From the Abyss Invasion to the Blasting Star.

Chapter 424 Top-Tier Resource Exchange
Longwei Base.

Qi Jinghui, a staff officer from the Southern Theater Command, arrived at the base with a team to prepare for entering the Abyss Battlefield report for Lu Heng and his three companions.

Last night, he suggested leading a team to Lu Heng's home to do record-keeping work, so that Lu Heng could rest at home.

However, Lu Heng felt it was better not to bring work-related matters home, so he chose the Longwei Base.

Because of this summons from the Elf World, only Lu Heng and his three companions went, and this time a demigod-level Abyss Demon King appeared in the Abyss Battlefield, making every detail extremely valuable.

In particular, the information about demigods, the fourth job class, and undead skeletons has a huge impact on the human world.

In addition, Lu Heng brought back an important piece of information.

“Abyss Conquerors are beginning to appear in our world.”

Upon hearing this information, Qi Jinghui's gaze froze for a moment.

Prior to this, there had been recruiters in the human world, but they were all Allied recruiters.

For example, the Bancels were once conscripted to Earth.

Blue Star has long been part of the Abyss Battlefield, but all the recruits that have appeared are allied recruits; there have been no recruits from the opposing faction yet.

When Lu Heng interrogated the three Bloodline Demons in the dungeon of the Elf capital, he heard from them that the Bloodline race had been conscripted to Blue Star.

People who are not sensitive to this kind of information may not understand its significance, but Lu Heng understands it very well.

"This signifies that the Abyss invasion is progressing from the mid-stage to the late stage, meaning that more and more powerful Abyss monsters will appear in our world." Lu Heng explained the significance of this information before Qi Jinghui could ask.

Qi Jinghui took a deep breath, and his hands, which were gripping the pen, began to sweat slightly.

He wouldn't doubt what Lu Heng said, nor would he need to doubt where this information came from.

The Elves have been fighting the Abyss for hundreds of years. They have experienced every stage of the Abyss's invasion, and this information can be obtained from the Elves.

Qi Jinghui's mind raced, and after a moment he asked, "Does this mean that our world will become a battlefield of the abyss more and more often in the future?"

Lu Heng nodded: "Yes, there will be more and more."

In fact, it is an obvious fact that Earth is becoming a battlefield of the abyss more and more frequently.

The military has been tracking the number of times Earth has become a battlefield in the abyss. Initially, it occurred once every two or three months, but gradually it has increased to once a month, with the frequency steadily rising.

Following this pattern, it's easy to draw a conclusion.

Qi Jinghui began searching the archives and said, "Regarding the information you mentioned, I checked the records, and there is no record of any Bloodline Demons appearing on Blue Star."

Lu Heng picked up the conversation and said, "This is also what I wanted to say. I learned this information when I interrogated the Blood Demon, but the war zone did not receive any related intelligence."

"There are only two possibilities: one is that the bloodline demon carried out its mission very thoroughly and killed all the humans it saw."

"If that's the case, investigating the recent mysterious deaths should yield results."

"After all, if no information is revealed, the Blood Demon has to kill all the relevant people. Such a large-scale death incident cannot go unrecorded."

"In comparison, I think the second possibility is more likely: some organization or force has deliberately blocked the news of the appearance of the bloodline demon."

"As for the reason, I can't think of it yet, but it's probably related to interests."

“The Skeleton Monarch can control humans to do things for him, and so can the Bloodline Clan, so we need to be vigilant.”

Qi Jinghui pondered for a moment and replied, "Understood. After I get back, I will compile and analyze the recent intelligence to see if I can find any clues related to the Bloodline Clan."

Lu Heng considered for a moment and said, "This time when I returned, I added a skill slot, which needs to be equipped with a suitable skill core. I may need the help of the war zone."

Qi Jinghui didn't actually have the authority to make the decision on this matter, but he readily agreed: "No problem, we'll find some time to check the inventory of crystal cores, and allocate any suitable ones to you."

Since he agreed, it's clear he received instructions from Li Guining.

It must have been Li Guining's instruction that whatever Lu Heng asked for, they should try their best to fulfill it.

Lu Heng continued, "There's one more thing, and this request is a bit difficult to make. I'd like to apply for a few fourth-tier job advancement source materials, if the war zone has them."

"Of course, I understand how rare fourth-tier job advancements are now, so I will exchange them for resources of equal value."

To date, only two fourth-class job advancements have occurred among humans.

The first is [Death Agent], and the second is Lu Heng's [Judgment Blade].

Among them, the [Death Agent] is a special class, which is accompanied by a blood-red scythe.

In other words, the only class that can be obtained through the orthodox path is Lu Heng's [Blade of Judgment].

It's easy to imagine how rare fourth-tier job advancements are at this stage.

However, as the Abyss Invasion progresses into the end of the second year, the probability of encountering fourth-tier Source Essence will gradually increase.

Lu Heng applied to the war zone for a fourth-tier job advancement source material subsidy, not for himself, but for the other three members of the team.

Fourth-tier job advancement source material is something you can't just get if you want it.

No boss will necessarily drop resources of this level; it all comes down to luck.

One thing is certain: the higher the danger level of the Abyss Battlefield, the greater the chance of encountering high-level Source Essence.

Therefore, apart from a lucky few, these high-level resources will eventually be controlled by powerful forces.

Moreover, resources of this caliber are not for sale and are absolutely impossible to circulate on the market.

Even if you have a lot of money, you can't buy it.

Lu Heng wanted to assign the other three members of the team to fourth-tier job advancements, and relying on the war zone was the most direct and effective way to do so.

Given Lu Heng's current status, he should be able to obtain a fourth-tier source material from the Southern Theater Command.

However, forcing people to accept it will definitely cause dissatisfaction among some people.

After all, top-tier resources like fourth-order source material cannot appear out of thin air; they need to be obtained by superhuman warriors from the Abyss Battlefield.

Would soldiers who have access to top-tier resources willingly hand them over?
Forcing people to hand over their goods once or twice is one thing, but if this continues in the long run, morale will eventually collapse.

Therefore, even within the military, top-tier resources can only be exchanged, not demanded for free.

Similarly, if Lu Heng wants to obtain top-tier resources like fourth-tier source essence from the war zone, it's best to exchange them for resources of equal value; otherwise, problems will inevitably arise sooner or later.

After Lu Heng proposed replacing his source material with a fourth-stage one, he took out a smooth piece of bone, placed it on the table, and then said:

"I plan to use a batch of materials for replacement. Here is a sample. Please take a look and see if it works."

Qi Jinghui had never seen such a bone fragment before, so he picked it up and examined it closely.

The moment his finger touched the bone fragment, he saw its attributes.

【keel】

[Category: Materials]

[Item Grade: S] [Item Description: A fragment of a giant dragon bone, its surface shimmering with lava-like patterns and phosphorescent light. Even after thousands of years, the aura of a dormant dragon within can still be felt. When touched, it's as if one can hear the echoing roar of a dragon.]

[Material Uses: Can be used for weapon and equipment forging, significantly increasing the level of forged items, and has a small chance of granting dragon-like traits.]

[Remnant Dragon's Might: Carrying dragon bones on your person can deter dragons and wild beasts, preventing them from approaching.]

Without Lu Heng's introduction, Qi Jinghui had already recognized the value of this [Dragon Bone].

He took a deep breath and asked, "How much of this material do you have?"

Lu Heng smiled and replied, "More than you imagine."

Qi Jinghui recalled that when he was taking notes earlier, Lu Heng mentioned that among the skeletal army attacking the elven capital, there were seven bone dragons.

The seven bone dragons eventually fell from the sky and landed near the elven capital.

In other words, all seven bone dragons are made of materials.

Of course, not all of these materials could belong to Lu Heng; most of them still belonged to the Elven race.

Moreover, not every bone on this bone dragon is a high-grade material; different parts have different values.

For example, the dragon bones in the claws and head are the most valuable, while the bone fragments in other parts are less valuable and the material grade does not reach S grade.

Qi Jinghui considered for a moment and asked, "If you are willing to use these dragon bones for replacement, the commander can even go to other war zones to coordinate and transfer suitable fourth-level source materials to you."

The Great Xia Dynasty has more than one war zone. Each war zone will definitely prioritize training the soldiers in its own war zone. It is impossible for it to unconditionally give top-level resources to other war zones.

Therefore, resource exchange is also necessary between different war zones.

Lu Heng had a good relationship with Li Guining and had received his help on many occasions, so he belonged to the Southern Theater Command.

If you want to obtain top-tier resources from other war zones, it's best to exchange them for resources. If you ask Li Guining to use his connections, you'll be incurring a favor.

Lu Heng maintained his calm smile and said, "As long as there is suitable fourth-order source material, there will be enough dragon bones."

I obtained a lot of dragonbone materials when I returned from the world of Quel'dorei.

At present, S-grade forging materials are not much rarer than fourth-grade source material, and using them for replacement can satisfy both parties.

“Okay, I’ll go back and write a report now. This batch of dragon bones must be kept in our hands and not allowed to circulate in the market. This is a strategic resource,” Qi Jinghui instructed.

"Understood, don't worry." Lu Heng nodded in agreement.

S-grade forging materials mean that S-grade weapons can be forged. Even if the forging skills are not good, at least A-grade weapons can be produced.

If you have enough S-grade materials, you can create an S-grade weapon, which would be a divine weapon.

Lu Heng's current Aurora Blade is S-rank and possesses the divine skill [Dragon Breath Slash].

Divine skills can bring about a qualitative change in weapons, which is the difference between ordinary weapons and divine weapons.

As Qi Jinghui said, the S-grade forging materials at this stage are strategic resources, just like nuclear bombs.

An S-class weapon can exponentially increase the combat power of a high-level superhuman warrior.

Lu Heng's combat power is so high, part of which is due to the S-class Aurora Blade.

If Lu Heng were to put these dragon bones on the market now, they would undoubtedly fetch an astronomical price.

Countless capitalists and conglomerates will come to exchange various resources.

However, no one knows what will happen if such top-tier resources are released.

If it ultimately falls into the hands of certain hostile forces, it might even become a weapon used against them.

Therefore, unless there are particularly important resources that need to be exchanged, Lu Heng will not release this batch of dragon bones.

In fact, all major powers and conglomerates do this: top-tier resources are not sold for money, but only used to exchange for resources of the same level.

……

at night.

Lu Heng arrived at Quenching Fortress and first went to see Master Gulu.

Since he had hope of reuniting with his people, Master Gollum has been working with great enthusiasm, forging weapons without stopping, and producing a top-tier weapon every few days.

Of course, the top-tier weapon refers to the A-grade weapon.

To forge an S-class weapon, forging skills alone are not enough; top-tier resources are needed, and in a saturated way.

After today's forging work was finished, Lu Heng and Gulu sat down to talk.

"Young Lu, your combat strength has increased again. You've grown so fast. Now I believe you have the ability to help our Dark Iron Dwarves." Gollum's eyes shone as he saw Lu Heng's aura become even more powerful.

Lu Heng casually replied, "I'm not enough on my own; I need the master's help. This time, when I entered the Abyss Battlefield, I encountered a demigod-level Abyss Demon King, and the process was extremely dangerous."

Master Gulu immediately tensed up, jumped off the chair, and pulled Lu Heng over to check him over: "Are you alright?"

"Fortunately, we won in the end, but the process was very thrilling. So I think we need to upgrade our weapons. If I hadn't obtained a class specifically for dealing with demigods this time, I wouldn't have been able to break through the Skeleton Monarch's defenses." Lu Heng recalled with a sigh.

The final sword strike that felled the Skeleton Monarch was a display of his full fighting power.

With the combination of [Rift Slash], [Divine Judgment], and an S-rank weapon, it finally achieved the power to cut the Skeleton Monarch down to the demigod realm.

If even a fraction of the combat strength were lacking, this effect would not be achieved.

If the weapons of that time had been as powerful as Tyrese's Dragon Fang, the final battle would have been much easier.

Therefore, Lu Hengsheng came up with the idea of ​​upgrading the weapons.

"Therefore, I would like to ask the master for help this time to see if it is possible to upgrade the Aurora Blade."

Master Gulu's eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing this request: "Your Aurora Blade is already an S-rank divine weapon, and you still want to upgrade it? You really dare to dream."

This idea is indeed a bit bold, even a bit audacious.

For Master Gulu, the S-rank Aurora Blade was the highest-level weapon he had ever forged, and it was made from the horns of the Infernal Wyvern, after he had used up both of the horns.

Therefore, he dares not think about upgrading the Aurora Blade again, as that would require it to be a double S-rank weapon.

Lu Heng smiled, took out a long, curved piece of material, placed it in front of him, and said, "Master, take a look at this first."

Master Gulu picked it up and glanced at it. His eyes, which were already wide open like saucers, widened even more as he exclaimed, "The horns of a hellish dragon!"

That's right, this material is indeed the horn of a hellish dragon.

Dragon horns are made of bone, so the hellish dragon turned into a skeleton, but its horns remained.

Moreover, this dragon horn is somewhat special. This hellish dragon skeleton was the one that the Skeleton Lord used as his final body. After the Skeleton Lord died, some of the divinity remained on the horn of this hellish dragon.

And the item level of this dragon horn is clearly SS grade.

(End of this chapter)