is counting on you."

Lin Qi smiled as he stowed the metal box and replied:

"The Deep Space Talent Competition gathers the greatest geniuses!"

"I'll give it my all, and not bring shame to Blue Planet."

Half an hour later,

After bidding farewell to Director Yi, Lin Qi returned alone to Tianhai City aboard the Falcon fighter.

He sent a message to his parents, informing them he would enter seclusion for several days and not to disturb him, then returned to his martial arts chamber.

He sat cross-legged and checked the official Deep Space Academy registration count: in less than 24 hours, registrations had surpassed 100 million and were still rising rapidly.

Given this trend, total registrations would likely exceed last year's.

Merely viewing the registration numbers filled Lin Qi with urgency and pressure.

"Hum!"

His space ring glowed, and in the next instant, a silver metal box appeared in his hand.

The silver box opened, revealing two items inside.

A golden Source Crystal and a 50% purity Soul Marrow vial filled with black liquid.

Lin Qi took out the golden Source Crystal emitting radiant light, placed it in his mouth, and swallowed it.

He then stowed the metal box.

Sitting cross-legged, he activated the Jin Di Secret Scripture to digest the Source Crystal within.

"Boom!"

The vast Source energy within the crystal surged forth like a dam breaking.

"Absorb!"

Lin Qi was already accustomed to this; his resilient internal organs could withstand the impact.

Most crucially, he possessed two Source Veins, formed within his internal organs.

As the torrent of Source energy released, three Source energy pathways surfaced within his body.

Thirty-six acupoints had already coalesced into pathways, absorbing the Source Veins and beginning to form a fourth.

The first Source Vein was at Baihui, the second at Shanzhong, the third at Shenque, and the fourth at Mingmen—the lower back region.

He felt heat in his lower back; the Source energy was absorbed by his body, his cells transforming into Source energy aligned with his own will.

He infused the Source energy with metallic properties, then, through his technique, condensed it into Steel Qi.

Forming the Source Vein required Steel Qi to thread through like golden threads, weaving together twelve acupoints to forge a new Source energy pathway.

The entire process required considerable time.

Lin Qi was prepared and trained patiently.

He carefully sensed the changes in his body; the Jin Gang Ba Ti's power also circulated within.

His muscles, tendons, and bones—all parts—underwent transformation, flowing with a unique force imbued with the sharpness of metal.

His entire body became like forged metal; the human form itself was a miracle of life, containing countless laws.

His Jin Gang Ba Ti was a Tianshengtizhi attuned to the Metal Law; now, he needed to comprehend the Metal Law.

If he could awaken it from the power within himself, that would be ideal.

As he observed, it all became his accumulation.

He waited for the day when his accumulated depth would burst forth, shattering the thin barrier and fully unlocking the power of the Law.

His understanding of the Law was still too vague.

Even with astonishing insight, he was only 22—too young.

His accumulation was still too slight.

Many who reached Skyriding Realm spent thousands of years without comprehending it.

They lacked insight—even those who reached the Second Cosmic Realm failed to comprehend it.

But Lin Qi believed that with time, he could fully master it.

Unfortunately, the Deep Space Talent Competition wouldn't wait; he could only accelerate his growth by confronting geniuses in competition, unlocking his potential.

He would rapidly accumulate, then consume the Teng Blood Elixir to achieve a sudden breakthrough into the Sixth Stage.

But speaking of this now was premature.

All he needed to do now was form his fourth Source Vein.

…

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.

Inside the martial arts chamber, terrifying pressure filled every corner, like the forging of divine blades; Lin Qi's body radiated brilliant golden light. Each strand of golden light sliced through the surrounding walls like sharp blades.

"Clang—"

After five days, the walls were covered in deep grooves.

"Huh~"

Lin Qi felt his fourth Source Vein fully formed; boundless power surged from within, flowing with his blood to every part of his body.

With the formation of the Source Vein, his body felt as if it had gained a new organ.

The improvement in physical quality was merely the foundation—it allowed him to manipulate Source energy and control his power with far greater fluidity.

"Boom!"

Terrifying pressure erupted, spreading like a tidal wave.

Lin Qi felt the power coursing through his body.

His physical quality had surged dramatically; his stats panel began to change.

【You absorbed a Source Crystal and successfully formed your fourth Source Vein. Your body underwent transformation, greatly enhancing physical attributes. Blood Value +1200】

【Your realm has advanced. Template Fusion Degree +0.1%】

【Blood Value: 65555 → 66755】

【Template: Yang Yang Jian, the Second Prince of Heaven】

【Fusion Degree: 48.9% → 49.0%】

…

Lin Qi stared at the improved stats—he had now formed four Source Veins.

In just two years, he had achieved this; his talent was unquestionable.

But this merely narrowed the gap in Source Vein count between him and other geniuses.

He then turned his gaze to the template fusion degree.

More than three years had passed since his last awakening and transformation.

The fusion degree had finally reached 49%.

Only 1% remained to reach the final 50%.

If he works harder, he could undergo another transformation within these few years.

He was also looking forward to it, because each time he condensed the Source Veins at his third eye, a force within them was gestating.

As time passed, that force had grown stronger and stronger.

He had no doubt that at 50% fusion, he would awaken the Heavenly Eye.

Of course, 50% fusion was unlikely to awaken the full form of the Heavenly Eye.

Even if it were only one-tenth, he would still profit immensely.

Not only that, his physical Tianfu and comprehension would increase dramatically.

As long as he awakened it, his combat power would surge greatly.

By the third round of this Deep Space Talent Competition, he Zuihao had to awaken.

Otherwise, he had no way to defeat the geniuses from other star regions.

His current Tianfu was only slightly stronger than that of a Elder Xing Yu genius, with no qualitative gap formed.

Among humanity's hundreds of star regions, surely someone awakened a special physique every hundred years.

If his opponent were a Elder Xing Yu genius at the peak of the Void Riding realm,

stronger than him in every aspect, he truly would have no way to defeat him.

So he still needed to find a way to narrow the gap.

…

Moments later, Lin Qi changed into a black martial arts robe and strolled into the living room.

"Big brother!!"

Lin Xiao and Lin Zhaoyue, sitting on the living room sofa watching TV, waved their small hands at Lin Qi.

Lin Qi patted his younger brother and sister on the head.

At his side, Watching Xiaotian lay sleeping on the floor.

"Xiaoqi, you're done cultivating!" his father Lin Zhen asked curiously.

Lin Qi nodded. "I've made a small breakthrough in my cultivation base."

Lin Zhen chuckled. "Xiaoqi, during your seclusion these past few days, the college entrance exam has already ended!"

"And the authorities are already promoting the Deep Space Talent Competition!"

"Within a month, most people on Blue Star will likely see you competing."

Lin Qi was surprised. "Everyone knows already?"

His mother Fang Fang Huiyi smiled. "That's right, everyone knows!"

"When the time comes, our whole family will cheer for you!"

Lin Qi nodded, feeling a touch of pressure.

If he lost in the competition, it would be embarrassing.

After a brief, relaxed chat with his family, he returned once more to the martial arts chamber.

With the Deep Space Talent Competition underway, he no longer planned to go to the Black Dragon Base.

He would complete the competition at home.

"Hum!"

"Big Brother, you're done cultivating?"

"You wouldn't believe it—the number of registrants from the Triangulum Star System alone has surpassed 200 million. Liu Ming said this year's total might break one billion."

"The competition will be fiercer than ever before!"

Listening to Jiang Tao's words across the screen, Lin Qi also felt the pressure.

The larger the base, the more geniuses would emerge.

"Big Brother, I'm going to cultivate now!"

Jiang Tao hung up the call.

Lin Qi knew Jiang Tao was under great pressure too—he had broken through too late, and if he didn't work hard, he might not even make it to the second round.

Lin Qi opened his virtual wristband and logged into the Cosmic Virtual Network.

He needed to test his current strength.

…

(End of Chapter)