Inside a transparent chamber five meters long, three meters wide, and two and a half meters high, a heart-like object bristling with tubes pulsed steadily fifty times per second.
Each pulse was accompanied by a dull peal of thunder that stabbed painfully at the eardrums.
The moment the door opened, an invisible, intangible yet utterly real violent Aura Field came crashing toward them!
In that fleeting instant, Zhou Zhe's Absolute Comprehension talent took effect.
In the blink of an eye, he grasped the existence of an "Aura Field."
He spread open his own Aura Field and, with the "Majesty +3" attribute granted by his three apprentices, offset the oppressive force radiating from that unknown thing.
Huang Tiankai beside him was cowed by the invisible aura and staggered back three steps before taking a deep breath and saying quietly, "Its name is... Essence of Xingtian!"
When he mentioned those four words, his expression became exceedingly complicated. "Come to think of it, it has a great deal to do with you!"
Huang Tiankai paused briefly, as though organizing his thoughts and carefully weighing his words.
Zhou Zhe did not interrupt, merely listening in silence.
"Your mentor, Mr. Lin Ye, exchanged Gladiator Points for advanced technical materials on the Power of Belief!"
"These materials directly gave rise to our Huaxia scientific research's greatest Extraordinary Crystallization to date, a Bio-Energy Battery closest to a Perpetual Motion Machine!"
"That is the Essence of Xingtian before your eyes!"
Zhou Zhe's gaze flickered.
According to legend, Xingtian fought Yellow Emperor for divine authority. In the end, Xingtian was beheaded by the Heavenly Emperor and buried in Changyang Mountain.
Yet Xingtian did not abandon his struggle because of death—he used his breasts as eyes, his navel as a mouth, wielded Gan and Qi, and continued to dance.
Some people continued fighting even after death!
Though this was merely an ancient myth and perhaps had never truly existed, the story still spoke of the essence passed down through five thousand years by the Children of Huaxia!
Fight the heavens, contend with the heavens, never cease!
Zhou Zhe's heart surged, and he blurted out, "Xingtian dances with Gan and Qi; his fierce will endures forever!"
The most cutting-edge scientific research achievement before him also bore the will and aspirations of the ancient sages!
Modern Huaxia people carried this conviction as they set out to conquer the unknown in the Supernatural Era!
And he himself was a guide walking at the forefront of this journey!
Zhou Zhe took two deep breaths and calmed his turbulent emotions. "I like the name Essence of Xingtian very much."
So what if he was a villain?
The role assigned by the "Dao" would not necessarily follow the path It had laid out.
Even villains had their own ideals!
Huaxia people had always cultivated themselves in poverty and aided the world in prosperity.
The old Zhou Zhe had not dared speak wildly of ideals. He drifted through life, and even carried severe self-destructive tendencies.
But now, he could even declare his ideal aloud: "The heart to strive shall never fade! So long as the Children of Huaxia unite as one, standing together like a fortress, one day we will let the nation of Huaxia stand atop the heavens!"
An ideal was not a dream. At the very least, it had a chance of becoming reality.
One percent, one thousandth, even one in a hundred million!
It did not matter!
No matter how slim the possibility, it still existed!
Hearing Zhou Zhe's words, Director Huang clapped with a complicated expression. "Mr. Lin Ye did not choose wrong. You..."
"Have ambition!"
"But... sigh!"
There was no need to say too much, or make it too clear.
Zhou Zhe understood the half-sentence he had left unspoken.
Yet he did not agree.
Looking Director Huang in the eyes, Zhou Zhe said earnestly, "Huaxia, and even Earth as it is now, may be very weak. But opportunity has arrived, and the world has entered the great Supernatural Era. Who can say what the future holds?"
"Perhaps in less than ten years, we will develop to a level no one today dares imagine and gain a firm foothold in the Endless Planes!"
"Every school-age child will receive free Supernatural Education."
"Every citizen will obtain cultivation resources."
"Everyone chosen to become a Cosmic Gladiator will be revived by the nation after dying in battle."
"We may even create a one-hundred-percent realistic Virtual Reality Competitive Online Game, combining education with entertainment so that every Huaxia person can continuously improve their practical combat ability within the game."
"And..."
At this point, Zhou Zhe realized he had misspoken. He smiled faintly. "Sorry, I said too much."
"Those matters are too distant. Let's not mention them for now."
A resurrection method that could be used repeatedly over the long term was an obstacle that was exceptionally difficult to overcome—not just for Earth, but even for some advanced civilizations.
One of Zhou Zhe's three apprentices, Dugu Xiu, had said something these past few days that Zhou Zhe found quite reasonable—"A big fist is reason. If your fist is not hard enough, then no matter how sound your reasoning is, you do not even have the right to open your mouth!"
Ideals were ideals, reality was reality. Rice had to be eaten one bite at a time, and roads had to be walked one step at a time.
For now, doing every task at hand well and continuously improving his strength were the most important things.
"Good!"
Director Huang gathered his emotions and, together with the staff, escorted Zhou Zhe to the side of the Essence of Xingtian. "Try it. See whether you can wield its energy."
There was some apprehension in his words.
The core technology of the Essence of Xingtian came from the Power of Belief materials exchanged by Lin Ye before his death in battle. It...
Was not mature.
Though the Power of Belief was extraordinarily powerful, with energy-generation efficiency far surpassing that of nuclear power stations, it was difficult for individuals to wield and could only be applied in the field of electrical energy conversion.
To date, more than seven hundred Supernatural volunteer participants had taken part in experiments related to the Essence of Xingtian.
Among these volunteers were people of unwavering faith, immense strength, rich experience, and tremendous prestige...
Yet...
To this day, not a single person had successfully wielded the Essence of Xingtian!
This even included Mr. Sun of Chuanshu, a Bronze Two Stars powerhouse.
To be honest, although Huang Tiankai thought highly of Zhou Zhe, he did not believe Zhou Zhe could accomplish what others could not.
After all, in terms of raw strength, Zhou Zhe had only reached the level of Black Iron Five Stars.
While Huang Tiankai's thoughts churned chaotically, Zhou Zhe's palm had already pressed against the ceaselessly pulsing Essence of Xingtian.
In an instant, countless emotions flooded his heart!
Curiosity, sentiment, bravery, cowardice, love, fear, hatred, worry, terror, regret, fearlessness, self-mockery, joy, sorrow...
These emotions came from those who supplied energy to the Essence of Xingtian.
The chaotic emotions that could neither be seen nor touched had condensed into an invisible lock, sealing the Essence of Xingtian completely!
Anyone unable to bear every emotion simply could not open this lock.
"Ugh..."
The emotional impact from the Essence of Xingtian made veins bulge across Zhou Zhe's forehead. His heartbeat abruptly soared to around two hundred beats per minute, and his breathing immediately became rapid.
Although he had been using Triple Focus throughout the past month, using training to greatly enhance his Mental Strength, he still had not reached the standard needed to open that lock.
Self-Configuration activated—his heart became a rock that embraced all emotions, allowing any emotion to arise, for no emotion could exert the slightest influence upon him!
In the blink of an eye, Zhou Zhe's heartbeat and breathing returned to calm.
He became an emotionless observer, experiencing all the myriad states of the world without ever becoming part of them.
The invisible lock of emotions broke open!
The formerly violent and unruly Essence of Xingtian seemed, beneath Zhou Zhe's palm, to become a proud, tsundere cat being petted, looking as though it wanted to welcome him yet still resisted.
A seemingly inexhaustible power poured into Zhou Zhe's body.
The mysterious notebook transformed into a stream of light and appeared before his eyes.
Heart of Heavenly Tribulation, current development level...
Dinner time~
Before you continue