An immense sea of data stretched before them. Two young men stared intently at the screens, exchanging only sparse words about their ongoing discussion on the project. Only during such intense periods were there any frequent exchanges between them and Inzarota.

Chen Feiyu sat beside Qin Fen in the main hall, his face grim, his eyes fixed on the founding committee members departing outside.

The distinctive uniforms, the familiar insignia—Chen Feiyu would never forget anything about the founding committee, even in death. Every night when he closed his eyes, the things that had happened would flash before him, serving as the very fuel for his martial progress. This site's address has been changed to: fanggu, please log in to read!

Chen Feiyu knew he had to hold back for now; Qin Fen would undoubtedly explain everything later. The most important thing right now was not to interfere with Du Peng’s treatment.

In the blink of an eye, over ten hours had passed. Lin Liqiang, his star-like eyes faintly laced with red, finally stopped conversing with Inzarota and reviewing the data. Even grasping just one thread from this colossal amount of information would likely take an incredibly long time.

Studying and understanding were entirely different; for the two of them, this data wasn't so much material for learning as it was inspiration, a map pointing toward the road ahead.

“Dragging this out further is pointless now,” Lin Liqiang said, taking a wet wipe to his face to sharpen his focus. “The general direction and the approach have been settled. To increase the success rate further would require months, perhaps even decades, of research, analysis, and experimentation. Even delaying a few more days wouldn't significantly bump up the odds. Conversely, as time ticks by, the difficulty will only grow steeper.”

Everyone remained standing. Lin Liqiang hadn't come over just to say these things; he surely had more to discuss.

“Let me put it this way: I studied some anatomy and suturing for the matter involving the bio-beasts, but that is not my specialty,” Lin Liqiang turned to Qin Fen. “You should have military surgeons here, right? I need the best surgical military surgeon available, preferably several. Let me assess their capabilities.”

Qin Fen felt the usually silent Lin Ling suddenly step forward from nearby, and all eyes immediately turned to the quiet yet somewhat enigmatic woman.

“Me.”

Lin Ling’s response was hardly more complicated than Inzarota’s, delivered with a calm, confident expression.

“You?” Lin Liqiang exclaimed loudly. “Prepare a set of surgical equipment for her, and bring me one of those Spiny-Scale Mutated Frogs. Let’s see how quickly you can extract the Spiny-Scale Gallbladder.”

Lin Liqiang’s gaze returned to Qin Fen. “I need all of you to give me blood samples. Du Peng’s body is almost devoid of blood; without living blood, even a Bug Warrior cannot function.”

“Unsuitable.”

“Unsuitable.”

“Still unsuitable.”

Lin Liqiang looked at the dripping blood, his gaze settling on Du Zhanpeng as he watched. “I need one-third of your blood. If possible, integrate your Yuan Qi into it as well.”

Yuan Qi? Chen Zhi and the others instantly tensed. Yuan Qi was different from Zhen Qi. Both the Human Gang and Earth Gang originated from the transformation of Qi into Yuan, which was the essence of a person. Gang Qi, once released, could be rapidly replenished from one’s source; even if immediate replenishment wasn’t possible, it would usually recover after ten days or half a month.

The Source, however, was different. It demanded cultivation over long years and was intrinsically linked to one’s Stellar Rank. Losing Yuan Qi meant a demotion in Stellar Rank.

Especially for a martial artist whose future strength was supposed to ascend, this was like drawing nourishment during a crucial growth phase—not providing it, but actively extracting it. While not immediately fatal, it could be catastrophic to one's martial life.

“Old Qin, don't bother,” Lin Liqiang waved him off. “Your blood type is incompatible with Du Peng. Your Yuan Qi would only be poison to him. We don’t have time here for harmonization or matching protocols. That process takes more than a day or two.”

“Done,” Lin Ling murmured softly. The surgical tools were placed back on the table. The Spiny-Scale creature continued to twitch on the surface, but its Spiny-Scale Gallbladder had been removed. In the near future, all the scales on its body would fall off, and then it would die.

Lin Liqiang glanced at the timer he held up. “How long can you sustain that level of intensity?”

“Ninety-five hours.”

A sharp intake of breath escaped through Lin Liqiang’s clenched teeth, his pupils unable to mask his shock. “Ninety-five hours?”

Inzarota also cast an appreciative, admiring gaze toward Lin Ling. That degree of high-intensity focus was something that even a martial arts master with iron will would struggle to maintain for ten hours. Twenty hours was practically impossible.

Ninety-five hours? Lin Liqiang had to admit it. If Qin Fen was the male version of a monster, then Lin Ling was the female counterpart. Sustaining that length of time—ninety-five hours—was beyond even an eighteen-star martial artist, let alone this woman.

“Captain Du—”

Chen Zhi lunged forward. His five fingers spread wide, gripping Du Zhanpeng’s shoulder tightly. Looking into Zhanpeng’s returned gaze, he said, “Although you are the captain and hold decision-making power for the team, please do not forget the consequences if you contribute your Yuan Qi. Brother Zhan is not a god; he can awaken the dead, but he absolutely cannot restore your Yuan Qi once it’s gone.”

“I know,” Du Zhanpeng replied, raising a hand to gently pat the back of Chen Zhi’s hand resting on his shoulder. “If it’s lost, then let it be lost.”

“Captain Du, forgive my bluntness.” Chen Zhi made no move to release his grip, digging his fingers in harder. “Your strength is your own, but at the same time, it doesn’t belong only to you.”

“I understand, but it’s fine,” Du Zhanpeng’s smile was incomparably composed and dashing, that unique nonchalance of a noble scion lending him an indescribable handsomeness. “My brother, Du Peng, will not be worse than me. He will only be stronger than me, so you don’t need to worry about that issue.”

“But—”

“Are you afraid he won’t listen? It’s fine. I am his older brother.” Du Zhanpeng lightly clenched his fist. “If he misbehaves, I’ll beat him. Even if I’m weaker than him, I can use my status as his elder brother to tell him that he should brace his backside for a beating, can’t I?”

The veins on Chen Zhi’s arm bulged fiercely, his entire arm trembling uncontrollably. His unyielding eyes met Du Zhanpeng’s. According to Brother Zhan’s assessment, given time, this man might very well attain the title of Divine Beast Warrior.

“Mr. Lin,” Chen Zhi raised his voice slightly, craning his neck to look at Lin Liqiang. “Without Yuan Qi, is it impossible?”

“It’s not impossible, but the effect will be significantly diminished,” Lin Liqiang scratched his head. “To be honest, making this request was a bit selfish. Even without it, Young Master Du could become a New Human, but perhaps not reach the optimal level, right? As everyone knows, Yuan Qi injected into the body cannot be retained permanently, to become truly theirs. However, this substance is very helpful for root strengthening and for the recipient—it has properties akin to marrow washing and meridian cleansing.”

Chen Zhi nodded in full agreement. Yuan Qi did indeed possess functions similar to marrow washing, but once released, it was gone forever. Furthermore, the recipient wasn't guaranteed an infinite future. This method was extremely risky, a poor cost-benefit trade-off, and one could only attempt it if they already possessed the foundation of Human Gang Qi.

Which martial artist capable of possessing Human Gang Qi wasn't already a powerhouse? Who would willingly harm their own Stellar Rank to gamble that Yuan Qi on an unknown outcome? Moreover, Du Peng might not even wake up—that was another layer of the gamble. If the gamble failed, the loss would be too great!

“Mr. Du, you can also choose to forgo the Yuan Qi transfer and just donate the blood,” Lin Liqiang muttered, rubbing his head. “My apologies, I was being self-interested just now.”

“It’s alright,” Du Zhanpeng turned to look at Du Peng suspended in the glass container, his gaze softening considerably. “We’ll do exactly as you suggested.”

“Little Du, you are younger than I am—” Chen Zhi gasped, his voice tight. “This time, I will use my status as the elder brother to advise you one more time. You need to think clearly; you have a chance—”

“Big Brother Chen, I know exactly what you want to say,” Du Zhanpeng pried away Chen Zhi’s five fingers gripping his shoulder. “Since I was young, I’ve been called a genius, designated the successor by the family. Meanwhile, Du Peng lived his entire life as a mere vessel, unacknowledged. He has always lacked validation and craves recognition from others. Coincidentally—”

Du Zhanpeng shrugged, gesturing toward his own chest with his finger. “I truly despise being in the spotlight. Isn’t it better to switch places with him?”

“You know what you are giving up—” Chen Zhi stopped, unable to finish. What others said might hold no weight, but Du Zhanpeng’s assessment came from Qin Zhan! That Qin Zhan, whose words had never been wrong!

“The chance for a Divine Beast? As a martial artist, no one is indifferent to becoming a Divine Beast Warrior. I, too, am genuinely very interested in becoming one,” Du Zhanpeng laughed openly, tilting his chin up about ten degrees toward the ceiling. “But this world always involves comparisons, doesn’t it? Compared to my own desire to become a Divine Beast Warrior, I would rather see Du Peng have a greater chance of achieving it.”

“But—” Chen Zhi insisted anxiously. “Du Peng might not be able to!”

“Don’t worry, Du Peng definitely can,” Du Zhanpeng clapped Chen Zhi heavily on the shoulder, his smile so brilliant that even Chen Zhi, a man, felt a slight tremor in his heart—a smile elegant yet utterly steadfast.

“Little Du, think about it again. If this gamble fails, you will lose everything.”

“I won’t lose. I won’t let myself lose, and he wouldn’t dare make me lose. I will let him win; would he dare refuse?” Du Zhanpeng turned back, smiling with absolute confidence. “I am his brother.” This site’s address has been changed to: gaibixin, please log in to read!

That smile was indescribably carefree. Heaven and Earth dimmed in its wake.