Free Web NovelChapter 357: Chapter 58: Celestial Pool Dragon King
It went without saying, but the show *Walking into the Ruins* was indeed broadcast live worldwide, and as the host nation, Zhengguo was naturally no exception.
The date was December 22, 2015, and the time was 8:14 PM.
Father Su, Su Beiluo, and Su’s Mother, Ning Shiyu, had both taken time off work to stay home and watch the live broadcast of the special episode led by their son.
"Look at the fine son you gave birth to!"
"And who do you think raised him?"
The living room table was covered with edamame and cheap candy. The couple each held a glass of brandy, sipping it between bites of candy and edamame while they watched the broadcast. It was a rare, comfortable moment of leisure.
The situation across the country had grown increasingly stable recently. This was mainly because the nationwide cultivation initiative was beginning to show results. Many low-level criminals who attempted to use their Awakened abilities lost their key advantage of going unnoticed. Moreover, the strength of the average citizen was now on par with that of most criminals. Even if they couldn’t defeat an opponent, they could at least hold them off until the on-call Cultivator Patrols arrived.
Meanwhile, the analysis of the numerous Evil Beasts from the Kunlun Secret Realm was largely complete. The next phase of the project involved using data from those altered Evil Beasts to perform ’imitation modifications’ on Earth’s own creatures. However, the project proposal had only just been drafted, and approval wouldn’t come until after the Spring Festival at the earliest. This was why Ning Shiyu had the time off to be home resting.
"Sigh, I never imagined your Su Family had such potent Dragon Blood in its ancestry."
Watching Su Zhou on screen, surrounded by hundreds, even thousands, of Sea Beasts and communicating with a hundred-meter-long Giant Whale, Ning Shiyu clinked her glass against Su Beiluo’s. She took a sip and, feeling a little tipsy, remarked with a sigh, "How come you never Awakened anything?"
"Heh, if our good son hadn’t Awakened, the government wouldn’t have researched three generations of my ancestors, and I’d never have known our family even had this hidden bloodline. Theoretically, everyone in the country has a latent bloodline of this level, so who knows why our son was the one who managed to awaken his ancestry... It must just be luck, I suppose."
Father Su chuckled and leaned in close. "As for me Awakening... I’m getting old, so forget about it. I’d rather just follow the government’s new policy and we can try for another one!"
「Meanwhile, at the Western Capital Qinxing Academy」 Shao Qiming was watching the broadcast from his private apartment, typing a comment into the live chat. "Holy crap, bro, you broke through again?! Who’s supposed to keep up with you!"
The show was currently broadcasting the moment Su Zhou, while observing the Dragon King’s Remains, broke through on the spot by spiritualizing his very muscles. Shao Qiming, who had only intended to watch quietly, couldn’t hold back. He shook his head at the screen. ’I thought my own cultivation speed would pick up after eating that second Wisdom Fruit... but Azhou is even faster.’
After eating the second Wisdom Fruit, Shao Qiming felt his own Talent improve once again. His thoughts became faster and clearer, and he even developed a faint ability to predict his opponents’ movements and foresee the consequences of cultivating his Spiritual Power. This further enhanced his combat abilities and cultivation speed. His rate of progress was so apparent that Guan Wanjing, his sparring partner, was amazed, calling Shao Qiming a rare "Natural Martial Artist" with an exceptionally keen intuition for the Martial Dao.
But Shao Qiming knew the truth. ’This so-called ’intuition for the Martial Dao’ is something Su Zhou has had since he was a teenager.’
Back then, Su Zhou’s grades weren’t the best, but he was like a god on the athletic field. No matter the game or sport, he always took first place. Even in brawls with street thugs, it was as if he had divine assistance. He could punch and dodge on pure instinct, taking on dozens of guys all by himself.
’And now,’ he thought, ’after being boosted by two Wisdom Fruits, I can’t even begin to imagine how sharp Su Zhou’s combat intuition has become.’
’What a pity... I just wasn’t fated for it.’
Thinking this, Shao Qiming couldn’t help but sigh. In his desire to catch up to Su Zhou, he had once asked Yara if he, too, could form a contract. Su Zhou hadn’t minded at all, but Yara had simply shaken its head. "Our Compatibility is poor," it had said. "You are an interesting person, but you are not like Su Zhou and me... However, you need not worry about being unable to keep up."
As it said this, Yara had laughed. It held Shao Qiming in high regard—this was the human who had unhesitatingly recited its sacred hymn, anchoring it to the mortal plane from beyond its Seal and linking it with Su Zhou. "Standing shoulder-to-shoulder in this world doesn’t only mean fighting together," it continued. "And friends don’t just support each other in battle."
’I hope, at the very least, that I can be worthy of those two Wisdom Fruits.’
After a long moment of reflection, Shao Qiming let out a soft sigh, then broke into a smile. "If I can’t be the number one genius, then I’ll just have to settle for being the second," he said to himself. "I’m at least confident enough for that."
「Inside Qinxing Academy」 Guan Wanjing was in the cafeteria, eating dinner with three of his teammates from the dorms while watching the live show on his phone.
"A Sea Flood Dragon over twenty meters long... it must be in its youth, probably equivalent to a teenager."
The powerfully built man, who possessed a sharp, analytical mind despite his muscular frame, was momentarily stunned when he saw the Flood Dragon. ’But it’s already at the Extraordinary Tier, even as an adolescent? If it’s not a genius among Spirit Beasts, then it must be an incredibly hardworking one.’
Guan Wanjing himself had recently broken through to the Awakening Peak. He was now preparing for a trip to the Rui’an Martial Arts Hall in the Celestial Capital to receive the Spiritual Martial Arts inheritance of their "Only Martial" lineage and find a path to the Extraordinary Tier that suited him. Aside from Su Zhou, he considered himself one of the top young Cultivators in the world.
