Taking Action Against the Ferocious Beasts Early?

"Commander."

"After comparison..."

"This beast should be the major threat Instructor Su predicted."

The intelligence staff officer wiped the cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Zhao Dingbang narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Ironclad Mad Ape."

"Su Qingxue said that in her previous life, this beast had led the charge during the Shu Capital Beast Tide."

"A Peak Second-Order Martial Artist Beast King, with skin like bronze and bones like iron. Even armor-piercing rounds couldn't penetrate it."

At this point,

Zhao Dingbang paused and carefully observed the energy fluctuations on the data panel.

"However."

"Judging from the destructive power it is currently displaying, as well as its spiritual energy readings..."

"It should have only just crossed the threshold into the Early Second Tier."

The atmosphere in the conference room instantly turned grim.

An armored brigade commander with a fiery temper abruptly rose to his feet.

"Commander!"

"Since we've already identified the target, and it hasn't grown to its Peak Stage yet."

"I request that the Flying Dragon Squad be deployed immediately!"

"We'll bring the newest bunker-buster missiles and thermobaric bombs and hit it with saturation bombardment!"

"Blow it to pieces!"

Several officers immediately nodded in agreement.

"Exactly, strike while it's weak!"

"Once it truly reaches the Peak Second-Order Stage."

"The casualties we'll pay to take it down will be far too great!"

"Reporting, Commander, I also agree with taking it out early!"

Zhao Dingbang did not state his position right away.

He turned toward a middle-aged staff officer on his left.

"Old Chen, you're the tactical analysis expert."

"What's your opinion?"

Staff Officer Chen adjusted his glasses and slowly rose to his feet.

Rather than looking at the hot-tempered brigade commander, he walked straight to the holographic display.

"I oppose acting early."

The armored brigade commander frowned and slammed his palm onto the table.

"Old Chen."

"Have you spent so long in the rear that you've even grown timid?"

Staff Officer Chen gave a cold laugh.

"I'm afraid you'll lead our brothers into a death trap and get them killed for nothing!"

He rapidly tapped on the keyboard and brought up several thermal energy distribution maps.

"Take a good look."

"The deep mountain forests have now become areas where high concentrations of spiritual energy gather."

"The number of mutated creatures inside is measured in the millions!"

"How many First-Order Ferocious Beasts are lurking around that ape?"

"Even if the Flying Dragon Squad goes in with heavy firepower, they'll be completely swallowed by the endless Beast Tide!"

"That would be feeding troops in piecemeal, a grave military blunder!"

"In jungle terrain, our mechanized forces can't even deploy properly, and our heavy firepower will be severely weakened."

The conference room fell silent.

Everyone understood the limitations of modern weapons in complex terrain.

The armored brigade commander was still unwilling to accept it.

"Then what if we simply carpet-bomb the area with long-range missiles?"

Staff Officer Chen shook his head, a sharp gleam flashing through his eyes.

"The second point is also the most crucial one."

"Everyone seems to have forgotten a key piece of intelligence Instructor Su provided."

"Other than absorbing spiritual energy, the fastest way for Ferocious Beasts to grow stronger is by devouring one another!"

"Even if we pay an enormous price and even flatten that mountain with missiles, killing this Ironclad Mad Ape."

"Then what?"

"In those vast mountain forests, another mutated tiger or mutated black bear will immediately emerge."

"They'll devour the ape's corpse, even the flesh and blood of the Ferocious Beasts killed by the missiles."

"In just a few days, they'll evolve into new, even more powerful Beast Kings!"

"Can we kill them all?"

Everyone fell into thought.

It was an unsolvable vicious cycle.

As long as spiritual energy remained, and as long as the mountains held a large enough population of beasts, Beast Kings would continue to emerge without end.

"Then what do you suggest?"

The armored brigade commander sat back down, his tone softening.

Staff Officer Chen took a deep breath, his expression becoming incomparably solemn.

"Wait!"

"Wait for the first major Beast Tide seven days from now!"

"They're hiding in the mountains, where we can't properly engage them."

"But once they charge out of the forests and reach the open plains, the balance of attack and defense will be completely reversed!"

Staff Officer Chen braced both hands against the table and swept his gaze across the room.

"We must turn the defensive line around Shu Capital into a massive meat grinder!"

"We'll use the heavy-firepower network we've established to inflict large-scale, efficient casualties on the beast horde."

"Most importantly..."

"The corpses of Ferocious Beasts are also precious resources rich in spiritual energy!"

"If we want to cultivate more and stronger human martial artists."

"We need those materials to refine medicines and forge weapons!"

"The Beast Tide is not only a crisis humanity faces."

"It is also our best opportunity to harvest resources and rapidly strengthen ourselves!"

Those words completely convinced everyone present.

If they did not understand the underlying logic of Ferocious Beast evolution, or the value of beast cores and materials,

they would certainly have rashly entered the mountains, thrown away their lives, and perhaps even destroyed those precious resources.

"Old Chen has explained it thoroughly."

"Inform the troops on the defensive line to hurry up and build fortifications. Load every last bullet!"

Zhao Dingbang nodded in satisfaction.

He lifted his teacup and took a sip, unable to hide the joy on his face.

"Next."

"I have some good news to announce."

Everyone immediately sat up straighter.

"It has only been two short days since the full recovery of spiritual energy."

"Thanks to the Basic Breathing Technique we distributed in advance."

"Another sixty-one soldiers in our Southwest Military Region have successfully condensed Qi Vortices and become First-Tier Early-Stage Martial Artists!"

Upon hearing Zhao Dingbang's words,

cheers immediately erupted in the conference room.

This was undoubtedly the most uplifting dawn amid the darkness.

In the face of this apocalyptic disaster,

every martial artist was humanity's hope for survival.

"And it isn't just us."

"The statistics the Empire has just compiled and sent over show that."

"Under the catalysis of the Spiritual Energy Tide over these past two days, all major military regions across the country."

"Have seen the number of newly born martial artists surpass two thousand five hundred!"

"This newly rising force will be the backbone of our future battle against the Beast Tide!"

"..."

Zhao Dingbang's voice rang out once more.

Thunderous applause filled the room.

Every face was brimming with excitement and pride.

This was the confidence of Dragon Country's soldiers.

At the far end of the long conference table,

Lin Yuan smiled and applauded along with everyone else.

He was not the least bit surprised by the figures Zhao Dingbang had announced.

Because he knew perfectly well just how terrifying the current spiritual energy concentration had become.

In the past, the air

had held spiritual energy like thin morning mist, requiring desperate breaths just to catch a trace of it.

But now,

the air across all of Blue Star had directly become a thick ocean of spiritual energy.

As long as one's talent was not too poor,

and one had a complete Breathing Method,

repeatedly bathing the body in high concentrations of spiritual energy,

crossing the threshold of a First-Order Martial Artist was not difficult at all.

Afterward,

Lin Yuan closed his eyes slightly.

Others thought he was seriously considering tactical arrangements.

In reality,

he was examining his own body from within.

The Qi Vortex in his dantian had already expanded into a rapidly spinning golden whirlpool.

Extremely pure spiritual energy surged continuously into his limbs and bones with every breath he took.

His skin trembled.

His muscles writhed.

His bones gave off nearly imperceptible sounds like distant thunder.

Every cell in his body rejoiced, greedily devouring the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

Even while merely sitting here in the meeting,

the True Qi within Lin Yuan's body was slowly growing stronger.

This feeling of becoming stronger was simply too intoxicating.

The next moment,

Lin Yuan's thoughts stirred slightly.

A virtual panel visible only to him quietly appeared before his eyes.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence System]

[Host: Lin Yuan]

[Strength: Peak Second-Order Martial Artist]

[Technique: Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula, Second Layer (Perfected Realm 78%)]

[Martial Skills: Broken Rock Fist (Minor Mastery Realm 92%), Wandering Dragon Step (Minor Mastery Realm 96%), Overlord Spear (Minor Mastery Realm 94%)]

[Treasures: None]

Soon.

As long as nothing unexpected happened,

before the Shu Capital Beast Tide erupted,

he should be able to break through the Second-Tier Stage barrier and enter the Third-Tier Bone Tempering Realm.

Once he reached the Third-Tier Stage,

his True Qi would temper his bones, and both his recovery and defense would undergo a qualitative leap.

Beyond that,

the three martial skills Lin Yuan had mastered were also on the verge of breaking through.

Once all three martial skills reached the Mastery Realm,

Lin Yuan's actual combat ability would undergo an earth-shaking transformation!