In a dimly lit room of a dilapidated inn in Ning, lightning-attuned genetic energy crackled as Qin Xiao's pale face suddenly relaxed, and the aura surrounding his body slowly settled down once more. As he emitted the last of the excess energy, Qin Xiao suddenly opened a pair of piercing eyes.

"I've done it, I've broken through! A hundred and ten basic gene fragments! So that's what it was—the benefit from these ten basic limit fragments is far superior to ten basic gene fragments, and even to ten mutated gene fragments! No wonder Zhang Lie was so strong! No wonder he spent all that time killing white grubs! Damn him, damn that bastard!"

Qin Xiao grinned at his accomplishment, but his grin quickly turned into a twisted grimace.

Beside him, Qin Zongming could clearly sense the changes in Qin Xiao's body. After his breakthrough, Qin Xiao's aura gained a surprising heft, his pale face became more rosy, and he looked to have regained some of his lost vitality.

Qin Xiao clenched his fist tightly. After purging his framework and starting over, he finally found out why Zhang Lie had been so strong. What he didn't know was that, despite his breakthrough, he still couldn't compare to the Zhang Lie of the present. Zhang Lie had broken through the basic and the mutated gene capacity limit, and only then had he been able to kill a hunter two realms higher in one blow.

After sensing the changes in his body, Qin Xiao suddenly calmed down and sighed. "Dad, registration's already started for the citywide stage, and the national tournament will begin in two weeks. It's true that my foundation's gotten a lot stronger, but I've lost the framework and techniques that have brought me this far. I can re-acquire them, but it'll still take me a considerable amount of time. Under these circumstances, I'm worried I won't be able to make it through the national tournament."

In order to build a good foundation for himself, Qin Xiao had chosen to purge his framework and start anew to obtain ten additional limit fragments. However, the news had come too late, and he wouldn't be able to return to peak condition before the start of the national tournament. In that case, it would be impossible for him to advance through the ranks of the Void Cup and avenge himself.

"That's not a problem. If I didn't have something in mind, would I have instigated you to break through?" Qin Zongming smiled.

"What? What's your plan, Dad?" Qin Xiao glanced at him in excitement.

"I can get you an inheritance that'll get you near your peak strength. With appropriate superior-grade soulshards, it might even be possible for you to kill Zhang Lie during the Void Cup itself! At the very least, you'll certainly place well in the national tournament and obtain rewards from the national treasury."

Qin Zongming naturally wanted the best for his dear son, whose innate talent had to be carefully tended.

"And what about Zhang Lie? Are we going to forget about him just like that?"

"Forget about him? No, of course not! If not for him, how could we have ended up in such dire straits? However, it's impossible for you to challenge him at the moment, so I'll need to come up with some strategy to ruin him once and for all after the national tournament."

Qin Zongming's words caused Qin Xiao to quiet down. The reason his blessed life had gone so awry was because of Zhang Lie. Not only that, he had even gouged the Qin clan by charging them tenfold what others paid for these white grub cores. Neither son nor father was the type to drop a grudge, but with Zhang Lie's star rising, it didn't make sense for them to strike unless they were certain that they could defeat him.

Qin Xiao clenched his fist so tightly his joints turned white.

"Keep this with you. If you have no other choice, use it during the Void Cup."

Qin Zongming handed Qin Xiao a box containing a frightening aura of genetic energy, so dense he could sense it even without touching it.

"This is—"

"Shh, be quiet. Focus on your training during this period of time. I won't come to visit you for a while." Qin Zongming patted Qin Xiao's shoulder, then vanished out the window.

Seeing his father's back, Qin Xiao sighed to himself. He opened the box and found a container with what seemed to be crackling violet lightning inside, dyeing the room a curious shade of purple with its glow.

Qin Xiao let out a frightening smile.

Countless hunters flocked into the Blacksteel settlement. With the impending Void Cup and recent news about white-grub cores, even more hunters than usual had headed to the Blacksteel settlement through countless trials and obstacles.

The days before the Void Cup, many genetic hunters spent their time in the training ground or outskirts of the Blacksteel settlement, and there were quite a few others who were furiously hunting down superior-grade lifeforms in order to top up their superior gene fragments and soulshards.

Everyone was preparing for the Void Cup, Team Zenith included.

Zhang Lie's present goals were to advance his [Ninecarp Transformation] and [Eclipse] further.

Fang Yi, Sun Mengmeng, and the others certainly had gene fragments, frameworks, and techniques that would serve them well for the Void Cup, but if they wanted to do well, they would need to rectify their soulshard deficiency.

As a result, in order to raise the overall strength of Team Zenith, they would have to target specific superior-grade lifeforms in anticipation of their soulshards. Naturally, their first battlefield would be the Desert of Silence, the region in the first realm of the dimensional world boasting the highest density of superior-grade lifeforms, and a commensurate rate of finding superior-grade soulshards.

"In the two weeks before the citywide tournament, head to the Desert of Silence and acquire as many soulshards as you can," Zhang Lie instructed.

"Yes, Captain!" Team Zenith set off almost immediately.

Zhang Lie didn't follow them there; by now, the members of Team Zenith were individually comparable to young clan heads like Chu Feng and Yun Bing, and the Desert of Silence wouldn't prove particularly dangerous.

After they had all left, Zhang Lie returned to his room, where he sat cross-legged as he made final preparations for the Void Cup. Now that he had capped all his gene fragments and reached the advanced level with most of his techniques, there were only two remaining that he could work on.

As he circulated his genetic energy, causing a black glow to suffuse his body, waves of energy emanated from his body, and a radiant moon replaced the sun.

"[Ninecarp Transformation]! [Eclipse]!"

A serpent's form wrapped around Zhang Lie, then soared toward the moon, slowly dyeing it red as it approached.