《Desolate World: Starting with [Selection Option]》 Chapter 1 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios [Welcome to the Desolate Game.] [Your character data has been fully set. Open the Attributes Window with the command ¡®Attributes¡¯.] [Congratulations, you receive the Newbie Starter Pack!] ¡­ Wang Shuo looked around with a dazed expression, struggling to comprehend what he was seeing. From where he stood, a vast barren land extended far into the distance. And on the earth-brown ground, there was not a single speck of grass. This place was desolate and lifeless, almost no different from a desert. ¡°Where the hell is this?¡± After five long years of playing LOL, he had finally achieved a pentakill. But after a light celebratory cheer, he found his surroundings spinning rapidly. Under his defenseless state, he had no time to react. But the next instant, he found himself here. Fortunately, Wang Shuo¡¯s adaptability has been honed by his long-term reading, and he soon pulled himself together. ¡°The Desolate Game? Have I transmigrated in the game?¡± After silently sorting out the information he just heard, Wang Shou tried the ¡®Attributes¡¯ command. Swoosh! A transparent white window appeared in front of his eyes. ID: K2648263 Name: Wang Shuo Physique: 0.9 Cultivation Technique: None Skills: None Equipment: None Items: Newbie Starter Pack x1 1/2 ¡°Just this?¡± Wang Shuo was speechless. The Attributes Window didn¡¯t even have the strength or speed stats. Just a single Physique stat seemed a little too sloppy, didn¡¯t it? ¡°Huh, there¡¯s a second page?¡± Wang Shuo said ¡®Next¡¯ in his head, and the Attributes Window changed in a flash. [Discussion Room k214]¡ªNumber of Players Online: 1000/1000 ¡°Who knows what¡¯s going on? I was just banging with my girlfriend, and I suddenly appeared here. What the f*ck. I don¡¯t even have my underwear on!¡± ¡°Is this the work of aliens? Aliens, f*ck you! Let me go back right now! I just paid off my mortgage after 20 years. Let me f*cking go back now!¡± ¡°Idiot! You¡¯ve already transmigrated. What¡¯s the use of your house? So obviously a broke idiot.¡± ¡°What the f*ck? F*ck you!¡± ¡­ Wang Shuo glanced at the text box at the bottom with no intention of interacting with others. From the discussion, it was clear as day that everyone was emotionally charged. Moreover, the atmosphere was hostile and nasty, making it the wrong time for interaction. Wang Shuo shook his head in dismay and closed the forum. He turned his attention to his items. [Newbie Starter Pack: Open it for a surprise!] [Open? Yes/No] It was only natural to open it. The moment he made the decision, a mechanical voice rang in his head. [The player is undergoing a random draw. [Selection Option] automatically activated.] [Here are the options¡­] Instantly, row after row of tightly packed words rolled out in front of his eyes: [Flame Palm (Lower Yellow Tier)] [Metallo Blade (Lower Yellow Tier)] [Finger of Rejuvenation (Lower Yellow Tier) ¡­ At the top, there were tons of options available, all of which carried the classification ¡®Lower Yellow Tier¡¯. As a hard-core gamer, Wang Shuo immediately knew that this was the quality of the items. Alas, there were no references, so he couldn¡¯t tell what was good and what was bad. Fortunately, there were more options. With a quick glance, Wang Shuo saw that he was only 5% through the progress bar and continued downward. After going through until the 60% mark, the classification finally changed. [Earth Smashing Three Forms (Middle Yellow Tier)] [Damascus Blade (Middle Yellow Tier)] [Body Tempering Pill (Middle Yellow Tier)] ¡­ ¡°Looks like lower yellow tier is the worst quality,¡± Wang Shuo guessed as he continued down the list. At the 80% mark, the classification changed again. [Imperial Vitality Skill (Upper Yellow Tier)] [Gold Thread Armor (Upper Yellow Tier)] [Mystic Flames Spear (Upper Yellow Tier)] ¡­ After confirming that the quality got better farther down the list, Wang Shuo simply scrolled to the bottom. Suddenly, rays of green radiance flooded his vision, as if they were the warmest glimmer in a field of flowers. It was truly enchanting. Fine, this was just an exaggeration. Still, the moment his eyes landed on this option, Wang Shuo felt his heart quicken rapidly. [Primordial Chaos Skill (Lower Mystic Tier)] Description: The Five Elements engender one another, forming primordial chaos. After completion, the player gains a mystic-tier Dao Body, the Primordial Chaos Body. Note: The Primordial Chaos Body can transform into any Dao Body. [The options have fully loaded. Please make a choice.] As an elite who had been through the ¡®baptism¡¯ of multiple webnovels, Wang Shuo realized that this sudden ¡®Selection Option¡¯ he was given was most likely the cheat that every main character received. With a few deep breaths, he suppressed the overflowing excitement within his heart. Then without hesitation, he chose the Primordial Chaos Skill. The next second, an exquisite white treasure chest materialized in midair around 30cm away from him. With a crisp ¡®kacha¡¯, the chest opened. A bright blue light shot out, almost blinding Wang Shou. When the light dissipated, the chest disappeared. In its place, a gorgeous green scroll full of delicate lines floated in the air. [You receive Primordial Chaos Skill (Lower Mystic Tier).] [Learn Primordial Chaos Skill?] ¡°Yes.¡± [Learning in progress. Time Remaining: 2:59:59.] The green scroll turned into a stream of light that flowed into Wang Shuo¡¯s chest. Then he instinctively sat on the ground cross-legged and cultivated his new technique. A gentle, warm current welled up from within his heart and slowly spread to his four limbs. During the process, Wang Shuo felt his body, from the inside to the outside, from his joints to his blood, muscles, and even his skin, begin to swell slightly. This feeling was as though he were soaking in a hot spring, and at the same time, countless pairs of tiny hands were gently massaging him. It made him so comfortable that a soft moan of pleasure almost escaped his mouth. The relaxing experience lasted for half an hour before slowly disappearing. Right as Wang Shuo was about to lament the end of his pleasure, another gush of familiar warmth flowed from his liver. ¡­ Then the warmth began spreading from his spleen, lungs, kidney¡­ After the baptism of the five warm currents, Wang Shuo clearly felt his body strengthening at a rate visible to the naked eye. After an unknown period of time, another mass of information flooded his mind. After some deciphering, he found that it was the cultivation method of the Primordial Chaos Skill. Primordial Chaos Skill had seven chapters: Foundation Establishment, Metal Lungs, Water Kidneys, Wood Liver, Fire Heart, Earth Spleen, and lastly, Life Sublimation. According to the description of the cultivation technique, the minimum criterion for cultivating it was at least 2 points of Physique. With Wang Shuo¡¯s Physique, he hadn¡¯t met the requirement. But the Desolate Game had a hidden benefit for newbies. They would automatically reach the minimum requirements for the techniques chosen from the Newbie Starter Pack, no matter how difficult it was. What Wang Shuo went through just now was the benefit for newbies. He leaped from someone with nothing to a Physique that met the requirement of the Primordial Chaos Skill. ID: K2648263 Name: Wang Shuo Physique: 2 Cultivation Technique: Primordial Chaos Skill (Lower Mystic Tier) Skills: None Equipment: None Items: None His Physique grew from 0.9 to 2 points. In addition to the change to his attributes, Wang Shuo¡¯s figure also improved by leaps and bounds. He now had a well-sculpted waist with broad shoulders, long and muscular limbs, and toned muscles with well-defined lines that seemed to contain explosive power. With his perfectly symmetrical handsome face, he was basically a male god! But after thinking about his current complex situation, he crashed back down to reality. With a long sigh, Wang Shuo lamented, ¡°What¡¯s the point of insanely good looks in this desolate place!¡± Chapter 2 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Wang Shuo focused his attention on the Primordial Chaos Skill. Instantly, rows of information extended down. [Primordial Chaos Skill] Stage 1: Foundation Establishment (Basic Mastery) Description: Nourish the five viscera to establish a firm foundation and cultivate the soul. Breakthrough Requirements: 1. Physique 3-4, Breakthrough Pill (Yellow Tier) x1; 2. Physique 5-6 ¡°Two breakthrough requirements?¡± Wang Shuo rubbed his chin in deep thought. Since stage one was Foundation Establishment, it had to be for establishing a solid foundation. Logically, the stronger the foundation, the more beneficial it would be for future cultivation. The first set of requirements seemed like a shortcut, so it wasn¡¯t the preferred option. But it was still early for these considerations. Wang Shuo opened the forum again. By now, most of the players had already snapped out of their confusion. Many of them were showing off what they received from the Newbie Starter Pack. Most of the items were lower yellow tier, and middle-grade ones were a rarity. Occasionally, when any higher tier items appeared, a flood of envy immediately welcomed them. ¡°Hey, I realized that everyone got lower or middle-grade stuff. Am I the only one who got something upper-grade? I got the [Rampage Sword Technique (Upper Yellow Tier)].¡± ¡°So obviously humblebragging¡­ Get out!!!¡± ¡°What a bitch. Karma will get you for flaunting.¡± ¡°What the heck¡­ I¡¯m so envious. If only my [Damascus Blade (Upper Yellow Tier)] was a cultivation technique instead¡­¡± ¡°Alright¡­ Stop bragging. This sucker here only got a [Healing Pill (Lower Yellow Tier)].¡± ¡­ ¡°Feels awesome!¡± As expected, the best pleasures were highlighted through comparison. Seeing the flood of yellow-tier items, Wang Shuo felt exhilarated. At this moment, a new topic caught his attention. ¡°What the hell. That was scary. I just went out to find food, and a wolfdog pounced at me out of nowhere. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t drawn a [Bronze Sword (Middle Yellow Tier)] and chopped its head off in one fell swoop, I would have definitely died.¡± ¡°What the shit. There are monsters here?¡± ¡°Why else would the game give out free equipment and skills the moment we spawned? For us to laze around and do nothing?¡± ¡­. Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes fleeted to the number of players online, and his heart skipped a beat. 944/1000 ¡°Have people died already?¡± For him, who had never been in a fight since childhood, the sudden life-and-death situation sent panic surging through his mind. However, he was no coward, and he soon calmed down. ¡°If someone can survive with a middle yellow-tier sword, there¡¯s nothing for me to fear. With my superior start, I can survive easily!¡± Suddenly, pangs of hunger struck. Wang Shuo remembered that other than the small breakfast he had in the morning, he hadn¡¯t eaten anything at noon and played games all the way until evening. It had been almost 12 hours since he ate anything. No wonder he was starving. ¡°Shit, there¡¯s not a single damn thing growing here. Where the hell am I supposed to find food?¡± Suddenly, an idea struck Wang Shuo. He remembered that someone mentioned he killed a dog on the forum just now. ¡°Do we have to solve the food issue from monsters? But where do I find them?¡± [The system has detected that the player has opened the Newbie Starter Pack. The First Trial begins!] The next instant, a yellow furball-like creature materialized out of thin air not far away. As soon as the yellow monster appeared on the ground, it rolled about on the spot. Then its body shook a little before pouncing straight at Wang Shuo. At the same time, the fur on its body suddenly pulled back, revealing blood-red jaws. Surprisingly, Wang Shuo wasn¡¯t the least bit worried. This furball wasn¡¯t moving as fast as he expected. On the contrary, it was a little slow. ¡°No, it¡¯s my reaction and motion perception that has improved.¡± This feeling was peculiar. It was as if he were watching a movie playing at half speed. Wang Shuo had enough time to observe the yellow furball¡¯s appearance. He found that this furball had legs, but they were extremely short. These four tiny and thick limbs were shrunken and hidden within the long yellow fur, and only the four grayish-yellow soles were poking out. When the yellow furball finally ¡®floated¡¯ in front of him, Wang Shuo calmly sidestepped. Then he slammed his foot clad in size eight Nike sneakers right into the yellow furball¡¯s abdomen. With this kick, Wang Shuo deeply realized his changes. He experienced an unprecedented sense of strength and coordination; he felt the clear tension with each movement when his skeletal muscles stretched. He was euphoric. Bam! With the dull and deep boom of a powerful blow, Wang Shuo keenly perceived three crisps snaps where his toes rammed. The yellow furball¡¯s fluffy and round body instantly caved in like a sandbag. Then the force exploded. The yellow furball, which was a diameter of nearly one meter, shot out like a football. It flew out for six meters before crashing and rolling for another six meters, where it laid groaning and struggling without the ability to move. ¡°Instant kill?¡± Wang Shuo was slightly surprised. Then he ran over to the monster. In the process, he found his body had become extremely light and agile, as if he had unloaded a heavy burden compared to before. It felt like he was drifting along with a gust of wind. ¡°As expected. The improvement of your Physique is a comprehensive strengthening of the body. Moreover, it¡¯s not as simple as just doubling your stats. Strength, coordination, speed, reaction, motion perception¡­ all of them have broken through the limits of the body and undergone a qualitative transformation. ¡°Looks like I have to familiarize myself with this ¡®new¡¯ body.¡± About two meters in front of the yellow furball, Wang Shuo carefully observed every detail of its body. This monster wasn¡¯t completely dead. Its body was still making faint ¡®groans¡¯ unconsciously, but it was weak and on the brink of death. To be honest, putting aside the big hideous mouth, this yellow furball monster was actually quite cute. It looked like a large pufferfish with fur. Seeing its miserable appearance, Wang Shuo stood motionless. After hesitating for a while, he finally hardened his heart. Just as he was about to land the finishing blow, a notification suddenly popped up in front of him. [You killed Slappy Duck.] The next second, the groaning of the yellow furball, oops, the slappy duck stopped abruptly, and it turned into particles of light and disappeared. [You receive White Treasure Chest x1.] [White Treasure Chest: The lowest-level treasure chest in the Desolate World. Do not have high hopes for the items within.] Wang Shuo was dumbfounded, his excitement doused. ¡°That thing was actually a duck? This world is full of wonders¡­¡± He opened his Attributes Window and found a grey treasure chest in his inventory. Compared to the Newbie Starter Pack he opened earlier, there was a noticeable difference. Although the Newbie Starter Pack was also white, it was engraved with dense, intricate patterns, making it look exquisite. But this White Treasure Chest was pieced together by a few pieces of white wooden boards, giving it an aura of shoddy quality. [The player is undergoing a random draw. [Selection Option] automatically activated.] [Here are the options¡­] [Five Grains Pill x1] [Five Grains Pill x2] [Five Grains Pill x3] [Water Droplet x1] [Water Droplet x2] [Water Droplet x3] [Duck Feather x1] [Duck Feather x2] [Duck Feather x3] Without hesitation, Wang Shuo chose ¡®Five Grains Pill x3¡¯. He was ravenous at this point. Since the Five Grains Pill had the words ¡®five grains¡¯, it definitely had something to do with food. [Please make your next choice.] ¡°I can still choose?¡± Wang Shuo was pleasantly surprised. After some thought, he chose ¡®Water Droplet x3¡¯. [Please make your next choice.] ¡°Awesome!¡± Chapter 3 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios [Five Grains Pill: Used to replenish stamina.] [Water Droplet: Used to quench thirst.] [Duck Feather: Material] Looking at the fluffy yellow feather in his hand, Wang Shuo felt cheated. What was the use of this thing? ¡°If I had known, I would have chosen two more Five Grains Pills.¡± Wang Shuo was a little speechless. A longan-sized black pill appeared in his palm. Instantly, a rich aroma of rice and wheat wafted through the air¡­ Gulp. He was so hungry that his stomach couldn¡¯t help but rumble when he smelled the delicious scent. Wang Shuo couldn¡¯t be bothered to analyze it. He directly threw it into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed it. Unexpectedly, it tasted pretty good. It was soft and chewy, with a slight sweetness. Simply delicious. Less than three seconds after he swallowed it, he felt full. ¡°Not bad!¡± But even though he was full, his mouth felt a little dry. He stretched out his palm, and a crystal-clear, blue gelatinous object that felt like gummy candy appeared in it. ¡°This thing can quench my thirst?¡± Feeling skeptical, Wang Shuo threw it into his mouth. As soon as the water droplet entered his mouth, it turned into a stream of coolness that flowed down his throat and spread throughout his body. Just like the rain after a drought, the delightful sensation caused a shiver to run through Wang Shuo¡¯s body. In just two seconds, he felt as if every cell in his body had been moistened. In an instant, he felt revitalized. ¡°What an amazing thing!¡± Wang Shuo exclaimed in admiration. The game world¡¯s logic truly couldn¡¯t be judged by common sense. Having quenched his thirst and fed his hunger, Wang Shuo inspected the world around him. Above his head, the giant sun shone dazzlingly. ¡°Seems like this game also has day and night¡­¡± After some calculations, Wang Shuo found that if the game world was the same as Earth, and the time was between 10 and 11 a.m. ¡°This won¡¯t do. It¡¯s not even noon yet. Who knows how long these three pills can last. Worse still, the weather is so hot that there¡¯s no way the water droplets will last long¡­¡± Wang Shuo had planned to take a nap. But the realization of his difficult situation immediately planted a sense of urgency within his mind. ¡°Let¡¯s see if there are any other monsters!¡± But after half an hour, he didn¡¯t even find a single hair of any monster, let alone a monster. But he did make an unexpected discovery. While this wilderness seemed endless, Wang Shuo could only move within a one-kilometer radius. A transparent wall blocked the land beyond. He tried to throw a piece of dirt over, but it was also blocked. ¡°Is this just a novice village?¡± Since the Desolate Game was a game, it was not surprising that there was a novice village. But this wasn¡¯t good news. As everyone knew, novice villages were usually the safest places in a game. If this place was really a novice village, then the wall¡¯s existence was probably not to restrict the newbies¡¯ movements. Instead, it was for protecting their safety. In other words, the dangers beyond the wall were not something that the current players could deal with. Upon realizing this, Wang Shuo¡¯s joy from his newfound powers was doused by more than half. If his guess was correct, his current situation was grave. He opened the forum and glanced at the number of players online. His heart sank. 922/1000 In just half an hour, dozens of players went offline again. From the information he gathered on the forum, Wang Shuo guessed that the offline players were most likely killed by monsters. Moreover, these people who were killed likely had not resurrected. Otherwise, the number of people on the forum would not decrease. ¡°Shit, the death rate within the novice villages is already so high. Just what kind of dangers awaits us after we pass the novice period?¡± At this instant, Wang Shuo¡¯s temperament quietly changed. He became less frivolous and much more composed. On the forum, most players had yet to realize the seriousness of the situation. There were still many people fooling around and cracking jokes. Wang Shuo scrolled along and searched for useful information. ¡°Anyone know what the monster respawn timer is?¡± ¡°After I killed the first one, the second respawned about an hour later. But I don¡¯t know if the respawn mechanic is based on the game time or the time of death of the first monster.¡± ¡°It respawns one hour after the time of death. I spent four hours killing two monsters, and then about an hour later, the third monster spawned.¡± ¡°F*ck, you killed two monsters at once? Amazing!¡± ¡°Amazing+1¡± ¡°Amazing+2¡± ¡­ Wang Shuo silently memorized the information and then dived back into the forum again. After finding that there was no more valuable information, he closed the forum. According to the information the players provided, monsters would respawn after some time. But without personally verifying it, Wang Shuo didn¡¯t dare to lower his guard. After finding a spot to rest for about half an hour, two slappy ducks suddenly jumped out from nowhere five meters away. ¡°Why are there two?¡± After browsing the forum, he found that the few players who completed double-kills say that the monsters respawned one by one. Why were there two now? ¡°Is it because I killed the previous one too quickly?¡± Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Wang Shuo got up and faced his enemies. The slappy ducks were pouncing at him in midair. He sidestepped, easily dodging the first monster¡¯s attack. Then he spun around and lashed out with his leg before the second even landed. Although this action was not difficult, the old Wang Shuo definitely couldn¡¯t have executed it. Just coordination alone would have been a massive test for him, much less the necessary flexibility. But just now, his body moved subconsciously as his mind envisioned this movement. Be it the angle or position, everything was the same as he had imagined. The entire process was as natural as drinking water and eating food, simply a piece of cake. The 2 points of Physique significantly improved Wang Shuo¡¯s leg strength and speed. The second slappy duck in mid-flight was sent blasting away before it could react. Wang Shuo didn¡¯t stop. With two enormous strides, he dashed to the other duck and kicked once again. But the slight delay just now allowed the slappy duck to stabilize its body. This time, the duck reacted quickly. It faced the incoming kick head-on and bit forward fearlessly. Don¡¯t be fooled by this monster¡¯s cute appearance. Its movements were fast and ruthless, and most people wouldn¡¯t be able to react. But in Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes, it moved just like slow motion. His calf pulled back just enough to avoid the sharp teeth of the duck. Then like poking the surface of still water, his feet tapped the side of the duck¡¯s head lightly. Kacha! With the crisp snap bones breaking, the duck fell to the ground with a thud. The other slappy duck was still struggling on the ground. Wang Shuo shook his head and walked over to help it end its pain. [You killed Slappy Duck.] [You killed Slappy Duck.] [You receive White Treasure Chest x2.] With the previous lesson learned, Wang Shuo unhesitantly ignored the Duck Feathers and used all his choices on Five Grains Pills and Water Droplets. [Five Grains Pill +3+3+2] [Waterdrop +3+3+2] Including his previous loot, his Five Grains Pills and Water Droplets were now both above ten! Chapter 4 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After confirming the respawn time, Wang Shuo had nothing to do, so he decided to try cultivating. Sitting cross-legged, he took a deep breath and began. According to the Primordial Chaos Skill¡¯s description, Wang Shuo sat cross-legged with his head, palms, and soles facing skyward. Then he calmed himself and focused his mind. Soon, he was in a meditative state. Suddenly, a flash of light streaked through his consciousness. It came from a bright white light spot. He chanted the cultivation mantra in his mind as the bright spot slowly drifted toward him. After five minutes, a cool stream of air rushed into Wang Shuo¡¯s glabella, then moved according to the cultivation method to his chest before disappearing. In less than a minute, Wang Shuo found another light spot. Repeating the previous process, he absorbed it into his chest again. ¡­ After absorbing the fifth light spot, a strong sense of hunger forced Wang Shuo out of his meditative state. ¡°A Five Grains Pill only lasts this long?¡± Puzzled, he swallowed another pill and looked at the sun to check the time. Then he was back to cultivating. During his previous experience, Wang Shuo discovered that his senses sharpened when he cultivated. Thus, there was absolutely no need to worry about sneak attacks or ambushes. Furthermore, stopping cultivation midway had no repercussions. This discovery made him bolder. Suddenly, his senses detected a change. Wang Shuo opened his eyes. His gaze was met with three slappy ducks. ¡°Another one?¡± Wang Shuo was shocked. This time, it was not as simple as an extra spawn. The three monsters were standing in a triangle formation, surrounding him in the center, forming a pincer attack. As soon as they appeared, the three slappy ducks charged in unison. Wang Shuo was unfazed. He stomped his feet, and all the strength in his body erupted. He bulleted forward like a cheetah to the left to counterattack. The powerful explosive force instantly widened the distance between him and the two slappy ducks behind him and on his right. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of the one on his left. The moment they crossed, Wang Shuo¡¯s right hand slapped down onto its head like a slam dunk. The slappy duck smashed into the ground, and its sawtooth-like teeth collided with each other, producing a crisp ¡®kacha¡¯! While the attack seemed practical, Wang Shuo frowned. His palm had landed on hard bone, so the attack did not cause any substantial damage. But now was not the time to make up for it. Without stopping, Wang Shuo zoomed another tens of meters. Then he turned around and looked behind him. The pincer formation had fallen apart, and the three monsters were positioned far apart. Especially the farthest slappy duck, it was obviously slower than the first two. Seeing this, Wang Shuo stopped in his tracks, turned around, and waited quietly. When the first duck arrived, Wang Shuo immediately kicked it, sending it to its afterlife. Despite the cruel execution of the first, the second duck still charged forward heedlessly. Wang Shuo naturally didn¡¯t hold back. With the same method, he kicked the last foolish monster into a ray of light. After three consecutive kill prompts, his inventory received another three treasure chests. Wang Shuo wasn¡¯t in a hurry to open the chests but instead fell into deep thought. ¡°It¡¯s been three spawns, and the number is gradually increasing. This is absolutely abnormal!¡± Under normal circumstances, an ordinary adult would definitely not be a slappy duck¡¯s opponent. First of all, the serrated teeth of its big mouth were terrifying, and the attack power was unquestionable. Second, it was very fast. The moment it pounced over, it was almost as fast as an ordinary dog. Moreover, its fur was very thick, providing it with a defense that far exceeded that of ordinary animals. The combination of strength, speed, and defense made slappy ducks fearsome opponents. Wang Shuo stood in the shoes of his past self and came to the conclusion that he would have been dead meat if he had encountered the pincer attack then. The reason for the pincer attack¡¯s failure was not that the slappy ducks were too weak but that he was too strong. A physique surpassing twice that of ordinary people was not as simple as one plus one. His bone density, muscle strength, and even his thinking speed had doubled, making him into a mini superhuman. Ordinary people might have the same strength after hard training, but there was an indescribable difference in reaction, motion perception, sensitivity, coordination, endurance, and many other aspects. This was a qualitative difference, just like the difference between a cat and a mouse. Compared to before, apart from his unchanged outer appearance, his internals were basically an entirely different species. With this overwhelming advantage, he quickly found the slappy ducks¡¯ weaknesses and defeated them in one fell swoop. Wang Shuo was unsure of the other players¡¯ strength at this stage, but since they were all newbies, the monsters they faced shouldn¡¯t be too different. His mind ran fast, and a guess soon surfaced in his mind. Like other players at the beginning, he only faced a single monster in the first spawn. It was abnormal from his second spawn. He inferred that the number and strength of monsters that most players faced the first time should be the same. Coupled with his speculation about this enclosed area being a newbie village earlier, he thought that the game was most likely training the players and helping them to adapt to battle. From the information on the forum, he found that this was indeed the case. Most players spent a lot of effort to kill monsters. Even the players who had completed double kills took an average of one and a half hours to kill a monster (one hour respawn timer). But in general, most players could manage these monsters with their current strength. His lucky draw of a mystic-tier cultivation technique at the start of the game directly boosted him to a level that far surpassed other new players. The novice village monsters were no match for him. He killed each beast almost instantly, with the entire process taking less than a minute. Only the first time took much longer because it was his first time killing a monster, giving some time for the slappy duck to take its last breath. Obviously, this failed the purpose of training. Perhaps the game noticed this and consciously increased the difficulty for Wang Shuo. So the second time, it directly spawned two slappy ducks. After seeing his easy victory again, the game chose to spawn three. ¡°According to this logic, the number of monsters should continue to increase until the battle is evenly matched.¡± At this thought, Wang Shou not only didn¡¯t have a single trace of fear but was instead excited. He discovered that he was a combative person deep in his bones, and the upcoming challenges would serve to satisfy his desires. His lack of battle experience didn¡¯t dampen his enthusiasm. On the contrary, he felt exhilarated, making him more and more fascinated with the game. But these three battles were far from enough to satisfy him. Slappy ducks were just too weak for him. It was just like an adult fighting a toddler. A light tap and the latter collapsed. A more brutal hit and the latter was dead. Thus, Wang Shuo was unclear about his limits. If he could not take advantage of his newbie period to hone his combat experience, he would definitely suffer huge losses when facing evenly matched or even strong opponents in the future. Besides, he could also take advantage of this opportunity to farm resources. Moreover, he discovered something while cultivating earlier. The main purpose of Five Grains Pills was not to satisfy your hunger but for cultivating. To absorb five light spots, you needed to consume a Five Grains Pill. Otherwise, your body would find it challenging to maintain a meditative state due to hunger. While waiting for monsters to respawn, he had absorbed 11 light spots. In other words, it took around half an hour to consume a Five Grains Pill. Accordingly, if he cultivated for ten hours, he would need twenty pills. Chapter 5 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Under normal circumstances, Wang Shuo could only obtain six Five Grain Pills an hour. But this was the limit if he killed one monster at each spawn timer and selected the best options. The reality was even more dismal for ordinary players. In a regular game, his current situation could basically be considered a bug. But since it was unfair to other players, the game made some changes. Judging from the number of monsters spawned, it was obvious that the game realized how massive Wang Shuo¡¯s advantage was. But the response mechanism was a little stiff, and the increase in difficulty was negligible. But Wang Shuo knew that this situation wouldn¡¯t last long with the Desolate Game¡¯s abilities. His current most pressing priority was to exploit this period and try to end each battle in the shortest time possible to maximize the number of monster respawns and farm a good amount of resources. An hour later, after he absorbed another ten light spots, four slappy ducks appeared around him without any warning. ¡°Nice!¡± Wang Shuo was extremely excited. Without breaking a sweat, he dodged the slappy ducks¡¯ attacks, pulled open his distance from the formation, and defeated them one by one. Now that he had a clear understanding of the abilities of slappy ducks, coupled with his overwhelming strength, the entire battle was a breeze. It was just that he took an extra minute. After obtaining four more White Treasure Chests, Wang Shuo started cultivating again. ¡­ Due to the power gap between slappy ducks and Wang Shuo, they wouldn¡¯t pose a threat to him before the quantity reached a qualitative change. The fifth round, sixth round, seventh round¡­ The numbers of slappy ducks increased with each round. By nightfall, Wang Shuo completed another six rounds. Including the first three, he had harvested a total of 45 White Treasure Chests. For six of the treasure chests he opened, he chose half Water Droplets and half Five Grains Pill. As for the remaining ones, he chose only Five Grains Pill. Currently, he had 23 droplets and 237 pills, of which he had eaten 20. At the same time, with the consumption of two Five Grain Pills per hour during cultivation, Wang Shuo had absorbed 91 light spots. As he absorbed more and more light spots, he gradually felt a warmth amplifying in his chest. In particular, after the number of light spots reached 80, this warmth was much more potent. And he even began to feel a swelling. But it was not uncomfortable. Instead, he felt more and more energetic and revitalized. After swallowing another pill, Wang Shuo entered a meditative state again. 98, 99¡­ As the feeling of fullness gradually turned to hunger, Wang Shuo successfully absorbed the 100th light spot. He skillfully circulated his cultivation technique, and the light spot moved to his chest. Kacha! His chest exploded like a hot water bottle. Countless streams of scorching hot air rushed to his limbs and bones. At the same time, a feeling similar to when he received the Primordial Chaos Skill and his Physique strengthened swept through his entire body. About five minutes later, Wang Shuo opened his eyes in high spirits. He could feel the increased strength throughout his body. A wide smile hooked across his face. With a thought, he opened the Attributes Window. As expected, the state of the Primordial Chaos Skill had changed. [Primordial Chaos Skill] Stage 1: Foundation Establishment (Elementary Mastery) Description: Nourish the five viscera to establish a firm foundation and cultivate the soul. Breakthrough Requirements: 1. Physique 3-4, Breakthrough Pill (Yellow Tier) x1; 2. Physique 5-6 With the breakthrough of the Primordial Chaos Skill, Wang Shuo¡¯s Physique increased from 2 to 3. ¡°Take off!¡± Wang Shuo grinned. When he had just 2 points of Physique, the slappy ducks were already at his mercy. Now that his Physique improved once again, the results were crystal clear. With his current strength, if he fought his previous self, his previous self probably wouldn¡¯t even have the power to fight back. This gap was even more significant than the gap between him and ordinary people before he broke through. ¡°It¡¯s time to test my strength.¡± Excitement pumped through Wang Shuo¡¯s veins. Seeing that it was about time, he stood up and started warming up. About five minutes later, ten consecutive soft rustles echoed. The cold crescent moon shining in the sky illuminated ten white figures. As his Physique improved, Wang Shuo¡¯s night vision also improved tremendously. Even the dark night wasn¡¯t much different from a bright day in his eyes. This was also the reason why he dared to come out at night to kill monsters. Looking at the slappy ducks swarming all around him, Wang Shuo remained unfazed. If it was before, he would have had to escape the encirclement at breakneck speed and then kill each one individually. But this time, he didn¡¯t do so. He just stood there quietly. He seemed to be motionless. But in fact, every cell in his body was active. At this moment, Wang Shuo felt peculiar. Even though his eyes could only see the front, his powerful five senses formed an image of his surroundings in his mind through smell, hearing, and touch (airflow). Suddenly, he tilted his body slightly, and his hands patted the heads of two ducks. Kacha! Accompanied by the crisp sound of bones breaking, the two slappy ducks turned into particles of light and disappeared without a sound. Wang Shuo didn¡¯t stop. With light steps, he dodged three successive attacks. Then with a light hook from his toes, another monster exploded into particles of light and dissipated. He sidestepped to meet another slappy duck lunging from the right. Like a spinning top, he swiveled to the back of it. The next second, his black shadow slammed into the duck. Before it could come to its senses, two palms landed one after another. From the start of the battle until now, only a few seconds had passed before he killed half of the ten slappy ducks. During the process, Wang Shuo was immersed in the wonderful feeling of having everything under control. Although he was much stronger than the slappy ducks before, he lacked combat experience and couldn¡¯t fully display his strength. For example, when facing the encirclement, he didn¡¯t know how to deal with attacks from blind spots, causing him to be fearful in battle. He could only rely on running out of the formation and then attacking them one by one. But as his Physique reached 3 points, his five senses underwent an immense change. If you were to use an example to illustrate, Wang Shuo gained an advanced version of the auditory position tracking that main characters in martial arts stories had. This powerful ability was akin to granting Wang Shuo a heavenly eye, offering him a bird¡¯s eye view of things within a three-meter radius around him. With this, he eliminated all worries in his heart. Instantly, his combat ability sublimated. Like an elegant and swift breeze, Wang Shuo weaved through the five black shadows like a ghost. A few seconds later, he turned around. At this moment, five streaks of white light burst like fireworks. As the continuous kill notifications and reward notifications came to an end, and Wang Shuo prepared to leave, a notification suddenly popped up. Chapter 6 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios [Congratulations. You have completed the First Trial. Rewards: Trading Rights, Special Treasure Chest x1] [Trading Rights: You can add other players as trading partners based on Player ID.] [Special Treasure Chest: Upon opening, you will receive an item no lower than Lower Yellow Tier.] The sudden notice of completing the first trial was completely unexpected for Wang Shou. At the same time, the two rewards gave him a pleasant surprise. Currently, Trading Rights was not very useful. Everyone was still at the beginning of the game and had nothing to their names. He had only managed to farm so many resources through the ¡®bug¡¯. Unlike him, most players were probably still struggling to feed themselves. But the second reward was awesome. With Selection Option, what he wanted most now was all kinds of treasure chests. Furthermore, the lowest-quality item this Special Treasure Chest gave was upper yellow tier. Wang Shuo opened his inventory and immediately chose to open it. [The player is undergoing a random draw. [Selection Option] automatically activated.] [Here are the options¡­] [Breakthrough Pill (Upper Yellow Tier)] [Wolf Poison Dagger (Upper Yellow Tier)] [Wall-climbing Lizard Technique (Upper Yellow Tier)] ¡­ Wang Shuo didn¡¯t rush to the end but instead looked through them one by one. There were 12 items to choose from in the Special Treasure Chest. There were pills, weapons, cultivation techniques, and skills¡­ Ten of them were upper yellow tier, and only the final two were mystic tier. They were a cultivation technique and a weapon. [Nether Sword Art (Lower Mystic Tier)] [Green Dragon Staff (Lower Mystic Tier)] Without hesitation, Wang Shuo rejected all the yellow-tier options. Since he had a choice, he definitely had to choose the best. ¡°Nether Sword Art¡­¡± He was quite tempted to choose this technique, especially when he imagined himself clad in a snow-white robe with a sword slowly drifting over with the winds. But in the end, he still chose the last one¡ªGreen Dragon Staff. Being a white-robed swordsman wasn¡¯t bad, but Wang Shuo preferred staffs and rods. Back then, when he read Journey to the West, he was pretty envious of the Monkey King¡¯s Ruyi Jingu Staff, which could stretch and shrink at will. And as he grew older¡­ he became even more envious. Of course, he hadn¡¯t hastily made the decision and had read the description of the Nether Sword Art. It was a complete set of cultivation techniques that contained the cultivation of internal energy and sword techniques. But this sword art required refining death energy to unleash its true power, so cultivating it was somewhat troublesome. Furthermore, his current cultivation technique, the Primordial Chaos Skill, was not inferior to it. So it naturally wasn¡¯t logical for him to change his cultivation technique. Thus, the Green Dragon Staff was his best choice. [You receive Green Dragon Staff.] Wang Shuo felt a weight land on his palm. A green staff nearly two meters long and three centimeters in diameter appeared out of thin air. The staff was dark green and had a scaled green dragon with claws winding around it. It emanated a very domineering aura. [Green Dragon Staff] Description: Cast from black iron and refined with the blood of a 500-year-old green dragon. Within this staff, boundless power flows. There was only one way to describe how Wang Shuo felt about the staff¡ªcool, fierce, domineering! Wang Shuo waved his new weapon to test it out. After his Physique improved, his raw strength was already off the charts. But the Green Dragon Staff still felt slightly weighty in his hands. Evidently, the staff was not light. It was at least around 20 kilograms. ¡°I wonder how powerful it is.¡± He put the Green Dragon Staff in his inventory and turned to the forum. Number of players online: 824/1000 ¡°Brothers, my legs are broken. I might not be able to survive the next round.¡± ¡°Old man, why are you working so hard? When the next monster respawns, think of a way to disrupt its mobility. As long as you don¡¯t kill it, the system will determine that you haven¡¯t ended the battle, and you can drag it out for as long as you need. I¡¯ve used this method from noon until now and only killed two monsters during this time.¡± ¡°F*ck. If I knew earlier, I would have done it too!¡± ¡°A big shot posted this tactic at noon. Didn¡¯t you read it?¡± ¡°Speaking of which, how many rounds has everyone cleared so far?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve cleared seven rounds and can¡¯t hold on much longer. But a big shot said that there are ten rounds in the first trial. You can rest after that. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. The big shot already showed screenshots. After completing the first trial, you will be rewarded with a special treasure chest, and the worst item you get from it is middle yellow tier.¡± ¡°This damn place sucks. I really want to go home! I miss my bed!¡± ¡­ ¡°You can rest after completing the first trial?¡± This was excellent news for Wang Shuo. Although the battles today didn¡¯t consume much of his energy, and he was still in good condition, he still wanted to rest. After all, humans weren¡¯t robots. ¡°Speaking of which, I haven¡¯t slept for more than twenty hours. Why don¡¯t I feel sleepy? Is it because of my cultivation?¡± Wang Shuo clicked his tongue in wonder. In any case, this was a good thing for now. Since he wasn¡¯t sleepy, he would continue cultivating. Soon, Wang Shuo felt the difference. Before he broke through, it took him about five minutes to capture a light spot. Now, as soon as he entered a meditative state, a light spot jumped out. Then in just half the time as before, he absorbed it into his chest. Ten minutes later, Wang Shuo opened his eyes, threw a Five Grains Pill into his mouth, and sank into cultivation again. ¡°It really isn¡¯t an illusion. After I broke through, my cultivation speed doubled.¡± Wang Shuo felt excited. Although the consumption of Five Grain Pills also doubled like this, the 55 treasure chests provided him with more than 300 Five Grain Pills. Even if he cultivated non-stop for 24 hours a day, they would last for two days. Alas, based on his speculations about this game, he knew resting leisurely likely wasn¡¯t an option. Only through killing monsters could he ensure that resources were readily available. With Selection Option, Wang Shuo was full of confidence. Just as he immersed himself in cultivating, the forum became lively again. ¡°Trading [Healing Pill (Middle Yellow Tier)]x10 for [Five Grains Pills]x100. Give me your ID if you want any.¡± ¡°Boss, where did you get the healing pill? Why do I only get Five Grains Pills, Water Droplets, and materials?¡± ¡°Boss, is it effective against broken bones?¡± ¡°Can I buy on credit? I will pay you back tenfold!¡± ¡°Idiot, does this game have a trading system?¡± ¡°[Trade], [Healing Pill (Middle Yellow Tier)]x7. If you want to buy any, buy quickly.¡± ¡°Damn, why don¡¯t I have a trade panel??¡± ¡°Trading Rights opens after finishing the first trial. Those who want any, give me your ID. I¡¯ll DM you.¡± ¡­ And this was only the beginning. The number of players who completed the first trial gradually increased, and more and more players were participating in trading. The item in most demand was Five Grains Pills. As time passed, the value of Five Grains Pill increased several times. The Primordial Chaos Skill that Wang Shuo cultivated was a mystic-tier technique, and it only took him 20 Five Grains Pills to reach elementary mastery from basic mastery. It was imaginable how effective Five Grains Pills were. As more and more people realized the effect of Five Grains Pills, fewer and fewer people were willing to sell them. After all, they didn¡¯t gain many in a day. Even the top players who completed the first trial and all ten rounds could only get 30 Five Grain Pills, much less the weaker players. Chapter 7 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Of course, this had nothing to do with Wang Shuo for the time being. After a night of cultivation, he consumed 42 Five Grains Pills and successfully absorbed more than 200 light spots. Unfortunately, the 200 light spots seemed to sink into an ocean. Not even a single wave rose, much less a breakthrough. Wang Shuo wasn¡¯t too surprised by this. The stronger the strength, the more difficult it would be to increase it. This was only natural. When he swallowed another Five Grains Pill and wanted to continue cultivating, a notification suddenly popped up. [The Second Trial will begin soon. Players, please get ready.] Only then did Wang Shuo realize that the sky was already bright. The gentle morning sun enveloped the land, illuminating the tender sprouts everywhere on the ground. ¡°Something doesn¡¯t feel right¡­¡± He suddenly looked down. He remembered that all he could see yesterday was a desolate plain. But in just one short night, it had become full of vitality. ¡°Sure enough, it¡¯s a game world you can¡¯t judge by common sense!¡± Wang Shuo shook his head and stood up. Although he had stayed up all night, he was full of energy. After stretching his limbs, he scanned his surroundings. ¡°I wonder what the second trial is.¡± While he was guessing, a camp suddenly sprang up out of thin air not far away. The camp was simple and crude, about the size of a basketball court, and surrounded by a spiked wooden fence. There were a few straw tents inside. As soon as the camp appeared, six kobolds wielding axes and spiked clubs emerged from three small tents. The kobolds were all around 1.6 meters tall and had well-built bodies. The bulging muscles all over their bodies were comparable to those of bodybuilders. Wang Shuo¡¯s expression turned solemn, and his entire body tensed up as he faced them. Just when Wang Shuo thought that these guys would immediately rush over, he found that they didn¡¯t seem to notice him at all and continued to wander around the fence. ¡°Has the mechanic changed?¡± Wang Shuo slowly retreated a hundred meters away. Seeing that these monsters really had no intention of coming after him, he stopped. ¡°Looks like the second trial is to clear the camp.¡± He opened the forum. Sure enough, many players were discussing the second trial. ¡°Holy shit. Isn¡¯t the second trial too difficult? Yesterday, I struggled fighting one-on-one. But today, I have to fight so many at once?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. It¡¯s the same for me. I fought two green-skinned goblin-like monsters. They were horrifying, especially the big one.¡± ¡°What should I do? I have three spiders on my side. I¡¯m most afraid of spiders!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic. The monsters in the second trial seem to have an aggro range. I just tested it and found that the monsters will stop chasing after 50 meters away from the camp.¡± ¡°Indeed. As long as we strategize, the difficulty won¡¯t be much greater than before.¡± ¡­ Wang Shuo closed the forum and looked at the camp in the distance. He couldn¡¯t help taking a deep breath. Although he was mentally prepared, he didn¡¯t expect the system to be so crazy. The camps of others started off with the three monsters, but the number on his side doubled. And there was still a large tent that was inactive. From the description of the other players, the strength of these kobolds was extraordinary. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll give it a try first.¡± Tossing aside the distracting thoughts in his mind, Wang Shuo concentrated and moved toward the camp. The six kobolds formed a triangle around the camp. When he was about 50 meters away, two kobolds suddenly turned their heads over and glared at him. The two kobolds growled and bared their fangs as they charged forward. ¡°So fast!¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s heart skipped a beat. The kobolds¡¯ explosive speed was almost comparable to his before his breakthrough. If he hadn¡¯t broken through, he wouldn¡¯t have the confidence to face these two. In the blink of an eye, the distance between the two sides closed to under ten meters. Wang Shuo¡¯s powerful motion perception allowed him to capture every detail of their movements. He clenched his fist, and the Green Dragon Staff appeared in his palm. When they were only five meters away, the kobold on the left raised its one-meter long stone ax and swung it down. At the same time, the kobold on the right swung its spiked club at Wang Shuo¡¯s waist. A gale whipped up, screeching like the cries of ravenous ghosts. Wang Shuo¡¯s heart pounded like a drum as his gaze darted around like lightning. His thoughts were extremely clear. He nimbly dodged the first attack and swept the Green Flood Dragon Staff across, accurately striking the spiked club. With a clang, the thick and tough club instantly shattered into several pieces. Even Wang Shuo was shocked by the power of his staff. His original intention was just to parry the opponent¡¯s attack. ¡°As expected of a mystic-tier weapon!¡± Under the enormous force of the blow, the kobold stumbled back several meters. Wang Shuo¡¯s heart stirred. With this advantage, he was about to follow up and end this guy. But he hadn¡¯t learned staff techniques. Before long, the effect of this attack wore off. Just as its momentum stopped, he saw the stone ax swing down diagonally at his head. Although Wang Shuo could clearly sense that the opponent¡¯s strength was much weaker than his, he didn¡¯t dare to use his body to receive this attack and could only raise his staff to block. As the Green Flood Dragon Staff shook slightly, the kobold holding the stone ax released its grip as if it had been electrocuted and retreated two steps. Its two arms hung low and shook slightly. After all, Wang Shuo¡¯s strength was far beyond its. Even if it was merely a passive block, there was enough force to damage the kobold. Although it took a lot of words to describe this, all of it happened in mere moments. The weapons of the two kobolds were destroyed. Their eyes revealed human-like shock as they turned around and ran away without hesitation. But how could Wang Shuo let them go? He stomped the ground and appeared behind one of them in an instant. He thrust the Green Dragon Staff forward like a spear at his opponent¡¯s back. Although he didn¡¯t know staff techniques, the robust coordination brought by 3 points of Physique gave him precise control of his strength. The attack landed squarely on kobold¡¯s spine. With a crisp crack, the Green Flood Dragon Staff¡¯s head pierced through the body into the ground. Although the results were remarkable, Wang Shuo was not happy. When he pulled out the Green Dragon Staff, the other one had already run eight meters away. Most importantly, the four kobolds on the left and right had already arrived to support it. Wang Shuo frowned while pondering. After some hesitation, he still chose to turn around and leave. From the previous exchange, he discovered his weakness. In terms of strength, he could crush the kobolds. Furthermore, his weapon was much more potent than theirs. But he was extremely unfamiliar with using it. Fighting with weapons was different from fighting with punches and kicks. As long as your strength was tremendous and reaction speed was swift, techniques were all minor details. But fighting with weapons was a challenging test of skill and technique. It was okay to receive one or two punches and kicks, but swords and axes could seriously injure you in just one hit. With his current staff techniques, facing five kobolds was looking for death. Chapter 8 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°As expected, the aggro disappears after fifty meters.¡± Looking at the five retreating kobolds, Wang Shuo opened his inventory and saw a White Treasure Chest lying inside. The kobold, whose spine was shattered and chest was pierced by the Green Dragon Staff, had only managed to hold on for five seconds before dying. Compared to the slappy ducks, there was nothing special about the items dropped by the kobold. The main things were also Five Grains Pills and Water Droplets. The only difference was that the kobold dropped more of them. There were three options for the two¡ª9, 6, and 3. In addition, the kobold also dropped a weapon. [Stone Ax: A rather handy weapon.] Yes, this weapon had no grade. No wonder the Green Dragon Staff was able to shatter it into pieces with a light sweep. Without hesitation, Wang Shuo used all three choices on Five Grains Pills. Then Wang Shuo grasped the Green Dragon Staff and began pondering his next course of action. He didn¡¯t know much about martial arts, and he only knew the basic usage of staff techniques such as the standard sweep, poke, chop, and stab. He recalled his previous battle. The only two effective attacks were the first sweep that smashed the spiked club and the second stab that killed the kobold directly. As for the rest, he had to rely on his outstanding attributes to adapt to the situation. But not only were many of his actions relatively ineffective, they even hampered his own strength. Looking at the camp, Wang Shuo made a decision. He planned to familiarize himself with his moves before using the kobolds to hone his staff techniques. But he knew that he wasn¡¯t a martial arts prodigy, and it was entirely unrealistic for him to master some profound staff techniques in a short time. Then again, he didn¡¯t have to be that accomplished. As long as he could use the Green Flood Dragon Staff proficiently, it would be enough for the time being. In fact, it was challenging for ordinary people to even achieve this in such a short time. But Wang Shuo was not an ordinary person. With 3 points of Physique, his physical fitness, coordination, reaction, and control over his body far exceeded that of ordinary people. Moreover, they were just some simple basic movements, and it wouldn¡¯t take long for him to familiarize himself with them. Wang Shuo also didn¡¯t intend to practice too many staff techniques. He only planned to practice three moves¡ªchop, sweep, stab. Chop and sweep were mainly used to deal with the kobolds, while stab used the Green Flood Dragon Staff as a spear like earlier and could be regarded as a killing move. Wang Shuo didn¡¯t know the correct postures for exerting the most amount of force. Still, the extraordinary perception of his body gave him an instinctual understanding of how to be more comfortable in exerting force with greater power. Initially, his training speed was agonizingly slow. Every time he practiced a move, his posture would collapse. As he lacked specialized knowledge in this area, his body appeared very stiff. But if you observed carefully, you would notice that his movements were becoming smoother and smoother at a visible speed. At the same time, the sound produced by the Green Dragon Staff was also changing. From the original ¡®wuwu¡¯ sound, it became a crisp and powerful ¡®weng¡¯. During the process, Wang Shuo felt he was becoming more adept at controlling the Green Dragon Staff. After practicing for more than an hour, Wang Shuo threw a Five Grains Pill into his mouth while panting heavily. Although his Physique was extraordinary, the amount of stamina he expended every time he swung his weapon with all his strength was no less than that of ordinary people. Fortunately, Five Grains Pills were not only effective for cultivation techniques but also had an excellent effect on relieving sore muscles. Every time he felt his arms aching, he would only need one or two minutes to recover after swallowing a Five Grains Pill. This also dispelled his doubts. No wonder everyone wanted Five Grains Pills. If it were only effective for cultivation techniques, then the players who drew martial arts and weapons wouldn¡¯t have shown so much interest in Five Grains Pills. Soon, Wang Shuo felt his body recover to its optimum condition again and stopped training. As the saying went, it was better to fight once than to train a hundred times. No matter how hard he trained, it wasn¡¯t as effective as a real fight. Holding the Green Dragon Staff, Wang Shuo exhaled and walked straight toward two kobolds. There were originally six kobolds split into pairs, forming exactly three teams. But after he killed one, the remaining one directly joined another team. This immediately dispelled his thought of taking advantage of them. On the other end, the two kobolds let out enraged roars and charged at the man who had killed their comrade. Wang Shuo held the end of the staff in his left hand and balanced the body of the staff with his right hand while quietly waiting in place. It was not until the two kobolds closed in that he stepped back and swept across. Clang! Unsurprisingly, with the scattering of stone fragments, the opponent¡¯s weapon shattered. Wang Shuo rotated his wrist and flipped the Green Dragon Staff to hold it on the other end. The air reverberated with a loud thrumming. The Green Flood Dragon Staff relentlessly swept upward like an azure dragon emerging from the water and ruthlessly struck the kobold¡¯s chest, tearing open a wide hole. After the first attack, Wang Shuo didn¡¯t even look as he raised his staff to block a ferocious spiked club. A tremendous force transmitted along the body of the staff. Wang Shuo¡¯s arm trembled slightly but still held on firmly. But the kobold stabbed in the chest couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. It had already suffered severe injuries, and it let out a miserable cry as it dissipated into particles of light. This saved Wang Shuo a lot of trouble. With a twirl of his wrist, he flicked the spiked club away and took advantage of the moment when the enemy¡¯s body was unstable to smash down on its head. With an audible crack, the other kobold also disappeared into particles of light. Wang Shuo didn¡¯t linger to continue fighting and decisively turned around to retreat. When the other three kobolds arrived, he had already run out of the aggro range. Sitting on the ground and breathing heavily, Wang Shuo replayed the battle in his mind. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have taken the hit head-on just now. It would have been easier to redirect the force. ¡°The distance was too close and not suitable for staff techniques.¡± ¡­. After reviewing his battle, Wang Shuo raised his staff and started practicing again. After more than an hour, he walked back to the camp. But this time, Wang Shuo didn¡¯t fight the three kobolds immediately. Instead, he relied on his extraordinary attributes to tussle with them. Relying on his advanced auditory position tracking, Wang Shuo continuously danced around the kobolds. At the same time, the Green Dragon Staff in his hand struck out periodically to test the optimal attack range. During the process, Wang Shuo realized that although his staff techniques were rather conventional, it didn¡¯t mean he had to clash head-on. This was especially so when facing multiple attacks. It would be easier to dodge the attacks with movement techniques. After familiarizing himself with the attacking patterns of the three kobolds, he also developed a better grasp of distance. ¡°It¡¯s about time. This level of strength is no longer enough to pressure me.¡± Recognizing this point, Wang Shuo didn¡¯t waste any more time and suddenly unleashed all his strength. Before the three kobolds could react, Wang Shuo charged forward ferociously. The Green Flood Dragon Staff swept across and broke the weapons of two kobolds, and with a stab, one of them turned into light. After calmly dodging the attack of the last weapon, he swung his staff and smashed the head of the other kobold, who had lost its weapon. The last kobold wanted to flee, but Wang Shuo mercilessly killed it before it could even take three steps. With the death of the last kobold, the largest tent in the camp suddenly burst open, revealing a two-meter-tall red-skinned kobold holding a large stick. It stomped out menacingly. Chapter 9 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios From the looks of it, this was clearly the final boss of the camp. But Wang Shuo had long mentally prepared himself for the last big tent. He had honed his staff techniques on those small fries to enhance his strength as much as possible just so that he could deal with this situation. ¡°This guy also uses a staff. What a coincidence. I wonder if killing him will drop a secret manual!¡± His eyes gleaming brightly, Wang Shuo licked his lips. ¡°Human, you¡¯re not bad!¡± To Wang Shuo¡¯s surprise, the kobold leader didn¡¯t display any anger but instead appeared extremely calm. The other party spoke an unfamiliar language, but Wang Shuo understood it perfectly. He was already used to the miraculous quirks of the game, so there was nothing surprising about it. But he was surprised that his foe possessed intelligence. He tried asking, ¡°Can you say anything else?¡± The kobold leader holstered the black staff that was almost his height behind his back with his right hand and slowly walked forward. His voice was brimming with power, resembling the growling of a beast. ¡°Human, join my race, and I will spare your life.¡± A strange look flashed across Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes. ¡°How do I join?¡± ¡°As long as you swear an oath to the Temple and join our kobold race, I will personally guarantee you a smooth and safe passage through the Newcomer¡¯s Trial.¡± Wang Shuo showed a curious expression. ¡°Is the Newcomer¡¯s Trial difficult?¡± ¡°Nine paths of death and one path of life.¡± The kobold leader continued confidently, ¡°The Newcomer¡¯s Trial is divided into three levels. The first level is just for you to adapt. Starting from the second level, the difficulty will increase significantly.¡± In every Newcomer¡¯s Trial, only one in ten thousand could pass the third level. ¡°As long as you are willing to join our race, I can teach you our race¡¯s Inheritance Skill and guarantee that you will be able to safely pass the Newcomer¡¯s Trial.¡± Wang Shuo asked curiously, ¡°Can you tell me what the third level of the trial is?¡± ¡°This is all I can tell you. Any more, and I will violate the Temple¡¯s restrictions.¡± ¡°What is the Temple?¡± ¡°The Temple supreme, and any speculation of the Temple is blasphemy.¡± The kobold leader replied sincerely. But seeing that Wang Shuo wanted to ask more, his face darkened. ¡°This is all the information I can tell you. ¡°Give your answer now!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Wang Shuo smacked his lips regretfully. ¡°My answer is¡ªKILL!¡± Before he finished speaking, Wang Shuo instantly sprung up and leaped two meters into the air. Then he used a simple and unadorned Mountain Chop, smashing his staff down violently. With the enhancement his powerful Physique gave, the Green Dragon Staff emitted an ear-piercing roar as it struck down like a bolt of lightning. ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± The kobold leader still didn¡¯t understand that he had been played and raised his staff to block. Clang! As soon as they exchanged blows, Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes narrowed. The feedback from the weapon clearly told him that his opponent¡¯s Physique was not weaker than his. But he immediately grinned. The center of the kobold leader¡¯s black staff actually had a slight bend after blocking the attack! ¡°Impossible!¡± The kobold leader¡¯s expression changed drastically. With a flick of his wrist, he immediately displayed a show of explosive strength. Wang Shuo¡¯s palm turned numb, and the Green Dragon Staff bounced back involuntarily. At the same time, the kobold leader immediately took the opportunity to straighten his staff back. Wang Shuo wiggled his fingers to get some sensation back as his eyes lit up. The move the kobold leader used was obviously a special technique. Moreover, it was much more exquisite than the moves he had figured out himself. ¡°If only I could get my hands on it!¡± The kobold leader stared at the Green Dragon Staff. ¡°What kind of weapon is this?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough!¡± Wang Shuo was too lazy to waste his breath on him, and he immediately swung the Green Dragon Staff once more. But the distance was not enough this time, so his target was the weapon in his opponent¡¯s hand. The kobold leader spun his long staff, and a similar twisting force as just now erupted, wanting to disperse the force of the Green Dragon Staff. But although the kobold leader¡¯s strength was not low and his technique was much better, his weapon was clearly inferior. As soon as the two staffs came into contact, the black staff immediately deformed, causing this exquisite move to peter out. Seeing this, Wang Shuo became even more ferocious. The Green Dragon Staff danced in his hands even more eagerly. What he was doing couldn¡¯t be considered a proper technique but rather a chaotic flurry of attacks. Relying on the advantage of his weapon, he shamelessly pressed his advantage and wildly smashed everything in his way. In less than half a minute, the kobold leader¡¯s weapon broke into two pieces. The kobold leader felt incredibly aggrieved. He could clearly see that this human¡¯s staff technique was extremely crude and could not even be considered a technique at all. But the quality of his weapon was too high, far exceeding his middle yellow-tier Black Wind Staff. It could be said that he possessed many skills but had nowhere to display them. ¡°I refuse to accept this!¡± The kobold leader¡¯s eyes were spitting fire, but he could only helplessly hold the two short, warped Black Wind Staff remnants like walking sticks to block left and right desperately. ¡°It¡¯s up to me whether you can accept it or not!¡± Wang Shuo could see that his opponent was like an arrow at the end of its flight. So with the attitude of a virus aiming to take life, he took the opportunity to sweep his left hand and sent one of the short remnants of the staff flying. Caught off guard, the kobold leader was simply unable to prevent it. He was already barely able to hold on, but now, he could no longer hold on. Clang! With a deafening blast, the palm of the kobold leader split open, and the last staff remnant was knocked to the ground. ¡°Die!¡± Wang Shuo leaped high into the air and unleashed another crude Mountain Chop. The kobold leader was unable to avoid it and could only raise his arms to block it. But the mystic-tier Green Dragon Staff wasn¡¯t something a body of flesh and blood could withstand. With the enhancement of Wang Shuo¡¯s tyrannical strength, the Green Dragon Staff swept across like a gale, shattering the opponent¡¯s arm as if it was rotten wood. But the remaining force didn¡¯t dissipate and continued forward to smash the opponent¡¯s head open like a watermelon. [You killed the Kobold Leader.] [You receive White Treasure Chest x1.] [You exterminated the Kobold Camp.] [You receive Kobold Leader¡¯s Inheritance Treasure Chest x1.] The White Treasure Chest was still the same as before, so Wang Zhuo chose 18 Five Grains Pills again. Next was the Kobold Leader¡¯s Inheritance Treasure Chest. Soon, the treasure chest¡¯s loot was listed. There were three options. [Bloodline Body Tempering Technique] Grade: Middle Yellow Tier Description: Use kobold blood as the foundation to temper the body. Note: Cultivators must have the kobold bloodline. [Black Wind Staff] Grade: Middle Yellow Tier Description: Black, thick, and hard. Easy to use. [Common Basic Staff Technique] Grade: Lower Yellow Tier Description: This is a set of staff techniques developed by the kobolds. It contains all the moves for staff techniques. Wang Shuo chose the Common Basic Staff Technique without hesitation. The next moment, many moves relating to staff techniques suddenly appeared in his mind. ¡°There are actually so many different types of staff techniques!¡± There were nearly twenty basic and practical moves. Chop, swing, poke, lift, cleave, crush, stab, sweep, pierce, block, provoke, stand, smash, etc. ¡°But why didn¡¯t I directly master the staff techniques this time? Was the Primordial Chaos Skill just a newbie benefit?¡± Wang Shuo couldn¡¯t help thinking that it was a pity, but he immediately felt that this mentality was wrong. Always thinking about reaping without sowing wasn¡¯t a character trait that a main character should have. That¡¯s right. This shameless person already replaced himself as the main character in the story. After all, everyone knew that the people with cheats were the main characters in any work. Chapter 10 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Although Wang Shuo had destroyed the kobold camp, the second trial still wasn¡¯t over. With his experience in the first trial, he thought that the second trial would be the same as before, and monsters would continue to swarm in wave after wave. But after two hours, nothing happened. ¡°Is it because the difficulty has increased, so the rest time has increased accordingly?¡± Before long, Wang Shuo felt that this possibility wasn¡¯t high. In the first trial, everyone was a newbie, so they needed more time to adjust. There was no reason for a second round of adaptation. Moreover, attacking the camp had nothing to do with your condition. After all, the camp monsters wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to attack, so the players had a lot of time to prepare. There was only one factor that restricted everyone from exterminating the camp¡ªstrength. Without sufficient strength, it was useless no matter how good your condition was. The only reason for the long break was probably to let the players take the opportunity to increase their strength. ¡°Looks like the upcoming monsters should be getting harder and harder¡­¡± Suppressing this guess in his heart, Wang Shuo continued to immerse himself in practicing staff techniques. Although he wasn¡¯t sure if the kobold leader was telling the truth, he was sure of one thing. There should indeed be three trials. And the difficulty would grow exponentially. So after destroying the kobold camp, he didn¡¯t waste any time and began learning the newly acquired Common Basic Staff Technique. Armed with a large number of Five Grains Pill and Water Droplets, Wang Shuo was like a machine that knew no fatigue and began to practice crazily. At the same time, he was constantly analyzing the information that the kobold leader had revealed. First, he filtered out the nonsense about joining the kobolds and the kobold leader saying he would help him pass the three trials safely. What a joke. The kobolds not only looked pathetic, but even their weapons were made of stone. Most importantly, how powerful could someone assigned as the vanguard of the second trial be? And their Inheritance Skill wouldn¡¯t amount to much anyway. What truly caught Wang Shuo¡¯s attention was the ¡®supreme Temple¡¯ that the other party mentioned. From his tone, he seemed to revere this so-called ¡®Temple¡¯ greatly. Since he used the word supreme, it was most likely related to the creator of the game. If that was the case, then his words were unlikely to be a spur-of-the-moment slip-of-tongue. In addition, the ¡®authority¡¯ that he revealed indicated that the information that he disclosed was tacitly approved by the game or the Temple. Furthermore, everything he had done seemed to be arranged by the Temple. Wang Shuo had paid attention to the forum along the way but hadn¡¯t found any information about anything like ¡®race transformation¡¯. Although he didn¡¯t know if anyone was deliberately concealing it, it was impossible to prevent any information from leaking if everyone encountered such a situation. In other words, he was probably the only one who encountered the matter of race transformation for the time being. Wang Shuo carefully recalled his conversation with the kobold leader. Perhaps due to the increase in his attributes, he could clearly recall every detail at that time. When the kobold leader first appeared, he had said, ¡°You¡¯re not bad.¡± This was a sentence to express approval. Then he began to talk about race transformation. This made Wang Shuo begin to suspect that ¡®race transformation¡¯ was likely a hidden plot in the second trial. The conditions to trigger this plot had to be the approval of the opposing race¡¯s leader. Wang Shuo didn¡¯t think that the other party approved of him because he felt that he was handsome and charming. The only possibility was his own strength. Apart from the above information, his reasoning for thinking this was that the kobold leader had also used a staff. Even more coincidentally was that the kobolds¡¯ Inheritance Skill was precisely the Common Basic Staff Technique that he needed. Without these reasons, Wang Shuo would have thought it was purely a coincidence. But with them, this so-called coincidence became somewhat intriguing. This was because the kobold leader¡¯s reward after race transformation was ¡®Racial Inheritance Skill¡¯. If he had used another weapon or mastered offensive skills, this condition wouldn¡¯t hold any appeal at all. The last point was that the other party¡¯s method for race transformation was to swear an oath to the Temple. This meant that the other party didn¡¯t have the ability to transform his race alone but needed to do it through the Temple. This further confirmed his previous speculation about the hidden plot and the origin of the Temple. Unfortunately, he still lacked too much information, and he could only analyze this much. After processing this information, he began to focus on cultivating. As he consumed Five Grain Pills and Water Droplets, he felt that he was becoming more and more proficient in the Common Basic Staff Technique moves. ¡­ In a flash, it was already afternoon. Wang Shuo had already been practicing for nearly eight hours without realizing it. At a particular moment, Wang Shuo flicked his wrist and gently pushed the Green Flood Dragon Staff forward. Then following a vigorous and powerful hum, a notification suddenly appeared before his eyes. [Through your relentless efforts, you successfully grasp the Common Basic Staff Technique.] [Common Basic Staff Technique (Basic Mastery)] Grade: Lower Yellow Tier Description: You have initially grasped the use of staff techniques. As the staff technique reached basic mastery, Wang Shuo felt all the muscles and bones in his body shudder. Many new insights regarding the staff technique suddenly appeared in his mind. Five minutes later, he suddenly raised his arm and swung the Green Dragon Staff upward. This was a textbook-perfect ¡®lift¡¯. Compared to when he practiced according to the secret manual by himself, his movements and the way exerted strength were far smoother. And this was only the beginning. Following that, there was ¡®chopping stance¡¯, ¡®crushing stance¡¯, ¡®stabbing stance¡¯, ¡®provoking stance¡¯¡­ He displayed the 18 basic stances of the Common Basic Staff Technique one after another, and every move was a textbook example. At this moment, Wang Shuo¡¯s gaze was unfocused as he waved the long staff in his hand in a trance. He practiced these 18 basic moves tirelessly. As time passed, his movements became faster and faster. At first, every move was clearly visible. But in less than five minutes, there was only the shadow of a staff left on the field. But upon closer inspection, you could still vaguely see that Wang Shuo¡¯s movements were still the standard Common Basic Staff Technique moves. Half an hour later, Wang Shuo¡¯s actions suddenly changed. He no longer practiced every move in the sequence of the Common Basic Staff Technique. Following the first move was still the second move, but the next move was the eleventh move. In the beginning, his movements were very awkward and stiff. But with his strong body, he quickly overcame this small problem. When every move no longer adhered to the standard routine and was still smooth and natural, Wang Shuo¡¯s movements changed again. Earlier, no matter how he practiced, he always stood in the same spot. At this moment, he suddenly jumped up and swung his staff down in midair. Then with the howling of air splitting, he easily executed a perfect cleave. Afterward, Wang Shuo moved around with the staff by his side. Everywhere he passed by, the shadow of the staff would flash and disappear. The momentum was much smaller than before, but there was an additional feeling of being untraceable. [Through your relentless efforts, you completely grasp the essence of the Common Basic Staff Technique.] [Common Basic Staff Technique (Perfection)] Grade: Lower Yellow Tier Description: You have thoroughly mastered the basics of staff techniques. Chapter 11 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios At this moment, the Green Dragon Staff in his hand seemed to have become a part of Wang Shuo¡¯s body. Every move was like an extension of his arm, and he could do as he pleased. When he saw the notification, Wang Shuo wasn¡¯t surprised at all. He could feel that his comprehension of the basic staff techniques had already reached the limit described in the cultivation technique, and there was no longer any room for improvement. If this was not considered perfection, he really didn¡¯t know how to continue practicing. Of course, he was still somewhat surprised by his own cultivation speed. But after some thought, he understood the reason. His Physique was simply too high. With a Physique of 3, his physical fitness allowed him to master the basic staff techniques perfectly. What he lacked now was merely the theoretical comprehension. Based on the previous information, Wang Shuo guessed that the skill would only be officially passed down in the secret manual after reaching basic mastery. Typically, ordinary players only needed to practice step by step, and as their physical fitness and skills improved, they would naturally improve. It was like an ordinary computer that downloaded a game that required immense computing power. At first, you could only play it at minimum settings. Only by continuously upgrading your configuration could you choose higher settings. But Wang Shuo was different. He was a top-of-the-line model and could run the original settings without any pressure. All that was missing was downloading the game. After he achieved basic mastery of the Common Basic Staff Technique, and with the inheritance of theoretical knowledge of the techniques, his cultivation speed was naturally incomparable. After understanding this, Wang Shuo felt that it was a pity. He had really thought that he was a martial arts prodigy. But from this, it was apparent that as long as your Physique quickly improved, you could significantly reduce the time needed to train techniques. So overall, it was quite good. After all, just cultivating the Primordial Chaos Skill already required a lot of time. How could he spare so much time to hone his techniques? ¡°Gulp.¡± At this moment, a wave of intense hunger overwhelmed him, causing his legs to go soft, and he almost collapsed to the ground. Every cell in his body seemed to be protesting as if a hundred claws were clawing at his heart. He forced his weak body to throw five Five Grains Pill and Water Droplets into his mouth to ease the pain. His stomach rumbled like thunder, and his internal organs seemed to have gone crazy, sending bursts of heat to his limbs and bones. This lasted for about ten minutes before he heaved a long sigh of relief. ¡°I can¡¯t do this again next time. Otherwise, no matter how strong my body is, I still won¡¯t be able to withstand such torture.¡± But the effects of the Five Grains Pill were too vigorous. After his body recovered to its peak, there was still an endless stream of energy dispersing, causing his body to swell. Wang Shuo immediately realized that he had actually done something stupid when he was starving and dizzy. Usually, one Five Grains Pill could replenish physical strength. But now that he had swallowed five at once, it would be strange if he didn¡¯t feel terrible. ¡°This won¡¯t do. I have to think of a way to digest it quickly!¡± Feeling his body swelling with pain, Wang Shuo hurriedly sat cross-legged and began cultivating the Primordial Chaos Skill. It had to be said that the Primordial Chaos Skill was indeed an energy-consuming behemoth. As he circulated his cultivation technique, the relief of the pain was immediate. One by one, light spots entered his body. After an unknown period of time, the endless heat in his stomach finally disappeared. But Wang Shuo had no intention of stopping. Anyway, there were no monsters to slaughter now. But after learning about the second and third trials, he felt a tremendous sense of danger. Even the kobold leader, which was only the vanguard of the second trial, had strength on par with his own. If not for his weapon, he might not have been the kobold leader¡¯s opponent. It was evident that the challenges he would face in the future would definitely be even more terrifying. Just a single perfection-level Common Basic Staff Technique didn¡¯t give him much confidence. He needed to improve his Physique to the next level. ¡­ Wang Shuo removed all distractions from his mind. As he continuously refined the Five Grains Pills, the sun in the sky had been replaced by the stars and moon. The light of the stars and moon was like mercury seeping into the ground, adding a mysterious aura to Wang Shuo¡¯s figure. Unknowingly, a familiar burning sensation gradually converged in his chest, making him realize that he might have reached the edge of breaking through again. Even though he was delighted, this didn¡¯t disturb the calm in his heart. He continued to absorb light spots in an orderly fashion. ¡­ The stars and moon vanished, and a wisp of white emerged from the horizon. Dense red clouds enshrouded the sky as the morning sun rose. Then when the first rays of dawn fell, Wang Shuo suddenly opened his eyes. ¡°Finally broke through!¡± [Primordial Chaos Skill] Stage 1: Foundation Establishment (Lesser Mastery) Description: Nourish the five viscera to establish a firm foundation and cultivate the soul. Breakthrough Requirements: ¡­ With the breakthrough in his cultivation technique, his Physique increased once again, from the original 3 to 3.5. ¡°This breakthrough only increased my Physique by 0.5?¡± Wang Shuo was surprised. He could feel that this breakthrough was clearly more potent than the previous breakthrough. He sensed his strength. If he faced the kobold leader again, he was confident that he could shatter the kobold leader¡¯s staff with one blow and kill him within two strikes. But such a powerful improvement only increased the attribute by 0.5. ¡°As the attribute increases, does the value of the points increase as well?¡± Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Wang Shuo checked his inventory. In his inventory, there were only nine Water Droplets left, and his stockpile of Five Grains Pill had shrunk to 144. In other words, after removing the cost of practicing the staff technique, it took about 100 pills to break through to lesser mastery from elementary mastery. A Five Grains Pill could absorb five light spots on average. In other words, he had absorbed about 500 light spots to complete the breakthrough. The difficulty of this breakthrough had increased fivefold. ¡°In that case, won¡¯t the next breakthrough take 2500?¡± Wang Shuo felt his scalp tingle. ¡°This won¡¯t do. It¡¯ll be difficult to satisfy my cultivation with just the drop rate of farming monsters. I have to think of another way.¡± Wang Shuo opened the forum and saw that the number of players online had dropped below 600. He was unable to repress the shock in his heart. ¡°How did so many people get eliminated?¡± Before the second trial started yesterday, he had noticed that the number of players online was still around 800. But the monsters in the camp wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to attack. So logically speaking, there shouldn¡¯t be such a high elimination rate. He started browsing the forum. He dragged the scrollbar down and finally found a clue. ¡°F*ck, the aggro range of the camp has increased by ten meters. I almost kicked the bucket!¡± ¡°God damn it, it¡¯s too dark. My right hand is broken. I don¡¯t think I can survive this. Brothers, take care!¡± ¡­ ¡°It has been confirmed. After about an hour, the aggro range of the monsters increases by ten meters. So when everyone is maintaining your distance outside the range, make sure to account for the time.¡± ¡­ Wang Shuo¡¯s heart turned cold. These game designers were simply too inhumane! The easiest time for people to be plotted against was when they had completely let down their guard. This move was like a sudden thrust that totally caught everyone off guard. ¡°Of these more two hundred people, probably at least half of them died from this.¡± Chapter 12 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After some hesitation, Wang Shuo sent a message. ¡°There are three levels in the trial, each more difficult than the last. If you want to live, try your best to increase your strength.¡± His single message caused a huge commotion on the forum. Instantly, countless messages flooded the initially lifeless forum. ¡°Where did you get the news from?¡± ¡°Upvote.¡± ¡°Big shot, did you clear the second trial?¡± ¡­ At that moment, people who were shocked, doubtful, curious, and so on gathered on the forum. As a fellow player, coupled with there being no competition currently, Wang Shuo decided to bestow them with more kindness and sent another message. ¡°The second trial isn¡¯t as simple as just clearing a camp. If there¡¯s a way to increase your strength, then try to do it. ¡°Everything can turn its back on you, but your own strength definitely won¡¯t. That¡¯s all I have to say. Everyone, take care.¡± After sending this message, Wang Shuo closed the forum. By this time, the morning sun had gradually risen. He stood up and stretched his body. Looking at the young sprouts that had already started budding around him, he somehow felt a ball of emotion well up within him. If he had seen such a scene in the past, he would have definitely been so excited that he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep for days. Sprouting in one day, then budding the next, this quick life cycle was simply a miracle of life. But this was just a game. Knowing this, he was very calm, without a trace of fluctuations. He took out the Green Flood Dragon Staff and warmed up. After glancing at the time, Wang Shuo gradually tensed up. The kobold camp spawned at this time yesterday. About half an hour later, just as he was about to start doubting himself, a dense forest suddenly appeared 100 meters away. The forest was about the size of a football field with trees that Wang Shuo had never seen before. They were not too thick, but their foliage was very dense. The trunks were brown and resembled locust trees¡¯. The leaves looked like parasol trees, dark green and very thick. From the outside, it was impossible to see the situation within the vegetation. Even after a long time, Wang Shuo didn¡¯t see any creatures coming out. After some hesitation, he slowly approached the edge of the forest with the Green Dragon Staff in hand. As he got closer, a soft sound came from the forest. It sounded a little like a woman¡¯s cry, a little sorrowful and very familiar. ¡°No!¡± A sudden realization struck Wang Shuo. This wasn¡¯t a woman! It was a cat¡¯s cry! He had raised a cat himself, and sometimes, it cried out very similarly in the middle of the night. ¡°Before, it was kobolds. Now, it¡¯s catgirls?¡± As the image of 2D catgirls floated into his mind, Wang Shuo became a little excited. Of course, he quickly regained his composure. After all, other than in novels, it was rare for men to lose themselves to sexual desires under such circumstances. Fortunately, Wang Shuo was obviously not one of them. ¡°If it¡¯s really catpeople, then it will be troublesome¡­¡± Although the kobolds earlier were unable to withstand a single blow from the mystic-tier Green Dragon Staff, they were still formidable. Especially the kobold leader¡­ Even with Wang Shuo¡¯s Physique of 3 points, he couldn¡¯t gain any advantage in strength. It was apparent how powerful the kobold leader had been. But catpeople were different. In Wang Shuo¡¯s memory, regardless of whether it was games or anime, any feline creatures with combat strength would almost always have absurd agility. All thanks to the cat¡¯s body structure. Cats had extremely flexible spines and long and slender limbs, where most of their muscles were concentrated. As a result, their heads and bodies were lean and compact. Not only were they light and agile, but their streamlined bodies were perfect for sudden bursts of strength. With the same Physique, the speed and agility of cats far exceeded those of most creatures. ¡°If kobolds are strength-type warriors, then catpeople and feline monsters are agility-type assassins.¡± To be honest, Wang Shuo would be lying if he said that he wasn¡¯t nervous when facing this type of enemy. But nervousness was different from fear. After a few days, he was no longer a newbie who knew nothing about fighting. As his strength increased, his comprehension of the combat system improved significantly. When he read novels in the past, he would always find it pretty satisfying to see high-agility assassins using their speed to toy with their enemies. After genuinely understanding combat, he discovered that it wasn¡¯t impossible to achieve this. But it required the former to have a domineering superiority in ability. After all, speed and attack speed were two completely different concepts. For a simple example, two people of similar Physiques fight¡ªone was lean and fast, while the other was fat and slow. In terms of speed alone, the latter was far inferior. But when the opponent attacked, it was easy to defend and counterattack. (Simple concepts from games or real-life fights. No further elaboration needed.) Based on the strength of the kobolds, Wang Shuo estimated that even if the cat-type monsters were fast, he could deal with them as long as there weren¡¯t too many. After a short wait, Wang Shuo didn¡¯t see any signs of the monsters in the forest coming out, so he decided to make the first move. He took a deep breath, expanded his perception to the maximum (advanced auditory position tracking), and slowly stepped into the forest while holding the Green Dragon Staff. The forest ground was very flat, and the gaps between the trees were spacious. So thankfully, there would be little effect on staff techniques. As soon as he entered, the faint meowing stopped. Instantly, the forest fell into pin-drop silence. Wang Shuo subconsciously held his breath as his nerves tensed up. After about a minute, there were still no movements. He lifted his foot and walked forward again. Crunch! The moment his foot landed, there was a sudden movement on his right. In his peripheral vision, he saw something zooming straight at him. In a split second, Wang Shuo suppressed the thought of striking with his staff and dodged. Swish! With a slight sweeping sound, a short wooden spear about two feet long pieced into the ground under his feet. At the same time, a petite figure pounced over. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡± Wang Shuo didn¡¯t even raise his head. He instantly condensed all his strength into a single burst, and the Green Dragon pierced upward like lightning. His arm shook slightly, and then he heard a mournful wail. With a swing of his staff, a monster fell to the side. It had yellow fur and the body of a girl but the face of a cat. The monster clutched her abdomen while groaning and panting heavily. Wang Shuo sized her up carefully. She was thin, but her muscles were well-developed, just like a female leopard¡¯s. Other than her face, hairy limbs, and sharp claws, she mostly looked similar to a human. On the ground beside him, two green daggers, each about 30 centimeters long, caught his attention. To be honest, the moment he saw the appearance of the ¡®catgirl¡¯, he felt something shatter in his heart. At this moment, he felt that he had grown up. ¡°The 2D world is indeed a lie! Goodbye, my youth!¡± The next second, with tears glistening in his eyes, Wang Shuo smashed the catgirl¡¯s head. Chapter 13 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Just like before, after he collected a White Treasure Chest, the catgirl¡¯s corpse and equipment disappeared into particles of light. Wang Shuo stood silently and listened for a moment before moving forward. On the surface, he appeared calm, but his heart was already fully alert. He might have killed the catgirl in one blow just now, but it didn¡¯t mean that she was weak. Although her first attack missed, the two-foot-long spear had plunged a third into the ground. If he hadn¡¯t dodged it, such power would have severely injured him or even taken his life. In fact, Wang Shuo originally intended to use his staff techniques to deflect this attack. But he suddenly realized that it wasn¡¯t wise to expose his strength before even seeing the enemy. Thus, he dodged instead. Fortunately, he had done so. Otherwise, the catgirl¡¯s subsequent pounce would have definitely caught him off guard. Judging from the color of the daggers, he suspected that there was most likely more to it than a simple strike. If the attack had landed, it wouldn¡¯t have been good. Furthermore, when the Green Dragon Staff struck her, the catgirl had actually resisted it for a moment. Just, Wang Shuo¡¯s staff techniques had already reached perfection. Facing this hasty resistance, he disarmed the two daggers with a simple flick of his staff. Then all that was left was striking the opponent¡¯s heart. But just this brief exchange made him realize that the catgirl wasn¡¯t weak. Most likely, she was even stronger than the kobolds. Her reaction speed and skills vastly surpassed the kobolds. Even though she was midair, she actually managed to react and block Wang Shuo¡¯s attack in an instant. Such abilities couldn¡¯t be underestimated. Moreover, this catgirl was probably only an ordinary monster. Although she was much stronger than ordinary kobolds, there was still a gap between her and the kobold leader. According to the nature of the game, Wang Shuo had no doubt that there was a boss stronger than the kobold leader awaiting him in the forest. About twenty meters later, Wang Shuo stopped again. A catgirl was squatting on a tree branch with a short spear in her hand some distance away. Her pupils constricted into a line as she stared at him. But this wasn¡¯t all. Wang Shuo slowly turned around and saw another catgirl armed with a short spear not far behind him. ¡°Assassins are indeed more rational than warriors!¡± Wang Shuo sighed in his heart, but his movements didn¡¯t slow. He instantly dashed toward a large tree at the side. Seeing his rapid movements, the two catgirls instinctively threw out their short spears. The two short spears pierced toward him one after another, almost simultaneously. Not only were they fast, but they were also extremely accurate. Shock crashed onto Wang Shuo. His instantaneous burst of speed was far superior to that of a cheetah, but the two short spears could actually accurately predict his trajectory. ¡°As expected of catgirls. Their reaction speed is inhuman!¡± The Green Dragon Staff drew a diagonal arc. The two short spears broke into two pieces and fell to the side. Seeing that his enemies no longer had their short spears, Wang Shuo sneered. Then with a short spin, he swept the long staff out. Clang! Clang! With a crisp sound, a figure was sent flying. ¡°Aowu!¡± The catgirl on the branch shrieked and took the opportunity to attack. Wang Shuo paid no attention to her. He strode forward with large steps. While his posture looked a bit silly, his speed was breakneck. Despite being lithe and graceful, the catgirl couldn¡¯t close the distance quickly. ¡°Die!¡± On the ground, the other catgirl had lost her two daggers, and her wrists were twisted and drooping. The moment she got up, a blow landed mercilessly on her head. Kacha! The sound of cracking bones reverberated through the forest. Wang Shuo stopped in his tracks and swung the staff like he was playing golf. Then the lifeless catgirl flew five to six meters away like a kite and dissipated into particles of light before landing. After obtaining two more treasure chests, Wang Shuo shook his head. Although the catgirls weren¡¯t weak, they were no threat to him now. If he used himself as a reference, the catgirls¡¯ Physique should be around 2.2. Although their physique and racial talents gave them extremely high agility, the gap in strength was still evident. With Wang Shuo¡¯s Physique of 3.5, he could still crush the catgirls with pure strength even with his lacking agility. Furthermore, these catgirls had used daggers. As the saying went, an inch longer was an inch stronger. With his longer reach with his staff, coupled with his domineering Physique, he could use his perfection-level staff techniques to the fullest. After three consecutive kills, Wang Shuo already clearly understood how the catgirls attacked. First, they threw their short spears from a distance, then took the opportunity to launch a surprise attack with daggers. With his guard up, unless there was a considerable change in the strength or numbers of the catgirls, it would be difficult to cause any substantial harm to him. This was indeed the case. Twenty meters later, three catgirls appeared at the same time. In less than a minute, they all turned into White Treasure Chests. Another 20 meters, four catgirls¡­ Five minutes later, five more White Treasure Chests appeared in Wang Shuo¡¯s inventory. For all this, the price he paid was merely a torn corner of his shirt. Wang Shuo panted slightly while feeling some lingering fear. ¡°My movements are terrible!¡± He couldn¡¯t see it when he was toying with weaker monsters. But when monsters like catgirls besieged him, Wang Shuo discovered his weakness as clear as day. In the face of the continuous siege, his body was extremely stiff. Especially under the assault of the five catgirls, it was actually dangerous. Although he won the battle with absolute strength, the fight was alarmingly precarious and a wake-up call. In the battle just now, Wang Shuo could clearly remember that he had missed many great opportunities to attack because his dodging movements were too big. His body and reaction speed could keep up, but he was too flustered and couldn¡¯t focus on multiple things simultaneously. Compared to the catgirls¡¯ agile movements, his movements were so crude that it was unbearable to look at. If the former¡¯s movements were elegant and precise dance steps, then he was Ma Baoguo¡¯s Taiji Style Fist. Simply an embarrassment. ¡°Looks like I have to hone my movements next!¡± If his movements could reach the level of the catgirls¡¯, his previous battle wouldn¡¯t have been so dangerous. He shook his head and sighed. There was no use thinking about this now. Without a secret manual, he wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve much in a short period. More importantly, he should complete the trial before him and see if he could find any surprises from the catgirls. Wang Shuo threw a Five Grains Pill into his mouth and moved on. Ten meters Twenty meters Thirty meters This time, after another 50 meters, he didn¡¯t meet any catgirls. But after 50 meters, the scene before Wang Shuo suddenly became clear. There was an open clearing the size of two basketball courts. Within it, there were dozens of two-meter-tall, half-a-meter-wide stone pillars standing. On the stone pillars, three catgirls clad in green stood in a triangle formation. But the most eye-catching one was a beautiful girl wearing purple tights in the center. Apart from the cat ears on her head, she had a beautiful face no different from a human¡¯s. Additionally, she had two bulging black leather bags at her waist. Holding one-foot-long scimitars in each hand, she stared coldly at Wang Shuo with her arms crossed. Chapter 14 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Right as Wang Shuo entered this place, the girl suddenly spoke. ¡°Human, do you wish to die or to live?¡± ¡°Again?¡± Wang Shuo smiled. ¡°Beauty, my brain is a little slow. Can you explain it more clearly?¡± The purple-clothes catgirl frowned slightly. ¡°That big dog should have told you about the race transformation, right?¡± Wang Shuo pretended to be confused. ¡°What race transformation? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about. ¡°Is the big dog you¡¯re referring to those kobolds? Those guys were too weak, and they all died before I even used my strength. ¡°But their leader seemed to have something to say before he died. Is it this matter?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t have time to say it?¡± The purple-clothed catgirl¡¯s face was full of suspicion. She sized up Wang Shuo and then slowly nodded. ¡°You are indeed quite strong to be able to come here unscathed.¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s expression became impatient. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Seeing that Wang Shuo didn¡¯t seem to be faking it, the purple-clothed catgirl hesitated momentarily before continuing, ¡°Human, you have great strength, but you have already reached your limit. You are definitely not my opponent.¡± While speaking, she glanced at the tattered corner of Wang Shuo¡¯s clothes. Wang Shuo¡¯s heart sank, but then he smiled calmly. ¡°How can I know if I don¡¯t even try?¡± The purple-clothed catgirl was expressionless. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to scare you. You barely managed to defeat five level two catgirls, but I can defeat ten of them without a hitch. ¡°I¡¯m only saying this because I think you¡¯re a talent. It would be a shame for you to die here.¡± ¡°Oh, beauty, are you saying you plan to surrender to me? That¡¯s too kind of you¡­¡± Wang Shuo looked embarrassed. ¡°You humans are really frivolous.¡± A look of disgust flashed across the purple-clothed catgirl¡¯s eyes, and her tone instantly became colder. As if this was part of a routine, the catgirl continued, ¡°I have a quota for transforming someone into a catperson. As long as you choose to join our catpeople race, I will not only let you pass my level but also teach you my people¡¯s Inheritance Skill. ¡°If you refuse, I will kill you without hesitation.¡± Wang Shuo retracted his smile and calmly replied, ¡°If you want me to join your race, you will have to show some skills, right? ¡°As you said, I¡¯m confident in my own strength, so races of average strength don¡¯t interest me.¡± When the purple-clothed catgirl saw Wang Shuo instantly transform into a different person, suspicions flashed across her eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. ¡°Are you really not afraid that I will kill you?¡± Wang Shuo had an innocuous smile on his face. ¡°Of course I¡¯m afraid. That¡¯s why I plan to battle you with my fists and feet. If you can convince me, I¡¯ll agree to your conditions.¡± The purple-clothed catgirl beamed with delight. ¡°You said it yourself!¡± ¡°A gentleman never goes back on his word!¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s expression remained calm, but thoughts ran through his mind rapidly. From the other party¡¯s expression, he finally confirmed his guess. The hidden plot he had triggered was most likely the game¡¯s arrangements. The hidden plot wasn¡¯t as simple as it seemed on the surface. When the kobold leader first attempted to recruit him, he thought it was simply a special reward for high combat strength players. But in retrospect, it was clearly a trap. For instance, if he had transformed into a kobold, he would have undoubtedly passed this level in absolute safety. At the same time, he would have obtained the Common Basic Staff Technique and Bloodline Body Tempering Technique. With the kobold bloodline, these two skills would have significantly increased his strength in a short period. He would have been able to pass this level without much effort and still receive great rewards as well. This was like a pie falling from the sky compared to the precarious days earlier. Wang Shuo had no doubt that in a life-or-death situation, most players would choose this pie without hesitation, even if they knew that there would be a price to pay. But once he had made his choice, he wouldn¡¯t be able to face the catgirls in such a friendly manner. While Wang Shuo didn¡¯t know the strength of this catgirl, the few ordinary catgirls he had met previously were hard to deal with. Looking at the three high-level green-clothed catgirls and one purple-clothed catgirl who was obviously the big boss, he felt his chances of winning were slim. When the time came, the outcome he would face would most likely be a merciless and ruthless death. It was apparent that the hidden plot of this race transformation could be a protective talisman to the players or one that hastened their deaths. Whether it served as protection or death depended entirely on the player. ¡°Damn it. These game designers are really bastards. They¡¯re simply out to kill us!¡± Wang Shuo cursed after realizing this. Currently, he had two choices in front of him. First, he could transform into a catman, increase his strength, and pass this level safely. With his experience with the kobolds, if he chose this, he might face a similar situation again in the next round. If his strength was insufficient as a catman, then there would be no return. The second choice was to kill these catgirls to receive rewards to increase his strength. But this would be too difficult given his current level of strength. At this moment, the purple-clothed catgirl twirled the two scimitars in her hands and slid them into the buckles on her waist. She instructed the three green-clothed catgirls, ¡°Don¡¯t interfere in my battle.¡± The three catgirls ¡®meowed¡¯ in acknowledgment before squatting on the stone pillars. ¡°Are you ready?¡± The purple-clothed catgirl jumped down from the stone pillar and landed on the flat ground. ¡°Don¡¯t say that I¡¯m bullying you. This place is enough for you to unleash your strength. ¡°As long as you cause me any harm during the battle, I will consider it your win. ¡°If that happens, I will give you three days to increase your strength before coming back for a re-match.¡± Wang Shuo gave her a thumbs up in admiration. ¡°Miss, you are very generous. I won¡¯t stand on ceremony then.¡± He put away the Green Dragon Staff and charged forward without another word. Although Wang Shuo¡¯s movements were unattractive, they were swift. His long legs were like rolling wheels as they covered two meters with every step he took. In the blink of an eye, he closed in on the catgirl and mercilessly punched her beautiful face. The purple-clothed catgirl¡¯s expression was calm. She turned her body slightly and dodged his fist by a hair¡¯s breadth, with no intention of retaliating. Wang Shuo¡¯s expression remained unchanged. He bent his arm and aimed his elbow at her face for another attack. This move was not exquisite, but it was fast. Wang Shuo had a Physique of 3.5, so even the purple-clothed catgirl, who has astonishing agility, didn¡¯t dare to be careless. She finally made a move. Her slender palm that seemed as light as a willow leaf felt like a steel block upon contact. Wang Shuo felt as if four steel stakes were stabbing his arm and subconsciously retracted his arm. In merely two simple moves, Wang Shuo had suffered multiple setbacks in succession. But in his heart, he was happy instead of shocked. From this short exchange, he had already sensed that the purple-clothed catgirl¡¯s Physique was similar to his own, maybe even slightly weaker. But her application of strength was more exquisite than his. He was certain that if these four catgirls had surrounded him at first, his chances of survival would be less than 10%. But now¡­ Chapter 15 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Wang Shuo glanced at the three catgirls from the corner of his eye. Suddenly, he jumped up, raised his hands high, and smashed them down like a heavy hammer. The purple-clothed catgirl snorted in disdain. She took a step back and easily dodged the fists. But right at this moment, a green light suddenly flashed. ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± The purple-clothed catgirl¡¯s expression darkened. Her hands swiftly moved to her waist, and then her two scimitars sliced upward. At the same time, the three green-clothes catgirls watching from above meowed and jumped down. A friendly spar instantly turned into a life-and-death battle. From this moment, Wang Shuo¡¯s life was on the line, and it was he who forced himself into this precarious situation. But he was unfazed. He clenched his teeth, and killing intent flooded his eyes. All of his strength flowed from his legs to his waist, from his spine to his arms. Finally, it all gathered on the Green Dragon Staff. This was the first time he used his strength at full force. As the staff slammed down, even the air vibrated violently as it emanated an ear-piercing sound of friction. Kacha! As the crisp sound of metal breaking rang out, the rage on the catgirl¡¯s face instantly turned into astonishment. Before she could even react, the shadow of the staff zoomed toward her as the ferocious dragon¡¯s head grew infinitely larger in her vision. The next second, red and white matter splattered and slowly disappeared into the air. [You killed the Cat Demon Leader.] [You receive White Treasure Chest x1.] Wang Shuo didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to the notifications because he focused all of his senses on the three green-clothed cat demons flickering behind him. The next instant, six daggers stabbed at the back of his head, spine, kidneys, and hamstrings of both legs. They covered every position of his body and were impossible to guard against. Even so, Wang Shuo looked calm. Although the green-clothes cat demons were clearly faster than the ordinary yellow-furred cat demons, they were still far inferior to him. If the purple-clothes catgirl hadn¡¯t died or if there were two more opponents, he wouldn¡¯t be their match. But with only three, it would be a breeze for him to deal with them. He stepped forward out of the attack range at a speed that far exceeded that of the catgirls. Then without stopping, he spun around and swept across. One of the catgirls closed in too quickly. Even though she wanted to block the Green Dragon Staff with her daggers, the Green Dragon Staff was far superior and instantly shattered the blades into pieces. The staff continued forward and smashed her head. The last two were no threat either. Their weapons were quickly destroyed, and their heads were smashed. [You killed Elite Cat Demon x3.] [You receive White Treasure Chest x3.] [You annihilated the Cat Demon Forest.] [You receive Cat Demons¡¯ Inheritance Treasure Chest x1.] Looking at the notifications before him, Wang Shuo leaned against a stone pillar and sat down. ¡°Damn it. That scared me!¡± Although this battle only took less than a minute from the beginning to the end, it had completely exhausted him. In fact, the moment he saw the purple-clothed catgirl and the three green-clothed catgirls, he had already noticed that something was amiss. He knew that he had been too careless and made an empirical mistake. The experience of clearing the kobold camp made him assume that the catgirl leader would also be alone, so he barged in without much thought. When he realized that something was amiss, he wanted to escape, but he didn¡¯t know the strength of the purple-clothed catgirl. If the opponent¡¯s speed was above his, escaping would only exacerbate his dangerous position. Just as he was hesitating, the purple-clothed catgirl¡¯s words gave him a glimmer of hope. With his words, he led her on and successfully got her to agree to a barehanded spar. There was only one reason for this¡ªto create a one-on-one situation. When five catgirls besieged him earlier, he was already pushing his limits. If he had been surrounded by these four catgirls who were clearly stronger, with one even being a boss, he would have definitely died. But one-on-one, there was a chance he could use the advantage of his weapon to catch his opponent off guard. It would be even better if he was lucky enough to kill his opponent in one attack. Of course, there was a prerequisite for all of this¡ªthe difference in strength was not too significant. If the opponent¡¯s speed really exceeded his expectations, Wang Shuo would not hesitate to surrender and join their race. He was not a greenhorn. With his cheat, he had the confidence to rise even if his initial race was trash. On the contrary, if he died, there would be nothing left. After all, as the saying went, if you can¡¯t beat them, join them. Therefore, barehanded sparring was his biggest hope. There was no safer and more reasonable method of checking out another¡¯s strength than this. ¡°This is wisdom!¡± Wang Shuo couldn¡¯t help praising himself. After more than ten minutes, when his emotions calmed down, he suddenly realized something. ¡°The second trial isn¡¯t finished?¡± The catgirls were already freakishly strong. If not for the Green Dragon Staff, a mystic-tier weapon, he would be a transvestite cat demon by now. But this wasn¡¯t even the final boss of the second trial. How f*cking ridiculous. Wang Shuo¡¯s relaxed mood immediately tensed up again. ¡°No, I have to continue improving my strength!¡± Wang Shuo opened his inventory and looked at the 24 White Treasure Chests and the Special Treasure Chest. He rubbed his hands together excitedly. When he played games in the past, he especially liked to open loot boxes. Even though the drop rate he experienced now as a ¡®special¡¯ player was abnormally high, he never got tired of it. And with Selection Option, his passion only deepened. ¡°The catgirls were stronger than the kobolds, so the drop rate should be higher, right?¡± With this thought, Wang Shuo opened a White Treasure Chest. ¡°Sure enough!¡± In the treasure chest, the Five Grain Pills and the Water Droplets were there as always. But the three options had upgraded to 5, 10, and 15. The third loot was a material, two sharp cat claws, and the fourth was a weapon fragment. [Cat Demon¡¯s Poisoned Dagger x1 (Fragment)] Grade: Middle Yellow Tier Description: The dagger is exceptionally sharp. Any contact with blood will kill. Fragment 1/5 (Collect all the fragments to form a complete weapon.) ¡°Only middle yellow tier? No wonder it¡¯s so weak!¡± Wang Shuo shook his head. Just as he was about to choose all Five Grains Pills, he suddenly had a thought and opened the forum. He first scrolled through the topic titles and found many people complaining about the difficulty of the second trial. But there were many players also seriously sharing their strategies. From these guides, Wang Shuo realized that compared to his abnormal difficulty, the second trial for other players seemed much more normal. Apart from the difficulty, regular players would obtain a unique item called ¡®Pet Sealing Card (Temporary)¡¯ after clearing the first camp. With it, players could seal a non-human creature (including bosses) killed within an hour as a pet to assist in battle. The creature would last for the duration of the Newcomer¡¯s Trial or until the pet¡¯s death. The moment he saw this, Wang Shuo was green with envy. If not for the fact that it was a player-bound item, he would have gotten a few. If he could have gotten the four cat demon sisters to aid him, the ensuing battles would have definitely been much easier. Alas, he couldn¡¯t trade for them. After reading the forum for a while and not finding anything else useful, Wang Shuo sent a message: ¡°[Cat Demon¡¯s Poisoned Dagger (Middle Yellow Tier)]. DM me your offers.¡± Chapter 16 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Wang Shuo wasn¡¯t sure about the value of a middle yellow-tier weapon, so he left the price open to negotiation to see if it was more valuable than directly choosing Five Grain Pills. ¡°F*ck! A real big shot is selling a middle-grade weapon?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to take it from me. I want it. I offer 30 Five Grains Pills.¡± ¡°Bullshit. I¡¯ll pay 33!¡± ¡°36. Big boss, this is all I have. Sell it to me. I¡¯ll kowtow to you! Bang bang bang!¡± ¡°F*ck, the guy above is too cheap¡­ I¡¯ll offer 38. Dad, please. I¡¯ll pay respects to you. Please, sell it to your poor son!¡± ¡­ In less than a minute, the price skyrocketed to 48 pills. ¡°Boss, there aren¡¯t many in our forum whose price can exceed mine, so just make your choice now.¡± In fact, it wasn¡¯t that Wang Shuo was unwilling to speak but that he was utterly stunned. He never expected that someone would have so many Five Grains Pills on the third day. What was even more unexpected was that a trashy middle yellow-tier dagger could be sold for such a high price. But he immediately realized that his perception of weapons was mistaken. He couldn¡¯t help it though. He had casually broken dozens of these things and had subconsciously treated them like trash. He had forgotten that his Green Dragon Staff was an actual mystic-tier weapon, a whole tier higher. Typically, middle yellow-tier equipment was above average among the players. Furthermore, daggers were usually for dual-wielding. And it just so happened that players could only get a single item from the Newbie Starter Packs. For those who used daggers, the combat power of dual-wielding and single-wielding was totally two different concepts. This was also the reason why his dagger was so popular. After regaining his senses, Wang Shuo opened all the White Treasure Chests immediately, and 20 fragments directly combined into four daggers. Then according to the prices from high to low, he entered the corresponding player ID in the trading column one by one and posted the trade information. The highest bidder was the first to complete the trade and immediately expressed his gratitude on the forum. ¡°Thank you, big boss. I can¡¯t thank you enough!¡± As soon as he sent this message, everyone understood that the trade had been completed. The other bidders immediately wailed. But immediately afterward, the second-highest bidder, who had bid 46 pills, also received the trade notification and was dumbfounded. After confirming that he wasn¡¯t mistaken, he agreed to the trade as quickly as possible. As the number of Five Grains Pills in his inventory fell to a single digit, a green dagger appeared in their place. ¡°F*ck, big shot, you¡¯re awesome!¡± While everyone was puzzled, the two bidders who offered 44 and 43 pills expressed their surprise. When everyone finally understood what had happened, the forum erupted in chaos. ¡°F*ck, f*ck, f*ck, f*ck. 4 middle yellow-tier daggers! Did he cheat?¡± ¡°Nonsense. You try cheating in this game. If you can do it, I¡¯ll recognize you as my father!¡± ¡°If Dad can successfully hack, I¡¯ll crawl over the internet to kill you, you unfilial son!¡± ¡­ Wang Shuo had no idea about the chaos on the forum. After completing the trades, he left without another word. Looking at the almost one-thousand Five Grains Pills in his inventory, he couldn¡¯t hold back the grin hanging across his face. Before opening the chests, his stockpile of Five Grains Pills had dropped below 150. Across the 24 White Treasure Chests, he had made a total of 72 choices. He used 20 of them on Cat Demon¡¯s Poisoned Daggers and 1 for Water Droplets. He used the rest to get 615 Five Grain Pills. Additionally, the four daggers sold for 181 Five Grains Pills. At this moment, Wang Shuo¡¯s stockpile of Five Grains Pill had reached a terrifying 938. ¡°This should be enough for me to improve my Primordial Chaos Skill to the next level, right?¡± But compared to the Five Grains Pill, what Wang Shuo was really looking forward to was the inheritance treasure chest he had obtained from eliminating the cat demon forest. [The player is undergoing a random draw. [Selection Option] automatically activated.] [Here are the options¡­] [Bloodline Body Tempering Technique] Grade: Middle Yellow Tier Description: Using cat demon blood as the foundation to temper the body. Note: Cultivators must have the cat demon bloodline. [Dual Windbreaker Saber] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Description: Fast and efficient. Extremely handy in battle. [Common Basic Movement Technique] Grade: Lower Yellow Tier Description: This is a movement technique developed by the cat demon race. It contains all the basic movement techniques. Upon seeing the last option, Wang Shuo couldn¡¯t help smiling. ¡°It¡¯s indeed a movement technique!¡± [You receive Common Basic Movement Technique.] The next moment, a stream of information flooded into his mind. He quickly sorted out the information. Unsurprisingly, before reaching basic mastery, he only learned the most basic introductions and explanations of the movements. He had to figure out the method of training by himself. But even so, Wang Shuo felt that he already benefited greatly. Only now did he understand the true essence of movement techniques. Before, he had always thought that movement techniques were similar to lightness skills in martial arts novels. He thought that they allowed people to move faster and more flexibly. Now, he realized how shallow his understanding was. The use of movement techniques allowed people to perfectly control and unleash their strength in various postures. Simply put, they taught people which postures to use to make the perfect response to attacks at the fastest speed. Once he mastered the movement technique, not only would he be able to react quicker, but he would also be able to subtly adjust his way of utilizing strength. Then, his attacks would be more practical and less energy-consuming. After half an hour, Wang Shuo thoroughly digested the information in the Common Basic Movement Technique. ¡°However, movement techniques are different from attack techniques, and training requires special terrain¡­¡± Suddenly, Wang Shuo looked up at the stone pillars in front of him. He finally understood what these stone pillars were for. These stone pillars were a copy of where cat demons¡¯ usually trained movement techniques. In addition to increasing the combat power of the cat demons and increasing the difficulty the players faced, it was also to help the players who chose to transform into a cat demon to master their movement techniques quickly. But even though he understood the use of these pillars, he couldn¡¯t hold back his curses at the lousy game designers in his heart. With a leap, he hopped onto a stone pillar. Around him, there were a total of 48 stone pillars. The height of each pillar was different. The shortest was only 30 centimeters, and the tallest was close to two meters. The stone pillars were distributed disorderly, and their formation faintly resembled a blooming plum blossom. Wang Shuo swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Although he was no longer the same as before, he had only left his status as an ordinary person for less than three days. When he first saw such a scene, apprehension welled up within his mind. But when he thought of the dangers he would soon face, his eyes gradually became firm. He threw a Five Grains Pill into his mouth, gritted his teeth, and jumped to a 1.5-meter pillar about two meters away. As his figure landed, Wang Shuo looked at his feet. His landing was precise, and his posture of exerting force was decent. Overall, the effect of his first step was quite good. With his previous experience of practicing staff techniques, he was not too surprised. ¡°Looks like this is pretty manageable!¡± After giving himself some encouragement, Wang Shuo took a deep breath and began practicing all sorts of fancy jumps on the stone pillars that would likely make ordinary people dizzy. Sidestep, backward jump, lunge, forward flutter, rotation, leap¡­ As time passed, Wang Shuo gradually overcame the psychological barriers brought by the terrain. And along with that, his movements became smoother and smoother. Chapter 17 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Wang Shuo felt as if he was dancing when he practiced his movement technique. In the beginning, almost every movement of his seemed forced, like he was trying to mash his joints, bones, and flesh together and coordinate their actions. Even though it looked fine on the surface, his body felt very stiff. But this was normal for beginners. As he practiced diligently, his body would gradually adapt and transform these movements into muscle memory. Then his actions would naturally become smoother. This was the so-called practice makes perfect. But Wang Shuo¡¯s powerful Physique allowed him to adapt to everything at a speed visible to the naked eye. Before long, his joints, muscles, and other tissues began to instinctively coordinate with each other. ¡­ As time passed, Wang Shuo¡¯s breathing gradually began to rise and fall rhythmically with his movements, clearing up the qi and blood clotting inside his body. His qi and blood started to flow more smoothly, and the force exerted by his body became smoother and more natural. Of course, this was not something Wang Shuo figured out himself but was recorded in the Common Basic Movement Technique. In the technique, other than recording the best postures and methods for exerting force in various situations, it also recorded the breathing techniques complementing each posture. The breathing techniques alone took up more than half of each page. At this moment, Wang Shuo had only grasped less than a tenth. Even so, his control over his strength had improved tremendously. In the past, his usage of strength was exactly like an ordinary person¡¯s. But now, he could consciously control the release of his strength by breathing. As his control over his strength increased, his grasp over various movement techniques grew more and more precise. At the same time, the accuracy of his postures also increased the practice of breathing techniques. Unknowingly, Wang Shuo entered a virtuous cycle. Now, apart from swallowing a Five Grains Pill every now and then, he was wholly focused on training. On the stone array, the range of Wang Shuo¡¯s movements became smaller and smaller. But his movement technique grew more calm and natural, and his speed also gradually became faster and faster¡­ [Through your relentless efforts, you successfully grasp the Common Basic Movement Technique.] [Common Basic Movement Technique (Basic Mastery)] Grade: Lower Yellow Tier Description: You have initially grasped the fundamentals of movement techniques. Suddenly, Wang Shuo saw the figure of a charming woman with a calm temperament dressed in purple clothes. Standing on the stone array, she looked at ¡®him¡¯ and said, ¡°The Dao of Movement Techniques is the Dao of Combat. Our cat demon race¡¯s combat skills are all based on this. Observe!¡± As soon as she finished speaking, the charming woman¡¯s hands shook as she drew two scimitars from out of thin air. With a tap of her toes, her figure instantly shifted sideways. A bright light forming a cross suddenly flashed in the air. Immediately afterward, the charming woman changed her movements again. Finally, the two blades intersected diagonally and drew a ¡®Z¡¯. Next, the charming woman seemed to transform into an elegant dancer. She was light and swift, and wherever she passed, the sound of air being torn apart rang out, emitting an almost tangible chill. Her whispering voice drifted through the air from all directions and surrounded Wang Zhuo like a lingering ghost. ¡°Remember, movement techniques are the origin of strength. This is my last lesson for you.¡± ¡­ After a long while, Wang Shuo came back to his senses, and a look of enlightenment flashed across his eyes. With a shake of his hand, the Green Dragon Staff quietly appeared. As he looked at the stone array, there seemed to be a phantom before his eyes. The illusory figure held a long staff and leaped into the stone array. His movement technique was ever-changing, and his staff unceasingly changed from a stab to a pierce into a sweep or a slash¡­ At first, his movement technique and staff technique looked jerky, like a mismatched key jammed into a faulty lock. Either his movement technique was too fast, or his staff technique was too rushed. Soon, the illusory figure seemed to learn. He started slowing down his movement technique so that he could better coordinate with his staff technique. Although this made his staff technique more fluid, the unilateral accommodation made the movement technique more awkward. Thus, the phantom changed once again. He no longer blindly pursued the perfection of the staff technique but used the same movement technique as before to complement the staff technique instead. He started adapting the staff technique to match the movement technique. And this change seemed to open a new window for him. As he executed his various movement techniques, his staff techniques no longer rigidly adhered to the standard moves. For example, a simple pierce would have different angles, postures, and methods of exerting force. This kind of change didn¡¯t affect the power of the staff technique. Instead, they complemented each other. While maintaining the original strength, it made the angles of response more flexible and varied. ¡°¡®Movement techniques are the origin of strength¡¯¡­ So that¡¯s what it means!¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes instantly regained their clarity. [Through your relentless efforts, you completely grasp the essence of the Common Basic Movement Technique.] [Common Basic Movement Technique (Perfection)] Grade: Lower Yellow Tier Description: You have thoroughly mastered the fundamentals of movement techniques. However, Wang Shuo didn¡¯t seem to notice the notification and suddenly leaped out. At this time, he had already completely shed his previous clumsiness. His basic movement techniques flowed seamlessly like a river. Unlike the graceful and agile cat demon, his figure was as precise and capable as a cheetah without a trace of unnecessary movements. Suddenly, the shadow of a staff soared through the sky. This move was completely different from any of the ones in the Common Basic Staff Technique. It was like the provoke and pierce moves at the same time. But this was only the beginning. As Wang Shuo¡¯s movement technique grew increasingly agile, the moves of his staff gradually broke free of the realm of mere basic staff techniques. Sometimes, a single move contained two or three variations of other moves; sometimes, there was only half a move¡­ He was like an unrestrained horse, unpredictable and untamed. The subtleties aside, his improvements were visible to the naked eye. However, Wang Shuo felt discomfort all over his body. After devouring one Five Grains Pill after another, he finally found the reason. He could feel that his comprehension of basic staff techniques had made another breakthrough. But pure comprehension couldn¡¯t transform into actual combat power. Only after his basic movement techniques reached perfection did he thoroughly understand the meaning of the word ¡®basic¡¯. The so-called ¡®basic¡¯ meant that there was no threshold for entry. For example, the Common Basic Staff Technique was simply a set of ordinary staff moves. And in terms of strength, posture, and other requirements, even an ordinary person without any martial arts foundation could master it through long-term, arduous practice. Similarly, this applied to basic movement techniques too. By practicing basic movement techniques, even a normal person could exert strength with a perfect posture from any angle. But his comprehension of staff techniques had already surpassed ¡®basic staff techniques¡¯ and reached an even higher level. Advanced staff techniques were certainly more powerful, but the requirements for the method of exerting force were also more exacting. His level of improvement had already exceeded the limits of the Common Basic Movement Technique. The ordinary methods of exerting force for an average person were already unable to meet the needs of Wang Shuo¡¯s new comprehension of staff techniques. Of course, this comprehension was not wholly useless. Although there were no changes to the Common Basic Staff Technique in terms of attributes, Wang Shuo himself understood that in terms of technique, he was at least one level stronger than before. More importantly, it made him understand that ¡®perfection¡¯ was only the upper limit of a technique, not the upper limit of his skill execution. It was precisely¡ªNo technique is good or bad, only the person using it is! Chapter 18 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Phew¡­¡± Wang Shuo released a breath of turbid air and swallowed another Five Grains Pill and Water Droplet. Instantly, his body felt much better. As expected, after breaking through to lesser mastery of the Primordial Chaos Skill, his cultivation speed had doubled once again. Initially, he could only refine two Five Grain Pills in an hour, but now this number had risen to four. On average, he could absorb about 20 light spots in an hour. Although eliminating the cat demon forest had been somewhat dangerous, it didn¡¯t take long. While he spent some time practicing his movement techniques afterward, it was nothing compared to when he was practicing his staff techniques. Altogether, it took less than three hours. Although he didn¡¯t have a watch to determine the exact time, judging from the sun¡¯s position at the time, it looked to be about eight or nine in the morning. After reaching the limit in terms of techniques, Wang Shuo didn¡¯t waste any time and continued cultivating the Primordial Chaos Skill. Even though this mystic tier technique had only just reached lesser mastery, it already faintly revealed hints of its extraordinariness. The description of ¡®nourish the five viscera to establish a firm foundation and cultivate the soul¡¯ wasn¡¯t just for show. In the past few days, Wang Shuo hadn¡¯t slept at all, yet he didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit sleepy. At first, he thought that it was due to this game and his digitized body. But he realized that this wasn¡¯t the case after breaking through to lesser mastery of the Primordial Chaos Skill. At this moment, Wang Shuo could clearly feel that his five viscera¡ªthe heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys¡ªseemed to have become five warm little furnaces. They were constantly emitting streams of heat to help him to wash away his physical and mental fatigue. This allowed him to maintain his physical and mental state in an optimal condition at all times. Of course, the premise was that there was enough food and water. The reason why he hadn¡¯t discovered this before was that his cultivation realm was too low, and the nourishing effect of his five viscera was too weak. Even if he constantly circulated it, it could only replenish his body¡¯s consumption of energy. ¡°This is only the Foundation Establishment stage. I wonder what effects cultivating all seven stages to perfection will have!¡± Wang Shuo shook his head. It was still too far away to think about these things now. It was better to master the first stage first so that he could deal with the following dangers. ¡­ Unknowingly, the sun set, and a bright, luminous moon slowly rose. Wang Shuo had been cultivating for nearly ten hours from noon until now. After consuming 40 Five Grain Pills, the accumulation of light spots reached 200 once again. Unfortunately, just as he had expected, 200 light spots was nothing to him at his current level. This caused a sense of foreboding to well up within Wang Shuo. From the previous two races that spawned, it was clear that the further the second trial progressed, the more difficult and dangerous it would become. The kobold camp might have looked strong, but it couldn¡¯t hold a candle to the cat demon forest. In terms of Physique, the kobolds were only at most 2.8. On the other hand, the Physique of the purple-clothed catgirl was at least 3.4. Whether it was power or technique, the purple-clothed catgirl was several times harder to deal with than the kobold leader. This alone was already terrifying enough. But with the addition of the three subordinates and the black stone array, it was at least five times more difficult to exterminate the cat demon forest than the kobold camp. Wang Shuo was now anxious. If this trend continued, he might not be able to deal with the monsters spawning tomorrow. But now that he had passed the initial stages of his cultivation, it was impossible for him to improve his cultivation base quickly, so he could only take it one step at a time. ¡°I hope that the game designers still have some humanity!¡± He had to admit that crisis was indeed the best catalyst for humans to grow. Before, Wang Shuo would have probably not even dared to imagine that he would one day do something so exceptionally boring and tedious without rest. The work of ordinary factory workers working ten hours a day was already mentally and physically torturing. From the first day he entered the game, other than fighting monsters and practicing his skills, he spent almost 99% of his remaining time cultivating the Primordial Chaos Skill. Time and time again, he only focused on discovering and capturing the mysterious light spots in the void. He was like a tireless machine. But in reality, Wang Shuo was not as strong as he had imagined. He had wanted to stop and rest countless times along the way. At the most challenging moment, the thought of giving up even surfaced in his mind every second. After all, he was not a well-trained, iron-blooded soldier with steel nerves and willpower. Instead, he was an ordinary young man like most people. In fact, he was even lazier and lacked more perseverance than most people. The only reason he was able to persist until now was entirely that he was afraid of dying. When he thought of the dwindling number of players online on the forum, he felt like a whip was lashing him from behind, making him dare not stop for even a moment. Although he had transmigrated to this strange game world brimming with crises, Wang Shuo still didn¡¯t want to die. Especially after obtaining his cheat, he was full of hope for the future. It was precisely because of his fear of death and his hope for the future that Wang Shuo forced himself to persist. And under this repeated tempering, Wang Shuo¡¯s mental state and willpower also unknowingly became more and more calm and firm. ¡­ Wang Shuo woke up from hunger and swallowed a Five Grains Pill mechanically. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the brilliant starry sky above him. A boundless galaxy stretched across the horizon, and the countless dazzling gem-like stars were breathtakingly beautiful. ¡°Such beautiful scenery can only be seen in games¡­¡± He took a deep breath, and the cool air gradually dispelled the impatience in his heart. Then he unhesitatingly sank back into cultivation. Rustle Hearing a loud rustling sound, Wang Shuo opened his eyes and witnessed a magical scene. The sprouts that had started germinating began to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if special effects were happening. Within a few minutes, luxurious green fields had completely covered the ground. ¡°Kill!¡± Suddenly, a loud shout sounded from afar. It was still an unfamiliar language, completely different from the kobolds¡¯ and cat demons¡¯. Wang Shuo exerted force with his feet and stood up gracefully. He turned his gaze to look in the direction of the voice. Amid the lush greenery, the yellow patch of sand was particularly eye-catching. Previously, Wang Shuo had measured this independent space and calculated that it should be around 500 meters in radius. And this sandy land occupied half of this space. But that was not the most crucial point. What truly shocked Wang Shuo was that there was a phalanx of at least 30 people standing in the middle of the sand like statues. In front of the phalanx, a terrifying figure that was obviously twice the size of a giant bear stood upright and glared at him from afar. This scene made Wang Shuo involuntarily gasp. ¡°This can¡¯t be a f*cking army, right?¡± As a person living in the modern era, Wang Shuo knew very well how terrifying an army was. The strength of an army was not in individual ability but in the team strength displayed through tacit cooperation. If individual ability kept pace, the power that could erupt increased exponentially. Looking at the orderly formation, Wang Shuo couldn¡¯t help uttering a single word. ¡°F*ck!¡± Chapter 19 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios With the Green Dragon Staff in hand, Wang Shuo slowly approached the sandy land. Within the sand, there were four rows of soldiers standing motionlessly, each clad in yellow sand armor and helmets and armed with sand halberds. If not for their slightly heaving chests, it would be hard to tell them apart from a group of sand statues. ¡°Eight in a row, four rows for a total of thirty-two, plus the boss¡­¡± The more he observed, the more shocked he became. At this moment, he was sure that this was definitely an army. And from its appearance, it was evident that this was no ordinary army. Critically, as these sand soldiers stood on the seemingly soft sand, their feet seemed to be weightless. And the apparently thick and heavy army boots only left a shallow mark on the sand. The sand general in front was even more terrifying. Towering at a massive 2.2 meters, the general was clad in a set of formidable, clear fish scale armor and dragged a menacing two-meter-long blade behind him. He looked like a gigantic river god from myths and legends. Just looking at him was spine-chilling. The most terrifying thing was the seeming weightlessness of the sand general¡¯s massive body. He was almost levitating above the sand as if the soles of his feet were strangely suspended in midair. ¡°Report your name, young man.¡± From under the sand general¡¯s helmet, a low and hoarse voice sounded. Wang Shuo suppressed his astonishment and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you introduce yourself first before asking for someone¡¯s name?¡± The general was silent for a moment before slowly saying, ¡°I am Sha Yi.¡± Wang Shuo was stunned. He didn¡¯t expect the general to follow his request. After some thought, he decided to speak with the other party. ¡°I am Wang Shuo. What does General Sha wish to talk to me about?¡± Sha Yi seemed to be organizing his words as he slowly said, ¡°Tell me your decision.¡± ¡°What decision?¡± ¡°Join me or die.¡± ¡°You want me to transform into your race too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Wang Shuo laughed. ¡°Tell me, why are all of you insisting on me joining your race?¡± ¡°On orders.¡± ¡°Whose orders? The Temple¡¯s?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not something you should know. Tell me your decision.¡± Wang Shuo was disappointed and rolled his eyes. ¡°If I agree to the transformation, what benefits can you give me?¡± Sha Yi didn¡¯t conceal anything in his reply. ¡°If you join my sand race, you can inherit our race¡¯s secret techniques. I will also send you straight to the third trial.¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You¡¯re the final boss of the second trial?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing this big guy being so honest, Wang Shuo coughed dryly and said, ¡°I have a presumptuous request. Would General Sha be willing to spar with me alone? ¡°I would like to test my skills against yours.¡± That¡¯s right. Wang Shuo planned to use the same trick again. He had to see if he could solve this sand general first. As the saying went, an army without a leader was like a snake without a head. If he could get rid of this big guy, it would be much easier to deal with the remaining sand soldiers. Unexpectedly, the straightforward General Sha refused without hesitation. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why? Are you afraid of losing?¡± ¡°No, I am afraid you will die,¡± Sha Yi said calmly. ¡°Anyone who fights with me will be viewed as an enemy by my sand soldiers, so they will fight you to their death.¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s mouth twitched as he squeezed out a smile. ¡°I wonder if General can give me a few days to consider?¡± Sha Yi slowly nodded. ¡°The second trial lasts for seven days. You survived until the third day with your own strength. Fine, you are qualified to negotiate with me. ¡°I can promise you that I won¡¯t attack you until the last day. ¡± ¡°Thank you, General. I will definitely give you an answer before then.¡± Wang Shuo was overjoyed. According to the second trial¡¯s camp expansion rules, this entire independent space would enter the aggro range of the sand army by tomorrow at the latest. After witnessing the peculiar strength of the sand army, he was slightly at a loss. Initially, he was only testing his luck to see if he could buy some time to raise his cultivation. But unexpectedly, the other party actually agreed. However, it was clear from the general¡¯s words that the reason he granted his request was most likely that he had shown strength and potential. ¡®Your own strength¡¯ obviously referred to ¡®race transformation¡¯. As he celebrated, Wang Shuo also felt somewhat vexed. If he had known that the second trial would last for seven days, he would have let those cat demons live for a few more days. Then, he wouldn¡¯t have to be so worried. After the feigned polite discussion, Wang Shuo left the sandy land and returned to the cat demon forest. When he completely disappeared from Sha Yi¡¯s sight, he began to cultivate the Primordial Chaos Skill. ¡­ Wang Shuo thought that he would need 2,500 light spots to reach greater mastery. But when he absorbed about 800 light spots, the familiar burning sensation came from his chest again. Based on his previous experience, every time this feeling appeared, it was when he was about to break through. He was pleasantly surprised. This speed was nearly twice as fast as he had expected. Most importantly, there were still three days until the agreed time. If he worked harder, he might be able to make another breakthrough! To be honest, even if he managed to achieve greater mastery in the first stage of the Primordial Chaos Skill, he was still not confident that he could defeat Sha Yi and his army. But if he could make another breakthrough¡­ At this thought, the gloominess in Wang Shuo¡¯s heart dissipated considerably. When the moon rose again, another wave of heat flooded out from Wang Shuo¡¯s chest. The force swept through his entire body. At this moment, his bones, bone marrows, blood, tendons, muscles, skin¡­ Almost every cell in his body was rapidly evolving. After more than ten minutes, everything returned to silence. Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes shone brightly, even somewhat dazzlingly. This breakthrough brought bigger changes than he had imagined. With this, he was sure that he could easily beat three of his pre-breakthrough self. He opened his Attributes Window: ID: K2648263 Name: Wang Shuo Physique: 4 Cultivation Technique: Primordial Chaos Skill (Lower Mystic Tier) Skills: Common Basic Staff Technique (Perfection), Common Basic Movement Technique (Perfection) Equipment: Green Dragon Staff (Lower Mystic Tier) Items: Five Grains Pill x684, Water Droplets x11 The increase in his Physique to 4 points was expected. But he was more curious about the changes of the Primordial Chaos Skill. [Primordial Chaos Skill] Stage 1: Foundation Establishment (Greater Mastery) Description: Nourish the five viscera to establish a firm foundation and cultivate the soul. Breakthrough Requirements: 1. Physique 3-4, Breakthrough Pill (Yellow Tier) x1; 2. Physique 5-6 System Prompt: You have reached the standard for the cultivation technique to advance. You can complete the advancement by consuming a Breakthrough Pill. ¡°I¡¯ve completed the first stage?¡± Wang Shuo frowned. Something was amiss. If the first stage stopped here, then how could he reach the second condition for advancement? There was only one possibility. Greater mastery was not the end! ¡°Cultivation techniques and skills should both have the perfection realm. Greater mastery is probably just the minimum requirement to break through to the second stage.¡± With this thought, Wang Shuo calmed himself down. Chapter 20 - Battle Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After absorbing another light spot into his body, Wang Shuo couldn¡¯t help heaving a sigh of relief. As long as he could continue absorbing light spots, he could continue cultivating. With the Primordial Chaos Skill at greater mastery, his speed of absorbing light spots doubled again. It initially took about three minutes to absorb one, but now it only took about a minute. To Wang Shuo, who was pressed for time, this was undoubtedly good news. Time passed by quickly. As expected, Sha Yi kept his promise. Even though his aggro range covered the entire independent space, he still stood motionlessly in the sandy land with the 32 sand soldiers every day. Other than occasionally observing Sha Yi¡¯s movements, Wang Shuo spent the rest of his time cultivating. As his stock of Five Grains Pills dropped below 400, an inexplicable force emanated from his heart. This force was completely different from what he experienced in the past. Wang Shuo was perturbed as his tongue suddenly went numb. But strangely, his tongue didn¡¯t become sluggish but instead more sensitive and agile. About five minutes later, the force gushing from his heart gradually subsided, and the feeling of his tongue returned to normal. But he vaguely felt that something was wrong. Before he could figure it out, from his spleen, right below his left rib, a force similar to the one from his heart surged out, causing his mouth to itch. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Despite much pondering, Wang Shuo remained puzzled. Then suddenly, a thought flashed in his mind. He remembered the ¡®Esoteric Scripture of the Yellow Emperor¡¯ stated that the five viscera and seven orifices were closely related. According to it, ¡®the heart opens at the tongue, the spleen opens at the mouth, the lungs open at the nose, the liver opens at the eyes, and the kidneys open at the ears¡¯. This corresponded to his current situation. ¡°The description in the Foundation Establishment chapter is ¡®nourish the five viscera¡¯, so the enhancement of the five viscera brings changes to the seven orifices.¡± Thinking of this, Wang Shuo felt relieved. Most likely, he was already touching the threshold of Foundation Establishment perfection. As expected, five minutes later, changes occurred in his lungs, liver, and kidneys one after another. During the process, Wang Shuo felt his nose, eyes, and ears change. When the changes finally ceased, within his five viscera, powerful energy erupted like a volcano. ¡°Breakthrough!¡± Wang Shuo couldn¡¯t be more familiar with this feeling. But the improvement brought by this breakthrough was even more terrifying than the previous three combined. After an unknown period, Wang Shuo suddenly opened his eyes. At this moment, the dazzling light in his eyes had already disappeared. In its place was a mysterious luster that glistened like a gem. At a glance, you wouldn¡¯t be able to see the bottom of his gaze. Wang Shuo didn¡¯t immediately sense the changes in his strength. Because at this moment, he found that the world before his eyes seemed to have changed. It was as if a film had been torn off from his five senses. His hearing, vision, and smell underwent earth-shaking changes. His field of vision broadened by leaps and bounds, and everything within a hundred meters was clear as day in his eyes. The soft rustling of the wind brushed past his ears, and a clear image appeared in his mind. It was a drooping branch swaying gently with the wind. Dozens of smells intertwined in his nostrils, but each smell seemed to have a line connecting to its source¡­ [The first stage of your Primordial Chaos Skill has reached the perfection realm!] [You learn the skill¡ªHeart Mirror!] [Primordial Chaos Skill] Stage 1: Foundation Establishment (Perfection) Description: Nourish the five viscera to establish a firm foundation and cultivate the soul. Breakthrough Requirements: 1. Physique 3-4, Breakthrough Pill (Yellow Tier) x1; 2. Physique 5-6 System Prompt: You have reached the limits of the cultivation technique. You can complete the advancement by consuming a Breakthrough Pill. Wang Shuo tried to absorb light spots again, but he could no longer absorb them. ¡°Foundation Establishment perfection can only raise your Physique to 4.5?¡± Wang Shuo found it very strange. Since Foundation Establishment perfection only raised his Physique to 4.5, what was the point of the second advancement condition? ¡°Or does the remaining attribute points require external help? Pills? Bloodline?¡± After thinking for a while, he still couldn¡¯t figure it out. Alas, he could only suppress the doubts in his heart and check the new skill he learned¡ªHeart Mirror. [Heart Mirror: Combining sight, hearing, smell, touch¡­ you gain clarity of sight, allowing you to detect the enemy¡¯s movements.] The appearance of the new skill finally eased the gloominess in his heart. But it was not a big surprise. When his Physique had broken through to 3 points, he had already comprehended the ability to distinguish positions from sounds. Heart Mirror seemed like an enhanced version. But for him at this moment, it was not much different from his previous auditory position tracking. As he gazed at the blazing sun hanging high in the sky, resolution gradually condensed in his eyes. Although there was still more than a day left until the agreed time, there was no point in waiting since his strength had reached its limit. ¡°Let¡¯s see how strong I am!¡± With a light tap of his foot, Wang Shuo bounced up from the ground with a burst of elastic strength. He stretched out his limbs, and an unprecedented force surged forth. When Wang Shou felt how his power was several times stronger than before, his confidence solidified. ¡­ Sha Yi slowly raised his head. ¡°Young man, have you made your decision?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Wang Shuo grinned, and his figure suddenly vanished. The next instant, a green staff appeared above Sha Yi¡¯s head. ¡°Kill!¡± Sha Yi¡¯s voice thundered as his saber slashed forth like a gale. Clang! Yellow sand flew all over and then rained down. The layer of sand on the saber cracked and fell off, revealing the glistening sharp blade underneath. Wang Shuo flipped backward. As he landed, he continued charging forward without stopping. On the other hand, Sha Yi stumbled backward a few steps as he resisted the blow from Wang Shuo¡¯s staff. At this moment, the 32 sand soldiers, who were originally like sand statues, immediately brandished their halberds and then defended Sha Yi behind them while surrounding and attacking Wang Shuo. The sand soldiers were extremely fast, not a bit inferior to the three green-robed cat demons from before. But critically, their coordination amplified their strength, leaving the cat demons in the dust. The 32 halberds were like precise machines, and their attacks were divided clearly. They poked, stabbed, sliced, or slashed at Wang Shou, sealing every single vital point of his body in an instant. From the deafening clash, it was evident that their strength was not to be underestimated. ¡°Fortunately, I didn¡¯t act rashly earlier!¡± Shock crashed through Wang Shuo. If it was before, he would have been diced into dozens of pieces by now. ¡°But now¡­!¡± As Wang Shu focused, time seemed to stretch out. Within his sight, the precise and swift attacks instantly slowed. Clang! Several metallic crashes rang out, almost fusing into a single eruption of sound. Then seven broken metal halberds mixed with a rain of sand crashed onto the surrounding sand soldiers. The originally impeccable and precise formation instantly cracked. With movements as swift as lightning, Wang Shuo shuttled back and forth with his staff in hand. As a green shadow weaved through the army, the 32 sand soldiers were thrown into chaos. Chapter 21 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios At this moment, Wang Shuo finally experienced how powerful the first stage of the Primordial Chaos Skill at perfection was. Common Basic Staff Technique and Common Basic Movement Technique were only lower yellow-tier skills. But with his Physique of 4.5, he turned these lowly techniques into something magical. At this time, Wang Shuo seemed to have transformed into a being with three heads and six arms. Despite the encirclement, he was exceptionally calm. The Green Dragon Staff swept out like a violent gale as he performed the 18 basic staff techniques one after another like an unceasing flood. And with flawless execution, he parried the attacks aiming at his vital points. But what surprised Wang Shuo was that these sand soldiers had extraordinarily hard bodies. The layer of sand armor covering them seemed to be a living creature as it transformed into a shield to block his attacks. Furthermore, these sand soldiers had impeccable coordination as they worked together to share the burden of Wang Shuo¡¯s attacks, avoiding any casualties. Unfortunately, the disparity in strength between the two sides was too significant. Each sand armor could only withstand two attacks at best before disintegrating into yellow sand. With a sweep of his staff, the sand armor on two sand soldiers shattered. Then with a flicker of his body, he killed them. Suddenly, he heard a powerful air-piercing sound coming from behind him. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡± Wang Shuo spun, and the Green Dragon Staff smashed upward like raising flames. Then the head of the Green Dragon Staff opened its mouth and clamped down on a sharp metallic blade. ¡°What great strength!¡± Based on this slash, Wang Shuo estimated that Sha Yi¡¯s Physique was at least 3.8. Coupled with the sand armor protecting his body, he wouldn¡¯t be inferior to Wang Shou before he broke through. No wonder he dared to be so arrogant. Even though Wang Shuo was surprised, he showed no mercy. The Green Dragon Staff whipped about like a raging dragon overturning a river and smacked away Sha Yi¡¯s blade with one strike with any resistance. The enormous force caused Sha Yi to stumble. Taking advantage of this opening, Wang Shuo charged forward, and the shadow of his staff slammed straight at the opponent¡¯s large head. Unexpectedly, a sand soldier suddenly leaped out from the flank and blocked in front of Sha Yi. ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s gaze turned cold. His arms swung, and the long staff changed from smashing to piercing. The ferocious dragon head pierced through the sand soldier¡¯s chest like a spear and continued toward Sha Yi without any loss of force. Clang! At the critical moment, Sha Yi barely managed to block the attack with the hilt of his saber. But the residual force still sent his body back several steps. Before he could stabilize himself, the staff struck down from the sky like lightning. A crisp ¡®kacha¡¯ reverberated through the air as Wang Shuo paused and extended his right arm. The Green Dragon Staff stabbed straight through Sha Yi¡¯s throat and out the back of his head. Gulp! Sha Yi¡¯s throat gurgled as blood poured out the wound. But before the blood splashed onto the ground, Sha Yi dissipated into particles of light. [You killed the Sand Race General.] [You receive White Treasure Chest x1.] With Sha Yi¡¯s death, the surrounding sand soldiers seemed to lose their minds and rushed at Wang Shou maniacally. Unfortunately, even with their tacit cooperation and intact armor earlier, they were unable to withstand Wang Shuo, much less now. Like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, Wang Shuo weaved through the soldiers like a violent gale, sweeping up the yellow sand like waves. Wherever he passed, sand soldiers were thrown away like rocks. In less than a minute, the wind calmed down, and a figure strode out from the sand. Bleh! Wang Shuo bent down and tousled his hair. Specks of yellow sand trickled down like fluttering snow. ¡°I almost choked to death!¡± It took Wang Shuo quite a while to recover. Then he smelt a strong, sour smell coming from his body. ¡°Ugh!¡± What was the concept of wearing the same clothes for a week in the middle of summer? Wang Shuo experienced this first hand. Basically, you could pickle vegetables with them after taking them off. Previously, he didn¡¯t feel anything. But now that he had relaxed, the stench assaulted Wang Shuo¡¯s mind. He quickly pulled off all his clothes and underwear. Then he buried them into the sand and scrubbed them nonstop. After more than ten minutes and changing several places, he finally felt that most of the smell was gone. At least, it wasn¡¯t as pungent anymore. After putting his clothes back on, Wang Shuo couldn¡¯t help but look at the Nike sneakers he had spent more than $200 on. Two large holes had unknowingly appeared on the toe area, and the wind was blowing into the shoes. Actually, it was rather cooling and comfortable. Jokes aside, Wang Shuo sighed. ¡°Is such a realistic world really just a game?¡± Wang Shuo shook his head and started checking the game notifications. [You killed Sand Soldiers x32.] [You receive White Treasure Chest x32.] [You destroyed the Sand Race Army Camp.] [You receive Sand Race¡¯s Inheritance Treasure Chest.] [Congratulations. You have completed the Second Trial. Rewards: Basic Auction Rights, Special Treasure Chest x1] [Basic Auction Rights: You can hold auctions in 10 rooms every day.] [Special Treasure Chest: Upon opening, you will receive an item no lower than Lower Mystic Tier.] ¡°What a bounty!¡± Wang Shuo could not hold back his excitement. He was not surprised that he had completed the second trial with ease. According to his guess, clearing two bosses with the difficulty he faced should be sufficient to clear the second trial. It was not impossible to complete the first and second levels with a certain amount of luck. However, other than people with a cheat like him, normal players would definitely not be able to defeat the boss in the third level. Perhaps some lucky players might be able to get something like the Primordial Chaos Skill, but it was absolutely impossible for them to draw the maximum number of Five Grains Pills in every chest. Without sufficient Five Grains Pills, it was impossible to break through to the perfection of the first stage. At that time, there would only be one outcome when facing the sand race army¡ªeither transforming into the race or dying. If someone like him, who cleared the trial with his own strength all the way, didn¡¯t get the best rewards, the game designers would seriously be giant assholes. ¡°Now, time for the rewards!¡± First were the White Treasure Chests. [The player is undergoing a random draw. [Selection Option] automatically activated.] [Here are the options¡­] [Five Grains Pill x10] [Five Grains Pill x30] [Five Grains Pill x50] [Water Droplets x(same as above)] [Refined Sand x1¡ªMaterial for refining sand armor.] [Yellow Sand Halberd x1 (Fragment)] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Description: One word: Powerful. Fragment 1/5 (Collect all the fragments to form a complete weapon.) Although he expected that the treasure chest¡¯s drop rate would increase again, he didn¡¯t expect the yield of Five Grains Pill and Water Droplets to more than double. But after seeing the material and weapon fragment at the bottom, Wang Shuo immediately fell into a dilemma. He had experienced the sand armor¡¯s defense, and it was truly extraordinary. If he wasn¡¯t wrong, there should be a way to refine the sand armor in the Inheritance Treasure Chest. The Yellow Sand Halberd was an upper yellow-tier weapon, and its value was also hard to estimate. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s see what the remaining treasure chests can give. ¡°First is the Inheritance Treasure Chest.¡± ¡­ [Bloodline Body Tempering Technique] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Description: ¡­ Note: ¡­ [Piercing Snow Blade] Grade: Lower Mystic Tier Description: Powerful and domineering. It has boundless might. [Sand Armor] Level: Upper Yellow Tier Description: By refining sand into sand armor through unique methods, it becomes flexible and very tough. ¡°Only upper yellow tier?¡± Wang Shuo frowned. With his current strength, he was no longer interested in items below the mystic tier. ¡°Why don¡¯t I see what the Special Treasure Chest has?¡± Chapter 22 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios [The player is undergoing a random draw. [Selection Option] automatically activated.] [Here are the options¡­] [Bone Tempering Pill (Lower Mystic Tier)] [Coldsteel (Lower Mystic Tier)] [Duality Fist Technique (Lower Mystic Tier)] ¡­ Just like last time, there were a total of 12 options for the Special Treasure Chest. The first ten items were all lower mystic tier, and the last two were middle mystic tier. Unlike last time, there were seven kinds of materials in the treasure chest. Most amazingly, one of them was middle mystic tier. The remaining five options were: [Bone Tempering Pill (Lower Mystic Tier)] Description: Consumption will permanently increase attributes by 0.5. (Note: Invalid to a Physique of 5 points or above.) [Small Revitalizing Pill (Lower Mystic Tier)] Description: Recovery and detoxification. A highly effective medicine. [Duality Fist Technique] Grade: Lower Mystic Tier Description: Controls the power of fire and water. Together, the power of fire and water unleashes boundless might. Note: Only those who possess both water and fire true essence can cultivate it. [Flame Sickle Bloodline] Grade: Lower Mystic Tier Description: Fire element skill level +1 [Mystic Turtle Armor] Grade: Middle Mystic Tier Description: Refined from a mixture of a thousand-year mystic turtle shell and many precious spiritual materials. It possesses solid defense. ¡­ Wang Shuo looked at the choices in front of him and fell into a dilemma. Apart from the Small Revitalizing Pellet, the other four were all rare treasures. The Bone Tempering Pill could increase attributes by 0.5. After choosing this, he could directly raise his Physique to 5 to fulfill the requirement for breaking through the first stage of the Primordial Chaos Skill. With that, his strength would definitely advance by leaps and bounds. Overall, the cost-to-performance ratio was very high. But Wang Shuo gave up on this option after some thought. As the name of the first stage was Foundation Establishment, it clearly showed that this stage was purely for laying the foundation. There was no need to rush to break through. As the saying went, the stronger the foundation, the stronger the potential. The advancement notice clearly showed that 5 points was just the threshold for breaking through, and the actual limit was 6. With his cheat, Wang Shuo¡¯s ambitions were very great. He planned to push his Physique to the limit of the first stage before breaking through. Since he didn¡¯t intend to break through to the second stage immediately, the increase of 0.5 points was much less attractive to him. The Duality Fist Technique was obviously a powerful martial art. Wang Shuo didn¡¯t plan to give up on staff techniques, but he also didn¡¯t play to stick with them forever. No one knew what kind of situations he would encounter in the future. If he encountered a place where staff techniques couldn¡¯t be used, unarmed techniques were crucial. But the cultivation conditions of this fist technique required your body to possess water and fire true essence. He didn¡¯t even know what true essence was, let alone cultivate it. As for the buff the Flame Sickle Bloodline offered, anyone who gamed would know the advantage of +1 skill level. But the problem remained. He had no use for it himself. Thus, there was no need to consider which one to choose. [You receive the Mystic Turtle Armor!] As his vision blurred, a fist-sized azure ball of light appeared out of thin air. In the ball of light, a mini armor floated silently. [Do you want to equip the Mystic Turtle Armor?] ¡°Equip.¡± [Please set the appearance of the armor.] A three-dimensional display panel appeared in front of him, and in the center was a gorgeous aqua blue armor. Seeing that the Mystic Turtle Armor actually had an appearance setting function, Wang Shuo was even more satisfied. He usually wasn¡¯t too picky about the clothes he wore, as long as they were clean and fitting. So he didn¡¯t put too much thought into it and changed the appearance to simple sportswear. [Setting completed. Do you want to equip the armor?] ¡°Wait!¡± Wang Shuo quickly took off all his clothes before choosing to equip. Swish! With a cool breeze, perfect blue sportswear appeared on Wang Shuo¡¯s body. He tried moving his hands and feet and found that the slim-fit sportswear didn¡¯t seem to have any feeling of restriction. In addition, there was also a cool air continuously expelling the clothing¡¯s stains. ¡°Ha, now I don¡¯t have to worry about washing clothes!¡± The refreshing feeling cleared Wang Shuo¡¯s mind. He opened the Sand Race¡¯s Inheritance Treasure Chest again and chose the Piercing Snow Blade without hesitation. With the Mystic Turtle Armor, it was naturally impossible for Wang Shuo to fancy the Sand Armor anymore. Although the Sand Armor was made with Refined Sand and had the highest value for selling in the long run, he didn¡¯t have a lot of Refined Sand. Even if he had enough Refined Sand, he didn¡¯t intend to waste his effort. Mere yellow-tier equipment was not worth much. With the time spent getting enough Refined Sand, he could kill a few more monsters and open more treasure chests. On the other hand, as a mystic-tier weapon, the Piercing Snow Blade should fetch a pretty good price. Wang Shuo put away the Piercing Snow Blade, and then his gaze landed on the White Treasure Chests. With 33 White Treasure Chests, he had a total of 99 choices. He used 30 of them to get Yellow Sand Halberd weapon fragments. The rest were all for Five Grains Pills. As for Water Droplets, Wang Shuo planned to exchange for them with Five Grains Pills. The treasure chests that other players opened gave random loot, so someone must have gotten a lot of Water Droplets. With the current price of Five Grains Pill, one pill was enough to exchange for many Water Droplets. Thus, it was far more cost-effective than getting them himself. One minute later, when he opened the last White Treasure Chest, his number of Five Grain Pills exceeded 3,000. But Wang Shuo now knew the potential market of equipment, and Five Grains Pills could no longer make him feel excited. He combined the 30 fragments into six Yellow Sand Halberds. Then he opened the forum and looked at the newly appeared auction column on the left side of the trading column. Habitually, he glanced at the number of players online. Unexpectedly, the number of players remained at around 500. At this moment, the chatting atmosphere of the forum had changed. ¡°LF healing medicine!¡± ¡°[Green Spider Spear (Lower Yellow Tier)] LF 20 [Five Grain Pills]. DM me.¡± ¡°Who has a sword technique manual?¡± ¡­ At a glance, they were basically buying stuff and asking for information or various strategies. Compared to the past, fewer people spoke obscenities, and their speech was much more straightforward. ¡°The environment really changes people!¡± Wang Shuo shook his head and opened the auction column. The next second, a row of room numbers occupied the entire forum page. He looked at the scrolling bar on the right. It was so small that it was almost invisible. He pulled it down slightly, and the entire page instantly fell like a waterfall. ¡°So many¡­ Don¡¯t tell me all the people of Earth are caught up in this?¡± If there were only so many human players, what about the other races? How terrifying! Wang Shuo took a deep breath and calmed his emotions. ¡°Forget it. What¡¯s the point of thinking so much? Even if the sky collapses, someone stronger will hold it up. I¡¯m just a newbie who hasn¡¯t even come out of the novice village. Thinking so much is useless!¡± He randomly chose ten room numbers and then created the auction. Then an auction room with a capacity of 10,000 was created. Wang Shuo stacked the six Yellow Sand Halberds together in the auction column at the top. Then two empty input boxes popped up. One marked the starting price, and the other marked the buyout price. Chapter 23 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Wang Shuo discovered that it was prohibited to speak in the auction room, and they could only communicate through bids during the auction. This setting was probably to prevent players from colluding and forcing the price down. Then there was the option to set the price. The players were free to set the price for the auction, and they even had the option to use real-life currencies. The entire setup was very user-friendly. ¡°For the starting price, one hundred Five Grain Pills.¡± The cost price of a Yellow Sand Halberd was 100 pills, so setting the cost price as the starting price was definitely reasonable. In any case, he had no shortage of these pills now, so there was no need to rip off much profit from these poor people. While Wang Shuo was not a philanthropic and loving person, he didn¡¯t want to go against his conscience. Moreover, at this point, the number of people who had 100 Five Grain Pills was most likely pitifully little. He didn¡¯t expect many people to be able to afford it. Most importantly, his goal this time was not to gain Five Grains Pills. He set up the price and started to input the information. ¡°Also open to any fist, movement, and staff skills x1.¡± [Do you want to begin the auction?] ¡°Begin!¡± In less than five seconds, dozens of messages arrived. Unsurprisingly, there were only two players who bid with the starting price. The rest used skills as their bids. ¡°[Ground Saber Technique (Middle Yellow Tier)] plus 20 [Five Grains Pills]. Trade?¡± ¡°Brother, I have a remnant page of a sword technique, [Single Lightning Sword (4) (Middle Yellow Tier)]. Are you interested?¡± ¡°[Twelve Kicking Styles (Middle Yellow Tier)], is this enough?¡± ¡°Boss, it¡¯s so expensive. If we buy this from you, we won¡¯t have food left. Can you make it cheaper?¡± ¡°[Ironhead Technique (Middle Yellow Tier)]. Big shot, have you cleared the second trial?¡± ¡­ Wang Shou scanned through the bids one by one and found that as more players bid, more good items were offered. But the skills offered didn¡¯t meet his expectations. The only skill he was satisfied with was the middle yellow-tier Twelve Kicking Styles. After the player confirmed his bid, Wang Shuo agreed to the trade. [You receive Twelve Kicking Styles.] [Twelve Kicking Styles] Grade: Middle Yellow Tier Description: Each style is swift and fierce beyond compare. Note: Cultivating this technique requires lesser mastery in the Common Basic Leg Technique. ¡°There¡¯s actually a prerequisite?¡± Wang Shuo was still wondering why the other party didn¡¯t practice it himself. It turned out that he couldn¡¯t practice it. ¡°Oh right, someone used a common basic technique to bid¡­¡± He dragged the scroll bar up and found it. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t the leg technique but the fist technique. ¡°The fist technique is also okay. In any case, it seems like I¡¯ll have to practice it sooner or later. So I guess I¡¯ll take it!¡± [You receive Common Basic Fist Technique.] Wang Shuo casually threw the skill book into his inventory and continued scrolling. ¡°Huh, Advanced Basic Movement Technique¡­ Middle yellow tier? Nice!¡± [You receive Advanced Basic Movement Technique.] [Advanced Basic Movement Technique] Grade: Middle Yellow Tier Description: Contains the advanced skills of basic movement techniques. Note: Cultivating this technique requires lesser mastery in the Common Basic Movement Technique. Looking at the description, Wang Shuo smiled in satisfaction. Earlier, he had felt that his staff technique had reached the threshold of advancement. But alas, he was limited by his movement technique and couldn¡¯t break through. He had a hunch that as long as his movement technique could advance, it would also benefit his staff technique. To him, just this skill alone was worth six Yellow Sand Halberds. As for the rest, they were just additional rewards. He waited for nearly half an hour. Finally, someone offered the Common Basic Leg Technique. He also found a middle yellow-tier staff skill Three Mountains Staff Technique and the Common Basic Palm Technique. At this point, he had sold all six Yellow Sand Halberds. Through the auction, he obtained three basic techniques¡ªthe fist technique, palm technique, and leg technique¡­ And three intermediate yellow-tier skills¡ªAdvanced Basic Movement Technique, Twelve Kicking Styles, and Three Mountain Staff Technique. Practicing the basic techniques was basically the same as before. With Wang Shuo¡¯s current attributes, they were simple tasks. In less than three hours, all three basic techniques reached the perfection realm. On average, each basic technique only took an hour to reach perfection. ¡­ Next, Wang Shuo began cultivating the Advanced Basic Movement Technique. He returned to the cat demon forest and leaped onto the stone array. Compared to basic movement techniques, advanced movement techniques didn¡¯t change much. The most critical difference was the method of exerting force was more complicated and exquisite. For players with insufficient attributes, the techniques would be highly challenging. But it was very relaxing for Wang Shuo. With a Physique of 4.5, his control over his body improved significantly. Coupled with the Common Basic Movement Technique at perfection, cultivating the advanced version was straightforward. In less than two hours, the Advanced Basic Movement Technique also smoothly reached perfection. [Through your relentless efforts, your Advanced Basic Movement Technique has reached perfection.] [You have a new understanding of the Common Basic Staff Technique. Your Common Basic Staff Technique has advanced to Advanced Basic Staff Technique.] ¡°Nice!¡± Wang Shuo punched in the air excitedly. Previously, he had a hunch that his comprehension of staff techniques should have exceeded the basic level. It turned out that his guess was right. But as his comprehension of the Advanced Basic Staff Technique was done independently, many of his techniques were not mature. After practicing for a total of four hours, he barely reached basic mastery and received the entire skill inheritance of the Advanced Basic Staff Technique. Only after having the entire inheritance did cultivating it become much easier. In less than half an hour, Wang Shuo cultivated it to the perfection realm. At this time, the sun had already set. Disregarding everything else in the game, the night sky was really magnificent. ¡°Who would have thought that one day I would become a cultivation maniac¡­¡± Wang Shuo chuckled to himself as he looked at the two remaining skill books in his inventory. His gaze was firm once again. ¡°Let¡¯s learn the Three Mountain Staff Technique.¡± Under the radiance of the stars and moon, Wang Shuo brandished the Green Dragon Staff and cultivated again. This technique was different from the basic staff technique. The Three Mountain Staff Technique had a total of three moves, namely the first stance, Mountain Splitting; the second stance, Mountain Traversing; and the third stance, Mountain Shaking. Mountain Splitting focused on offense, Mountain Traversing concentrated on defense, and Mountain Shaking was a combination of both. As he practiced, Wang Shuo gradually comprehended the difference between the two intermediate yellow tier staff techniques. The Advanced Basic Staff Technique contained the same 18 stances as the Common Basic Staff Technique. The stances were complicated and included the proper ways of exerting force through these advanced stances. But in terms of attack power, it was inferior to the Three Mountain Staff Technique. Furthermore, the Three Mountain Staff Technique¡¯s effectiveness would shine in certain situations. The only disadvantage was that it consumed more energy than the former. Simply put, the Advanced Basic Staff Technique strengthened regular attacks, while the Three Mountain Staff Technique was skill attacks. ¡°Not bad. I finally have a killer move now.¡± While the basic staff techniques were very comprehensive, they lacked a game-changing and killer move. The weaker attack power was alright when he faced average opponents. But if he encountered an opponent of the same level, he would be very passive. ¡­ One Five Grains Pill after another entered his stomach. Like a tireless machine, Wang Shuo waved his staff in this silent and lonely place with the whistling sound of air breaking as his sole companion. Chapter 24 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Rumble! Sitting cross-legged and resting on the ground, Wang Shuo was suddenly jolted awake by a loud noise. He raised his head. In the distance, the ground and vegetation were shaking as a black mountain peak slowly rose from the ground at the edge of the space. The roaring rumble continued for another ten minutes before everything returned to normal. Only then did Wang Shuo realize that it wasn¡¯t a mountain peak! It was clearly a colossal stone door. It was just that the stone door was too big. When closed, it stood at least ten meters tall. Its appearance was straightforward and unadorned, and there were strange patterns engraved all over. Other than that, there was nothing else. Just as Wang Shuo was scrutinizing the stone door, a system prompt appeared. [The Third Trial begins. Please get ready.] Wang Shuo leaped to his feet and summoned the Green Dragon Staff. But after a while, there were still no traces of monsters. ¡°Are the monsters of the third trial inside the stone door?¡± With doubts in his mind, Wang Shuo carefully approached the stone door. Just when he was about 50 meters away from it, his vision suddenly blurred as his surroundings changed. The forest that had initially been all over the area suddenly turned into a vast arena. Around the arena, countless spectators cheered deafeningly. Before he could make sense of his surroundings, a youth clad in black clothes appeared in front of the door. He was about the same height as Wang Shuo and held a black longsword. His face was blurry, as though it was pixelated. The moment the young man appeared, he disappeared again. ¡°Invisibility!¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s attributes of 4.5 not only made his body stronger but also improved his mind. He immediately analyzed what happened. ¡°Heart Mirror!¡± Wang Shuo was unfazed. He immediately realized that he couldn¡¯t see or hear the other party¡¯s movements, so he activated Heart Mirror for the first time. The next second, as if he was granted a heavenly eye, a three-dimensional view that was 360-degree with no blind spots appeared in his mind. Then Wang Shuo saw a translucent human figure charging toward him. The other party was swift. With a conservative estimate of a Physique of at least 3.5, this young man was stronger than the purple-clothed cat demon in the second trial. In less than three seconds, the young man had closed in from the door fifty meters away to within ten meters of him. ¡°So aggressive right from the start?¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s pupils contracted slightly. Then without warning, the Green Dragon Staff drew a diagonal semicircle arc and fiercely struck the air on his right. Three Mountain Staff Technique, first stance¡ªMountain Splitting. He attacked with all his strength. An ear-piercing collision reverberated in the air. Then a human figure smashed onto the ground like a cannonball. It was the blurry-faced, black-clothed young man who had disappeared just now. But he looked in dire straits at this moment. A large crater caved in where his sternum fractured, and only a short section of his black longsword remained. ¡°Pfft.¡± He coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs. The black-clothed young man struggled to stretch his hand to his chest. Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes turned cold. He took a step forward and ruthlessly stabbed the Green Dragon Staff into his opponent¡¯s throat. The latter turned into particles of light and disappeared without a sound. [You killed Phantom Assassin Radek Kidd (Projection).] [You receive Projection Treasure Chest x1] Wang Shuo was slightly surprised. ¡°Projection? Is this Radek Kidd real?¡± He shook his head and suppressed the doubt in his heart. Now was not the time to think about this. ¡°Wahhh! Amazing!¡± The audience went wild at Wang Shuo¡¯s display of strength, seemingly praising the brilliance of this battle. Looking around, Wang Shuo found himself surrounded by countless spectators. But like Radek Kidd, all of them were pixelated. But this time, it was full-body pixelization. ¡°Is the third trial a live broadcast?¡± Wang Shuo felt uncomfortable being watched like a monkey in a circus, but he had no choice. With the disappearance of Radek Kidd¡¯s projection, the surrounding scenery returned to normal. Staring at the black stone door in the distance, he fell into deep thought. He had more or less guessed the content of the third trial. According to the information he had received, the third trial was the final trial of the Newcomer¡¯s Trial. In other words, after passing this level, he would likely leave this novice space. Most likely, the third trial was to get past this door. Of course, from Radek Kidd¡¯s appearance, the difficulty of passing this trial was apparent. ¡°Looks like I have to be more prepared. Let¡¯s open the treasure chest first!¡± [After opening Radek Kidd¡¯s Projection Treasure Chest, there is a chance to obtain an item from him.] [Phantom Saber] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Enchantment: Stealth Attack +1 Description: Phantom Assassin¡¯s Exclusive Set 1/3 Note: Gathering the entire Phantom Equipment Set will grant additional Stealth +1 and Silent Walk +1. [Phantom Armor] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Enchantment: Stealth +1 Description: Phantom Assassin¡¯s Exclusive Set 1/3 Note: ¡­ [Phantom Boots] Level: Higher Yellow Tier Enchantment: Silent Walk +1 Description: Phantom Assassin¡¯s Exclusive Set 1/3 Note: ¡­ [Lion Heart Potion] Grade: Yellow Tier Description: Increase Physique by 0.5 for half an hour. ¡°Amazing!¡± Wang Shuo smacked his lips when he saw this. There was an equipment set and an enhancement potion. How generous! After all, the third trial had barely begun¡­ Wang Shuo suppressed the greed in his heart. Then without hesitation, Wang Shuo ruled out the three-piece Phantom Equipment Set and directly selected the Lion Heart Potion. He felt a chill in his palm, and an orange tube about the size of his index finger appeared out of thin air. ¡°That guy just now probably wanted to drink this potion, right? Who knows. He might have stood up again after drinking it¡­ ¡°But just to be safe, it¡¯s best to end battles as quickly as possible!¡± After a short rest, Wang Shuo walked toward the black stone door again. After ten meters closer, a loud and boorish roar boomed. Once again, Wang Shuo arrived at the familiar arena. Opposite him was a two-meter-tall, absurdly muscular man shouting at the sky, carrying a giant ax about the same height as him. ¡°This fellow doesn¡¯t look human!¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes narrowed as they landed on the other party¡¯s huge foot that was like a cow¡¯s hoof. ¡°Roar!¡± The big guy suddenly shouted and charged forward while brandishing his giant ax. Facing this muscle head, Wang Shuo didn¡¯t dare to let the other party charge him. He stepped forward to greet him. Who knew that when the two of them were about ten meters away from each other, the bull-hoofed monster suddenly stomped down onto the ground. Boom! A violent shockwave erupted. Wang Shuo¡¯s expression changed drastically. He lost his balance and 50% of his strength. On the other hand, the bull-hoofed monster¡¯s aura became incomparably fierce. He jumped high directly above Wang Shuo¡¯s head, raised his giant ax with both hands, and fiercely chopped down. ¡°Crap!¡± At this moment of life and death, Wang Shuo¡¯s mind was clearer than ever. The tip of his toes tapped the ground, and the counterforce stabilized his slanted body. With the Advanced Movement Technique, he gained a chance to deal with the monster. Chapter 25 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios As strength gathered on Wang Shuo¡¯s palm, his hands began shaking at a strange frequency. The Green Dragon Staff oscillated like a spring, leaving afterimages within a small area. This move was the third stance of the Three Mountain Staff Technique¡ªMountain Shaking. The Mountain Shaking stance focused on defense and offense. Although its pure defense was not comparable to the Mountain Traversing stance, it could transfer the opponent¡¯s strength back to the user at the moment of impact. Wang Shuo chose not to use the more defensive Mountain Traversing after analyzing his circumstances. At this moment, he had already lost the initiative. If he simply defended, he would be completely passive. If his opponent¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t weaker than his, it would be challenging for him to turn the tables. Should he remain passive, he would be taking a thorough beating and placing his hopes on the possibility of his opponent making a mistake. So he might as well take a gamble. With the middle mystic-tier Mystic Turtle Armor protecting his body, coupled with his own strength, Wang Shuo was confident that he could take this attack head-on. But if he kept on defending, he would still lose. So he had to break out of this predicament as soon as possible. Even with the Mystic Turtle Armor, he might not be able to withstand a prolonged beating. Thus, the Mountain Shaking stance was the best choice. While it was not a killer move, it would buy some time. Clang! A tremendous force slammed Wang Shuo onto the ground. At this moment, a blue light barrier emerged and absorbed most of the force like a sponge. Although Wang Shuo¡¯s back shook slightly, there was no further damage. This was the first time he experienced the defensive power of the Mystic Turtle Armor. Even he was shocked. From the power of the attack, the bull-hoofed monster was only slightly weaker than him. Its Physique was roughly around 4.3. Although he had also defended himself facing the immense power of his opponent, he only took minimal damage, effectively highlighting the defensive prowess of a middle mystic-tier armor. On the other hand, the moment the weapons collided, a strange vibrating force shook the bull-hoofed monster. It channeled through the giant ax into the monster¡¯s body. Then within moments, half of its body went numb, and it stumbled a step back. During this short stumble, Wang Shuo seized the opportunity to regain his footing and instantly sweep his staff right across. Crack! The Green Dragon Staff struck the bull-hoofed monster¡¯s thick, rock-like left leg, immediately twisting and deforming it. A pained ¡®Moo!¡¯ boomed as it staggered a few steps before barely managing to stabilize itself with the giant ax. However, Wang Shuo didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of showing mercy. Just as the saying went, ¡®Take their life while they¡¯re ill¡¯. The shadow of the staff whipped along like the wind as it knocked away the hasty defense from the giant ax. Wang Shuo jumped up a few meters and smashed down fiercely with the momentum of his descent. Roar! The bull-hoofed monster suddenly let out a menacing roar, and a transparent sound wave visible to the naked eye burst forth. Once again, the Mystic Turtle Armor released a light blue barrier, keeping Wang Shuo unaffected. The bull-hoofed monster maniacally waved its arms to block the attack. But unfortunately, its muscles were no match for the lethal strike from a mystic-tier weapon. Furthermore, this strike pushed the limits of the Mountain Splitting stance of the Three Mountain Staff Technique. The Green Dragon Staff broke both of its arms as quickly as breaking dry weeds. Then without pause, it smashed the head of the bull-hoofed monster. [You killed Minotaur Berserker Neville Castaneda (Projection).] [You receive Projection Treasure Chest x1.] Wang Shuo stood holding his staff, panting heavily. As he listened to the thunderous cheers of the audience, an inexplicable sense of excitement pumped through his veins. It was not because of the cheering but because he was gradually infatuated with the thrill of fighting. ¡°Am I a closet battle maniac?¡± Suddenly, the cheers disappeared. Wang Shuo left the arena once again. As he thought back to this battle, the racing of his heart slowly calmed down. While less than a minute long, the short battle was more profound than all the battles in the past few days combined. This was the first time he had suffered such a massive loss since entering the game. His past experience in games and novels planted a subconscious assumption of big guys as muscular and simple-minded idiots. Coupled with the other party¡¯s initial actions, he had completely relaxed his guard. Unexpectedly, this minor oversight almost caused him to fall into a desperate situation. His victory this time was not due to his adaptability but purely based on his superior strength (equipment and attributes). With the same power and equipment, it was hard to say who would have won. ¡°Our ancestors were wise! You can¡¯t judge a book by its cover. I must remember this lesson!¡± After reminding himself to be cautious, Wang Shuo opened the Projection Treasure Chest. [After opening Neville Castaneda¡¯s Projection Treasure Chest, there is a chance to obtain an item from him.] [Berserker Breastplate] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Enchantment: Strength +1 Description: Berserker¡¯s Exclusive Set 1/3 Note: Gathering the entire Berserker Equipment Set will grant additional War Cry +1 and Strength +1. [Berserker Greaves] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Enchantment: Earth Trample +1 Description: Berserker¡¯s Exclusive Set 1/3 Note: ¡­ [Berserker Giant Ax] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Enchantment: Slash +1 Description: Berserker¡¯s Exclusive Set 1/3 Note: ¡­ [Colossus Potion] Grade: Yellow Tier Description: Replenish all the stamina lost within one hour. [Pendant of Blessings] Description: This is a pendant given to Neville Castaneda by his father. It contains a father¡¯s most profound blessings. ¡°Phantom assassin, berserker¡­ Are these the classes in this game?¡± Wang Shuo casually chose the Berserker Greaves, and then he dwelled in thought. After all, this was a novice village, so it was not unusual for there to be monsters. But for classes to appear was odd. With doubts circling his mind, Wang Shuo opened the forum. He was shocked to discover that the 500 chat rooms from yesterday dwindled to less than 200. The forum was in a state of chaos. ¡°It¡¯s over. I can¡¯t pass the third trial at all! Damn it. I almost died in the first challenge with my 2.4 Physique. There are still forty meters to the door. I¡¯m probably dead!¡± ¡°No way! I¡¯m at 1.7. Is it hopeless for me then?¡± ¡°Shit! Is it really that bad?¡± ¡°Just look at the number of people in the room. Not a single one of those big shots who claimed to clear the second trial have said anything else. Today, so many of them have disappeared. Something must be wrong!¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t just think of the bleak situations. Maybe they¡¯ve cleared it? Do you remember what that big shot once said? There are only three levels in the newcomer trial!¡± ¡°Come on. You¡¯re too naive. Even the big shots at 2.4 are in despair. What are the chances of all those missing players clearing the trial?¡± ¡­ Wang Shuo fell into deep thought. ¡°All of them clearing¡­ It¡¯s not impossible!¡± A sudden thought surfaced in his mind. Be it the Shadow Assassin or a Minotaur, they were both ¡®projections¡¯. This was completely different from the previous two trials. ¡°When I was in the arena¡­ was I also a projection?¡± Wang Shuo recalled the exchange with the three races in the second trial. They had all sworn to ensure that he would pass the second trial safely and enter the third trial. Initially, he thought that this was just a trap. As long as the players completed the race transformation and reached the third trial, the races would accomplish the Temple¡¯s task. After which, the life and death of the players would no longer matter to them. But from another perspective, these three races from the second trial might be investing in the players. Since it was an investment, they would definitely want something in return. Working so hard and investing in a player just to send them to the third trial to die was illogical. What were they after? Chapter 26 No matter how curious he was, Wang Shuo wouldn¡¯t put himself in danger to find out. He took out the Berserker Greaves and scrutinized it. As expected of a special equipment set, it was a piece of mini equipment wrapped in a light ball floating above his palm, just like the Mystic Turtle Armor. But it was class-specific. ¡°What a shame. I wanted to change my sneakers¡­¡± Looking at his Nick sneakers that had bigger holes, Wang Shuo sighed helplessly. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t choose the Berserker Greaves for himself. It was just that the other five options were simply too bad, so he had to choose the lesser evil. Although the Colossal Potion had no usage restrictions, he didn¡¯t have to worry about stamina with his massive stash of Five Grains Pills. On the other hand, as a class-specific set, the Berserker Equipment Set should be very suitable for berserkers. The piece he chose should be able to sell for a good price once he left the novice village. As for why he chose the greaves, it was entirely because of the Earth Trample +1 enchantment. During the previous battle, Wang Shuo thought that the crowd control skill Earth Trample was definitely a core skill for berserkers, so the greaves¡¯ value should be higher than the other two. Wang Shuo put away the item, replenished his stamina, and hydrated himself. After a short rest, he felt that his body had recovered to its peak state. So he walked forward again. Thirty meters away¡­ As expected, Wang Shuo arrived in the arena once again amid the clamorous cheers. Not far away, a man in a hooded cloak who looked like a bamboo pole stood. He suddenly held a purple crystal ball in his hand and muttered something in cadence. The next second, three black halos of light suddenly appeared around him, with the center rippling like water waves. As the ripples hastened, a black wolf the size of a calf and two white apes nearly two meters tall emerged. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to make it here!¡± Unexpectedly, his opponent didn¡¯t attack immediately. Judging from his voice, he was a young man. His tone was like that of an opera performer, slightly trailing. Wang Shuo laughed. ¡°Is it very unexpected?¡± ¡°It is.¡± The cloaked man spoke as if he was chanting. ¡°Normally, it¡¯s impossible for someone with the mediocre bloodline of humans to make it here. But I can¡¯t think of any other possibility besides luck.¡± Wang Shuo didn¡¯t comment. ¡°Luck is also a part of strength, is it not?¡± ¡°Perhaps. But unfortunately, your good luck ends here because¡­ you met me. Go, my servants, tear him apart!¡± The cloaked man pointed at Wang Shuo with one hand, and the two apes and one wolf moved simultaneously. The two white apes stomped on the ground and instantly leaped over ten meters with their four limbs to arrive in front of Wang Shuo in the blink of an eye. ¡°So fast!¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s body flashed horizontally and appeared in front of the white ape on his left. The Green Dragon Staff brazenly hacked down. To his surprise, the white ape didn¡¯t even look at him and instead grabbed him around the waist and withstood the blow with its back. Bang! More surprisingly was the toughness of the white ape¡¯s back. This strike felt as though it had struck steel. Even so, the white ape didn¡¯t have it easy either. The blow slammed it into the ground. Just as Wang Shuo was about to follow up with another attack, the other white ape already caught up to him. Taking advantage of the fact that he had used up all his strength and had yet to recover, it suddenly grabbed the Green Dragon Staff. The white ape¡¯s strength was astonishing. Even with Wang Shuo¡¯s superior Physique, it was difficult for him to struggle free. As Wang Shuo struggled, the white ape on the ground had already recovered, and it stretched out its long arms to hold him again. ¡°Get lost!¡± Wang Shuo roared and kicked his foot into the air without warning, slamming onto that hideous hairy face like a cannonball. This was the eighth move of the Twelve Kicking Styles¡ªGold Revolution Standing Split. Although the Twelve Kicking Styles at the perfection level wasn¡¯t as powerful as the Green Dragon Staff, it was still highly damaging under the increase of his Physique of 4.5. This kick sent the white ape that bent into a bow flying several meters away, and its jawbone even directly covered its nose. ¡°Looks like this beast isn¡¯t as tough as I thought!¡± As this thought flashed through his mind, he wrapped his leg around the captured staff. Then he flipped his body around and used the move ¡®Dragon Capturing Belt Sizing¡¯. The tip of his foot was like a spear as it stabbed toward the white ape¡¯s throat. This white ape was rather intelligent. After seeing the miserable state of its companion, it didn¡¯t dare to receive the attack head-on. It hurriedly let go of the staff and retreated. While the kick missed, the Green Dragon Staff returned to his hand. As soon as Wang Shuo stabilized himself, he used his movement technique and went straight to the injured white ape. The whole chain of movements from Wang Shuo was swift and decisive. In the blink of an eye, he had executed all his moves. Just as he was about to seal the fate of the white ape, a menacing aura suddenly erupted from the side. From the corner of his eye, he saw a crimson fireball the size of a washbasin hurtling toward him. ¡°I can¡¯t dodge!¡± The fireball moved at breakneck speed, and Wang Shuo instantly realized that it was impossible to dodge it completely. So he simply gave up dodging and struck down with his staff. As the fireball struck, the white ape struggling to get up on the ground dissipated into particles of light. A blinding blue light flashed from Wang Shuo¡¯s body. With a ¡®chichi¡¯ sound, the huge fireball directly evaporated. ¡°How is that possible! How can a trial-taker like you rely on equipment to resist a level one spell!¡± The cloaked man, who had been standing in place and watching the battle, lost his composure when he saw this shocking scene. ¡°Unless it¡¯s legendary equipment¡­¡± ¡°This treasure is excellent!¡± At this moment, Wang Shuo rejoiced that he had made this choice back then. In a short period, the Mystic Turtle Armor had already saved him twice. As for the cloaked man¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t be bothered with them. The two apes and one wolf were clearly a complete tactical system. The two apes restrained him while the black wolf waited for an opportunity to offer magic support. He glanced at the heavily panting black wolf. It seemed a little lethargic after attacking with the fireball. ¡°There are indeed restrictions!¡± Wang Shuo diverted a portion of his attention on the black wolf and again pounced at the white ape. The white ape had a high level of intelligence, and the tragic death of its companion had clearly frightened it. Now, it relied on its speed to dodge left and right, not daring to get close. ¡°Trying to stall for time?¡± Seeing the black wolf¡¯s breathing gradually calm down, Wang Shuo ignored the ape and turned to rush at the black wolf. ¡°Stop him!¡± the cloaked man couldn¡¯t help shouting. A human-like fear flashed through the white ape¡¯s eyes. But despite the hesitation, it still turned around to stop Wang Shuo. Wang Shuo¡¯s lips curled into a sneer. He allowed the enemy to run in front of him before smashing down with his staff. The white ape hurriedly hid its head and arched its back. ¡°An animal is an animal!¡± Wang Shuo flicked his wrist, and the staff turned into a swing to strike the white ape¡¯s head from below like a whip. Being a mystic-tier weapon, the Green Dragon Staff was much stronger than the earlier kick on the ape¡¯s head. This strike directly crushed the white ape¡¯s skull and burst its brain. The black wolf was finally prepared again. With its mouth open, a pungent smell of sulfur gushed out, and sparks began to gather. ¡°Want to spit?¡± Wang Shuo stood still and silently watched as the other party¡¯s flames brewed. Then a green shadow flew across the sky. Like a bolt of lightning, it pierced down through the black wolf¡¯s abdomen like a javelin, skewering it into the ground. Wang Shuo strode forward, pulled out the Green Dragon Staff, and went straight to the cloaked man. ¡°Wait!¡± When Wang Shuo saw that he didn¡¯t do anything else, he slowed down to hear what he had to say. Chapter 27 ¡°Although you luckily managed to beat me with your equipment, as you said, luck is also a part of strength. I, Sanada Kazuhiro, acknowledge you. Human, can you tell me your name?¡± ¡°This name¡­ Is it Japanese?¡± Wang Shuo recalled the way this fellow spoke and behaved. Now that he said his name, it was indeed kind of like this. ¡°Of course¡­ not!¡± Who knew whether you could curse in this game. Of course, there was no reason to take this risk for nothing. ¡°What?!¡± Sanada Kazuhiro¡¯s expression instantly darkened. ¡°Despicable human, don¡¯t let me see you again, or else I will make you pay the price for the humiliation today!¡± Before he finished speaking, his figure turned into a phantom and dissipated. [You killed Abyss Summoner Sanada Kazuhiro (Projection).] [You receive Projection Treasure Chest x1.] ¡­ [After opening Sanada Kazuhiro¡¯s Projection Treasure Chest, there is a chance to obtain an item from him.] [Spiritual Cloak] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Enchantment: Magic Strengthening +1 Description: Abyss Summoner¡¯s Exclusive Set 1/3 Note: Gathering the entire Summoner¡¯s Equipment Set will grant additional Magic Strengthening +1 and Spirit Channeling +1. [Spiritual Talisman] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Enchantment: Beast Spirit Protection +1 Description: Abyss Summoner¡¯s Exclusive Set 1/3 Note: ¡­ [Spiritual Ring] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Enchantment: Magic Power +1 Description: Abyss Summoner¡¯s Exclusive Set 1?3 Note: ¡­ [Sealing Crystal] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Description: Summons an abyssal fire wolf to fight every hour. Note: Not buffed by summoner skills. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s amazing!¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes lit up as he chose the Sealing Crystal without hesitation. He had thought that this Japanese was rather skilled. However, it turned out that his strength was solely based on his equipment. After resting for a while, Wang Shuo set off again. Based on the current situation, there should still be two or three rounds left. Since his cultivation had reached a bottleneck, there was no point in waiting any longer. He might as well end the battles as soon as possible. He was dying to see the world behind this door. Ten meters later, the scene changed again. In the familiar arena stood a tall man in a yellow monk robe. His hands, arms, and legs were wrapped in a layer of white cloth that looked like equipment. If you looked closely, you could vaguely see a shiny bald head through the blurry pixels. ¡°Is this guy a monk?¡± Wang Shuo guessed as he took the initiative to make the first move. ¡°May the sacred light shine! Punish and slay evil!¡± the monk suddenly shouted, and a layer of golden light enveloped him. ¡°Dragon-subduing Vajra!¡± He sat cross-legged, and both his hands raised up like lightning. He instantly caught the Green Dragon Staff that ripped through the air down at him. Clang! As the ground trembled, a trace of shock flashed across Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes. This monk was actually able to catch the Green Dragon Staff with just his bare hands. Furthermore, it didn¡¯t look like he suffered any damage. Most terrifyingly, he possessed strength so great that he was even stronger than Wang Shou. At the moment of impact, he was almost unable to hold onto the Green Dragon Staff. ¡°What a powerful monk. If my weapon was stolen (Regarding the equipment settings, the details will come after the novice village arc.), I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to defeat him!¡± Wang Shuo thought quickly and instantly had a solution. ¡°Summon the abyssal flame wolf!¡± The next second, a calf-sized black wolf opened its mouth and pounced at the monk. ¡°Evil shall be annihilated! Tiger-vanquishing Vajra!¡± With a loud cry, the monk sidestepped to dodge the wolf¡¯s jaws and then kicked its head. At this moment, an air-piercing sound rang out. Seeing that the situation wasn¡¯t looking good, the monk twisted his body in midair and warped several feet horizontally to dodge the attack. After landing, he instantly assumed a defensive posture. Wang Shuo secretly commanded the fire wolf to pace around the monk. He chuckled. ¡°Weren¡¯t you shouting quite happily just now? Why aren¡¯t you shouting anymore? Oh, and how did you teleport about just now?¡± ¡°Ignorant fool!¡± the monk hollered angrily and then formed seals with his hands. ¡°Vajra Armor!¡± Blazing golden light erupted from his body and transformed into a translucent golden bell that enveloped him within. ¡°Diablo-wielding Vajra!¡± The white cloth wrapped around the monk¡¯s hands instantly dispersed and transformed into a Buddhist monk staff as tall as a person in the blink of an eye. ¡°Cloud-stepping Vajra!¡± The monk took a step and shot toward Wang Shuo at lightning speed. ¡°Demon-subduing Vajra!¡± Facing the attack, Wang Shuo didn¡¯t dare to be negligent. He used the Mountain Shaking stance, and the Green Dragon Staff swept out to receive it. Clang! The collision sent both of them stumbling back a few steps. They immediately charged forward again. The two figures collided and separated with the sound of metal clashing continuously. As they fought, Wang Shuo¡¯s heart became increasingly heavy. His perfection-level Advanced Basic Staff Technique and Three Mountain Staff Technique, coupled with the support of the Green Dragon Staff, could be said to have brought his strength to its peak. But the monk wasn¡¯t the least bit inferior. In addition to his muscular physique, his staff was no ordinary item either. At the very least, it was lower mystic tier. The two of them moved like the wind, twisting and turning, flashing to and fro, attacking with their staffs in the arena. A few occasional muffled groans resounded amid the clanging sounds. Every time this happened, golden and blue lights flashed on their bodies. ¡°What a tough monk!¡± Wang Shuo didn¡¯t know how many times he had exclaimed in surprise. The defense of the golden bell on the monk¡¯s body was astonishing. Even after taking several hits, it was only slightly deformed. Fortunately, the Mystic Turtle Armor was not weak either. Although it also trembled slightly under the attacks of the Buddhist monk staff, it looked much stronger than the golden bell. ¡°Even if I take my last breath, I will take your life today!¡± This battle pushed Wang Shuo to his limit. The sheer intensity of the battle consumed a terrifying amount of stamina. In less than a minute, he felt his body drained. He used the momentum of a clash to pull away and instantly threw two Five Grains Pills into his mouth. The monk was no pushover either, and he also took the opportunity to throw a black pill into his mouth. The next second, the two of them tangled again. Five minutes¡­ Ten minutes¡­ Half an hour¡­ At first, the two of them were only competing with weapons. But as they became more familiar with each other¡¯s moves, they even started to use their hands and feet. Unfortunately, Wang Shuo wasn¡¯t as proficient in fist and leg techniques as staff techniques. After adding fists and kicks, he instantly fell into a disadvantage. The monk¡¯s coordination and mastery of his various skills were terrifying. If not for the armor protecting his body, Wang Shuo might not even be able to withstand three hits. Throughout the battle, Wang Shuo could sense that the monk¡¯s skill level was not much higher than his own. But the opponent had honed each technique countless times, so his mastery and understanding were incomparable to a beginner who relied on his attributes. After suffering consecutive losses, Wang Shuo couldn¡¯t suppress the joy in his heart. In fact, he was aware of his own problems. But combat experience wasn¡¯t something that could be gained through practice alone. All along, his opponents were either too strong or too weak. He had never met an evenly matched opponent like this monk. With the Mystic Turtle Armor protecting him, he didn¡¯t have to worry about losing his life, so he could take this opportunity to hone his skills. Chapter 28 As time passed, Wang Shuo¡¯s understanding and mastery of his skills deepened. In this battle, the monk was like a blacksmith as he hammered and tempered the crude brick that was Wang Shuo. Under his opponent¡¯s pressure, Wang Shuo¡¯s usage of his various skills gradually broke through to a whole new level. It was not an increase in power but an integration of skills. At first, Wang Shuo was wholly suppressed by the monk. He only had a chance to counterattack once every ten moves, and most of them were useless attacks. Slowly, he was able to make two or three moves within ten. He could even occasionally seize an opening to retaliate. After an unknown period of time, when Wang Shuo could already fight back against the monk, the monk¡¯s offensive plummeted all of a sudden. At first, Wang Shuo thought that it was a ruse. But he could feel the power of the monk¡¯s attacks was indeed weakening. In less than a minute, he could only defend himself and no longer fight back. At the same time, the golden light from him dimmed, and the defensive golden bell barrier around him suddenly dissipated. ¡°He¡¯s out of mana!¡± Wang Shuo confirmed his guess. It had been roughly an hour since the start of the battle. He remembered that during the second round fighting the berserker, he looted a bottle of Colossus Potion, which could replenish his stamina limitlessly within an hour. The pill that the monk had taken at the beginning was likely something similar. Upon understanding this, Wang Shuo was overjoyed. He charged in head-on with the Mountain Splitting stance, completely disregarding how the monk had aided him as sparring partner for so long. At this moment, the monk was not even half as strong as before. But he had no intention of giving up. His monk staff transformed into a spirit snake that coiled around him as it tried to divert the staff¡¯s power away. ¡°Stubborn resistance!¡± With a jolt of his arm, Wang Shuo quickly brushed away the monk¡¯s defense. The remaining force surged into the monk¡¯s body through his own staff. Without the golden bell¡¯s protection, coupled with his drastic decrease in strength, the monk was an arrow at the end of its flight. The blows raining down on him forced him to retreat again and again. ¡°Goodbye!¡± Wang Shuo took a step forward and ended his opponent in a clean sweep. [You killed Holy Mountain Martial Monk Shalong (Projection).] [You receive Projection Treasure Chest x1.] Ignoring the cheers around him, Wang Shuo closed his eyes and began to consolidate what he learned from this battle. When he returned to his senses, he was at the stone door once again. Wang Shuo heaved a long sigh and then laughed heartily. Although this battle had been a little challenging, compared to his gains, everything was worth it. This battle honed everything he had learned to a heightened mastery. Although his improvements were not quantifiable in numbers, he was confident that he could defeat his previous self within ten moves. Of course, the prerequisite was to remove the Mystic Turtle Armor. ¡°Speaking of which, isn¡¯t the Mystic Turtle Armor a little too overpowered?¡± Wang Shuo was perplexed. The Green Dragon Staff was also mystic-tier equipment. Although its grade was slightly lower, the difference was too significant. Thinking back, he didn¡¯t receive any system prompts when he equipped the Green Dragon Staff¡­ ¡°Is there some sort of secret behind this?¡± Wang Shuo suppressed his doubts and opened Shalong¡¯s Projection Treasure Chest. [Shalong¡¯s Holy Clothes: Cloak] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Blessing: Cloud-stepping Vajra +1 Property: Incorruptible +1 Description: Shalong¡¯s Exclusive Holy Clothes 1/3 Note: Gather all three Exclusive Holy Clothes and receive the blessing Eight Vajra Techniques +1 [Salon¡¯s Holy Clothes: Armor] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Blessing: Vajra Armor +1 Property: Incorruptible +1 Description: Shalong¡¯s Exclusive Holy Clothes 1/3 Note: ¡­ [Shalong¡¯s Holy Clothes: Armament] Grade: Upper Yellow Tier Blessing: Demon-subduing Vajra +1 Property: Incorruptible +1 Description: Shalong¡¯s Exclusive Holy Clothes 1/3 Note: ¡­ [Small Revitalizing Pill] Grade: Yellow Tier Description: ¡°Another good item!¡± With a thought, a pitch-black pill fell into his palm. He threw it into his mouth without hesitation. Instantly, a warmth washed over him. His whole body felt bloated, and it took a long time for the feeling to disappear completely. Wang Shuo looked at his Physique that has risen from 4.5 to 4.6 and nodded in satisfaction. He assessed his strength. Although the change was not much, it was apparent. If he had been weaker than the monk before, he wasn¡¯t now. ¡°As expected, the higher the attribute, the greater the value.¡± After digesting the pill, terms such as ¡®internal energy¡¯ and ¡®level 1 martial monk¡¯ flashed through Wang Shuo¡¯s mind. But he immediately pushed away these thoughts. Right now, he was only twenty meters away from the stone door. So rather than guessing, he might as well charge through it. Most likely, all his doubts would be solved by then. Wang Shuo swallowed a Five Grains Pill and closed his eyes to rest. In a blink of an eye, two hours passed. The sun was already high in the sky, and the scorching sunlight blazed the earth. But when it landed on Wang Shuo, it was like a cool breeze brushing against his face. All of the heat was filtered by the Mystic Turtle Armor. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± Wang Shuo took a deep breath, stood up, and strode forward. Amid the cheers, a rough and unpleasant female voice said arrogantly, ¡°Filthy human, are you ready for your punishment?¡± Wang Shuo glanced at the source of the voice. A tall and muscular humanoid female covered in blue scales stood in the middle of the arena. In her hands was a blue staff that looked like a tree root, and she was pointing the tree root at him with a look of contempt. Wang Shuo already knew that these projections had intelligence, so he naturally wouldn¡¯t fall for their taunts and indulge them. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand how a hybrid product like you can have such a baseless sense of superiority.¡± After he finished speaking, he didn¡¯t give his opponent the slightest chance to respond. The Green Dragon Staff flashed out without delay. At the same time, a huge black wolf crawled out of a void. Although the beast was big and muscular, it was strangely inept at close combat. Seeing the incoming onslaught, the scaled woman sneered as she pointed her blue staff forward. ¡°Frost Path!¡± Shockingly, her initially rough voice suddenly became ethereal and melodious. It was as though someone else was speaking. But this was not time to care about such trivial details. Because with her voice, a layer of ice crystals had stealthily covered the arena beneath their feet. The sudden turn of events caused Wang Shuo to lose his balance, and his entire body flew out with a whoosh. ¡°Cold Lunar Icicle!¡± A meter-long icicle appeared out of thin air. The scaled woman waved her short staff, and the icicle stabbed at Wang Shuo like lightning. Bam! A blue barrier instantly appeared and blocked the assault. Wang Shuo heaved a sigh of relief. But at the same time, shock crashed through him. Although this icicle didn¡¯t pierce through the barrier, the impact was far beyond Shalong¡¯s. The blue barrier even trembled unstably, as if it was about to break at any moment. ¡°Ah, turns out it¡¯s legendary equipment! Human, hand over this equipment, and I¡¯ll let you go. How about it?¡± The scaled woman¡¯s surprised voice reeked of uncontrollable greed. Chapter 29 Borrowing the power of the icicle, Wang Shuo spun in midair and ruthlessly stabbed the Green Dragon Staff down, piercing through the ice to stabilize his body. Seeing this, the scaled woman didn¡¯t rush to attack but quietly waited for Wang Shuo¡¯s reply. Wang Shuo suppressed his shock and replied calmly, ¡°You aren¡¯t a projection?¡± ¡°Ignorant¡ª¡± Before the scaled woman finished, she paused and swallowed the words she was about to say. Her tone softened slightly as she said, ¡°The will of the Temple can pass through the boundary between reality and illusion. ¡°As long as you swear in the name of the Temple, you can trigger the Temple¡¯s will. How about it? As long as you hand this legendary equipment to me, I can help you complete the Newcomer¡¯s Trial.¡± ¡°Help me complete the trial¡­ You¡¯ll have to let me see if you are qualified!¡± Wang Shuo burst into laughter. With a flick of his thumb, an orange potion flew directly into his mouth. ¡°Pfft.¡± As an empty crystal bottle flew out, his Physique on the Attributes Window jumped from 4.6 to 5.0 in a second. In that instant, Wang Shuo felt as if his body underwent a transformation. Boundless energy surged wildly as a tyrannical wave surged over like a tide. Even though Wang Shuo was prepared, he still didn¡¯t expect that the increase from 4.6 to 5 to be so terrifying. In terms of pure strength, the increase was by at least half. Furthermore, this was different from a natural increase. This power that came out of nowhere had an extremely invasive nature. At this moment, he sought to destroy everything in front of him. Fortunately, this wild emotion didn¡¯t make him lose his mind. ¡°This feeling is really¡­ fabulous!¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s face twitched as he squeezed out a strange smile. Then with a stomp, cracks began to spread out on the mirror-like smooth floor. Bam! Ice crystals scattered all over the sky as Wang Shuo¡¯s figure suddenly vanished on the spot. ¡°What!¡± the scaled woman cried out in surprise. She drew a circle in the air with her staff, and a solid ice crystal shield appeared. The next second, a figure appeared out of thin air. ¡°Mountain Splitting!¡± A green staff shadow swooped down like lightning and shattered the shield. As ice shards flew everywhere, the spot where the scaled woman had been was empty. Wang Shuo turned his gaze and saw a figure standing on an ice trail. Her figure flickered again and again like a ghost and retreated dozens of meters away in the blink of an eye. ¡°Damn it. How can such a monster only have a lowly, low-rank human bloodline?¡± The scaled woman had lingering fear in her heart. From what she knew, human bloodlines couldn¡¯t obtain such terrifying powers in the Newcomer¡¯s Trials. She had taken on the task of fighting 11 trial challengers. Among them, even the rookie with the high-rank bloodline of the holy spirit race could only fight her to a draw, much less those with lower-rank bloodlines. Moreover, she was much stronger than before. On the other hand, Wang Shuo didn¡¯t care what she was thinking. With a tap of his toes, his figure charged forward like a violent gale. Seeing this, the scaled woman sprang into action. Her breakneck speed, coupled with her mysterious and unpredictable movement technique, looked dazzling. But in Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes, she was like a clown full of loopholes. Wang Shuo¡¯s attacks seemed straightforward, but he was extremely clever. Every turn sealed off the scaled woman¡¯s escape route. In less than half a minute, she was forced to a corner of the arena. ¡°Despicable human, die!¡± Seeing that there was no way out for her, the scaled woman let out a sharp shriek. She raised her staff and chanted a string of incantations. Cold air gathered and instantly condensed into three sharp ice blades that spun toward Wang Shuo from three different angles. The blades were swift, and the angles tricky. Just from the looks of it, they were much more powerful than the Cold Lunar Icicle. But this attack was clearly draining for the scaled woman. As the ice blades took shape, the ice trail under her feet disappeared. ¡°You¡¯re staking everything on one strike?¡± Realizing this, Wang Shuo instantly became more alert. He activated Heart Mirror, and the trajectories of the three ice blades were clearly reflected in his mind. His first staff strike shattered the left one. Then he leaped to dodge the second one and smashed the third one with a horizontal sweep. But before he could heave a sigh of relief, the second ice blade that brushed past him suddenly spun around and stabbed at him. ¡°Tch!¡± An icy cold chill spread from his lower abdomen. Looking down, he found that a broken third of the ice blade had penetrated the blue barrier and pierced deep into his lower stomach. The sharp chill spread and caused him to lose control of half of his body. ¡°Haha! I won!¡± The scaled woman let out a sharp, complacent laugh. She waved her staff and chanted, ¡°Cold Lunar¡ªWhat!¡± Not far away, an extremely muscular black wolf was crouching with its four limbs slightly bent and its mouth wide open. A fireball the size of a washbasin blasted toward her. In order to cast the high-level spell Winter Blades earlier, she had exhausted most of her mana. And she used her remaining mana on Cold Lunar Icicles, which she was about to complete. So at this point, the scaled woman had no energy left to defend herself. ¡°No¡ª¡± The flames exploded, and the unwilling shrieks abruptly stopped. [You killed Demon Warlock Heather Lynn (Projection).] [You receive Projection Treasure Chest x1.] With the caster dead, the ice blade embedded in Wang Shuo¡¯s lower abdomen dissipated. After examining the wound, he discovered that the Mystic Turtle had probably absorbed most of the energy. So the injury was surprisingly ¡®shallow¡¯, and the blade barely broke through the abdomen. Seeing that the female warlock had died, the black wolf immediately ran over. It stuck out its tongue at Wang Shuo like a big dog seeking credit. ¡°Good job.¡± Wang Shuo smiled and patted its head. With a thought, he took out a Five Grains Pill and threw it over. The black wolf¡¯s eyes lit up as it opened its mouth to swallow. Then the dispirited aura on its body recovered slightly. ¡°Really ate it?¡± Since it could eat, this showed that the wolf was an actual living creature, not some magical puppet beast. Wang Shuo¡¯s attitude instantly softened. ¡°Since you¡¯re a live animal, I¡¯ll give you a name. How about¡­ Garuru?¡± ¡°Aowu!¡± Evidently, the big dog was delighted with his name, and he happily circled around Wang Shuo. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so cute.¡± Wang Shuo smiled and stretched out his hand to pat him again. Suddenly, the scenery changed. A violent tremor came from the front. The black stone door rumbled violently and slowly creaked open to reveal an elevated platform resembling an altar. At the same time, a series of notifications flashed like a waterfall. [Congratulations. You have completed the Third Trial. Rewards: Mercenary Certification x5, Special Treasure Chest x1] [Congratulations. You have completed the Newcomer¡¯s Trial. Trial evaluation in progress¡­] 1: Complete 10 kills, Time Limit: 3 days Completed (Excess) 2: Exterminate the race camps x2 Completed (Excess) 3: Obtain Mercenary Certification x1 Completed (Excess) [Final Evaluation¡ªPerfect] [Rewards: Class Advancement Book (Legendary) x1, Golden Treasure Chest x1] Chapter 30 [Mercenary Certification: Additional 20% class bonus (non-tradeable).] [Special Treasure Chest: Upon opening, you will receive an item no lower than Lower Mystic Tier.] [Class Advancement Book (Legendary): After use, you can randomly select three legendary classes with a minimum of 80% compatibility (Legendary class: A class that exists only in legends.)] [Golden Treasure Chest: Upon opening, you will receive a mysterious treasure.] ¡°Awesome!¡± Looking at the description of the rewards, Wang Shuo felt his heart beat vigorously. There was not much to say about the Special Treasure Chest. After all, he had obtained a lower mystic-tier Green Dragon Staff and an intermediate mystic-tier Mystic Turtle Armor one after another. It could be said that he could obtain a perfect evaluation in the Newcomer¡¯s Trial primarily thanks to these two pieces of equipment. If not for the Green Dragon Staff, he might have already died in the cat demon forest of the second trial. There was even less of a need to mention the Mystic Turtle Armor. The reason he could pass the third trial, 90% of the credit went to this piece of equipment. As for the Golden Treasure Chest, although he didn¡¯t know what he could find inside, just the prefix ¡®gold¡¯ made it worth looking forward to. But compared to the treasure chests, what excited Wang Shuo the most were the other two rewards. As a young man who had often read online novels, how could he have not heard of the term ¡®hidden class¡¯? And this ¡®legendary class¡¯ was obviously a stereotypical template of ¡®hidden class¡¯. What was even more terrifying was that with the five Mercenary Certifications, his legendary class bonus would increase by 100%. If other people¡¯s class advancement was akin to an evolution from crawling to walking, then Wang Shuo¡¯s was akin to sprouting wings and soaring off. ¡°Woohoo.¡± Wang Shuo shouted uncontrollably. He hugged Garuru and stroked him for a good ten seconds before feeling calmer. He retracted his hand reluctantly. Putting everything else aside, this big dog really felt good when he stroked it. But he was so happy that he didn¡¯t even notice that Garuru, who was lying limply on the ground, had already rolled his eyes and drooled, looking like he was on the verge of dying. Looking at the high platform behind the stone door, Wang Shuo thought for a moment and decided to open the treasure chests first. He had no idea what the outside world was like, so to be safe, he should first convert his gains into strength. [You opened Demon Warlock Heather Lynn¡¯s Projection Treasure Chest¡­] It was no different from the previous ones. First, there were the demon warlock¡¯s three exclusive set pieces: robe, staff, and boots. They were also upper yellow tier, but Wang Shuo wasn¡¯t interested in them. But his eyes lit up at the last option. [Molina¡¯s Magic Clock]: With it, you can control time. Description: Controlling time, no problem¡­ It¡¯s up to you. As his palm sank, a palm-sized octagonal crystal clock appeared. It looked no different from an ordinary clock from Earth. The symbols were also the familiar Arabic numerals. Needless to say, it was definitely the system¡¯s divine assistance. The familiar ticking sound made him feel as if he had traveled back to a lifetime ago. ¡°It finally feels a bit civilized.¡± After stuffing the alarm back into his inventory, Wang Shuo rubbed his hands and opened the Special Treasure Chest. [The player is undergoing a random draw. [Selection Option] automatically activated.] [Here are the options¡­] It was the familiar twelve options. Nine were lower mystic tier, two were middle mystic tier, and one was upper mystic tier. After removing the eight materials and the uninteresting options, Wang Shuo began scrutinizing the rest. [Three Severs Sword Technique] Grade: Lower Mystic Tier Description: One body, two souls, Three Sever Technique. With the Three Sever Technique, you are unrivaled beneath the heavens! ¡°Huh, how boastful!¡± Wang Shuo couldn¡¯t help scoffing, but he dared not hold any contempt in his heart. From the previous few classes he faced, it was apparent that equipment and skills at the mystic tier and above were far beyond the norm. He had already experienced the power of the Primordial Chaos Skill. Even though the Three Severs Sword Technique was most likely not as powerful as described, it was definitely not to be underestimated. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I already have the Green Dragon Staff¡­¡± Wang Shuo shook his head and continued reading. [Great Revitalizing Pill] Grade: Mystic Tier Description: 1. Consuming before class advancement increases attributes by 0.5. (Only one per person.) 2. Consuming after class advancement allows the recovery of injuries and internal energy. (Consumption of a second pill within seven days is ineffective.) [Heavenly Eagle Divine Crossbow] Grade: Middle Mystic Tier Description: Crafted from a golden-winged heavenly eagle. Each arrow fires off like a meteor and destroys the skies. Equipped with three reusable profound iron arrows. ¡°This¡­ could a player have made it?¡± Wang Shuo was so befuddled by the description that his scalp tingled. He felt that this description wasn¡¯t something that an average person could come up with. He looked at the last option speechlessly. [Talent: Multitasking] Grade: Upper Mystic Tier Description: Multitasking ¡°Talent?¡± From the description, Wang Shuo could roughly tell the effect of the skill. But now, he wanted to know what level this Multitasking talent could achieve. As far as he knew, ordinary people could also multitask after training. But at this level, you could only do very simple and basic actions at the same time. Furthermore, you had to be very familiar with the actions. If they were slightly more complicated, you would make mistakes. ¡°But it¡¯s upper mystic tier¡­ Why don¡¯t I take a gamble!¡± Wang Shuo hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and making his decision. [You receive Talent: Multitasking.] The next second, Wang Shuo suddenly felt a cooling sensation in his brain, and his consciousness split into two. This feeling was bizarre, as if he had suddenly become two people. He remembered that in a martial arts novel he read in the past, there was a character who practiced a martial art called the ¡®Technique of Ambidexterity¡¯. He could draw a square with his left hand and a circle with his right hand. But compared to Multitasking, it was simply too weak. Much less drawing a square and a circle, he could even build a Lego spaceship with each hand simultaneously. ¡°Damn, this gamble paid off big this time!¡± In an instant, Wang Shuo thought of the most significant use of this ability. When he was cultivating the Primordial Chaos Skill, he discovered that although this cultivation technique was very powerful, it was too time-consuming. It was fine in the novice space since he could cultivate in peace without anyone disturbing him. But he didn¡¯t know what the situation outside was like. Suppose he was in a dangerous situation and didn¡¯t have time to cultivate, what would happen to the remaining six stages of the technique? It was different now. He tried it just now, and he could move about normally while cultivating. Not only this, but Multitasking also had a combat potential that could not be underestimated. ¡°It seems that talents are also good things. I must prioritize getting them in the future.¡± Following that was the final Golden Treasure Chest. [The player is undergoing a random draw. [Selection Option] automatically activated.] A golden and exquisite Treasure Chest suddenly jumped out, and with a loud creak, a prize wheel appeared. There were six sections on the wheel, with the labels: Cultivation Techniques, Skills, Equipment, Talents, Bloodlines, and Special. In the middle was a golden metal pointing spinning crazily. Just as Wang Shuo was considering which option to choose, he suddenly heard an unfamiliar notification. [Here are¡­ Permission conflict¡­] At this moment, the pointer gradually slowed down and finally stopped at the bloodline section. [Permissions restored. Here are the options¡­] Chapter 31 Tak tak tak! As the sound of cards shuffling rang out, four golden cards with intricate inscriptions emerged. On the surface, there were no differences in appearance. But in Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes, he saw a detailed description below each of the four cards. [Earth Dragon Bloodline] Grade: Mystic Tier Description: Earth dragons originated from one of the five elemental dragon races, and they are the children of the earth. After inheritance, according to the degree of bloodline affinity, all earth-element cultivation techniques and skills gain cultivation speed +2 (limited), skill effect +2 (limited) Activated Talent: Rootedness Rootedness: As you walk over the earth, you gain recovery speed +2 (limited). [Aeroseplavite Bloodline] Grade: Earth Tier Description: A strange creature from the Chaos Void, an innate king of the skies. After inheritance, according to the degree of bloodline affinity, all wind attribute cultivation techniques and skills gain cultivation speed +4 (limited), skill effect +4 (limited) Activated Talent: Corrosive Wind, Wind God¡¯s Power, Wing Demon¡¯s Fury Corrosive Wind: Wind-element skill gains additional corrosive damage +2 (limited). Wind God¡¯s Power: By listening to the trajectory of the wind, movement speed +2 (limited). Wing Demon¡¯s Fury: By burning bloodline power, increase strength to the next realm for a short period (this talent is not restricted by bloodline affinity). Note: Burnt bloodline cannot be restored. Use with caution. [Holy Angel Bloodline] Grade: Heaven Tier Description: Branched from the twelve-winged angel from the Holy Mountain, the holy spirit is born from faith. After inheritance, according to the degree of bloodline affinity, all Holy Mountain cultivation techniques and skills gain cultivation speed +10 (limited), skill effect +10 (limited) Activated Talent: Holy Light, Holy Favored, Holy Blessing, Holy Judgment Holy Light: Can be accumulated through prayer and cultivation. All attacks will carry Holy Light. Deals additional damage to undead creatures. Damage scales with Holy Light¡¯s level. Holy Favored: Converts creatures whose level is not higher than the user to join the holy angel. The number of creatures converted scales with the level of Holy Light. Holy Blessings: Sacrifice Holy Light level to summon a holy angel¡¯s power. Significantly increases your strength within a short period. Holy Judgment: Sacrifice hall Holy Light to summon a holy angel. The holy angel will carry out Holy Judgment on the target. Requires level 5 Holy Light. Note: Inheritors must be from Holy Mountain classes. [Perfect Human Bloodline] Grade: Heaven Tier Description: The bloodline stems from the first humans created at the beginning of heaven and earth. They are the leaders of all living beings and proficient at gaining the strength of heaven and earth. After inheritance, you can absorb other bloodlines to evolve. The bonus depends on the bloodline absorbed. Note: Inheritors must be human. Wang Shuo held his heart as his blood began to race through his veins. Suppressing his excitement, he skipped over the earth dragon bloodline and aeroseplavite bloodline. His gaze landed on the holy angel bloodline and perfect human bloodline. From the descriptions alone, the former was undoubtedly better. But in terms of potential, it was still inferior to the perfect human bloodline. Most importantly, the latter was the bloodline of humanity¡¯s ancestors. Even though Wang Shuo felt that words like ¡®the potential of humans was limited¡¯ were very interesting when watching television, he still wanted to be human. As a human being, he had his own insistence. He wanted to retain his identity as a human. Although the perfect human bloodline was far inferior to the holy angel bloodline at the beginning, he still chose it without hesitation. [You receive Perfect Human Bloodline Essence x1. Do you wish to fuse with it?] ¡°Yes.¡± Then an abnormally violent force washed over him. Wang Shuo¡¯s internal organs and every cell in his body seemed to be crushed in an instant. The pain penetrated deep into his soul and shattered his consciousness. After an unknown period, Wang Shuo slowly opened his eyes. Suddenly, he felt something different about his body. ¡°This is¡­¡± Wang Shuo looked at his body. There was no change in his outer appearance, but his inner core seemed to have morphed into another person. He could clearly sense every bone, muscle, internal organ, and even his blood flow¡­ This clarity of his physical body was unprecedented. Without checking the interface, he could accurately sense that his strength had increased by 1.2 times. Furthermore, it was different from the berserk power of taking the Lion Heart Potion before. This sudden surge of power was extremely docile. It felt like an innate power, and he didn¡¯t need to familiarize himself with it. ID: K2648263 Name: Wang Shuo Physique: 5.6 Cultivation Technique: Primordial Chaos Skill (First Stage Perfection) Skills: Basic Fist, Legs, Staff, Movement Technique (Perfection); Advanced Basic Staff, Movement Technique (Perfection); Three Mountain Staff Technique (Perfection); Twelve Kicking Styles (Perfection) Equipment: Green Dragon Staff, Mystic Turtle Armor Bloodline: Perfect Human Talent: Multitasking Items: Five Grains Pill x2955, Water Droplet x31, Molina¡¯s Magical Clock, Piercing Snow Blade (Lower Mystic Tier), Berserker Greaves (Upper Yellow Tier), Sealing Crystal, Mercenary Certification x5, Class Advancement Book (Legendary) ¡°5.6¡­¡± He didn¡¯t expect that inheriting the bloodline would improve his Physique. This was indeed a pleasant surprise. Right now, he was only 0.4 short before he could officially break through to the second stage of the Primordial Chaos Skill. A satisfied smile hooked across Wang Shuo¡¯s face. But this was not the end. ¡°Open the Class Advancement Book ¡­¡± [The player is undergoing a random draw. [Selection Option] automatically activated.] [Here are the options¡­] Swoosh. More than 20 options emerged. Class: Martial Saint (Compatibility: 82%) Grade: Legendary Description: A saint of martial arts. Can pick up any skill. Can create new and better versions of older skills, transforming less practical skills into legendary ones. Class Bonus 1: Total Qi +1.5 Class Bonus 2: Bonus Qi +1.5 Class Talent: Martial Path, Martial Arts Genius, Martial Saint Martial Path: Every time you advance, you can improve and integrate the martial arts skills you have learned. The fusion depends on the skill level. After fusion, the power of the new skill will increase to a certain extent. Martial Arts Genius: Martial arts technique and skill cultivation speed +2 Martial Saint: Skill effect of martial arts +2 Qi Refinement Warrior (Compatibility: 80%) Grade: Legendary Description: By absorbing the qi of heaven and earth and the longevity of gods, qi refinement warriors enjoy longevity and the power to move mountains and fill seas. Class Bonus 1: Total Qi +1.5 Class Bonus 2: Bonus Qi +1.5 Class Talent: Qi Absorption, Spirit Devouring, Qi Cleansing Qi Absorption: Consuming Qi will grant additional bonuses to healing items. Spirit Devouring: By consuming various spiritual objects (including but not limited to equipment, materials, and treasures), you can increase your cultivation level and have a chance to obtain exceptional talents. Qi Cleansing: Class skill bonus +2 ¡­ Magus (Compatibility: 88%) ¡­ Cultivator (Compatibility: 94%) ¡­ Battle Energy Master (Compatibility: 82%) ¡­ Wang Shuo scanned through them one by one. With the plethora of options before him, his eyes were dazzled. It could only be said that legendary classes were indeed legendary classes. Every single one of them was mighty, making the choice a hard one. With conflicted feelings, he scrolled down bit by bit until his gaze froze. Golden Core Great Dao (Compatibility: 99%) Chapter 32 Class: Golden Core Great Dao Description: The golden core is the primordial essence of all living beings. When it gathers, living beings form. When it scatters, it returns to qi. Through cultivating the Triratna and withstanding myriad tribulations, you gain the Golden Core Great Dao. Class Bonus 1: Total True Essence +1 (Perfect Human +1 Bonus) Class Bonus 2: True Essence Bonus +1 (Perfect Human +1 Bonus) Class Talent: Golden Core, Martial-Dao Fusion (Perfect humans can upgrade it to Martial Dao Enlightenment), Great Dao Body (Perfect humans can upgrade it to Connate Dao Body) Golden Core: Soul essence, qi essence, and spirit essence meld into one. As your cultivation level increases, the three essences will simultaneously improve. Martial-Dao Fusion: You can cultivate both martial arts and dao skills. +1 bonus for the effects of class skills. (Martial Dao Enlightenment): You can cultivate both martial arts and dao skills. +2 bonus for the effects of class skills. Great Dao Body: Reduce the cost of converting a Dao Body into a Connate Dao Body by 50% (stackable). (Connate Dao Body): Can upgrade a Dao Body into a Connate Dao Body (stackable). After reading it, Wang Shuo instantly understood why the system¡¯s evaluation of his compatibility for the Golden Core Great Dao was 99%. This Golden Core Great Dao was seemingly tailored for perfect humans. ¡°In that case, are there bloodlines tailored for other legendary classes?¡± Wang Shuo was not making a wild guess. There were more than twenty legendary classes that matched him. Who knew how many there were in total? There was no reason for the Golden Core Great Dao to be the only unique one. Furthermore, he felt that the class was introduced in such detail because he possessed the perfect human bloodline. If he had chosen the holy angel bloodline, he might have found another class that matched perfectly. All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind, and then Wang Shuo chose the Golden Core Great Dao without hesitation. [You have the Class Advancement Book [Golden Core Great Dao (Legendary)]. Do you want to start class advancement?] ¡°Advance.¡± [Class advancement failed. The player has yet to meet the requirements to change classes.] [Prompt: Golden Core Great Dao class advancement requirements: Physique 5 (success), True Essence 5 (failed)] [Notice: You can achieve this by breaking through to the second stage of the Primordial Chaos Skill.] ¡°Second stage¡­¡± Wang Shuo hesitated. To be honest, he really wanted to break through immediately. But now, he was only 0.4 points away from his limit of 6 points. He had already persevered until now and was just a short reach away. ¡°Forget it. Anyway, with my strength and the protection of the Mystic Turtle Armor, dealing with ordinary dangers shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Let¡¯s see what¡¯s happening outside first.¡± Wang Shuo looked at Garuru, who was sticking his tongue out beside him. He rubbed the Sealing Crystal and decided to bring his pet along. He remembered seeing a player on the forum saying that the second trial would drop items that allowed players to contract pets. This crystal seemed to be that item, so he could conveniently use Garuru as a cover. Wang Shuo put away the Sealing Crystal and patted Garuru¡¯s head. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Then he walked up to the platform behind the stone door. [You are about to leave the Newcomer¡¯s Trial Space. The starting location will be automatically assigned according to the player¡¯s room number. The allocation has finished. The teleportation is about to begin. Please be prepared: Ten, nine¡­ one.] As soon as the countdown ended, he felt the world spinning around him. When he came back to his senses, he had already arrived at a vast wasteland. At a glance, although green grass covered the land, withered yellow bushes and short gravel peaks dotted the area. In the distant mountains and dense forests, various beast roars resounded one after another. Above him, all kinds of birds that he had never seen before were soaring in the sky. There were at least over a thousand of them. Wang Shuo looked around cautiously. Although the surroundings were noisy, it was still safe. He led Garuru carefully to a bush and then opened the game forum. [Game Forum Room 1024]¡ªCurrent number of players users: 9,102/10,000. Current coordinates: 562,111 The new forum was different from the newcomer¡¯s forum. Perhaps due to the number of players increasing, the game forum changed from a chatroom to using threads. The threads with the highest number of views and replies were marked in a large bold font and placed at the top. At the top were a few new threads. ¡°The New Kobold Camp is located at coordinates 154,144. This is the base camp of the kobold players. We welcome all kobold and non-kobold players to join us. ¡°There are two major buildings in the camp, ¡®Elementary Store¡¯ and ¡®Elementary Spring of Life¡¯. They will help you safely and effectively survive the first two months of the rookie period¡­¡± ¡°I am Yue Huanlong, the lord of Green Forest Town. I solemnly promise that as long as any human player joins us, you will get seven days of residency rights for free. ¡°In addition to the Elementary Store and the Elementary Spring of Life, the town also has an Elementary Training Ground. ¡°Cultivating on the training ground gives an extra 0.5 times increase in cultivation speed, allowing you to have greater improvements during the first two months of your rookie period. ¡°Green Forest Town¡¯s coordinates are 366,189. We welcome all human players and players of other races with a good relationship with the human race.¡± ¡°The Cat Demon Forest is located¡­¡± ¡°The Sand Race Camp¡­¡± ¡­ There were more than ten trending threads at the top, all of which were new posts by various races. Furthermore, Wang Shuo didn¡¯t know if it was a coincidence, but the three races he had encountered in the novice space were all among them. But there were no races from the third trial. But to him, this wasn¡¯t important. What he was most concerned about now was the meaning of this so-called ¡®rookie period¡¯. He went to the next page and finally found the information he wanted in the 21st thread. ¡°Please explain. Is there any special meaning to ¡®rookie period¡¯?¡± ¡°Players need to participate in the Desolate Tower Training every month, or Tower Training for short. ¡°During the Tower Training, players will be teleported to the Desolate Tower and forced to complete an instance dungeon. ¡°After the dungeon spawns, the Desolate Temple will issue basic quests to the players. As long as you complete them, you will obtain all kinds of rewards: cultivation techniques, skills, bloodlines, equipment¡­ You can get everything you need from there. But if you don¡¯t complete them, you will be punished accordingly. If you can¡¯t pay the price, it¡¯s over for you. ¡°The tower quests are very challenging. The most important thing is that you are not the only player in the instance dungeon. Usually, you will do them at the same time as other players. ¡°Moreover, you can¡¯t do the quests with players from other spaces. So this means that you have to compete with them to complete the quests. ¡°If you can beat them, you will get rich. If you can¡¯t, you will die. ¡°When a rookie player arrives, you will be granted immunity for your first tower trial. ¡°When the Tower summons the players, you have the choice to refuse participation. As long as you refuse to participate, you will be exempt. ¡°In addition, allow me to give you a piece of advice as a veteran. Apart from those confident in your own strength, join a camp as soon as possible. Do that if you don¡¯t want to die. Nights in the wilderness are perilous. ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say. Take care. ¡± Chapter 33 It was not noon yet, so there was still time before nightfall. Wang Shuo wasn¡¯t in a hurry to take action. He squatted in the bushes and continuously scoured for information on the forum. Putting aside the complicated bits and pieces of information, there were only two things to pay attention to¡ªthe Desolate Temple and the Desolate Tower. These were the two main buildings in the Desolate Game and held the highest authority. As long as the players could complete the mission issued by the Temple, they could obtain anything they wanted, even if it was to revive the dead. But all of this was not free. Everything had to be exchanged with points. There were two ways to obtain points in the game. The first way was to farm desolate bosses. When a desolate boss died, not only would it drop a lot of points, but it would also drop a boss treasure chest based on the battle evaluation. As for what items you would obtain, it depended on your luck. The second was to complete the Tower Training. Every time you completed the training, you would obtain a considerable amount of points and various rewards. According to the currently known information, the Desolate Tower had a total of four floors, each of which corresponded to one of four different spaces. For example, where he was now was a tier 1 space. The maximum number of players a tier 1 space could accommodate was 10,000. Within this space, the upper cultivation limit was the peak of stage one. After reaching this cultivation level, the players would be forced by the space to participate in the advancement trial. Typically, the earlier you participated in the advancement trial, the lower the difficulty. Otherwise, the longer you waited, the higher the difficulty. Suddenly, Wang Shuo¡¯s vision blurred. The next moment, he found himself in a pitch-black room. The room looked ancient, like a temple. ¡°Haha, even if he has wings, he can forget about flying out of this sea of fire!¡± Amid the cackles of laughter, a door slammed with a bang. The footsteps of the three people echoed through the room. Then someone pushed the door with their hands, but it didn¡¯t open. It turned out that there was a stone blocking the door. Only then did Wang Shuo realize that there was some faint light coming from the flames flickering between the door gap. Seeing that the three of them couldn¡¯t open the door, they stood still beside it. One of them smiled and asked, ¡°What do you think of this plan?¡± Another person chuckled. ¡°It only worked out with the two of you diligently managing the plan! When we return to the capital, the marshal will promote both of you to high-ranking officials. This time, there will be no reason for Drill Inspector Zhang to refuse.¡± Then the three of them laughed and chatted. [1. The paragraphs below are from Water Margin.] ¡°Lin Chong has certainly been caught in our trap this time. Master Gao will soon be cured of his sickness now!¡± Another man said, ¡°A man was sent four or five times to plead with Drill Inspector Zhang, and said that his son-in-law Lin Chong was dead. But Zhang would not agree to let his daughter remarry. As Master Gao only got worse Marshal Gao Qui ordered us to do this business, and we did not expect to get it finished so soon.¡± Another man said, ¡°I went inside the fence and lit about ten stacks of hay on every side, so that he could not get out.¡± Another man said, ¡°It is nearly all burnt down now.¡± Another man said, ¡°Even if Lin Chong escapes he will have to answer a serious charge of allowing a big depot full of army fodder to be burnt.¡± The other man said, ¡°Let us go back to the town.¡± A man said, ¡°It will be better if we wait until the fire is out, and then we can go and get one or two of his bones, and then when we report the matter to Marshal Gao Qiu and also Master Gao, they will see that we did the work thoroughly.¡± ¡­ Just as Wang Shuo was wondering why these people were speaking so strangely, he suddenly felt himself lose control of his body. With a thud, he kicked the door, sending it flying far away. Then with the Green Dragon Staff in hand, he walked out slowly. Under the firelight, he saw three well-built, middle-aged men with swords in their hands. The man wearing a felt hat exclaimed in shock, ¡°Lin Chong?¡± ¡°Who is Lin Chong?¡± Wang Shuo was surprised, then suddenly felt his body regain control. ¡°Die!¡± The man on the left shouted and charged forward. He was extremely fast, about the same as Shalong from the third trial. ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± Although he didn¡¯t understand what was happening, he knew what he had to do. His staff shot out like a snake emerging from its hole, accurately striking the middle of the sword from the side. After inheriting the perfect human bloodline, his Physique was twice as strong as when he fought Shalong. His current opponent wasn¡¯t comparable to Shalong, so how could he be able to withstand this hit? As the strike hit the sword, the man¡¯s hand instantly let go. Without delay, Wang Shuo advanced and directly crushed his throat. ¡°Lin Chong, you forced me to do this. Kill him!¡± The felt hat man had a ferocious expression as he slashed down with his saber. The moment this person attacked, Wang Shuo¡¯s expression changed. A faint white light appeared on the edge of the saber as it sliced through the air, making a sharp grinding sound like a ghost crying. Clang! Wang Shuo held the staff with both arms to block the attack. But even so, the powerful force pushed him back three steps before he stopped. The felt hat man also felt uncomfortable. Wang Shuo had used the Mountain Shaking stance, and through a combination of his own strength and his opponent¡¯s, the recoil sent the felt hat man staggering several meters back before stopping. Before Wang Shuo could heave a sigh of relief, another saber light tore through the air. Fortunately, this person¡¯s strength was about the same as the previous person, far inferior to the felt hat man. Wang Shuo swung his staff and quickly cleaned him up. Then he leaped through the temple door and exited to the open space outside. The cold wind howled, and flames flickered under the sky. The two looked at each other for a moment, then moved at the same time. The felt hat man had an extremely high Physique, and his saber skills were exceptional. The blindingly bright saber reflected the flames like bolts of lightning streaking across the night sky. Every strike of the saber never failed to find its way toward Wang Shuo¡¯s vital points. If he hadn¡¯t fought Shalong before, Wang Shuo would definitely be flustered. But he was no longer the same as before. The 18 basic staff techniques executed smoothly in his hands. As the saber light and staff shadow stirred up sparks, Wang Shuo held his own. After a moment of stalemate, the felt hat man took advantage of the recoil from a clash and retreated. Then his body suddenly swayed and split into an afterimage. Like a living being, the afterimage and the felt hat man slashed at Wang Shuo simultaneously. From the sounds, Wang Shuo was simply unable to distinguish the difference between the two slashes. In other words, both slashes were real. Gritting his teeth, Wang Shuo ignored the afterimage and directly used his long staff to attack the main body. ¡°Mountain Splitting!¡± Clang! The felt hat man was knocked back, but Wang Shuo was struck by the saber behind him. Slash! The blue barrier cracked open, and Wang Shuo felt a burning pain in his back. After slashing out, the afterimage instantly disappeared. Boom! On the other side, the felt hat man had just stabilized his body and immediately attacked again. Suddenly, there was a blazing aura in the air. Only then did Wang Shuo realize that Garuru was also around. At some point, he had crept behind the felt hat man. From there, he spat out the fireball that had been brewing for a long time as his target regained balance. The felt hat man immediately sensed that something was amiss and was about to dodge, but how could Wang Shuo miss such a good opportunity? His movement technique erupted with all his strength as he struck with another Mountain Splitting. Moments ago, it was Wang Shuo who was attacked from both sides. But in the blink of an eye, the situation reversed, and it was the felt hat man¡¯s turn. The two attacks were too close to each other. It was impossible for him to dodge this staff strike completely. Sensing the power of the two, the felt hat man chose to take the weaker fireball head-on and positioned his saber in front of him to block. The fireball instantly engulfed him. But unlike the female warlock, who had lost all her magic power, the felt hat man suddenly burst out with a white light that reduced most of the fireball¡¯s power. Chapter 34 Wang Shuo naturally wouldn¡¯t let go of such an excellent opportunity to annihilate his enemy. Before the felt hat man could put out the remaining flames, Wang Shuo threw a Five Grains Pill into his mouth and relentlessly followed up to attack him fiercely. Garuru¡¯s fireball was not ordinary. Even if most of its power was reduced, it definitely wasn¡¯t easy to deal with. If the felt hat man still had his usual strength, this bit of damage would have been nothing. Alas, he was now hanging on by a thread. On the other hand, Wang Shuo had the Mystic Turtle Armor protecting his body and endless Five Grains Pills to replenish his stamina. He could disregard all consumption and attack without fear. The pummelling from Wang Shuo, coupled with the merciless flames, left the felt hat man exhausted from his struggle. Finally, after a series of violent clashes, the intense pain on his body left the felt hat man in a daze. Totally focused, Wang Shou knew that his opportunity had come. He spun the Green Dragon Staff. With the staff, he traced the saber up the felt hat man¡¯s arm and struck from beneath his armpit. ¡°Mountain Shaking!¡± An immense force erupted, and half of the felt hat man¡¯s ribs instantly broke. He couldn¡¯t hold back his voice as a shriek pierced through the air. The staff flashed and knocked the saber out of his hands. Then with a precise tap, Wang Shuo shot the saber straight at the man¡¯s head. [You killed Desolate Boss Marquis Lu Yu] [You receive 300 points.] [You activate the Points Panel.] [Current remaining points: 300] [You receive Desolate Tower Entry Ticket x 1.] [You receive Lin Chong¡¯s Thank You Gift x1.] [Desolate Tower Entry Ticket]: Once used, you can immediately enter an instance dungeon trial. [Lin Chong¡¯s Thank You Gift]: After opening, you will receive a random technique from Lin Family¡¯s Polespear. The next second, Wang Shuo returned to the wilderness. ¡°Aowu!¡± Garuru sprinted over and rubbed himself against Wang Shuo. ¡°Good job.¡± Wang Shuo patted his head, took out two Five Grains Pills, and threw them over. Before he could check his harvest, the roar of a vehicle echoed in the distance. Following the sound, he found a large off-road vehicle about a hundred meters away from him. Six well-equipped men were sitting in the vehicle, but their equipment was different, seemingly categorized by authority. They seemed to be heading in his direction. Wang Shuo didn¡¯t know who these people were, nor did he want to cause trouble, so he decided to avoid them. But before he could move, a small explosion blew up the pile of vegetation in front of him. Looking up, he saw a young man clad in a special combat uniform, pointing a large-caliber pistol at him. This shot was obviously a warning. Wang Shuo narrowed his eyes, patted the growling Garuru beside him, and quietly activated the Desolate Tower Entry Ticket. [Do you want to enter the Desolate Tower?¡±] [Yes / No.] Amid flying gravel, the off-road vehicle abruptly stopped beside Wang Shuo. ¡°Solo player?¡± asked the young man who shot at him earlier with his chin raised. The others also looked at Wang Shuo with casual expressions. But the more nonchalant they were, the more Wang Shuo didn¡¯t dare to underestimate them. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Stop fooling around, Zhang Yu.¡± A tall man wearing plate armor in the back seat stood up. Under the helmet, Wang Shuo could vaguely see thick golden-black hair on his face. He didn¡¯t look human. ¡°Boss, you¡¯re undermining me again!¡± Zhang Yu shouted in dissatisfaction. He spun the pistol with his finger and tucked it back into the holster on his waist. The tall man ignored him and looked at Wang Shuo. ¡°I¡¯m the regiment commander of Green Forest Town¡¯s Tiger Regiment, Wang Yi. I want to invite you to join us. Are you interested?¡± Wang Shuo was stunned. When he got closer, he could clearly feel that these people¡¯s aura was domineering. Even if they didn¡¯t do anything, they still emitted a faint pressure. How could such a powerful team invite a stranger like him to join them? ¡°What if I refuse?¡± Wang Yi laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We don¡¯t have any ill intentions. I just have my eye on your strength. For a solo player to be able to raise your Physique to five stars and remain unscathed, you must be a talent. ¡°But you are about to reach six stars and will enter a high-level instance dungeon soon. You can¡¯t possibly be planning to fight alone, right?¡± ¡°How do you know my Physique?¡± Wang Yi pointed at the long-haired young man with sunglasses in the front passenger seat. ¡°His glasses are middle yellow-tier ¡®Surveillance Glasses¡¯. It can detect combat power.¡± Realization dawned on Wang Shuo. ¡°Can¡¯t a person enter a high-level dungeon alone?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you read the forum?¡± Zhang Yu sneered. ¡°High-level instance dungeons are basically for teams. Unless you think you can fight against teams alone¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for not reminding you. The person standing in front of you is a holy tiger lancer, one of the only fourteen rare classes in the entire 1024th Space. ¡°Back then¡­¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t speak, no one will think you¡¯re mute!¡± The sound of gnashing teeth came from under Wang Yi¡¯s helmet. Zhang Yu quickly toned down. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t say anymore!¡± But the people in the vehicle obviously knew the inside story, so they couldn¡¯t help laughing softly. Wang Yi turned around and roared, ¡°What are you laughing at? Shut up!¡± Although Wang Shuo didn¡¯t know the exact details, he could roughly guess that this holy tiger lancer had most likely participated in a high-level dungeon alone and suffered a considerable loss. After some joking around, the atmosphere became much more relaxed. Wang Yi turned his head and coughed dryly. ¡°Brother, how should I address you?¡± Wang Shuo thought about it and didn¡¯t hide anything. ¡°Wang Shuo.¡± ¡°Oh? We¡¯re from the same family.¡± Wang Yi smiled. ¡°How about it? Do you want to join us? Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re all together because we¡¯re all like-minded, and we don¡¯t have much drama. ¡°Normally, we won¡¯t restrict you in any way. We¡¯ll just go to dungeons together to kill bosses. You will keep your personal loot, and we¡¯ll split the party loot according to contribution.¡± Wang Shuo was a little hesitant. Although he felt that this person wasn¡¯t bad, it didn¡¯t change the fact that they had just met each other. It would be too hasty to join without careful consideration. ¡°Are you angry because I shot earlier?¡± Zhang Yu jumped out of the car and walked over with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t be so petty. It was just a joke. I have perfection-level ¡®Basic Shooting¡¯, so I wouldn¡¯t have hit you.¡± ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll treat you to a drink and apologize after we return to the camp, deal?¡± With so much said, coupled with the unfavorable situation, Wang Shuo could only take things one step at a time. ¡°Alright, deal.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Although Zhang Yu is a big mouth, he¡¯s trustworthy!¡± Wang Yi put his arm around Wang Shuo¡¯s shoulders and turned around to introduce the others. ¡°Let me introduce them to you. ¡°The bearded man with the ax is Li Xiaowen. The fellow with the glasses is He Bing. The one who has been picking his nose is Jiao Shuai. The one with the sword is Ge Yanhui.¡± When their names were called, each of them responded politely. Wang Shuo returned their greetings. ¡°We¡¯re all men, so let¡¯s not stand on ceremony. Get in the car first.¡± Zhang Yu chuckled and said, ¡°You¡¯re lucky. Yesterday, Boss bought a ¡®Temple¡¯s Blessing¡¯ and received news that a boss would spawn near where we are. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky, we can get an entry ticket and save ourselves half a month. ¡± Chapter 35 ¡°Isn¡¯t the Desolate Tower Trial once a month? Even if we team up, the timing of our trials will be different, right?¡± As Wang Shuo asked, he took out the Sealing Crystal and put Garuru away. Wang Yi answered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After joining a team, the players will have an opportunity to adjust the trial time for free. When we return, you will sign a contract to join the team, and then you can adjust your trial time to the same time as ours.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The two of them got into the car, and the off-road vehicle started. Wang Shuo suddenly thought of something. ¡°You said that there¡¯s a boss nearby?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhang Yu casually added, ¡°And it¡¯s a boss with an index of 1.1. It¡¯s no different from giving benefits for free.¡± Yet another new term. Wang Shuo asked, ¡°What does an index of 1.1 mean?¡± ¡°Damn, brother, you don¡¯t even know this? If you don¡¯t have five stars, I would have thought that you just passed the Newcomer¡¯s Trial.¡± Zhang Yu mocked him a little, but he wasn¡¯t impatient at all. ¡°An index of 1.1 means that the boss¡¯s strength = combined party strength*1.1. For example, if you are five stars, the boss you meet will be five and a half stars, or five stars plus a few mobs. ¡°Two five-star players might encounter a six-star boss with double strength or two five-and-a-half star bosses.¡± Wang Shuo smiled awkwardly to hide his emotions. Could I have killed the boss they mentioned? Just as he was considering whether he should say it or not, He Bing suddenly stood up. ¡°Drive there.¡± Ge Yanhui stepped on the accelerator. Shortly after, they arrived at a short slope, and seven figures appeared before everyone. ¡°It¡¯s Team Hannibal.¡± At a glance, He Bing recognized the origin of these people. Some disgust surfaced on his face. ¡°These scumbags are probably extorting new people again.¡± Wang Yi shook his head. ¡°It has nothing to do with us. The boss is more important.¡± Because of Heart Mirror, Wang Shuo¡¯s vision was far-reaching. At a glance, he saw two burly men surrounding a 17 or 18-year-old teenager and saying something. Beside the teenager was a giant spider with a few broken legs. It was curled up and shivering in fear. As the off-road vehicle drove past, Wang Shuo silently watched and didn¡¯t ask anything. From their expressions, he knew that such coercion was commonplace. If he revealed that he didn¡¯t understand anything, it would arouse suspicion. Half an hour later, Zhang Yu said impatiently, ¡°Boss, did you remember wrongly? Are you sure the desolate boss is nearby?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t possibly remember wrongly,¡± Wang Yi snapped. ¡°Could someone have gotten it ahead of us?¡± Ge Yanhui, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. Wang Yi frowned. ¡°You mean Team Hannibal?¡± Ge Yanhui didn¡¯t say anything further and suddenly looked at Wang Shuo. ¡°Brother, which camp are you from?¡± Wang Shuo answered without thinking. ¡°Xinge Camp. Why?¡± Jiao Shuai scratched his nose and asked seemingly casually, ¡°If I remember correctly, Xinge Camp is more than thirty kilometers away from here. So what are you doing here?¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Are you suspecting me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so worked up. We¡¯re just asking. We¡¯re all on the same side. If you killed the boss, just let us know. It¡¯s just a boss. It¡¯s nothing much.¡± ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s uncomfortable in this heat today?¡± Everyone looked at Wang Shuo. Wang Shuo knew that timidness was the last thing he should show at this moment, so he had a very unyielding attitude. ¡°It¡¯s not me. It¡¯s up to you to believe it or not.¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯re all brothers. Why are you so tense?¡± Wang Yi laughed. ¡°How about this? For the sake of our future collaboration, brother, show me your inventory. If it¡¯s really you, I promise I won¡¯t take anything from you. ¡°If it¡¯s not you, I will have them all apologize to you.¡± Wang Shuo sighed. ¡°Is this really necessary?¡± Wang Yi reached out and grabbed Wang Shuo¡¯s shoulders like a pair of iron pincers. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± ¡°This is what you are after, right?¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes narrowed and turned cold. ¡°Brother, what are you saying? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Wang Yi looked puzzled. Wang Shuo remained silent and took a deep look at these six people. [Do you want to enter the Desolate Tower?] Yes. [Starting teleportation¡­] Just as Wang Yi was about to continue persuading him, his expression suddenly changed. ¡°Tower Entry Ticket?¡± Before he could finish speaking, Wang Shuo¡¯s figure was enveloped by a ball of white light and disappeared. ¡°F*ck!¡± Wang Yi ruthlessly slapped the backrest in front of him, cracking it into two. ¡°Damn, that kid¡¯s luck is too good. How did he get an entry ticket!¡± He Bing¡¯s expression was ugly. ¡°Do you think he will seek revenge on us? He might be a legendary class. If he grows, who can stop him?¡± Zhang Yu couldn¡¯t help grumbling, ¡°I already said that we should have killed him from the beginning. Even if the Class Advancement Book doesn¡¯t drop, it would prevent future trouble. But now¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Wang Yi¡¯s expression was tyrannical. At this moment, he no longer acted like the big brother from before. ¡°It¡¯s not certain whether he¡¯s a legendary class or not. Although we¡¯ve never seen people with a five-star Physique who haven¡¯t advanced classes, it doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s a legendary class. ¡°Even if he¡¯s really a legendary class, that¡¯s something for the future. ¡°The entry ticket is the same as a normal trial. The spot of entry and exit are the same. We¡¯ll just stand guard here, wait for him to come out, and then directly kill him together.¡± Although he said this, Wang Yi was full of regret. If he had known that the other party had an entry ticket, he would have killed him immediately. ¡°Hopefully, this kid doesn¡¯t complete his class advancement¡­¡± Wang Shuo¡¯s guess was right. From the moment they met, Wang Yi and the others had been acting. They had had suspicions ever since Wang Shou was fighting the boss. Desolate bosses all had their own independent space. Once the boss fights were triggered, the players would be locked inside. Although there were no visible changes on the outside, it would form a special area that was inaccessible from outside. While Wang Shuo and Marquis Lu Yu were fighting, Wang Yi and the others had passed by and noticed the anomaly. Then they wandered around to see if they could pick up a freebie. It wasn¡¯t until Wang Shuo appeared that He Bing¡¯s Surveillance Glasses discovered he hadn¡¯t changed classes yet even though he had a five-star Physique. After he reported this, Wang Yi, who was a legendary class, immediately realized the problem. When players completed the Newcomer¡¯s Trial, they would definitely obtain a Class Advancement Book. But different evaluations gave the different grades of Class Advancement Books. They were categorized into three grades: common, rare, and legendary. When he first changed his class to the legendary class holy tiger lancer, the requirement was to have both Physique and battle energy at 2.9. He grinded hard for two months. And only after completing the first tower trial did he use his points to buy a battle energy cultivation technique before completing his class advancement. But this man already had a five-star Physique yet hadn¡¯t advanced classes. Moreover, he probably had enough points to purchase cultivation techniques. Thus, the most likely reason was that he didn¡¯t meet the class advancement requirements. For a five-star physique not to meet the requirements, there could only be one possibility¡ªa legendary class. Chapter 36 When Wang Shuo came back to his senses, he was in an enormous palace. Above the palace was a dome that looked like the starry sky. Surrounding the dome were twelve bright red walls full of countless lifeform relief sculptures. Upon closer inspection, he felt as if the statues were alive. Beneath his feet was a large open square, and in the middle of the square was a door made of light. [Detected that the player is in the rookie period. The difficulty of the instance dungeon can be lowered. Current Difficulty: Intermediate (3-5 stars) Available Difficulty: Low (0-2 stars) Do you wish to lower it?] Without hesitation, Wang Shuo selected no. Although he was unclear about the rules of the entry ticket, the incident with the Tiger Regiment was a wake-up call for him. In this unpredictable world, you had to become stronger if you didn¡¯t want to be at the mercy of others. Although the next trial was still two months away, the time would pass in a flash. But in this world where danger lurked everywhere, there were too many variables. It would be best if he could raise his Physique to 6 points during this trial. But if he couldn¡¯t, he didn¡¯t plan on waiting any longer. He had to complete his class advancement in this trial. [You have selected intermediate difficulty. Instance dungeon being generated. Instance dungeon generated: Evolution 1.] [Quest Requirements: Complete at least three evolutions. Quest Reward: Dependent on completion level. Quest Failure: When the instance dungeon ends or when the player dies, points will be deducted based on the completion rate. 300 points will be deducted for each failure. You will be killed if you do not have enough points. Dungeon Duration: 30 days] [The dungeon has been successfully constructed¡­ Loading¡­ The data structure has been successfully constructed¡­ Loading¡­ Data connection¡­ connecting¡­] ¡­ Sha Sha Sha In a daze, Wang Shuo heard movements around him. He subconsciously looked over but suddenly realized that something was wrong with his body. ¡°Where are my eyes¡­¡± Wang Shuo felt as if his consciousness was bound to a tiny body, and he had lost his sight. ¡°Attributes!¡± Fortunately, the translucent Attribute Window appeared with the command. Number: k2648263 Name: Wang Shuo Race: Horned Beetle Evolution Number: 0 Evolution Points: 0.0% Strength: 0.0005; Agility: 0.0003; Physique: 0.0006 Talent: Devour Evolution Skills: Horn Thrust, Bite, Hard Shell Attributes: None Devour Evolution: You can obtain Evolution Points through devouring creatures. When your Evolution Points reach 100%, you can complete an evolution. (Note: Whenever you devour a creature, there is a chance to extract the other party¡¯s talent and skills.) Horn Thrust: A basic combat skill of the horned beetle. It has a certain amount of attack power (Strength x1). Bite: A basic combat skill of the horned beetle. It has a certain amount of attack power (Strength x1). Hard Shell: A shell with weak defense (Physique x1). ¡°I¡¯ve turned into a bug?¡± Wang Shuo was caught between laughter and tears. He thought that the instance dungeon was all about fighting and killing. In that case, he would have had an advantage with his two pieces of mystic-tier equipment. But now, his consciousness directly possessed a beetle¡¯s body, and he had to start from the beginning. He gradually adapted to his body. The good news was that he hadn¡¯t become blind. The beetle could sense its surroundings using its horn. The general feeling was somewhat similar to that of Heart Mirror, except the image produced was similar to the world of someone with 200-degree myopia, so its perception ability was relatively poor. The range of his perception was also very small, and he was unsure of its actual scope because there were no objects for reference. Sha Sha Sha After familiarizing himself with the beetle¡¯s perception, Wang Shuo finally found the source of the movement. It was a super-sized ant. No, it was not that the ant was too big but that his body was too small. Wang Shuo came back to his senses. After comparing, he realized that he was no different from an ant. ¡°Come on. I really have to start all over again¡­¡± After calming down, Wang Shuo focused his attention on the ant. The ant was struggling and looked in bad condition. Its six legs were weak and dragging feebly against the ground, creating a rustling sound. But it couldn¡¯t move at all. Finally, the ant¡¯s movement became slower and slower and then came to a complete stop in less than ten seconds. ¡°Is it dead?¡± Wang Shuo suddenly realized something. He controlled his body and began to move slowly. The beetle had four legs. He felt fine when he was lying down. But when he moved, he felt a bit awkward. Fortunately, with his mental abilities, he was skilled at controlling his new limbs. Every movement felt instinctive. While slowly crawling to the ant¡¯s side, Wang Shuo muttered in his heart. ¡°Am I supposed to eat this thing?¡± After hesitating for two seconds, Wang Shuo yielded under the pressure of the quest. He opened his mouth and bit off one of the ant¡¯s legs. ¡°Eh?¡± The ant tasted surprisingly good. It was crunchy with a hint of a smoky fragrance. This reduced a lot of Wang Shuo¡¯s psychological barriers. Kacha! Kacha! Following a series of soft chewing sounds, most of the ant¡¯s body entered Wang Shuo¡¯s stomach. A system prompt suddenly came. [You devoured an ant and obtained 10.0% Evolution Points.] [Randomly drawing the opponent¡¯s talents and skills¡­] [The player is undergoing a random draw. [Selection Option] automatically activated.] [Here are the options¡­] [Talent: Elementary Strength] Description: Strength x2 [Skill: Acid Corrosion] Description: Bite will cause (Strength x1) corrosive damage to the target. [Strength +0.0001] [Agility +0.0001] [Physique +0.0001] [None] ¡­ ¡°This sucks!¡± Other than the few useful options at the top, there were hundreds [None] ones below. Seeing these options, Wang Shuo couldn¡¯t hold back his curses. Without much hesitation, he chose Talent: Elementary Strength. Although he wanted the magic attack skill Acid Corrosion, it was undoubtedly more cost-effective to choose something with long-term potential. [You receive Talent: Elementary Strength.] [Your Strength has increased.] A warm current emerged out of nowhere and flowed into his body before disappearing without a trace. He opened his Attributes Window and found that his Strength attribute had increased from 0.0005 to 0.001. ¡°The feeling of becoming stronger is as intoxicating as ever!¡± Wang Shuo pushed his distracting thoughts to the back of his mind and began planning his next steps. It was unknown if he was lucky to have met the ant or if the system was taking care of its players. But it would be unrealistic to wait for another ant to die before him, so Wang Shuo had to forage for his next meal. If he wanted to look for food, he first had to familiarize himself with his current environment. After eating his fill, Wang Shuo was full of energy. After about ten minutes, he finally figured out that he was currently in a cave, or rather, a small hole in a rock. While the cave was relatively clean, it was slightly damp inside. But it was a good place for him to stay for now. He carefully crawled out of the cave and saw a dense patch of thick weeds outside. Of course, the weeds were no different from towering trees to him now. Suddenly, Wang Shuo discovered a white larva on a blade of grass. He didn¡¯t know what it was exactly. It was small, white, and didn¡¯t have any attack power. It looked tender and delicious. Chapter 37 This little white larva crawled very slowly, while Wang Shuo felt full of power with double Strength. He climbed up a stem to reach the tiny white larva in slightly more than a minute. At this moment, the little white larva also noticed him. It bent its body and tried to escape farther, but it was too sluggish. Wang Shuo accelerated and pierced through its body. Then he opened his mouth and sucked at the wound. Squeak Squeak He didn¡¯t know if it was because his taste buds had mutated after turning into an insect, but the colorful juice had an inexplicable pleasant fragrance, like fresh grass. The little white larva struggled weakly. But in less than five minutes, Wang sucked it dry into an empty shell. But the system didn¡¯t respond, so Wang Shuo could only tear the shell apart and swallow it like a pancake. To be honest, the smooth texture was surprisingly nice. Strangely enough, Wang Shuo¡¯s body was not much larger than the little white larva. But even after devouring two bugs, his body hadn¡¯t changed much. Who knew where the food he ate had gone. [You devoured a larva. Evolution Points +10%.] [Randomly drawing the opponent¡¯s talent and skills¡­] [The player is undergoing a random draw. [Selection Option] automatically activated.] [Here are the options¡­] [Skill: Molting (Unavailable)] Description: Shed your shell and turn into a moth. [Strength +0.0001] [Agility +0.0001] [Physique +0.0001] [None] ¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t choose those skills because of my race, right? In other words, can I choose only skills and talents compatible with my body?¡± Wang Shuo memorized this information and continued to choose Strength. Perhaps due to the unique structure of the beetle¡¯s body, the attributes were more refined. With the Elementary Strength talent, of course he had to choose the most worthwhile Strength option. Wang Shuo¡¯s Strength increased by 0.0002, and he felt that he had become more powerful once again. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly saw more than twenty white eggs the size of a needle tip attached to a curly leaf. This discovery was simply joyous. After checking that there was no danger around, he quickly crawled over and swallowed one egg after another. It was like eating grapes. When he bit into one, juice would burst out, but they were a bit tasteless. [You devoured a moth¡¯s egg. Evolution Points +3%.] [You devoured a moth¡¯s egg. Evolution Points +4%.] ¡­ Wang Shuo finally ate all twenty white eggs in the blink of an eye and quickly returned to the nest. After eating the eggs, his evolution points reached 91%. Only 9% was remaining to complete his first evolution. At the same time, because these eggs were still underdeveloped, they only increased his Strength by 0.0007. Fortunately, with Elementary Strength, he gained 0.0014. Currently, his Strength had reached 0.0026. Compared to the beginning, it was five times greater. Although this little bit of strength was equivalent to a large animal¡¯s sneeze, he could feel energy gushing out when it was concentrated in his ant-sized body. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll evolve after another meal. I have to keep it up.¡± If he could complete an evolution in less than a day, he could complete three evolutions as long as he didn¡¯t die within this month. Suddenly, a colossal creature appeared at the entrance of the cave. It was a caterpillar thicker than the hole. It noticed Wang Shuo lying inside and wanted to crawl in. But after trying a few times, it found that the hole was too small. After a while, it turned around and left. Wang Shuo felt that he would have broken out in cold sweat if he hadn¡¯t turned into a bug. After a while, he carefully crawled to the entrance of the cave. Then with his horn, he sensed around for the caterpillar and was relieved to find that it had indeed left. ¡°I wonder what will happen after evolution. I hope I can grow up quickly!¡± Sha Sha Sha A series of noises came from the outside. A row of ants was marching over from a distance, carrying a long worm above them. Wang Shuo didn¡¯t dare to offend these fellows and waited for them to pass before quietly running out. He walked along the dark corner for a long time before he suddenly felt sleepy. ¡°Did I overeat?¡± Wang Shuo was in a daze. Suddenly, his consciousness jolted awake. He noticed a corpse that looked like a cricket buried in the ground not far away. He hurriedly retreated at his fastest speed. After a short distance, the sleepiness suddenly disappeared without a trace. ¡°Sure enough, there¡¯s something strange here!¡± The sudden sleepiness just now was too strange. If the cricket corpse hadn¡¯t made him realize something was amiss, he probably would have fallen asleep by now. He scanned his surroundings for what he hadn¡¯t noticed just now. Around the area, there were many corpses of other insects near the cricket. Some were small, while others were big; some had wings, while others did not¡­ They were roughly scattered in a circle around a stalk of blue grass. ¡°Is the grass behind this?¡± Wang Shuo speculated in his mind. He looked reluctantly at the surrounding insect corpses before turning around and changing directions. Suddenly, he sensed a grey shadow pouncing over. This flea-like bug was slightly bigger than him, and it pierced at him with its pointed needle-like mouth. Although he had lost his original body, his consciousness was still sharp. His head turned at the right moment and stabbed into the enemy. A powerful force far exceeding his size erupted with terrifying power and easily pierced through his opponent¡¯s head. But this bug was very tenacious. Even with a crushed head, its six long legs were still flailing about. Wang Shuo pulled out his horn and began to tear its body apart. The quick battle between the two little guys didn¡¯t attract the attention of other creatures. With nothing to bother him, Wang Shuo feasted heartily. Even when he had devoured the flea¡¯s head and abdomen, its legs were still twitching. [You devoured a flea. Evolution point +10%.] Following the familiar notification, his evolution points finally exceeded 100% and reached 101%. Other than the attribute points options, he also obtained Talent: Elementary Agility. Elementary Agility: Agility x2 [You have met the requirements for evolution. Do you want to start evolving?] ¡°No!¡± He didn¡¯t know what would happen during evolution. With this uncertainty, it was too dangerous outside, so he should return to the cave first. Wang Shuo followed his markings and returned to the nest. After ensuring that everything was normal, he crawled back into the cave and finally felt a sense of security. ¡°Let¡¯s start evolving.¡± [Evolution list is being generated: Horn Thrust, Bite, Hard Shell, Talent: Elementary Strength, Talent: Elementary Agility] [Please choose the direction of evolution: Skill 0/1, Talent 0/1] ¡°Horn Thrust and Elementary Strength.¡± [Evolution direction has been chosen. Evolution beginning¡­] The next moment, a strong wave of fatigue instantly engulfed Wang Shuo, and then he lost consciousness. ¡­ After an unknown period, Wang Shuo gradually regained consciousness. Then a strong sense of power flooded his body. Perhaps due to Horn Thrust being strengthened, even the perception of his horn had sharpened. ¡°The cave has shrunk¡­ No, I¡¯ve grown bigger!¡± Chapter 38 He could clearly see that his size had increased by more than ten times through his horn¡¯s perception. He was about the size of a soybean, so the nest naturally appeared much smaller. Number: k2648263 Name: Wang Shuo Race: Sharp-horned Beetle Evolution Number: 1 Evolution Points: 0.1% Strength: 0.0212; Agility: 0.0023; Physique: 0.0024 Talents: Devour Evolution, Intermediate Strength, Elementary Agility Skills: Strengthened Horn Thrust, Bite, Hard Shell Attributes: None Devouring Evolution: ¡­ Intermediate Strength: Strength x3.8 Elementary Agility: Agility x1.9 Strengthened Horn Thrust: The horned beetle¡¯s strongest attack method. Wang Shuo looked at his new attributes and started calculating silently. The remaining evolution points from the previous level had shrunk by ten times. And in terms of attributes, it had increased by four times without the enhancement of the talents. However, the effects of his talents weakened by 1/20. ¡°Is it because I¡¯ve grown bigger?¡± According to physics, most insects had abilities that exceeded the specifications of their bodies. It was not because their body structure was magical but because they were too small. For example, ants. Compared to humans, the mass of ants was minimal, but the gravity they experienced was much weaker. An ant seemed to be able to drag objects 40 times its weight. But if it was enlarged to the size of a human, gravity alone could crush it to the ground. The same went for fleas. Wang Shuo guessed that his two Strength and Agility talents might completely lose their effect if his body evolved further in the future. But these two talents were exceptionally valuable for the early stages. His Agility attribute was originally the lowest. Now, with the Elementary Agility talent, it was basically the same as his Physique. At this moment, he felt a strong sense of hunger. ¡°Has it been a long time?¡± Holding back his hunger, Wang Shuo squeezed his way out of the cave entrance. The sky outside was no longer as bright. Without the shackles of the nest, Wang Shuo immediately felt his body become much lighter. He tried jumping, and he actually jumped over the grass. He overlooked his surroundings from at least an altitude of half a meter. Additionally, his speed was astonishing. ¡°Hey, cricket!¡± Wang Shuo saw a small cricket on a blade of grass. Although it was several times bigger than him, he was full of confidence. He adjusted his strength and effortlessly glided to the blade of grass beside the cricket. Perhaps due to its size advantage, the cricket didn¡¯t care about Wang Shuo¡¯s arrival and didn¡¯t even look at him. ¡°Then don¡¯t blame me for being impolite!¡± Wang Shuo adjusted his position and instantly shot forward with all his might. The single sharp horn on his head pierced the cricket¡¯s soft abdomen like an arrow. Wang Shuo didn¡¯t push on after his successful strike and immediately leaped backward far away. This cricket was also very fierce. Even though there was a hole in its abdomen, it didn¡¯t show any weakness. On the contrary, it turned around and pounced over. Its speed was not slow, but in Wang Shuo¡¯s eyes, its movements had too many flaws. He was not in a hurry. He used his small and nimble movement technique to dodge around and easily poke holes in his opponent¡¯s body from its blind spots. After numerous strikes, the cricket finally collapsed. But Wang Shuo didn¡¯t let his guard down and stabbed it a few more times. Only when only the cricket¡¯s six legs were twitching instinctively did he begin to enjoy his spoils. A few minutes later, a familiar notification sounded. [You devoured a cricket. Evolution Points +6.0%.] [Talent Elementary Agility]: Agility x2 [Skill: Bite]: A cricket¡¯s primary attack technique. [Strength +0.00005] [Agility +0.00005] [Physique +0.00005] [None] ¡­ ¡°The evolution points and attribute points have decreased?¡± He had challenged someone of a higher level, yet he had only gained 6% evolution points. Ordinary players wouldn¡¯t obtain Elementary Strength and Elementary Agility in the first stage unless they were exceedingly lucky. And it was basically impossible for them to get Intermediate Strength during the first evolution. Even if they completed their evolution, they could only rely on human techniques to dominate the insects of the same size and strength level. If they wanted to challenge prey several times their size, there was basically no chance of success. Furthermore, this was only the second evolution, so the third evolution would definitely be horrific. ¡°Fortunately, I have my cheat and can maximize my gains every time I hunt. I can probably increase my strength to the extreme in the least amount of hunts, so my difficulty is much lower than others¡¯.¡± After putting aside the distracting thoughts in his mind, Wang Shuo chose the Bite skill. The talent could not be stacked, so it was pointless. But skills could continue to be strengthened. As the burning sensation faded, Wang Shuo felt as if his mouth had become more potent. ¡°I wonder how powerful it is. Let¡¯s try it next time.¡± ¡­ Whoosh! A grey light flashed, and a green bug eating grass found a beetle on its back! Like a pair of pliers, the beetle¡¯s mouth directly bit off half of the green bug¡¯s head. ¡°Finally 90%!¡± Wang Shuo laid on the grass to recover his energy. Almost a day had passed since yesterday afternoon. He had hunted for prey everywhere and encountered several life and death crises. After hunting more than 30 prey, he finally raised his evolution points to 90%. In addition, during the more than thirty hunts, Wang Shuo had obtained the Elementary Physique talent from a small earthworm. Now, his attributes had reached Strength 0.04, Agility 0.006, and Physique 0.0058. On the other hand, he didn¡¯t put too much effort into his skills. Before his body size increased, his current skill damage was enough. Suddenly, a strange fragrance poured into his body through his shell. Then Wang Shuo felt his body instantly recover to its peak. ¡°What was that!¡± Wang Shuo immediately leaped to his feet and crawled forward to trace the source of the fragrance. His current speed was not slow, and he could jump one meter in two seconds. In a few seconds, he found the source of the fragrance. It was a purple plant that was half the height of a human and as bare as a bamboo pole. Three purple leaves were growing on the top, and a small blooming purple flower was in the center. At this moment, the stamen was slowly blooming at a speed visible to the naked eye. Instantly, Wang Shuo confirmed that this was definitely not an ordinary plant. Just as this thought appeared in his mind, a golden light suddenly flashed above the stamen and revealed its appearance. It was actually a walnut-sized golden bee. ¡°So fast!¡± While Wang Shuo was surprised, another golden light appeared. It was another golden bee that looked similar. The two bees hovered in the air and buzzed as if they were communicating. Then the first bee suddenly raised its tail and shot a golden needle at the other golden bee. Not to be outdone, the other bee also shot out a golden needle. It collided with the first needle, emitting specks of light. Then the two of them flashed away at the same time. Just as Wang Shuo thought they would stop fighting, a buzzing sound several times louder than before came. The next moment, he saw the two golden bees flying toward each other, each with dozens of golden bees several times smaller. Chapter 39 Then a huge battle erupted. Similar to the two big golden bees, these little golden bees could also shoot golden needles. Neither side was willing to give way, and the battle quickly heated up. For a while, it was as if several guns were shooting streaks of golden light. Seeing the terrifying battle, Wang Shuo burrowed and hid under a leaf, afraid that he would be caught by them. Then he found a shivering snail. ¡°Consider yourself lucky. I have no time for you now.¡± As he watched the battle scene fit for a blockbuster movie not far away, his mind wandered. ¡°If I could eat a golden bee, would I inherit this skill?¡± Just as he was thinking, a little golden bee was struck in the abdomen. It immediately swayed in midair before another needle hit its head. Then it collapsed to the ground. ¡°Great!¡± Wang Shuo was overjoyed, but he suppressed his excitement and continued to wait. At this moment, the purple flower finally fully bloomed. A fragrance several times stronger than before permeated the area, making the golden bees descend into a deeper mania. The frequency of their attacks rose drastically. In the blink of an eye, more little bees fell to the ground. Some of them had several holes in their bodies and looked miserable; some only had their wings broken and were still struggling. ¡°Another one. That¡¯s six!¡± Wang Shuo counted happily as he kept chanting in his heart for the battle to be more ruthless. Two minutes later, another seven little golden bees fell. Then both parties suddenly stopped. As a bystander, Wang Shuo could roughly tell the reason. Currently, the two big golden bees were still relatively unscathed. But the little bees were dispirited and fatigued, and even the golden light on their bodies had dimmed. ¡°Did they run out of mana?¡± After he thought about it, it made sense. After all, there were only so many of them. Even if they had special abilities, how much energy could they have left? At this moment, the two big golden bees zoomed out again. They flew around for a bit and then charged toward the purple flower at the same time. They each circled one side of the flower, and their bodies suddenly emitted golden light. Then the fragrance in the air gradually began to fade. When all the fragrance disappeared in less than five minutes, the two big golden bees seemed to be drunk as they flew back unsteadily to their respective camps and then left with their underlings. As for the purple flower, there was no longer anything special about it. The flickering spiritual light on its surface had also totally vanished. ¡°But since it could make those bees so insistent on getting it, it must be something special. I must eat it next time!¡± Wang Shuo waited for a while. After making sure that all the golden bees had left, he jumped toward the battlefield at breakneck speed. Then he saw two motionless golden bee corpses. Without delay, he devoured one. [You devoured the Golden Poison Bee. Evolution Points +13%.] [The player is undergoing a random draw. [Selection Option] automatically activated.] [Here are the options¡­] [Talent: Metal Essence Energy Affinity (Elementary)]: Possess weak metal essence energy affinity. [Skill: Golden Poison Needle]: The golden poison bees created the attack by experimenting with their body structure and the basic application of metal essence energy. [Strength +0.0001] [Agility +0.0001] [Physique +0.0001] [None] ¡­ There was no need to think about it. It had to be Talent: Metal Essence Energy Affinity. The moment Wang Shuo made his choice, he felt as if a hole had opened up in his head. Many whitish-golden light spots instantly appeared between heaven and earth. ¡°What?¡± These light spots were not unfamiliar to Wang Shuo. He had experienced them when stage one of the Primordial Chaos Skill reached perfection. ¡°So these light spots are essence energy. So, have I been absorbing essence energy?¡± At this moment, Wang Shuo thought about many things. The light spots that his main body could sense were extremely dense. But he was sure that his main body absolutely didn¡¯t have an essence energy affinity talent. Compared to the main body, his sharp-horned beetle form could only sense a single type of light spot. But all of them were very lively, acting cheekily like little fairies. Surprisingly, many of them even took the initiative to enter his body. This was something that his main body didn¡¯t experience. It was just like watching TV. Through the high-definition screen, you could see the beautiful sceneries of the entire world clearly. But you couldn¡¯t experience the heat of a volcano or the ice of the North Pole¡­ [You have met the requirements for evolution. Do you want to start evolving?] ¡°No!¡± Without hesitation, Wang Shuo selected no. He continued to devour the next one. [Evolution Points +12%.] Wang Shuo also wanted to choose the Golden Poison Needle. But unexpectedly, the Metal Essence Energy Affinity talent was still available as an option. ¡°I can actually choose it again?¡± They were both elementary talents, so why couldn¡¯t Elementary Strength be stacked? Soon, Wang Shuo had a guess. Strength was based on the body. Without altering the structure of the body, there was a limit to your potential. Whereas essence energy affinity didn¡¯t rely on the body, so it didn¡¯t face restrictions. As this thought flashed through his mind, Wang Shuo chose the Metal Essence Energy Affinity talent again. [Your Talent: Metal Essence Energy Affinity has improved!] Metal Essence Energy Affinity +1: Your metal essence energy affinity has enhanced. Wang Shuo could clearly feel that his body was absorbing light spots faster. Next, he found nine more golden poison bee corpses. It was two fewer than what he had counted before. He didn¡¯t know if they escaped or were eaten by something else. The eleven golden poison bees provided him with 132% evolution points. With his previous accumulation, he reached an unprecedented 222%. But the most significant gain was the Metal Essence Energy Affinity talent. The initial elementary Metal Essence Energy Affinity talent had been enhanced to +3 and successfully advanced to the intermediate level. But at the intermediate level, it took three times to get a +1 change. At this moment, the speed at which his body absorbed the essence energy light spots had increased by six to seven times. Initially, it took five minutes to absorb one. Now, it took less than a minute to absorb one. But gradually, Wang Shuo realized that his body¡¯s capacity for essence energy had a limit. Currently, he could only absorb a maximum of nine. Beyond this number, he couldn¡¯t absorb any more. After realizing this, Wang Shuo used the remaining three options for the Golden Poison Needle skill. It was different from the Bite skill he had inherited. The Golden Poison Needle had undergone some slight changes during the inheritance process. Originally, the Golden Poison Needle was an essence energy skill that the golden poison bees created by experimenting with their body structure as the foundation. After Wang Shuo inherited it, it became¡ª[Golden Horn]: Launches a powerful essence energy golden horn. After testing it out, he found that one essence energy golden horn cost one essence energy light spot. In other words, he could unleash nine golden horn attacks in total. But its power was somewhat unsatisfactory. It was barely stronger than the strengthened Horn Thrust. So Wang Shuo used the last two golden poison bees and successfully strengthened Golden Horn to Golden Horn +2. With the enhancement, the Golden Horn¡¯s power improved by leaps and bounds. It could even easily penetrate a centimeter of stone. But the cost also increased by two times, and each attack now required three essence energy spots. Chapter 40 Everything was ready. The time for the second evolution had come. From Wang Shuo¡¯s previous experience, not only would it take a long time to evolve, but he would also lose consciousness. If he wanted to avoid any accidents, it was better to find a safe place. So he spent the next half an hour digging a small hole on a patch of soft ground, found some leaves to cover it, and snuggled within. [You have met the requirements for evolution. Do you want to start evolving?] ¡°Yes.¡± [Evolution list being generated: Strengthened Horn Thrust, Strengthened Bite, Hard Shell, Golden Horn+2, Talent: Intermediate Strength, Talent: Elementary Agility, Talent: Metal Essence Energy Affinity +1 (Intermediate)] [Please choose the direction of evolution: Skill 0/1, Talent 0/1] ¡°Golden Horn and Metal Essence Energy Affinity.¡± [Evolution direction has been chosen. Evolution beginning¡­] Soon, a familiar sense of drowsiness washed over him, and his consciousness instantly went blank. ¡­ Wang Shuo was awoken by a strange restrictive sensation. Previously, he had predicted that his body would definitely grow larger after evolving, so he had specially reserved more than ten times the amount of space. But it was still too small. Fortunately, when he chose his hiding spot, he chose a place where the soil was soft. First, it was easy to dig, and second, it was to avoid situations like this. After wriggling his body, he quickly shook off the soil and crawled out from the ground. With his second evolution, his horn¡¯s perception had become stronger. Not only has his field of vision increased from three to ten meters, but his size also grew from soybean to walnut. Now, he was comparable to the golden poison bee leader. But what excited Wang Shuo most was his attributes after the second evolution. Number: k2648263 Name: Wang Shuo Race: Golden Horned Beetle Evolution Number: 2 Evolution Points: 12.2% Strength: 0.73; Agility: 0.145; Physique: 0.135 Talents: Devouring Evolution, Intermediate Strength (Strength x3), Elementary Agility (Agility x1.5), Elementary Physique (Physique x1.5), Strong Metal Essence Energy Affinity +1 (Intermediate) Skills: Strengthened Horn Thrust, Bite, Golden Armor, Sharp Golden Horn +2 Element: Metal Sharp Golden Horn: 1. Horn Thrust, Strength*4 (Elementary Affinity)*4 (Intermediate Affinity); Attack 2. Essence Energy Golden Horn, damage dealt determined by essence energy. Golden Armor: 1. Physique+0.5; 2. By receiving the baptism of metal essence energy, your defense greatly improves. Defense = Physique*4*4 Strong Metal Essence Energy Affinity +1 (Intermediate): The Metal Essence Energy Affinity talent is gradually integrating into your bloodline (all attributes +0.05). ¡°Bloodline? ¡°Are the Essence Energy Affinity talents related to bloodline?¡± Many thoughts surfaced in Wang Shuo¡¯s mind. ¡­ Wang Shuo admired his current body. His body was very similar to the Neptune beetle he had seen before. But he didn¡¯t have the horn at the bottom, and his only horn was also thicker, sharper, and straight. Strangely, he had four legs instead of six, and they were thicker than those of ordinary beetles. His streamlined body shined like plated armor, emanating an extremely charismatic aura. But he didn¡¯t care too much about his appearance. What he really cared about was that after his second evolution, his body¡¯s capacity for metal essence energy had increased tremendously. The capacity grew from the original 9 points to 36. Additionally, the absorption speed increased by two times. Basically, he could absorb 3 points of essence energy per minute. But the consumption of Sharp Golden Horn had also increased tremendously. It went from three points per attack to six per attack. Of course, its power was not disappointing. Its penetrative power alone was more than twice as strong as before. Furthermore, with the enhancement of the Strong Metal Essence Energy Affinity +1 (Intermediate) talent, he could recover the skill¡¯s consumption every two minutes. Coupled with his own accumulation, he could basically continue indefinitely as long as the battle was not too intense. ¡°I finally have the strength to protect myself. I can take greater risks now.¡± Although it had been less than two days since the start of the dungeon, Wang Shuo¡¯s heart surged with strong ambition after seeing the description of the Strong Metal Essence Energy Affinity talent. His aim was to evolve this talent into a ¡®bloodline¡¯. The perfect human bloodline needed to devour other bloodlines to complete its advancement. If he could evolve a few more times and exceed the quest completion requirements, he might have a chance to obtain this bloodline power. In addition to progressing the perfect human bloodline, there was another critical use for bloodline power¡ªincreasing attributes. If everything went well, not only could he perfectly solve the problem of attributes, but he could complete the first strengthening of the perfect human bloodline as well. Other than that, the second stage of the Primordial Chaos Skill was the Metal Lungs stage. If his guess was right, this stage should be cultivating metal essence energy. Without a doubt, the metal essence energy affinity bloodline would be highly beneficial to his cultivation. It would kill multiple birds with one stone. However, the prerequisite for all of this was to strengthen the Metal Essence Energy Affinity talent into a bloodline and then try to exceed the quest completion requirements as much as possible. ¡°There¡¯s still a long way to go!¡± With a flick of his limbs, the scenery in front of Wang Shuo rapidly zoomed past. He slid for more than five meters before landing. His speed was no longer slower than an average person running. Although his current agility was only 0.145, the instantaneous acceleration of this fist-sized body was extremely terrifying. He looked up and found a palm-sized bird standing on a dried branch in a daze. Suddenly, a golden light flashed and pierced a hole through its body. Wang Shuo quickly flickered over and started eating. The bite of his enhanced jaws was like a small file. With a few bites, even the feathers were ground into powder. The taste buds of the beetles were different from humans. After these days, Wang Shuo had already accustomed himself to living as a beetle, and eating raw meat and drinking blood was nothing difficult. [Evolution points +4%.] After possessing essence energy skills and talents, Wang Shuo no longer cared about ordinary skills and talents, so he chose attribute points. He had already decided to invest everything into Strength in the early stages. When the price/performance ratio of Strength came down, he would bring up the other two attributes. Wang Shuo preferred to have balanced stats for all his characters in games. But in the early stages, he needed the ability to protect himself, so enhancing his combat power was a top priority. Afterward, Wang Shuo wandered around and searched for his next prey. As long as they were edible, he would never let a single thing go. He had to admit that the benefits of his ¡®cheat¡¯ were too good. The snowballing during the development stage was atrociously fast. Under normal circumstances, he should still be fighting with the little bugs like ants and creeping about carefully in fear. After all, he would have just been an ordinary small beetle. Even if he had human intelligence, it was impossible to hunt and improve himself against the gap in attributes. But with the help of his cheat, he obtained extreme growth every time he ate something. With a little luck, he had breezed through the most challenging beginner stage.