Chapter 692: The True Nature of the Ancient Ruins

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Meng Chao sincerely said, “Master Lei, you already helped me a lot when we were building Broken Star Club, and you also helped me set up my cultivation training plan.”

“But that’s not enough. It’s far from enough. I should be helping you even more, considering the potential you hold,” Lei Zongchao said. “I’ve been hesitating all along and wondering whether I should invite you here. Over the years, I’ve stayed alone in this place, and I’m just too lonely. Whenever a youngster shows the slightest bit of brilliance, I will always be willing to invite them here and give them all the help I can give. Besides, I give them pointers that allow them to take huge leaps forward in spirit energy martial arts.

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“Those whose potential and performance can’t compare to yours have obtained my guidance and support too. Sometimes, they don’t even receive what can be considered real guidance. I only give them some acknowledgment and encouragement, and it’s already enough for them to walk down firmly in the path to explore the limits of life.

“But you’re different.

“I can generally figure out these children’s limits and create the most detailed cultivation training plans for them so that they can safely, steadily, and swiftly reach their peak.

“But I can’t see your limits, and I don’t know how to guide you to let you bring out your greatest potential. In fact, I worry that if I interfere, I’ll end up ruining you because I’m too eager for your growth and I’ll do something stupid even if it seems like a good plan. Then, I’ll be wasting your potential.

“This is something I’ve never encountered during my long years of cultivation.

“That’s why I’ve never contacted you directly and only offered you the necessary help through the Abnormal Beast Research Department.

“I originally longed to see just how strong you could become without my interference, but in the end, I still changed my mind and gave you an invitation.

“In fact, I largely increased the probability of my death to force the secrets of Divine Nine Dragon Seals into your body, and it’s all because my days are numbered. Every day, when I wake up slowly from the gene concentrate, I feel like a resuscitated corpse. I know clearly that no matter how meticulously I take care of myself and heal, it’s impossible for me to see the day you reach your peak and overcome your limits.

“We might have won against the monster civilization, but we haven’t completely destroyed the old enemy who has been fighting against us for decades. There’s also a huge possibility that there are enemies one hundred times harder to deal with than monsters beyond Monster Mountain Range.

“As long as I live, I will not let any enemies invade even a single inch of Dragon City or touch a hair on any Dragon Citizen, but all lives will return to the earth in the end. Hence, I can only go with my worst-case plan and use this simple and crude method to pass down and spread the secrets of my martial arts as much as possible.

“That’s why I’m telling you that you have no need to thank me.

“After all, I don’t know whether I’ve helped you or harmed you. I’ve instilled Divine Nine Dragon Seals into you and pass down more secrets of martial arts to you, but have they helped you overcome your limits faster, or have they restrained and twisted your future? In fact, have I transplanted the curse of the ancient civilization into you, causing you to become a bearer of this tragic fate?

“If that’s the case, forgive me, Meng Chao. I’m about to die, I have no other choice.”

Lei Zongchao’s expression was filled with determination and desolation.

But Meng Chao laughed, revealing his sharp, pearly white teeth.

“Thank you, Master Lei. I’m willing to bear all the destiny or curses you mentioned. Then, I’ll tear them apart!” He swung his fist and firmly said, “After all, when destiny really decides to come knocking, no matter how much I try to run away from it, it’ll be useless. We can’t choose our destinies, but we can choose whether we submit and resign ourselves to it or fight to the end when we face destiny’s roar!”

Lei Zongchao stared deeply at Meng Chao for a long time before he chuckled, seemingly relieved of a major burden.

“Looks like Jin Wanhao didn’t choose the wrong person, and I didn’t either,” he mumbled.

“Master Lei…” Meng Chao looked at the gradually fading X-shaped eye on Lei Zongchao’s shoulder. He seized the chance and asked, “Just what are the ancient ruins? Do you have a chance to gain power that is equivalent to Deity Realm when you enter it? Why have I met so many elites in the superhuman circle who are willing to enter the wild to fight monsters instead of going into the ancient ruins to explore it? Can I enter the ancient ruins to train, just like you?”

He asked a few questions in one go.

All of them had been plaguing his mind for a long time.

Dragon City had four major research centers—the zombie research center, monster research center, Other World research center, and the ancient ruins research center.

The first three research centers were relatively transparent and open. The researchers inside usually offered lectures in high schools and elementary schools. Meanwhile, the monster research center was even one of the two major practical test examination sites for the national college examination.

The three research centers also had relatively developed models of how they could turn their research results into commercial operations. They often offered strange trinkets that normal people could buy.

However, the ancient ruins research center was always shrouded in a layer of mystery. Not only did it seldom publicize its research progress and findings, but few people had obtained an invitation to go in and explore the place.

The controllable transmigration team in the ancient ruins research center was an example. To collect an astronomical amount of funds for their research, they had to communicate with the outside world and get sponsors, but they only conducted their activities within Blue Home.

After Meng Chao obtained the status of director in Blue Home, he wanted to go into the ancient ruins to understand the progress of the research regarding controllable transmigration technology.

During the Noble Descent Hotel ambush, he had saved quite a number of transmigration technology experts’ lives, and these experts were willing to extend an invitation to him.

Despite that, the ancient ruins research center still wanted him to hand in around fifty sets of paperwork and go through a lot of cumbersome checks. He even had to go through the most detailed physical and brain scans before he could go in.

At that time, Meng Chao had been busy with training in the wild, and later on, he had been dragged into the battle in the lair and the pitched battle.

He just had no time to handle all the checks from the ancient ruins research center, which was why the matter had been set aside.

By now, he had witnessed the mysteriousness and strength of the ancient ruins from Lei Zongchao, and there was no way Meng Chao could contain his curiosity anymore.

However, Lei Zongchao sternly said to Meng Chao, “The ancient ruins indeed contain power that Earthlings cannot begin to imagine, but this power isn’t within our grasp. Instead, it might bring us disasters. It’s a true treasure that is laced with poison.

“There is no conspiracy theory behind why the ancient ruins research center remains so mysterious. It’s also not as the rumors in the streets claim. Some of the powerful fighters have not monopolized the right to explore the ancient ruins so that they can get invincible power from it and refuse to let youngsters replicate their ways of getting stronger.

“No, there are no such things. In truth, the ancient ruins can be opened to all Dragon Citizens, and anyone can enter it, as long as they can prove that they have the strength to be responsible for themselves and others.”

“Is that so?” The answer far surpassed Meng Chao’s expectations. He was stunned for a moment before he said, “Then why is it that so many powerful fighters at the peak of their strength refuse to explore the ancient ruins?”

“Because exploring the ancient ruins contains great uncertainty.” Lei Zongchao gave an anguished smile and explained, “You can think of the ancient ruins as being a crack that is buried under the Supernatural Tower, and it heads straight to the core of the planet. You can’t even see the end. Of course, the crack is what we call the main crack, and there are various branches around it. They intersect with each other, and they’re like a spider’s web. It’s like a huge, ancient tree that is planted under us and is growing toward the core of the planet.

“No one knows just how deep the main crack goes. Our explorations are mainly focused on the branch cracks that extend from the main crack.

“These branch cracks have a certain degree of uniqueness to them. They adhere to different laws of physics and laws of space. Besides, they have different traps, mechanisms, and ancient viruses in them. Of course, they might contain fossils, runic symbols, treasures, relics, and divine arts from the ancient civilization.

“The problem is, there is no regular pattern behind how to clear those traps, fend against those viruses, crack those runic symbols, and how to get the acknowledgment of the ancient treasures. It’s all based on the superposition principle, just like what I mentioned earlier. You won’t necessarily survive and come back with treasures just because you have a high cultivation realm, great power, and great experience in exploring the place.

“This means that it doesn’t matter whether you’re a normal soldier who hasn’t awakened to supernatural abilities or a Deity Realm superhuman. If you go into the ruins, you’re testing your luck. In fact, it’ll be even more dangerous for you if you’re a Deity Realm superhuman.

“How should I put it? The ancient ruins don’t make up a cold, dead place. It’s living in some unimaginable way, and it’s quietly observing all the actions of every explorer who enters it.

“If the explorer is weak, it might not be interested in them. It won’t even be bothered to move. But if the explorer is a Deity Realm superhuman with a radiant vitality magnetic field and a burning spirit, it will increase the difficulty and danger rating of the exploration. It will then arrange all kinds of obstacles for the explorer. It’s like…”

“A test?” Meng Chao recalled what A’Ji had said and added, “It’s like a test?”

“That’s right. The ancient ruins seem to adjust the difficulty of the exploration based on the examinee’s strength so that it can carry out ‘fair’ tests. Also, its difficulty and danger rating will increase nonstop based on the depth of the ancient ruins,” Lei Zongchao continued. “When Blood Alliance discovered the ancient ruins in the beginning, we were mainly exploring the areas that were thirty to fifty meters underground. The branch cracks over there were relatively stable and safe. Even if we ran into any danger, they could be observed and understood based on the technological standards of mid-20th century Earth. The survival rate of the explorers who explored at that depth wasn’t low.

“But Blood Alliance wasn’t satisfied with it. They forced us to go down the bottomless main crack, and we went from fifty meters underground to around two hundred and three hundred meters underground.

“When you’re that far underground, you won’t have enough oxygen, and you’ll be in a cramped space. The temperature is really high, and the place is filled with all sorts of interference and radiation. There are also terrifying ancient viruses, and they can turn humans into hideous monsters at any moment.

“Many of the explorers were caught off guard, and they died tragically once they were that far down.

“Of course, those who survived managed to gain much greater benefits there than the regions farther up.

“Plus, when you’re five hundred meters underground, you’ll feel like you’re in another world. Explorers would have their connection with the surface completely cut off, and even the laws of physics would be distorted.

“The maze where I killed myself was located there.”

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