Stronger with Crimson Modifier-Chapter 99: Passage (Part 1)

She was a member of a Martial Arts Family, someone who had already broken through the Essence Element Divine Treasure and achieved a transformation in her Life Level.

Yet she had been injured by a mere Secret Martial Artist in the Qi Blood Realm.

This was an immense humiliation.

’Am I really so useless?’

Recalling the promise she had made to Wu Yu, she couldn’t help but start questioning everything.

Fighting an opponent of a higher realm wasn’t entirely unheard of.

But typically, such a thing only happened if one party used firearms, one was already injured, or both fighters were within the same major realm.

The gulf between major realms, like the one separating the Qi Blood Realm from a Martial Arts Family, was considered an insurmountable chasm.

It was fundamentally impossible to bridge, rendering so-called battles across realms out of the question.

A situation like this was simply unheard of.

’With this level of strength... could he be the one who attacked this branch?’

...

Meanwhile, in the stairwell of a residential building...

Hu Qi leaned against the cold wall, holding his breath and focusing his senses.

After a few minutes, sensing no movement, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Just now, he had given it his all.

The only reason he’d managed to injure her was thanks to the Seven Evils Saber.

Her body was far tougher than he had ever imagined.

Striking her felt like hacking at a block of refined steel.

The thought of actually killing her was a complete pipe dream.

Moreover, he hadn’t escaped unscathed.

A terrifying wound was visible on his chest.

The wound looked grisly, but it was merely superficial, not deep enough to have damaged muscle or bone.

There were even scorch marks along the edges of the gash, as if it had been seared by intense flames.

Even circulating his Qi and Blood at full force had minimal effect; it would clearly take a long time to heal.

"That bitch!"

As he thought of her, a dense killing intent flashed in Hu Qi’s eyes.

Then, he settled in to wait quietly in the stairwell, with no intention of leaving.

After a moment’s thought, just to be safe, he pulled out his phone, found Helinta’s contact information, and quickly sent her a message.

Soon, she sent a reply.

The message was very simple.

Helinta: Wait for me!

While waiting, Hu Qi sent a message to check on Song Jian’s condition. After learning he had only suffered minor flesh wounds and was otherwise fine, Hu Qi ignored Song Jian’s follow-up message asking how he was doing.

...

「Time slipped by.」

Before long, Helinta’s figure appeared at the bottom of the stairwell, shrouded in the dim light of the night. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Seeing her, Hu Qi walked down.

He immediately cupped his fist in his palm as a sign of respect.

"Sorry to trouble you this time, Senior Sister."

"It’s nothing. Since Master has accepted you as a Direct Disciple, we’re of the same sect. There’s no need to be so formal."

Helinta’s cold expression remained unchanged.

"Let’s go. Tell me what happened on the way."

At her words, Hu Qi briefly recounted the events that had just transpired.

As for how he managed to escape, he claimed it was a stroke of luck, suggesting that perhaps she hadn’t wanted to cause a major disturbance.

After listening to his account, Helinta’s expression darkened.

"How dare she attack a disciple of our Shexin Sect! If I had known, I would have detained her!"

Hu Qi’s expression flickered.

"Senior Sister, you know her?"

As if she had expected the question, Helinta briefly explained that Han Luan had come by during the day.

"The Holy Rain Sect? They came so quickly."

After she finished, Hu Qi understood the reason behind the attack.

He just hadn’t expected her to be so brazen.

She had actually dared to attack him, a Direct Disciple of the Sect Leader.

’No, wait. Maybe it’s because Helinta accepted me into the sect on Master’s behalf.’

’Sect Leader Jiang Zuo hasn’t returned yet, so the fact that I was accepted as a disciple hasn’t been widely announced.’

’She probably doesn’t even know.’

’If she knew, she wouldn’t have dared to attack me.’

There was a world of difference between attacking an ordinary disciple and attacking a Direct Disciple.

After she finished speaking, Helinta’s gaze fell on Hu Qi.

"Do you know anything about this, Junior Brother Hu?"

Hearing this, a look of confusion flashed across Hu Qi’s face.

He naturally claimed to know nothing about it.

Helinta didn’t press the issue.

She simply reached out and patted Hu Qi on the shoulder.

She changed the subject.

"Don’t worry. Even if they are one of the Seven Upper-tier Schools, they can’t just attack a Shexin Sect disciple for no reason. I will report this to Master so he can report it to the Federation. They will put pressure on the Holy Rain Sect. However, it’s best if you avoid going out for a while."

"Thank you, Senior Sister. I will."

Hu Qi nodded.

After this incident, he wouldn’t have ventured out rashly again, even without Helinta’s warning.

He had already made up his mind: until he broke through and became a member of a Martial Arts Family, he would not take a single step outside the academy.

...

The sky was a hazy, pale gray, without a single cloud in sight.

Sunlight fell upon his skin, yet he felt no warmth from it.

The branches of the trees, once covered in lush green leaves, were now bare.

The few withered, yellow leaves that remained swayed listlessly in the wind, looking as if they might fall at any moment.

By the lake in the academy, the solitary figure of the Camphor Tea Duck drifted on the water’s surface.

It was now late November.

The weather was growing colder.

The few pairs of swans that had once nested here had already departed.

Swans are migratory birds, highly sensitive to changes in climate and environment.

As winter approached, the temperature dropped and food became scarce, so the swans would fly to warmer regions with more abundant food to wait out the season.

This had left the Camphor Tea Duck feeling down for quite a while, but its melancholy didn’t last long before it went back to playing by itself.

Hu Qi sat leaning back on a wooden bench.

His Cold Iron Saber lay beside him.

Anyone who passed by and saw Hu Qi cast looks of awe in his direction.

Hu Qi paid no mind to their stares.

As time went on, ever since the incident, Hu Qi had dutifully remained within the academy, going nowhere.

He certainly hadn’t accepted any missions.

’Almost there! I’m about to reach my limit.’

He muttered to himself.

His gaze fell on the translucent, crimson panel that only he could see.

[Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Spirit Devouring Map (Entry-Level)]

[Snake Form Posture (Perfection) | Trait: Burst]

[White Whale Posture (Perfection) | Trait: Vastness]

[Mountain Tiger Posture (Perfection) | Trait: Divine Power]

[Celestial Rhinoceros Posture (Perfection) | Trait: Solidity]

[Spiritual Eagle Posture (Great Success)]

[Seven Evils Saber (Third Layer)]

...

Modification Point: 1 (53%)

The panel had changed dramatically compared to a month ago.

The most obvious change was that he now had five Pile Skills listed on the panel.

Now, empowered by the five Pile Skills, the Qi and Blood in Hu Qi’s body had also nearly reached the state of Perfection.

It felt as if it would overflow from his body at any moment.

Inside his body, the Qi Blood Ball was now immense, occupying nearly his entire chest cavity.