Gao Wu: If this BOSS isn't nerfed, is it even playable?

Chapter 155 Advanced Quest: Meridian Opening Perfected!
Unlike Lin Ye's massive 30,000 HP.

If Dongfang Zhen's life force were converted into a health bar, it wouldn't be nearly as long as his.

Therefore, every hit Lin Ye landed actually weakened his current combat power.

Dongfang Zhen shook the bloody gash on his arm from the Piercing Star Spear, feeling the depletion of his internal energy. Instead of feeling frustrated, he became even more excited.

"Brother Lin, I didn't expect you to have reached the Qi Opening Realm."

"They've pushed me to this point."

“Come again and again!!”

Dongfang Zhen let out a wild laugh.

The next moment, he actually shoved the menacing halberd in his hand into the ground of the arena!

Rumble...!

The halberd plunged into the ground, as if it had triggered some switch.

Countless terrifying bolts of lightning burst forth from Dongfang Zhen's body, flowing into the ground along his halberd and then erupting from every crack in the arena!

Lin Ye felt as if Dongfang Zhen in front of him had transformed into an energy aggregate completely enveloped and covered by lightning!

At the same time, the entire arena and the area extending outwards for nearly a hundred square meters were completely transformed into a purple lightning field.

Countless electric snakes writhed wildly on the ground, crackling and popping, and the air was filled with a pungent, burnt smell.

A wave of scorching heat rushed towards him, forcing Lin Ye back several steps!

Lin Ye looked down and found that there was almost no place left to stand on the entire arena.

Just stepping on it sent waves of tingling and sluggish sensations through his feet, severely affecting his movements.

Dongfang Zhen transformed his halberd into a lightning rod, pouring the surging lightning within him into the battlefield, creating a home ground that belonged only to him!

Just as Lin Ye was affected by the lightning and his movements froze slightly.

Dongfang Zhen's figure suddenly appeared in front of Lin Ye with an even more terrifying speed, almost like lightning!

A fist the size of a bowl, enveloped in dense qi and lightning, struck Lin Ye directly in the chest!

boom! ! !
Lin Ye felt as if his sternum had been broken and collapsed by the punch, and he was sent flying backward uncontrollably, spitting out a mouthful of blood in mid-air.

Before he even landed, a barrage of fist shadows rushed towards him.

In the spectator seats.

Nie Cang and Su Yunjin's expressions were completely frozen.

"The family martial arts passed down in the Dongfang family have never used halberds."

Yin Liulan's voice rang out softly, resolving the biggest doubt in their hearts.

"The family's signature movement technique, Thunder Sound Step; the family's signature fist technique, Thunderclap Fist."

"Dongfang Zhen has truly mastered the essence!"

Her words completely stunned Nie Cang and Su Yunjin.

After all that, it turns out that Dongfang Zhen's domineering halberd was not his main weapon at all!
Nie Cang also recalled that although Dongfang Zhen's halberd technique was powerful and heavy, the moves were always somewhat stiff, unlike a skill that had been honed through countless trials.

Surprisingly, he wasn't using a halberd at all; he was practicing boxing!
In the arena.

Lin Ye felt that he had been completely driven into a corner.

Lightning currents surged across the entire arena, leaving him nowhere to hide, and the numbness in his body grew stronger and stronger.

Dongfang Zhen's movement technique was extremely exquisite, perfectly complementing his martial arts intuition. Every movement was as swift as an electric current, without any warning.

His boxing skills were countless times stronger than those of Xue Wangshu, whom Lin Ye had once faced.

Lin Ye held a long spear, while Dongfang Zhen was unarmed, yet he couldn't gain any advantage and was instead suppressed and forced to retreat.

A ruthless glint flashed in Lin Ye's eyes as he forcefully withstood the punch that Dongfang Zhen slammed into his shoulder. At that moment, he thrust out the Piercing Star Spear in his hand, aiming for the opponent's heart!

Trade injury for injury!

The protective aura combined with the heavy armor instantly helped Dongfang Zhen absorb most of the force.

But the power of Lin Ye's shot still managed to pierce through all his defenses.

However, the sensation of the spear tip piercing flesh did not come.

Only an even stronger tingling sensation rolled back along the gun barrel!

Lin Ye's pupils suddenly contracted.

This is……

Lightning elementalization?

He clearly saw that where his spear tip struck, the flesh and blood in Dongfang Zhen's chest instantly turned into an unstable, violent plasma, and the power of the spear tip was completely dissipated.

Dongfang Zhen once said that the development of martial arts spirituality is graded, and he has already approached the fourth level of mimicry.

At level four, can a part of the body be temporarily transformed into elements?
Whoosh!
Dongfang Zhen instantly retreated, using his movement technique to create distance.

But he did not launch another attack immediately.

Lin Ye was certain of one thing: even if Dongfang Zhen could transform into elements, it would only be for a fleeting moment.

You can tell just by looking at his slightly pale face and almost bloodless lips.

This move also took a huge toll on him!

Lin Ye endured the tingling sensation in his legs and body, and suddenly leaped up.

hum!
The dark shadow scales covering his body instantly disappeared.

The next moment, an invisible amethyst appeared out of thin air on the ground where he landed, completely isolating him from the lightning surging below.

The lightning surging from the ground did not spread into his body through the amethyst as expected.

Lin Ye felt somewhat relieved.

Immediately afterwards, he tapped his feet repeatedly, and pieces of amethyst continuously formed in front of him, paving a path for him to move freely.

Having escaped the paralysis caused by lightning, Lin Ye was finally able to create some distance between himself and Dongfang Zhen and use the advantage of his long weapon to fight.

However, Dongfang Zhen immediately demonstrated an extremely high level of control over lightning-attribute source energy.

Even after the distance was created, his released aura merged with the raging lightning, transforming into long whips of plasma that lashed out at Lin Ye, instantly leaving charred marks on Lin Ye's body.

Not to be outdone, Lin Ye conjured several sharp amethyst spears out of thin air in front of him and shot towards Dongfang Zhen with a whooshing sound.

For a time, their battle was nothing short of a clash of gods.

Purple crystal walls continuously appeared around Lin Ye, either blocking the incoming thunderous fists and fierce energy, or transforming into long spears and sharp blades to attack the weak points in Dongfang Zhen's defense.

The purple lightning that filled the sky seemed to obey Dongfang Zhen completely. Under his control, it could even bypass the crystal wall's defense and launch a sneak attack from behind Lin Ye.

Lin Ye's tenacity and resilience deeply impressed Dongfang Zhen.

Like a piece of chewy candy that can never be broken, no matter how desperate the situation, there is always a way to cope.

"Brother Lin, after this battle, I will definitely help you break through to the next realm and condense your inner energy."

"Then, let's have another great battle!"

"Let's end this battle here!"

Dongfang Zhen's voice suddenly rang out amidst the thunder.

On the sidelines, Yin Liulan, Nie Cang, and others thought that Dongfang Zhen was planning to throw the game and admit defeat.

But the next moment, they all saw it.

The lightning released from Dongfang Zhen's body instantly transformed from the thickness of a vine into a massive arc of electricity as thick as a giant python!
At the same time, rumbling...

A thundercloud, entirely formed by Dongfang Zhen's martial arts spirituality, began to rapidly condense above the battlefield between the two!
The lightning that was originally flowing on the ground suddenly poured back into his body, and even the free-floating electrical charges in the air began to frantically gather towards him.

Lin Ye's pupils contracted sharply, and he felt the entire virtual space trembling violently.

Beneath Dongfang Zhen's skin, ancient purple lightning patterns slowly emerged, and the plasma leaping between his hair ionized the surrounding air, giving off a burnt smell.

"Tianlei!"

Dongfang Zhen's voice seemed to come from the heavens above, carrying supreme majesty.

"fall!"

boom!
A bolt of purple lightning, as thick as a bucket, carrying an aura of annihilation, struck down from the sky!
Lin Ye dared not be the slightest bit presumptuous.

If that lightning bolt were to strike him, even with over 30,000 health points, he would definitely not fare well.

Even if they don't die, they will be completely incapacitated and become a sitting duck!

Lin Ye's figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

But before the afterimage he left behind after dodging had completely dissipated, the second bolt of lightning accurately predicted his landing point and exploded with a loud bang!
Lin Ye was horrified to discover that Dongfang Zhen had transformed from a martial artist who relied on close combat into a sorcerer who wielded lightning punishment.

He formed strange hand seals and pointed them in the air in his direction!

The lightning struck at a speed far exceeding the movement speed of the martial artist.

Lin Ye could only use his teleportation ability repeatedly to narrowly avoid the lightning strikes just before they landed.

But each teleportation takes an extremely heavy toll on his stamina.

After four consecutive teleportations, Lin Ye was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

When the fifth bolt of lightning exploded, the amethyst foothold he had painstakingly created was also reduced to dust by the bombardment of the lightning.

The sixth and seventh bolts of lightning followed in quick succession.

A blade pierced through Lin Ye's chest.

The other one struck directly at the top of his head, crashing down with a deafening roar!
-
5547!
-
6978!

Two huge damage numbers appeared.

He watched as his health bar suddenly dropped significantly, leaving him with less than 10,000 points.

Lin Ye gave a wry smile.

We've run out of cards.

I'm completely exhausted.

His spirit was also nearly exhausted.

At this moment, his whole body was numb and charred, and it became extremely difficult for him to even lift a finger.

Lin Ye slowly sat down on the ground, letting the violent electric current surge through his body.

He spoke to Dongfang Zhen, who was not far away.

"Brother Dongfang, I have lost."

Dongfang Zhen slowly lowered his hands, which were forming hand seals, and the purple lightning that had been dancing in his eyes vanished in an instant.

The thunderclouds that had been hanging over the arena also dissipated.

He braced himself with the halberd still stuck in the ground with his right hand, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath, sweat trickling down his forehead.

Clearly, this method of directly wielding heavenly lightning for ranged attacks also takes a heavy toll on his physical strength.

But a bright smile appeared on his face.

"Brother Lin, you withstood two of my heavenly lightning strikes, both of which hit vital points, and you still didn't die."

"You're truly the most resilient person I've ever met among your peers, haha!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Dongfang Zhen drew his halberd, put it behind his back, strode up to Lin Ye, and extended his hand.

Lin Ye grasped his hand and used the leverage to stand up.

Their figures gradually became illusory in the pure white space, and eventually disappeared from the arena.

The simulation space did not immediately eject them.

After the battle ends, students can choose to continue watching other people's matches.

Without hesitation, Dongfang Zhen brought up Zhang Daoxuan's battle footage, and Lin Ye followed suit. When the footage appeared, the battle had already reached a fever pitch.

On the arena, Zhang Daoxuan, dressed in a blue Taoist robe, stood solemnly. He did not hold any weapon, but simply held his fingers together as if they were a sword.

Before him, an ancient iron sword transformed into a streak of light, launching rapid attacks on another person at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

His opponent was none other than the dark horse, Ye Qi.

Ye Qi held two black daggers in his hands, and his whole being seemed to blend into the shadows.

His speed was unbelievable, even startling Lin Ye.

It wasn't a simple straight-line sprint relying on a burst of qi and blood, but rather a kind of flashing that was almost like a spatial leap.

He would sometimes blend into the shadows of the ground, and at other times emerge silently from behind Zhang Daoxuan, the dagger in his hand flashing with deadly cold light.

No matter how unpredictable his movements or how tricky his attacks, the iron sword floating in the air always managed to strike first and accurately block every one of his sudden attacks.

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

The dense clang of metal against metal was incessant.

Zhang Daoxuan's martial arts talent was actually sword control!
Although he could only control the sword he carried on his back, that was terrifying enough.

Under his mental control, the sword became so agile that it seemed to have its own life, combining offense and defense seamlessly without any flaws.

Ye Qi's figure disappeared into the shadows again. The next moment, he appeared above Zhang Daoxuan's head, his two daggers crossed, swooping down like a hawk!
Zhang Daoxuan didn't even raise his head.

He just waved his hand gently.

The iron sword instantly split into three, and the three sword lights intertwined to form a net, directly blocking all of Ye Qi's attack routes.

Ye Qi's pupils contracted, and he forcibly twisted his body in mid-air, trying to avoid the sword net.

But one of the sword lights suddenly accelerated and, with a soft "thud," pierced straight through his shoulder blade!

Ye Qi let out a muffled groan and fell from mid-air, thus ending the battle.

Lin Ye was deeply shocked.

This Dao Xuan's strength is equally unfathomable.

Dongfang Zhen stroked his chin and commented, "Brother Daoxuan's flying sword is even faster than when he fought me last time."

"Ye Qi's speed is indeed very fast, but unfortunately his attack power is too weak to break through Brother Dao Xuan's defense."

Lin Ye nodded, but before he could think about it further, he discovered that there were no ongoing matches in the spectator list.

The battles of everyone else had already ended.

He casually clicked on a battle replay.

The two sides facing off are Lu Jiuxiao and Wei Shuying.

The progress bar shows that the battle lasted for less than a minute.

The screen begins.

Lu Jiuxiao roared and activated his ancestral spirituality as a Qilin, his body covered in crimson scales, his aura surging as he charged towards Wei Shuying.

However, Wei Shuying simply stood still, without moving an inch.

Her exquisitely beautiful face was expressionless, her gaze coldly fixed on Lu Jiuxiao as he charged towards her.

Just as Lu Jiuxiao was about to get close, his running figure suddenly froze, and his speed suddenly decreased.

Lin Ye could clearly see that a thin layer of frost was not coming from the outside, but from under Lu Jiuxiao's skin, and was rapidly spreading across his body.

Lu Jiuxiao's movements became increasingly sluggish, and the expression on his face changed from rage to horror and pain.

His blood, and indeed all the fluids in his body, were being frozen by an invisible force!

A few seconds later, Lu Jiuxiao was transformed into a lifelike ice sculpture, remaining in a forward-rushing posture, before crashing to the ground.

The battle is over.

Lin Ye gasped.

Wei Shuying's martial arts talent is simply too domineering.

……

Consciousness returns to the body.

Lin Ye opened his eyes, and the surrounding scenery changed from a pure white space back to the martial arts hall.

The other trainees also woke up one after another, each with a different expression on their face—some excited, some frustrated, and some unwilling.

Yin Liulan wasted no time, and Zhou Yan, who was next to her, immediately began to announce the scores of this practical assessment.

"Dongfang Zhen wins, add 50 points."

"Zhang Daoxuan wins, add 50 points."

"Wei Shuying wins, add 50 points."

……

"Lin Ye, defeated, add 30 points."

"Ye Qi, defeated, add 30 points."

"Lu Jiuxiao, defeated, 0 points added."

Lin Ye was somewhat surprised to hear that he would still receive academic credits despite losing.

Lu Jiuxiao's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and he sat alone in the corner, sulking.

The calculation of these credits is positively correlated with your performance just now, but not so much with winning or losing.

Although Lin Ye and Ye Qi were defeated, they both demonstrated combat skills far exceeding their level. Only Lu Jiuxiao lost ugly, so he did not receive any extra points.

The scores were tallied, and at that very moment, the long-lost system notification sounded in Lin Ye's mind.

[Host detected to have reached the corresponding level, facing new challenges; racial advancement quest issued!]

[Mission: The Battle for the Top Spot!]

[Description: A constellation of brilliant talents, a gathering of outstanding individuals. To become the ultimate lord, one must first crush the heads of all geniuses of their generation and ascend to the highest position!]

[Mission Objective: Achieve first place in this Qiming General Training Camp!]

[Mission Rewards: 20 Experience Points, 10 Skill Points, Race Template Advancement - Orc Shieldbearer!]

[Orc Shieldbearer: All attribute growth coefficients increased, unlocks new P2 phase skill: Counterattack!]

The race advancement quest is finally here!
Counter-vibration?

Although Lin Ye was not clear about the specific effects of this new skill, just from the name, it should be related to his defense and health.

Become the chief...

Lin Ye's gaze fell on Dongfang Zhen and Zhang Daoxuan, who were not far away.

These two mountains stood blocking his way.

Zhang Daoxuan's flying swords were unpredictable and his strength far exceeded his stated abilities. Before they even clashed, Lin Ye wasn't entirely confident of victory.

As for Dongfang Zhen, Lin Ye had a strong intuition that the Heavenly Thunder Seal that ultimately ended his life was still not his true trump card.

To surpass them, I must at least break through to the Condensation Realm.

Otherwise, the suppression of one's realm would be too unbearable.

At the same time, Lin Ye did not forget the Nirvana Tower, which would open in a week.

The key to unlocking the third stage lies inside that tower!

……

A week has passed quietly.

Inside the military academy, Lin Ye sat cross-legged, his mind focused on his body.

His life was packed with activities this week.

The morning sessions consisted of classes on martial arts techniques and visualization, while the afternoon sessions turned into martial arts instruction classes taught personally by Nie Cang.

Although Nie Cang was not one to smile easily, he was extremely serious and responsible in his teaching.

Based on Lin Ye's previous Cloud Piercing and Army Breaking Spear Technique, he taught Lin Ye a completely new spear technique called "Chasing Stars and Catching the Moon."

This set of spear techniques emphasizes speed in attack, with continuous and uninterrupted moves, complementing the fierce and domineering nature of the Piercing Clouds and Breaking Army Spear Technique.

Nie Cang's suggestion was for Lin Ye to integrate both the "Chasing Stars and Chasing the Moon" and "Piercing Clouds and Breaking the Army" spear techniques, taking the best of both and forging his own path in spear techniques.

In addition, Nie Cang also taught him a set of movement techniques called "Stepping the Dipper and Tasting the Battle," which was specifically designed for spear warriors to maneuver and move around on the battlefield.

Although he didn't have the same heartfelt mentor-disciple relationship as Chen Meng, Lin Ye was already very satisfied.

Kung Fu techniques, visualization techniques, new spear techniques, and new body techniques.

Lin Ye wished he could stretch one day into two, devoting all his time, except for meals, to cultivation and sparring with Dongfang Zhen.

After a week, the results were remarkable.

His level has successfully reached LV30.

However, the experience bar was completely frozen, and no more experience could be gained.

The system's message was simple: Realm and level do not match.

Only by breaking through to the Condensation Realm can he continue to level up.

Without the aid of the Source Crystal, Lin Ye could only use the most primitive method: circulating the "True Explanation of the Two Elements of the Great Void" to draw the source energy of heaven and earth into his body.

He used the source energy that could not be converted into experience points to temper the excess blood and qi in his body and to break through the remaining meridians.

After a week of intensive practice, the Yin Wei and Yang Wei meridians were successively opened.

At this moment, he is attacking the last of the eight extraordinary meridians—the Yang Qiao meridian!

Under his guidance, the surging blood and qi transformed into a torrent, crashing against that final barrier time and time again.

A few minutes later.

Lin Ye's body trembled slightly.

A soft sound, seemingly emanating from the depths of the soul.

The barrier that had troubled him for so many days crumbled in response!

In an instant, an unprecedented feeling of comfort spread throughout my body.

The twelve regular meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians are completely opened up at this moment!
Lin Ye looked inward and saw that all the meridians in his body were shining brightly, connecting with each other, and finally forming a perfect cycle.

A powerful flow of vital energy circulates within it without any stagnation.

He felt that his control over every bit of qi and blood in his body had reached a whole new level.

Lin Ye's mind stirred.

A barely perceptible wisp of vital energy separated from his fingertips.

Become!

Previously, he could mobilize at least a dozen units of Qi and Blood.

Now, he can precisely control as little as 0.1 units of Qi and Blood!

This means that he finally possesses the most basic conditions for breaking through to the Condensation Realm!

Lin Ye slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

Next, we need to prepare for breaking through to the Qi Condensation stage!
　Regarding new martial arts techniques and movement methods, I removed a large amount of related setting descriptions because I felt that after reaching the Condensation Realm, martial arts techniques and movement methods are no longer that important.

　　So I've just written it abbreviated; that's enough for everyone to know.

　　Finally, please vote for me with monthly tickets!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)