Chapter 56 – Seems Like a Big Shot

“Prompt: You have obtained 4 Soul Crystals.”

“Prompt: You have obtained ‘2-Star Remnant Soul (Wandering Soul)’ ×46.”

“Prompt: You have obtained rare-tier Materials ‘Elemental Orb’ and ‘White Stardust’.”

“Prompt: You have obtained Inheritance Stone (Barbarian Berserker).”

Skipping over the other rewards and only pausing briefly on the Elemental Orb, his gaze shifted to the Wandering Soul Remnant Souls.

Their appearance lived up to the title of “the shame of 2-Stars”—they were semi-transparent spiritual entities that seemed on the verge of dissipating at any moment, vaguely humanoid in shape but with indistinct features.

It was said that by the Specter stage, their spiritual forms would become much clearer, and when they evolved into Wraiths and higher forms, they might even become indistinguishable from an Immortal Master.

“Wandering Souls are relatively rare and not easy to acquire, but with these 46 Remnant Souls as a starting point, it won’t take too long to evolve them all. It’s just that starting cultivation now means Specters won’t be of much use during the Lord Challenge.”

Mu Yuan stored the items and continued advancing.

…

In the distance, Jiang Luoxing was still observing the battle, occasionally exclaiming in amazement to himself.

“Holy crap, that’s insane!”

“So that’s how you clear this stage?”

“He cleared Stage 5 already? And so easily!”

“It seems Liu Miumiu… no, Boss Liu isn’t just relying on her powerful background. Her command skills are exceptional, and she definitely possesses incredibly strong strategic talents! Even though her Spring Spirits are about the same Rank as my Mages and Griffins, their destructive power is just cheating!”

Just moments ago, several Spring Spirits had joined forces to summon a dozens-of-meters-high waterfall that crashed down with overwhelming force, sweeping away the enemy formation.

This was a terrifying display of power far beyond what even Professional Tier could achieve.

Naturally, this wasn’t solely the Spring Spirits’ power. Contestant Liu Miumiu’s hair was flowing, and some mysterious force was radiating from her, affecting each Spring Spirit.

By the sixth stage, Contestant Liu Miumiu summoned two more Wave Caller Spring Spirits. With a wave of her hand, dozens-of-meters-long water Dragons surged across the arena, roaring as they crashed down.

These were rare 3-Star units!

But Jiang Luoxing found he wasn’t particularly surprised.

“No wonder some veteran players on the forums were singing such high praises for her—it turns out they weren’t exaggerating at all.”This spectacle is too shocking. It’s a pity that guy earlier couldn’t witness this. Wait, hasn’t that guy been eliminated yet? He’s holding up surprisingly well.”

He looked toward the Challenge Arena on the left and discovered it had already reached Stage 5. Anyone who could reach this stage couldn’t be much weaker than him.

He had underestimated this guy.

“Then again, anyone who can break into the Secret Realm at this point must be extraordinary. But this guy didn’t seem to know anything he asked about… Could he be a big shot pretending to be a newbie?”

Besides, the confusion in that guy’s eyes seemed genuine, and if he really were a big shot, there’s no way Jiang Luoxing wouldn’t have recognized him.

After some thought, Luo Xing couldn’t resist his curiosity and glanced toward the Challenge Area on the left.

At that moment, Stage 5 had just begun.

A gray tide drifted across the arena, with figures flashing across it one after another.

Skeleton Warriors, Goblin Shamans, Stone Gargoyles, Blazing Goblins, Barbarian Warriors… The forms of these rare 1-Star units flashed by before finally settling on a massive figure.

Rare Monster: Ironclad Giant Scorpion!It had a body the size of a tricycle, its carapace gleaming like steel, and a scorpion tail tipped with a needle-like point arched high, sending chills down the spines of any creature facing it.

“Holy crap!”

Luo Xing, watching from afar, mourned silently for Mu Yuan for three seconds. “To randomly draw such an enemy—this guy’s luck is just awful.”

These giant scorpions were notoriously difficult and terrifying to deal with, but most importantly, they were inherently cruel. They’d likely gut players with their tails before finishing them off brutally.

Such a death…

Ugh! The thought alone sent shivers down his spine—far worse than being simply crushed to death.

Like earlier, he’d actually considered taking his own life with his sword, but at the last moment, fear and hesitation took over, and he ended up being smashed to death by an enemy.

Of course, he couldn’t admit such an embarrassing detail—he’d died a heroic death in battle.

But surely Brother Mu could figure out the option of taking his own life… right?

He observed that the forces Mu Yuan deployed were not weak—there were a full seven Skeleton Warriors.

However, these seven Skeleton Warriors weren’t high enough in Rank, and the unit composition was too monotonous. Against the relentless pursuit of the Ironclad Giant Scorpions, they quickly fell into a disadvantage.

One by one, the Skeleton Warriors collapsed, their armor shattered, their bodies dismembered.

Brutal, absolutely brutal!

“Still, the Skeleton Warriors’ performance was impressive—they managed to take down six Ironclad Giant Scorpions. Hmm, that record is almost on par with mine.”

Brother Mu, not bad—he had his respect.

But this guy was about to experience a gruesome death.

He mourned silently, this time for several seconds, but instead of hearing human screams, he was met with deafening roars and the agonized cries of giant scorpions.

A figure as imposing as an iron tower appeared in the Arena, surrounded by a rising aura of deathly energy. Wielding a Greatsword, it struck fiercely at the hardened body of the giant scorpion.

The massive scorpion was sent flying backward.

The iron tower-like figure strode forward in pursuit, the dark energy on its Greatsword intensifying. With one strike, two strikes, three strikes, accompanied by explosive impacts, it drove the blade deep into the scorpion’s body, leaving the spectators with only a view of its formidable, unyielding back—a lone warrior holding the line against insurmountable odds.

“Holy shit!”

Luo Xing’s eyes widened as he stared dumbfounded at the unit wreaking havoc above. After holding back for several seconds, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “That’s a Skeleton General! And there are two of them!”

…

To possess two rare three-star units in just over ten days of development, and with such high cultivation Ranks—this was undoubtedly top-tier among the second-generation elites, a giant among giants.

Even if he fell slightly short of the neighboring Boss Liu, rounding it off, they were in the same league.

He’d failed to recognize a true master, but where had this big shot come from?

With such talent and strength, it was impossible for him to be unknown!

On the right side of the arena,

Another second-generation Lord, Liu Miumiu, was already struggling to hold her ground and had joined the fight personally. With waves of her hand, she shot out torrents of water, but she was gradually losing the upper hand. Soon, a terrifying, several-meter-tall ogre fixed its gaze on her. A massive wooden club, larger than her entire body, came crashing down, splattering her blood across the ground and reducing her to pulp.

By the time Liu Miumiu regained her senses, she was already back in the waiting area, her heart pounding wildly.

“Huh?”

But as she glanced out of the corner of her eye, she noticed another battle taking place in a distant arena. And from the looks of it…

Had they already reached the sixth stage?She was slightly surprised, standing on her tiptoes to gaze at the distant figure with curiosity.

…

The sixth Challenge was different from the previous ones—it no longer involved defeating a fixed number of enemies of specific tiers.

This stage seemed to be an endless mode.

As time passed, the number of enemies appearing on the field would increase, growing stronger and stronger until the challenger was defeated and died, ending the Challenge.

Based on how long they lasted, challengers would receive varying rewards in this stage.

…This information was something Mu Yuan had deduced earlier, during the gap between the end of the fifth Challenge and the start of the sixth, by observing the female player’s battle from afar.

This Liu Miumiu was very strong.

Her main forces were just two Wave Callers and several other spirits, yet she could unleash power surpassing even Bone Two and Bone Three. It was worth noting that Bone Two and its companion possessed the Death Siphon talent, making them significantly stronger than other units of the same tier.

Not only that, her abilities seemed to have a synergistic effect, allowing her to gather and unify the power of these spirits.

“Is this the legendary strategic talent? But it seems this girl also has a personal talent—the torrents she wields are like water blades, with extraordinary combat power. Perhaps this is the true level of a top-tier second-generation heir?”

In comparison, Jiang Luoxing from earlier had fallen a bit short.

However, even a powerhouse like Liu Miumiu couldn’t escape her fate—her graceful figure was brutally shattered by an ogre, dying in an extremely tragic manner.

Death in the end, is it?

Mu Yuan sighed, “Forget it, consider it the price for freeloading Treasures.”

For the sake of his own troops, he had no choice but to sacrifice himself. He truly had it tough!

(End of Chapter)