Chapter 31

The remaining 8 units, Li Hao dared to think but not to ask for.

Moreover, it was too heavy.

In fact, Li Hao was now eagerly hoping to become stronger, but Liu Long had said that a human life could only exchange for about five to six units of the mysterious energy.

Li Hao had already absorbed 4 units.

When he joined the Demon Hunting Squad, Liu Long didn’t deceive him; from the beginning, he said that Li Hao was to be used as bait. Giving 4 units of mysterious energy to a bait already proved Liu Long’s sincerity.

This person, when it came to scheming, would scheme, but when it came to being open, he was very open.

Otherwise, a bait, just to lure out the subsequent superhumans, wouldn’t need to be given mysterious energy. The time was too short, and giving it would most likely be a waste. If Li Hao were an ordinary person, absorbing 4 units might not even allow him to reach the Tenth Rank.

Because the time was really tight!

Li Hao didn’t say that, and at this moment, he was silently experiencing the differences in this absorption of mysterious energy.

"Attribute energy, Starlight Energy... it’s not neutralization, but extraction of the attribute energy."

This was different from the attribute-less mysterious energy.

For the attribute-less, Starlight Energy neutralizes the destructive power it brings, while for the attribute-specific, it extracts the special attribute energy. This energy then loses its offensive nature but brings some special nurturing effects.

It sounded similar to Starlight Energy, yet not entirely the same.

Starlight Energy nurtures the whole body.

While attribute energy nurtures the internal organs. From the recent observations, it might be that the five elements correspond to the five organs, and different attributes nurture different internal organs.

At this moment, Li Hao also felt the uniqueness of Starlight Energy.

He wasn’t sure if it was because of his own uniqueness or the uniqueness of the Starlight Energy in the jade sword, but the effects of his absorption were indeed different from others.

...

Just as Li Hao was thinking about these things, Liu Long suddenly asked, "How do you feel?"

"Feels... a bit weak!"

Li Hao smiled bitterly.

Whether it was blood replacement or bloodletting, a lot of blood was lost. Despite feeling the body rapidly producing new blood, he indeed felt somewhat weak at this moment.

"The old must go for the new to come, it’s a good thing!"

Liu Long nodded in praise and then added with a sigh, "I might know why Yuan Shuo wanted to take you as a disciple!"

The Li family’s sword...

At this moment, Liu Long was thinking, did Yuan Shuo know?

Was there something different about the Li family?

Descendants of ancient superhumans?

Special traits of ancient superhuman bloodlines?

Many doubts!

But he was certain that the Li Hao in front of him might truly be a genius, giving him a different feeling each time.

Progressing too fast, this wasn’t something every absorber of mysterious energy could achieve.

Even among the Night Watchers, unless they were those favored by heaven, it would be hard to compare with Li Hao.

Favored by heaven... were they also like Li Hao?

According to some research records of the Night Watchers, these favored by heaven, with the rise of superhumans, were naturally born superhumans, indicating that their ancestors might have been superhumans in the past.

The superhuman lock was naturally unlocked!

Li Hao, however, was somewhat different.

Thinking of this, he suddenly asked, "Li Hao, can you feel your superhuman lock?"

Li Hao thought for a moment and nodded, "When absorbing mysterious energy, I can vaguely feel the existence of the superhuman lock."

Liu Long inhaled, somewhat overturning his thoughts.

He inhaled because Li Hao had felt the superhuman lock after just two absorptions.

He overturned his thoughts because Li Hao had a superhuman lock, which was different from those favored by heaven.

This meant that Li Hao’s ancestors were not superhumans?

But the Li family’s sword was clearly an extraordinary item!

"Too much time has passed, so it has degenerated? Not all descendants of ancient superhumans are favored by heaven. Li Hao might be one of those with poorer potential, and the superhuman lock hasn’t been unlocked?"

Perhaps, this was the only explanation.

Thinking of this, he said, "Being able to quickly feel the superhuman lock means you’re a genius! However, remember, you’re just a genius, not someone favored by heaven! Because those favored by heaven have their superhuman locks naturally unlocked!"

Liu Long laughed self-deprecatingly, "Although I think these people aren’t really favored by heaven, the fact is, they indeed have many advantages over us. They are naturally superhumans, and as time goes on, they will become stronger even without cultivation!"

So envious!

Favored by heaven, naturally without a superhuman lock?

Li Hao was thoughtful. This would make cultivation much simpler, no need to unlock the superhuman lock, directly becoming a Starlight Master, while Liu Long and others had to pay a great deal to unlock it.

As for Li Hao himself, he also understood that he might not be a genius.

Because of the superhuman lock, he felt as if it had thoroughly sealed him, like chains.

It had locked all the important areas of his body!

Now, just from what Li Hao could feel, his heart and brain were locked by chains, and he didn’t know if there were other superhuman locks in his body.

Thus, at this moment, even Li Hao showed an envious look.

Naturally a Starlight Master!

So envious!

Although naturally a Starlight Master, it only meant reaching the Tenth Rank, but they were superhumans with unlimited potential, while Martial Masters had a limit of Doushan, which couldn’t compare.

"Alright, boss, why say this now? Isn’t this just discouraging Xiao Hao?"

Liu Yan smiled brightly, "Xiao Hao is already very talented. I didn’t expect that the Xiao Hao we lured back as bait would actually be a genius! I’m almost reluctant to let you be bait."

Li Hao laughed dryly.

There was really nothing he could do about her. You can’t hit a smiling face, let alone... he couldn’t even if he wanted to!

At this moment, Yun Yao, who had been silent, suddenly said, "Li Hao, although you seem to have improved again... I have to remind you, your physical constitution is getting stronger! If this continues, if you can’t become a Starlight Master after a few more times, you... might follow in the footsteps of Brother Liu and your teacher!"

Everyone was stunned by this.

Liu Long, who had been happy just now, now frowned slightly, looking at Li Hao, and said in a low voice, "I forgot about this. Li Hao... you... should find a way to advance to superhuman soon! Martial Masters are at a dead end!"

It was somewhat reluctant, but he had to admit that Martial Masters were at a dead end.

Doushan Martial Masters haven’t appeared for many years.

In the Silver Moon Province, there are very few Martial Masters who have broken the hundred barrier.

And breaking the hundred barrier is only comparable to Moon Shadow. In the superhuman realm, how many Moon Shadow superhumans are there?

There’s no specific number, but it’s at least ten or even a hundred times more than Martial Masters!

Even he himself was fighting for superhuman status, not striving to become a Doushan Martial Master, because the path ahead was truly invisible.

Decades of martial practice, ultimately for superhuman status, having to give up the pursuit of martial arts, this was also Liu Long’s regret, but without becoming a superhuman, how many years would it take to become a Doushan Martial Master?

If everything went smoothly, ten or twenty years? Or maybe a lifetime?

But as long as he became a superhuman, he could instantly become a Sun Radiance superhuman, comparable to Doushan.

Sighing, he suddenly felt that Li Hao’s blood replacement might not be a good thing.

His constitution was even stronger!

The stronger the constitution, the harder it is to become a superhuman, this was a law.

Li Hao, however, didn’t care, because he had no particular fondness for superhumans, but rather a deep affection for Martial Masters.

His teacher was a Martial Master.

The current team leader, Liu Long, was also a Martial Master, and although he was to be used as bait, the benefits were numerous, and he could be protected. How great Martial Masters were!

Everyone in the team was a Martial Master!

Martial Masters, such a great group of people.

As for the decline of Martial Masters, with Doushan being the limit, Li Hao, who had just started martial arts, had already reached the Tenth Rank. He was far from Doushan, and he felt that Martial Masters were no worse than superhumans, so he didn’t see anything bad about it.

He couldn’t understand Liu Long’s despair, but he had seen real Doushan Martial Masters, and he thought they were very powerful!

So, at this moment, Li Hao said something that Liu Long found too young.

"Boss, Martial Master is fine, what’s wrong with it? Are superhumans that strong? Two Moon Shadow superhumans were still sent flying by my teacher’s one move, not even daring to make a sound!"

Liu Long laughed, too young!

Li Hao added, "And superhumans don’t leave a good impression on me!"

Because they killed his friends, even his parents, and many cases he knew about were likely done by superhumans.

These people, after becoming superhumans, lacked the qualities and mental fortitude to match their power, easily becoming perverted.

Martial Masters were different!

Martial Masters progressed step by step. The few Martial Masters in the team had practiced martial arts for decades, at least ten to twenty years, and even Li Hao had practiced for three years.

But those favored by heaven could become superhumans at a young age, possessing the power of the Tenth Rank.

At such a young age, they could easily kill over a dozen soldiers. How could they not become arrogant?

"Superhuman development has only been 20 years, meaning the earliest superhumans have only been in the superhuman realm for 20 years. In 20 years, the next generation of superhumans has been cultivated, and I feel many lack basic human values!"

"Martial Masters cultivate students with comprehensive evaluations, seeing if they are suitable to inherit their legacy, but with superhumans, it seems they only look at talent, whether they can channel energy into their bodies, completely ignoring other considerations."

The selection system for superhumans, as Li Hao heard from Wang Ming, was entirely based on talent!

As for other aspects, they didn’t matter at all.

Even if you were a criminal, superhuman organizations would be willing to pay for you, as long as you could become a superhuman, your past would be forgiven!

Liu Long laughed but didn’t respond.

Liu Yan, however, smiled brightly, a smile that was somewhat chilling, making Li Hao feel uneasy.

"Xiao Hao is right!"

Liu Yan’s smile was even colder, "Twenty years ago, even if Martial Masters committed crimes, they would be captured and punished! No matter how powerful, if you were a bad person, you would be killed!"

"But now, some superhuman organizations are absorbing large numbers of criminals and sinners! Because they found that criminals have better mental states, are less afraid of death, and are more willing to channel energy into their bodies! This has led to countless criminal superhumans in some organizations!"

"Even worse, if you kill someone, it’s fine! As long as you successfully advance to superhuman status and don’t join the Night Watchers, there will be superhuman organizations to protect you, shielding you from harm!"

Liu Yan became more agitated as she spoke, gritting her teeth and laughing coldly!

"Harboring filth, protecting criminals, yet walking openly in the world, even the Night Watchers can’t do anything!"

"The Night Watchers, though not bad, have too many considerations, their strength can’t dominate the world, and they can only adopt a compromising policy. To gain support from some organizations, they have to turn a blind eye, as long as it’s not too excessive, they won’t pursue it, but this has made some people even more excessive!"

This was the first time Li Hao heard such comments, the first time he understood the situation of superhuman organizations.

He was somewhat surprised, but also felt it was somewhat inevitable.

"When power exceeds the mundane boundary, mundane weapons lose their deterrent power against them, and official organizations like the Night Watchers can’t suppress them, so such chaos seems inevitable!"

Liu Yan laughed coldly, "So, to transcend the mundane, you must become a superhuman! Li Hao, remember, once you become a superhuman, even if you have committed crimes, it’s fine. For minor crimes, the Night Watchers won’t pursue it, and for major crimes, you can join other organizations to live comfortably!"

Li Hao shook his head and smiled, "Sister Liu, you make it sound like I’m different. I have a higher education, and I’ve been in the Inspection Department for a year. No matter how you look at it, I am a person of justice, kindness, and order. Those who fall are inherently evil, how can you lump me with them?"

Liu Yan snorted, "The more educated, the easier it is to go bad!"

"..."

There was nothing to say about that.

Moreover, becoming a superhuman was still uncertain in the future, so Li Hao didn’t argue.

The six of them left the secret vault.

...

As Li Hao’s strength continued to grow, he felt more confident and had more backbone.

On the way, he took the initiative to ask, "Boss, do we have a plan to deal with the arsonist?"

In the past, he wouldn’t have asked, and Liu Long wouldn’t have told him.

But now, Liu Long thought for a moment and said, "The plan is simple, lure the snake out of the hole, and trap them! We will mainly rely on some firearms, burying mines underground, and using machine guns to strike first with firearms! The weak will be eliminated directly, and the strong