Vegetation Spirits

After leaving Hong, Ji Yun was overjoyed.

Signing a contract with the Limit Dojo was secondary. The most important thing was that there really was a higher realm beyond the realm of artistic conception. This realm gave Ji Yun a goal to strive for, driving him to keep advancing, climbing, and eventually reach it.

After signing the contract, Ji Yun officially became a core member of the Limit Dojo. He would receive 9 billion in annual funding. Only a Martial Artist like Ji Yun, who was certain to reach the peak of Advanced War God and had a very good chance of becoming a Beyond War God, could receive such treatment.

However, although it would be easy for him to raise his amplitude to 1.6, Ji Yun didn't want to leave the Elite Training Camp just yet.

The Ancient Civilization Gravity Room was very helpful even for the cultivation of Advanced War Gods. Ji Yun wouldn't give up this opportunity before making full use of it. Besides, he also wanted to try reaching an amplitude of twenty and obtaining that piece of ancient civilization equipment, the Black God Set.

Ji Yun ranked second this month. Second place gave him sixty hours a month in the Gravity Room, as well as plenty of time in the Trial Tower. As long as his punching power improved, he could raise not only his punching power level but also his Trial Tower level.

Reaching an amplitude of twenty wouldn't be difficult, as long as Ji Yun made good use of his time.

To Ji Yun, the Elite Training Camp was a shortcut to becoming stronger. It had the best training equipment, along with various treasures to help him, all of which could greatly shorten the time it took to improve. Sometimes, time itself was an opportunity.

It was still February.

The Elite Training Camp allowed its students to return home in January and February each year. Of the other ten months, nine were very safe, spent either at the camp or in City 1001 of the Wilderness Zone, which was under the camp's close surveillance. Deaths were rare during those nine months.

Ji Yun had spent only a few days at the Limit Dojo to earn his second-place ranking.

It was only February, and Ji Yun wasn't particularly afraid of the life-or-death adventure in August. In his view, with the help of treasures and equipment, becoming an Advanced War God before August would be exceptionally easy. Perhaps Hong had seen this too. That was why he had set the deadline for this year, rather than making it several years away like other contracts.

Ji Yun only needed to improve his punching power level within the next two months to easily earn the reward.

A month and a half later.

On the rooftop of Ji Yun's residence at Yanjing Pavilion.

Unlike the other students, who liked to hang out and chat during their breaks, Ji Yun preferred to sit alone on the windowsill on windy days, quietly savoring the feel of the wind.

A fresh fragrance filled the air, calming the mind, while the gentle breeze flowed past in a tranquil hush.

Ji Yun wore a loose white silk robe and sat cross-legged, quietly experiencing the force output level he had just broken through to.

Ji Yun couldn't hunt Lord Monsters, or even fight them. If the camp caught him displaying War God strength, it would automatically make him graduate, and he would lose access to his benefits.

Without being tempered by life-and-death battles, it was difficult to improve rapidly. Fortunately, Ji Yun's previous breakthrough in force output had been several months ago. His trips to City 003 and the battlefield over the past few months had given him plenty of time to consolidate his gains. Combined with his hard training in the Ancient Civilization Gravity Room this month, he had finally made another breakthrough.

The day before, while practicing with his spear in the Gravity Room, Ji Yun had gained a new insight. With the Gravity Room's help, his physical fitness had improved.

When he had first arrived at the Elite Training Camp in early February, Ji Yun's punching power had been around 22,000 kg. A month and a half of extended training in the Gravity Room had increased his strength by nearly 18,000 kg!

Now, Ji Yun could throw a punch with around 40,000 kg of force. His physical fitness had reached the Advanced General-Level.

The improvement in his physical fitness had deepened his understanding of strength and increased his training speed. It also allowed him to withstand greater levels of gravity.

Ji Yun had broken through in his force output while practicing with his spear under twenty times the normal gravity. He had reached the Fourth Layer of the Fierce Wind force output method—four times force output.

The next day, Ji Yun entered the Trial Tower.

Inside the virtual space.

An endless expanse of silver alloy stretched beneath him. In the distance stood a single towering, seven-story pagoda: the Trial Tower.

Ji Yun appeared on the ground in a flash.

"I want to take the punching power force output test," Ji Yun said. This test could be taken in any virtual space, whether in the Challenge Room or the Trial Room. All he had to do was say the words to the virtual space's intelligent system.

In the blink of an eye, a Punch Strength Tester appeared beside Ji Yun.

"Student Ji Yun, please begin the punching power force output test," an electronic voice echoed across the silver ground.

Ji Yun stood casually in front of the Punch Strength Tester. In the virtual space, his body's normal punching strength was a standard 10,000 kilograms, with an error margin of no more than 10 kilograms.

He threw a seemingly effortless punch. It instantly tore through the air as four successive bursts of Hidden Force surged through his body and into his arm and fist. His speed soared, and with a sharp sound as if piercing the air and creating a vacuum, his fist smashed hard into the target.

"Thud!" The target gave a muffled bang and jolted violently.

The display showed the number: "40026kg."

"Punching power force output level: 4.0. Congratulations, student Ji Yun. Your Combat Power Amplitude is now 18." The electronic voice was completely devoid of emotion.

"With a force output level of 4.0, I wonder if I can raise my Trial Tower level to 5.0."

The calculation was simple. To reach an amplitude of twenty, he needed to raise both his Trial Tower level and his punching power force output. Ji Yun's Trial Tower level had been 4.5 last time. He had no doubt that he was eager to clear the Fourth Layer.

Two hours later...

"That was tough." Ji Yun walked out of the Nine-Fold Tower and sighed inwardly.

The Fourth Layer was unlike the first, with its grassland; the second, with its desert; or the third, where he had fought flying monsters. The Fourth Layer was a vast ocean where he had to battle marine monsters!

Fighting marine monsters underwater reduced a human Martial Artist's strength by thirty to forty percent!

Unfortunately, even after breaking through in force output, Ji Yun had only reached level 4.9. The key to clearing the fourth stage was related to force output, but that wasn't all.

Why did reaching the Fifth Layer earn someone the title of Inspector?

Because becoming a Beyond War God meant a leap in one's level of life, allowing them to make better use of their body's energy. They were fundamentally different from ordinary Martial Artists. A Beyond War God might have inferior force output to a War God Martial Artist, but the energy he could unleash still far surpassed that of an Advanced War God. The gap in their levels of life was difficult to overcome.

"My Combat Power Amplitude is now 19.6," Ji Yun silently noted.

"April 1 is half a month away. I can apply for my reward."

At dusk.

Ji Yun returned and opened his laptop. It was already around seven in the evening. After washing up, he quickly opened the digital copy of the contract he had signed with the Limit Dojo. It had been scanned from the original document.

The contract clearly listed a phone number. Once Ji Yun's Combat Power Amplitude met the requirement, he could call the number to claim his reward.

"Beep—beep—" Ji Yun dialed the number.

"Hello," a low voice answered.

"Hello, I'm Ji Yun from the Elite Training Camp," Ji Yun said calmly. "I signed a contract with the dojo earlier. It has two clauses. If I meet the requirements for either one, I can call this number and claim the corresponding reward from you, correct?"

"That's right," the low voice replied.

"Good. My Combat Power Amplitude has exceeded 16, so I meet the first requirement."

"Please wait a moment, student Ji Yun. I'll check." To his surprise, the voice sounded somewhat respectful.

A moment later, the voice rose in pitch. "Congratulations, student Ji Yun. Your Combat Power Amplitude is now 19.6, and it's 7:09 p.m. on March 17, before April 1, so you qualify for the reward. Your reward is... a complete set of SS-grade Combat Suit, weapons, and other equipment; a manual of your choice; and one Vegetation Spirit."

"I see." Ji Yun nodded to himself.

"Student Ji Yun, please tell me the exact details of the Combat Suit and weapons you need, as well as the name of the manual you'd like."

"I need an SS-grade Combat Suit. The size should be..." Ji Yun quickly gave the details for his Combat Suit and Wind Lifter Spear, along with those for a Communication Watch, binoculars, backpack, and other auxiliary equipment.

"As for the manual..." Ji Yun hesitated.

Even if he practiced the Fierce Wind technique now, it wouldn't help much. He already knew the first five layers of its force output method, and the artistic conception behind its final two layers couldn't be described. So what should he choose?

After a moment's hesitation, Ji Yun said, "I choose World Destroyer."

World Destroyer was said to be the most powerful Combat Secret Technique in the world. Ji Yun hoped he could draw inspiration from it and improve, but more importantly, its creator—Hong—had reached Domain Level. Perhaps he could glean a glimpse of the path to that realm.

"Good, I've noted that."

"The Elite Training Camp is inside the headquarters Base City, so the reward should arrive at the camp's main gate within an hour. You can go there to collect it," the low voice said.

"Within an hour?" Ji Yun was taken aback. He hadn't expected it to be so fast.

"Finally, congratulations on receiving this reward, student Ji Yun. I hope you keep working hard and reach a Combat Power Amplitude of twenty soon, so you can claim another reward." After saying that, the voice hung up.

An hour later.

"Clack, clack." Ji Yun slipped into the underground chamber and locked the heavy alloy door. Using a Vegetation Spirit was a serious matter. To avoid being disturbed, he decided to do it in the underground chamber.

"Click." The light came on, illuminating the entire room.

The case was large.

It had two levels. The upper level held neatly folded Combat Suit, the Wind Lifter Spear, and a whole series of other items. Ji Yun took them out and set them aside, then checked the lower level.

The lower level held only two boxes: a wooden one and a jade one.

"I've heard that jade preserves life. The Vegetation Spirit must be in the jade box."

The other wooden box should contain—

Ji Yun easily opened the wooden box. Inside lay a thick manual and a stack of discs. The cover bore two simple characters: World Destroyer.

"Not bad." Ji Yun closed it again, set the box aside, and opened the jade box.

The jade box opened with a sliding motion. Inside, resting on a piece of very fine silk, was a bright red ginseng. It was shaped almost like a person. Ji Yun had eaten ordinary ginseng products before, but this was the first time he had seen one so vivid, red, and crystalline.

Under the light, the ginseng's blood-red body looked somewhat eerie.

Ji Yun gently put the Blood Ginseng back in its box.

Beneath where the Blood Ginseng had been stored was an instruction sheet. Ji Yun picked it up and read carefully: "Blood Dragon Ginseng! An exceptionally rare Vegetation Spirit, once guarded by a King Rank Monster, the Blood Dragon King. It was originally a ginseng that had become a Vegetation Spirit. After the Dojo Master killed the Blood Dragon King, he used its heart's blood to nourish it, creating a new Vegetation Spirit: the Blood Dragon Ginseng."

"To consume it, remove the outer skin and eat the flesh inside."

"My punching power is around 40,000 kilograms. The Vegetation Spirit should at least double it, bringing it to 80,000 kilograms." Ji Yun mused.

In the underground chamber, Ji Yun sat cross-legged on the floor.

He had just carefully peeled the Blood Ginseng and was waiting to consume it.

"Now." Ji Yun calmed himself and slowly picked up the Blood Ginseng.

Ji Yun opened his mouth. Whoosh! The mesmerizing Blood Ginseng was in his mouth in an instant. It was half the size of his palm, but there wasn't much flesh inside—only half of it.

He swallowed it in one gulp. The Blood Ginseng slid down his esophagus and into his body. At once, a feeling of dry heat and bubbling energy spread through him, making even his soul tremble.

"My whole body feels a little itchy, but it doesn't hurt."

"That feels so good."

"I can feel my muscles, bones, skin, and flesh all trembling." Ji Yun lowered his head and looked at himself. He could see his skin vibrating rapidly, in tiny but astonishingly vigorous ripples, as gray-black substances seeped through his pores.

The sensation was extraordinary...

His whole body felt warm, but not uncomfortably hot.

At the same time, it was as if the flesh on his body had separated from his bones and slipped beyond his control. He could only faintly sense the continuous trembling, like a massage.

Inside Ji Yun's body, the Blood Ginseng's essence—the surging, boundless energy and life force—almost instantly spread to every part of him. This life-giving energy brought astonishing changes to the cells in his muscles and bones, as if a sapling were growing into a towering tree.

At that moment.

Countless cells in Ji Yun's body were undergoing astonishing changes. His genes were rapidly developing and improving, discarding useless genes and undergoing another perfect restructuring. The process was incredibly fast: a transformation in his level of life, an optimization and rescreening of his genes.

His cellular activity was rapidly increasing.