21: Chapter 21 The Third Talent (6)

The white light dissipated, revealing ten crystal-clear stones.

[energy stone (Common) × 10]

Li Taiping didn't even lift an eyelid; he casually waved his hand and stored them in the warehouse.

While Common-grade energy stones are precious, for Li Taiping, who possesses the treasure basin, they are not in short supply at all.

His gaze turned toward the green light.

[sulfur (good) × 5]

[Evaluation: A high-purity flammable substance, an excellent material for making black powder or certain alchemical reagents. Of course, if you want to set off fireworks in this world made entirely of water, it can also satisfy you.]

"good stuff, pity I can't use it right now."

Li Taiping rubbed his chin; he didn't have the recipe for black powder, and he knew absolutely nothing about alchemy.

But that didn't diminish its value.

He opened the trading post and listed it Anonymous.

[Trade Item: sulfur (good) × 1] — Demand: [energy stone (good) × 1].

Things are valued for their scarcity; there will always be someone who needs it.

After finishing with the miscellaneous items, Li Taiping's breathing grew slightly heavier.

The main event had arrived.

That faint blue light was like a seductive ghost fire in the deep sea.

He reached out to touch it, and the light dissipated.

A fruit, entirely crimson with what looked like magma flowing across its skin, landed in his palm.

[Vermilion Fruit (Excellent)]

[Effect: A strange fruit containing vast life essence. Any Common-grade creature that consumes it will have its life level forcibly elevated to "good grade".]

[Evaluation: Do you really expect to become an immortal overnight by relying on a small fruit that barely breaks into the Excellent Grade?]

Li Taiping's pupils constricted slightly.

Ignoring the system's cheeky evaluation, this was absolutely a divine artifact for the current stage!

Painless promotion!

You have to know, in this survival game, resources can be farmed through grinding, but improving physical fitness is extremely difficult.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Taiping swallowed it.

"Crunch."

The flesh melted the moment it entered his mouth, like a ball of raging fire rushing down his throat into his stomach.

Boom!

A violent surge of heat exploded instantly within his body, rampaging wildly through his limbs and bones.

Li Taiping let out a muffled groan; his muscles tensed instantly, and his veins bulged like coiling dragons.

Painful yet pleasurable!

A few minutes later, the heat subsided slowly.

Li Taiping exhaled a long breath of stale air, which actually condensed into a white streak in the cool sea breeze, lingering for a long time.

He clenched his fist.

The air in his palm was crushed, emitting a crisp sound.

Just then, that grand voice echoed once again in the ears of every Survivor.

[Region-wide Announcement!]

[Congratulations to player Li Taiping, the first to promote to a "good grade Lifeform"!]

[The Region-wide Personal Strength Ranking System is now officially open!]

(Scanning player data... Matching unique title...)

[Congratulations to player Li Taiping for obtaining the unique growth-type title: Ten Thousand Generations Monarch!]

(Ten Thousand Generations Monarch: Your base stats are all increased by 10%. Note: This title has growth potential; the more partners/offspring you have, the stronger the boost.)

The moment the message fell, the [Regional Chat Channel] was ignited once again.

"Li Taiping? It's Li Taiping again?!"

"What the hell is a good grade Lifeform? A Super Saiyan?"

"Can any expert explain how big the gap actually is?"

"Don't ask, asking means it's a dimensional strike. I just want to know who is second on the list?"

Li Taiping simply glanced at the barrage from this rabble and ignored it; he opened the newly appeared leaderboard.

[Regional Personal Strength Ranking] (Can be Anonymous)

No.1 good grade (Late Stage) · Li Taiping

(Title: Ten Thousand Generations Monarch)

No.2 Common-Grade (Early Stage) · Zhang Wansan

No.3 Common-Grade (Early Stage) · Liang Jingru

...

A gap. An absolute gap.

Apart from himself, everyone behind him was entirely Common-Grade Early Stage; there wasn't even a middle-stage one.

Subsequently, he opened his personal panel.

[Name: Li Taiping]

[Life Level: good grade (Late Stage)]

[Status: Energy Overflowing]

[Talent: Bullseye (Unique), Swordsmanship Mastery (Common), treasure basin (Common)]

"good grade (Late Stage)..."

Li Taiping clenched his fist, feeling the explosive power surging beneath his skin.

The guaranteed effect of the Vermilion Fruit was only to let one cross the threshold into the good grade.

But he had previously eaten a [Strength Fruit], so his foundation was already much more solid than these Survivor who were still struggling at the subsistence line.

Coupled with the newly obtained [Ten Thousand Generations Monarch] title boost, it pushed him directly to the peak of the good grade!

Now, even without using the cold iron sword, relying solely on his physical strength, he could kill that great white shark from before with one punch!

"Fighting my past self, a hundred of them shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Li Taiping twisted his neck, producing a creaking sound of bones rubbing together.

Not far away, Xia Zhi's movements stiffened slightly; an indescribable emotion flowed in her eyes.

"Monster..." She murmured softly, her red lips slightly parted.

On the other side, Yun Jinxin had a completely different reaction.

The Little Girl held her fishing rod, her big eyes filled with stars, almost kneeling in adoration:

"Wow! Captain... when you exhaled just now, you looked just like an expert from a martial arts novel!"

Li Taiping laughed and rubbed the Little Girl's head:

"Keep fishing well; this is the benefit of following me. As long as you listen obediently, you will also be able to become stronger in the future."

Subsequently, he restrained his aura and gazed into the distance.

"Don't space out; strike while the iron is hot!"

After speaking, he cast out that alloy fishing rod once again.

Time passed. The sunlight on the sea surface was gradually swallowed by darkness, and the prelude to the black tide began to surge at the horizon where the sea met the sky.

Until ten o'clock at night.

The deck in front of Li Taiping was already piled high with various supply boxes.

Almost all the [Alloy Powerful Fishing Rods] circulating on the market had been Anonymous-ly exchanged back by him using infinite resources, and then their durability was snapped again and again by his terrifying arm strength.

Over 800 casts!

Although he never encountered a second black iron treasure chest, it was clear that such a lucky moment was unrepeatable.

But the stone treasure chests had piled up into a small mountain!

Li Taiping was like a ruthless box-opening machine, mechanically repeating the action of "Open - Sort - Store".

Just in [good grade] materials and items alone, he had harvested over twenty pieces!

He even opened a blueprint for a [Seawater Purifier (good)]; if this thing were thrown out, it would definitely make those water-deprived Survivor sell their souls to join him.

Of course, the most critical thing was—

Li Taiping looked at the few glowing stones in his palm with burning eyes.

[energy stone (good) × 7]

He was only three good grade energy stones away from the upgrade requirements for the [third-rank duozi duofu hao]!

Only three more!

Once upgraded to the third rank, this ship would completely break away from the category of a "ship" and become a mobile fortress on the sea!

"Pity, today's luck seems to have been overdrawn."

Li Taiping looked at the last scrapped fishing rod in his hand, shook his head, feeling a bit unsatisfied.

But he wasn't regretful.

If the system were to release a wealth ranking now, the name Li Taiping would absolutely be the world number one by a landslide!

"Hoo..."

Li Taiping stretched lazily, and his bones popped again.

His advanced body seemed tireless; after hours of high-intensity casting, not only was there no soreness, but he felt a wave of heat due to his overflowing energy.

This Vermilion Fruit... seems to have some other side effects?

That primitive, surging urge to vent was rushing through his blood vessels.

He turned around, his gaze cast toward the cabin behind him.

The light in the living room was dim and warm; through the window, he could see Su Mei applying a face mask, while Xia Zhi was meticulously organizing today's harvest list.

As for that smallest figure...

Li Taiping smiled gently.

That little quail was probably already washed clean in the room, waiting in anticipation, right?

After all, the "we'll talk about it at night" he promised her was the Captain's word of honor.

"It's time to conduct a new Many Children, Many Blessings Ritual."

Li Taiping casually tossed the scrapped fishing rod into the warehouse and strode toward the cabin.

He pushed open the cabin door.

A faint scent of body wash wafted toward him.

Hearing the commotion, Su Mei looked up, saw Li Taiping's burning gaze, and immediately understood.

She lazily pointed to the innermost bedroom, her tone carrying a hint of teasing:

"Captain, your little snack is ready. Remember to be gentle; it's the real first time, don't break her~"

Xia Zhi said without even looking up:

"Based on my assessment of Yun Jinxin, she won't last long."

Li Taiping rolled his eyes.

These two women, one a vixen, one a robot.

Ignoring their banter, Li Taiping walked straight to the tightly closed door.

He placed his palm on the doorknob.

He could even feel the suppressed breathing coming from behind the door panel.

"Click."

The lock turned.

Li Taiping pushed the door open and locked it behind him.

Only a dim bedside lamp was on in the room.

Yun Jinxin was curled up in the blanket, revealing only a pair of large, damp eyes, looking at the tall man who walked in like a frightened little deer.

She was still wearing the small JK uniform that Su Mei had thrown to her.

This outfit, combined with her pure, first-love face, had explosive lethality.

Seeing Li Taiping enter, she subconsciously pulled the blanket up a bit, her voice trembling:

"Ca...Captain..."

Li Taiping walked to the bedside and looked down at her.

The powerful blood energy from his recent promotion to "good grade (Late Stage)" made him look incredibly aggressive at this moment.

"Are you ready?"

Yun Jinxin's little face flushed red, her eyelashes trembling gently.