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Chapter 49 The First Cataclysmic Ability (7000 words, please follow)

According to the information etched into the cornerstone of the world, this world did indeed experience a catastrophic upheaval known as the "Apocalyptic Cataclysm" several decades ago.

This great disaster plunged the whole world into a chaotic and shattered abyss, with all creatures undergoing a baptism and enlightenment by Catastrophe Power.

What's more serious is that, because of this great disaster, above the material world, a spiritual realm named "Boundless Heart Sea" was born.

That world is the collective manifestation of the consciousness of all things, mirroring the material world and affecting each other. Its landscape changes with the beliefs, emotions, and memories of the living, yet it, in turn, affects the real world.

Order, Chaos, Life, Immortality, Destruction, and Mystery are the six Catastrophic powers that were born in the "Boundless Heart Sea".

Every creature who steps onto the path of transcendence will resonate with one of these six powers and then... become a "Practitioner" of these six powers in the material world.

The power that Qiu Tu resonated with was... Order.

Coming back to his senses, Qiu Tu's eyes revealed deep thought.

He wasn't surprised that the path he resonated with was Order. After all, for most of the more than twenty years before he crossed over, he had lived in a peaceful and stable era.

Even during the years when he was locked up, he always longed to return to a life of orderly and peaceful Order.

What surprised him was... the branch he was on the path of Order...

"Order-Political."

"Politics refers to the actions of governing a nation by the government, political parties, etc. and it's the sum of all kinds of social activities and social relationships that revolve around state power," he thought.

"In the Era of Disaster, establishing a stable, healthy nation is undoubtedly the best way to guide humanity towards recovery."

"So, climbing to the top within the existing Sanctuary system, or building a new nation from scratch, would be the best way for me to walk the path of Order?" he wondered.

"The higher my position and the greater my authority, the more people I can gather, call upon, and influence, and the stronger my power will be?"

Recalling the information in his mind, Qiu Tu wore a strange expression.

'So... to increase my strength, I must get promoted? From Staff to Director, Bureau Chief? And then from ruling one city to dominating the Planning Area, and then reigning over the Sanctuary?' he pondered.

'Only by making everyone submit to my Order can I reach the pinnacle of this transcendent path?' he considered.

To tell the truth, Qiu Tu felt that this goal was a bit too grand and exaggerated.

He felt that although he had some ambition, at most he wanted to be a staff head or a director, take the state stipend; have a few beautiful subordinates to have heart-to-heart talks with, drink tea, and handle official business.

Suddenly being asked to take such a high position and having the heavy responsibility of rebuilding the entire human Order placed on him, he felt quite overwhelmed.

But... the supernatural power of this world was just so special, once someone's path was determined, it couldn't be changed.

So...

Qiu Tu blinked, "How about setting a smaller goal first? Taking Yan Chen's position?"

"From Staff to Bureau Chief should be enough to give my supernatural power a dramatic transformation, right?"

Thinking this, Qiu Tu also firmly resolved: Then let's start by taking Yan Chen's position!

After making up his mind, Qiu Tu's mentality also became much more peaceful.

He temporarily set aside his thoughts and began to focus on his body's condition after the Cataclysm Awakening.

He meticulously checked his body.

After the examination, the most direct feeling was that his body seemed to have been remodeled. Not only had he become stronger, his skin had become finer, and even the scars on his body were gone.

He clenched his fists and swung forward, "Whoosh!" a gust of wind caused papers to fly everywhere!

"So strong," Qiu Tu muttered in surprise.

He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but he had the feeling that he could now kill a bull with a single punch.

He put his fist down, then half-squatted, gathering strength in his knees, and suddenly pushed off.

The next second, his head collided solidly with the ceiling!

There was a "bang!" as Qiu Tu, holding his head, fell to the ground.

Hey, it didn't hurt.

"Thud thud thud!"

Just as Qiu Tu was engaged in these experiments, all of a sudden, someone knocked on the door from outside.

Along with the knocking, there was Eagle's inquiry, "Brother Tu, is that you? Are you alright?"

Qiu Tu came back to his senses and looked towards the door.

In the state of Spiritual Vision just now, He saw that although Eagle was outwardly calm, he was, in fact, always very worried about him: pacing outside.

Eagle must have heard the unusual noises inside the room by now but hadn't seen him come out, suspecting that his Cataclysm Awakening had failed, which is why he was anxious.

With that thought, he said, "I'm fine," as he walked toward the door, ready to open it.

He grabbed the doorknob and gave it a twist.

"Creak." The door didn't open.

The doorknob had been twisted off.

Qiu Tu: .....

The Eagle outside clearly became more anxious, asking again, "Brother Tu, are you sure you're alright?"

Seeing this, Qiu Tu didn't bother fixing the door; he simply punched the door lock.

With a "boom!" the wood around the door lock shattered, creating a hole.

The Eagle outside jumped in shock, instinctively wanting to step back, but at that moment, Qiu Tu had already reached through the hole to pull the door down.

"Find someone to replace the door for me later. Get a metal one. The wooden one isn't sturdy enough," Qiu Tu casually said as he tossed the door aside, leaving Eagle with a dashing view of his back.

Eagle was dumbstruck by this scene, taking a moment to come to his senses.

After a short pause, he took a deep breath to calm down, then strode into the room.

Entering the room, he cautiously examined Qiu Tu a few times before asking in a low voice, "Brother Tu, did you succeed?"

After speaking, he licked his lips and asked, "Are Cataclysmics this strong?"

For the reticent Eagle, managing to utter these two sentences already demonstrated the shock and curiosity in his heart.

Therefore, Qiu Tu simply had him act as a sparring partner to test his current strength.

Five minutes later, after Eagle had been knocked down for the Nth time, he was rubbing his sore arm and his body was covered in bruises, with disbelief filling his eyes.

Although Qiu Tu used to be everyone's big brother, it was mainly because of his smart brain, combined with the fact that he had nurtured everyone like a father and a brother. As for physical fitness and fighting ability, he was actually quite average.

Not to mention Ah-Tai, even Eagle would definitely be able to take on two Qiu Tu.

Yet now... Eagle found himself completely powerless under Qiu Tu's hands.

No matter what move Eagle tried, Qiu Tu simply slapped him away, sending Eagle tumbling to the ground.

After being hit several times, Eagle gradually became familiar with Qiu Tu's routine. He figured that with a few tricks up his sleeve, he could exchange a few moves with Qiu Tu.

But as it turned out... none of that worked: even if he could see clearly, his speed simply couldn't keep up, and his body couldn't react in time.

So, after just five minutes of practice, Eagle was gasping for air and drenched in sweat.

"Strong... so strong... Is this what Cataclysmics are like?"

Eagle felt that with the combat power Qiu Tu was now demonstrating, he could take on twenty or thirty young adults by himself—and that was with Qiu Tu not being adept at fighting.

At that moment, after hearing Eagle's words, Qiu Tu just smiled and didn't say anything.

The strength of the Cataclysmics isn't limited to enhanced physicality. Those unique and bizarre abilities are what truly make them fearsome...

...and they mark the insurmountable gulf between Cataclysmics and ordinary people...

For instance, the Cataclysmic ability Qiu Tu gained when he first awakened: Reshape Order.

This ability allowed Qiu Tu to set one rule every day.

The rule could only affect a fixed space no larger than eight cubic meters, and it only lasted for one day.

But as long as the beings or objects within this space were not of a higher rank than Qiu Tu, they would be affected by this rule.

According to Qiu Tu's understanding, he could set any rule within a space, even if the rule was "water flows upwards" or "women don't wear pants" or "people can't die," it would work.

The only problem is, he could only set one rule, and he couldn't affect those of a rank higher than his.

But for Qiu Tu, this was enough.

Moreover, this was the ability effect of his Deputy Staff position. With future promotions, this ability would obviously strengthen further, suggesting immense potential...

And as he grew, he would obtain a second ability, a third ability, a fourth ability...

He would become more and more powerful.

'So, to settle the score with the Qin Family, to deal with Jia Shu, to conquer Yan Chen, and to climb to the peak of Xinjie City step by step!'

'That is the path I will follow next!'

Qiu Tu's gaze became resolute and fervent, filled with the desire to burn everything...

Having tested all his abilities, Qiu Tu arranged for Eagle to restore the room to its original condition, while he solemnly stowed the second bottle of the Cataclysmic Potion and went next door to carry Shen Lingshuang back.

Perhaps because she had been constantly anxious since her arrest by the Investigation Bureau, or maybe because Qiu Tu's chopping blow had been a bit too heavy, Shen Lingshuang was still unconscious even after an hour had elapsed.

So, Qiu Tu placed her on his bed, tucked her in, and let her continue to rest, while he sat on the living room sofa, patiently waiting for Master Qin Si's call.

With the worst possibilities averted, everything seemed to be back on its original track, only Qiu Tu knew he had become a completely different person...

Time stealthily slipped away. Soon, it was the time Qiu Tu and Master Qin Si had agreed upon.

Five minutes before 7:00 PM, Qiu Tu's communicator vibrated sharply.

Feeling the vibration of the communicator, the resting Qiu Tu opened his eyes and looked down to pick it up.

As expected, the call was from Master Qin Si.

A smile curled at the corner of Qiu Tu's mouth as he answered the call.

From the other end of the communicator came Master Qin Si's hoarse, angry voice, "I agree to your terms."

Qiu Tu replied with a smile, "Fourth Master, you won't regret this."

Clenching his teeth, Master Qin Si growled lowly, "I just can't accept it, I can't bear it!"

"Why must I be the sacrifice!"

"I'm the biological son of my father too, his own brother!"

"Why! Why!"

Hearing this, Qiu Tu smoothly responded, "Fourth Master, I understand you. Isn't life all about seeking six words."

"Fairness! Fairness! Damn fairness!"

"Why should you be the one to suffer all the hardships, while Commissioner Qin and Director Qin enjoy all the blessings?"

"Just because you were born a few years later?"

Qiu Tu's words hit right at the heart of Master Qin Si.

In these few hours, he must have gone through multiple mental struggles and faced a lot of pressure from the main and secondary branches of the Qin Family.

Thus, biting his teeth, Master Qin Si said fiercely, "Exactly! I won't accept this!"

Then, in a lower voice, he asked, "So, tell me, what do you want me to do? How can I connect with the military?"

Even in such a moment, Qiu Tu didn't take things lightly.

He spoke deliberately, "Fourth Master, the plan is straightforward, but we must take it step by step. What you need to do tonight is just keep your communicator open and listen for my instructions."

"If Commissioner Qin pressures you again, or asks for your opinion, you can agree for the time being to appease him, then let him go and see Bureau Chief Yan."

Qiu Tu glanced at the time and said, "It's now 7 o'clock sharp. It takes about 20 minutes to travel from the Qin residence to the villa in the city."

"Therefore, Commissioner Qin should leave the Qin residence around 7:30."

"At that time, I will give you new instructions."

Master Qin Si genuinely seemed eager to cooperate, so he replied in a deep tone, "Fine. Then I'll wait for your message."

After hanging up the communicator, Qiu Tu stood up, a smile on his face.

As he walked to the window and looked out at the evening sky growing dark, Qiu Tu's pupils contracted for an instant, then his dark eyes suddenly turned a deep blue.

A gray fog spread, materiality dissolved, and his spirit ascended to the Boundless Heart Sea.

Distance and walls were no longer obstacles, and his gaze penetrated countless spaces, focusing on the Qin residence...

'The show is about to begin...'

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I'll be challenging Sanjiang tomorrow, so I'm asking everyone to catch up on the reading tomorrow and cast your votes for recommendations and Monthly Tickets, thank you!