181: Chapter 181 Soul Ants

Lin Yun's eyes narrowed; not waiting for it to attack, he struck first!

In the state of Micro-Perception, his speed reached its limit, and the sword light fell upon the giant ape like raindrops!

But the giant ape's defense was stronger than all his previous opponents!

Even with "Startling Swan Shadow" fully exerted, he could only leave shallow bloodstains on its thick fur!

And the giant ape's counterattack was terrifyingly extreme!

With one punch slammed down, the ground became a large pit!

With one leg swept across, entire patches of giant trees collapsed with a roar!

Even the aftershocks of the attacks caused his True Qi Body Protection to tremble slightly.

Lin Yun barely dodged while in the state of Micro-Perception, yet his "True Qi Body Protection" was shattered three times in succession!

Every time the True Qi shattered, he had to condense his blood Qi to repair it at the critical moment, otherwise, the next strike would cost him his life!

Inside the room, the women watched with bated breath, terrified, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Su Yingxue's eyes were already red; she bit her lip to keep herself from crying out.

Qiao Shiyu covered her mouth tightly, tears swirling in her eyes.

Finally, after a grueling fifteen-minute battle, Lin Yun seized an opportunity and thrust his sword into the giant ape's right eye!

The long sword pierced through its brain!

The giant ape let out a shrill roar, its massive body collapsed with a crash, and it never managed to get back up.

This time, it did not transform into a light-shadow Puppet.

The forest fell silent, leaving only the sound of Lin Yun's breathing, along with the shattered trees and debris covering the ground.

"Did he pass?" Qiao Shiyu asked excitedly.

But before the words had faded.

On the surveillance screen, a giant gray ant made a shocking appearance!

The ant stood over three meters tall, its entire body covered in a gray carapace, its six long legs as sharp as blades, and the opening and closing of its giant mandibles emitted a teeth-grinding friction sound.

Most eerily, its eyes.

Inside them, there was no emotion, only cold, pure killing intent.

Qiao Shiyu's face turned pale: "What... what is this?!"

Shen Qingqiu's expression became serious for the first time:

"This is a Soul Ant unique to the Imperial Star Secret Realm. It has a fierce temperament and is adept at both mental and physical attacks; it is extremely formidable."

"Once an adult, a Soul Ant's strength can reach at least Tier 4; it is one of the most dangerous monsters in the Imperial Star Secret Realm."

"Tier... Tier 4?"

Qiao Shiyu was instantly stunned, her face filled with panic.

"Doesn't that mean Brother Lin Yun is in danger? A Tier 4 monster, how can he possibly defeat it!"

"Don't panic."

Shen Qingqiu waved her hand, her tone softening slightly.

"This is just a simulated Soul Ant, not a real adult Soul Ant; its strength is only at the Third-Grade False Core Realm."

Third-Grade False Core!

The hearts of the women sank to the bottom instantly.

Although Shen Qingqiu's tone had lightened, her expression betrayed the gravity in her heart.

A Soul Ant at the Third-Grade False Core Realm already had strength infinitely close to a monster that had just entered Tier 3!

And Lin Yun was only at Second-Stage Perfection!

The gap between the two could not be completely bridged by Micro-Perception alone; a slight mistake would lead to a crushing defeat.

Lin Yun looked at the giant ant standing over three meters tall before him; his blood Qi surged madly within him, and his expression was grave to the extreme.

He could clearly sense that this Soul Ant's aura was more than twice as strong as the previous giant ape.

Even in the state of Micro-Perception, he felt immense pressure.

That sense of oppression caused his blood Qi to slightly stagnate.

The battle was on the verge of breaking out; the Soul Ant launched the first attack.

Its speed was astonishingly fast!

Its six long legs scuttled rapidly across the ground, yet its massive body was as agile as a ghost!

Its giant mandibles opened, snapping fiercely toward Lin Yun!

Lin Yun narrowly dodged while in the state of Micro-Perception, but one of the Soul Ant's front legs had already swept over!

"Bang!"

"True Qi Body Protection" withstood the first blow, its light flickering violently as countless cracks appeared!

Lin Yun used the force to retreat, quickly repairing the True Qi, while simultaneously thrusting his sword toward the Soul Ant's abdomen!

"Clang!"

The tip of the sword struck the carapace, leaving only a shallow white dot!

So hard!

The Soul Ant's counterattack followed immediately!

This time, Lin Yun was completely suppressed!

Even in the state of Micro-Perception, he could not completely dodge the opponent's attacks!

His "True Qi Body Protection" was shattered again and again, with each repair barely made at the critical moment!

If not for the state of Micro-Perception allowing him to perceive attacks in advance and prepare his blood Qi for repairs, he would have died countless times!

He also tried to counterattack.

But the Soul Ant's defense was too strong; his attacks simply could not cause effective damage!

If this continued, he would lose for sure!

Lin Yun felt helpless; it seemed he had no choice but to use his trump card.

The secret technique "Blood Qi Boiling" rewarded by the System.

When this secret technique is cultivated to the Perfection Realm, it can double his strength, providing immense explosive power; it was one of his trump cards kept in reserve.

But Lin Yun did not intend to use it at full power; he only needed to burst forth enough strength to defeat the opponent in front of him.

He still remembered that after Wen Yan reached the Tier 3 Martial Artist Realm, her authority increased.

The Secret Techniques he saw on the Empire's official website could at most only boost one's strength by 1.5 times.

This meant that higher-level Secret Techniques required greater strength to unlock and to be revealed.

Exposing too many trump cards would only bring unnecessary trouble and was too unsafe.

Especially during the Imperial Star trial, no one knew if there were others watching behind the scenes of this test.

Lin Yun focused his mind, and the "Blood Qi Boiling" Secret Technique was activated.

He did not unleash the full doubling of power, only bursting forth 1.5 times his strength.

It perfectly matched the highest Secret Technique power displayed on the Empire's official website, allowing him to increase his strength without exposing too much.

"Boom!"

The blood Qi within his body suddenly boiled!

A violent aura surged from his body into the sky!

That aura was so strong and intense that not even the "True Qi Body Protection" could contain it, transforming into visible blood-colored light that surged around him!

His strength surged!

Inside the room, Principal Yang Qi's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, and his tone carried a touch of confusion:

"What... what is this explosive secret technique? To be able to Cultivate it at Tier 2, and for the aura to surge so much?"

Shen Qingqiu and the three teachers also revealed expressions of surprise, their gazes fixed tightly on Lin Yun on the screen, their faces filled with confusion, and their hearts full of curiosity.

Just how many more secrets did Lin Yun have?

Just then, Wen Yan spoke slowly, her tone calm but carrying a hint of understanding, with a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips:

"Good kid, I didn't expect him to have cultivated 'Blood Qi Boiling' to the Perfection Realm; he even kept it from me, hiding it quite well."

The gazes of Principal Yang Qi, Shen Qingqiu, and the others instantly turned toward Wen Yan, their faces full of curiosity, waiting for her to explain.

Wen Yan met everyone's gaze, her expression unchanged, and said in a natural tone:

"After Lin Yun failed the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, he once encountered an expert."

"Under the guidance of that expert, he activated his own special Physique, the [Fertility Holy Body]."

"This 'Blood Qi Boiling' is the secret technique bestowed upon him by that expert; when cultivated to the Perfection Realm, it can boost his strength by 1.5 times."

Ninety percent true, ten percent false.

But when Wen Yan said this, she did not blush nor did her heart race, as if she were stating a fact.