https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-379-Breaking-Through-to-the-Fifth-Realm/13507589/
Chapter 378: A Vast Chasm
Chapter 378: A Vast Chasm (Requesting Monthly Votes)
The conference room fell into heavy silence, the air thick with tension.
They all understood this truth—humanity might still face even greater crises. This was why the higher-ups had begun preparing in advance, hoping to cultivate more experts. It was human instinct: when confronted with the unknown, only overwhelming strength could provide true security.
Deputy Principal Xu Wenji suddenly chuckled, breaking the silence. "You're all worrying too much", he said, leaning back in his chair. "These relics are relics—artifacts from tens of thousands of years ago. Time has already buried their significance." He gestured casually. "Modern martial arts are advancing at lightning speed. Who knows what we'll achieve in a few hundred years? For now, Disaster Beasts are our greatest immediate threat."
The room exhaled collectively, shaking off their self-inflicted dread. Practical matters resurfaced—how to cultivate talent to defend against Disaster Beasts.
...
August arrived, the year's sweltering peak.
Lin Qi and Jiang Tao rode the tram back to their villa, alone for once. Jiang Tao tilted his face toward the sun, watching tourist shuttles zip down the campus street. "Guan Shan, Guo Heng, Wang Qiufeng—they’ve all gone to the Otherworld to train in mid-tier Primordial Energy martial arts", he mused. "Now it's just us left."
Lin Qi nodded. At the end of last semester, Guan Shan, Guo Heng, Wang Qiufeng, and Zhou Xi Yin had already reached the threshold of the Fourth Realm. Now, after more than a month of summer break training, they'd all broken through to the Fourth Realm's Bone Tempering stage. As soon as the new term began, they'd departed for the Otherworld together.
Jiang Tao suddenly turned to him. "Brother Qi, what if we head to the Otherworld later this year?" He gestured enthusiastically. "Freshmen aren't allowed, but sophomores go all the time. Seniors even say it's the best place to train."
Lin Qi pondered this. His villa's training hall contained concentrated Primordial Energy, but it paled in comparison to the Otherworld's environment. If money could buy better cultivation conditions, why not take advantage?
Minutes later, back in his training hall, his phone buzzed the moment he walked in. Pulling it out, he saw a group message from Ten Institute's inner circle—a screenshot from Wan Ming.
【Wan Ming: New Disaster Beast Trial Tower rankings!】
Opening the image, Lin Qi's breath caught. His name had dropped to second place.
【1st: Chu Yu, Floor 9】
【2nd: Lin Qi, Floor 7】
【3rd: Yu Zhuoran, Floor 7】
A cold sweat prickled his neck. Chu Yu was terrifyingly strong. The Trial Tower grew exponentially harder with each floor. Lin Qi himself had barely reached the seventh floor, estimating he'd need to grasp Spear Intent—elevating his techniques to the Fourth Realm—to progress. Yet Chu Yu had already smashed through to the ninth floor. His martial arts cultivation must have reached at least the early Fourth Circle.
Martial Arts Fifth Realm peak versus Fourth Circle initiation—that was the gap Chu Yu, their Sss-Rank Genius, had exposed. The group chat erupted.
【Chu Yu: First time tackling the Trial Tower. Floor nine was tough. Might need more time to crack floor ten.】
【Yu Zhuoran: Unbelievable!】
【Pei Jiu: Beast!】
【Xia Lian: Holy...!】
【Lin Qi: …】
Even in text, their awe was palpable. Compared to Chu Yu's otherworldly might, Lin Qi felt painfully ordinary.
In a luxury villa elsewhere in Ten Institute, Chu Yu—flame-like aura radiating from his sharp features—grinned at his phone. "Much more fun with friends around", he murmured. Training alone in the Otherworld had been isolating, surrounded by higher-realm experts who'd dulled his edge. Here, with peers, even minor displays of power drew worshipful praise. After all, an Sss-Rank Genius deserved reverence. At eighteen, his composure still had limits.
SS-Rank geniuses? They couldn't touch him. The gulf was unbridgeable. He could feel the Sixth Realm stirring already. By senior year, reaching the Seventh Realm was guaranteed.
...
Back in his training hall, Lin Qi set down his phone. Grabbing his Tiger Slaughter Long Spear, he headed to the Gravity Chamber. Fifteen minutes later, the 312 chamber door slid open.
Dressed in black-gold ceremonial robes, Lin Qi's tall frame strode in. Shedding the garment, he changed into a black martial arts uniform, then retrieved a small jar from his bag—his final Tiger Bone Pill, its surface dark brown. He checked his status panel:
【Vital Energy Stat: 399.9】
Two pills consumed over half a month, combined with relentless Adamantine Body Fist training, had brought him to this precipice. Today, he'd break through to the Fifth Realm. Chu Yu's performance had lit a fire under him.
The pill dissolved bitter on his tongue, washed down with water. "Xiaochan, activate 10x maximum gravity!"
"Activating!" the AI girl chirped, eyes glowing as she interfaced with the chamber.
Beep!
The wall screen flashed, numbers climbing rapidly until "10" stabilized.
Vrrrrrm!!
Gravity surged like a tidal wave, crushing every inch of his body.
It felt like a thousand lead weights had dropped onto his shoulders. Muscles screamed against the pressure, yet his golden eyes blazed like twin suns. Golden markings surged beneath his skin, veins pulsing with accelerated blood flow.
His Special Ability Golden Edge activated automatically, his entire being slicing against the gravitational force.
Lin Qi gritted his teeth, maintaining focus. Golden Edge energy flared, countering the immense pressure as he dropped into the Adamantine Body Fist's lower form.
Thud! Thud!
In the chamber's silence, he could hear his heart drumming like war drums, blood surging like rivers to every cell. Spiritual Power wove through his flesh like invisible nets, guiding Golden Edge energy as he rooted his stance—legs like ancient trees anchoring into metal flooring.
First form: Sky Sunder!
His fist cleaved air like a blade carving oceans, whipping up gales. Organs strained against gravity's pull, working at peak capacity.
The Tiger Bone Pill surged through his system, radiating from organs to bones. Beneath his skin, his skeleton gleamed like polished jade, golden patterns etching across ivory-white shafts. Every bone had been honed into a divine weapon—razor-edged, radiant, and flawless.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
