Chapter 167: Weapons and Armor

Su Li had just accelerated his dive. It was too late to dodge. He instantly entered the “Demon Muscles” defense state. All the muscles in his body fiercely swelled and contracted, hardening like steel. At the same time, he crossed his arms to protect his head and face, activating “Silver Armor Coating.”

It all happened too fast. Su Li barely had time to think. The smooth head of the Seven-Star Ghost Shark, with its seven white star-spots, slammed heavily into his crossed arms and chest.

With a huge “BOOM,” water splashed everywhere. Su Li was sent flying out of the water. The people from the Golden Convergence Center gathered in the building watched, their eyes wide with horror.

The force of the impact was terrifying.

Fortunately, they were underwater, and the distance was extremely close. The Seven-Star Ghost Shark’s ramming force could only unleash half its power. Su Li’s preemptive activation of the “Demon Muscles” defense state, combined with the protection of “Silver Armor Coating,” prevented him from being instantly crushed.

Even so, Su Li felt agonizingly battered. His vital energy surged violently. He tasted blood, which flowed from his mouth. The impact had severely wounded him.

Su Li tumbled backward in mid-air.

The Seven-Star Ghost Shark leaped out of the water, its massive jaws snapping at the falling Su Li.

Trapped in mid-air, Su Li had no escape. He was about to fall right into the shark’s open jaws.

“Beast—” Su Li suddenly cursed, drawing the Ice Python Sword from his chest with his left hand. He crossed the two swords and brought them down fiercely on the shark’s massive, open maw.

With a “hiss,” a massive amount of blood sprayed everywhere, mingled with the shark’s earth-shattering shriek. The Dragon Rhino Sword and the Ice Python Sword sliced through its open, bloody jaws like a scythe through a field, cutting the huge mouth into a cross-shaped four petals.

Su Li continued to fall. His dual swords sliced through the mouth and continued downward, cutting into its head. Blood gushed like a fountain from the four-petaled mouth.

Su Li’s head and face were completely drenched in the shark’s blood. He plunged into the water, while the Seven-Star Ghost Shark, its leaping body now a falling column, crashed heavily.

The shark “slammed” into the water, unleashing a gigantic wave.

The sight stunned the people gathered in the building. Their eyes were filled with shock.

Su Li’s instant slaying of the Seven-Star Ghost Shark was too shocking. This was a terrifying, seven-to-eight-meter-long giant shark.

Compared to the shark, Su Li was minuscule. Yet, he had wrestled the giant shark to death.

Su Li, submerged, spat out a mouthful of blood. He saw a Spiritual Source emerge from the shark’s completely cleaved head and merge into his forehead.

“Level 7 Spiritual Source Wielder: Spiritual Source 23/110”

Slaying the Level 8 Rare Beast Seven-Star Ghost Shark had granted Su Li twelve Spiritual Sources in one go. This was within his expectations; after all, it was a Level 8 Rare Beast, and its strength surpassed even a Leader-class monster of the same level.

It could be argued that among the monsters he had encountered so far, this Rare Beast was the strongest, second only to the mysterious Corpse Mother.

With the Seven-Star Ghost Shark slain, Su Li harvested twelve Spiritual Sources. He felt a torrent of warmth surge through his body. His wounds instantly healed completely.

Su Li slowly climbed onto a nearby raft. His eyes remained fixed on the shark’s floating corpse.

He had acquired the Spiritual Source Weapon Dragon Rhino Sword from slaying the Rare-class Dragon Rhino Fish. He had acquired the mysterious Blood Crystal from slaying the Rare-class Blood Crystal Beast. Although the Blood Crystal required him to reach Level 8 to unlock its power, he now wondered if killing the Seven-Star Ghost Shark would bring him an unexpected harvest.

Under Su Li’s gaze, the seven white star-spots on the Seven-Star Ghost Shark’s head began to glow faintly. They then peeled off, transforming into seven streams of starlight that flew toward him.

Su Li took a deep breath. Indeed, killing a Rare Beast always yielded something unique. He wondered if this was a special ability or a Spiritual Source Weapon, like the Dragon Rhino Sword or Ice Python Sword.

The seven streams of starlight did not fly toward his chest, as he had expected. Instead, they flew toward his right wrist, merging into it. The seven streams of starlight formed a circle around his wrist.

Su Li was slightly astonished, looking at the seven white spots that appeared on his right wrist. He then saw the seven spots sink beneath his skin. At the same moment, he felt a strange, surging energy in his right wrist. Information surfaced in his mind.

“The Star-Spots have merged with Spiritual Source, forming a protective gear for the right wrist. It protects the right wrist from injury and provides an extra offset of 500 jin of attack force. The power contained in the seven Star-Spots also provides an extra 500 jin of strength.”

Su Li looked at his right wrist, astonished, processing the information. With a shift of his thought, seven streams of energy appeared from his right wrist. The seven white spots he had just seen materialized again, rising to the surface of his skin. The seven spots intertwined with energy, quickly forming a bracer.

The bracer was black, with seven white star-patterns. It emitted a faint, strange power that nourished Su Li’s right wrist and extended to his whole body, increasing his strength.

He activated the “Peering Rune” and observed the bracer on his right wrist.

“Name: Seven-Star Bracer (Right). Ability: Increases strength by 500 jin. Increases defense value by 500 jin.”

Su Li gently touched the Seven-Star Bracer. It felt soft to the touch and was as light as air on his wrist. Most importantly, this tiny bracer added 500 jin of strength, which was more than a single basic muscle enhancement. Furthermore, it added a 500-jin defense value, meaning it could offset an extra 500 jin of attack force.

With the bracer’s added power, his maximum strength reached 4,000 jin (approx. 2,000 kg or 4,409 pounds), and his total defense offset increased to 1,300 jin.

Any attack below 1,300 jin would now leave him completely unharmed, even if he stood still.

“So, killing Rare Beasts not only yields Spiritual Source Weapons, but this Seven-Star Bracer is a piece of armor? Since there’s a bracer, does that mean there are corresponding clothes and armor? This single item provides power equivalent to two or three basic enhancements. This is incredible.”

A single muscle enhancement only increased Su Li’s strength by 300 jin. The Seven-Star Bracer instantly added 500 jin of strength and 500 defense value.

This left Su Li both shocked and delighted.

“It seems I need to find ways to hunt more Rare Beasts. If I find a few more treasures like this Seven-Star Bracer, my strength will increase by leaps and bounds.”

“But since they are classified as Rare Beasts, finding them won’t be easy.”

Su Li looked up at the distant water. The men from the Golden Eagle Alliance were either eaten by the Seven-Star Ghost Shark or had fled. He didn’t care about pursuing them; he wasn’t worried they would seek revenge. After all, their leader, Ding Shijie, had been slain by him. The “Golden Eagle Alliance” was likely fractured now.

He turned toward the “Golden Convergence Center Building.” He needed to find Jiang Shuijue and the others, and Liu Jiande.

The three rescued women were deeply grateful to him. Hearing Su Li’s questions, the three women scrambled to answer him, each trying to talk over the others to impress Su Li.

Poor Su Li was utterly confused by their chatter. He finally had to single out the most articulate one to answer his questions, telling the other two to remain silent.

After hearing the story, Su Li finally understood. After he and Ding Shijie jumped into the water, Jiang Shuijue’s group gained the upper hand, surrounding the Golden Eagle Alliance men, wounding two, and killing one.

Unexpectedly, a large group of “Golden Eagle Alliance” reinforcements arrived, reversing the situation. Jiang Shuijue’s group was defeated.

Jiang Shuijue’s group was surrounded and in danger when a thick fog suddenly enveloped the area. When the fog dissipated, Jiang Shuijue and the others had vanished.

Su Li immediately realized that Jiang Shuijue had deployed the “Mist Maze.”

“So she used the ‘Mist Maze’ to escape. Gu Mingfeng and Ling Yi must have escaped with her.”

Su Li thought about Liu Jiande. The three women didn’t know his whereabouts. They hadn’t paid attention to the unassuming man and didn’t know where he had gone.

With Jiang Shuijue’s group having fled, the Golden Convergence Center was defeated and occupied by the “Golden Eagle Alliance” reinforcements, who immediately began moving supplies and capturing the women.

Confirming that Liu Jiande was not in the Golden Convergence Center Building, Su Li bid farewell to the women. The three women looked reluctant to see him go. In this world, everyone wanted to follow a powerhouse for protection, and in their eyes, Su Li was that powerhouse.

Su Li understood their feelings, but he couldn’t take them in. The Golden Convergence Center Building was Jiang Shuijue’s territory. Although they had fled, they might return soon. He decided to return to the “Purple Wind Building” first to see if Liu Jiande had managed to escape back alone. He still needed Liu Jiande to find Huating Residential Area. He desperately hoped he was safe.

(End of Chapter)