Chapter 444: Chapter 432: The Dangerous Rat City [Subscribe Please]
As the first rays of dawn sunlight filtered through the window into the alchemy room,
Chen Fan, sitting on a meditation cushion, slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a soft breath.
He spent the entire night refining the exotic true qi within his body, attempting to fuse it with his own true qi.
He initially thought it would be an uncomplicated task.
However, the result was far beyond his expectations.
After an entire night, he had only managed to fuse less than 100 points out of 500 points of Primordial True Essence, requiring at least another 40 hours to complete the remaining 400 points.
Nevertheless, there was good news.
Once he successfully refined all 500 points into his very own Primordial True Essence, the next fusion process would be at least one-third faster.
Fortunately, even though several hundred points of true essence remained unrefined, they were still part of his own true essence.
There was a risk of internal backlash, but it was very minimal.
Chen Fan’s gaze shifted to the status panel,
Realm: True Essence Realm · First Realm (63.2%) (+)
True Essence: 75948.4 / 1804.75 (+4110%)
With the addition of these 500 points of true essence, his total volume of true essence now reached 76,000 points, over 60% of his Sea of Qi.
"This method of increasing Primordial True Qi is much faster than honestly practicing alchemy."
Chen Fan sighed with emotion.
To be honest, he was genuinely tempted.
He even entertained the idea of capturing more wanted criminals to drain their inner strength.
After all, these heinous individuals deserved death.
But within him, there was a voice constantly reminding him.
To resist the temptation.
Indeed, though there was no current risk of internal backlash due to the disparity between the exotic true qi and Primordial True Qi within him,
what if he absorbed the inner strength of several more martial artists?
Once the ratio neared one-to-one, the risk of internal backlash would become significant.
If the ratio reached two-to-one or three-to-one, the probability of backlash would multiply exponentially, leading to chaotic true qi, internal injuries, or worse, demonic possession, or even burst body and death in severe cases!
The second concern was his mental state.
If a good person kills too many bad people, evil can override humanity, turning one cold-hearted; if an evil person spares more people, humanity can win over evil, making one compassionate. Nothing is set in stone.
Chen Fan worried that excessive absorption of others’ powers, even those of the wicked, would cause him to lose himself.
Throughout the night, he was not only refining exotic true qi but also racking his brain for a solution.
Indeed, he devised a plan.
[Ice Heart Technique].
This heart method belongs to a supreme martial art.
Unlike other heart methods, it focuses on mental cultivation rather than inner strength.
At advanced stages, it can suppress inner demonic nature, making the mind as clear and pure as ice.
However, even this heart method cannot eliminate demonic nature, merely suppress it.
There was another unparalleled technique, the Nine-Character Mantra Hand Seal, especially the characters that preach goodness – "All soldiers, fighters, and arrayed marchers", "My Heart is Zen", and "All Transformations Merging".
They encourage righteousness but only suppress rather than eliminate demonic nature.
Above these supreme techniques, a peerless martial art called [Carefree Wander] exists.
This technique differs from the aforementioned ones.
Both the Ice Heart Technique and the Nine-Character Mantra Hand Seal intentionally suppress inner evil while amplifying true goodness and beauty within.
In contrast, Carefree Wander cultivates a state of absolute freedom.
Neither human nature nor demon nature can affect the practitioners, for concepts like right and wrong, good and evil, do not exist for them.
They transcend worldly entanglements, roaming in boundlessness, which is why the technique is named Carefree Wander.
Thus, those who master this technique are often great benefactors, immune to any evil influences, unwavering in their righteousness, saving numerous lives.
Conversely, it can make them grand villains who wreak havoc, unaffected by righteous concepts, finding it easy to kill many.
Or they may be those who act purely on their whims, embodying both good and evil.
Among the three techniques, Carefree Wander is the best.
The redemption points needed to exchange for it reflect this.
The Ice Heart Technique costs only 50,000 points.
The Nine-Character Mantra Hand Seal requires 80,000 points.
As for Carefree Wander, it costs an astonishing 700,000 points!
Chen Fan really wanted to get Carefree Wander for a perfect start.
However, considering the 700,000 points, which would take him two to three days to accumulate,
and the fact that the available Carefree Wander was an incomplete version,
he likely wouldn’t be able to practice it until he perfected the Ice Heart Technique and the Nine-Character Mantra Hand Seal.
So, he decided to purchase the Ice Heart Technique first.
"Therefore, before using the Star Absorption Technique again, I must fully fuse the remaining exotic true qi and master the Ice Heart Technique. ’A gentleman practices discretion, does not deceive in the dark.’ The heart’s changes often go unnoticed until it’s too late, thus one must be prepared in advance," Chen Fan mused.
If he could achieve these two points,
the Star Absorption Technique wouldn’t be a catastrophic technique but a great assistance in rapidly filling his Sea of Qi.
It might even allow him to break into the Second Realm of True Essence, further enhancing his inner true essence. Once he achieved Second Realm Perfection, he could attempt a breakthrough to become a Celestial Human Realm Martial Artist!
"That’s enough true qi refining for now; it’s getting late, time to hunt fierce beasts."
The thought made Chen Fan frown slightly.
As per the agreement, Meng Xue should have already informed him of the locations of those flying and underground fierce beasts last night.
Yet it was already the next day.
"Could something have happened?" he muttered, planning to check on her.
"Buzz, buzz."
Just then, his phone vibrated.
Chen Fan’s face revealed a peculiar expression; could it be mere coincidence?
He answered the call, which indeed was from Meng Yu.
As soon as the call connected, Meng Xue’s slightly weak voice came through.
"Sorry, Chen Fan, I got delayed. You haven’t left the city, have you?"
"Are you okay?" Chen Fan asked with concern.
"I’m fine, just overexerted my spiritual power," Meng Xue chuckled weakly. "Finding the beast locations wasn’t difficult; by yesterday afternoon, I could have provided them. You know, though, that both types of fierce beasts are hard to deal with."
"Yes."
Chen Fan nodded.
Flying beasts need no explanation.
If they fly high enough, even with a bow and arrow, it’s hard to deal with them.
Of course, mastering the long-range Nine Provinces Archery might improve the situation, but that technique wouldn’t unlock until the following afternoon.
As for the underground beasts, they were even harder to combat.
They hide underground, with passages extending everywhere. At depths of several tens of meters, even a nuke might not reach them.
"So, I’ve drawn a tunnel map indicating the locations of the two commander-level fierce beasts. Come over, and I’ll give you the map, which might help you."
Upon hearing this, Chen Fan’s eyes widened.
So, the reason Meng Xue was late was because she was drawing a map.
This meant he could directly venture into those underground beasts’ lairs with a straight-forward route, significantly reducing the difficulty level!
"Meng Xue, thank you."
Chen Fan quickly responded.
"No need for thanks," Meng Xue smiled, "I am also a part of Anshan City, just doing my part. But Chen Fan, don’t celebrate too soon."
Meng Xue’s tone turned serious. "The Vajra Rat King and Bloodthirsty Ant King are both commander-level fierce beasts with intelligence and are adept at burrowing. If you can’t defeat them swiftly, within seconds they could dig hundreds of meters underground, making them hard to catch. This is the first point.
Secondly, the Bloodthirsty Ant resides in a rainforest, a dangerous but manageable place for you. However, the Vajra Rat’s location is special."
"How special?"
Chen Fan asked patiently.
"The Vajra Rat resides in the ruins of a city called Rat City, known today but formerly called Smoke City, a second-tier city with convenient transportation and subway lines spread throughout.
After the Beast Tide, the omnipresent underground tunnels were occupied by the rat beasts, turning into complex burrows. This fact was exploited by wanted criminals and cultists who use the city as their stronghold."
Chen Fan’s eyes narrowed.
"You mean I’m guaranteed to encounter these people in Rat City."
"Correct," Meng Xue sighed. "According to the Awakened Association, near ten A-level Awakened individuals reside there. The Association has dispatched Hunters to eradicate them, but every attempt has failed.
These criminals and cultists excel in navigating the underground spaces, retreating into tunnels when threatened and planning counter-attacks.
Recently, they caused heavy losses to an Association Hunter squad, after which the Association abandoned their eradication plans.
Chen Fan, if you go there, it will be very dangerous."
Meng Xue hesitated.
"Got it. What about the Flaming Flame Eagles’ location?" After a brief contemplation, Chen Fan asked.