Ancient Ark: A Dark-Themed Historical Survival Game

Chapter 104 Breakthrough to the Second Tier

When faced with the ruins.

Xiao Yu quickly explained the situation.

"This is equivalent to a special nightmare instance, with an instance level of around twelve or thirteen. However, this special instance does not restrict the entry level and allows a maximum of 12 people to participate."

He personally led the team.

Just to be on the safe side.

Assemble a full-strength team.

Xiao Yu used to streamline his team as much as possible when he built his own, but this time he was exceptionally cautious.

He has reasons to be cautious.

Firstly, the actual level of this instance is higher than the level of the chosen ones, and the monsters may be extremely powerful.

Secondly, the Shipwreck Ruins instance is not the old world; once you die, you cannot revive, and there is no margin for error!

There is another hidden reason.

Xiao Yu must be wary of potential malice and threats; there are always many unexpected emergencies in the deep sea.

For example, Wu Zixu, the king of evil.

This creature has been revived in the deep sea.

However, since the Wentian ship left the old salvage point in Suiyang, the evil forces led by Wu Zixu have not made any move.

Xiao Yu suspected that Wu Zixu was lying in wait for an opportunity, and that the process of salvaging the shipwreck might be interfered with.

Sufficient preparations must be made.

Only in this way can we be prepared for any eventuality!

Xiao Yu first selected Zhao Gang, Jiang Xiaoxia, Lu Dahai, Wei Dongbing, and Sheng Shen.

All five are level 10 Chosen Ones.

Xia, Fatty, and Gangzi are undoubtedly Xiao Yu's trusted confidants. Wei Dongbing and Sheng Shen are also Xiao Yu's core members recruited in the early stages of the team's expansion and have great potential.

Wei Dongbing's talent is "Holy Light Blessing" with the attached skill Holy Light Grace, giving him the ability to both attack and defend, similar to a Paladin.

He has made significant contributions to the team and has contributed a lot of materials. Xiao Yu has given him the "Brave Warrior Wu Guoqingji," a melee-type hero of quite good quality that had been sitting idle.

As for Sheng Shen?

This person has a low-key and reserved personality.

The talent "Shadow Illusion" can summon at least one clone with 50% of the original's strength, which can instantly swap positions with the original, making it very flexible.

This is an extremely rare and powerful talent, granting him exceptional survivability and making him well-suited for reconnaissance and assassination missions.

In Xiao Yu's previous life.

This person has achieved considerable success.

Therefore, he was recruited by Xiao Yu early on and rose to prominence as quickly as Wei Dongbing, becoming a captain-level figure who could lead a team to dungeons on his own.

Six more people are needed.

Wang Yang and Su Qingmeng were each asked to choose two people. As expected, Wang Yang chose Li Zihao and Yang Yong, while Su Qingmeng chose Zhao Xuezhu and Luo Ting.

The 12-person team was now complete, consisting entirely of renowned level 10 Chosen Ones. Combined with their respective Heroic Spirits, they formed a sizable and formidable force.

"The Wentian is now in your hands!"

Xiao Yu handed over the defense to Fan Xin, saying, "Aside from the Deep Sea Corpse that might spawn again, the one we need to be most wary of is actually Wu Zixu."

"Please rest assured, my lord!"

Fan Li stroked his beard with a solemn expression: "With me here to guard this place, these corrupted monsters will not be able to pose a threat to the Wentian Ship."

Xiao Yu had complete confidence in Fan Li.

After breaking away from the old Suiyang, he used the power of Suiyang's vows to leap from level 10 to level 16.

Not only that.

As the body recovers.

The attributes are still growing.

Fan Xin's current status is already at the peak of the middle-level overlord, close to the upper-level overlord. He has also been enhanced by the Supreme Military Strategist's talent. With the Ancient Ark as his foundation, he can completely contend against the upper-level overlord.

Wu Zixu was resurrected by an outer god in the deep sea. Although his strength could easily break through the shackles, it was impossible for him to reach Fan Li's level in a short time.

With Fan Li and fifty soldiers guarding the area, at least in this sea area with a depth of no more than 200 meters, there was no danger.

but.

To be more stable.

Xiao Yu examined the ark's essence.

The Ark's energy reserves are 72430.

Of these, 30,000 were obtained from the recent extermination of the deep-sea ghouls, while the rest were the essence tax contributed by the Chosen Ones over the past four or five days.

As the master of the Ark, Xiao Yu can freely dispose of this cultivation asset, but this reserve of essence cannot be directly used by the Chosen One.

At this stage.

It can only be used to train crew members.

He glanced at Fan Chun's attributes again.

Name: Fan Xin (Hero Unit)

Cultivation level: Level 16.

Life: 3520/3520.

Spirit: 7066/7066.

Talents: A Sage of Commerce Through the Ages (Red Luck), A Prodigy Through the Ages (Red Aptitude, Not Fully Awakened), A Strategist of Kings (Purple Aptitude, Not Fully Awakened) —

Skills: Qiankun Yingxu Gong Level 2 (Red), Tao Zhu Yinshi Jue Level 1 (Purple), Tulong Jue Level 4 (Blue), Juyang Wuzhou Max Level (Green), Zhangxin Leifa Max Level (Green) ————

Soul Essence: 0/48000.

It's not hard to see from Fan Li's attribute panel.

The difference between hero units and heroic spirit units.

Although heroic spirits can solidify into physical forms, they do not have true physical bodies and can only exist by attaching themselves to the chosen ones.

The upper limit is limited.

However, the lower limit is extremely high.

As long as a hero like Sun Tzu levels up, his attributes will become extremely powerful, guaranteeing him a very high minimum level of strength.

Furthermore, the speed of skill cultivation is extremely fast. Whether it is a natal skill or a soul crystal skill, all of them can be instantly comprehended and rapidly improved by infusing essence and energy.

However, heroes like Fan Xin, despite their limited physical capabilities due to their mortal form, cannot fully unleash their potential without diligent training.

But there are also advantages.

It has a physical body as its foundation.

Cultivation level increases consume less essence.

Furthermore, there are no strict level caps, and although the cultivation of techniques and skills is slow, it allows one to learn from the strengths of various schools of thought through traditional cultivation methods.

As for improving cultivation?

一个天命者从10级升11级需要6万精气，足足是9级升10级的三倍之多！

Because level 10 to 11 is a major bottleneck, if a chosen one breaks through this bottleneck, not only will their attributes increase significantly, but the number of heroic spirits they can control will also increase by one.

The difficulty of breaking through to this level is even higher than that of the subsequent four or five levels. The cost for a Celestial Being to advance from level 16 to level 17 is around 70,000.

And Fan Li.

As a figure of revolutionary spirit.

If it were to be transformed into a Heroic Spirit, it would be very difficult to cultivate, but now it only costs 48000 to go from level 16 to level 17!

This is because, although Fan Li was an ancestor, his cultivation aptitude was far superior to Su Qingmeng's sage physique, and slightly inferior to Xiao Yu's saint physique.

[Ark Essence - 48000!]

Xiao Yu directly took a large portion of the essence from the Ark's pool and bestowed it upon Fan Li.

"this----"

Fan Xin clearly sensed it.

A surge of immense spiritual energy flowed into his body from all directions, instantly propelling his cultivation to a breakthrough!

Your cultivation level has increased; your current cultivation level is 17!

Another breakthrough?

Fan Xin couldn't believe it!

If it were Suiyang in the old days, even with his own talent, he would not have been able to refine so much essence from the environment.

It will take at least 10 years!

But now it's all in the blink of an eye for Xiao Yu.

Is this the method of the Lord of the Ark? It's truly unbelievable and incredible!

"Thank you, Lord!"

Having witnessed Xiao Yu's methods and felt his generosity, Fan Xin felt even more loyal and respectful to his lord.

Xiao Yu nodded slightly.

For ancient people like Fan Li, the increase in strength brought by cultivation is not as significant as that of heroic spirits, but it can increase attributes and improve the speed of training.

"Without delay, we must prepare and complete the shipwreck exploration as soon as possible."

Xiao Yu glanced at Wang Yang, Su Qingmeng, and the others.

"yes!"

"We're ready!"

Xiao Yu led the team into the sunken ship instance, and everyone felt the suffocating atmosphere of being submerged in the deep sea the moment the teleportation was activated.

at the same time.

I heard many chaotic sounds.

I saw many distorted images.

These are the ripples left by the ancient chosen ones, and the final echoes of their struggle for survival.

Through the jumbled information, it was not difficult for everyone to sense that this ark was extremely ancient, and that the Chosen Ones and humans did not come from the same world.

As for why it's here?

That's because this race's civilization has been completely eroded by the deep sea and is beyond saving, leaving them in a state of near madness and collapse.

When the end times inevitably arrive, and when destruction is unavoidable, the surviving arks choose such shallow sea areas as their burial grounds.

Only in this way can one remain clear-headed, or leave a trace during destruction, at least proving that oneself and civilization once existed.

In other words.

These are the remains of the Ark.

In fact, it is a tombstone of civilization.

[You have entered the deep-sea nightmare "Nameless Shipwreck Ruins". All monsters' health increased by 100%, all attributes increased by 20%, and drop rate increased by 50%!]

Your team has triggered a "Lucky Aura," granting an additional 50% drop rate!

【————】

Jiang Xiaxia's lucky aura works not only in regular nightmares and secret realm dungeons, but also in this special nightmare.

The monsters in this shipwreck dungeon are enhanced by the deep sea, and their drop rate also increases. With the Lucky Aura stacked, the drop rate and output are 100%.

The output of non-essence-related items will be increased by 20% under Fan Xin's Sage of Commerce talent, which means that he can get an extra 120% of the harvest.

have to say.

Very awesome!

After everyone entered the instance.

Observe the environment immediately.

"Is this... the deck?"

This ark, which sank thousands of years ago and is now only a fragment of its remains, is now presented in a relatively intact state in the dreamlike landscape formed in the deep sea.

However, upon closer inspection, one will find...

This uniquely shaped alien ark, neither made of wood nor stone, exhibits signs of material activation, with countless wriggling blood vessels, tumors, and deformed organs densely packed within it.

It is said to be a ship.

More like a giant ocean beast.

There was nothing around the ark except for suffocating darkness, as if it had been banished to the darkest corner of the universe.

"Look!"

"A monster has appeared!"

Not long after the twelve chosen ones descended onto the deck, countless black mists emerged from the deck, eventually coalescing into ferocious monsters.

These monsters resembled the deep-sea ghouls that invaded the Ark of the Questioning Sky, but their bodies were translucent and in a spirit form.

【Nameless Shipwrecked Spirit】, Level 11 Common Unit — Description: A vengeful spirit born from the resentment of the ancient Ark inhabitants, whose intense obsession has long since merged with the Ark.

These monsters.

There's something odd about it.

Xiao Yu frowned slightly.

Su Qingmeng didn't notice the problem: "Although there are quite a lot of them, they are just ordinary monsters and not very strong. They don't seem to be too difficult."

"We can't be careless. This isn't the old way. We have no room for error. If we slip up, we're finished!"

Wang Yang immediately said to Xiao Yu, "Captain, I can test their capabilities."

Xiao Yu nodded.

Although he has eyes that can see through all information, there is still a difference between intelligence and actual combat testing.

Wang Yang's talent.

Sometimes it can be a great complement.

Wang Yang immediately activated the Heavenly Evolution Battlefield to simulate the battle and test the monsters, and this process was completed in an instant.

His expression immediately turned gloomy and he called out to his eager companions.

"Don't do it!"

"Stop them first!"

Zhao Gang quickly activated the Sacred Shield to block in front of him. A giant shield, more than ten meters high, instantly separated the monster from the Chosen One.

The vengeful spirit of the sunken ship can throw green will-o'-the-wisps as attacks and also launch mental attacks. The will-o'-the-wisps are blocked by the shield, but the mental attacks affect everyone.

—22!

—32!

—29!

Psychological attacks ignore conventional defenses, but fortunately, none of the people present were ordinary, so the threat they faced in the short term was not significant.

But over time...

This will also have a significant impact.

Li Zihao asked, "Brother Yang, what's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Wang Yang: "Although these monsters are only level 11 ordinary units, their strength is in no way inferior to top-tier level 10 elites!"

"That strong?!"

Elite units are one tier higher than regular units. Based on past experience, even top-tier regular monsters would require at least three or four of them to be comparable to an elite unit one tier lower.

At this moment, there are at least forty or fifty shipwrecked spirits on the deck. According to Wang Yang, wouldn't that be equivalent to forty or fifty top-tier level 10 elites?

This is no weak force!

Xiao Yu then said, "There's nothing strange about it. Level 11 and level 10 may seem like there's only one level difference, but it's actually a big hurdle, so the difference in strength is huge."

That's it!

Everyone then realized what was happening.

Wang Yang hadn't finished speaking.

He continued, "The most troublesome thing is not their strength or numbers; they are all immortal and have extremely high growth potential."

Lu Dahai: "Immortality? Impossible!"

Wang Yang affirmed, "I simulated a battlefield illusion in the Heavenly Evolution Battlefield and engaged in a one-on-one duel with one of them for half an hour, ultimately ending in defeat—"

"Each time you are killed, you can revive, and each time you revive, you become stronger. It only takes two times to strengthen you to the level of a rare elite unit, and after ten times, you can even reach the level of a lord!"

Everyone else was astonished.

"That dangerous?"

"Luckily, I didn't act rashly."

"Otherwise, it would be far too difficult!"

"Once fifty monsters get caught up in the cycle of resurrecting and becoming stronger, even the strongest team can't withstand it."

,

Zhao Xuezhu added, "There can't be an unkillable monster. It's probably just that certain attacks are ineffective. Have you tried other methods?"

"I've tried everything I can, physical attacks and magical attacks alike, but nothing works. These monsters just get stronger the more we fight them, and the amount of deep-sea pollution they carry keeps increasing!"

Wang Yang said, "However, it's possible that other specific attacks might work. I can eliminate some incorrect options and try different attributes or offensive attacks one by one!"

Wang Yang's abilities.

Xiao Yu agrees.

However, his Sky Battlefield still has limitations. Although it can incorporate the battle environment into the simulation, it still cannot simultaneously simulate a full-scale battle involving both friendly and enemy personnel.

In the future, as our strength increases...

This ability will be very useful.

Wang Yang is also quite intelligent; given enough time, he should be able to unravel the secrets of this sunken ship.

"No need to try!"

Jiang Xiaxia perked up when she heard Xiao Yu speak. Although her current situation was quite dangerous, she wasn't worried at all.

Senior Xiao's presence is a guarantee.

No matter how big the problem or how fierce the enemy, there is always a solution.

[Mental Strength -20!]

[Mental Strength -20!]

[Mental Strength -20!]

【————】

Xiao Yu enhanced his Omniscient Eye to scan the monster before him, thereby gaining deeper insights and conducting in-depth analysis based on them.

"Many ancient arks were buried in the deep sea, forming countless shipwreck replicas. Some of these replicas are so large that they are no less than super-sized historical nightmares —"

Xiao Yu continued, "This special type of instance is somewhere between a nightmare instance and a secret realm instance. The best way to solve it is to understand the obsessions contained within the instance in order to judge or deduce its mechanism."

The crowd seemed to be deep in thought.

The seemingly fragmented and vague chaotic information they received when entering the instance involuntarily came to mind.

Jiang Xiaxia immediately said, "The civilization behind this ark has been destroyed, and everyone is in a state of madness and collapse—they made a last struggle and effort, hoping to die rationally and with more dignity, which is why they came to this area."

Su Qingmeng activated her reconnaissance technique.

To her surprise, she discovered that the various tumors, blood vessels, and active tissues on the ark had shrunk compared to when she first entered the instance.

"I see!"

Su Qingmeng immediately said, "The pollution level of this instance will decrease. The immortality of these monsters should be related to the degree of pollution. When the pollution level decreases to a certain level, the immortality of the monsters will also disappear."

"So that's how it is!" Wang Yang exclaimed in realization. "The mechanics of this dungeon are actually quite simple; you just need to maintain defense, stall for time, and wait for the right opportunity!"

"good!"

Xiao Yu was very satisfied with the performance of the group.

He only gave them a few pointers, and they quickly found the right approach.

Xiao Yu added, "The only way to deal with this dungeon is to use delaying tactics. Don't rush to kill it, otherwise you'll only increase the monsters' madness."

Those destined for greatness were greatly encouraged.

The dungeon mechanism is not too complicated.

However, it is very difficult to detect it in time.

If the chosen one attacks the monster the moment they encounter it, they will likely fall into a vicious cycle and eventually be overwhelmed by the monster that can never be killed.

"sharp!"

"Truly a top-tier player!"

"If I were leading the team today, we'd be doomed!"

'

'

Zhao Xuezhu, Wei Dongbing, Sheng Shen and others were amazed and impressed by Xiao Yu, Wang Yang and Su Qingmeng's keen insight and perception.

As for Su Qingmeng and Wang Yang?

They were self-aware enough to know that without Xiao Yu's guidance, they would never have been able to figure out the correct strategy in such a short time.

Xiao Yu cracked the entire mechanism in the first place, which was incredibly powerful. Instead of giving the correct answer directly, he guided their thinking and let them arrive at the answer themselves.

I benefited greatly!

It's convincing.

Although there are fifty monsters, they are not difficult to defeat once you master the strategy.

"Its movement is as slow as a forest!"

"Immovable as a mountain!"

Xiao Yu bestowed upon everyone buffs that accelerated recovery, increased defense, and various resistances.

"So strong!"

Everyone was astonished by the crazy increase in protective power, recovery ability, defense, and various resistances.

Although I knew that the boss's auxiliary techniques were powerful, I didn't expect them to be this strong.

—0!

—1!

—2!

—0!

The ghostly fire attacks from the shipwrecked spirits were blocked by Zhao Gang and Wei Dongbing in turn, and the mental attacks that ignored defense were no longer a threat.

They persisted for nearly half an hour.

The pollution and distortion marks on the shipwreck gradually faded, and the originally crazy and ugly shipwrecked spirits also began to change.

Tentacles, snake tails, barnacles, and other twisted organs and mutations left behind by deep-sea pollution have all disappeared.

One after another, brand new spiritual entities appeared before my eyes.

This is an intelligent creature that is over two meters tall, strong, and has four horns on its head, making it look somewhat like a minotaur.

【Nameless Shipwrecked Ghost】, Level 11 Common Unit — Description: The ghost of the ancient Ark people after their deaths. Although corrupted and polluted by the deep sea, it still retains a trace of reason.

"It's done!"

Everyone's spirits were greatly lifted.

Now is the window of opportunity to kill it; when the monster changes form, its aggression decreases significantly.

even.

Facing the counterattack of the chosen ones.

No defenses were taken.

In just ten seconds, all fifty ghosts were reduced to ashes by the attack.

"Thank you all————"

When a seemingly older shipwrecked ghost was incinerated by Lu Dahai's spiritual flames, he actually conveyed a clear consciousness through his spirit.

The voice was filled with a sense of vicissitude, weariness, and a feeling of relief.

Everyone was slightly taken aback.

Jiang Xiaxia couldn't help but say, "They actually have the ability to think."

Although its origin is unknown.

But these people of the ark.

They once tried to save their own history, and perhaps they also experienced magnificent and exciting adventures.

But now their history has vanished and their civilization has come to an end, inevitably evoking a sense of sorrow for their kind.

"Our history —"

Our civilization —

What will the final outcome be?

Jiang Xiaxia couldn't help but have this thought, and she believed that everyone else present was thinking the same thing at that moment.

She glanced at Xiao Yu.

His gaze, however, hardened.

"We will never end up like this! With a great leader like Senior Xiao leading us, as long as we unite, we will definitely be able to save our history!"

Jiang Xiaoxia has absolute confidence in this!

[You have collected the following loot: Soul Essence +825, Wraith Ashes +18, Deep Sea Debris +8, Gray Soul Stone +32!]

[You have picked up the loot, Soul Essence +812 ——·——]

【————】

Although it is only a normal monster in terms of rank, its spirit production is very powerful, at least several times more than the standard for level 10!

The Chosen Ones team cleared the area around the deck again, triggering two more waves of monsters and eliminating nearly a hundred in total.

In total, I harvested seventy to eighty thousand units of essence.

Xiao Yu took 30% of the essence to make up 30,000 essence, while originally it would have taken 60,000 essence to go from level 10 to level 11.

But because he possesses the body of a saint.

The current energy level is sufficient for upgrading.

Xiao Yu upgraded without hesitation.

【Soul Essence - 30000!】

Your cultivation level has increased; your current level is 11!

[Each level grants an additional 10 points to Vitality and Spirit, and an additional 3 points to each of the other attributes!]

[Number of playable Servants increased by 1!]

Each level represents a minor bottleneck.

Every 10 levels is a major bottleneck.

Before level 11, each level up grants the following attribute increases: 10 points to Spirit and Vitality, and 5 points to the four main attributes.

Once you break through to level 11.

This is a breakthrough from a major bottleneck.

Each level will increase vitality by 20 points, spirit by 8 points, and all four major attributes by 8 points.

This means an extra 110 points of mental strength and vitality, and 33 points of various attributes.

For anyone.

This is a significant improvement.

This was no exception for Xiao Yu as well.

Of course, compared to the increase in the growth coefficient, as the first major bottleneck breakthrough, the number of playable Servants increases by 1!

With the blessing of the supreme talent of military strategist, Xiao Yu was already able to command one more heroic spirit unit than others, and now he can use three heroic spirit units at the same time!

For other chosen ones.

Because the strength and training ability of Heroic Spirits are limited.

Sometimes, having one more or one less doesn't actually have a big impact, as most people can only afford to nurture one main Servant.

However, it is of great significance and value to Xiao Yu, as it means that he can summon Sun Tzu, Zheng Dan and Xi Shi at the same time, plus the nameless hero spirit, thereby greatly enhancing his ultimate combat power!

This breakthrough.

It is also of great value to the Wentian spacecraft.

After all, Xiao Yu was the first Chosen One to break through level 10!