Zheng Zha had always believed that his internal energy and the Blood Race energy must have been absorbed from the void; otherwise, how could the human body generate such an immense amount of power solely from food? It was just that depending on the cultivation method used, the attribute and quality of the absorbed energy differed. For example, his previous internal energy was diluted, while his current internal energy was thick, and the Blood Race energy grew increasingly corrosive and destructive as he grew stronger. However, ultimately, internal energy and Blood Race energy were two distinct types of energy. It was precisely because their attributes were relatively compatible that the "Explosion" and "Destruction" skills came into being, leading to Zheng Zha's current achievements.

Zheng Zha held the Magic Ring and examined it thoughtfully. Frankly, he didn't quite grasp its function. Judging solely by its description, this ring seemed largely useless. Energy conversion—even if it converted energy, so what? Did it require him to convert both his internal energy and Blood Race energy into the same attribute?

If so, what about "Explosion" and "Destruction"? Chu Xuan showed a rare look of disdain. He sneered, "Your thinking is truly naive. You can only think of energy in terms of your own elemental affinity?" Zheng Zha asked curiously, "Other aspects? Does it mean concentrating the Blood Race energy and internal energy onto the ring to form a 'Destruction'-state bomb?

Or some other form of conversion? If you don't explain clearly, how can I know?" "For instance, energy refinement, which is also a form of energy conversion." Chu Xuan looked at the One Ring with a hint of fanaticism in his eyes, "Let me use an analogy. According to the legends in many Chinese Wuxia or Xianxia stories, when internal energy is continuously cultivated and compressed into a core, it becomes a Golden Core. Although this practice might be a method that leads to self-detonation, using this ring to refine internal energy or Blood Race energy is excellent. In other words, with this ring, you wouldn't need to exchange for higher-level internal energy or Blood Race bloodlines.

Refining it and storing it within your body or the ring is the most basic application..." Zheng Zha saw the rare fervor in Chu Xuan's eyes and said with a touch of lingering fear, "What else? Other uses?" "Like energy super-aggregation!" Chu Xuan said this time with genuine fervor, "Compressing a laser gun or laser cannon through energy aggregation, and then releasing it after it's been compressed again by the ring—the power would absolutely be... Let's just use this ring as a collector to create a super-weapon for our Central Continent Team... Let's call it the Magic Drive Cannon—a cannon forged by the Magic Ring. That way, next time someone threatens our people with something like a continental shelf vibrator, we won't need to say much; one shot will suffice..." (It seems he hasn't gotten over failing to kill Adam; he actually cares a lot about it...) Zheng Zha exchanged glances with those around him; similar thoughts crossed everyone's minds.

However, fearing Chu Xuan might notice their thoughts and devise ways to manipulate them later, everyone lowered their heads guiltily. They stopped looking around. "That might be true... Hmm, Cheng Xiao, although it feels rude to ask, why do those eight flags in your hand look so familiar?" Zheng Zha was just about to slightly curb Chu Xuan's fervor over studying the new discovery when he saw Cheng Xiao, contrary to his usual taciturn nature, holding eight small red flags. Cheng Xiao looked up and chuckled.

He said, "Didn't you say that guy who practices cultivation was incredibly powerful? Back then, I thought it would be great if that guy dropped a magic treasure or two. In the end, I didn't find anything except these eight small flags that wouldn't burn. At the time, I thought they were something good, but after bringing them back, I realized they were just ordinary little flags, only very sturdy..." As he spoke, Zheng Zha had already snatched the flags. They felt soft in his hand.

The material of the flags was neither cloth nor cotton; looking at the tight weave, they somewhat resembled plastic sheeting, but surely no one would be foolish enough to make a magic treasure out of plastic, right? And plastic that wasn't afraid of purple flames... Zheng Zha looked at them for a long time before sighing, "That's right, these are the eight flags Luo Yinglong cast when he used that ultimate move. Indeed, a practitioner of cultivation, a being like an immortal, used these seemingly fragile little flags to envelop me, rendering me utterly immobile. I couldn't even escape while in the 'Destruction' state.

If one wanted to exchange for such a skill, how incredibly expensive it must be." "My 'Explosion' and 'Destruction' are still better..." Chu Xuan remarked casually nearby, "It is said... that when internal energy condenses to a certain degree, it becomes the True Essence Power of cultivation..." Without another word, Zheng Zha snatched the ring back and sat down cross-legged, completely still. Although Zheng Zha said that, he was deeply troubled by his skills. He looked at other powerhouses who had unlocked the fourth stage of the Gene Lock—weren't they all graceful and elegant, with skills that were cool, handsome, and unimaginably powerful? While the power of his "Destruction" was undeniably immense and terrifying, that power came at the cost of self-destruction.

Every time he finished fighting an enemy, regardless of their strength, if he used the "Destruction" state, he would always end up bleeding profusely, or worse, completely naked. Compared to them, he truly, desperately wanted a skill that looked more dashing, at least one that made him appear slightly better after using "Destruction." Zheng Zha sat there holding the ring, lost in thought. Gradually, the dark light on the ring suddenly retracted, transforming into a soft white light enveloping it. The ring then floated up from Zheng Zha's hand. A gentle white light rose from his palm and poured into the ring's setting.

Following this, the ring emitted numerous light filaments that spread throughout Zheng Zha's body. This scene was quite astonishing; at least, it made Zheng Zha feel a sense of cultivating towards immortality. However, Chu Xuan walked straight behind Cheng Xiao, while Zhan Lan and Zhao Yingkong pulled the few girls further away. Just as Cheng Xiao was displaying a look of confusion, suddenly, a white light burst forth from Zheng Zha, followed by a 'bang' as he exploded. All the light filaments gathered outside his body and burst violently.

Cheng Xiao, being the closest, was blown several meters away, falling flat on the floor. When he got up, a section of the door was already mysteriously missing. Zheng Zha looked utterly miserable. His body was covered in wounds from the blast, and both of his palms were completely blown off. He sat there cross-legged, screaming, "'Main God,' repair my entire body!" "Wait, I need a full body repair too!" Just like that, two beams of light descended and vanished.

By now, Zheng Zha dared not condense his internal energy any further. He tossed the ring directly to Chu Xuan, "Are you kidding me? This move is fine for taking an enemy down with me... but to manipulate these flags, Chu Xuan, weren't you deliberately teasing me to get reference data for your research?" "How could I be..." Chu Xuan said solemnly, "Am I that kind of person?" (Absolutely...) Zheng Zha and many others murmured this inwardly, but they dared not say it aloud, as everyone feared becoming the next research subject... Chu Xuan seemed aware of what they were thinking and ignored them, simply tossing the ring back to Zheng Zha.

"What about your unlocking of the fourth stage of the Gene Lock? Do you know why the fifth stage is the Saint level? It's about controlling energy, and the law of energy-to-matter conversion. If one could truly control energy one hundred percent, that person would have surpassed the limits of biology. Can you understand what I'm saying?

Likewise, for the fourth stage, which is the precursor to the fifth, mastery over minute control is merely the entry point. What you need is continuous training, training, and more training—compressing that energy relentlessly. What you must do is reduce the explosion radius again and again until you can smoothly compress a large amount of energy. Even if you can't control these flags, the mere destructive power of compressing and unleashing energy would absolutely be worth the effort to train for!" Zheng Zha finally stopped his internal grumbling. He nodded solemnly.

He could distinguish the truth in Chu Xuan's words; this was definitely the essence of real training. At least, if he wanted to continue growing stronger, he had to put in tangible effort. Minute control, unlocking the fourth stage of the Gene Lock... that was his capital to contend with his future clones! "That's the basic situation...

So, who else are you planning to resurrect next?" Chu Xuan asked, looking back at Zheng Zha as he said this. Zheng Zha solemnly placed the Magic Ring into his storage ring and then replied, "Qi Tengyi, Xiao Honglu—these two must be resurrected. One is familiar with numerous ancient scripts, which will be extremely helpful for us to find side-plots when we return to some horror films later. Then there's Ming Yanwei; it's fine to resurrect her too. Zhang Heng, you also gained a lot of Reward Points and side-plot rewards, right?

If you don't have enough, I can help..." Zhang Heng had been standing quietly nearby. Hearing Zheng Zha's words, he shuddered, then frantically shook his head, "No, not for now. Not until I become strong enough to protect her... Only then will I personally resurrect her. So, please give me some time." Zheng Zha sighed, patted Zhang Heng on the shoulder, "Yes, grow stronger, all of us grow stronger together, survive, protect ourselves, and protect what is important to us...

Now, everyone get a good rest today. We'll go to The Mummy tomorrow morning to resurrect our companions..." Jump to