Chen Tian clashed with the leader of the Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise, neither yielding an inch. Chen Tian unleashed his full strength, his power growing with each impact. Gradually, the Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise began to falter.
The Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise leader couldn't believe it. The boy who was inferior to him moments ago was now gaining the upper hand. Had he taken some kind of stimulant? He was too strong.
While the Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise hesitated and pondered, Chen Tian's fist landed on its forehead. The tortoise, caught off guard, reeled from the blow. Chen Tian stepped back a few paces, shaking his wrist. "So tough! How can your face be this hard?"
"You...!"
The Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise roared, its flames retracting as its aura surged. It opened its maw and unleashed a fireball. Chen Tian dared not meet the attack head-on. Facing it, especially with the three-fold power bonus in water, was something he wanted to avoid.
If this strike had landed true, he'd be at half health. Chen Tian's health didn't increase with leveling; he had to rely on points. He suddenly remembered he still had thousands of points to allocate, having been too busy these past few days to do so.
Chen Tian executed an extreme dodge, leaning to the right. The fireball grazed his cheek. The Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise continued to spew fireballs, covering Chen Tian's entire head with them. Chen Tian remarked, "If only I could use my Fire Element Mastery, I'd make you pay."
Chen Tian unleashed his Divine Ice, sending countless amethyst shards flying towards the barrage of fireballs, causing a series of explosions. The Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise transformed into a fiery mountain, charging from the billowing steam towards Chen Tian. Chen Tian stood his ground.
Absolute Dodge activated. The Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise was repelled by Chen Tian's stance, sent flying back several hundred meters. A fist imprint marred its abdomen. During the Absolute Dodge, Chen Tian first ducked under the charge, then launched a double-fisted assault on the tortoise's abdomen. The entire sequence, executed at incredible speed, occurred within 0.1 seconds, just as the collision was about to happen.
Though Chen Tian appeared to be standing still, he had already reacted. This Absolute Dodge had rendered him completely unharmed. Chen Tian looked at the Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise and said, "Your shell is truly hard. After several punches, it only lost 1.5% of its health."
"It seems I need to use my weapon."
The Sky Dragon Twin Blades appeared in Chen Tian's hands. The Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise stared at the twin blades, not forgetting how they had instantly killed one of its kin. It was afraid.
"What's wrong, scared?"
Chen Tian vanished, seizing the moment of the Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise's fear. He reappeared above it, his twin blades spinning as they burrowed into its shell.
"Squelch squelch!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for triggering the armor-piercing effect."
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for triggering the triple critical damage characteristic."
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for striking the Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise's weak point, a one-hit kill!"
"Ha!"
Hearing the system's notification in his mind, Chen Tian was stunned.
On the tree of astonishment, the fruit of astonishment, beneath the tree of astonishment, it's you and me.
The Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise looked at Chen Tian with a mournful gaze, its eyes questioning why.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing the boss Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise and obtaining the Spiritual Fire: Water Spirit Flame."
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing the boss Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise and obtaining the items: Fire Shell, Flame Bloodline."
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining: 300 experience points, 30 skill points, 30 attribute points."
Chen Tian listened to the rewards, feeling ecstatic. He then looked at the corpse and said, "Sorry, brother. I can only say that the 35% chance of being a stepping stone and the 25% chance of hitting your weak point were simply due to random placement. It's not my fault."
Originally, this strike, with its triggered abilities and characteristics, shouldn't have been a one-hit kill. But who could have foreseen it? Chen Tian's strike landed on the opponent's weak point, resulting in a decisive blow.
It could only be described as extremely bad luck. Chen Tian hadn't even cast his Insight Weakness skill. Well, Chen Tian had too many skills to keep track of, and he'd forgotten some.
Chen Tian's clone entered the Scarlet Sky Fire Tortoise's horde. With their leader dead, their morale plummeted. Chen Tian pressed his advantage, the system notifications in his mind ceaselessly chiming. After a few moments of fierce combat, Chen Tian's clone returned to his main body.
Chen Tian approached Ming Tian with a flourish. "How about that, master? I'm still as sharp as ever."
"Heh! That strike was just luck. Otherwise, a one-hit kill would be a pipe dream."
"Don't say that, master. Luck is also part of strength!"
"Ah, yes, yes, yes. Let's go, to the next area. Let's see how you handle that one."
"Master, you know who's in the next area. Can you give me a hint first?"
"No way. I'll let you gloat for now, but you'll have a tough time later."
"Let's go."
Chen Tian and his master exchanged playful banter as they flew towards the next area. Chen Tian was curious about what awaited them, prompting his master to repeatedly warn him to be cautious.
On the way, Chen Tian passed through the Rainbow Coral Reef region. Ming Tian's figure flickered, and with a wave of his arm, countless vines appeared. Ming Tian sneered, "Trying to trick me? You forget who taught you such skills."
"Uh!"
"Master, stop talking and let's go. It's just a simple formation, it'll disappear with a wave."
Bringing up the sensitive topic made Ming Tian chuckle. It had been a long time since he had seen Chen Tian like this.
In the Raging Sea region, Chen Tian and Ming Tian appeared on the other side. Chen Tian looked down at the submerged wrecks below; this was their destination.
Chen Tian's senses detected over a thousand bosses. His mother! This area was marked on the map as only Level 35, White Flame class. Why so many? Chen Tian even sensed a terrifying power here, no weaker than his own.
"Master, what's going on here?"
"Didn't you read the announcement? This area was reinforced a few days ago. If you want to farm the bosses here, you'll have to deal with over a thousand. Once you step into their territory, either they all die, or you die, otherwise you can't leave."
"Ah?"
"Ah ah ah! Master, what are you doing, what are you doing!"
Ming Tian suddenly appeared behind Chen Tian and kicked him. Chen Tian shot towards the wrecks. A barrier opened a gap, and Chen Tian's figure entered the ship.
"Master, what are you doing!"
"Go, my disciple, master believes in you! Besides, it's been a while since I've kicked you like this, hahaha! Feels good."
Ming Tian stood with his hands on his hips, watching with amusement. Chen Tian's expression turned grim. In his mind, countless glowing dots converged around him, surrounding him. There were over a thousand of them.
Chen Tian looked at the creatures before him. They had the upper body of a normal human, with arms and torso, but a fish tail below. They wielded azure tridents, resembling merfolk yet like yakshas. Small wings sprouted from their backs, and their bodies were covered in scales, their eyes black and hollow.
Chen Tian opened his Divine Eyes, but no information appeared.
Chen Tian mused internally, "What are these things? My Divine Eyes can't identify them."
As Chen Tian contemplated, the monsters charged at him in unison. Their minds held a single directive: kill the invaders, protect the master.
Chen Tian's twin blades appeared, the Sky Dragon Twin Blades in hand. His swordsmanship was fluid and elegant. Countless sword lights clashed with weapons. Chen Tian found his moment, his form becoming an afterimage, a Z-shaped blade mark appearing. The monsters exploded.
The speed was so great that they were invisible. In just one second, over a thousand monsters were eliminated. Chen Tian was about to boast, "That's it? Is this what they consider a test for players? Too easy."
But then, something bizarre happened. The monsters that had been slain not only revived but also became even more powerful.
"Little disciple, these monsters have the abilities of yakshas according to the official settings. They revive, and each revival strengthens them. Didn't you read the announcement?"
"If you continue fighting like this, you won't even pass the first stage."
Ming Tian stood outside the ship, mocking Chen Tian. Chen Tian roared, "So what if I don't read the announcements? I don't believe these guys have enough lives for me to kill them."
Chen Tian's form became a blur of erratic movement. However, this time, it took twice as long to kill the thousand monsters. Their strength had increased, and instant kills were no longer easy. Death, revival. Chen Tian's scalp tingled. How was he supposed to proceed?
He had already killed them five times. Now, any single one of them possessed an aura comparable to his own. If this continued, he would die.
"No, think calmly. There must be a flaw. They can't possibly revive and grow stronger infinitely."
Chen Tian's eyes scanned the monster horde, his Divine Eyes meticulously observing each one. Even amidst combat, he didn't cease his observation. His eyes seemed to perceive something, a glimmer of hope. Chen Tian found it. The crucial element.
"So that's where it is. No wonder they can revive infinitely. I didn't notice it from the start. A miscalculation. But with this many, it's understandable."
Chen Tian murmured to himself and stood still. With a crunch, the head of one monster among thousands exploded. Chen Tian plunged his Sky Dragon Twin Blades into the crystal on its chest, shattering it.
The surrounding monsters all exploded and dissipated. Chen Tian looked at the empty ship. It was exactly as he had suspected. This one monster was the core. More accurately, the core was the crystal in its chest. This crystal linked the surrounding monsters. As long as the crystal remained intact, the monsters wouldn't die. Coupled with the yaksha's revival ability, the effect was amplified.
As long as the main yaksha was alive and the crystal unbroken, they would revive infinitely.
Chen Tian realized something: this monster had never attacked from the beginning, and it was the first one with the crystal.
Chen Tian sensed a subtle strangeness. He had intended to speculate, but it turned out to be exactly as he had guessed. Dealing with this one was enough.