102: Everyone gets promoted! The darkest transformation before dawn!

The dinner party ended, and both host and guests were satisfied.

The unlabelled Moutai Chen Yan brought had quite a kick. Zhou Hai had to be supported back to the ship by Zhao Ze, mumbling and demanding steamed fish the whole way.

Lu Sheng carried the silver metal case containing the detector, watched them enter the cabin, then turned and returned to the master control suite on the top floor.

With the outside noise shut out, the room was so quiet that only the soft hum of the air conditioner remained.

Lu Sheng sat cross-legged on the bed, not in a rush to rest.

Chen Yan's description of the 8-level Sea God was like dropping a depth charge into a calm lake.

Slaying a 9-level Mosasaur single-handedly with a sword and controlling ocean currents—this was already the stuff of myths.

"Internal organs..."

Lu Sheng looked down at his palms, his slender fingers clenching slightly, causing his knuckles to crack with a crisp sound.

His lungs had already undergone a qualitative change under the reinforcement of the Water Spirit Fruit; even if he were thrown into the bottom of the ocean hundreds of meters deep, he could move freely.

The heart, liver, spleen, kidneys... the human body is like a precision machine; any weak link in a part will limit the overall power output.

Especially the heart.

The heart governs explosive power.

If he could strengthen the heart to the extreme, that pumping capacity combined with the monstrous strength of the Dragon God talent would allow him to crush even the hard shell of a 6-level Sea Beast like an eggshell with a single punch.

"System."

With a slight shift of his thoughts, the pale blue light screen unfolded before his eyes.

【host: Lu Sheng】

【Spirit Source User: Level 5 (900 / 1200)】

【Body Enhancement: Strong Muscle IV, Strong Bone I, Strong Lung I】

【Special Skills: Dragon Eyes, Dragon Scales, Dragon Claw, Dragon Might, Dragon Breath】

【Spirit Source Secret Art: dragon devouring spear (Weight: 1550 jin)】

【Talent: God-Tier Sequence — Dragon God】

【energy points: 690】

【storage space: 500 cubic meters】

【myriad things furnace: None】

Only 300 points remained in the experience bar.

For an ordinary person, this might take months of life-and-death combat, but in Lu Sheng's eyes, it was just a few mindless 6-level Sea Beasts.

As long as he filled this gap, he could truly touch the threshold of Level 6 and begin the tempering of his internal organs.

"The waters of the Sea Beast nest..."

Lu Sheng tilted his head to look at the pitch-black ocean outside the window, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

To others, it was Hell; to him, it was a mobile treasure trove of experience.

Withdrawing his thoughts, he opened the silver case and took out the portable biological toxin detector, which looked like a sophisticated special injection gun.

With a thought, a piece of meat still dripping with blood appeared on the table, staining the pristine surface red.

It was the back meat of the previously mutated Megalodon; even though it was dead, the meat was still twitching slightly, emitting a nauseating, fishy stench.

"Hope it's edible."

Lu Sheng picked up the detector. Without bothering with sterile procedures, he jammed the long, thin probe deep into the meat.

"Beep—"

The instrument screen flashed twice, followed by a harsh red light accompanied by a sharp, buzzing sound.

【Warning! High concentration of neurotoxins and violent spirit source factors detected! Inedible! 99% fatality rate!】

"Tch."

Lu Sheng shook his head in disappointment.

As expected, Chen Yan hadn't told the whole truth, or perhaps such good fortune wasn't something one could encounter everywhere.

This Megalodon was clearly of the highly toxic variety that would send the whole village to the funeral feast if eaten.

"Since it can't be eaten, keeping it just takes up space."

Lu Sheng's gaze turned cold, and he pressed his palm onto the meat.

"Collect!"

With a fluctuation of his intent, the mountain-sized Megalodon corpse began to churn within the myriad things furnace in his mind.

"Refine!"

【Ding! Refining successful! Obtained advanced spirit source crystal core x3!!】

As the System's prompt faded, three fist-sized, deep purple crystal cores with liquid seemingly flowing inside lay quietly in his storage space.

Lu Sheng glanced at his experience bar.

Three Advanced crystal cores were enough to take him a step further, perhaps even touching the edge of Level 6.

But he didn't move.

"If I absorb them myself, it's just icing on the cake."

Lu Sheng's gaze pierced through the cabin wall, looking toward the bottom deck.

That was where Zhou Hai, Zhao Ze, and Su Li lived.

These three had been stuck at the Peak of Level 4 for some time.

Especially Zhou Hai; although he still acted carefree, Lu Sheng could see the deep sense of powerlessness hidden in his eyes whenever he watched him kill 6-level Sea Beasts.

In the upcoming hellish voyage, relying on himself alone as the firefighter would exhaust him, even if he were made of iron.

He needed helpers.

He needed true powerhouses who could stand on their own and help him share the pressure on his flanks, not cheerleaders who could only shout '666' from behind.

The blazing flame had to be the sharp blade that tore through the Sea Beast encirclement; the tip of the blade couldn't just be hard, the blade itself had to withstand the strain.

"Since you've followed me..."

Lu Sheng grabbed the three Advanced crystal cores radiating a faint purple light, feeling the warm touch in his palm, and a flash of determination crossed his eyes.

"Then don't embarrass me."

...

The night grew deep, and the rhythm of the waves hitting the hull became the best lullaby.

"Snore... snore..."

Zhou Hai was lying on the bed, limbs spread out, hugging a pillow, drool hanging from his mouth, struggling with a table full of braised pork in his dream.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The knocking was steady, but exceptionally clear in the quiet cabin.

"Who is it... in the middle of the night..."

Zhou Hai mumbled groggily, turning over, unwilling to pay attention.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The knocking continued, just a bit heavier.

Zhou Hai jolted awake, scrambled up, wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, and went to open the door while cursing: "Which blind fool..."

As the door opened and he saw who it was, Zhou Hai swallowed his curse, his previously slack belly instantly sucked in, and he stood straight: "Major Lu! Not asleep yet?"

Lu Sheng stood at the door without saying a word, just tossing the three purple crystal cores in his hand as if they were worthless glass marbles.

"Couldn't sleep, thought I'd treat you all to a late-night snack."

Zhou Hai's ox-like eyes instantly widened, staring fixedly at the three crystal cores. The rich spirit source fluctuations made every pore on his body cheer, and his Adam's apple rolled violently: "This... what kind of high-level stuff is this? For us?!"

Ten minutes later.

Inside the fully enclosed training cabin of the blazing flame, the air was oppressive and heavy.

Zhou Hai, Zhao Ze, and Su Li sat cross-legged, with an advanced spirit source crystal core hovering in front of each of them.

Treasures of this level would be enough to make two medium-sized fleets fight to the death outside, yet now they were placed in front of them like candy.

"Little Lu, this..." Zhao Ze looked at the crystal core in front of him, his breathing a bit rapid. He was an honest man, and the more so he was, the more he felt the thing in his hand was scalding hot. "This is too valuable. You are still at the threshold of breaking through to Level 6; you should keep this resource for yourself."

Su Li also pursed her lips, gripping the hilt of her sword, and said in a low voice: "Yes, we can eventually reach Level 5 Spirit Source User by killing monsters slowly, there's no need..."

"Enough nonsense."

Lu Sheng leaned against the cabin wall, arms crossed, his tone cold and unyielding.

"On the road ahead, I will be facing 6-level or even 7-level Sea Beasts. If you are only Level 4, you don't even have the qualifications to be cannon fodder for me; you'd just be serving yourselves up as food."

"I want teammates who can kill, not dead weight who can only shout 'Go!'."

These words were harsh, striking the three of them in the face like a whip.

But they were also the most effective.

The playful look on Zhou Hai's face instantly vanished, replaced by a wildness called unwillingness.

"Damn it, Major Lu is right! We can't always hide behind his ass and eat dust!" Zhou Hai gritted his teeth, grabbed the crystal core, his eyes fierce. "Let's risk it! If I can't reach Level 5 tonight, I'll have no face to stay on the ship; I'll just jump into the sea to feed the fish!"

"I have no objections either." Su Li took a deep breath and grabbed the crystal core.

Zhao Ze didn't speak, just silently gripped the purple orb in his hand.

"Begin."

Lu Sheng ordered coldly.

The three hesitated no longer and simultaneously began to absorb the terrifying energy within the advanced spirit source crystal cores.

"Boom—!"

In an instant, a violent wind whipped up inside the training cabin!

Zhou Hai was the first to react.

His skin quickly turned red, like a piece of iron being scorched, and the Flame Blaster sequence roared crazily inside his body. The high temperature even distorted the surrounding air, and even his training uniform began to smell scorched.

"Urgh, ah—!!!"

Zhou Hai let out a painful low roar, his features twisted. The energy of the Advanced crystal core was too violent, as if countless fire blades were scraping his bones, trying to burst his Meridians inch by inch.

On the other side, Zhao Ze's body erupted with a dazzling golden luster, the Immortal Golden Body pushed to the limit. He looked like a bronze statue being forged, and one could even hear the sound of metal clashing "clang, clang" from within his body—that was the spirit source reshaping his bones.

And Su Li was the quietest, but also the most dangerous.

Countless tiny blood-red Sword Qi swirled around her; that was the unique killing aura of the Shura Swordsman.

Her face was pale as paper, her brows furrowed, and a blood-red mark faintly appeared between her brows, as if she were engaged in a life-and-death struggle with an invisible Heart Demon.

Lu Sheng stood to the side, his golden Dragon Eyes already activated, constantly monitoring the state of the three.

His fingers were slightly curled; if any one of them showed signs of losing control, he would immediately intervene and forcibly interrupt them.

Time passed second by second.

Sweat evaporated into white mist, filling the entire cabin, and the temperature was terrifyingly high.

Finally, at the darkest moment before dawn.

"Boom!"

Zhou Hai suddenly opened his eyes, and two substantial flames seemed to burn within his pupils.

The fat on his body seemed to have tightened, and a powerful aura belonging to a Level 5 Spirit Source User erupted from him as the center!

"I did it! I actually did it!"

Zhou Hai punched out excitedly, and a visible fireball actually exploded in the air, smashing heavily against the special steel wall, leaving a charred fist print.

Immediately after, the golden light on Zhao Ze's body converged, his skin turned bronze and deep, and there was a faint sound of wind and thunder as he breathed; the whole person was as steady as a mountain.

Level 5!

Finally, it was Su Li.

She slowly opened her eyes, and in her originally cold pupils, there was a hint of heart-stopping crimson, like a female Shura who had just walked out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

The long sword in her hand vibrated gently, emitting a hum that craved blood.

Full team of Level 5 Spirit Source Users!

Looking at the three reborn teammates in front of him, the corners of Lu Sheng's mouth curled into a satisfied arc.

A sharp-blade squad composed of four Level 5 powerhouses, with himself being a God-Tier Sequence with over-the-top combat power, was definitely a deterrent at the level of a nuclear weapon in this Early Stage of the Apocalypse.

"How does it feel?" Lu Sheng asked.

Zhou Hai clenched his fists, feeling the surging power in his body, and grinned with a fierce look: "I feel like I could beat the Ox Demon King into poop right now!"

"Very good."

Lu Sheng turned around and pushed open the cabin door.

"Since you've all leveled up."

Lu Sheng looked at the sea surface in the distance, dyed black by the night, his voice calm and cold, as if announcing the beginning of a massacre.

"Then hurry up and adapt to your new power. Your Spirit Source Life Weapon."

PS: Today's update (2/5)