Chapter 145: Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body, Ninth Heavenly Realm In A Year

It was only nine in the morning when Chen Chu, dressed in casual attire, returned to the school.

"Chen Chu, over here."

In the academic bulding's office not far away, Liu Feixu waved to Chen Chu. "Pang Long has been secluded for over a week. He asked me to come back and see you."

"...No wonder he wasn't around. Sorry to trouble you, Miss Liu," Chen Chu said, feeling a bit frustrated from not being able to find Pang Long.

"No problem, let's go."

Liu Feixu stood up and led Chen Chu towards another building.

"High-level arts are different from low-level ones, as they involve Martial Will. Simple pupil image transmission can only convey content up to the Fourth Heavenly Realm. Acquiring the needed information for content of the fourth stage and above requires the use of True Martial Steles."

As they walked, Liu Feixu explained to Chen Chu the necessary details about inheriting high-level arts.

Soon, the two arrived at a square building, twenty meters tall and of regular shape.

There weren't many people inside, but Liu Feixu had to undergo five identity verifications consecutively upon entry. At the same time, she also registered Chen Chu, so that he could enter alone the next time he wanted to exchange for other high-level arts or combat skills.

The two traversed a lengthy corridor and finally arrived at a central hall.

In the middle stood a ten-meter-high, gray stone stele, emitting a heavy aura. Even Chen Chu felt a bit uneasy under the invisible pressure.

"Don't worry about it. The True Martial Stele can't harm you. That pressure is the True Martial Will left behind by strong individuals. Alright, let's verify our identities over there and activate the Stele."

Following Liu Feixu's guidance, Chen Chu approached the device by the wall.

"Welcome to the Celestial Think Tank System. Please input your student ID for facial bone verification, pupil verification...

"Identity verified. Please select the martial art you wish to learn.

"You have chosen the high-level Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body. Learning requires Grade II+ access and 300 contribution points...

"Requirements met. Activating the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body Martial Will..."

Buzz!

Following the prompt, a pure energy flowed into the gray stone stele through a channel running along the ground.

The stele trembled slightly, and many lines on its surface lit up. Then, a True Martial Will was activated.

Roar!

A terrifying roar resonated in the void, and the room filled with an oppressive might, enough to shake even Chen Chu's will.

Liu Feixu said, "Go ahead, place your hand on the True Martial Stele and swear, 'I will never betray the human race,' then you can inherit the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body.

"During the oath, the stele will take a strand of your soul's aura as proof of your identity as a human elite. This will have no effect on you, so there's no need to worry."

Soul's aura?

Suppressing the impulse to immediately accept the inheritance, Chen Chu turned back and looked at Liu Feixu in confusion. "Ma'am, is it necessary to go through all this trouble just to exchange for a high-level art?"

Chen Chu didn't know what a soul's aura was, but he knew that anything related to the soul must be important.

Liu Feixu smiled wryly. "It wasn't so troublesome before. If you had talent in cultivation, you could choose arts freely, regardless of whether they were high-level or low-level. In those days, anyone with cultivation potential was very precious.

"However, over a decade ago, a significant betrayal prompted the authorities to initiate extensive reforms and implement various barriers and requirements, including the current school system."

"Who was responsible for such a large change?" Chen Chu asked, surprised.

Liu Feixu's tone became somewhat complex as she responded. "He was a prodigy."

"A prodigy!"

Chen Chu paused, feeling puzzled.

If he was a prodigy, why would he betray the human race? Did he endure injustices from an early age? Did his parents face persecution and ultimately perish? Did he experience societal discrimination?

The significance of betraying the human race differed from betraying a country or Federation. The latter targeted a specific system, whereas the former encompassed the entirety of humanity, akin to the extremists in the Blood Cult who had resorted to murder to feed Blood Seeds and enhance their power.

On top of that, this person's betrayal had been significant enough that it had led to sweeping changes in the Federation's educational regulations, creating a significant obstacle to mastering high-level arts.

Shaking her head, Liu Feixu explained. "Neither the Federation nor the school wronged him. His parents were alive at the time, well-known high-level cultivators leading a contented life. In addition, his talent was frighteningly exceptional. Despite not being an Innate Awakener, he surpassed even them, reaching the Ninth Heavenly Realm within a year."

"...Wait, ma'am, are you certain about this? The Ninth Heavenly Realm within a year!" Chen Chu was genuinely astonished this time.

From his introduction to true martial arts until now, it had been approximately five months, and he had only reached the late stage of the Third Heavenly Realm, even with attribute point enhancements.

He knew well that with his natural moderate talent, normal cultivation would likely have barely propelled him to the Second Heavenly Realm by now, and the Third Realm would have required at least a year or two to attain.

Yet, the individual who betrayed the human race reached the Ninth Heavenly Realm in just one year!

Liu Feixu appeared satisfied at Chen Chu's reaction and nodded. "You heard it. That individual was indeed extraordinary.

"When he enrolled in school, he selected a high-level art, the True Scripture of the Mystical Heavenly Sword. This art was unique, emphasizing the comprehension of artistic conception over mere technical skills.

"Initially, his progress was sluggish. It took him around three months to break through to the First Heavenly Realm. However, he soon showcased his terrifying talent, advancing by one realm each month.

"In a matter of months, he reached the peak of the Sixth Heavenly Realm and even devised his own subsequent martial arts, before swiftly ascending to the Ninth. At the time, the remarkable talent he displayed stunned the entire cultivation world, including those above the Ninth Heavenly Realm. An esteemed expert even returned from the mythical world to take him away.

"Reportedly, upon arriving in the mythical world, he swiftly ascended to the king level, boasting formidable combat prowess. However, news of his betrayal of the human race surfaced within two years, causing a stir in the Federation.

"During the subsequent discussions, the Federation's upper echelons concluded that the prevailing training system overly favored new students and offered resources too easily. Such circumstances had fostered a sense of entitlement among subsequent generations, lacking appreciation and gratitude.

"Humans are a complex species; only through our own efforts will we cherish what we attain, and only through trials will life hold meaning."

No, I don't desire trials,

Chen Chu lamented inwardly.

Liu Feixu suddenly interjected, "Oh, by the way, that person had also mastered the Insightful Blade back then, reaching the peak of the third stage within just a month.

"It was his accomplishment that propelled the low-level saber art to great renown at the time, attracting many cultivators."

Upon hearing that the other party had also cultivated the Insightful Blade, Chen Chu paused momentarily, then asked subconsciously, "Is that person named Xiao Tianyi?"

"Hmm? You know him?" Liu Feixu was somewhat taken aback.

Chen Chu shook his head. "I've heard his name mentioned before, but I don't know much else about him."

During his brief encounter with An Fuqing in Kyria, Chen Chu had learned Xiao Tianyi's name from her, mainly because of their shared interest in the Insightful Blade.

"Ah, I see." Liu Feixu nodded, then continued. "Because of Xiao Tianyi, everyone who pursues the Fourth Heavenly Realm of true martial arts now has to swear an oath in front of the True Martial Stele, akin to a soul pact.

"The sole stipulation of this pact is to never betray the human race. Should such a betrayal occur, the oath would take effect, and whenever the traitor appears within human territory, the True Martial Stele will react, pinpointing their location.

"Of course, the True Martial Stele in question isn't the imitation before us, but the original stele imbued with the power of a divine artifact."

"I understand now."

After Liu Feixu's explanation, Chen Chu's resistance to the idea of surrendering a fragment of his soul's aura during the oath faded.

Standing before the True Martial Stele, Chen Chu placed his hand upon the stone stele, took a deep breath, and declared, "I, Chen Chu, solemnly swear to never betray the human race!"

Buzz!

As Chen Chu uttered the oath, a force within the depths of the stone stele surged forth, enveloping his entire being in an invisible shroud of power.

At that moment, a series of translucent characters appeared in Chen Chu's field of vision.

"Rule-based force discovered. This force is about to extract your soul's aura. You can choose to expend 20 attribute points to simulate your soul's aura. Would you like to proceed with the simulation?"

To Chen Chu's surprise, the attribute page had responded to the stele's power. After a moment's hesitation, a thought coursed through his mind.

I choose to simulate my soul's aura.

Though his resistance to the extraction had waned, it hadn't gone away completely; caution prevailed when dealing with matters concerning the soul.

With Chen Chu's confirmation, the 25 remaining attribute points on the page instantly dwindled to 5. Simultaneously, a peculiar force surged within him.

Just as his soul's aura was about to be extracted by the unseen force within the stone stele, Chen Chu faintly sensed an invisible vortex manifesting within him.

Guided by the invisible force, the soul's aura traversed the vortex before vanishing into it

At that precise moment, with the pact established, Chen Chu's consciousness was abruptly seized by a powerful surge of will that pulled him directly into the realm of the True Martial Stele.

Roar!

A thunderous roar reverberated within his consciousness as a colossal beast, towering like a mountain and clad in scales with the features of a dragon, lunged towards him.

Boom!

The collision between the Dragon Elephant and Chen Chu's consciousness was instantaneous, resulting in the disintegration of the former into myriad fragments of information flooding his mind, along with a seed of will.

After what felt like an eternity, Chen Chu slowly opened his eyes, his expression still displaying traces of astonishment.

Upon reaching the Fourth Heavenly Realm when cultivating high-level arts, alongside the transformation of true power, there also came a change in spiritual will, enabling humans to wield the power of heaven and earth similarly to the colossal beasts.

He also finally comprehended why they had stopped doing meditation arts after Foundation Building; high-level arts inherently included training one's spiritual will.

As Chen Chu withdrew, the runes on the gray stone stele gradually dimmed, and the formidable aura of the Dragon Elephant weakened significantly.

Perhaps after one or two more inheritances, the will of the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body inscribed upon the stele would dissipate entirely.

***

After completing the inheritance of the high-level art, Chen Chu applied for a personal cultivation room.

Replacing a lower-level art with a higher-level one required practitioners to re-cultivate from the first stage, a process known as transitioning. They would reroute their true power along the pathway of the new art, breaking through each stage again.

At this point, the true power of the original lower-level art would transform into an even more potent high-level true power, while the physique would further temper and strengthen.

Typically, it would take two months for slower individuals or just over a month for quicker ones. However, the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body was a direct upgrade to the Dragon Elephant Art, so Chen Chu's transition would be much simpler.

According to Liu Feixu's estimation, Chen Chu was expected to refine the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body to the third stage in about ten days, just in time for the start of the second semester.

However....

In the cultivation room, as Chen Chu's true power circulated along a more complex route, his aura became increasingly heavy and violent, resembling a suppressed volcano.

First stage, second stage, third stage...

When the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body broke through to the third stage, Chen Chu's true power exuded a domineering intent, becoming denser, while his meridians became tougher and broader.

The more domineering Dragon Elephant True Power had increased the basic strength and defensive amplification from the original fivefold to sixfold, once again boosting Chen Chu's combat prowess significantly.

Indeed, it was one of the strongest high-level arts, and just one transition had already improved his strength by so much.

It was worth noting that for ordinary high-level arts, the amplification at the third stage was only fourfold, just one more than those powerful lower level arts.

The disparity between high and low levels would only greatly widen after one reached the Fourth Heavenly Realm, not only in terms of the upper limit but also in the amplification. That was also why Pang Long had suggested to Chen Chu that he break through to the Fourth Realm with high-level arts.

Chen Chu gradually stopped and summoned the attribute panel with a thought, focusing on the note next to the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body.

"Currently at the late third stage of cultivation progress. 30 attribute points are needed to enhance the art to the fourth stage.

"Reminder: Enhancing the art to the fourth stage requires the essence of high-grade mutated dragons. Otherwise, the strengthening effect cannot reach its peak state.

"Note: Insufficient attribute points for enhancement."

As he looked at the translucent text before him, Chen Chu's gaze flickered slightly.

It was just like how mastering the Dragon Elephant Art required the Tyrant Elephant Essence, breaking through to the fourth stage of the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body also required a matching essence to lay the foundation for the second physique transformation. On top of that, the breakthroughs to the fifth and sixth stages also required continued absorption of the essence of dragon-like creatures for cultivation.

Ultimately, this would allow his body to undergo a second transformation, condensing the Tyrant Body and gaining the power of the colossal beast known as the Dragon Elephant, sweeping through everything with absolute dominance.

Similar to the Tyrant Elephant Essence, there were essence resources prepared for students practicing the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body in the school's inventory. The first exchange would only require 30 points. However, that was only the first time discount, ten times cheaper than the normal cost of 300 contribution points for a bottle of high-grade dragon essence.

Mutated beasts with a trace of dragon blood were akin to kings among their peers, just like those with king-level bloodlines.

Not to mention the high-level mutated dragons; their strength and threat level was terrifying, so naturally, their essence was exorbitantly priced.

That was another reason why the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body was so powerful; by breaking through to the Fourth Heavenly Realm with the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body, Chen Chu's body and true power would undergo a transformation with the power of the dragon, gaining a powerful dragon-like true martial arts attribute.

By then, he would be equivalent to a dragon-like mutated beast among humans, with his combat power far surpassing those of the same level. With how terrifying his physical strength was now, it was hard for Chen Chu to imagine how strong his combat power would be after the breakthrough.

Thinking of this, Chen Chu took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to continue cultivating.

30 contribution points were nothing for him, easily obtainable by killing a few level 2 mutated beasts. Coincidentally, the second round of purge missions had refreshed today.

At the same time, thanks to his efforts during this period, the Sword Armored Fiery Beast's fourth evolution was also not far away.

Now, he just needed to find some special mutated beasts that his avatar could devour and absorb...