How High Was His Mental Aptitude?

"Huh, looks like he'd been hiding his strength and caught them by surprise."

"This candidate supposedly came from a shelter and only awakened two months ago... He's a promising prospect."

Amid the discussions of the big shots, Bai Pu had already entered the seventh ring! The seventh ring was part of the Inner Three Rings. The Combat Robots in the seventh ring had attributes equivalent to a level 3 standard template, making them slightly weaker than the Raptor Robots of the sixth ring.

But don't think the seventh ring was easier than the sixth! The Combat Robots in the seventh ring were already level 3 and possessed advanced level 3 Combat Expertise! Many awakened candidates had their levels and Combat Expertise suppressed. Their techniques fell short of their opponents', and even with somewhat superior raw attributes, they struggled to land effective attacks. They were outmaneuvered by the Combat Robots and met bitter defeat.

Bai Pu walked to the side of the dormant pod, tossed aside his one-handed hammer and buckler, then picked up a two-handed greatsword.

"What's going on? Could it be that what he was truly best at wasn't Shield Mastery and one-handed hammer weapon expertise, but two-handed sword weapon expertise?"

"That's quite a leap."

The big shots stopped "changing channels" and watched the screen with great interest.

On-screen, faced with the storm-like assault of the seventh-ring Beast-Type Robot, Bai Pu calmly raised his greatsword, blocking in front and behind.

Though his agility was not high, his combat awareness was exceptionally precise. He often thrust his greatsword forward in advance, placing it directly in the path of the enemy's attacks! It looked as though the Beast-Type Robot was deliberately crashing into the blade.

When the Beast-Type Robot's assault subsided, Bai Pu launched his counterattack! He swept the greatsword upward, making the Beast-Type Robot stagger slightly. Then he raised it high with both hands, drew it behind his back to build momentum, and brought it down in a furious chop!

Clang! A gash appeared across the Beast-Type Robot's outer shell, knocking it half a step backward.

Bai Pu lunged forward, dissipating the inertia from the downward swing. He then charged up a second strike and chopped again! This blow cleaved the Beast-Type Robot onto the ground, its metal limbs flailing wildly.

After Bai Pu delivered the second strike, the inertia was even stronger. Rather than dispelling it, he planted the greatsword into the ground before him and used the momentum to vault forward like a pole vaulter, completing a full flip. Upon landing, he unleashed the strongest and fiercest third strike! Crack! Crack!

The Beast-Type Robot's head was severed.

Bai Pu did not stop. He stepped into the eighth ring! Facing an enemy with level 3 elite attributes and advanced level 3 Combat Expertise, he likewise killed it in one fluid sequence.

Inside General Control Room No. 1, the big shots no longer spoke. Instead, they watched Bai Pu's every movement with rapt attention.

On-screen, Bai Pu finally stopped to rest after a prolonged struggle and the defeat of the ninth-ring Combat Robot. He did not immediately enter the Core Ring.

"He should... be at his limit now, right?" After a long while, one big shot broke the silence.

"Most likely. The Combat Robot in the Core Ring is level 4, with a full two levels of suppression... The damage it deals to him will rise to 120%, while the damage he deals to it will be reduced to 80%!"

"Exactly. Level suppression is too crucial. Still, this candidate is already remarkable for clearing the ninth ring at only level 2."

"Did this candidate really awaken just one or two months ago? How did he train his two-handed sword Combat Expertise to this level? It looks like he's already at advanced level 3, perhaps even level 4."

"No matter what, he shouldn't be able to clear the Core Ring. Even without considering level suppression, the attributes of a level 4 Reinforced Elite alone would be enough to crush him."

The other big shots nodded. They had long since seen Bai Pu's personal information. He was merely a level 2 Reinforced Elite. With such a vast level gap, there was basically no chance of victory.

After Bai Pu entered the Core Ring, the dormant pod slowly opened.

However, the moment the dormant pod in the core area opened, a crackling burst of electrical noise suddenly rang out, and the lights within the Core Ring dimmed.

The light in the Combat Robot's eyes as it stepped from the dormant pod became much fainter, while the sharp aura it had originally emitted also weakened considerably.

"Power interruption?"

"Meditation Expertise! This is the unique Spirit Energy control of a Mental Specialization user with advanced Meditation Expertise!"

The big shots were all stunned. They had never expected Bai Pu to be a Mental Specialization user.

"Such a promising spellcaster, yet he chose the path of a warrior?" An awakened big shot with a white beard and felt hat shook his head with a sigh.

"What matters is that he chose a tank class, yet he still awakened the ability to control Spirit Energy... Just how high is his mental aptitude? His Spirit attribute must have been close to 10 points even before awakening."

Silicon Valley Base, Virtual Dungeon, Core Ring.

You temporarily fused the combat gene fragment of the Undead Bone Mage.

You temporarily gained (5) Spirit; your Meditation Expertise was temporarily raised to advanced level 3.

Based on your Meditation Expertise, you temporarily awakened the ability to project Spirit Energy. Through Spirit Energy projection, you can use abilities such as mental scanning and light telekinesis.

Bai Pu used his Spirit Energy to penetrate the alloy shield beside the dormant pod and press the button that cut off the power supply.

As a result, the Combat Robot could only activate its internal backup power source, while its output power was also reduced.

In practical terms, its attributes were weakened by 30%! It had fallen to the equivalent of a level 3 Reinforced Elite.

Bai Pu took a deep breath and spent another 15 points of Life Source, temporarily fusing the combat gene fragment of a Skeleton Warrior!

You temporarily fused the combat gene fragment of the Skeleton Warrior.

You temporarily gained (6) Strength; your Fighting Expertise was temporarily raised to advanced level 3.

Fusing different combat gene fragments in succession made Bai Pu's head swell, leaving him nauseated and on the verge of vomiting. Yet compared to the helplessness he had once felt while sitting in a wheelchair with all his muscles atrophied, this nausea would not affect Bai Pu's fighting.

The Combat Robot before him had a petite female human form. It also held a Sting Sword, following an agility-based path as it stepped forward.

Though it possessed a mechanical body, its movements were exceptionally swift and nimble.

Facing this strike, Bai Pu neither dodged nor evaded. He simply swung his greatsword in a horizontal slash! The Combat Robot's sword punctured a shallow Blood Hole in Bai Pu's body. It moved quickly, its metal feet gliding lightly as though fitted with wheels, slipping to Bai Pu's side.

As it avoided Bai Pu's horizontal slash, it thrust again, striking Bai Pu in the waist and ribs.

Bai Pu made no sound. Using the greatsword's momentum, he spun and swept it in a full circle.

The Combat Robot suddenly leaped, springing upward as if there were springs beneath its feet. It stepped on the broad of Bai Pu's greatsword, used the force to vault over his head, and struck downward from midair.

The difference in their attributes was secondary. The gap in Combat Expertise was truly fatal! Although the Core Ring's Combat Robot had its attributes weakened by 30%, its level 4 Combat Expertise had not been weakened in the slightest, placing Bai Pu under the dual suppression of basic attributes and Combat Expertise.

Bai Pu tilted his head aside to avoid a vital point, but the Sting Sword pierced his shoulder blade. He seemed able to feel the cold metal scraping against bone!

Intense pain struck, yet Bai Pu's expression remained calm. He raised a hand and fiercely clamped down on the Combat Robot's mechanical arm holding the sword.

The Combat Robot tried to break free, its left fingertips sweeping toward Bai Pu's eyes. This attack was meant to force an enemy to defend himself; most people would lean back to evade it.

But Bai Pu neither dodged nor evaded. He merely closed his eyes.

Rip! The metal fingertips tore through the skin around his eye, leaving three deep gashes across Bai Pu's right eye. Blood streamed down half his face!

At the same time, Bai Pu exerted force with the hand gripping the Combat Robot's right arm and violently slammed it downward! Boom!

Dust billowed. The Combat Robot finally lost its elegant poise, crashing onto the ground in a sprawled, undignified heap. Bai Pu planted one foot on its back and brought down his greatsword.