vncnus Page 301
Page 301
But this incompetent system has become incredibly popular, and it's constantly being upgraded. Of all the gold coins people receive, a portion goes to the system. It seems this shady guy has pocketed quite a few gold coins, leveling himself up to over 1 in one go. I really don't know what he's thinking.
"Liu Ziming, now you finally know the dark side of this place, right? I always told you before that you shouldn't mess with the system, but you insisted on saying bad things about it. As a result, you were punished twice, and it took you a lot of effort to climb from level 0 to level 1." Liu Ziming's eyes and his head instantly turned black. Indeed, what the old flame senior said was right. He had indeed criticized the system, and the system had said bad things about him. But the system clearly didn't have such a magnanimous heart.
They criticized Liu Ziming as worthless, saying that it took him two days to climb from level 0 to level 1. What others could do in seconds took Liu Ziming two days. This was extremely insulting and damaging to Liu Ziming.
Yang Fan, standing to the side, naturally didn't dare to interrupt. He was also someone who had no reason to speak, after all, his handsome appearance just now had touched many people's hearts.
But now his limping appearance is a stark contrast to his handsome looks. Of course, who would want to appear as a cripple right from the start?
But poor Yang Fan had no choice but to grit his teeth and follow behind Liu Ziming. He couldn't give up halfway, nor could he quit the competition halfway through. Besides, their group had only just been formed, and he didn't want Liu Ziming to think of him as a completely worthless person.
Even so, Liu Ziming still felt that Yang Fan was holding him back. Although Liu Ziming didn't say anything, it was clear from his eyes, tone of voice, and attitude.
The reason why Liu Ziming was so cold, and why Yang Fan even looked down on Yang Fan, was because of the argument between the two of them. How could you argue with your team members as soon as you meet? It seems that they are the number one team after all.
The little ones followed obediently beside Liu Ziming. Their well-behaved and adorable appearance immediately improved Liu Ziming's mood whenever he saw them. Liu Ziming was the kind of person whose mood could fluctuate drastically.
She was happy when she saw the little guy, but she pouted when she saw Yang Fan, which is why Yang Fan thought Liu Ziming was a capricious person.
Liu Ziming is unpredictable, but his two adorable pets are remarkably stable. Bai is very cute, and Iris is also very cute. It's hard to imagine what incredible luck Liu Ziming had to encounter such adorable pets.
Even Yang Fan felt deeply jealous, as did the Flame Elder, who was extremely envious of Liu Ziming having these two little ones by his side. Sometimes, he would even pull the two little ones to his side.
Let them accompany him for a while, so that Senior Flame 283 won't feel so lonely, even though he's quite old and has been here for so long.
The fact that he couldn't even keep a cute pet alive made the old Flame Elder feel ashamed.
Although the cat has a relatively high status here, and some people even pretend to respect the Flame Elder, everyone actually knows who the Flame Elder is; they've just been around here for a long time.
The system will naturally give him a high position, but it's all just for show. The Flame Elder's true strength and power are very limited; he can't even beat Liu Ziming. How can the Flame Elder stand in the world? "Boss Liu Ziming, look, I've leveled up several times recently. My armor has turned grayish-blue and looks really good. Do you want me to show it to you?"
“Ellis, you’d better not move around. I’m afraid that if you show off the country, you’ll attract other monsters. We’ve been traveling relatively peacefully for now, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t monsters around. So we still need to be vigilant.”
Upon Liu Ziming's reminder, Iris naturally became much more restrained. He felt it wasn't time to show off his armor yet; he would unleash his full power when fighting the monsters later. He was extremely happy to have obtained the armor, as it was something he had always dreamed of, and it was his short-term goal.
Chapter 508 Encountering an Old Acquaintance
Because of the achievement, Iris was visibly full of energy, while Bai showed a different picture. He was one level behind Iris in leveling up, and his armor was not yet fully synthesized, which made Bai feel somewhat dejected. He silently lowered his head as he watched Iris showing off his armor.
After all, Bai wasn't the kind of person who was easily swayed by comparisons, but he still couldn't quite accept that Iris had leveled up while he hadn't. He had always believed that he and Iris could advance and retreat together, but Iris's outstanding abilities were something Bai couldn't ignore.
Only then did she realize that in Liu Ziming's heart, she and Iris held the same status. In fact, Bai also knew that her talent did not come from Iris's ointment, but rather from her own cold constitution. Bai was the kind of spider that came out of an iceberg cave, so naturally her constitution and attributes were completely similar to Iris's.
Because the two complemented each other, Liu Ziming was able to successfully transform them into human form. This experience also caused Bai to become depressed. Bai's cold personality naturally made him appear depressed and unhappy. He was neither talkative nor cheerful.
He didn't know what he was worried about every day, and sometimes even a smile became a luxury, but Bai had simply gotten used to this kind of life, and it had even become part of his blood. After all, all the spiders in their icy cave were like this.
They are used to obeying their masters, but they are unwilling to be conquered, which is also part of their nature. Therefore, Bai's personality is naturally different from Iris's.
Liu Ziming also understood that the two little guys were both spiders, but they were very different. He would make full use of the habits of the two little spiders.
Including Ellis and White, isn't Ellis a hot number? He's the kind of spider that lives in flames, so Ellis's passion and cheerfulness are all reflected in him.
Here, the old man White Flame also remembered the adorable pet he once raised, but it died after a while. The old man White Flame had been blaming himself for it, so much so that even after so many years, he still didn't have the courage to mention the other adorable pet.
Why? Because the old Flame Elder felt he didn't deserve to have a cute pet. He was careless, he didn't understand it well enough, he was young at the time, and all sorts of reasons overwhelmed him.
He tried various ways to comfort himself, to the point that the old Flame Elder became completely dejected. He didn't even dare to lift his head when others had cute pets, because he could only envy others who had such wonderful pets.
That's how it is; we cherish what we don't have, and once we get it, we don't know what to do with it anymore. The old Flame Elder often thought that it would be great if he had two adorable pets like White and Iris.
Amidst the calm, a commotion naturally arose, and Liu Ziming was the first to detect the acrid smell. This burnt smell was all too familiar to him; he had smelled it before in a place of utter shame and cold, and Zheng Zhi believed it to be his only way to redeem himself. This thing was the terrifying Autumn Evil.
Qiu Sha bared his teeth and launched an attack on Liu Zimo before he could even react. Liu Zimo understood that Qiu Sha was his enemy, and it seemed that he had made an enemy of Qiu Sha.
"I didn't expect you, you cold-blooded bastard, to be able to smell me from so far away. I still can't forget that burnt smell you had. Tell me, were you cooked or raw?"
"Liu Ziming, you've finally met your match! I thought you'd gotten some amazing pets, but they're just two reptiles. How can they compare to me? What were you thinking when I advised you to tame me? Now, prepare to die!" "What I thought is none of your business, Qiu Sha. And do you think my two little guys aren't powerful? Look at their levels, look at their attributes, look at where they come from and what their support system is. Do you even know who you're talking to?"
"Hahaha, none of that matters. Whether you can defeat me is another matter entirely."
Upon discovering Qiu Sha, it spat out countless spider silks. Indeed, it was a huge spider, but its exoskeleton had been scorched by a massive flame, so much so that this smell lingered with it. Whenever Liu Ziming smelled this scent, he knew that Qiu Sha had arrived.
"Boss, Liu Ziming, you must be careful, this guy is very powerful!"
"Boss, look at his stats, they're even higher than the combined power of the two of us! You have to be careful, don't fall for his tricks, and don't talk to him anymore, he's draining your energy." The old flame elder stared wide-eyed from the side. This ability to drain other people's energy just by talking shows that this old spider has been in this form for a long time.
It showed no humanity, which meant that it wanted to disgust Liu Ziming with its ugly appearance. However, the old flame senior was not afraid and also spewed flames. But the flames thought that it was like tickling Qiu Sha, having no effect at all.
"I'm going to make all those who looked down on me regret it now. I'll absorb your energy and turn it into my own, so all your previous efforts will have been in vain. Why don't you run away from here instead of talking to me?"
“I don’t care about losing that tiny bit of energy. You haven’t even felt my maximum energy yet, and you’ll never be able to perceive my size. You’re just faking it. I hate your hypocritical face the moment I see it.”
Every word Liu Ziming uttered was absorbed by the old spider, and its energy gauge continued to spike. It seemed that Liu Ziming had fallen for its trick.
The old spider's ugly appearance had already enraged Liu Ziming. Liu Ziming wasn't the kind of person who cared about looks, but this old spider was not only ugly on the outside, but its heart was even more filthy. This made Liu Ziming feel nauseous when he saw it, just like seeing a vast ocean.
Qiu Sha kept spitting out spider moles. His spiders were extremely hard, just like before, they tightly wrapped around Liu Zimo, and even the old Flame Elder who was watching from the side did not escape.
Now only Yang Fan is free. He leans on his lame legs and doesn't know what he can do. He just keeps picking up small stones and throwing them at Qiu Sha.
This was completely futile and had no effect on Qiu Sha. With a turn of her head, Qiu Sha spat a strand of spider silk onto Yang Fan's face, instantly binding him.
Yang Fan's pathetic state made Liu Ziming laugh so hard he almost dropped his teeth. However, Liu Ziming had no time to be amused by Yang Fan. He needed to concentrate on dealing with Qiu Sha and try every possible method.
"I can't be distracted by the outside world, I can't be distracted by Yang Fan. I must concentrate on figuring out how to deal with Qiu Sha. This guy's skill is simply too strong."
Chapter 509 Stimulating Potential
While concentrating his energy, Liu Ziming launched an attack on Qiu Sha. Its attack was divided into three levels: initialization, startup, and the strongest attack. Therefore, the initial attack was in the initialization state.
In other words, it didn't have much effect on Qiu Sha, but as its health bar continued to increase, you could see Liu Zimo's entire demeanor, which revealed a lot of confidence and domineering presence.
It was as if a raging fire was burning inside Liu Ziming's body. The offensive skills he used became more and more powerful, causing Qiu Sha to begin to shake its previously massive body. It could even press Liu Ziming down with its buttocks. Under Liu Ziming's attack, Qiu Sha's cells gradually atrophied.
Every inch of Qiu Sha's skin looked as if it had been charred, quickly coalescing into a ball. It opened its mouth menacingly, and countless sharp, dagger-like fangs spewed out of its mouth. It did look disgusting, but Liu Ziming didn't care about it. What he wanted now was the result.
Liu Ziming is the kind of person who becomes completely absorbed in battle. He is usually very gentle and kind, but in battle, his eyes reveal a murderous intent. This extremely cold and chilling gaze makes Qiu Sha somewhat afraid. "Liu Ziming's power is too strong. Even we who are standing next to him are disturbed."
"How could this guy have mastered such high-level skills? What did he steal and eat, or what treasure did he find to increase his power so much? Liu Ziming's level is so low, how could this be possible!"
What Qiu Sha found unbelievable was Liu Ziming's ability. When he saw Liu Ziming's level, he looked down on him. Indeed, Liu Ziming's level was just a drop in the ocean in Qiu Sha's eyes.
Now, seeing the immense potential unleashed by Liu Ziming, he realized that he had actually met his match. He had thought he could devour Liu Ziming and consume all his treasures, including his battle boots and armor, but unexpectedly, Qiu Sha was now struggling to even save his own life.
Qiu Sha was of course unaware of Liu Zimo's legendary overnight rise to godhood, and Liu Zimo would not easily tell Qiu Sha such a story.
Yang Fan was stunned, still holding the branch he used for balance. To be precise, Yang Fan was terrified by Liu Ziming's current appearance.
"This guy really has unlimited potential. It seems that this monster has only awakened the tip of the iceberg of his potential. If all his potential is awakened, Liu Ziming's power will not be underestimated."
Yang Fan no longer dared to look down on Liu Ziming. He had previously thought that the system had assigned him a piece of trash, but he never expected that Liu Ziming was actually a hidden master. This made Yang Fan feel like he had found a treasure. He kept lining up next to Qiu Sha and indeed found several good things, including learning armor and gem fragments.
The two little guys were also helping Liu Ziming from behind, holding the formation. Although their skills were low, they were good at assisting Liu Ziming. Liu Ziming was beating Qiu Sha in front, making him grimace. The two little guys laughed and used their spider webs to bind Qiu Sha's hands and feet. Soon, Qiu Sha was like a turtle in a dream.
Qiu Sha probably never expected to end up like this. He had always been victorious and rarely lost to someone as low-level as Liu Ziming. He never thought he would be defeated by Liu Ziming today.
But don't underestimate Qiu Sha. He has a lot of treasures on him. He has beaten so many people before, so naturally he would collect the treasures on them. In other words, whether he steals from them or intimidates them, he can achieve his wealth goals. His gold coins can rank among the top on the wealth list. It seems that Qiu Sha is really a greedy little monster.
Nevertheless, Liu Ziming still felt he should restrain himself a bit. After all, revealing all his strengths at once would make it too easy for others to see his weaknesses. Those who aspire to great things must learn to hide their flaws. This was Liu Ziming's long-held belief. He had once heard an old man say that to succeed, one must control one's tongue and be both sweet-talking and ruthless.
Liu Ziming didn't understand the connection between keeping his mouth shut and being sweet-talking but ruthless. He only knew that when facing someone behind a wall, pretending to be weak could confuse the other person's vision.
"Boss Liu Ziming, look at this blue spider stone of mine. It has military power, and it can instantly freeze the enemy's body, so their brain can no longer control their body's functions, making them sluggish." I nodded. Seeing how well Iris understood his move, Iris must have put a lot of thought into it. These two cute little spiders already understand the secrets of their bodies. It seems that I can teach them some secret techniques later so they can level up faster and become stronger.
“Liu Ziming, I’m using the Flame Spider. Don’t I have the fire attribute by nature? Now, can this flame instantly burn the opponent’s skin and cause them unbearable pain? Combined with the ice stone from Iris’s side, we’ll be a combination of ice and fire.”
"I'm truly impressed by how much my two little ones have learned. In just a few days, not only have your levels increased significantly, but your skills have also made a qualitative leap. In addition, you've learned to understand your own attributes and cooperate with each other using your abilities!"
"Compared to the old flame master, my two little friends are becoming more and more outstanding. Look, old flame master, they can use their own power and make up for their own weaknesses."
The Flame Elder witnessed the entire process. Although he did not intervene and only let Liu Ziming deal with Qiu Sha on his own, the Flame Elder and even Liu Ziming's power are growing stronger and stronger. This is not the Liu Ziming we saw a few days ago.
The old man Flame originally didn't want to get involved in their fight, but seeing that Qiu Sha was really difficult to fight, even though Liu Ziming was highly skilled in martial arts, and with the help of the two little guys, Yang Fan, who was standing on the side, didn't make a move at all. As an old man, it wouldn't be right for him not to spar a bit.
Before the old Flame Elder could even meet Qiu Sha, he was tripped over by Yang Fan's branch. The old Flame Elder found himself both ridiculous and amusing. How could his eyesight be so bad now that he was getting old, unable to see such a large branch?
Liu Ziming turned his face away and covered his eyes. He didn't want to see such an embarrassing scene with the old man Flame. These two guys must be stumbling blocks sent by heaven. One of them had become a cripple, and the other had poor eyesight.
Liu Ziming kept reassuring himself that at least he had two excellent assistants, Bai and Iris, by his side, and he could pretend that the two guys next to him didn't exist.
Chapter 510 The Extreme of Frost
As Liu Ziming gloated, Qiu Sha beside him was undergoing a gradual transformation. He swiftly gathered the surrounding cold energy, transforming it into blocks of ice that quickly enveloped Liu Ziming. "It's actually the ultimate in cold energy!"
The Flame Elder muttered softly, a sound Liu Ziming could still hear. Although separated from the Flame Elder by a layer of ice, Liu Ziming vaguely sensed that the Flame Elder and Yang Fan were outside the ice. "After all these years, there are still people who know this ancient technique, Extreme Cold. It uses the surrounding cold air to quickly gather ice blocks, which then arrange themselves into a house-like shape, completely enveloping the opponent. This Extreme Cold can rapidly absorb the opponent's internal energy and interfere with their judgment, movement, coordination, brain, and even breathing..." "Senior, is Extreme Cold really that terrifying? I've never heard of this before!"
"This technique has been lost for many years. Let alone a monster like Qiu Sha, even highly skilled magicians wouldn't know this move. I really don't know where Qiu Sha learned it!" "Will Liu Ziming be in danger? How long can he stay in the Frozen Extremes? Should I go in to rescue him?"
The Flame Elder shook his head, each shake symbolizing his despair. He had previously been reluctant to mention the Ice Age, as he had lost his right arm during it.
Later, thanks to the help of a master, he was able to barely save his right arm, but it could only be curled up in his pocket, which is why the old man with the flames often gave people an unruly impression.
Because the Flame Elder had lost his right arm, and he dared not tell anyone, exposing his weakness too much in this place would be equivalent to making another enemy. He didn't know who among the people around him was an enemy and who was a friend. Anyone here could devour him in one bite. Therefore, the Flame Elder pretended to be strong in order to maintain his powerful appearance, while his right arm had already atrophied and become immobile.
But his right arm was still intact on his shoulder, merely a decoration. The Flame Elder, even knowing the power of the Frost Banner, couldn't help but feel a little worried for Liu Ziming. However, when Yang Fan said he wanted to go in to save Liu Ziming, the Flame Elder's head-shaking showed its fear of the extreme Frost Banner.
"No one can enter the Frozen Abyss at will, and Liu Ziming can't easily come out either. Now the two of us can only wait here silently. Apart from helping him fight off some of the other monsters around him and preventing them from harming Liu Ziming, we have no other choice."
"Is it really that serious? This is completely different from what I thought. I don't know how Liu Ziming is doing now. I really regret that I, as his teammate, didn't help him at all."
"It's alright. Yang Fan is testing Liu Ziming right now. The more dangerous the situation, the more a person's unlimited potential is revealed. Wasn't Liu Ziming just stimulated? You saw his power growing rapidly. Besides, Liu Ziming was once someone who became a god overnight!"
"You mean Liu Ziming, who became a god overnight, is him? My god, I've heard his name before. Now I finally understand why Liu Ziming could become a god overnight. This guy is indeed like a black hole with infinite possibilities." Several black lines appeared on the instructor's head. He now felt that the conversation between Senior Flame and Yang Fan was simply a distraction. He could hear every word they said clearly.
He was trapped inside the extreme of ice and couldn't get out. He only heard these two people talking about how he was made a god overnight. But that was all Liu Ziming, and he didn't want to talk about the past regarding whether or not he was made a god. So what?
Liu Ziming once had his glory days, but now he only wants to seize the present. He wants to see how long it will take to climb from level 0 to the level he wants to reach, and that he will never know all the possibilities if he doesn't challenge himself.
This must be why Liu Ziming refused the title of god and chose the ordinary path instead. He saw Qiu Sha opposite him. Before Qiu Sha changed his appearance, wasn't he grimacing and howling on the ground? Now he stood in front of Liu Ziming like a handsome young man. His ice-blue hair fluttered in the wind, making him look arrogant and cool.
"Oh, Qiu Sha, I never would have guessed you'd already transformed into human form. So you were just playing dumb with me, trying to fool me."
"Enough nonsense! Today I'll show you what the power of Extreme Frost truly is. You've got some skill, but it's child's play compared to mine. You've never heard of Extreme Frost, have you?" "An 800-year-old, outdated technique, once circulated in the martial world. I only had a vague understanding of it. Today, I'm quite honored to personally experience the power of Extreme Frost. It's a life well-lived." (Requesting flowers.)
"Liu Ziming, I never thought that someone as insignificant as you could be so stubborn. Do you know how many people have died inside my Frozen Extremes!"
"What does it matter if I live or die? I don't care about any of that. Let me tell you, even if the Frostbite is incredibly powerful, you should know when to stop. As an ordinary monster, your arrogance is a bit too overbearing!" Qiu Sha chuckled and raised his hand. From his fingertips emerged numerous incredibly sharp swords, all aimed at Liu Ziming.
Ellis and Bai were right behind Liu Ziming. They quickly spun out spider silk, forming an invisible net in front of Liu Ziming.
This will protect Liu Ziming from the wind and rain. Besides, the spider silk has another great function: it can attract any iron or silver weapon. "Liu Ziming, I didn't expect you to have two such powerful little pets! They're a bit silly, but they do look a bit like you!"
"Don't look down on my master, you big monster. Whatever our boss says goes. Even in human form, you are still disgusting and cheap."
Bai originally wanted to stop Iris, but Iris was too quick to speak and blurted it out. Liu Ziming looked at Iris helplessly. He knew that Iris was just a straightforward person and couldn't stand Qiu Sha's sarcastic remarks. "Liu Ziming, you're not very good with your mouth, but the guy next to you is quite eloquent. Talking is useless. If you're so capable, why don't you try to escape from here!"
Bai stared wide-eyed, searching for the secret to unlock the extreme of cold. But this extreme of cold was completely sealed by the Celestial Master Yin, leaving no way to see the exit, and the icy stimulation produced a huge reflective light that stung Bai's eyes.