"Lie down. We're taking you to the hospital now."
On the stretcher,
Lin Zi'ang clung tightly to his younger sister, refusing to let go. He kept his eyes on Qin Annian.
"If you still want to practice martial arts, go to the hospital and get those hidden injuries treated."
"The City Government has set up a special fund. Don't worry about the money."
Qin Annian was also receiving a basic examination, even though he wasn't injured.
"Officer Qin, here's my contact information. If you get hurt, you can reach me."
After the young woman from the Medical Team closed the ambulance door, two dimples appeared on her cheeks. She raised her wrist and held out her Personal Terminal.
Qin Annian shook his head and said,
"Thanks."
"But there's no need."
"Unless a martial artist with more than fifty points of Life Development Power attacks me, I won't get hurt."
The young woman only came back to herself after watching Qin Annian turn and leave.
"Gasp!"
"That's..."
For a moment,
she couldn't think of a word to describe it.
Qin Annian found a quiet corner and contacted Miss Ju Zi.
"Miss Ju Zi, please issue a new mission."
Just then,
Han Xi's voice came through his earpiece.
"You'd better go back and practice Standing Posture."
"Your Life Development Power should be close to twenty now."
Hm?
Qin Annian raised an eyebrow and put the mission request on hold.
"The Security Bureau will soon attack the Cultivation Holders Association's underground base. That's where the real battle will be."
"You'll need to raise your Life Development Power above twenty before you're qualified to take part."
Beep—
After saying that, Han Xi ended the call.
"Buzz!"
Just then,
another message arrived on his Personal Terminal.
"Kid Qin, remember the opportunity I told you about? Raise your Life Development Power to twenty as soon as you can."
Qin Annian pondered. Was it because he could enter "Sitting Oblivion" while practicing Standing Posture that Han Xi and Zhang Qifeng both thought he would break through quickly?
He requested a short leave and temporarily left the Old District.
After driving back to the Universe Tower, Qin Annian went straight to the Practice Room as soon as he got home.
"Hoo!"
Qin Annian exhaled a breath of stale air and was about to assume the Standing Posture.
Suddenly,
a powerful wave of exhaustion surged through every cell in his body!
The ache seemed to reach his bones, making Qin Annian's legs tremble as he settled into the stance.
Grr—
His stomach growled with hunger, and his lips quickly began to dry out.
Qin Annian felt as if he had reached his limit in an instant, his whole body completely drained.
What was happening?
Fortunately, he had eaten enough Solid Nutrient Bars before practicing Standing Posture.
At the same time,
an Inner Demon more terrifying than any he had faced before suddenly appeared.
"Before, the Inner Demons were only voices. But this time..."
Qin Annian watched as pale, lifeless figures approached him, their faces full of resentment.
"They're all people I saw in my jurisdiction."
Among them was Lin Zi'ang's father.
"It's all your fault!"
"It's all your fault!"
"It's all your fault!"
Those were the only words they repeated. Like evil spirits, they reached out to grab Qin Annian, as if trying to drag him into Avici Hell.
"Do you feel guilty?!"
A furious roar exploded beside Qin Annian's eardrum.
Sickle's sinister figure rose above the crowd, staring at Qin Annian with frenzied eyes.
"You butcher!"
Just then,
the sound of chanting rose softly, as if the Buddhas of heaven and earth were guiding the departed souls to the afterlife.
Buddhist radiance tore through the darkness. Golden Lotuses bloomed one after another across this land of the dead.
Qin Annian felt his consciousness grow incredibly solid, as though he had become an Arhat holding up the sky.
Splash!
The Water-Fire Tempering Technique began to circulate.
Li Fire descended from the heavens, turning into a rain of flames that fell upon the Inner Demons.
Kan Water welled up from the earth, gradually drowning those hideous souls.
A long howl, as though it came from the distant reaches of time, overwhelmed every curse and insult.
Proud. Wild. Unyielding.
Amid that cry, an enormous Kun Fish leapt up and swallowed everything—the heavenly demons, Li Fire and Kan Water, even the Golden Lotuses covering the ground.
The Kun Fish, having devoured a corner of Purgatory, soared into the sky and transformed into a Heaven Peng with wings like clouds hanging from the heavens. It rose to battle the sky!
Boom!
In an instant, Qin Annian felt his mind turn completely blank. His soul trembled from the impact.
After an unknown length of time,
Qin Annian slowly came back to himself.
But
the next cycle soon began again.
Yin-Yang Taiji flowed and turned. The Inner Demons continually returned to life, while the Arhat remained unmoved.
As he endured this tempering,
Qin Annian's consciousness stepped into the Spirit Sea and drew in an immense, unimaginable amount of the Force of Creation at a speed far beyond any previous attempt.
In the past,
his body had been unable to withstand so much at once.
But now, whenever this phenomenon appeared, he absorbed every bit of power drawn from the Spirit Sea with ease.
At the microscopic level, every cell in Qin Annian's body was undergoing a transformation that seemed to seize the workings of creation itself.
Under the influence of this power, his life level continued to rise!
Time passed unnoticed in cultivation.
When Qin Annian felt as though he had crossed some kind of threshold, a sensation like the birth of the universe appeared.
In his perception, everything seemed to vanish, leaving only emptiness.
Then,
a tremendous force seized him and pulled him downward.
The intense feeling of being crushed by gravity jolted Qin Annian back to his senses. He abruptly opened his eyes.
"Where am I now?"
The exhaustion had completely vanished. At the same time, his vision of the world had changed.
Once he had slowly grown accustomed to his altered senses, Qin Annian hurried to the Testing Room.
After three green beams scanned him, a number appeared on the instrument's screen:
20.1.
"My Life Development Power actually broke through twenty just from practicing Standing Posture?"
Qin Annian stared at the number, momentarily dazed.
Just ten days ago, his Life Development Power had still been below ten.
But now,
staring at the three digits, Qin Annian took a deep breath.
"In my previous life, people talked about breaking through your limits while running."
"Once you crossed that threshold, your body felt lighter."
"And you could run faster than before."
Clearly,
practicing Standing Posture had let him break through a similar limit.
The battle in the Old District had brought him infinitely close to that threshold.
No wonder
Han Xi had told him to come back and practice Standing Posture right away!
"With 20.1 points of Life Development Power, I can take a more active part in this war."
"I'll fight for the opportunity Zhang Qifeng mentioned!"
However,
just then,
Qin Annian's attention was suddenly caught by the Status Panel.
As his Life Development Power broke through twenty, the panel had quietly changed as well!
"Gasp?!"
"What's this?"
"Use the number of helpers to deduce techniques?"
Before you continue