Free Web NovelChapter 355: Chapter 294: Taking the Firewood from Under the Cauldron, Tempered into Steel
...
In an office within the Federation Government Building.
The Speaker and the council members, who had been sitting in their chairs just moments before, shot to their feet in unison.
"Bone density, Spiritual Power intensity, and cellular tissue activity—all three scores have exceeded 8!" The council members could no longer remain seated.
What did this mean?
Did it mean that Gao Neng had the potential to reach at least Tier Eight?
No!
Since the establishment of the Human Alliance, there had been no shortage of high-tier individuals. However, not many of them were still alive today.
Only a few hundred, in fact.
Not even a thousand!
Why?
Because they had all died on the battlefield.
A high-tier individual wasn’t so remarkable. As long as someone had decent talent and wasn’t a complete idiot, they could eventually become high-tier given enough cultivation resources over a long period.
But what was the use of a high-tier individual like that?
Could they withstand an attack from a single high-tier member of the alien races?
Yes!
There was a fifty percent chance they could!
But the Human Alliance didn’t need a "normal person" with a fifty percent chance of holding off one high-tier alien. What the Human Alliance needed were geniuses who could take on two, or even five, opponents at once.
Because the number of high-tier individuals among the alien races far surpassed that of the Human Alliance.
Once on the battlefield, the high-tier members of the Human Alliance didn’t face one-on-one situations, but one-on-two, or even one-on-three...
This was the reason so few of humanity’s high-tier combatants survived.
The mortality rate was simply too high!
And yet, high-tier individuals were the backbone of the army on the battlefield. Without them holding the line, the mortality rate for the Human Alliance’s forces would be even higher.
It was a vicious cycle.
They would cultivate a high-tier individual, throw them onto the battlefield, and watch them die. Then they would cultivate another, throw them onto the battlefield, and watch them die too.
The cycle repeated, and humanity’s resources were constantly being depleted.
For this very reason, the upper echelons of the Human Alliance hoarded their resources, allocating the vast majority to super-geniuses who might have a chance of becoming one of the Strongest.
But how many such super-geniuses were there?
Far too few!
In the entire history of the Human Alliance, the total number of individuals who had become one of the Strongest had never exceeded one hundred. Of those, only twenty were still alive today!
There was no other choice.
They had to enact reforms and broaden the distribution of resources.
But would broadening resource distribution truly save the Human Alliance?
Not necessarily!
Because once you broadened resource distribution, your rate of resource consumption would also skyrocket. It was a desperate measure, like draining the pond to catch the fish.
It was a gamble with the lives of all humanity at stake.
If they failed, the Human Alliance would be utterly annihilated!
And even if they succeeded, could they really annihilate all the alien races?
With a mere pile of high-tier individuals?
It would be difficult!
Extremely difficult!
The alien races could be reborn!
Based on the Human Alliance’s current strength, the best-case scenario was buying another twenty years.
However, those would be twenty years without any resource reserves. When another great war erupted two decades later, how would the Human Alliance possibly survive?
Reform was a gamble!
This was precisely why the Human Alliance had hesitated to make a final decision.
However, the current situation had forced the Human Alliance’s hand. If they didn’t take this gamble, they might not even survive the next year and a half.
But in the end, it was a massive gamble, a tremendous risk.
The Human Alliance was not resigned to this fate.
The Speaker and the council members were not resigned to it either.
They hoped to see a miracle, to see more super-geniuses emerge.
And Gao Neng’s performance...
...gave them something to look forward to!
"A super-genius! An absolute super-genius! To possess such a terrifying physique at just Tier Five Late Stage... Gao Neng’s future... is limitless!" the council members exclaimed, their expressions fervent.
"Indeed. With enough time, he could definitely become one of the Strongest. It’s just a pity we discovered him so late. And we never could have imagined that such a super-genius would be hiding in the Forgotten Land!" another council member sighed.
"No, it’s not too late! Even if Gao Neng can’t become one of the Strongest in a year and a half, he has at least a sixty percent chance of becoming one in the following twenty years!"
"We just have to hope we can survive the great war a year and a half from now!"
The council members all nodded in agreement.
A sixty percent chance of becoming one of the Strongest might not sound high, but in truth, a probability like that was more than enough for the Human Alliance to offer everything it had.
Most importantly, once a super-genius like him became one of the Strongest, he would likely be able to face two of the aliens’ Strongest by himself!
That was a terrifying prospect.
What was the current population of the Human Alliance?
Five hundred million!
Was that a small number?
Compared to humanity’s peak, it was far too few, of course. But five hundred million people, in and of itself, was not a small number.
So, among this population of five hundred million, how many super-geniuses like Gao Neng were there?
As rare as a phoenix feather.
One could say you wouldn’t even find a handful.
Because if they could find just fifty super-geniuses like Gao Neng among those five hundred million people, the Human Alliance would never have fallen into its current predicament.
"BEEP!"
Just then, the number for Gao Neng’s cellular tissue activity stopped moving on the screen.
"Gao Neng, cellular tissue activity: 8.89."
"CRACK!"
With a sharp sound, the cup in the goateed Speaker’s hand shattered.
"8.89?! Hahaha... This kid’s cellular tissue activity actually reached 8.89?! A true ’Self-Healer’ in every sense of the word. He’s like an unkillable cockroach!" The goateed Speaker laughed.
He had presided over the Alliance Supreme Council for over three years. In just a few more months, he would be stepping down from his position.
The Alliance Supreme Council rotated its leadership every four years, with no possibility of serving consecutive terms.
He would become the council’s honorary Speaker.
No longer wielding any real power.
And yet, he was now laughing with genuine delight.
Because he had discovered a super-genius like Gao Neng during his term in office. How could he not be happy?
"What are your thoughts, Mr. Speaker? Will you see him now?" a council member asked, looking at the goateed Speaker. He already had a rough idea of what the man was thinking.
"No. I won’t do anything to stunt his growth by rushing things. If I were to meet him now, Gao Neng would become a hothouse flower. It would only harm him in the long run! As the saying goes, ’only through repeated tempering can steel be forged.’ I still have time... This piece of steel can be tempered a little more!" The goateed Speaker shook his head, but he couldn’t hide the excitement in his eyes.
"Heh, it seems you’ve already made up your mind, Mr. Speaker. In that case, what about my little daughter...?" The resolute-faced council member gestured toward the screen, where Zhang Hongying was staring with wide eyes.
"It’s fine. Just let Hong Ying be a small stumbling block on Gao Neng’s path. I trust that Hong Ying knows her limits. A little stone like her won’t be the death of him!" the goateed Speaker said, shaking his head again.
"Thank you for your magnanimity, Mr. Speaker. In truth, my little daughter’s talent is no worse than my own—it might even be greater. It’s just a shame that for all these years, my son-in-law has kept her protected like a flower in a vase." As he spoke, the resolute-faced council member shook his head gently.
"What’s so bad about being a pretty face in a vase? If I could, I’d do it in a heartbeat!" another council member joked.
"You? You’re too ugly for that, aren’t you?"
"That’s right. Not just anyone can pull off being the pretty face."
"Speaking of pretty faces, that Gao Neng kid is handsome enough to take flight, isn’t he? Do you all think... Zhang Hongying might be developing... other kinds of feelings for Gao Neng?"
"Wang the Dog, do you have a death wish?!"
"..."
...
While the Alliance’s Speaker and council members were raising a ruckus in the office, everyone back in the research lab, including Zhang Hongying, was staring at the numbers on the screen in a stupefied daze.
"8.89?!"
"Cellular tissue activity of a Tier Eight Late Stage?!"
"It’s even... even higher than his bone density and Spiritual Power scores?!"
"How is this possible? Why does a genius like him even exist? With you being so exceptional, how are the rest of us ’geniuses’ supposed to survive?"
The minds of the disciples from the various sects and prominent families were buzzing.
’It’s fine to be outstanding, but you can’t be this ridiculous! You’re completely crushing any hope for the rest of us!’
Four tests.
Three of his scores surpassed Tier Eight, and his cellular tissue activity even reached the terrifying heights of Tier Eight Late Stage. A result like this was truly enough to make one despair.
"Hahaha, Gao Neng is amazing! Sister Ning’Er, look! His cellular tissue activity reached 8.89! It’s 8.89!" Fang Tangtang had also been stunned for a moment, but once the shock wore off, she became incredibly excited. Her little face was flushed, as if she were drunk.
"Mm. If I’m not mistaken, your cellular tissue activity won’t be low either," Shen Ning’Er said, her expression returning to normal as she gave a slight nod.
"Mine?" Fang Tangtang was a little baffled, but then she immediately understood. "Oh, right! Gao Neng’s cellular activity is probably so high because of the metamorphosis—MMPH!"
Fang Tangtang couldn’t finish her sentence.
Because Gao Xiaomeng’s little hand had, quite inconveniently, clamped over her mouth.
Shen Ning’Er simply smiled and said no more. ’Metamorphosis...’ she thought. She had experienced it as well, and the opportunity for that metamorphosis had been given to her by Gao Neng.
"8.89?" Just then, Gao Neng walked out of the testing chamber. He glanced at the number on the screen and frowned. "Too low. I thought it would break 9. I got excited for nothing. This piece of junk machine must be broken. One-star review!"
"..." said the researchers.
"..." said the disciples from the sects and prominent families.
They were speechless!
He actually thought 8.89 was too low?!
How were those of them who definitely wouldn’t even break 7 supposed to live after hearing that?
Everyone here was a genius handpicked from the Dragon List. There shouldn’t be such a massive gap between them.
And, most importantly, more than half of the people here were ranked higher than Gao Neng. That was the most fucking awkward part.
However, when it came to the most awkward...
...that title still belonged to Shaximo.
All eyes turned in unison to look at Shaximo.
Although Shaximo had yet to enter the testing chamber, the moment the number 8.89 appeared, everyone already knew the outcome.
And reality did not disappoint.
Shaximo’s face...
...was now so dark it looked like it could drip ink.
He was the chosen successor to the Esoteric Sect Leader. He could chant the Calm Mind Spell. He possessed a mental fortitude incomparable to that of ordinary people. He considered himself a cut above the rest.
But right now, the one word he wanted to scream more than anything was...
Motherfucker!
(My apologies, I won’t be able to get the second Chapter out before midnight. However, I’m going to pull an all-nighter, so there will be one more Chapter coming later. You can all read it tomorrow morning!)
