Chapter 154: Taking Shape (Second Request, Any Moon Tickets Left?)

Humming~~

This time, the commotion was far greater than when claiming the Scripture Depository. Streaks of golden light shot out wildly, and the entire East District seemed to be enveloped within a sea of golden light.

A dark golden phantom, only slightly smaller than the Heaven-Enlightening Pagoda, slowly materialized within the golden light.

"So massive?"

Gazing at the dark golden phantom, Kobei abruptly drew in a sharp breath. Although the Scripture Depository and the Alchemical Chamber were also extremely grand, they were still within the limits of what Kobei could mentally endure, so he was not overly surprised. However, upon seeing the phantom of the Martial Arts Pavilion, Kobei was utterly astounded.

Even though the Martial Arts Pavilion had only six stories, its height was scarcely inferior to the nine-story Heaven-Enlightening Pagoda! It occupied nearly ten percent of the entire East District's total area!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The air vibrated violently as a massive dark golden pavilion materialized before his eyes. The golden light slowly spread out, and right in front of the Martial Arts Pavilion, a huge dark golden battle stage subsequently appeared.

The battle stage stood about one meter high. Its color was identical to the Martial Arts Pavilion—a deep, dark gold—while its footprint was even larger, approximately three times the area of the Pavilion itself!

The Martial Arts Pavilion alone, together with the dark golden battle stage, accounted for fully forty percent of the entire East District.

With three consecutive buildings materializing out of thin air—especially during the emergence of the Martial Arts Pavilion, which caused such a massive commotion that the humming sound of the vibrating air echoed across the entire Heaven-Enlightening City—every single person within the city gazed toward the direction of the East District at that very moment. Looking at the faint golden glow and the gigantic structures that had suddenly appeared, everyone dropped the tasks at hand and rushed swiftly toward the East District.

Quietly gazing at the Martial Arts Pavilion, Kobei remained silent for a moment before slowly taking a step and heading toward the Scripture Depository. Although he was deeply interested in all three buildings at this moment, the thought of Luo Ling lying unconscious on the top floor of the Heaven-Enlightening Pagoda left him with no mood to inspect the other two structures.

Right now, Kobei only wanted to quickly find a technique capable of devouring others' internal energy!

Preoccupied with Luo Ling's safety, Kobei walked with somewhat heavy footsteps and slowly stepped inside the Scripture Depository.

On the first floor of the Scripture Depository, Kobei's gaze swept rapidly across rows of wooden bookshelves.

The shelves were lined with martial arts manuals, with the corresponding names and brief introductions posted directly above them.

"Twelve-Road Tan Legs, Eight Trigram Palm, Xingyiquan, Long Fist..."

Kobei's gaze slowly swept over the labels bearing the martial arts names on the bookshelves.

"No, it seems these are all foundational martial arts here."

After scanning dozens of bookshelves in succession, Kobei discovered that the first floor appeared to be entirely dedicated to basic martial arts. Frowning slightly and pausing in silence for a brief moment, Kobei proceeded toward the second floor of the Scripture Depository.

Entering the second floor, Kobei glanced cursorily at several bookshelves and still failed to find the martial arts he desired.

"Damn, I'm such a fool!"

Suddenly, as he was scanning yet another row of bookshelves, Kobei abruptly halted his steps and struck his own forehead heavily.

Wasn't he able to simply ask the system directly for the martial arts he wanted? The Scripture Depository housed a total of one hundred thousand martial arts volumes; if he searched them one by one, when would he ever find it?

With this thought, Kobei stopped in his tracks and slowly sank his consciousness deep into the system disk within his mind.

"Are there any martial arts in the Scripture Depository that can absorb the internal energy of others?"

Gazing at the hazy, gray system, Kobei asked softly with a slight shift of his intent.

"The Scripture Depository does not provide such techniques."

Boom!

Upon hearing the system's prompt, Kobei felt as though he had been struck by lightning, freezing completely in place!

"None? Why? Why?!"

Kobei had been so anxious to claim the Scripture Depository precisely to save Luo Ling. If such martial arts did not exist within the Scripture Depository, how was he supposed to save Luo Ling?!

"Techniques that absorb the internal energy of others are classified as forbidden martial arts. Such martial arts do not exist within the Scripture Depository."

The crisp prompt of the system rang out once more, shattering the last thread of hope in Kobei's heart into dust!

"What should I do?"

Kobei grew frantic. If no such martial arts existed, he would have to complete the advanced martial arts task and successfully draw an internal energy-related technique in order to have any chance of awakening Luo Ling.

Yet the task given by the system—to become a grandmaster of an era—required ten million people to practice martial arts before it could be considered complete! Right now, Heaven-Enlightening City only had one million two hundred seventy thousand people; there was still a very, very long way to go!

Bang!

Kobei abruptly opened his eyes and slammed a fierce punch against the bookshelf. The seemingly wooden bookshelf was made of unknown materials; struck by Kobei's heavy blow, it did not show the slightest sign of damage!

"Ten million people? Where on earth am I supposed to get ten million people?!"

Clenching his fists tightly, Kobei roared in anger. With Luo Ling still unconscious, he simply could not remain calm.

In truth, Kobei had fallen into a misconception. Although the Heaven-Enlightening Pagoda currently held only one million two hundred seventy thousand people, their numbers would inevitably grow over time.

One had to remember that these people were ordinary citizens; it took time for them to travel to Heaven-Enlightening City laden with luggage.

The three base cities closest to Heaven-Enlightening City were still more than three hundred kilometers away. At an ordinary person's pace, such a journey would likely take well over half a month. Other base cities were even farther from Heaven-Enlightening City, with the most distant one belonging to the Gutang Base situated a full three thousand kilometers away!

Even if these ordinary citizens set off immediately, it would probably take four or five months for them to arrive.

Since the Scripture Depository contained no martial arts capable of absorbing others' internal energy, there was no point in lingering here any longer. With his expression darkened to the extreme, Kobei slowly walked out of the Scripture Depository.

The moment Kobei stepped out of the Scripture Depository, he froze in astonishment. Across the entire base city, millions of people had somehow already gathered onto the massive battle stage in front of the Martial Arts Pavilion.

Gazing at the dense sea of heads, Kobei frowned slightly, tapped his toes lightly, and unleashed his internal energy. Pushing his Transcendence Step to its absolute limit, his figure flickered through the empty air and landed upon the second floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion.

Since the Scripture Depository held no techniques capable of absorbing others' internal energy, Kobei had no choice but to pin his hopes on advanced martial arts. With no other alternative, he had to properly develop Heaven-Enlightening City and strive to complete the mission as early as possible!

"Everyone!"

Circulating his internal energy, Kobei's rich, resonant voice rang out like rolling thunderous claps.

Hearing Kobei's voice, the bustling crowd on the dark golden battle stage instantly quieted down. The reason they were willing to join Heaven-Enlightening City was entirely because of Kobei, because Kobei possessed the ability to make them powerful!

"First of all, you are all very welcome to join Heaven-Enlightening City."

Kobei's gaze slowly swept across the perimeter, looking out over the densely packed crowd on the stage, as his sonorous voice clearly reached every single ear.

"I know that the vast majority of you are ordinary people. You want to grow strong, you refuse to remain mediocre forever, and that is why you chose to join Heaven-Enlightening City!"

"I am deeply grateful for the contributions you have made to Heaven-Enlightening City over the past three months!"

"Today, at this very moment, I will begin imparting martial arts to all of you, allowing you to grow strong!"

Gazing at the emotionally stirred crowd upon the stage, Kobei took a slight breath. He could understand their feelings, for he too had once been an ordinary person! Had it not been for the existence of the mysterious system, what would Kobei himself amount to right now?

"All I can provide you with is a method to grow strong. As for how far you can go in the future, it still depends entirely on your own efforts!"

"If you want to become strong, you must put in the effort!"

"You are not genetic enhancers, but upon arriving in Heaven-Enlightening City, whether you are a genetic enhancer or an ordinary person, everyone's starting line is the same!"

"The one hundred and eight individuals who have received my inheritance, step forward!"

Kobei already had a comprehensive plan in mind. With one million two hundred seventy thousand people, if he relied solely on himself to impart the teachings, completion would be utterly impossible!

Kobei's plan was simple: have those who had already received the inheritance impart it to others. Although many of these individuals had only acquired one percent of Kobei's inheritance, it was more than sufficient to instruct ordinary people.

To make these people strong, there were primarily two directions: one was practicing internal energy, and the other was strengthening the physical body!

Those with robust physiques would be assigned to practice the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique, while others could cultivate the Nine Yang Divine Skill. Currently, the base city had one million two hundred seventy thousand people, meaning that this month, one hundred individuals could enter the Scripture Depository to select martial arts, while the Alchemical Chamber held one hundred Lesser Restoration Pills, one hundred Body-Tempering Pills, and ten Greater Restoration Pills.

Resources were extremely limited, so Kobei could only choose to let a portion of the people grow strong first, and then have this vanguard group instruct even more people.

Hearing Kobei's voice, the one hundred and eight individuals, including Huang Dou and Su San, quickly stepped to the very front of the battle stage, standing straight and quietly awaiting Kobei's orders.

"One hundred of you have received the inheritance of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique. You are very fortunate to have directly obtained formidable strength. However, remember one thing: our entire Heaven-Enlightening City is one big family. For a single individual to be strong amounts to nothing; only when everyone in the entire city grows strong can our Heaven-Enlightening City be truly powerful!"

"My first task for you is for each of you to select one thousand people and impart everything you have learned to them!"

"One month from now, I will personally inspect your results!"

"One month from now, the ten teams with the overall strongest combat power—as team leaders, each of you will receive a Body-Tempering Pill as a reward!"

"As for the efficacy of the Body-Tempering Pill, you will understand once you take it. A single Body-Tempering Pill is definitely more effective than a full year of bitter cultivation!"

Kobei paused for a moment and shifted his gaze back to the more than one million people on the battle stage.

"Next, I will select another one hundred fortunate individuals and personally bestow formidable strength upon you. Those chosen will do just like them: each of you will establish a team of one thousand people. Likewise, one month from now, I will personally review your team's strength, and the ten strongest teams will each be rewarded with a Lesser Restoration Pill!"

Following that, Kobei spent a full day selecting another one hundred people before imparting the Nine Yang Divine Skill inheritance to them—naturally, granting them only one percent of his mastery.

Kobei had chosen these one hundred individuals with utmost care. This group was crucial, because Kobei not only imparted the Nine Yang Divine Skill internal energy to them but also intended to let them enter the Scripture Depository to select techniques suitable for themselves!

With Heaven-Enlightening City currently housing only one million two hundred seventy thousand people, and only one hundred people permitted to enter the Scripture Depository each month, this quota was severely limited. After all, having merely acquired internal energy meant these individuals still needed to practice other martial arts as well.

(To be continued)