Chapter 40

After absorbing all four Beast Cores at the Dou King level, Xiao Ming's realm could no longer be suppressed, like floodwaters bursting through a dam.

A terrifying force rampaged wildly through his body. His clothes tore into countless scraps, and he resembled a furious lion, his eyes bloodshot and filled with savagery and rage.

A low, sonorous roar rang out. Xiao Ran threw back his head and let out a pained howl, shooting into the air like a blazing flame. In that instant, his aura grew even stronger, that power nearly reaching its peak.

Xiao Ming floated in midair, his entire body radiating dazzling golden light. Tangible golden energy enveloped him as he looked down upon everyone on the ground like a god descending from the heavens.

At that moment, Xiao Ming seemed to have become a deity. Endless battle qi gathered above his head, forming a phantom of Gungnir.

Gungnir's phantom seemed almost real, emanating destructive power.

"Th-this is the strength of a peak Great Battle Master?"

Xiao Ming raised his head and let out a long howl. His blood-red eyes were filled with disbelief. At that moment, he felt like an invincible sovereign, his heart brimming with the fierce urge to knock the sun from the sky.

A crazed look appeared on Xiao Ming's face. At that moment, his mind seemed like a machine, ceaselessly whirring away.

He knew the state of his body. He needed to break through as quickly as possible, or he would explode and die.

Xiao Ming roared furiously at the sky and shot upward, slamming viciously into the cave wall.

Boom!

The entire mountain trembled. The instant he struck the rock wall, a crack actually split open across it, followed by a violent rumble from the mountain.

Rumble...

The deafening explosions continued without end. The mountain shook constantly, and the whole sky darkened.

After sensing this sudden disturbance, some of the magical beasts near the cave mistook it for the commotion caused by a high-level magical beast breaking through. They all hurriedly fled into the distance, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Boom!

Another tremendous crash rang out. Huge boulders fell from the mountain wall, smashing countless deep pits into the ground.

"Ah!"

Miserable screams rose one after another. Once the thunderous noise subsided, the valley returned to silence.

In the forest outside the cave, Xiao Ming stood before the trunk of an enormous ancient tree. He looked at the entirely silver-white Gungnir in his hand.

Confusion and shock appeared in his eyes. "Th-this... what's going on? Why is there an extra force inside my body, and why is it so pure?"

Gungnir's power continuously surged into Xiao Ming's body, yet he did not feel the slightest discomfort. On the contrary, he felt remarkably relaxed.

"What exactly is this power?" Xiao Ming muttered in confusion.

The sensation was incredibly pleasant, as if he were soaking in a hot spring. The power he gained from this breakthrough was even greater than last time, enough to rival the full strength of an early-stage Dou Emperor. Yet under Xiao Ming's deliberate suppression and Gungnir's absorption, even after taking in such an enormous force, his cultivation had only reached the peak of the nine-star Great Battle Master realm.

At the peak of the nine-star Great Battle Master realm, he was only one step away from the Dou Spirit realm. Xiao Ming was not especially eager to take that step. His ambition did not lie in a temporary breakthrough; he cared more about his ability to fight across realms.

The stronger Xiao Ming became, the safer the Xiao Clan and Black Demon Stockade behind him would be. After all, Xiao Ming's talent was beyond the reach of everyone else. He possessed talent sufficient to crush all things. Given enough time, he would surely become one of the strongest people on the Battle Qi Continent.

"Forget it. I'll leave it alone for now."

Xiao Ming shook his head, then sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and continued cultivating to stabilize his newly attained realm.

Strands of battle qi flew from his body and merged into Gungnir. Like raindrops falling upon it, they scattered across Gungnir, and in that instant, rings of dazzling golden light bloomed from it.

Xiao Ran sat cross-legged as dense white clouds appeared around him. Within those clouds hid countless traces of lightning power. The lightning continuously tempered Gungnir, making it increasingly harder.

"Hmm?" A look of surprise suddenly appeared on Xiao Ran's face.

He discovered that, without realizing it, he had entered a wondrous state.

His consciousness entered a marvelous world where bolts of lightning intertwined. His consciousness continuously moved through the regions woven from lightning, comprehending their mysteries.

"A lightning-element battle skill?"

Xiao Ming suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through them. The corners of his lips rose slightly, and his gaze was filled with excitement.

His cultivation speed was extremely slow, and each advancement required an enormous amount of energy. Yet after reaching the peak of the nine-star Great Battle Master realm, he discovered that the amount of battle qi his dantian could contain was likewise astonishingly vast.

This was because Xiao Ming had constantly suppressed his realm while refining and absorbing the power contained within Beast Cores. As a result, the amount of battle qi his body could now store had completely exceeded what a Great Battle Master should possess.

Moreover, he could now fully bear this power.

Xiao Ming's consciousness continued passing through the regions where lightning intertwined, comprehending the patterns of those bolts one after another.

He discovered that he was exceptionally fond of this lightning-element battle skill.

It was a powerful battle skill called the Heavenly Dipper Thunder Fist.

This fist technique could draw upon the power of lightning to unleash terrifying offensive force. Moreover, the lightning itself was overwhelmingly tyrannical. If this fist technique were performed using ordinary battle skills alone, it would certainly be impossible to achieve such a terrifying effect. Thus, there had to be some special principle behind it.

Xiao Ming looked at the silver Gungnir in his hand, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.

He still could not determine what was so extraordinary about this fist technique, but it gave him a familiar, intimate feeling, as if it were something he had been born knowing.