Chapter Forty-Five: The Divine Skill of Nine Suns

PS: To all the brothers waiting for updates, I must apologize for keeping you waiting so long. Compared to others, I’m not even worthy to carry their shoes when it comes to the sheer amount of updates. Since eight this morning, I’ve done nothing but write and ponder the plot, and only now have I managed to produce three chapters—barely nine thousand words. I can only laugh bitterly at myself. I just want to say, I’ve truly done my best. Once I become more practiced, my speed will pick up. If you think my attitude is worth something, please show your support with a recommendation. I’ve just made it into the top ten new books, and as this week draws to a close, I really don’t want to be knocked out again.

Wushan City. On the rooftop of a ruined high-rise, Ke Bei lay on the concrete, his head resting on his arm as he gazed at the ink-black sky, a thousand emotions surging in his heart.

Fate is truly unpredictable. Only a few hours ago, Ke Bei would never have dreamed he could storm into the heart of the gods’ stronghold and slaughter without restraint, nor imagined he could complete his mission so easily.

The night remained the same, but the mood beneath it had changed utterly.

Just hours before, the thought of having to kill a hundred low-level gods within the remaining days set his mind ablaze with anxiety. Now, his heart was as clear as a breeze; he had completed the first stage of the Nine Suns Divine Skill chain mission, and a sublime sense of relief washed over him.

He no longer felt such bitter resentment toward the chain mission. Until now, Ke Bei had felt the system had set him up for failure. But, having finished the first task and gained three scrolls of the Nine Suns Divine Skill as reward, his grievances faded significantly.

The Nine Suns Divine Skill was the supreme internal technique Ke Bei had always dreamed of. Without the chain mission, he would have to complete nine separate missions, with only a slim chance of gaining the full set.

Such odds were negligible—completing nine missions in succession and drawing the Nine Suns Divine Skill each time was as improbable as winning the lottery.

A smile played at Ke Bei’s lips as he let his thoughts sink into his mind. He saw the ancient book, glowing with golden light, floating within the system’s disk, and his heart raced wildly. Were it not for Han Lingyue and Xiao Jiu being nearby, he might have lost control already.

"Damn, I really can’t hold back much longer. I need to find an excuse to slip away!"

Staring at the golden Nine Suns manual, Ke Bei’s heart itched unbearably, as if a cat were scratching inside his chest.

"Ke Bei, have you ever thought about heading to the Jiujiang Base?" Han Lingyue suddenly walked over, settling down beside him, her body leaning against his as she lay on the rooftop, imitating his pose, arms behind her head, gazing into the dark sky.

"I haven’t considered it," Ke Bei answered honestly, eyes half-closed.

Two months ago, he was still fretting over the once-in-seventy-years Purge in Lingfeng City. Back then, even entering the bustling districts of Lingfeng was a distant dream, let alone daring to think of reaching Jiujiang Base.

There were three great bases on Earth: Jiujiang, Haoyue, and Gutang.

Cities like Lingfeng, Tianfeng, and Shuhan all belonged to Jiujiang Base, which had thirty-eight such base cities under its command. Haoyue Base, similar to Jiujiang, also controlled thirty-eight cities, while Gutang Base was even mightier, holding sway over one hundred and eight cities—more than both Jiujiang and Haoyue combined.

Two months ago, Ke Bei was just an ordinary man clinging to life at death’s edge. Jiujiang Base was a world away from him.

"Brother, to be honest, I really want to take you under my wing," Han Lingyue chuckled, gazing up into the darkness.

"Alas… The pity is, I’m not yet an official instructor, and I don’t have any recommendation slots." Her tone was full of regret as she ruffled her hair in frustration.

"Uh, take me in? What do you mean?" Ke Bei was baffled. He had no idea what Han Lingyue was talking about, much less why he sounded so regretful.

"Heh, I used to be a trainee at the Jiujiang Base Genius Training Camp. Now that my strength has broken through, I’m preparing to stay on as an instructor. But I haven’t passed the official assessment yet, so I’m not truly an instructor." She smiled ruefully. "If I’d passed, as an instructor I’d get one slot a year for the training camp. I have high hopes for you and wanted you to train at the Jiujiang Genius Camp."

"Genius Training Camp?" Ke Bei shook his head with a wry smile. What kind of genius was he? Without the mysterious system, what was he but an utterly ordinary man?

"Let’s not talk about it now. We’ll see after I pass the assessment," Han Lingyue said, standing up slowly. She took out her backpack and produced a high-level spirit pill, five mid-level pills, and sixty low-level pills.

"Take these little gifts as my greeting to you," Han Lingyue said lightly, placing the pills at Ke Bei’s feet.

"In three days’ time, there will likely be a bloody storm near Wushan City. You’re still young, so don’t get involved. These pills are worth a fair sum—don’t risk your life anymore," she added. Without waiting for Ke Bei to refuse, she grabbed Xiao Jiu and leapt from the rooftop. In a blink, their figures were swallowed by the night.

"Good heavens, how are these little gifts? Boss Han is incredibly generous!" Ke Bei stared in astonishment at the small pile of pills glowing faintly at his feet. For a moment he was dazed, then cried out in shock.

A single low-level spirit pill was worth a hundred thousand crystal coins; sixty of them was six million. Mid-level pills were worth a million each; five made five million. A high-level pill was priceless—at least ten million. Han Lingyue had casually left Ke Bei a fortune of twenty-one million crystal coins!

"Boss Han, if not for you tonight, I, Ke Bei, could never have completed the mission. There are some things I can’t say, but this debt—I will never forget," Ke Bei murmured, clutching the pills and gazing into the darkness where Han Lingyue had vanished.

He packed the pills away, then stood silently for a long time before letting out a long breath and sinking his consciousness into his mind once more.

"Learn the Nine Suns Divine Skill!"

With a single thought, the contents of the first three scrolls of the Nine Suns Divine Skill flooded into his mind. In an instant, Ke Bei had mastered its essence.

At the same time, a beam of golden light merged into his dantian, and in a flash, he possessed the internal power of the skill’s first three scrolls.

He clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within, and couldn’t help but throw his head back and roar.

"Internal power—so this is internal power? Hahaha!"

Ke Bei stomped the ground, and an invisible force exploded outward. With a thunderous crash, the entire rooftop trembled. Cracks like a spider’s web spread from beneath his feet.

Crack, crack, boom!

The concrete floor shattered like glass, and the slab collapsed beneath him.

As the floor gave way, Ke Bei’s expression remained calm. With a light tap of his toes, he unleashed the Water Treading Steps, powered by internal energy.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

His body became as light as the wind, as if he had shaken off the pull of gravity. He moved with perfect ease, stepping through the empty air, his manner impossibly graceful.

When Ke Bei first gained the Water Treading Steps, he had already mastered them, but without internal energy, he could only force the movements with brute strength, never unleashing their true power.

Now, with the first three layers of internal power from the Nine Suns Divine Skill, he could finally display the perfected Water Treading Steps.

At its highest level, this technique allowed one to walk upon air.

Ke Bei’s figure flickered in midair, leaving afterimages as real as phantoms. For a moment, it seemed as if countless Ke Beis danced atop the building.

This was the true Water Treading Steps.

With a slight smile, he stepped lightly into the void, his posture elegant and unrestrained, moving as fast as lightning—covering over thirty meters in a single bound.

While the technique didn’t quite allow true flight, with the surging internal power of the Nine Suns Divine Skill, his ability to linger in the air was greatly enhanced.

With his current level, Ke Bei could hover in midair for seven or eight breaths without difficulty.

"Now that I have internal power, the Little Li Flying Dagger can finally reveal its true might!"

The thought of the legendary technique filled Ke Bei with excitement. He had always held a special fondness for the Little Li Flying Dagger—it was with this skill that he had felled his first red-haired zombie and step by step made his way to this point.

Now, with the support of the Nine Suns Divine Skill, just how miraculous could this never-missing technique become?

With deep anticipation, Ke Bei slowly reached for his waist. A specially-crafted flying dagger appeared in his palm. Internal energy surged as the dagger spun rapidly in his hand.