Chapter 16: Chapter 16: The Future Overlord
In the end, Feng Qi was unable to find any information on the Star City Academy forum about why Mu Qing had become a Rune-Enhanced Human.
Unable to uncover anything, Feng Qi stopped searching.
It was late at night. After washing up, he lay down on his bed and quickly entered the dream realm.
The sky was weighed down by dark clouds, and the ground was littered with corpses.
A frigid, bone-chilling wind swept across the land, and the distant roars of the undead echoed intermittently.
Opening his eyes, Feng Qi instinctively picked up a broken bone nearby and delivered a leaping strike, smashing down on a "little cripple" that had barely risen to its feet. He then followed up with several more strikes, quickly finishing it off.
After cleaning up, his gaze shifted westward.
That direction was shrouded in dense white mist. His vision couldn't pierce through, but crimson eyes and ghostly figures would occasionally flash within the fog.
It was as if the Narrator sensed Feng Qi's growing curiosity about the fog. Its voice suddenly resounded in his mind:
"Sensing the dangers lurking in the white mist, you quash your curiosity and decide to continue hunting the undead to grow stronger!"
Feng Qi: …
Suppressing his curiosity, Feng Qi followed the Narrator's advice and continued his hunt for the undead.
He moved eastward, heading towards Star City Shelter. On the way, Feng Qi began targeting not only the crippled undead but also those that appeared intact.
With his enhanced physical strength and the bonuses granted by his prefix titles, ordinary undead were no longer a threat to him.
During his first visit to the dream realm, even taking down a single crippled undead required some effort and planning.
But now, he could engage them head-on, finishing off the undead with ease. His efficiency in combat increased alongside his growing power.
Following a familiar route, Feng Qi encountered several worms that wriggled out from piles of bones. Without exception, they all became "experience loot," boosting the milestone percentages for his Resilience prefix title.
His goal for this trip into the dream realm remained the same: to reach the Star City Shelter.
The cultivation techniques he currently had—Set 272 of Cultivation Techniques and Tiger Fist—were far from sufficient in his eyes.
Without more techniques, he couldn't maintain his facade of being a genius back in reality. And he certainly couldn't cement his place as a prodigy.
The dream realm's sky lacked both moon and sun, casting a constant dim light over everything. Feng Qi navigated the swarms of undead, cutting them down as he steadily moved forward.
By the time he once again reached the stone stele of the shelter, his stats had undergone notable changes.
[Resilient Normal Zombie: Feng Qi]
Strength Level: Unranked
Prefix Titles:
Normal
Resilience LV1 (Muscle resilience enhancement: +1%)
Bloodline: Human (Primary)
Bloodline Evolution Points: 58/1000
Prefix Title Milestones:
[Normal (Upgradeable)]:
Second Milestone: 67%
[Resilience LV1 (Upgradeable)]:
Milestone Progress: 72%
Absorbing an increasing number of bloodline evolution points had caused Feng Qi's internal organs to be covered with a layer of fresh pink tissue. The putrid smell of decay had greatly diminished, and the muscle definition on his body had become more pronounced.
At the very least, Feng Qi felt that he was inching closer to becoming fully human again.
"You might also mutate into a muscle-bound monstrosity, something akin to a Tyrant from a biohazard movie."
"Shut up!"
At the stone stele, Feng Qi dripped a drop of blood onto it. The stele rumbled as it slowly shifted, revealing a metallic passageway beneath.
Without hesitation, he stepped inside and headed straight for the location of the database.
After activating the database with practiced ease, he began by searching for his own information.
[Feng Qi (Cultivation Researcher)]:
Lifespan: 32 years.
Cause of Death: While accompanying the Absolute Doom Domain Combat Squad on a field investigation mission, Feng Qi was unexpectedly killed by a domain creature.
Date of Death: April 8, 2042.
Lifetime Achievements (Honors):
Graduated as a B-Rank Excellent Student from Galaxy Academy.
Modifier of the 2.0 Version of the Cultivation Techniques.
Recipient of the B-Rank Human Elite Medal.
Winner of the Outstanding Contribution to Human Development Award.
Creator of Tiger Fist.
Evaluation:
Early in his career, Feng Qi demonstrated exceptional potential. He modified the Cultivation Techniques and created the body-cultivation technique Tiger Fist, earning him the title of a rising star for humanity. However, his research stagnated after these breakthroughs, leading many to believe he had "run out of talent." Tragically, he perished during a field mission at the age of 32.
"Kid, I see darkness on your face. Your days are numbered. I bet you won't make it past 32."
"Shut up! Next time, I'll live to be 100 just to prove you wrong."
Staring at the details on the screen, Feng Qi was struck by a revelation.
While he entered the dream realm, time in the real world continued to flow. However, the version of him in this timeline—one who didn't access the dream realm again—was only credited with achievements like modifying the Cultivation Techniques and creating Tiger Fist. Beyond these, no further innovations were recorded.
Even so, his evaluation in this altered future had improved compared to previous iterations.
Yet one constant remained: his lifespan. It was still tragically short, with various circumstances conspiring to end his life prematurely.
After reviewing his information, Feng Qi opened the Cultivation Techniques list.
As he had anticipated, the details of Tiger Fist had undergone notable changes:
[Tiger Fist (Sixth Revised Edition)]:
Creator: Feng Qi
Technique Rating: Three-Star
Description:
Tiger Fist is derived from the ancient martial art of Xingyi Quan. It is an uncompromisingly fierce body-cultivation technique that includes methods for enhancing physical resilience and specialized body-strengthening practices. This technique is particularly suited for individuals with higher physical strength.
Notes:
Practitioners must have a bloodline strength of at least 20. Failing to meet this requirement may result in severe bodily harm.
After confirming these future developments, Feng Qi prepared to learn a new technique. But a thought struck him, prompting him to search for someone instead.
Without hesitation, he entered the name Mu Qing into the database search field.
Moments later, detailed information and a photo of Mu Qing appeared on the screen.
The image was blurry, seemingly taken from a great distance. In it, Mu Qing's expression was cold, her petite frame now fully matured into a commanding presence. The rune crystal embedded in her right arm gleamed brilliantly.
[Mu Qing (Human Rebel Leader)]:
Profile:
Originally a student at Star City Academy, Mu Qing joined the Domain Combat Squad after graduation. However, during an investigation mission, she betrayed her team, personally killing the captain. She subsequently disappeared from public view, secretly recruiting large numbers of scavengers and establishing the human rebel faction known as Dawn. Mu Qing also revived the Rune-Enhanced Human program, waging a thirty-year-long war against humanity.
Her hands are stained with the blood of countless innocents. During her leadership, she spearheaded the Dawn forces in massacring several human cities, leaving behind a legacy of unforgivable atrocities.
Tags: Rune-Enhanced Human, Leader of the Dawn Rebel Army.
Personality: Cruel, cold-blooded, and ruthless.
Feng Qi: !!!
The future evaluation of Mu Qing left Feng Qi utterly speechless.
He had never imagined that the petite, somewhat eccentric senior from Star City Academy would become a traitor to humanity, turning her blade against her own people.