Chapter 88: Prefix Advancement

Arriving at the Bone Burial Zone, Feng Qi decided not to head directly to the Star City Shelter.

He planned to wait in this area for Little Black to show up.

If he entered the underground shelter now, the same situation as last time would inevitably occur—Little Black and Suction Cup's final showdown would turn the entire shelter into ruins. It would disrupt his studies and possibly even destroy the valuable database in the process.

By waiting for Little Black, he hoped to shift the battlefield away from the shelter. At the same time, he could search the area for spiritual plants to help Suction Cup recover her injuries, ensuring the decisive battle would last longer.

Additionally, hunting the Zombie and death worms in the area could help him strengthen himself.

If he were still in the abandoned city, Suction Cup wouldn't even leave him the scraps from any domain creatures.

Though he initially worried that Suction Cup might devour the corpses of the Zombie he killed, it turned out he needn't have been concerned.

As a human, the mere thought of Suction Cup eating corpses made him shiver.

But to his relief, Suction Cup showed no interest in humanoid monsters.

He believed this was largely due to Mu Qing's influence. After all, Mu Qing had always been benevolent toward humans.

As for why Mu Qing had slaughtered cities and killed civilians, Feng Qi firmly believed there was an underlying reason and vowed to uncover the truth.

However, when it came to death worms, Suction Cup was relentless.

Every death worm Feng Qi killed became food for Suction Cup to restore her strength.

Ding! At your 8 o'clock, there's a purple plant—a nice snack for your weapon. It'll at least strengthen Suction Cup by +1!

Hearing the narrator's alert, Feng Qi immediately turned to the 8 o'clock direction.

Scanning the area, he quickly spotted a peculiar purple plant growing amidst a pile of bones.

Shaped like a lotus flower, it had eight slender stalks extending from its center, each tipped with a gourd-like pod. Its bizarre appearance made Feng Qi hesitate momentarily.

Approaching the plant, he didn't bother plucking its pods individually but yanked the entire plant out by its roots.

Examining the plant briefly, he brought it to Suction Cup's mouth.

"Time to eat!"

Hearing those two words, the drowsing Suction Cup reflexively opened her eyes. Without hesitation, she opened her mouth and began chomping down on the plant, devouring it roots and all.

After a short wait, a crystalline jade glow spread across Suction Cup's body, and her temperature rose slightly.

To Feng Qi's surprise, the fractured rune crystal embedded in Suction Cup's left arm began visibly healing, a tiny crack sealing itself shut.

Though the rune crystal was still riddled with cracks, the healing effect from this plant was more potent than the results of consuming three domain creatures.

The jade-like shimmer on Suction Cup's body became more vibrant after the crystal healed a crack, though it quickly returned to its usual state of calm radiance.

Feng Qi could feel that Suction Cup had grown stronger.

"Hey, narrator, what kind of spiritual plant is this? Its effects are amazing," he asked curiously.

Not sure. Judging by its appearance… let's call it Eight Gourd Babies.

"And should I call you Grandpa while I'm at it?" Feng Qi retorted, rolling his eyes.

Grandpa's still healthy and can battle monsters for three hundred rounds. No rescue needed.

Feng Qi: …

Most of the time, the narrator's insights made him feel reassured.

In this desolate world, the narrator's companionship alleviated some of the oppressive loneliness. But the cost of that comfort was a constant stream of taunts.

There were moments when Feng Qi wanted to dive into his own mind and engage the narrator in a three-hundred-round deathmatch.

Flipping an imaginary middle finger at the narrator in his mind, Feng Qi continued wandering through the Bone Burial Zone, searching for more prey.

Thanks to the narrator's frequent alerts, Feng Qi managed to find four spiritual plants in the area.

One was even buried a meter underground, yet the narrator's sharp detection abilities ensured it didn't escape their notice.

After several hours, there was still no sign of Little Black.

Focusing his energy, Feng Qi devoted himself fully to hunting Zombie and death worms.

After ripping a three-meter-long death worm in half, he tossed the slimy remains toward Suction Cup.

"Dinner time!"

At his command, Suction Cup's eyes snapped open. She immediately pounced on the death worm, tearing into it with ravenous bites.

But after only a few bites, Suction Cup suddenly began retching. Moments later, she spat out a clump of black matter.

Feng Qi: …

Watching this scene, he was momentarily dumbfounded. He couldn't understand why Suction Cup, who normally had an insatiable appetite, was suddenly rejecting her meal.

Don't worry. Suction Cup is just expelling the indigestible parts from her body.

Realizing this, Feng Qi relaxed.

But what happened next left him utterly baffled.

Despite not having finished vomiting out the black matter, Suction Cup hurriedly tried to eat again. What followed was a bizarre cycle of eating and vomiting that left Feng Qi stunned.

"This gluttonous behavior… truly inherited from Mu Qing's lineage," he muttered.

Just like your optimism, which you clearly inherited from me, the narrator quipped.

"Can't you ever be polite? Does insulting me keep you alive or something?"

It's worse than death if I don't.

Feng Qi: …

After much effort, Suction Cup finally purged the black matter from her system and successfully finished consuming the entire death worm.

As the jade-like glow flowed across her body, the grime and dirt on her surface slid off.

Suction Cup was once again restored to her pristine, adorable state.

With the narrator's dramatic cry of, "Heed my call and fuse with me, mighty suction weapon!" Suction Cup leapt gracefully into the air and latched onto Feng Qi's chest.

While mentally flipping the narrator a middle finger, Feng Qi turned his gaze toward the distance, scanning for new prey.

He continued wandering the Bone Burial Zone, hunting tirelessly. After an unknown amount of time, he noticed a significant change in his body.

A surge of energy radiated from his skull, rapidly coursing through his body.

As the energy enveloped him, the once dull gray hue of his bones transformed.

When the misty energy finally dissipated, his bones gleamed an immaculate white, as though polished to a shine, giving him a visibly cleaner and refreshed appearance.

At the same time, he could feel his strength had increased substantially.

Calling up his attribute panel, Feng Qi confirmed his suspicions—his prefix titles had indeed evolved:

[Blood Source · Nightmare · Resilience (Level 4) · Very Strong Zombie: Feng Qi]

Strength Level: Black Iron · Lower Tier

Prefix Titles:

Very Strong: Enhances body strength by 30%, significantly boosts self-recovery capabilities.

Resilience (LV4): Increases muscle resilience by 4%.

Nightmare (Non-upgradable prefix title): Allows invasion into the consciousness level, extracting memories from the target. Effectiveness depends on the user's mental strength, with abilities scaling alongside increases in spiritual power.

Blood Source (Non-upgradable prefix title): Forms a blood core within the heart, dramatically improving heart efficiency. This ability can be activated to rapidly deplete blood core energy, enhancing the user's combat capabilities exponentially. The ability scales with increases in the user's blood energy strength.

Bloodline: Human (Basic)

Bloodline Evolution Points: 378/1000

Prefix Title Milestones:

Very Strong (Upgradeable): Progress to the next milestone: 0%.

Resilience LV4 (Upgradeable): Progress to the next milestone: 8%.

"Seriously? That's so lazy. I thought the 'Strong' title would at least change into something more impressive," Feng Qi muttered in frustration.

Exactly. Why not upgrade it to 'Super Strong'? It's as if the person who designed this attribute panel lacks any creativity, the narrator snarked.

"Who even designed it?" Feng Qi asked, curious.

How should I know?

Realizing he wouldn't get an answer, Feng Qi stopped asking and resumed searching for prey.

He didn't want to waste any opportunities to grow stronger. In the past, he hadn't had a choice—there was no time to spare before Little Black inevitably killed him. But now, with a reprieve, he wasn't about to squander it.

After all, enhancing his strength wasn't just a matter of survival. It would also aid him in future expeditions into domain fields, where he could gather resources alongside allies.

Feng Qi's first battle after advancing to the "Very Strong" prefix was against a Zombie exuding a pungent stench.

He used this encounter as an opportunity to gauge his newfound strength.

The results shocked him. With just a single punch, he sent the Zombie flying three meters away. His raw power had more than doubled.

Other aspects, such as the hardness of his bones and the explosive power derived from his muscular structure, had also undergone significant improvements.

Knowing that these enhancements in the Dream Realm would eventually reflect in reality made Feng Qi grin with satisfaction.

Just as he was reveling in his progress, the narrator's voice cut through his thoughts:

Impressive! With these upgrades, you can now last 0.1 seconds longer against Little Black. Applause!

Feng Qi's grin froze mid-expression.

When it came to ruining the mood, the narrator never failed to deliver.

Ruining the mood? I call it motivation. If I didn't prod you, you'd smile so wide your face might split. Then I'd have nightmares about it tonight.

Feng Qi: …

Ignoring the narrator, Feng Qi continued hunting Zombie in the surrounding area.

However, compared to before, the milestone progress gained from killing Zombie was pitifully small. Advancing further had clearly become much more difficult.

In contrast, the progress for his "Resilience" prefix remained consistent, regardless of its level. Whether at LV1 or LV4, killing death worms granted the same milestone percentage.

Curious, he asked the narrator, "Do you know why?"

Resilience is a low-tier innate ability until it undergoes a significant advancement. It's no match for your intrinsic talent. Each evolution of your innate abilities is a major leap forward, requiring exponentially more blood energy.

Hearing the explanation, Feng Qi nodded in understanding.

The difference lay in essence—a fundamental improvement in life quality versus a single attribute's gradual enhancement. They were incomparable.

Armed with this knowledge, Feng Qi continued scouring the Bone Burial Zone for new prey.

Several hours passed, during which he upgraded "Resilience" to LV5 and raised the milestone progress for "Very Strong" to 16%.

At that moment, the narrator's voice rang out in his mind:

Ahem. Pay attention, kid. Prepare your disposable throwing weapon.

Hearing this, Feng Qi immediately turned eastward.

In the distance, Little Black was rapidly approaching, his form surrounded by pulsating waves of black mist that expanded and contracted rhythmically like a living entity.

Glancing at Suction Cup, still nestled on his chest, Feng Qi felt a pang of guilt.

"Next time, I'll avenge you. For now, hold the line for me."

There's always a 'next time,' isn't there? You're true to your nature—procrastinating. Seems like the effects of Meng Po's Soup are wearing off, and your memories are surfacing.

Feng Qi: …

Realizing the narrator was once again implying he was some kind of animal in a previous life, Feng Qi cursed internally.

But with Little Black closing in fast, he set aside his frustration and reached for Suction Cup.

As she blinked in confusion, he hurled her toward Little Black.

"Next time, I promise!" he yelled.