Chapter 049: The Blood King Pearl

Vital energy is not the sole measure of combat strength, but it is the main foundation for unleashing it! Perhaps a few dozen calories of vital energy have limited power, and even a few hundred are unremarkable. However, when one’s vital energy exceeds a thousand calories, the force released, combined with martial arts, is enough to collapse a building of reinforced concrete with a single punch. And this is only the level of a master.

If one’s vital energy reaches ten thousand, attaining the rank of grandmaster, the overwhelming force surges forth, stirring the air into billowing smoke that can be seen from miles away. Under such tangible power, the so-called grandmaster’s aura is merely ornamental. With martial skills, shattering the peak of a mountain becomes effortless. Take, for instance, the residential district where Yang Kai and his companions once stayed, as well as the “Monkey Hill” next to it—at most, three strikes would reduce it to flat ground! If it were Tang Mubai, he could achieve the same, but not without at least half an hour and far greater exertion than a true grandmaster.

Therefore, for Tang Mubai to cross that “half-step” and become a genuine grandmaster, he must relentlessly increase his vital energy. The system had allowed him, in a mere dozen days, to transform from an amateur into a half-step grandmaster—a shortcut, what people call “overtaking on a curve”! Now that shortcut was gone. To accumulate more vital energy, he had to do it the hard way, one calorie at a time.

According to the rule of exchanging twenty years of lifespan for one calorie of vital energy, to amass ten thousand calories, he would need to sacrifice two hundred thousand years of life! Before, when Tang Mubai was driving around all day, making trips to the Fortune Slaughterhouse, he averaged about eighty years of increased lifespan per day. At eighty per day, to reach two hundred thousand...

“Damn it, this is killing me!”

Tang Mubai shuddered. To accumulate ten thousand calories of vital energy by staying in the city and extending his lifespan was simply unrealistic—utterly so! He had to venture beyond the borders; only there, by hunting giant insects, orc-hybrids, and savage beasts, could he rapidly increase his vital energy!

The breakthrough to grandmaster is unimaginably difficult. It can be said that behind every grandmaster stands a powerful organization. Tang Mubai had the system; others did not. Those seeking to become grandmasters must first possess at least a fourth-turn martial art, specialized for condensing vital energy. Next, they require immense resources to consume at will: eating beast meat at every meal, taking vital energy pills, consuming spiritual herbs and elixirs, and with enough talent and fortune, only after decades of effort could they gather ten thousand calories and break through!

Martial arts above the fourth turn were beyond Tang Mubai’s current means. All he could do was keep increasing his lifespan and convert it into vital energy. Originally, Tang Mubai had planned to wait until he reached professional eighth rank before accepting missions outside the borders.

Now, it seemed, he would have to move up his plans! With his half-step grandmaster strength, as long as he did not fall into a siege of tens of thousands of non-human foes, Tang Mubai could always escape alive.

“I’ll call Uncle Lin tomorrow!”

Having made up his mind, Tang Mubai drew a deep breath and regained his composure. Although he and the man who had transformed into a bear-headed brute had both deliberately suppressed their voices during the fight, the commotion was still considerable. Without any surprise, the people from the Martial Security Bureau were probably already on their way.

Thinking of this, Tang Mubai walked over to the wall, picked up his discarded war bow, and prepared to leave. Suddenly, his ears pricked up, and he flashed like lightning into the room on the right side of the courtyard. As soon as he entered, he saw a young man with a tuft of yellow hair, holding his phone, about to make a call. Seeing Tang Mubai walk in, the man froze, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

“I... I...”

“You don’t need to be afraid,” Tang Mubai smiled faintly. “I’ll make it quick for you.”

With that—

Swish!

Tang Mubai’s figure flickered through the air, leaving only an afterimage as he appeared before the yellow-haired youth and kicked him square in the chest.

Thud~

A dull thump echoed through the room. The yellow-haired youth was lifted off the ground, sent flying over ten meters, and smashed into the wall, leaving a pit and embedding him there, no longer sliding down. His chest caved in, heart shattered—he didn’t even have time to scream before dying on the spot, utterly and completely.

[Detected loss of life force. Recycle?]

“Yes.”

[Life force +65]

“Sixty-five units, and he’s human.”

Tang Mubai snorted coldly, not the least disturbed. Such traitors, colluding with orc-hybrids—the fewer, the better. Tang Mubai considered it doing society a favor by cleaning out the dregs. As for the forces backing him, Tang Mubai cared little. In all likelihood, it was the Red Lake Group. What that powerful corporation was up to in the shadows, or why the Martial Security Bureau hadn’t acted, was none of Tang Mubai’s concern. He had come tonight to kill orc-hybrids out of sheer necessity...

“Hm? What’s that?”

Suddenly, Tang Mubai’s eyes lit up, his gaze falling upon two large chests in the corner. As he moved closer, he saw labels affixed to their interior sides.

D-grade alloy weapons?

D-grade alloy weapons!

Tang Mubai was wild with delight and opened the chests without hesitation. Inside, he found over a dozen massive war blades, gleaming coldly.

“D-grade alloy war blades—prepared for orc-hybrids?” Tang Mubai sneered inwardly. Opening the other chest, he found it too was filled with giant war blades. So the bear-headed brutes had been guarding these weapons! Now that they were dead, Tang Mubai did not stand on ceremony—he confiscated everything.

He closed the chests, stacked them, and, with a bit of effort, hefted the two crates—each weighing several hundred pounds—onto his shoulders, briskly exiting the house, opening the yard gate, and vanishing into the night.

...

Back at his quarters, Tang Mubai placed the two chests in the warehouse. Whether for personal use or for sale, D-grade alloy war blades were invaluable. Of course, they could also be melted down and forged into other implements. Wasn’t Yang Kai looking to modify his truck? These giant war blades, designed for orc-hybrid transformations, could be smelted into alloy panels. If he tried to sell them, he might even attract the attention of the Red Lake Group.

Having thought it through, Tang Mubai clapped his hands in satisfaction, left the warehouse, returned to his room, and turned on his computer. Indeed, Tang Mubai felt no urge to sleep that night. He wanted to investigate the “bone beads” he had obtained from the orc-hybrids. There were so many of them, perhaps the Martial Arts Network’s marketplace sold them as well.

Many items used by orc-hybrids could be bought online, though the prices were steep. Tang Mubai turned on his computer, entered the Martial Arts Network, and browsed the marketplace, paging through listings from lowest to highest price. Many items belonging to orc-hybrids appeared. After more than an hour, he finally spotted a bead that closely resembled the “bone beads”—an almost perfect match.

The bead’s name was both elegant and imposing: Blood King Pearl!