Chapter 248: Strength Improvement, Acquiring Rune Materials

Chapter 248: Strength Improvement, Acquiring Rune Materials



As Lu Heng returned, he found himself in a void of darkness.

During the return process, Lu Heng took the opportunity to review his attribute data.

【Name: Lu Heng】

【Level: 33】

【Vitality: 820/820】

【Origin Energy: 830/830】

【Attributes: Strength 82, Agility 105, Physique 82, Spirit 83, Perception 82】

【Talents: Agile as a Dragon, Divine Evolution, Demon Hunter】

【Combat Class: Shadow Swordsman (Second Transformation)】

【Unfused Essence: Void Blade (Third Transformation)】

【Essence Abilities: Shadow Traverse, Rift Slash, Void Blink】

【Skill Slots: 6】

【Skills: Thunder Gaol, Divine Incarnation, Windrunner, Bullet Time, Damage Rewind, Mental Control】

【Martial Arts: Swordsmanship (Realm), Combat (Proficiency), Body Skills (Realm)】

【Sub-Professions: Senior Tempering Master, Forge Assistant】

In the Abyss Battlefield, Lu Heng's level increased rapidly, and his Agility attribute had already surpassed 100, causing his combat power to skyrocket to a whole new level.

Because he chose the second Global Objective reward, he obtained a C-grade 【Mental Control】, and his skill slots increased from 5 to 6.

Recalling his awakening, he only had a pitiful 3 skill slots, and now the number had doubled.

...

The teleportation completed, and light gradually returned to Lu Heng's vision.

Lu Heng stretched his limbs to adapt to his body's state after the teleportation, then opened his eyes to see Su Muyu and Lin Zeyu waking up as well.

Su Muyu rubbed her face and patted it, then released the Celestial Phoenix to fly out the window for its daily reconnaissance.

She had gotten used to keeping the Celestial Phoenix on standby for reconnaissance, ensuring not only her safety but also allowing her to practice her proficiency.

Since the Celestial Phoenix was already an A-grade skill, improving proficiency had become much more challenging. Sometimes, even a full day of reconnaissance might not yield any proficiency increase.

On the contrary, proficiency improved faster during battles.

After all, the Celestial Phoenix was no longer just a small reconnaissance eagle; its primary task had shifted from reconnaissance to combat.

"What did you guys choose for your Global Objective rewards?" Lin Zeyu asked excitedly as he opened his eyes, clearly thrilled with his reward.

"I drew a skill," Lu Heng replied casually.

Lin Zeyu raised his eyebrows and asked, "Did you draw a skill to replace an existing one? That wouldn't be very useful for you..."

Lu Heng's original skill set included the lowest-grade B-grade skills, all of which were powerful and suitable for him.

If the Global Objective reward was to draw a skill to replace an existing one, it indeed wouldn't be very helpful. The chances of drawing a B-grade or higher skill that was also suitable for him were slim.

Lu Heng denied, "No, it's not a replacement; it's an additional skill."

Lin Zeyu stared at him, his eyes widening. "You also got an extra skill? I thought my reward was the best!"

He turned to Su Muyu and asked, "What about you, Miss Su? What was your Global Objective reward?"

Su Muyu shrugged and replied, "I got an extra skill slot."

Lin Zeyu's eyes widened even further. "So, my reward is still the worst! This is so unfair. Why do you two always get the best rewards?"

Lu Heng hadn't expected Su Muyu to get the best reward, so he asked, "So, you have seven skill slots now?"

Su Muyu smiled and nodded. "Yes, seven skill slots. But for now, I still have six skills."

Generally speaking, the best reward option for Global Objectives is to gain an extra skill slot.

Of course, if one is chosen by fate and draws a skill, and it happens to be an A-grade skill that is also powerful and suitable for them, it's like gaining an extra skill slot and receiving an additional A-grade powerful core.

However, such a low-probability event shouldn't be used to evaluate the quality of the reward.

The best reward is still the extra skill slot.

With the extra slot, one can acquire a powerful skill core through other means, leading to a significant increase in combat power.

Lin Zeyu clasped his hands and quipped, "You're amazing, Mr. Seven Skills."

Lu Heng had seen the proud look on Lin Zeyu's face and guessed that he must have drawn a good skill. He asked curiously, "What about you? What skill did you draw?"

Lin Zeyu couldn't help but show off. He flicked his hair and boasted, "I was incredibly lucky this time. All three skills that appeared were great, and I chose the B-grade 【Chameleon Camouflage Suit】."

A ghillie suit is the type of camouflage clothing snipers wear, blending in with the grass when lying in a grassy area, making it hard for others to spot them.

Su Muyu was a bit curious and asked, "Can the ghillie suit skill really be B-grade?"

Generally, the grade and effect of a skill are correlated.

Higher-grade skills usually have more impressive effects.

The ghillie suit is a type of clothing that humans can manufacture, and the production difficulty isn't too high.

Of course, the color of the ghillie suit needs to match the hiding location.

Just from the skill's name, it didn't seem like it could be B-grade.

After all, Su Muyu's 【Large Invisible Veil - Shadow Retreat】 was only C-grade.

However, after one fusion, although the skill grade was still C-grade, the skill effect was actually between C-grade and B-grade.

Recently, Su Muyu had been feeling that the effect of her invisibility skill was becoming insufficient.

She had already maxed out the proficiency of this skill but hadn't upgraded it because she had run out of divine energy.

Lin Zeyu stood up and walked to the wall, saying, "I'm not sure how strong the effect is either, but let's try it out now."

As he spoke, he activated the 【Chameleon Camouflage Suit】 skill, and a layer of origin energy enveloped him, causing his entire body to blend into the wall behind him.

To Lu Heng and the others, it was as if he had become invisible, his color merging with the wall.

Su Muyu raised her eyebrows and recalled the Celestial Phoenix, using it to scout Lin Ze Yu's location. Her expression turned to one of surprise.

"This isn't an invisibility effect."

Invisibility was achieved through optical means, rendering the target semi-transparent.

Under the scrutiny of Perception-type Metahumans, the invisibility effect wasn't very effective.

On the contrary, disguise effects were sometimes better.

For example, Lu Heng used the Shape-Shifting Orb to disguise himself as a Bloodline Demon and infiltrate Blackstone Citadel.

If he had tried to infiltrate the city using an invisibility state, it would have been almost impossible.

After all, key entry points like the city gates would undoubtedly be guarded by Perception-type Bloodline Demons.

The effect of the Chameleon Camouflage Suit wasn't invisibility; instead, it changed the surface color to match the surrounding environment.

So, to a Perceiver, it would appear as a mass blending seamlessly with the environment.

Su Muyu assessed, "I can see a mass standing there, but I can't discern the color differences; it's as if it's become one with the wall. If you were lying in the grass, it would indeed be difficult to distinguish."

Lin Ze Yu emerged from his disguise, snapped his fingers, and boasted, "Even Miss Su can't detect me; who else in the world can? I definitely didn't choose this skill wrong. And it says here that it blocks thermal imaging and scent detection."

"Move a little," Lu Heng reminded him.

Lin Ze Yu took a few steps to the side.

In the eyes of the two, they could see a mass moving, and although its color matched the surroundings, as it moved, the surrounding environment's color would change, and his skill needed to adjust accordingly, with a slight delay in the process.

"I understand. This skill can't be used while moving; it'll be discovered. But if you stay still, it's actually quite powerful," Su Muyu offered a fair evaluation.

"As a sniper, I've learned to stay still and not move. I think it's fine," Lin Ze Yu wasn't disappointed with the skill's effect.

Moreover, he had an even bolder idea and asked, "If this skill is upgraded, do you think it'll be undetectable even when running?"

Lu Heng rolled his eyes, "Wait until you've maxed out your proficiency; let's talk about it again in half a year."

"Wait, I'll definitely master this skill," Lin Ze Yu said confidently as he exited the camouflage state, clenching his fist.

Su Muyu smiled and said, "Take your time practicing. I'm going to upgrade my skill first. My Large Invisible Veil - Shadow Retreat proficiency reached its maximum last month, and I didn't have enough Divine Energy then, but now I can upgrade it."

"Close your eyes."

Lu Heng held her palm and helped her unlock the skill lock for Large Invisible Veil - Shadow Retreat.

Su Muyu had experienced skill upgrades several times, so she was familiar with the process and began the upgrade by introducing Divine Energy.

After a few minutes, she consumed 600 points of Divine Energy, and the skill upgrade was successful.

Su Muyu pinched her chin and examined the upgraded skill attributes, saying, "It seems a little different."

Lu Heng couldn't guess what the skill would upgrade into, so he asked, "What's the skill's name?"

"Invisible Field."

Su Muyu spoke the skill's name and then described its effects.

Invisible Field

Skill Level: B-Rank

Energy Consumption: 10 Origin Energy per minute (Reduced by 10% with the Dragon Eye Gemstone Bracelet)



Skill Range: 30-meter diameter

Effect 1: Release Origin Energy to create an invisible field. All objects within the field's range gain invisibility, blocking scent and electromagnetic signals.

Effect 2: Perception Resistance. When encountering Perception skills for reconnaissance, a perception contest occurs, and the information obtained by the opponent is determined by the Perception attribute.

Lu Heng was familiar with this skill as it was one of the three divine skills among B-Rank stealth skills.

Especially the Perception Resistance effect; if one's Perception attribute was high, they could directly overpower their opponent.

This skill was one of the three divine skills among B-Rank stealth skills, but it had a drawback—it was linked to the Perception attribute.

In other words, the effect was more general for Assassin-type Metahumans using this skill.

Assassin-type skills typically had high Agility attributes, but their Perception attributes were undoubtedly inferior to Perception-type Metahumans.

If an Assassin-type Metahuman used this skill, they would struggle to win against a Perceiver in a perception contest.

Therefore, this skill was primarily suitable for Perception-type support Metahumans.

Support-type Metahumans were also divided into several types.

Besides Perception-type support, there were also Psychic-type support Metahumans.

So, this skill wasn't suitable for all support types.

Of course, even if a Psychic-type support Metahuman used this skill, the effect wasn't bad; it was just that the advantage wasn't as significant during perception contests.

...

During the battle at Blackstone Citadel, Su Muyu's Origin Energy level rose several times, reaching level 32.

With the Dragon Eye Gemstone Bracelet equipped, her Five Attributes were: Strength 75, Agility 77, Constitution 77, Spirit 91, and Perception 83.

91 points of Spirit attribute included 9 points from the Dragon Eye Gemstone Bracelet.

This bracelet was now invaluable; after all, at this point in time, the Dragon Eye gemstone was a rare find on Blue Star.

Su Muyu twirled the bracelet on her wrist, feeling the rune circuit on the Dragon Eye gemstone, and she could even match it with the Rune Guide she had memorized.

When Lin Ze Yu saw the bracelet on Su Muyu's wrist, he suddenly jumped up and said, "I almost forgot. I have to go; I can't miss this opportunity to make a fortune. I'm going back to procure rune materials."

He opened the door and ran out, took out his phone to call the company's higher-ups, and while waiting for the elevator, he shouted, "Procure rune materials, no matter the price. Collect everything, regardless of type or quality.

"Sweep them clean, I want every last one of them."

From tempering materials to forging materials, they had already made a significant profit twice.

However, in recent months, the profits from gathering materials weren't as high as before.

After all, the other conglomerates weren't fools; once the prices of tempering materials skyrocketed, many conglomerates joined the race for forging materials.

This time, the competition for engraving materials would only intensify.

Especially now, as all the major conglomerates were closely monitoring the Flame Ensign's every move. Essentially, whatever actions the Flame Ensign took, these conglomerates would follow suit without hesitation.

To avoid drawing their attention, Lin Ze Yu began secretly finding people to acquire materials.

Even so, within three days, the prices of engraving materials started to soar, changing daily.

...

After returning, Lu Heng and Su Muyu spent two days at home with their parents. Since the two families lived close by, they had dinner together in the evenings.

During their free time, Su Muyu would practice her engraving skills with the rune pen, starting with carving stones.

She discovered that carving stones could also earn her experience points for the Apprentice Engraver profession, although the progress was slower.

The second night.

Lu Heng took her to Forge Castle to practice her engraving skills and asked Lin Ze Yu to bring the first batch of engraving materials he had received.

Lin Ze Yu arrived with two suitcases, complaining, "You have no idea, these buyers are acting like lunatics. Whatever I try to collect, they follow suit and offer higher prices, like animals."

He opened the suitcases and said, "I've gathered a batch of engraving materials, but the prices aren't low. I estimate these materials will continue to rise."

Hearing this, Lu Heng smiled and said, "If there are people who mindlessly follow trends and buy things, I can take advantage of their confusion and profit from them."

Lin Ze Yu's eyes lit up as he said, "Exactly! Whatever I buy, these conglomerates will buy too. I can purchase in bulk at low prices and then sell to them at a premium. But what should I use to take advantage of these fools?"

"There are many options. For example, Cyberworld batteries and Abyssal Black Iron from the Sexes Civilization. These are easy to obtain." Lu Heng suggested two items.

Cyberworld batteries, when used on the waste planet of the Sexes Civilization, were a form of hard currency, a high-value item that could be directly used as money.

There were also many Cyberworld batteries on Blue Star.

After all, these batteries had high storage capacity and power efficiency, far surpassing the quality of human-made batteries.

A single Cyberworld battery could store more energy than the entire battery pack of Blue Star's current new energy vehicles.

Consequently, many metahumans brought over Cyberworld batteries to modify their existing new energy vehicles.

Considering the practical value of Cyberworld batteries, they had a good market.

Since Cyberworld batteries could only be obtained from the Abyss Battlefield at present, their prices were relatively high.

Lin Ze Yu curiously asked, "The price of Cyberworld batteries is quite high now. Can we use them to take advantage of these conglomerates? Moreover, won't the price skyrocket in the future?"

Lu Heng reminded him, "In the technology data we provided to the Academy of Sciences, there is battery technology. Moreover, it's one of the most practical technologies among those that humans can use, and it's a key project supported by the state.

"So, our human battery technology will rapidly improve, and although it may still lag behind Cyberworld batteries, the gap will narrow quickly.

"There's one more thing. You should know that whatever our Xia Dynasty produces, even if it's the jewel of the industrial crown, it will eventually become dirt cheap. Those who can only produce such jewels will be forced into seclusion."

Lin Ze Yu gave a thumbs up and said, "I understand. Cyberworld batteries will definitely drop in price. I'll start acquiring them as soon as I return and take advantage of these conglomerates. I'll make them watch my every move."

After a few casual exchanges, the two had devised a "poisonous plan" to exploit the conglomerates.

While they discussed their scheme, Su Muyu was diligently sorting through the engraving materials.

These materials were piled together without any categorization by attribute or quality, making it cumbersome to search when needed.

She meticulously sorted them and placed them into small boxes.

Seeing that she had mostly finished sorting, Lu Heng said, "Use all these materials to level up your secondary profession skills. Try to sell the engraved gemstones and aim for a balanced income. It's fine if you take a loss; just focus on leveling up your secondary profession first, and the returns will improve later."

Engravers and Tempering Masters had different approaches.

Tempering Masters could accept commissions and have clients provide the materials.

Engravers, on the other hand, typically spent money to collect materials and consumed them to level up their skills.

Consequently, engravers required more investment in the early stages.

"Okay, I'll try to maintain a balanced income," Su Muyu said, as she was accustomed to being frugal.

She always felt a pinch when spending money to level up skills.

So, during her free time over the past two days, she had been thinking of ways to level up her engraving skills most efficiently.

Among metahumans, offensive weapons, equipment, skills, and gemstones were always the most expensive.

Practicality didn't matter; offensive items were simply expensive, and the prices were unreasonable.

Therefore, Su Muyu had been practicing her engraving skills to enhance attributes like fire, lightning, and shadow.

After sorting the materials, she held them up and said, "Then I'll go find a place to work."

"Go ahead. I also need to discuss weapon forging with Guru Master."

Lu Heng stood up, carrying the Infernal Wyvern Horn and other forging materials, and headed to meet Guru Master to discuss the triple-forging plan for the Aurora Blade.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end