Human Clan Defender-Chapter 349 - 141 New Metamorphosis (Seeking Monthly Pass)

Chapter 349: Chapter 141 New Metamorphosis (Seeking Monthly Pass)

When the first three floors had been completely emptied, dark clouds overhead were clearly shot through with lightning. The air of destruction caused the hearts of the people around to pound with unease.

At this moment, CRACK—

A bolt of lightning struck down, flipping the roof off the Scripture Pavilion and landing squarely on the cross-legged Shen Changqing.

As the lightning fell, his Flesh gently vibrated, and the lightning patterns on it grew even more dazzling.

BOOM!

BOOM!!

Lightning bolts struck down one after another, seemingly intent on obliterating the person below. However, no matter how fiercely the lightning struck, it could not shake Shen Changqing’s Flesh in the slightest. The lightning grew even denser, and the vast Scripture Pavilion was now completely bathed in a sea of thunder.

"The Scripture Pavilion is a goner!" Xun Qu sighed. It was fortunate that he had reacted quickly, ordering people to move everything they could out in time. Otherwise, by the time the lightning dissipated, all the accumulated treasures of the Scripture Pavilion would have turned to ash.

As for the Grandmaster Martial Arts on the fourth floor, he didn’t feel too heartbroken about them. It was possible the Capital City did not have backups of all the other martial arts documents, but they definitely had backups of the Grandmaster Martial Arts. Simply put, the source of all Grandmaster Martial Arts kept at various Demon-Subduing Division branches throughout Great Qin ultimately came from the Capital City. As long as a Demon-Subduing Division branch had Grandmaster Martial Arts, the Capital City would have them. Therefore, the destruction of the Grandmaster Martial Arts on the fourth floor of the Scripture Pavilion didn’t affect Xun Qu that much. At worst, they would just make another trip to the Capital City to inscribe them anew.

Heaven and Earth roared; the might of thunder was like a prison. The entire Demon-Subduing Division was enveloped by the sound of lightning. Even the whole of Mountain-Breaking City shook incessantly.

"What on earth is happening at the Demon-Subduing Division to cause such a commotion?"

"Hard to say—"

Some Jianghu individuals had flickering eyes as they witnessed the spectacle of the lightning striking down. It was an abrupt disaster, and the cause was unclear. But the Demon-Subduing Division had always been a colossal entity, where any movement could have a domino effect. Especially given the critical situation in South Nether Prefecture, such an incident at the Demon-Subduing Division drew even more attention. For a time, many secretly passed the news back to their respective factions. What they didn’t know was that their actions were all under the secret watch of the Heavenly Inspection Guard. However, without orders, the Heavenly Inspection Guard would not act rashly and allowed them to spread the news.

Bathed in lightning, Shen Changqing’s mind was completely immersed in the pleasure of his Flesh’s transformation. The power of the lightning was undeniably terrifying, but when it struck him, it was diffused by a mysterious force, turning into the purest energy and entering his Flesh. He could clearly feel that with each lightning strike, the impurities within his Flesh were being removed bit by bit. At the same time, his strength was gradually increasing.

An unknown amount of time passed before the lightning finally ceased, and the dark clouds above slowly dissipated. When the lightning was gone, everyone found that the Scripture Pavilion had vanished, leaving only a pile of ruins and a naked man sitting cross-legged amidst them.

Shen Changqing opened his eyes. A breeze passed by, bringing a slight chill to his whole body. When he looked down, his expression changed immediately. The next instant, he vanished from the spot. His departure was so swift that the others hadn’t managed to see much before he disappeared without a trace.

"That was Elder Shen just now, wasn’t it?"

"It seemed like it. Speaking of which, Elder Shen is really fair-skinned!"

"Yeah, really fair-skinned—"

The astounded onlookers came to their senses, reminiscing about the fleeting glimpse they had just caught, each of them discussing it animatedly.

「——」

In his room, Shen Changqing had already changed into a fresh set of clothes. All of his previous garments had been obliterated by the lightning; not a single piece had survived.

"Damn it!" he cursed, recalling his recent embarrassment. No one would have thought that merely merging a Martial Art would cause such a huge disturbance.

After the awkwardness passed, Shen Changqing settled his mind and took another look at the panel.

Name: Shen Changqing

Power: Great Qin’s Demon Suppression Division

Identity: Martial Pavilion Elder

Realm: (Pseudo) Great Grandmaster

Divine Soul: Unnurtured (70% complete)

Flesh: Divine Heaven Golden Body (First Tier) (+)

Martial Arts: Chiyang Divine Palm (Three Layers), Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step (One Layer)

Slaughter: 723

Divine Skills: 0

The panel had completely changed. If the previous panel was ordinary, the current one had become much more detailed. However, what truly concerned Shen Changqing was the appearance of the Realm.

Great Grandmaster? Shen Changqing mused. After merging the Great Sun Golden Body with the Heavenly Thunder Divine Qi, did I directly become a Great Grandmaster? No, that’s not right. I’m not yet a true Great Grandmaster—

He saw the word ’Great Grandmaster’ before him, preceded by that large, glaring ’pseudo’ character, which was so dazzling.

In other words, I can only be considered as having one foot in the Great Grandmaster ranks, not a true Great Grandmaster in the full sense of the term.

Immediately, Shen Changqing shifted his attention to the Divine Soul category.

I’m now a half-step Great Grandmaster. The reason for this is that my Divine Soul has not yet been conceived. In other words, my original guess was correct: after reaching the pinnacle of the Spiritual System, the next step is to conceive the Divine Soul! Only by conceiving a Divine Soul can one be a true Great Grandmaster.

He was almost one hundred percent certain of this conjecture.

Strictly speaking, the current Divine Soul attribute had transformed from the previous True Intent attribute. What had truly increased was supposed to be the Flesh attribute. In the past, whether it was Inner Strength, Outer Techniques, or even offensive Martial Arts, all were placed in the same category. Now, they were clearly distinguished. The Martial Arts listed under the Flesh attribute were the merged Martial Arts. As for the Chiyang Divine Palm and the Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step, they were kept in their original place. It was also worth mentioning that the Great Sun Scripture had disappeared.

After glancing at the panel several times, Shen Changqing withdrew his mind from it and focused on himself. First, he looked toward the location of his Dantian. The original Dantian had completely collapsed and disappeared, and the Great Sun Golden Core within was nowhere to be seen. This change startled him.

Then, Shen Changqing’s mind entered his Sea of Consciousness. He was astonished to find that the Great Sun Golden Core, which had vanished from his Dantian, had somehow quietly appeared in his Sea of Consciousness, resting silently on the blood-colored lotus. The petals gently swayed as mysterious forces flowed into the Golden Core, causing the previously illusory Golden Core to solidify. Not only that, but the Golden Core also vibrated gently atop the lotus, as if something was about to be conceived and birthed.

Seeing this, a touch of enlightenment rose in Shen Changqing’s heart. When the Golden Core shatters, that will be the moment the Divine Soul is truly conceived and born!

Golden Core! Divine Soul! He understood; he understood everything. At this moment, he knew that all previous speculations were wrong. To break through the limit and ascend to Great Grandmaster, it was not enough to merely reach the pinnacle of two major systems. It required all three aspects—Spirit, Flesh, and True Qi—to reach their limits. Shen Changqing was now very clear on this. The transformation of the Flesh was self-evident, but the conception of the Divine Soul required the Golden Core formed from True Qi and the culmination of the Spiritual System.

However, current Grandmasters focused either on the Flesh or the Spirit. The True Yuan they had diligently cultivated had fallen significantly behind.

All Grandmasters now believe that the path ahead should be dominated by two paths, thinking that only when both reach their limit can there be a chance to break through. Little do they know, the True Qi that Martial Artists have diligently cultivated since reaching Pulse Condensation is also crucial for what lies ahead. Without cultivating True Qi, one cannot form a Golden Core. Without forming a Golden Core, one cannot conceive a Divine Soul. And without conceiving a Divine Soul, it is naturally impossible to break the limit and become a true Great Grandmaster!

Shen Changqing took a deep breath. After the fusion of the Divine Heaven Golden Body, which further transformed the panel, all the previous mists of confusion dissipated. Things that were unclear now all became clear.

The reason why no one besides Shimohe has broken the limit and become a Great Grandmaster is that they all went down the wrong path, overlooking a crucial matter. If they overlook the existence of True Qi, then even if they truly reach the pinnacle of the two major systems, they definitely won’t find the opportunity to break through. Without the Golden Core, how can the Divine Soul be conceived? That’s the most fundamental thing!

Having unraveled the mystery, Shen Changqing understood how to walk the path of the Great Grandmaster. But he also realized that this path was much harder than others imagined. While other Grandmasters believed that reaching the pinnacle of two paths would provide the breakthrough opportunity, it now appeared there was a third path waiting. The lifespan of the Human Clan is limited. To simultaneously advance all three paths to their limit within one’s lifetime was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Even with the panel, Shen Changqing hadn’t actually completed the formation of his Golden Core. It was only during the previous absorption of the heavenly thunder’s power that the Golden Core’s power was indirectly replenished and completed. Understanding the difficulty of becoming a Great Grandmaster, he felt genuine admiration for Shimohe. No matter what kind of person Shimohe was, or whether he was an enemy of the Demon-Subduing Division, one thing was absolutely undeniable: that Mahavairocana was truly a magnificent genius, able to rely on himself to directly break this limit and become the only Great Grandmaster of the age.

After a moment of reflection, Shen Changqing refocused on himself. With the Divine Heaven Golden Body fused and his Flesh transformed, he felt the power contained within his body had risen to another level compared to before.