MTLNOVEL CHAPTER 246
Chapter 246: The Monster and the Man
The Dream Source(Lord Yanxin) and the Crimson Queen fell into an uneasy silence. Lu Ming's words had struck a nerve, highlighting the undeniable truth.
The first five projects within the Flame Clan Royal First Research Institute weren't merely impressive; they were groundbreaking.
Green Ivy, a sentient forest of intertwined flora, possessed the strength of a Level Nine Spirit Realm expert and unparalleled regenerative abilities.
Extreme Dao, originally a Level Five Spirit Realm Flame Clansman, had undergone radical physical modifications. Though it fell short of reaching the Origin Realm, its strength was unmatched within the Spirit Realm.
The combination of the Soldier and the God Slaying Blade was even more fearsome.
The Soldier, while only at Level Eight of the Spirit Realm, boasted incredible speed and resilience. Its unique nature rendered it immune to the Origin Power control of Origin Realm experts. Coupled with the devastating power of the God Slaying Blade, even an Origin Realm expert could be caught off guard and defeated.
Yet, Lu Ming had effortlessly crushed all of these creations.
The Crimson Queen remained silent, processing the implications of Lu Ming's overwhelming power.
The Dream Source, its massive eye fixated on Lu Ming, finally spoke.
"What are you?!" it demanded, its voice a mixture of awe and fear.
"Human," Lu Ming replied simply, continuing his advance towards the Dream Source. "I'm a human. Can't you tell?"
He found it ironic that these monstrous creations kept questioning his nature.
"You're the ones who are the 'thing'," he thought with a hint of amusement.
"Your entire family is the 'thing!'" The Dream Source roared, its voice reverberating through the laboratory.
"I'm not a thing! I'm human!" Lu Ming retorted, his voice booming with righteous indignation. "Can't you tell I'm human with your giant eye?! Then I won't hold back any longer!!"
With a thunderous BOOM, Lu Ming's leg shot out, shattering the glass shield that encased the Dream Source.
He raised his foot, ready to crush the monstrous eyeball beneath his heel.
An immense pressure bore down on the Dream Source.
From its perspective, Lu Ming's foot was like a colossal boot descending upon it, threatening to squash it like a bug.
Annihilation seemed inevitable.
But as Lu Ming's foot pressed down, he felt an unexpected resistance, a force pushing back against his overwhelming power.
"I knew it wouldn't be that easy..." he muttered, a hint of frustration in his voice.
The Dream Source, the ultimate boss of this place, the monstrous creation born in Laboratory One, wouldn't be defeated so easily.
Everyone watched in astonishment as Lu Ming's foot hovered in mid-air, unable to complete its descent.
The Dream Source had transformed just before the impact, twisting and contorting its form.
A shrill scream pierced the air.
A middle-aged man from the Flame Clan, one of the many who had merged with the Dream Source, now stood defiant, his raised hand effortlessly blocking Lu Ming's colossal foot.
Ripples of energy radiated from the point of contact, warping the space around them into a swirling vortex of power.
The two colossal figures remained locked in a stalemate, their struggle evident only through the twisting force field that raged between them. The entire research institute shuddered under the strain, the very fabric of this pocket dimension threatening to tear apart.
Then, as quickly as it had begun, the clash ended. The force field dissipated, and Lu Ming withdrew his leg, taking a few steps back.
He looked at the man before him, a flicker of respect in his eyes. "You're not bad," Lu Ming acknowledged. "It seems not all the projects in this institute were failures."
The man smiled, a hint of pride in his eyes. "My name is Flame Heart," he said. "And yours?"
Lu Ming didn't answer.
Instead, his body shrank, rapidly returning to its normal human size.
But this didn't signify a decrease in power. On the contrary, Lu Ming had entered his most potent state yet.
The Origin State.
Within the research institute, as Lu Ming activated his Origin State, a torrent of Origin Power surged towards him from all directions, drawn in with each breath he took.
Simultaneously, he reached out towards Flame Heart, the man who had transformed from the Dream Source.
He attempted to seize control of the Origin Power within Flame Heart's body, to render it inert.
There was no doubt that this move was an unsolvable sure-kill move for all superhumans below the Origin Realm.
But...
Nothing happened.
"I see..." Lu Ming slowly lowered his hand, a realization dawning on him as he looked at Flame Heart.
"You're indeed not a creature under the Origin Power System."
Flame Heart merely smiled faintly.
"Aren't you the same?"
Lu Ming was taken aback.
"Although from all appearances, you can be considered a superhuman under the Origin Power System," Flame Heart explained, "I can tell you're different from them."
"The foundation of your strength isn't Origin Power at all! Instead, it's hidden beneath it. That physical fitness is simply indescribable!"
Flame Heart gestured towards the crushed remains of Extreme Dao.
"You're the same kind of being as him..."
Lu Ming fell silent, slowly lowering his hands.
Flame Heart observed him with a mix of curiosity, surprise, and other complex emotions.
As the last emperor of the Flame Clan and a former quasi-divine level expert, Flame Heart's judgment was incredibly sharp.
He could tell that Lu Ming was special.
He sighed and continued, "Origin Power Fifth Realm. Mortal, Physique, Spirit, Origin, and Ancient."
"The Mortal Realm is where one lays the foundation," Flame Heart began, his voice echoing in the cavernous hall. "Stepping into the Mortal Realm marks the beginning of the extraordinary path. Within this realm, one's physical strength doubles with each level."
He paused, his gaze meeting Lu Ming's.
"The Physique Realm is an advanced version of the Mortal Realm. At this stage, the goal is to cultivate the body further, maximizing its capacity to hold Origin Power. Similar to the Mortal Realm, physical strength doubles with each level as well."
"In essence, the significance of these two realms is the same," Flame Heart continued. "They both focus on strengthening the body and making it more adaptable to mysterious energy like Origin Power."
"However," he added, a thoughtful expression crossing his face, "the logic of the last three realms in the Origin Power System is fundamentally different from the first two."
"The hallmark of the Spirit Realm is Spiritual Pressure," Flame Heart explained. "It's an energy field that automatically emanates from a Spirit Realm expert when their internal Origin Power reaches its peak. At this stage, superhumans typically cultivate both their bodies and their Origin Power. The rule of 'doubling physical strength upon leveling up' no longer applies. Instead, the level within the Spirit Realm is primarily determined by the strength of the Origin Power within their body."
Lu Ming listened intently.
No one had ever explained these concepts to him so clearly.
Flame Heart's voice continued, "Upon reaching the Origin Realm, physical strength becomes almost negligible. Origin Realm experts possess innate control over Origin Power. Regardless of how strong a lower-level superhuman's physical body is, an Origin Realm expert can easily drain their Origin Power, rendering them powerless."
"In the Origin Realm, competition among peers is based entirely on the mastery of Origin Power. The physical body plays a supporting role, not a decisive one."
"Therefore," Flame Heart continued, "the rule of 'doubling physical strength upon leveling up' no longer applies in the Origin Realm. In fact, very few Origin Realm experts even bother practicing Body Forging Techniques anymore, as a strong body is useless if one can't match others in Origin Power control."
He scrutinized Lu Ming again, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"You possess Origin Power control, but you're not an Origin Realm expert. You don't even have Spiritual Pressure. Yet, your physical strength surpasses that of most Origin Realm cultivators."
"Can you tell me how you attained such power?"
Flame Heart genuinely wanted to know the answer.
However, Lu Ming didn't seem inclined to share.
"What about the Ancient Realm?" Lu Ming countered. "What makes it so special?"
Flame Heart sensed Lu Ming's reluctance to answer his question and didn't press the matter. He merely smiled and shook his head.
"The Ancient Realm is the preparatory stage for the Divine Spirit Realm," he explained. "There's even a saying that Ancient Realm experts are the reserve divine seedlings chosen by the supreme gods."
"The key to this stage is adapting to the essence of the gods and accepting the rules within the Black Mist Zone. In short, the purpose of the Ancient Realm is to prepare oneself for the Divine Origin, the power of the natural order, before ascending the Heaven Ascension Stairs."
Lu Ming was lost.
Many of the terms mentioned were unfamiliar to him.
Flame Heart, noticing Lu Ming's confusion, smiled reassuringly. "You're still young and don't need to understand all of this yet. When your strength reaches the appropriate stage, you'll naturally comprehend everything."
"But before that..."
He clenched his fists, gently tapping them together. The impact produced a metallic clang.
A playful grin spread across his face. "I want to play a game with you."
"Defeat me, kill me! And I'll give you something fun."
"Otherwise, you die."
"What do you say?"
End of Chapter 246