Chapter 106
Chapter 106
Whoosh!
The scene shifted, and Zhou Ming appeared atop an arena.
Unlike the first round, the rules had changed for the second round of Pinnacle Showdown. Each participant would fight the same opponent in a best-of-three series, with the first to two victories advancing.
[Greenhorn · Xiaohei] (Waterlight Swordsman)
Another contestant appeared on the arena. His strength was thoroughly ordinary.
“Zhouyou Shijie! I can’t believe I actually ran into you!”
The contestant’s eyes lit up. He raised his sword and charged, dense water-element energy surging around his body and causing his strength to skyrocket.
Hm?
Zhou Ming raised an eyebrow.
The man’s sudden surge in strength felt extremely familiar!
This was…
Ding!
[System: Greenhorn · Xiaohei has used the one-use temporary skill [Water God’s Blessing]. All Attributes +200%, HP Recovery +1% per second. Duration: 5 minutes. Price: Upon expiration, Level -20!]
A one-use temporary skill, Water God’s Blessing!
Zhou Ming swept a cold gaze around the arena. “You old bastard. You really do haunt me like a ghost!”
Facing a player who did not know his own limits, Zhou Ming brought down his sword and killed him instantly.
-302,561! (Critical)
Disbelief filled Xiaohei’s face. The staggering three hundred thousand damage instantly erased him despite the 200% increase to all his attributes.
The spectators below the arena stared in shock.
He still got one-shot?
“Hmph!”
Shui Zhanqiu appeared outside the arena and snorted. “How much longer do you think you can remain arrogant? Twenty days from now, you will die without question!”
Twice before, Zhouyou Shijie had survived by luck because of the rules. Shui Zhanqiu did not deny that the adventurer possessed both luck and strength.
But!
Third time was the end of the line!
The next time, it would not be a handful of god-tier experts attacking. It would be all of them. Zhouyou Shijie would never get another chance to keep growing!
Before that day arrived, however, forcing him to lose during Pinnacle Showdown would greatly benefit the Light Faction.
“I might as well tell you in advance: the rules cannot bind the gods. Twenty days from now, it won’t be the Demon Gods of the Dark Faction who want you dead. It will be every top expert on the Destiny Continent!” Shui Zhanqiu declared, trying to crush him with the pressure.
Zhou Ming ignored him and began the second match. Once again, he killed his opponent with a single slash and advanced to the third round.
“When the time comes, I hope you can keep relying on your petty tricks to defeat the gods and vanquish the demons. Give me a good show!” Shui Zhanqiu continued relentlessly. “Truly, I would love to see such a thing. Do you think you can do it? Can you?”
Everyone had already grown impatient!
Even if Zhou Ming now entertained the delusion of attacking another city and moving his base, they would turn that city into a primary capital within three days.
They had sealed every last loophole!
“I’m tired of listening to you bark!”
Zhou Ming’s gaze was indifferent, but killing intent blazed in his heart. “I have only one request for you: don’t die too soon!”
“…”
The smile slowly disappeared from Shui Zhanqiu’s face.
Zhou Ming did not waste any more words on him. He left the special zone and logged out of the game.
Ring, ring…
His phone began ringing.
Zhou Ming answered and found the real estate agent on the other end. “Hello, the house has been settled. Could we meet in person…?”
“Sure!”
Zhou Ming dressed and headed out to inspect the property.
The interior was beautifully furnished.
Just as he had hoped, the house stood in a remote area with few neighbors. Even the nearest store was several hundred meters away, making it perfect for quietly doing things in the dead of night that no one else could be allowed to know about.
“This is the one!”
Zhou Ming was extremely satisfied. He signed the contract on the spot and completed the handover.
Afterward, he moved all the equipment from his rental into his new home.
His landlord tried repeatedly to convince him to stay, but Zhou Ming remained firm. In the end, the landlord reluctantly refunded the unused rent.
With every preparation complete, Zhou Ming immediately got ready to return to the game.
After all, the abilities he obtained in Destiny could manifest in reality and grant him inconceivable power!
How could he possibly do anything less than his utmost to strengthen Dawnbringer?
There would be plenty of time for enjoyment after he survived the crisis.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
The doorbell suddenly rang.
Zhou Ming set down his gaming helmet and opened the door. A voluptuous blonde woman stood outside.
“Hey, handsome. Could you help me find this place? The map says it’s somewhere around here.” She held up her phone to Zhou Ming, seemingly asking for directions.
Shnk!
The instant she drew close, she pulled a sharp dagger from her waist and stabbed at Zhou Ming’s side.
Got him!
Delight flashed across the blonde woman’s face, then quickly froze.
She looked down and discovered that two fingers, clamped around the tip of the dagger like iron pincers, held it perfectly still. She could neither drive it forward nor pull it free.
“!!”
The blonde woman stared as though she had seen a monster.
“The place you’re looking for is just up ahead.” Zhou Ming calmly pointed out a direction, then asked, “Any last words?”
“FUCK!”
The blonde woman’s expression changed drastically as she swung an elbow at him.
Zhou Ming evaded it with ease, kicked her out of the house, and unleashed Greater Fireball. In the blink of an eye, she burned to ash.
Ratatat!
When the mercenaries lying in ambush outside saw their companion fail, their rifles opened fire in a frenzy. Less than two seconds later, Zhou Ming appeared behind them and killed them with a single strike.
“Courting death!” Killing intent chilled Zhou Ming’s voice.
He would never take it to heart when players attacked him inside the game. Attacking him offline, however, meant they truly intended to kill him. No matter who came, anyone who dared make the attempt would not leave alive!
After destroying the bodies and erasing every trace, he went back inside and splashed cold water hard against his face, forcing himself to remain calm.
Across two clashes in reality, he had killed eight people.
It would be a lie to claim he felt nothing.
Half an hour later, Zhou Ming regained his composure and returned to the game. He resumed his research, attempting to master and integrate even more skills into Dawnbringer.
After all, the number of techniques had never been what mattered!
He wanted to simplify the complex and unite everything into one!
…
Meanwhile, in the Tsar Region…
Within the primary capital of Tiandong City…
The Flame Giant King had assumed the form of a burly man three meters tall to attend a meeting.
Seven Demon Gods were present in total. Aside from the First Demon God, every one of them had answered the invitation.
“Rod, why exactly did you summon us here?” Undead Archmage · Eric asked.
“Zhouyou Shijie’s days are numbered!”
Rod’s voice boomed. “Let’s agree on this now. I won’t fight any of you for the God-Demon Orb, but the final blow against him belongs to me!”
“Adventurers can revive. What meaning could the final blow possibly hold for you?” Windwalker · Balen asked in bewilderment.
The other Demon Gods were equally confused.
Zhouyou Shijie would certainly die, but only after they took the God-Demon Orb from him.
“I have a way to take everything he possesses!” Rod wore a guileless smile that somehow made him even more terrifying. “But I have to be the one who kills him!”
“I see!”
Blood Elf · Amy understood.
No wonder Rod had been so unusually proactive in dealing with Zhouyou Shijie recently. This had been his goal all along.
“That request will not be difficult to satisfy. Naturally, we will give you our full support,” Eric replied.
“My thanks to you all!”
Rod nodded, then turned in surprise toward the black-clad man beside him, a greatsword strapped to his back. “Cangxuan, why have you been so quiet lately? You hardly participate in our high-level councils anymore.”
“It’s nothing.”
Cangxuan shook his head and said calmly, “I’ve been contemplating life.”
Rod: “…”
…
In the days that followed, Pinnacle Showdown continued at a fever pitch.
Every time Zhou Ming finished deciding a match, he hurriedly left the arena.
The gods of the Light Faction and the Demon Gods of the Dark Faction waited with mounting impatience.
They knew that the next encirclement of Zhouyou Shijie would feature neither evenly matched opponents nor restraints imposed by the rules.
Three days… six days…
Time flew by.
At last, only ten days remained.
“Man proposes, heaven disposes!”
Every trace of weariness vanished from Zhou Ming’s face, replaced by a healthy glow. “Creating an SSS-Rank skill can’t stop me, Zhouyou Shijie!”
The effort had nearly driven him insane.
But now, he had finally achieved his goal!
Ding!
[System: Please select the skills you wish to fuse!]
Whoosh!
At the sound of the notification, multiple system windows appeared before him. Zhou Ming did not dare grow careless as he added skills with meticulous attention.
Core Skill: [Dawnbringer] (Exclusive SS+ Rank)
Fusion Skills: [Fatal Strike] (S Rank), [Primal Scream] (S Rank), [Bone-Breaking Blow] (S Rank), [Blazing Sword Art] (A Rank), [Arson] (B Rank), [Flame Heavy Strike] (A Rank)…
An enormous pile of skills!
During this period, Zhou Ming had learned at least eight, if not ten, skills related to Silence, all for the sake of this moment!
“I don’t mean to spoil the mood, but even after going to such lengths to grant Dawnbringer the ability to seal whichever skill you please, your odds of success are still extremely low,” Renee warned him.
“Extremely low?”
Zhou Ming glanced at her, a confident smile on his face. “Wrong. Completely wrong. Even if the chance is only 0.01%, I can turn it into 100%!”
“???”
Neither Renee nor Ye Zhibei understood.
Qianying alone came to a sudden realization. “How did I forget you still had that move?”
“Xiaoyou!” Zhou Ming called.
“Chirp, chirp!”
Xuanniao spread its wings and proudly flew out of the pet space.
As expected!
They couldn’t do this without it!
Ding!
[System: You have used [Sovereign’s Descent] to successfully copy Celestial Spirit Beast · Xiaoyou’s Talent [Fortune Shines Bright] and raise its rank by 1!]
Ding!
[System: Your Talent has transformed into [Lady Luck] (Active) (SSS Rank)!]
Ding!
[System: You have used the Talent [Lady Luck]. The success rate of your next probability-based action is multiplied by 10,000!]
…
“Fuse… for me!!”
Zhou Ming’s blood surged with excitement. His hand trembled as he confirmed his choice.
Fuck!
So what if the odds were low?
Lady Luck was on his side!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
A pillar of golden light shot into the sky.
Inside Zhou Ming’s skill list, every selected skill began overlapping. Strange golden light burst from them, brilliant and dazzling.
“What’s happening?”
Everyone turned toward the pillar at once.
That was…
The direction of Juyan City!
Ding!
[System: Congratulations…]
…