"It's taking a long time this time, over three minutes already, and he's still sitting there stunned." Wang Xia glanced at his watch and spoke to the person next to him. The others remained silent, their eyes fixed solely on Zheng Zha in the center of the area. Over the past two days, they had all accompanied Zheng Zha in testing the taming of the Hu Po Blade. The most dangerous incident occurred when Zheng Zha entered his "Annihilation" state; in a single second, he had closed the distance to them until he was extremely near. If Zhao Yingkong and Zhang Heng hadn't reacted quickly enough to have the "Main God" completely repair them instantly, the team might have suffered casualties.

In short, taming this Hu Po Blade was proving to be an incredibly perilous undertaking. This time, the period Zheng Zha remained still was longer than any previous attempt. When he slowly rose, still clutching the Hu Po Blade, his eyes were entirely crimson, and his body trembled slightly. The others were about to signal the "Main God" to fully restore him when Zhao Yingkong raised a hand to stop them. She stated, "It's alright now...

he can control this killing intent on his own." Indeed, Zheng Zha did not suddenly launch an attack. Instead, after taking several deep breaths, he sheathed the Hu Po Blade into his storage ring. Only then did the malevolent aura surrounding him gradually subside. The other team members exchanged glances and then rushed toward Zheng Zha. "Sorry to make everyone worry..." Zheng Zha said with a wry smile, though even as he spoke, the hand that had gripped the Hu Po Blade continued to shake uncontrollably.

"The advancement of this Hu Po wasn't due to a fundamental change in the blade's quality itself. Instead, a specific rune combination was used to channel an aura capable of influencing consciousness into the weapon. Did you see the oracle bone script carvings on the blade? That should be a manifestation of that aura. When I tried to use my condensed energy to control the Hu Po Blade just now, I finally understood that the advanced Hu Po Blade isn't some legendary magic-grade weapon at all...

it's a true magical artifact forged through cultivation, or perhaps, a demonic tool..." Zheng Zha explained to the others as he sat on the sofa. After gaining control of the Hu Po, Zheng Zha returned to his room with the rest of the group. While a few of the girls went to prepare food, the team members gathered around to listen as Zheng Zha recounted how he managed to tame the Hu Po. "I felt the forging process of the Hu Po, much like when the team members were resurrected—my consciousness connected with that original consciousness. I saw a person refining a piece of stone with fire.

It sounds unbelievable because the method I witnessed was exactly what we read about in cultivation novels: the person emitting flames to temper the stone. Unexpectedly, once the stone melted, it attempted to engulf and consume him. At that moment, a massive white tiger appeared beside the man, and this tiger actually swallowed the molten substance formed by the stone in one gulp..." Zheng Zha noticed the strange looks on the faces around him and waved his hand with a self-deprecating smile. "Don't look at me like that. It sounds absurd, but that is truly what I saw in those few minutes.

Then, the man became enraged. Disregarding the white tiger's pleas, he violently extracted its entire spine from its tail. The substance the stone had turned into became the blade of the Hu Po Blade—those reddish, translucent materials—while the tiger's spine formed the hilt and the core structure within the blade. That's how it happened. Afterward, to amplify the weapon's power, the man imprisoned all the white tiger’s hatred and malevolent aura within the weapon, thus forming the Hu Po.

The power the man used was precisely the unknown energy I have been condensing; in that man's consciousness, this energy was called 'True Essence Power'... it is also the only power that allows safe use of the Hu Po..." A silence fell over the group until Wang Xia and Luo Gandao simultaneously exclaimed, "Cultivation? You mean that type of martial art that turns people into immortals? That's so cool!" They both spoke at the same time, then looked at each other before turning their gaze back to Zheng Zha. "Yes, it is the power generated by cultivation..." Zheng Zha said with a bitter smile.

"From that man, I vaguely gathered that the enemy he was forging this weapon to face was none other than the Sages who had unlocked the Fifth Stage of the Genetic Lock, and there were many others with power similar to his also preparing. But I don't know what happened after that. I only know that this Hu Po is now available for random exchange under the 'Main God'... I suspect the anomalies Luo Yinglong mentioned might pertain to these exchangeable items or attribute points." Seeing the bewildered looks on everyone's faces, Zheng Zha continued, "This is just a guess of mine. Xiao Honglü...

do you understand what I'm saying?" Among the group, everyone else watched him with curiosity. Only Xiao Honglü pinched the hair on his forehead, then picked up a cup of black tea from the table and took a sip. After Zheng Zha finished speaking, Xiao Honglü nodded and said, "Based on what you just said, I can roughly grasp your meaning. You probably mean to ask about the origins of the exchangeable attributes and skill points provided by the 'Main God,' right?" Zheng Zha nodded. "Exactly.

This is a question I began considering after entering the Fourth Stage of the Genetic Lock: the origin of these exchangeable attributes and skills. Logically, these skills and attributes should have been created by individuals who have unlocked different stages of the Genetic Lock. For instance, after unlocking the Fourth Stage, one could very well create certain skills, and if one wished to grow stronger still, creating genes suited for specific organisms wouldn't be impossible. So, werewolves, elves, vampires, even attributes from comics—these are all potentially achievable. However, there is a major loophole in this logic..." "That is, why would someone who has unlocked the Fourth Stage or higher choose to alter genes to a lower level?

Take me, for example; I would absolutely not choose useless, low-level genes, only focusing on genes that could make me stronger. Of course, currently, I can only optimize the dormant layers of genes within my body. Truly changing one's genetic attributes requires reaching the Intermediate or higher level of the Fourth Stage Genetic Lock. The problem circles back to the start: if they are already that powerful, why would they bother altering genes to suit weaker creatures or bloodlines? Why create very fragile skills?

Could it be that the creators of these things already knew about the existence of our current Reincarnation Squads?" Zheng Zha let out a breath and continued, "So, my conjecture is that these skills and attributes are likely not all created by the Sages. More likely, they were created by the Sages' enemies. Through accumulation over time, this resulted in the diverse array of exchangeable items we see now. And the humans who cultivated... very possibly, were originally the enemies of the Sages." Xiao Honglü suddenly laughed and said, "You've said a lot, but you haven't told us whether you can actually use the Hu Po, or what the status of your True Essence Power is.

Can you generate it continuously or control its use?" Zheng Zha nodded. "The Hu Po can be used, but there's a significant constraint: I cannot be without my True Essence Power. It's no longer just a weapon; at its A-rank, it has become a magical artifact requiring True Essence Power to function. Without it, any ordinary person touching it would go mad. Fortunately, the consumption rate of the True Essence Power isn't fast, and although the True Essence Power seems like just a trace amount, it is incredibly potent and long-lasting.

So, if I want to use it, I must condense a large amount of True Essence Power, and once I enter a horror movie world, I can rely on this condensed power to wield it..." The others instantly breathed a sigh of relief. Firstly, because the weapon had not been wasted after all; given its terrifying power, letting it go to waste would have been a colossal pity. Secondly, Zheng Zha wouldn't experience those previous berserk episodes anymore. As his strength continuously grew, another uncontrolled rampage could certainly lead to casualties within the team. Zheng Zha, however, suddenly burst into laughter.

While laughing, he said, "But this time, a misfortune turned into a blessing. Cheng Xiao, do you still remember the eight small flags you found on the Lord of the Rings battlefield? The eight small flags made of an unknown material." Cheng Xiao paused momentarily. "Uh? Eight small flags...

Uh? Yes, those eight small flags are still with you, right?" Zheng Zha nodded. "I was just thinking, since the energy I condensed is a form of True Essence Power, why couldn't I use this energy to activate those eight small flags? You all don't know the terrifying power of those eight flags. At that time, I was completely incapable of opposing them.

When those eight flags were deployed, I nearly died on the Ganga battlefield. It was only through Ling Dian's timely rescue that I barely survived. So, if those eight small flags can truly be used, hahaha, my strength wouldn't just increase tenfold! Even if we encountered the Devil Reincarnation Squad again, we might actually stand a chance." Bawang grunted gruffly from the side, "Then hurry up and test the power of this magical artifact! I often read Chinese cultivation novels too.

Is its power really as strong as described in the books? Capable of splitting heaven and earth?" "How could it be that strong? Those are novels; this place isn't a novel..." Zheng Zha waved his hand helplessly. "Unfortunately, I also wish to test the power of those eight flags immediately, but the True Essence Power I condensed over three days has basically been entirely consumed controlling the Hu Po Blade. Now, even if I wanted to test it, it's impossible.

Furthermore, we only have six days left in this 'Main God' space. I can, at most, condense twice the amount of True Essence Power I managed before... There isn't enough time. I need to exchange for enough time to go into the horror movie worlds, condense a massive amount of True Essence Power to store on my person. By then...

we will never fear the horror movie reincarnation again!"