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Hmm, what could that mysterious Martial Will be? Don't forget to rate our novel on the NU page, so we can reach 20 votes and get an extra chapter.
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The continuous breakthroughs caused Ling Qingxue and Wu Liang's auras to surge dramatically.
Ling Qingxue's Spiritual Master level had completely broken through to the Fourth Rank early-stage, and her Physical Cultivation level... was also at the Fourth Rank early-stage!
This surprised even her; the quality of the Heavenly Spirit Springs was unexpectedly high, allowing her to break through the threshold of the Fourth Rank in one go.
Such a rapid increase in strength in such a short period of time was definitely terrifying.
Besides, Wu Liang's level was also rising. During the previous insect swarms, he had devoured a vast number of insects, already meeting the requirements for a breakthrough.
Now he was a terrifying Fifth Rank early-stage magical beast!
"With my current strength, I could probably defeat the Steel Giant in a one-on-one fight, and I'd utterly crush the Golden Centipede!"
Combined with Ling Qingxue's various tricks, there might be a chance to put up a fight against the Insect King.
Wu Liang scratched his paws, feeling like something had appeared in his mind, but it was still somewhat vague.
He looked at Ling Qingxue, his expression quite puzzled.
"Little Xuexue, what exactly is this vague feeling? I feel like it's a bit like willpower."
Ling Qingxue frowned, also somewhat uncertain.
"In my understanding, magical beasts in the early stages generally cannot comprehend their own will; they primarily rely on their bloodline. Your Devouring Will and Killing Will are examples of this.
For a magical beast to comprehend its own will, it typically needs to reach the King Rank, at which point its comprehension ability is not much inferior to that of humans.
Therefore, I'm not sure if what you have is Martial Will, but it certainly feels like it, somewhat like Liu Fufeng's Battle Will, yet distinct. It's currently too vague for me to discern."
That vague will was something Wu Liang comprehended through countless battles, large and small. Currently, it was only in its nascent form, unclear, and could not be actively controlled.
But even if it were Battle Will, it could greatly enhance Wu Liang's strength.
A magical beast capable of comprehending its own will at the Fifth Rank was truly rare.
…
It had already been a month and a half since military training began.
Thanks to everyone's combined efforts, the island in the middle of the lake remained intact, but the lake water bore witness to the ferocity of the battle.
The lake water, once clear, was now murky, stained with severed limbs and black, foul blood.
They had only managed to hold out this long thanks in large part to the fact that the Seventh Rank Insect King hadn't attacked this area.
"Does this Insect King Secret Place really have a Seventh Rank Insect King? Why haven't we seen one in over a month? Could Instructor Feng have been just trying to scare us the whole time?"
"Impossible! This is a high-level secret place, so there must be an Insect King there. We should be thankful it hasn't attacked us, or we'd be dead already!"
"If the Insect King doesn't show up, we might really just coast through military training like this!"
Everyone was half joyful, half worried.
Joyful that the Insect King hadn't come, but worried that it definitely existed and might even be on its way.
After a month and a half of continuous battles, their strength had indeed improved, but they still had no chance against a Seventh Rank Insect King.
Without anyone noticing, the bright sun began to darken.
A menacing cloud, carrying an aura of killing intent, approached the island in the lake from afar.
The oppressive aura emanating from it was chilling even from thousands of meters away.
"Damn it, who is the bastard who said that? I'd like to thank your whole family!"
"Waaah, I'm sorry…"
After being absent for so long, all it took was a single sentence, and the insect army had already pressed in. That bastard's words had actually come true.
In the sky, a beetle with a silvery sheen hovered in mid-air, its wings fluttering.
The aura of a Seventh Rank Insect King emanated from it. It was the Silver-Armored Mighty Insect King!!
Its name came from the word "might."
The Silver-Armored Mighty Insect King was an exception among the insect race. It possessed unparalleled strength; its bloodline's innate talent was entirely based on strength.
It was not large in size, but its strength was ridiculously high.
It was known as the "King of Strength" among the insect race, and it could even fly!
Its body was covered in silver armor, impervious to water and fire, and impervious to blades and spears. Combined with its superhuman strength, who could be its match?!
The crowd immediately deflated. The Steel Giant hadn't instilled such despair in them, but the Silver-Armored Mighty Insect King certainly did.
"How can we fight this? The lake water can't stop the Silver-Armored Insect King; all our methods are useless!"
"If it were an Insect King with some weaknesses, we could win with our brains, but the Silver-Armored Insect King is all-powerful; only brute force can defeat it!"
"Let's use the Gathering Spirit Formation! Let's go all out! We've held on for so long, we're definitely qualified. I don't believe Instructor Feng will expel us!"
Their performance was definitely better than that of previous freshmen; even being forced to surrender by the Seventh Rank Insect King was no big deal.
The Gathering Spirit Formation was the last resort they could think of.
Ling Qingxue's gaze sharpened.
"Those who still have the will to fight, join me in setting up the Gathering Spirit Formation! Just because it's a Seventh Rank Insect King doesn't mean it's invincible!"
She didn't explain further, and soon, the Gathering Spirit Formation was set up.
A surge of power began to flow into her body through the formation, but instead of receiving this power, she channeled it into Wu Liang's body.
Wu Liang was surprised; it wasn't like this last time.
"Aren't you planning to come with me this time?"
Ling Qingxue shook her head slightly. "No, only you have the strength to fight the Insect King this time. Even with my Fifth Rank strength, I'm no match for it. The Gathering Spirit Formation can't help you reach the Sixth Rank, but the power I transfer to you can allow you to reach the Fifth Rank peak for a short time!"
Boom!
In an instant, a tidal wave of power surged into the Taotie's body.
The swirling dark energy grew even denser.
Power surpassing his previous peak power!
The Devouring Domain erupted with a deafening roar, sweeping across the surroundings. Some weaker insects were devoured in the blink of an eye.
The brief breakthrough in level caused the power of devouring to surge.
The Silver-Armored Mighty Insect King roared at Wu Liang, its ferocious aura palpable.
It transformed into a streak of silver light, moving with lightning speed, instantly closing in on Wu Liang.
With a single strike, terrifying power erupted, forcing Wu Liang back several steps even though he countered with his own paw.
"Hiss, this guy also understands willpower, and it's the Will of Strength!" Wu Liang was slightly surprised.
While some Seventh Rank magical beasts could indeed comprehend Martial Will, their numbers were limited; they lacked the innate advantages of divine beast bloodlines.
And Wu Liang knew better than anyone how much the Will of Strength could enhance physical strength.
In an instant, the two energies began to collide incessantly, each strike sending shockwaves that shook the heavens and earth, shattering the entire lakeside into pieces.
Wu Liang possessed both the explosive skill 'Greed' and the defensive skill 'Damage Reduction'. Coupled with his temporary boost to the Fifth Rank peak, he... was utterly fearless!
This was the battle in which that mysterious Martial Will would break free from its shell!