The exhilaration of clearing the fifth floor lingered in Xu Wuyi’s heart for a mont before it was quickly replaced by composure.
He looked at the "Enter the Sixth Stage?" prompt on the screen and thought, ’According to the pattern, the fifth floor was level 17, so the sixth should be level 18.’
His current actual Life Energy Level was 16.5, an improvent from half a month ago.
However, he had needed to unleash his full power just to challenge the White Ape at a level 17 intensity. Facing a level 18 Star Beast, the difficulty was bound to skyrocket.
It was one thing for the Virtual Battle Network to adjust his Life Energy Level, but whether he could adapt to it was another matter entirely.
For example, a level 20 Official Martial Artist simulating a level 10 Martial Disciple would naturally find it effortless and perform well.
But conversely, a level 10 Martial Disciple trying to simulate a level 20 Martial Artist would most likely be unable to exert even half of that strength.
Without the corresponding training in reality, suddenly using a body with a high Energy Level would be like a child swinging a greatsword; one misstep could even lead to self-injury.
At Xu Wuyi’s level, using a level 17 body didn’t have much of an effect, but at level 18, he would be sowhat out of sync with it.
And in a high-intensity battle like this challenge, such a subtle difference could be what decided victory or defeat.
Still, he wanted to give it a try. Not to clear the stage, but simply to see the sixth floor’s Star Beast with his own eyes and know what he was up against.
"Enter the Sixth Stage."
The dark purple sky remained unchanged, but the terrain around him had transford into a Gobi desert filled with weathered rock pillars.
These rock pillars, of varying heights, resembled a giant stone forest and created a complex landscape.
A dry scent filled the air, faintly laced with killing intent.
"Sixth Stage Challenge Target: Double-Bladed Mantis (x2). Clear Condition: Kill all Double-Bladed Mantises within ten minutes."
"Challenger’s Life Energy Level for this stage is fixed at: Level 18."
The mont the system notification faded, two massive figures silently glided out from behind a pair of adjacent rock pillars, landing lightly twenty ters in front of Xu Wuyi.
They were two mantis-like Star Beasts, roughly the size of an adult human. Their streamlined bodies were a grayish-green, blending in perfectly with the Gobi rocks.
Their most striking feature was the two pairs of forelimbs, each shaped like an enormous scythe.
The edges of the scythes glead with a cold, tallic light. Even while motionless, they gave off the impression that they could cleave through solid rock.
Their four compound eyes locked coldly onto Xu Wuyi. There were no roars, only the dead silence of a predator hunting its prey.
’Two of them... and they both specialize in offense.’ Xu Wuyi’s heart sank.
The previous stages had either featured a single, powerful Star Beast or a large group of individually weaker ones.
This was the first ti he had faced two Star Beasts at once, both of which clearly excelled in attack and speed.
He didn’t attack rashly. With a slight activation of his Instant Shadow Step, he darted toward a taller rock pillar to his rear flank, attempting to secure a vantage point for observation.
However, the mont he moved, the two Double-Bladed Mantises also sprang into action!
Their speed was astonishing. Pushing off the Gobi ground with their six legs, they transford into two grayish-green afterimages, pouncing on him from the left and right in a pincer attack.
They moved almost without a sound, accompanied only by the faint whistle of their scythes slicing through the air.
Xu Wuyi’s eyes narrowed, and he brought his longspear up horizontally to block the scythe attacking from his left.
CLANG!
The spear shaft collided with the scythe, sending a shower of blinding sparks into the air.
A sharp force traveled up the shaft, making Xu Wuyi’s arm go numb and his Qi and Blood churn within him.
’And that was the attack from just one of the mantises!’
Almost simultaneously, the four scythes of the Double-Bladed Mantis on the right descended on his ribs and legs from another angle in a cunning and ruthless attack.
Xu Wuyi had no choice but to twist his body, pushing his Instant Shadow Step to its absolute limit to slip through the gap between the two attacks by a hair’s breadth.
But he had barely regained his footing before the two Double-Bladed Mantises were on him again, their attacks following like shadows.
Their coordination was flawless. One attacked his upper body while the other locked down his lower body. Their combined eight scythes swung through the air, forming a deadly web of blades that completely enveloped Xu Wuyi.
CLANG! CLANG! SHIIINK—!
Xu Wuyi wielded his longspear in an impenetrable flurry, desperately parrying. But under such a dense and ferocious assault, he was completely unable to mount an effective counterattack and was forced entirely onto the defensive.
He had tried activating his [Soul Suppressing] trait, but it had minimal effect on the two Star Beasts. They seed to exist purely for slaughter, and it only managed to make their movents freeze for an instant, not enough to create a decisive opening.
’It’s no good, I can’t hold them off!’
Knowing this was bad, Xu Wuyi’s footwork shifted continuously as he tried to create distance again.
But the Double-Bladed Mantises were faster!
A grayish-green shadow flashed past. The Double-Bladed Mantis on the right had actually predicted his line of retreat, cutting him off as its four scythes descended like a at grinder.
With no way to dodge, Xu Wuyi could only grit his teeth, pour his Qi and Blood into his longspear, and launch a ferocious thrust, attempting to et offense with offense.
SQUELCH!
The longspear successfully pierced the Double-Bladed Mantis’s torso, sending green fluid splattering everywhere.
But at the sa ti, two of the mantis’s scythes viciously slashed into Xu Wuyi’s left shoulder and right leg!
anwhile, the other Double-Bladed Mantis’s scythe stabbed him from behind, piercing through his chest.
Excruciating pain flooded his senses instantly. The sensory feedback from his virtual body was so realistic it was terrifying.
Xu Wuyi’s consciousness instantly blurred, and his vision went black.
"Challenge failed."
The cold system notification sounded as his figure dissolved into white light.
...
The hatch of the Virtual Pod slid open. Xu Wuyi sat up and subconsciously touched his chest and shoulder.
"The sixth floor... Double-Bladed Mantises." he muttered to himself, his brow slightly furrowed.
The pressure from those two Star Beasts had been far greater than that of the Mountain-Splitting White Ape.
The White Ape was strong and had high defense, but there had still been room to maneuver.
But this pair of Double-Bladed Mantises had extre attack speed and flawless coordination. Their aggression was maxed out, leaving him with scarcely a mont to breathe.
He, who had always prided himself on his defense and breezed through the previous stages, never expected to be defeated on a stage that specifically tested that very skill.
’With my current strength, clearing the sixth floor is practically impossible.’ Xu Wuyi was keenly aware of this fact.
This wasn’t a gap that could be bridged with tactics or a burst of power. It was a fundantal deficit in raw strength.
A flicker of frustration rose in his heart, but it vanished just as quickly.
’I’m still not strong enough. If I’m not strong enough, then I just have to keep training!’
He twisted open a bottle of Nutrient Liquid and began to drink it slowly. At the sa ti, he spoke into the empty air, "Anna."
Blue light coalesced, and Anna’s virtual projection quietly appeared.
"Xu Wuyi, how may I help you?"
"Based on my current Martial Arts System and condition, formulate a recomndation for the next stage of my training," Xu Wuyi said directly.
"Command received. Analyzing..."
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