The Hope of Level One Advancement for All, and a Future of Competition Among Players of All Races

"Another Firefly Flower Sea... Is that place still not peaceful? It confirms my previous suspicions."

"Could it be that monster from back then? How could it have survived until now... If it hadn't been eradicated today, who knows how much trouble it would have caused in the future?"

"Damn, thank goodness I didn't go back afterwards."

"Now that it has been announced, the problem is completely resolved."

"Resource collection in the Firefly Flower Sea area should be much safer in the future."

"I'm curious about what the reward is..."

What the strong gain, why ask further?

Zhang Mingzhen carefully examined the dropped equipment:

"Jade Cassia Amulet (General Use)"

"Constitution +500, Intelligence +500, Critical Hit Rate +10%, Combo Rate +10%, Experience Gain Efficiency +5%, Fortune +5."

"Jade Osmanthus Flower Dance: After chanting for one second, enter a state of Super Armor lasting thirty seconds, increasing defense by 20% and doubling movement speed."

During this period, no active skills can be used, but you will continuously receive the "Body-Nourishing" effect: restores health, the effect is related to the spirit attribute, and has a cooldown of 300 seconds.

This new amulet boasts superior attributes compared to its predecessors, and also comes with a useful special skill called "Body-Nourishing."

Although it is not a direct treatment, it can provide stable battery life.

The "Jade Osmanthus Flower Dance" skill provides Super Armor and crowd control immunity, undoubtedly adding an extra layer of protection in times of crisis.

As for the "Unwarranted Flower Seed (Mutant)," the description indicates that it can be cultivated into Summoned Beast or directly absorbed to obtain a large amount of experience.

For most players, a Mutant- level Summoned Beast is a coveted asset, but Zhang Mingzhen already has a contracted partner and is unwilling to spend any more time cultivating one.

At a crucial moment in his leveling journey, he chose to directly absorb its energy—a surge of experience allowed him to break through on the spot, reaching level ninety-three.

At this very moment, "Qin Xiao Youhui," ranked second on the leaderboard, is leading his team in a fierce battle in the wilderness.

To help him level up quickly, the entire team has been fighting for days, and the guild behind him has spared no expense in trading a large number of Honor Jade for consumption.

"Damage dealers, give it your all! We must upgrade today!" Qin Xiao encouraged the team in the chat.

One of the team members chimed in, "If the Captain reaches level 90, he can challenge the Barbarian God Hall and the Demon-Suppressing Tower."

"Information about the Barbarian God Hall can be gleaned from the 'Blind Man,' but only Chongxing knows about the interior of the Demon-Suppressing Tower."

"Rumors say the level 90 dungeon is extremely difficult, and the rewards inside have never been revealed, which is truly intriguing."

Another person laughed and said, "Right now, the Captain is the closest to level 90."

"Once achieved, you'll be only two levels behind the top spot."

"Two levels?" Qin Xiao shook his head. "After level 80, the experience required for each level is astronomical, let alone after level 90."

"The gap is not something that can be easily closed."

The group was discussing experience and levels when they caught a glimpse of the system announcement that had been triggered Chongxing —he had actually defeated the boss monster in the Firefly Flower Sea all by himself.

Qin Xiao Youhui having represented the military during the allied forces' encirclement and suppression campaign.

At that time, the player army was enormous, and it took them a long and arduous battle to finally defeat the giant beast. Who would have thought that it hadn't truly died?

How it quietly disappeared from the public eye remains a mystery to this day.

"So it's called the Unwarranted Flower... It really is a top-tier demonic creature, no wonder it's so terrifying."

"But the Great God is even more unfathomable. He was someone we would need to gather hundreds of thousands of people to fight, yet he dealt with him all by himself. It is truly difficult to estimate the limits of his strength."

"Even our elite troops have to admire Chongxing's unparalleled combat prowess."

"Boss, you're overestimating him. Everyone knows that guy's cheating."

"But things are different now. We can't let him prioritize the bigger picture and hand it over. It's such a pity."

"Yeah, it's such a pity. These guys have all been corrupted into sophisticated egoists by online novels, especially those 'ordinary people' stories."

"Idiot, it's because society first becomes sophisticatedly self-serving that online articles cater to this trend and are then filtered out."

"Stop talking, everyone look! The god has advanced again, to level 93! The experience points given by that leader must be staggering, maybe even exceeding 100 million!"

"Very likely. With no one sharing experience, you can enjoy all the rewards from a max-level boss, making leveling up a natural progression."

"I really envy that speed of promotion. When will we be able to catch up?"

"Damn it, is nobody going to do anything about this?"

"Didn't they say you couldn't spend money on in-game purchases? How can someone still cheat?"

Qin Xiao Youhui having more information. "No need to be anxious."

"The maximum level for players is only 100. Once everyone reaches their limit, the pressure from the level difference will naturally diminish; it's only a matter of time."

"But his ability to break through to the third level of Life Level is indeed a first for humanity."

"I've heard that with each advancement, all his attributes surge dramatically; perhaps this is the source of his power..."

"We are also about to become first-tier life forms; then we will know the outcome."

"The evolution potion has been obtained, but it will take some time for it to be fully absorbed."

"Captain, why don't you wait until you reach level 90 and complete your life advancement before challenging the level 90 Secret Realm? That would be much safer."

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Evolution potions are currently extremely rare and highly sought after among players.

Many people, eager to be the first to undergo transformation, are willing to take risks and seek out so-called "Spirit Core Evolution Agents " through gray channels or underground trading venues.

However, such methods are not only rife with Deception, but also offer no guarantee of efficacy, and recently there have been several tragic cases of users losing their lives.

The Legion Guild had already promptly notified all players, promising to ensure everyone received legitimate potions and urging everyone to remain patient.

"What a joke! Your Legion Guild always prioritizes its own members. Are we from small guilds just supposed to be ignored?"

"Inside sources revealed that the early versions of the potion were made using spiritual materials, but it's rumored that later versions will be mass-produced using artificial substitutes, which will inevitably significantly reduce its effectiveness."

"Be careful what you say upstairs. Don't spread rumors without evidence, or you might be held accountable."

Although the players waiting for the potion experienced some initial turmoil, the overall situation remained firmly under the control of the official team, preventing any further harm.

High-level players were among the first to qualify for evolution.

Since the evolution potion was developed by the players themselves, their evolution process is not as instantaneous as Zhang Mingzhen's; instead, they need to gradually absorb the energy from the potion.

After all, they weren't produced by the system.

It is estimated that it will take about three days for the product to be fully absorbed.

Qin Xiao Youhui, as a human player who closely followed Chongxing to reach level 90 and almost simultaneously advanced to a first-tier life form, has now become the focus of attention from all sides.

As soon as the system announcement was made, many people started asking questions.

"How does it feel? Is the world at level 90 different?"

"How much of an improvement does a first-tier life form bring? How much have defense and attack increased?"

"What about your skills? Have they changed? You can't tell any difference in appearance."

"That definitely won't change."

"After all, that Cheater's appearance didn't change when they were promoted."

At this moment, Qin Xiao Youhui being surrounded.

The scholars from the research institute, his guildmates, and other guild players who had come after hearing the news all surrounded him as if they were admiring a rare treasure, trying to find something different about him.

Qin Xiao Youhui, as if he had become a monkey in a cage, a tiger, for people to watch.

If it weren't for providing data for his research, he would have Dispel the entire group long ago.

"I feel... wonderful, more exhilarated than ever before!"

The surging power within him gave Qin Xiao Youhui a feeling of Abundant and fullness, as if his whole body was filled with boundless strength.

After reaching level 90, all bodily functions were significantly enhanced.

In particular, the attribute doubling effect brought by the first-level life form increased his actual combat power several times over.

"All attributes have doubled, reaching twice their original value, while defense and speed have also increased significantly."

"It actually doubled?! That much?!"

The surrounding players all looked surprised upon hearing this.

They are, after all, normal people who have passed elementary school math, and they won't confuse "increase to" with "increased by".

The thought that they would soon become Level One Lifeform and enjoy the benefits of increased attributes filled everyone with excitement.

Some people couldn't help but speculate:

"Just how strong must that top expert be...? No wonder his combat power is so far ahead; the boost from a higher-level life form must be even more astonishing!"

At the same time, Commander-in-Chief Lu Zheng also received detailed upgrade data for the Level One Lifeform.

He solemnly compared the data differences before and after the upgrade, while the commander beside him couldn't hide his excitement:

"Boss, becoming Level One Lifeform can increase combat power so much! For the overall strength of all players, this is nothing short of a leap forward!"

This means that future upgrades and dungeon challenges will be much easier than before.

However, Lu Zheng was not as delighted as the others:

"You think this must be a good thing?"

The surrounding managers were taken aback upon hearing this—wasn't that right?

"This shows that the gap between each level of life form is by no means easily overcome."

"Imagine players from more advanced worlds; their combat power would likely far surpass that of humans."

"By then, apart from Chongxing, we might not find another entity capable of rivaling them..."

These words immediately brought everyone to their senses.

Indeed, if such a vast chasm exists between every level of life form, wouldn't humanity's chances of winning in the upcoming competition among all races be slim?

"Then... what should we do?"

"Does becoming Level One Lifeform mean that one is still unable to contend with higher-level life forms from other worlds?"

"Is being a slave the only option?"

"Just like the Japanese invasion back then, the mere blow from a poor, semi-industrialized empire to feudal agriculture brought us to the brink of despair. Fortunately, there were international changes; otherwise, most of our land would have become permanent occupied territories."

"Yes, the threat of national subjugation and racial extinction is not just empty talk. In many places, decades have passed, and people can no longer speak our own language!"

Lu Zheng wasn't entirely pessimistic. "There's no need to be so desperate."

"Don't forget, Chongxing also started as a low-level life form, yet he faced higher-level players from other worlds with the same ease as cutting grass and melons."

"While it's unrealistic to upgrade all players to Level Two Lifeform, it's still feasible to concentrate resources on cultivating a few top-tier combatants."

"The currently known methods can elevate players to Level Two Lifeform. At that point, humanity will at least not be completely defenseless against other worlds."

"It seems necessary to establish a long-term and stable alliance with the Tide Clan."

"Now that Qin Xiao has reached level 90, let him test the difficulty of the level 90 dungeon first."

"Today is the last day of the week. The other team members cannot level up or form a team, and Chongxing has already completed this week's dungeon and cannot bring anyone with him. Right now, Qin Xiao can only challenge it alone."

"Give him permission to select three items from the vault and gather as much information as possible about the new dungeon."

"Clear!"

Upon receiving the order, Qin Xiao Youhui set off immediately. He first chose to go to the Barbarian God Hall — the Blind Man had provided some relevant clues beforehand, so at least he wasn't completely unprepared.

Members of the Fixed Team also came along.

"Captain, the Commander-in-Chief actually allowed you to choose three high-level items from the treasure vault. This time, the challenge to the Front Hall should be a sure thing!"

One of the team members, well aware of his Captain's abilities, spoke with confidence.

"It's not that simple. We don't even know the difficulty of the dungeon. We've only Chongxing it so far, so his strength is not a reliable indicator for us."

"So what are you doing here? Hurry up and upgrade!"

"Don't send us away, Captain."

"Upgrading won't make a difference in a little while. We'll be able to use the Evolution Fluid to boost our combat power soon, which will greatly improve our monster-clearing efficiency."

"We'll wait for you here."

"Exactly, you might be out in a bit, it won't be long."

"The way you're saying that makes it sound like the Captain would collapse if he went in! Captain, he's cursing you!"

"I... I didn't mean that! I meant the Captain will clear the level very soon!"

Several team members started talking all at once, trying to liven up the atmosphere.

Although they secretly felt that the chances of soloing Team Dungeon were slim and that they would likely quit shortly after entering, they couldn't show it too obviously.

"Alright, stop comforting me," Qin Xiaowuhui said helplessly. "I know myself, there's a high chance I won't be able to hold on once I go in."

He didn't mind what his brothers said.

In the God's Domain, there has only ever been one person who could single-handedly challenge Team Dungeon.

Even with his attributes doubled, he wasn't entirely confident he could clear the level 90 dungeon.

Fortunately, through the Blind Man's description, he had a general understanding of the dungeon boss's main skills, and if he dealt with them properly, he might be able to hold out for a while longer.

After saying goodbye to his teammates, he went straight into the dungeon.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Xiao had been teleported to another space.

He opened his eyes to a vast hall with a towering steel statue standing majestically in the center—but for some reason, something felt off.

Is this colossal creature before us the Golden Barbarian Beast the Blind Man man described?

Yet it showed no trace of golden luster; instead, it resembled a fusion of jagged boulders and cold, hard steel. Had that fellow never seen what gold looked like before?

Where is the mountain of gold he spoke of?

As far as the eye could see, there was only an astonishingly empty stone-paved plaza and the solitary giant beast guarding the center; nothing else.