Mythical Era: My Evolution into a Celestial Beast

Chapter 105: Dragon Elephant Limit, True Martial Spirit

They had collected a total of eight level 2 mutated beast corpses. While some had been severed in half by Chen Chu, and others were severely damaged, they were still rewarded 50 contribution points for the lot.

By itself, the king cobra was worth 20 points, bringing the total amount to 70.

The real prize, however, was the mutated Rampage Ape with the trace of a king-level bloodline. The Level 3 Life Crystal alone was worth 40 contribution points, and the body was worth 50 points even after losing the crystal.

After three days out, the four of them had earned a total of 160 contribution points. They were stinking rich. It had been much easier than chasing down the traitorous rebels, and they made a killing!

Unfortunately, such good fortune was a one time thing. Li Hao had spent tens of thousands hiring the mercenaries, and it had taken them more than ten days to find the locations of just these mutated beasts, an expedition that had cost them a great deal of resources and manpower.

Not only was the country barren of transcendent energy, but the experts of the Kyrola Royal Family had also been going to the Kata mountains to hunt and collect resources every year, resulting in a scarcity of graded mutated beasts.

The next morning, after a night of rest, Li Hao and Li Meng came to Chen Chu and Xia Youhui's room to divide the loot.

Li Meng spoke first, in a somewhat embarrassed tone. "I contributed the least this time, especially with the Rampage Ape. Just give me 20 contribution points."

"20? Isn't that a bit too little?" Chen Chu hesitated.

While they had agreed before setting out that those who contributed more would receive more, there was still a bottom line to consider. No one liked a person that took advantage of others, after all; someone who received too little would be far less likely to team up with you again in the future.

"Twenty points for you is definitely not enough." Xia Youhui shook his head and said, "I think Ah Chu and Li Hao should each get 50 points, and Li Meng and I should each get 30 points. How about that?"

Li Hao said, "That's acceptable."

Chen Chu nodded. "I have no objections either."

Although Chen Chu had been the one to decisively deal the killing blow to the Golden-Backed Rampage Ape, he wouldn't have been able to wear the berserk ape down without Li Hao's frontal assault.

Xia Youhui's final outburst had also been crucial; the ape might have been able to escape otherwise, and once it entered the forest, it would have been difficult to hunt down, especially with all of the large trees everywhere. Had the ape managed to grab one of those, it could have very easily killed them with a single swing.

"Umm..." Li Meng hesitated, feeling a little guilty about the arrangement.

Xia Youhui rolled his eyes. "What's with the hesitation? Be a man. The minority should obey the majority, so it's settled."

In the end, Chen Chu received the Level 3 Life Crystal, plus 10 contribution points to make up the rest of his share. Li Hao got the Golden-Backed Rampage Ape’s body, while Xia Youhui and Li Meng each directly received 30 contribution points. It was a win-win situation for everyone.

"You have converted a Level 3 Life Crystal and gained 44 attribute points."

Once the spoils were divided and everyone had dispersed, Chen Chu finally had the opportunity to convert the Life Crystal. The number of attribute points he gained, however, was more than he had expected.

The official pricing for Life Crystals was based, not on the concentration, but on the purity of the life energy contained within. While a Level 3 Life Crystal only had a little more than double the life energy of a Level 2, that energy was three times purer, which reflected in the price.

For most cultivators, higher-purity life energy was more effective in enhancing physical fitness, but Chen Chu was the exception, which meant that the level 3 crystals weren’t very cost-effective for him in general.

Ultimately, however, it didn't matter. With the Sword Armored Beast entering the sea, he now had an alternative source of Life Crystals, so his contribution points could be used for other needs, such as high-level arts and transcendent materials.

Even with all of this in mind, the number of attribute points Chen Chu converted this time was equivalent to the total of three level 2 crystals, and he couldn’t help but smile at the result.

Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough.

Chen Chu took the elevator to the underground logistics department. First, he sent his rolled and deformed saber in for repair; now that he had some money, and a considerable amount of contribution points, it would have been embarrassing to try to get Xia Youhui to repair his saber for him again.

With that done, he politely asked, "Could you please help me exchange for a Level 1 Life Crystal and an Energy Crystal?"

The Blue Crystal that Xia Youhui had given him normally would have had more than enough energy. Originally, Chen Chu had estimated that he could cultivate with it for three months, by which time the trial would be almost over and they would all return to school.

But who would have thought that he would break through so quickly? After reaching the Third Heavenly Realm, his absorption speed had increased several times, and he had completely drained the Blue Crystal the night they had spent in the mountains.

Now, though, he had a total of 35 contribution points. With the twenty percent discount provided by the school for the Life Crystal, and the special thirty percent discount for the Energy Crystal, he would still have 26 points left.

"You have converted one Level 1 Life Crystal and gained 4 attribute points."

In the personal cultivation room, Chen Chu looked at the 51 attribute points on the page, and with anticipation, he issued a mental command. Convert 50 attribute points to perform the maximum enhancement on the Dragon Elephant Art.

As soon as he finished the thought, the 50 attribute points disappeared. At the same time, a majestic force surged into his dantian, and the Dragon Elephant True Power instantly erupted, flooding his whole body with an extremely powerful force.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A faint rumbling surged within Chen Chu's body like river torrents, as the Dragon Elephant True Power wildly expanded and circulated. Wherever it passed, muscles, tendons, and bones were greatly strengthened.

To advance from the Third Heavenly Realm to the Fourth, one needed to expand their dantian to three times its original size. The contained true power also needed to reach ten times the amount possessed in the beginning stage, continuously compressing and condensing until it liquefied; that first transformation of power was what triggered the breakthrough.

With the enhancement from the attribute points, each circulation of the Dragon Elephant Art slightly expanded his dantian, as his true power became more and more abundant. Even the meridians throughout his body were expanding.

Chen Chu also felt something else gathering within his body, something that reminded him of the Tyrant Elephant Essence he had absorbed when he had first built the Dragon Elephant Art’s foundation.

He could feel the essence change the nature of his skin and flesh to make them tougher, and his true power gained a hint of the tyrant elephant's violent nature.

Now, with the maximum enhancement of the art, these essences were converging towards the dantian in a way that Chen Chu couldn't understand.

Under his conscious gaze, the ethereal yet tangible dantian within his body quickly expanded to twice its size, then three times, as his true power skyrocketed.

"Am I about to break through?"

Just as Chen Chu started to marvel at the thought of breaking through to the Fourth Heavenly Realm at a speed far beyond all other geniuses, a rumbling shook deep within his dantian.

Roar!

The roar of a wild and domineering elephant burst out, and a giant, vague elephant shadow, more than ten meters tall and ten meters[1] long, appeared in the center of his dantian.

The terrifying giant elephant’s muscles were bulging, emitting an extremely violent aura of power. It felt as if it could collapse mountains and flatten rivers with a single move, its mere presence alone domineering over everything.

"The Tyrant Elephant!?" Chen Chu's heart shook as he looked at the terrifying giant shadow. From its size and the aura it emitted, he was sure that this giant elephant was at least a level 6, perhaps even a level 7 mutated creature. This terrifying mutated beast's essence was only worth 20 points per bottle?

The authorities really did give preferential treatment to cultivating students. Chen Chu now somewhat understood why contribution points were so precious; normally, the essence of such a giant beast would be worth at least 50 points.

As he continued to marvel at the sight, the giant elephant shadow started to shrink, finally condensing into an ancient and simple elephant-shaped rune.

After a long while, Chen Chu slowly opened his eyes, feeling the surge of true power within his body, and summoned the attribute page with a thought.

Realm: Third Heavenly Realm

Physique: 315+

Strength: 340+

Agility: 250+

Spirit: 241+

Innate Ability: Soul Splitting+

Techniques: Lotus Platform Meditation Art, Dragon Elephant Art [Maximum], Insightful Blade [Third Stage]

Rune: Elephant Fury [An incomplete true martial rune. When activated, it can burn the body's vitality and true power to increase defense and strength tenfold, reminiscent of a Tyrant Elephant sweeping away everything in its path.]

Attribute Points: 1

The effect of this maximum enhancement was astonishing. His true power had increased fivefold and become even more condensed. Meanwhile, his dantian had expanded to its limit ahead of time, three times its original size, and the meridians through his body had become wider and tougher, now able to withstand a stronger burst of true power.

He had now advanced to the middle stage of the Third Heavenly Realm, and would likely be able to break through to the late stage with just a little more cultivation. Even before then, this breakthrough had caused his Physique and Strength attributes to skyrocket by 30 points each.

And the biggest gain of all was the true martial rune. Even though it was noted as incomplete, the fact that he had been able to condense one in the Third Heavenly Realm at all was extraordinary, and even its current incomplete form would be terrifyingly effective in enhancing his combat power.

Under the rune’s passive influence, the power of the Dragon Elephant Art had already become equivalent to an average high-level art; among other things, the strength amplification had increased from three times to five. Activating the rune would boost its power further, giving him a tenfold increase in strength and defense.

If the Golden-Backed Rampage Ape appeared before him now, Chen Chu would be able to overpower it with ease.

Boom!

In the cultivation room, Chen Chu's body became enveloped in a thick black true power, emitting an extremely violent and domineering aura as he familiarized himself with the sensation and power of the surge. Every movement he made caused ripples in the air.

After this maximum enhancement, his Dragon Elephant Art now made his strength even more tyrannical and ferocious.

***

Elsewhere in the base, Xiao Hai, Zhao Zhilong, Liu Feixu, and a uniformed Zhang Hong walked together.

Liu Feixu lightly said, "We've been searching for a month already. It seems that the rift really isn't around the Leicester City area."

Zhang Hong slowly replied, "The general left us behind as a precaution. It's better if the rift isn't here. The four of us, at the Sixth Heavenly Realm, wouldn't be able to fight off the demon cults’ lurking emissaries otherwise."

Xiao Hai's expression also turned serious. "I heard that the demon cults attach extreme importance to the rift in Kylora. They won't let the Federation find and destroy it easily. This time, there may be Fallen Ones appearing."

"Fallen Ones!" The expressions of the four people instantly turned serious.

Not far away, Chen Chu, who had just finished his cultivation, walked out of the cultivation room, and the four of them instantly paused.

For just a moment, Chen Chu was like a giant elephant in their eyes. A subtle sense of oppression permeated the area around him, making the surrounding air seem heavy.

Zhang Hong exclaimed in surprise, "True Martial Spirit. I remember this student is from Nantian, right?"

"Yes." Liu Feixu nodded, her eyes flashing with a hint of astonishment.

Zhang Hong praised, "Indeed, it's worthy of being one of the top high schools in East Xia. There are countless monstrous geniuses. His cultivated martial art must be related to strength and elephants.

"I remember Nantian has a high-level martial art called the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body. After cultivation, it sweeps away everything with its tyrannical strength. Extremely domineering."

"..." Liu Feixu fell silent. She didn’t want to say that Chen Chu only cultivated a low-level martial art, the Dragon Elephant Art. Otherwise, this guy would definitely try to recruit him on behalf of the military.

When Chen Chu had revealed his Third Heavenly Realm strength by killing the Third Realm Blood Cultist before, she had already been shocked, but she didn't expect to be even more astonished later, when he and the other geniuses returned after killing the Golden-Backed Rampage Ape yesterday.

It had only been half a month, yet he had already cultivated the True Martial Spirit of a low-level martial art.

While Liu Feixu was shocked, Xiao Hai and Zhao Zhilong seemed relatively calm.

Zhao Zhilong sighed. "When student Chen came to pick us up, I had already felt that he was extraordinarily talented. It seems I wasn't mistaken. It's only been a little over three months of cultivation, and he's already both broken through to the Third Heavenly Realm and cultivated the True Martial Spirit. His talent must be among the top at Nantian. The new students nowadays are truly outstanding."

"Yes, the younger generation is indeed formidable." Xiao Hai nodded in agreement. "Oh, by the way, when I came back this morning, I heard that Nantian had four of their students enter the Kata Mountains and hunt down over ten mutated beasts. They even managed to kill one with a trace of a king-level bloodline, a mutated Rampage Ape. Could it be..."

Liu Feixu nodded. "That's right, it was Chen Chu and three other Third Heavenly Realm freshmen who killed the Golden-Backed Rampage Ape."

Instantly, Zhang Hong, Xiao Hai, and Zhao Zhilong started to praise Nantian and Chen Chu again, not noticing Liu Feixu's increasingly puzzled expression.

She felt that, even if she told the three of them now that this student had only average talent initially and had taken half a month to build his foundation, they wouldn't believe her.

It seemed that she needed to report to the principal when they returned. It would be too unfair to Chen Chu, a hidden genius who had accumulated his strength quietly, to continue going overlooked.

1. The original novel uses “zhang.” Since a direct conversion would result in a length of thirty meters, making this most likely a typo on the author’s part, only the unit of measurement has been changed for consistency. ☜