Chapter 154: No Shortage of Genius

Su Li walked over.

“Brother Su, what do you say? He said he wants to join us.” Xu Haishui looked at Su Li.

Song Yuanqing also looked at Su Li. His lips trembled, about to speak, when Su Li suddenly attacked, landing a single punch squarely on Song Yuanqing’s face.

Song Yuanqing had no “Obsidian Body” active at the moment and never expected Su Li to attack instantly. He had assumed Su Li would at least question him. Since Su Li attacked without a word, he couldn’t dodge. The heavy blow to his face produced a muffled sound and the crisp snap of breaking bone. His face instantly caved in, and bone fragments cut his skin.

The punch crushed Song Yuanqing’s skull. He had no time to scream, collapsing instantly. A Spiritual Source flew into Su Li’s forehead and vanished.

Everyone was stunned, watching Su Li so decisively kill the surrendering Song Yuanqing with a single punch.

Having dispatched Song Yuanqing as if it were a trivial matter, Su Li finally looked at Xu Haishui and said calmly, “We can’t confirm if he was truly sincere about joining us. We also don’t know if the twelve others we just killed included his family or friends, or if he would seek revenge later. Can we really keep such a major, uncertain threat by our side?”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this.

Xu Haishui said, “Brother Su is right. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I hesitated.”

Su Li sighed softly. “Your hesitation shows your kind heart. There’s nothing wrong with being kind, but sometimes, you have no choice.”

Su Li wasn’t a bloodthirsty killer, and he didn’t enjoy taking human lives, but in some circumstances, killing was unavoidable.

Just like killing Gao Shuxue’s group of seven: if he hadn’t killed them, they wouldn’t have let him go. And this time, with Gao Shupeng’s group of thirteen, they came for revenge, instantly killing one and wounding two of his people. They were forced to retaliate. Gao Shupeng, seeking revenge for his brother, was engaged in a fight to the death.

As for Song Yuanqing’s surrender, they couldn’t be sure of his sincerity and didn’t dare to let him go. They didn’t know if he would lure an even more terrifying enemy to them. After all, he had mentioned the “Golden Eagle Alliance,” which, by the name, was likely more than just the “Gold Eagle One A-Building” faction; it could be a massive alliance.

Su Li dared not take that risk. The slightest mistake could lead to a devastating price, perhaps even death.

“Let’s go back and clean up these bodies,” Su Li said, patting Xu Haishui’s shoulder. He then turned and walked toward the edge of the floating island.

Gong Xiao followed him without a word.

The ground was littered with corpses. Although they had won, these were all human compatriots, and everyone felt uneasy. The atmosphere was somber.

“Clean up all these bodies. Don’t leave any trace,” Xu Haishui instructed the others to clear the scene.

They had only lost one person and had two wounded in the fight. They had paid a minimal price.

All of this was due to Su Li’s sudden “Dragon Rhino Slash,” which eliminated nearly half of the enemy’s fighting force and instantly reversed the entire battle. Otherwise, the battle would have been brutal, and the outcome might have been completely reversed.

Their respect for Su Li grew even deeper. Gao Shupeng possessed the “Replication” ability and essentially wielded four Spiritual Source Techniques, yet Su Li managed to defeat and kill him. They now had a new appreciation for Su Li’s true power.

They now saw that he was stronger than they had imagined.

With Su Li holding the fort in the Purple Wind Building, they felt secure.

Returning to the Purple Wind Building, Su Li changed out of his blood-stained clothes, took a hot shower, and went to bed for a good rest.

Yan Fang was a true genius. He had not only modified the water purifier but also the solar water heater, allowing the people of the Purple Wind Building to take hot showers. Of course, due to limited resources, it wasn’t widely available. People had to book a time slot and could only take a hot shower once every few days. Su Li, however, was exempt from this restriction.

The battle with Gao Shupeng was not easy. It made Su Li realize that although he had awakened his talent and acquired the Dragon Rhino Sword, his talent alone wouldn’t give him an unassailable lead in the early stages. The world was not short of geniuses, even monstrously powerful ones. If Gao Shupeng hadn’t replicated Su Li’s “Demon Muscles” and chosen the wrong fighting style, it would have been very difficult for Su Li to defeat him.

This served as a wake-up call for Su Li. He was not strong enough yet.

Since the flood began, survivors have been hunting Spiritual Source Beasts and evolving. Initially, everyone was at the same starting line, progressing together with little difference. But as time passed, the gap between individuals would inevitably widen, and the difference would grow more and more significant.

Humanity has never lacked genius.

Just like in school, there are slackers, high achievers, and true prodigies.

“The most frightening are those who are not only smart but also work harder than you and have better luck…”

Su Li thought that Gao Shupeng being able to comprehend such a monstrous “Spiritual Source Technique” was a kind of luck. Comprehending a Spiritual Source Technique was partially related to the base enhanced areas but was mostly random. In this unpredictable randomness, luck was crucial.

One might comprehend a useless “Spiritual Source Technique,” or one might comprehend an insanely powerful ability.

This single factor alone instantly created a massive gap between Wielders.

After waking up, Su Li first went to check on Ding Longyun. The muscular paralysis was still active. He instructed Zhong Rongrong to take good care of him. Su Li then called Xu Haishui and Bai Wenwei. He decided to build a row of rafts between the Purple Wind Building and the floating island, creating a makeshift bridge for easy access.

The group immediately went to work.

Luo Jun, Jin Sixing, Ling Tian, and the others led small teams, taking rafts away from the Purple Wind Building to collect supplies and, most importantly, wood.

By evening, the floating bridge between the Purple Wind Building and the floating island was completed. Luo Jun and the others returned. Unfortunately, most of the supplies in the immediate area had already been collected. They didn’t find much. They did, however, bring back a lot of materials like doors and wood.

To find more supplies, they would need to travel farther. That would be too risky. Furthermore, those areas likely had other factions that might have already collected the supplies.

Someone suggested going to “Gold Eagle One A-Building.” Since their leader, Gao Shupeng, and his entire elite force were dead, the remaining people there must be the weak and the old. Their fighting power would be minimal, and the Purple Wind Building could easily conquer them and seize their supplies.

The suggestion was tempting, even for Su Li.

But after careful consideration, Su Li rejected the tempting plan.

The remaining garrison at “Gold Eagle One A-Building” might be weak, but the real trouble lay in the other two skyscrapers.

“Gold Eagle One B-Building” (44 floors) and the “Shimao Center” (42 floors) were very close to “Gold Eagle One A-Building.” The distance between Gold Eagle One B-Building and A-Building was less than one kilometer.

Su Li suspected that the “Golden Eagle Alliance” they had heard of was a coalition of the survivors from these three towers. Their close proximity made mutual alliance highly likely.

If he led his people to attack “Gold Eagle One A-Building,” it would surely alert the people in the other two towers. “Gold Eagle One B-Building” had 44 floors, and the “Shimao Center” had 42 floors. The number of survivors would be considerable, and their fighting force would not be weak. If he rashly attacked, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The Purple Wind Building, although short on supplies, could still last for seven or eight more days. It wasn’t yet time to risk everything in a desperate fight. Su Li abandoned the plan.

Ding Longyun finally recovered completely. He cursed loudly, hurling insults at the man who had caused him to be paralyzed for half a day.

After dinner and a short rest, the entire remaining force of the Purple Wind Building set out to hunt on the floating island.

The battle with Gao Shupeng’s group had made everyone realize the necessity of being strong. They knew they had only survived because of Su Li. That night, everyone, especially the others, fought diligently, wanting to level up and grow stronger quickly.

In this hunt, eleven people successfully advanced from Level 4 to Level 5. The number of Level 4 Wielders was reduced to only ten.

Jin Sixing and Bai Wenwei both broke through to Level 6.

However, the higher the level, the harder it was to break through, as most of the monsters gathering on the floating island were Level 4 or Level 5 Common monsters. Level 6 monsters were scarce. Even with Su Li’s skill, the effective Spiritual Sources he harvested from slaying Level 6 monsters and Level 5 Elite Beasts only totaled 32. His total effective Spiritual Sources were now 61, and he still needed 29 more to reach Level 7.

The other Level 6 Wielders—Gong Xiao, Luo Jun, and Ding Longyun—naturally had lower Spiritual Source gains, as Su Li had claimed the majority of the Level 6 kills.

“One more hunt tomorrow, and I should be able to break through to Level 7,” Su Li thought, his heart filled with anticipation. Once he reached Level 7, his “Demon Muscles” would enter its second form, marking a qualitative leap in his strength.

(End of Chapter)

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