GA: Chapter 166: Refusing to Fall Behind — Qin Tian's Conviction!
Once he had fully absorbed those forces and made them part of his own foundation, his strength had risen substantially. Not enough to defeat his former self with ease — but the difference was already clear and measurable.
Even against the mutated giant octopus in a direct confrontation, the final victor would now be him.
That was assuming the octopus couldn't escape mid-fight.
Obviously, once it recognized it was losing, it would never simply stay and die — survival came first.
Which meant that to guarantee its elimination and prevent it from growing even stronger and posing a greater threat to humanity in the future, he still had to fight alongside Huo Yu and Chen Bing.
Until his strength could absolutely crush the mutated giant octopus — that remained unavoidable.
So his current strength still wasn't enough. He wasn't satisfied with where he stood.
He wanted to be like Bai Xuan — possessing strength that opened up a clear divide between him and anyone else.
Of course, he understood the difference between himself and Bai Xuan, and knew he could never reach that height where no living thing could challenge him. But he didn't need to surpass Bai Xuan. He only wanted to occupy the middle ground in the gap between Bai Xuan and everyone else.
If one phrase could describe it: second only to one.
Except for Bai Xuan — he wanted the strength to overcome anything, to face any danger and erase it without effort.
That was his pursuit.
And only with that kind of strength could he protect Huaxia properly in this era.
Bai Xuan had been blessed by the Earth's consciousness, granted authority over nature.
To wear the crown, one had to bear its weight.
From the moment he'd awakened [Authority of Nature], Bai Xuan was destined to be an observer of Earth's civilization.
He wouldn't casually intervene in the internal struggles of Earth's civilizations. He had his own purpose — to make Earth's civilization stronger and more flourishing.
So Qin Tian respected Bai Xuan. Admired him. If Qin Tian himself had received [Authority of Nature], he knew his focus would never have been on the Earth as a whole — his eyes would have remained fixed only on Huaxia.
But he couldn't guarantee he would remain a warrior forever.
Power that stood above all others might warp his thinking — push him toward things the current him would never consider, and bring his inner desires rising to the surface.
He couldn't carry the weight of responsibility that [Authority of Nature] would place on him.
That was precisely why he loved his own awakened ability — [Divine Dragon]. The dragon was Huaxia's totem, and it represented his will.
He didn't need to concern himself with the Earth, or all living things, or the fates of everyone. He only needed to think about Huaxia.
No matter how bad the world became, his mission only extended as far as protecting Huaxia.
With Bai Xuan standing at the summit of the clouds, however strong Qin Tian grew, that presence would always serve as a check against whatever ambitions might quietly stir within him.
The Divine Dragon ability held unlimited potential. The Flame Dragon Armor had reshaped it into a Flame Dragon — but that didn't mean his potential had diminished. If anything, it had given him a clearer channel through which to express it.
Whether in cultivation speed or affinity for flame, everything had intensified.
With the Flame Dragon Armor amplifying his natural capabilities, he had confidence in where he was heading.
So why not push himself harder, develop his potential to its fullest, and grow strong enough to surpass everyone who stood at a comparable level?
If others' talent matched his — he'd outwork them.
If others' effort matched his — he'd outfight them.
Qin Tian's eyes were steady and unwavering as he continued his weighted training, probing the limits of his own body. He would become Huaxia's "god" — a god who belonged entirely to Huaxia, one whose presence made every person who saw him feel safe.
Before long, he would face whatever crises this era brought — stronger, and more formidable than anything that had come before.
While Qin Tian was training, a man in military uniform walked into the practice room, expression serious, carrying a silver-white case with a distinctly technological aesthetic.
Though his face showed nothing, his eyes carried unmistakable excitement and suppressed joy.
"Qin Tian — take a break."
"Look what I brought you."
"Hmm?"
Qin Tian paused at Liu Suifeng's words, his gaze landing on the sleek case in his hand.
He recognized the box. It was a product of the research institute — he didn't know the underlying principles, but he knew its function: preserving the spiritual energy of stored items.
The age of spiritual energy had produced many rare natural treasures, but once picked or separated from their source, the spiritual energy within them began to dissipate. If left unprotected, it would compromise their medicinal potency. The research institute had developed these cases specifically to address that.
They'd originally used jade boxes — but once these technological cases were developed, they became the universal standard for storage. From a cost perspective, a jade box of sufficient quality was considerably more expensive than ten of these cases. Ordinary jade couldn't stop the dissipation — it had to be high-grade jade, which drove the price up considerably.
"This is—"
Because the case had blocked all dissipation, not even the scent had leaked out. Qin Tian couldn't identify the contents.
But whatever could make Liu Suifeng this excited wasn't going to be ordinary.
"Flood Dragon heart's blood!"
"That's just what we're calling it — but the body matched the descriptions exactly: scaled, with a vestigial horn on the head and five claws on each foot."
"Funnily enough, it happened during a thunderstorm. The thing came flying up out of some river somewhere, circled in the wind and rain — and then got hit by lightning. Didn't kill it, but left it half-dead."
"Its luck ran out there, because Ning Guang happened to see it. Once he confirmed it was wounded, he used his fog ability to wear it down and finish it off — and managed to preserve the body completely intact."
"The heart was sizable, so there was quite a good amount of blood. Split four ways — you, Chen Bing, and Huo Yu each get a portion, and he keeps one for himself. The scales and the like go to Wang Ming. The rest of the flesh — research gets its share, everything else goes into reserves."
Liu Suifeng laughed as he said it.
How could he not be pleased? Whether or not the thing had technically been a flood dragon, it definitely wasn't just a snake — they'd seen plenty of mutated snakes, and none of them could fly.
And it had been struck by lightning.
That was clearly tribulation lightning. A crossing of tribulation.
If Ning Guang and the others hadn't been there, it might have actually succeeded and become a major threat to humanity going forward.
Instead, every part of its body had been separated and put to use — capable of pushing up the strength of a considerable number of people.
"Flood Dragon heart's blood..."
Qin Tian's gaze sharpened. From what Liu Suifeng had described, the flood dragon had been in the middle of crossing its tribulation — and it had actually succeeded. It was simply in terrible condition at the time, and it had crossed paths with Ning Guang of all people, which was why it had been killed.
Strictly speaking, this wasn't flood dragon heart's blood.
It was true dragon's blood.
True Dragon heart's blood.
Even Qin Tian, in this moment, couldn't stop a quiet surge of excitement rising in his chest.
"Oh — right. Besides the flood dragon heart's blood, there's something else inside."
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