69novels Chapter 190 - 129: Mechanism: Phase Transition
Chapter 190 - 129: Mechanism: Phase Transition
Lin Ye’s figure practically became a bolt of black lightning, impossible to follow.
His spear moved like a dragon. Every thrust of the Star-Piercing Spear was precise and efficient, executed with a cold, artistic grace.
[You have slain a Level 17 Iron-Eating Beetle!]
[Affected by the Cultivation Technique "Five Qi Guiding Formulas," your experience multiplier has been set to 150%!]
[You have gained 16 experience points!]
[You have slain a Level 16 Iron-Eating Beetle!]
[...You have gained 14 experience points!]
A frantic stream of system notifications flooded his mind.
Since Lin Ye’s level was so much higher than the beetles’, the experience he gained from each one was significantly reduced.
But the sheer, endless number of them more than made up for it.
More importantly, under the absolute pressure of his [Suppression] ability, these beetles—normally fearless in the face of death—were as docile as chickens lining up for the slaughter.
The notifications for gaining experience were popping up so frequently that Lin Ye found them annoying and simply muted the kill feedback.
He only needed to glimpse his experience bar skyrocketing at a visible rate from the corner of his eye; that was more than enough.
’This insect tide is a heaven-sent opportunity!’
’Where else could I find so many mutated beasts that won’t fight back, just standing there waiting for me to kill them?’
’This isn’t a disaster, it’s a giant XP gift basket that heaven just dropped in my lap!’
Meanwhile, inside the safe zone Lin Ye had carved out.
Chan Jiale and the others had snapped out of their initial shock and awe.
As they watched that figure—like a veritable War God—carving a path of destruction through the endless insect tide, all they felt was an indescribable sense of awe.
Chan Jiale’s eyes were a mixture of admiration and envy.
He gripped the short blade in his hand, clenching his jaw against the pain of his injuries.
"We don’t know how long this insect tide will last. We can’t just stand here and watch!"
"We... We should be with him... even if we can’t exactly fight shoulder-to-shoulder."
"But at the very least, we should be watching his back and his blind spots, cleaning up any stragglers that get through! That’s what we ought to be doing!"
"Our only chance of survival is to hold out until the swarm disperses! We can’t pin all our hopes on him alone!"
The others exchanged complicated looks at Chan Jiale’s words.
’Face that dark, crushing mass? That insect tide that made their scalps crawl just by looking at it?’
Fear and a desire to live are basic human instincts.
But as they watched the back of the man facing the cataclysmic swarm alone to protect them, a powerful sense of shame washed over them.
’He’s risking his life, and we’re just standing here frozen?’
Their pride as Martial Artists wouldn’t allow it.
"Jiale’s right! We have to help!"
Their leader, Zhou Tong, was the first to get to his feet, a fighting spirit igniting in his eyes.
Spurred on by Chan Jiale and Zhou Tong, the others exchanged glances. Though still afraid, they ultimately tightened their grip on their weapons.
A makeshift five-person extermination squad approached the edge of the fray.
As they joined the fight, they were amazed to find that as long as they didn’t step out of the invisible domain surrounding Lin Ye, the beetles were almost completely non-aggressive.
They started finishing off beetles that Lin Ye had sent flying but hadn’t killed outright, all while staying vigilant for any other potential surprise attacks.
Though their contribution was minuscule, at least they were taking action.
Time flew by amidst the one-sided slaughter.
「A little over an hour later.」
[Ding! Your level has increased to LV.25!]
[You have gained 2 free attribute points!]
[You have gained 1 skill point!]
’Leveled up!’
’Just this morning, I was barely level 24.’
’And in such a short time, I’ve already gained a whole level!’
A warm current surged through his body. The increase to All Attributes from leveling up instantly swept away the slight fatigue he had begun to feel from the prolonged battle.
Lin Ye felt the circulation of his Qi and Blood growing ever more immense, surging through him like a great river. His will to fight didn’t wane; on the contrary, it burned even hotter!
’Kill!’
’I’ll kill until heaven and earth are overturned!’
’I’ll kill until the world is scoured clean!’
「Another two and a half hours passed.」
Inside the subway station, the insect carcasses were piled up like small hills. Dark green ichor pooled and formed streams that flowed slowly across the ground.
A nauseating, acrid stench filled the air.
[Ding! Your level has increased to LV.26!]
[You have gained 2 free attribute points!]
[You have gained 1 skill point!]
[Warning! Your Cultivation Technique, "Five Qi Guiding Formulas," has reached its experience bonus cap for your current level!]
[All subsequent experience gain will be halved!]
’Leveled up again!’
But the system warning that followed made Lin Ye frown slightly.
’Seems I’ve hit the cultivation technique’s limit again without even realizing it.’
’Looks like this basic Cultivation Technique I got from Mr. Chen just can’t keep up with the pace of my growth anymore.’
However, Lin Ye wasn’t discouraged.
’So what if it’s halved?’
’Even at half the rate, killing these insects is still way faster than painstakingly hunting for scattered mutated beasts in the ruins!’
...
Chan Jiale and the others had collapsed to the ground, chests heaving as they gasped for breath.
They were on the verge of collapse, and all they had been doing was finishing off stragglers on the periphery.
But when they looked at Lin Ye in the center of the fray, they couldn’t hide the utter shock in their eyes.
They had been fighting for nearly four hours since the insect tide first erupted.
Not only did the man show no signs of fatigue, but he seemed to grow stronger with every passing moment. His movements were as swift as ever, without a hint of sluggishness.
’Is his Qi and Blood, his stamina, truly endless?’
The minutes ticked by.
Seven hours...
Eight hours...
The prolonged battle had long since wrung out the very last shred of stamina from Chan Jiale and the others.