A Shadow Assassin skilled in Shadow Leap was about to land near Su Chen, but was violently flung away by the Barrier’s inherent spatial repulsion.
At that moment, the air overhead was suddenly compressed into a cone.
"Break!"
With a lion’s roar, a dark silhouette like a falling meteor fearlessly plummeted from mid-air.
Beast Blood Spiritual Energy, so dense it appeared black, coiled around the gnarled right fist. A charged Punching Fist slammed directly into a corner of the Barrier.
CRACK!
Under the heavy, powerful blow, a crack immediately appeared in the Barrier.
But before the fracture could spread like a spiderweb, a dense luster of energy instantly repaired the damage, leaving the Barrier perfectly intact once more.
"Is that all you’ve got?"
From within the transparent Barrier, Su Chen looked on with a composed expression and coldly mocked the figure clad in hide and Bone Armor.
The attacking figure was a veritable giant. Every inch of his exposed, bulging muscles looked as if it had been forged from steel, and his right arm had already transformed into a bear’s paw.
A primal, savage Spirit Body fluctuation emanated from him. A translucent phantom of a giant bear gradually flickered into existence, swaying like Wind Fluff on the wind.
’A Desert Beast Master.’
Su Chen identified his Rune Profession and its Authority in a single glance.
According to intelligence, this was one of the highest-difficulty rewards currently available from Oran City’s Trial Tower.
It was also the current top-tier, Five-Star hidden profession for the Wood Element, spanning the Summoning, Transformation, and Life Streams, which made it incredibly versatile and powerful.
The standards for judging a Rune Profession’s strength were largely the same in both cities. Those that offered a greater margin for error and solved the ’glass cannon’ weakness were universally praised.
After all, everyone was a glass cannon. No one seemed to lack damage output in a fight; what they were really missing was survivability.
Faced with the sheer physical power of demonic beasts, their porcelain-fragile bodies required careful protection.
For example, a Nature Apostle with Light Energy Transformation was enough to earn a ’Strong’ Two-Star rating.
To say nothing of the Desert Beast Master, the ultimate choice for the Transformation School, which was rated a ’Strong’ Five-Star.
HUM!
He and his Beast Spirit became one.
At that moment, Wyatt’s aura underwent a qualitative change.
His Earth Bear Summoning Rune was Lv8. By completely absorbing the spirit and flesh of his Mountain Tyrant Bear—which had already evolved to its third form—Wyatt had unlocked a major physical trait.
’Body of Earth.’
The surface of his skin was instantly covered in a thick layer of rock. Furthermore, he could now continuously draw Earth Element energy from the ground beneath his feet, providing him with immense stamina and Life Force.
"Can you feel it?"
Wyatt gave a cold smile. The half-orc, like a Demon God, radiated terrifying waves of power.
But before he could throw his next punch.
BANG!
A piercing gunshot thundered from a distance.
Like a clap of thunder, a large-caliber, armor-piercing round slammed viciously into Wyatt’s back, where it erupted in a spray of hot blood from his shoulder blade.
"Damned rats..."
Wyatt roared savagely, his sharp, bestial instincts forcing him to dodge.
His body, known for its Power, now displayed an agility that defied common sense, allowing him to consecutively dodge two invisible, traceless Spiritual Arrows.
Su Chen watched this scene with a cold gaze.
’One of the major inconveniences of this Barrier is that people inside can’t attack anyone outside, nor can they leave freely. It’s decent for setting up a camp, but for combat...’
"The charging speed is super fast, though."
Thanks to the pure white mineral crystals scattered everywhere, the energy level quickly climbed to 86%.
’However, the status bar still displays ’Impure Energy.’ It seems the purity isn’t high enough; it’s impossible to raise the Barrier’s strength to the Magic Guide Crystal Pillar’s maximum theoretical value.’
’But this is good enough.’
’After this is used up, I’ll go back and feed it some Nether Sand Ore to see what effect that has.’
"Alright."
After absorbing all the mineral crystals from one storage slot, Su Chen couldn’t be bothered to search for more.
This was no place to linger.
The surging river controlled by the Ghostly Water Charm was already sweeping toward him, with distorted, ghostly female faces bulging and emerging from the churning waves.
VMMMM!!
Accompanied by sharp spiritual shrieks from the faces, distorted ripples constantly slammed against the surface of the crystal barrier, creating flurries of ripples but never managing to penetrate it.
The next second.
Before the full force of the water could crash down, Su Chen acted on a thought. He dispelled the Barrier cast by the Crystal Pillar and, in an instant, activated Aurora Flash, vanishing on the spot along with the pillar itself.
The leap was so far that it took him clear out of the valley in one go.
’I guess that guy made a safe retreat...’
Atop a hidden cliff, Ji Xiaoyue was half-crouched in the shadows of the jungle. The sniper rifle in her hands was still hot, wisps of white smoke drifting from its muzzle.
Through her tactical scope, she watched the figure disappear into the darkness.
As an elite sniper from the Ghost Assault Team, Xiaodouding was an active participant in this nighttime operation.
After the Security Committee obtained crucial intelligence from the Messenger Intelligence House, they had acted with caution. Instead of immediately issuing a general call to all heroes, they dispatched several elite units. The mission was not only to sweep the forest for remaining enemies, but also to investigate Mist Gorge and Qingxi Stream.
’I wonder what that stingy guy’s name is... Next time I run into him, I’m definitely making him buy me a meal.’
Ji Xiaoyue’s soft cheeks puffed out as she blew a huge pink bubble with her gum.
Just then.
Due to the Ghostly Water Charm’s indiscriminate slaughter, a retreat order came through her earpiece. They were to regroup their battered forces and be on guard for a surprise attack from the Desert Beast Master while waiting for reinforcements from the rear to arrive.
"On my way."
Ji Xiaoyue deftly sucked her gum back into her mouth, expertly swapped in a new magazine, and immediately began to withdraw.
As a Three-Star Wind-Thunder Emissary, her personal mobility was maxed out. She quickly vanished from her exposed sniping position, her petite figure streaking across the mountains and forests with the power of wind and thunder.
The Ghostly Water Charm’s rampage had been an unexpected event. Because of it, a Ghost advance team that had arrived early decided to attempt an attack, hoping to destroy the Teleportation Gate and cut off enemy reinforcements.
It had to be said, they were taking a considerable risk.
The execution was flawed, but they got the right result.
"...Captain, who was that man?"
On the channel, someone asked in confusion; he didn’t recall any independent powerhouses being part of their operation.
"...That mysterious, powerful ally headed west. His jump covered a huge distance, so he’ll definitely be fine."
The advance team’s captain stressed, "Also, intelligence indicates the Desert Beast Master has powerful hunting and tracking abilities. Everyone be extremely careful. Do not, under any circumstances, leave your assigned squads. All point units, fall back and regroup with your teams now."
This wasn’t their first encounter with it.
And they had a wealth of experience using their numerical superiority to take down powerful individuals with a high probability of success.
’Tracking?’
When Ji Xiaoyue heard that, her heart sank. ’If that’s the case,’ she deduced, ’the Beast Master probably won’t come for us. Its target is most likely that stingy guy.’
’At least the enemy can tell the strong from the weak and knows who not to mess with.’
’He’s so fast, he should be fine, right?’
Ji Xiaoyue thought about his mysterious Aurora Flash ability. It was even faster than her own Wind-Thunder Arts. ’Surely he won’t get caught, right?’
"Like a damn leech."
Su Chen glanced back nonchalantly.
After meeting up with Ruoruo earlier, she had immediately cast a Rainfall Skill on him. Then, they had leaped together toward the distant forest.
It was worth mentioning that her Rainfall Skill was already Lv6, and its Rune Energy recovery speed had increased significantly.
That wasn’t all.
After Su Chen gave Ruoruo the Spirit Element Rune he had plundered from the Heart Sword Warlock, her Mind Transmission Rune had also broken through to Lv7.
Not only had its transmission range increased dramatically,
it had also unlocked a major new trait.
’Energy Transmission.’
Ruoruo could now directly transfer her own Rune Energy or Spiritual Energy to others. This allowed Su Chen to quickly refill his frequently used Telekinesis Rune to sixty percent, ensuring he had a sufficient buffer for the fight ahead.
Initially, a large group had been in hot pursuit.
It couldn’t be helped.
He had drawn too much aggro.
The enigmatic Mysterious Warlock, the leader-like Demon Warlock, and a large group of their subordinates had all been flying in his direction.
But after a few minutes, he had shaken them off, leaving only the Desert Beast Master.
"Alright."
Su Chen came to a halt and turned around.

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