9: Rune language, breath of thunder!

“So these are Rank 8 monsters, and they even brought two subordinates.”

Xia Qi cast an Insight spell, a basic skill all Awakened possess.

“Lizard Elder”

“Rank: 8”

“Normally hidden in the sand, it enters attack mode when its territory is invaded.”

No wonder he hadn't spotted any monsters when he first entered the desert.

The Lizard Elder was skilled at concealment and only attacked those who trespassed on its territory.

“As expected of a beginner dungeon.”

Xia Qi smiled. The person who designed this dungeon had weakened the monsters’ attributes to the maximum extent to ensure the students’ safety.

Although a Rank 8 monster had the same strength as one in the wild, it wasn't the kind of ferocious, bloodthirsty monster.

Newly Awakened students only needed to be careful to ensure their safety; even if they encountered a Rank 8 Lizard Elder, if they couldn't win, escaping its territory would save their lives.

“Jili gulu gugu ji!”

Seeing the intruder still lingering in its territory, the Lizard Elder brandished its twin blades and ordered its subordinates to charge at Xia Qi.

“Thunder, come!”

With a thought, a lightning bolt descended from the sky, striking the Lizard Warrior fiercely.

Although the Lizard Warrior ran extremely fast on the sand, it couldn't outrun the lightning.

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, the Lizard Warrior was charred to a crisp, utterly dead.

The other Lizard Warrior froze, its amber eyes revealing a hint of terror. It never expected this seemingly delicate and weak enemy to be able to summon such powerful magic.

“Ji ni tai mei?”

“Ji ni tai mei!”

The Lizard Warrior chattered in its strange language, looking at the Lizard Elder, and received an affirmative answer.

Helpless, the Lizard Warrior led the charge, fearlessly rushing towards Xia Qi. At the same time, the Lizard Elder also wielded its twin blades, running at extreme speed across the sand, attacking Xia Qi.

Xia Qi didn't understand what this lizard monster was saying, but he generally grasped the meaning.

It was probably asking, “Should we go?”

The Elder replied, “We must go, eliminate the intruder!”

Another Frenzy Lightning bolt continued to fall. Before the Lizard Warrior could get close, it followed in its companion’s footsteps, sticking out its tongue and twitching its legs, still convulsing even after death.

Xia Qi shook his head without pity. Knowing it was a suicide mission yet still charging, he could only send it to meet the King of Hell.

In that brief moment, the Lizard Elder had already circled around, and the large saber in its hand suddenly slashed at Xia Qi.

“Demon Bone Art!”

Crack! The sharp saber did not slice into the target’s Physical Body as expected; instead, it struck a skeletal armor, embedding itself more than an inch into the armor. This showed the immense force and considerable damage of the blow.

Xia Qi was repelled two steps backward. It wasn't that he didn't want to dodge, but that he hadn't reacted in time.

He could only subconsciously conjure a skeletal armor to block the damage.

The A-Rank Talent, Demon Bone Art, allowed him to conjure bone into any shape with just a thought. Of course, Xia Qi wasn't using his own bones, but the bones of the Lizard Warrior on the ground.

“The defense is pretty good. Now it’s my turn.”

Xia Qi, having recovered, let out a sigh of relief. Rank 8 monsters were indeed different from other monsters; their strength was truly extraordinary, and he had been a bit careless.

“Thunder, come!”

Wrapping his legs in Thunder Power and creating distance, Xia Qi directly summoned Frenzy Lightning to blast the Lizard Elder.

The Lizard Elder felt immense fear, twisting and dodging its body, trying to avoid this terrifying power from heaven.

Unfortunately, the Thunder from all directions obeyed Xia Qi's command and moved according to his will. How could the Lizard Elder possibly dodge it?

Boom!

When the dazzling lightning struck the Lizard Elder's Physical Body, the Lizard Elder instantly trembled wildly, almost dropping the sabers in its hands.

A wisp of green smoke drifted away with the wind, and the monster's form reappeared.

“Hmm? It’s not dead yet!”

Xia Qi's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of surprise in them.

One had to know that the current Rank 6 Xia Qi's strength had undergone a tremendous change; he could even instantly kill a Rank 7 monster like the Azure Stone Statue, which was made of stone. Yet, the Lizard Elder had endured it with just its Physical Body.

“Rune Word, grant me Divine Power!” (Lizard language)

With half its body charred black by the lightning, the disheveled Lizard Elder suddenly roared skyward, as if praying for something.

Before Xia Qi could launch his next lightning attack, the Lizard Elder's wounds rapidly healed visibly, and its entire body began to emit crimson light.

“It has skills too. Is this the strength of wild monsters?”

“Alright then, let's see how many lightning attacks you can withstand.”

The Lizard Elder, having gained additional power, looked much stronger, but its speed had decreased significantly.

Xia Qi seized this point, and with a thought, he unleashed his Thunder Power without reservation.

One, two, three!

A total of three consecutive lightning bolts, plus the previous one, making four in all, were needed to finally kill the Lizard Elder.

With its twin blades falling to the ground, the Lizard Elder lay dead, its amber eyes staring fixedly at Xia Qi. Until its dying breath, it couldn't understand why this intruder possessed abilities that only gods should have.

“[Killed Rank 8 Lizard Elder, Experience +160]”

“[Killed Rank 6 Lizard Warrior, Experience +60]”

“[Killed Rank 6 Lizard Warrior, Experience +60]”

Looking at the notifications, the Rank 8 Lizard Elder's experience value was much higher than that of the Rank 7 Azure Stone Statue.

This indicated that it was the experience value of a true wild monster.

In total, this small skirmish yielded 280 experience points, and it took six Frenzy Lightning bolts to defeat the monsters.

On average, each Frenzy Lightning bolt only gave a little over 40 experience points.

In terms of cost-effectiveness alone, it certainly wasn't as good as killing Rank 6 or Rank 7 monsters for experience.

But the prerequisite was that there had to be Rank 6 and Rank 7 monsters for Xia Qi to kill.

However, Xia Qi looked at the boundless desert, with an Oasis in the distance. There shouldn't be too few Rank 8 monsters there.

“Surely, I won't even be able to reach Rank 7, right?”

With that question in mind, Xia Qi set off again, his target being the distant Oasis.

If one were to ask where monsters gathered in the desert, an Oasis would undoubtedly be the first choice.

With a flash of lightning, Xia Qi adjusted his breathing, running at extreme speed in a steady pace. He gradually realized that by adjusting his breathing, he could control the Thunder element energy within his Physical Body more precisely, allowing the energy to flow cyclically within his body.

Achieving a state of low consumption and high durability.

“I’ll just name it Thunder Breathing.”

With sparks of lightning covering his body, Xia Qi exhaled a puff of white mist. He suddenly realized that he was truly quick at comprehending and familiarizing himself with his Talent abilities.

Could it be!

“Rapid Learning!”

An A-Rank Talent that had been overlooked.

“[Effect: Your learning ability is greatly enhanced, making it twice as effective to learn anything.]”

“Learning, even in battle, is learning. So that’s it!”

Xia Qi suddenly understood. He hadn't expected Rapid Learning to have such a wonderful use.

Indeed, no A-Rank Talent should be underestimated.