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Task completion rate: 66%, 20 points;

Completing the side quest "Misleading Young People" will earn you an extra 10 points.

Total score: 65 points. Rating: You're slightly better than trash, but you're practically trash.

Si Ming immediately complained, "Hey, hey, hey, you didn't explain the evaluation criteria clearly beforehand, and then you pull this stunt on me. What's the difference between this and punishing someone without warning? If I had known earlier that there would be a soul-reaping evaluation and a time-consuming process, I would definitely have tried to slaughter all the monsters in the Spirit Domain... If I wanted to get a perfect score, would I have to kill everyone in the village too?"

A sinister chuckle echoed through the cave, followed by a question, "Guess?"

"I'm too lazy to guess. Anyway, for someone like you, just assume the worst. By the way, why isn't the mission completion score full? Killing the priest and the domain lord should be all there is to it, right? I followed the righteous path. I can't possibly include Evil Dao missions like killing all the villagers in the statistics, can I?"

"The missing piece is that you didn't destroy the Demon Thearch's statue, otherwise it would have been even more interesting. If you had destroyed the statue, I would have given you a perfect score regardless of your other achievements."

"And then I was in big trouble! Do you think I'm stupid?!" Si Ming spat, realizing that he had been underestimated, given his supposed intelligence. "Passing is passing, hurry up and give me the reward."

Fortunately, the other party was not a heartless factory owner who owed migrant workers money; on the contrary, he kept his word and revealed the chapter on the Vacuum Zero-Energy Furnace from the "Primordial Non-Empty True Scripture".

[Vacuum Zero-Energy Furnace, extremely weak strength, moderate gas return, extremely rapid growth, upper limit (data overflow) level, no attributes, no special effects]

Si Ming quickly read through the entire text and used his sudden enlightenment talent to analyze it. He was then shocked by the results. The Super Martial Dao Cultivation Method were indeed extreme, and the Vacuum Zero-Energy Furnace was the best among them. Ignoring the growth rate and upper limit, the remaining attributes were practically no different from basic Internal Cultivation... No, the strength of basic Internal Cultivation was at least "weak," two levels below "extremely weak."

With the same skill level, a martial artist who cultivates basic Internal Cultivation can send a martial artist who cultivates the Vacuum Zero-Energy Furnace flying with a single palm strike.

Of course, just by looking at the growth rate, one can tell that the total amount of True Qi possessed by a martial artist who cultivates the Vacuum Zero-Energy Furnace must be greater than that of others. It is as if all the attribute points have been allocated to the growth rate and the upper limit. It is just unknown how fast the speed represented by the word "extremely fast" actually is.

In addition, "attributeless" means that the True Qi cultivated through the Vacuum Zero-Energy Furnace can be transformed into the True Qi of any other Internal Cultivation. This transformation is not a Foundation transformation, but a temporary transformation. For example, Yu Shuying's Reverse Countering Marvelous Art can transform True Qi of the counter attribute during battle, but it will revert to attributeless after the battle.

For ordinary martial artists, the attribute of "no attribute" is practically useless. It cannot be temporarily converted when fighting an enemy because if they want to convert it into Internal Cultivation of another attribute, they must at least master the cultivation method of that Internal Cultivation. This requires actual practice, not just reading the content and talking about it on paper, unless it has the automatic conversion characteristic like the Reverse Countering Qi Art.

Even if an ordinary person were to cultivate Internal Cultivation, they would only cultivate one at most. Therefore, Internal Cultivation without attributes is generally used as a foundation, such as a basic Internal Cultivation for beginners. After a martial artist cultivates a higher level of Internal Cultivation, the Foundation of the basic Internal Cultivation will be completely transformed. At this time, the True Qi without attributes can be easily transformed without being restricted by attributes.

However, this limitation does not exist for Si Ming. He can master the Internal Cultivation method as soon as he reads it once. He can learn as much as he reads. In battle, he can choose the attribute that counters his opponent based on the opponent's situation, similar to an active Reverse Countering Qi Art.

"Even disregarding the fact that it is unaffiliated, the fact that it can be cultivated anytime, anywhere, unaffected by the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and earth or the environment, is enough to highlight the advantages of this Cultivation Method," Si Ming said, turning to Murong Qing and He Qichang. "You can also give it a try. I've already memorized the content of the Cultivation Method, and I'll write it down from memory in a bit."

He Qichang shook his head and said, "Forget it. Quantum theory and zero -Zero-Point Energy are completely baffling to me. They're concepts I can't understand at all. I've always been bad at reading and studying. I'd rather spend all day wielding a knife than read a book for a minute."

He paused, then continued, "This trip has been incredibly rewarding, far more meaningful than simply acquiring a Higher Vehicle Internal Cultivation... I plan to focus on Martial Form as my primary cultivation method."

Si Ming asked in surprise, "Are you serious? There's no one here who studies Martial Form. What if you hit a bottleneck? Who will be there to help you?"

He Qichang smiled wryly, "My cultivation has hit a bottleneck. I haven't made any progress for eight whole months, which is rare for someone my age. I consulted with the seniors in the Shadow Hero Guard before, and they pointed out that it was probably a problem with my physique. They couldn't do anything about it, since no one would create an Internal Cultivation specifically for mixed-race people. But Martial Form is different. It doesn't care whether you're mixed-race or not. As long as you can adapt, you can continuously obtain Jing Essence Qi Essence from it. In just one day, I felt myself become much stronger."

Si Ming, "But this kind of strengthening has its limits. Once you have completely completed the first stage of possession, you will no longer be able to get any support from the Martial Form. And once you get used to the Martial Form's cultivation method, it will be difficult to switch systems."

"That's enough. A third-grade Martial Form can definitely help me reach the level of Spirit Transformation cultivator. Even if I'm not a true Spirit Transformation cultivator, I'll at least have Spirit Transformation level combat power. To be honest, based solely on the Sea Continent's cultivation methods, I'm not optimistic about breaking through to the Spirit Transformation. After all, I'm not a genius like Brother Si or Murong. Being blocked at the door and struggling to get in is the norm."

He Qichang had already said so, Si Ming couldn't offer any more advice. If a person doesn't have confidence in himself, then even if he has the ability to break through to the Spirit Transformation, he will become incapable.

On the other side, Murong Qing said, "I don't plan to cultivate this Cultivation Method either. The way of Internal Cultivation emphasizes specialization. One 'Glacier Divine Art' is enough for me to study for half a lifetime. There is no need to cultivate another completely unrelated Internal Cultivation. Besides, this internal Internal Cultivation technique seems rather unfriendly—I am not very proficient in physics either."

"And what about your Black Tortoise Martial Form?"

"I will cultivate it as a body-refining method, but before that, I have a question: can the power of Martial Form truly be effective under the Eternal Barrier?"

Upon hearing He Qichang's expression changed drastically. He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and began practicing the "Dragon Fetus Meditation Method".

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a look of lingering fear on his face, and said, "The power I gained from transforming my Martial Form over there was unusable, as if it were sealed. But the power I gained from transforming my Martial Form here can be used; it's not forbidden."

He had to be thankful that Si Ming had eliminated the Domain Lord so quickly. Otherwise, if, as the village chief had hoped, he had waited until he had absorbed enough power to personally eliminate the Domain Lord before returning, all that power would have been wasted. Returning to the Sea Continent wouldn't be as simple as starting cultivation from scratch; Martial Form's power would have been completely sealed. He could have obtained one hundred, but now he could only get sixty at most.

Murong Qing then poured cold water on the idea, saying, "The power gained in the first stage belongs to oneself and can be used, which is reasonable. However, the Transformation and Application in the second stage and the Manifestation in the third stage are characteristics of Martial Form himself, and they may not be able to escape the seal of the Eternal Barrier. It's just that we can't verify that yet."

Si Ming was already able to use Martial Form's characteristics, but it was really hard to sense whether the effect of "making thinking clearer" was actually working.

He Qichang's expression shifted between anger and joy, finally sighing, "Even if I can't use it, I still want to cultivate the Martial Form. The power I gained from the first stage is enough for me to take this risk... Now I'm actually starting to hope that those guys from the Remote Heaven Society can successfully destroy the Eternal Barrier."

"I can't agree to that!"

Si Ming has offended the Demon Thearch's stone statue over there. If the Demon Emperor himself comes looking for him, it will be a real disaster. Just hearing the name "Demon Thearch" tells you that he is not someone to be trifled with.

"Hearing you say that, I'm suddenly a little worried that Remote Heaven Society have taken action. Let's hurry back. Even though only two days have passed, nothing too serious should happen... Hmm, hopefully we won't be that unlucky."

Chapter 522 Changing the Flag at the City Gate

Si Ming and his group left the cave and returned to Faxian City. Soon after entering the city, they sensed that someone was watching them.

Murong Qing her eyes straight ahead, saying as she walked, "It seems something really has happened. There are almost no pedestrians on the road; it's as desolate as the day the Second Prince and Third Prince finally revealed their true intentions."

He Qichang glanced sideways at Si Ming, his eyes revealing a sense of "truly a jinx."

"Haha," Si Ming chuckled dryly, "Perhaps we're being too sensitive. It's only been a short time, barely three days. How much could happen in such a short time? Maybe it's just that our aura is too strong, Celestial Person are immediately awestruck, exclaiming, 'These three are no ordinary people,' which is why we've attracted attention."

Before the words were even finished, a small squad of the Imperial Army rushed towards the three of them. The leader blew his whistle and shouted, "They really are the wanted thieves! Everyone, join forces and capture them! Don't let the thieves escape!"

He Qichang expression, "Even we are wanted. It seems the situation is very serious. The most likely possibility is that the Second Prince will restore the throne."

Murong Qing corrected, "The Second Prince has never ascended the throne, so it cannot be considered a restoration."

Si Ming, "At times like these, don't worry about the details. Speaking of which, even after a resounding victory, they still got turned around. How many incompetent teammates dragged the Third Prince down?"

The three were unsure whether to fight, so they decided to run away first, discussing their next move as they fled.

"What do we do now? Should we find a place to hide?" He Qichang glanced at Si Ming and said, "Or we could fight our way through and storm the palace to capture the kingpin. Theoretically, that wouldn't be a bad plan either?"

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you looking at me like that? How much prejudice do you have against my intelligence?!" Si Ming protested loudly. "Just think about it, this plan can't possibly succeed. Not to mention that too many ants can kill an elephant, acting recklessly in the Barbarian Continent is a completely different matter from acting recklessly in the Sea Continent. We can just pack up and leave anytime there, but if things get out of hand here, it will become an international issue."

Murong Qing calmly said, "The most urgent task is to find out what happened in the past three days so that we can address the problem effectively."