Chapter 112: The Value of Divine Evolution and Swordplay Proficiency

Chapter 112: The Value of Divine Evolution and Swordplay Proficiency

At Jade Peak Lake, Lin Zeyu chose another house as the meeting spot for the three of them.

"Kenji Kino, the Asia-Pacific Regional President of the Springtop Group, is a cunning man. During his time in Japan, he was a gang member and was known for his ruthless and heartless nature."

Lin Zeyu placed a photo of Kenji Kino on the table and tapped it with his finger, "According to the information we gathered the day before yesterday, he was the one who ordered the attack. Their target is the team contract."

"Now that we've already used the contract, Kenji Kino has temporarily given up on taking action and hasn't made any further moves."

Su Muyu then took out a second photo and placed it on the table, saying, "This man is called Hideyoshi Tsugawa, the most powerful psychic among Kenji Kino's associates. He used to be a Japanese vagrant, and it's said that he was once a master swordsman in Japan, having won a championship in Kendo. He's currently at a very high level and is one of the most difficult opponents among Kenji Kino's associates."

Since Lu Heng had agreed to Lin Zeyu's plan, he had Su Muyu investigate the psychics around Kenji Kino over the past two days.

She then took out another photo and said, "This woman is called Keiko Kanada, and she stays by Kenji Kino's side for 24 hours a day, including at night. She's also a psychic, and her level is not low."

After introducing these two key individuals, she continued, "Additionally, when Kenji Kino goes out, he's always accompanied by a team of ten psychic bodyguards, several of whom are sensitives. If we get too close during reconnaissance, we might be discovered."

Lu Heng thought for a moment and asked, "What about vehicles? What does Kenji Kino usually drive?"

Lin Zeyu flipped through the photos on the table and pointed to one, saying, "This one, a customized bulletproof Crown sedan."

Su Muyu added, "Before he gets into the car, a psychic bodyguard with sensing abilities will inspect the entire vehicle, including the undercarriage. With the incident from a few days ago, Kenji Kino's bodyguards have been extra vigilant, so it's unlikely that we can install a timed bomb under the car."

Lu Heng thought for a moment and asked, "Which hospital does Kenji Kino usually go to?"

Lin Zeyu replied, "Eikun Private Hospital. It's a Japanese-funded private hospital in the coastal area, and the Springtop Group holds a small stake in it. Kenji Kino always seeks medical treatment at this hospital and hasn't been to any other hospital."

Lu Heng continued, "How many of us are there?"

Lin Zeyu gestured with his fingers, "Besides the three of us, there are seven more psychic bodyguards, all of whom are my trusted associates, ranging from level 12 to 18."

Lu Heng compared the strengths of both sides and said, "That should be enough. We can give it a try. Now, let me outline the plan of action..."

After discussing and refining the plan, Lu Heng added, "Since this operation is very dangerous, if things get out of hand, I will order a retreat. At that time, everyone must immediately fall back and avoid recklessness."

"Understood," Lin Zeyu nodded in agreement.

"This time, our opponents are not easy to deal with, so we need to improve our combat power as much as possible before taking action," Lu Heng reminded them.

"During this period, I've been absorbing energy from crystal cores at full capacity, and tomorrow I'll reach level 21. I've also been practicing my marksmanship to ensure I won't hold the team back," Lin Zeyu clenched his fist, full of confidence.

Lu Heng thought for a moment and asked, "Have you maxed out the proficiency of any skills?"

Lin Zeyu replied, "I've maxed out the proficiency of Armor-Piercing Shell, but I haven't upgraded it yet."

He had always been a gun enthusiast, so the first crystal core skill he learned was Armor-Piercing Shell.

With this skill, he could pierce through the tough shells of Abyssal Worms with a single shot.

Later, he chose the gun enhancement path, and whenever he practiced shooting, he would also work on improving his proficiency with Armor-Piercing Shell. That's why he had maxed out the skill's proficiency quite early on.

He thought for a moment and said, "By the way, I have some important intelligence about the Abyssal Battlefield. If you complete a world quest in the Abyssal Battlefield, you can get a three-choice reward. If you're lucky, one of the choices might be a reward that allows you to upgrade skills by consuming divine energy."

Currently, there are already a large number of psychics worldwide, and the cumulative number of experienced Abyssal Battlefields is also quite impressive.

Therefore, many hidden messages about the Abyssal Battlefield circulate among the major families and powers.

As a result, the major families have access to a lot of intelligence that ordinary psychics cannot obtain.

The Lin family has already acquired this information about the three-choice reward for completing a world quest in the Abyssal Battlefield through information exchange.

So, Lin Zeyu already knew that one of the three-choice rewards might include the option to upgrade skills.

In the era of the Abyssal Descent, methods to upgrade skills are scarce.

Completing a world quest in the Abyssal Battlefield and using the three-choice reward to upgrade skills by consuming divine energy is one of those methods.

Of course, the prerequisite is to complete the world quest and be lucky enough to have the skill upgrade option among the three choices.

However, for Lu Heng, there's no need to complete a world quest or choose from the three-choice reward. He can simply unlock the skill lock with Divine Evolution and upgrade the skill with max proficiency.

This is the power of the initial talent, 【Divine Evolution】.

One could say that this talent is akin to receiving countless upgrade skill rewards from the World Quest's three-choice rewards.

The value of this talent becomes more significant the further one progresses.

Lin Zeyu continued, "How can I complete the World Quest in the Abyssal Battlefield? Do you know?"

Lu Heng didn't answer but instead asked, "Do you still have Divine Energy?"

"Yes, I have 400 points left," Lin Zeyu replied, holding up four fingers.

"Do you want the World Quest reward?"

"Yes, I do. How can I get it?"

Lu Heng waved his finger and said, "It's simple. Just ask me."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lin Zeyu blinked, not understanding.

Su Muyu covered her mouth and chuckled, "You ask him. If you ask him, he'll give you the World Quest reward."

"There's such a good deal. Godfather! I'm begging you," Lin Zeyu shamelessly pleaded.

He was certain that Lu Heng wouldn't joke around without meaning, and Su Muyu wouldn't play along, so Lu Heng must be able to grant the "World Quest" reward.

This was like a godsend!

"Okay, okay, stop begging," Lu Heng said, a little exasperated by his shamelessness.

Every time he saw Lin Zeyu's shameless attitude, Lu Heng felt a bit annoyed. He quickly unlocked the skill lock on his 【Armor-Piercing Shell】 skill and explained:

"The skill lock is unlocked. You need to guide 300 points of Divine Energy into the skill slot and merge it with the original energy. When merging, focus your mind and don't get distracted.

"If nothing unexpected happens, your skill should be upgraded after the fusion is complete."

Lin Zeyu casually asked, "What if something unexpected happens?"

Lu Heng spread his hands and replied, "Then the skill will be wasted, and the skill slot might even explode."

Lin Zeyu swallowed hard, "That's scary. What if something unexpected happens to me?"

Su Muyu shrugged, "I've never had any issues. If you encounter a problem, it's your responsibility."

Lin Zeyu glared, "You know I'm a jinx!"

Lu Heng crossed his arms and leaned back on the sofa, "Well, the skill lock is unlocked. It's up to you now."

Lin Zeyu swallowed again, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and his heart pounded as he followed Lu Heng's instructions, guiding the Divine Energy into the skill slot.

Lu Heng noticed the sweat on Lin Zeyu's forehead; he seemed genuinely nervous.

Su Muyu helped explain, "Don't be nervous. Think of the two energies as two cups of water. Pour them into the same cup slowly, without spilling. Once the energies are fully merged, then speak."

"They're merged! They're merged!" Lin Zeyu said with his eyes closed.

"Are they completely merged? Is the energy still churning?" Lu Heng wasn't sure if Lin Zeyu's claim of 'merged' was accurate.

"They're still spinning, but they've merged," Lin Zeyu replied.

"Wait a bit longer. Speak when the spinning slows down," Lu Heng advised.

"It's slowing down, getting slower. It's almost stopped," Lin Zeyu hurriedly said.

Lu Heng used 【Divine Evolution】 to lock the skill, completing the final step.

"Alright, check the skill effect."

Lin Zeyu quickly checked his attribute panel, and his eyes lit up with excitement. "Holy crap! It's really upgraded. This skill has become a C-rank! Lu Heng, what kind of god are you?"

Lu Heng smiled and said, "It's a secret. Only team members can enjoy this benefit."

Lin Zeyu gave a thumbs up, "I understand!"

"How are your attributes now?" Lu Heng asked.

Lin Zeyu recited the upgraded skill effect:

【Advanced Armor-Piercing Shell: Adds an advanced armor-piercing effect to bullets, capable of penetrating tough armor. Ignores 50% of armor defense. Skill Consumption: 10 Source Energy; Skill Rating: C-rank.】

"This is incredible! Before, it had a 30% armor penetration, but now it's up to 50%. With this, I can pierce through tanks." Lin Zeyu clenched his fist, brimming with confidence.

In reality, piercing through tank armor was still a challenge, but hitting critical spots to disable tanks was much easier.

"The effect is indeed impressive. If this is the case, our success rate will increase significantly. Let's prepare according to our previous plan. I need to practice my swordsmanship these days to face the Japanese Sword Art Competition champion," Lu Heng said, having finished upgrading Lin Zeyu's skill.

Lu Heng needed to seize the time to practice his swordsmanship proficiency.

It was the fifth month since the Abyssal Descent, and since the first month, Lu Heng had been diligently practicing his swordsmanship and agility, constantly improving his proficiency.

His swordsmanship proficiency had reached the Subtle Level (2750/3000), and he was still some distance away from the next level. With a few more days of effort, he had a chance to break through.

Moreover, during the last battle, Lu Heng had intuitively executed the Near Intentional Level's Seven-Segment Sword Step variation, "Swallow Turn," a sign that he was on the verge of a breakthrough.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end