Chapter 918: Rick Monks

Blob’s voice rang out in Max’s mind, calm but with an edge of seriousness. “I have indeed discovered something strange,” it said, the tone heavy and deliberate. “If I am not mistaken, there is a powerful soul residing inside Kevin’s body.”

Max was visibly startled, his brow furrowing as the words sank in. “A soul? Could it be that the gray shadow that invaded him before… was actually a soul?”

“It’s possible,” Blob replied firmly. “And this soul isn’t just strong—it’s terrifyingly strong, far beyond what Kevin’s own strength should be able to handle.”

There was a brief pause, as if Blob itself was processing the implications, before it added, “But what surprises me the most, Max, is this—how did Kevin avoid being completely possessed by such a soul? Normally, with a spirit like that entering a person, it would take over their body without resistance. Yet Kevin is still in control. That means he has secrets—deep secrets.”

Max’s eyes darkened. “It seems Kevin isn’t as simple as he looks,” he muttered.

“Exactly,” Blob said, then quickly shifted topics. “But, Max, put Kevin aside for now. Your focus should be on something more urgent—those four spiritual treasures and your own strength. You need to reach the 5th stage of the Life and Death Cycle in the Divine Rank within ten years, or that blood parasite will kill you. That means, whether you like it or not, you need to become someone capable of stepping into the Divine Rank itself within that time frame.”

Max frowned deeply at this, the weight of the words heavy on his shoulders. “Blob… be honest with me. What are my chances of reaching that level in ten years?”

There was silence for a moment before Blob sighed. “Less than thirty percent.”

“So low?” Max’s voice was tinged with disbelief.

“Of course it’s low,” Blob said impatiently. “If stepping into the Divine Rank were easy, then the world would be full of Divine Rank experts flying around. Do you even realize what you’re asking? Crossing from the Legend Rank to Mythic Rank is already a life-changing transformation, but going from Mythic Rank to Divine Rank? That’s a completely different threshold. Each step of Mythic Rank is about laying your foundation—accumulating as much energy in your inner space as possible. That energy determines how far you can go when you break through into the ten cycles of Life and Death in the Divine Rank. Without enough accumulation, you’ll either fail entirely or, worse, force your way through only to be destroyed by the heavens’ wrath during the tribulation.”

Blob’s tone grew even heavier. “Most importantly, if your accumulation during Mythic Rank isn’t strong enough, then even if you manage to reach the peak of Mythic Rank, you will hit a wall when trying to step into Divine Rank. And understand this clearly, Max—properly accumulating that amount of energy normally takes decades, even for a genius. You want to do it in ten years? It’s not impossible, but it’s like walking on a knife’s edge over a bottomless abyss.”

Max’s expression grew darker as Blob’s words echoed in his mind, sinking in like heavy stones pressing against his chest. He understood the reasoning behind Blob’s warning—what was said made perfect sense.

The path to the Divine Rank wasn’t something that could be rushed; it required decades of preparation, deep accumulation, and unshakable foundations.

And yet, Max also knew something that made him clench his fists and exhale through gritted teeth—his ability to devour energy wasn’t ordinary. It was broken, an anomaly. With it, he could bypass what others needed decades to achieve. That thought burned like a spark of stubborn defiance in his heart.

“Forget it,” Max muttered, forcing a wry smile onto his lips. “I’ll see what can be done in these ten years. Whether it’s thirty percent or three percent… I’ll still do it.”

Blob, sensing the determination in Max’s voice, softened its tone. “Do your best, Max. Since this world has even legendary objects like the Nether Stone, there’s no reason those four materials won’t exist somewhere out there. And remember, after we leave this secret domain, I’ll share methods that might help expel the blood parasite. Who knows, you might get lucky and remove it before the ten years are up.”

“I hope so,” Max said quietly, though his voice carried a hint of steel. He straightened his back and walked out of the cave. The oppressive cold and the lingering Yin energy didn’t bother him anymore. Kevin was long gone, his shadow vanishing into the depths of the abyss, and as for the pack of black dogs, they were no longer an obstacle—none dared approach after what happened at the Nether Stone.

“Let’s look for it on the other side,” Max whispered to himself as he moved forward, his eyes scanning the terrain. “If we can’t find it, we’ll head to Falling Dust Valley next.”

Then his gaze shifted to the storage ring clenched in his palm—the one he had snatched from the big-bellied monk before leaving. He sent his spiritual sense inside, expecting something useful, but what he saw stunned him.

Rows upon rows of glowing crystals shimmered inside, their light filling his perception with dazzling brilliance. “This…” Max’s breath hitched slightly. “These are Legend Rank beast cores… and so many of them!”

He counted quickly, his mind staggering at the number—five hundred thousand Legend Rank beast cores stacked like small mountains. In addition, there were hundreds of spiritual medicines neatly packed, most of them fifth grade, but more than twenty were sixth grade, shining like precious jewels.

Max couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “These monks… they’re too damn rich.”

His fingers tightened slightly, and for a fleeting moment, a dark thought flashed across his mind. ‘If one monk has this much wealth, how many others carry treasures like this? If I hunted them all…’

But he immediately shook his head, forcing the thought out of his mind. “No… I may love money, but I won’t kill for it. Not like that.” His voice was low, but firm. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, calming the turbulent thoughts that had almost dragged him down a path he didn’t want to walk.

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!