Reborn as a lotus, she initially refuses to hand it over to the state.

At the same time, Heilong Lake, the entire lake, suddenly became eerily quiet.

The wind stopped, the chirping of insects disappeared, and even the monkeys, squirrels, and lynxes that had been playing by the lake seemed to sense some danger and began to stir restlessly.

A gray rabbit huddled in the grass, its ears suddenly perking up.

"boom!"

Just then, an invisible pressure suddenly spread from the center of the lake, the lake water violently trembled, huge waves shot into the sky, and the trees on the lakeside rustled as if they had suddenly encountered a gale.

All the animals bristled instantly; the monkeys scurried up the treetops with screams, while the foxes lay prostrate on the ground, trembling.

Even the usually arrogant Little Jinbao was so frightened that his feathers bristled.

It fluttered to the top of the tree, its little eyes wide open: "Master is going to become stronger, kneel down quickly!"

In the middle of the lake, Chu Zhou floated quietly, or rather, the entire demon lotus began to change.

His true form was now radiating a bluish-silver glow, with layers of spiritual patterns emerging on the surface of the lotus leaf, resembling some kind of naturally formed ancient runes.

The spiritual energy in the lake was frantically converging on him, and the once calm Black Dragon Lake was now like a whirlpool.

Countless spiritual mists converged from all directions of the mountains and forests, and even the sunlight in the sky seemed to be forcibly drawn in. A golden ray of light descended from the sky, enveloping the entire center of the lake. Chu Zhou felt as if something within his body had been completely ignited.

The spiritual energy began to surge wildly, deep within the roots, like molten lava churning. Every inch of lotus leaf and every meridian was cracking and then healing again.

That feeling was unpleasant, as if my body had been torn apart and then rebuilt.

"system."

Chu Zhou's consciousness sank, and the panel appeared.

[Host has met the promotion requirements]

[Have you broken through to the fourth tier?]

Chu Zhou was silent for a second, then uttered two words.

"Advanced."

boom!

As his command fell, a certain shackle within his body was completely shattered, causing the spiritual energy of the entire Black Dragon Lake to surge, and a water column dozens of meters high exploded from the lake surface.

The ground began to tremble slightly, rocks rolled down, and even the surrounding trees grew wildly.

The thick, ancient vines spread outwards like crazy, and the vegetation grew wildly. Before long, the grass by the lake had grown to waist height.

The spirit fruit tree quickly blossomed and bore fruit, and the concentration of spiritual energy in the air almost turned into a thin mist. Even ordinary animals began to benefit.

A fawn hiding by the lake has antlers that are visibly growing, and its fur is showing faint silver stripes. A monkey finds a spiritual fruit, and its pupils begin to change subtly.

The entire Heilonghu area suddenly seemed to transform into a truly sacred place.

In the center of the lake, Chu Zhou's transformation was even more astonishing; the enormous lotus leaf, originally a bluish-silver color, began to change towards a jade-like texture.

The edges are tinged with a faint golden hue, and each leaf is like a finely crafted work of art.

Its hardness has increased dramatically; previously, a third-tier white tiger could barely inflict damage on it.

Now, even ordinary artillery shells would have difficulty penetrating the defenses; the most astonishing thing is the roots.

The roots that were originally anchored at the bottom of the lake are now beginning to spread throughout the underground of Heilong Lake.

100 meters, 300 meters, 500 meters...

Ultimately, the entire underground of Black Dragon Lake became his domain, and all the water, soil, and spiritual energy fluctuations were under his control.

At this moment, Chu Zhou suddenly understood that the true strength of the fourth tier was not power, but domain.

His mental perception expanded wildly, one thousand meters, three thousand meters, five thousand meters, and finally, it covered a full ten kilometers, where the wind rustled through the mountains and forests, insects flapped their wings, and strange beasts breathed.

Even the changes in underground water flow were clearly imprinted in my mind.

The feeling was like a god looking down over his territory, and at the same time, a new message appeared on the system panel.

[Tier 4: Commander-level Lifeform]

[Life Level Leap Completed]

[Opening of the Spiritual Realm]

[Gained Ability: Spirit Realm]

[Gained Ability: Mental Intimidation]

[Gained Ability: Blessing of Life]

Chu Zhou's heart trembled. A fourth-tier beast was no longer just a strong one among the alien beasts, but a true regional overlord.

In the previous life, a single fourth-tier alien beast was enough to destroy a small military base, significantly reducing the effectiveness of conventional firearms. Humanity had to deploy superhuman forces, corresponding to human levels.

It's probably already at the A-level combat power level, requiring at least several Tier 3 superhumans to cooperate with heavy firepower.

Only those who are qualified to surround and kill can do so. But the most terrifying thing is not these, but mental pollution. Lower-level life forms will instinctively feel fear when they approach higher-level domains.

Those with fragile mental states may even break down and go insane, which is why the fourth tier is also referred to by the Ninth Bureau as "catastrophic life".

Just as Chu Zhou was advancing to the fourth level of life,

On the outskirts of the Lingnan Mountains, in a valley hidden by ancient trees, a foul wind blows.

The ground was littered with broken bushes and shattered rocks, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

A giant black-scaled python, over twenty meters long, was coiled between the cliffs.

The snake's body was as thick as a bucket, its scales gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen, and its belly was swollen, clearly indicating that it had just swallowed prey.

The most bizarre thing was its vertical pupils, which gleamed with an eerie green light. On its forehead, a fleshy lump the size of a fist had bulged out, as if something was about to grow out. It no longer resembled an ordinary wild beast, but rather some kind of monster beginning to transform.

This giant python was the same third-tier giant python beast that had tried to devour Chu Zhou but was instead severely injured by him.

"hiss!"

The giant python raised its head, emitting a low hiss, its tongue flicking in and out.

It lunged forward suddenly, snapping a large tree that an adult could barely hug on the spot. However, just as it lunged forward, a figure had already dodged to the side.

His movements were as light as the wind: "You beast, you reacted quickly."

The speaker was an elderly man dressed in a gray-white Tang suit. His beard and hair were half-white, his back was straight, and his hands were behind his back. He looked to be over sixty years old, but his vitality was astonishing.

When my feet landed, I even felt a sense of stability, like a mountain.

His name is Chen Wuji, a true big figure in the Lingnan martial arts world.

He is a contemporary grandmaster of the Chen-style Tai Chi lineage and one of the few publicly confirmed third-tier martial arts superhumans in Lingnan.

After the spiritual energy was restored, firearms were not a panacea, especially when facing highly mobile alien beasts at close range. Some traditional martial arts, which were originally regarded as "traditional combat skills", showed amazing value.

The so-called Chinese martial arts are ancient fighting techniques, not performance routines, but practical combat methods for training muscles and bones, qi and blood, and explosive power.

In the past, spiritual energy was cut off, and many things were lost. Even the strongest grandmaster could only crack bricks with a single punch and was difficult for ten people to get close to.

However, as the world changed, some older generation martial artists suddenly discovered...

Those hidden strength, transforming strength, and embracing the elixir of qi and blood that originally only existed in ancient books could actually be mastered.

With the combination of Qi and blood and spiritual energy, martial arts came back to life.

Today, the world of Chinese martial arts can be roughly divided into three paths.

One method trains the body to defeat enemies with qi and blood, while the other cultivates internal strength to enhance the internal organs and explosive power.

The last type is the combination of martial arts and supernatural abilities, and the Chen family is the best of the latter.

"Grandpa, watch out!"

A warning suddenly rang out, and a young man in his early twenties suddenly covered his temple on a nearby rock.

His face was somewhat pale, but his eyes were filled with excitement: "It's anticipating your movements. Three meters to the left, it will feint and pounce next time."

The young man's name is Chen Ziyang, the most talented descendant of the younger generation of the Chen family, who has awakened the superpower of telepathy.

He is a late-stage Tier 2 transcendent being who can vaguely detect the emotions of living beings, signs of danger, and even briefly read their attack intentions.

In combat, it's almost equivalent to a half-predictive cheat.

Sure enough, the next second, the giant python's tail swept across fiercely.

Boom!

Large shards of rock exploded, but its real killing move was the sudden flick of its snake head, its gaping maw revealing fangs half a foot long.

The speed was so fast that it almost turned into a black shadow, but Chen Wuji seemed to have anticipated it and stomped his right foot on the ground.

boom!

The rocks beneath his feet crumbled, and he slumped slightly as his arms slowly drew circles.

The movements were not fast, but they had a strange rhythm.

"Tai Chi, Cloud Hands".

The force of the giant python's charge seemed to be deflected by an invisible force, using minimal effort to overcome great strength. Chen Wuji's palm naturally touched the snake's head, seemingly with a light press.

The next instant, the force suddenly erupted.

Bang! A deep, muffled sound rang out in the air, like a cannonball exploding. The giant python's head was knocked several meters to the side and crashed heavily into the mountainside.

Stone fragments flew everywhere; this was the mark of a Grandmaster of Transformation.

The force was penetrating to the bone, not seeking brute force, but seeking to penetrate. However, the giant python merely shook its head.

Several scales cracked, yet he was still alive. Chen Wuji's gaze finally darkened.

"Peak of the early stage of the third tier, almost reaching the middle stage of the third tier."

"At this rate, it probably won't be long before it transforms into a dragon."

Just then, a clear, cold female voice rang out.

"Grandpa, move aside."

A mountain breeze blew by, and a young girl, about twenty years old, walked slowly towards them.

Her striking white hair cascaded down to her waist, her skin was snow-white, and her features were so exquisite they seemed unreal.

Her light blue eyes, in particular, made her even more captivating.

Her name is Chen Xueli, the most mysterious person in the Chen family of this generation.

Not only is he a martial arts prodigy, but he has also awakened an extremely rare ice-type ability, which is a combat-type ability, and he has already entered the late stage of the second tier.

She raised her right hand, and the air temperature plummeted. Crack! Frost began to form on the ground. The giant python seemed to sense the danger and instinctively retreated, but it was too late.

"Ice Lock".

As soon as she finished speaking, several ice crystal chains burst from the ground and instantly wrapped around the giant python's body.

The frost spread rapidly, and the surface of the black scales began to freeze. The giant python struggled wildly, its tail sweeping across and shattering the nearby rocks.

The giant python was also filled with resentment. If it hadn't been injured by that demonic lotus a while ago, it wouldn't be in such a passive position today.

I can fight against a third-tier martial arts master, but now I'm in a real predicament. These three damned humans actually used me as a training ground.

Chen Ziyang's forehead veins bulged: "Sis, hurry, it's struggling to break free!"

Chen Wuji's eyes sharpened; his opportunity had arrived.

With a single step, he shot forward like a cannonball. In that instant, the old man's aura completely changed.

The originally gentle and calm Tai Chi intention suddenly transformed into a raging torrent. The right hand clenched into a fist, the waist and hips twisted, and the power of the whole body condensed into a single point in an instant.

"Chen-style Tai Chi, with a power that shakes mountains!"

A punch was thrown!

boom!

The air exploded as the fist slammed solidly into the giant python's vital spot, the terrifying force penetrating its scales.

A cracking sound rang out, and the giant python's body suddenly froze.

The next second, he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The third-tier exotic beast, the demonic serpent, was finally slain. Seeing their grandfather, Chen Wuji, kill the serpent, Chen Ziyang and his sister were extremely excited.

"Grandpa, your martial arts have improved even further."

Chen Wuji was in a very good mood. Looking at the third-tier demon snake he had killed, he smiled and said, "The reason I was able to kill this demon snake this time was really due to luck. If I can absorb the beast core, my strength should improve further, and I might even reach the late stage of the third tier."

Chen Wuji has been stuck at the mid-stage of the third rank for a month now. The world is undergoing great changes, and the Chen family must become stronger quickly in this great change.

The method to become stronger is simple: go deep into the mountains to train, kill strange beasts, seize their cores, and absorb a large amount of spiritual energy from them.

Breakthrough and becoming stronger are currently recognized methods within the Chinese martial arts community.