81: Chapter 81 A Great Harvest

Boom—!!!

A dull yet terrifying roar, loud enough to shake the entire valley, erupted from the mouth of that giant black beast!

Brilliant golden light surged from its massive maw like a bursting dam!

The "Meteor" that Wang Pingan had condensed with all his strength completely detonated inside the beast's mouth!

Destructive energy, like a violent tide, swept through everything inside its body with unstoppable force!

"Roar... woo..."

That once-overbearing black beast let out a final wail filled with pain and resentment.

Its lava-red eyes quickly dimmed.

Its mountain-like body collapsed with a thunderous crash!

Thud!

The core area of the entire valley shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck, due to its fall.

Dust and thick mist filled the air.

The dust settled.

Wang Pingan's figure slowly emerged from the wreckage.

His combat suit was in tatters, and his body was covered in deep, bone-deep wounds caused by energy threads.

A trace of crimson blood hung from the corner of his mouth.

His face was pale from the massive depletion of his vital energy.

But in his pitch-black eyes, an unprecedented, terrifyingly bright flame burned.

Survival after a narrow escape.

And... immense ecstasy!

He won.

In this desperate situation where death seemed certain, he had not only survived but also successfully killed the Guardian Beast!

He looked at the mountain-like corpse before him and let out a long sigh of relief.

Then, unable to hold on any longer, he slumped to the ground, gasping for air.

The battle just now seemed brief, but it had nearly exhausted all his mental and physical strength.

Especially that final moment, when he used his mental power to forcibly break through the confinement, it felt as if his head had been hollowed out, throbbing with needle-like pain.

But he knew it was all worth it.

After resting for a moment and feeling some of his strength return, he struggled to his feet.

He walked over to the beast's corpse.

The yuan magnetic spirit fruit tree growing on the beast's back had become dull and lusterless now that its energy supply was gone.

The nine spirit fruits that had originally emitted a soft white light also lost all their brilliance, turning into something like ordinary stones.

Clearly, this thing was a one-time use.

Once used, it was gone.

Wang Pingan shook his head with some regret.

But his gaze was soon drawn to something else.

At the spot on the beast's head that he had blasted into a bloody mess.

A black crystal about the size of a human head, deep and obsidian-like, lay there quietly.

The black crystal seemed to have a life of its own, pulsing slowly and rhythmically.

With every pulse, it absorbed a trace of the remaining yuan magnetic spirit mist around it.

An energy surge even more massive and pure than that of the previous nine yuan magnetic spirit fruits combined emanated from the black crystal.

"Is this... the energy core of this beast?"

Wang Pingan's heart pounded wildly.

He activated the [Eye of Truth].

A line of golden text, carrying a hint of shock, slowly emerged in his field of vision.

[Discovered ultra-high purity 'Yuan Magnetic Crystal Source'!]

[This item is the core essence of a Yuan Magnetic Spirit Vein, a natural wonder evolved over ages after combining with a special life form!]

[Contains an extremely vast amount of the most primordial Magnetic Force!]

[Absorbable, convertible!]

[After absorption, it can greatly temper the physical body and increase vital energy!]

[Convertible to pay-to-win points: 20,000!]

Twenty thousand points!

Wang Pingan's breath hitched for a moment.

Immense ecstasy, like a volcanic eruption, instantly washed away all his fatigue and pain!

Without thinking, he reached out, wanting to take the "Yuan Magnetic Crystal Source" for himself.

But just then.

He hesitated again.

Absorb or convert?

This was a happy dilemma.

Absorbing it could directly increase his strength.

This would undoubtedly be a huge help for the upcoming "New Generation Genius Invitational."

But converting it into pay-to-win points would give him more options.

Twenty thousand pay-to-win points were enough to raise his strength to a whole new, even terrifying level!

This was a safer choice with more growth potential.

A mental battle raged in Wang Pingan's head.

In the end, reason triumphed over impulse.

Real pay-to-win points were more reliable.

"System."

Wang Pingan made a decision in his heart.

"Convert this 'Yuan Magnetic Crystal Source' into pay-to-win points for me!"

[Instruction received...]

[Converting 'Yuan Magnetic Crystal Source'...]

Buzz—!

The head-sized black crystal let out a sudden, intense hum upon his touch.

Then its light quickly faded, eventually turning into a handful of black powder that scattered in the wind.

Meanwhile.

On Wang Pingan's system panel, the string of numbers representing his wealth began to soar wildly!

[pay-to-win points: 34,765]

...

[pay-to-win points: 44,765]

...

Finally, the number came to a steady halt.

[pay-to-win points: 55,765]

Fifty-five thousand seven hundred and sixty-five points!

Looking at this long number that made his head spin, Wang Pingan felt his blood burning.

He had never been this rich!

He felt like he was the coolest guy in the entire universe right now!

He forcibly suppressed the urge to max out all his attributes immediately.

He knew now was not the time.

The assessment wasn't over yet.

He had to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

He stood up and glanced around.

The beast's corpse was weathering and decomposing at a visible rate, eventually turning into the purest energy and feeding back into the valley.

Presumably, before long, everything here would return to its original state.

As if nothing had ever happened.

Wang Pingan didn't linger.

He oriented himself and sprinted toward the finish line.

Although the battle just now had been exhausting.

Those fifty thousand-plus pay-to-win points were his greatest source of confidence.

As he ran, he issued an instruction to the system in his mind.

"System, consume pay-to-win points to heal my injuries and restore my vital energy."

[Instruction confirmed. Consumed pay-to-win points: 500.]

A warm current full of vitality instantly spread through his entire body.

His gruesome wounds healed rapidly at a visible rate, scabbing over and falling off to reveal smooth skin like that of a newborn baby.

His vital energy, which had been pale and withered from overexertion, instantly became full and majestic once more!

In just a few seconds.

He was back to his peak condition!

This was the simple, unadorned joy of a pay-to-win player.

Feeling the surging power within him once again, a confident smile curled on Wang Pingan's lips.

He pushed his speed to the limit.

He turned into a streak of light, rapidly darting through the valley.