Limitless Ascension: Strength Amid Adversity – Chapter 170

Ye Junlin wasn’t the only one feeling the heat; many Testers were torn about where to land, as that choice directly impacted their development and map traversal.

“Is this even a question?”

Li Wujie had quickly picked a location, exuding confidence as he declared, “I’m heading straight to Chaotic Blade Valley!”

As a Sword Cultivator, he certainly opted for a place with knives, and it seemed like there were plenty of Martial Arts Techniques and weapons there.

“Hong Qianye, where are you planning to go?” Li Wujie inquired.

Looking at the innocent face of the little loli, Hong Qianye rubbed his forehead, feeling uneasy at the thought of a foot-picking giant behind him.

“That’s a secret.”

Upon hearing this,

Li Wujie smirked knowingly, “Wow, Brother Hong is quite cautious. Don’t want to reveal your location in case I get the drop on you first?”

Hong Qianye snorted, “You? Survive until the end first!”

Having come up from the bottom as a Demonic Cultivator, he had a wealth of survival experience, and especially in moments like these, vigilance towards others was a must.

Hong Qianye intended to land in a secret spot, quietly develop his skills, and gradually eliminate competitors to strengthen his power.

It’s crucial to note that in this virtual realm, the Martial Arts Techniques they mastered in the real world couldn’t be used; all the spells had to be obtained within. Charging in and fighting right off the bat was risky, even for the big shots.

Notably,

the Martial Arts Techniques were graded from Earth to Heaven; once you gathered complete fragments of a technique, you could combine them to form a complete one and learn it within seconds.

Equipment was categorized as well, from low to high: White for Inferior, Green for Ordinary, Blue for Fine, Purple for Rare, Orange for Epic, and Gold for Legendary.

Medicinal Pills came in varieties for healing and restoring Magical Power, ranging from small to large.

Talismans had multiple functions like invisibility, speed, teleportation, and weakening.

In addition, there were mounts for Testers to ride, some even had combat functions and were also ranked as beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

All this information would surge into the minds of the Testers, helping them adjust to the new rules.

“Attention, you have entered the airspace of Bugi Island. Please select your landing spot. We wish you good luck and hope you become the ultimate winners!”

A mechanical voice echoed in everyone’s ears, signaling the fierce competition had begun.

“Fellow friends, let’s meet after landing!”

A handsome young man stood on the railing, smiling as he cupped his hands in greeting, then leaped down with outstretched arms.

As he plummeted, dazzling silver wings unfurled behind him, creating gusts of wind to help steer him toward his goal.

“We’re going too!”

A group of men and women exchanged glances before jumping off as a temporarily cooperative team.

In situations like this, some people would band together to survive the toughest early phases.

Of course, when the time was ripe, they wouldn’t hesitate to turn on each other.

This scene met Hong Qianye’s eyes as he shook his head, his tone dripping with a mix of disdain and arrogance, “Only sheep travel in herds; ferocious beasts often walk alone.”

“You! Shut! Up!”

Suddenly, a loud reprimand cut through the air.

The speaker was a tall man wearing an eye patch, flanked by several teammates, all of whom were clearly displeased with Hong Qianye’s words.

Hong Qianye froze, a chill creeping up his spine, his eyes lit with anger, “What did you just say?!”

If they were out in the real world, who besides that guy would dare to speak to him like that?

And those two were obviously small fry!

“I said you’re talking crap! Got a problem? Deal with it!” the One-Eyed Dragon Man scoffed, his gang mentality giving him confidence; here, everyone’s identity was hidden, and even if they crossed a big shot, who’d know about it afterward?

“Exactly! And about that whole ‘sheep in a herd’ nonsense, who do you think you are? Don’t let us find you after landing, or we’ll beat you up every time we see you, punk!”

The other members chimed in with overt threats.

To them, keeping together in the beginning was the best strategy; after all, all sources of power had to be earned with their own hands. It didn’t matter who was the big boss out there; the fist was king here.

“Whoa—!”

Li Wujie gasped, stroking his chin in fascination.

Seeing his usually showy Senior Brother getting reamed by a bunch of lowly thugs filled him with a sense of schadenfreude.

Ha, serves you right for exposing me earlier, dumbhead!

After all, no one’s pampered here!

Hong Qianye’s face turned as cold as iron; he laughed furiously, “Alright, I’ll remember you; you better hope to see me alive.”

“We six will definitely make it to the end; as for you, lone wolf, that’s not guaranteed,” the One-Eyed Dragon Man said disdainfully before beckoning his friends to leap down, magnificent silver wings appearing behind them, bathing in shimmering light as they carved through the air toward their destination.

“Hee hee hee…”

Li Wujie tried to stifle his laughter, but ended up giving into a few chuckles.

Old Hong, you’ve made it to this point!

“Stop laughing!”

Hong Qianye snapped, annoyed.

In the past, if someone dared to provoke him, he’d figure out their identity and quietly find a chance to take them out. But here, even personal identities were forged; after all, that seemingly beautiful girl could be a rough brute behind her facade, maximally eliminating the chance for retaliation afterward.

So, he really could only swallow this insult.

“I said nothing,” Li Wujie spread his hands.

Looking at the hulking figure with an innocent face, Hong Qianye’s lips twitched in irritation as he huffed and stalked off.

Swish!

In the next moment, he confidently vaulted over the railing, gliding through the air like a bird, heading toward his chosen spot.

“We’re off then,” Li Wujie leaped high and set his course for Chaotic Blade Valley.

With the crowd thinning rapidly, the bald man with a comical face finally made his move.

“Damn it, the more I choose, the more annoying it gets. Just jump already!”

Ye Junlin was done deliberating; he stepped onto the railing, turned his back to the outside, extended his arms, and mimicked a classic game pose, then began to lean back.

The whole move looked impressive, but with his silly face and shiny head, it came off as ridiculously flamboyant.

Whoosh~!

Plummeting from a height of several thousand meters, Ye Junlin felt the rush of wind filling his ears and the intense sensation of weightlessness, when suddenly, silver wings materialized behind him, flapping majestically.

When he finally landed, what awaited him was an expansive, endless lake, as blue as a sapphire, its crescent shape surrounded by lush vegetation and fresh air.

This clearly was Crescent Lake, one of the six major regions!

The lake shimmered, with scattered glimmers floating atop the surface—fragments of Martial Arts Techniques that needed to be synthesized for completion.

Suddenly, five figures dove down swiftly, skimming across the surface like dragonflies touching water. Upon sighting the glittering fragments, their eyes shone with greed, and they raced to collect them.

“Ha ha, all mine!”

“You think you can eat that?”

“Who dares speak out of turn? You’ll regret it!”

…

Those guys acted like starving wild dogs, frantically gathering Martial Arts Technique fragments, racing against the clock to piece together complete techniques and make the first kill.

At the lakeside, Ye Junlin watched speechlessly, shaking his head as he turned toward the depths of the jungle.

“Purple Lightning Fist!” At that moment, a Middle-aged Man successfully pieced together a technique, his eyes glinting with cold intensity, his fist swirling with purple lightning, striking out like a venomous dragon.

Crackle!

“Aah…” A young man failed to dodge and was sent flying, his body scorched black from the horrifying purple lightning, emitting steam as it smoldered.

Then, he vanished, turning into a box floating on the water; opening it would yield the fragments he had just collected.

“Hee hee, die!”

The Middle-aged Man excitedly charged at the other three, punches slicing through the air, purple lightning swirling around his fists like the wind.

“No!”

Two of them, in their anger, were also taken down by the Middle-aged Man, transforming into boxes hovering on the surface.

The last one, a Bearded Man, was sweating profusely, seemingly comprehending something; in a split second, he made quick hand signs, and a sturdy Earth Shield formed, robust enough to block the Middle-aged Man’s Purple Lightning Fist.

Boom!

Both sides retreated a bit, staring each other down across the lake.

“Phew…” The Bearded Man let out a sigh of relief, noticing he had blocked the attack just in time; looking at the Middle-aged figure, he became emboldened, sneering, “Still want to continue? This Earth Shield Technique is Profound Level low grade; your Purple Lightning Fist doesn’t seem like it’s even Profound Level yet.”

The Middle-aged Man’s expression darkened; his Purple Lightning Fist was merely Yellow Level high grade, and continuing to attack would be pointless.

Scanning the nearby glowing fragments, the Middle-aged Man said grimly, “Since we’re both evenly matched, let’s just evenly split the resources here.”

The Bearded Man narrowed his eyes, pondering for a moment, “Alright, but don’t even think about backstabbing me, or it’ll be on!”

“Deal!”

After reaching an agreement, the two began to collect the remaining fragments.

As they snagged more and more pieces, both acquired several new Profound Level moves, and even gathered enough ordinary quality gear, their minds began strategizing.

“Hmm? Isn’t that the punk who looks like a target for a beatdown?” The Middle-aged Man spotted the sneaky figure nearby and chuckled coldly.

“I swear I saw him when I was dropping; why hasn’t he left? Think he can play around here!” The Bearded Man grumbled, cracking his knuckles, craving the chance to smash that irritating face and the oh-so-challenging name.

“Wanna go take care of him?”

“Let’s go!”

Once again, they united over a common goal.

Charging into the jungle, they roared, “Hey, don’t you dare run!”

As they neared the figure clad in green, the prominent black text above his head declaring “Invincible, Lonely and Sad” was glaring.

“That’s him, for sure!”

The Middle-aged Man and the Bearded Man sneered in unison.

“Hmm?”

At that moment, the figure turned, revealing a shiny bald head and a face that screamed “kick me”—as if it was always inviting a fight.

“You looking for me?”

Barely had the words left his mouth when the green outfit vanished, replaced by a set of imposing black-gold armor, and he materialized a hefty, condensed great sword, its blade gleaming with a chilling light–