Chapter 26: Leveling Up Again, Regional Chat Channel Unlocked

Ye Chuyun set his sights on a secluded riverbank where a lone mutant Iron Turtle was lingering. This particular beast seemed to prefer solitude, choosing a spot far from the main group to enjoy a leisurely soak. This played right into his hands.

Ye Chuyun activated his Stealth skill, inching toward the beast with extreme caution. While Stealth masked his form, it could not hide the ripples he made in the water. Fortunately, the mutant Iron Turtle remained oblivious.

One hundred meters, fifty meters... the distance closed steadily. Five meters, four meters... down to a single meter.

The mutant Iron Turtle was floating comfortably on its back. Suddenly, it sensed a subtle disturbance in the water and turned its head. It saw nothing. Just as it began to feel suspicious, Ye Chuyun struck.

*Swish!*

The Storm Blade sliced cleanly through the creature’s neck. Without a moment of warning, the unlucky beast was decapitated and died before it could even let out a cry.

[Killed Level 5 mutant Iron Turtle, obtained double energy points +700.]
[Iron Turtle Essence: Physique +6 when consumed.]
[Talent Imprint: Use to obtain talent skill, F-rank Water Sense.]
[Water Spirit Bead Shard: Quest item, 10 can be combined into 1 Water Spirit Bead, 30% success rate.] *2
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 6.]
[Strength increased by 10.]
[Agility increased by 10.]
[Physique increased by 10.]
[Spirit increased by 10.]
[You have gained 5 free attribute points.]

After the kill, Ye Chuyun immediately scanned his surroundings. It was still the dead of night, and the vision of both humans and fierce beasts was diminished. The other Iron Turtles were still splashing about, completely unaware of the incident. He quickly dragged the carcass away and erased any traces of the struggle. While waiting for his Stealth skill to cool down, he pulled out the Talent Imprint.

[Notification: You have used the Talent Imprint and obtained the F-rank talent, Water Sense.]
[Water Sense: Become more adept and at home in the water.]

"Too bad it's only F-rank. If it were the D-rank Water Fusion, that would have been better," Ye Chuyun mused with a shake of his head. He swallowed the Iron Turtle Essence and opened his status panel.

Name: Ye Chuyun
Level: 6 (30/8000)
Strength: 289
Agility: 238
Physique: 249 (F-rank Physique Enhancement, +25)
Spirit: 364
Combat Power: 2355 (2280+75)

His combat power had surged once again! Reaching the Iron Turtle King's 2800 power level was no longer a dream. Once his Stealth cooldown finished, Ye Chuyun locked onto a second lone target and began his approach.

An hour passed quickly. Ye Chuyun had wiped out all the lone Iron Turtles, totaling ten. He had collected 15 Water Spirit Bead Shards, halfway to the 30 required for synthesis. He had also consumed the Iron Turtle Essence until he hit the limit. His level had reached 6 (5030/8000).

There were no more lone turtles in the river. Most were now huddled in groups of three to five. Ye Chuyun’s gaze lingered on a group of three on the perimeter. He couldn't guarantee he could kill all three simultaneously, which would surely alert the other groups. But he had no choice; as long as he didn't provoke the Iron Turtle King, it would be manageable. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to strike.

[Announcement: Three people in District 118 have reached Level 5, activating the Regional Chat Channel.]
[Notification: There is a posting limit in the regional channel; one message every ten minutes per person.]
[Notification: Every 1,000 districts are grouped into one region. District 118 belongs to Region 1.]
[Notification: Loading Region 1 Chat Channel. Chat channels are now divided into District 118 and Region 1.]

Seeing the announcement, Ye Chuyun paused and checked the level rankings.

[District 118 Level Rankings]
[1st Place: Ye Chuyun, Level 6]
[2nd Place: Wang Gang, Level 5]
[3rd Place: Zhuang Liang, Level 5]

So, Wang Gang had reached Level 5 as expected. But what surprised Ye Chuyun more was that Zhuang Liang had also made it. It seemed the outcome of the challenges had altered many people's fates. In his past life, the highest level at this point had only been Level 3. Now, there were three people above Level 5! District 118 had been reborn.

It was still around 3:00 AM, the night as dark as ever. Ye Chuyun opened the regional chat to see what was happening. It was flooded with messages; with the double energy gain event ongoing, almost no one was sleeping. Fortunately, the posting limit slowed the spam after a few minutes. He noticed a counter in the top right corner: (21/1000). It clearly wasn't a survivor count, but something else. Ye Chuyun frowned slightly.

The chat continued.
Stone Peak (388): "Oh, another district joined. Welcome, newcomers!"
Xu Meng (25): "District 118 is the 21st to enter the channel. Not bad. Are you guys from the Dragon Kingdom?"
Wang Gang (118): "Yes, we are. It seems the numbers before our names indicate our district sequence. Are you two from 25 and 388 also from the Dragon Kingdom?"
Stone Peak (338): "Haha, yes. Since we’re compatriots, we should help each other. Feel free to ask if you need anything, Brother Wang Gang."
Cai Kun (118): "Wow, 1,000 districts in one region? Doesn't that mean a million people?"
Xu Meng (25): "Not right now. Look at that 21/1000 in the corner. It means you're only the 21st district to reach the requirement. The other newbie villages probably haven't even had anyone hit Level 5 yet."
Zhuang Liang (118): "Looks like we’re doing pretty well then."

Just then, a discordant voice interrupted.
Sharma Lafi (55): "Heh, took you this long for only two people to reach Level 5? That's 'pretty well'? You Dragon Kingdom people are trash. It should have been our Indian faction."