Qian Tianxing walked beside Shen Bingning, intentionally using the faintest light, constantly edging closer to her.
One of his subordinates immediately stepped forward to speak, "Young Master Qian, I heard that your highest attribute has already reached level 20?"
Qian Tianxing raised the corner of his mouth, glancing at Shen Bingning, purposely raising his voice, "Indeed! My strength is a full 21 now!"
His subordinates were left dumbfounded, quickly asking, "How did you manage to increase it?"
At this, Shen Bingning snorted coldly and interrupted, "Young Master Qian, if you wish to attract my attention, I advise you to give up."
She then pulled out a vial of clear potion, waving it in front of Qian Tianxing, "Attribute potion, +10 to a single attribute, can only be consumed once every six months. You might want to save this tactic for charming other young ladies."
Qian Tianxing shot a fierce glare at the first subordinate who had spoken, clearing his throat, "Do you know that there are SSS-ranked beings in this world?"
SSS rank? Impossible! As far as she knew, the highest ranks for skills, equipment, and even classes didn't exceed SS...
Seeing the confusion on Shen Bingning's face, Qian Tianxing smiled smugly, "The Holy Light Judicator, SSS-rank skill! Holy Light Judgment! It deals massive area damage and is boosted by all attribute enhancements! It's the only SSS-ranked skill in the world."
All attributes? No wonder Qian Tianxing dared to challenge a level-10 boss beyond his rank...
"It can only be used once a month, but I wouldn't mind showing it to you, Miss Shen."
As he spoke, Qian Tianxing's hand inched toward Shen Bingning's waist, "But..."
Shen Bingning swiftly slapped his hand away, scolding, "Keep it to yourself, I'm not interested!"
...
[Kill: Bone Flower Demon][Imitation's Touch Activated][Attribute Gained: Agility +1]...
[Kill: Bone Flower Demon][Imitation's Touch Activated][Attribute Gained: Strength +1]...
[Kill: Bone Flower Demon][Imitation's Touch Activated][Attribute Gained: Strength +1]D*mn! More of these useless creatures.
Along the way, he had gained only 10 points of strength and 10 points of agility!
Despite reaching the lair, they were still fighting level-1 monsters! It was infuriating...
Shen Mo cursed under his breath, casually tossing the Bone Flower Demon aside. With his path cleared, the others simply lay back, coasting.
Yet, Shen Mo was worried—these level-1 Bone Flower Demons gave so little experience, and didn't drop skills or talents, only attributes. At this rate, his stats would soon explode...
A level-2 person burdened with almost 40 points in strength and agility... even a little spirit or constitution would be welcome!
What should have been a thrilling dungeon crawl had lost all tension. Furthermore, with Qian Tianxing clearing the outskirts before entering, there was hardly anything left to fight.
"You all stay here, I'll scout ahead."
With that, Shen Mo crouched down, "Shadow Cloak!"
Whoosh!
"Where's Brother Mo?" The chubby one looked around, but couldn't find Shen Mo.
The tall, thin one and the one with the bun also started searching, but in the end, couldn't see even a trace.
Throughout, Jiang Yixian had completely relaxed and chosen to rest. He leaned against the cave wall, eyes closed, calmly instructing the others, "Don't worry about Shen Mo, if we're all dead, he might not even be safe!"
The other three nodded and stood guard at their positions.
...
In the dim cave, Shen Mo's vision was as clear as day. The winding paths, which should have restricted movement, posed no challenge to him with over 60 points in agility. With the dual benefits of Night Stalker and Shadow Cloak, his speed was reminiscent of a cockroach skittering across his living room.
Several times, he brushed past Bone Flower Demons without them noticing...
Shadow Cloak truly was an excellent skill.
Wait—wasn't that Young Master Qian ahead?
Let's follow them, see what they're up to.
He used his Detect skill to observe.
[Name: Qian Tianxing][Level: Lv. 5][Class: Holy Light Judicator][Class Level: SS][Class Rarity: Unique Hidden Class]
What?! How is this guy only level 5?!
He quickly shifted his gaze to Shen Bingning.
[Name: Shen Bingning][Level: Lv. 7][Class: Ice Spirit Apostle][Class Level: S][Class Rarity: Hidden Class]
Level 7... Did they kill a Golem or Godzilla?!
It seemed that leveling up would be no problem if he stuck with these two. They must know where the high-experience monsters were.
But wait, once Shen Bingning hits level 8, won't the novice dungeon prevent her entry?
Where are they even headed?
"Shh! Don't move!"
Qian Tianxing crouched carefully to the side, pointing to a section of the cave wall where rocks and dirt kept falling.
"Past here are level-8 monsters! Be careful!"
Level-8 monsters?! Hearing this, Shen Mo's eyes lit up.
"At level 8, the Bone Flower Demon will reach its adult form. It can shoot bone spikes."
Qian Tianxing signaled for his subordinates to block the path in front of him and Shen Bingning. "Although they're only level 8, it will take at least level 15 to completely dodge or block their bone spike attacks."
At least level 15? With each level providing two points of attributes, at level 15, strength and agility would be around 28-30, plus level suppression...
Quickly, he checked his own status:
[Name: Shen Mo][Level: Lv. 2][Experience: 84%][Strength: 68][Agility: 61][Mentality: 8][Constitution: 6]
It seems doable...
He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling reassured.
Clang! Clang!
From the shadows, two bone spikes shot out from the void. They only became visible in mid-flight.
"Ice Barrier!"
A wall of frost appeared before them, instantly lowering the cave temperature.
The ice wall materialized almost immediately, without any chant at all!
Shen Bingning stood confidently in front, holding a plain white wooden staff, simple yet elegant.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
"No wonder you're called the Ice Spirit Apostle," Qian Tianxing sneered, raising his hand. "Holy Light Judgment!"
Brilliant light illuminated the distant cave wall, revealing two Bone Flower Demons.
They were larger than the level-1 versions, with dual tails, each ending in a flowerbud-like protrusion.
As they were bathed in holy light, they screeched and opened their four-petaled heads, revealing rows of spiral sawteeth.
"Doesn't seem all that impressive..." Shen Mo muttered, disappointed by Qian Tianxing. Holy Light Judgment? It's just a giant flashlight...
The Bone Flower Demons moved rapidly, twisting and tumbling along the cave walls. In the blink of an eye, they had crossed the ice barrier and were in front of the group.
They were so fast that Qian Tianxing was still waiting for Shen Bingning to praise him...
But Shen Bingning's full attention was on the battle ahead. Though she outleveled the Bone Flower Demon by one, she dared not be careless.
These monsters were not only fast, but their attacks were incredibly sharp—one mistake could be fatal.
She slammed her white wooden staff on the ground, "Freeze!"
The Ice Spirit Apostle made controlling ice come effortlessly, and with the help of the white wooden staff, even low-level skills didn't require chanting.
Unfortunately, the freezing effect wasn't immediate. The white frost spread quickly across the ground, but slowed down when it hit the cave wall.
The Bone Flower Demon saw its chance, leapt, and its massive form cast a shadow over Shen Bingning...