10: Chapter 10 Inner City Trialists
"Cousin Fang Yuan, you're truly amazing. As expected of a Prodigy who awakened a Silver Rank Talent."
Lin Zhizhi, who hadn't moved once from start to finish, walked through the scattered wreckage, ignoring the pungent smell of blood to approach Fang Yuan and shower him with praise.
Looking at the Black Iron Level Four monster, she didn't feel the slightest discomfort. Instead, she extended a foot and kicked the Ghost Monkey's corpse.
This was a Black Iron Level Four monster, one of the strongest monsters on the second day of the Haishi Void Realm.
On the second day after the Void Realm's arrival, the monsters' Ranks had generally risen to Black Iron Level Two. Aside from a few exceptionally terrifying monsters, this Ghost Monkey was already a very powerful monster.
The second day marked the beginning of disaster. Most of the trial participants could only huddle in a corner, waiting for the trial to end.
Only young men and women who had awakened Bronze Rank Talent or higher possessed the ability to protect themselves and venture out to hunt monsters for leveling up.
"Let's go!"
Fang Yuan ignored Lin Zhizhi, holding his red black iron long saber and continuing forward into the mist.
"Wait a moment! The Ghost Monkey's materials are worth a few energy points."
Seeing Fang Yuan about to leave, Lin Zhizhi hurriedly asked him to wait. Then, disregarding her image, she punched and exploded the Ghost Monkey's skull.
Crimson blood splattered, and she, completely unconcerned with her appearance, pulled out a Black Iron crystal core, less than two centimeters in size, from within.
crystal cores are energy crystal cores unique to Rank monsters, containing a significant amount of energy.
Just this one Black Iron crystal core, when sold outside, could fetch three or four energy points.
For her, who was completely penniless, this was a huge sum. According to her living expenses for the past sixteen years, a few energy points were equivalent to a month's worth of living expenses.
Lin Zhizhi, having obtained her spoils, completely disregarded the bloodstains on the Black Iron crystal core and carefully tucked it into her pocket as if it were a treasure.
After collecting the Black Iron crystal core, Lin Zhizhi still had no intention of letting go of the Ghost Monkey's remains. She brutally ripped off its two monkey paws and packed them into a bundle to take away.
Monster body parts also held a certain value. These two monkey paws alone could sell for at least one energy point.
Having gained nearly five energy points from this trip, Lin Zhizhi, in a rather good mood, followed Fang Yuan, who was waiting for her about ten meters ahead, carrying her small bundle.
Including yesterday's gains, she now had ten energy points... Ten minutes later!
"Killed Blood Worm."
Fang Yuan
Rank: Black Iron Level Five (0%)
True Spirit Talent: Origin Devouring (Silver Rank)
Talents: Metal (2.1%) Wood (1.9%)... After casually chopping an ugly, disgusting giant worm into more than ten pieces, Fang Yuan finally advanced from Black Iron Level Four to Black Iron Level Five.
The immediate sense of fullness brought by the Rank increase made his sturdy body tense, and the contours of his streamlined muscles were clearly visible through his clothes.
After successfully leveling up, Fang Yuan's own strength reached over seven hundred points, already possessing battle power comparable to Black Iron Level Seven.
"Congratulations, Cousin, on successfully upgrading to Black Iron Level Five."
Before he could even marvel at his surging strength, Lin Zhizhi's timely praise rang out.
When Fang Yuan saw the young girl approaching him, he saw a face even happier than his own.
"Haha, next, I'll help you level up...!"
Fang Yuan, in a very good mood, gestured for Lin Zhizhi to follow him, indicating that he would now help her level up.
Hearing this, Lin Zhizhi's smile grew even brighter. Recalling her experience of being carried yesterday, she was already eager to experience being carried again.
The figures of monsters were not uncommon in the darkness. Soon, following behind Fang Yuan, she killed those near-death Black Iron Level Three monsters with punch after punch.
Killing monsters of the same Rank yielded a lot of energy. Lin Zhizhi, who had already accumulated more than half, successfully upgraded to Black Iron Level Four half an hour later.
As for Fang Yuan himself, he gained nothing during that half-hour.
Currently, monster Ranks were generally only Black Iron Level Three. Black Iron Level Four monsters were only encountered perhaps once every few hundred. Since his Rank was Black Iron Level Five, to level up by killing Level Three monsters, he would need to kill at least ten thousand of them.
After Lin Zhizhi upgraded to Black Iron Level Four, her strength received a significant boost. She could now kill monsters in this dangerous mist by herself.
Especially with the enhancement of her Bronze Rank Talent, [Iron Fist], her punch strength already exceeded five hundred points, more than enough to deal with Black Iron Level Three monsters.
As Lin Zhizhi's strength increased, Fang Yuan no longer intervened. Whenever they encountered monsters, as long as their Rank was not above Black Iron Level Four, she would deal with all of them.
Unconsciously, the two had advanced a considerable distance towards the center of Sea City, and the dark twilight was also illuminated by streaks of sunlight.
"A few trial participants died here..."
Looking at the several pools of blood remaining on the ground, and the obvious human skeletons on them, Lin Zhizhi calmly told Fang Yuan everything she saw.
"Given the usual Awakening success rate of less than seventy percent, an estimated two thousand people will perish in this Haishi Void Realm."
Hearing Lin Zhizhi's words, Fang Yuan, who had also noticed it at the same time, showed no particular expression.
Having experienced sixteen years of a calamitous reality, constantly witnessing the deaths of others, compassion had already vanished from them.
Furthermore, dying in this controlled Void Realm only meant a true spirit Awakening failure; these people did not truly die.
Although a failed true spirit Awakening was not much different from true death, at least it meant their lives were spared.
After clearing out the monsters around these skeletons, Fang Yuan and Lin Zhizhi quickened their pace towards the center of the Haishi Void Realm.
With the enhancement of their powerful strength, the two moved very quickly, arriving at the outskirts of Sea City by noon.
The Haishi Void Realm was a reflection of Sea City fifty years ago, when its population was less than a million. The entire Void Realm was not too large.
The deeper they went, the more monsters Fang Yuan and Lin Zhizhi encountered, and even Black Iron Level Four monsters became more numerous.
However, this was precisely the outcome Fang Yuan desired, as these were all nourishment for his own strength improvement.
In the absence of Black Iron Level Five monsters, Fang Yuan's experience finally increased from 0% to 2.1%, which meant he had killed twenty-one Black Iron Level Four monsters.
Compared to Fang Yuan, who only gained a little, Lin Zhi, who was only Black Iron Level Four, saw a huge increase, with her progress already exceeding one-third. At this rate, she would level up tomorrow... Striding boldly through the streets, Fang Yuan and Lin Zhizhi finally encountered other trial participants who came forward to greet them.
Four Inner City trial participants, clad in Black Iron armor, passed through the faint mist and approached within a few meters.
From the Black Iron protective gear worn by several people and the various Black Iron weapons in their hands, Fang Yuan could tell at a glance that they were trial participants from the Inner City.
Facing the several people who suddenly came forward to greet him, Fang Yuan had no worries. With his own powerful strength, he wasn't concerned about what the other party might do.
Lin Zhizhi, however, became somewhat wary of them, with tendrils of black energy coiling around her fists, ready to deal with any potential sudden changes.
Coming from the Outer City, she had no good impression of people from the Inner City.
Especially upon seeing the several valuable Black Iron pieces of equipment on the four people. The equipment on these people was worth at least two or three thousand energy points, which was richer than the entire savings of an Outer City family of several people.
Thinking about how she was still bending over for a few dozen energy points, Lin Zhi became even more envious and jealous of the four.
People living in the Outer City, which was like a garbage dump, were both jealous and envious of those in the Inner City. All Outer City residents, while disliking Inner City residents, also wished to become one of them.