Star Forge Titan

"What's more, there is the Barrier of Despair. They can't open their own Barrier of Despair in another Witch King's city. This has been confirmed by the companions of the Free Fist with their blood." At this point, Brad couldn't help but sigh.

“…” Hearing this, Alvin also fell silent.

He only felt that there seemed to be a layer of thick fog in front of his eyes. No matter how hard he tried to push it away, it would gather again in the next second and block the road ahead.

It’s not easy to do…

After cursing inwardly, Alvin quickly adjusted his mood and grasped the key point of the whole matter.

Does it take ten years to complete the true promotion ceremony? Brother, you and Master probably underestimated me.

Oh, you could also say that you underestimated...

In fact, he is a perfect person who has reached the fifth level, a giant spirit driver!

Chapter 115: The Enemy and We Have the Same Origin

In the following days, Brad and his Free Fist companions destroyed blood tax collection devices everywhere.

At the same time, he also arranged for the evacuation of non-combat members of the Freedom Fist in the city.

On the other hand, Alvin has already made up his mind about the third level.

In fact, starting from the second-level Ash Knight, he found an unusual path to becoming a transcendent. That is to modify the original promotion ceremony to make it more suitable for his own situation.

Firstly, the Titan bloodline's self-strengthening blessing far surpasses most Transcendent class enhancements, even surpassing the additional blessings provided by some interconnected esoteric rituals. Therefore, Ivan didn't need to adhere to the common sense of the Transcendent Path. Because the Transcendent Path had become a supplement to him.

Secondly, he was very interested in the new path that the Fist Fighter was currently exploring, mainly because 'Force String Domination' might allow the core talent of [Reshape the World] to break through the existing barriers.

Moreover, the organic combination of the secret of Lan Dou Sheng Quan, 'Force String Domination', and Ivan's own powerful qualities has already shown extremely excellent performance.

Putting aside the myriad of possible variations in attack methods, the fact that a combat professional can use his own strength to burst out an attack close to the caster's range is something that cannot be ignored.

In addition, there are various signs that this powerful secret that is close to the source of boxing is inextricably linked to the Giant Kingdom of the past. To be precise, this may mean that the core of boxing may even have some connection with the Titan Uranus civilization.

The Giant Kingdom later retreated to the North, re-established the Second Giant Kingdom, and gradually faded into the dust of history. However, this at least shows that the Giant Kingdom was the victor of the battle. This shows that the Giant Kingdom was even more powerful than its enemies back then.

This also briefly shows that the potential of boxing may be more valuable than expected.

Of course, Alvin also had doubts in his mind.

Even the Giant Kingdom, which had inherited only a portion of the legacy, had already demonstrated such formidable technological prowess. So, what was the reason for the disappearance of the Uranus civilization, founded by the Titans?

Internal strife? External enemies? None of these seem to be able to fully explain the disappearance of Titan.

Or had they never disappeared in the first place? They simply chose to leave, leaving without hesitation, like a grown child leaving the cradle.

Compared to the sense of urgency he felt when he first arrived in Palladia, Ivan, who has been accumulating strength, has now become more and more interested in the past of this world shrouded in layers of doubts.

Perhaps, after dealing with several known major events, he could try to join the professional archaeological team of the City of a Thousand Towers, or return to Linde to re-excavate the ultra-ancient ruins buried by geological changes and explore the interesting secrets buried deep in history.

Unfortunately, with Afrediya's overly strong sense of responsibility, she probably wouldn't agree to put down her work and leave the Royal City of Elrond with him...

Recalling the red-haired girl whom he hadn't seen for a long time, the black-haired young man couldn't help but sigh softly, and then he refocused his attention on the plan at hand.

At his request, Master Rigor handed over all his research data on the fighting steel armor over the past few decades to Ivan without hesitation.

This undisguised trust made Alvin feel his blood boiling, but it made him calmer and he devoted himself to the research of this technology.

After reading through all the information, Alvin closed his eyes and gently pinched the bridge of his nose.

"With a calm heart, strike out with a fist of fire."

"I seem to understand a little, Master."

Following this simple soliloquy, the black-haired boy once again put his best skills to use in the mechanism.

Rigor's decades of research were absorbed and digested as effortlessly as eating and drinking. Then, the process of digestion began, transforming the food into his own strength.

However, the more he studied the Dou Qi Steel Armor, a powerful skill that could break through the existing balance of power in boxing, the more clearly Alvin felt the incompleteness of this skill.

This is not an incompleteness caused by insufficient development of the technology itself, but rather a deficiency that existed when the technology was first created.

Ordinary extraordinary people can gradually advance in their positions and accumulate a stronger will, thereby digging deeper into their own soul power. As a result, they can fully awaken their own soul abilities after completing the Path of the Fire Sword, making final preparations for the subsequent complete sublimation.

But the Dou Qi Steel Armor is different. It seems that this skill has been a special skill for indirectly using soul power since its inception.

Even the derived boxing techniques have this special property. The purpose of the breathing method is to feel the control of magic power. The true meaning of boxing is to use extreme emotions to promote one's own hidden soul power, thereby mobilizing more powerful magic power and part of the soul power to outline the prototype of the fighting steel armor, that is, the virtual form of the steel armor.

But the essence of this behavior is equivalent to asking people to learn how to cook eggs without having chickens.

You haven't even tapped into your own soul power, so how can you use it to create an external steel armor that can carry a stronger boxing configuration?

In this way, it seems impossible to complete the real fighting steel armor.

Unless... unless this memory itself is prepared for some kind of existence that is born with at least part of its soul power awakened.

Isn't that [Desert Swear] a Titan?!?!

Although he couldn't directly use it, Alvin was well aware that he possessed a soul power far superior to that of ordinary people, a power that naturally began to overflow after reaching the second stage. This high-level power, born from the combination of will and magic, could have a profound impact on the material world if stimulated in the right way.

And this is also the key reason why the upper-level extraordinary people are so powerful.

Then Alvin suddenly realized another possibility. Could the incompleteness of the Dou Qi steel armor be supplemented by other methods?

Although there is a huge difference in energy levels between soul power and magic power in essence, if there is some secret method that can provide an extremely large source of magic power, then the fighting spirit steel armor can temporarily present its complete form by consuming a lot of external magic power.

In this way, the promotion ceremony for the third-tier profession seems to have a prototype. That is, through the vast source of magic power, the complete construction of the fighting spirit steel armor is completed, thereby reversely affecting the recipient, making them a new type of third-tier extraordinary person with the characteristics of an incomplete fourth-tier crowned person!

The advancement materials used in the ritual are definitely not simple, and choosing them is a difficult problem that requires careful consideration. However, compared to the various issues surrounding the advancement materials, the idea itself is actually more important.

But while Alvin was excited, he immediately realized that the secret method he had imagined might be far away or right in front of him.

One can provide a large source of magic power, and the other can stimulate complete soul power by consuming a large amount of magic power.

The former is called the Witch King's Secret Technique, and the latter is called the Fighting Steel Armor.

There is a complementary relationship between the two...

"!" Alvin excitedly slammed the table and stood up.

His mind was a little confused, but his ideas were extremely clear.

He did not immediately rush to his master Rigor to ask for clarification. Although the old man did not say anything explicitly, it did not stop him from discovering the hidden connection between the boxing technique and the Witch King's secret technique.

In fact, this attitude itself can explain a lot.

In this case, I have to participate in the finals...

But before that, he wanted to know one more thing.

Since the Sky-Breaking Fist based on the 'Fighting Steel Armor' has not yet been completed, then as one of the trump cards of the Fist of Freedom, what exactly is the Sky-Breaking Fist now?

Chapter 116 Burning My Heart

"What is the Sky-Breaking Fist now?"

Under the shade of the tree, the old Master Rigor stroked the ceramic cup filled with tea in his hand and let out a long sigh.

“That’s a question people don’t want to answer.”

Alvin didn't say anything, just stood quietly beside the teacher.

"I never thought that my young disciple could read through all the documents and understand them all in one night." Rigor looked at the youngest disciple beside him with emotion. This disciple who appeared like a storm suddenly also had a rapid learning side like a storm.

After a long silence, the aging elder seemed to have made a decision.

"The current Sky-Breaking Fist is an incomplete Sky-Breaking Fist, so it is also a self-destructive fist that burns the body and mind."

The answer from Rigor's mouth was particularly cruel, but Ivan, who already knew Brad's determination, was not surprised at all. He just stood there and listened quietly as usual.

"Death is always with the Heaven-Splitting Fist. Without a complete Dou Qi Steel Armor, a Fist Fighter cannot truly advance to the Fourth Stage, much less unleash the full power of their soul."

"And any attempt by an uncrowned mortal to rival a crowned one would be met with unprecedented risk."

"So, you need to burn yourself..." Alvin repeated his master's words in a low voice.

"Yes, that's why we need to burn ourselves and turn the candlelight that should have lasted for a hundred years into a light that blooms in an instant." Rigor shook his head slightly and spoke the truth about the Sky-Breaking Fist in an old voice.

Originally, due to the existence of magic, the human race in the world of Palladia could reach a maximum lifespan of 120 years. Except for special areas like the Silent Desert, due to the existence of blood tax, the average lifespan was only around 30 to 40 years.

In other places, even most working people who live in extreme hardship can usually live to around fifty or sixty years old.

So, if a hundred years of time were condensed into a quarter of an hour, what kind of brilliant and glorious light would be born?

The answer is a fleeting yet incredibly bright flash like a shooting star.

The current Sky-Breaking Fist is such an incomplete yet radiant existence.

From the moment he saw Ivan, Rigor believed that he could become the Sky-Breaking Fist, not the incomplete Sky-Breaking Fist that was as fleeting as a meteor, but the Sky-Breaking Fist in the true sense that could confront the Witch King head-on.

But human growth takes time. Even though Alvin has shown unimaginable talent in boxing, the Great Elder does not think that he can become a true Heaven-Breaking Fist now.

Therefore, candidates who are as fleeting as shooting stars still need to exist. This time, the person who stood up and decided to become this incomplete Sky-Splitting Fist was Senior Brother Brad.

"The ritual of returning the heavenly essence allows the recipient to obtain a vast amount of magic power from the depths of the earth. This can temporarily stimulate the incomplete steel armor form to a state very close to the ultimate state of perfection, thereby driving the power of the fist configuration to an unlimited explosion." Rigor slowly told the truth about the incomplete Heaven-Splitting Fist.

"Return the celestial essence? What is that?" Alvin frowned. In fact, he was more confused about the step of drawing magic power from the earth.

"The ritual of burning one's own vitality to produce a large amount of magic power is the Return of Celestial Essence." Rigor paused slightly, but finally told the youngest disciple everything.

Even as a great elder with a vast knowledge of secret techniques, he wasn't sure he could survive assassinating a Witch King. If possible, Rigor would even sacrifice himself in place of the young man.

But he still has things he must accomplish.

"According to the subsequent secret method, the magic power generated will be infused into the earth. The earth will respond, transforming the unstable magic power originally obtained by burning vitality into a more massive and stable earth vein magic power."

"Earth magic..." Alvin was sure that he had never heard of this term anywhere else.

But combined with Heidi's hydrological survey report on the Silent Desert, this obviously proves some of her guesses.

Thousands of years ago, the Giant Kingdom actually constructed a massive underground structure that covered the entire Silent Desert. The so-called leyline magic and so-called secret techniques were likely misunderstandings based on this massive underground structure.

Just like ancient people who had access to modern technological artifacts, they might have figured out the steps to activate some of their functions, but they couldn't understand why those steps worked or what those functions were originally used for.

This is really a headache. Even Alvin, who has mastered some of the secrets of inheritance, finds it difficult to understand the situation in the Giant Kingdom thousands of years ago.

At least, he needs enough time to explore and discover.

But right now, what both the Fist of Freedom and I lack most is time.

Looking at the disciple lost in deep thought, Rigor nodded secretly. This ability to think independently is what a teacher most expects from his disciples.

"Driven by the vast magical power of the earth veins, even an incomplete Dou Qi armor can push the power of the boxing formation to an unprecedented level of strength. However, it is also an uncontrollable violent force that will inevitably lead to the complete incineration of the user's body and mind."

"And before death arrives, the Sky Fist, transformed into a meteor, can unleash a final blow that even the Barrier of Despair cannot completely block, the ultimate blow that breaks through despair."

Heroic, cruel, yet with a glimmer of last hope.

This is the strong impact that the incomplete Sky-Breaking Fist brought to Alvin.

The truth is so cruel that it is unbearable to look at. The struggle of the boxing fighters over the past century has truly been a struggle at the cost of blood and even lives.

What they want is a simple future where the inhabitants of the desert can breathe the scorching desert air freely, even though that life is just as hard and requires struggling against the harsh natural environment.

At least, there will not be a slave owner above their heads who willfully takes their lives.

So, while incomplete, there has never been a shortage of inheritors or sacrifices for the Sky-Splitting Fist. In every era, there are brave individuals willing to stand up and burn their bodies and minds for the future of all people.

In Ivan's opinion, the rumors made up by Brad ten years ago may not be true, but the courageous fighter who can lead everyone to overthrow the rule of the Witch King in the rumors does exist.

The fighter can be him, you, or of course me.

The Witch King can kill him, you, or me, but as long as he cannot kill everyone, anyone in this land who yearns for freedom and a bright future can become the courageous fighter in the legend.

Therefore, fighters cannot be killed!

Chapter 117 The Finals Begin

Just as Heidi once said, the desert people in the Silent Desert are somewhat similar to the people in the North. The reason may be the harsh environment and the relatively shorter life expectancy, but the ultimate manifestation is that they dare to love and hate to the extreme.

Since you, a [desert curse] bastard, have oppressed me to the point where my entire family has been wiped out, I will use the rest of my life to fight you!

If it weren't for the seemingly unparalleled violence of the fourth-level crowned ones, if it weren't for the desert nobles and their vassal armies fawning on them, this tyrannical rule that drained people's lives day by day, month by month, and year by year would have long been torn to pieces by the angry desert people.

Even so, the anger that dares not be expressed continues to accumulate. Every year, large and small uprisings break out in the five desert city-states. Even if 99% of them end up in a bloody end of annihilation and massacre, there are always oppressed people who are unwilling to die silently and shout out their final roar with the remnants of their lives.

And these countless roars of varying strengths eventually converge into the Fist of Freedom, which is a fist made up of five fingers clenched into a fist!