Chapter 76
Chapter 76
“Ding!”
[Congratulations! You have activated the Hidden Quest Rematch on Equal Ground (Difficulty: A)!]
[Rematch on Equal Ground] (Difficulty: A)
Description: Do not doubt it. This truly is your second battle on equal ground.
Quest Requirement: Defeat Bedrock Sovereign · Renee at the same level of strength.
Quest Reward: Bedrock Sovereign · Renee will consider joining you. (Note: She will only consider it.)
Failure Penalty: None
Things were developing in a direction Zhou Ming had never imagined.
Who could have guessed that moments after meeting again, one accidental jab would lead straight to an intense battle?
Still, Renee was the one insisting on a spar, and he needed her help. He could only do his best to satisfy her.
Once Zhou Ming accepted the quest, Renee’s strength fell accordingly. She followed the rules to the letter.
[Bedrock Sovereign · Renee] (Gold Boss)
Level: 50
HP: 500,000
Attack: 2,600-2,700
Defense: 3,800-4,000
Skills: [Rock Armor] [Defensive Force] [Goldstone Guard] [Shattering Rock Shockwave] [Rock Sovereign] [Meteorfall Art]
Description: Tens of thousands of years ago, a mysterious meteorite fell from beyond the heavens onto Destiny Continent. Tempered by the passage of time, the stone gained sentience, cultivated, and assumed human form.
Compared to when they had fought inside the trial space, Renee’s offensive and defensive attributes had grown even more extreme.
If Zhou Ming had not completed his class advancement and raised his Attack growth to sixteen stars, he might genuinely have been unable to break her defense.
“Why is your Attack so high?”
The moment Renee suppressed her strength to Level 50, she noticed something was wrong.
Zhouyou Shijie’s strength was naturally insignificant in the eyes of a god-tier powerhouse. At the same level, however, it was terrifying.
“If I’m not mistaken, you aren’t very fast,” Zhou Ming said pointedly.
“…”
Renee gave no answer. She simply braced for battle.
Seeing that, Zhou Ming raised a hand. Fire elements gathered into a blazing sun sword and locked onto Renee.
“Ding!”
[Bedrock Sovereign · Renee has used Rock Armor. Defense +50% for 3 minutes!]
“Ding!”
[Bedrock Sovereign · Renee has used Defensive Force. Damage Reduction +20% and Defense +20% for 3 minutes!]
“Ding!”
[Bedrock Sovereign · Renee has used Goldstone Guard. HP +50,000 and Defense +1,000 for 3 minutes!]
Renee did not dare hesitate. She activated skill after skill, driving her Defense far beyond Zhou Ming’s Attack until it exceeded six thousand.
Zhou Ming activated the command skill Warlord, reducing all his opponent’s attributes by 10%, while Dawnbringer continued to gather power. “Ready?”
“Come on!”
Renee did not lower her guard.
Zhou Ming made no move to attack. He waited until Dawnbringer reached its maximum charge. The phantom sword, more than a dozen meters long, hovered in the air with its point aimed at Renee’s head, waiting for the right moment.
“It’s useless!”
As though she had already seen through his plan, Renee said smugly, “At Level 50, my skills last three minutes, but their cooldown is only two and a half. You’ll never catch me during a gap between skills!”
She had learned from her mistakes!
The Bedrock Sovereign would never fall in the same place twice!
“This could be troublesome…”
Qianying frowned.
Renee was, after all, a miraculous stone capable of reaching god-tier, and she had invested every ability she possessed into defense. Breaking through at the same level was already tremendously difficult, let alone defeating her.
When nearly three minutes had passed, Zhou Ming finally drove the great sword down.
“That’s powerful!”
Renee remained perfectly confident. “But it still can’t break my…”
Bang!
Her boast died in her throat. Dawnbringer slammed into the golden barrier around her, making it tremble violently. The explosive force drove her down onto one knee and pinned her beneath overwhelming pressure.
Boom!
-76,160! (Critical Damage)
A damage number Renee could not accept floated above her.
Even with a massive 500,000 HP, she had lost roughly one-seventh of it in an instant.
“Impossible!”
Renee’s face flushed red with disbelief. “Your maximum Attack is only five thousand! It doesn’t even reach my minimum Defense, so how did you take so much of my HP?”
“Chirp, chirp!”
Xuanniao was every bit as confused.
“Join the organization I’m building, and I’ll tell you the answer!” Zhou Ming invited her warmly.
“That had to be your ultimate move. Its cooldown must be several days at the very least. Yes, that’s definitely it!”
Renee still clung to a thread of hope. “I haven’t lost yet!”
“…”
Zhou Ming said nothing. One minute later, he did it again.
In truth, Dawnbringer’s normal cooldown was only twenty seconds. Even after charging it to the limit, the cooldown was no more than one minute.
-76,230! (Critical Damage)
After suffering two setbacks in a row, the last of Renee’s hope disappeared. She lowered her head, utterly dejected. “I… I lost to you again…”
Ever since she had first gained sentience, she had encountered very few enemies. Somehow, she had slept and slept until she broke through to god-tier almost by accident.
Now she had lost to the same person twice. It was a bitter result to accept.
“Can we finally have a proper conversation?” Zhou Ming asked.
Still dispirited, Renee shook her head and politely refused him. “I know you want to recruit me, but… I’m sorry. I don’t want to get involved in human conflicts.”
“You once said you enjoy it when someone attacks you with everything they have but can’t even break your defense. You said it feels amazing,” Zhou Ming said solemnly.
Renee stopped in her tracks.
Neither Qianying nor Xuanniao dared make a sound.
Here it came!
He was starting again!
“If you refuse to interact with anyone, how many times will you ever experience that joy?” Zhou Ming asked.
Renee remained resolute. “I can’t throw myself into a pit of fire just to indulge a hobby.”
“There is endless joy in struggling alongside others!” Zhou Ming continued. “You love to fight, yet you’re suppressing yourself and rejecting every conflict. Doesn’t that run completely against what you truly want?”
“I…”
“Besides, if I could find you, then sooner or later, someone else will too!” Zhou Ming said gravely. “If you refuse to enter the world when the time is right, what do you think will happen when the gods eventually turn their attention to you?”
Renee had no answer.
“Do you think they’ll accept you?” Zhou Ming answered his own question. “Wrong. Completely wrong. They’ll kill you, because you’re a stone. A miraculous stone. A miraculous stone whose grade may have reached god-tier, or even surpassed it!”
What was Renee’s weakness?
Without question, she feared being discovered. Her value was enough to draw the covetous eyes of anyone consumed by greed.
“But… but…”
Renee’s thoughts were in chaos. “I’m not that smart. I don’t know whether you’re a good person or a bad person…”
She was not a fool. She knew she could not hide forever in some obscure corner, terrified that someone might discover her.
A life like that could end the very day she was found.
Zhou Ming stepped closer and placed both hands on her shoulders. His voice was sincere. “Look into my eyes.”
“Huh?”
Renee obeyed. As she met the young man’s unwavering gaze, a faint blush touched her cheeks and she shifted awkwardly. “This is kind of embarrassing!”
“Remember, you’re only joining my organization. That doesn’t mean you have to swear undying loyalty!” Zhou Ming said from the heart. “If you ever decide you chose the wrong person, or that I failed your expectations, you can leave whenever you wish. I swear to the heavens that I will never stop you!”
“…I can feel your sincerity!”
After hesitating again and again, Renee was finally persuaded. She said timidly, “In that case, I’ll join your organization for now and see where following you takes me…”
“Thank you for trusting me!” Zhou Ming was overjoyed.
A storm of question marks practically appeared over Xuanniao’s head.
Wasn’t that a little too hasty?
It had never seen such an innocent, trusting god-tier powerhouse!
“Now tell me why you could break my defense!” Renee was still deeply bothered by the outcome of their fight.
“Simple!”
A playful smile tugged at Zhou Ming’s lips as he gave her an honest answer. “Because…”
…