Chapter 195: Quasi-S-Rank Skill: The Celestial Phoenix

Chapter 195: Quasi-S-Rank Skill: The Celestial Phoenix

As soon as Jian Qing appeared, Su Muyu knew something important was about to happen. "It's likely that Alex Austin has entered the country, and he probably brought a team of Metahumans with him," Lu Heng stated, revealing the most crucial information.

Su Muyu's heart sank upon hearing this, and she quickly asked, "What does he intend to do here? Is he seeking revenge on us? Or is it... for the technological data?"

She didn't have all the details, but her intelligence allowed her to piece together many possibilities.

Lu Heng nodded and replied, "Indeed, it's about the technological data. So, Alex Austin likely has two targets: me and the Academy of Sciences."

"Jian Qing hopes we'll cooperate with the military to prevent Alex Austin from stealing the data."

Lin Zeyu tilted his head, his bangs flopping over his eyes as he said with a hint of arrogance, "This idiot dares to step into our territory again. Can't we finish him off this time?"

Su Muyu cautioned, "We should still be careful. After all, the White Eagle Federation is a superpower, and even a weak camel is bigger than a horse. Moreover, the White Eagle Federation is far from weak. Their super soldiers won't be pushovers. Plus, we don't know how many people they've brought, so it won't be easy to deal with them."

Lu Heng agreed, "Indeed, Alex Austin's whereabouts are currently unknown, and we don't know how many Metahumans he has with him or what abilities they possess. This mission will be challenging."

In this era, Metahumans possessed a wide range of abilities, and there were all sorts of types.

Therefore, the Metahumans sent by the White Eagle Federation might attempt to steal the technological data in unexpected ways and from unforeseen angles.

Lin Zeyu asked curiously, "Didn't we keep a backup copy? Coming after us won't do them any good."

Lu Heng spread his hands and answered, "We didn't keep a backup, but do you think Alex Austin would believe that?"

Lin Zeyu held his air sniper rifle with both hands, taking aim as he said, "Whether he believes it or not, if he shows up, I'll blow his head off with one shot."

Lu Heng gave him a playful glance and reminded him, "According to military intelligence, Alex Austin has injected a Superhuman Serum, and his combat power has skyrocketed. I suggest that if you see him, you run. Don't hesitate."

Lin Zeyu's eyes widened as he asked, "What kind of Superhuman Serum is so powerful? How much does it cost? I want to get a couple of bottles myself."

Lu Heng smiled, a hint of mischief in his eyes, and asked, "Are you sure you want to inject that stuff?"

"Why not, if it can make me stronger?"

Lin Zeyu's interest was piqued when he heard about the possibility of enhancing his strength, right up his alley.

The others didn't know what this Superhuman Serum was, but Lu Heng did.

In his previous life, this Superhuman Serum had gained quite a reputation, sparking a frenzy among Metahumans eager to inject it.

A month after the serum's appearance in the White Eagle Federation, it began to spread into the country.

Two months later, the Great Xia officially announced that the Superhuman Serum was a prohibited substance, banning its sale, storage, and injection.

The official stance made it clear that there was something wrong with the serum.

This Superhuman Serum incident occurred a year after the Abyssal Invasion.

In his previous life, Lu Heng had gained the opportunity to awaken during the frenzy over the Superhuman Serum.

At the time, he had almost spent money to buy the serum to improve his strength.

However, Lu Heng had been cautious and didn't purchase it blindly. He did some research and found news from abroad about Metahumans suffering adverse effects after injecting the serum.

These news stories were suppressed and didn't cause much of a stir.

Seeing these reports, Lu Heng became even more cautious and chose to wait and see. Soon after, the official listed the Superhuman Serum as a prohibited substance.

...

Currently, it was mid-August, a month after the Abyssal Invasion, and the Superhuman Serum had already made an appearance.

However, at this stage, the serum was likely still in the experimental phase, and only Metahumans with the backing of powerful corporations and conglomerates like Alex Austin could access it.

Although the serum had its issues, one thing was certain: it could indeed enhance the combat power of Metahumans. Any adverse effects would come later; for now, the serum did boost strength.

In other words, the current Alex Austin was stronger than he had been on the Abyssal Battlefield, and by a significant margin.

Lu Heng recalled these events and said, "Remember what I said. This Superhuman Serum hasn't undergone human trials, so there will definitely be side effects. It's not safe to use. Additionally, Alex Austin's combat power has skyrocketed after injecting the serum, so we must be extra cautious."

Su Muyu nodded seriously and said, "Then we should also work on improving our strength quickly. My Divine Feathered Eagle skill's proficiency is already maxed out. Help me upgrade it."

Lu Heng pulled her to sit on a nearby chair and helped her unlock the skill lock on the Divine Feathered Eagle, reminding her of the precautions for upgrading skills, "Upgrading a B-Rank skill to A-Rank requires 1500 points of Divine Energy. Additionally, you need to maintain the stability of the two energies during the fusion process, and an energy vortex can help with that."

Su Muyu closed her eyes, guiding 1500 points of Divine Energy into the skill slot, merging it with the energy of the Divine Feathered Eagle.

The two energy masses slowly intertwined and mixed, occasionally bubbling with energy that Su Muyu managed to dissipate through rotation.

After more than ten minutes, the two energies finally merged completely.

She hurriedly said, "It's done! Quickly lock the skill!"

Lu Heng helped her lock the skill slot.

Su Muyu glanced at the skill level displayed after the energy fusion and heaved a sigh of relief, delighted. "It worked!"

A series of data prompts appeared in her eyes.

[Skill 'Divine Feathered Eagle' has been upgraded to 'Celestial Phoenix'.]



[Celestial Phoenix]



[Skill Level: A-Rank (Class Enhancement)]



[Skill Consumption: 150 Source Energy]



[Skill Effect: Summons a Celestial Phoenix for reconnaissance and combat in the sky, controlling flames. The Celestial Phoenix has a carrying capacity of 1000kg, allowing the caster to fly in the sky with its aid.]



[Attributes: Detection Range of Stealth = 15 x Perception; Attack Damage = 10 x Spirit.]



[Celestial Phoenix Skills: Lightning Dash, Solar Wind]



[Lightning Dash: The Celestial Phoenix can transform into a streak of light and dash at a speed of X meters per second when unburdened. Speed Factor = 10 x Spirit.]



[Solar Wind: The Celestial Phoenix creates a solar wind, scorching a 20-meter radius with X degrees of high temperature. Heat Factor = 100 x Spirit.]



Su Muyu was thrilled as she examined the upgraded skill's effects.

When Lin Ze Yu heard her describe the skill's effects, his eyes widened in astonishment. "No way! An A-Rank skill can't be this powerful, can it? This is way over the top!"

Just by looking at the skill panel's description, it was evident that the skill was incredibly powerful.

Compared to other A-Rank skills, this one's strength was clearly beyond the norm.

Lu Heng also felt that the skill's intensity far exceeded expectations, but he wasn't surprised. "After all, with two class enhancements, it's only natural that it's stronger than a regular A-Rank skill."

"This is outright skill fraud," Lin Ze Yu exclaimed, his face turning red with envy at the skill's strength.

"Based on the skill's effects, it's practically a quasi-S-Rank skill," Lu Heng assessed.

In fact, a quick reflection on the number of times this skill had been enhanced would reveal why it was so powerful.

Initially, the skill was a D-Rank 'Reconnaissance Eagle'.

A very ordinary skill, with only reconnaissance capabilities and no offensive power.

Later, through Lu Heng's Divine Evolution enhancement, it evolved into the C-Rank 'Advanced Reconnaissance Eagle'.

Subsequently, with the first class evolution 'Sky Eye's' source essence enhancement, it became the 'Sky Hunter'.

Then, with the second class evolution 'Sky Lord's' source essence enhancement, it upgraded to the B-Rank 'Divine Feathered Eagle'.

Now, with another upgrade, it has evolved into the A-Rank 'Celestial Phoenix'.

This skill has undergone four evolutions, two of which were source essence enhancements granted by class evolutions.

In other words, half of Su Muyu's source essence abilities from her two classes are manifested in this skill.

Hence, the birth of this 'Celestial Phoenix', far surpassing A-Rank standards.

Su Muyu was delighted and summoned the Celestial Phoenix, which soared in the sky.

Its fiery feathers blazed like ancient mythical phoenixes.

For this skill upgrade, Su Muyu consumed 1500 points of Divine Energy, in addition to the Divine Energy she had spent on the Mechanical Tiger's module integration.

Her Divine Energy reserves were nearly depleted.

Lin Ze Yu gazed at the Celestial Phoenix soaring in the sky, took a deep breath, and said, "I want to upgrade my skill too. My Concealment Eye's proficiency is also maxed out."

Lu Heng helped him unlock the skill lock on 'Concealment Eye' and then reminded him of the trick to energy fusion.

After a few minutes, Lin Ze Yu consumed 600 points of Divine Energy and successfully upgraded his skill.

[Concealment Eye] upgraded to the B-Rank [Void Eye].

After activating [Void Eye], he could conceal himself in the void, evading detection by Seers.

This was a more covert method than invisibility, imperceptible to most perception skills.

Additionally, [Void Eye] gained an effect—it could emit void rays, causing energy damage linked to the Spirit attribute.

The damage caused was secondary; the skill's true value was its ability to conceal within the void.

This meant that as long as [Void Eye] was placed in advance, even Seers couldn't detect it.

This was a qualitative change, beyond mere numerical measurements.

With both teammates' strengths enhanced, Lu Heng also started considering his own path of improvement.

Upon their return from the Sykes Civilization, the world quest reward had granted him an additional skill slot.

As this slot was unused, he could now learn a new skill.

These days, Lu Heng had been keeping an eye on the Crystal Core Darknet and various skill crystal core trading channels for suitable skills, but none had caught his interest.

Currently, he possessed four skills: [Thunder Prison], [Shadow Clone], [Bullet Time], and [Wind Runner].

Among these, two were A-Rank and two were B-Rank.

With such a skill set, minor skills would provide minimal improvement, so he needed a B-Rank skill.

Acquiring an A-Rank skill directly would be ideal, saving him time in training proficiency and Divine Energy.

However, A-Rank skills were incredibly powerful and not easily obtainable by ordinary metahumans.

Major factions acquiring such skills rarely put them up for sale.

Consequently, obtaining an A-Rank skill was a challenging endeavor.

Nevertheless, Jian Qing had mentioned that with their contribution of technological data, they could make any request of the nation, as long as it was within their capabilities.

Thus, Lu Heng considered using this opportunity to acquire a suitable high-level skill.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end