The Xin Huo Secret Realm, Training Ground No. 010.
All training equipment here had been cleared out, with the various training zones merged together to form a very open, blank space. This was where the god-slaying weapon, Qian Hong, usually exercised.
One shot from it could sink a large island, and at full speed, it could circumnavigate the Blue Star in no time.
Although the Level 4 training ground was vast, it was far from enough for Qian Hong to play in. However, in its normal state, Qian Hong couldn't exert much power. Its strange crystal furnace was locked, and it could only rely on its self-generated life energy to maintain 'extremely low power' operation.
At extremely low power, the Level 4 training ground was just about enough for it to indulge.
When Fang You arrived, Qian Hong was not indulging. Its massive mechanical body was in a crouched position, its palm, capable of gripping a sedan, gently lifted a crystal that diffused golden light.
This was a wisp of broken divinity.
Contributed by the Black Winged God.
Qian Hong gently lifted it, brought it to its anthropomorphic mouth, and swallowed it in one gulp.
"Hoo~"
It let out a burp, exhaling a thick cloud of black smoke. Its mech-like body also underwent some changes. Vaguely, black feathers grew, and a giant silhouette emerged from behind Qian Hong – a bipedal giant bird, its black wings eclipsing the sun, its beak sharp. A pair of eyes gradually became real, staring intently at Fang You.
The pupils seemed to contain an endless abyss.
A single glance could make a non-human class expert fall into it, suffer corruption and erosion, or even become depraved on the spot.
Thus,
Fang You raised his head and met the gaze of those eyes expressionlessly. The peculiar eyes stared even more fiercely, glaring, glaring hard!
But all they could do was glare.
After a long while, the giant silhouette representing the will of the divine let out an unwilling shriek. Its power gradually waned, and the damaged will was rapidly perishing under Qian Hong's consumption.
*Crack—*
The giant silhouette shattered, and the great terror silently retreated.
Looking at Qian Hong again, the black feathers that had grown also gradually receded, revealing its metallic body.
The divinity had been digested.
Of course, complete digestion would still take some time. For the next few days, Qian Hong would treat these wisps of broken divinity as 'supplements', one or two wisps a day, tasty and incredibly satisfying.
Broken divinity contained the will of mythical beings. Direct utilization made one easily influenced by these beings, or even… replaced! The power of myth was reflected in all aspects.
To use it, one had to first purify the residual will within.
The method for purification was likely available in Falling Star City, but unless he paid a hefty price, it would be impossible to acquire.
So, he wouldn't buy it.
If the Six Senses wanted to use broken divinity, it required repeated purification. But for Qian Hong, there were no preliminary steps; it just swallowed it.
It was not a mythical being and did not possess the great powers of divine descent or gaze projection, but its standing was equivalent to that of a mythical being.
No matter how strong the residual will in the divinity was, it could not affect it in the slightest.
Well, it wasn't entirely unaffected.
The 'phenomenon' Fang You had just witnessed originated from the influence of the divine will, which could be understood as 'erosion' or 'corruption'. However, the pollution on Qian Hong had only surfaced by 0.1% before receding a few seconds later.
It wasn't that the puppet was immune to corruption, but rather…
"I still underestimated the fundamental nature of the god-slaying weapon."
"Qian Hong's combat power and standing are equivalent to that of a mythical being, yet it still retains extremely powerful traits that are difficult to explain even with mysticism."
The ability to slowly recover by devouring treasures was one of Qian Hong's 'specialties'.
However, not every treasure was worth devouring.
"By devouring the flawless divinity contributed by the Blood Emperor, Qian Hong has initially recovered and a nascent consciousness has emerged from this body, albeit a vague one."
"However, the blood-related abilities do not align with Qian Hong's own combat style, only providing factors for restoring its standing."
"Over the past few days, after devouring a few wisps of broken divinity, Qian Hong has also acquired some special abilities. Most importantly, its repair progress has improved."
If it had only gained a few more abilities, that would merely enrich its methods and not raise its combat power ceiling.
Qian Hong had now improved.
Its repair progress had been stuck at 59.9%, unable to advance.
Now, it had risen to 63.3% and was still subtly increasing, not yet at a bottleneck.
Considering Qian Hong's combat style, this meant an increase in its maximum instantaneous energy output. It also meant it was more expensive to use; a major battle might cost 600,000 strange crystals?
Falling Star City probably couldn't afford it… well, Falling Star City could certainly afford it and would be happy to pay, but their Blue Star was poor.
If one set aside all sorts of high-level treasures, strange artifacts, and buildings, and only considered ordinary assets, Blue Star was still far inferior to the Great Oasis. Its accumulation was too little, and its strange crystal mines had only been operational for a few months.
"Can this 'Infinite Box' be used by Qian Hong?"
"Does it need to be installed in Qian Hong's charging furnace?"
He pondered whether to call the expert Master Wang over to take a look. However, Master Wang tended to forget his work the moment he saw Qian Hong, which was also a headache for Tutor Fang. Unless absolutely necessary, he truly didn't want to summon Wang Chui.
When the Infinite Box was brought out, Qian Hong reacted.
Its entire head turned, its eyes flashing like car headlights. It seemed to shed tears from the corners of its mouth.
The child was craving it.
"Do you want to eat it?"
The Qian Hong puppet, still several meters tall while squatting on the ground, nodded obediently.
Fang You fell into thought.
Qian Hong had shown slight interest earlier when it saw the broken divinity. He had then taken out a wisp for Qian Hong to taste. Since that was the case…
"Then eat it."
He stepped back two paces.
Qian Hong cupped the palm-sized, cube-shaped object and carefully brought it to its mouth, then…
Swallowed it in one gulp!
Like Zhu Bajie eating ginseng fruit, it probably didn't taste much.
Fang You watched nervously, then thought for a moment and retreated several hundred paces, observing from afar.
Within seconds, Qian Hong's body erupted with strong energy fluctuations. A dazzling pale red light bloomed, not the color of blood, but more akin to Qian Hong's own body color.
Its entire puppet body stood up and slowly floated off the ground.
Increasingly intense energy fluctuations erupted, stirring up terrifying storms and even forming visible energy tides, which swept out like a tsunami, crashing against the surrounding training ground walls with resounding roars.
Even Tutor Fang couldn't help but exclaim.
These were pure energy dissipations. If they were powered by burning strange crystals, a single expenditure like this would likely cost hundreds of thousands of strange crystals.
Indeed, it was a big energy consumer.
Fang You opened his panel.
As expected, the 'Completeness' column for Lesser Apostle Qian Hong was rapidly climbing. 63.3%… 65.6%… 67.7%… 69.5%… 71.3%…
It climbed to 73% before the speed significantly slowed.
"The Infinite Box seems to be a perfect fit for Qian Hong. Now, it not only solves the energy supply problem but also greatly enhances Qian Hong's combat power ceiling."
"Well, from now on, there will be no more low-power Qian Hong or high-power Qian Hong; it can unleash its full power at all times."
"As for Qian Hong's combat power…"
Fang You stroked his chin.
There was no realm indicator for Qian Hong on the panel. Testing its destructive power alone would be very difficult. Previously, Qian Hong could sink a large island with one shot; full-scale destruction could significantly impact Blue Star's ecosystem. Now, that couldn't be tested casually.
He could only spar with Qian Hong and compare it against mythical combat power as a benchmark.
Thus,
"Xitina, go."
"This is the battle you wanted."
In Training Ground No. 010, Xitina and Qian Hong stood facing each other, separated by over a thousand meters.
It seemed as if an invisible wind began to blow.
Faintly, lightning crackled through the surrounding space, and a terrifying, oppressive field enveloped the area.
Fang You couldn't help but add, "Try to use wide-area moves as little as possible."
As he spoke, Xitina, her fighting spirit ablaze, drew her Endless Sword. A fierce golden flame surged from her body, and her bright golden short hair also shot upwards against the airflow.
*Stomp!*
The floor cracked, and the ground shook.
Her figure vanished in an instant, appearing beside Qian Hong. The sword fell!
Qian Hong also exploded, moving with a speed unbefitting its massive body. Energy encased its entire form, and it seemed to transform into a giant ball of light.
*Boom—*
*Clang clang clang!*
*Crash, bang—!*
In the blink of an eye, the golden figure and the red ball of light collided dozens of times.
A figure plummeted from the sky, deeply embedded in the incredibly hard alloy floor. The black robe on its body was already tattered and burnt, and its silver battle armor was covered in cracks, like shattered porcelain.
Blood seeped from Xitina's lips. The golden flames engulfing her body flickered. She looked miserable, yet her eyes still burned with a fierce golden flame, full of fighting spirit.
Of course, her body wouldn't allow it.
Defeated in such a short time, she saw the vast gap between herself and Qian Hong. However, this gap brought Xitina joy, and her blood boiled.
But… how could Qian Hong be so powerful? Wasn't it just a few days ago…?
Xitina lay on the ground, her thoughts drifting. After a while, she understood.
Back then, Qian Hong wasn't unable to defeat the Bull Demon myth; it was just playing along for the tutor's fishing plan, pretending to be beaten. Otherwise, why would Qian Hong have endured so many blows with little damage?
That made sense!
Perhaps others were also hiding their strength.
Suddenly, Xitina's fighting spirit burned even brighter, wishing to fight another eight hundred rounds.
…
…
Looking at the dilapidated training ground before him, Fang You was somewhat surprised, and also very satisfied.
He granted Xitina's request to spar with Qian Hong again, allowing her to spar as many times as she wished. Qian Hong needed high-level combat to improve its fighting skills, and most importantly… it didn't consume strange crystals.
Since it didn't cost money, he wished they could fight more, often, every day.
Although, it was a bit hard on the training ground.
In such a short time, the entire Level 4 training ground was a mess. If the two were evenly matched, they might have punched through the training ground.
Fortunately, they weren't. Xitina was always defeated.
"It's not that Xitina is too weak. She has already cultivated many skills. Even though she hasn't even started Furnace Quenching or Gluttonous Body Forging, she possesses power beyond ordinary mythical beings… Comparatively, she is much stronger than An Jian You's non-human form."
Yet, she was still thoroughly beaten by Qian Hong.
This roughly indicated Qian Hong's combat power.
If it were a few days ago, with its current combat power, Qian Hong could easily and quickly deal with any enemy except 'Storm'.
And most importantly,
"Not only does Qian Hong not consume strange crystals, but… its energy is infinite."
Human energy is infinite, but there are other limitations.
Qian Hong's infinite energy?
"It is a true war machine. Even if it fought for three days and three nights, thirty days, or three hundred days, it would not tire! It can always maintain its peak state!"
…
…
After drawing the Scarlet-grade treasure 'Infinite Box', Fang You paused, not drawing further.
He was more of a Zen practitioner now, drawing slowly.
Drawing ten or twenty times a day.
He also needed to reserve hundreds of thousands of Destiny Points for emergencies, as opportunities to gain millions of Destiny Points like this would likely not come again.
The Blue Star beginner village had been cleared.
Of course, while opportunities for large gains were gone, his daily income was steadily increasing. Fortunately, strange evils were not born through reproduction; otherwise, he would fear that one day these cute little strange evils would be hunted to the point of becoming an endangered species.
He hadn't planned to draw more.
But he didn't expect that on the third ten-draw after pulling the 'Infinite Box', he would draw another Scarlet-grade treasure!
Was this the surprise of being Zen?
'World Strange Stone (Red)'
'Description: A secret treasure containing the origin of the world. It can enhance great beings or be directly applied to a world to increase its scale and standing. More specific uses are to be explored.'
Fang You stroked his chin.
This was another treasure with a very brief description, its effects all left to exploration.
However, unlike the 'Infinite Box', this one seemed more difficult to use. He fiddled with it for a long time but found nothing.
He tried it on Xitina and Qian Hong, but it was useless.
"The 'great beings' in the description do not seem to refer to 'mythical beings'. That makes sense; I haven't heard of mythical beings being able to utilize the origin of the world. However…"
He had vaguely heard that evil gods caused the strange realm to devour one world after another, and what they fought for was that ethereal world origin!
The origin was of great benefit to evil gods.
The great beings mentioned here were likely those that were extremely, extremely, extremely high, so high as to be indescribable.
It was not usable in the short term.
It might not be usable in the long term either.
"No, there is a second way to use it."
"The World Strange Stone can be applied to a 'world'. Therefore, can it be considered… a high-spec version of the Secret Realm Stone?"
…
…
*Buzz—*
At the heart of the base, which was also the center of the secret realm, golden patterns spread and flowed. Fang You, with his invisible hands, held up piece after piece of Secret Realm Stones, which transformed into countless golden light spots and merged into the entire secret realm.
The entire secret realm began to hum, expanding inch by inch.
White clouds drifted, sunlight warmed, and the plants became more fragrant, emitting bursts of life energy.
"Finally, things are looking up again."
"A few days ago, using the secret realm's power in combat, the consumption almost caused the secret realm to break through Level 4, a reverse breakthrough."
The Level 4 secret realm at that time had also integrated multiple Secret Realm Stones and had a substantial accumulation.
Yet, it was still depleted.
If he continued to deplete it, the secret realm would fall to Level 3, Level 2, Level 1, or even become completely exhausted.
"Indeed, the secret realm's power should be used sparingly. However, I've drawn quite a few Secret Realm Stones these past few days, so the deficit has long been replenished, and even exceeded."
"It's just that to upgrade to a Level 5 secret realm, there's still a long way to go."
Upgrading from Level 4 to Level 5 required a full 30 Secret Realm Stones, three times the amount needed for Level 3 to Level 4. The current experience was only (18/30), including a small amount provided by Idora's Tree of Life.
He wasn't in a hurry to upgrade the secret realm; there was no use in rushing.
In addition to Secret Realm Stones, he had drawn several common legendary items such as Golden Cultivation Cards, Golden Skill Seeds, Waters of Origin, and Divine Essence Objects, as well as a few 'inferior quality' legendary items.
There were also new items.
The Blue-grade skill book 'Super Self-Healing' he had drawn earlier was quite good; it could quickly restore one's injuries and, when cultivated to a profound level, could even achieve limb regeneration.
As soon as he listed this skill book for exchange, Xing Jinglei immediately snatched it up.
It was indeed suitable for him.
Other noteworthy items included:
'Dragon Snake Fruit Tree (Purple)'
'Clear Heart Tea Tree (Gold)'
'Sumeru Gourd Vine (Gold)'
—
'Kandela Vehicle Manufacturing Manual - Thirteen (Gold)'
'Description: This manual records some of the vehicle technology of the lost Kandela Empire, and also contains the complete blueprint for the 'Seagull-class Aircraft'.'
'Seagull-class Aircraft (Entry Extension): One of the most representative low-level vehicles of the Kandela Empire, possessing not weak defense and extreme flight speed. During the empire's peak, the Seagull-class Aircraft was highly sought after by the wealthy second generation, considered the most high-end 'luxury car' or 'sports car' at the time.'
Luxury car and sports car were analogies, but they also indicated the former prosperity of the Kandela Empire.
The Seagull-class Aircraft was an epic-grade vehicle, complex in structure and advanced in craftsmanship. The manufacturing cost was likely more expensive than refining an epic-grade strange artifact.
And only the second generation could afford it.
"However, Kandela's technology has already reached its peak, perhaps significantly reducing manufacturing costs?"
Fang You flipped through it a few times, feeling increasingly dizzy.
Forget it. It was better to leave it for Master Wang to study. He would probably be happy about it for a long time.
"There are also one epic-grade and two legendary-grade special crops."
"Crops are good; they can be planted in the cultivation park and produce value continuously."
The Dragon Snake Fruit Tree and the Clear Heart Tea Tree, according to their descriptions, produced outputs with good effects. He would try them once they were planted.
As for the 'Sumeru Gourd Vine', on the surface it was a plant, but what it produced was a special material… a special material with an internal space.
It could be used as a product of Xin Huo or for personal use.
Storage-type strange artifacts were always rare. Xin Huo itself had fewer than ten, otherwise, Tutor Fang wouldn't have set such a high exchange price, to the point where even a 'first-line powerhouse' like Xing Jinglei still didn't have a storage strange artifact.
For a Six Senses expert to not have a single storage strange artifact, in the context of the Great Oasis circles, was quite pathetic.
"There are also two Gold-grade special items, which are not of great significance to Xin Huo, but…"
'Pure Divine Radiance (Gold)' x2
'Description: A natural treasure that aids and promotes mythical awakening, increasing the success rate by 10%~20%, and saving the user's life in case of awakening failure, suppressing the pollution and erosion caused by failure.'
They weren't entirely useless for the strong members of Xin Huo.
A 10%~20% increase was quite substantial, but it felt wasteful to use them just like that.
"After all, compared to Xin Huo, the top powerhouses in those Great Oases and Super Oases need them more, enough to cause them to fight over them, possibly with greater allure than Waters of Origin."
Compared to self-use, Fang You preferred to sell them.
Sell them for an astronomical price!
However, there was no need to rush. Currently, Xin Huo had too little contact with Oasis factions. Only Falling Star City could potentially afford the price.
This wouldn't do. Without competition, how could he auction them at a high price?
"Therefore, we must venture out."
…
Since that day of war, the Blue Star had a brief period of peace.
These days, Tutor Fang had been drawing cards, training, watching Xitina get beaten, watering trees and flowers, but his focus remained on the construction of Dawn Base City.
The Blue Star was outwardly calm, but inwardly, like a tightly wound spring, everything was being rushed, sped up!
Especially the migration of population in the various base cities; the faster the better, no delay was permissible.
With the cooperation of the entire world, the final phase of the Dawn Project progressed rapidly, faster than anticipated.
During this time, another plan was also quietly beginning.
—The Oasis Project!
The Blue Star needed its own oases.
Only with its own oases would it not be constantly passive and be able to grasp some initiative. Whether seeking cooperation or for future development, oases were necessary.
Furthermore, Fang You was not content with just one oasis.
Although he didn't have any yet.
Against this backdrop of urgent demand, An Jian You, carrying the mission of the Blue Star, set off.
"This mission, your burden is very heavy, and you may have to live in the strange realm for a long time."
"I have arranged several teammates to assist you, as well as these… these… and these. Take them all with you."
In addition to the legendary strange artifact 'Cloak of Obscurity', Fang You had also prepared a myriad of equipment and items for An Jian You.
The girl before him was no longer as naive. Even facing terrifying strange evils, she could remain unfazed, even smiling and tearing enemies apart as she bled.
But even so, Fang, like an old father, couldn't help but worry.
"Tutor, please rest assured, I will definitely find an oasis!"
"Go, safety first."
"Yes!"
At a certain training camp in Water Marsh Base City.
An Jian You nodded heavily. The next moment, her Nether Domain spread out, engulfing teammates like Liu Ji and Xu Yun. Their figures vanished, having already infiltrated beneath reality.
Here, gray fog permeated.
She surveyed her surroundings briefly, her eyes reflecting reality, beneath reality, and even deeper.
After gazing for a few moments, without hesitation, An Jian You continued to descend.
In the swirling gray fog, several figures disappeared, as silently as they had arrived.
Even within the Blue Star, only Fang You and half of Xiao Huan knew that An Jian You and her team had ventured deep into the strange realm.
"I hope they bring good news."
"They will~!"
…
As time passed, the Dawn Project gradually approached its conclusion.
"Tutor, the eleventh Dawn Base City has been established."
…
"Tutor, the thirteenth Dawn Base City has survived the siege wave."
…
"Tutor, the fourteenth Base City is estimated to face a wave of 1.5 million."
…
"Tutor, the sixteenth Base City will complete its migration by 6 PM local time. Shall we activate its dawn the following day?"
"The following day? No, activate it immediately upon completion of migration, to avoid prolonged complications."
The sixteenth Base City was the last base city of the Dawn Project.
Once its dawn was activated, the large defensive circle surrounding the Blue Star would be constructed, blocking the erosion from the strange realm.
Simultaneously,
The Blue Star's world barrier would be significantly strengthened. At that point, it would not be so easy for mythical beings to descend.
——Offline Remarks——
Thanks to '_Charlotte_' for the 10,000 coin tip, and thanks to 'Street Corner Dim Streetlight', 'Ignorant Illiterate', 'Scholars of All Realms', 'New Fat Feng', 'Hu How to Fly', 'Lu Jun', 'Book Friend 20210301105370525134', 'Gray Wolf 225', 'I am Mewtwo', 'only Sheji' and many other friends for their tips!