Monsters Die When Killed

Chapter 373: Volume Finale: Legacy of the Desolate Ancient Era

February 10, 2016. The third day of the Lunar New Year.

It was a bright, sunny day in Hongcheng.

A handsome young man sat in a coffee shop. His complexion was a bit pale, but not in a sickly way. He held a cup of hot cocoa, a book laid out before him, and had chosen a seat by the window where he could bask in the sun, seeming to thoroughly enjoy the lazy feeling.

The once-frail youth, while still not what one would call bursting with energy, now looked perfectly healthy.

The third day of the Lunar New Year was typically a time for visiting relatives. However, the Shao Family wasn’t particularly large, so he had finished all his visits in a single day. Besides, in this day and age, with the internet, people didn’t mind just greeting each other online and exchanging holiday wishes if the weather was bad. It was easier for everyone.

Shao Qiming, enjoying his leisure time, gazed at the hefty academic tome before him. The main title read, "One Body, Two Sides: Part Three," and the subtitle was "On the Conversion of Wood Elemental Spiritual Qi: Qi of Generation and Wind-Thunder Evil." He used his Spiritual Qi to guide a pencil across the pages, underlining key points and jotting down his thoughts and insights.

Although the ancients used various theories and philosophies to classify Spiritual Qi into numerous types and Attributes, those were merely labels that humanity attached to it. The fundamental nature of Spiritual Qi itself does not change. Much like people, it is always contradictory yet unified, opposed yet harmonious. This book, "One Body, Two Sides," was a detailed analysis of the essence behind Spiritual Power, and a required advanced course for all Wood Attribute Cultivators.

To be studying books that were typically reserved for graduate-level research in his first semester at the Academy was proof that Shao Qiming’s theoretical understanding far surpassed his peers. The effects of the Wisdom Fruit were truly extraordinary. In fact, his progress could no longer be called merely ’excellent’; it was an abnormality that defied common sense. If he were anywhere else, it would undoubtedly attract suspicion and scrutiny.

However, because Zhengguo had produced a certain Monster who was even more outrageously abnormal, Shao Qiming’s ’ordinary’ strangeness seemed quite normal by comparison.

Even though he had reached a state of being unaffected by heat or cold and was just shy of Tier Three Awakening in his Cultivation—a feat equivalent to catching up to the top echelon of the current generation’s geniuses in just half a year—it all seemed far too unremarkable when compared to the anomaly of the Spiritual Energy Era known as Su Zhou.

’I’ve pretty much mastered the Wood Attribute now.’

With this thought, Shao Qiming took out his bookmark—a leaf, half-withered and half-green, that looked as if it had been picked a long time ago.

But as the young man channeled his Spiritual Qi, infusing it with Wood Qi, life gradually returned to the yellowing leaf bookmark.

Shao Qiming smiled. He placed the leaf into a nearby glass of water, and watched as the bookmark slowly returned to a true, vibrant green. This was the very nature of his recent Cultivation. ’I’ve more or less perfected the Qi of Generation. Next, I should ask Azhou for some advice and learn about the ’Wind-Thunder Evil’ that evolves from Wood Qi.’

As this thought crossed his mind, Shao Qiming seemed to sense something and looked out the window.

It seemed the person he was waiting for was about to arrive.

"Hot cocoa, double sugar!"

Soon, he heard a familiar voice. It was filled with an uplifting, almost fiery tone. Even when ordering a sugary drink that would make a diabetic’s blood sugar spike just from hearing it, the voice had a certain force that made you want to smile, nod, and shout back, "You got it!"

And in fact, the shopkeeper couldn’t help but laugh and call back, "You got it!"

The owner of the voice then sat down across from Shao Qiming. The young man closed his book, placing the bookmark inside, and shook his head. "Isn’t that sickeningly sweet?"

"After I achieved a Spiritualized brain, I started needing more calories."

Even though it was winter, Su Zhou was still wearing a short-sleeved shirt. He was like a human furnace, radiating hot air wherever he went. This was one of the Anomalies caused by an Extraordinary Incarnation Body; the mere circulation of Spiritual Qi to maintain his body could cause significant changes in the ambient temperature.

In response to his friend’s question, Su Zhou clicked his tongue and wagged his index finger. "Besides, I can adjust my sense of taste. To be honest, I could eat straight sugar and make it feel like I’m eating a slushie. I can experience the most delicious part of any food."

The two chatted about some trivial topics, like the situation at the Academy, recent world events, and—a favorite pastime for guys—commenting on current affairs and various political issues. There was nothing more pleasant than chatting over hot cocoa in the winter.

During their conversation, Shao Qiming asked with considerable curiosity, "So, are you ready?"

The question was a double entendre—Shao Qiming was asking about two things at once.

Ostensibly, he was asking if Su Zhou was prepared for the upcoming plan by the Zhengguo Government to open the Seal on the Beast God Realm and explore it.

But he was also, in fact, asking how Su Zhou’s preparations were going for his trip to the Otherworld.

Around the time of the New Year, after the Daoist Saint and several other Holy Seats related to Extraordinary Cultivation broke through to the Extraordinary High-tier, Zhengguo began preparations to recover inherited legacies from the ruins in the Kunlun Secret Realm and made various arrangements concerning the Beast God Realm.

As an elite student of Qinxing Academy, Shao Qiming was naturally aware of these matters. He also knew very well that his good friend was the vanguard leader and commander of the expedition team for the Beast God Realm.

And in order to deal with the Beast God Realm expedition, where he might have to face several Extraordinary High-tier Divine Beasts, Su Zhou had of course made thorough preparations. Leaving aside material supplies, he was also planning to go on an expedition to the Otherworld to increase his own power.