54: All failed?
"Reward: One spirit gathering flower."
"Second stage, begin."
"Seriously? No rest time at all?"
The mechanized secret realm, like a tireless machine, was deaf to Li Wen's complaints. It simply, silently, and firmly executed its program.
In the center of the arena, Energy Value gathered again, and a Fruit Ape, identical to the previous one, slowly formed.
There was no difference; it still had 1000 Energy Value and was at the entry-level advanced stage. The only distinction was that its face seemed to show a bit more rationality.
Indeed, the Fruit Ape's eyes hadn't changed, which meant it wouldn't activate a special state.
Li Wen was about to say that the secret realm must be severely aged, as the first stage's difficulty was actually higher than the second's. Then he saw an incomprehensible scene.
The Fruit Ape wildly waved its arms in place, as if dancing, and around it appeared one, two, three... eight, nine identical Fruit Apes.
Including the original, there were a total of ten entry-level advanced Fruit Apes, completely surrounding Li Wen.
Li Wen: "Screw you! Ape Swarm Summon!"
"How about it, buddy, why don't you go berserk?"
But it was clear the opponents wouldn't heed his suggestion. Ten 'muscle-bound men' charged straight at Li Wen.
As the number of enemies climbed, the 'birdcage' tactic was no longer as effective as before. Ya Bao couldn't possibly hold off ten Fruit Apes of a higher growth level simultaneously, even if they hadn't entered a berserk state.
"It seems I'll have to use the 'yo-yo tactic,'" Li Wen quickly judged.
Qing Yan immediately sprang into action. He skillfully tied several knots with Insect Silk on Ya Bao, connecting the two tightly.
Then, Ya Bao activated the Ram Skill, charging towards the Fruit Ape group like a speeding cannonball.
The originally straight path, under Qing Yan's precise control, became an elegant pendulum trajectory, knocking back all ten Fruit Apes at once.
Finally, Qing Yan retracted the Insect Silk, pulling Ya Bao back to the starting point. Next was Qing Yan's performance segment, which was only added due to the inclusion of Light Blessing.
Otherwise, let alone knocking others back, it would be good if he didn't fly back himself.
Fire Velvet, Metabolic Acceleration, "Insect Silk Armor," activate! Activate! All activated!
Qing Yan, launch!
However, even with so many Skills stacked, Qing Yan's knock-back effect on the Fruit Apes was still not as good as Ya Bao's. Physical differences were not so easily compensated for.
Under such a rotation, they held on for a difficult ten minutes. Finally, under Li Wen's instruction, Yuan Wang used Multiplication, and a 'meatball tank' charged forward to finish off the last one.
"Reward: Tier 2 Earth-attribute Beast Core."
"Third stage, begin."
When ten rational Fruit Apes appeared simultaneously, Li Wen knew that if he didn't do something soon, he wouldn't be able to do anything at all.
"Harvest Worm, can you hear me?"
"Your child has come to find you." As he spoke, he pushed Qing Yan forward.
Qing Yan: "Me?"
"Besides my color, what about me is like a dragon?"
"Quick, call him 'Old Ancestor.'"
Although he didn't feel like there was any resemblance, Qing Yan still chose to listen to Li Wen.
"Ying~"
"Old Ancestor?"
After a few seconds of awkward silence, receiving no response, Li Wen had no choice but to actively exit the secret realm.
"Completion rate for this attempt: 2/5."
"Evaluation: S... B."
After all, it was an ancient relic, and Li Wen could understand a few malfunctions, but how could it curse at him?
As soon as he exited the secret realm, he saw Lu Chen waiting outside.
"Which stage did you reach?"
"The third stage. That's completely impossible for us at this growth level. It might only be possible after the Green Vine Snake evolves."
"Yeah, I also failed at the third stage. One hundred Fruit Apes are impossible to fight. Unless Ya Bao masters a highly proficient area-of-effect Skill."
"You also failed at the third stage? Then why did you come out so early?"
"Who knows? Maybe you were too fast? Tell me, how did you fail?"
Lu Chen briefly organized his thoughts and began.
"After the second stage, I knew that without red eyes, the Fruit Ape has the ability to summon its kind."
"So, in the third stage, as soon as I saw ten Fruit Apes, I immediately had Red String Bell actively make them fall into a berserk state."
"But I overlooked that a Green Vine Snake at its current growth level couldn't withstand ten berserk Fruit Apes, so I immediately chose to withdraw."
Li Wen nodded repeatedly. That made sense.
"How about you lend me Red String Bell?"
Lu Chen: ... (He thought to himself, 'This guy is getting more and more outrageous, daring to say anything. Then don't blame me for making an exorbitant demand.')
"Then how about you lend me Ya Bao?"
"Forget it. Mainly, Ya Bao is like my own child; I'm afraid she wouldn't be used to being away from me."
Ya Bao, perched on his head, listened to Li Wen's sappy words. Although she didn't say anything, her inner monologue was just one sentence:
"I wouldn't get too used to it!"
Seeing the topic conclude, Li Wen asked at an opportune moment.
"How many stages do you think Su Chen can pass?"
Lu Chen stroked his chin, somewhat uncertainly.
"I feel he might be stronger than you, perhaps one stage higher."
"Although you're already quite outrageous, he's at least a Rat Faction candidate, and his pet's growth level is higher than yours."
"But passing completely? I don't think there's any hope. This isn't prepared for beginners at all. It probably requires a growth level close to the commander rank to pass."
Li Wen pondered, feeling as if he had missed something important, something very crucial.
Ten minutes later, Su Chen finally emerged.
His first words were, "Guys, maybe we should just pull out?"
"I've found part of the historical truth. I suggest we don't continue exploring."
"Wait, you cleared it?" The two spoke in unison. They couldn't imagine anyone their age clearing it.
"How is that possible?! Do you know what I saw in the fourth stage?"
"A commander-rank Great Fruit Ape! How could anyone pass that?"
"How did you pass the third stage?"
"Oh, right, you don't know my initial pet."
With that, he summoned his pet.
Nether Bone Dragon
attribute: Dark/Ghost
Species: Elite Advanced
growth level: Entry-level Advanced
Energy Value: 2987
trait: Netherworld: The Nether Bone Dragon naturally possesses the ability to control dark elements. It exists like a ghost in the darkness, capable of concealing its form, making it difficult for enemies to detect its traces.
Skill ①: Stealth: The Nether Bone Dragon excels at stealth in the dark, capable of silently approaching enemies. It is extremely effective for both surprise attacks and reconnaissance.
Skill ②: Nether Shield: At critical moments, the Nether Bone Dragon can condense dark elements to form a powerful shield, resisting enemy attacks. The shield can also absorb a portion of the damage, enhancing its own defense.
Skill ③: Shadow Raid: The Nether Bone Dragon can instantly burst forth with astonishing speed, using dark elements for a surprise attack, delivering a fatal blow to enemies. Its attack speed is fast, and its power is strong, making it impossible to guard against.
Skill ④: Netherwind: Can summon a Netherwind, with dark energy mixed within the wind, causing continuous damage to surrounding enemies and plunging them into fear and confusion.