Gao Wu insists on cultivating immortality.

Chapter 351 Dragon Marrow
"Congratulations on your promotion, Deputy Chief of Staff. I look forward to your continued support in the future."

Yan Shijiu's somewhat sharp face was now beaming with an exceptionally bright smile, so bright that it seemed unfamiliar to everyone else.

Qi Hui and his colleagues had known Yan Shijiu for over a decade, and they had never seen her smile so obsequiously.

"So this woman can smile in a very charming way..." Qi Hui muttered to himself, but his face also wore the same bright and cheerful smile.

Although he had Qi Tian protecting him, he still dared not offend Gao Wu.

Today's meeting made it very clear that all twelve action groups have been placed under the management of Gaowu and officially renamed the Supervision Office, which is specifically responsible for supervising the various departments of the Alliance.

Gao Wu is not only the deputy chief of staff, but also the direct leader of all groups.

The group leaders from all the other groups were also present, and everyone wore their most sincere and radiant smiles.

Showing a smile to your direct supervisor is a basic professional ethic.

All the team leaders are in their thirties or forties. They have been tempered and refined by society. To get to this point, they must have defeated countless competitors. Each of them has high emotional intelligence.

Most importantly, Gao Wu is only nineteen years old. A group of middle-aged people dare not be careless towards such a passionate young man.

Being a hot-blooded youth means being less experienced and mature; perhaps a single wrong expression or word could anger them.

Gao Wu was aware of what everyone was thinking, but he didn't care.

At the current level of the struggle, although these people are all elites, they are actually not much of a help in direct combat.

By gaining control of this force, he could only say that he had established a certain foundation for Zhongjing.

Gao Wu understood why he was promoted; it was not only a reward but also a way to give him a legitimate reason to deal with Qu Hanshan and the others.

He's not afraid of being a bad guy!

If Qu Hanshan is innocent, fine, but if he really colludes with the Federation to worship the Demon God, then he deserves to die.

This has nothing to do with Qu Tianji, nor is it a personal grudge.

That evening, Gao Wu accepted a banquet hosted by a group of his colleagues.

Except for the group leaders of Groups 9 and 10 who were away on business trips, all the group leaders were present, along with Qin Xige and Song Mingyue, making a total of twelve people.

Although Song Mingyue was aloof and silent, no one complained. Everyone acted exceptionally understanding.

There was no official business discussed at the dinner table; everyone mainly gathered to praise Gao Wu and listen to him recount the details of killing the two bishops.

After the banquet, Gao Wu took Song Mingyue to visit the Qi family compound.

A few months ago he was Qi Tian's subordinate, now he is Qi Tian's deputy, but he is no longer under Qi Tian's control.

Qi Tian definitely had his own thoughts on this, and might even suspect that Lao Qin had planted him there as a supervisor...

Gao Wu couldn't explain it either, because that was indeed what Lao Qin meant.

The Security Headquarters is in charge of the Alliance's information security, which is extremely important. Qin Jiuyue is hard to say, but Qin Liuhe definitely trusts him more.

At the very least, he and Qi Tian should check and balance each other to prevent any major problems from occurring at the security headquarters.

Logically speaking, Gao Wu shouldn't have met Qi Tian in private to avoid suspicion.

However, this time it was Old Qin who called him over.

Upon entering the living room, Gao Wu saw Qin Liuhe and Qi Tian drinking tea. It seemed the two had been talking for a while.

This is actually normal.

Qin Liuhe wanted Qi Tian to do his job properly, but he also needed to give Qi Tian a reasonable explanation. The important thing wasn't what he said, but rather that Qin Liuhe show a reassuring attitude.

Seeing Gao Wu and Song Mingyue enter, Qi Tian waved: "You've come at the right time, come and sit down."

Now that they were all at the same level, Qi Tian felt more relaxed and at ease.

Gao Wu nodded in greeting before taking his seat outside the tea table.

Qi Tian poured tea for Gao Wu, and Qin Liuhe said directly, "I have already told Qi Tian about the matter and asked him to fully cooperate with you."

"Go to the southeast and do your best. The two places have been prosperous for decades thanks to the convenient water transport and the resources supplied by various states. However, their arrogance and extravagance have become increasingly rampant, and they even look down on other states."

"These minor issues are one thing, but a small group of those in power, for their own wealth and glory, have colluded with the Federation and worshipped the Demon God. They have betrayed the Alliance and all their compatriots. Such scoundrels deserve to be killed without mercy."

Gao Wu nodded silently, feeling that Old Qin's words were more directed at Qi Tian.

Qi Tian nodded repeatedly: "The incident on Dongwei Island is inextricably linked to the two southeastern states..."

The following conversation mainly consisted of Qin Liuhe discussing the situation in the southeast, especially analyzing the Federation's movements.

It was emphasized that the eight saints of the Federation were ready and could take action against the Alliance at any time.

The eight saints have likely obtained new and powerful artifacts, and with the support of a demon god, their actions will be absolutely devastating.

Qin Liuhe said this once before, but this time he went into more detail.

After leaving Qi Tian's house, Gao Wu and Song Mingyue got into Qin Liuhe's car and followed him to the Tiexing Test Center.

Inside the underground training ground, Gao Wu unleashed his eight-winged mechanical angel to battle Qin Liuhe.

Qin Liuhe's Heavenly Dragon Divine Form alone completely suppressed the eight-winged mechanical angel.

The eight-winged mechanical angel, which has fused with nine dragon crystals, possesses a source power level three to four times stronger than Gao Wu's original body. This is even though Gao Wu has not yet been able to fully unleash the power of the dragon crystals.

In some respects, the eight-winged mechanical angel is no weaker than the ice dragon armor. It's just that its nine dragon crystals aren't of the same grade and aren't as powerful and pure as the ice dragon crystal core.

Under the stimulation of advanced martial arts, the eight-winged mechanical angel can unleash various transformations such as ice and fire, wind and thunder. Even if it only uses two or three-tenths of its strength, the source power it unleashes is still terrifyingly powerful.

Although the underground training grounds are sturdy, they cannot withstand the burst of power from a true level seven master. High-level martial artists must control their power to avoid destruction.

He wasn't trying to defeat Qin Liuhe; he was simply demonstrating the transformation of the eight-winged mechanical angel. Although the source energy intensity was low, it was enough to showcase the mechanical angel's abilities.

Suddenly, the black dragon god swung its tail, and the huge dragon tail swept down like a giant sword, leaving a deep mark on the chest of the eight-winged mechanical angel.

The same dragon tail sweep, used by Qin Liuhe, came without warning. By the time Gao Wu sensed something was wrong, it was too late to dodge.

Gao Wu looked at the crack on the mechanical angel's chest with a bit of heartache. Such a deep wound would take at least a few days to fully heal on its own.

The key issue is that he doesn't know about the mechanical angel's self-healing mechanism. If the wound can't heal, he doesn't know how to repair it.

He dared not complain to Qin Liuhe, and could only sigh inwardly, thinking how reckless the old man was...

Ignoring Gao Wu's resentful expression, Qin Liuhe went to the mechanical angel and carefully examined the chest wound, even reaching out to touch it.

"It's a gold protozoan. A very interesting life form."

Qin Liuhe looked at Gao Wu and said, "You don't need to worry. As long as the Golden Protozoan doesn't die completely, it will recover from any injuries."

"The true power of the Qilin King lies in its ability to use divine power to transform the shape of the Golden Primal Worm, turning it into a humanoid angel."

Gao Wu asked with some surprise, "You recognize this thing?" "The Golden Protozoan is a very special life form, quite rare. Moreover, it is graded."

Qin Liuhe said calmly, "The twelve golden figures of the Epang Palace were originally top-tier golden protozoa. They were just shaped into that state and also absorbed some special metals."

"Golden protozoa can actually devour each other. However, they don't know what form they will take after devouring each other, and they need external intervention. That's the most difficult part."

Gao Wu's heart skipped a beat. Did Qin Liuhe mean for him to devour the Twelve Golden Men?
He had seen a golden statue that was seventy meters tall and weighed at least several hundred thousand tons.

The golden man's finger was thicker and heavier than the eight-winged mechanical angel, and the golden man's rank was clearly higher.

Let alone the eight-winged mechanical angel, even the nine dragon souls of the Nine Star Dragon Balls tied together probably couldn't withstand a punch from the golden man.

He couldn't even imagine how terrifying it would be if hundreds of thousands of tons of golden statues were unleashed.

"The Golden Man also has a spiritual core. Once your cultivation level is high enough, you will be able to directly destroy the spiritual core with the Crimson Sky Sword."

"The most important thing now is to first condense the source energy core."

As Qin Liuhe spoke, he suddenly struck Gao Wu with a palm. The two were very close, and Gao Wu was completely unprepared for this.

Moreover, even with various restrictions, Qin Liuhe's martial arts skills are not something that even a high-level martial artist could evade.

Faced with the sudden palm strike, Gao Wu had nowhere to dodge and couldn't think of any way to defend himself. In his haste, he had only one reasonable and appropriate choice: to strike back with his own palm.

When their palms clashed, Gao Wu's powerful and fierce palm strike, "The Dragon Regrets," seemed to sink into the sea, as if he had lost his strength. He couldn't unleash the variations and power within "The Dragon Regrets," and their palms were stuck together as if glued to each other.

Gao Wu knew that Qin Liuhe was only testing his cultivation, but he could not allow the other party's palm force to invade him. He used various source forces such as ice and fire, wind and thunder, yin and yang, hard and soft to change one by one, but he could not get rid of Qin Liuhe no matter what.

Left with no other choice, Gao Wu could only unleash the Yinglong Slash he had mastered.

The most vicious and venomous killing intent converged into a blade, aimed directly at Qin Liuhe.

Qin Liuhe flicked his palm slightly, deflecting Gao Wu. His palm force flowed like waves of the ocean, silently neutralizing the fierce power of Gao Wu's Yinglong Slash.

"That was a good move. The 'slash' was very powerful, and it was the essence of Song Xuetao's swordsmanship."

Qin Liuhe rarely praised Gao Wu. The Nine Dragons Limitless Dao is complex and profound. It is very rare for Gao Wu to have his own understanding at such a low level and condense it into a complete set of moves.

Gao Wu nodded and said, "It was Song Gong who imparted the divine intent of the sword technique. I combined it with Yinglong Dao and comprehended Yinglong Slash. After slaying the remnant souls of the nine dragons, I made some progress in the Nine Dragons Limitless Dao."

"At your level, your realm is already sufficient, but you are lacking in some details. You need time to hone your source power and spirit."

Qin Liuhe was actually quite satisfied with Gao Wu's progress. In just a few months, he had already stepped into the threshold of level seven, which was indeed not easy.

The most crucial issue is that Gao Wu's source power is too strong, which greatly affects his ability to condense the source power core.

Because the source energy of the acupoints is so strong, it can be naturally harmonized through the circulation of mental energy.

To condense the source energy core, all the source energy of the acupoints must be gathered together to establish a more stable, powerful, and faster central hub, requiring complete alignment between each acupoint.

The source energy core condensed in this state must be exceptionally powerful.

Qin Liuhe recalled his state of condensing the source power core, which seemed to be similar to Gao Wu's, and even his source power was not as pure and vigorous as Gao Wu's.

After all, the level of source energy in the real world was too low back then, less than one-tenth of what it is now.

Qin Liuhe said, "You have the Yinglong Slash, which, if used properly, is enough to kill Qu Hanshan."

"The source power level of this mechanical angel is far superior to that of the seventh level. With this in hand, killing a seventh-level enemy would be even easier."

"With Song Mingyue included, the two of you are enough to suppress the southeast. Just be careful of the demon god's followers and the Federation's people..."

Qin Liuhe's mobilization of Gao Wu for help was out of necessity; each level seven had their own affairs and complex networks of interests.

Only Gao Wu and Song Mingyue are newcomers. They only have a deep relationship with the Song family and haven't had time to build a complex network of interests.

Moreover, it would be difficult to control the situation even if one or two level-seven officers were mobilized.

If Gao Wu and Song Mingyue were to handle the two southeastern prefectures, their lack of prestige would inevitably provoke strong resistance from all sides.

The biggest fear with this kind of internal handling is that the other party will remain silent and resistant; the more intense the resistance, the easier it is to eliminate them.

With a legitimate reason for their actions, even if Gao Wu and Song Mingyue used radical methods, others couldn't say anything.

The various considerations involved may seem complex, but in essence they are quite simple: to stabilize the morale of the alliance and avoid causing too much turmoil.

Qin Liuhe gave Gao Wu and Song Mingyue some tips on cultivation, and also prepared some purified dragon blood and two bottles of dragon marrow for them.

Dragon marrow possesses the divine power of the ice dragon, and has the extraordinary effect of strengthening bones and muscles and enhancing intelligence.

However, because of the Ice Dragon's domineering divine power, others still cannot use it.

Currently, only Gao Wu, relying on his superior physique, can use it directly. Song Mingyue, on the other hand, is compatible with the characteristics of the Ice Dragon God's power and has the ability to convert and resolve it within the Ice Dragon Armor, so she can also use a small amount.

Gao Wu was overjoyed to obtain the dragon marrow, believing it to be more potent than dragon blood.

Dragon marrow is somewhat like tofu pudding, with a strong umami flavor that is a hundred times more delicious than any seafood.

To be on the safe side, Gao Wu took two small bites first.

The icy divine power of the Ice Dragon erupted, freezing almost his entire body. Even with his physique, he needed to activate the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Mantra and combine it with the changes in the ice-type source power of the Divine Dragon Path to dispel the freezing cold.

Once the chill dissipated, Gao Wu felt a burning heat throughout his body, even his head started to feel hot.

That intense heat was enough to burn the brains of an ordinary person...

Having survived the alternation between hot and cold, Gao Wu felt his mind was exceptionally clear, and his body seemed to be expanding, filled with boundless power.

Gao Wu can only continuously expend his abundant energy by cultivating the Nine Dragons Limitless Path.

He struggled like this until dawn before he finally neutralized the spiritual effects of the dragon marrow.

Looking at the Book of Boundless Merit again, he saw that his attributes had not changed, but he could feel that his strength had increased by about 20%, and his physical strength had also increased.

Looking at the ten-kilogram bag of dragon marrow, Gao Wu was even more delighted. If he made all of these, his strength should increase significantly.

At this point, his only stat is strength, which is only 27 points.

In fact, for martial artists, pure physical strength is not important, since the physical body has its limits, but source energy is infinite.

High-level martial arts don't require much strength; the changes in strength of muscles and bones are too simple and pose little threat to truly strong individuals.

However, having great strength has one direct benefit: it can substantially improve physical strength.

Even if the spirit can roam outside the body, it cannot truly exist independently of the body. The body is the foundation upon which everything is built.

With a strong body, all aspects will naturally improve.

Since we don't have enough merit points to upgrade, it would be best to upgrade our power using external items.

Once he arrives in the Southeast, he will surely give Qu Hanshan and the other old men a big surprise...

(End of this chapter)