Chapter 151: Level Challenge! I Choose Three Levels!
"Lu Li."
Lin Qingyu nodded gently, a faint smile rippling across her cool eyes.
"Good morning."
Shen Chuyou spoke softly as well, her voice cool and gentle.
Hearing it, several passing upperclassmen slowed their steps by half a beat.
"The team is already disbanded. You don't need to call me Captain anymore,"
Lu Li said with a smile.
"Once a captain, always a captain!"
Bai Yuqing giggled.
The others, Shen Chuyou included, nodded deeply in agreement.
The rewards given by the school this time were extraordinarily generous.
Without Lu Li, there was no way they could have gotten them.
What was more, Lu Li was genuinely easy to get along with.
They called him "Captain" with complete willingness.
"Alright, have it your way."
Seeing this, Lu Li didn't object further; after all, it was just a title.
At this moment, Shen Chuyou asked curiously,
"Lu Li, where are you planning to go?"
"To the Treant Breeding Ground," Lu Li answered truthfully.
"The Treant Breeding Ground?"
Shen Chuyou's beautiful eyes lit up slightly. "I was planning to go there too."
"Me too," Lin Qingyu chimed in.
Of course, this time it was to gain experience points.
Everyone would choose to solo it, so no one brought up teaming up.
There was no need to form a party anyway.
Bai Yuqing and Chu Nan exchanged a glance and shook their heads together.
"The two of us are going to the Tree Spirit Jungle."
Bai Yuqing pouted. "The Treant Breeding Ground is too high level.
You freaks are way too fast; the two of us can't keep up at all."
Chu Nan nodded with a wry smile as well.
"Yeah, it's better for us to honestly grind in lower-level areas."
Although they had cleared the Treant Breeding Groundwhile in a team before,
that was as a team!
If they went solo, one was an Assassin and the other a Mage.
With their fragile builds, there was simply no way they could clear the Treant Breeding Ground alone.
Lu Li chuckled. Just as he was about to speak, shouting suddenly came from nearby.
"Come on over! Only five days left for the Level Challenge event! Step right up, don't miss out!"
"As long as you reach the agreed-upon level before the settlement deadline, you'll earn a huge reward of academic credits!"
"Hey there, junior schoolmates, interested in placing a bet?"
Lu Li looked toward the voice.
In a corner of the third-floor hall stood a long table.
The table was piled high with colorful forms and flyers.
Next to it stood a sign bearing eight large characters: 'Level Challenge, Bet with Rewards.'
Behind the table stood a fat man.
He appeared to be in his early twenties, with a round face, large ears, and small yet sharp eyes that radiated shrewdness.
He was dressed in a flashy set of bright silver light armor.
However, his belly bulged against the armor, making him look somewhat comical.
Seeing Lu Li's interest in that direction, Lin Qingyu softly explained,
"That's a Level Challenge event hosted by the school's Class Guild.
You agree on a target level, and if you reach it, you get a reward of academic credits.
But the event started half a month ago.
We were still competing back then, and now it's almost over."
"Oh?"
Lu Li's interest was piqued. "Come on, let's go take a look."
The fat man was shouting with all his might.
When he looked up, he saw Lu Li approaching with Shen Chuyou, Lin Qingyu, and the others.
His small eyes narrowed for a moment.
Then they suddenly widened in shock, and he sprang right out of his chair.
"Aiyo! Isn't this Junior Lu Li! And Goddess Shen, Goddess Lin!"
Grinning from ear to ear, the fat man rushed forward to greet them, rubbing his hands together.
"Your presence brings tremendous honor to my humble booth!"
His loud voice immediately drew the eyes of many people around them.
"Holy crap, it really is Shen Chuyou and Lin Qingyu!"
"And Lu Li! Damn, the champion is here!"
"Is that the One-Axe Superman? He looks even more handsome in person than on the livestream!"
"..."
As the greatest contributor in the National College Freshman Exchange Tournament,
it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Lu Li's fame at Imperial University was at its zenith.
With more and more onlookers gathering, the fat man's booth instantly became the center of attention.
Seeing this, the fat man beamed so broadly his mouth couldn't close—this free publicity was a massive windfall!
"Would you folks like to participate in the Level Challenge?"
The fat man rubbed his hands together, enticing them with a beaming smile.
"The rules are very simple.
When signing up, you bet a certain amount of credits and set your target challenge level.
We register whatever level you're at right now.
Then, depending on how many levels you gain before the settlement time, we pay out credits according to the agreed odds!
For instance, if you gain one level, we pay you this many credits; gain two levels, and the payout is even bigger!
If you lose, the wagered credits belong to me."
He pointed to the holographic light screen on the table, which was densely packed with various challenge tiers.
"The settlement time is 8:00 PM on the 19th, five days from now."
The fat man's gaze swept over Lu Li and the others, his smile growing even more radiant.
"All of you have the boost from the enlightenment potion; you'll definitely be able to gain one level within five days!
This is practically giving away free credits!"
Hearing this, Shen Chuyou and Lin Qingyu were both somewhat tempted.
They indeed had the enlightenment potion, so their leveling speed far exceeded ordinary people.
"How do we place a bet?" Shen Chuyou asked softly.
Hearing that she was interested, the fat man's grin widened even further.
"Simple! The minimum bet is 10 credits, and the maximum is 100 credits!
The payout for gaining one level is 1 to 1.2!
Gain two levels, 1 to 2!
And for three levels, 1 to 3!"
"Of course, gaining three levels is basically impossible. Ever since this event started, no one has dared bet on that."
The fat man chuckled.
Shen Chuyou pondered briefly. "I'll bet on gaining one level, 100 credits."
Lin Qingyu also nodded. "I'll bet on one level as well, 100 credits."
The fat man hurriedly jotted it down on the registration form, grinning ear to ear.
200 credits in the bag!
If the leveling event had just begun, gaining one level would naturally be no problem given Shen Chuyou and Lin Qingyu's strength.
But now only five days remained.
Between the two of them, one was Level 22 and the other Level 21; how could they possibly gain a level in that time?
"And what about you, Captain Lu?"
The fat man looked at Lu Li with a smile and said,
"The more you bet, the more you win!
Of course, if you fail to reach your target by then, you'll also have to pay an additional penalty."
Pausing, he probed,
"With Captain Lu's strength, clearing dungeons is a breeze.
Why not bet on two levels?"
However, Lu Li shook his head and said,
"I'll bet on three levels, 100 credits."
"Gain three levels?"
The fat man blanked for a moment, then was overjoyed.
Gaining three levels in five days was more than a hundred times harder than gaining just one!
No matter how strong Lu Li was, it was impossible to pull off; this was guaranteed profit for him!
Still, just to cover all bases, he reminded him:
"If you fail to do it by then, you'll need to pay an additional 100 credits as penalty. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I'm sure," Lu Li replied without any hesitation.
"What boldness, Junior Lu Li! Come, come, I'll register you right away!"
The fat man laughed heartily.
Terrified Lu Li might change his mind, he tapped rapidly on the light screen.
"Tsk tsk, Fatty Zhou made bank again this time."
"Tell me about it. Lu Li and the others are still too young."
"Indeed."
"..."
The surrounding students secretly shook their heads one after another.
Fatty Zhou held this Level Challenge event every once in a while.
Gaining one level, which was the easiest, only paid out 20 credits.
The payouts for two or three levels were high, but achieving them was far too difficult.
Fatty Zhou would even look at your current level.
If your level was too low and leveling up was too easy, he wouldn't let you participate at all.
It was practically a business of pure, guaranteed profit!
The senior students almost never fell for it anymore.
Only freshmen like Lu Li would be interested.
Especially Lu Li, who went straight ahead and bet on gaining three levels!
The difficulty was just too high.
"Gaining three levels in five days, isn't that a bit too risky?"
Beside him, Shen Chuyou couldn't help asking softly.
Lin Qingyu also wore a worried expression.
200 credits was by no means a small sum.
"Don't worry."
Lu Li smiled.
He wasn't blindly confident.
Leaving aside the fact that he still had over seven million Faith Points that could be converted into experience,
the tenfold experience bonus from his max-level Divine Blessing combined with the enlightenment potion alone was enough for him to accomplish this goal in a few days.
Chapter 152 Entering the Abyss Dungeon! Leveling Up Two Times!
Having completed the activity registration, Lu Li quickly arrived in front of a bluish-green light door.
That light door was over six meters high, and its frame was entwined with thick old vines.
It exuded an intensely rich aura of life that could not be dissolved away.
On the information panel on one side of the light door, the dungeon information was clearly displayed:
[Dungeon Secret Realm: Treant Breeding Ground(Diamond Grade)]
[Level Restriction: Level 23 ~ Level 32]
[Difficulty: Optional (Simple / Normal / Hard / Desperate / Nightmare)]
[Monster Types: Treants, Tree Demons, Yakshas, Treant Broodmothers]
[Player Requirement: 1 ~ 5 people]
Glancing at the dungeon information, Lu Li flipped his wrist.
A dark purple crystal appeared in his palm.
It was precisely the abyss magic stone!
The dark purple nebula inside the crystal slowly rotated.
Even just holding it in his hand, one could faintly hear the whispers from the abyss.
"abyss magic stone?"
A trace of astonishment flashed through the silver-gray eyes of Shen Chuyou, who was also preparing to enter the dungeon.
Lin Qingyu was also somewhat surprised: "Captain, could you possibly be opening the abyss mode?"
"Yeah, let's try it."
Lu Li smiled and hesitated no longer.
He raised his hand and threw that abyss magic stone into the light door.
"Hum—!!!"
The moment the abyss magic stone sank into the light door, the entire dungeon gate trembled violently!
The originally dark purple light door trembled crazily.
The vine patterns on its surface shattered inch by inch, replaced by blood-red cracks!
Those cracks spread and expanded like living creatures.
In the blink of an eye, the entire gate was dyed into a dazzling crimson!
An indescribable violent aura surged out from the depths of the light door.
That aura was scorching, chaotic, and filled with a desire for destruction!
As if the other end of the door truly connected to the abyss of hell!
"Holy crap! What's going on?!"
"The dungeon gate turned red! This is abyss mode!"
"Someone is going to open the abyss!"
"Hiss! It's actually the Treant Breeding Ground? The abyss mode of this dungeon might not even be beatable by a Level 33 second-transition player, right?"
"Who has such big guts?"
"That is... Lu Li?!"
In the third-floor lobby, the students who were originally busy with their own things were all alarmed by this sudden abnormality, and gazes looked over simultaneously.
When they saw clearly that Lu Li was standing in front of the blood-red light door, everyone drew a sharp breath.
"F*ck, opening the abyss right after winning the double crowns? This is too fierce!"
"That's the Treant Breeding Ground! Under the abyss mode, monster attributes double, quantities double, and it f*cking spawns Abyss Magic Pillars!"
"I've already undergone the second transition, and I still wouldn't dare touch the abyss mode of this dungeon!"
"As expected, we don't understand the world of geniuses."
"Lu Li is training himself to death like this..."
Shen Chuyou and the others were also somewhat surprised.
Bai Yuqing swallowed a mouthful of saliva, her big watery eyes widened roundly:
"Captain, isn't this a bit too ruthless of you?"
They had originally thought Lu Li was just normally coming to farm the nightmare difficulty, who would have expected him to directly go for the abyss mode.
"Rest assured, I know my limits. I'll go first."
Lu Li greeted Shen Chuyou and the others.
Then he turned around and stepped into that blood-red light door in one stride.
A flash of blood-red light, and Lu Li's figure disappeared from where he stood.
"..."
Inside the dungeon.
Lu Li only felt his vision blur.
When his vision recovered, he was already placed in a completely different world.
This was a dimly lit jungle.
Underfoot were vines and various fallen leaves.
Between the leaves, dark red flames faintly roamed close to the ground, as if they had life.
The surrounding ancient trees were tall and twisted, and their trunks were covered with dark red cracks.
Firelight flowed in the depths of the cracks, as if boiling magma was flowing in blood vessels.
The entire jungle looked as if it had been scorched by the fire of hell!
Originally, the entire Treant Breeding Ground was somewhat gloomy, and at this moment it added a few more points of a terrifying atmosphere like purgatory.
Even between breaths,
one could feel a scorching demonic qi drilling into the nasal cavity, stimulating the lungs to ache faintly.
"Is this the abyss mode? It's indeed extraordinary."
Lu Li's gaze flickered slightly.
His power of holy light operated automatically.
A thin layer of golden light film formed on his body surface, isolating the ubiquitous abyss aura outside.
"Rustle, rustle, rustle!"
At this moment, a heavy stepping sound came from the dense forest ahead.
Three huge figures suddenly stepped out from the bushes!
Those were three treants burning with dark red flames all over.
Their figures were four to five meters tall, and their branches were gnarled like iron.
The pair of eyes on their faces had now turned dark red, exuding a violent light.
Behind them, three more figures followed closely!
Those were three Yakshas!
Different from the Yakshas seen before, their skin was covered with dark red magic patterns, and the tridents in their hands burned with pitch-black flames.
Three treants, three Yakshas.
Six monsters surrounded Lu Li in a fan shape!
Lu Li swept with his Divine Appraisal Technique, and all information was clear at a glance.
[Name]: Abyss Treant
[Level]: Level 30
[Quality]: Diamond
[Four-Dimensional Attributes]: Strength: 1100, Physique: 1000, Agility: 600, Wisdom: 550
[Name]: Abyss Yaksha
[Level]: Level 30
[Quality]: Diamond
[Four-Dimensional Attributes]: Strength: 1000, Physique: 750, Agility: 1100, Wisdom: 500
"Their levels have actually reached Level 30!"
Lu Li's gaze narrowed slightly.
Level 30 abyss monsters!
The highest four-dimensional attributes had already reached a terrifying 1100 points!
You must know that ordinary Level 30 professionals only had around 1000 points for their main attribute.
And these abyss monsters actually broke through the 1100 mark in single attributes!
What's more terrifying is that there were six of them!
"As expected of abyss-grade difficulty, it's really exciting!"
Lu Li's eyes brightened slightly. Far from being afraid, his fighting spirit grew even stronger.
His current average basic four-dimensional attribute was around 900 points.
Added with the bonuses of his full-body equipment, it could be a little over 1000 points.
If it were someone else, facing these abyss monsters with single attributes breaking a thousand, they probably would have turned around and fled long ago.
However, this was not his limit yet!
"Courage Blessing!"
"Guardian Blessing!"
"..."
Lu Li pointed out with both hands repeatedly, and one buff skill after another smashed onto himself as if they didn't cost money.
Golden holy light burst out boisterously, illuminating his whole person as if a god had descended.
After all the buffs were added, Lu Li's average four-dimensional attribute had reached a terrifying 1500 points!
"It directly surged by 500 points of attributes, and it's also an all-attribute bonus."
Lu Li felt the surging power inside his body that was almost overflowing, and couldn't help exclaiming:
"Buffs of this level, I'm afraid only a Paladin could achieve it."
If it were an ordinary support, adding one or two hundred points to a single attribute would be the absolute limit.
And for him, all attributes surged by 500 points!
This was the terrifying part of the S+-Rank Child of LightTalent!
"Roar—!"
At this moment, the six abyss monsters moved simultaneously!
The three abyss treants waved their burning branches, like three moving volcanoes, rolling towards Lu Li to crush him.
The three abyss Yakshas were even as fast as ghosts.
Their tridents pierced through the air to arrive, and the pitch-black flames dragged out long tail flames in the air!
"Well timed!"
Lu Li laughed aloud, his figure flashed, and the dawn battleaxe was already held in his hand.
His entire person was like a golden lightning bolt, instantly disappearing from where he stood.
The next instant,
an extremely dazzling golden axe light exploded boisterously among the six monsters!
"Puchi—!"
The movements of one abyss treant suddenly stiffened.
Following closely, its body split from the middle and collapsed with a loud bang!
Instant kill!
Lu Li didn't pause in the slightest, his figure flashed again!
The dawn battleaxe, carrying an extremely rich holy light, drew golden arcs in the air!
"Puf puf puf puf puf—!"
Wherever the axe light passed, one abyss monster after another fell down successively!
Their bodies couldn't even react in time before being completely crushed by that extremely terrifying strength and speed!
Before and after, it was only a few breaths of time.
The three abyss treants and three abyss Yakshas were all executed!
"Too weak."
Lu Li casually shook off the bloodstains on the axe blade with a relaxed expression.
With his average four-dimensional attributes of 1500 points,
facing these abyss monsters whose single attributes broke a thousand was a complete suppression.
What's more, his holy light inherently had extra damage bonuses against dark-type monsters.
These abyss monsters didn't even have the power to fight back in front of him.
Of course, if he used Chain Lightning, it would be even simpler; a single skill could complete an instant kill.
But after all, this was his first time entering an abyss dungeon.
He didn't know how strong abyss monsters really were yet, so he still had to save a bit of mana.
"Hum—"
As all six monsters died, a white light door slowly emerged ahead.
That was the entrance leading to the next level of the dungeon.
Yet Lu Li wasn't in a hurry to leave.
"Now, experience values can be converted!"
With a thought in his mind, he directly opened the attribute panel.
He saw that the Faith Value column had impressively reached 8.1 million points!
If he burned Faith Value now, his strength could obtain a three-to-four-fold enhancement!
But it wasn't needed right now.
Therefore, with a thought in his mind, Lu Li directly converted all of them into experience values!
[Ding! Conversion successful! 8.1 million Faith Value → 1.62 million experience values!]
"1.62 million experience values!"
Lu Li grinned, "It only takes 500,000 experience values for me to reach Level 26, this is enough for me to level up several levels!"
Without any hesitation, he directly chose to level up.
[Ding! Congratulations on leveling up! Current level: Level 26!]
[Affected by the S-Rank Angel Bloodline, this level-up grants: Free Attribute Points +150, Skill Points +60!]
[Divine Blessing effect triggered! Free attribute points and skill points are doubled!]
[Final acquisition: Free Attribute Points +300, Skill Points +120!]
"Continue!"
[Ding! Congratulations on leveling up! Current level: Level 27!]
[Affected by the S-Rank Angel Bloodline, this level-up grants: Free Attribute Points +200, Skill Points +70!]
[Divine Blessing effect triggered! Free attribute points and skill points are doubled!]
[Final acquisition: Free Attribute Points +400, Skill Points +140!]
[Current Level LV27 (420,000 / 2,000,000)]
Chapter 153: Attributes Soar! Terrifying Abyss Monsters!
A series of system prompts rang out in his mind.
Lu Li felt surge after surge of majestic power gushing wildly from deep within his body.
Rushing endlessly like a mighty river!
800 free attribute points, 260 skill points!
Without hesitation, he allocated the 800 free attribute points evenly.
200 points each to Strength, Physique, Agility, and Intelligence!
"Boom—!"
His primary attributes instantly skyrocketed!
At this moment, his average base primary attributes had broken through the 1,000-point mark!
If equipment bonuses were included, it was nearing 1,200 points!
"Exhilarating!"
Lu Li clenched his fists.
Feeling the surging power within him that was almost overflowing, a brilliant light flashed in his eyes.
"Next, time to allocate skill points."
He opened his skill panel, his gaze landing on two S-Rank skills.
Holy Domain.
Holy Radiance Immortal Body.
These two S-Rank skills were currently his core trump cards.
"For S-Rank skills, every level requires a huge amount of skill points."
"However, I saved up 100 skill points last time."
"Adding the ones I just obtained, I have a full 360 skill points—more than enough!"
With a thought, Lu Li began spending his points.
[Ding! Consumed 100 skill points. Holy Domain level increased to Lv2!]
[Ding! Consumed 100 skill points. Holy Radiance Immortal Body level increased to Lv2! Strength +200! Physique +200!]
200 skill points were depleted in an instant!
The upgrade to Holy Radiance Immortal Body caused Lu Li's Physique attribute to surge by another 200 points!
And these two S-Rank skills also underwent a transformation.
[Holy Domain (S-Rank) Lv2: Unfolds a domain of Holy Light. Within the domain, allies' all stats increase by 20%, enemies' all stats decrease by 10%, lasting 10 minutes. Cooldown reduced from 24 hours to 12 hours.]
[Holy Radiance Immortal Body (S-Rank) Lv2: Holy Radiance Form duration extended by 50%, all attributes increased by an additional 15% in Holy Radiance Form.]
"As expected, every level up for an S-Rank skill brings an incredibly terrifying boost!"
Lu Li's eyes glittered with bright light.
After Holy Domain leveled up, its domain radius became wider, its buffs stronger, and its duration longer.
And with Holy Radiance Immortal Body leveled up, the power of his Holy Radiance Form rose accordingly!
"With my current strength, if I activate Holy Radiance Formagain, who knows how powerful I will become!"
Feeling the supreme, surging power within his body, the corners of Lu Li's mouth curled up uncontrollably.
Having such attributes and skill levels at level 27...
Clearing this Abyss dungeon would pose virtually no pressure at all.
"Another day full of hope~~"
Thinking of this,
Lu Li hummed a liver-paining tune from his past life and stepped toward the white light gate.
...
After entering the second stage, Lu Li practically steamrolled his way through.
In Abyss mode, monsters not only had higher attributes, but their numbers multiplied as well.
Yet in front of him now, they were still like paper tigers.
Often with a single swing of his axe, several monsters were slain outright!
Second stage, third stage, fourth stage...
Lu Li didn't even bother refreshing his buffs, clearing the stages as easily as chopping vegetables.
"Abyss mode is nothing special after all."
Lu Li flicked the black blood off his axe blade, his expression relaxed.
But right after he cleared the fourth stage, he suddenly noticed something amiss.
According to the previous pattern, whenever a stage was cleared of monsters, a white light gate leading to the next stage would appear.
But this time, there was no movement in the surroundings for a long time.
The entire Abyss forest fell into an eerie, dead silence.
"Hmm?"
Lu Li narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on the dawn battleaxe.
Right at that moment.
"Rumble!!!"
The ground beneath his feet suddenly violently trembled!
The charred ground burned by demon flames in the very center of the forest suddenly fractured inch by inch!
Pillars of deep purple light spewed out from the fissures, shooting straight into the sky!
The ground bulged wildly, as if some giant behemoth was breaking free from deep underground!
In the next moment, a pitch-black demonic pillar burst out of the earth!
The demonic pillar was tens of meters high, so thick that it would take several people to encircle it.
Dark red demonic runes were densely engraved all over its surface.
Those demonic runes squirmed slowly like living things, emanating a heart-palpitating, tyrannical aura!
At the top of the demonic pillar, a massive dark purple demonic eye slowly opened.
The demonic eye rolled around once before locking firmly onto Lu Li!
"Hum—!"
A visible shockwave of dark purple energy blasted outward with the demonic pillar at its center!
Wherever it passed, vegetation withered and the ground cracked and charred.
Even the air felt as though all vitality had been drained from it!
"Is this the Abyss Demon Pillar?"
Lu Li's eyes narrowed slightly.
Before he could think further, the demonic runes on the surface of the pillar suddenly burst with blinding blood-red light!
One, two... twelve beams of blood-red light!
They shot out from the demonic pillar and crashed heavily onto the charred ground.
As the blood-red light dissipated, ferocious figures were revealed.
They were humanoid monsters, pitch-black from head to toe.
Standing nearly two meters tall, their muscles were sinewy and hard as iron.
Their skin was covered in hideous, dark red demonic runes.
The runes burned like red-hot irons, exuding a searing, violent atmosphere.
Holding long black sabers, dark purple demonic flames flickered within their eye sockets.
Just standing there, they radiated a suffocating sense of oppression.
And behind all these monsters, a towering figure slowly rose.
That figure was over three meters tall!
Standing half a body taller than the other monsters, its muscles bulged like mountain ranges.
The demonic runes on its body were denser and thicker, covering almost every inch of its skin!
Most striking of all was the weapon slung over its shoulder.
It was a massive pillar cast entirely from black stone!
The giant pillar was also covered in demonic runes, with several dark red crystals embedded in its top.
It was as thick as an average person's thigh and over four meters long.
Carried effortlessly on one shoulder by the monster, it looked as though it were shouldering a mountain!
"Boom!"
With every step it took, the ground shook.
Its fiercely overwhelming aura caused the entire forest to tremble!
Lu Li's pupils contracted slightly, and he swept over them with his Divine Appraisal Technique.
[Name]: Abyss Demon Soldier
[Level]: Level 30
[Quality]: Diamond
[Primary Attributes]: Strength: 1600, Physique: 1450, Agility: 1200, Intelligence: 800
[Name]: Abyss Demon General
[Level]: Level 30
[Quality]: Epic
[Primary Attributes]: Strength: 2100, Physique: 1900, Agility: 1350, Intelligence: 1100
"Even though both are Level 30...
The highest attribute of an ordinary monster reaches 1,600 points!
That demon general carrying the pillar even has a Strength of 2,100 points!
Are these Abyss monsters? Terrifying indeed!"
Lu Li felt a chill in his heart.
Although his current primary attributes had surged...
Without buffs, they were only around 1,200 points.
Facing these Abyss monsters with stats easily reaching 1,600 to 2,000, he definitely had no chance in a direct melee fight unbuffed!
"No wonder even second-transition students from Imperial University dare not lightly touch the Treant Breeding Ground's Abyss mode."
Lu Li took a deep breath, not daring to be even slightly careless.
He raised his hands, and golden Holy Light erupted with a roar!
Buff skills rained down on himself once again.
The buffs on his body were applied before his level up;
Back then he was only level 25, and the purity of his Holy Light power was far inferior to what it was now.
Reapplying them now yielded a completely different result!
Golden Holy Light surged into the sky, so dense it almost condensed into substance!
Backed by his level 27 base attributes, along with the enhancements from Child of Light and Angel Bloodline,
The power of these buffs soared tremendously.
Lu Li felt the power within him climb frantically, his primary attributes soaring all the way to nearly 2,000 points!
"But this is still not enough!"
Lu Li gave a low bark.
"Holy Radiance Form!"
Boom—!!!
Terrifying Holy Light, far surpassing any previous time, erupted from within him!
The brilliance was so intense that it turned the entire gloomy forest into pure gold!
A sacred phantom of an angel slowly solidified behind his back.
Golden light wings unfolded, and holy feathers drifted down.
Lu Li's eyes turned completely into dazzling gold, and the profound mark between his brows shone with blinding intensity!
Lv2 Holy Radiance Form was incomparably terrifying.
His primary attributes surged by another massive margin!
A terrifying holy pressure swept in all directions like a tidal wave.
Those Abyss Demon Soldiers, previously blazing with ferocity, actually retreated a step in unison!
Even the tallest Abyss Demon General saw the dark purple demonic flames in its eye sockets flicker violently.
That was fear originating from the depths of its bloodline!
Holy Light was inherently the natural enemy of Abyss monsters.
And Lu Li's Holy Radiance Form amplified this counter effect to the absolute limit!
Chapter 154: Epic Drop! Cleared!
"That's about it."
Lu Li let out a long breath, his gaze locked onto the Abyss Demon General carrying a pillar.
He suddenly raised his left hand, golden light surging violently from his fingertips.
"Chain Lightning!"
Boom—!
A golden divine thunder as thick as a pillar shot out violently from his fingertips!
The lightning was entirely golden, and under the blessing of the Holy Radiance Form, its terrifying power was indescribable.
It instantly pierced through the bodies of several Abyss Demon Soldiers at the very front!
"Rumble—"!
The lightning burst open, and the demon soldiers let out painful roars.
However, Lu Li's brow furrowed.
They did not die.
These demon soldiers had actually taken his Chain Lightning head-on and survived!
Although their bodies were charred black and their demonic markings were shattered, they still stood tall without falling!
"It's not over yet!"
Lu Li raised his left hand once more.
"Light Feather Storm!"
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish—!
Countless golden light feathers surged crazily out of his palms,
transforming into a destructive golden storm that swallowed those demon soldiers along with the Abyss Demon General!
However, when the light dissipated,
Lu Li's pupils constricted once again.
Those Abyss Demon Soldiers were already covered in blood, their demonic markings almost completely shattered.
Yet, they still had not fallen!
"Ordinary monsters would die from a single Chain Lightning."
"They took two skills and still haven't fallen?!"
Lu Li's heart shook slightly.
You must know that with his terrifying attributes under the current Holy Radiance Form,
this combination of Chain Lightning and Light Feather Storm might not even be survivable by second-transfer professionals below level 35!
Yet these Abyss Demon Soldiers were only heavily injured!
"As expected of abyss monsters, their health bars are even thicker than ordinary monsters!"
Lu Li took a deep breath, his fighting intent completely ignited.
"Since that's the case, I'll play with you properly!"
As his voice fell, his figure flashed, and the dawn battleaxewas already grasped in his hand.
Without further hesitation, his figure shot out violently!
In the ensuing battle, Lu Li pushed his guerrilla tactics to the absolute limit.
Like a streak of golden lightning, he shuttled back and forth through the group of monsters.
Every time the dawn battleaxe swung out, it accurately slashed toward the areas on the monsters where the demonic markings were densest.
And whenever the Abyss Demon General swung that pillar-like weapon to smash down, he would widen the distance a step in advance.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Every time that pillar-like weapon smashed down, it blasted a deep pit several meters deep into the ground!
Mud flew everywhere, magma splattered, and the entire dungeon trembled.
Utilizing the cover of ancient trees, Lu Li constantly maneuvered, dodged, and counterattacked.
The several Abyss Demon Soldiers were inferior to him in speed, and they were broken through one by one, falling successively.
However, that Abyss Demon General was extremely tricky to deal with.
Not only was its strength terrifying, but its combat awareness was also shockingly strong.
Once that pillar weapon was swung, it was difficult to approach within dozens of meters around it.
Lu Li tried to launch a forceful attack several times, but was forcibly driven back by it.
"Tricky!"
Lu Li's gaze condensed, and he simply stopped fighting it head-on.
He widened the distance and consumed it from a distance using Holy Light.
Chain Lightning, Light Feather Storm, and the Hammer of Penitence were smashed out in turns!
Coordinating with the terrifying amplification of the Holy Radiance Form, he chipped away at the demonic markings on the Demon General bit by bit.
The demonic markings on the Demon General shattered layer by layer, and its aura was constantly weakening.
Finally, after the battle had lasted for a full ten-plus minutes,
Lu Li seized a fleeting opening and leaped high into the air!
"Hammer of Penitence!"
"Boom—"!
A holy light warhammer dozens of meters huge condensed out of thin air and smashed down with a bang!
The Abyss Demon General raised its pillar weapon to desperately resist, but was smashed to one knee by the terrifying holy light pressure, its demonic markings completely shattered!
"It's over!"
Golden light surged violently in Lu Li's eyes.
The dawn battleaxe, enveloped in holy light that was thick to the extreme, slashed down fiercely!
"Pfft—"!
As the axe light flashed, the Demon General's head exploded with a boom!
That massive body over three meters tall twitched violently a few times.
In the end, it collapsed heavily to the ground, kicking up a sky full of dust.
"Hoo... Finally resolved."
Lu Li let out a long breath, shaking off the dark blood on the axe blade.
The black-gold battle armor on his body also had a few scratches of varying depths.
If anyone were here, their jaws would definitely drop in shock.
A level 27 Paladin,
solo-clearing the abyss mode Treant Breeding Ground, actually pulled it off!
"If it weren't for reaching level 27 and activating the Holy Radiance Form, this battle would probably have been truly perilous."
Lu Li still felt a lingering fear.
Right at this moment, several dazzling lights slowly lit up where the Abyss Demon General had fallen.
Lu Li's eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward.
The most dazzling among them was a pair of pitch-black battle boots.
The boots were engraved with dark red demonic markings, with a faint blood-red light flowing over them, exuding a chilling and sharp aura.
"Divine Appraisal Technique!"
[Name]: Abyss Sky-Treading Boots
[Quality]: Epic (☆☆☆☆)
[Level]: Level 30
[Attributes]: Agility +200
[Additional Effects]: Movement speed increased by 20%, leaving behind an afterimage when dodging.
[Equipment Introduction]: Battle boots forged from abyss demon leather and magic gold, as light as nothing, fast as a phantom.
"A level 30 Epic-grade equipment!"
A wave of joy welled up in Lu Li's heart.
He was just worrying about not having suitable equipment after reaching level 30, and he didn't expect it to drop right now!
Moreover, the agility attribute added by these boots perfectly matched his guerrilla fighting style just now.
Besides this Epic-grade equipment, there were also some exotic flowers and herbs on the ground.
[Name]: Abyss Blood Ganoderma
[Quality]: Rare Medicinal Herb
[Effects]: Precious material for refining high-level potions.
[Name]: Demon-Pattern Grass
[Quality]: Rare Medicinal Herb
[Effects]: Can strengthen bloodline power or be used as medicine.
"Abyss Blood Ganoderma and Demon-Pattern Grass are both rare materials rarely seen outside!"
Lu Li contentedly put all the spoils into the starlight ring.
Roughly calculating, the harvest from this trip had already far exceeded the investment of the abyss magic stonepriced at 20 credits each.
"Abyss mode is truly exorbitantly profitable!"
The smile on Lu Li's face grew increasingly radiant.
At this moment, a blood-colored light gate had already appeared ahead.
That was the checkpoint leading to the dungeon BOSS.
Lu Li casually cast Holy Light on himself.
Healing his injuries, he stepped into the light gate.
His mana was down to one-tenth, but it was already enough.
Behind the blood-colored light gate was an even gloomier dense forest.
On the open space in the very center coiled a massive creature standing over ten meters tall.
That was a giant treant entirely crimson red, with an old, ferocious human face growing on its trunk.
Countless dark red vines as thick as pythons spread out from beneath it, shredding the entire ground into pieces.
It was precisely the final BOSS of the Treant Breeding Ground, the Abyss Treant Broodmother!
[Name]: Abyss Treant Broodmother
[Level]: Level 30
[Quality]: Diamond
[Four-Dimensional Attributes]: Strength: 1800, Physique: 2100, Agility: 700, Wisdom: 900
"Physique breaking two thousand, truly a big meat shield."
Lu Li glanced at the attributes fed back by the Divine Appraisal Technique and slightly raised an eyebrow.
Naturally, the BOSS of the abyss mode was not weak.
But compared to the Abyss Demon, it fell far short.
In terms of attributes, it was about the same as an Abyss Demon Soldier, just with a thicker health bar.
If it were anyone else facing this massive creature with a physique as high as 2,100 points, it would inevitably be a bitter battle.
However, Lu Li had just finished dealing with the Abyss Demon General, and the buffs and Holy Radiance Form on him were still persisting, keeping him at his peak condition.
"Let's end this quickly."
His figure flashed, and the dawn battleaxe was already grasped in his hand.
He transformed into a streak of golden light, shooting violently toward the Abyss Treant Broodmother!
"Roar—"!
The Abyss Treant Broodmother let out a deafening roar as dozens of dark red vines pierced through the air like longspears!
Yet Lu Li neither dodged nor evaded, sweeping out with a single axe.
"Pfft—"!
Those vines, capable of piercing through fine steel,
were like paper before the dawn battleaxe, large swathes of them being chopped off by a single axe strike!
Feeling the pain, the Treant Broodmother grew even more frantic, countless vines wrapping and killing toward Lu Li in an overwhelming torrent.
Lu Li's feet tapped continuously, his figure shuttling like a phantom between the gaps of the vines.
Every time an axe fell, large swathes of vines snapped in response.
In a mere three minutes, the massive body of the Treant Broodmother had been hacked full of holes by him.
Finally, Lu Li leaped high into the air, fiercely cleaving an axe down onto its old human face!
"Pfft—"!
The axe light sank in, and the Treant Broodmother let out an ultimate, miserable howl as its massive body collapsed with a bang!
Chapter 155: Sixfold Experience! The Shocked Song Wanqiu!
"It's over."
Lu Li put away his axe and stood tall, letting out a long breath.
[Ding! Congratulations on clearing the Abyss-grade Dungeon: Treant Breeding Ground!]
[Your clearance rating is SSS-grade! Dungeon settlement begins...]
[Base experience points: 42,000]
[The enlightenment potion effect has been triggered! Experience point settlement increased to 3 times!]
[The max-level Divine Blessing effect has been triggered! Experience point settlement increased to 2 times!]
[Final experience points obtained: 252,000!]
"252,000 experience points!"
Lu Li's eyes lit up.
Sure enough, under the effects of the enlightenment potion and the max-level Divine Blessing, the experience points directly multiplied by six!
He quickly looked at his experience bar.
The original 420,000 experience points suddenly surged upward by a small section at this moment.
"At this rate, I'll be able to break through to level 28 soon!"
Looking at the slightly increased experience bar, Lu Licouldn't help but wear a look of anticipation.
...
Although the Abyss mode granted more experience,
the consumption was also truly severe.
Lu Li's stamina and mana were almost depleted.
After walking out of the dungeon light gate, his entire body exuded an uncontainable fatigue.
He didn't rush to start the next run, but instead found a seat in the third-floor rest area and sat down.
Gulping down a few stamina recovery potions, he closed his eyes to rest his mind.
After resting for over an hour, he re-entered the dungeon.
Just like that, until 6:00 PM, Lu Li had already farmed the Abyss-grade Dungeon 5 times!
Five Abyss mode runs, five full clears!
If this record were to spread, I'm afraid the entire Imperial Capital University would be shaken by it.
After all, that was an Abyss difficulty that even second-transfer students didn't dare to touch lightly!
But he was also truly exhausted.
Reality was not a game; high-intensity combat severely consumed stamina.
Even with Lu Li's strong physique, he was starting to find it hard to hold on.
"Forget it, I'll go find Teacher first and continue tomorrow."
Lu Li didn't force himself any further.
He stood up, left the Dungeon Building, and headed toward the faculty villa area.
...
"Teacher, I'm here."
Lu Li quickly met Teacher Song Wanqiu in the villa living room.
The other party was still as gentle and amiable as a neighbor's aunt.
Wearing a plain-colored home dress, her long hair was casually tied up behind her head.
She was sitting on the sofa, flipping through a yellowed classic tome.
The moment she saw Lu Li, Song Wanqiu looked somewhat surprised:
"Why do you look so tired?"
It was no wonder she was surprised.
Ever since she had known Lu Li,
this kid's impression on her had always been energetic and high-spirited.
But Lu Li at this moment had slightly sunken eye sockets,
a pale complexion, and his entire body exuded a fatigue as if he had been wrung dry.
Song Wanqiu's gaze paused on his pale lips.
The next instant, the figure of Shen Chuyou flashed across her mind.
Could the two of them be progressing so fast that they had already entered...?
Associating this with Shen Chuyou's Succubus Bloodline, her eyelids twitched gently, and then she understood.
Indeed, if it were in that form, it would be very easy to be wrung dry.
Thinking of this, she gave a light cough,
shifted her gaze away, and said with a somewhat earnest tone:
"Young man, you still need to know how to exercise restraint."
"Restraint? Restraint of what?"
Lu Li was stunned.
He always felt that Teacher seemed to have associated it in some bad direction.
Therefore, he couldn't help but speak up:
"I just went to farm the Abyss Dungeon a few times."
Hearing this, Song Wanqiu's expression stalled, realizing she had thought crookedly.
But she quickly steadied her expression, raising her hand to tuck her pretty hair behind her ear without changing expression:
"Abyss Dungeon? Which Abyss Dungeon?"
"Treant Breeding Ground," Lu Li replied truthfully.
"What?!"
Song Wanqiu's fingertips loosened.
The classic tome in her hand fell with a slap onto her plump thighs, making the pages tremble along with it.
Treant Breeding Ground?
Abyss mode?
That was a Level 30 Abyss difficulty!
Even the students under her who had already completed their second transfer didn't dare to easily challenge it in a team!
Yet Lu Li, a Level 25 Paladin, actually ran over to farm it all by himself?!
"How many times did you farm it?"
Song Wanqiu couldn't help but ask further.
"Five times."
"Five times?!"
Song Wanqiu stood straight up from the sofa, her gentle and pretty face filled with disbelief.
That was Abyss mode!
This kid actually farmed it five times in one go, and said it so casually?
"No wonder you're so tired!"
Song Wanqiu felt both heartache and amusement.
She didn't talk nonsense anymore, raising her hand to cast a Healing Spell.
"Hum——!"
A gentle holy light enveloped Lu Li entirely.
That warm and abundant power nourished his exhausted body like spring rain.
Lu Li only felt his whole body lighten, and the feeling of being almost hollowed out finally receded by more than half.
"Thank you, Teacher."
Lu Li let out a long breath, and his entire person became much more spirited.
Song Wanqiu was a Level 69 peak third-transfer Saint Light Archpriest.
A casual Healing Spell from her had an effect stronger than Lu Li casting it on himself ten times!
"Don't be so reckless in the future."
Song Wanqiu glared at him reproachfully, "Abyss mode is not something to joke about."
"I know, Teacher."
Lu Li responded with a smile.
Let him give up Abyss mode?
Impossible!
After he finished farming the dungeon tomorrow, he would probably be able to upgrade to level 28.
By then, all his attributes would increase again, and farming won't be this tiring.
At this moment, Song Wanqiu's gaze suddenly paused.
Looking at Lu Li, she said with some astonishment:
"You're level 27?"
Yesterday when the Exchange Tournament ended, Lu Liwas clearly only level 25.
Only a day had passed, how was he already level 27?
You must know that even for students of Imperial University,
after stepping into level 25, raising a single level would take several months!
But what about Lu Li?
Yesterday he was still level 25, and today he had already risen two levels in a row!
Even with Divine Blessing and the enlightenment potion, it shouldn't be this fast!
Lu Li saw Song Wanqiu's confusion, pondered slightly, and decided to confess:
"Teacher, it's like this.
After the Exchange Tournament ended, I found that I suddenly had a new S+ Grade Talent, 'Holy Name'."
He still trusted Song Wanqiu very much.
Therefore, there was no need to hide it.
Moreover, Teacher was a third-transfer professional with rich experience.
She should know better than himself how to utilize this talent.
"S+ Grade Talent, Holy Name?!"
Song Wanqiu's pupils shrank sharply, and her entire person froze in place.
Lu Li already possessed an S+ Grade Talent, Child of Light.
Coupled with the max-level Divine Blessing, as well as the S-Rank Angel Bloodline.
Now, another S+ Grade Talent had appeared?
"You mean you possess two S+ Grade Talents at the same time?"
Song Wanqiu's voice was somewhat unstable.
"Mm."
Lu Li nodded.
"..."
Song Wanqiu didn't know what to say for a moment.
Dual S+ Grade Talents!
What kind of concept was this?
Throughout the history of the entire Yanlong Country,
professionals possessing dual S+ Grade Talents could be counted on one hand!
She didn't expect her own student to be one of them!
"What is the effect of this talent?"
After a good while, Song Wanqiu finally suppressed the shock in her heart and asked.
Lu Li didn't hide it either, simply explaining the two effects of Holy Name.
After listening, brilliant colors flashed continuously in Song Wanqiu's beautiful eyes.
"Exchanging Faith Points for experience, and also burning faith to burst out strength..."
She muttered, and then continued to ask:
"So, the reason you were able to rise two levels in a row within a day is because of this talent?"
"Correct."
Lu Li nodded and added:
"The double crowns in the Exchange Tournament allowed me to gain a large amount of Faith Points, and I converted all of them into experience."
"No wonder..."
Song Wanqiu suddenly understood, and immediately after, her breathing became hurried.
This talent was simply tailor-made for Lu Li!
As long as he maintained sufficient exposure and faith, he could grow at a speed unimaginable to ordinary people!
"Teacher, the reason I came to find you this time is to ask for advice on how to better utilize this talent."
Lu Li spoke, "What I can think of is to go to the Church of Light."
"The Church of Light..."
Song Wanqiu's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she also nodded:
"Indeed, if you want Faith Points, going the religious route is indeed a good method."