Chapter 164: Equal Cultivation System

Chapter 164: Equal Cultivation System

Daire stretched out her tiny hand, unleashing a chain of water bullets from her water wings that rained down like hail.

With popping sounds of tiny explosions, the water projectiles carved dense, overlapping wounds across the Lion Scorpion’s body.

The Lion Scorpion’s tail lashed like lightning, but Daire anticipated the move and sidestepped effortlessly.

Seeing its strike miss, the monstrous beast seemed to instantly lose interest in its diminutive snack.

It lunged and devoured another combat slave, its half-crouched form gradually loosening up, completely ignoring Daire’s relentless water barrage as though it were mere drizzle.

Meanwhile, the countless minor wounds peppering its body were visibly knitting themselves together within the throbbing crimson glow of its Blood Rite.

At the same time, Luo En began his own assault, channeling the concentrated shockwave technique of Spirit Interference.

This "Spirit Interference", refined through advanced training and Soren’s Private Mentorship, was now terrifyingly potent, amplified further by his "Stagnation Zone" trait.

The Lion Scorpion’s movements faltered noticeably as its head shook violently, seemingly trying to shake off the intrusive disturbance.

Luo En rapidly constructed a spell matrix, releasing invisible sound waves from his fingertips that struck the Lion Scorpion’s ears, eyes, and other sensitive areas with surgical precision.

Though invisible, these Sound Wave Oscillations had striking effects.

Unfortunately, "Radiant Halo" and "Slime Splash" were unsuitable for this situation—otherwise, the restraining effect would’ve been even greater.

Caught off-guard, the Lion Scorpion was battered by consecutive penetrating strikes, dark blood seeping from its nostrils as its movements slowed significantly…

This seamless series of attacks flowed without a single pause, showcasing Luo En’s exceptional spell control.

His intent was clear—drain the Lion Scorpion’s stamina and focus while searching for its weakness, setting the stage for a decisive blow.

Other competitors watched in stunned silence, especially Cui Xi nearby, whose eyes flickered with disbelief.

As everyone knew, Potion Masters typically lagged in combat prowess, yet Luo En’s long-range offensive impact was the most pronounced among all present, rivaling even Holt’s.

His precise spell control and calm tactical calculations revealed a combat proficiency shockingly at odds with his Potion Master identity.

However, the Lion Scorpion did not shift its attention to Luo En as he’d anticipated. Instead, its tail snapped sharply, hooking another slave—a massive, multi-winged insect.

Luo En’s restrictive attacks never ceased, alternating between Sound Wave Oscillations and Spirit Interference.

In fact, the Lion Scorpion’s earlier tail strike had missed Daire thanks to his precise timing—when the beast attacked, Luo En had fired a Spirit Interference wave to disrupt it. Otherwise, the tiny siren couldn’t have evaded so easily while gliding.

Luo En frowned as he observed the Lion Scorpion moving less and less, now simply crouching to devour its prey…

The beast now focused intently on crunching its crispy, hard morsels.

It seemed particularly fond of this texture, showing far greater predatory zeal for insects than other slaves.

On the high platform, Hayaek’s lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile.

“Interesting. Looks like my prototype has absorbed enough blood mana.”

Naturally, Luo En couldn’t hear these words, but through Transcendent Perception, he saw the Lion Scorpion’s body erupt with volcanic energy fluctuations after swallowing the last morsel of Blood Rite…

A chill ran down his spine—his ominous premonition was confirmed.

Realizing the situation could spiral out of control, he urgently warned Daire via spiritual link:

“Prepare to retreat—Lion Scorpion might fully Awakening soon!”

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, competitors still attacking up close remained oblivious to the impending doom.

Seeing Luo En’s success, they mimicked his tactics with newfound confidence, growing bolder and more aggressive.

Suddenly, the sluggish Lion Scorpion erupted into blinding speed. Its eyes sharpened from murky haze to razor clarity, its muscles swelling imperceptibly yet distinctly.

More terrifyingly, an invisible oppressive force radiated from its body, triggering palpitations across all nearby competitors.

In a blur, the Lion Scorpion struck—its stinger lanced forward like lightning.

It pierced through a combat slave—a bear-man engulfed in ghostly blue flames, controlled by one competitor.

The stinger pierced the bear’s chest, injecting emerald-green venom.

The blazing blue flames extinguished instantly, and the hulking beast collapsed like a broken marionette, life fading rapidly.

But the Lion Scorpion didn’t stop—it swiped its massive claw, slamming the competitor against the Barrier.

With a thunderous crack, the competitor crashed into the Runic Barrier.

Blood spilled from his mouth as his eyes dulled—clearly unconscious.

His chest and abdomen were torn open, exposing pale ribs, with blood and entrails spilling across the ground.

This seamless series of moves shocked everyone. The battlefield fell deathly silent in an instant.

Many competitors’ faces twisted in terror, their legs trembling as all courage drained away.

Observing this, Luo En remained outwardly calm, but his vigilance had spiked to maximum.

He steadied his breath, optimizing his spiritual state while scrutinizing every Lion Scorpion movement for weaknesses.

From earlier observations, he’d noted that while the Lion Scorpion was fast, it hesitated slightly when turning—it was a critical window.

More importantly, its stinger attacks had wide range but required a brief recharge afterward.

Master these timing nuances, and at least one could escape unscathed.

The Lion Scorpion’s next target was the black-shelled, multi-legged beast that had been attacking it.

It charged forward so fast it left afterimages, closing the distance in an instant.

The master’s earlier arrogance vanished, replaced by pure terror.

Stunned by the sudden transformation, he reacted too late.

By the time he snapped back to command his slave’s retreat, it was over.

Claws flashed through the air, cleaving the multi-legged creature in half. Blood and entrails sprayed as it emitted a final, piercing shriek—a dying accusation of its master’s helplessness.

The Lion Scorpion pivoted sharply, its tail stinger flashing toward Li Yue.

The Panther Girl reacted instantly, rolling backward on instinct—but a fraction too slow.

Stinger's strike might not have hit a vital spot, but it left a vicious gash across her arm.

"Li Yue!" Cui Xi cried out, immediately beginning to chant a healing spell to slow the toxin's spread.

Judging from Li Yue's expression though, the poison was spreading faster than Cui Xi had anticipated.

The Panther Girl's arm swelled rapidly, her skin taking on an unnatural purple hue - clear signs of poisoning. Her breathing grew increasingly labored, her gaze unfocused, and sweat poured from her pores, mixing with the Chimera blood that dripped onto the ground.

Luo En watched the scene unfold calmly, already calculating probabilities in his mind. Rushing in recklessly to help would only endanger himself. And given Lion Scorpion's speed, he'd likely be intercepted before reaching Cui Xi.

Analyzing the situation rationally and preserving his strength for the right moment was clearly the best choice.

With one major combatant out of commission, Lion Scorpion had now turned toward its most despised target - Holt's Earth Elemental Golem.

As expected, the Earth Elemental Golem was indeed the ideal choice for combating the Lion Scorpion. Its Inorganic Trait rendered toxins completely ineffective, while its sturdy rocky body could withstand most physical attacks. This was precisely why Holt had confidently kept the colossus at the frontlines.

But now, the Lion Scorpion had clearly fully Awakened, its power far exceeding everyone's expectations.

Letting out a deafening roar, it raised its forelimbs high and slammed them down with tremendous force directly into the Earth Elemental Golem's chest.

This strike was significantly stronger than all previous attacks, even creating a roaring sound as it ripped through the air.

"Boom!"

The sturdy Earth Elemental Golem's chest cracked like a turtle's shell under this blow, with nearly a third of its entire upper body shattering!

The colossus's arms detached and crashed to the ground with a dull thud. More rubble followed from its battered body, exposing the vulnerable manacore at its core.

That once-impenetrable defense now looked fragile, as if it might collapse completely at any moment.

Holt's face turned instantly pale, clearly suffering from the backlash of his elemental form being attacked. He staggered backward, disbelief written across his face.

Even an experienced Enforcement Team captain like him found himself shaken by the Lion Scorpion's power.

In that moment, every competitor felt an almost suffocating pressure.

"Just now, that strike was clearly approaching Full Mage levels. Out in the world, it could easily level a small hill..."

Luo En silently evaluated the situation while continuing to search for an opening.

The battlefield had become a chaotic ocean of panic, most remaining survivors having lost their will to fight and only seeking to escape with their lives.

Yet amidst the chaos, Luo En caught a crucial detail:

After several high-intensity attacks, particularly the full-power strike against the Earth Elemental Golem, Lion Scorpion's movements seemed slightly sluggish. Its dark golden mane had lost its previous luster, and the crimson glow in its eyes had dimmed just a bit.

"I understand now", Luo En analyzed silently. "It seems this Abyssal Creature's burst period isn't sustainable, lasting only a short time each time. It must then replenish its mana through Blood Rite or mana attacks."

Considering the context, for a Selection Gauntlet, Fuyuanzhang wouldn't have chosen an opponent they couldn't possibly defeat.

Realizing this, he immediately adjusted his tactics:

"Daire, keep your distance but be ready to attack when I give the signal. We need to wear it down and strike when it enters its weakened phase."

On the high platform, the observing Mentors were closely monitoring the battle.

"This Potion Master named Luo En is quite interesting", commented one female Mentor wearing a deep blue robe.

"Most competitors have panicked, but he's maintaining calm and rational judgment."

"Indeed", agreed another elderly Mentor with white hair. "He seems to have already discerned the Lion Scorpion's weakness and fighting pattern. Such observational skills are extremely rare among apprentices."

Fuyuanzhang Hayaek stood aside, his expression unreadable, though subtle emotions stirred within him.

"If I hadn't relinquished my priority rights in talent development to Soren and Youni last time, this young fellow might be my student now."

According to the School's genius allocation system, each Full Mage had to give up their priority training rights for a period after selecting a cultivation successor. Having successfully trained Kerinna previously, Hayaek had enjoyed sufficient Boon compensation.

For quite some time, he had lost the right to priority guidance for newly discovered geniuses.

"Still", Hayaek quickly adjusted his mindset, "this Lion Scorpion experiment has already gathered sufficient data. It's also a good opportunity to observe the true capabilities of these Contender Candidates."

On the battlefield, the Lion Scorpion began its next round of predation.

Its gaze locked onto another competitor who hadn't escaped in time - a female apprentice controlling a half-human, half-serpent monster.

In a single bound, the Lion Scorpion lunged forward, its blood-red maw opening wide as it prepared to swallow the snake-woman whole.

In this critical moment, Holt's voice rang out from the side: "Everyone, take cover! Fighting separately will only get us killed one by one!"

He directed his battered Earth Elemental Golem to launch a desperate charge into the Lion Scorpion's flank.

Though the colossus was already severely damaged, the collision was enough to deflect the Lion Scorpion's attack, temporarily saving the female apprentice.

Witnessing this, Luo En remained calm.

This temporary cooperation actually benefited everyone:

Only by wearing down the Lion Scorpion's stamina could they all hope to survive.

"The moment has come", Luo En murmured, raising his hand to signal Daire.

The little siren immediately dove from the sky, her hands tracing an elegant arc through the air.

A series of Water Element projectiles launched from her fingertips, striking the Lion Scorpion's eyes with pinpoint accuracy and causing it to bellow in pain.

At the same time, Luo En began his own action.

Activating his Shapeshifter's Skin, he dashed toward the battlefield littered with shattered corpses.

In the chaos of battle, no one noticed the energy fluctuation completely concealed beneath his body.

After activating the Shapeshifter's Skin, he silently began absorbing the residual Soul Mana scattered across the battlefield.

After a certain period of time following a creature's death, its soul would naturally dissipate.

As far as he knew, there didn't seem to be any Mentors at the School who specialized in necromancy.

Therefore, for now Luo En wasn't too concerned about his quiet absorption of Soul Mana being detected by those Mentors.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end