Chapter 310: Heroes and Kings |
Looking at the towering figure before him, as solid and imposing as a deep-sea boulder, Qin Ziwen was filled with astonishment.
He had summoned quite a few recruits before, whether it was the Crowned Eagle, Chitu, or Li Tieshan, and the highest any of them had reached was the same three-star level.
He had once thought that was the upper limit of the Recruitment Card.
Now, it seemed that was not the case; it was just that his luck had been consistently poor before.
Mogu carried four solidified, solid star motes on him. In terms of tier, he was already the pinnacle of Home.
Coupled with his majestic, imposing physique, he could claim the top spot on Home's combat power rankings the moment he appeared.
"Your realm seems different from the other Superhumans I've encountered," Qin Ziwen asked, voicing his confusion as they entered the temple interior.
Mogu followed closely behind. His low voice rumbled from behind, like two reefs grinding together. "Master, on the path of the Superhuman, the difficulty of the 'lock' faced during a breakthrough varies, and the foundation achieved naturally differs as well."
He paused slightly, his tone calm. "The most common are the 'Ordinary Superhumans' who break through at the first-tier difficulty. Such Superhumans are like weeds in the mountains, fish swimming in the sea, not worth worrying about."
To be honest, judging by his standards, someone with Mogu's imposing and dignified bearing probably wasn't simple. Especially the note 'Hero' in the Recruitment Card's remarks had genuinely excited him.
This Mogu possessed a full four abilities, and each was at a level matching his current star rating. Even his own Beast Tamer fell somewhat short in comparison.
After all, the Beast Tamer only had three abilities.
"What tier Superhuman are you then?"
Hearing his master's inquiry, Mogu raised his head, a hint of pride evident in his expression. "The second tier."
...
Qin Ziwen suspected he had misheard.
He asked again, "You're a Superhuman who broke through at the second tier?"
Mogu replied modestly, "By luck, by luck."
He knew that although he had just joined his master's side, possessed formidable strength, and had exceptional natural talent, he still needed to keep a low profile.
After all, the outstanding ones always easily attract attention.
Qin Ziwen frowned deeply. He suspected he and Mogu might not be communicating on the same wavelength.
Within his Home, those who broke through at the second tier included Du Yu, Qin Ziwu, and Cao Biansheng.
Those who broke through at the third tier, besides himself, were the Crowned Eagle and Chitu.
But judging from Mogu's description, it seemed breaking through at the second tier was already considered incredibly impressive.
Yet, based on daily performance, Du Yu and the others didn't seem to possess the same oppressive aura as Mogu, and their abilities also fell far short, both in quantity and quality.
A thought occurred to Qin Ziwen. Judging from previous recruits, they all inherited some memories from their past lives, especially regarding skills and knowledge.
"When you say second tier, you mean using a Breakthrough Card, and completing the second-tier task among the three tiers of tasks?" Qin Ziwen confirmed once more.
"Precisely so." A flash of restrained pride belonging to the strong glinted in Mogu's vertical, gilded pupils. "The difficulty of the breakthrough task depends on one's own innate endowment. The strong remain strong. Therefore, those who can break through at the second tier are one in a hundred. This level is respectfully called 'Hero'."
"What about breaking through at the third tier?"
Mogu sighed, his words tinged with regret. "Those who can break through at the third tier, the tier of extreme adversity, once they achieve it, are not simply Heroes. This level is called 'King'."
"The third-tier task is the third step. Master, do you know why there is such a division?"
"Simply because the potential ceiling differs vastly depending on the tier of the breakthrough."
"Take me as an example. For a Hero, each solidified star mote increases the total level cap of Superhuman abilities they can bear by four levels. I have now condensed four solid star motes, so that's sixteen levels."
"An Ordinary Superhuman only gains a two-level increase per star."
"As for the King tier, I've heard each star can increase the cap by six levels. The further you go, the greater the gap becomes."
Qin Ziwen understood now. No wonder Mogu's four abilities were all at level four, adding up to exactly sixteen levels.
He himself was now at two stars. According to Mogu's explanation, theoretically, the total level of his abilities should be twelve levels. In other words, he still had untapped potential to explore.
The fact that Mogu could hone all his abilities to perfection meant he knew how to tap into that potential.
Qin Ziwen was inclined to ask for guidance, but he knew there was no rush. The Fish-man Chieftain and his group had set out a while ago. Any further delay, and the battle might be over.
He immediately explained the situation.
Upon hearing that hunting was required, Mogu laughed heartily. "What's so difficult about that? Master, just watch me handle it with ease. A mere Sea Beast is nothing to worry about."
With that, Mogu turned, strode out of the temple, his powerful body churning up large swathes of water current, like a charging, ferocious whale.
Cao Biansheng, who had listened to the entire conversation, rubbed his face. Only after Mogu had gone far did he mutter, "Damn, this guy really knows how to put on airs."
At first, he felt the other's imposing aura was practically reaching the heavens.
But the more he listened, the more surreal it felt.
Until finally, he suddenly learned the other was at the same tier as himself.
For a moment, Cao Biansheng, his feelings a tangled mess, followed behind Qin Ziwen.
One thought kept flashing through his mind: how could he tap into his own potential?
He hadn't been idle these past few days, but ordinary training methods seemed utterly incapable of improving Superhuman abilities.
Just as Cao Biansheng's thoughts were churning, a hand grabbed his shoulder.
His body jolted to a stop. Standing still, he raised his head and instinctively looked ahead.
Ahead on the seabed, within a blurred expanse of deep darkness, two massive black shadows were locked in fierce combat.
Even from far away, he could hear the dull thuds of the colossal beasts' bodies colliding on the seabed.
It made his blood boil with excitement.
But... where's the show-off?
Cao Biansheng looked around but couldn't find any trace of Mogu.
"Over there." Qin Ziwen narrowed his eyes. Through the movement of the surrounding water currents, he sensed it. Right beneath their feet, several dozen meters down, there was a spot where the water flow was distinctly abnormal.
When an undercurrent swept past that area, it was like a gentle breeze brushing over a mountain ridge. The turbulent flow seemed smoothed by a giant hand, spreading calmly to the sides.
Judging by the outline and the size of the area, it was probably Mogu.
It was just that the deep-sea environment was too dark, concealing his traces.
Although there were some corals or other seabed plants emitting faint light near the strait, the light they gave off was too feeble. Many areas were shrouded in darkness.
At this moment, within the canyon, the Thousand-Eyed Snake and the "former" Dry-eyed Snake were fighting with extraordinary ferocity.
In Qin Ziwen's sensory perception, the smaller Ten-Eyed Snake rolled, coiling around the larger Ten-Eyed Snake, then opened its maw wide and bit down on the big snake's neck.
Suddenly, the smaller Ten-Eyed Snake's body shuddered, as if electrocuted, and violently recoiled backward.
Qin Ziwen sensed through the water currents that a dense ring of sharp spines had protruded from the big snake's neck area, like a collar worn around its neck.
Having suffered a loss, the Thousand-Eyed Snake became more cautious. It swept its gaze over Qin Ziwen and the others in the distance.
Its gaze lingered for less than 0.1 seconds before directly passing over.
Because this group of humans was too small, utterly incapable of piquing its interest.
Its head had just turned away when, the next second, the Ten-Eyed Snake's head snapped back to its original position. Its cruel eyes locked firmly onto Luoen, who was hiding behind Qin Ziwen.
It caught a whiff of a detestable fishy smell.
Exactly the same stench as the big snake before it.