Chapter 310: Chapter 306: Fox Tail Mountain (1)

The core principle of a Secret Martial Artist is to grow stronger by any means necessary.

The purpose of Secret Martial Arts is to imitate powerful creatures.

They are used to alter humanity’s inherently fragile life form, pushing practitioners to evolve and become more like those powerful beings.

This would be one thing for ordinary creatures, but for Spirit Realm beings that have reached a certain level of power...

Take the Three-Eyed Primordial Serpent, for example. It can traverse the Sea of Sumeru.

It can use the mysterious power of the Spirit Realm to create a kind of reflection.

This allows one to obtain fragments and images of it, draw power from them, and achieve a personal metamorphosis.

Clearly, this Demon Elephant was also incredibly powerful.

It was strong enough to allow Hu Qi to connect with it through the Spirit Realm—

specifically, through a reflection in the Sea of Sumeru, forging a connection.

However, unlike the inheritance from the Three-Eyed Primordial Serpent, when it came to this Demon Elephant,

Hu Qi didn’t receive any of its inherited memories, which he found somewhat regrettable.

With that thought, Hu Qi reined in his wandering mind and began to calmly observe the changes in his body.

He closed his eyes, held his breath, and focused his mind.

In that instant,

a peculiar ripple of energy emanated from him.

It spread out silently in all directions, like ripples on a calm lake. In a flash, it enveloped a ten-thousand-meter radius.

At the same time, a phantom dozens of meters tall with the head of an elephant and the body of a man manifested behind him.

As a Secret Martial Art, the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill naturally followed the cultivation path of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

However, the human anatomy of this world differed from that of Earth Star.

Thus, this Secret Martial Art was naturally different from an ordinary Inheritance Secret Martial Art.

Take the Elephant Heart Chapter, which comes after the Essence Element Chapter, for example.

Cultivators were required to construct a Demon Elephant’s heart within their bodies.

This was the method used to transform themselves and acquire a portion of the Demon Elephant’s immense power.

As for the so-called Demon Soul,

it wasn’t as simple as mere Divine Soul Power. It formed only after a cultivator’s life force reached a certain threshold.

It was a unique field of power formed from the fusion of one’s Divine Soul and cellular energy.

To a certain extent, it could also sense changes in the surrounding environment.

It possessed some of the Traits of the Power of the Heart.

The difference was that the Power of the Heart was a unique product born from the deep fusion of one’s Divine Soul and Martial Arts Will.

It was more focused on the expression of power on a spiritual level.

The Demon Soul, on the other hand,

could be seen as a unique type of Domain.

Its ultimate purpose was to forge a physical body as powerful as a Demon Elephant’s.

After assessing his condition,

Hu Qi opened his eyes.

The elephant-headed phantom behind him slowly dissipated.

The ripple of energy that had spread out also receded, clinging to his physical form,

as if his body had been encased in a layer of hard armor.

He moved his body slightly,

and a series of sharp cracks, like popping beans, immediately echoed from his joints.

He could clearly feel that after successfully stepping into the Demon Soul Realm,

every cell in his body seemed to have been injected with an incredible vitality.

It even gave him the illusion that he could achieve Blood Rebirth.

Under the influence of the Demon Soul, he could feel his physical body being constantly tempered, growing stronger with every passing moment.

His gaze fell upon the panel before him.

---

[Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill (Demon Soul Chapter: First Layer) Traits: Crimson Sun Flame Realm (First Layer), Demon Elephant True Power (Tenth Layer)]

...

[Modification Points: 12,068 (64%)]

The Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill had reached the First Layer of the Demon Soul Chapter.

The first Trait, Crimson Sun Flame Fire, had become the Crimson Sun Flame Realm. It could fuse with the unique Domain created by his Demon Soul to form a Domain with terrifying destructive power.

The second Trait, Demon Elephant True Power, remained unchanged in name, but it had advanced from the Ninth Layer to the Tenth Layer.

The change in name was minor, but the boost to his power was significant.

However, what surprised Hu Qi slightly

was that the modifiable △ Rune next to the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill had disappeared.

He recalled that he had obtained a total of eleven Dream Eyes. The first time he’d upgraded, he had used some to raise the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill to the Ninth Layer of the Elephant Heart Chapter.

He should have had nine Dream Eyes left.

Hu Qi sensed the remaining nine streams of Nightmare Power within his body.

He discovered that only three remained; the other six had gone dormant.

Seeing this, Hu Qi immediately understood what had happened.

’Upgrading the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill by one layer in the Demon Soul Chapter requires six Dream Eyes.’

’On top of that, it also consumed one thousand Modification Points.’

’As expected, the Crimson Modifier is as greedy as ever.’

Hu Qi was only slightly surprised by this and didn’t dwell on it.

’This world isn’t lacking for Dream Eyes, after all.’

’Besides, even if he could upgrade again, he wouldn’t.’

’His power had leaped too far too fast recently. He needed a few days for his body to adapt.’

’My current state... if I were to compare it to a Dream Master, I should be in the Controller category...’ Hu Qi mused to himself.

He wasn’t very clear on the advancement conditions for a Controller.

He hadn’t found any records about Controllers in the Security Bureau’s archives.

Clearly, that information was classified.

He only knew some of the most basic requirements from questioning Feng Lin.

One had to wield at least seven Dream Eyes and create a special resonance with them.

As for how to create that resonance, or if there were any other requirements, Feng Lin didn’t know.

However, one of the most obvious signs of a Controller was mastery over a Dream Realm.

Perhaps because of the way he wielded them, Hu Qi hadn’t mastered this ability.

He considered this for a moment but wasn’t too concerned.

’Those Dream Masters rely on their bodies to withstand Erosion and forcibly wield the Dream Eyes. Their foundations are unstable, and they could die at any moment.’

He shook his head.

’But I’m different. I’ve relied on my own Talent and hard work, with a little help from the Crimson Modifier, steadily advancing step by step. The difference between us is like that between the clouds and the mud!’

’With his current strength, if he were to enter that Dream Realm again and fight Li Chengguang, he wouldn’t even need to burn his Demon Elephant Blood to shatter it.’

He reined in his thoughts.

Hu Qi closed his eyes.

He began circulating the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill, acclimating to his surging power.

The cold night wind of the mountain forest had no effect on him whatsoever.

...

「Several days later.」

Hanyang City, located near the border of the Yu Country, was one of the nation’s three most famous "furnace cities."

Due to its location in a tropical region, its overall latitude is low, with most of the area falling within the subtropical zone.

Here, the sun’s elevation angle is relatively high.

Even in winter, it received ample sunlight and absorbed a great deal of solar heat. These unique conditions allowed the local temperature to remain at a relatively high level.

Sunlight was plentiful, and it was frost-free year-round.

So, even though it was now the end of December,

the sun outside was still blazing, its scorching rays pouring generously onto every corner of the city.

The streets were bustling with people and exceptionally lively.

Most pedestrians were lightly dressed, and figures in shorts and short-sleeved shirts were a common sight, making it seem more like the height of summer than the dead of winter.

"Sir, here’s your Grape Coconut Treasure Tea! Have a great day!"

A young man stood in front of an exquisitely decorated boba shop on a street paved with bluestone.

He wore a white T-shirt, black shorts, and black sneakers, with a black hiking backpack on his back.

The young man reached out to take the fruit drink from the shop employee, thanking her politely.

He looked to be in his early twenties.

He had an average face, the kind that would easily get lost in a crowd.

This young man was none other than Hu Qi.

Given that he had just attacked the Sword Holder Headquarters, he had slightly altered his appearance to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Hu Qi raised the fruit drink and took a small sip.

The drink was made from peeled grapes, coconut meat, and coconut milk, all mixed with a tea base.

The moment it touched his lips, a refreshing flavor spread across his tongue.

The coconut meat was delightfully chewy, and the flavor was genuinely good.

Thanks to its unique climate, Hanyang City’s tourist numbers actually increased during the winter instead of decreasing.

As a result, the entire city was particularly prosperous, its streets and alleys brimming with a lively atmosphere.

Hu Qi stood by the roadside for nearly half an hour before he finally managed to hail a yellow taxi.

He pulled open the door, slid into the car, and spoke to the driver.

"Driver, to Shidun County!"

The driver was a man in his forties with dark, weathered skin and a face full of stubble.

Hearing Hu Qi, the driver first grunted, "Alright!"

Then he stubbed out the cigarette in his hand, casually tossed the butt out the window, and expertly turned the car around.

A light tap on the gas pedal, and the taxi sped off.

The life of a taxi driver was often monotonous. Most of their day was spent sitting in the driver’s seat, weaving through the city’s streets and alleys in an endless cycle.

Perhaps for this very reason, many of them developed a talkative habit, becoming what you might call "chatterboxes."

The middle-aged driver before him was clearly no exception.

Sure enough, the car had barely gone any distance

when he struck up a conversation, all while keeping his eyes on the road.

"So, what’re you heading to Shidun County for, young man? Is that your hometown?"