Chapter 509: Iron Level Big Guy

“The big guy is truly loyal to the commander,” Tripleblade mused upon witnessing this scene.

He seized the moment to persuade him, successfully swaying the big guy's resolve.

But getting the big guy to voluntarily halt his cultivation was impossible.

For the big guy only circulated the battle qi technique through bodily instinct while asleep. When asleep, he was unconscious and utterly incapable of halting the refinement of his battle qi.

But Tripleblade had prepared for this.

Upon the big guy agreeing to pause his cultivation, Tripleblade retrieved a vial of potion from his robe.

"Your ability to cultivate while sleeping stems from your body's muscle memory. By repeatedly interrupting this process, we can disrupt that muscle-like memory."

“Drink this, and I'll help you halt your cultivation.”

The big guy pinched his fingers, carefully took the vial, and tipped his head back to swallow the potion.

His face had twisted in anticipation of bitterness, but the liquid was surprisingly sweet and pleasant.

After finishing, he licked his lips, wanting more: “Any... more?”

He was starving, desperate for food, anything at all.

The tiny vial emptied, and his stomach growled again.

Tripleblade’s eye twitched. He sighed inwardly: This big guy needs more training, especially in safety awareness. He’s way too reckless! Poisoning him would be too easy. Though Tripleblade and the big guy were very familiar, he still had to guard against enemies disguising themselves as survivors to gain the big guy's trust.

Tripleblade waited for quite a while, but the big guy showed no signs of sleepiness.

Realizing the truth, Tripleblade decisively pulled out a second bottle.

Only after finishing this bottle did the big guy feel a heavy wave of sleepiness wash over him, and he soon fell into a deep, snoring slumber.

Not long after he fell asleep, an iron sheen began to appear on his skin.

Iron level battle qi!

Indeed, during this period, the big guy had advanced from bronze to iron level.

He mainly ate, drank, and slept. He used to go out to work, but after the survivors discovered his potential, they decisively protected him, rarely letting him venture out to the forecastle.

The big guy spent almost all day cooped up in his room. Every time he woke up from a nap, he felt hungry. After a big meal, he'd get sleepy and nap again.

In this cycle, his strength had broken through.

Among all the survivors, his cultivation was the most leisurely.

“Such bloodline, truly...” Tripleblade sighed inwardly, his face betraying deep envy.

“I'd already factored in his physical constitution, so each vial contained double the standard dose. Yet the big guy showed no reaction whatsoever.”

“It took two vials to finally send him into a coma.”

“That's a quadruple dose!”

“This kind of physical constitution...” Tripleblade marveled inwardly.

Even at bronze level, the big guy was already nearly impossible to subdue.

Tripleblade was merely an iron level. At the big guy's current vitality level, if he went berserk, Tripleblade would be powerless to subdue him.

That's why, during this period, Tripleblade had arranged for Men Shi and Chi Lai to guard the dock, ensuring at least one remained on the ship—all to prevent the big guy from losing control.

“But honestly, even a silver level fighter suppressing a berserk big guy wouldn't be entirely reliable.”

“With his physical prowess, the big guy could already match a silver level opponent.”

Tripleblade believed: Though the big guy was currently iron level and possessed no battle skills, his terrifying physical strength alone made him capable of challenging a silver level opponent.

Tripleblade took a deep breath, approached the big guy, and placed both hands on his belly.

He channeled his battle qi, and soon, his hands were coated with an iron sheen.

Tripleblade “attacked” the big guy, attempting to rouse him.

But his first “attack” elicited no reaction whatsoever.

“Seems my force is too weak,” Tripleblade thought, gradually increasing the pressure.

The second time, the third time...

Each time, Tripleblade carefully calibrated the increase in force. He didn't want to use too much force and injure the big guy.

Yet, in the end, Tripleblade's face was filled with disbelief.

"How is this possible?"

“I've used all my strength, and I still can't shake him? I can't even wake him up?”

Tripleblade was stunned speechless.

“Even without using battle skills, the big guy was completely defenseless... This is absurd!”

“What kind of bloodline does he have?”

With no other choice, Tripleblade resorted to using his weapons.

He carried three blades, his primary weapons, but naturally, he wouldn't use them.

He selected a staff from the ship's armory and returned to the forecastle.

This time, wielding the staff, he finally disrupted the big guy's deep breathing rhythm, interrupting the natural flow of his body's innate battle qi circulation.

“Finally succeeded!” Sweat beaded on Tripleblade's forehead.

The key was controlling the force.

But the next moment, the big guy's breathing rhythm adjusted back, resuming his cultivation of the Mindless Sleeping Posture Technique.

“Then again!” Tripleblade swung the staff relentlessly, striking the big guy's belly.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The big guy's belly was sunken from eating little. Even so, each strike against his skin produced a deep, dull thud.

Tripleblade felt as if he were striking a piece of tanned, premium cowhide with his wooden staff.

As he continued swinging the staff, Tripleblade gradually increased his force.

Yet each time the big guy's practice was interrupted, he swiftly readjusted and resumed his cultivation.

“His physical instincts are too powerful. Once he memorized the breathing rhythm, external force proved so difficult to disrupt or alter!”

“This is also a manifestation of his superior bloodline.”

“Then I'll go all out!”

Tripleblade gritted his teeth, suddenly increasing his force, the stick in his hand striking the big man heavily.

This blow carried unprecedented power.

The big guy opened his eyes in pain. Still half-asleep, he glanced at Tripleblade before shifting slightly from his prone position to lie on his side.

Snore... snore... snore...

He began snoring again, sinking back into a deep slumber.

Tripleblade's small frame, clutching the massive staff, seemed feeble and powerless against the big guy's broad, towering form.

Soon, the big guy's battle qi circulation restarted, and he resumed his cultivation.

“I used a silver level weapon!” Tripleblade inspected the spot he had struck.

A dark blue-black club mark appeared on the big guy's belly.

But this mark was fading at a visible speed.

“Such recovery ability!” Tripleblade's heart trembled violently once more.

He stared at the sleeping big guy, motionless for a long time.

"Given time, his strength will surpass mine. No, his combat prowess already exceeds mine now."

“He'll leave me far behind, racing ahead unchallenged—silver level, gold level, saint level, even...”

“Who would've thought among the survivors, the weak big guy would be the one destined for greatness?”

"Why him? He's so dull-witted..."

“Bloodline...”

Tripleblade smiled bitterly.

He'd heard countless tales of prodigies with exceptional talent and potent bloodlines reaching heights in mere moments that most could never achieve in a lifetime.

Yet Tripleblade now felt a profound shock from witnessing it firsthand in the big guy.

Because this was happening right before his eyes.

He had personally witnessed the big guy's rise! He had also glimpsed the towering stature the big guy would one day command.

Suddenly, everything felt hollow. Tripleblade couldn't bring himself to lift the staff in his hand.

Interrupting the big guy's training now seemed utterly pointless.

His expression was heavy with disappointment, Tripleblade closed the door and left the forecastle.

The forecastle was guarded by alchemy puppets, providing a measure of security for the big guy.

Only when his subordinate reminded him did Tripleblade snap back to reality.

“Ah...” He sighed deeply, his thoughts drifting to Zong Ge.

“Even if the big guy becomes a great figure in the future, I can only look up to him. What good is that?”

“My bloodline is weak, my talent lacking, but I follow Lord Zong Ge!”

“At Lord Zong Ge's age, he's already a gold level. His bloodline is undoubtedly strong!”

“As long as Lord Zong Ge achieves greatness with me by his side, I'll be content.”

On Mystifying Monster Island, Tripleblade discovered many shared traits with the half-beastman Zong Ge. Yet he could find none of these parallels in the youth who was then merely “Zhen Jin”.

In the developments that followed, Tripleblade pinned his life's dreams upon Zong Ge.

Through Zong Ge, Tripleblade finally calmed his turbulent emotions.

Tripleblade began to assess the situation before him.

After the recent incident, he no longer wished to interrupt the big guy's transcendent cultivation.

Though he knew other methods remained available, he had genuinely abandoned that plan.

For the time being, deep down, Tripleblade didn't wish to see the big guy again. Tripleblade wasn't a saint. He possessed a certain capacity for tolerance, but the previous events had dealt him a crushing blow.

He instinctively pushed the big guy from his mind, unwilling to confront him.

“By now, the messenger should have reached Lord Zong Ge.”

“But it will take some time before we receive their reply.”

As Zi Di, Zong Ge, and their party grew increasingly distant, communication with the Snow Bird Harbor branch became more difficult.

Although the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps employed messengers to deliver encrypted letters, transmitting them via teleportation formations still required time.

The Ice Sculpture Kingdom had teleportation formations installed in its cities and major towns.

The setup of teleportation formations also had limitations; it was impossible to teleport directly from Snow Bird Harbor to the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital.

On one hand, this posed technical and cost challenges. On the other, it was deliberately designed by the royal family for security reasons.

The kingdom required strategic depth, especially when facing threats.

If every town could teleport directly to the capital, the capital would inevitably become the most vulnerable location.

Therefore, messengers had to teleport from one city to another, repeating the process multiple times to catch up with Zong Ge, Zi Di, and their group.

This process itself presented complications.

Messengers had to queue.

The teleportation formations in every town were exceedingly busy.

Teleportation slots were strictly limited.

At Snow Bird Harbor, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps enjoyed privileged access due to their close ties with the city lord, allowing them to jump the queue. In other cities, however, they received no such favor.