Chapter 94

In fact, Ma Le's previous idea of relying on external stimuli was not wrong. The Nine Yang Divine Skill's characteristic is to become stronger when faced with a stronger opponent. When practiced to perfection, the internal energy circulates, and the vital energy is self-sufficient, endlessly regenerating. It can be said that among all forms of energy, the resilience of qigong is the best, and its recovery is the fastest. Among qigong techniques, in terms of resilience and recovery, the Nine Yang Divine Skill is the best.

However, Ma Le's current cultivation is still shallow, with insufficient accumulation of Nine Yang True Qi and an insufficient realm. The speed of his internal energy recovery is even less than that of other cultivation methods. But in terms of resilience, his Nine Yang internal energy has already taken shape. Therefore, when a strong electric current entered his body, Ma Le's Nine Yang internal energy spontaneously resisted, engaging in a struggle with the current. This process was not a simple consumption of energy, like ordinary energy confrontations. The Nine Yang True Qi was like an extremely high-quality spring bed, using its resilience to wear down the momentum of the external force, then shattering and disintegrating it.

Thus, using this kind of stimulation can indeed activate the potential of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, making it continuously increase its power to resist, giving the impression of an impending breakthrough. However, this method alone is far from enough. No matter how strong the internal energy is, it is still self-generated and does not receive external spiritual energy. Even if the power is great, it is still exploiting the body's potential, which is not beneficial for advancing to a higher realm.

But this time was different. The attack on Ma Le was a large amount of pure fire elements. The Nine Yang Divine Skill is of the utmost yang nature, perfectly matching the fire elements. When Ma Le's Nine Yang True Qi resisted the erosion of the fire elements, it also absorbed the yang energy within them. This cycle eventually led to his breakthrough!

Of course, theoretically, this kind of breakthrough is a shortcut. Although it is quick, the process is also very dangerous. In the story world, when Zhang Wuji and others practiced the Nine Yang Divine Skill, they relied on gradual accumulation, and their breakthroughs were natural. However, this process often took several months or even half a year. Ma Le, from the start of his practice to now, including the time in the training ground, has only been about ten days, and during this period, he had to deal with various battles and trivial matters. Therefore, he could only use this shortcut to break through.

Fortunately, the Nine Yang Divine Skill is a righteous skill. If the foundation is not solid, even if one takes a shortcut, it is impossible to break through. So although Ma Le's breakthrough seems like a shortcut, his Nine Yang power is solid, not inferior to that of normal cultivation.

After breaking through, Ma Le excitedly checked his energy status but was soon disappointed to find that there was almost no change in the amount of qi, recovery speed, or output power. It is understandable; breaking through a cultivation barrier is like removing a roadblock. Removing the roadblock does not make the car suddenly speed up, but the road ahead will be much smoother.

However, not all indicators remained unchanged. With a slight exertion, Ma Le found that his explosive power had greatly increased. Originally, he could instantly consume up to about 10 points of internal energy, concentrating it in a specific part of his body to gain a brief boost. After this breakthrough, Ma Le found that his explosive limit had increased, allowing him to consume nearly 30 points of internal energy at once, significantly enhancing his explosive power. This explosive power, when applied to speed, resulted in extremely rapid acceleration!

Although Ma Le's true qi was not yet sufficient to support him in using lightness skills for long distances, if he instantly consumed 30 points of internal energy, the true qi would explode from the soles of his feet, increasing his speed to its maximum in an extremely short time, leaving the enemy no time to react! It was this characteristic that made Ma Le seem to appear and disappear without a trace in the eyes of Kerlayev and others, as he could instantly cover dozens of meters in the blink of an eye, completing those ruthless and decisive kills!

However, compared to other forms of energy, the Nine Yang Divine Skill, known for its continuous and unending nature, had limited effectiveness when used for destruction. Thirty points of internal energy could only result in about 50 points of additional damage. For energy types like enhanced mental abilities, martial qi, and other combat energies, even at the initial stage, they could increase explosive power by 40 to 50 points. If practiced to Ma Le's level, a single strike could cause over 100 points of additional damage. However, energy cultivation requires high attributes as a foundation, and most beginners and ordinary practitioners find it difficult to grasp the subtleties, so achieving even a few dozen points of additional damage is already quite challenging. Combat techniques, although powerful, have cooldown times, making them less convenient to use continuously. Therefore, these rookies, who can only deliver one powerful strike without follow-up, are like pork on a chopping board to Ma Le, easy to cut and slice!

Putting aside the progress in his internal skills, Ma Le quickly found Ling Zhi and the others through the Miracle Badge. Under Ling Zhi's lead, they hid in a cave, avoiding the fighting outside.

When Ma Le untied the plastic bundle and scattered the weapons and supplies on the ground, Katniss and Peeta looked as if they saw a pile of gold, almost pouncing on them in joy. In previous Hunger Games, most people died from disease and hunger, not from combat. With these ample supplies, the four of them had the greatest guarantee of survival, and they could stay in the cave for a week without any problems. By then, the fighting outside would likely be over, and they could go out with a well-rested advantage.

"It's not as simple as you think!" Ling Zhi said, dampening their spirits. "This training ground is not too large. There are at least twenty other tributes outside, some of whom are skilled in tracking. If we stay here, we will eventually be discovered. The cave is narrow and has only one exit. If someone blocks the entrance and sets a fire, we will surely die!"

Katniss and Peeta, hearing Ling Zhi's words, were at a loss and suddenly looked at Ma Le. In desperate situations, people become strong, which is why the original protagonists survived the trials of life and death. But now, with Ma Le as a powerful teammate, they couldn't help but rely on him. After all, they were still teenagers, and every small interference could influence their growth.

Ma Le glanced at them and said, "Why are you looking at me? Your glasses sister is right!" He threw the bow and arrow to Katniss and handed an axe to Peeta, pointing to the supplies on the ground and saying, "Each of you take a pack, fill it with supplies, and leave the rest here as our reserve!"

The four of them packed their bags and left the cave. Ma Le instructed, "You three act together, carefully avoiding enemies. I will go my own way; I have some things to do!"

Ling Zhi asked, "We already have the supplies, isn't it safer to act together as a group of four?" Ma Le smiled and said, "If it were safe, it wouldn't be a game. The danger is what makes it exciting!" He patted the shoulders of the two protagonists, encouraging them, "Katniss, believe in your bow and arrow. With it, you are everyone's nightmare! Peeta, grip the axe and protect the girl you love with your own hands!" Hearing this, Peeta blushed and looked at Katniss, who was lost in thought, staring at her bow and arrow.

After encouraging the two children, Ma Le gave Ling Zhi a thumbs up and left without saying much more. The two had the Miracle Badge, so they could communicate at any time, and a few words of farewell were not necessary.

"You're going to hunt those experts, right!" Ma Le was already far away when he received this message through the Miracle Badge. Ma Le knew he couldn't hide it from Ling Zhi, who was very smart. However, out of a journalist's instinct, she would rather give up the main quest to survive and gather information, so she almost never engaged in risky behavior. If not for the special nature of the Hunger Games quest, where not joining would mean losing even 30 points, she might have given up. During the training, Ling Zhi had been running around, gathering information from everyone. As long as she could return to Miracle City alive, her information would likely be worth a lot.

Ma Le thought to himself and casually replied, "Yeah, so what?" Ling Zhi was silent for a moment and asked, "Why? I really can't understand why you are deliberately acting alone. Even when dealing with strong opponents, having us three would be more efficient..."

"Wow, you really think highly of yourselves!" Ma Le said sarcastically. "Having you around would just hold me back!"

"You want all four of us to survive, right..." Ling Zhi, ignoring Ma Le's intentional mockery, said calmly, "Don't deny it. You deliberately created a love triangle and returned their weapons. You must have planned this... I just don't understand why you are doing this thankless task. With our interference, even if Katniss survives, she won't have the same shining performance as in the original story. Her existence won't have a decisive impact on the subsequent plot. Even if the story returns to its original course and Katniss becomes a key figure, we are just passersby. Once we complete the Hunger Games, we will leave, and the chances of returning to this world are slim. What you are doing is meaningless and does not align with the adventurer's code of conduct!"

The last two sentences, Ling Zhi almost shouted. Ma Le guessed that the girl had deliberately lagged behind to ask him loudly.

"Adventurer's code of conduct? Who set it? Miracle City or the City War System?" Ma Le countered. "I am an adventurer, and my actions don't need others to set rules! On the night I arrived in this world, I watched the Hunger Games movie for the first time. It was a good movie, and I liked the two protagonists. Then, I fully immersed myself in this world, spending over ten days with the 'real' Katniss and Peeta. Although we didn't communicate much, I know they are good, kind children. I... don't want them to die!"

"But kindness is not exclusive to them. More than half of the participants in the Hunger Games are innocent children. Can you save them all?" Ling Zhi challenged. "Don't you think it's unfair to decide their lives and deaths based on your preferences?"

"Those whose lives and deaths are decided by others have no right to talk about fairness," Ma Le replied calmly. "Besides, I'm not the Consumer Association; why should I care about fairness? Human resources are limited; I can only protect those I love... I don't seek world peace, but I want to be at peace with myself!"

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