The flowing mist tore apart, layer by layer, on the speeding Fly Shuttle.

Lu Yuan stood in the center of the snow-white superalloy floor as two White Bears, one in front and one behind, quickly fitted him into a Gold Bear's specially made protective battlesuit.

The deep blue and black superfiber material conformed inch by inch to Lu Yuan's skin, giving him the feeling of donning a military uniform.

"Have the people of Crane Sect left?"

He tried to suppress his restless battle intent with another topic.

Xiao Ren, standing beside him, replied, "Not yet. They seem to be preparing to attend the opening ceremony of the tournament."

Lu Yuan's eyes flickered. He could somewhat understand Master Liudao Yuan's behavior.

Given Liu's personality, after successfully showing off, not being able to flaunt it everywhere would be worse than death.

But Liu continued to linger there...

Lu Yuan frowned and quickly told Xiao Ren, "Go back now and protect the Crane Sect members for me. If anyone tries to harm them, then..."

A chill glinted in Lu Yuan's eyes.

Xiao Ren understood instantly. He nodded and said, "Alright." Then he left immediately.

The cold light in Lu Yuan's eyes gradually receded.

Yu Wentong had once told him that he had a casualty quota of one hundred thousand in the Old City Circle.

He wasn't too worried about retaliation from the Ancient Martial Arts Schools against the Crane Sect. His main concern was... Pei Ye.

"Just don't… court your own death," Lu Yuan said softly, exhaling slowly.

The fitting of the protective battlesuit was complete.

The deep blue and black protective battlesuit fitted him snugly and comfortably, like a second skin.

Under the soft white light, a liquid-like sheen flowed over the surface of the battlesuit, accentuating Lu Yuan's almost perfect physique.

On the left chest, the Gold Bear emblem shone brilliantly.

This battlesuit's theoretical defensive capabilities could withstand most S-class thermal weapons and physical attacks.

Lu Yuan had always advocated for the Extreme Physique.

But for the upcoming battle, any increase in his stats, no matter how small, would be beneficial.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes, standing still for a moment.

At this moment, his heart was like a frozen lake.

However, beneath the thick ice, flames flickered, slowly kindling.

Everyone around wore grave expressions.

An oppressive and tense atmosphere filled the small Fly Shuttle cabin.

Lu Yuan breathed steadily, feeling the flames beneath the frozen lake. The imperceptible scent of gunpowder in the air made his skin tingle and tighten with each breath, then relax...

The metaphorical sword of Damocles, suspended by a single horsehair, seemed to lower. Lu Yuan could practically feel the ever-approaching, piercing chill aimed at the spot between his eyebrows, causing the tiny patch of skin there to subtly tighten...

This longed-for feeling... It was truly wonderful.

Lu Yuan opened his eyes, breaking the stagnant atmosphere in the cabin.

"What's the current situation on the ground?"

Peregrine Falcon, who had taken Xiao Ren's place and was standing by, quickly stepped forward two paces and presented a light blue video display.

"It's... dire!" Peregrine Falcon's voice was heavy.

Lu Yuan calmly looked at the display.

It showed the real-time situation at the quarry, the designated battlefield. It centered on an elusive black shadow.

This black shadow was in the middle of the quarry, with more than fifteen battle Fly Shuttles bombarding it relentlessly. Blinding energy beams streaked across the sky like rays of dawn.

Also present were a large number of combat automatons and semi-autonomous Mecha squads that Lu Yuan had temporarily requisitioned.

The black shadow was repeatedly swallowed by explosions, but the dark silhouette representing the Evil Energy Fluctuation not only didn't weaken but actually intensified, even showing signs of expanding.

Everywhere the black shadow went, the ground would crumble, sink, rupture, and be flung about like confetti...

When it plunged into a formation of combat automatons, it was like a steamroller tearing through a thicket.

In less than a second, the black shadow drifted past, leaving only a scatter of broken limbs and mangled parts.

The manned Mechas dared not get close.

They could only attack from afar with their Mechas' mounted thermal weapons.

But sometimes, the black shadow would abruptly hurl a massive boulder, and a burst of fire would erupt on the screen, marking a destroyed Mecha.

Watching the scene before him, Lu Yuan couldn't help but picture an elephant charging into an ant colony, its heavy, sturdy hooves trampling the ants.

"The arrangements we made beforehand..." Peregrine Falcon's voice, tinged with palpable difficulty, came from his side.

"It's estimated... they'll completely lose any obstructive capability within forty-five minutes. Given its current destructive power, a depth of two hundred meters underground probably wouldn't delay its digging for even ten minutes..."

Lu Yuan asked, "How long until we reach the location?"

"Approximately... half an hour."

"That's enough."

Lu Yuan's expression became calm.

He carefully watched the black shadow's movements on the display, countless scenes flashing through his mind's eye.

Data cascaded like a waterfall.

In his mind, a mental silhouette was sketched.

Its various capabilities were rapidly being filled in...

Lu Yuan began to spar with it in his mind.

Without seeing the enemy in person and unable to activate [Imaginary Enemy], he could only simulate combat in this crude way.

Once... Twice... Thrice...

Lu Yuan was knocked down again and again in his imagined battles.

Then, his expression unchanging, he restarted again and again.

No one spoke in the Fly Shuttle cabin, only the continuous sounds of explosions from the video display. The atmosphere was heavy and silent, making it hard to breathe.

Finally...

"PHEW—"

Lu Yuan exhaled, his gaze shifting from the video display.

During the seventy-eighth simulated battle...

He chose to give up.

By now, nearly thirty minutes had passed.

Lu Yuan calmly ordered Peregrine Falcon to open the Fly Shuttle's hatch.

Fierce, high-altitude winds blasted in from the opened hatch, carrying traces of moisture and a biting chill.

Lu Yuan walked step by step to the hatch. The fierce wind whipped his black hair back from his forehead, and the wind howled in his ears.

Standing at the hatch, Lu Yuan squinted, looking down at the quarry basin far below.

Bursts of firelight erupted.

His Spiritual Power spread outward, intertwining with the surrounding clouds and continuously descending, descending...

It seems... I have no choice but to allocate attribute points on the spot, Lu Yuan thought.

A thought quietly surfaced on his Class Panel.

The 3 available attribute points decreased by 1, and his Strength attribute swiftly changed from 19 to—[20 (Break the Limit: 1)]

BOOM!

Inside the Fly Shuttle cabin, Peregrine Falcon and the other White Bears waiting behind Lu Yuan, who had no idea what he was about to do, were suddenly struck by an invisible yet terrifying force and thrown backward.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The sharp cracking of bones mingled with a sound like steel cables groaning under immense tension.

Peregrine Falcon and the others saw the upright figure at the hatch visibly expanding, growing taller bit by bit.

Behind that figure, a faint crimson glow seemed to seep through from beneath the deep blue battlesuit.

An incredibly terrifyingly oppressive aura emanated from him.

He stood blocking the wide-open hatch of the Fly Shuttle, and the wind rushing into the cabin seemed to diminish significantly...

Finally... all four Basic Attributes have reached Break the Limit once...

Lu Yuan closed his eyes, feeling the lingering sensation of his muscle fibers growing, thickening, and densifying.

After all four Basic Attributes had reached Break the Limit once, an indescribable, wondrous sensation welled up from deep within him.

His entire being seemed to undergo a qualitative metamorphosis the instant his Strength Broke the Limit.

It was as if a great door had swung open before him, golden light spilling forth.

He bathed in this golden light, his body constantly changing, restructuring itself...

At this moment, the Fly Shuttle was less than a thousand meters above the ground, and the battlefield below was clearly visible.

Lu Yuan finally saw the full form of the shadow wreaking havoc on the battlefield.

His eyes lit up for a moment, then quickly closed... only to snap open again.

Not enough.

On the panel, the remaining 2 attribute points also vanished completely.

In their place appeared—[Strength: 21 (Break the Limit: 1)]

BOOM!

An even more terrifying invisible shockwave erupted outwards.

This time, it nearly sent Peregrine Falcon and the others sprawling.

Everyone's mind was crushed to the limit; the air itself seemed to solidify.

A mountain-like pressure bore down on them; they could clearly hear their hearts pounding furiously and the blood roaring in their veins.

Peregrine Falcon and the others' faces were contorted, and they even started seeing illusions.

They saw a torrent of deep blue waves madly surging into the cabin from the hatch.

The pressure was suffocating, making it impossible to breathe...

However, the next second.

All these illusions vanished.

Pale-faced, Peregrine Falcon and the others slowly climbed up from the floor.

The wind still rushed in, howling.

Only then did they realize...

The figure that had been standing at the hatch, looking down at the scene below...

Had vanished at some unknown point.

***

On a distant mountaintop, two figures stood facing each other.

One was a handsome young man with black hair and black eyes, a typical Sum Country appearance.

He had bright eyes and a tall, well-proportioned build. He wore an unremarkable black protective suit. A diamond-shaped crystal, emitting an azure glow, was embedded in the chest area of his suit, looking exceptionally striking.

The other man had deep-set eyes, a prominent nose, and fiery red hair.

He was a head taller than the handsome young man and had a more robust physique, with evident cybernetic modifications to his torso and limbs.

Both fixed their gazes on the distant quarry, the battlefield below. A colossal figure, entirely pitch-black, four meters tall with limbs as thick as an elephant's, dominated their attention.

The red-haired man turned to the handsome young man beside him. He spoke calmly, but his eyes held a hint of mockery. "So, you stopped me just to watch your Yellow Bear's farce of trying to stop that walking disaster with toys?"

The handsome young man yawned and replied, "Don't be hasty. The main attraction hasn't arrived yet..."

"Heh heh—"

The red-haired man responded with a scornful laugh.

The handsome young man cleaned an ear with his pinky finger and muttered, To be honest, I'm just a spectator. I don't know what will happen next. It's highly likely to be a complete mess, huh? That... Yu... squid, I mean.

The handsome young man seemed to be bracing himself, and the red-haired man, for the worst. He patted the other's shoulder and said, "Look, if it really gets out of hand later, remember to help me keep things under control, alright? I doubt I can handle that thing alone. If something goes wrong and the big boss behind me gets angry, I'll just say you were meddling. You'll have to share the blame with me..."

"Get lost!"

The red-haired man glared at the youth and cursed in halting Sum Country language, "Shameless!"

The handsome young man was grinning, about to say something more.

Suddenly, both men seemed to sense something. Their expressions shifted, and they simultaneously looked up at the sky.

Reflected in their eyes, they both saw the same thing: a tiny black dot rapidly descending from the sky.

A peculiar light danced in the handsome young man's eyes, his expression slowly morphing into one of keen anticipation.

He squinted, a smile playing on his lips as he slowly said, "'Speak of the devil. Look there. The main attraction... has arrived, hasn't he?'"

The red-haired man's eyes flickered rapidly, his lips pressed together, saying nothing.

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