"Holy shit! It really is skill incineration!"
"I actually called it into existence? Hahaha!"
Ecstatic, Lin Mo checked his talent's effects after its advancement-
[Soulfire] (unique SSS-rank talent · stage two): Description: Burn souls to unleash soulfire, incinerating all things in the world and converting them into evolutionary power for the talent holder's use... Effect 1: Equipment incineration (unleash soulfire to incinerate equipment, gaining equipment evolution points based on its level and tier to evolve equipment) Effect 2: Skill incineration (unleash soulfire to incinerate skills, gaining skill evolution points based on their rank to evolve skills) Effect 3: Locked (unlocks when soulfire reaches stage three) Advancement requirement: 500 reputation Note: Evolved equipment and skills become bound and cannot be dropped or traded
Remembering that he currently had two skill books in his bag-E-rank Poisoning and D-rank Double Shot-
Lin Mo immediately took them out.
He tested both evolution and incineration-
[Ding! Evolving the E-rank skill book Poisoning requires 1 skill evolution point. Insufficient skill evolution points. Evolution unavailable!] [Ding! Incinerating the E-rank skill book Poisoning will grant 1 skill evolution point. Incinerate?]
"Looks like it works exactly the same way as equipment evolution!"
Lin Mo was overjoyed.
Because that meant...
"I really can incinerate trash skills for evolution points and evolve the SSS-rank skills I want!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Awesome! This is so damn awesome!"
Lin Mo absolutely loved his soulfire talent!
In his previous life, he had spent two years in Oracle World and only ever gotten his hands on C-rank skills at best. Now he could hardly wait to complete his class advancement and get a taste of SSS-rank skills!
Lin Mo headed to a level 10 wilderness area, the Death Camp, and began farming the level 10 monsters inside: Death Goblins!
After killing three goblins and stacking [Heroism] to its maximum of three stacks, Lin Mo's attack reached its peak: 476!
Then-
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Each arrow dealt over 700 critical damage, easily one-shotting goblin after goblin!
Before completing their class advancement, players could not level past 10, but the experience they earned could still accumulate.
With each goblin granting 200 experience, Lin Mo's experience bar rose rapidly.
Before long, he had killed the 30 goblins required for the quest.
But Lin Mo did not stop there. He kept shooting goblins!
Based on his memories of his previous life, he remembered that the starter village's Career Mentor also held a hidden opportunity!
Lin Mo murmured, "If I remember correctly, the first three players to reach affinity level 1 with the mentor receive extra Skill Slots!"
"First place gets 3 permanent Skill Slots, second gets 2, and third gets 1!"
In Oracle World, learning skills required Skill Slots.
An E-rank skill occupied 1 Skill Slot, a D-rank skill occupied 2, a C-rank skill occupied 3, and so on...
Yet players only unlocked 1 Skill Slot every 3 levels.
Normally, a level 10 player who had just completed their class advancement would only have 4 Skill Slots, though that was enough for them.
But Lin Mo was different.
He could use soulfire to evolve SSS-rank skills!
And a single SSS-rank skill occupied a whopping 8 Skill Slots!
Besides, Lin Mo was not aiming for just one SSS-rank skill.
He wanted an entire skill list of SSS-rank skills!
So Lin Mo had to secure the mentor's extra Skill Slot reward.
At the very least, he needed enough room to learn one SSS-rank skill early on.
Otherwise, evolving an SSS-rank skill only to find he could not use it would be awkward!
And so, deep into the quiet night-
Lin Mo's lone figure roamed the dark camp...
Meanwhile-
After Ling Xiao submitted all the materials Lin Mo had given him and spent 30 of his own reputation to have the blacksmith, Li Li, begin crafting the [Flame Ring]-
He continued posting messages in the chat channel offering to "help kill boss monsters for free, no payment required."
With his A-rank talent, Mutual Destruction, every boss monster he blew up yielded a large amount of experience.
That was the secret to Ling Xiao staying in the Heaven Ranking's top three without underlings helping him farm monsters or having to do quests!
By the time Ling Xiao returned after blowing up another three boss monsters-
He discovered that the equipment was ready!
At the Blacksmith Shop in Cloudside Town-
Ling Xiao received the freshly forged level 10, tier 2, blue-quality [Flame Ring] from Li Li.
Beside him, Skinny Monkey and Pang Dahai stared with shining eyes!
"Holy shit! This is tier 2 equipment? And blue quality, too! A ring! That's insanely good!"
Suddenly struck by inspiration, Skinny Monkey said, "Ling Xiao, I've got an idea! Keep the ring for yourself! With it, you'll definitely level faster than Wang Junjie!"
"So what if we offend Mo Shou Cheng Gui? Protecting your girl is what matters most!"
Ling Xiao shook his head.
"It's level 10 equipment," he said. "By the time I can equip it, do you think it'll still make a difference?"
"Oh, right..." Skinny Monkey, who had always considered himself a genius, had miscalculated for the first time...
Just as Ling Xiao was about to mail the Flame Ring to Lin Mo-
A voice suddenly rang out beside him. "Give me that equipment!"
He looked back and saw Wang Junjie approaching with a group of players from the Troubled Times Guild!
Ling Xiao instinctively clenched the ring tightly in his palm.
Feigning confusion, he asked, "What equipment?"
"Quit pretending. I saw it!" Wang Junjie sneered. "That ring in your hand-you made it for Mo Shou Cheng Gui, didn't you?"
"You're a fucking bootlicker, too! Now you're even licking Mo Shou Cheng Gui's boots?"
"How about I give you a chance to lick mine? Hand over that ring, and I'll let Xia Wanwan off. How does that sound?"
Ling Xiao's heart jolted!
But he quickly calmed down.
If Wang Junjie's words could be trusted-
Pigs could fly!
"Forget it. I'm not giving it to you."
Wang Junjie's face twisted viciously. "Believe it or not, I can make sure you can't get anywhere in Oracle-and cripple you in real life, too!"
"And don't forget, I can ruin Xia Wanwan whenever I want. All it takes is one word!"
Unmoved by Wang Junjie's threats, Ling Xiao said calmly, "Even if I give you the ring, you'll still do whatever you were going to do."
Wang Junjie laughed. "You know me so well! Do you have a fucking crush on me?"
Ling Xiao stood his ground. Without another word, he mailed the [Flame Ring] to Lin Mo right then and there.
Wang Junjie exploded with rage on the spot.
"Fuck! Ling Xiao! You really have a fucking death wish!"
"Fine, fine, fine! So that's how you want to play?"
Wang Junjie nodded, then stepped closer to Ling Xiao with a vicious grin. "When I reach level 10 before you, just watch what I do to Xia Wanwan!"
"Let's go!"
As Wang Junjie swaggered away with his underlings-
Ling Xiao clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot.
At the same time-
Not far away, in a secluded patch of darkness-
Lin Mo quietly watched everything.
Before you continue