In the world of martial arts, one works tirelessly to attain enlightenment.

Chapter 26, The Legacy of the Fight

The pitch-black sky enveloped the long street.

Lin Ran walked in the darkness, his entire body covered in dragon scale armor, revealing not a single flaw.

In the darkness, something flickered, occasionally revealing a pair of scarlet eyes, attempting to lure Lin Ran into making a move and deplete his power.

Lin Ran remained calm and unhurried, having already closed her eyes and activated her Wind Domain to perceive everything in the darkness.

He suddenly raised his hand and threw a punch to the right. The ferocious, roaring blood dragon leaped out of his fist and rushed into the darkness.

The darkness seemed to writhe, the blood dragon fell silent, but a crisp sound of something falling could be heard.

Lin Ran walked to the spot where the sound came from and picked up a crystal.

This is the essence left behind after the death of Shadow Clan beings. Most clans that have lost their mother world will generate this crystal within their bodies, making it a resource on the battlefield.

Lin Ran grasped the crystal and began refining it.

【Attribute Control - Dark LV1: 10/500】

When I opened my eyes again, darkness was no longer a barrier; what appeared was a hazy, gray world. Within this world, figures without fixed shapes floated, sometimes approaching, sometimes moving away.

Lin Ran locked her gaze on a Shadow Clan creature and activated her pupil technique: Instant Slash.

Snapped!

The shadow shattered, and a crystal, split in two, fell to the ground.

The shadow creature paused, and then three more shadow creatures exploded, their power crystals shattering together.

The next moment, they scattered and left, but they were nowhere near as fast as Lin Ran's gaze moved.

Some shadowy creatures tried to approach, but died even faster on their way.

ding ding...

When the last shadow creature disappeared from sight, the number of crystals increased to twenty-three.

[Eye Technique: Instant Slash, Experience +350]

[Attribute Control - Dark, Experience +60]

Lin Ran took a step out of the darkness.

The streetlights cast a soft glow, stretching all the way to the end of the long street.

Lin Ran stared at the streetlights for a while, then continued walking.

……

early morning,

Lin Ran pulled away the two tails that were wrapped around him and got out of bed without any hesitation.

Mengyu yawned, frowned as she watched Lin Ran's retreating figure, then turned and took a bite, her voice muffled.

"Pudding is still the best."

……

Feng Wuhen and Yan Lingfei were already seated in the courtyard, and Lingxi and Lingmeng brought them tea and snacks.

"Captain, good morning." Yan Lingfei waved to Lin Ran while holding a pastry.

"Good morning, what did the higher-ups say about yesterday's events?"

Lin Ran sat to one side, picked up a glass of plain water, and drank it all in one gulp.

"They said you did a great job; it would have been even better if you had killed a few more elves."

"Elves may be proud, but they're not stupid. Werewolves might have some issues with their brains," Lin Ran shook her head.

"I think so too. Some people in the higher-ups believe that the werewolf's current half-beast form is a failed attempt to transform from a beast form back into a human, but this has not yet been proven."

"A strange proposition." Lin Ran shrugged. "What's the task?"

"There are no missions for now. I just wanted to remind you that the first joint dungeon is about to begin, so don't waste time."

"No problem, let's continue training."

Lin Ran put down her teacup and walked to the open space to the side.

Feng Wuhen vanished from his spot, and the teacup slowly landed on the stone table. The moment it landed, his attack was broken, and he was then sent flying by Lin Ran.

Yan Lingfei rushed forward, then flew back at an even faster speed.

After Lingxi and Lingmeng finished tidying up, they also joined in the attack on Lin Ran.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

The yard was a complete mess.

Lin Ran straightened her almost undamaged clothes, and the medical team that had been waiting nearby immediately rushed over.

After that, there were three classes: shooting range, anatomy department, and Reiki techniques. After a half-hour break, there were three hours of theoretical self-study and nine hours of practicing the Ascension Ritual.

The Ascension Ritual consumes spiritual energy, which is replenished every six hours using wind spiritual energy and every three hours using earth spiritual energy. Once the proficiency is brought to the same level, it will increase evenly.

As for the dark attribute, Lin Ran does not plan to actively improve it for the time being.

The experience gained from eye techniques decreases after leveling up. If you keep cutting bullets, you only get an average of 200 experience points per hour, which is far less than what you get from fighting.

The training program lasts for a total of 21 hours. The spiritual ascension ritual not only does not make you feel tired, but also restores your energy. You can stay energetic all day long even if you only sleep for less than three hours.

After a day's plans are completed,

[Transcendent Theory LV8→LV9: 200/4500]

When Lin Ran returned to the courtyard, she was surprised to find two more people in the room: Ling Meng and Ling Xi.

Upon entering the room, they saw Yunzhu teaching Lingxi and Lingmeng some strange things.

"Brother Lin, you're back~" Yunzhu smiled and hugged him, then whispered in Lin Ran's ear to explain.

After listening for a while, Lin Ran roughly understood.

He beat the twins for several days until they were subdued.

"Go to the bathroom," Lin Ran gestured.

Yunzhu and Mengyu each pulled one of them into the bathroom.

Lin Ran opened her terminal and sent a message to Lin Sheng.

What are your plans for the near future?

Lin Sheng: A talented werewolf was killed by the Master. A powerful figure came to cause trouble. After fighting with a human expert, he unexpectedly discovered the remains of the expert after his death.

Lin Sheng: The human race experts called for help and repelled the werewolf race experts. They plan to open the ruins to the elite program personnel.

Lin Ran: Why didn't I receive a message?

Lin Sheng: Yan Lingfei's elder is one of the human race's strongest individuals. He intends to recommend her to the master. After discussing with other high-ranking officials, he plans to have Yan Lingfei deliver messages for the master. If the master inquires, he will tell him the truth.

Lin Ran: "..."

He sensed a malicious pressure to get married.

I wonder what Yan Lingfei would think if she knew all this.

Lin Ran: Are the relics related to the cat people?

Lin Sheng: Please wait a moment, sir, while I inquire with the general…

A few minutes later.

Lin Sheng: Sir, the general said that this is the remains of an extraordinary being left behind after a deadly battle between a cat-person and a shadow-person. There might be information about the cat-person inside.

Lin Ran understood. No wonder Lingxi and Lingmeng came over tonight. If it weren't for the appearance of this relic, they would probably still be as arrogant as before.

Lin Ran: When are we going to the ruins?

Lin Sheng: The general is currently working with several powerful human experts to conduct the inspection. If all goes well, it should be completed by noon today.

Lin Ran: I understand. Let me know immediately if you have any news.

Lin Sheng: Yes, sir.

End the call.

Lin Ran pondered for a moment, then focused the ritual into her dantian.

Three standard golden cubes slowly rotated around a point, constantly transforming and purifying spiritual energy. The other side had the same distribution, except that the golden cubes were replaced by wind clusters without a fixed shape.

Lin Ran locked onto a cube, and with a thought, she made a decision.

The cube trembled slightly, melted into a mass of liquid, and began to slowly split apart.

At the same time, a layer of earth spiritual energy enveloped his body.

bathroom?

They're just two cat-people who only came to our door because of the relics. Do they really think he'd accept them just because they're offered to him?

(End of this chapter)