"That's not really surprising, is it?"

Zhao Su scratched his head. He had heard that top-tier academies in Heng Province would build online platforms and open virtual combat rooms for students to engage in unrestricted fighting.

"It's different."

Gao Pao waved the "instruction manual" in his hand and explained:

"The 'afterimage' this thing replicates is a true spirit imprint, then stored in crystal.

The combat power of the afterimage is determined by the user's spirit strength.

It's not limited to just sparring; you can also listen to teachings, like conversing across the historical river with predecessors.

This experience is incomparable to virtual characters created by data models."

Zhao Su gasped in admiration, his eyes shining.

If the afterimage crystal contained a Martial Arts Grandmaster or a top-tier existence on the Spiritual Ability Path, wouldn't that be a huge gain?

"These afterimage crystals have been at the bottom of the storage in the Netherworld training camp for years; if there were any great items, they'd have been chosen long ago."

Qin Shi held two briefcases, the left one containing three purple crystals of the same color.

About three fingers wide, shaped like a cylinder, emitting a gentle glow, with faint streams of particle flow swirling around.

The right one held five tubes of high-concentration black medicine, crimson like blood, coagulated into a semi-solid crystal, which wobbled like jelly with a slight shake, full of elasticity.

This is currently the greatest harvest!

"Brother Qin, what if we draw a good card!"

Gao Pao was enthusiastic, already imagining imprinting the will of a Grandmaster in the crystal and then comprehending divine skills.

Qin Shi smiled lightly. Having witnessed near-Martial God inheritance personally, he maintained a relatively calm demeanor.

The final decision to exchange for the afterimage crystal was largely due to Instructor Fu Lei's strong recommendation.

"I'll absorb one later to see the effect."

Qin Shi placed the two briefcases under the bed, not worrying about them being taken.

After completing the exploration mission, he returned successfully with Gao Pao and Zhao Su.

Even though the news of breaking through the human-faced spider lair hadn't spread, without a doubt, Qin Shi had shed the "newbie newbie" label.

Earning respect from all the recruits, even gaining recognition from the instructors.

"Instructor Fu just mentioned that the highest official of White Poplar Barrier City wants to see me."

Qin Shi took out the high-concentration black medicine, opened the sealed iron canister, and treated the crimson blood-like dangerous substance as a snack, finishing it in two or three gulps.

The mortal body's hundreds of bones and muscles, having just consumed high-energy food, were once again fiercely stimulated by the vitality of the blood and flesh.

Qin Shi leaned against the wall, closing his eyes for introspection, his countless cells boiling inside, with all major organs cooperating to boost the metabolic efficiency to the highest.

The whole person seemed like an insatiable black hole, absorbing the energy factors seeping in from the Netherworld.

"Brother Qin is glowing!"

Gao Pao marveled. He considered himself worldly, having seen the elite from top-tier academies, but none cultivated like Brother Qin, whose mere presence suggested immense power.

"That high-concentration black medicine, he just downed it like soda."

Zhao Su shook his head. For the two of them, it was like drinking potent aqua regia directly from the bottle.

The mortal body wasn't strong enough; the organs would burst directly, simply unable to absorb it.

Otherwise, why would black medicine be labeled as a "high-risk item?"

"Old Zhao, how do you think someone like Brother Qin builds such a mortal body?"

Gao Pao and Zhao Su silently walked out of the dorm, standing guard outside like door gods.

"I asked Brother Qin, and he said to maintain a good routine, do aerobic exercises on an empty stomach every day, and add some strength training..."

Zhao Su grimaced, even someone as honest as him found it hard to listen, thinking Brother Qin was surely pulling their leg.

"What kind of strength training can burn off the calories and stamina of a Specialized Level mortal body?"

Gao Pao's mouth twitched, showing the same skepticism, thinking Qin Shi was joking.

…

…

Qin Shi was undergoing his fifth new transformation.

His mortal body spontaneously operated, the cultivation furnace roared, releasing the abundant energy transformed daily.

The sea of consciousness resonated with it, delving deeper, amplifying spiritual fluctuation, thereby promoting the merging interaction of spirit and flesh.

The previously consumed high-concentration black medicine rapidly dissolved and disintegrated, being fully absorbed by the organs, turning into waves of light vibration.

"Hoo!"

Qin Shi immersed himself in this wonderful sensation, his entire being like bathing in a shower of light, as the countless energy factors gradually gathered into vast torrents, cleansing himself.

Both inside and out were washed away, removing all impurities, allowing him to steadily approach the limit of sublimation.

"The purity of Life Force is increasing, crystallizing, and evolving the flesh and blood."

Qin Shi closed his eyes to experience it, his long-stalled spiritual level suddenly began to loosen.

His spiritual fluctuation greatly intensified, like a beam of light piercing through the darkness, straight into the Netherworld.

The virtual ocean was deep and black, like another side of the Great Cosmos.

Qin Shi's consciousness felt as if entering a mysterious domain, capturing a myriad of bizarre and strange phenomena.

There was a blood-stained copper coffin drifting on the sea, a pair of red embroidered shoes walking in the void, an angel with multiple pairs of wings growing from its back, bound by chains, and even a seven-headed ten-horned dragon with an overwhelming presence...

These beings or things, whether strange or peculiar, emitted different dark auras.

"Is this spiritual resonance?"

Qin Shi was astonished, as his Holy Embryo Prototype, condensed from spirit, seemed like a newborn learning to walk, wobbling uncertainly, very slow.

As the spiritual fluctuation continued to oscillate, the light of spirit became increasingly bright, nearly dispelling the darkness like a torch.

Driven by a bit of instinctive consciousness, Qin Shi kept diving deeper into the Netherworld, more accurately, he was "sinking."

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