20: Zhou Hai: You can level up even when you're in a coma?

Lu Sheng's consciousness surfaced from the endless darkness, and he abruptly opened his eyes.

There was no intense pain as he had expected; his body felt light, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.

He instinctively touched his chest. The skin where his ribs had been fractured was as smooth as before, without even a trace of a scar.

He slowly sat up, and with every movement, he felt an unprecedented explosive power surging through his limbs and bones.

The tent was dimly lit. Zhou Hai and Zhao Ze lay beside him, one on each side, emitting heavy snores, clearly exhausted to the extreme.

With a thought, Lu Sheng brought up his system panel.

The warm current of promotion had already completed during his unconsciousness. Now, brand-new data clearly displayed before his eyes.

host: Lu Sheng

Spirit Source User: Level 3 (0/300)

Body Enhancement: Muscle Strengthening Level II

Special Skills: Dragon Eyes, Dragon Scales

Spirit Source Secret Art: None

Talent: God-Tier Sequence — Dragon God

energy points: 133

Promotion successful, Strength +200 jin.

New skill unlocked: Dragon Claw (entire arm covered with thin scales, fingertip sharpness increased, can tear ordinary metal, Strength +100 jin in Dragon Claw state).

Enhancement options: Muscle Strengthening, Stomach Strengthening, Lung Strengthening.

“Muscle Strengthening.” Lu Sheng chose without hesitation.

Enhancement successful! Muscle Strengthening Level III!

Strength +200 jin.

A series of information flowed through his mind.

Lu Sheng slowly clenched his fists, feeling the surging, roaring power within him, and couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth curl upwards.

Base Strength, one thousand four hundred jin!

If he activated the Dragon Claw skill, his Strength would instantly soar to one thousand five hundred jin!

Is this the world of a Level 3 Spirit Source User?

Compared to Level 2, it was a world of difference!

Just then, the tent flap was gently lifted, and a cool, elegant figure walked in.

It was Su Li.

Seeing Lu Sheng awake, a subtle ripple flashed in her eyes, but it quickly returned to calm.

Without speaking, she silently took out two self-heating rations from her backpack, tore open the packaging, and placed them in front of Lu Sheng.

The entire process was silent.

Neither of them woke Zhou Hai or Zhao Ze.

Lu Sheng took the food and devoured it.

Last night's deadly battle and promotion had drained all the energy from his body.

“Last night…” he mumbled, eating, “What happened afterward?”

“After you fell unconscious, the Corpse Tide lasted for five hours.” Su Li's voice was as cold as ever, as if stating something unrelated to herself. “Zhou Hai and Zhao Ze guarded you, fighting until dawn.”

Lu Sheng's chewing paused.

Five hours.

He could fully imagine how those two men, dragging their exhausted bodies, had built a great wall of flesh and blood for him amidst the endless Corpse Tide.

Su Li glanced at him and continued, “You’ve broken through to a Level 3 Spirit Source User.”

Lu Sheng nodded.

“Very impressive.” Su Li actually gave a rare compliment. “From an Ordinary Person to a Level 3 Spirit Source User, you only took less than a week. I’ve never seen such speed.”

Lu Sheng's heart stirred, and he was about to say something modest.

But Su Li changed the subject, her calm eyes fixed directly on him.

“You have a reconnaissance skill, right?”

Lu Sheng's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained expressionless.

He knew that arguing was meaningless.

Seeing his silence, Su Li spoke first, her voice extremely low: “I have a skill called Malice Condensation. Any creature, human or monster, that harbors malice towards me or those I care about, cannot escape my perception.”

Lu Sheng's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

Malice Condensation?

Damn it, no wonder!

When he used his Dragon Eyes to probe her, in her perception, wasn't that blatant peeping?

It would be strange if that wasn't considered malice!

He grumbled inwardly, but outwardly, he nodded frankly: “I also have one, called Dragon Eyes, which can see the basic information of a target.”

Upon hearing this, a hint of understanding flashed in Su Li's eyes.

It was as she had guessed.

She didn't press for details about Dragon Eyes, merely stating: “Very good. A team with two reconnaissance skills can avoid many dangers in advance.”

With one sentence, Su Li had characterized the previous peeping incident, which had almost caused a conflict, as a complementary advantage within the team.

This woman’s breadth of vision and wisdom far surpassed her beautiful appearance.

After eating, Lu Sheng walked out of the tent.

The morning sun pierced through the clouds, scattering light onto the rooftop.

What met his eyes were mountains of Floating Corpses remains. Black blood stained the entire rooftop, then was washed everywhere by the night's heavy rain, and the air was filled with a nauseating stench.

Lu Sheng's gaze fell on the two exhausted, snoring figures in the tent behind him.

A warm current quietly flowed through his heart.

He glanced at his system panel.

energy points: 133

He still needed over three hundred points to reach the 500 required to unlock a new function.

Should he prioritize unlocking the spiritual source space that could grow crops, completely solving the food problem?

Or should he unlock the myriad things furnace that could smelt sea beasts and extract spirit source, accelerating his Strength improvement?

Just as Lu Sheng was pondering, a hearty yawn came from behind him, followed by Zhou Hai's boisterous voice.

“Damn… my whole body feels like it’s falling apart…”

He rubbed his eyes and sat up, immediately spotting Lu Sheng standing tall amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Zhou Hai froze for a moment, then his eyes widened, and he roared, “Little Lu! Your injuries are healed? Why aren’t you lying down properly, what are you running around for?!”

Before he finished speaking, he had already flipped up, jumped to his feet, and rushed to Lu Sheng in three strides, his large, fan-like hand reaching out to grab Lu Sheng.

“Don’t move! Let me see your wounds!”

Lu Sheng did not dodge.

He just stood still, letting Zhou Hai's large hand, capable of crushing stones, press against his chest.

Zhou Hai's movements suddenly stiffened.

Under his palm, it wasn't the fragile bones and flesh he expected, but a chest as hard as steel, a dense, mountain-like force that made him feel as if he was pressing against an unmoving iron tower.

“This…” The anxiety on Zhou Hai’s face froze, replaced by a deep astonishment.

“I’m fine, Captain Zhou.” Lu Sheng twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing a set of white teeth. “My injuries are all healed. And… I’ve broken through.”

“Broken through?” Zhou Hai froze for a second, then jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his voice suddenly rising eight octaves, “A Level 3 Spirit Source User?! You can level up even when you're unconscious?!”

The huge commotion finally woke Zhao Ze on the other side.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up, looking bewildered: “What’s wrong, Old Zhou, what are you yelling about so early in the morning…”

Before he finished speaking, his gaze fell on Lu Sheng, and then he, too, was stunned.

Although Lu Sheng's clothes were still tattered and blood-stained, his entire aura had undergone an earth-shattering change.

That stable demeanor, like a pine tree standing firm or a bell unmoving, that terrifying sense of power, restrained beneath his skin yet seemingly ready to erupt at any moment… this was definitely not something a Level 2 Spirit Source User could possess!

“Little Lu, you…” Zhao Ze's voice trembled slightly.

Zhou Hai no longer bothered to answer Zhao Ze. He stared intently at Lu Sheng, as if looking at a monster, and asked breathlessly, “How much Strength… do you have now?”