"Since Steel Muscle is a defensive ability, Demon Muscle can't possibly be defensive too. It's most likely the offensive counterpart—only with powerful attack capabilities can one hunt stronger monsters, gain faster improvements, and acquire other stronger abilities..."
Su Li mused to himself. Compared to defense, he preferred offense. Finally making up his mind, he chose "Demon Muscle" for the Spirit Source Technique unlocked at level 5.
Immediately, a message appeared in his mind.
"Spirit Source Technique 'Demon Muscle' comprehension initiated, beginning mastery..."
Following that, a flood of information about "Demon Muscle" surged forth, as if forcibly inserted into his mind. His body began to merge with and master the ability of Demon Muscle.
A new energy seethed within him, and the Spirit Source Technique "Demon Muscle" was finally fully comprehended and mastered.
As he had guessed, "Steel Muscle" leaned toward defensive Spirit Source Techniques, while "Demon Muscle" was primarily offensive.
Every muscle in his body seemed infused with a special energy. Su Li's running speed grew faster, and the force behind his cleaver swings grew stronger.
Ding Longyun, Gong Xiao, and Xu Haishui all stopped, staring fixedly at Su Li in the arena, their faces etched with indescribable shock.
To them now, Su Li seemed to have turned into a wisp of smoke, dancing across the field. Wherever he passed, heads tumbled, and rows of high-level corpse beasts collapsed, their heads severed.
In just a breath or two, not a single corpse beast remained standing on the rooftop—all had fallen as corpses on the ground.
"What... kind of ability is that..." Ding Longyun gasped.
Gong Xiao remained relatively calm, his eyes gleaming. "Su Li must have broken through. He's reached level 5."
Xu Haishui, who had been silent, finally spoke: "This must be the Spirit Source Technique you can only master at level 5. It's incredibly powerful..." His eyes were filled with longing.
Su Li finally stopped. When Ding Longyun and the others saw his back, he was already standing at the edge of the rooftop ahead, looking down as if something below had caught his attention.
"Su Li!" Ding Longyun shouted, then rushed over.
"What was that ability just now? It was terrifying—we couldn't even see you clearly."
Hearing Ding Longyun's question, Su Li murmured softly, "It's the Spirit Source Technique I comprehended. You can comprehend it too when you reach level 5."
Below the building, numerous corpses floated in the water. Dozens had just been thrown down, but strangely, no monsters emerged to devour them. This was highly unusual.
Su Li focused on this anomaly, a hint of seriousness on his face.
Gong Xiao and Xu Haishui also approached.
"Something's off. Throwing down so many corpses..." Ding Longyun started, but was cut off by a sudden "boom" from below.
It sounded like a mine exploding underwater, sending up massive splashes. The floating corpses were pushed aside by a tremendous force as an enormous monster burst out from the depths, its presence awe-inspiring.
The monster's leaping ability was astonishing—it shot up seven or eight meters from the water, landing directly on the rooftop from the water, crashing down toward Su Li and the others at the edge with a spray of water.
The sheer force was too overwhelming; none dared to withstand it head-on, scattering to both sides to evade.
"Bang!" The giant monster landed heavily on the rooftop, crushing several corpse beast bodies into pulp, blood splattering everywhere.
The onlookers gasped, especially Gong Xiao, Ding Longyun, and the others, whose faces paled. Only Su Li remained calm, not dodging but instead stepping forward to face the behemoth, retreating to its front to draw its attention.
It was a massive fish, lying on the rooftop like a small boat. Over six meters from head to tail, its body was covered in faintly shimmering dark yellow scales. Beneath it grew four legs, also scaled, each foot with five claws gripping the ground, leaving faint cracks. On its head was a single horn, over a meter long, also dark yellow, with a faint glimmer.
This horned monster fish's appearance scared off all other monsters, none daring to come for the food. Its target wasn't the corpses in the water—it leaped onto the rooftop, opened its mouth, and let out a majestic roar that sounded like a legendary dragon's cry.
Su Li and the others were startled by the roar, sensing this horned fish was no ordinary creature.
The "Peeking Rune" on Su Li's brow activated, locking onto the massive fish before him to glimpse its origin.
"Name: Dragon-Rhino Fish, Level: Six, Rare Class Spirit Source Beast. This beast is extremely rare, immensely strong, with indestructible scales. The horn on its head is a treasure, incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through metal like mud. Its only weakness is its unprotected belly. Other data cannot be accessed."
"Dragon-Rhino Fish, Rare Class?" Su Li stared at the massive creature before him, a strange light in his eyes.
He knew Spirit Source Beasts came in different types: the weakest were Common Class, then Elite Class, above that Leader Class, and mysterious types like the Corpse Mother—four types in total.
Now, he had encountered a fifth type: Rare Class.
The Dragon-Rhino Fish before him was a Rare Class Spirit Source Beast.
With another dragon-like roar, all monsters around the building vanished, as if cowed by its presence. Its four scaled limbs pushed off, and its massive body launched into the air again, charging straight at Su Li.
Though Su Li had evolved to level 5, possessing over two thousand jin of strength, he still dared not meet this head-on.
He sidestepped instantly, crossing five meters. The Dragon-Rhino Fish crashed into the wall of the rooftop entrance behind him.
The horn on its forehead sliced into the concrete wall like a knife through tofu.
Seeing this, Su Li took a deep breath. That horn was indeed a treasure, as the data had indicated—capable of cutting metal and jade, slicing through iron like mud. If it struck him, no matter how tough his muscles were, they'd be cleaved in an instant.
Despite its bulk, the Dragon-Rhino Fish was fast and agile. Missing its pounce, it twisted its body, the horn carving horizontally along the wall. Then it extended a front claw, swiping at Su Li.
Ding Longyun, Gong Xiao, and Xu Haishui, seeing the horn easily cut into the concrete, turned pale. They dared not approach and quickly retreated.