In mid-air before Wanda Plaza, a massive black ring, nearly two meters in diameter, appeared in everyone’s sight.
The ring seemed to have opened a channel of some sort. A horde of massive Calamity Beasts poured out, and a furious roar echoed from the other side, as if something was trying to force its way through.
The black ring was sustained by a beam of light emitted from a black metal box on the ground.
BOOM!!
But now, with a tremendous bang, the metal box self-destructed. The black ring in the sky gradually closed and dissipated into thin air.
「A dozen or so minutes later」
WEE-WOO WEE-WOO~
The shrill sound of ambulance sirens echoed across all of Wanda Plaza as dozens of emergency vehicles rushed in and out.
A large number of personnel were treating the injured. The more severe cases were carried directly into the ambulances.
At the same time, countless reporters were filming and conducting interviews.
Lin Qi ran out from Golden Street, spear in one hand, his father Lin Zhen on his back. Li Zhou, Jiangtao, and Jiang Miaoyin followed him.
"Mr. Lin!!"
Hearing someone call his name, he turned to see a panicked clerk in a yellow uniform.
"Mr. Lin, it’s a relief to see you’re okay!"
"Thank you for your concern!" Lin Qi nodded.
"By the way, Mr. Lin, your weapon is damaged. I can repair it for you, free of charge," the clerk said hurriedly, spotting the long spear.
"Then I’ll leave it to you." Without hesitation, Lin Qi handed the Thunder Horn Spear to the clerk.
After seeing the clerk off, he helped his father Lin Zhen, Li Zhou, Jiang Miaoyin, and Jiangtao into an ambulance.
Meanwhile, not far away, Yue Feng of the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo was being interviewed by the media. A quick glance into the dense crowd revealed a familiar figure, startling him.
’Lin Qi?!’
’What is he doing here?’
A wave of lingering fear washed over him. ’It’s a good thing he’s okay. If a talent like him were to be lost, it would be a tremendous blow to Celestial Sea City.’
’But that kid Lin Qi is covered in blood and reeking of killing intent.’
’It looks like he’s done a lot of killing. I’ll have to check the surveillance footage when I get back.’
As a Seventh Realm Martial Artist, he knew very well that only those who had fought Calamity Beasts would carry such a killing aura.
It was an invisible, special quality that only others of his kind could perceive.
And he could sense that the killing aura on Lin Qi was far from faint, which meant he had killed a great number of Calamity Beasts.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt there was something extraordinary about Lin Qi.
...
In the living room of an apartment in some residential complex, a lively group of people was chatting.
Suddenly, a news report began to play on the television!
"We interrupt this program with breaking news!"
"On January 16th, at 10:10 AM, small Space Gates appeared simultaneously in three locations in our city: Wanda Plaza, Lane 21, and Coastal Park."
"This was accompanied by small-scale Disaster Beast Tides. Thanks to the suppression efforts of the Three Great Martial Arts Dojos, all three Space Gates have now been closed. The specific number of casualties is still being calculated."
"We will continue to report as the story develops..."
"..."
After hearing this, the entire room fell silent.
"But those are some of the busiest places in our city! How many people must have died!" an older woman lamented, shaking her head.
Everyone else began to discuss it as well.
Just then, the expression on Zhang City’s face changed drastically, because he had spotted several familiar figures in the news footage.
There was Lin Qi, holding a large spear and covered in blood, along with an injured Jiangtao and a pale-faced Li Zhou.
The three top-level geniuses of their No. 2 Middle School were all there, and they had even gotten into an ambulance together.
’I hope nothing serious happened to them,’ Zhang City thought, a rare hint of panic creeping into his voice.
He immediately picked up his phone to make a call.
At the same time, countless other people who knew Lin Qi also saw the news, and many of them picked up their phones to send messages.
In a certain villa in the wealthy district.
Sitting on a luxurious sofa, Yu Jing also saw the news, and a smile spread across his face.
’Getting injured is just perfect. I hope it’s serious, the kind that needs a long time to recover.’
’That way, their cultivation time will be delayed.’
’I feel like I’m not far from breaking through to the Second Realm.’
"When school starts, I’ll surpass you all, one by one," Yu Jing chuckled to himself.
...
「Half an hour later, at Tianhai City First People’s Hospital.」
"Hurry, hurry!!"
"AHH!!"
"Doctor, save my dad, I’m begging you!!"
Countless medical staff rushed in and out, while innumerable wounded people were wheeled into the emergency rooms.
The thick smell of blood filled the entire lobby.
After quickly cleaning the blood off himself, Lin Qi found an empty seat in the lobby and sat down.
"Brother Lin Qi, here!"
Jiang Miaoyin walked over with a large bag and handed it to Lin Qi. Inside were boxed meals and energy drinks.
"You must be exhausted after that battle."
"You need to replenish your energy!"
"Thank you, Amiao!" Lin Qi said gratefully.
"Don’t be so formal!" Jiang Miaoyin said, blushing and waving her hands.
Lin Qi took out a boxed meal and began to eat. Jiang Miaoyin was right; after the intense battle, he truly felt exhausted now that his body had relaxed.
If not for his Dragon Energy and Tiger Fierceness talent, which gave him immense stamina, he probably wouldn’t have been able to withstand using the third Killing Technique in succession.
With this in mind, his gaze fell upon his panel.
’The situation was too tense before; I didn’t have time to check it.’
[You have engaged in real combat with Calamity Beasts for the first time and killed them. Your mastery of Spear Technique has greatly increased. Spear Technique +3%]
[In your battle with the Calamity Beasts, your mastery of Body Technique has further improved. Body Technique +2%]
[Spear Technique: Tier Two 16% → 19%]
[Body Technique: Tier Two 4% → 6%]
...
The corners of Lin Qi’s mouth turned up. His first real combat experience had been a tremendous tempering for his Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
’Isn’t the purpose of cultivating Martial Arts to slay Calamity Beasts?’
Fighting Calamity Beasts was true combat—the clash of weapons against sharp claws and fangs, a tapestry woven with blood.
Everything was real, a walk on the line between life and death, unlike the Red Realm where everything was illusory.
That was why his mastery of Spear Technique had risen to another level in this real battle.
’The books say that normal people will be scared and tremble when facing a Calamity Beast for the first time, unable to use even half of their strength.’
’But I’m different. I wasn’t afraid at all; in fact, I was excited. Not only could I use my full strength...’
’...I could even unleash greater Combat Power!’
Lin Qi mused to himself that perhaps he was a born warrior.
A few moments later, he had finished all the boxed meals and drinks.
BEEP BEEP!!
He pulled out his phone and saw dozens of missed calls and messages.
They were all from teachers and classmates, asking if he was alright.
’I was too busy earlier to check my phone.’
He quickly replied to the messages, letting them know that he, Jiangtao, and Li Zhou were all fine.
He didn’t go into the details of the battle, simply giving a vague reply.
...
Two hours later, in a spacious hospital room, Lin Zhen and Jiangtao were lying in separate beds.
Lin Qi opened the door and walked in, carrying payment receipts and a large bag of medicine, with Jiang Miaoyin following behind him.
"Dad, you’re not seriously hurt. You just have some minor fractures in your back. You’ll be fine after some rest."
"We should be able to get discharged this afternoon."
In the adjacent bed, Jiangtao sat up on his own.
"It’s good that Uncle Lin is okay!"
"I’m not in bad shape either, pretty much the same as Uncle Lin. Aside from some scrapes and a bit of muscle tearing, there’s nothing serious."
"It’s a shame the others weren’t so lucky," Fang Huiyi sighed.
Everyone fell silent. Compared to the others, they were indeed fortunate.
"Mom, relax and get ready for your surgery tomorrow."
"I already asked Dr. Li, and he said the surgery can proceed as scheduled," Lin Qi said, changing the subject.
"Doesn’t that mean Auntie can get well soon? Congratulations!" Jiangtao chimed in.
Hearing the good news, his mom, Fang Huiyi, also broke into a smile.
Lin Qi’s heart also calmed down.
...