Chapter 041: Invulnerable to Blades and Spears? (Please vote for me!)
Although Tang Mubai felt fairly certain that Xiaoxi had not been injected with insect eggs, he decided to err on the side of caution. Together with Yang Kai, he took her to the hospital for a thorough examination. Before arriving, they stopped by a pharmacy to purchase a bottle of specially formulated solution. This solution was capable of effectively dissolving most of the fluids secreted by giant insects, and the sticky mucus of the Blue-Scaled Adhesive Worm was no exception. With just half a bottle, all of the viscous liquid on Xiaoxi’s body was cleaned away.
The little girl was about the same age as his younger cousin Lin Tianzhen—lively, cheerful, and always on the move. According to Yang Kai, she was a wild child who never sat still for a moment. Tang Mubai rather liked her. When the hospital checkup was underway, Xiaoxi regained consciousness. Upon learning it was Tang Mubai who had rescued her, she sweetly called him “big brother” again and again, her words honeyed and endearing. Even after she realized she’d been captured by a giant insect and had narrowly escaped death, she showed no fear. Her freshly washed face was all smiles, radiating pure joy.
Yes, she was a girl who loved to laugh, play, and make mischief. Not at all like the younger cousin at home, who only ever thought about eating!
…
They spent two hours at the hospital, and once the results confirmed that no insect eggs had been implanted, Tang Mubai took Xiaoxi and Yang Kai back to their residential complex.
By then, the bed of the large truck was already piled high with supplies. Seeing this, Tang Mubai had Yang Kai and an elderly man sit in the front passenger seat, and together they drove back to the headquarters of the Miracle Mercenary Corps. Upon arrival, Tang Mubai showed Yang Kai the residential building, instructing him to allocate the dozen or so open rooms to everyone as needed. Then he returned to the courtyard to unload the cargo from the truck.
Afterward, Tang Mubai made two more trips, ferrying all the remaining people and goods back to the headquarters. Once everything was settled, he called over Xu Dalu and Fang Shuixian, who had just come back from picking up his little cousin from school, and introduced everyone to each other. He let the group mingle, cheer, and carry their belongings into the rooms.
With the bustle going on, Tang Mubai slipped away from the crowd, opened the door to the conference room on the first floor, grabbed a chair, and sat by the entrance. He relaxed his body and opened his system panel.
[Name]: Tang Mubai
[Constitution]: 10 (+)
[Strength]: 10 (+)
[Agility]: 10 (+)
[Perception]: 5 (+)
[Willpower]: 5 (+)
[Vital Energy]: 52k (+)
[Martial Arts]: Golden Mist Art (Perfected), Tiger Roar Fist (Perfected), Wave-Breaking Saber Technique (Perfected), Over-the-Mountain Nine Arrows (Perfected), Lightstep (Perfected)
[Divine Power]: Pressure Control (Intermediate)
[Lifespan]: 296 years
[Retainers]: 3
…
All his martial arts had reached the realm of perfection and could not be improved any further. This was a limitation of their grade—having more years of life was no help. To progress, Tang Mubai would have to obtain other martial arts, but such treasures were not so easily acquired. He could buy them, of course, but he had no interest in lower-level arts. First or second-tier techniques had limited power and were beneath him; third-tier arts were too expensive for now. Thus, his advancement in martial arts would have to wait.
What puzzled Tang Mubai was why the “Pressure Control” divine power could not be improved after reaching the intermediate level. The existence of “beginner” and “intermediate” ranks suggested there should at least be an “advanced” rank beyond. Yet, the system did not display a “+” sign next to “intermediate,” leaving him with no way to upgrade.
“Is intermediate really the limit for divine powers? No! There must be another reason,” Tang Mubai mused, pondering the matter.
Beginner, intermediate… Beginner, intermediate… Wait! Suddenly, his eyes lit up as a possibility struck him.
Pressure!
Beginner Pressure Control corresponded to the pressure of a master. Intermediate matched that of a grandmaster. If he could further upgrade his divine power to the advanced level, what would that equate to?
Beyond grandmaster—innate!
Yes, in terms of martial realms, grandmaster was not the pinnacle. The hierarchy went: Amateur, Professional, Practitioner, Master, Grandmaster, Innate! Amateurs were ordinary people; only professionals truly set foot on the path. When no innate experts were present, grandmasters were the strongest. But once an innate master appeared, even grandmasters were like ants before them.
Because martial artists at the innate realm had already transcended the ordinary, their very essence of life had undergone a qualitative leap! As for the pressure that such a realm could exert, Tang Mubai had no idea—but even a wild guess told him that no ordinary body could withstand it.
That was why the system did not allow him to promote “Pressure Control” any further. It was not that the system was incapable, but that Tang Mubai’s physical body simply could not bear it! Yes, the pressure exerted by the innate realm would instantly destroy a body not up to the task.
Understanding this, Tang Mubai immediately consumed 50 years of his lifespan to raise his constitution attribute to 15. Closing his eyes, he felt the changes as his physique was strengthened—a tingling surged through him, as if every cell was pulsing. Bones, tendons, skin, blood vessels, internal organs—all seemed to come alive in that moment.
After a long while, Tang Mubai came back to his senses from the warm, oceanic sensation. He wiped the sweat from his face and exhaled deeply. Checking the data on the system panel, he found that the “Pressure Control” divine power still did not have a “+” sign next to “intermediate.”
On the other hand, his vital energy had increased by two units out of nowhere!
“Right, a stronger body naturally generates more vital energy. It probably wasn’t displayed before because my physical strength hadn’t met the threshold. To increase vital energy by even one unit, a constitution of 7 or 7.5 is enough,” Tang Mubai reasoned.
Yet a constitution of 15 still wasn’t enough to meet the requirements for enhancing “Pressure Control.” Gritting his teeth, he spent another 50 years of lifespan, raising his constitution to 20.
The sudden surge of strength and the invisible, yet tangible, transformation nearly made him faint. Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, he forced himself to his feet and leaned against the wall, away from the view of those in the courtyard, letting the system remake his body.
After a long while, drenched in sweat and looking as though he’d just emerged from water, Tang Mubai finally exhaled and straightened up, releasing his fists.
“I wonder if a constitution of 20 makes me impervious to blades and bullets?” he muttered softly, wiping sweat from his face. He opened the system panel to check the data once more.
Yet even with a constitution of 20, there was still no “+” sign next to “intermediate” for “Pressure Control.” Though he had expected as much, Tang Mubai still felt a twinge of disappointment that even this was not enough to bear the pressure of the innate realm. When he saw that the “+” sign had also vanished from behind the constitution stat, he was left speechless.
Limit!
A constitution of 20 was apparently the upper limit! Did that mean the limits for strength, agility, perception, and willpower were also 20? Tang Mubai couldn’t be sure how the system was balanced, and he dared not spend any more lifespan. With only 196 years left, he still needed to boost his vital energy and enhance Yang Kai's abilities.
Still, with a constitution of 20, his vital energy had increased by another unit—three in one go! Unable to make sense of this rate of increase, Tang Mubai decided not to dwell on it.
He focused his mental energy on the “Retainers” section.
Whoosh!
Retainers—
Xu Dalu (Enhanced Body+, Energize+, Endurance+), Affinity 99/100
Fang Shuixian (Enhanced Body+, Energize+, Insight+), Affinity 90/100
Yang Kai (Enhanced Body+, Energize+, Mechanic+), Affinity 43/100
…
Yang Kai already had an affinity of 43%?