Chapter 161: A Favor Returned, Second-Rank Essence

Chapter 161: A Favor Returned, Second-Rank Essence

"What level did it reach? If the upgrade isn't that great, just tell me so I can feel better about it," Lin Zeyu asked, inquiring about the upgrade effect of the Prism Tower Shield.

After signing the team contract, Lu Heng and Lin Zeyu had been joking around, each trying to outdo the other.

Su Muyu had been examining the upgraded skill's effects, and upon hearing Lu Heng's question, he recited the data of the enhanced skill.

"Prism Force Field: Releases energy to form a 3x3 meter rhombus-shaped force field. Matter entering the force field will be slowed down until it comes to a halt. Skill duration: 6 seconds. Energy consumption: 40 Source Energy. Skill level: C-Class."

"This skill's effect..." Lin Zeyu wasn't entirely sure how powerful this skill was after hearing the data.

"A C-Class skill with B-Class defensive capabilities," Lu Heng summarized.

The original Prism Tower Shield was a D-Class skill with C-Class defensive capabilities.

The upgraded Prism Force Field, on the other hand, was a C-Class skill with B-Class defense.

In terms of defense alone, it was incredibly powerful.

Of course, this skill still required precise timing for its activation, just like before.

However, the duration had been increased from 3 seconds to 6 seconds, significantly improving its margin of error.

Lin Zeyu realized that the skill's upgrade to a C-Class with B-Class defense was quite impressive.

But then he thought about it further and realized that the upgrade of the Prism Force Field would benefit him the most.

In the future, when facing off against others in a sniper duel, he could maintain 6 seconds of invincibility, which was simply exhilarating.

After helping Su Muyu upgrade her skill, Lu Heng also checked the proficiency of his own skills.

Among them, the Gale Step Thrust had reached a proficiency of 1920/2000, not far from the required amount for an upgrade.

...

So, for the next two days, Lu Heng dedicated himself to practicing the Gale Step, and by the morning of the second day, he had maxed out its proficiency at 2000 points.

Before the sweat on his body had even dried, Lu Heng unlocked the skill and injected 600 points of Divine Energy to initiate the upgrade.

"The 'Gale Step Thrust' skill has been enhanced to 'Wind Runner'."

Wind Runner

Skill Level: B-Class

Energy Consumption: 5 Source Energy per minute

Skill Effect: Gain the power to harness the gale, increasing running speed by 120%. After a 2-second charge, the power of the wind is concentrated, resulting in a 3-fold acceleration effect, enabling a linear thrust. Simultaneously, wind resistance is reduced, enhancing endurance when breaking the sound barrier.

Upon seeing the upgraded skill, Lu Heng's eyes lit up.

This upgrade had granted him one of the three most powerful acceleration skills among B-Class skills.

In his previous life, Wind Runner was possessed by the first speedster who broke the sound barrier.

However, this speedster only appeared a year after the Abyssal Descent, and at that time, he was already a peak-level mutant in his 30s.

Now, only seven months in, it would be terrifying if he could break the sound barrier at this point.

The reason Wind Runner could break the sound barrier was mainly due to two factors. The first was the reduction in wind resistance.

The second was the 3-fold acceleration effect achieved after a 2-second charge, resulting in a linear thrust."

This 3-fold acceleration didn't refer to 300%, but rather three times the skill's acceleration effect, which meant an actual acceleration of 360%.

Lu Heng found an open space to test the skill's effect.

After a 2-second charge, he initiated the linear thrust, thrusting his sword forward at a speed that was barely visible to the naked eye, covering a hundred meters in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, he had already reached a distance of over a hundred meters.

However, during the thrust, he didn't break the sound barrier.

In fact, before the test, Lu Heng had already mentally calculated the data.

At his current level of 26, with an agility attribute of 74 points, the instantaneous speed during the Wind Runner's accelerated thrust exceeded 200 meters per second, but it still fell short of breaking the sound barrier.

Nevertheless, this was just the acceleration from Wind Runner. If he combined it with the 300% acceleration of Shadow Traverse, according to the data, he would reach the threshold for breaking the sound barrier.

Before he could even test it further, Lu Heng suddenly received a call from Lin Zeyu.

Yuan Hecheng, looking haggard, rushed to the Flame Emblem Tower to seek help. His daughter had been summoned into the Abyssal Battlefield at midnight the previous night, and he had waited all night, but she hadn't returned.

"Please, save Yao Yao, save her..."

When Lu Heng arrived at the Flame Emblem Tower, he saw Yuan Hecheng kneeling before Lin Zeyu, pleading for help.

Lin Zeyu was at a loss, having no idea what to do.

Lu Heng had already heard about the situation over the phone, and it was already close to noon.

Yuan Yao had been teleported into the Abyssal Battlefield at midnight the previous night, and almost half a day had passed without her return.

When such a situation occurs, the outcome is usually grim.

While the Abyssal World holds many possibilities, and there have been instances of Mutants failing to return on time, there hasn't been a single case of someone not dying.

However, these incidents are rare, and the chances of them happening are slim.

Moreover, those outside the Abyssal Battlefield have no way to influence the people and events within it.

Even if Lu Heng wanted to help, there was nothing he could do.

Yuan Hecheng knew that no one could assist him, but he was unwilling to accept this reality and eventually collapsed on the ground.

Lu Heng helped him to the sofa to rest, wanting to offer some words of comfort, but he didn't know how to begin.

In situations like this, no amount of consolation would help.

For Yuan Hecheng, his daughter was his life, and now that she was gone, he felt he had no reason to continue living.

Time ticked by, and it was now noon.

Two minutes later, Yuan Hecheng's phone rang. He picked it up and was stunned to see the caller's name, "Yao Yao," displayed on the screen.

He hesitated for half a second before frantically answering the call, shouting anxiously, "Yao Yao, Yao Yao, is that you?"

"Dad, where are you? You're not home waiting for me."

Yuan Yao Yao's voice came through the phone, slightly reproachful.

Yuan Hecheng's expression immediately changed to one of post-traumatic relief and joy. "Dad will be right back, Dad will be right back. Don't run around."

As he spoke, he held the phone and continued the conversation while rushing outside to hail a taxi.

Lin Zeyu quickly signaled to the manager to find someone to send him back.

After seeing him off, Lin Zeyu was perplexed. "It's been half a day since she disappeared. How did she suddenly reappear?"

Lu Heng glanced at the clock on the wall of the club's lobby; it was 12:05 PM.

Including the time of the phone call, the interval between Yao Yao's reappearance and her summoning time was exactly twelve hours.

Lu Heng had already guessed the reason; in Abyssal Worlds of level 5 or higher, time flows differently from the main world.

In other words, Yao Yao had been summoned into a level 5 or higher Abyssal World.

A world level of 5 doesn't necessarily mean the mission difficulty is also 5.

Different battlefield modes significantly impact the mission's difficulty.

For example, in the same Abyssal World, the survival mode's difficulty is undoubtedly lower than the enemy annihilation mode.

...

One hour later, Yuan Hecheng and his daughter returned to the Flame Emblem Tower.

Yao Yao shyly hid behind her father.

"Mr. Lu, Yao Yao said she has something to give you to thank you for your help," Yuan Hecheng explained the reason for their visit.

Yao Yao hurried forward, holding an oval-shaped transparent crystal, and handed it to Lu Heng.

Lin Zeyu, standing nearby, glared at her and said, "I helped you too. Why are you only giving him a gift?"

Yao Yao's expression froze, and she stammered, "I... I only have one..."

Su Muyu quickly patted her head and said, "Don't mind him. He's just teasing you."

Lu Heng took the crystal and examined it, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

This item was a Source Essence, and it was a Second Rank Source Essence at that.

Holding the Source Essence, Lu Heng looked at Yuan Hecheng and asked, "Do you really want to give this Source Essence to me?"

Yao Yao pursed her lips, smiled, and nodded.

When she smiled, she seemed a bit more reserved than before.

No one knew what she had experienced in the Abyssal Battlefield, but she had somehow obtained a Second Rank Source Essence.

This was a treasure that only powerful Abyssal Demons like the Flame Demon could produce. How did a young girl like her acquire it?

Lu Heng's question was mainly directed at Yuan Hecheng, as he was the guardian.

Yuan Hecheng nodded and said, "I think so too. It's better to give it to you. We can't use this Source Essence, and Yao Yao's Skill Crystal Core is too expensive. If I don't use this to offset part of the cost, I might never be able to pay back such a large sum of money in my lifetime."

Lu Heng considered for a moment and said, "Alright, we'll take this Source Essence. Yao Yao's Crystal Core cost will be waived, and we'll arrange a house for you in Jade Peak Lake, which you can either move into or sell."

"What? I heard the housing prices in Mingqiong District are very high," Yuan Hecheng exclaimed, stunned.

Their father-daughter duo didn't have the best financial situation, so they never dared to dream of owning a house in Mingqiong District.

Moreover, ever since the news of the government's plan to build a Base City spread, housing prices in Mingqiong District had skyrocketed, and now even money couldn't buy a house there.

Holding the Second Rank Source Essence in his hand, Lu Heng said, "This Source Essence is extremely valuable. I won't haggle over the price with you. Consider it my gift to you, and I'll give you a return gift."

"Okay, okay.

Yuan Hecheng quickly agreed.

He had also heard some rumors that a Base City was to be built in the coastal area, and there were several speculations about its location, with some saying it would be in Mingqiong District and others claiming it would be in Ningyun District.

Although he lacked concrete information, he was certain that someone of Lu Heng's stature would be privy to such details.

Therefore, if the Base City was indeed established in the coastal area, it was highly likely to be in Mingqiong District.

The property prices in Mingqiong District had already skyrocketed, far beyond his reach.

However, the Base City would be the safest place in the future, and he naturally wanted to provide the safest environment for his daughter.

Thus, the thought of acquiring a property in Mingqiong District filled him with gratitude.

...

The Second Rank Source Essence that Yuan Yaoyao had given was an excellent fit for Su Muyu's job rank.

With so many people around, absorbing it directly could pose a security risk.

After all, absorbing Source Essence would trigger a Source Essence Battle, making her a target for other Source Essence contenders.

So, Lu Heng decided to keep the Second Rank Source Essence for now and planned to give it to Su Muyu later that night.

In the past few days, Yuan Hecheng had been preoccupied with Yuan Yaoyao's conscription and hadn't been in the mood to work on tempering.

Now that Yuan Yaoyao had returned safely, Lu Heng asked, "Do you have time to work now, or do you need a few more days to rest?"

Yuan Hecheng quickly waved his hands, "No need for rest, I'm ready to work right now."

He knew that if they were to move to Jade Peak Lake, their living expenses would increase, so working hard to earn money was the right thing to do.

Moreover, with his daughter safely back, he felt energized and was eager to work diligently.

"Alright, follow me to the Tempering Castle," Lu Heng said, heading towards the clock tower of the club.

"But what about Yao Yao...?" Yuan Hecheng wasn't sure how to arrange things for his daughter and thought of sending her home first.

"She can come in too," Lu Heng waved them in.

"Yes! Yes!" Yuan Hecheng's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly pulled his daughter along.

He never imagined that even his daughter could enter the Tempering Castle.

Within their circle of Tempered Masters, the Tempering Castle was akin to a sacred temple, and gaining entry was an incredibly challenging feat.

Now, not only could he enter the Tempering Castle, but he could also bring his daughter along.

The group entered the Tempering Castle through the clock tower entrance and proceeded directly to the forging room.

Lu Heng started the furnace, preparing for the tempering process.

Yuan Hecheng asked anxiously, "I haven't undergone the examination yet, can I use the tempering furnace now? I heard that if Gulu Master isn't pleased, he'll kick people out."

Lin Zeyu laughed and said, "Inside the Tempering Castle, apart from Gulu Master, Lu Heng's word is law. Whoever he wants to let in can come in, and whoever he wants to train as a Tempered Master will become one."

After the preparations were complete, Lu Heng explained the work process:

"I plan to have you as my assistant, mainly in charge of controlling the furnace temperature. Can you manage that?"

"Yes, I can do that. Controlling the furnace temperature is my strongest skill," Yuan Hecheng nodded eagerly.

His initial talent was High Temperature Balance, making him far more adept at controlling furnace temperatures than other Tempered Masters.

By inviting Yuan Hecheng as his assistant, Lu Heng indirectly acquired the High Temperature Balance talent.

"Also, I'll assign you the tempering orders below level 3. Are you still an Apprentice Tempered Master?"

"Yes, I'm still an Apprentice Tempered Master, and I don't get many tempering opportunities."

"Don't worry, you'll gradually climb the ranks," Lu Heng encouraged him.

The reason Lu Heng assigned tempering orders below level 3 to Yuan Hecheng was to share the workload and nurture a talented Tempered Master.

Additionally, once a Tempered Master reaches the Senior Tempered Master level, they rarely gain experience from handling tempering tasks below level 3.

Lu Heng was currently working on tempering tasks below level 3, and his experience wasn't increasing significantly.

By delegating this part of the work to Yuan Hecheng, Lu Heng could focus on level 3 and above tempering tasks, saving time and ensuring his own skill improvement wasn't hindered.

Subsequently, Lu Heng completed the thirty-odd tempering orders that had accumulated over the past few days.

He then proceeded to temper and upgrade Su Muyu's crossbow and Lin Zeyu's SVD sniper rifle.

Both weapons' tempering levels were raised to +9.

Su Muyu's Mira's Crossbow had its attack power increased to 150 points.

As it hadn't undergone secondary forging, the crossbow remained a C-Class weapon.

For a C-Class crossbow, an attack power of 150 points was already formidable.

With the right materials for secondary forging, its attack power could instantly surpass 200 points.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end