The energy continuously surged, fueling every cell within Wang Xu's flesh. As the energy within him gradually depleted, his physique, internal organs, and skin underwent a transformation!
Having attained the fourth layer of the "Basic Body," Wang Xu's physical strength already surpassed that of ordinary people and was even more resilient than others of the same rank. With his fleshly strength combined with B-grade armor, unless his opponent wielded A-grade weapons and possessed superior martial arts, they would find it impossible to breach his defenses!
Half a year had passed, and Wang Xu's cultivation had stagnated for that duration. However, he was not idle during this time; he was accumulating strength, waiting for a breakthrough. Now, that moment of eruption had arrived!
Mid-Fourth Stage!
Having broken through the initial bottleneck, the energy inside Wang Xu hadn't yet run dry. It continued to expand until he reached full mid-Fourth Stage cultivation—just one step away from entering late Fourth Stage—when it finally stabilized.
"Ahh~" He exhaled deeply, clenching his solid fist and feeling the power coursing through it.
"Let's go! Time to earn more points!"
...
In the desolate outskirts, silence reigned supreme; the crumbling roads were overgrown with plants, and all that could be heard was the sound of the whispering wind.
"Grr!"
Suddenly, a massive serpentine bug beast slithered its way from the distance. The beast measured three meters in length, with a head resembling that of an insect, and had several bug-like legs moving beneath its slick body, making strange sounds from its mouth.
"It's a Fourth Stage Red Serpent Bug Beast. Should we take action?"
Not far from the Red Serpent Bug Beast, by a third-floor window of an abandoned building, a bespectacled man armed with a thermographic telescope spotted the creature's appearance and whispered.
"A Fourth Stage early bug beast is worth 10 points, a mid-stage worth 20, and a late-stage worth 30 points. The Red Serpent Bug Beast is late Fourth Stage, so we can't let those 30 points go to waste." Next to the bespectacled man was a man with a grotesque scar running down his left eye. He waved his hand, swiftly assembling the other two members on that floor.
"Owen will cover us from a distance. Varen, Hall, follow me," said the scar-faced man. "Remember, the biggest weapon of this Fourth Stage Red Serpent Bug Beast is the poisonous liquid it shoots from its fangs. As soon as it opens its mouth, Owen, you hit its fangs, understood?"
Owen nodded, gripping a steel longbow in hand, with bowstrings made from twisted iron wire—showing just how much strength was needed to draw it back.
In this era, firearms no longer held the humans' favor; ordinary bullets and cannons dealt limited damage to bug beasts. Throwing radiation bombs would only lead to mutual destruction, prompting humanity to advocate the development of cold weapons by utilizing various rare minerals.
Of course, thermal weapons still existed, but the ones capable of dealing with bug beasts required cosmic energy to operate. Once that energy ran out, these weapons became useless. Therefore, during trials, longbows were naturally favored for ranged support.
"Wait! Someone is approaching!" Just as the command was given, the bespectacled man spoke up suddenly.
The group immediately found cover and turned their heads slowly to gaze out the window.
...
While hunting bug beasts, Wang Xu had mostly taken down those at the third stage, only slicing off portions of their bodies without much interest. Now, the energy provided by third stage bug beasts was minimal, making it completely unnecessary to waste time consuming them.
Walking along the overgrown roads, he soon arrived at an abandoned town, where he quickly noticed the Red Serpent Bug Beast crawling in the distance!
Wang Xu had seen the Red Serpent Bug Beast in his compendium. As a late Fourth Stage creature, it was capable of spraying venom—a rather troublesome adversary, with a corrosive venom that could eat through steel, let alone flesh, resulting in instant death!
As he drew near, the Red Serpent Bug Beast also detected Wang Xu's presence, fixing its eerie green bug eyes upon him, brimming with cold murderous intent.
Wang Xu felt exhilarated. Another Fourth Stage bug beast, and a late one at that! If he could consume it, he'd surely break through his current bottleneck and reach the late Fourth Stage!
With this thought in mind, he drew his blood-bone giant sword and unleashed the "Miro Body Technique," launching a series of phantom-like strikes against the Red Serpent Bug Beast!
"That guy's attacking! Should we still wait?" Owen exclaimed.
"Wait. Since someone is helping us, I'll gladly save some effort," the scar-faced man grinned slyly.
The others soon understood; their leader was waiting for this newcomer to kill the Red Serpent Bug Beast before they could make their move.
Unbeknownst to Wang Xu, there were several pairs of eyes in the shadows fixated on him. He channeled his strength and struck down toward the Red Serpent Bug Beast!
Swish!
The Red Serpent Bug Beast was swifter than Wang Xu had anticipated, darting away like a shadow and dodging his strike.
"Such speed!"
The "Nine Columns Thunder Blade" emphasized rapid attacks, and Wang Xu prided himself on his speed with the "Miro Body Technique," claiming he wouldn't be slower than anyone at late Fourth Stage. Yet, the Red Serpent Bug Beast had effortlessly evaded his blow, clearly faster than Wang Xu!
"Grr!" The bug beast's legs propelled it off the ground as it lunged toward Wang Xu, its mouth unleashing two sharp fangs dripping with green liquid.
In the blink of an eye, Wang Xu manifested numerous phantoms, swiftly dodging as the Red Serpent Bug Beast's attack missed him entirely.
The green venom splattered on the ground, corroding the overgrown plants and revealing the asphalt beneath, which was also turning black and bubbling repulsively from the poison.
One could only imagine the fate of any human who got splashed with that venom—organs would surely rot away!
"Damn it! This Red Serpent Bug Beast is trying to counterattack me!" The beast evaded Wang Xu's strike and swung its massive tail, sending a gust of wind toward Wang Xu's face!
In terms of speed, Wang Xu was not outdone by the bug beast; his remarkably agile reflexes allowed him to side-step the attack just in time. The tail hit a large tree behind him, snapping it in two with a loud crack.
At the same time, Wang Xu swung his blood-bone giant sword again at the creature!
The Red Serpent Bug Beast refused to back down, whipping its tail while letting out a peculiar screech, charging head-on!
"Slash!" However, the Red Serpent Bug Beast had underestimated the force behind Wang Xu's strike. He unleashed "Hundred Blades Thunder Strike," landing four rapid strikes upon the tail as soon as they made contact, leaving a hideous gash on the beast.
In pain, the Red Serpent Bug Beast opened its mouth and sprayed more venom before swiftly darting away as if it were a fish.
It realized that its most valued speed yielded no advantage against Wang Xu, leaving no reason to continue the fight. Although bug beasts were known for their stupidity, their instinctive survival instincts prompted them to choose retreat when needed.
Wang Xu noticed this and evaded the stream of venom sprayed at him. By the time he finished, the Red Serpent Bug Beast had already fled, prompting him to employ the body technique to chase after it.
"Hm?"
Just as he took a couple of steps, three individuals suddenly emerged on the path the Red Serpent Bug Beast was fleeing. One wielded a square shield, another held a meteor hammer, and the third brandished a snow-white great sword. They worked seamlessly to block the beast and unleashed a concentrated strike against the wound that Wang Xu had inflicted.
The Red Serpent Bug Beast became enraged by the agonizing pain and tried to resist, but the square shield held firm against its attacks, rendering them ineffective. Seizing this opportunity, the other two hammered and sliced at it, and within mere seconds, the once-mighty beast was bloodied and beaten to death.
Wang Xu watched this unfold from a distance, halting in his tracks with a sullen expression.
He had been too careless, never expecting that while he hunted the bug beast, several others had their sights set on him. Had these individuals decided to act against him instead of the bug beast, he likely wouldn't have escaped!
"Listen, everyone. I spotted this Red Serpent Bug Beast first. Isn't it a bit unreasonable for you to do this?" Wang Xu spoke up.
The scar-faced man laughed in response. "Reasonable? You think you can reason with me here? Should I call you naive or just plain foolish?"
Before him stood individuals with golden hair and blue eyes—typical Western features—all remarkably tall and muscular, their arms covered in hair, roaring with laughter at his words.
Ever since the remnants of humanity unified, borders had disappeared and languages blended together. Everyone learned "Earth Language," making communication seamless.
"Boss, that guy's long sword looks like an A-grade weapon!" Owen, the bespectacled man, suddenly exclaimed through his headset.
Upon hearing this, the scar-faced man's gaze fixed on Wang Xu, brimming with heated greed.
"Kid, I'm giving you a chance to leave your backpack and that long sword you're holding behind. I'll spare your life!" the scar-faced man licked his lips and said.
A-grade weapons were worth thousands of points, and rarer ones could fetch tens of thousands. Unlike Wang Xu, these individuals had joined the Extreme Dao Ancient Hall and received a bonus of thirty thousand points, making A-grade weapons treasures valued in the millions. Such items could ensure a comfortable lifestyle for quite some time, even if they weren't used!
Wang Xu hesitated, unsure whether to engage, given that there were three opponents and potentially more hidden threats. It would be hard for him to emerge victorious if a fight broke out. However, now that the scar-faced man had spoken, he realized it was unavoidable.
"You want it? Come and take it!" Wang Xu replied sharply.
"Attack!" Without hesitation, the scar-faced man ordered, and a steel arrow from Owen's longbow streaked toward Wang Xu!
With the launch of the arrow, the three men swiftly charged forward!
Just as expected!
The sensitivity of Wang Xu's reflexes came into play; he sensed the moment the arrow was fired. Utilizing the "Miro Body Technique," he transformed into hundreds of phantoms, dodging as the arrow zipped through one and embedded itself in the ground.
Owen gasped in surprise, quickly nocking another arrow and firing continuously at Wang Xu.
Owen had decent precision; several arrows managed to block Wang Xu's escape routes, forcing him to press onward despite the risk of being shot.
Though the iron arrows were potent, Wang Xu felt no fear. Wearing B-grade armor, he was not easily pierced by mere arrows!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The arrows struck Wang Xu's B-grade armor, failing to harm him even a bit.
"Armor!" The scar-faced man observed this, his eyes ablaze with fervor. If they were greedy for A-grade weapons, then that armor was enough to drive them wild!