Chapter 966: Despair (Requesting Monthly Votes)

The muscular man with blood-red skin spoke:

“I’ll say it again: of the 200 billion people on Blue Star and the other participating worlds in this Devil Trial, only 100 million will survive.”

“You’ve all been implanted with crystals that precisely record your status.”

“When only 100 million remain alive, the Devil Trial will end.”

As he finished, a massive screen displayed the number 20 billion—each of them was one of those digits.

At these words, everyone’s faces turned pale.

Only 100 million would survive; the other 1,999 billion would die.

The elimination rate was too brutal; countless people felt as if plunged into ice, despair flooding their hearts—they didn’t believe they could survive.

“How could this happen?”

“I don’t want to take part in this trial!”

“I’m just an ordinary person—how could I possibly make it to the end?”

“…”

Instantly, the crowd erupted into chaos—voices rose in every direction, despair pressing down like a mountain on every heart.

The blood-red, burly man laughed with glee:

“Good! That’s exactly the right feeling!”

“Then I wish you all good fortune!”

“I declare the Devil Trial officially begun!”

With that, he turned and left; the other spaceships and the Demon King’s followers departed as well.

Gazing at the projected screen data, countless people sank into despair.

“Only 100 million left—1,999 billion must die.”

“I’m not a martial artist—what do I do?”

“…”

Lin Qi found his parents; their expressions were heavy with worry.

At this time, his mother Fang Huiyi was still poisoned and extremely weak.

His father had also lost an arm, his combat power greatly diminished.

In this environment, surviving was nearly impossible.

After all, this was a trial planet teeming with the most dangerous calamity beasts, and they’d been transported here without any resources—no walls, no firearms, nothing.

This environment bred utter despair.

“Roar!”

Suddenly, the roar of calamity beasts echoed through the sky.

At the sound, countless faces turned ashen.

Calamity beasts, once only seen in news reports, now appeared in reality.

And to these beasts, humans were nothing but prey to be devoured.

Many among them had never fought before.

“What should we do?”

Jiang Tao’s expression turned lost; beside him stood his frail, malnourished sister Jiang Miaoyin.

Lin Qi’s face grew grave; his mind raced.

In this environment, he was merely an 18-year-old senior martial arts student with only a Level One cultivation base.

He needed time to grow strong again.

“Everyone, I’m Yue Feng, Deputy Director of the Tianhai City Red Dome Martial Arts Hall.”

“Everyone, follow me—we must unite.”

“Our goal is to reach our Xia Nation’s Sky Base in this alien world.”

“There, we’ll have our human firearms and a fortified base.”

“Everyone, come and claim a weapon.”

In the center of the crowd, Yue Feng leapt onto a massive tree, his voice booming.

In a corner lay stacks upon stacks of various weapons.

They had been dropped just moments ago.

“Big Brother Qi, let’s hurry and grab weapons!”

Jiang Tao reacted instantly, leading Jiang Miaoyin over to select weapons.

A suitable weapon greatly impacts combat power.

Lin Qi didn’t hesitate—he moved even faster than Jiang Tao.

And he chose with astonishing speed.

He picked out the most important one immediately.

He also selected weapons for his parents, returning before anyone else arrived.

“Mom, Dad, rest well.”

After handing them their weapons, Lin Qi went to a quiet corner.

He set down the long spear and checked his own status.

Everything had reset to the beginning—even his template fusion rate had reverted to its original state.

He had to start over from scratch.

But his memories remained.

Though he couldn’t recall them fully yet, he felt certain he would recover them.

Clenching the grotesque tiger claw, he began practicing his fist technique.

“Huff! Huff!!”

He began practicing the fist technique.

In the triple-gravity environment, his body grew heavy and exhausted.

Yet his cells were being stimulated, consuming energy furiously.

With every breath, vast amounts of source energy surged into his body, forcibly absorbed.

Budebushuo ， Jiukaijudexiulianhuanjinglaishuo ， Queshibizhiqiangengjiaqiangdale 。

“Huff~”

As he assumed the stance, the familiar sensation returned.

“Bang! Bang!!”

Each punch sent shockwaves cracking through the air.

As he continued practicing, the familiar feeling flooded his heart.

With each movement, his already perfected Tiger Form Fist began to reach perfection.

By the time he finished one full round, the Tiger Form Fist was fully perfected.

Sweat poured from his body; intense fatigue surged through him.

Meanwhile, seeing Lin Qi begin to cultivate, other students followed suit.

“Big Brother Qi’s mindset is incredible—he can still cultivate calmly in this environment. He’s truly powerful.”

He too found a corner and began cultivating.

Far away, the burly instructor Zhang Cheng spoke:

“We are now deep within the Devil Trial.”

“Every slight improvement increases our chance of survival.”

As he spoke, many others began to cultivate.

Meanwhile, Lin Qi began practicing other fist forms.

Tiger Form, Crane Form, Snake Form, Monkey Form, Dragon Form.

He completed all five once—each form reached perfection.

He felt as if submerged in a pool, drenched in sweat.

Far away, Instructor Zhang Cheng stared in shock.

All five forms perfected?!

When did Tianhai No.2 High School ever have a student this extraordinary?

His father Lin Zhen brought him a cup of water.

He carried a large backpack, originally meant to care for his mother Fang Huiyi.

Lin Qi took the water and drank deeply.

In just this short time, his template fusion rate had risen again.

In the early stages, template fusion rate increases depend on blood qi and memory recovery.

He had instantly perfected all five forms.

Naturally, his template fusion rate surged dramatically.

He then sat cross-legged, began breathing, and activated his cultivation method.

This method could only be endured after reaching the Second Cosmic Realm.

But that was because Blue Star’s methods were too crude.

“Inhale~ Exhale~”

Lin Qi adjusted his breathing, activating a special breathing technique to absorb the source energy from the air.

This was a breathing technique from the Tai Chu Sacred Land, not a cultivation art, but one used by warriors in the first realm.

They also cultivated fist techniques to temper their bodies.