High-Difficulty Playstyles and Class Advancement

"----This is exactly the effect you described. Could it be a simple transformation into magical elements?"

Lu Xiu looked at the arc of electricity in Viola's hand with some suspicion.

Discussing the extraordinary skill with a dungeon character already feels a bit awkward, and considering that the dungeon this NPC is in has a magic setting, it becomes even more awkward.

"This is not simple elemental magic."

Viola dispelled the arcs of electricity swirling around her arm and shook her head. "I just tried to simulate the flow of your skill. Although it wasn't very accurate, it's definitely not a simple transformation of magical elements."

"Sorry, but it seems about the same to me."

"They are very different—they operate in different ways."

At this moment.

Ellen, who was standing nearby, also spoke up, saying, "This is the power of the physical body."

Speaking of which...

The little Witch sized up Lu Xiu, and looking at Lu Xiu's slender and graceful figure, her expression became somewhat strange. "Although—you don't look like a martial artist at all, strangely enough, your physical strength is extremely high, almost unreasonable."

"So when you released your skill just now, that power was indeed squeezed from your own body, rather than borrowing elements from the outside world like we spellcasters do."

"Wait a moment."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiu raised her fair hand. "Even if my physical body is very strong, can attributes like lightning and fire be created simply through physical strength?"

"Yes, as long as we can break through the limits."

Viola continued, "When a mortal body is strengthened to an incredible extreme, it can itself cause a qualitative change."

In our world, a martial artist's boiling blood and qi can ignite the fire of martial arts, and can even penetrate the body, transforming into tangible elements.

"Is that another way to explain it?----"

After hearing this explanation, Lu Xiu looked thoughtfully at her fair palms.

High physical strength.

She probably understands; it likely refers to her high stats.

But the fact that martial artists can generate electricity and ignite fire, which can be explained by the boiling of martial arts qi and blood, was something Lu Xiu hadn't considered.

She wasn't this bold when she Architect's instance.

My blood was boiling.

Was it originally an objective description?

She glanced at Viola and Ellen, wanting to see if their lines were genuine or just pre-arranged scripts.

But you can't tell at all.

never mind.

Lu Xiu thought for a moment, then stood up from the grass and released the other two effects of her Transcendent Skill, namely the Metal Aspect and the Earth Aspect.

One can grant the corresponding limb extremely high defensive capabilities.

One can achieve extremely high stability.

"This is also pure physical strength."

After reading it, Ellen nodded in agreement. "And it's purer than Lightning Infusion and Fire Infusion, but Lu Xiu, I actually don't recommend you practice this—"

Speaking of which...

She glanced at Viola: "Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll end up like some woman, developing a muscular physique and abs."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiu subconsciously looked at Viola.

Although she is tall.

But her exposed arms are quite slender, and as for her thighs, they do look quite round and strong through her pants—but they don't look very fleshy.

As for abs—I don't know.

"No way!"

Viola noticed Lu Xiu's gaze and was clearly angry. She glared at Ellen: "While demon hunters do need a strong physique, they mainly practice magic! Otherwise, how can you hunt those cunning, treacherous Demon who never grow up and are like dwarfs, relying solely on physical strength?"

I'm just physically strong, not bulky. And even if I were, Lu Xiu wouldn't have trained like that!

She has an amazing figure! Even with her current incredible physique, she doesn't even have calluses on her hands!

"You don't need to say it!"

""

Ellen retorted sharply, "And who are you calling a dwarf? Are you implying that the old, weeping you was a dwarf too?"

"I've grown up! You haven't!"

"So what if you're all grown up! You're still no match for Lu Xiu, you—"

"Stop!"

Lu Xiu raised both hands at the same time, placing them in front of the two men respectively.

Because if we continue...

It feels like the two of them are about to start talking about some random nonsense again.

"Shut up!"

Lu Xiu forcefully interrupted their childish argument, steer the conversation back on track. "Let's get back to the point. Didn't you say the skill was rigid? Since the power emitted by this skill is essentially the power of my body, how else can my power intervene? Or is this skill the kind of non-rigid skill you're talking about?"

Hearing Lu Xiu's warning.

Viola and Ellen immediately stopped glaring at each other.

"No, it's still too rigid."

Viola looked at Lu Xiu again. "Because although the power comes from your body, this skill is essentially a switch. You pressed the switch, and the invisible rules took over your body, helping you regulate your qi and blood, ultimately manifesting as lightning and fire or hardening."

"You still didn't participate in the most crucial process of this flow, meaning you didn't even have control over your body. If I'm not mistaken—you can only imbue this skill with one attribute, right? You can't imbue it with fire or lightning simultaneously?"

Even other effects can only work on one part of the body, right? That's a limitation.

"Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiu fell into deep thought.

If that's the case...

That's true.

After all, she had never imagined that the power of this skill came from her own physical body, and of course, she had never thought of using her own power to activate it.

Thinking of this, Lu Xiu asked, "Then how should I get involved?"

Viola thought for a moment and said softly, "If you want to intervene, you must feel the flow of that power within your body the instant the skill is activated, that is, when you press the switch."

For example, with the Lightning Infusion we just discussed, when the rules direct your Qi and blood to transform into lightning, how do your muscles tense? How does your blood flow accelerate? How does your power gather? Then try to use your Mental Strength to interfere with it."

At this moment.

Ellen, standing nearby, added, "Simply put, it's about seizing control, using your Mental Strength to take control, but this method requires strong Mental Strength."

Of course, there is another way, which is to feel the flow of that power in your body and then memorize it completely.

Then, step away from the guidance of the skill, or the switch, and try to mobilize your Qi and blood according to the skill's plan, attempting to activate the ability independently in this process.

17

"

After listening, Lu Xiu seemed to be deep in thought.

Use your Mental Strength to sense how the skill works, then either steal it or forcibly seize control?

That sounds quite reasonable.

"I'll give it a try."

Lu Xiu is a woman of action; once she had an idea, she immediately decided to put it into practice.

She took a deep breath, took a step back, closed her eyes, and then, under the watchful eyes of Ellen and Viola, activated the [Transcendent·Crippled] skill again, adding lightning attribute to her arm.

And at the moment this skill was activated.

She carefully examined her body.

That's not too difficult.

Although she couldn't be described as a seasoned veteran, after so many fights, she had gained a certain understanding of her own body.

And the moment the skill is activated.

There is indeed something abruptly guiding my blood and energy.

Viola suddenly said, "Lu Xiu, now!"

Lu Xiu suddenly opened her eyes, looked at her arm, and unleashed her Mental Strength —attempting to regain control.

She stared intently at her arms—because of all sorts of random skills, she roughly knew what Mental Strength was.

But the problem is...

The timing for seizing control is not easy to grasp, and the operation is not simple either.

The final result is...

She not only failed to seize control, but she also failed to capitalize on the opportunity.

The azure arc of electricity that should have smoothly converged in the fist suddenly became disordered halfway through.

Lu Xiu felt a sharp, needle-like pain in her right arm.

"Hiss----"

Lu Xiu gasped, clutching her right arm and taking a half-step back. An unnatural blush suddenly appeared on her exceptionally fair arm, but then everything returned to normal.

soon.

Blue arcs of electricity appeared on her fist.

"----The ability has already been activated and cannot be changed."

Ellen came to Lu Xiu's side, gently took her hand which was wrapped in arcs of electricity, and whispered, "But to be able to sense it on the first try and perceive the flow of qi and blood is already quite impressive."

But seizing control seems to have some side effects—does it hurt?

"Are you alright?!"

Viola was also startled and quickly went forward to check on her.

"

Lu Xiu dispelled the skill, shook her still numb right arm, and said with a slight brightening in her beautiful eyes, "It's okay, but this seems a bit difficult."

No.

It's extremely difficult, to say the least.

But to say it's completely impossible doesn't seem quite accurate.

Although she had just failed, Lu Xiu had indeed grasped the critical point at which Qi and blood transformed into thunder.

It's just a little painful----

but.

This seems to actually turn skills into a kind of ability that one can activate at will.

This is a major discovery.

interesting----

Can these skills really be used like this?

"This is indeed not simple. The window of opportunity to seize it is very short, and it requires strong Mental Strength —most importantly, it also requires exquisite control."

Viola breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Lu Xiu was alright, "But you seem to have met all these conditions, which is really impressive. I saw those visitors yesterday, and it seems that none of them met the requirements. Their Mental Strength was very weak."

The very short window of opportunity to seize the opportunity is indeed a challenge, and you get injured every time you practice.

"Not only that."

Ellen looked up at Lu Xiu and reminded her, "Try it again."

Lu Xiu was a little confused, but she tried again anyway.

This time, the opportunity is even shorter.

even.

When Lu Xiu wanted to try to seize control again.

Crack!

The electric arcs swirling around her fair arm suddenly went out of control, spreading wildly in all directions.

Lu Xiu bit her red lips and gripped her arm tightly with her other hand.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ellen seemed to have been prepared, and she also grabbed Lu Xiu's arm.

Viola was a beat behind, but she followed suit and shook hands with him.

A burst of magical power.

Starting from Lu Xiu's arm, the gradually out-of-control electric arc began to slowly subside.

"----What's going on?"

Lu Xiu took a deep breath and realized that her entire arm was numb—she couldn't help but look at Ellen and ask her a question.

Viola also looked at Ellen.

Ellen's purple pupils reflected Lu Xiu's image, as if she were observing something, and she said, "Although I know that the way you activate this ability is unreasonable, and there are better ways, this world doesn't seem to allow you to do it."

When you try to take control, the guiding force suddenly becomes violent, even carrying a certain emotion—like the elemental spirits' anger at an outsider trespassing into their forbidden territory.

Sure enough, the second time it guided the movement faster, and the backlash was more severe when you tried to regain control. This means that this method of seizing control has a limit to the number of times you can practice it; as the number of attempts increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to regain control.

Lu Xiu: "----"

Are there still such restrictions?

But thinking about it, it's probably normal.

If success were truly guaranteed by sheer perseverance, then there would be no point in designing skills.

But on the other hand...

Lu Xiu had a vague feeling.

This skill isn't controlled by the game system, so it feels like it could become quite powerful.

But why impose such restrictions?

Lu Xiu pondered for a long time before finally raising her head and asking, "Approximately how many chances do I have?"

"I don't know either."

Ellen hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "Because I'm not from your world."

"I see."

"How about we try another option?"

At this moment.

Viola gently squeezed Lu Xiu's slender arm, seemingly reluctant to let her go. "It must be tiring for you."

"Another option----"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiu gently clenched her fist. "Then I'll try. Let go of my hand first."

Ellen and Viola let go of each other's hands.

Another option is to abandon skills and directly use one's own strength to obtain skill effects.

Lu Xiu had a vague feeling.

For certain skills, replicating them using this method will be even more effective.

However, this approach may not be applicable to certain skills at all.

Especially those skills that involve abstract concepts.

For example, the latest Truth.

However—the skills available at present.

The second option is clearly usable.

"----"

With this in mind, Lu Xiu cleared her mind of the jumbled thoughts, closed her eyes again, and began to try the second plan.

She tried hard to recall the two times she had forcibly seized control, feeling the flow of qi and blood guided by the skills.

Qi and blood are transformed into violent energy, and then compressed----

She focused all her Mental Strength on her right arm.

Move!

Get my blood pumping! Get my energy flowing!

However.

A second passed.

Two seconds passed.

Ten seconds passed.

A gentle breeze rustled through the Witch Forest.

But everything was quiet in front of the Wooden Cabin; nothing happened.

Lu Xiu's slender arms remained as white as jade; not a single blue arc of electricity, not even a spark of static electricity, was visible.

The only physical change was that her arm was a little sore from clenching her fist so tightly.

,,"

Lu Xiu silently opened her eyes, looked at her unchanging arm, and fell into a long silence.

"

Seeing Lu Xiu's expression, Viola asked with some confusion, "Can't you remember the energy flow path from earlier?"

""

"I've roughly remembered the route, but—"

Lu Xiu was silent for a moment. "How exactly do we mobilize this qi and blood?"

Viola and Ellen exchanged bewildered glances upon hearing this.

The two women clearly hadn't expected that this girl, whom they considered as powerful as the Deity, would be stumped by such a basic question.

Lu Xiu noticed their expressions and said helplessly, "----You both know that we mainly rely on skills and switches, do you really expect us to know these things?"

"----This skill seems to have been adapted to your body."

Viola finally replied, "If you ask like that, we don't know how to explain it. You'll have to try it yourself—as for the most basic thing, how to regulate your body's Qi and blood, that can be mastered with long-term training—"

"

Lu Xiu was taken aback by what she heard. She opened her fist, looked at her fair palm again, and realized something.

Is that how it is?

Perhaps.

The rigid skills that Viola and the other person mentioned were not simply shackles.

It could also be a cheat code—a player who has never practiced standing meditation, breathing exercises, or sensed their Qi and blood can unleash a deadly attack simply by activating a skill.

In some ways, it is indeed convenient.

The system undertook the most difficult execution process, and thus naturally took over control, since many players simply wouldn't know how to control it if left to the players.

However, it is quite obvious.

The system also seems to have left an opening.

However, this gameplay is extremely troublesome, has a very high barrier to entry, and requires adaptation from scratch.

To truly transform a skill into an instinctive, effortless ability, no matter the approach, is not something that can be achieved overnight.

but.

The more this is the case.

Lu Xiu, on the contrary, became even more interested.

Let's practice properly next.

If all else fails, try asking that player named Du Shu of Tingqiao —I think that's his name. He seems to know quite a bit about martial arts.

But before that...

"I see."

Lu Xiu looked at the two of them. "I will practice next, but before that, please help me see if I can control the other skills—especially these two abilities from your hairbands."

The two were somewhat puzzled.

Lu Xiu had just remembered and immediately took out the rewards she obtained from the Witch Instance.

The two people Effect and Cause Severance had seen it and said it was too powerful, leaving them with no clue.

What about the two hairbands?

Lu Xiu took out Ellen's Red Headband and Viola's Black Headband.

"Ah----do you still have my childhood headband?"

Viola was taken aback.

Ellen looked at the hairband and said, "Why is there a strange power on it? It wasn't like this when I gave it to you."

Lu Xiu: "----So, don't tell me that you yourselves can't teach me how to control this hairband?"

The two looked at each other, then shook their heads. "This isn't our power, no—it seems like our power, but it's beyond our control."

Lu Xiu: "----"

What exactly is the system doing?

but.

Just as she was thinking this...

Ellen examined the hairband carefully, then suddenly exclaimed, "Although I can't control this power, it seems to have the same origin. I can enhance the power on it."

Lu Xiu: "----?"

At the same time.

Chen Capital.

A state banquet that was absolutely flawless has just concluded in the banquet hall.

However, neither the Franca Delegation nor the Red Tide Delegation looked too pleased as they were led to their hotel.

After all, none of them expected that they would actually be able to eat in Nine Provinces that very day.

The day was filled with so many experiences. First, the Witch Forest opened my eyes to a whole new world, and then the Chen Capital opened my eyes to an even greater world.

There wasn't a single moment of relaxation.

The two missions also gained a lot of insights in Chen Capital.

It wasn't because soldiers dressed Odogaron were wandering around again.

Instead, everything was too normal—the table was covered with a snow-white tablecloth, the silver cutlery gleamed with a soft luster, and every dish served was a traditional delicacy from Nine Provinces.

The Nine Provinces officials were also polite and courteous during the banquet.

Everything and everything.

Everything was just right.

It was as if Nine Provinces had never experienced gamification, as if there were no rampaging monsters outside, and they were simply conducting a routine diplomatic reception before gamification.

But it was precisely this unchanging normalcy that brought Ulysses and Rosalind even greater psychological pressure than the Witch Forest on the Frontier.

As fellow victims, they felt they couldn't maintain that composed dignity in World Gamification.

certainly.

It's definitely possible if it's a specific area.

They haven't lost that much control over their country.

However, Nine Provinces even took the initiative to invite them to visit Chen Capital, and did not directly refuse their request to go to the front lines.

This in itself is a signal.

This means that Nine Provinces's national machinery operates more smoothly than that of any other country.

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

The Franca Delegation's hotel suite.

Rosalind took off her elaborate gown, changed into a neat casual outfit, sat on the sofa, and gently rubbed her temples.

Your Highness.

Franca's accompanying intelligence personnel slowly revealed themselves, lowering their voices to report to their superiors, "We've checked the room; it's safe. Furthermore, we've gathered more peripheral intelligence."

Rosalind opened her beautiful eyes. "Speak."

"My assessment remains the same: Nine Provinces's internal control is nothing short of a miracle."

Rosalind paused for a moment, nodded, and then said, "But it's impossible to control everything—right?"

The intelligence officer nodded. "Yes—according to intelligence, the biggest trouble in Nine Provinces since then has been the guilds and some civilian groups."

"Although their internal Strategy Group, that is, the top player groups, are much larger than ours, most of their High Sequence players are very well-behaved, prices are stable, and because the frontline monsters are completely blocked in the Sea City where they appear, the ordinary players are much more optimistic than our players, and even have the leisure to gossip."

"However, the major guilds within Nine Provinces seem to be a bit restless. At the beginning of the game's development, in order to block the monsters on the front lines, Nine Provinces had a two-year power vacuum period, which gave many major guilds an opportunity. They took advantage of this vacuum period to develop vigorously, and gradually became too big to be shaken off."

Especially after the restoration of order in Nine Provinces, significant conflicts erupted between the two sides. Besides this, there seemed to be quite a few other restless civilian groups as well, however—"

The intelligence officer gave a wry smile, "However, the methods used by the Nine Provinces side are quite sophisticated. They have been frequently suppressing these groups, and the results have been quite good, but that's not the point."

The situation was likely to remain deadlocked, as Nine Provinces faced considerable pressure in holding off the monsters at the front lines, and the Nine Provinces government was hesitant to act rashly. However, Lu Xiu appeared at this moment. She hadn't joined the Nine Provinces Nine Provinces, but seemed to have a good relationship with them. And with her rise to power, the major guilds now had virtually no power to resist.

"----Is it Lu Xiu again?"

Rosalind smiled upon hearing this, a complex expression appearing on her naturally alluring and beautiful face, a mix of emotion and bitterness that was hard to discern.

"Hmm... let's not talk about anything else. Just recently, the appearance of the Astera has reportedly caused many High Sequence players from major guilds to go out of control and rush to the front lines."

The intelligence officer replied, then sighed, and said, "In short, that's the situation, Your Highness. The draft we prepared before coming here now seems to be completely useless. For Nine Provinces, it's as ridiculous as Liana offering you a bone and trying to exchange it for the right to bathe with you."

Rosalind looked at the intelligence chief in front of her, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "----If you can't give an example, then don't!"

This subordinate is quite capable, but he often speaks without thinking!

The female Silver Fox scratched her head sheepishly.

She clearly thinks she's quite humorous.

Rosalind shook her head, ignoring her, and stood up. She walked to the French windows, looked at the bustling street scene of Chen Capital, and fell into deep thought.

Not only is the state apparatus intact, but they also hold Lu Xiu as a trump card.

How can we negotiate with Nine Provinces like this?

It seems like nothing holds any appeal for Nine Provinces.

Formal consultations will not begin until tomorrow morning.

Rosalind, feeling somewhat tired after thinking for a while, finally said, "Tell the negotiators to abandon all the original negotiation plans. I'll give them the new plan later. The main direction is the same: to facilitate resource trade between the instances as much as possible."

"Clear."

The intelligence chief nodded.

"And also—"

Rosalind looked out the window, her fingers unconsciously twirling a strand of hair at her temple. "The Nine Provinces government's attitude is very clear: they will not force Lu Xiu to meet with us. Whether or not to meet is entirely up to Lu Xiu herself."

"But this also proves that if Lu Xiu is willing, we can still meet her. She is currently a key figure in Nine Provinces, even more crucial than the old man we just met. If she speaks up, the negotiations will go much more smoothly. Therefore, no matter what, we must find a way to figure out Lu Xiu's preferences and whereabouts—"

Speaking of which...

Rosalind turned her head and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Then, no matter what, find a way for me to meet her, even if it's just a private meeting."

at the same time.

On another floor of the same hotel, in the Red Tide Delegation's suite.

The Red Tide there was far more rugged than the Franca.

Ulysses loosened his tie and sat back in his chair with an air of authority, while several Red Tide officials stood solemnly around him.

However, the reports were largely the same.

After listening to the report...

Ulysses leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

Red Tide revere strength, and the law of the jungle prevails over the weak.

They will bare their fangs and bite when the enemy is only slightly stronger than them.

But when the enemy is much stronger, they will know better than anyone else to submit.

At least that's true of Ulysses.

Therefore, the moment he arrived at the Witch Forest, he abandoned the idea of having Lu Xiu serve the Red Tide.

"In tomorrow's formal talks, we should adopt a humble stance. We lost that battle twenty years ago, and we don't have the resources to turn the tide now, so we'll continue to kowtow."

Ulysses thought for a moment and then said, "However, that Lu Xiu — Zhang Qian said she doesn't participate in diplomatic issues, but that also means that the authorities will most likely not interfere with her personal social circle, so—"

Ulysses hadn't finished speaking.

Sudden.

[Global Announcement]

[Congratulations to player Ah Yi (Region: Nine Provinces) for successfully conquering the extremes of wilderness survival and undergoing a transformation in the life-or-death hunt!!]

[Job change successful!]

Player Ah Yi has officially changed his class to [Pioneer Hunter]!

[The path to the hunt has been broadened! All players in the Nine Provinces Region will now have a slightly increased chance of obtaining a first job advancement certificate when defeating monsters on the main stage and clearing Monster Hunter dungeons!]

"

Ulysses paused, then abruptly looked out the window. "----A profession? I got Profession Certificate in Nine Provinces??? A profession from Monster Hunter dungeon??? And who is Ah Yi???"

"

Everyone else looked completely bewildered.

Formal negotiations have not yet begun.

One wave subsides only for another to rise!