Progress was made as the three races made significant advances in encroaching on the territory of the Glings and the Elves.
This time on the frontline, Long Wu and the transcendent group finally faced the Ultra Glings for the first time.
The giant Gling had tusks which was sharper and durable than any high-quality metal ever made. Their huge body served as the best siege weapon for the Glings and they could serve as a good deterrent for any invasion that came.
But it was ultimately not a transcendent, so its huge body became a liability instead of an advantage. They were slain one after another even without Long Wu’s intervention.
The more senior transcendents would leave such Ultra Glings to the junior generation to deal with. The undead servants that could be created with such a body were high-quality, too, which made the transcendent often target them for becoming their undead servant.
“No wonder the Queen does not deploy them to the Rift. It is just a massive liability.” One transcendent said.
“It is also a good material to be turned into an undead servant.” Another added.
Long Wu knew that the Lair that they were targeting was the producer of the Ultra Glings and now that it was destroyed, the number of the Ultra Glings was going to go down so much that it became a rarity.
“We are basically done with this region. This marked another step in conquering the enemy territory.” Hecates grinned while swinging his axe to clean it from the purple blood of the Glings.
“We finally have a route to the Hive.” Long Wu said while letting out a heavy breath. The sky and the ground on the enemy’s planet were similar to the Cerulean Planet but different sun. The sun was yellow and it caused the sky to be tinted with slightly more color compared to the sky at Cerulean Planet.
Long Wu appreciated the opportunity to participate in the Star Battle. He could see many wonderful things while also increasing his strength.
Furthermore, they finally opened a route to reach the enemy’s capital. The Hive was where the Queen of the Gling Swarm resided. Long Wu narrowed his eyes as he directed his gaze toward the supposed Hive and raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
“Our forces are trying to establish an effective supply route in the newly conquered territory. So please wait a moment.” Long Wu murmured, not sure whether the last sentence was meant for Hecates or himself.
“Ha, wait, we will. The advantage of the Star Battle lies on our side. We just need to be careful not to mess things up, or everything will crumble like a stack of cards.” Hecates replied.
“This battle to eliminate a Lair went smoothly. Thanks to the research done on that thing we discovered months before.” Long Wu suddenly said.
He remembered acquiring a dodecahedron from under the destroyed nest. He did not expect that the result of that could be so devastating to the Glings they encountered. Basically, cannon fodder Glings stood no chance against the serum developed from the thing he had discovered.
The scientists said that the dodecahedron contained the origin of the Glings. It meant that the perfect genetics of the Glings were stored there and the Gling facilities reproduced some of the information stored there.
That was why developing a counter to the Gling became easier when they had something so crucial.
“True that. Who would have expected someone to detect it? Ever since our discovery, we have not discovered another thing like it. The Queen probably stored it all in her Hive.” Hecates laughed while letting out some of the transcendent energy around.
Usually, all transcendents had to curb their transcendent energy so that it would not flow outside to prevent harming the people who could not resist it. But in the open place where only transcendents were present, he had no such worries.
Long Wu was also checking his radiating energy and realized that it had increased by a fifth. Ever since the Gate of Opening strengthened his body, he could feel improvement in several aspects of his physique.
But the surprise came in the form of his energy pathway and energy capabilities. It increased despite years of stagnant growth.
‘I have some idea but it looks like this is actually a kind of body refinement. But to create it is another matter.’ Long Wu thought as he remembered something about a prototype for a body refining technique.
‘Body Refinement Technique X version 1.0, refine each part of the body. Muscles, sinews, bones, energy pathway and blood vessels. So far, I have only strengthened my muscles, sinews, and bones. I am still trying to figure out how to strengthen my energy pathway and blood vein.’
That was how Long Wu managed to deal with a dozen Ultra Glings without even using his transcendent energy. He was trying to use his physical strength alone.
‘When I opened the Gate of Opening, it became more sustainable and I can last longer. I can do it through a single battle which means that this is the right direction.’ Long Wu nodded while clenching his hand and felt his strength coursing through his arm.
“Have you been using the new body refining technique?” Long Wu asked Hecates.
“Oh, that. Yes, I am. It is useful even for ordinary people. For us transcendents, it is like a welcome addition as it gives us the direction of strengthening our bodies.” Hecates nodded while using his arm to swing his axe with his physical strength.
The wind it generated could be felt even by Long Wu, who was nearby.
Ever since Long Wu’s discovery of the Gate of Opening, he and Maito Dai were creating a suitable technique to increase the physical body’s strength in containing the berserk energy and the increase in the load that the body endured.
The result was the creation of the targeted body refining technique which the transcendents were currently using. But since it was still in the experimental stage, the spread was still limited.
But so far, it had successfully strengthened more people with the guidance of how to do it in tow.
“Alright, we need to return to the base. We are not ready to tackle the Hive yet.” Long Wu suggested. Hecates agreed and ordered the transcendent group to return to the nearby base.
After the expansion, several new bases were built to accommodate the Cerulean Defense Force units and divisions so that they could be used as a springboard to launch an attack or help reinforce others in need.
The transcendent group returned to one of the nearby bases. This base was the one that was planned to be the center of the central region and also the hub where the offensive against the Hive would be planned.
The facility was good enough that the transcendents whistled in joy.
Long Wu could detect that the sentry was equipped with a sniper rifle that could penetrate hard armor. Even if an Ultra Gling came, the sentry was enough to deal with it.
The transcendent group then found a place for rest and occupied it immediately. Long Wu entered his own temporary residence and noticed that it was truly recently built.
“This is good for a temporary stay. But I still need to control my strength.” Long Wu muttered before he sat cross-legged in the middle of the room. The residence was made using wood from the local trees. It was something like trying to find out the best nearby resources so that the logistics could keep up with the advance of the Cerulean Defense Force.
Then Long Wu felt the effect of the increased physical capabilities. His energy pathway was enlarged, allowing him to use more of his energy in battle while the strengthened body allowed him to store more energy despite being in the third heavenstage Core Formation Realm, just like the other peak transcendents.
The strengthened physical body allowed him to endure the strain of the Gate of Opening use and the advantage did not need to be said.
But one problem arose. That was the control of the current strength Long Wu possessed. He noticed that the control he had over his physical strength and his transcendent energy dropped.
This caused some attack which was focused on a thin line, to be scattered and its destructive effect reduced.
Long Wu could only deduce that the Mind could not keep up with the Body and that was the result. But he could not find a lead in increasing the Mind since it was something that not even he was capable of touching directly.
‘The sustainability of my Mind cannot keep up with the increasing physical aspect. Technique can be improved later on but the mind aspect is elusive. I remember that there is someone who is researching the mind aspect in the Transcendent Academy. Should I consult him?’
Long Wu was having such a thought while trying to find a harmony between Mind, Body and Technique. He controlled the energy output and found out that it was getting harder to control a large quantity of energy.
In this manner, time passed until tomorrow.
When the sun rose on the enemy planet, that was also quite a sight to behold. Long Wu got out of his temporary residence and looked at the colors of the sky, and was fascinated by it.
“We are slowly integrating the Elves under our custody. But the Elf King is still out there near the Hive. I wonder if he can be persuaded.” Long Wu said out loud before he furrowed his brow.
“No way he would do that. His race is tied to the Glings so it is more likely that he will struggle to the end just like the Queen.” Long Wu shook his head and sighed.
It was a pity that even he could not change that fact.
Long Wu then walked around the new base. It was Base 33, the one nearest to the Hive so the fortification was excellent and the soldiers who guarded it were among the best. Even the transcendent group was recommended to stay at the base as much as possible.
He detected several presences that were the transcendents who were deeply into the study of body refining technique. Long Wu was already into refining his energy pathway to be more resistant to its berserk nature when using the Gate of Opening.
That was why he felt happy knowing that the transcendents were learning something that could improve their strength.
After all, Star Battle was not a one-man show. It was a joint effort of everyone who participated. Despite being in the light, Long Wu knew that everyone had a role to play, whether it was small or big.
Then he saw the soldiers who were not on the shift were training in the method of body refining technique. It was effective on both ordinary people and transcendents alike so it was only a matter of time before it was disseminated to the populace.
‘Maito Dai must be so happy when he heard that the body refining technique got promoted.’ Long Wu could imagine the happy face of the one he considered to be a friend.
Although he could not see it with his own eyes, he knew that the body refining technique was another discovery that could potentially change civilization. He believed it with his own heart.
With the transcendent and the soldiers strengthened, it increased the chance of victory against the Glings and the Elves.
Six Sacred Trees were in their hands and they were not felling them down for research purposes. But Inhibitors were placed there so that it could not react when the Elves were trying to reactivate the Ether production source.
He walked around the perimeter to see whether there was a trace of Gling around the base. So far, he had not discovered anything related to them so he slightly relaxed.
‘They did not attack Base 33 despite our transcendent group left to deal with the Ultra Glings' Lair?’ Long Wu pondered a bit before he came to a conclusion.
‘The Queen is terrified of something, so she gathered all she could gather and left anything that could not be used. What is she afraid of?’ Long Wu thought.
What he did not realize was that the Queen was afraid of Long Wu. Someone who could break the balance of the Star Battle easily was actually something that the Queen feared greatly.
She could not understand where the strength to rival the combined Glings she controlled came from, so she was afraid, afraid that those strengths could be passed on to the others, replicating Long Wu’s feat.
Sadly for her, she was half-correct since the Body Refining Technique X version 1.0 was circulating among the transcendent and the soldiers of the Cerulean Defense Force, trying to reach the battle prowess that Long Wu had.
She was wrong that the Eight Inner Hidden Gates could not just be accessed by anyone. It could only be accessed by someone who mastered great control of their transcendent energy and great physical strength.
But now that the situation had changed drastically, there was nothing she could do to affect the enemy’s side.
Long Wu then walked to the river that was nearby. He found several people cleaning their clothes and even bathing there. Long Wu shook his head as he went there.
“I almost forgot to take a bath.” Long Wu was used to clean his body with the transcendent energy he possessed. The feeling of water flowing along his body was almost forgotten so for the start of his day, Long Wu decided to take a bath.
Others also did that. Fortunately, this area was watched constantly so the security was still good.
After that, Long Wu cleaned himself using transcendent energy, wiping away the water from his body. He then put on his clothes and cloak. It made him remember who he was when he wore those clothes.
“You are also taking a bath here?” one of the soldiers recognized Long Wu and approached him after finishing with his own matter and saw that Long Wu was also done.
“Yes. Periodically bathing reminds me of old times. You probably took a bath in this river because it was quite a while for you to clean yourself up.” Long Wu smiled slightly when someone approached him.
Long Wu recognized this person as a young soldier who joined the Cerulean Defense Force for his family.
“Yeah, that’s not wrong. Care to tell me your exploit in the Lair extermination yesterday?” the young soldier asked.
“Ah, you knew about that. Well, it started from….”
Long Wu explained a bit about his discovery of the Ultra Gling which was not discovered anywhere else. That led him, Hecates and the transcendent group to investigate the source of the Ultra Glings.
The junior generation had become excited since the senior allowed them to test their body refining technique progress. Things had gone on and the transcendent group had managed to slay six Ultra Gling with the junior generation alone.
The seniors, however, had been busy dealing with the Gling structure that could defend itself and the territory of the Contaminated Soil around the Lair.
Long Wu also did not forget to mention that the senior had managed to slay a dozen Ultra Glings with just physical prowess alone, although they had done it in groups. Long Wu however, mentioned that he had slain Ultra Glings without anyone’s support and just using his physical prowess.
“That’s amazing!” The young soldiers looked at Long Wu with longing and admiration.
“That is because of everyone’s support. We cannot manage this alone so you should be proud to be part of something monumental.” Long Wu extended his hand and patted the young soldier.
The river water turned slightly murky due to people using it to clean their bodies and clothes. Long Wu could barely see a reflection of himself and the young soldier in the river water.
That caused him to fall into deep thought.
The casualties of the two sides were increasing. Although the more the Nests and Lairs were destroyed the fewer the Glings would be present in a tide attack but still it caused the lives on both sides to be lost.
Would he still see the young soldier after all of this? He hoped so but the soldiers would be supporting the effort of the Cerulean Defense Force to win the Star Battle and that meant no walking back.
All those feelings came because he mostly never saw the people that he had seen in the Star Battle.
“Yes, sir!” the young soldier saluted before he went to do his own thing. He profusely apologized for taking Long Wu’s time before he went but Long Wu did not mind it at all.
“I am more aware of people around me. Seeing them only once hurts me more than I am aware. Is this what it means to have a heart? To feel what others experienced? Is this what the closed ones feel when they miss someone?”
Long Wu was aware that he was growing up under different circumstances that did not allow him to feel empathy for others. But someone taught him how to feel others’ pain and joy, to have a heart.
“You are currently a killing machine, only doing your programmed purpose. But you are a human and a human should have a heart to feel others’ emotions and pain.” Someone told him, someone who changed his life for good.
But now that he stood in the soil of foreign enemies, the person he looked for did not exist anymore.
‘I wonder if my disciple can find him in the Afterlife. I want to hear what he thought of the current me.’ Long Wu had a thought that was surprising even to him.
For now, all he had to do was prepare for the taking of the Hive.