17: Chapter 19 Weakness Insight: Overcoming Adversity with Skill

Lin Ye slowly opened his eyes amidst Zhao Xiaoyu's healing Spells.

His Health Points rose from a dangerous 23 back above the safety line, but the weakness brought by the near-death experience still spread through his limbs and bones. He propped himself up and looked at his teammates gathered around—each face bore the relief of surviving a disaster, along with unbelievable excitement.

“Did we... really win?” Wang Iron Pillar's voice trembled, and the battle saber in his hand was still shaking slightly.

Chen Hao slumped directly onto the ground, his long spear resting across his knees as he gasped for breath. “A BOSS with a million health... on the seventh day of the server opening... who would believe this if it were told?”

Su Qingyue didn't speak; she just silently handed a light blue Medicinal Pill to Lin Ye's lips. It was a 【Mind Clearing Pill】 she had refined from Cold Moon Grass picked in the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land, capable of accelerating mental recovery.

Lin Ye swallowed the Medicinal Pill. The cool medicinal power dissolved within his body, and the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body began to circulate on its own. The Divine Power in his wheel sea secret realm surged back slowly like a spring.

“Don't relax just yet.” Lin Ye's voice was still somewhat raspy. His gaze swept across the pile of loot in the center of the hall, finally landing on the spot where the Guardian Stone General had dissipated. “The battle isn't completely over.”

Everyone was stunned.

“The System announcement hasn't come out yet.” Lin Ye pointed overhead. “Normally, the first kill of an elite BOSS would have a server-wide announcement. But now...”

Silence fell over the hall.

There was only the sound of everyone's heavy breathing and the occasional soft clatter of stone fragments rolling in the distance.

There was no System notification sound at all.

“Could it be...” Li Qingshan's face changed, “it's not dead yet?”

As if to confirm his suspicion, the ground in the center of the hall suddenly began to vibrate.

“Crack— Crack—”

The dark gold fragments scattered across the floor began to move, converging toward a central point as if they possessed life. Beneath the pile of loot, cracks spiderwebbed across the ground, and a faint blue light leaked out from the fissures.

“Get back!” Lin Ye forced himself to stand. The myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo emerged in his palm. The cracks on the cauldron's surface hadn't been fully repaired yet, but the gray mother qi had already begun to circulate again.

The seven of them quickly retreated twenty meters and formed a simple defensive formation.

Under their gaze, the fragments converged into a stone sphere three meters in diameter, its surface showing familiar bronze patterns. Immediately after, the sphere split down the middle, and a stone statue only two meters tall slowly stood up.

This statue was completely different from the previous Guardian Stone General—it was dark gold all over, unarmored, and its body lines were as smooth as a real person's, with facial features even faintly discernible. Most striking was its left eye: it was a deep blue crystal embedded in the socket, with what looked like a nebula swirling inside, emitting heart-palpitating energy fluctuations.

Its right eye, however, was a hollow darkness.

【Ancient Palace Guardian · Core Remnant (Special State)】

Rank: 30

HP: 80,000/80,000

Status: Shattered Shell, Damaged Origin, Left Eye ‘star core eye’ Energy Leak

Traits: ① Left Eye Weakness Exposed (Takes 300% extra damage when the left eye is attacked) ② Missing Right Eye (Right-side blind spot expanded by 50%) ③ Unstable Energy (Forces a 1-second stun every 30 seconds)

Skills: Earth Shock (Preparation time 3 seconds, deals a devastating blow to a fan-shaped area in front)

“Eighty thousand health...” Zhang Meng smiled bitterly. “Is this never going to end?”

“No, this time is different.” A sharp light flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. “Look at its status description—left eye weakness exposed, 300% extra damage. Missing right eye, blind spot. And the stun from unstable energy...”

He analyzed quickly: “Its total health is only eighty thousand, less than a tenth of before. Although it still looks like a lot, if we can seize the weakness to attack, the actual damage dealt will be very significant.”

“The left eye...” Su Qingyue stared at that deep blue crystal, “that crystal feels very dangerous to me; the energy level inside is very high.”

“That's the ‘star core eye’.” Lin Ye explained based on his past life's memories. “A rare natural wonder capable of absorbing astral power and converting it into its own energy. The reason the Guardian Stone General could remain undying for a million years was by relying on this star core eye for energy. Now that the shell is shattered and the crystal is exposed, it's both its greatest weakness and...”

“And its most dangerous aspect.” Chen Hao took over, gripping his long spear. “Leaking energy means it can release ultimate moves without any restraint.”

As if hearing their conversation, the Core Remnant moved.

It didn't charge with a giant axe like before. Instead, it raised its right hand, fingers clutching at the air.

The dome of the hall suddenly lit up!

Countless faint blue light rays descended from the dome, weaving into a massive light net in the center of the hall. A rune appeared at every node of the light net, and as the runes flickered, the gravity in the air began to increase sharply.

【System Notification: Ancient Palace Guardian has activated ‘Starry Forbidden Domain’!】

【Effect: Movement speed of all units within range reduced by 60%, skill casting time extended by 100%, continuously consumes Divine Power/Mana】

“Oh no!” Zhao Xiaoyu cried out. She found that the chanting time for her healing Spells had gone from 1.5 seconds to 3 seconds.

Chen Hao tried to move, but his legs felt like they were filled with lead. His originally swift movement techniques were now as slow as a turtle's crawl.

Only Lin Ye's Chaos Domain could barely contend—the gray Domain shrank to a twenty-meter range under the suppression of the Starry Forbidden Domain, but the slow effect within the Domain was partially neutralized, allowing everyone to finally act.

“We must break this Domain first!” Lin Ye judged. “The star core eye is the energy source of the Domain. Attack the left eye!”

Before his voice had even faded, the Core Remnant had already launched an attack.

It still didn't approach, but instead raised its left hand, aiming its palm at everyone.

Deep blue light converged in its palm, and within that light, stars seemed to be born and die, and Universes seemed to undergo Reincarnation. A destructive aura locked onto Lin Ye, who stood at the very front.

“Scatter!” Lin Ye shouted, while simultaneously urging the myriad things mother qi cauldron to protect him.

But the slowing effect of the Starry Forbidden Domain was too strong.

Everyone's reactions were at least twice as slow. When the blue light pillar erupted from the Core Remnant's palm, only Lin Ye and Su Qingyue barely managed to make an evasive maneuver.

“Boom—!”

The blue light pillar grazed past Lin Ye's right shoulder.

-3,888!

Just being grazed by the aftershock caused Lin Ye's health to drop by a chunk. More terrifyingly, a bone-chilling cold came from the hit area, along with a weird “Energy Erosion” status—his Divine Power recovery speed was reduced by 50% for 30 seconds.

“This damage...” Chen Hao was horrified. If there were no slow effect and this hit had landed squarely, it would probably have instantly killed anyone here right now.

“We can't let it release long-range attacks freely.” Lin Ye gritted his teeth. “We must get close! Use its blind spot!”

He looked at Su Qingyue: “Qingyue, can you use ice walls to create cover?”

Su Qingyue nodded, her staff tapping the ground lightly: “Mystic Ice Barrier!”

Three thick ice walls rose in the hall, arranged in a triangular formation. The ice walls not only provided physical cover, but the ice runes flowing on their surface could also interfere with energy perception to a certain extent.

The Core Remnant's second attack was blocked by the ice walls. The blue light pillar blasted a large hole in an ice wall but failed to penetrate the three layers of protection.

“Now's the time!” Lin Ye's figure flickered. “Everyone, circle around from the right! Its right eye is missing; the right side is a blind spot!”

The effectiveness of Void Step was greatly reduced in the Starry Forbidden Domain. The ability that originally allowed for a five-meter instant teleport could now only manage a two-meter displacement. But those two meters were enough for Lin Ye to bypass the ice walls and approach from the Core Remnant's right side.

Chen Hao, Zhang Meng, and the others also moved with difficulty, flanking along the route Lin Ye had planned.

The Core Remnant clearly sensed the intruders' intentions. It tried to turn, but its body movement was markedly sluggish—losing its right eye didn't just affect its vision; it also affected its sense of balance.

In three seconds, Lin Ye had reached a spot five meters to the Core Remnant's right.

At this distance, he could clearly see the energy flow inside the star core eye: it was a mass of constantly rotating deep blue nebula. At the center of the nebula was a point of blazing white light, and every time it flickered, it would cause the light net on the hall's dome to brighten and dim in sync.

“As expected, the star core eye and the Starry Forbidden Domain are linked.” Lin Ye understood in his heart. “Attacking the left eye won't just deal high damage; it will also interfere with the Domain's stability.”

He didn't attack rashly, instead waiting for his teammates to get into position.

Chen Hao cut in from the rear right, Zhang Meng held his shield in front to draw attention, Su Qingyue continued to use ice Spells from a distance to interfere, and Li Qingshan and Wang Iron Pillar roamed on the sides looking for opportunities.

A simple encirclement was formed.

“First round of probing.” Lin Ye ordered, “Chen Hao, use Azure Dragon Reaching Claw to attack three inches to the side of the left eye. Don't hit the crystal directly!”

Though Chen Hao didn't understand, he chose to trust. His long spear thrust out, the tip glowing with a green Dragon shadow, accurately piercing the spot Lin Ye had designated.

The Core Remnant's reaction was unexpectedly intense.

It even gave up on attacking Zhang Meng, its entire body tilting left as it used its left arm to shield the left eye area. Chen Hao's spear struck the left arm, dealing only -588 damage, but the Core Remnant's movements clearly showed a 0.5-second stun.

“It's protecting that spot!” Su Qingyue keenly noticed. “Why is it protecting the side rather than the eyeball itself?”

A realization flashed in Lin Ye's eyes: “Because that's an energy transmission node. The star core eye is embedded in the socket, and energy flows through seven nodes to the rest of the body. The eyeball itself is protected by the crystal, but the nodes are relatively fragile. Attacking a node will interrupt the energy flow and cause a stun.”

This was a strategy detail summarized by top teams in his past life—in the Core Remnant form of the Guardian Stone General, attacking the star core eye directly had limited effect because the crystal's own defense was extremely high. But attacking the energy nodes could cause a “paralysis” effect.

“Continue!” Lin Ye moved as well.

He didn't use the bronze lamp this time. Instead, he condensed Chaos Fire at his fingertips, turning it into a thin gray needle. The needle shot out silently, its target also being another node to the side of the left eye.

-1,022! Weakness Attack!

The damage this time was much higher; the annihilation trait of Chaos Fire was particularly effective against energy nodes. The Core Remnant's stun duration extended to 1 second, and even the light net on the dome dimmed for a moment.

“It's working!” Everyone's morale soared.

Over the next two minutes, the battle entered a certain rhythm.

Lin Ye directed everyone to take turns attacking the seven energy nodes. Each hit caused a brief stun to the Core Remnant and weakened the effect of the Starry Forbidden Domain. The Core Remnant's health slowly dropped, from eighty thousand to sixty thousand, then to fifty thousand...

But it was not without the power to fight back.

Every thirty seconds, the Core Remnant would forcibly break free from the stun and release an area-of-effect skill. Sometimes it was an energy shockwave exploding outward, sometimes it was summoning meteor fragments falling from the sky, and sometimes it was an array of stone spikes erupting from the ground.

The team began to suffer casualties.

During the first energy shockwave, Li Qingshan couldn't dodge in time and was hit by three consecutive shockwaves.

-1,888! -1,755! -2,022!

Three damage numbers jumped up, and Li Qingshan's health bar was instantly emptied. He vanished into white light, leaving behind only the words, “Go for it, brothers.”

During the second meteor fragment attack, Wang Iron Pillar used his body to block three fragments to cover Zhao Xiaoyu.

-2,555! -2,888! Fatal!

Wang Iron Pillar was killed in action.

The team was down to five people.

“Stay steady!” Lin Ye's voice was still calm, but fine beads of sweat had already seeped out on his forehead. “Its health is down to forty-two thousand; we can still do this!”

The effect of the Starry Forbidden Domain has already weakened by 30%, and everyone's movement and casting speeds have somewhat recovered. However, the continuous strain of battle has pushed everyone's condition to the limit.

Zhao Xiaoyu's mana is down to its last tenth; she can only release three more Healing Arts at most.

Zhang Meng's shield durability has dropped to 12% and could shatter at any moment.

Chen Hao's left arm was injured in the previous battle, causing his attack power to drop by 15%.

Su Qingyue is relatively intact, but her Vast Cold Spirit Body is beginning to show signs of overexertion—with every Spell cast, faint frost patterns appear on the surface of her body, a sign that her spirit body is being overdrawn.

Lin Ye's own situation was even worse.

The Chaos Domain has been maintained since the start of the battle, and the Divine Power consumption has already exceeded five thousand points. The eruption speed of the life spring within his wheel sea secret realm began to slow down, a precursor to the imminent depletion of his Divine Power. Although the cracks in the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo were being slowly repaired by the mother qi, its defensive capabilities were no longer what they used to be.

Meanwhile, the Core Remnant still had forty thousand health points left.

"We can't drag this out any longer," Lin Ye calculated in his mind. "I must risk a direct assault on the main body of the left eye. Only by triggering the 300% weakness bonus can we end the battle in a short time."

He looked at Su Qingyue: "Qingyue, can you create an opportunity for an absolute freezing? Even if it's only for one second."

Su Qingyue remained silent for two seconds before nodding: "It will require overdrawing my Spirit Body Origin, but it can be done. However, I will completely lose my combat effectiveness afterward."

"That's enough." Lin Ye then looked at Chen Hao and Zhang Meng, "Wait for my signal, then use your strongest skills to attack the left eye. Xiaoyu, convert all your remaining mana into a one-time burst healing; the target is me."

"Brother Lin, what are you going to do?" Chen Hao had an ominous premonition.

"I'll tank its final blow while simultaneously creating an attack window," Lin Ye explained simply. "The star core eye has a 0.3-second energy condensation gap before releasing its ultimate move; that is the moment when the left eye's defense is at its weakest. But at that same moment, it will also release 'Earth Shock'—an unavoidable fan-shaped area-of-effect attack."

He paused for a moment: "I will tank this hit, while you seize the gap to attack the left eye. If the calculations are correct, forty thousand health can be depleted within that one second."

"You won't be able to tank it!" Zhang Meng said anxiously. "Earth Shock... you can tell how terrifying a skill it is just by the name!"

"With the myriad mother qi cauldron and the Chaos Domain, plus Xiaoyu's burst healing, I have a 30% chance," Lin Ye said. "But if we continue to drag this out, our win rate will drop to zero over time."

Everyone fell silent.

A 30% chance, betting with Lin Ye's life.

But Lin Ye was right—if they continued to drag it out, waiting until Zhao Xiaoyu's mana was exhausted, Zhang Meng's shield shattered, and Su Qingyue's spirit body was overdrawn, they wouldn't even have a 10% chance.

"I'm ready." Su Qingyue was the first to speak. An unprecedented chill began to condense on her staff, causing the temperature in the hall to plummet and a thick layer of ice to form on the ground.

Chen Hao gritted his teeth as the Azure Dragon phantom on his long spear solidified until it was nearly physical: "Count me in."

Zhang Meng slammed his broken shield heavily in front of him: "I'll try my best to help you share some of the impact."

Zhao Xiaoyu pressed her staff to her forehead, and a verdant light surged from within her body into the staff—she was burning her own health points to convert them into healing energy.

Lin Ye looked at these teammates whom he had known for only seven days but who were already willing to entrust him with their lives, and a warm current surged in his heart.

This was what he had returned from his Rebirth to protect.

Not just the future disasters, but also these companions who still chose to trust him even in a desperate situation.

"Start!"

Lin Ye stepped forward, and the Chaos Domain shrank to its limit, covering only a three-meter radius around him. The color of the Domain changed from gray to deep gray, and its defensive effect was boosted to the maximum, but the Divine Power consumption also skyrocketed to 300 points per second.

He could hold out for ten seconds at most.

The Core Remnant seemed to sense danger; it stopped its small-skill harassment, and the star core eye in its left eye began to rotate at a frantic speed. The deep blue nebula expanded and contracted, with every pulsation causing the hall to tremble violently.

The light net on the ceiling began to shrink toward the Core Remnant, and all the ghostly blue light converged into the left eye, making the light of the star core eye so intense that it was impossible to look at directly.

"Now!" Lin Ye roared.

Su Qingyue pointed her staff, and all the chill exploded at that moment.

"Vast Cold: Absolute Zero!"

An ice-blue beam hit the Core Remnant, and its massive body was instantly covered in a thick layer of ice crystals. This was not an ordinary freezing, but an absolute freezing that touched the Temperature Law—although it only lasted for a brief 0.5 seconds before the ice crystals shattered inch by inch, those 0.5 seconds were enough.

The energy condensation of the star core eye was forcibly interrupted for 0.3 seconds.

It was those 0.3 seconds!

The Core Remnant let out a silent roar, the nebula in its left eye reversed frantically, the ground began to crack, and all the stone slabs in a fan-shaped area rose up—

Earth Shock, activated!

At the same time, Lin Ye advanced instead of retreating, charging straight into the face of the shock. The myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo enlarged to its limit to block in front of him, the mother qi on the cauldron's surface falling like a curtain.

"Chaos Domain: Reverse!"

He reversed the effect of the Domain—from weakening enemies and strengthening allies to a complete defensive form. All the Chaos Power shrank inward, forming a gray light cocoon on his body's surface.

The shockwave arrived.

That was not a physical impact, but a pure manifestation of the Earth Law. Lin Ye felt as if he had been hit by an entire mountain range; his internal organs were instantly displaced, and blood seeped from his ears, nose, and mouth simultaneously.

No damage numbers popped up.

Because it had already exceeded the upper limit displayed by the System—that was a terrifying damage of over thirty thousand points in an instant, enough to kill any player at this stage ten times over.

But Lin Ye did not die.

The myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo erupted with all its mother qi at the final moment, and its body completely shattered, dissipating into countless points of light. This is the ultimate defense of a Natal Artifact: blocking a lethal blow at the cost of the weapon's destruction.

The Chaos Domain's light cocoon shattered.

Zhao Xiaoyu's burst healing fell—it was a verdant pillar of light exchanged for half of her health points, instantly restoring 8,000 health.

Lin Ye's health bar was pulled back by a small fraction the moment it hit zero.

23 points.

Another 23 points.

But this time, he did not fall.

Because in those 0.3 seconds of the gap he had bought with his life, Chen Hao and Zhang Meng's attacks had arrived.

"Azure Dragon: Sun Piercer!" Chen Hao's long spear turned into a blue meteor, its tip accurately piercing the very center of the star core eye.

-18,888! Weakness Critical!

"Shield Strike: Mountain Collapse!" Zhang Meng threw his already broken shield, which disintegrated in mid-air, each fragment wrapped in an earthy yellow light as it smashed around the left eye.

-6,555! -5,888! -7,022!...

A series of damage numbers stacked up.

The first crack appeared on the surface of the star core eye.

Deep blue light leaked from the crack, and the body of the Core Remnant began to collapse, turning into fly ash starting from its left foot.

But it was not completely dead yet.

The nebula in the left eye began to spin frantically, attempting to detonate the star core eye—a means of mutual destruction.

At this critical moment, an ice-blue figure appeared behind the Core Remnant.

It was Su Qingyue.

Her Vast Cold Spirit Body was overdrawn to its limit, and blood was seeping from her facial orifices, but her eyes remained clear. She reached out her right hand and lightly tapped her index finger on the cracked star core eye.

"Moonlight: Eternal Freeze."

There were no flashy light effects, only a layer of ice crystals as thin as a cicada's wing covering the surface of the crystal.

But it was this layer of ice crystals that forcibly suppressed the violent energy of the star core eye.

The rotation stopped.

The nebula froze.

The collapse of the Core Remnant came to an abrupt halt, and it remained in its final posture, turned into an ice sculpture.

Then, the ice sculpture began to crack from the inside.

"Crack... crack crack..."

The cracks spread to every inch of its body.

Finally, with a faint sound of shattering, the Core Remnant completely turned into countless ice crystal fragments, rustling to the ground.

The star core eye fell from the air and was caught by Su Qingyue. The cracks on the crystal's surface remained, but the violent energy inside had subsided, replaced by a docile star fluctuation.

The hall fell into absolute silence.

The light net on the ceiling dissipated, and the Starry Forbidden Domain was lifted.

The light from the pile of loot in the distance became even more dazzling.

Then—

[Server Announcement]: Congratulations to player "Lin Ye" for leading the team to the first clear of the hidden dungeon "Bronze Ancient Palace (Hell Difficulty)"! First Kill achieved! Rewards: Experience +5,000,000, Reputation +10,000, [myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo] ×1, [archaic sacred fruit] ×3, Gold +500.

[Server Announcement]: Congratulations to players "Su Qingyue", "Chen Hao", "Zhang Meng", "Zhao Xiaoyu", "Li Qingshan", and "Wang Iron Pillar" for participating in the first kill and receiving extra rewards!

[Server Announcement]: The first clear record for the Hell Difficulty of the hidden dungeon "Bronze Ancient Palace" has been established. Completion Time: 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 33 seconds. Record Holder: Lin Ye's Team.

The announcement flashed three times consecutively.

The golden text scrolled across every online player's field of vision, no matter which corner of the Big Dipper Star Field they were in or what they were doing.

After a brief, deathly silence, the World Channel exploded.

But at this moment, none of the five people inside the Bronze Ancient Palace looked at the World Channel.

They were either sitting or lying on the cold floor of the hall, looking at each other's exhausted but smiling faces.

They won.

They really won.

Lin Ye looked at his instantly surging experience bar—he had shot directly from Rank 24 to Rank 30, reaching the Peak of the wheel sea secret realm. As long as he completed the Dao Palace Trial, he could break through to the next great Realm.

But he didn't feel much joy.

His gaze fell on Su Qingyue—she had fainted immediately after catching the star core eye, her face as pale as paper and her breathing weak. Overdrawing the Origin of the Vast Cold Spirit Body was not a common injury in the game; it could affect her Foundation in reality.

"Qingyue!" Lin Ye struggled to crawl to her side and took out the last few healing Medicinal Pills from his Storage Ring, feeding them all to her regardless of what they were.

The Medicinal Pills melted upon entering her mouth, and Su Qingyue's complexion turned slightly more rosy, but she still showed no signs of waking up.

"How is she?" Chen Hao also leaned over, his face full of concern.

"Her spirit body is overdrawn; she needs rest and special medicine," Lin Ye said in a heavy voice. "Let's leave here first and return to Yan State to find a physician."

He looked at the pile of loot, then at the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo that had already dissipated in his hand—his Natal Artifact was shattered, and although the System had rewarded him with a new embryo, it would need to be re-nurtured; in the short term, he had lost his greatest defensive means.

The price of this battle was too high.

But the harvest...

Lin Ye's gaze fell deep within the hall.

At the spot where the Core Remnant had dissipated, a stone platform slowly rose from the ground. Three items were placed on the stone platform: a dark gold token, an ancient bamboo slip, and a stone box emanating a Chaos aura.

That was the true ultimate reward of the Bronze Ancient Palace.

Not those in the System announcement, but the hidden, special Treasure Trove that could only be triggered by the first-clear team.

Lin Ye took a deep breath and walked toward the stone platform with Chen Hao's support.

It was time to see what exactly they had bought with their lives.