The torrential downpour drowned everyone’s ambitions, compounding the effects of the biting cold.
After holding the defensive line for a while, they couldn’t endure any longer. They hastily collected their spoils of war and retreated one after another. A domino effect took hold, and everyone sought shelter in the courtyard villas.
Inside one of the courtyard villas.
To drive away the cold and get warm, a barbecue grill had been set up in the living room, charring some collected frozen food over coals.
A number of people were gathered together.
This included the eight-person team from Jingcheng University, several groups of Archers, and a number of Summoned Pets standing guard.
They placed the Rune Essences they had just acquired on a table, ready to distribute them all at once.
"If I remember correctly, didn’t the Earth once have a period of torrential rain that lasted for two million years?" Pang Peng said, breaking the silence.
"Yes, the Carnian Pluvial Event during the late Triassic period," Yan Ziqian added.
The moment they spoke, the topic cast an inexplicable gloom over the atmosphere.
If this downpour were to last that long, the effect on their morale alone would be devastating.
This was especially true with the sounds of frantic leaping and dashing coming from outside. Unimpeded, the monsters were now moving quickly through the area. Just as everyone had predicted, the panicking monsters had no intention of hunting or preying on them during their great migration.
"So, do you guys think this rain will have long-term effects?" someone asked curiously.
No one could answer that question right away.
In the corner of the living room, Su Chen was lounging on a single-seat sofa, a gleaming Small Straight Knife flipping constantly between his fingers.
With a subtle shift of his thoughts, the Small Straight Knife suddenly shot from his palm and hovered in mid-air, perfectly still, as if held by an invisible hand.
Focusing his mind again, the blade trembled slightly, then shot out of the courtyard like an arrow loosed from a bow. It tore through the curtain of rain and vanished into the night, piercing the head of a Demon Dog that happened to be passing the door.
With a flick of his finger, the knife whipped back, returning to his hand along with a Fire Element Essence.
’What incredible Telekinesis. It’s so satisfying to use.’ The onlookers were dazzled.
’No wonder it made everyone so antsy earlier.’
A Rune with such a powerful effect, one completely different from the elemental system, offered a great experience in both daily use and combat.
They also gained a new appreciation for Su Chen, this lone wolf. The Netherworld War Dog lying at his feet was, by itself, a clear indicator of just how dangerous he was.
Suddenly, Su Chen had a flash of inspiration. He had discovered a technique that might be worth exploring.
He stopped trying to apply his Telekinesis to the knife.
His gaze fell upon the edge of the swimming pool in the courtyard, where a cast-iron cup was sitting. With a subtle thought, his Telekinesis extended like a silken thread, causing the cup to tremble slightly.
The next instant.
HISS!!
The cast-iron cup shuddered violently. A piercing red light flared across its surface, and in the next moment, a blast of high-temperature Crimson Flame pierced through its wall, sending the shattered remains tumbling into the pool.
Amidst the torrential downpour, the slight disturbance went completely unnoticed.
’It worked.’
he sighed inwardly, unable to suppress the joy welling up inside him.
Just now, his Flame Burst Rune and Telekinesis Rune had briefly collided and converged, unleashing a combo effect.
According to the official description, Damage Attachment Stream Runes like Flame Burst were difficult to apply to other forms of Elemental Energy. They tended to conflict and were hard to bring into Harmony. Surprisingly, however, Spiritual Fluctuation proved to be an excellent carrier.
In other words, if Su Chen wanted to, he could detonate someone’s head from over ten meters away.
If his opponent had no defenses up, a remote headshot would be as easy as reaching into his own pocket.
However, it required more testing, and the current environment was perfect for letting loose and experimenting.
’I’ll call it "Strong Thought Burst."’
Su Chen silently gave the dual-Rune combo a name.
"Here’s your share."
Just then, on someone’s command, a graceful Flower Demon wrapped its many vine-like tentacles around seven Essences and presented them to Su Chen.
This was his share from their earlier collaborative effort.
It was also the largest portion.
He had no objections.
Xue Yao, who had used the Water Creation Skill, was the second-highest contributor. At the time, many monsters had been stunned by a powerful electric current, and anyone who landed a killing blow got a piece of the action.
In addition, those who had ventured beyond the defensive line to collect the Essences received an extra reward for their trouble.
Taking advantage of this good opportunity, everyone engaged in a round of Essence trading.
Light and Dark Essences were extremely rare and sought-after, so they were seldom traded.
It couldn’t be helped. Whether due to fact or stereotype, Runes of these two attributes were considered the default top-tier choices.
Furthermore, perhaps because the lone wolf Su Chen had displayed such immense strength, everyone was consciously or unconsciously willing to do him a favor. Since he had a large surplus of Essences on hand, it didn’t take him long to trade for what he needed.
He took in as many Fire Element Essences as he could get. Among the trades, one person even exchanged a Flame Burst Lv2 Rune.
His upgrade progress bar rose by a chunk.
Upgrade requirements: Flame Burst Rune 6/16, Spiritual Dust Sand 0/5, Spirit Marrow Crystal 0/1
Breaking it down, he would need at least 30 more Fire Element Essences.
This requirement wasn’t difficult, just a matter of time. Forgetting Su Chen, even for the elite Archers in the living room, killing a Demon Dog or a Fire Fox was already as easy as flipping their hand.
The requirements for Spiritual Dust Sand and Spirit Marrow Crystals, however, were rather high.
At the same time, Su Chen had also managed to acquire two Thunder Element Essences during the trading. After taking out a portion of Spiritual Dust Sand from his bag and absorbing it, his Jingzhe Rune was ready for an upgrade.

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