Stronger with Crimson Modifier-Chapter 118: Passageway (2)

"This is the location of that passage, fifteen kilometers from the South Sea Coastline..."

At that moment, Helinta’s voice rang out.

At the same time, a satellite image appeared on the massive projection screen in front of them.

The image was crystal clear. On the surface of an otherwise calm sea, a massive whirlpool slowly spun.

Unlike an ordinary typhoon, this whirlpool remained stationary, showing no signs of moving.

"The Earth Core Passage is a phenomenon caused by shifts in Earth Star’s crust.

As time passes, these passages can close at any moment. The shortest-lived passage in history remained open for only thirty seconds.

However, there are some exceptions.

For example, the Tebula Gold Mine passage, which opened over a hundred years ago, still exists to this day.

As for this current passage, instrument readings indicate that it is continuously growing in size.

Based on this trend and previous experimental data the Federation has on Earth Core Passages, if it isn’t restricted, it will spell a catastrophic disaster for Anshan City and even the entire Donglin Province."

At this, she paused and scanned the room.

"Fortunately, First Senior Brother has already rushed over, temporarily brought the situation under control, and reported the matter.

It won’t be long before the Federation sends reinforcements.

However, before they arrive... While the passage was discovered very quickly—sealed off just one day after its appearance—that time gap means it’s highly likely that quite a few Black Blood Species have already entered our world.

A large number of Black Blood Species are very likely to appear in Anshan City in the near future.

During this period, our junior brothers and sisters will have to work a little harder."

"Of course. This is what we’re supposed to do."

Lin Yao spoke up. Lin Tu also nodded.

"Don’t worry!" Han Yuan replied, but then his tone shifted as he voiced the question on his mind.

"Could it be that First Senior Brother has successfully broken through to the Qi Sect?"

"That’s right."

Helinta nodded.

Upon hearing this, everyone’s faces lit up with joy.

"Does that mean our Shexin Sect now has two Qi Dao Grandmasters?"

Hearing this, Hu Qi, who had been sitting to the side without saying much, showed a slight change in expression.

He, of course, knew a little about this so-called Qi Sect.

The Qi Sect, or Qi Dao Grandmasters, were existences who surpassed Martial Arts Families.

It was rumored that Secret Martial Artists of this level were like earthbound Immortals, capable of flying through the sky and burrowing through the ground.

Whether this was true or not, Hu Qi didn’t know.

The Sect Leader, Jiang Zuo, seemed to be at this realm, and he was the only one in the Shexin Sect.

Ultimately, as Transcendents who focused on concentrating power within themselves, Secret Martial Artists naturally valued their own strength above all else.

And while the classification of a School was slightly related to the overall strength of its disciples, it wasn’t the main factor.

What mattered most was the strength of the School’s most powerful member.

For example, a Lower-tier School needed at least one Martial Arts Family who had opened their Essence Element Divine Treasure to be considered as such.

The same principle applied to Middle-tier Schools, but compared to Lower-tier ones, they required at least one Qi Dao Grandmaster.

Following this logic, Upper-tier Schools probably required an even stronger Secret Martial Artist in their ranks.

However, Hu Qi wasn’t particularly clear on the details.

After all, he had only recently broken through to the Martial Arts Family realm and hadn’t even touched the threshold of a Qi Dao Grandmaster, let alone the realms beyond.

But in any case, the First Senior Brother’s breakthrough to Qi Dao Grandmaster was tremendous good news for the Shexin Sect and for the current crisis.

「Subsequently.」

Following the orders of Second Senior Sister Helinta and explanations from a few members of the think tank, some adjustments were made to the defense deployment in Anshan City.

Due to its geographical location, Anshan City was surrounded by the sea on three sides.

Coupled with its proximity to the whirlpool passage, anyone wanting to travel to other cities had to pass through Anshan, making it the most likely place to be attacked by the Black Blood Species.

To prevent such an incident and avoid mass casualties, each person was assigned to lead a team and guard a specific direction.

Third Senior Brother Han Yuan would guard the southernmost port.

The siblings Lin Yao and Lin Tu would guard the east and west sides, respectively.

Helinta would remain at the Anshan City headquarters to oversee the entire situation.

As for Hu Qi, because his outwardly displayed strength was too low, he wasn’t assigned any tasks.

Hu Qi was more than happy with this outcome.

...

「One day later, inside the villa.」

Hu Qi cut open the box, revealing three brand-new Horizontal Blades lying quietly inside.

Judging by their appearance alone, they didn’t look much different from ordinary Cold Iron Sabers.

The only difference was that due to slight variations in craftsmanship and materials, this Long Saber had slightly improved hardness and Resilience.

As his strength increased, he would have to replace his sabers more and more frequently.

Therefore, he had bought three of them this time.

He wasn’t short on money or points right now anyway, so he might as well stock up in case of emergencies.

Still, to Hu Qi, they were nothing special.

Weapons of this caliber were already the highest-tier ones that could be purchased within Zhu Xi.

’It’s a shame. I’ve heard there’s a type of weapon from the Inner Earth World called a Blood Refining Spiritual Soldier. Its material is exceptionally special, and it can even grow stronger along with its master as it’s continuously nourished by a Secret Martial Artist’s Qi Blood True Strength.’

Hu Qi murmured softly.

It was just that this material was far too rare, and even fewer were those forged into weapons.

He had no way of obtaining one at the moment and could only wait for a future opportunity.

On the surface world, humans were nothing but a source of blood food for the Black Blood Species.

But to put it another way, the Inner Earth World held a huge attraction for Secret Martial Artists as well.

Not only did it contain the materials to forge Blood Refining Spiritual Soldiers, but it also held rare and exotic Treasures of Heaven and Earth that could help Secret Martial Artists accelerate their cultivation and even break through to new realms.

However, exploring the Inner Earth World was no simple task. The slightest misstep could lead to death. It could only be said that risk and opportunity coexisted there.

Those who managed to return alive would surely be richly rewarded.

According to information Hu Qi had previously looked up, there was once a Martial Arts Family with limited aptitude whose strength had hit a bottleneck. With his Lifespan nearing its end, he found an Earth Core Passage and ventured inside.

Unexpectedly, not only did he survive, but by a stroke of luck, he also broke through to a new realm, instantly regaining his youth and extending his life by several hundred more years.

"The Inner Earth World," Hu Qi muttered.

He would go to the Inner Earth World, but definitely not now.

Although one could attempt to explore the passage with the strength of a Martial Arts Family, the danger was too great, the unpredictable situations too numerous. A moment of carelessness could cost him his life.

To be safe, he would at least wait until he broke through to become a Qi Dao Grandmaster before considering it.

「Time passed.」

As evening fell, snowflakes danced in the sky.

A middle-aged man with dark skin, a square face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes silently left the villa.

This person was none other than Hu Qi, who had adjusted his appearance with a Disguise.

Relying on his Perfection Level makeup skills, combined with his ability as a Martial Arts Family to slightly alter his body shape, he could achieve a disguise so convincing it was indistinguishable from the real thing.