Chapter 73: The Power to Change the World

Although the Bearded Beast had incredibly strong vitality, Su Hao's attack had crushed its organs into a singular mass, severing its life force completely. The beast quickly succumbed to death.

After the beast drew its final breath, Hua Hongyi immediately began organizing the cleanup of the battlefield. Only then did Mayor Lü Luyun and Headmaster Xiao Jixuan came back from the wilderness.

Hua Hongyi shot them both a strange look—what was the point of coming back now, after the battle was already over?

Lü Luyun and Xiao Jixuan exchanged a glance, both wearing expressions of deep embarrassment.

Seeing the enormous corpse of the Bearded Beast, a chill ran down their spines. They both knew that even if they had returned in time, it wouldn't have made much difference. In fact, they wouldn't have been able to do much against the Bearded Beast. At best, with three Grandmasters working together, they could have driven the beast away—but killing it? That was out of the question.

Upon learning the details of the battle, the two men were shocked and deeply intrigued by the figure wrapped head-to-toe in armor. They began speculating which passing Grandmaster had lent their strength to Lingyun Town.

However, when they learned the cause of the Bearded Beast's death, both Grandmasters were left speechless, staring at each other in astonishment.

"Is this something a Grandmaster-level warrior could even do?"

Hua Hongyi analyzed, "That person must be a high-level Grandmaster, and beyond that, it's very likely they are also a Rune Master!"

Lü Luyun and Xiao Jixuan both gasped in shock. "A Rune Master?"

While they themselves could draw a few runes, aside from the ‹Extract› rune, most of the others were useless in battle. In combat, a single slash was far more practical than using a rune.

Hua Hongyi nodded and explained, "I saw that person use runes at least twice, and he employed a wide variety of them."

Pointing to the wounds on the Bearded Beast, he continued, "Look at this wound here—it shows traces of ‹Penetration›, ‹Sharpness›, and ‹Corrosion›. I also saw him use ‹Barrier›, ‹Deflection›, and several other runes. His use of runes was incredibly smooth. It seems this is his primary area of expertise."

Lü Luyun nodded thoughtfully, "Indeed. There aren't many people capable of this. Whoever he is, he must be among the very best."

Suddenly, Xiao Jixuan spoke up, "Do you think the death of Jin Datong two years ago could have been his doing?"

Hua Hongyi and Lü Luyun froze, suddenly falling silent.

After a long pause, Lü Luyun decisively said, "Let's not continue investigating Jin Datong's death."

Both Hua Hongyi and Xiao Jixuan nodded in agreement.

Lü Luyun then added, "Hongyi, you personally remove the Bearded Beast's core, then make a trip to the Capital to deliver it."

Hua Hongyi nodded, "Understood!"

After this incident, a story began circulating in Lingyun Town—one about a mysterious "Silver Masked Warrior."

...

Meanwhile, the so-called "Silver-Masked Warrior," Su Hao, ventured into the wilds again, this time hunting Grandmaster-level beasts, focusing on the ones "easier" to kill.

He had discovered there was no need to fear these Grandmaster-level beasts; after all, he had already taken down two of them himself.

The blood Qi of a Grandmaster-level beast was generally stronger than Su Hao's, but only by a bit—not enough to be unbeatable. With his mastery of various runes, he could easily bridge this gap.

After slaying five Grandmaster-level beasts, Su Hao confirmed that each Grandmaster-level beast had a tumor-like organ wrapped in a beast vein inside its body. Within this organ was a small pale yellow orb.

Most of the blood Qi in a Grandmaster-level beast was stored in this orb.

"This must be some sort of energy core," Su Hao realized. "No wonder these Grandmaster-level beasts aren't as powerful as I'd imagined."

He understood now that his ability to face off against Grandmaster-level foes as a Master wasn't because he was exceptionally strong, but because these Grandmasters beast were not as formidable as they seemed.

Well... Su Hao acknowledged that he was stronger than the average high-level Master, but he was still a Master, nonetheless. There was no doubt about that.

The real issue, he realized, lay with the Grandmasters themselves.

The key difference between a Grandmaster and a Master was the presence of an organ that stored blood Qi. This organ allowed for a massive increase in blood Qi capacity, resulting in a qualitative leap in physical power.

However, Su Hao noticed that while the output of a Grandmaster's blood Qi far exceeded that of a Master, it didn't match the sheer volume of energy they possessed.

They possessed a vast reservoir of energy but could only release a limited amount at any given moment, making their explosive power quite restrained.

In essence, Grandmasters were like reservoirs with narrow outlets—full of energy but unable to unleash it all at once, which significantly hindered their combat potential.

Comparing it this way, Su Hao realized that his own blood Qi output was actually greater than that of a Grandmaster!

"So, is this orb the key to advancing to Grandmaster level?"Su Hao speculated. The method for advancing might involve implanting such an energy core into one's own body.

According to Old Liu, the human limit was the elite level, and the path of the Master was modeled after the beasts.

Similarly, humans couldn't naturally generate such a core on their own, so the method for advancing to Grandmaster-level likely involved learning from the beasts.

The most likely process? Hunt down a Grandmaster-level beast, extract its core, and implant it into a Master's body. After a period of adaptation, the Master would successfully advance to Grandmaster-level.

It made sense, then, why the path to becoming a Grandmaster was so tightly controlled. For each successful advancement, a Grandmaster-level beast had to be hunted and its core acquired.

Even then, acquiring a core didn't guarantee a successful advancement.

"And what about the level above Grandmaster? Could it be that one eventually turns their entire body into a an energy core?"

Su Hao had never seen anyone or anything at the level above Grandmaster, so he had no way of knowing. For the time being, he wasn't planning on implanting a beast core into his body.

For now, he decided to set aside his research on Grandmasters.

He needed to return to his studies of runes and blood Qi.

The reason? Humanity's survival conditions were far too harsh, and runes could be a powerful tool to drastically improve them.

After the Bearded Beast's attack on Lingyun Town, Su Hao began to understand why the people of this world were so indifferent to life and death.

To them, death was simply a part of life. As long as it benefited the continuation of their species, they were ready to sacrifice themselves at any time. They didn't need to be hailed as heroes or remembered by anyone.

This sense of duty was ingrained deep within them—the responsibility of being human.

It was this responsibility that had allowed humanity to survive on this beast-ridden continent, even when they were incredibly weak.

Of course, this belief wasn't universal.

There were always those who, driven by selfish desires, disregarded the well-being of the entire race. Such people could never understand those who shed their blood for a cause, nor the fire that burned in their hearts.

For Su Hao, the decision was clear.

He would fully unravel the mysteries of the runes.

Not only would he delve deeper into the existing runes, which had evolved from the beast veins, but he would also explore the fundamental principles of rune combinations. His goal was to achieve a level of understanding where any desired effect could be derived through corresponding formulas.

He planned to compile his findings into books and make them public, giving everyone the opportunity to study runes. He wasn't afraid of the consequences.

Would revealing the runes lead to his death? Perhaps. He wasn't optimistic.

The fact that the ruling powers tightly controlled advancement beyond the Master level was telling.

Humanity could have strong individuals, but these strong individuals had to remain under control.

It wasn't hard to guess how the rulers would feel about the spread of rune knowledge: humanity could use runes, but runes had to remain under there control.

But that wasn't what Su Hao wanted.

He wanted as many people as possible to have the power to resist the ferocious beasts.

Not just rely on a handful of elite warriors, or hope that the beasts would leave after they'd eaten their fill.

He had seen too much disaster, too much death. Too much helplessness and despair. When he heard the cries of ordinary people being devoured, it stirred something deep within him.

Perhaps when his runes became widespread and everyone had a chance to learn them, they would at least have some means to resist the beasts, even if it was just a small 0.01% chance.

Of course, it was merely an opportunity—a possibility. For those who failed to seize the chance to learn, Su Hao had no sympathy to offer. If they didn't value the opportunity, then so be it.

Su Hao intended to change the world—using the power of runes!

As for whether this would spark a revolution and lead to countless lives lost?—Su Hao wasn't particularly concerned.

A new era was bound to be accompanied by bloodshed. Only through blood could a powerful new epoch for humanity be forged.