I've already reached the maximum level, and you guys are just starting out?

Chapter 196 The Seventeenth Step! Nangong Linglong! The Crystal Mountain and the Tentacle Monster!
Venus.

Dawn Fortress, Sky Tower.

On the luxurious 50-meter-long bed, Yu Jin sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.

The edge of the large bed.

The Momono sisters silently waited for each other.

Thanks to their constant companionship with Ember, the two, though not infused with energy, occasionally received scraps of food as gifts.

The two sisters have now both reached the ninth level of cultivation, just one step away from the tenth level.

but……

Even though they were at the peak of the ninth rank, they still felt their hearts tremble as they sensed the faint aura emanating from Yu Jin.

Om-!
Suddenly.

Surrounding Yu Jin was a dazzling aura of energy.

Light, lightning, wind, space, fire, earth, cards...

Nearly twenty types of energy attributes uncontrollably materialized at this moment.

Bo——!
In the void.

A crisp sound followed.

That is……

The sound of the bottleneck being broken!

Swah——

next moment.

All the strange phenomena surrounding Yu Jin vanished, as if they had never existed.

And he, lying on the bed, slowly opened his eyes.

"Seventeenth level."

Yu Jin murmured to himself.

At the edge of the large bed, the Momono sisters, upon hearing these words, were already completely numb.

They knew their master's cultivation level was very high, far surpassing that of other city lords, but...

Seventeenth level?
Isn't the highest level in the galactic wasteland only level nineteen?

My master has only just advanced to the Star System Wasteland, and he's already close to the maximum level?
Yu Jin was unaware of the sisters' thoughts; at this moment, he only felt a little regretful.

"I thought I could break through to the eighteenth level, but I was too complacent."

Yu Jin shook his head and sighed softly.

He used up all the crystals he had accumulated before.

【ember】

[Rank: 17]

Lifespan: 250 million

【…】

Pollution coefficient: 0%

Overall coefficient: 250 million

Although it seems like only one level has been raised from the sixteenth to the seventeenth level.

However, the value of the embers more than doubled.

From 100 million initially to 250 million now.

"It doesn't seem that we're not far from the eighteenth step..."

"The numerical standard for the eighteenth level should be three hundred million?"

Yu Jin wondered to himself.

of course.

The extraordinary system in Wasteland is not simply judged by numerical values.

The biggest change in the seventeenth tier compared to the sixteenth tier is the awakening of the seventh-tier attribute abilities.

Compared to the awakening of abilities from the first to the sixth tier, the buffs from the seventh tier onwards are even more incredible.

Ability awakening is no longer a simple increase in power and range, but comes with a certain rule-based power.

E.g……

[Seventh level thunder attribute ability: Ten Thousand Thunder Heavenly Lao Guide lv9]

[Active Effect: Uses heavenly lightning as a cage to imprison and annihilate all enemies within range]

[Max Level Effect: Increases the cage's coverage area and annihilation power]

[Awakening Effect: Against enemies of a lower rank than yourself, there is a 10% chance to ignore all defenses and directly annihilate them, turning them into nothingness.]

【hint--】

The probability of a judgment increases with the rank.

[Skill activation consecutively can only trigger one check.]

The power of rules and the determination of probability are the most terrifying.

It transcends attributes and numerical values, even giving people a feeling of being 'unreasonable'.

this moment.

Compared to the excitement of nearly twenty seventh-tier attribute awakenings, Yu Jin felt more worried.

"I must reach the maximum level as soon as possible!"

"It has to be at least level nineteen, if not level twenty!"

"otherwise……"

"If I were to encounter someone of a higher rank than me who were to awaken a high-level ability, and if the assessment were successful, I would truly be caught off guard and suffer a complete disaster."

Yu Jin felt an even greater urgency to upgrade.

To know--

In the galactic wasteland, there's still that descendant of the divine bloodline, 'Han Ling,' eyeing him covetously.

Think about this.

Yu Jin took a deep breath and sat up in bed.

"Master~"

Only then did the Momono sisters finally call out softly.

The two sisters had tears welling up in their eyes.

According to their ideas...

The master has just broken through to a breakthrough and should be in a good mood. Perhaps he can have the pleasure of visiting the two sisters?

"Let's talk about it when we get back."

Yu Jin casually replied, and the next moment, his figure disappeared into the void.

"Well……"

The Momono sisters exchanged a glance, seeing a hint of disappointment in each other's eyes.

But soon, the two of them rallied again.

"For the happiness of the master."

"Sister, let's practice the new knowledge that Lady Natasha taught us a few days ago!"

……

……

Morning Star, Northern Hemisphere.

Swah——

Ember flashed and appeared below Dawn Fortress.

With the activation of the light-sensing ability, an area spanning tens of thousands of miles can be seen.

I saw——

The level 8 and 9 refuge cities in the Northern Hemisphere have collectively submitted to the government after being 'persuaded' by Chen Gang and others.

now.

On the land of the Northern Hemisphere, hundreds of millions of people are searching for minerals in the wild, some of whom have already begun to wield shovels and dig hard.

Chen Gang and his group did not rush to the Southern Hemisphere to conquer the remaining half of the refuge city.

They lead the Evolver Legion, battling galactic-level mutants and infected across the Northern Hemisphere.

some of.

Apart from Naya and Yin Yao, who encountered a 12th-order galaxy-level infected body, the others have not encountered any major trouble yet.

"Twelfth rank?"

"It's not quite enough..."

Yu Jin frowned slightly.

The Void +3 setting will remain after the system update.

The current rank of the embers is seventeen, and the crystals that can help with the upgrade must be at least seventeenth rank or higher.

At the very least, it must be a sixteenth-order crystal.

For him, the fifteenth-order crystal was no different from a candy bean.

This may also be one of the rules of the Wasteland game.

"Let's go see the Southern Hemisphere!"

"Hoping to find a fat sheep of level fourteen or above!"

Ember made a decision.

hum-

The space around him trembled.

Not long after.

The figure of the embers slowly dissipated.

……

……

Venus.

Southern Hemisphere, Northwest Continent.

Compared to the Northern Hemisphere, the sky and land of the Southern Hemisphere seem to have a more primitive and wild feel.

now.

The southernmost point of the northwestern continent.

Inside a level nine city called Linglong City.

The ninth-rank city lord, Nangong Linglong, sat upright on the city lord's throne, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed.

Before her, the group of eighth-tier evolvers from Linglong City were arguing heatedly.

"You can't go! You can't go!"

"A galaxy-level mutated beast is far too dangerous for us to provoke!"

"Foolish! Such a treasure and opportunity are right before our eyes, how can we let it slip away because of cowardice?"

"Yes, the message the scout sent before he died said..."

"The crystalline ore is extremely large in scale and of extremely high quality; it may even contain crystals of grade nine or higher!"

"So what if it's a ninth-tier or higher crystal? You need to be alive to consume crystals. What's the use of having a lot of crystals if you're dead!"

"..."

As Nangong Linglong listened to her subordinates' argument, her delicate face was filled with hesitation.

Good news—

Half a day ago, the evolutionary team sent by Linglong City sent back a message.

They unexpectedly discovered a 'Crystal Mountain' a thousand miles away from Linglong City.

According to them—

The crystals from that mineral deposit had already piled up into a small mountain, gleaming brightly and radiating an extremely rich energy.

bad news--

The Evolver squad was completely wiped out; not a single member survived.

One of the squad leaders, who was at the eighth level of the limit, sent back a communication before he died.

"A galaxy-level mutant beast!"

"There are galaxy-level mutated beasts of rank nine or higher!"

After this.

Until now.

Half a day passed.

The higher-ups in Linglong City are arguing endlessly about this matter.

"quiet."

After an unknown amount of time, Nangong Linglong, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

As soon as the two words were spoken, everyone in the city lord's hall fell silent.

As they fell silent, countless gazes, filled with tension and anticipation, turned toward the ninth-rank female city lord.

"The path through the wasteland is like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you'll fall behind."

"If you fall behind, you will be attacked."

Nangong Linglong spoke softly.

Although the words were tactful, it was a final word.

Half a day later.

boom--

Rumble——!
Nangong Linglong made the boldest decision yet.

The millions of citizens of Linglong City poured out!

"If we encounter a galaxy-level mutated beast..."

"I, the city lord, will cover your retreat and buy you time!"

"The rest of you, mine the crystal ore as quickly as possible and bring it back!"

Nangong Linglong's command echoed among her millions of subjects.

Her decision, though seemingly rash, was actually quite meticulous.

after all……

The creature that can send back communication information before the death of an eighth-tier ultimate evolver is most likely not a mutated beast of too high a rank.

Tenth rank? Or eleventh rank?
As an extremely rare four-attribute evolver, Nangong Linglong has considerable confidence in her own strength.

Time passes slowly.

The millions of citizens of Linglong City marched swiftly across the desolate land.

Half a day later.

A small, radiant hill appeared at the edge of the horizon.

"hiss--"

"Crystal Mountain!"

"It's...it's so huge!"

The moment I saw the small mountain of crystals.

Even those who were previously in the 'opposition' couldn't help but be swayed.

Millions of citizens simultaneously took deep breaths.

Just because——

Even though there was still some distance between them, the energy in the air was already incredibly abundant!

They all felt their level of understanding had improved after taking a breath!

"This……"

"It's probably more than just a crystal of the ninth rank or higher!"

Nangong Linglong's eyebrows furrowed slightly at this moment.

The main force continued its advance.

Not long after.

Millions of people in Linglong City stood at the foot of Crystal Mountain.

Only at this moment did they truly see clearly—

Thousands upon thousands, almost countless crystals, piled up together.

Looking around...

The lowest grade was actually a fourth-order crystal!
Beneath the earth, an even more abundant energy aura emanates.

this means……

The larger portion of this crystalline mineral deposit lies buried beneath the earth and has not yet been exposed.

"Oh my God!"

"If we mine all of this..."

"Wouldn't Linglong City soar to new heights?"

The high-level evolved beings of Linglong City, who are also the backbone of the city's management, all had their faces flushed with excitement.

Developing mineral resources not only yields crystals but also grants additional Civilization Points rewards from Wasteland!

As long as there are enough sources of civilization...

Linglong City will have a place in this galactic wasteland in the future!
"Min!"

Nangong Linglong's voice resonated deep within everyone's heart.

At this moment, she did not allow the army to advance further, but instead left them on the outskirts.

after all……

These crystals on the periphery are already an immense treasure.

As for deeper?
Her intuition told her that something terrible might be brewing.

……

Deep in the Crystal Mountain.

It was about a hundred miles away from the army of Linglong City.

In the void, a tentacle swayed slowly.

The tentacles were covered with eyes, making them look extremely creepy.

at this time.

All those countless eyes turned toward the direction where the people from Linglong City were.

hum-

Suddenly.

A peculiar fluctuation emanated from the tentacle.

Roar——!
In the void, a mutated behemoth a thousand meters tall appeared.

It resembles a tiger, but has two horns on its head and emits a thick black mist.

After the mutated black tiger appeared, it rushed straight towards the outer edge of the Crystal Mountain without any hesitation.

Not long after.

It then came into view of everyone in Linglong City.

“Ho ho—!”

The black tiger let out a deafening roar, and the earth trembled in response.

"Lord City Lord!"

"This……"

"A galaxy-level mutant beast?"

The crowd, who were enthusiastically mining the crystal ore and even picking up crystals directly from the ground and putting them in their pockets, suddenly changed their expressions.

All eyes turned to Nangong Linglong, who stood suspended in mid-air above.

Nangong Linglong frowned slightly.

boom--

Four types of energy surged within her.

Wind, fire, thunder, and lightning!

She is not only a rare four-attribute evolver, but she has also awakened pure elemental attributes!
"Humanity!"

Suddenly.

The black tiger seemed to sense Nangong Linglong's presence, and after a slight pause in its roar, it actually spoke in human language.

"Leave this place!"

Black Tiger's tone was strange, and his voice was low.

But to the ears of the people in Linglong City, it gave them a vague sense of... being all bark and no bite.
Nangong Linglong narrowed her beautiful eyes even more at this moment.

"Tenth rank?"

"Only the tenth rank?"

Although a tenth-tier mutated beast can be called a galaxy-level beast, its actual combat power is actually comparable to that of a ninth-tier evolved beast.

A level 10 infected is equivalent to a level 10 evolved being.

"Let's test the depth!"

Nangong Linglong had a sudden thought.

She clasped her hands together.

She actually fused the four types of energy together!
"go with!"

Nangong Linglong gave a soft shout.

In the void.

A ring resembling a four-colored fruit platter shot out with a whoosh.

boom--!
Black Tiger was sent flying backward, coughing up blood incessantly!

The outer perimeter of Crystal Mountain.

Millions fell silent.

After the silence came a deafening roar.

"The Lord City Lord is mighty!"

"Invincible!"

"Exquisite and exquisite, who can rival it!"

"..."

In the sky.

Nangong Linglong looked at the dying black tiger with a hesitant expression.

She always felt...

The opponent seems excessively weak.

Although her four-attribute fusion skill was very strong, it shouldn't have been enough to reduce a tenth-tier mutated beast to such a near-death state with a single blow.

"Humanity……"

The black tiger coughed up blood and spoke in human language once more.

"you you……"

"You wait!"

"Once I've recovered from my injuries, I'm going to kill you all!"

"This crystal mine is mine, exclusively mine, and you can forget about touching it!"

After making those harsh remarks.

The giant tiger transformed into a black shadow and darted into the depths of the Crystal Mountain, disappearing in an instant.

The outer perimeter of Crystal Mountain.

The millions of citizens of Linglong City cheered and raised their arms in celebration.

The atmosphere at the scene immediately became joyful.

"Success!"

"We defeated the galaxy-level mutant beasts here!"

"This Crystal Mountain belongs to our Linglong City!"

"..."

In the sky.

Nangong Linglong stared at the direction where the black tiger had disappeared, her eyes slightly narrowed.

Seriously injured? Recovering?

"Strike while the iron is hot and kill him?"

And above the Crystal Mountain.

In the void.

Ember, who had just arrived at the scene, happened to witness a major spectacle.

"This play..."

"It's obviously fake!"

Yu Jin muttered to himself, then turned and looked into the depths of the Crystal Mountain.

Even though they were hundreds of miles apart, the embers could still see it—

The ugly tentacles covered in eyes that stretched out from the void swayed even faster, as if conveying some kind of joy and anticipation...

(End of this chapter)