Chapter 195: Trying to Explode Power

Chapter 195: Attempting a Breakthrough

Having dismissed her female assistant, Xie Lingxi opened the chat app on her phone and sent a message to Yuanshi Tianzun:

"Yuanshi Gege, because of you, I've fallen out with my mother."

Yuanshi Tianzun: "What happened? Your mom didn't write me a check to leave you, did she?"

Xie Lingxi sent a [Shy Giggle] emoji: "Then if my mom really gave you a check to leave me, would you agree?"

Yuanshi Tianzun: "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Xie Lingxi was just about to send a happy emoji when she saw Yuanshi Gege send a message: "I'd definitely agree. Why would I turn down free money? I'm not stupid."

Xie Lingxi: "..."

She pouted, then unhurriedly began to tell him about her mother demanding the invitation.

Every time Xie Lingxi chatted with Yuanshi Gege, she liked to ramble on about this and that, just so she could talk to him a little longer.

At first, Yuanshi Gege was quite happy to entertain her, then would take the opportunity to ask for photos of her in black stockings showing off her beautiful legs, or in a miniskirt revealing her delicate shoulders, but Xie Lingxi was always shy and evasive, making excuse after excuse.

After a while, Yuanshi Gege stopped bothering with her.

Xie Lingxi had heard her mother say men are like this: give them benefits and you're a goddess; give them nothing and you're nothing in their heart.

Logically, she should toss Yuanshi Gege a little treat now and then, keep him on the hook, but Xie Lingxi had her own ideas.

From what she understood, Yuanshi Gege was the type who seemed dissolute on the surface but actually couldn't be bothered with women. A pretty girl with a great figure and a cute face, he'd humor a bit, but a loose, wanton girl, Yuanshi Tianzun would keep at arm's length.

So Xie Lingxi was just using a different method to keep him dangling.

Yuanshi Tianzun: "Oh, so this is you being unfilial. Madam wants to watch the match, how can you not give it to her? Is it true that invitation sells for a hundred thousand? Auntie can come to me. Money doesn't matter; it's mainly for your sake."

Yuanshi Gege is truly shameless... Xie Lingxi: "Yuanshi Gege is the best."

...

San Zhuang Province, Crab Lake Villa.

In the tea room scented with burning sandalwood, there were rattan chairs, a tea table, a folding screen, a tea tray. A middle-aged woman of ordinary features picked up small tweezers, gently crumbling the tea cake, brewing tea with elegant, unhurried movements.

Beside the tea table, on the rattan chair, a beautiful mature woman in an apricot-colored dress sat lazily. She put down her phone, wrinkled her delicate nose, and hmphed:

"This wretched girl, agreeing so readily—she's definitely trying to fob me off."

Her figure was plump yet shapely, her lower abdomen flat as a young girl's, yet her bosom possessed a fullness young girls could only envy. Her buttocks were soft, pressing into the rattan chair to form gentle, ample curves.

She looked to be in her early thirties, with a gorgeous oval face, black eyeliner tracing bright, spirited eyes.

Rarely, amidst her mature aura, there lingered a girlish, coquettish charm.

The woman looked at the middle-aged woman across the tea tray and said:

"Wang Jie, make a trip to Songhai and bring the invitation back for me."

The middle-aged woman said helplessly: "Madam, why bother getting angry with the Young Miss?"

The woman smiled gently:

"That dead girl, whenever she has a moment to spare, just loves prattling on about the Primordial Heavenly Venerable to me. 'Brother Primordial' this, 'Brother Primordial' that. She's definitely got a spring in her heart; I have to go take a look."

Auntie Wang shakes her head: "Is that really how it is?"

The woman's demeanor shifts in an instant, planting her hands on her hips and cursing:

"This old lady just wants her to know who's the mother and who's the child. No invitation? I'll take it myself. Does she think she can overturn the heavens?"

...

Kangyang District Public Security Bureau.

Deputy Captain's office. Zhang Yuanqing bites on a straw, sucking down a mouthful of Coke with ice.

"I've already asked Fu Qingyang. He doesn't know what the finals instance will be either. Since it's a temporarily created instance, there's definitely no guide for it."

Guan Ya, sitting on the edge of the sofa, presses her black-stockinged long legs together and speaks.

On the single sofa on the other side, Li Dongze holds a cigar between his fingers, murmuring:

"No need to consider these crooked ways. Since the Alliance Lords are making a move personally, no contestant will know the instance information beforehand."

Deputy Captain Zhenyan speaks with mature steadiness:

"However, we can roughly deduce the instance type based on external elements. First, it's non-lethal. That needs no explanation, right?"

Guan Ya and Zhang Yuanqing nod.

S-rank difficulty, non-lethal type—this probably only appears under such circumstances. If it were an instance generated by the Spirit Realm itself, non-lethal types are rare even in A-rank instances.

S-rank are almost all lethal types.

Deputy Captain Zhenyan continues: "Second, the core of the instance is combat, competition, deciding the top three. Therefore, the instance's own plot won't be too complex. I mean not complex, not that it isn't difficult."

If the plot is too complex, it becomes whoever is good at puzzle-solving wins. In Li Dongze's judgment, the weight of puzzle-solving won't be that high. In any instance, any contest, martial force always ranks first, intellect second.

Although intellect can often overcome the strong with the weak, the many with the few, achieving miraculous effects, one must never forget: before absolute martial force, everything is a paper tiger.

Guan Ya nods slightly, picking up the thread:

"So in the end, it still comes down to martial force. In that case, Primordial, if you work hard, making top three is possible, but the hope of winning the championship is slim."

She looks at Zhang Yuanqing, smiling:

"Don't be unconvinced. You saw Zhao Chenghuang's match against Jingwei. Jingwei is extraordinarily gifted, able to burst forth with power comparable to the early Saint stage. If the one facing her then had been the Earth God, the old man would likely have been severely injured too.

"As for Sun Miaomiao, she'd probably avoid the sharp edge, stall for time, wait for Jingwei's burst to pass. But Zhao Chenghuang—he used no Yin Corpses, no spirit servants or artifacts, relying solely on his own strength to clash head-on, and still defeated Jingwei."

Li Dongze sighs with emotion: "I was there that day too. That move Zhao Chenghuang used was unheard of, too strong. Primordial, you have to admit, if it were you that day, you couldn't have taken it."

I could use the Yin-Yang Robe and Red Dancing Shoes to entangle him, but both artifacts have time limits—the former ten minutes, the latter five. If I can't wear Zhao Chenghuang to death within that time, I lose without a doubt, and that's not even counting Zhao Chenghuang's artifacts and spirit servants... Zhang Yuanqing sighs silently in his heart, but wears a smile on the surface:

"Deputy Captain, don't you think Zhao Chenghuang's move was rather inelegant."

Li Dongze freezes, then nods repeatedly: "Right, extremely inelegant!"

He is very satisfied with Zhang Yuanqing's assessment.

At this moment, Wang Tai, hair a messy nest, gaze dull, dark circles prominent, pushes open the office door, listlessly saying:

"Yuan Shi, the new ranking list our Scholars have compiled is out. You can log in to the official site to check it."

Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up: "Alright, thanks."

Wang Tai nodded: "If there's nothing else, don't bother me."

Zhang Yuanqing, Guan Ya, and Li Dongze simultaneously bowed their heads, checking their phones.

#Top Eight Ranking Freshly Released#

【1: Zhao Chenghuang.】

Past Record: Cleared two A-rank, four B-rank dungeons (Note: We only record dungeons of B-rank and above)

【2: Land God】

Past Record: Cleared one A-rank, six B-rank dungeons.

【3: Sun Miaomiao.】

Past Record: Cleared one A-rank, three B-rank dungeons.

【4: Yuan Shi Tianzun.】

Past Record: Cleared two S-rank, one A-rank. Note: Said A-rank dungeon was Yin-Yang Town; it is said Yuan Shi Tianzun unlocked a hidden quest that no one had ever reached before.

【5: Tianxia Guihuo.】

Past Record: Cleared three A-rank, six B-rank dungeons.

【6: Yin Chi.】

Past Record: Cleared nine B-rank dungeons.

【7: Qingsongzi.】

Past Record: Cleared one A-rank, three B-rank dungeons.

【8: Yuan Ting.】

Past Record: Cleared four B-rank dungeons.

【"Zhao Chenghuang's position remains unshakable; from start to finish, we've yet to see him use any powerful artifacts or formidable spirit servants. Before the ranking's release, our team was divided over Sun Miaomiao and Yuan Shi Tianzun's placements. In the end, we decided to keep the top three as is, but it cannot be denied that Yuan Shi Tianzun's odds of supplanting Sun Miaomiao are all but certain."】

【"As the sage among Fire Masters, Tianxia Guihuo's fifth place is well-deserved... Yuan Ting's strength is decent, but in terms of dungeon strategy, he truly lacks any standout performance. Thus we placed him at the bottom."】

Guan Ya finished reading the post and smiled radiantly: "Not bad, Yuan Shi. You've risen to fourth, and stand a chance to overtake Sun Miaomiao for third."

"To me, aside from first place, all other rankings are the same." Zhang Yuanqing mused inwardly, Third isn't even as good as fourth—what use would I have for a "Cute Hairpin" as a reward?

Cross-dress and peddle cuteness?!

This ranking commands solid credibility; in the comments below, aside from controversy surrounding Yuan Shi Tianzun's placement, no one objected to the others' positions.

【Call Me Queen: You bunch of bookworms only know how to stare at data. You'll never know how formidable Yuan Shi Tianzun is inside a dungeon.】

Queen took up the cudgels for Yuan Shi Tianzun.

"Tsk tsk, Yuan Shi. Queen's practically turning into your devoted fangirl. Feeling a special sense of accomplishment, are we?" Guan Ya curled her crimson lips and laughed:

"Interested in doing something for the fans? Perhaps the Scorpio's favorite sport."

Here it comes again, she's probing me... Zhang Yuanqing was brimming with confidence this time, his tone righteous and stern:

"Sister Guanya, please don't insult the pure friendship between me and the Queen!"

He first cleared his name regarding other women, then followed up with rhetoric catering to Guanya's preferences, flattering her:

"Sister Guanya has looked after me greatly at work; I am a man who repays kindness."

Guanya was momentarily stunned, the smile on her face blooming even more radiant.

Long live the Life Mentor! I'll burn incense for you every day from now on... Zhang Yuanqing felt a secret surge of elation.

"Ahem!" Li Dongze intoned deeply: "I can grant you two hours of leave. Now, please get the hell out of my office."

...

Evening.

Zhang Yuanqing sent away his little aunt, who wanted to come to his nephew's room to play games, changed into pajamas, and planned to turn in early to face tomorrow's instance in peak condition.

While coaxing sleepiness, he was also making contingency plans for tomorrow's battle strategy.

"Facing those top three guys, the extraordinary-grade items in the White Tiger Guard faction warehouse are useless now. As for the contestants outside the top three, my own items are sufficient to handle them, so there's no need to apply to Fu Qingyang for gear tomorrow."

"Actually, those scholars ranking me fourth isn't bad. As long as the top three rankings remain unchanged, in the eyes of the other contestants, those three remain the greatest threat. This gives me the possibility of forming vertical and horizontal alliances."

"Once inside the instance, I need to find help. Yuan Ting is from the Taiyi Sect, but compared to the others, he's the one I know best; I can rope him in as an ally. The rest... we'll see then..."

He pondered silently, but for some reason, a restlessness persisted in his heart.

Zhang Yuanqing examined his inner self and understood the cause of his irritation.

Zhao Chenghuang's terrifying control over the Power of Great Yin.

Though he never brought it up voluntarily, it was undeniable that, as a fellow Night Wanderer, witnessing Zhao Chenghuang's operation left a sense of frustration in his heart.

Same Level 3, yet Zhao Chenghuang's spirit talisman technique was consummate; he had refined a Level 4 Yin Corpse on his own, and his mastery over the Power of Great Yin was overwhelmingly strong.

This feeling of being outclassed in every aspect was far from pleasant.

"If only I could master that technique..." Zhang Yuanqing thought.

That would close the gap, truly giving me the capital to contend with Zhao Chenghuang.

But I can't. I don't possess that exquisite, pinnacle-level control... Zhang Yuanqing silently pulled the blanket up, covering his head.

Sleep. Sleep.

The room fell silent, the AC blowing cold air with a low hum. Ten-odd seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing abruptly threw off the blanket and sat up.

"Perhaps... I can do it."

A train of thought struck him. Zhao Chenghuang's ability to 'overclock' stemmed from his superhuman control over his body and the Power of Great Yin. This control kept Zhao Chenghuang in a delicate equilibrium.

This ultimate, extreme control over the body—he could achieve it too.

Yes, trigger the old injury!

In that state, his brain operated at overload capacity; aside from possessing a memory far beyond the ordinary, his control over his own body was also heightened.

After triggering his old affliction, he attempted to drive the Power of Taiyin into a frenzy, then harness it with formidable self-control, seeking equilibrium—could he not, like Zhao Chenghuang, achieve a "limit break"?

Once this thought surfaced, Zhang Yuanqing could sleep no longer. He immediately rose from the soft bed, opened the bedside drawer, and poured the remaining half-bottle of pills into his palm.

A relapse of the old ailment, compounded by the Power of Taiyin spiraling out of control, would likely kill him outright. He must not get carried away during the attempt; the moment it became unbearable, he would stop immediately and take the pills... He stood by the bed, drew a deep breath, and closed his eyes, beginning to visualize his father's face.

Minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing's brain shuddered with a buzz. Shattered images swarmed in, and his ears filled with meaningless noise.

His brain resembled a CPU running at maximum overclock; past memories and external data flooded every inch of his mental space.

He ignored the meaningless data, settling his emotions, sensing the Power of Taiyin within him, coaxing it thread by thread.

The Power of Taiyin inside him gradually grew violent, rampaging through his body, yet was forcibly constrained by his will.

*Thump-thump, thump-thump...*

His heart hammered like a war drum, striking his ribcage again and again, his chest heaving visibly.

Suddenly, the skin beneath his pajamas turned a livid black, spreading rapidly. In the blink of an eye, Zhang Yuanqing's complexion had become a ghastly cyan-black. Simultaneously, he felt a numbness rise from his fingertips; lowering his head, he saw jet-black, razor-sharp nails sprouting from his ten fingers, wreathed in wisps of faint, spectral black qi.

"Good... gods, it hurts. It feels like my body is being torn apart..."

He staggered toward the full-length mirror by the window, confronting his own reflection. In the glass stared a monster with crimson pupils, a savage visage, and cyan-black skin.

"I succeeded?!"

Joy surged in Zhang Yuanqing's heart, and the monster in the mirror bared a ferocious grin in response.

At that moment, a sharp stab of pain lanced through his brain; the Power of Taiyin showed signs of losing control. He instantly swallowed the blue pills in his hand.

The cerebral pain eased, and the Power of Taiyin, beneath his iron will, stabilized.

He simply watched himself in the mirror. Three or four minutes passed, and the stabbing pain returned. He swallowed a few more blue pills, then released the "limit break" state.

*Zhang Yuanqing collapsed to the floor with a thud, gasping for air.*

Waves of exhaustion washed over him. Seizing the clarity he still possessed, he rapidly analyzed:

"Without the blue pills, the limit break lasts roughly thirty seconds. Taking six or seven pills sustains it for three minutes. Disregarding drug tolerance, the pills at home are enough to support ten minutes of limit break."

"I... I can also unleash power surpassing the Supernatural stage..."

Zhang Yuanqing cracked a smile, revealing his teeth, and promptly sank into a deep sleep.

...