The only unfortunate thing was that he had overexerted himself so much previously that his Spiritual Attribute Value was only 1,200 points after this Tier Jumping Upgrade. This was a common flaw among most Genetic Warriors.
Unlike Shen Jie, the price they paid to activate their Assimilation Form was much higher. It was equivalent to bearing the consumption of two Superpowers at once, placing a much heavier strain and causing more damage to their Spiritual Power.
Before the Upgrade, Qin Hu’s Spiritual Attribute Value was less than 900. For it to increase by over two hundred points while simultaneously repairing the damage was already a great blessing.
Shen Jie’s Spiritual Attribute, however, reached 1,300—one hundred more than Qin Hu’s. This meant his Superpower and Mental Realm could be sustained for a longer duration.
Even if it was just for one minute, sixty seconds was enough to create countless variables when the power Level difference between two opponents wasn’t significant.
It could even allow Shen Jie to single-handedly crush Qin Hu and his entire group.
In response to Lin Feng’s congratulations, Qin Hu, sensing the change in his own State, was overcome with a joy that was plain to see. He couldn’t help but throw a punch at the empty air.
His base strength of one hundred and fifty tons, amplified to near-sonic speeds, had the destructive force of a missile strike. He could easily shatter the Armor of a Peak Tiger Spine Zerg and kill it instantly.
As he threw a flurry of rapid punches, he unleashed what looked like tangible cannons of air, their force comparable to a Level 8 Great Storm.
Compared to his previous self at Tier Two Peak, Qin Hu had now completed his Tier Jumping Upgrade and reached an entirely new level of existence, several times stronger than before.
Watching Qin Hu, who was itching for a fight and eager to vent his inexhaustible strength, Lin Feng smiled faintly. ’He’s just like I was back then.’
However, Qin Hu soon discovered that his strength and his overall State were rapidly declining, and the pace was quickening.
As his stomach protested with a loud RUMBLE, Qin Hu, now at Tier Three, faced his first and greatest problem: an insatiable hunger born from his high-speed energy consumption.
Lin Feng picked up a dead Zerg Egg from a nearby pile and handed it to Qin Hu.
These were Tier Two Zerg Eggs, all on the verge of hatching. They had been plundered from the Hive of a Mother Empress they had killed earlier. Since they had no long-term value, they had been given to the fifty Warriors to kill for their Tier Jumping Upgrades.
The remaining developed larvae had already produced the Zerg Race’s characteristic toxins. While pure-blooded humans couldn’t eat them in large quantities, for Genetic Warriors like Shen Jie, they were a rare and delectable treat.
Giving one to Qin Hu now to replenish his energy was a perfect solution.
As he handed it to Qin Hu, Lin Feng spoke.
"Now that you’ve entered Tier Three, the first thing you must learn is to restrain your Power."
"At our level, even an unintentional flick of the wrist can cause immense Damage, unleashing a blow comparable to the full-powered strike of a Tier Two Late Stage being."
"That’s why you have to contain the Energy within your body and lower your daily metabolism to an absolute minimum."
"Also, in a non-combat State, you need to relax your cells and only exert the strength of a Tier Two Early Stage being. Otherwise, if you keep your Tier Three Cells constantly tensed..."
"...you could eat one Tier Two Zerg Egg every hour and still feel ravenous, never satisfied."
Qin Hu took the dead Tier Two Zerg Egg and was just about to bite into the translucent White Jade Zerg when he heard Lin Feng’s words. A look of horror crossed his face, and he froze, dumbstruck, for several seconds.
From Lin Feng’s incredible combat performance, he knew just how powerful High-tier Awakeners were and deeply yearned for that kind of invincible Power.
But he never knew what a high price had to be paid to maintain that unrivaled might.
For energy replenishment alone, a dedicated logistics team had to be established.
The tens of thousands in the Swarm under Ling Yi’s command served as the Salvation Army’s logistics brigade.
Otherwise, a Tier Three Life Form would have to eat several tons of ordinary food a day, a process that would also consume far too much of their time.
It would also cause a decline in their strength.
If a Tier Three Life Form consumed low-grade meat below Tier One for an extended period, it would be like an ordinary person living on nothing but sugary water.
There might not be any issues for a few days, but in the long run, their Physique would inevitably decline, leaving them frail and weak.
Even Tier Two Zerg Eggs could only provide a measure of satiety if they kept their metabolism suppressed.
To satisfy their body’s needs and fuel the constant consumption required to grow stronger, they had to eat the flesh and blood of beings from the same Tier.
Or, they could do as Lin Feng did: constantly kill High-tier Zerg Race Mother Empresses and absorb the High Level Life Energy from their bodies to ensure continuous evolution.
The path of evolution is like rowing a boat upstream: if you don’t advance, you fall back.
Deeply shaken by Lin Feng’s explanation, Qin Hu swallowed the crunchy, springy limb in his mouth and took a deep breath.
"I understand. Tier Three Awakeners are like Nuclear Bombs... they can’t be deployed lightly."
Lin Feng grunted in agreement.
"Something like that. Our destructive power is comparable to a small atomic bomb, so try to minimize your energy consumption."
"By the way, during your advancement, did you see the Tier Four Spine King in the Realm Inheritance?"
Qin Hu pondered for a moment, a look of confusion on his face.
"I don’t know. I don’t think I entered the Land of the End from our last Realm Trial. Instead, it replayed the trial challenge from when we first killed the Fearless King Spine Zerg."
"But I could feel that this Fearless King Spine Zerg was far, far stronger than the one from last time. I died several times during this trial..."
"...It was only at the very last moment that I managed to luckily defeat it and obtain a stronger Fearless Realm."
"However..."
At this, Qin Hu seemed to recall something...
Under the watchful eyes of Lin Feng and Ling Yi, he frowned slightly and continued.
"After I obtained the Mental Energy Ball, the entire Spirit World of the Realm Inheritance began to collapse before my eyes."
"At the same time, a strong repulsive force appeared, trying to expel me from the Spirit World. In the instant I was being pushed out, I had a feeling and glanced back..."
"...and I saw a colossal King Spine Zerg, bound by countless chains in the magma below. The moment lasted less than a thousandth of a second; I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me."
After hearing Qin Hu’s detailed recollection, Lin Feng and Ling Yi exchanged a look, confirming they were both thinking the same thing.
Lin Feng then said to Qin Hu,
"Don’t worry. That Tier Four Spine King was consumed by Slaughter and lost its sanity, so it has a huge influence on any Slaughter Realm Master. Since you have the Fearless Realm, you won’t be affected."
Hearing Lin Feng’s confirmation, Qin Hu nodded, still shaken by the memory.
This was the first time he had ever personally seen a legendary Tier Four Being.
He had only heard fragments about Tier Four Life Forms in the top-secret intelligence reports circulated among the Federation’s high command.
According to the rumors, "Life Form" was no longer an adequate term to describe a Tier Four being. Their power surpassed all lower life on any given planet.
They could even rampage through the Cosmos, traveling between planets in their physical bodies.
Even a being as powerful as a High-tier Mother Empress of the Zerg Race would be utterly helpless against a Tier Four Life Form.
The latter could erase a Tier Three Mother Empress with a mere flick of a finger.
It would be as simple as a human crushing an ant.
Now that Qin Hu had chanced upon a glimpse of a Tier Four Being within the Realm Inheritance, he also realized that the blood and genes of the Spine Zerg Race flowed through his own veins.
The Tier Four Spine King was his future goal.
And yet, right now, merely a Spiritual Mark condensed within the Mental Realm World was enough to make his chest tighten and his breath catch, crushing him with pressure...
It was clear that if a true Tier Four Spine King were to appear, humanity would struggle to even take it down with them, even if they unleashed every Nuclear Bomb in their arsenal.
Even before that could happen, humanity would be trampled to dust by an endless tide of Tier Three King Spine Zergs.
And Blue Star’s beautiful environment would be plundered endlessly by the Zerg Race, devolving into a primitive wasteland like the harsh, barren planet of Ceres.
At this thought, Qin Hu couldn’t help but tremble.
"Th-that Tier Four Spine King... will it appear on Blue Star?"
Lin Feng patted Qin Hu on the shoulder.
"Don’t worry, it won’t be for a while. As long as we humans can achieve the leap to Tier Four before a Zerg Race Mother Empress gives birth to a Tier Four Zerg King, we can save everyone!"
Qin Hu nodded solemnly. The joy he had felt from his Tier Jumping advancement to Tier Three vanished completely, replaced by an intensely grave expression.
"I understand. Reaching Tier Three only buys us a moment to breathe. To save humanity, we have to go even further..."
Lin Feng smiled faintly.
"Keep eating. Once you’ve replenished your Energy and Shen Jie and the others get back, we can all discuss the beheading operation we’re planning against the Tier Three Mid-stage Mother Empress!"
The moment Lin Feng finished speaking, another Egg Pod beside Ling Yi began to vibrate violently.
Inside, Liu Yueqi, who was in the middle of advancing to Tier Three...
...suddenly opened her eyes.
And within those eyes, now glowing with white light,
...a golden glint flashed.