Sizzle~
A flash of white light illuminated the dim cave for a moment, then faded again.
Whew~
Lancelot let out a breath, wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, and brought up the information panel to check his status.
After eight days of training, all of his indicators showed significant improvement.
His Electrified Cells have been upgraded from Lv3 to Lv7, making them convert electrical energy faster and store more energy. His endurance is now five or six times stronger than it was eight days ago, which is enough to support him in intense battles.
The Body of Steel has also been upgraded from Lv10 to Lv11, making it more controllable.
The advancement in the development levels of the two Ability Energy also led to an increase in physical attributes.
Energy 8+5, reaching 13 points.
Physical fitness level 13+2, reaching 15 points.
Spirit 12+1, reaching 13 points.
Other attributes remain unchanged.
However, Lancelot's Flow Method leveled up again to Lv22, making it easier for him to enter a state of Absolute Focus, extending the duration of this state, and slightly reducing its energy consumption.
The most immediate effect of these improvements is the change in combat power level.
The previous range of 123-232 Dale has been changed to 145-291 Dale.
The highest combat power level has soared by a full 59 Dale.
It's important to know that the peak of Tier Four combat power is 300 Dale. Lancelot's combat power of 291 Dale means that he can easily dominate the Tier Four.
He clenched his fist, feeling the wild power surging through his muscles and cells. A look of intoxication flashed across Lancelot's face. Nothing was more pleasurable than the rapid improvement of one's own strength.
"It's time to strike. Further training won't improve things much, and lately, the number of participants on Holy Wing Island has been increasing, and the cave has almost been discovered several times." Lancelot pondered, not entirely surprised by this phenomenon.
As the second round of auditions progressed, contestants were continuously eliminated, and the number of participants dwindled, naturally making the original venue more empty.
To encourage fierce competition among participants and accelerate the competition process, one of the most important rules for the second round is "shrinking the circle".
Every so often, the competition area shrinks, and as it shrinks, participants are notified via communication terminals to move closer to the central area of the archipelago.
If a participant remains in place and does not want to enter the safe zone, the sensor will automatically reduce their status until they are deemed dead.
In general, each participant has about ten minutes to stay outside the circle. Once this time is exceeded, they will be immediately declared dead, disqualified from the competition, and their score will be frozen.
Over the past eight days, the competition area, which originally covered more than 100,000 square kilometers, has shrunk to 40,000 square kilometers. Holy Wing Island is no longer the Inner Zone but has become the outer area, and naturally more and more participants are flocking to it.
During this time, Lancelot encountered some competitors while fetching water and hunting, but he did not attack them, keeping a distance and focusing on his cultivation.
However, during the hunt for wild beasts, I killed a monster that gave me points, earning 900 points, so I was no longer broke.
Raising his wrist to bring up the projection screen, Lancelot discovered that the number of contestants had dwindled from over 280,000 initially to only 57,892, and his ranking was 42,356.
"The number of people is less, but the sheep are fatter. Killing one is equivalent to killing two or three before." A sharp glint flashed in Lancelot's eyes. This temporary dormancy was only for a more violent outburst. Now, it was time to start the hunt.
I glanced at the time: 11:36.
At 12:00 noon, airdrop crates will fall.
"Judging by the time, 30 white boxes, 10 blue boxes, and 5 purple boxes will be dropped today. I wonder how many will land on Holy Wing Island. Hopefully, there will be some purple airdrop boxes."
After quickly packing up, Lancelot took one last look back at the cave where he had lived for eight days, tightened his backpack, and left without looking back.
"Be careful, everyone. We've just arrived on Holy Wing Island and aren't familiar with the area yet. Be careful not to get ambushed."
In the jungle, a five-man squad was slowly advancing. Laurent, carrying an alloy shield, vigilantly surveyed his surroundings. He was the leader of this hastily assembled squad and possessed a high level of tactical skill.
"Captain, the Black Bee Drone has spotted a Walker." Nilu, the third mechanical-type Transcendent in the team, suddenly spoke up and immediately brought up the projected image.
In the video, a tall, well-proportioned, and handsome young man is walking slowly through the jungle, his expression calm and his steps steady, exuding a unique charm.
"Why does this person look so familiar?" Jilong was in fourth place, scratched his head, trying hard to recall the identity of the person in the picture.
Kakex, standing behind Jilong, is Ability Energy with a photographic memory. He immediately recognized Lancelot and said with a serious expression, "Of course he looks familiar. He's Lancelot, the preliminary champion of the Kahn Province, nicknamed Iron Fist. He once defeated Walmart, the 48th Disintegration Witch on the leaderboard!"
"What? It's him? We'd better avoid this kind of ruthless character." Another teammate Mindoro, said hastily, his expression changing.
When Mindoro was acting alone before, he encountered Walmart, whose Power of Disintegration left a very deep impression on him; it was indestructible and terrifying.
If such a figure could be defeated by the man in the picture, then how terrifying must the latter's strength be?
Although their team was quite strong, they could only flee when facing the top-ranked geniuses on the leaderboard.
"Hmph, what's the panic? What Kakex said is all outdated. You guys check Lancelot's current points ranking."
After Laurent finished speaking, the group brought up the leaderboard, entered Lancelot's name, and quickly found his position on the leaderboard.
"?"
Everyone was stunned.
"Only 900 points? No way, the lowest score among the five of us is over 3000." Kakex was a little stunned, but the thought of retreating that had just surged in his mind disappeared quietly.
"Hahaha, over 40,000th place, that's hilarious! Is this the first place in the preliminary exam? Did he beat Walmart with some inside story?" Jilong mocked mercilessly.
"How about that? Even if this coward is strong, how strong can he be? Besides, he's a pure tank, without any mid-to-long-range attack methods. Even if things go wrong in the fight, we can retreat." Laurent looked around. First place in the preliminary test represented 19200 points.
Moreover, this is the base score, unlike the "plundered score" which is discounted by 50%, so you can get it in full.
It should be noted that Laurent himself only had 12,000 points. Faced with such a large piece of meat, he couldn't help but become greedy.
"Let's do it! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This first-place winner in the preliminary round is so weak, and they haven't even formed a team yet. It would be a shame not to take advantage of this opportunity." Jilong was eager to try. The thought of defeating the preliminary champion made every cell in his body tremble. It felt like a goddess who was once unattainable had descended into the sea and could be taken by anyone as long as they paid.
"Captain, let's do it!"
The other four all looked at Laurent.
A hint of joy flashed in the latter's eyes, and then he began to arrange the combat mission.
"According to the information, Iron Fist possesses the Ability Energy of Body of Steel, mastering Cellular-Level Force Exertion. He is extremely strong in close combat, and the only way to defeat him is through ranged attacks."
"Jilong and I formed the first team, rushing in from the left and right to restrain him. Kakex was in the third team, using mental shockwaves to exert control; these kinds of guys generally don't have high mental attributes."
"Mindoro is in the second tier. Use your energy blade to attack when the opportunity arises, disrupting Iron Fist's fighting rhythm."
"Finally!" Laurent's gaze shifted to Nilu, patting the latter on the shoulder. "Nilu, you're the most crucial damage dealer, in the fourth echelon. While we're holding Iron Fist back, unleash a barrage of heavy sniper rifle fire and try to take this guy down as quickly as possible!"
"Understood, Captain!" Nilu's eyes were resolute as he gripped the 1.3-meter-long, dark-colored gun tightly.
"Now, let's move!"
After Laurent finished speaking, he and Jilong exchanged a glance, and the two of them moved to the left and right, flanking Lancelot.
Mindoro followed closely behind.
Then there's Kakex.
As for Nilu, after looking around for a moment, he found a tall tree over two hundred Duomi, climbed up a thick branch in a few quick movements, set up his sniper rifle, and took out a row of long, slender, yellow-orange bullets and placed them in front of him.
With a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, its bittersweet taste helped him concentrate even better.
Nilu placed his right eye in front of the scope equipped with thermal imaging scanning. Although there were many obstacles in front of him, Lancelot's vital signs were too strong. Under the thermal imaging scan, he was like a star, radiating a dazzling light.
A few seconds later, Laurent's husky voice came through Nilu's earpiece.
"Shot!"
Lancelot was walking through the jungle.
He didn't spot Nilu's Black Bee Drone. The little thing wasn't very big, and it was quite far away. Lancelot's perception range could only cover a few meters around his body.
Suddenly, he felt his heart clench, and a sense of danger surged through him. His rich combat experience and muscle memory made Lancelot instinctively turn to the side.
The next moment!
A long, slender bullet spun and pierced the air as it sped past him.
Puff!
A few meters to the side and rear, a Black Hole appeared in the ground, and the surrounding green grass was scorched and yellowed at the edges due to the heat generated by the intense friction of the bullet.
"Someone's attacking!"
The thought had barely formed in his mind when the bushes in front of him began to tremble violently. The next moment, two dark figures burst forth amidst the flying grass.
Lancelot narrowed his eyes slightly, about to make a move, when he felt a wave of dizziness. His "Tenacious Will" passive skill activated, removing the negative status effect.
"Melee combat, mind control, sniper rifles..."
Muttering to himself, Lancelot had already deduced that the attacking opponent was a well-equipped squad.
"Iron Fist, come and fight!" Laurent roared like a bear, shield in front of his chest, charging towards Lancelot like a bulldozer, his momentum fierce.
On the other side, the slightly thin Jilong carried two large curved swords, his body radiating a scorching aura, his eyes filled with fanaticism and excitement, like an owl that had encountered its prey.
Even faster than these two were more than a dozen pale silver energy blades that attacked from all directions, almost sealing off the space around Lancelot.
"Heh~"
An ambiguous voice came from Lancelot's mouth. He raised his head slightly, his deep pupils reflecting the incoming energy blade.
Then, a deep, low shout resounded from his heart.
"Qi Web!"
Sizzle!~
A Laurent Jilong, faint crackling sound of electricity descended silently, spreading outwards like a spiderweb and instantly forming an electric sphere five meters in diameter.
At that moment, the energy blade entered the electric sphere.
Crackling and popping!
The electric current writhed like a mad snake, pulverizing the incoming energy ball.
"What?"
The scene before them nearly made Laurent and Jilong's jaws drop; they wanted nothing more than to drag out the person who edited Lancelot's intelligence and beat them a hundred times over.
Is this what you call a muscle-bound guy? A pure meat warrior?
What are these electric currents? Are they our illusions?
The sudden turn of events forced Laurent and his companion to brake abruptly, bringing them to a stop just outside the electric sphere.
But before they could make a move, Lancelot's counterattack came like a bolt from the blue!
"Gas Combustion!"
Another martial arts secret technique has been activated.
The frontal Qi Web combines energy perception and area-of-effect attacks, resembling a miniature domain.
The following "Qi Combustion" is an explosive secret technique that burns Yuan Qi to enhance combat power.
Unlike the explosive techniques of the Extreme Path Style, the explosive techniques of the Qigong Style mostly do not harm the body and have a long duration. As long as the Yuan Qi is not exhausted, they can continue to be used.
Although he now has no martial arts Yuan Qi left in his body, Lancelot's mastery of Energy Manipulation allows him to completely replace it with the electrical Yuan Qi within his body.
Furthermore, the secret technique of gas combustion is even more effective when activated by electric current.
Because electric current itself can also stimulate the body, and due to the existence of Basic Lightning Affinity Physique, this stimulation is not only harmless, but can also invigorate blood circulation and strengthen muscles and bones, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop.
Moreover, after activating his Qi Combustion, Lancelot unleashed his third secret technique.
"Qigong Style: Primordial Qi Return!"
This secret technique allows the energy released into the body to return, saving approximately 45% of energy consumption, making it an extremely important means of sustaining energy levels.
With the Primordial Qi Return, Lancelot's ability to sustain combat will become even stronger.
With his three secret techniques activated, Lancelot's aura soared like a rocket into the sky, rising steadily. Waves of air burst forth from beneath his feet, and the intense air pressure that swept in so fast caused Laurent and Lancelot's hair to be blown back. The overwhelming sense of oppression almost shattered their mental defenses.
Bang!
A flash of electricity, Lancelot vanished abruptly, leaving only a pit a meter in diameter in his wake.
"Careful!"
Laurent had barely uttered a warning when, in the next second, he felt an overwhelming, irresistible force emanating from the shield in his hand.
"Ah... block it!" Laurent almost ground his teeth to powder, all the muscles in his body were straining, and his body instantly entered a state of overload.
However, faced with absolute power and speed, his resistance was futile.
Click!!
The shield, made primarily of high-strength alloy steel plates, was bent at a 90-degree angle by Lancelot's straight kick, the Berserk force venting through the shield into Laurent's body.
Pfft~
Laurent coughed up a mouthful of blood and was kicked into the air, finally crashing heavily into a large tree more than ten meters away, shaking down countless leaves.
Seeing this, Jilong exclaimed, "∑(❍ฺд❍ฺlll)!"
The next moment, he saw Lancelot charging straight at him. The guy's eyes bulged out, and he threw his scimitar to the ground, slid to his knees, and raised his hands high.
"Big brother, I surrender!!"