I Can Grant Origin Powers To Anything-Chapter 169 - 168: How could I have the nerve to talk about such an embarrassing thing?

Chapter 169: Chapter 168: How could I have the nerve to talk about such an embarrassing thing?

When humanity first arrived.

The initial threat faced was not the mysterious races of the heavens, but rather the native demon beasts.

These demon beasts were powerful, bloodthirsty, and had extraordinarily strong reproduction abilities...

Almost impossible to kill off completely or eradicate.

It took humans several decades, especially with the rapid advancement in Martial Tao, for their strength to soar to new heights, finally driving these demon beasts into the largest inland areas of the Original Blue Star.

Then they set up fortresses to halt their counter-charge.

These places became known as the Miwu Ghost Forest, Ice Snow Realm, Desert Sand Realm, Lava Mountain Pass, and so on...

Not long after that period of peace.

The mysterious races of the heavens invaded.

Humanity faced an even greater crisis, and it was at this time they realized that the warriors they had trained were actually like flowers in a greenhouse, untested by frost and snow.

On the battlefield, at least a third of them would die in helplessness.

Later, they discovered that within the Original Blue Star World, sealed by them, battling against those demon beasts could accumulate extremely rich combat experience.

Moreover, through the flesh and blood of these demon beasts, the warriors’ physiques could be greatly enhanced.

Though these demon beasts were less powerful than the mysterious races of the heavens, they excelled in being cunning and deceitful.

Thus...

The major fortresses became revered holy lands for young martial artists.

This marked the precursor to the Four Great Martial Mansions.

It’s also why, among the many martial mansions, only the Four Great Martial Mansions stand out since they possess secret realms... only the secret realms can provide the best growth for the mansion’s warriors.

But since the goal is to hone combat experience, entering the secret realm in crowds would naturally be ineffective...

Therefore, the Four Great Martial Mansions made some concessions without compromising their combat strength.

For instance, the gains you bring out of the secret realm belong entirely to you personally.

Anyone who dares to steal them is disrespecting the authority of the Four Great Martial Mansions and will face the most severe punishments.

However, as long as you have not stepped out of the secret realm, even if your gains are taken, as long as your life is not threatened, the Four Great Martial Mansions allow it.

"Later on, to prevent grudges formed within the secret realm from being brought back to the mansion, everyone entering needs to prepare a mask in advance to hide their identity. This way, grudges are only dealt with within the secret realm, and masks can be replaced at any time. If someone robs you, it’s because your skills are lacking, and you’ll never know who robbed you."

Gu Xi’s explanation was similar to Li Jingjun’s.

Only more detailed and specific.

She said, "So if you want to enter the secret realm, the first thing to do is to prepare a mask, not the kind that leaves your chin exposed trying to look cool, as that won’t fool anyone. It needs to cover your entire face. You must understand that inside the secret realm, everything except killing is permitted... and never underestimate the malice in people’s hearts."

"Alright, and then?"

"Then, aim to get a spot on the Top 100 list. If you do, the original ticket price of 70 can drop to 50, and if you’re in the top fifty, you can earn extra academic credits every month. If you’re in the top three, you even get a free chance to enter the secret realm once a month."

Gu Xi said, "In terms of academic credit, that’s equivalent to 600 points a year."

Xu Lingjun asked, "Can I directly challenge the top three?"

"You can, but you’ll have to use academic credits. For instance, if you want to challenge the 100th place, you need to pay 1 credit, for the 90th place it’s 10 credits, and for the 50th place, it’s 50 credits."

Gu Xi explained, "If you win, you keep your credits, but if you lose, your credits go to the current list holder, meaning if you want to earn a ranking, you must be prepared to take risks..."

She said, "But don’t underestimate the Bei Xuanwu Martial Mansion. You’re just a freshman, it’s not worth the risk, and as for the top ten, they already have more privileges like choosing the location and time for battles. If you want to challenge them, they might agree, but it won’t necessarily be right now, and I wouldn’t advise challenging the strongest."

Xu Lingjun asked, "Why?"

Gu Xi explained, "Don’t reveal your trump cards lightly. I heard that Li Jingjun was ambushed inside, probably because she was too reckless, showing her true combat style and taking away someone else’s ranking, which made others resentful, and when they met by chance, they were unwilling to let her go."

"I see, understood."

Xu Lingjun nodded and said, "Then I’ll challenge the eleventh spot."

"Not bad, the eleventh spot still earns extra academic credits every month."

Gu Xi said, "You can go to the Martial Arts Hall to submit your application, pay 89 credits, and within three days, the Martial Arts Hall will arrange it for you. Once you get the spot, I’ll go to the secret realm with you."

"No, I want to go by myself."

Xu Lingjun seriously replied, "I’m going there not to have fun, but to train myself. Bringing a babysitter, how would that work?"

Gu Xi was shocked, "By yourself? Do you know how dangerous it is inside, especially for someone like you who hasn’t experienced life-and-death battles? Inside, it’s not just about relying on strength; everyone could be your enemy. But you can’t initiate attacks because it’s easy to turn someone who could have been a friend into an enemy..."

"Even if they become enemies, so what?"

Xu Lingjun gently patted his shoulder.

Just moments ago, Gu Xi had given it a hard kick...

But it didn’t bother him.

The cultivation over this past month, with more than five thousand Source Value depleted, wasn’t wasted.

His strength had indeed solidly increased.

Moreover, going to the secret realm wasn’t really to trade resources or for academic credits; while important, Source Value still took precedence.

He was going there to do good deeds, to stop others from harming innocent people.

But how could he tell Gu Xi about such an embarrassing thing as doing good deeds?

Especially not bringing her along.

Gu Xi: "..............."

"Alright, then off you go."

Gu Xi waved her hand helplessly, indeed... if it were someone else, she would probably start worrying about whether her 200 academic credits were still safe.

But over the past month of sparring sessions.

She felt... although Xu Lingjun might not excel in other aspects, he certainly offered a strong sense of security.

Without even wearing protective clothing, his skin was this thick, and once he wears protective clothing, having any accidents would be tough, wouldn’t it?

"Go on, when you enter the Ice Snow Realm in the future, I definitely won’t be able to accompany you. Gaining some solo experience in advance is good."

Gu Xi earnestly advised, "Remember, trust no one inside, because everyone’s wearing masks, they can freely unleash the darkness in their hearts that they dare not show in their daily lives, do you understand?"

"I understand, I’ll head to the Martial Arts Arena first."

Xu Lingjun nodded.

He turned and left the arena.

Application, and the submission of academic credits.

Of course, he first had to get in line.

The rewards for the Top 100 list; the top fifty receive varying amounts of academic credit each month, and the higher the rank, the more credits.

Now, with the credit rewards imminent, the number of challengers is naturally high.

The challenged are quite excited, knowing that each defeated challenger means earning more of those challenge credits.

Although individually, each challenge doesn’t earn many credits since hardly anyone dares waste their credits unless they’re confident.

Xu Lingjun paid 89 credits.

The tutor immediately raised an eyebrow.

The top ten have the right to choose the battlefield and time, so the fact that he specifically chose the 11th spot indicates he’s not gambling blindly—this temperament isn’t ordinary impatience.

Since he dared to do so, this year’s Dragon Gate Champion Scholar hadn’t come to challenge the Top 100 list for over a month. Now, setting to take action, proves there was no empty fame.

The tutor gave Xu Lingjun an appreciative look and said, "Let me make contact, you’ll receive a response within three hours, and at the latest in three days, your challenge will be accepted."

"Thank you, tutor."

A moment later.

The tutor smiled, "It seems the Dragon Gate Champion Scholar was challenged, the other party accepted, and will meet you in the Martial Arts Arena in three hours."

"Good, I’ll wait for him here."

Xu Lingjun turned and left.

But he couldn’t shake the strange feeling in his heart; he only wanted to enter the secret realm, yet first had to earn a Top 100 list rank, and challenging the list required gathering credits—this prerequisite upon prerequisite felt like some domestic game.