The ferocious dragon-rhino fish was soon covered in blood, with large scales peeling off and its body becoming a bloody mess. Faced with Su Li's frenzy, it had no strength left to resist.
Such a violent outburst was draining Su Li's stamina at an alarming rate. At this moment, his super heart activated a special effect, continuously pumping blood and oxygen throughout his body to sustain his explosive power.
The "Demon Muscle" continued to exert its terrifying influence, and Su Li's strength kept rising. As he hoisted the dragon-rhino fish for the fifth time and slammed it down again, a loud crack rang out. The fish's body bent sharply, its main bones completely snapped, and a torrent of blood gushed from its open mouth.
The dragon-rhino fish was now barely breathing, on the verge of death.
"Again!"
Su Li's eyes were bloodshot, and with his swollen, twisted muscles, he looked nearly demonic. He grabbed the bent fish once more and hurled it down with another heavy crash.
A thunderous boom followed. This time, the fish's body split open, bones protruding from the massive crack, along with blood and entrails spilling out. The enormous fish was nearly severed in half, held together only by a shred of flesh.
Su Li staggered, finally releasing the tail he had been clutching. Only then did he feel a wave of numbness and weakness, as if on the verge of collapse.
The "Demon Muscle" had granted him unimaginable power, but the toll on his stamina and body was equally immense.
When he saw a spirit source emerge from the gaping wound of the dragon-rhino fish, Su Li let out a long breath. His legs gave way, and he slumped to the ground.
The spirit source vanished into his forehead, and a message appeared.
"Level 5 Spirit Source User: Spirit Source 14/70"
A level 6 rare dragon-rhino fish had given him 12 spirit sources.
With this one-time gain of 12 spirit sources, new strength rapidly surged through his nearly depleted body, accelerating his recovery.
"If I could hunt a few more rare beasts like this, wouldn't I level up again soon?" Su Li mused. Such rare beasts were surely scarce, or they wouldn't be called rare.
Seeing the fish nearly split in two on the ground, Ding Longyun and the others snapped out of their daze and rushed over.
The bulging muscles on Su Li's body were receding as he exited the "Demon Muscle" state.
"Su Li, you're incredible!" Ding Longyun exclaimed, his face full of admiration and envy.
Su Li looked up at him with a smile, about to speak, when he let out a soft gasp, noticing a change in the dragon-rhino fish's corpse.
The dark yellow horn on the fish's forehead, faintly shimmering, was shrinking, as if losing all its energy. It quickly withered and fell off.
"What's this?" Su Li wondered.
His "Peep Rune" hadn't indicated any special skill from killing this fish, yet now its horn was falling off. Did this mean killing it granted a special skill? Why hadn't the rune warned him? Was it because his level was too low?
As Su Li puzzled over this, the withered horn transformed into a dark yellow orb of light, shooting like a rainbow straight into his chest and disappearing.
A new message appeared in his mind.
"Obtained the dragon-rhino fish's horn. This horn contains the fish's essence and blood, a treasure. Fusing with the body and driven by spirit source, it can be condensed and manifested externally as a weapon. Activating the weapon's spirit source power unleashes the 'Dragon Rhino Slash,' capable of cutting through anything."
Sensing this message, Su Li's face showed a strange expression. He slowly stood up, feeling a surging energy within his chest. As he raised his right hand to his chest, he felt all his energy gathering there, growing so powerful it seemed ready to explode.
His right hand pressed against his chest, slowly clenching. The energy overflowed, flowing into his hand and solidifying into the shape of a dark yellow sword hilt.
Gripping the hilt emerging from his chest, he slowly pulled it out. Dazzling light streamed from his chest as he drew it forth, growing longer.
Ding Longyun, Gong Xiao, and the others stared wide-eyed in disbelief. They had never seen anything like this.
Was Su Li actually pulling an energy-like object from his chest?
Finally, Su Li fully extracted the energy object. The light faded, solidifying in his right hand into a beautifully crafted, dark yellow sword.
The sword was about a meter long, with a dragon-head hilt. Its blade faintly shimmered, exuding a chilling aura.
Holding the sword, Su Li felt a strange, flesh-and-blood connection. Information about the weapon instantly appeared in his mind.
"Name: Dragon Rhino Sword, Sword Skill: Dragon Rhino Slash"
Ding Longyun murmured, "Wow, it turned into a sword. What kind of special ability is this? Never seen it before." He thought it was a special skill like his "Soul Devourer," but a skill that turned into a full sword was new to him.
But Su Li knew this wasn't a special ability—it was a real weapon, formed by fusing the dragon-rhino horn with spirit source. Holding it felt like an extension of his body. With a thought, he swept the sword across the ground before him.
The Dragon Rhino Sword cut through the concrete floor like tofu, meeting no resistance. Its sharpness amazed him, making him realize what a divine weapon meant—cutting through iron like mud.
Beyond its razor edge, the sword carried a single sword skill. By channeling the spirit source within, he could unleash it, though each use required a cooldown while the sword's spirit source replenished.
For Su Li, this Dragon Rhino Sword was a game-changer, elevating his strength to a new level.
Having just lost an ordinary machete, he now gained a divine weapon. This harvest was immense.
Holding the Dragon Rhino Sword in his right hand, he willed it back into his chest. The sword, upon touching his chest, turned into energy under his control, merging back into him and vanishing. When needed again, he could simply draw it out.