War God!

As the last metal ingot turned into a wisp of gray mist and sank into Calamity's pitch-black blade, only a little gray-white dust remained in the metal case.

Lin Fan lowered his head and looked at Calamity in his hand.

The weapon felt heavier now, and the dark purple sheen running along its blade had grown more prominent.

Suddenly.

Boom!

An energy more violent and domineering than any that had come before surged through the cold hilt and flooded into Lin Fan like a river bursting its banks.

"Gah..."

Lin Fan sucked in a sharp breath.

"What's going on?!"

Crack, crack!

Lin Fan could even hear the bones throughout his body popping. It sounded as if someone were stir-frying a wok full of soybeans inside him.

The noise echoed through the empty basement, making his scalp prickle.

Under the deluge of energy, every bone in Lin Fan's body trembled.

It was as if countless invisible little hammers were pounding away at him.

In an instant, sweat soaked through Lin Fan's clothes. Then the temperature of his skin shot up, evaporating the sweat into white mist that rose from his head.

"Damn."

That really freaking hurt.

Yet mingled with the agony was an indescribable sense of pleasure. For a moment, Lin Fan almost wondered if he was developing some kind of unusual fetish.

This painful yet pleasurable sensation lasted a full ten minutes before gradually subsiding.

Lin Fan let out a long breath.

"Finally, it's over."

He slowly stood up and stretched.

Crack!

His joints gave another series of crisp pops.

"Something feels different."

As Lin Fan moved his body, he felt unbelievably light.

The slightest exertion filled his body with an explosive sense of power.

Lin Fan clenched his fist and looked toward the Punch Strength Tester in the corner.

"This can't just be my imagination..."

He strode over to the Punch Strength Tester in the corner of the Martial Arts Hall.

Limit Martial Arts Hall had specially equipped it with a high-end model so warriors could conveniently test their strength at home. It was exceptionally impact-resistant.

It could easily handle being hit by any warrior below Planetary Level. It was more than enough for him to put through its paces.

Lin Fan took a deep breath, and his gaze sharpened.

He dug his feet into the ground. Strength surged up from his soles, traveled through his calves and thighs, and reached his hips in an instant.

At that moment, his body was like a powerful bow drawn to its limit.

Thwack!

His right fist shot out like a cannonball, tearing through the air with a piercing sonic boom.

He used no Force Application Technique.

He used no combat skills.

All he used was the pure, unadorned strength of his own body!

Bang!!

A deep, thunderous crash erupted through the basement.

The anchor bolts securing the tester screeched against the floor, and the whole machine shuddered.

The numbers on the display flashed wildly before finally settling.

[66200 kg]

Lin Fan stared at the number, his eyes widening in surprise.

"I've reached the War God level???"

"That fast?"

When he'd first crossed over, he'd only been at the student level. It had only been a few days, and he was already a War God??

Lin Fan slowly lowered his numb fist. Even as he felt the power still surging through his body, he could hardly believe it.

Sixty-six thousand kilograms!

And that was his base punching strength, with no force amplification at all.

If he combined it with the Force Application Technique from the Basic Warrior 36 Forms...

"Tsk, tsk. If I unleash my full power, even a Beginner War God will probably be on his knees, singing 'I Surrender.'"

Lin Fan shook his head.

This meant that he had one foot in a realm others could only look up to. He'd become a true powerhouse, capable of standing on his own.

"So this is what it feels like to have cheats? It's amazing."

After testing his strength, Lin Fan sat down cross-legged again and looked at Calamity beside him.

The pitch-black scythe lay quietly on the floor. After devouring those metal essences, the patterns on its blade seemed to have grown more intricate.

Lin Fan reached out and lightly traced the cold edge with his fingertip. A faint sense of kinship stirred in him, as if the blade were connected to his very blood.

With a mere thought, pale blue ripples spread across his retina, and rows of clear data appeared.

[Companion Divine Weapon: Calamity (Tier One)]

[Current Growth: 12%]

[Special Status: First Stage of Calamity Killing Art Unlocked]

Lin Fan looked at the glaring percentage and raised an eyebrow.

"Only 12%?"

He couldn't help clicking his tongue.

He'd thought that pouring three hundred million into it would evolve the thing at least halfway. He hadn't expected it to reach even a fifth of the way.

"This thing's a damn money pit..."

"It looks like the resources it'll take to reach Tier Two will be astronomical."

Still, a high investment often meant high returns. This companion divine weapon's potential really did seem extraordinary.

"Since the hardware's hit a bottleneck for now, let's take a look at the software."

Lin Fan took a deep breath.

"Extract the first stage of the Calamity Killing Art."

Boom!

At his command, a massive stream of information flooded into his mind like a river bursting its banks.

Lin Fan's vision went black. When it returned, an ancient, desolate scene appeared before him.

He found himself in a boundless, pitch-black void.

"Where is this..."

Boom!!

Suddenly, a colossal scythe that stretched across almost the entire galaxy appeared before him.

As Lin Fan watched in astonishment, the scythe slowly cleaved toward the distant stars.

There were no flashy movements or complicated variations, only pure, overwhelming suppression and destruction.

The strike visibly warped and caved in the surrounding space.

It was a terrifying display of simplicity at its most profound—a work of art born purely for slaughter.

Lin Fan stared at the colossal scythe. Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, and his body trembled under the immense strain on his mind.

Pop.

After the strike had fully descended, Lin Fan slowly opened his eyes. Deep within them flickered shock and exhaustion.

"Holy crap, this technique... It's incredible."

He exhaled a long breath and rubbed his throbbing temples.

Without hesitation, Lin Fan called out in his mind,

"True Self, record the first stage of the Calamity Killing Art and begin deducing how to cultivate it!"

[True Self has responded]

[Recording the first stage of the Calamity Killing Art, "Mountain Collapse"... Recording complete]

[True Self has entered cultivation mode]

This time, unlike before, the system actually gave him a notification.

Then, in the Bronze Hall deep within Lin Fan's sea of consciousness, a golden figure identical to him quickly took shape.

Without a word, the golden figure gripped a phantom scythe and began imitating the movements of the imposing figure from before, bringing the weapon down in a fierce slash.

"Mountain Collapse!!"

Watching True Self practice the move over and over, Lin Fan nodded with satisfaction, a relaxed smile on his lips.

"But that's not all."

After withdrawing from his sea of consciousness, he flipped his hand, and Sky Splitter appeared out of thin air.

"Extract the first stage of the Sky-Splitting Escape Method!"