The World of Great Change

The brick house, second-floor study. Tang Qi sat upright behind the desk, his expression somewhat dark and unsettled.

Though the bundle of publications looked substantial, under Tang Qi's targeted search, he finished reading them all quickly.

When he set down a newspaper called "Purple Moon News," the vague guess that had been forming in his mind now became unprecedentedly clear.

His gaze finally landed on the date at the newspaper's header.

April 28th!

It wasn't the latest paper, but an old one.

Yet precisely this date held special weight in Tang Qi's speculation.

"Before the 28th, those paranormal incidents happened from time to time, but whether in scale or frequency, they weren't on the same level."

"After that day, everything erupted—those anomalies, demons, or divine miracles all began to break out in concentrated bursts."

"Is this the so-called Spirit Tide?"

The two words Tang Qi mentioned were also why he had suddenly started searching for clues in those reports.

When being hunted by the Bronx Dog-Faced Man, Tang Qi had glimpsed a piece of information fragment that mentioned the Dog-Faced Man's origin was due to the Spirit Tide.

This also explained the confusion Tang Qi had felt when he first saw the monster he himself had created.

After all, corpses, stray dogs, and so-called vengeful spirits were hardly rare in a place like Bronx.

If combining these factors could create a monster with such perverse strength and speed, the Bronx District would have long descended into chaos.

The sole variable: the Spirit Tide, was the real key.

Now, having read through these clues, Tang Qi felt he had vaguely grasped the terrifying changes unfolding on this planet.

Before the New Calendar was implemented, this Origin Blue Star had once been an incredibly dangerous Mysterious World, with demons running rampant and all kinds of grotesque occurrences happening across the globe—until a hundred years ago, when a mysterious meteor streaked by, and all of it vanished.

But now, they were back.

Tang Qi might not be able to travel across the entire Origin Blue Star to find evidence, but the many Signs around him were proof enough.

The Bronx Dog-Faced Man, bearing the name "Bronx District," was naturally because it had originally been a famous monster in the Bronx District a hundred years ago. Countless descriptions could be found in various related books, incredibly vivid.

But after the New Calendar began, the Dog-Faced Man disappeared.

Until tonight, when Tang Qi personally created one.

And in Old Morgan's diary, it was said that his terrifying Mother had begun to recover her power, and had become even stronger than before, precisely around the 28th.

Of course, the most powerful proof was Tang Qi himself.

The Meditation Method, Furnace Eyes, Chaga Combat Technique, Supernatural Blood... Tang Qi could confirm that his mysterious Omniscience ability was the Cheat System he had brought with him from his transmigration.

But as for the rest, Tang Qi didn't believe he was unique.

Having deduced this enormous "secret," Tang Qi's expression wasn't exactly pleasant.

Facing the revival of the Mystic Side, perhaps enthusiasts of the occult would be happy and excited.

But Tang Qi, who already had one foot in the Supernatural, could directly see the danger within.

In his mind, the already intense sense of urgency climbed another notch.

The world was becoming incredibly perilous.

Though Tang Qi could also see that, in the face of the global outbreak of various anomalies, official forces had intervened at the First Moment and covered things up, so Origin Blue Star remained seemingly calm for now.

But beneath the surface, the currents were already turbulent.

Most crucially, Tang Qi didn't believe the authorities could keep up the cover forever.

"Hoo~"

Tang Qi sat in the high-backed chair, pondering for a long while, before finally exhaling a breath of turbid air and putting away all the publications.

Knowing that the world was undergoing a massive change was enough. The deeper reasons behind it were certainly not something Tang Qi could investigate at his current level.

With just a few publications, he couldn't dig up anything more.

"Strength is the foundation of everything."

Murmuring these words to himself, Tang Qi left the desk and returned to his bedroom, but without any intention of sleeping. Instead, just like on the first day, he sat cross-legged on the carpet in the middle.

Cultivate. While the Pure Land of St. Thorn High School was still peaceful, seize every moment to enhance his strength.

Tang Qi had a strong premonition that if the entire Origin Blue Star was undergoing a cataclysm, the tranquility of St. Thorn High School wouldn't last long either.

The last stray thought was suppressed. When a wisp of hazy moonlight fell upon him, he had already entered a meditative state.

How long it took others to enter meditation while cultivating the Golden Furnace Meditation Method, Tang Qi didn't know.

But after he had converted the Meditation Method into a skill, it only took him a second.

Especially now, with the Meditation Method having reached the entry stage just like the Combat Technique, cultivation was even smoother.

His mind visualized the golden sun. A warm, soothing aura circulated through his entire body. He himself seemed to transform into a furnace, burning all the Grotesque and Bizarre projections cast upon him into golden specks of light, which swiftly merged into that gray, hazy Mental Space.

One night passed, flowing away swiftly.

When Tang Qi once again awoke from meditation, the light falling upon him was already the early morning sun.

He sensed the Mental Power filling his mind and glanced at his interface. Though he felt he had gained quite a bit overnight, it was still somewhat lacking compared to the Mental Power obtained from refining—or rather, devouring—a soul.

The Golden Furnace Meditation Method remained at the entry-level Mastery, with progress still stuck at 0.01%.

Showing no surprise, Tang Qi got up directly, went down to the first floor, fetched the medicine kit, and changed his bandages once.

Whether it was an illusion or not, though only a night had passed, Tang Qi felt his wounds had healed considerably, no longer as horrifying as when he first applied the medicine.

After changing the bandages, Tang Qi took out the stone pot and cooked himself a pot of nutritious medicinal porridge.

While the stone pot began to "gurgle" to work, he fetched the box he had brought home last night.

Opening it, inside lay the pistol with an incredibly domineering design that had saved Tang Qi's life the night before.

Blood Python No. 1!

This was a very unique pistol, its body pitch black, said to be forged from a rare black iron now seldom seen.

The blood-red pattern on it was the origin of its name, Blood Python.

The Monster Firearms Company had some pistols of the same model and specifications, but they could only earn the title "Giant Python."

In terms of reputation, they were far inferior to Blood Python No. 1.

Perhaps because it had been stained with Tang Qi's blood, which contained Supernatural Power, last night, Tang Qi felt the blood pattern seemed even more vivid as he carefully wiped it with a cotton cloth.

After wiping it a dozen times, Tang Qi placed Blood Python No. 1 back into the box and stored the box in a sturdy safe.

After downing a large pot of hot medicinal porridge, Tang Qi picked up his books and left the house.

With his black-rimmed glasses on, his demeanor once again became that of an ordinary Asian youth, a well-behaved High School Student.

Even though one of his hands was almost wrapped up like a zongzi.

Given his current physique, aside from temporarily affecting his practice of the Chaga Combat Technique, he saw no other inconveniences.

"It's still a bit inconvenient. Going to class like this might cause misunderstandings."

Tang Qi muttered as he locked the iron gate.

Just as he was about to turn and head toward the Main Campus, at that moment, a burst of noise suddenly Drilled Into his ears.