18: Chapter 18 Diligent Cultivation, First Awakening of the Celestial Fox Physique

The Core Training Room of Jiangcheng Martial Arts University had a Spiritual Qi concentration more than ten times that of ordinary training rooms. The Spirit Gathering Array patterns on the floor glowed brightly, and wisps of Spiritual Qi moved like swimming Dragons, making one feel refreshed with every breath.

Lin Zhou sat cross-legged in the center of the Spirit Gathering Array, surrounded by a faint white mist—a manifestation of Spiritual Qi overflowing after reaching its peak. Since the commendation ceremony ended, he had plunged into the training room, isolating himself from all outside distractions. Zhao Kun's harassment and President Chu Kuang's recruitment were temporarily pushed to the back of his mind. At this moment, he had only one thought: become stronger!

The gains from the Secret Realm trip were too abundant. The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Demon Core, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Art, and the Nine-Life Demon Cat's Origin Demon Power... if these treasures weren't thoroughly digested, it would be a waste of heaven's gifts.

With a thought, Lin Zhou took out the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Demon Core and the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Art from the System storage space. The Demon Core was pure white, with the phantom images of nine tails slowly swirling around it, emitting an ancient and holy aura. The scroll of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Art was simple and unadorned, yet the characters on it jumped like living things, containing an incredibly mysterious Dao charm.

[Ding! Detected that the host is in a safe environment. Would you like to immediately initiate the Fusion of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Demon Core and the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Art?]

[Fusion Prompt: This Fusion will initiate the embryonic form of the Celestial Fox Physique and unlock the talent Nine-Tailed Clone. A violent energy impact will occur during the Fusion process. Please be prepared, host.]

"Fusion!" Lin Zhou said deeply in his heart without the slightest hesitation.

As soon as he spoke, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Demon Core suddenly floated above his head. The phantoms on the core surged, transforming into a massive Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox that let out a clear, resonant roar toward the sky. Then, the Demon Core exploded, turning into a surging torrent of white energy that poured down like a waterfall toward Lin Zhou's crown.

Simultaneously, the scroll of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Art unfurled on its own. Countless golden characters flew out from the scroll, dancing around Lin Zhou like fireflies before diving into his mind.

"Buzz—!"

The moment the energy torrent entered his body, Lin Zhou felt as if he had been cast into a furnace. An indescribable pain swept through him. The Celestial Fox Origin power was too overbearing; wherever it passed, his Meridians were torn apart repeatedly and then forcibly repaired by the powerful energy. The pain of this tearing and Rebirth was ten times more intense than when he had refined the Nine-Life Demon Cat's demon power.

Veins bulged on Lin Zhou's forehead, bean-sized beads of sweat rolled down, and his teeth were clenched so hard his lips bled. Yet his eyes remained exceptionally determined as he held onto his consciousness, circulating the Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Art to guide the violent energy through his body.

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Art was indeed an ancient Legacy Cultivation Technique, incredibly profound. Under the guidance of the technique, the violent Celestial Fox Origin power gradually became docile, merging into his limbs, bones, and internal organs like a trickling stream.

His bones made "creak, creak" sounds as they became tougher. Muscle fibers were continuously stretched and strengthened, filled with explosive power. His Meridians also became wider and thicker under the nourishment of the energy.

Even more miraculously, a small cyclone was slowly forming within his Dantian. This cyclone was not the Spiritual Qi cyclone of a martial Cultivator but the embryonic form of a Demon Core for a Demon Cultivator, containing incredibly pure Celestial Fox demon power.

Time passed minute by minute. The Spiritual Qi in the training room converged frantically toward Lin Zhou, forming a massive Spiritual Qi vortex. In the center of the vortex, Lin Zhou was enveloped in white light, looking like a white jade statue.

After an unknown amount of time, the pain in Lin Zhou's body gradually dissipated, replaced by a warm sensation. He could clearly feel that his body was undergoing a world-shaking transformation.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host, Fusion successful!]

[Unlocked Physique: Celestial Fox Physique (Embryonic Form)!]

[Celestial Fox Physique (Embryonic Form): Physical Body strength increased to King Rank Middle Stage. Spiritual Qi converted into spirit monster power. Control over elemental attacks increased by 50%. Immune to low-level illusions. Speed increased by 80%!]

[Unlocked Talent: Nine-Tailed Clone!]

[Nine-Tailed Clone: Can split into nine Clones. Each Clone possesses 30% of the original's strength and can fight independently. Duration: 30 minutes. Cooldown: 1 hour. If a Clone is damaged, the original body will not be harmed.]

[Congratulations to the host, Rank increased to lv.29!]

The moment the System prompt sounded, Lin Zhou snapped his eyes open, two streaks of snow-white light flashing through them. He slowly stood up, feeling the surging power within him. He couldn't help but clench his fist and throw a punch at the nearby alloy wall.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, the alloy wall caved in, revealing a clear fist print as cracks spread out like a spiderweb. One should know that even a Grandmaster-level expert's full-strength strike would only leave a shallow mark on this alloy wall.

"Such powerful strength!" Lin Zhou was ecstatic. Feeling the spirit monster power flowing through him, he felt as if he had endless energy. The embryonic form of the Celestial Fox Physique was indeed powerful!

With a thought, he tried to activate the Nine-Tailed Clone talent. A flash of white light surrounded him, and nine Clones identical to him instantly appeared in the training room. Each Clone emitted a lv.29 aura, their eyes lively and indistinguishable from the original.

"Interesting." A smile played on Lin Zhou's lips as he waved at the Clones. The nine Clones waved back simultaneously, perfectly synchronized as if copy-pasted.

Just then, the training room door was pushed open, and Qin Yue walked in. Seeing ten Lin Zhous in the room, she was stunned, a hint of surprise flashing in her beautiful eyes. "Is this... a Clone?"

With a thought from Lin Zhou, the nine Clones instantly dissipated, turning into streaks of white light that merged back into his body. He turned to Qin Yue and smiled. "A newly unlocked talent, Nine-Tailed Clone."

Qin Yue stepped forward, looking Lin Zhou over carefully. Her eyes flashed with amazement. "Your aura... is much stronger than before. Your Physical Body strength has also increased significantly. You've reached the King Rank Middle Stage, haven't you?"

Lin Zhou nodded and asked, "How's the situation outside? Has Zhao Kun made any moves?"

Qin Yue's expression darkened slightly. "Zhao Kun has been spreading rumors everywhere, saying you murdered fellow students and harmed instructors. Many students who didn't know the truth have been misled by him. However, the Principal has suppressed the matter and formed an Investigation Team. I believe the truth will come to light soon."

She paused and continued, "Also, President Chu Kuang has recruited several Geniuses from the Core Class since you rejected him. It seems he wants to use them to suppress you. But don't worry too much; everyone in our team is on your side."

Lin Zhou felt a warmth in his heart and nodded. "Thank you, Qin Yue."

"We're teammates, aren't we?" Qin Yue smiled slightly, her cold features instantly softening. "By the way, there's one more thing. The school is holding a Martial Arts Tournament next month. The champion will qualify to enter the Tianwu Secret Realm. The Tianwu Secret Realm is much higher in Rank than the Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts. It contains countless Heaven And Earth Treasures and ancient Legacies. It's the cultivation Holy Land that every martial arts student dreams of."

"Tianwu Secret Realm?" A sharp light flashed in Lin Zhou's eyes. He currently needed resources to increase his strength, and the Tianwu Secret Realm was undoubtedly the perfect place.

"Exactly," Qin Yue nodded. "The participants in the Martial Arts Tournament are Geniuses from all grades across the school. The competition will be extremely fierce. Especially the seniors; they're very powerful, and a few have already reached the Grandmaster Late Stage."

A hint of Battle Intent rose in Lin Zhou's expression. "The stronger, the better. That's what makes it interesting."

Seeing Lin Zhou's confident look, a glint of admiration passed through Qin Yue's eyes. She knew that with Lin Zhou's current strength, even against a Grandmaster Late Stage expert, he might not necessarily lose.

Just then, Su Ye, Liu Yiyi, and Ye Ying also walked in. Su Ye, carrying a Giant Axe, laughed loudly. "Lin Zhou, you've finally emerged from seclusion! I heard you unlocked a new talent. Quick, show us!"

Liu Yiyi also said excitedly, "Student Lin Zhou, we've already discussed it. We'll join the Martial Arts Tournament as a team!"

Ye Ying nodded, Battle Intent flashing in his eyes. "Let's win the championship together!"

Looking at his teammates, a warm current surged in Lin Zhou's heart. He grinned and said, "Alright! Then let's stir up a storm at the Martial Arts Tournament!"

In the training room, the five of them locked eyes, filled with confidence and determination.

Outside the window, the sun was setting, and the evening glow painted half the sky red.

The peace of Jiangcheng Martial Arts University was about to be shattered.

And the name of Lin Zhou was about to resound throughout the entire Jiangcheng and even beyond!