Devouring Stars: Master of Evolution

Chapter 176 Qin Mu's Strength

The fiery behemoth soared into the sky and flew into a nearby star.

The endless flames were swallowed by the Flame Star Beast, causing the already burning flames within its body to explode even more violently.

The intense heat of the star's flames could not cause it any harm. In fact, the Flame Star Beast felt extremely comfortable in the terrifying heat and rushed into the core of the star.

"Deep within the stars, the Flame Star Beast not only grows faster, but its understanding of the fundamental laws of fire also becomes much clearer."

Deep within the stars, the Flame Star Beast opened its eyes, and Qin Mu's whisper echoed from within.

"In this environment, it is much easier to comprehend the fundamental law of fire than for the Golden Horned Beast to comprehend the fundamental law of metal."

"As expected, every kind of star beast with the so-called peak bloodline is terrifyingly powerful."

Qin Mu was overjoyed, for there were still two Starry Sky Beasts with peak bloodlines hatching in the insect swarm.

The two peak bloodline behemoths, the Hill and Valley Behemoth and the Destruction Behemoth, have been successfully analyzed. When they hatch, how incredible will their performance be?

"Not only these four peak bloodline star beasts, but also the four powerful bloodline star beasts that have already been hatched."

The Demon Slayer Clan avatar being conceived by the Golden Horned Beast is also nearing completion.

It was precisely because more and more powerful races were successfully conceived within the insect swarm that Qin Mu's speed in comprehending various fundamental laws increased, and every second, Qin Mu could feel himself becoming stronger.

"The territory currently occupied by the swarm can no longer keep up with the swarm's consumption. Now it is relying on purchasing monster flesh and blood, as well as cosmic crystals to maintain itself."

As the swarm continues to expand, especially after emerging from the Thick Earth World, its rapid growth is entirely due to the flesh and blood, as well as the cosmic crystals, that Qin Mu purchased.

This kind of development is unhealthy. As the swarm grows larger and more resources are invested, even if you make money quickly, it will never be able to keep up with the swarm's consumption.

This time, we encountered a battle of geniuses, with numerous financial geniuses and experts managing the market, causing a surge in funds to support the growth of the swarm.

With continued development, the number of Golden Horned Beasts in the swarm has reached three, and all of them are at the ninth level of the cosmic level.

The resources required to hatch each Golden Horned Beast are enormous, and a large amount of resources are needed every day after hatching for its growth.

Now, the Fiery Star Beast has been added, along with the soon-to-appear Hill Beast and Destroying Behemoth.

These colossal beasts of peak bloodlines are powerful, but each one is also a terrifying gold-devouring beast.

Not to mention, there are also four powerful star beasts with different bloodlines.

Now, Qin Mu already intends to use ordinary bloodline star behemoths like the Blazing Behemoth as the basic main units of the swarm.

That's right. With these newly added powerful units, Qin Mu plans to upgrade the existing Zerg units once again.

Some of the original Zerg units, such as the common Flametan Zerg and Mantis Zerg, were all reworked.

Including the original star-level Zerg, they were almost useless without war. Qin Mu kept only a small portion of them and converted the rest into energy.

For a long time to come, Qin Mu plans to use these four types of star beasts with peak bloodlines as templates to build a truly powerful Zerg army.

With the Golden Horned Beast as the core of the game, star behemoth units such as the Azure and Blazing Beast are advanced units, while the Golden Horned Insectoids and Blazing Insectoids are basic combat units.

As for those with weaker strength, they serve as cannon fodder, or are stationed in certain places to collect resources, etc.

"After all the Zerg units are recycled, all that will remain are 86 cosmic-level brood mounds and 1200 million cosmic-level Zerg units."

The logistical burden on the swarm can be greatly reduced.

Qin Mu began to further adjust the structure of the swarm. This time, the swarm not only acquired a variety of top-tier units, but also had enough resources.

Over the next few years, Qin Mu will need to make some detailed plans for the future.

"Next, upgrade the number of cosmic-level mother hives in the swarm to one hundred, and ensure that all top-tier units hatch at least three."

Each powerful bloodline requires at least ten of its kind; ordinary bloodline star beasts will be hatched as needed.

"In these three years, I have focused on improving my understanding of the laws and increasing my strength as quickly as possible."

At the same time, I'll buy some other star beasts with different attributes. It doesn't matter if I can't find one with a powerful bloodline; I refuse to believe I can't find one with an ordinary bloodline.

Qin Mu had a plan in mind: in these three years, he would not only comprehend the ten fundamental laws, but also...

At a minimum, one must comprehend the fundamental laws of metal, fire, earth, space, lightning, and time; and for the other four elements—water, wood, light, and wind—one must reach the level of understanding their respective domains.

He has already comprehended the four fundamental laws, and with the power of the destructive behemoth's lightning and the fundamental law of time, getting started is not difficult.

The Golden Horned Beast belongs to two major attributes: metal and space, with metal being the primary attribute.

Although the Destroyer Beast also possesses the two major attributes of lightning and time, it is actually biased towards time. Its most powerful talent is not lightning, but time stillness.

Therefore, comprehending the fundamental laws of time should not be too difficult.

As for the four lower-level laws of water, wood, light, and wind, it's not difficult for the insect swarm to simply enter the domain with a little effort.

The difficulty lies in crossing the threshold of the origin, but as long as you can buy a single-attribute life form like a star behemoth or a rock life form, there is still hope.

For example, if you can't buy a Wood-attribute Starry Sky Beast, you can use some powerful special plants instead. In terms of Wood-attribute comprehension alone, they are actually stronger.

The other attributes are the same.

"In the battle of geniuses, after the battle of reincarnation ends, there will be a global ranking battle."

The number one battle for overall ranking is conquering the Trial Tower.

Qin Mu thought to himself that the Trial Tower was the best opportunity for him to demonstrate his strength.

In the qualifiers, his opponents were too weak, and he didn't even show one percent of his strength!

This resulted in a situation where, apart from a few teachers, no one knew his true abilities.

Based on his performance in the preliminary rounds, the ruler of Qianwu Kingdom believed that he was a top genius who only appeared once every tens of thousands of epochs.

But is that really the case?

Once all the Zerg units he planned have successfully hatched, his competitors will not be fighting against him alone, but against the entire Zerg swarm!

This included at least three Golden Horned Beasts, three Hill and Ravine Beasts, three Destroyer Beasts, and three Fiery Star Beasts. There were also dozens of powerful star beasts and a swarm of tens of thousands of ordinary star beasts.

These are just the Starry Sky Beasts. Besides the Starry Sky Beasts, there are also rock giants, the Demon Slayer Clan, and other rock-based and energy-based life forms.

Qin Mu also purchased Berna metal lifeforms and some strange plant lifeforms at the Qianwu Auction.

Not to mention that the Zerg swarm's gene pool contains tens of millions, even hundreds of millions, of cosmic monsters, as well as various races including humans.

When the entire swarm's understanding of the laws converges on Qin Mu alone, who can match such talent?

Humans have limits! But the insect swarm has none!

Qin Mu was no longer just considering the Genius Battle; he also needed to think about how to choose the Chaos Monument after the Genius Battle and how to improve his strength more quickly in the future.

This is also an important reason why he made structural adjustments to Zerg units.

Because as long as you enter the top 1000 in the Genius Battle Universe, you can enter the core of the Virtual Universe Company, enter Chaos City, choose the Chaos Stele, and cultivate in Chaos City for 30 years!

That will be the time when Qin Mu's strength will truly explode and increase.

"In order for the Zerg to have enough resources to support my growth, the Zerg swarm must have a large enough territory to reproduce and collect resources."

Qin Mu's eyes burned with passion.

"Once I win first place in the Genius Battle and enter the core of the Virtual Universe Company, I will directly establish the Huaxia Universe Nation."

With the resources of thirteen star systems, the Zerg swarm could thrive for a very long time.

Now, Qin Mu doesn't believe anyone can compete with him for first place.

Berlan wouldn't work either.

Putting aside everything else, after years of cultivation, he has become proficient in using the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Wheel, mastering the third level of the two sub-wheels of metal and fire!

The soil and space are slightly worse, but it is still at the third level.

This is the third level, comparable to a master divine weapon like the Divine Weapon!

Qin Mu was even extremely confident that he could reach the fourth level within three years.

Even disregarding the fourth level, the combined power of the four sub-wheels at the third level, when he unleashed his full power, was extremely terrifying.

While it doesn't necessarily mean that a higher level of using the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Wheel equates to greater strength, it is still a good standard for evaluation.

Not to mention, he also mastered many secret techniques, such as "Spatial Barrier", "Void Illusion", "Illusionary Soul Lock", and "Spatial Control".

Of these secret techniques, only the most profound "Spatial Control" is the first level.

Other secret techniques, such as the soul attack and defense technique "Illusory Soul Lock," have already reached the third level!

He barely reached the third level of the two secret techniques, "Spatial Barrier" and "Void Illusion."

Only he himself knows best how strong he can be when he unleashes his full power.

Qualifying rounds?

Simply making a random move and claiming first place doesn't demonstrate one's true strength.

"The worker units in the swarm also need to be adjusted. Although we went to Chaos City, after the identification, we don't need to worry about the human leadership."

However, don't be too blatant, lest you cause other unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, I need to redesign, or choose, a worker unit that won't attract too much attention but can quickly gather resources.

Qin Mu pondered to himself that his skill level in adjusting and even designing swarm units was already very high.

When the Zerg Swarm broke through to the cosmic level, he was already at the second level of "Bloodline Evolution". Over the years, with the Zerg Swarm around him, although he focused on cultivation, he did not neglect his research on Zerg units and bloodlines.

Eight years have passed, and with the help of the mother nest, he has successfully reached the third level, which is the cosmic level.

Once the Huaxia Universe Nation is established, the government can use the worker insects he researched to collect resources.

The Zerg's main units can remain within a thousand light-years of Earth.

For resource gathering, what's needed are worker insects, not combat units.

For outsiders, his identity as a genius pharmacist is enough to explain it.

When a strong person is so powerful that it is incomprehensible, everything they do is justified.

……

Time flies like water, passing by in a hurry.

Year by year.

The Zerg units planned by Qin Mu were hatched one by one. While the size of the Zerg swarm was reduced, its overall strength became increasingly powerful.

His understanding of many laws also progressed by leaps and bounds. In particular, after Teacher Yu Chen helped him collect some powerful cosmic monsters, Qin Mu stepped into the domain of all the laws and even comprehended the primordial laws.

China is also preparing for the establishment of a cosmic nation, with massive resources being invested, resulting in a continuous emergence of powerful individuals.

During the Earth era, four former councilors from China, including Jia Yi, Zhu happy, Tuoba, and Deng, were all given cosmic-level potions by Qin Mu, causing their strength to skyrocket and bringing them just one step away from reaching cosmic-level strength.

Jiang Long and other elite war gods from the original Huashan organization, and Li Dawei, a high-ranking military officer, were all at the Hengxing level. Everyone was working frantically for the emergence of the Huaxia Universe Kingdom.

September 4th, 2070 (Chinese calendar), in virtual universe space.

In a huge training ground, Luo Feng manipulated six golden swords, each over a foot long, to launch a frenzied attack on Qin Mu.

Opposite him, Qin Mu, using the Golden Wheel and Space Wheel within the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Wheel, employed almost the exact same technique to easily neutralize the attack.

Faced with Luo Feng's attack, Qin Mu merely stood on the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Wheel without even moving, demonstrating the immense difference in their abilities.

"I have mastered the second level of the Heaven-Piercing Technique in using the Divine Weapon, but I still cannot force out Brother Mu's true strength."

They easily suppressed me simply by using the Golden Wheel and the Space Wheel in combination.

Just how strong is Brother Mu now?

Luo Feng felt a mix of doubt and a sigh.

With the guidance of Qianrenhou, his strength improved very quickly. He even reached the threshold of the third level of the Heavenly Sword Style in the use of the Divine Weapon, but he was still far from being a match for him.

"I'm not fighting anymore, they're no match for me."

After a while, Luo Feng manipulated the Divine Weapon to retrieve all the small golden swords.

Hong, who was watching from the sidelines, shook his head and sighed when he saw Luo Feng stop.

The two of them had fought Qin Mu before, and the three of them had even fought together many times, but Qin Mu always remained calm and collected.

"That's insane. Three years ago, I was worried that Qin Mu would surpass me in the field of lightning, but now I'm not worried at all. Because he really has."

Thor said in a strange tone.

"I'm alright. Although Qin Mu has also stepped into the realm of fundamental laws in the field of light, he still hasn't surpassed me."

Hong made a rare joke.

Luo Feng, who was walking over from the side, heard the conversation between the two and couldn't help but feel speechless.

"You two are alright, but I'm different. I've been completely outclassed by Brother Mu in terms of understanding the laws from beginning to end."

As they spoke, the three of them sighed in unison.

Qin Mu, riding on the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Wheel, flew over. Hearing the conversation between the three, he was speechless; he had already restrained himself considerably.

If he were to truly unleash his power, even Luo Feng, the strongest of the three, wouldn't be able to withstand a single blow from him.

"Brother Mu, how strong would you be if you unleashed your full power right now?"

Although it was somewhat presumptuous, Luo Feng still asked the question.

Hong and Thor also looked at Qin Mu with great curiosity.

"Well, how should I put it?"

Qin Mu thought for a moment, and he had no intention of hiding anything.

From the golden wheel of the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Wheel beneath their feet, countless small golden swords flew out.

Before Luo Feng, nine small golden swords were combined to form a golden phantom sword. These nine golden phantom swords merged into one, forming a solidified golden sword more than a foot long.

There are nine such materialized golden swords!

"This is equivalent to the second level of the Divine Weapon, which is your current realm."

If your mental strength were a little stronger, and your understanding of the fundamental laws of metal were a little deeper, you could do it too.

Qin Mu smiled and said. As soon as he finished speaking, his body emitted a dazzling golden light, and the spatial wheel in the Myriad Manifestations Heaven beneath his feet began to fluctuate, coordinating with the operation of the Golden Wheel.

The golden light spread outwards like waves, then quickly wrapped around the nine rising golden swords, which resembled the base of a great formation.

The golden threads burst forth and intertwined, and the golden sword energy emanated from the nine golden swords as the center.

In an instant, the spherical space with a radius of 300 meters centered on Qin Mu instantly became a dazzling world of sword energy, with countless golden sword energies crisscrossing and roaming within this spherical space.

"The Golden Wheel, in conjunction with the Space Wheel, links the nine golden swords together to form a sword array. This is the third level of the Divine Weapon."

"Is this the third level of the Divine Weapon?"

Luo Feng was shocked. His specialty was the Divine Weapon Evolution, and he had already reached the second level, but there was still a considerable distance to go before reaching the third level.

The third level of the Divine Weapon, "Heavenly Sword Style," involves manipulating nine golden swords, each of which is composed of 81 smaller swords. Therefore, the third level of the Divine Weapon requires a total of 729 smaller golden swords.

With his current mental power and understanding of the fundamental laws, he cannot do that.

But Qin Mu did it with ease.

"Next, this is my current level, which I only recently mastered."

Seeing Luo Feng's expression, Qin Mu smiled.

"What? This isn't your limit?"

Luo Feng exclaimed in shock.

Then, one after another, golden swords flew out from the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Wheel beneath Qin Mu's feet, bringing the total number of golden swords to 1600.

These small golden swords linked together in the void, with countless golden patterns flashing, forming a river of swords in the void.

"This move is the fourth level of the Golden Wheel, called 'Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin'."

In essence, it is very similar to the fourth level of the Divine Weapon, which is characterized by its profound simplicity.

"It can be used by the Golden Wheel alone, but its power will be weaker and less concentrated."

If combined with the fundamental laws of space, the insights into space and the essence of metal can be integrated to form a domain, where power converges and then used to attack.

Qin Mu explained while demonstrating.

"go!"

The massive sword formation, trailing a streak of light in the void and exuding an intense sense of oppression, crashed into a target in the training ground.

"boom--"

The target exploded instantly, leaving Luo Feng and his two companions dumbfounded.

"Even a ninth-level cosmic-level target would have a hard time leaving a mark on this target, right?"

It actually exploded?!

Thor exclaimed in shock.

"I'm not very proficient at controlling this level either; it's a bit of a stretch."

Qin Mu was not very satisfied, and then said.

"I have reached this level in the four sub-wheels of metal, fire, earth, and space, but I am much worse in the others."

If it were unleashed at full power, it would probably be about ten times the force of this attack.

After he finished speaking, the people around him fell silent.

Luo Feng opened his mouth, about to say something, but then shook his head. The difference was just too great.

"That's an exaggeration."

Thor looked up to the sky and sighed; he was too lazy to even compare.

When he fought Qin Mu, he was no match for him even when Qin Mu merely used the Lightning Wheel technique.

However, the lightning wheel was not Qin Mu's primary means of combat.

"Haha, you don't need to compare yourselves with me. I have special opportunities and my situation is rather special."

Seeing the three of them looking dejected, Qin Mu laughed.

"More than three years have passed, and your strength has improved a lot. You have all passed the cycle battle."

Tomorrow is the final battle of the Cosmic Genius Tournament; I can't go into battle looking like this.

Hong shook his head and smiled.

"That's not quite right. When we first fought, I was only slightly outmatched."

But now I can hardly even see your back anymore, so I feel a bit sentimental.

However, I won't give up so easily!

Luo Feng's eyes also regained their spirits.

"Brother Hong is right, I'm not that fragile!"

Compared to three years ago, I have already entered the second level of the Divine Weapon, and the "Ten Thousand Flows" has also reached the level of the second level, Nine Flows.

Babata told me that my strength has improved fast enough that I even have a chance to compete for a place in the top ten of the universe's overall rankings.

Although I'm still far from being as strong as Brother Mu, I will catch up.

"Haha, then you'd better speed things up, I'm not going to stand still."

Qin Mu laughed heartily.

"Let's call this training session for now. Everyone take a break and prepare for tomorrow's finals."

Chapter One: After so much buildup, the protagonist is finally about to unleash his power. Please support me with monthly tickets and recommendation votes!

(End of this chapter)