Chapter 193: Intermediate Profession
The Panlong Mountain Range stretched hundreds of kilometers from north to south, located more than a hundred kilometers due east of Qinghui Base, and only seventy to eighty kilometers away from Zhou Ming’s camp.
Such a short distance was enough to threaten the safety of Qinghui Base.
Su Mei and the others hurried along the entire way, not daring to pause even slightly midway, and successfully returned to the camp three hours later.
“My lord?”
Upon seeing Lu Tao, who was stationed at the camp, Su Mei immediately asked.
“What happened?”
Seeing Su Mei and the others looking panicked and disheveled, Lu Tao vaguely sensed that something serious had occurred.
“A large Dimensional Rift has appeared in the Panlong Mountain Range, and Transcendent-level Giants have emerged. This matter must be reported to my lord immediately.”
“My lord began seclusion cultivation three days ago and specifically instructed that he must not be disturbed.”
Hearing what Su Mei said, Lu Tao immediately felt his legs go weak. He had only just enjoyed a few comfortable days—how could a large Dimensional Rift appear near Qinghui Base?
Just as everyone was at a loss, Zhou Ming was currently advancing to the intermediate profession.
With Sapphire Fish and various resources boosting his Spiritual Power, Zhou Ming had reached the requirements to advance to the intermediate profession in just a short year and a half.
After Su Ningfeng completed the Ironthread Snake genetic structure diagram, Zhou Ming studied it for a month before beginning preparations to advance to the intermediate profession.
Inside the small building by the Underground Lake, Zhou Ming had already transformed into his Serpentfolk form and swallowed the Bloodline Jewel from the Rock-Scale Giant Python.
By strengthening the Ironthread Snake bloodline, he fed it back into himself, thereby obtaining a qualitative transformation in Spiritual Power.
At this moment, Zhou Ming used himself as the medium, relying on the Ironthread Snake genetic structure diagram as guidance, driving his Spiritual Power to integrate the Bloodline Jewel into his body.
Just as Zhou Ming began refining the Rock-Scale Giant Python’s bloodline, the Bloodline Will hidden within the bloodline surged forth, beginning to corrode Zhou Ming’s rationality and consciousness.
“Snake Swarm Will, suppress.”
Within the Spiritual Sea, a heaven-reaching giant serpent formed of one thousand and eight starlights slowly coiled its body. The White Bone Body seated atop the giant serpent began to radiate mysterious brilliance from the crown on its head.
Seizing this opportunity, Zhou Ming not only suppressed the influence brought by the Bloodline Will, but even used the Snake Swarm Will to absorb the Rock-Scale Giant Python’s Bloodline Will.
Zhou Ming’s goal was not merely to become the supreme will of the Ironthread Snake swarm, but to use the Ironthread Snake as a foundation to scheme for the highest will of the entire serpent race.
As the Bloodline Jewel was refined, every cell in Zhou Ming’s body became active, as if the Ironthread Snake swarm was cheering for him.
While offering congratulations to Zhou Ming, they were also delighted by their own transformation.
The elevation of his bloodline finally triggered changes in his Spiritual Power. The scales on the heaven-reaching giant serpent within the Spiritual Sea instantly burst forth with dazzling radiance.
Intermediate profession advancement succeeded.
Inside the room specially used for meditation, Zhou Ming slowly opened his eyes. His dark-gold serpent pupils shimmered with mysterious light, making the purple snake scales on both sides of his cheeks appear filled with noble dignity.
“Advancing from beginner profession to intermediate profession in just a year and a half—among the Alliance’s prodigies, this speed could be considered top-tier.”
Feeling the surging power within his body like raging waves, Zhou Ming could not help but feel pleased with himself.
However, such a situation was also normal. Advancing to intermediate profession before thirty—if it were anyone else, they would have long since become unbearably arrogant.
Rising to his feet and walking out of the meditation room, Zhou Ming was just about to make a cup of Honey Water when he sensed Li Hu pacing back and forth downstairs, his mood clearly anxious.
“Li Hu, come up.”
Sensing that something had happened, Zhou Ming immediately transmitted his voice to Li Hu and then restored his body to its normal form.
Outside the small building, Li Hu’s expression instantly lit up upon hearing Zhou Ming’s voice, and he hurried inside.
After a brief discussion, Su Mei and the others had ultimately decided to have Li Hu, the Snake Guard Commander, wait on the lake’s central island for Zhou Ming to emerge from seclusion.
Now that he heard Zhou Ming’s summons, he naturally did not dare waste any time.
“What happened?”
“My lord, a large Dimensional Rift has appeared in the Panlong Mountain Range, and Transcendent-level Giants have emerged.”
As soon as the words fell, the momentum Zhou Ming had just gained from advancing to intermediate profession erupted instantly, his bloodline aura enveloping the entire small building.
Li Hu, who had come to report the news, immediately felt an enormous pressure. A formless sense of fear rose in his heart, and he promptly knelt before Zhou Ming, not daring to move.
“Explain the situation in detail.”
“Yes, yes, my lord.”
Only after sensing Zhou Ming retract his aura did Li Hu regain the strength to answer.
Moments later, Zhou Ming fully understood the situation from Li Hu’s account.
“The Giant Race.”
Zhou Ming set down the water cup in his hand, his expression extremely grave.
At the beginning of the year, when Zhou Ming had sent Su Mei to deliver Sapphire Fish to the Scorpion-Lion, he had deliberately instructed her to bring ten extra.
His purpose was to obtain information unknown to ordinary Beast Tamers from the Duanmu Family.
For example, information about alien races, the worlds behind Dimensional Rifts, and the concrete situation of the Alliance’s upper echelons.
It was precisely through this opportunity that Zhou Ming gained a clearer understanding of the Blue Star Alliance, alien races, and other worlds.
At present, the alien races appearing on Blue Star could be divided into upper-tier alien races and lower-tier alien races.
Upper-tier alien races would possess the strength of professional Beast Tamers upon reaching adulthood. Their powerful bloodlines required no cultivation—time alone was enough for them to obtain terrifying power that Blue Star humans envied.
In the past, Blue Star humans had also coveted alien bloodlines, but later discovered that humans who fused alien bloodlines had no ability to resist alien races of the same bloodline.
Alien juveniles could rely on bloodline suppression to control Blue Star humans who had fused their bloodlines, just as Zhou Ming influenced the Snake Guards.
After discovering this severe flaw, Blue Star humans redirected all their efforts toward developing Spiritual Power.
However, upper-tier alien races also had a weakness—that their reproductive capability was low, and their growth period relatively long.
The Giants discovered by Li Hu and the others were naturally upper-tier alien races.
According to intelligence provided by the Duanmu Family, the Giant Race lived in tribal forms. Small tribes numbered around a hundred giants, while large tribes could approach ten thousand.
Regardless of tribe size, there would be at least one Transcendent Giant serving as the tribal leader.
If the giants discovered by Li Hu and the others came from a large tribe, then the northern region of the Alliance would face a severe threat.
This was because within large tribes, the number of Transcendent Giants could exceed one hundred.
Meanwhile, the number of Transcendent Beast Tamers within the Alliance, according to detailed data provided by the Duanmu Family, did not exceed three hundred at most.
This number also included Transcendent Beast Tamers from the Beast Spirit Sorcerer system.
Of course, Blue Star humans were not without any advantages.
At the same level, starting from the professional rank, Beast Tamers were stronger than alien races of the same level. This was also one of the reasons Blue Star humans were able to rise again.
“Hopefully, the giants appearing this time come from a small tribe. Otherwise, Qinghui Base will be very difficult to preserve.”
“Why is that, my lord? Doesn’t the Alliance have Legendary Saints?”
Although Li Hu did not know much about the Giant Race, he had heard that large Dimensional Rifts could at most allow Transcendent-level power to pass through.
“Legendary Saints are enough to influence the survival of an entire race. Over hundreds of years of conflict, both humans and alien races have experienced the fall of Legendary Saints.”
“In the end, the various races gradually formed a tacit understanding. As long as Legendary Saints do not intervene, or unless racial survival is at stake, they generally will not act lightly.”
After learning this intelligence from the Duanmu Family, Zhou Ming finally understood why, over the past hundred-plus years, humans and alien races had not witnessed Legendary Saint-level slaughter.