The Muscle Augmentation Type I could grant an extra 100 jin of strength, but now that it had been upgraded to Muscle Augmentation Type II, the strength boost increased to 300 jin. This meant that in the Muscle Augmentation Type II state, combined with his base 700 jin of strength, the total force he could unleash reached 1,000 jin (approx. 500 kilograms or 1,100 pounds).
Reaching 1,000 jin of force was unimaginable for the former Su Li.
The iron rod, which was not light before, now felt as effortless as holding a dead branch. Yet, its striking power had increased significantly. With a single swing of the rod, the heads of the Water Rat Beasts he hit no longer merely shattered and collapsed—they exploded completely.
Su Li had successfully advanced to a Level 3 Spiritual Source Wielder. On the other side, with Ding Longyun's help, Xu Xuehui also successfully killed two low-level Corpse Beasts and became a Level 2 Spiritual Source Wielder.
Upon becoming a Level 2 Spiritual Source Wielder, Xu Xuehui's body received enhancements. The most direct change was a significant boost in her base strength. The worse the original physical condition and the weaker the starting strength, the more pronounced the effect of the evolution. Because Xu Xuehui was a small girl, her original physical fitness was much lower than Su Li's and Ding Longyun's. However, this also meant the evolutionary benefits she received from the Spiritual Source were greater. After advancing to a Level 2 Spiritual Source Wielder, her current strength had reached 600 jin.
"Which choices are available for enhancement?" Ding Longyun asked, worried Xu Xuehui might choose incorrectly.
"Eyes, ears, lungs," Xu Xuehui replied simply, her voice still quiet.
"Choose the Lungs," Ding Longyun instructed Xu Xuehui without hesitation. "The outside is all water. Increasing lung capacity is definitely the right move. I'm already at Enhanced Lung Type III."
Su Li glanced at Ding Longyun in surprise and asked, "Why don't you enhance your muscles to increase your strength? Why do you keep enhancing your lungs?"
Ding Longyun chuckled and said, "It's because I get seasick. Besides, the water level is still slowly rising. Who knows, maybe one day everything will be flooded, and we'll have to live in the water. That's when you'll know the benefits of enhancing your lungs. Do you know the maximum amount of time I can hold my breath now? Thirteen minutes! That means I can stay underwater for 13 minutes on one breath. Do you realize what that means?"
"Whales that live in the deep sea can generally hold their breath for about 10 to 30 minutes. I'm already better than some of the whales with shorter breath-holding times."
Hearing his explanation, Su Li felt a touch of envy. He thought that if Ding Longyun's breath-holding time was comparable to a whale's, there might truly be a possibility of surviving in the water in the future.
However, envy aside, if Su Li were to choose again, he would still prioritize muscle enhancement.
He had now figured out a pattern: every time he advanced a level, his base strength increased by about 100 jin. Following this pattern, Ding Longyun, who was now Level 4, would have a base strength of around 800 jin. Purely in terms of raw power, Ding Longyun was now surpassed by him.
As the two of them discussed, their hands did not stop working. Su Li dispatched several more rushing Water Rat Beasts. His current Spiritual Source count reached six, meaning he needed twenty-four more Spiritual Sources to advance again.
Perhaps Su Li's performance was too terrifying. The stairwell was piled high with the corpses of Water Rat Beasts. The surviving monsters behind them scattered and rushed back down the stairs, disappearing into the darkness, no longer charging up.
Su Li didn't pursue them. He glanced up the stairs toward the roof and faintly heard movement coming from above. He asked, "Brother Ding, should we go back and try fighting that Tyrant Crab?"
He now possessed 1,000 jin of force, and his speed and reaction time had further improved. With Ding Longyun having advanced to Level 4, the two of them working together stood a good chance against a Level 3 Elite Tyrant Crab.
Su Li was interested in the special ability "Tyrant Shell" that the "Peering Rune" indicated he could gain from killing the crab.
Special abilities offered an astonishing increase in combat power. Su Li could overpower monsters of the same level, and even kill higher-level Spiritual Source Beasts, partly because he chose to enhance his muscles, giving him powerful strength, and partly because of his special abilities, "Gluttony Fangs" and the "Peering Rune."
The "Gluttony Fangs" were incredibly sharp and irresistible. The "Peering Rune" allowed him to know his enemy's strengths and weaknesses. For example, in the previous fight against the higher-level Marine Iguana Monitor, he knew through the "Peering Rune" that the lizard was venomous, so he tried to avoid being bitten during the fight. If he hadn't known this beforehand, the result would have been completely different if he had been bitten.
"Alright," Ding Longyun said, equally eager for a fight. He swung his steel shovel into the corridor, knocking two oncoming low-level Corpse Beasts away, and then turned to rush up the stairs toward the roof.
Su Li followed closely, telling Xu Xuehui, "Stay behind me. You just need to guard the stairwell entrance later; you don't have to come out. That Tyrant Crab is too dangerous. The Water Rat Beasts won't come up, and the Corpse Beasts can't hurt you now."
Xu Xuehui nodded. She was now a Level 2 Spiritual Source Wielder and had gained some experience. Dealing with these low-level Corpse Beasts was indeed easy for her, and she was no longer as panicked and helpless as she was at first.
The three ascended the stairs. Ding Longyun, leading the way, let out a grunt. "This thing is truly persistent. It's still blocking the entrance."
At the roof exit, the massive Tyrant Crab was still wedged in the doorway, occasionally using its claws to tear at the exit. The steel door covering the exit had been warped by its assault.
Just as Ding Longyun rushed up, the already damaged steel door finally gave way. Pushed by the Tyrant Crab's large chela, it detached from the frame and slammed toward the rushing Ding Longyun.
With Su Li and Xu Xuehui behind him, Ding Longyun couldn't dodge. He had no choice but to grip the steel shovel with both hands and brace against the steel door.
With a "clang," Ding Longyun blocked the steel door with his shovel. The impact jarred his arms, causing him to grimace in pain. He then let out a "heh" and shoved the warped steel door forward, using it as a shield to charge the Tyrant Crab blocking the entrance.
The steel door was pushed by Ding Longyun, crashing into the Tyrant Crab and making a loud noise. However, the Tyrant Crab was too strong, and Ding Longyun's push failed to dislodge it completely. Su Li rushed up behind him, slamming into the steel door. His thousand-jin power suddenly erupted.
"Bang—"
The steel door was sent flying outward by their combined force, and tumbling with the door was the Tyrant Crab.
With the Tyrant Crab dislodged from the entrance, Su Li and Ding Longyun sighed in relief. They charged out of the doorway and returned to the roof. Xu Xuehui, following Su Li's instruction, remained guarding the stairwell entrance. It was relatively safe there; the Tyrant Crab couldn't attack her, and she only needed to deal with the low-level Corpse Beasts that might climb the stairs.
(End of Chapter)