Chapter 62 – Red Clouds Filling the Sky

Advancing from Apprentice Tier to Professional Tier doesn’t grant new skills, but the breakthrough brings about a qualitative leap.

From strength and speed to spirit, and further to energy capacity and utilization.

Ordinary troops at the Apprentice Tier cannot utilize any energy, with pitifully scarce energy within their bodies. However, upon reaching Professional Tier, they can naturally learn energy attachment, flow, and other application methods with minimal practice and familiarity.

At this stage, troops possess the power to shatter walls, moving faster than spears within seven steps, and may not even fear bullets beyond seven steps.

If equipped with superior gear, common pistols and rifles can hardly threaten Professional Tier experts.

This marks the initial transcendence of troops from the mundane into the supernatural realm.

This is an extremely important watershed moment!

Only players who possess Professional Tier troops can truly be considered veteran players. Those who have wasted two, three, or even four years without achieving Professional Tier strength are merely seen as old rookies in the eyes of others.

Before its breakthrough, Dolai already had abundant energy. Now, its entire body’s energy boils even more fiercely, and it has naturally learned some exquisite application methods.

“Come, let me see what changes you’ve undergone.”

Mu Yuan stepped forward, tugging at Dolai’s springy, gelatinous body. The Mental Link talent allowed him to vaguely sense the elasticity and softness of Dolai’s form, much like jelly.

And then?

He looked at Dolai, and Dolai looked back at him.

“Dolai… no know gurgle!”

It could now speak the Xuan Nation language. However, if Dolai could explain things clearly through speech alone, it wouldn’t be Dolai anymore.

It couldn’t articulate, but it could demonstrate.

“Gurgle~”

It extended an arm, instantly enlarging it to over ten meters in size, casting a large shadow.

In the blink of an eye, Dolai took a deep breath and inflated its body, swelling up like a small hill. The next moment, it continuously shrank, smaller and smaller, until it was only the size of a basketball.

Quite inconspicuous.

Its talents and skills remained unchanged, but the upper limits of their application had significantly improved.

“Gurgle~!” (And that’s not all!)

It hopped to the edge of the territory, instantly extending a giant hand.

The next moment, blazing white energy surged out, covering the entire palm and forming the outline of an even larger handprint. With a powerful slap from Dolai, the massive handprint slowly pushed forward, striking the last remaining boulder nearby.

The boulder was simply shattered into debris.

This move was flashy but impractical. Still, Mu Yuan could see that Dolai’s energy was now abundant and quite condensed, capable of leaving deep palm prints on the ground with casual slaps.

Facing that ogre again, perhaps Dolai could suppress it with just one hand.

Deadbone fell into silence.

It truly hadn’t been diligent or steady enough.

No, it must have the ability to shoulder the responsibility for this home!

Deadbone silently went off to train rigorously, dragging Bone Two and Bone Three along with it.

…

Deadbone’s current Rank was LV8. Although Mu Yuan had purchased some Treasures to assist with cultivation, it would take Deadbone at least six more days to reach LV9 Great Perfection before attempting a Breakthrough.

Dolai was now far ahead.

Having just broken through, Dolai was still in a rapid growth phase. Both its talent and the Coagulated Liquid Shaping skill could be developed for more applications.For instance, Dolai could now use condensed fluid shaping to transform itself into a flying bird. Well, a bird molded from blue condensed fluid.

It was also attempting to shape a humanoid form.

To be precise, it was a blob of condensed fluid roughly resembling a human shape.

All the development and training plans Mu Yuan had previously envisioned could now be fully implemented for Dolai.

Like now,

Dolai shaped a human-sized arm, then stretched it out like rubber over a dozen meters into the distance, holding a Shaman Staff of Shameful Rarity in its hand.

It waved the staff.

Whoosh~!

A massive fireball, three to four meters in diameter, came rolling straight toward Dolai itself.

The fireball blazed like a miniature sun, radiating intense light and heat, scorching the earth beneath.

But the next moment, Dolai opened its mouth wide and took a gentle inhale.

As if a dragon sucking in water, the fireball instantly transformed into a fiery tornado before being swallowed whole by Dolai, which then exhaled a faint smoke ring.

It tasted like charcoal grilling.

It continued training. For Dolai, satisfying its appetite while growing stronger was double the joy, making this type of training its most dedicated practice.

“Now that Dolai has reached Professional Tier and the Undead General also possesses Professional Tier combat power, even if that wandering ogre in the wilds is of a higher Rank, subduing it won’t be difficult.”

He decided to intensify the search for the wandering ogre, as having a major threat lurking nearby was always unsettling.

Just as he thought this, the distant sky suddenly blazed with crimson clouds.

No, these weren’t ordinary crimson clouds—they were formed by strands of Crimson Mist drifting high in the sky, converging into a vast crimson expanse!

An omen of ill fortune!

Monsters in the wild seemed to grow restless, as a pack of kobolds—emerging from who knows where—charged toward the territory with bloodshot eyes and frenzied howls.

Within just half an hour, four similar wild monster charges occurred.

Although they were swiftly slain, and the crimson clouds began to thin, leaving only scattered strands of Crimson Mist drifting about, still…

“This sign… it’s mentioned in the strategy guides—it’s a precursor to the Lord Trial, usually appearing ten days before the trial begins. As the trial approaches, the Crimson Mist omen will grow more pronounced.”

Yet today was only the 17th day since obtaining the game.

There were still 13 days until the Lord Trial was supposed to start.

What in the world… had happened?

…

Xuanguo Central Capital.

Several high-ranking experts from the association hurried into the spacious, brightly lit conference room and took their seats.

Soon after, light erupted from a few other seats, projecting majestic, luminous figures.

“The upcoming Lord Trial is going to start early.”

“Yes, the omens have already appeared, and we may not even have ten days left—it’s estimated to be only about eight.”

“Twilight Plains, Ancient Highlands, and other regions have simultaneously shown Crimson Mist omens. Does this mean the Lord Trial for this cycle will occur concurrently?”

“Correct. The entry times for newcomers in the country aren’t uniform, meaning some regions’ newcomers will only be a couple of days ahead, while others might be six or seven days early. For those in the latter regions, it’s going to be quite challenging.”

However, what truly weighed heavily on everyone present was the real implication behind these omens.

—It was happening ahead of schedule.”The Starshine Alliance has also shown signs of the Crimson Mist. Clearly, the fusion between our Blue Star and the Eternal World is intensifying. Perhaps before long, the entire Blue Star will plunge into the Eternal World!”

“Indeed, the early warning system has indicated that 29 new Border Zones are about to form within the country. The rifts between the two worlds will continue to multiply, and the chaos… may soon become uncontrollable.”

“Previously, we restricted information about the Chosen Ones and the Eternal World to use the awareness of the vast majority of ordinary people as an anchor, stabilizing our Blue Star world. But now that we can no longer halt Blue Star’s descent, we must gradually lift these restrictions to prepare for the impending disaster. At the very least, we have bought ourselves several decades.”

For the powerful and Great Lords, the negative impacts of the two worlds’ fusion are minimal.

However, for ordinary players and newcomers, the loss of the Real World as a bridge will undoubtedly make their progress much more difficult.

As the two worlds gradually merge, whether it’s monsters flooding into Blue Star or entire cities plummeting from Blue Star… the consequences will be fatal for ordinary people.

“Martial arts courses have been implemented for many years, and the characteristics and weaknesses of common monsters like goblins have long become widely known through games, films, and other media.”

“We have also established a sufficiently broad foundation in the Eternal World.”

“Everyone must believe that we have the capability and confidence to face the upcoming Challenge.”

(End of Chapter)