Chapter 168 – Undefeated Instinct, Intelligence Limit Break

A moment later.

The battlefield fell silent.

Teng Xiangqing stood dazed, with residual Thunder Power flickering across his body like stray sparks of electricity.

He saw it.

A figure was walking towards him through a series of perfectly aligned, human-shaped holes in the walls.

The figure was over two meters tall, with reddish skin and muscles twisted and bulging like steel cables.

A terrifying sense of oppression pressed down on him.

It felt like a living volcano, ready to erupt at any moment, was moving toward him.

Teng Xiangqing felt like he was suffocating.

“Plop—”

The man walked through the large hole and into the room, casually letting go of what he had been holding, which fell to the floor.

Everyone in the room, including Teng Xiangqing, gasped when they saw what it was.

It was a Bloodthirsty Gnoll!

The A- Level Bloodthirsty Gnoll that had nearly driven their entire squad into a dead end now lay limp on the ground, like a pile of trash, a puddle of muck.

Its bones seemed to have shattered completely.

The room went deathly quiet.

The man glanced around the room briefly, then leisurely walked to the corner, picked up his backpack, and left without a word.

He moved so naturally, as if he had just been passing through.

He walked in, took a casual look around, and then walked out.

After the man left, the room remained eerily silent.

It wasn’t until much later that Teng Xiangqing’s voice finally broke the silence, sounding extremely strained.

“He… he’s a pure martial artist?!”

…

They had their task stolen, with the final Bloodthirsty Gnoll taken down by someone else. However, they still gained a few hundred experience points.

Despite the low probability, Lu Yuan was worried that similar incidents might happen again.

So, he hurried on to the next Level A task point.

Two hours later.

Lu Yuan stood in front of an unmanned milk tea shop. He confirmed his order on the virtual display and scanned his wristwatch.

In less than a minute, a cup of iced lemonade was automatically dispensed.

The taste was no different from the lemonade outside Smokeless City, but it looked much more appealing.

The semi-transparent cup was decorated with images of a beach, ocean, and coconut trees. When shaken, the cartoon characters inside even moved.

“Completed all eight Level A tasks. A small reward for myself: a cup of lemonade.”

Lu Yuan quickly finished the lemonade in two gulps. As usual, he tore off the plastic seal, tossed the lemon slices and ice into his mouth, and chewed slowly, enjoying the satisfying crunch.

“Not bad, I leveled up.”

[Profession: Martial Artist lv9 (247/25600)]

He gained 1 skill point and 1 attribute point.

Unfortunately, in the subsequent battles, none of his three Crane Style killer moves triggered any luck.

But Lu Yuan was still quite satisfied.

He now had 2 skill points and 1 attribute point saved up.

“One point will be saved to unlock the first professional core skill of [Death Messenger (Extraordinary)].”

The profession [Death Messenger (Extraordinary)], with [Death Energy Entanglement] at lv8 and an advanced skill unlocked, had been held back mainly by the skills [Crow Language] and [Eye of Doom].

After extensive use, [Crow Language] was now at lv3, and [Eye of Doom] at lv2.

The first extraordinary panel’s professional core skill was within reach, and Lu Yuan was preparing for it.

“As for the other point…”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly as he added it directly to the [Martial Artist] panel.

The second professional core skill of the Martial Artist, [Special Exertion], had reached its ultimate level after unlocking ultimate exertion at lv4.

The third professional core skill naturally emerged.

[Undefeated Instinct] lv1: Instinct drives you to seek opportunities for victory.

“Uh…”

Lu Yuan blinked at the skill description.

Instinct drives you to seek victory?

What does that mean?

He tried to activate the skill but felt no change in his body, guessing it might only be effective during combat.

“I’ll experiment with it later. For now, I need to find a place…”

Lu Yuan glanced around briefly, thinking, “Let’s break the limit on my intelligence points first.”

“You need anything, just tell the smart steward. The robot will bring it to you quickly.”

“Thank you.”

Lu Yuan watched the hotel attendant leave, then turned to survey the room before him.

The room was incredibly clean and minimalist, with no visible furniture.

Everything was hidden within the walls and floor, ready to be summoned when needed.

Lu Yuan hadn’t booked the room to sleep. He sat down on the floor and brought up his professional panel, immediately allocating 1 attribute point to his intelligence points.

His intelligence points, previously at 19, instantly changed to—[Intelligence Points: 20 (Limit Break: 1)]

At that very moment.

The sensation in Lu Yuan’s mind, as if something was about to break free, vanished in an instant.

Then it felt like an invisible hand squeezed his brain tightly…

“Buzz—”

His vision plunged into pure darkness.

Then…

Light!

An unprecedented clarity struck Lu Yuan.

His world seemed to upgrade from 1080p to 4K ultra-high definition.

He could see the hidden seams on the wall opposite him.

Following the seam, he “saw” every technological mechanism hidden within the wall, extending further in all directions…

The entire futuristic hotel appeared in intricate detail in his mind.

A torrent of information flooded Lu Yuan’s mind, yet he didn’t feel the slightest bit overwhelmed.

All colors, light, shadows, sounds, smells, and thoughts were processed in perfect order.

Every moment, hundreds of thoughts sparked, collided, and then extinguished in his mind.

His Mental Power inadvertently spread out, activating all the hidden compartments and furniture in the room, which naturally emerged.

He tried to think about martial arts.

Instantly, countless memories flashed through his mind like lightning.

These were memories of his own battles or of observing others fight.

The details in these memories were magnified crazily, streaking through his mind like brilliant meteors…

Lu Yuan watched in awe as the martial arts skills on his [Martial Artist] panel, from professional beginner to professional advanced, surged in experience points as if on steroids.

In a short period, all of them saw significant breakthroughs and improvements.

Some skills increased by half a level, while others jumped by a full two levels!

The sight was so spectacular…

Lu Yuan swore he’d never forget it for the rest of his life!

It wasn’t until the killer move skill [Spirit Crane Technique: Crane Shadow Float] leveled up from lv1 to lv2 that the wild surge in experience points finally ceased.

“My accumulated knowledge of martial arts has almost been entirely digested and absorbed…”

Even before he could fully articulate the thought, an answer popped into his mind.

He tried a few moves in the air and immediately noticed that his techniques were now filled with many more details, each move becoming significantly more refined.

There were fewer flaws in his execution, and it seemed as though a peculiar aura was slowly forming.

“Old Liu once said that someone with Brain Divinity has incredibly high comprehension, advancing in skills rapidly…”

“Does this mean I now officially possess Brain Divinity?”

Lu Yuan had indeed just experienced a rapid advancement.

“This must be what ‘max level at a glance’ feels like. Of course, it requires sufficient accumulation… a strong foundation to achieve such rapid progress.”

Lu Yuan stood up from the floor, initially planning to test the range of his Mental Power detection after the limit break.

However.

He suddenly realized…

The greatest change after breaking the limit on his intelligence points was in his Mental Power itself!

His Mental Power, which used to diffuse like rays of light, now seemed to have transformed into a gaseous state, enveloping him.

When he focused it, the surrounding air seemed to become viscous, and the flow of time felt as if it slowed down…

This sensation was incredibly familiar to Lu Yuan.

A word jumped into his mind-

“True Intent?!”

…

This was a spacious room.

Huge floor-to-ceiling windows faced the never-ending neon lights of Xiabang.

Shuttles flew across the sky like weaving threads, forming a majestic silver-grey river against the azure backdrop, encapsulating the massive city with a dense steel sky.

Inside the room.

A man in a gold and black uniform lounged lazily in an office chair, holding a bottle of beer with white foam spilling over. He was leisurely watching a Mecha anime on a virtual screen in front of him.

However, it was evident that he wasn’t very interested.

His eyelids drooped halfway, and his face screamed “boredom,” as if he could fall asleep at any moment.

“Knock, knock, knock—”

A simulated knocking sound came from the virtual screen.

The man sipped his beer slowly, leaving a thin layer of foam on his lips.

He smacked his lips and wiped the foam away with his hand.

After dawdling for a while, he blinked and gave the command to open the door.

A young man in a black uniform, with a Red Bear emblem on his left chest, walked in cautiously.

“Haven’t I told you… not to disturb me while I’m working?”

The man’s tone was listless.

The virtual screen blared with intense Mecha battle sounds, but the Red Bear youth seemed completely oblivious, respectfully replying, “Sir, I know you are extremely busy with official duties. Normally, I wouldn’t dare to disturb you, but there’s something I thought you might be interested in.”

“Sigh…”

The man in the chair sighed, wanting to say something but ultimately resigning himself with a shake of his head.

“Alright, alright, just say it and then get lost.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Red Bear youth nodded and quickly began, “This new blood assessment, there’s a new blood who has completed a Level A trial task…”

“Is that all?”

The man couldn’t help but frown, “A Level A task might be a bit challenging for regular new blood, but since the task is set, it’s naturally meant to be completed.

Why make such a fuss?”

“It was one new blood… who completed it solo.”

The Red Bear youth emphasized the word “solo.”

“Oh?”

The man’s expression changed slightly, showing a bit of interest.

His posture in the chair shifted from lounging to sitting upright.

“Solo a Level A task? That kind of strength is almost at Level A. Which Level A task did he solo? A- or A? Don’t tell me it was A+…”

As the man spoke, he lifted his beer to his mouth.

“All of them.”

The Red Bear youth replied, “He soloed all the Level A tasks.”

“Spurt!”

Beer sprayed all over the table from the man’s mouth.

He put down the beer, slammed the table hard, and pointed a finger at the Red Bear youth’s nose, cursing.

“Where did you learn to speak in fragments? Are you playing word games with me? Do you want me to kick your butt?”

The Red Bear youth immediately shrank his neck, looking like a quail, and fell silent.

“Is there anything else? If there is, spit it all out at once!”

“No, sir.”

“It better be nothing… or else…”

The man gave the Red Bear youth a fierce glare. Then, as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep, the laziness and indifference vanished from his demeanor. He became energized and his eyes sparkled as he spoke loudly, “Quickly, upload the task video of that new blood for me to see.

I must be lucky. My first time as the chief examiner for the new blood assessment, and I encounter someone impressive… This is like a gift for my performance metrics, haha…”