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https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-101

Chapter 101 - A Tragic Ant Monarch, The Reason For The Ant Tide

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 101 - A Tragic Ant Monarch, The Reason For The Ant Tide</h1><p>Little Gold’s IQ was clearly higher than Teddy’s as right after the contract was signed, it could communicate spiritually with Meng Lei. It was far beyond Teddy!</p><p>“Little Gold, why are you here?” Meng Lei asked his first question, a question that he and Ol’ Amos were both concerned about.</p><p>By right, the ant monarch should stay underground. A new and young ant monarch like Little Gold should stay in its home even more.</p><p><em>Coming out to run around? What if it got caught by bad guys?</em></p><p><em>You see, you see, didn’t I catch it now?</em></p><p>Sob, sob~</p><p>Little Gold started sobbing. Its tears dropped continuously, and it looked like a young wife who had suffered great grievances.</p><p>It really was the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ant Monarch. But, tragically, less than one month after it had inherited the ant monarch’s position, it had suffered an attack from another race of the underground world—Underground Cave Magical Spiders!</p><p>They were Seventh-Grade Magical Beasts that lived underground. Their individual strength was much stronger than the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants’, but their numbers were relatively smaller.</p><p>Therefore, the overall strength of the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants race and the Underground Cave Magical Spiders race was comparable, and both were powerful races that dominated the underground world.</p><p>However, the two races couldn’t get along since the beginning of time.</p><p>Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants were large in numbers and occupied large swaths of land. Underground Cave Magical Spiders were smaller in numbers, yet they hunted Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants for food.</p><p>Over hundreds and thousands of years, the two races kept clashing, with countless wars happening, and they both wanted to eliminate the other.</p><p>Unfortunately, the two races were similar in strength, and neither could overcome the other.</p><p>This status quo remained as such until one month ago.</p><p>The old ant monarch passed away from old age one month ago, and Little Gold had to be crowned as monarch at its infant age.</p><p>However, the Underground Cave Magical Spiders, which had gotten the message, did not pass on this extremely rare opportunity. A great war that determined the fate of the two races had broken out like this.</p><p>The results were predictable. The Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants were badly defeated. Not only did the Underground Cave Magical Spiders broke through their home base, but also Little Gold, the new ant monarch, was chased out of the “royal halls” before it could stabilize its rule. Under the protection of a group of followers, it had escaped the underground world in fear.</p><p>Eventually, it met Meng Lei.</p><p>“…”</p><p>Meng Lei and Ol’ Amos looked at each other and didn’t know what to say. Little Gold’s fate was really too bad. It had suffered such a great tragedy right after becoming the ant monarch and finally broken out of the siege, only to almost become Meng Lei’s slave…</p><p>For a proper ant monarch to come to such a sad situation, it was really… sad!</p><p><em>Sigh, poor child.</em></p><p>“Little Gold, don’t cry!” Meng Lei stroked its head and comforted it. “When we have more strength next time, we’ll go back to the underground world and kill the Underground Cave Magical Spiders for revenge!”</p><p>“Okay!”</p><p>Little Gold nodded its golden head hard, and a firm look filled its eyes. It was an ant monarch, so it had to slaughter its way back to the underground world and take back everything that belonged to it. This was its mission!</p><p>“So, what you have to do now is to work hard to improve your strength. Become strong as soon as possible to seek revenge!” Meng Lei encouraged it.</p><p>“Got it!”</p><p>“That’s right!”</p><p>Seeing that Little Gold’s mood improved, Meng Lei felt relieved. After taking care of Little Gold, it was time to continue killing the ant tide to earn gold coins.</p><p>“Wait!”</p><p>Meng Lei froze, suddenly realizing that the matter was a bit embarrassing. Since Little Gold was the ant monarch, was it really good for him to slaughter so many of its kind?</p><p>“It’s not right! Since Little Gold is the ant monarch, why do I still have to kill the ant tide? They are my army now!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes widened!</p><p>Kill?</p><p>To hell with killing!</p><p>After killing them, how else could he find such a mighty ant tide army? Wasn’t it better to keep them? They could do many things!</p><p>Meng Lei immediately became excited at that thought. “Little Gold, you should be able to control the ant tide army, right?”</p><p>Upon hearing that, Ol’ Amos’s eyes shone. If Little Gold really could control the ant tide army, this disaster would be resolved right away.</p><p>Unfortunately, the two were meant to be disappointed.</p><p>Little Gold shook its head. “I only just recently became the ant monarch. My spiritual power is still very weak. Without using the race-ruling divine weapon, I can control at most 2,000 subjects!”</p><p>(⊙_⊙)</p><p>“Huh? What!?”</p><p>Meng Lei and Ol’ Amos were stunned.</p><p>Without using the race-ruling divine weapon, it could only control 2,000 Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants? For real?</p><p>“Juvenile ant monarchs are generally weak in spiritual power, and they are totally unable to control their massive subjects. To resolve this problem, the greatest ant monarch of our kind specially made a race-ruling divine weapon—the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest!”</p><p>Little Gold explained, “Making use of the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest, the juvenile ant monarch can indirectly control all the subjects. Unfortunately, the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest is connected to the ant nest, and there was no way for me to take it away.”</p><p>“So, the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest is left in the underground world?”</p><p>Meng Lei slapped his forehead and felt completely speechless.</p><p><em>Little Gold, Little Gold, you are such a failure of an ant monarch. You not only got chased out of your home, you even lost your race-ruling divine weapon!</em></p><p><em>This is honestly too…</em></p><p>Ol’ Amos thought of another matter. “In this case, the ant tide in the Magical Beast Forest has completely lost control?”</p><p>“Yes! I can’t control them, and they can’t go back underground. Thus, they can only travel aboveground! They are done for, they will be killed sooner or later!”</p><p>Little Gold shook its head and sighed.</p><p>“They are done for?”</p><p>The corner of the old man’s mouth twitched. He was afraid it wasn’t them, but others, who were done for. An ant tide beyond control was completely unimaginable.</p><p>“Ol’ President, what to do now?” Meng Lei also realized the seriousness of the problem. “The ant tide has lost control, and it can’t go back underground.”</p><p>The old man’s facial expression looked heavier than ever. “They will go around aimlessly like flies, eating away anything edible! After they finish with the Magical Beast Forest, they will rush out of the forest and go to other places!”</p><p>“An ant tide outbreak… is already inevitable!” The old man took a deep breath. “Meng Lei, the ant tide this time is fundamentally different from the historical ones. It will be fiercer and more terrible than any of the past ones. You have to be mentally prepared!”</p><p>“Understood!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s heart chilled. Then, he looked at Little Gold apologetically. “Little Gold, to protect my fellow humans from being eliminated by the ant tide, I have to be unfair to you.”</p><p>“It doesn’t matter.” Little Gold shook its head. “Ordinary subjects’ lives are short. Even if they aren’t killed, they will die naturally very soon. They won’t live to see me reach adulthood!”</p><p>“I’m assured then.”</p><p>Meng Lei heaved a sigh of relief. So long as Little Gold didn’t hate him because of this, the matters were much easier. “Let’s go, Little Gold. We’ll go to… Well, the next place.”</p><p>“Wait for me first.”</p><p>Little Gold rapidly crawled to the side of the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants’ carcasses and did something that shocked Meng Lei and Ol’ Amos greatly.</p><p>A golden ray of light suddenly shone from its two golden antennae, and circles of golden light spread out to cover a radius of a hundred meters.</p><p>In the next moment, an inexplicable scene happened.</p><p>The Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants that were illuminated by the golden light actually quietly melted up like ice that met strong sunlight and turned into splashes of red liquid.</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>Little Gold opened its mouth to suck, and these red liquids strangely floated up. They then flew into Little Gold’s mouth like birds returning to their nests.</p><p>Burp~</p><p>Little Gold burped, and its aura actually… grew a little?</p><p>“This…”</p><p>Meng Lei and Ol’ Amos looked at each other, both stunned!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-102

Chapter 102 - Billionaire, Ninth-Grade Warrior

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 102 - Billionaire, Ninth-Grade Warrior</h1><p><em>Little Gold has such an ability?</em></p><p>Meng Lei found this incredible.</p><p><em>Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants are Sixth-Grade Magical Beasts, and their entire bodies are as hard as steel. Even magical weapons enhanced with Battle Aura can hardly break their carcasses…</em></p><p><em>But Little Gold… It melted them by releasing one ray of golden light? This is totally far more terrible even than the most concentrated sulfuric acid!</em></p><p>“Ol’ President, what ability is this?”</p><p>Meng Lei swallowed his saliva.</p><p>“No idea!” Ol’ Amos shook his head. “Since ancient times, humans have known very little about Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ant Monarchs. Except that they are double-elemental Magical Beasts of strength and spirit, nothing else is known.”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>Within mere minutes, all the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants carcasses had all turned into red liquid and got swallowed into Little Gold’s belly.</p><p><em>Amazing…</em></p><p>After eating thousands of kilos of carcasses, with the exception of Little Gold’s aura, which improved significantly, there was actually no change in any other aspect. Its body didn’t change at all!</p><p>“Where did it put all those ant carcasses?”</p><p>Meng Lei took a breath as it deeply shocked him once again.</p><p>Ol’ Amos sighed slowly and said emotionally, “We still know too little about Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ant Monarchs.”</p><p>“That’s right!”</p><p>After swallowing all the ant carcasses, Little Gold burped in satisfaction, and then returned to Meng Lei’s side. Its shiny golden head rubbed against Meng Lei, looking very affectionate.</p><p>Meng Lei’s look was complicated. “Little Gold, you ate all those Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants… Where are they stored?”</p><p>“In my belly!” Little Gold blinked its big eyes. ‘We Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants all have very big stomachs. Ordinary subjects can hold food up to 100 times their own weight. I’m the ant monarch, so I can hold 10,000 times my own weight of food.”</p><p>“10,000… times?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s whole body shivered, and he almost peed from the shock. Ol’ Amos also shivered from the shock, and his face turned white.</p><p>They were both astonished!</p><p>Yet this wasn’t all, as Little Gold added, “I’m still in the juvenile stage. I can only hold so much food! The former ant monarch was really great, as he could swallow a big mountain in one go!”</p><p>When mentioning the former ant monarch, Little Gold’s eyes were full of reverence. Predictably, the former ant monarch had left an unerasable impression in its young mind.</p><p>“A big mountain…”</p><p>Meng Lei and Ol’ Amos fell silent instantly.</p><p>They were silent for a long while before Meng Lei finally sighed and said, “I finally understand why an ant tide army is so horrible. Every Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ant is a moving extra-large spatial magical device. How can it not be horrible?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos had more experiences, and his understanding was deeper. His eyes shone with bright light. “Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants’ stomachs should form a space of their own. The stomach space of the ant monarch is especially extraordinary. It seems that they are not just double-elemental Magical Beasts of strength and spirit!”</p><p>“There’s still a space element!?” exclaimed Meng Lei said.</p><p>“That’s right! There’s still a space element!” The old man nodded slowly. “In this world that we live in, apart from the most common and basic ten magical elements, there are some very rare magic attributes that are nonetheless real, or used to be real but have already gotten lost over time, such as Soul magic, Space magic, Dead Spirit magic, Time magic, and so on!”</p><p>“Space, Dead Spirit, Time magic?” Meng Lei muttered in a low voice.</p><p>“Heaven’s Vault Continent has existed for too long a history. In different periods, the living beings were different, and the main magic cultivated was quite different as well.”</p><p>The old man sighed. “With the passing of time, many rare yet very strong types of magic have disappeared in history, but there are always some little bits of records that remain.</p><p>“Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants are a typical example. Though this race’s strength isn’t exceptional, they have a rare triple element of strength, spirit, and space, especially with the space element ingrained in the depth of their bloodline, it is such a wonder!”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a breath and also felt great amazement.</p><p>“Let’s go! Off to other places!” The old man waved his hand. “Since the little fellow is so good at eating, we’ll let it eat to its satisfaction.”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>The magic carpet went up into the sky and disappeared from this area of the forest in the blink of an eye. When it reappeared, it had already arrived above the next swathe of Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants army.</p><p>With a few thunder balls dropped down, this big army of around 3,000 all died out and became Little Gold’s food.</p><p>Seeing Little Gold swallow 3,000 ant carcasses again, Meng Lei and Ol’ Amos still felt awed. 3,000 ant corpses, covering such a big area, it ate them all!?</p><p>A foodie?</p><p>This was a f*cking real foodie!</p><p>As compared to it, even the dragon race had to come second!</p><p>The only thing that pained Meng Lei a little was that when Little Gold swallowed the ant carcasses, it would also swallow the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants’ magical cores together with them.</p><p><em>Such a waste. 3,000 magic cores are 30,000,000 gold coins! Gone?</em></p><p><em>Little Gold, you are the obstacle to my entrance into Saint Domain! But, I’ll bear with it!</em></p><p>Meng Lei ground his teeth.</p><p><em>Little Gold’s strength can only grow faster by devouring so many magic cores. For its benefit, I’ll bear with it!</em></p><p><em>Everything is for Little Gold!</em></p><p><em>For everything of Little Gold!</em></p><p>However, when Little Gold devoured an ant tide of more than 30,000 ants again, Meng Lei couldn’t hold back anymore.</p><p>“Little Gold, when you eat ant carcasses next time, can you leave the magic cores for me? It’s too difficult for me!”</p><p>Meng Lei thought that Little Gold would be very hesitant, but what he didn’t expect was that Little Gold actually agreed very readily. Then it opened its mouth and spat, instantly producing a rain of magic cores.</p><p>In a short while, the space in front of him piled up with fist-sized red magic cores. There were so many that Meng Lei felt he would almost get blinded by the light.</p><p>“Magic cores are of no use to me, and they take up space. I only ate them together because I couldn’t bear to throw them away. If you need them, I can take them out at any time.”</p><p>Little Gold’s innocent big eyes blinked as it said a series of words that made Meng Lei almost lose his composure.</p><p><em>Of no use to you? And take up space? You just can’t bear to throw away?</em></p><p>It was like three violent hits had landed on him, and Meng Lei almost spat out blood.</p><p><em>If I had known, what the hell was I holding myself back for!?</em></p><p><em>But! Well done with the violent hits!</em></p><p><em>So many magic cores! If I turn around and sell them, it will be another fortune!</em></p><p>Meng Lei was instantly filled with drive, so he moved around different places and killed madly!</p><p>One pile, two piles, three piles…</p><p>10,000, 20,000, 30,000…</p><p>Within one afternoon, Meng Lei had slaughtered 60,000 Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants and earned a net worth of 600,000,000 gold coins and 60,000 magic cores. His Wealth value soared to a shocking 1,087,622,034</p><p>1 billion! An entire 1 billion!</p><p>If he added all the magic cores, gems, the Titanic Dragon-Ape carcass… and other treasures that had to be sold to be turned into cash, his wealth right now was already more than… 2 billion!</p><p>2 billion!</p><p>This was an astounding number!</p><p>It meant that Meng Lei was already 1/5 into the way toward Saint Domain!</p><p>“Money, money, I have money!”</p><p>“What can you do! What can you do!”</p><p>“…”</p><p>“System! Redeem 6,000,000 gold coins for me and add the Attribute Points to Physical Body Constitution. I want to break into ninth-grade!”</p><p>6,000,000 gold coins disappeared instantly, and the system cue tone promptly sounded.</p><p>“Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully broken through to become a Ninth-Grade Warrior. Please continue to work hard for another breakthrough!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-103

Chapter 103 - Tanna The Class Belle, We'Re Done For

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 103 - Tanna The Class Belle, We'Re Done For</h1><p>Host: Meng Lei</p><p>Race: Human (Contains Fire Dragon bloodline and Fire Demon bloodline)</p><p>Wealth: 1,081,622,034 gold coins</p><p>Physical Body Constitution: Ninth-Grade Warrior (1,003,872/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Spirit: Ninth-Grade Magician (1,342,073/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Magic Power: Great Ninth-Grade Magician (1,122,640/1,000,000,000)</p><p><em>Ninth-Grade Warrior!</em></p><p><em>Ninth-Grade Magician!</em></p><p><em>A Great Magician of four elements—thunder, fire, earth, and wood!</em></p><p>As Meng Lei skimmed over his stats interface and felt the surging power that was close to overflowing and gushing out of his body, he felt unprecedentedly strong and his condition wonderful like never before.</p><p><em>I feel like I can smash an entire mountain into smithereens with my bare fist!</em></p><p><em>This sensation of power flowing through my whole body… It’s awesome!</em></p><p>“What are you spacing out for, brat?!”</p><p>A shout suddenly blasted his ears, shocking Meng Lei straight out of his revelry. He grumbled, “What’s the matter, Ol’ President?”</p><p>“What are you daydreaming about all day long? We’re in the Magical Beast Forest, you know! Are you tired of living?” Ol’ Amos was rather displeased. Then, he said, “Your magic communication device is ringing!”</p><p>“Oh!”</p><p>Meng Lei took out his magic communication device and a chubby, round face popped up at once. “Hey! Old bro, how are ya?”</p><p>“I’m good!”</p><p>Meng Lei had initially wanted to reply that he couldn’t be any better, but he didn’t want to invite criticism from Ol’ Amos, so he could only answer like what he had said. Then, he asked, “What made you suddenly think of me?”</p><p>“Hehe!”</p><p>Fatty Hart chuckled. Then, he took a golden helmet from somewhere and plopped it on top of his head. He looked just like GG Bond ¹ with a golden helmet on his head and looked exceptionally comical!</p><p>“Old bro, don’t I look like a hunk right now?” asked Fatty Hart as he wriggled his eyebrows and winked at him in a terribly flirtatious manner.</p><p>“Pfft! Hahahaha!”</p><p>Meng Lei burst into laughter. He almost couldn’t catch his breath as he chortled!</p><p>“Hey, hey, hey! What are you laughing at, old bro?”</p><p>Fatty Hart was rather displeased!</p><p>“Cough, cough! No… I’m not laughing!” Meng Lei coughed a couple of times. He held back his laughter and asked, “Fatty, what are you up to? What are you messing about with?”</p><p>Fatty Hart’s face immediately fell upon hearing his question. He replied, “Messing about? That’s what I’d like to do if I could! Old bro, do you know where I currently am?”</p><p>“Where are you?”</p><p>“The North River Pass of the Great Dragon Blood Wall!”</p><p>“What the! Why have you gone there? Are you tired of living?!” Meng Lei was rather shocked. “Don’t you know that an ant tide has broken out at the Great Dragon Blood Wall?!”</p><p>“Do you think I came here willingly?” Fatty Hart laughed ruefully. “I was happily staying at home and enjoying a comfortable, pleasant, and free life. If I hadn’t been forced to, who would want to come all the way to the Great Dragon Blood Wall to send themselves to death’s door?”</p><p>“Forced to?” Meng Lei was taken aback for a moment.</p><p>“Didn’t I just break through to Fourth-Grade Magician a couple of days ago? My old man said that I only have a sham of a cultivation realm, but no actual corresponding strength, so I need to go for some proper training.” Fatty Hart gave him a wry smile and went on. “He then sent me to the academy to join the team of seniors being sent to help out in the defense against the ant tide. I was sent here after that!”</p><p>“…”</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t know what to say anymore. Fatty Hart’s magic talent was certainly not bad, but sending him to defend against the ant tide? What was his old man thinking?</p><p>“After I arrived at Great Dragon Blood Wall, a group of seniors and I were dispatched to the North River Pass, and I became a guarding Magician there.</p><p>“The silver lining in this tragedy is that the teacher in charge of my group is that old fellow Dirk!”</p><p>Fatty Hart lowered his voice and said, “Old Dirk may be strict and inflexible, but he’s very strong and powerful. With a Great Ninth-Grade Magician like him leading the team, at least our safety is guaranteed!”</p><p>“Mr. Dirk is also at the North River Pass?”</p><p>“Yes, Abbe and Tanna are also here!”</p><p>“Tanna?”</p><p>“You can’t possibly not remember even Tanna, right? Tanna Airam, our class belle. You know, the beautiful, fair-skinned Dragon Person babe from the Frost Kingdom!”</p><p>At the mention of Tanna, Fatty Hart perked up at once. His eyes were gleaming bright, as though a couple of 100-Watt light bulbs.</p><p>“Oh, her? Since when did she become the class belle?”</p><p>“Hehe! I decided that she is!”</p><p>“Pooh!”</p><p>Fatty Hart snickered and then wriggled his eyebrows as he said, “That girl even mentioned your name just now and asked why you weren’t here. I told her that you’d gone to the Magical Beast Forest for training!”</p><p>“Uh…”</p><p>“Guess what that girl replied? She said that as expected of our class’ top student, not only do you have outstanding magic talent, but you’re even diligent and hardworking. She also said that you’re her idol and that she idolizes you very much.”</p><p>Fatty Hart laughed vulgarly. “Old bro, you should thank me, you know. Your buddy here has done you such a huge favor!”</p><p>“I should thank you?”</p><p>Meng Lei was a little stunned.</p><p>“That I didn’t expose you, of course!” Fatty Hart chuckled sneakily and said, “I’m the only one that knows that your home is actually at the Magical Beast Forest. Actually, the reason why you went to the Magical Beast Forest for training is just to return home, right?”</p><p>Meng Lei rolled his eyes, too lazy to even provide the fellow with an actual explanation.</p><p>“So, tell me, old bro, shouldn’t you thank me?”</p><p>Fatty Hart gave him another vulgar smile and said, “Hehe! I, Fatty, am someone that’s loyal to his friends. For the sake of comradeship, I’d even go to hell and back, much less something as trivial as this.</p><p>“But since I’ve done you such a huge favor, I’m sure you’ll feel apologetic if you don’t show some appreciation. So, how about this, shall we make a trip to Juxian Restaurant when the term starts?”</p><p>A corner of Meng Lei’s lips spasmed in response.</p><p>“Since you’re not objecting, I’ll take your silence as a yes! Wahahaha, Juxian Restaurant! Tsk, tsk, I must fleece a good and proper meal out of you!”</p><p>Fatty Hart began to cheer loudly. Right at that point, a clear and melodious voice rang out. “Hart, who are you talking to? You’re laughing so happily!”</p><p>“Hehe! Oh, it’s Tanna!” Fatty Hart turned and looked over. “I’m talking to your idol! Speaking of which, your idol is really tough. He’s actually still strolling about in the Magical Beast Forest. Isn’t he afraid that the ant tide would gobble him up?”</p><p>“What? Meng Lei is still in the Magical Beast Forest?”</p><p>The clear and melodious female voice rang out again. Then, a fair, gorgeous face with fiery red little horns appeared in the magic communication device.</p><p>It was Tanna Airam!</p><p>“…”</p><p>“Meng Lei, you’re still in the Magical Beast Forest?” Tanna looked astonished. “I heard that Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants are going about everywhere in the Magical Beast Forest now. Isn’t it very dangerous to continue staying there?”</p><p><em>That damned fatty! Shooting his mouth off like that!</em></p><p>With some effort, Meng Lei squeezed out a hint of a smile and replied, “I’m in the Magical Beast Forest’s outer boundaries, so there aren’t a lot of ants here. It’s not dangerous!”</p><p>“That’s great!” Tanna said, “Do stay safe, Meng Lei. If you meet with danger, remember to take care of yourself!”</p><p>“I will, thanks!”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded.</p><p>Hoooonk!</p><p>Hoooonk!</p><p>Hoooonk!</p><p>As though dull thunderclaps coming out of nowhere, several loud and clear air horn blasts came from the magic communication device at this moment, followed by several panicked shouts.</p><p>“The ant tide is here!”</p><p>“Attention, everyone! The ant tide is here!”</p><p>“Attention, everyone! The ant tide is here!”</p><p>“The ant tide is here?”</p><p>Tanna and Hart’s countenances changed at once. Hart said anxiously, “Old bro, the ant tide is here. I have to go and face the enemies now, so I won’t talk to you anymore! I’m hanging up!”</p><p>And then, he hung up.</p><p>Meng Lei stared at the magic communication device that had turned quiet again and murmured softly, “An ant tide has actually appeared at the North River Pass? I hope the numbers aren’t too great.”</p><p>The Great Dragon Blood Wall stretched for several thousand kilometers, so its defense line was very long. The ant tide could appear at any part of it.</p><p>Therefore, every pass needed armed forces to guard it. However, this also meant that the number of soldiers guarding each pass wouldn’t be very high, and the number of Magicians allocated to each pass even fewer.</p><p>It was precisely because of this that the magic academies had assembled students to come forward to render their assistance. What were they to do? There was a shortage of Magicians!</p><p>Thus, in the face of danger, they could only send students into battle.</p><p>However, students were ultimately just students, and there was a limit to their abilities. Defending against typical ant tides was no issue for them, but it would be terrible should they run into large waves of ants.</p><p>Although an ant tide had shown up at the North River Pass, as long as there weren’t a lot of them, there wouldn’t be much of an issue.</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>The magic communication device rang again at that moment.</p><p>“Old bro! We’re done for…”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-104

Chapter 104 - Resisting The Enemies At North River, Unprecedented Events

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 104 - Resisting The Enemies At North River, Unprecedented Events</h1><p>The Great Dragon Blood Wall stretched on for several thousand kilometers.</p><p>A pass was set up every 50 kilometers. Just the number of passes in the whole of the Great Dragon Blood Wall alone totaled up to almost 100, and the North River Pass was one of them.</p><p>The North River Pass was named as such due to its proximity to the North River.</p><p>The North River flowed from the west to the east. Starting from the Titan Plateau where the Titan Empire was, it cut all the way through the Magical Beast Forest and Dragon God Empire before finally flowing into the deep, boundless East Oceans. It was one of Heaven’s Vault Continent’s biggest rivers and nurtured countless lives.</p><p>The whole North River was currently surging turbulently with churning waves, however. Crimson-red Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants marched across the river toward the pass, advancing upon North River Pass as though a great army.</p><p>“The ant tide… It’s here!”</p><p>Hoooonk!</p><p>Hoooonk!</p><p>Hoooonk!</p><p>“Attention, everyone! The ant tide is here!”</p><p>“Attention, everyone! The ant tide is here!”</p><p>The loud and clear air horn blasts cut through the sky, startling all the military personnel in North River Pass. Soldiers, archers, arbalists, and guarding Magicians all got into their positions one by one.</p><p>A black-robed elderly man, Dirk Norway, also led dozens of magic academy students and raced up to the top of the city walls. Then, he went up to Cesia Dodgson, the general in charge of guarding the pass.</p><p>“Marchioness Cesia, all the Magicians from Fire Dragon Magic Academy have assembled and are awaiting your orders!”</p><p>Dirk Norway looked at the female general in front of him with a vague hint of respect in his eyes. Many of the students also looked at her with idolizing expressions.</p><p>Cesia Dodgson, a Dragon Person Warrior with Green Dragon blood, the general in charge of guarding North River Pass, and the only female general among more than 100 frontier generals!</p><p>Not only was she strong, but she also protected the kingdom and guarded the borders. Even as a woman, she didn’t lose out to a man in terms of her abilities and bravery. She could be said to be the role model for all women and was also an idol that innumerable teenage girls pursued and idolized.</p><p>“Mr. Dirk, we’re in a critical situation now, so I won’t stand on ceremony with you anymore!”</p><p>Marchioness Cesia had green wings on her back and green curved horns on her forehead. She wore a suit of green armor that brought out her tall, slender figure and made her look valiant, brave, and very heroic.</p><p>Her eyes were cold and chilly as she looked straight at the dozens of student Magicians from Fire Dragon Magic Academy. “Sixth-Grade Magicians, step forward!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Seven to eight sixth-grade seniors stepped forward in response to her command. They were all Sixth-Grade Magicians that would be graduating this year.</p><p>“Soldier, bring them to the mid-grade mage towers!”</p><p>“Yes, my lady!”</p><p>“Fifth-Grade Magicians, step forward!”</p><p>“Soldier, bring them to the low-grade mage towers!”</p><p>“Yes, my lady!”</p><p>In the blink of an eye, a good half of the students Dirk Norway had brought here were led away, leaving behind only about a dozen Fourth-Grade Magicians who hadn’t received any instructions yet.</p><p>Amongst them were the fully-armed Hart dressed in a suit of golden armor—he was fully and completely wrapped—and carrying a golden magic staff, the expressionless Abbe, as well as the porcelain-skinned Dragon Person teenage girl, Tanna.</p><p>Fatty Hart and the others looked at Marchioness Cesia in anticipation, hoping that she’d arrange for them to enter the mage towers too. However, they were sorely disappointed.</p><p>Marchioness Cesia said, “One must be a Fifth-Grade Magician at the minimum in order to control the mage towers. All of you are too weak, so you can only fight against the enemies at the top of the city walls.”</p><p>“…”</p><p>Fatty Hart and the others exchanged looks in silence.</p><p>As Magicians, they naturally knew of amazing tools like the mage towers. They had just been thinking of going in to take a look and broaden their horizons, but little did they expect that things would turn out like this…</p><p>However, Marchioness Cesia didn’t have the leisure to be sensitive to their feelings because the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants covering every inch of the wilderness had already come engulfing toward them like a red deluge.</p><p>One couldn’t see to the end of the flood of ants, nor could they see the edges. They stretched on for several hundred kilometers!</p><p>There was no end to them, whether from the left and right or from the front and back.</p><p>At the sight of the ant tide’s terrifying scale, Dirk Norway’s countenance was extremely grave. “Marchioness Cesia, the ant tide is actually invading with such a fearsome momentum? It’s more terrifying than any of the past beast tides!”</p><p>Marchioness Cesia’s pretty face was dark and somber as she replied, “The area that the ant tide covers has probably already exceeded 300 miles. In addition, there is still an endless stream of ants on their way here. I’m afraid…”</p><p>She didn’t voice the rest of her thoughts, but anyone could tell what she meant—”I’m afraid it bodes more ill than fortune. It’s going to be hard to defend the pass!”</p><p>“We won’t be able to defend the pass?”</p><p>Fatty Hart and the others tensed up at once. The ant tide army surged toward them like seawater, emanating a baleful aura that rocketed to the skies. The sight of them made chills run down their spines. How would they still have the courage to fight against them?</p><p>“Can we really fight against that many Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants?” Blood drained from a few of the students’ faces, and they turned as pale as sheets.</p><p>“What nonsense!”</p><p>Dirk Norway barked coldly, “As Magicians guarding the pass, how can you let fear consume you before you’ve even begun to fight? Listen well, all of you are Magicians that my Fire Dragon Magic Academy has groomed!</p><p>“No matter where and no matter when, you mustn’t forget your identities as Magicians! Nor can you bring disgrace to the academy!</p><p>“So what even if you’re weak? You can still enter the battlefield and take out the enemies! Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants are Sixth-Grade Magical Beasts, so as long as you can kill even just one, you’d have performed beyond expectations! Do you understand me?”</p><p>“Understood!”</p><p>A severe jolt went through Fatty Hart and the others, and the fear in their eyes faded slightly.</p><p>Dirk Norway nodded lightly. Then, he instructed, “However, killing the enemy aside, all of you must take utmost care to protect yourselves. I don’t wish to bring any of your corpses back! Do you hear me?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>“Good!”</p><p>Dirk Norway let out a breath of air. All strong experts started out weak and feeble. Who hadn’t been nervous, scared, and fearful before?</p><p>The key was in adjusting one’s frame of mind and overcoming their fear, as well as to muster one’s courage after having a sense of shame and then strive to be better.</p><p>That way, they would definitely become powerful experts.</p><p>However, if experiencing just a bit of setback could frighten them so badly that they lost all of their courage and ended up becoming overly cautious, then no matter how wonderful their talent was, they would never amount to anything.</p><p>“Hear my orders! Arbalists… Fire!”</p><p>Upon seeing that the ant tide army’s vanguards had already charged right up to them, Marchioness Cesia waved the huge sword in her hand and gave the order to attack.</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>Various ballista bolts with lightning, flames, storms, and ice frost circling around them shot out viciously and exploded with deafening booms among the ant tide. At once, the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants suffered a great number of casualties, and quite a few voids appeared in the boundless ant tide.</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>“Nice!”</p><p>Upon the sight of this, Fatty Hart and the others couldn’t help but become greatly enthused. Did they even need to worry about being unable to exterminate the ant tide with efficient weapons like these?</p><p>Unfortunately, the ants weren’t affected in the least. They stepped over their comrades’ carcasses and continued to surge toward them. The voids created by the explosions were filled in no time, and the situation returned to what it was like before.</p><p>“This…”</p><p>Fatty Hart and the others were stupefied. The deaths of so many Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants hadn’t actually had any impact on the ant tide at all? Weren’t they afraid to die?</p><p>“That is what makes ant tides more terrifying than ordinary beast tides.” Dirk Norway explained in a deep voice, “The beasts in beast tides are afraid to die, so it’s hard for them to become united. However, the ant tide is fearless and marches on courageously unless you exterminate all of them. Otherwise, they’ll never retreat!”</p><p>“Why is this happening?”</p><p>The group of newbies was frightened by the scene before them. However, what happened next told them that this was only the beginning.</p><p>“Fire!”</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>The ballistae launched attacks in a frenzy. Dozens of bolts exploded in the center of the ant tide, yet there wasn’t even a bit of effect at all.</p><p>Wave upon wave, the ants continued to advance endlessly.</p><p>Even after killing the ones at the front, there were still those behind them.</p><p>There was no end to them at all, and it practically filled one with hopelessness.</p><p>“So this is what an ant tide is?”</p><p>Fatty Hart and the others sucked in a breath of chilly air.</p><p>In this instant, they finally understood a few things. For example, why the kingdom had issued a special-class beast tide warning, why the academy had assembled the seniors on a large scale to resist the ant tide, and why the kingdom was in an uproar as if doomsday had come.</p><p>With an ant tide as terrifying as this, what difference was there between this and doomsday?</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-105

Chapter 105 - Death Tempest, Give The Order To Withdraw

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 105 - Death Tempest, Give The Order To Withdraw</h1><p>As though churning waves, the red ant tide stretching on for several hundreds of kilometers attacked the Great Dragon Blood Wall in a frenzy.</p><p>Ballista bolts hurtled through the air, arrows shot and flew through the air, and spells bombarded the ant tide.</p><p>The guarding militants fought on desperately in the bloody battle.</p><p>Countless Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants were sealed in ice, burned into ashes, electrocuted into charcoal, impaled like hedgehogs, slashed into ribbons…</p><p>However, it still couldn’t stop the crazy ant tide. They advanced wave upon wave, endlessly, fearlessly, and with no end to them.</p><p>The attacks didn’t have any effect on them!</p><p>They were getting near now!</p><p>The ant tide got nearer and nearer, about to flood the North River Pass any moment!</p><p>“We can’t stop them!”</p><p>“We can’t stop them at all!”</p><p>“We’ll be ripped into shreds!”</p><p>A few students broke down at the sight of this and began to scream and shout like lunatics. They were hysterical and had lost their marbles.</p><p>“Shut up! Don’t affect the soldiers’ morale!”</p><p>Upon seeing this, Dirk Norway glared at them viciously.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>As though a heavy hammer had struck them, a spiritual attack that had physically manifested knocked out those few students, and they collapsed limply on the ground.</p><p>With a wave, Dirk Norway barked in a low voice, “Bring them down!”</p><p>“Yes, sir!”</p><p>A few soldiers hurriedly carried the students away. Dirk Norway let out a faint sigh as he gazed at them from the back.</p><p>He knew that those few students were now useless for good. Even if they woke up, it would leave behind serious psychological trauma in their hearts. It’d be very tough for them to amount to much in the future.</p><p>However, Dirk didn’t find this a pity.</p><p>Students like them were psychologically fragile by nature. No matter how good their magic talent was, there would surely be a limit to their future achievements, so they wouldn’t have amounted to much anyway.</p><p>“Remember this!”</p><p>Dirk Norway’s gaze swept across Hart and the others. “Do you think you can become strong just by relying on your talent? That’s nothing but just a daydream! Talent is just a prerequisite! Hardships and setbacks are an expert’s real trials and tribulations!</p><p>“True experts must undergo trials of blood and fire. They must undergo innumerable battles and setbacks, and they must endure hardships and pain that ordinary people find hard to even imagine!”</p><p>Dirk Norway’s gaze was cold and frosty. “Excellent talent doesn’t count for much. Neither does having a sham of a cultivation realm. Breaking down the moment you enter the battlefield? You’re still a good-for-nothing all the same and will bring harm to others and yourself!”</p><p>Awe and reverence filled Hart and the others. They couldn’t help but lower their heads, not daring to meet Mr. Dirk’s eyes.</p><p>Dirk Norway’s gaze swept across every one of their faces one last time. Then, he turned and got on top of the parapet and began to launch attacks.</p><p>“O’ the omnipotent wind fairies, with air as your bow and light as your arrows, please accept the power of my will and cut across the skies in the far distance… Death Tempest!”</p><p>Buzz, buzz!</p><p>The Wind Elements in the universe began to converge in a frenzy, and a black tornado completely made up of wind blades and measuring several hundred meters wide, and thousands of feet tall quietly took shape.</p><p>Ninth-Grade Spell… Death Tempest!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>With a devouring power that could destroy the heavens and earth, Death Tempest landed in the center of the ant tide in an instant. Amid earth-shaking explosions, countless Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants were devoured by the tempest and wrung into dust.</p><p>“Spin!”</p><p>With a wave of Dirk Norway’s magic staff, Death Tempest began to spin around in the battlefield, appearing in one spot one moment and another spot the next.</p><p>Everywhere it passed by, the ants were reduced to nothingness.</p><p>“That’s so awesome!”</p><p>“The mighty Mr. Dirk!”</p><p>“That’s so impressive!”</p><p>“As expected of Mr. Dirk!”</p><p>Hart and the others’ spirits were greatly roused. The shadows looming over all the soldiers were swept away at once, and they began to see the hope of victory.</p><p>Death Tempest’s destructiveness was too fearsome.</p><p>In just a short breath, it’d already killed almost 10,000 Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants. If he could unleash a few more Death Tempests, wouldn’t the ant tide be reduced to dust?!</p><p>“Everyone! Let’s charge, too!”</p><p>“Mr. Dirk is right! Even if I must bite them…”</p><p>“Kill!”</p><p>The students were greatly encouraged, and all of them stepped onto the parapet. They imitated Mr. Dirk and also began to chant magic incantations.</p><p>For a moment there, all kinds of magic elements converged around them.</p><p>The horrifying scene continued on…</p><p>A thick, dense bloody aura shrouded the battlefield!</p><p>Time slipped by bit by bit!</p><p>Unknowingly, an hour had gone by!</p><p>Despite every single soldier fighting desperately, the ant tide showed no signs of decreasing at all, and their momentum didn’t weaken in the least. On the contrary, more and more of them showed up, and their momentum also became stronger and stronger.</p><p>This was even under the circumstances where Dirk Norway, a Great Ninth-Grade Magician, was fighting desperately against them. If he hadn’t been here, the North River Pass would have fallen a long time ago.</p><p>“We can’t hold them back! The ant tide’s momentum is too strong! If this goes on, we won’t be able to defend the pass at all!”</p><p>Marchioness Cesia had an awful look on her face. “Where are the reinforcements? How long more before the fastest reinforcements reach us?”</p><p>A soldier quickly replied, “My lady, an hour!”</p><p>“An hour? If this goes on, we won’t even be able to last half an hour, much less an hour?” Marchioness Cesia gritted her teeth. “Urge them to hurry! Tell the reinforcements to hurry here with everything they’ve got! Get them to speed up!”</p><p>After she spoke, she strode up to Dirk Norway and asked somberly, “Mr. Dirk, even at the earliest, the reinforcements still need at least an hour before they can arrive. How long more can you hold out?”</p><p>His countenance solemn, Dirk Norway replied, “Ninth-grade spells are too taxing on my magic power, so I can’t hold out for an hour. It’s possible if I cast sixth- or seventh-grade spells the whole time instead, though!”</p><p>“There’s a limit to sixth- and seventh-grade spells’ destructiveness. North River Pass will fall in less than an hour!” Cesia shook her head repeatedly. “Mr. Dirk, how long can you hold out for if you keep casting ninth-grade spells with a scale like Death Tempest’s?”</p><p>“Half an hour at the most.” Dirk Norway gave her a resigned smile. “The amount of magic power large-scale ninth-grade spells like Death Tempest consume is terrifying. If I continue this for another half an hour, all the magic power that I’ve accumulated over my entire lifetime will be exhausted for sure, and I’ll need a very long time before I can recover.”</p><p>“Half an hour…”</p><p>Cesia fell silent.</p><p>At that moment, a soldier approached while panting heavily. “My lady, this is terrible! The ant tide 30 miles away is attacking the city walls!”</p><p>“My lady, the city gate tower 100 miles away has been occupied by the ant tide!”</p><p>“My lady…”</p><p>More than 10 soldiers hurried over in succession, yet the news that they brought rammed heavily against everyone’s hearts like a hammer. Everyone’s faces were deathly pale, and hopelessness arose within them.</p><p>19 areas of the city walls had fallen to the ant tide—that was a whole 19 areas!</p><p>Would more and more fall after this?</p><p>“Are we ultimately unable to defend the pass after all?” A dazed Marchioness Cesia murmured, “To be honest, in the instant that I saw the ant tide’s scale, I knew that it was impossible to defend the pass. I’ve ultimately still underestimated the ant tide’s might… Sigh!”</p><p>Dirk Norway also let out a sigh and stayed quiet.</p><p>The ant tide stretched on for 300 miles, which meant that more than 300 miles of defense line were simultaneously under their attack.</p><p>How much military manpower did the North River Pass only have? And how many Magicians?</p><p>Without any reinforcements, breaking past the pass was inevitable.</p><p>Cesia said solemnly with a sigh, “Mr. Dirk, while the ant tide hasn’t reached this area yet, hurry and leave with your students. They are the kingdom’s future. Nothing must happen to them!”</p><p>Dirk Norway closed his eyes, a look of affliction and struggle surfacing on his face. He knew what withdrawing signified and also knew what the falling of the pass meant.</p><p>Lives would be plunged into great misery and suffering.</p><p>Countless lives would be lost.</p><p>But there was nothing he could do.</p><p>There was nothing he could do about it.</p><p>He was ultimately just a single, lone person.</p><p>He couldn’t stem the raging tides and save the world from a crisis.</p><p>In the end, after a long internal struggle, Dirk Norway waved his arm and brought out a magic airship anyway. He ordered, “All students, board the airship and withdraw at once!”</p><p>“Mr. Dirk, are we going to give up just like that?” Hart couldn’t accept such a conclusion. “If we leave and the ant tide breaks past the pass and surges in, what are the people in the city going to do? They’ll be exposed to those sharp teeth of the ants.”</p><p>“There’s no other way. There’s nothing I can do!” There were tears in Dirk Norway’s eyes as he said, “The ant tide is invading with a vengeance, yet our line of defense is heavily damaged. It’s like an old ship in the great ocean that’s leaking in every corner. There isn’t even any way to block the holes. There’s really nothing I can do about this!”</p><p>Hart fell silent at once upon his response.</p><p>“There’s ultimately a limit to a person’s strength. How can anyone possibly oppose a natural disaster?” Dirk Norway wiped the tears from his eyes and instructed, “Let’s go. There’s nothing we can do to help even if we stay here. Let’s leave as soon as possible!”</p><p>“I understand, sir!”</p><p>Hart and the others hung their heads and boarded the airship one by one.</p><p>Dirk Norway looked at Marchioness Cesia and asked softly, “Marchioness Cesia, what are your plans now?”</p><p>“We can only withdraw!” Marchioness Cesia had a complicated look on her face. “It’s just that I’ve guarded the North River Pass for over 10 years. Today is the first time that I have to abandon the city. I can’t accept this!”</p><p>Dirk Norway was silent in response.</p><p>At that moment, someone suddenly pointed at the far distance and exclaimed, “Look! What’s that?”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“Could it be the reinforcements?”</p><p>Everyone perked up greatly upon their words. Then, they noticed a black dot speeding rapidly toward them—it was a magic carpet! And someone was standing on top of it!</p><p>“Who is he?”</p><p>“Is he here to help us fight against the ant tide?”</p><p>“He doesn’t seem like much of an expert if he’s riding a magic carpet…”</p><p>Very soon, everyone became sorely disappointed. With the ant tide threatening to break past the city’s defenses any moment, even the troops were getting ready to withdraw. Sending even another 100,000 people wouldn’t be of any use. Not to mention just a lone person?</p><p>Besides, he was even riding a magic carpet. Just a look at him, and one would know that he wasn’t anyone strong.</p><p>Fatty Hart was the only one that picked up a pair of binoculars and watched the figure in alarm and uncertainty. Then, he suddenly exclaimed, “What the heck! Isn’t that old bro?!”</p><p>“Old bro?”</p><p>Abbe and Tanna were startled at the same time. “Are you saying that’s Meng Lei?”</p><p>“Yes, it’s him! I asked him to come and help previously. Little did I expect that he’d really come. As expected of my buddy. How loyal!”</p><p>Fatty Hart’s face was full of agitation.</p><p>“Who’s Meng Lei?”</p><p>Upon hearing the trio’s exchange, Marchioness Cesia immediately perked up. She asked, “How strong is he? Is he a Great Ninth-Grade Magician? Can he help us to fight the ant tide?”</p><p>“He’s my student!” Dirk Norway replied with a wry smile, “He’s probably a Fifth-Grade Magician.”</p><p>“…”</p><p>Cesia’s facial expression froze.</p><p>“Let’s just give the order to withdraw!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-106

Chapter 106 - : Arrogant And Conceited? Falling Meteors

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 106 - : Arrogant And Conceited? Falling Meteors</h1><p>The magic carpet flew at high speed. In the twinkling of an eye, it had already reached the North River Pass’ city walls. Everyone looked at the handsome teenage boy on the magic carpet at the same time.</p><p>His skin had turned darker, and he had lost some weight. But he had also become stronger and more muscular.</p><p>His eyes, in particular, actually shone like the Milky Way and were exceptionally bright. They shone with a dazzling vigor and a breathtaking glow.</p><p>“Mr. Dirk, it’s been a while!”</p><p>Meng Lei jumped off the magic carpet and gave Dirk Norway a Magician’s salute. He respected the strict and stern head teacher very much.</p><p>“Attaboy! Actually running into the Magical Beast Forest without saying even a word, that’s pretty gutsy of you. Aren’t you afraid you’ll be devoured by the ant tide?!”</p><p>Dirk Norway looked Meng Lei up and down, a look of gratification coming over his features. Meng Lei fulfilled all the requirements he had of a genius Magician—excellent talent, diligent, strove to do better, a firm and steadfast will, and polite and well-mannered.</p><p>He was practically perfect.</p><p>“I’ve made you worry.”</p><p>Meng Lei gave him a smile. Then, he looked at Fatty Hart and the other two. Without waiting for him to greet them, Fatty Hart had already pounced toward him, his suit of shiny golden armor almost blinding Meng Lei. His clumsy and heavy body pressed right on top of Meng Lei.</p><p>Good thing that was Meng Lei. If it had been someone else, wouldn’t they have been crushed to death by Fatty Hart?</p><p>“Old bro! I’m so happy to see you!” Fatty Hart looked agitated as he said, “I didn’t expect you to really come when I’d only mentioned it casually. I’m so touched, old bro! You’re such a loyal friend!”</p><p><em>Loyal? Can I say that my purpose in coming here is the ant tide?</em></p><p>Meng Lei rolled his eyes and pushed Fatty Hart aside disdainfully. “Aren’t you supposed to be fighting the ant tide? Why are you dressed like such an eyesore? Showing off?”</p><p>“Hehe, you’re not getting it!” Fatty Hart patted the golden scales at his chest and said smugly, “This is top-rate magic armor engraved with 48 magic circles. Not only can it protect the wearer, but it can also automatically gather magic elements and reduce spellcasting time!”</p><p>“Alright, what can I say? The rich can do whatever they want!”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t be bothered to pay any more attention to the fellow. Then, he nodded at Abbe and Tanna in greeting. Abbe was expressionless and only nodded back slightly, still the same poker face as before.</p><p>Tanna, on the other hand, was very friendly. A sweet smile blossomed on her face as she said, “Meng Lei, it seems like you’ve become even stronger after not seeing you for over a month.”</p><p>“Not too bad, I guess.”</p><p>Meng Lei gave her a smile. Then, he couldn’t help but look at the ant tide covering every expanse of the wilderness. He licked his lips, revealing a hint of avarice.</p><p>There were so many Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants! If he could kill them all, how big of a spike in his Wealth would there be?</p><p>Even at the minimum, it would have to increase by a few billion, right?</p><p>“Meng Lei, let’s withdraw together.”</p><p>Upon noticing the look in Meng Lei’s eyes, Dirk Norway sighed and said, “It’s just as well that term is about to start in the academy, too. It’s also safer if you return to the academy with us.”</p><p>“Withdraw? Why are we withdrawing?” Meng Lei was mildly taken aback. He asked in puzzlement, “The ant tide is invading with a vengeance. If we withdraw, won’t disaster befall the people in the city?”</p><p>Dirk Norway’s mouth opened and closed, not quite actually knowing how he should reply for a moment there. For some reason, when facing a student as outstanding as Meng Lei, he actually found it rather hard to tell him the reason why.</p><p>Was he supposed to tell Meng Lei that they couldn’t defend the city anymore, so they could only abandon the people in the city and let the ant tide devour them?</p><p>“What can we do except to withdraw?”</p><p>At that moment, Marchioness Cesia, who had kept quiet the whole time, spoke up. She said coldly, “The ant tide stretches on for 300 miles, causing the line of defense to stretch on too far. Yet reinforcements can’t get here in time. If we don’t withdraw, are we supposed to wait for death here?”</p><p>“I get it now.”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded slowly to indicate that he’d understood. Then, he said to Dirk Norway, “Mr. Dirk, please forgive me. I can’t return with all of you.”</p><p>“You’re not coming back with us?” Dirk Norway was stunned for a moment. “Then what do you intend to do?”</p><p>“Exterminate the ant tide!”</p><p>Meng Lei jumped up onto the magic carpet and charged toward the ant tide army like a moth darting into the fire after uttering these four words.</p><p>“What are you doing?! Come back! Hurry and come back!”</p><p>Dirk Norway’s countenance changed dramatically at the sight of this, and he shouted anxiously at him to stop him. However, it was too late. Meng Lei had already gone charging out.</p><p>“Hmph! Pretty brave, but he’s too foolish!” Marchioness Cesia snorted and said, “Having delusions of exterminating the ant tide army when he’s just a mere Fifth-Grade Magician? How arrogant, conceited, and ignorant!”</p><p>“Old bro!”</p><p>“That fellow!”</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>Hart, Abbe, and Tanna looked at Meng Lei from the back, all three of them rather anxious and worried. Abbe even abandoned his usual cool and aloof expression and berated him anxiously, “That idiot! Who do you think you are?! Even if you have a death wish, that isn’t what you should be doing!”</p><p>“Hart, that’s the genius from your class?”</p><p>A puzzled fourth-year senior asked, “Isn’t that too rash of him? What’s the difference between charging so recklessly into the ant tide army and having a death wish?”</p><p>“That’s just an ant trying to topple a giant tree, how ludicrously overconfident. No matter how his magic talent is, his IQ is really rather moving.”</p><p>“That’s the top student of the first-years? He’s nothing impressive…”</p><p>“Shut the hell up!”</p><p>Hart’s expression darkened, and he erupted completely. “A bunch of fools! All of you only became Fourth-Grade Magicians after so many difficulties, yet you still have the cheek to mock others?!”</p><p>“Ha! Our magic talent certainly isn’t as good as his!”</p><p>A senior fired straight back at Hart. “But at least we’re not like him. Charging right in there and throwing his life away despite knowing full well that he’s not their match. Do you know what that is? Foolish! An idiot!”</p><p>“Exactly! Do you know how hard it is for the academy to groom a Magician?”</p><p>Another senior also spoke with an air full of justice and righteousness. “The best environment, the best facilities, the best educators… They’ve spent a vast amount of resources and paid a huge price to groom a Magician only after so much trouble. Is he supposed to trample on all that like that?”</p><p>“Let me tell you! Your lives don’t just belong to yourselves! They belong to the academy, the kingdom, and even more so the Great Dragon Blood W—”</p><p>“Shut up!”</p><p>“Be quiet!”</p><p>At that moment, a couple of bellows suddenly rang out and interrupted the seniors rambling on and on. The few of them looked over in stunned surprise, only to see Mr. Dirk and Marchioness Cesia watching Meng Lei with horror all over their faces.</p><p>Horror?</p><p>What was there to be horrified about?</p><p>The seniors, Hart, Abbe, and others, also looked toward where they were looking. Then, they saw something incredible.</p><p>Meng Lei stood proudly on the magic carpet, his long hair fluttering and his magic robes flapping. There was a strong heroic air around him, and he showed the beginnings of a handsome, dashing young man, clearly already possessing the potential to attract girls now.</p><p>This wasn’t the point, however!</p><p>The point was that there were 10 several hundred meters wide gigantic fireballs floating above his head! Incredibly huge, scorching hot, and blinding, they gave off astonishing heat, causing even the sun hanging high above in the sky to look dim and dull in comparison!</p><p>“This, this…”</p><p>Fatty Hart and the others’ jaws dropped. All of them were stunned.</p><p>Dirk Norway and Marchioness Cesia were even more horrified and astounded than the others.</p><p>This was because… They had recognized the spell he was using.</p><p>Ninth-Grade Spell, Heavenly Fire Meteor!</p><p>“Mr. Dirk, isn’t he a Fifth-Grade Magician?” Marchioness Cesia’s eyes were glassy and glazed over. “But this…”</p><p>“I… I don’t know, either!”</p><p>Dirk Norway pinched himself hard, wondering if he was hallucinating.</p><p>Meng Lei, a teenage boy under 16 years old!</p><p>Someone who was still a Fifth-Grade Magician a month ago!</p><p>He was actually casting a Ninth-Grade spell now!?</p><p><em>Oh my dragon god, are you kidding me?</em></p><p>“O… Old bro… He… He…”</p><p>Fatty Hart’s mouth was gaping so big that one could stuff a duck egg inside. Abbe and Tanna weren’t faring any better than him, either. Both of them were flabbergasted and dumbfounded.</p><p>As for the other few seniors, all of them looked even more as if they had just seen a ghost, and they couldn’t take their eyes off the sight. They had never seen such a huge fireball in their entire lives!</p><p>“Heavenly Fire Meteor… Fall!”</p><p>As everyone watched, Meng Lei let out a loud shout. Ten blazing suns plummeted as though meteors and crashed viciously onto the ground.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Amid a vast, apocalyptic explosion, the bright sky suddenly dimmed. Ten mushroom clouds as huge as mountains soared into the sky and blocked out the sunlight, tainting the sky!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-107

Chapter 107 - Fire God Descends, An Original Spell

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 107 - Fire God Descends, An Original Spell</h1><p>The sea of fire blazed furiously, roasting the ant tide, charring the lands, and also astounding everyone’s hearts!</p><p>Light from the fire danced on their faces, lighting up the horror in everyone’s eyes clearly.</p><p>From ninth-grade experts, like Dirk Norway and Marchioness Cesia, all the way to every ordinary soldier, everyone was astounded beyond belief.</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Heavenly Fire Meteor?”</p><p>A fourth-year senior suddenly exclaimed in astonishment, “That’s the fire-elemental Ninth-Grade Spell, Heavenly Fire Meteor! Oh my dragon god! That’s a ninth-grade spell!”</p><p>“N-ninth-grade spell? Are you sure?”</p><p>Another senior gasped, unable to believe what he was hearing.</p><p>“Ten suns in the sky, brilliant as shooting stars! A diameter of 100 meters, its flames blazing and burning the sky!” That senior gulped madly. “This spell in front of us is practically identical to the written description of Heavenly Fire Meteor. Aside from that, what else can it be?”</p><p>“B-but he’s just a first-year freshman! How can he possibly cast ninth-grade spells? Even the teachers in the academy can’t do that!”</p><p>“That… I wouldn’t know!”</p><p>Hart, Abbe, and Tanna’s hearts spasmed madly when they heard the seniors’ discussion.</p><p><em>Ninth-Grade Spell, Heavenly Fire Meteor?</em></p><p><em>Oh my dragon god!</em></p><p><em>That’s actually a ninth-grade spell?!</em></p><p>“Since when did old bro become so strong?” The fat on Hart’s face quivered as he said, “Also, doesn’t he only have thunder-elemental and earth-elemental magic talent? Where did he get that fire-elemental magic talent from?”</p><p>“He also has earth-elemental magic talent?” asked Dirk Norway as he spun around in astonishment.</p><p>Abbe and Tanna also looked at Hart.</p><p>“Yes, he does.” Fatty Hart nodded incessantly. “When term had just begun, he had attended earth-elemental magic classes with me. It was only after that that I found out he also has earth-elemental magic talent.”</p><p>“Thunder-elemental, earth-elemental, and fire-elemental!” Dirk Norway’s lip corner was spasming. “That kid is actually a triple-elemental Magician! What a joke that I, his teacher, actually didn’t know. This is simply too…”</p><p>“Earth-elemental and fire-elemental magic talent unbeknownst to anyone, and a Great Ninth-Grade Magician, too!” Abbe murmured to himself, “Just how many secrets is that guy hiding?”</p><p>“In any case, he’s pretty mysterious.” Fatty Hart shook his head and sighed emotionally. “I really don’t know how he got past the magic assessment back then. I clearly saw that they had only detected thunder-elemental affinity for him that day.”</p><p>“That’s true…”</p><p>A huge jolt went through everyone.</p><p>At that moment, Meng Lei, who was in the sky, moved again. He went over to another area above the ant tide, raised his arms high, and slowly began to chant an ancient, unfathomable, and mysterious incantation!</p><p>“&*&%¥##@%&*…”</p><p>His voice wasn’t loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly. All five—Dirk Norway, Marchioness Cesia, Abbe, Hart, and Tanna—of their faces changed at once.</p><p>Buzz, buzz!</p><p>A surge of fire-elemental magic power gushed out of Meng Lei. Under his vast spiritual power’s control, it drew all the Fire Elements within 1,000 meters of where he was in a frenzy.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>An infinite amount of Fire Elements converged and formed a 1,000-meters-tall gigantic bout of flames. It floated in the sky, sometimes converging, sometimes dispersing, sometimes lengthening, and sometimes flattening…</p><p>It was like there was an unknown wave of great strength currently kneading the gigantic bout of flames as if wanting to construct a form and create a body for it.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>True enough, following a great explosion, a thick, muscular white arm completely made out of condensed flames suddenly reached out of the gigantic bout of flames.</p><p>Muscles intertwined on the arm, and veins bulged on the surface, every tiny little detail clear to the eye.</p><p>It was then followed by the second arm, legs, head…</p><p>Before long, a fire giant entirely made up of flames and more than triple the height of the towers in the empire appeared in the sky. It was big, tall, and muscular. He stood tall and proud as if a fire deity traversing the world.</p><p>“Oh my dragon god!”</p><p>“This…”</p><p>Gasps filled the place above the city walls. Everyone felt their scalps go numb and chills running down their spines as they watched the fire giant suspended in the sky.</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Fire God Descends!”</p><p>“That’s the Ninth-Grade Spell, Fire God Descends!”</p><p>“Aren’t Fire God Descends’ flames supposed to be red? Why are its flames white? Also, isn’t its size too big? The scale is pretty much comparable to first-class spells…”</p><p>“This…”</p><p>Dirk Norway, Marchioness Cesia, and the others were unperturbed even as they listened to the seniors’ exclamations and bewildered comments—because they knew that this was Dragon-Language Magic!</p><p>The Ninth-Grade Dragon-Language Spell… Fire God Descends!</p><p>That was why it possessed such terrifying might!</p><p>“Meng Lei… He’s also a Dragon Person?”</p><p>Dirk Norway felt rather disappointed. He had initially thought that Meng Lei was an actual, proper human genius, but little did he expect that he was a Dragon Person, too.</p><p>“I guess that’s true, too! How can the human race possibly produce a crazy genius like him that easily?” Dirk Norway gave a self-mocking smile.</p><p>“I didn’t think that old bro would actually be a Dragon Person, too!” Fatty Hart’s jaw dropped with a look of realization plastered on his face. “I knew it! His body is so crazy strong, and he was able to beat the living daylights out of Lance when he had only just enrolled in the school back then. No matter how you look at it, he just doesn’t seem like a human…”</p><p>Elsewhere, the 1,000-meters-tall fire giant descended from the sky and landed heavily on the ground, smashing countless Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants dead. While hiding between the fire giant’s brows, Meng Lei controlled the massive creature and began to launch attacks.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The fire giant opened its mouth wide. Like mortar bombs, dozens of huge fireballs shot out of its mouth in succession and raked the area in a frenzy.</p><p>Countless Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants perished amid several deafening explosions.</p><p>Then, the fire giant raised its football field-sized palm and smacked downward viciously.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A large expanse of ants died under its palm, and the bottom of the pit was charred black and full of carcasses.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The giant opened its mouth again. A 100-meters-long fire dragon charged into the ant tide army, blasting and bombarding the area with explosions. With that, another large expanse of ants died.</p><p>“Ding!”</p><p>“Ding!”</p><p>“Ding!”</p><p>And just like that, the fire giant began a frenzied massacre, be it Buddha’s Palm ¹ , releasing fire dragons from its mouth, trampling on them with its enormous feet, or shooting bursts of fireballs like cannonballs…</p><p>After a consecutive series of attacks, innumerable ravines, voids, seas of fire, and craters appeared among the ocean of ants…</p><p>The ant tide was practically riddled with holes, the sight too horrific to behold.</p><p>“How savage!”</p><p>“That’s so goddamn savage!”</p><p>Everyone’s hearts pounded intensely, finding the sight alarming to lay eyes upon. As the fire giant rampaged its way through, the number of Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants that perished on the spot was immeasurable.</p><p>A massacre… This was completely a goddamn massacre!</p><p>This massacre lasted continuously for a few minutes before the fire giant finally gradually dissipated.</p><p>“Phew! It’s finally over!”</p><p>“I totally broke out in cold sweat because of that!”</p><p>Just as everyone heaved a small sigh of relief, white flower petals suddenly began to rain from the sky. An infinite number of petals filled the sky, enveloping the whole place in white.</p><p>Was this the beautiful landscape of the northern lands where everything was frozen in ice for a thousand miles, and snow fell everywhere that the eye could see?</p><p>Yet…</p><p>When these white petals landed on the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants, it was as if sparks of fire had landed on petrol. With a deafening boom, the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants began to burn as though they’d been set ablaze.</p><p>One, two, three…</p><p>Wherever the petals landed, everything began to burn. The entire area within several kilometers turned into a sea of fire.</p><p>All the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants within the area began to burn by themselves. The sight was much quieter than when the fire giant was massacring them, but it was also much more peculiar and made the onlookers’ scalps go numb.</p><p>At the sight of such a terrifying scene, everyone felt their hair stand on end, and all of them involuntarily looked at the tops of their heads. It was only after they were sure that none of the petals had landed on them that they finally heaved a small sigh of relief.</p><p><em>Phew, good thing there aren’t any petals there!</em></p><p>“What spell is that?” asked someone in a low voice.</p><p>“I don’t recognize it! It doesn’t seem like there’s a spell like that in all the written records of ninth-grade spells?”</p><p>“There isn’t? Try and recall properly…”</p><p>Marchioness Cesia turned to Dirk Norway and asked, “Mr. Dirk, do you know of that spell?”</p><p>“No, I don’t!”</p><p>Dirk Norway gave her a resigned smile and replied, “If my guess is correct, that is probably an original ninth-grade spell. I never thought that this child, Meng Lei, can even create original ninth-grade spells now! I… can’t compare to him!”</p><p>“An original ninth-grade spell?”</p><p>A huge jolt went through Cesia’s form, and a hint of horror surfaced in her eyes.</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-108

Chapter 108 - 100 Types Of First-Class Spells, The Nine Spells

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 108 - 100 Types Of First-Class Spells, The Nine Spells</h1><p>The rain of fire petals pitter-pattered as they fell, tranquil and quiet.</p><p>However, the spectators’ hearts were not peaceful. In particular, the hearts of Dirk Norway and Marchioness Cesia, the two ninth-grade experts, were even like stormy seas.</p><p>Casting ninth-grade spells and creating original ninth-grade spells were two entirely different concepts.</p><p>The former was simple. As long as one could become a Great Ninth-Grade Magician, they’d be able to achieve this. In fact, if they were willing to pay a huge price, they could even cast first-class spells.</p><p>However, creating original ninth-grade spells was something completely different.</p><p>Ninth-grade spells were the highest grade of normal spells. Even typical Great Ninth-Grade Magicians would find it very difficult to create original ninth-grade spells.</p><p>How many magic elements must they gather?</p><p>How should the magic elements be arranged?</p><p>How to use spiritual power to manipulate them?</p><p>…</p><p>All of these put a Great Magician’s understanding of magic elements and the universe’s momentum to an extremely great test. Without a certain level of expertise, if one wanted to create original ninth-grade spells… That was nothing more than just daydreaming!</p><p>At the very least, Dirk Norway considered that something that he himself was unable to achieve.</p><p>“Mr. Dirk, that student of yours is too out of this world!”</p><p>Marchioness Cesia took a deep breath and then asked, “From how the other students sounded, that student of yours is still a first-year newbie?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>“How old is he this year?”</p><p>“Not yet 16!”</p><p>“N-not yet 16?”</p><p>A shiver coursed through Cesia, and she almost wet herself.</p><p>A Great Ninth-Grade Magician that wasn’t even 16 years of age?</p><p>Was he really human?</p><p>Elsewhere, the rain of fire petals continued to fall quietly, burning large patches of Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants dead. It was hard for anyone to tell for sure just how many had died.</p><p>Even Meng Lei could only see his Wealth value increasing furiously, too. Since his arrival at North River Pass till now, his Wealth value had already doubled and successfully broken past the… two billion mark!</p><p>“This feels awesome! This feeling is simply too awesome!”</p><p>Meng Lei had a look of revelry on his face as he stood proudly in the sky, taking in the caress of the breeze and admiring the beautiful scene of a blazing sea of fire burning the ants.</p><p>Controlling great power simply felt wonderful!</p><p>Reducing everything into dust in just a split second!</p><p>Turning the whole place into a sea of fire with a wave of his arm!</p><p>Burning everything with a flick of his wrist!</p><p>This feeling was simply too marvelous!</p><p>“Brat, my Doomsday Rain of Fire is pretty awesome, right?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos floated beside Meng Lei, stroking his beard as he watched the swirling white petals in the air. His face was filled with gratification and delight.</p><p>There was nothing that could make one happier than seeing the spell that they had created shine with dazzling brilliance.</p><p>“Hehe, it can’t get any more impressive than that!” Meng Lei nodded incessantly as he lavished generous praise and admiration on the spell. “It looks tranquil and quiet, yet it burns everything away soundlessly. It combines both beauty and violence and is also full of poetic beauty. It can be said to be a masterpiece of fire.”</p><p>“Of course! Don’t you know who the one that created it is?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos was in such a fantastic mood that snot bubbles were almost forming at his nostrils. He said smugly, “At least you have a bit of an eye for things and are discerning enough. However, Doomsday Rain of Fire is just a typical spell and can’t be considered a masterpiece yet!”</p><p>“Even this isn’t considered a masterpiece yet?”</p><p>Meng Lei was shocked.</p><p>“What’s the big deal about it?” Ol’ Amos twisted his beard and smiled as he said, “When I was trapped underground all those years, I liked to brainstorm and conceptualize whenever I was bored. I’ve created so many water-elemental and fire-elemental spells that just first-class spells alone already come up to 100 different types. What does Doomsday Rain of Fire even count as?”</p><p>“100 different types of first-class spells?”</p><p>Meng Lei swallowed hard, a hint of greed flashing across his eyes. “Ol’ President, you’re simply so impressive. My feelings of admiration toward you are like the gushing rivers, endless and eternal. They are like the overflowing North River, beyond control once the floodgates open—”</p><p>“Stop!” Ol’ Amos glared at him. “Don’t you dare think that I don’t know what you’re up to. I’ll have you know that those original spells are my precious babies, so don’t you dare covet them.”</p><p>“Is that what you think of me, Ol’ President?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rather indignant. He said, “I’ll admit that I certainly do want to learn those spells, but it’s all for your sake, isn’t it?”</p><p>“For my sake?” Ol’ Amos scoffed.</p><p>“Think about it. Even though you’ve created so many great and amazing spells, no one knows about them. Don’t you find that a pity?</p><p>“And that’s not all!”</p><p>With a regretful look, Meng Lei went on. “If! If you die someday, won’t all these spells that you’ve created completely die out? What a huge shame that would be!”</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>Ol’ Amos was taken aback.</p><p>“Sigh! Those are the fruits of your intellectual labor that you’ve made painstaking efforts on, spent an infinite amount of sweat, blood, and tears on, and worn out a countless amount of brain cells in order to create so laboriously, you know!”</p><p>Meng Lei thumped his chest and stamped his feet in regret, and said plaintively, “Should they disappear along with you, it’ll practically be the most serious and the most tragic loss to the whole Heaven’s Vault Continent’s history of magic!”</p><p>“This…”</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ countenance also changed as he tugged on his beard.</p><p><em>What this boy is saying… does make some sense. If I die, won’t these spells that I’ve created be lost to the world? How can that do?</em></p><p>Ol’ Amos glared at Meng Lei and asked, “What do you think I should do, then?”</p><p>“You can impart them to me!” Meng Lei gave him a sincere look. “I will build upon them and let them flourish. Let their great name be known throughout Heaven’s Vault Continent! And let your fruits of intellectual labor forever shine in the history of magic and be passed on for all generations to come!”</p><p>“You’re right. They should be passed on.” Ol’ Amos repeatedly nodded, agreeing with him wholeheartedly. “They can’t die out just like that!”</p><p>“Yes, yes!”</p><p>Joy surfaced on Meng Lei’s face.</p><p><em>Hehe, I’ve succeeded!</em></p><p><em>Innumerable spells and up to 100 first-class spells… Those are priceless treasures! You can’t buy them even if you have the money!</em></p><p>“But why must I impart them to you?” Ol’ Amos looked at Meng Lei and said, “I can totally make them into magic scrolls and gift them to the academy so that more people can learn them. Wouldn’t that let them flourish even better? And let me shine in the history of magic even more?”</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>Meng Lei’s expression froze.</p><p>“Hehe! Thinking of tricking this old man? You’re still too young!”</p><p>Upon seeing Meng Lei’s constipated expression, Ol’ Amos burst into laughter. He had finally vented some of his frustration. After being astounded by Meng Lei so many times for so long, his heart had finally received some consolation.</p><p>Now, that wasn’t easy.</p><p>“Ol’ President, you’re really so…”</p><p>Black lines filled Meng Lei’s face.</p><p><em>This old geezer is actually playing dumb! How goddamn infuriating!</em></p><p>“Alright, stop looking at me like that.” An amused Ol’ Amos mock-chided him, “You’re the only descendant I have. Who am I going to impart them to, if not you? Am I supposed to impart them to other people?”</p><p>“Hehe, I knew it!”</p><p>Meng Lei rejoiced again.</p><p>“Cut the crap! Hurry and clean up the ant tide.” Ol’ Amos waved him off, somewhat impatient. “Wipe them out as soon as possible and look for the little golden ant after that. No matter what, I’m still somewhat worried leaving it all alone in the Magical Beast Forest.”</p><p>“Got it.”</p><p>Meng Lei toned down his smile. Light from the fire flickered in his eyes as he said, “Since we want to be quick about this, then let’s intensify the flames some more.”</p><p>At that point, everyone saw a scene that they’d never forget for their whole lives.</p><p>Meng Lei stood proudly in the sky. As though a God of Fire, his voice was loud and sonorous as he pronounced a mighty, imposing judgment on the ant tide.</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Heavenly Fire Meteor!</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Fire God Descends!</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Doomsday Rain of Fire!</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Sun Tempest!</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Fire God Judgment!</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Rupturing Fire Dragon!</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Blazing Inferno Flames!</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Fire Lotus Judgment!</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Fire God’s Fury!”</p><p>The nine ninth-grade spells cast in succession were like savage fire beasts that had broken free of hell’s gates and suddenly invaded the world. The moment they appeared, they dazzled the heavens.</p><p>Heavenly Fire Meteors plummeted from the sky!</p><p>A fire giant bellowed furiously!</p><p>A rain of fire petals scattered throughout the sky!</p><p>A tornado of flames spun and whirled!</p><p>Fire blades with light streaming all over them cleaved downward mightily!</p><p>A savage fire dragon roared furiously like a clap of thunder!</p><p>Black flames corroded and destroyed!</p><p>A dazzling fire lotus blossomed in the sky!</p><p>The Fire God roared furiously, causing the heavens and earth to pale!</p><p>In that instant, everything in the world disappeared, leaving behind only a blazing sea of fire that seemed as if it wanted to burn away this filthy world!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-109

Chapter 109 - Ant Tide Defeated, Flying Dragons Retreated Out Of Fear

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 109 - Ant Tide Defeated, Flying Dragons Retreated Out Of Fear</h1><p>Presently, there were no other colors in the world, and only burning fires leaped in the people’s eyes.</p><p>An ocean of fire spread across hundreds of miles!</p><p>It covered mountains, rivers, and the vast earth!</p><p>Large swarms of ant tide turned to ashes!</p><p>Countless ants burned to death!</p><p>Attack?</p><p>There was no chance for such a thing anymore!</p><p>Madness!</p><p>No such thing anymore either!</p><p>Under the frantic blow of the ninth-grade spells, the ant tide army suffered unprecedented damage. Although there were still numerous ants, the army appeared unable to sustain itself.</p><p>A few more rounds were needed before the ant tide was wiped out and disappeared completely!</p><p>This was what everyone thought, and Meng Lei seemed to hear their thoughts. He started a new round of frantic bombardment and smashed down all kinds of ninth-grade spells like they didn’t affect his magic power.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>One hour later…</p><p>The flames on the ground gradually dissipated, only leaving billowing smoke behind. All the mountains and fields were scorched black, and strange smoke filled all directions.</p><p>An ant tide that spread more than 300 miles? No such thing anymore! They had disappeared!</p><p>A minority had escaped, but the vast majority had lost their lives in the sea of fire, only leaving burnt carcasses strewn across the ground and ashes piled up like piles of soil above unmarked graves.</p><p>“The ant tide… is gone just like this?”</p><p>Everyone looked at the wasteland-like charred black ground and felt like they were dreaming. It was a surreal sensation.</p><p>One hour ago, the fierce ant tide army had come with great momentum, making everyone feel fearful, hopeless, weak, and unable to breathe from the pressure. They had even been forced to retreat!</p><p>Yet, one hour later, the ant tide… was gone? If this wasn’t dreaming, what was dreaming? Even dreaming couldn’t possibly bring about such a rapid turn of events!</p><p>“Monster! A total monster!” Marchioness Cesia’s mouth twitched. “Continuously releasing ninth-grade spells for up to more than one hour and burning the entire ant tide. Such a terrible Great Ninth-Grade Magician is unheard of!”</p><p>“In terms of speed of magic application, magic power reserves, or the usage of spiritual power, all of those reached an insurmountable level. I’m far below him!” Dirk Norway took a breath. “I really don’t know what this boy experienced in a mere month to have undergone such a huge change.”</p><p>Fatty Hart, Abbe, and Tanna looked at one another with complex expressions. Their insides felt like huge raging ocean waves.</p><p>Fatty Hart smiled bitterly and said, “Though I’ve known for a long time that there’s a big gap between us, I would never have imagined, not even in my dreams, that the gap would actually be this big.”</p><p>Abbe and Tanna’s bodies shook.</p><p><em>Yes, Meng Lei’s natural talent is good. His cultivation is fast. Of course there would be a gap! But why would it be this big?</em></p><p><em>I can’t understand!</em></p><p>Fatty Hart and the other two were quite bewildered and started questioning life.</p><p>“Meng Lei from your class is a monster!” The senior student’s face was full of shock. “A Great Ninth-Grade Magician, less than 16 years old… Have you seen anyone like him?”</p><p>“Never seen, never heard of!”</p><p>Another senior student kept shaking his head. “Even if we search through the entire Fire Dragon Kingdom history, no such monster has appeared! I’m afraid only in the Dragon God Empire can such amazing talent possibly appear!”</p><p>“Such a monster can’t be measured by common standards at all. If one tries to compare with him… they are simply looking for suffering…”</p><p>“Monster?”</p><p>When the three classmates heard that, their hearts lightened.</p><p><em>Yes, he’s a monster! Why am I trying to compare with him?</em></p><p>Upon thinking that, the trio felt much more comfortable inside.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>At this moment, loud roars suddenly came from the distant horizon, and the figures of big birds appeared in the distance. They formed a dark, black mass, covering the sun and the sky!</p><p>“The Flying Dragon Troops!”</p><p>“It’s the Flying Dragon Troops!”</p><p>“My lady, the Flying Dragon Troops are here!”</p><p>“Only arriving now… Hmph!”</p><p>Marchioness Cesia snorted coldly as a hint of displeasure flashed across her eyes. Had they arrived one hour earlier, she would have been more than happy to welcome them.</p><p>But now… the ant tide is already gone. Were they here to eat the ashes?</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Flying Dragon Troops were unaware of what had transpired there. They arrived at the space above North River Pass in no time and then collectively started roaring.</p><p>An overwhelming dragon might poured down like ocean waves as the Flying Dragon Troops… showcased their intimidation skills.</p><p>One had to say that the Flying Dragon Troops’ trick was still very effective against ordinary soldiers. Numerous soldiers felt suppressed and had a hard time breathing, so they swayed weakly and couldn’t even hold their weapons.</p><p>“Those bastards!”</p><p>Although Marchioness Cesia had witnessed the Flying Dragon Troops’ ways long ago, she was still furious upon seeing this scene. Every time, she would be so angry till her teeth itched, but she could only watch them.</p><p>Dirk Norway frowned, very displeased with the Flying Dragon Troops’ ways.</p><p>Fatty Hart even started cursing, “This bunch of trash! Nowhere to be seen during the resistance against the ant tide, but after the ant tide is wiped out, they are here to mark their presence. What a bunch of bastards.”</p><p>“This is the famous Flying Dragon Troops?”</p><p>Tanna actually looked at the flying dragons all around the sky, and a hint of approval showed in her beautiful eyes. “Their might matches their fame, indeed. Not the least bit inferior even to the Frost Dragon Wolves Troops of our Frost Kingdom.”</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Double-Legged Flying Dragons had very good eyesight and could see everything on top of the North River Pass’ city walls. They looked at the trembling ordinary soldiers and felt very satisfied with their intimidation technique.</p><p>Soon, they would descend to showcase their battlefield-cleaning technique, the “most tiring” job.</p><p>“Hmph!”</p><p>Unexpectedly, at that moment, a cold snort sounded like a muffled thunder in their ears. Most importantly, the sound was so familiar in a way that sent a chill down their spines.</p><p>“Gah…”</p><p>The 100,000 flying dragons’ bodies stiffened, and their roars immediately stopped. The flying dragons looked at the source of the sound, and immediately, they were so scared that their bodies trembled, and cold sweat oozed out.</p><p>“Dragon God above! Why is this devil here?”</p><p>The Double-Legged Flying Dragons trembled violently, and even their wings became stiff as if they didn’t know how to fly anymore.</p><p>“Him again!”</p><p>The Double-Legged Flying Dragon King’s mouth twitched, and he felt extremely upset inside.</p><p><em>This fella appears everywhere… Why am I meeting him again?</em></p><p>“A bunch of trash! Why do I see you all everywhere?”</p><p>It was naturally Meng Lei that made the Flying Dragon Troops act like they had seen a ghost. He didn’t like this group of greedy and ugly creatures at all. “What? You want to rob me of my magic cores again?</p><p>“I will give you all a chance! Disappear from my sight immediately. Otherwise, I don’t mind breaking your skulls and digging out your magic cores!”</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>The Double-Legged Flying Dragons were so terrified that their internal organs felt like they were bursting. The nightmarish scenes from days ago replayed instantly in their minds.</p><p>Suddenly, the 100,000 Double-Legged Flying Dragons did something that left everyone dumbstruck.</p><p>They flapped their wings and flew away like they were running for their lives. They dashed like they wished they had more than two wings!</p><p>In the blink of an eye, the original intimidating, mighty, sky-covering Flying Dragon Troops disappeared without a trace, leaving only the Double-Legged Flying Dragon King alone in his original position, floating in the sky alone.</p><p>All the other Flying Dragons… fled without a trace.</p><p>“This…”</p><p>The people on the city wall were shocked.</p><p>“This is… the Flying Dragon Troops?”</p><p>Tanna’s little mouth opened in shock. Why was it completely different from the Flying Dragon Troops she imagined?</p><p>Fatty Hart blinked. “Old bro seems to have scared them to the point they ran away!?”</p><p>“What on earth did this boy do to the Flying Dragon Troops?” Dirk Norway’s mouth twitched. “The Flying Dragon Troops ran away once they saw him!”</p><p>“It seems the Flying Dragon Troops must have offended him. As such, he pummeled them so badly that they were traumatized!” Marchioness Cesia appeared pretty excited. “Haha! This boy did what I wanted to do but cannot do. Well done! It’s so well done! Haha, I just wonder what Nicholas will do next.”</p><p>“Hmm!”</p><p>Dirk Norway couldn’t help but look toward the lonely Double-Legged Flying Dragon King. This was an existence comparable to Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts, so how could he give up easily?</p><p>The Double-Legged Flying Dragon King stared at Meng Lei fiercely. From his expression, it seemed like he would very much like to skin Meng Lei alive and devour him.</p><p>However, Meng Lei only spoke one sentence before he scared Double-Legged Flying Dragon into fleeing, covering his face and ignoring even his pride.</p><p>“What? You don’t want your other wing anymore!?”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-110

Chapter 110 - The 10 Billion Milestone, Gaining Another Bloodline

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 110 - The 10 Billion Milestone, Gaining Another Bloodline</h1><p>As they watched the Flying Dragon Troops flee for their lives, aside from stupefaction, everyone also felt like all their anger had been worked off.</p><p>Those fellows carrying the “elite troops” title were a bunch of bandits from head to toe—greedy and ugly.</p><p>This wasn’t the first or second time that everyone had wanted to teach them a lesson. Unfortunately, they simply weren’t powerful enough, so they could only watch helplessly as they acted all bossy and arrogant.</p><p>However, their wish had finally come true today.</p><p>Meng Lei had frightened the Flying Dragon Troops so badly that they fled for their lives and thoroughly disgraced themselves with just a few words. How satisfying!</p><p>“The ant tide has finally been exterminated!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos twisted his beard as he looked down upon the charred lands. He heaved a long sigh of relief and said, “You’ve made a huge contribution in this matter, boy. Who knows, you might just earn yourself the title of an Earl!”</p><p>However, he didn’t receive any response—the place around him was all quiet.</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ brows furrowed slightly, and he couldn’t resist looking at Meng Lei—only to discover that the boy was currently grinning like a fool. His grin stretched pretty much all the way past his ears, making him look like an old 38-year-old widow who had just had a night rendezvous—simply overjoyed!</p><p>At once, Ol’ Amos became displeased, and he chastised him loudly, “What are you acting all crazy for again, brat?!”</p><p>Meng Lei jumped in shock, and he couldn’t help but grumble, “What are you being so loud for, Ol’ President? You gave me a shock!”</p><p>“What’s that silly grin for? Look at how thrilled you are!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos glared at Meng Lei.</p><p>“Hehe, it’s a secret!”</p><p>Meng Lei grinned at him in response, and then, his gaze returned to his Wealth again. As he looked at those bright, dazzling numbers and the bunch of zeros at the back, Meng Lei felt as if he had just eaten honey…</p><p><em>Sweet!</em></p><p>Wealth: 7,539,721,863 gold coins</p><p>7.5 billion!</p><p>A whole 7.5 billion!</p><p>What kind of astronomical figure was that?</p><p>However, the most important thing here was… He was only 2.5 billion away from the 10 billion milestone!</p><p>This meant that Meng Lei only needed to earn another 2.5 billion gold coins, and he would be able to break through the ninth-grade limits to step into another realm… The Saint Domain!</p><p>2.5 billion? Was it very difficult to achieve? No, no, not at all!</p><p>It was very simple because… 6.5 billion gold coins were resting on the charred expanse of land right beneath his feet. To be more accurate, 650,000 magic cores!</p><p>“Collect them all! And sell them all!</p><p>“And I’ll be able to summon the divine dragon ¹ !</p><p>“Wahahaha…”</p><p>Meng Lei burst into loud Ren Woxing ¹ -style laughter and nosedived toward the ground. His spiritual power spread outward like tidal waves and enveloped the whole area within 1,000 meters of where he was.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>All the magic cores moved by themselves and broke through the surface of the ground like potatoes. Then, they vanished after being sent into his spatial rings.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Everywhere he flew by, he collected all the magic cores.</p><p>Meng Lei was just like a hardworking little bee diligently collecting magic cores. The sight made Fatty Hart and the others standing on top of the city walls salivate.</p><p>“A single magic core is worth up to 10,000 gold coins!” Fatty Hart’s eyes had even turned red. “Old bro must have killed at least… 100,000 Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants just now, right? Hiss! That’s 1 billion gold coins!”</p><p>“1 billion?”</p><p>A shiver went through everyone, and they almost wet themselves.</p><p>That was 1 billion gold coins! 1 billion!</p><p>No one could spend all of that, even in their entire lifetime!</p><p>…</p><p>Meng Lei’s speed was very fast, but even so, he still spent more than three hours before he finally managed to collect all the magic cores.</p><p>As for the concrete number of magic cores there were, he didn’t bother counting. In any case, there were a lot of them, so many that he was close to running out of space. Even Ol’ Amos’ spatial magic device was almost full.</p><p>“Horses don’t bulk up without feeding at night, and people don’t get rich without unexpected windfalls. Our forefathers really don’t lie.”</p><p>It was only then that a satisfied Meng Lei returned to the city, where his eyes met Fatty Hart’s, whose eyes were filled with so much jealousy that he was practically mad. “Huhu! 1 billion gold coins! This fatty here is so jealous that I’m becoming distorted from envy!”</p><p>“Fatty, have you gone mad?”</p><p>Meng Lei patted Fatty Hart’s chubby face, which felt fleshy to the touch. The texture felt pretty good!</p><p>“Juxian Restaurant! We must go to Juxian Restaurant when the new term starts!” Fatty Hart clutched Meng Lei’s collar and shouted hysterically, “Once isn’t enough! You must treat me a few more times… No! Every day! You can only offer a wee bit of comfort to my wounded soul by treating me to meals at Juxian Restaurant every day!</p><p>“Huhuhu, 1 billion gold coins! If I had that much money, I would sleep on a mountain of gold every day and stuff myself silly every day…”</p><p>“…”</p><p>Meng Lei rolled his eyes. He finally understood now—that guy was actually jealous of him!</p><p><em>If you knew that I actually have 10 billion gold coins now, would you become so jealous that you’d immediately kill yourself by eating sh*t?</em></p><p><em>Probably… Yes?</em></p><p>“That boy…”</p><p>Dirk Norway, Abbe, and Tanna were also looking at Meng Lei with extremely complex emotions. The penniless boy from the mountains that had reported at the academy half a year ago wearing coarse sackcloth had already become this strong?</p><p>“Meng Lei, you deserve the biggest credit in the defense against the ant tide this time!” Marchioness Cesia had a look of approval all over her face as she said, “I will definitely report this truthfully to the king and request that he rewards you handsomely!”</p><p>“You’re…”</p><p>A bewildered Meng Lei looked at the female Green Dragon Person in front of him.</p><p>“Meng Lei, this is Marchioness Cesia, the guarding general of North River Pass,” said Dirk Norway hastily as he introduced Marchioness Cesia. “She’s also the number one female general of Fire Dragon Kingdom!”</p><p>“So it’s Marchioness Cesia! I’ve heard so much about you!”</p><p>Realization dawned upon Meng Lei.</p><p>“It’s just a bit of insignificant acclaim that’s not worth mentioning!” Marchioness Cesia waved and said, “On the contrary, it’s you, Meng Lei, that has exterminated the ant tide with just a flick of your wrist. After this battle, your name will definitely awe and stun the kingdom. You’ll become a hero known in every household throughout the kingdom!”</p><p>“Marchioness Cesia, you’re too kind!”</p><p>Meng Lei smiled at her but didn’t take her words seriously. Things like fame and all that weren’t important; they weren’t even as practical as a few gold coins or a few magic cores.</p><p>At the sight of this, astonishment and uncertainty couldn’t help but secretly come over Marchioness Cesia. After making such a huge contribution, the kingdom would definitely bestow upon him handsome rewards. Yet he was actually so calm, placid, and composed about it—his disposition wasn’t like a 15-year-old teenage boy’s at all!</p><p>After that, Meng Lei chatted a while more with the others before he got ready to bid farewell and leave. Little Gold was still in the Magical Beast Forest, so he had to hurry and bring it back with him.</p><p>“What a shame!” Marchioness Cesia lamented with a sigh, “And here I was, thinking of holding a celebratory banquet to express my gratitude to the hero credited with guarding the city. I didn’t think that you’d have other matters at hand.”</p><p>“Defending against the ant tide is something within my duty and obligation. How can I claim credit for it?” replied Meng Lei with a smile.</p><p>Then, he bade farewell to Dirk Norway and the others before finally saying to Hart, “Fatty, I’m counting on you to sell the magic cores!”</p><p>“Leave it to me!” Fatty Hart patted his chest and promised, “I’ll definitely get it done perfectly!”</p><p>“Thanks!”</p><p>Meng Lei patted Fatty Hart on the shoulder. Then, he hopped onto the magic carpet, left the North River Pass city gate tower, and flew toward the Magical Beast Forest.</p><p>An hour later, he finally found Little Gold’s hiding place. However, the little fellow wasn’t in a good spot at the moment because… It had run into trouble!</p><p>Over a dozen grayish-white spiders surrounded it on all sides. Woven all around it was even a black spider web that had completely sealed off all of its escape routes.</p><p>There was nowhere in and nowhere out.</p><p>Little Gold was like a tiny little kitten surrounded by a herd of elephants. It trembled and shook like a leaf—weak, helpless, and pitiful…</p><p>Krak, krak, krak…</p><p>The gigantic spiders were over 10-meters-long and had eight spear-like silver legs covered in steel needle-like fine hairs. They gave off a terrible stink, filling people with fear and causing their scalps to go numb.</p><p>“Underground Cave Magical Spiders! These are Underground Cave Magical Spiders!” Meng Lei’s eyes flickered with a chilly glint. “They’ve actually pursued all the way here. These guys are seriously persistent!”</p><p>“Little Gold is the ant monarch. How would the Underground Cave Magical Spiders possibly let it off that easily?” Ol’ Amos shook his head and sighed. “Had it been anyone else, they would also want to completely eradicate the enemy for peace of mind. What a pitiful child!”</p><p>Meng Lei bent his fingers and flicked them multiple times in succession. Over a dozen fire spears shot outward from thin air and pierced through the Underground Cave Magical Spiders’ heads in an instant, impaling them to death on the spot.</p><p>At the sight of this, Little Gold couldn’t help but shake all over. It was only then that it finally noticed Meng Lei. It was overcome by surprise and joy at once.</p><p>“Ding! Dropped item discovered. Will you pick it up?”</p><p>“Yes, pick it up!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-111

Chapter 111 - Golden Bloodline, An Explosive Increase In Physical Strength

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 111 - Golden Bloodline, An Explosive Increase In Physical Strength</h1><p><em>Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline?</em></p><p><em>A bloodline?</em></p><p>Meng Lei was a little taken aback. He had picked up a bloodline again? But what was this Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline?</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>During Meng Lei’s moment of distraction, innumerable dazzling golden light rays suddenly pierced through his skin and shot out of his body, lighting up the whole place in an instant.</p><p>Right on the heels of it, the golden light rays turned into sticky, viscous glue-like golden flames. They shrouded Meng Lei entirely, and then, they began to blaze.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A wave of severe pain, as if capable of ripping Meng Lei’s insides apart, erupted from within his body and assaulted his nerves like a fierce, surging tidal wave.</p><p>Pain!</p><p>Pain!</p><p>Pain!</p><p>“Ahhh!”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a loud cry, feeling as if his entire self was about to be ripped apart. He doubled over and pounded the ground with his fists, his countenance savage.</p><p>“Meng Lei, what’s wrong?”</p><p>The sudden turn of events gave Ol’ Amos a huge fright. “What’s the matter, brat? You’re scaring me…”</p><p>“I… I’m fine!”</p><p>Meng Lei tried to put up with the agony that felt even more painful than being tortured to death. He gave him an awful smile and said, “I… I’m… fine… It’ll be okay in a while.”</p><p>“What do you mean you’re fine when you’re behaving like this?” Ol’ Amos was terribly anxious. “Tell me, what exactly is going on?”</p><p>“Ha… Haha!”</p><p>Meng Lei gave him a dreadful smile, unable to even utter a proper sentence anymore. The sticky, viscous golden flames seeped out of his body like blood before returning into his body again.</p><p>They burned the surface of his body and burned the inside of his body. The cycle repeated again and again as it burned his whole body, running amok and weaving about unbridled.</p><p>Everywhere the golden flames passed by underwent modifications!</p><p>His bones, meridians, skin… His blood, internal organs, heart, and lungs… Every single inch of his blood and flesh… every little nook and cranny… All of them were modified by the golden flames!</p><p>The immense pain was like the gushing rivers, endless and eternal.</p><p>They assailed his senses madly, like the Yellow River beyond one’s control in a flood.</p><p>“Why is this happening? What exactly is going on?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos was in such a panic that he was going round and round in circles.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>In their daze, as though made out of gold, a strange ant hologram covered in golden armor and with 16 pairs of golden butterfly wings on its back suddenly appeared behind Meng Lei.</p><p>It bared its fangs and brandished its claws, its teeth waving about!</p><p>It threw its head back and roared into the sky, its voice resounding throughout the heavens!</p><p>“That… That’s…”</p><p>Ol’ Amos stared at the magnificent golden ant that had appeared out of the blue and exclaimed, “G-golden… Golden…</p><p>“No! That’s impossible! Absolutely impossible! Creatures like that have already gone extinct since a long time ago! It’s impossible that they still exist!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos rejected the notion vehemently. However, he suddenly discovered that Little Gold was actually prostrating and watching the golden hologram behind Meng Lei fearfully, quivering and shaking in its boots as it did so.</p><p>That expression on its face looked way too familiar to Ol’ Amos.</p><p>It was exactly how a Drake looked like when its bloodline got naturally suppressed upon encountering a pure-blooded Colossal Dragon.</p><p>“Could it be that…”</p><p>Ol’ Amos looked at Little Gold and then at the golden ant hologram behind Meng Lei, his heart gradually sinking.</p><p>Crackle, crackle!</p><p>At this point, a sudden change occurred again.</p><p>Amid spine-chilling cracking sounds, the surface of Meng Lei’s skin began to wriggle about violently, as though worms were crawling about underneath.</p><p>In the next instant, bloodstained golden scales began to emerge on Meng Lei’s skin like mushrooms sprouting after rain.</p><p>One scale, two scales, three scales…</p><p>It went out of control right after it started. A few breaths later, shiny, golden, strange-looking scales had covered Meng Lei’s entire body.</p><p>At the same time, bloodstained golden barbed spikes began to poke through his flesh and bones. Gleaming with a chilly glint, they grew out of his forearms, calves, knees, elbows, and other parts of his body.</p><p>Finally, two feelers that looked like triangular spike bayonets and covered in golden scales gradually grew out of Meng Lei’s forehead.</p><p>Everything finally came to a stop after that.</p><p>Just like that, with golden scales all over his body, golden feelers growing from his head, and barbed spikes all over him, the current Meng Lei had turned into a half-human, half-ant… monster!</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The pain faded rapidly like the receding tide, and Meng Lei’s consciousness gradually returned. He took huge gulps of air and panted heavily, feeling as though he had just gone to hell and back.</p><p>That sensation of living hell just now had simply left too deep of an impression on him. Compared to when he was assimilating the Fire Dragon bloodline and the Fire Demon bloodline previously, the pain he had felt just now was more than tenfold of those times.</p><p>Meng Lei swore that he never wanted to experience such pain that was worse than death itself ever again.</p><p>“Meng Lei…”</p><p>Ol’ Amos opened his mouth and called out Meng Lei’s name, only to find that the current Meng Lei looked so foreign to him, so much so that he didn’t really dare to acknowledge him.</p><p>“Ol’ President!”</p><p>After some effort, Meng Lei barely managed a smile at Ol’ Amos. However, in Ol’ Amos’ eyes, his smile simply looked so evil and strangely demonic.</p><p>Meng Lei’s pupils were actually red in color! Just like Little Gold’s eyes!</p><p>Ol’ Amos was ultimately not just any old, average person after all. He quickly suppressed his shock and asked anxiously, “M-Meng Lei, what exactly is this all about?”</p><p>“I don’t know how I should explain this, either!”</p><p>Meng Lei balled his fists slightly, taking in the surging, torrential tsunami-like power inside him. This power was infinitely stronger than when he had broken through to Ninth-Grade Warrior!</p><p>Every muscle fiber, every single bone, every single inch of his blood and flesh—all of them contained incredibly fearsome power!</p><p>It was as though… he had been reborn!</p><p>“Ol’ President, you can just treat this as an alternative kind of… bloodline awakening,” whispered Meng Lei softly.</p><p>“Bloodline awakening?”</p><p>A look of horror appeared on Ol’ Amos’ face. “Are you saying that there… There’s really Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline hidden in your body?”</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t answer. Instead, he took in the sensation of the surging, turbulent, and fearsome power inside his body in detail.</p><p>The next moment, he bent his legs slightly and leaped into the air.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>His legs were just like two ultra-powerful springs. Tremendous power instantly erupted, and Meng Lei’s body rebounded into the air violently.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Like a cannonball, Meng Lei instantly hurtled into the sky. In the twinkling of an eye, he had actually shot several hundred meters up into the sky.</p><p>“Oh my dragon god!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos raised his head and stared at Meng Lei, who had already turned into a little black dot. His mouth formed an ‘O’ so big that one could stuff an egg in!</p><p><em>Isn’t that a little too goddamn high?!</em></p><p>It wasn’t over yet, however!</p><p>The next instant, Meng Lei plummeted back down from high up in the sky. He smashed his fist into the ground, and with a loud boom, a violent, raging energy wave erupted into the surroundings.</p><p>Gales wreaked havoc, causing dirt and earth to fly everywhere!</p><p>The lands shook, and the mountains broke apart!</p><p>A huge, 100-meters-wide pit was imprinted in the ground, and Meng Lei stood in the center of the pit like a meteor that had crashed into the earth.</p><p>“This, this…” Ol’ Amos was flabbergasted. “That strength… He can probably match up to a pinnacle-level Ninth-Grade Magical Beast whose specialty is physical strength!”</p><p>A Magical Beast’s strength was its own body, and one whose specialty was physical strength was even the Hercules among Magical Beasts.</p><p>Let alone pinnacle-level Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts whose specialty was physical strength? With their physical strength alone, they could already compete with humans that had just stepped into the Saint Domain realm!</p><p>It was practically inconceivable for a human’s physical strength to be this potent.</p><p>“Although I don’t know what a Golden Gods-Slaying Ant is,” Meng Lei said as he stared at his own fists, terribly excited, “Its physical strength must be extremely domineering! After all, I’ve only just assimilated its bloodline, yet my physical strength is already this strong!</p><p>“In terms of pure physical strength, it has definitely surpassed a pure-blooded Fire Dragon!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-112

Chapter 112 - The Continent Sinks, The Deities Descend

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 112 - The Continent Sinks, The Deities Descend</h1><p>The night was quiet and soundless. There wasn’t even the slightest sound of crickets chirping.</p><p>A campfire blazed quietly in the quiet bushes.</p><p>A pig trotter marinated with spices was suspended at the top of the campfire. Golden-yellow grease dripped into the fire, producing sizzles and giving off an alluring fragrance.</p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes bore into the golden-yellow pig trotter, wishing he could scarf it down in one gulp. He was starving right now and had never been hungrier than this moment.</p><p>Meng Lei knew that this was an aftereffect of his transformation into an ant. Although the transformation had only lasted for a short few minutes, it had certainly exhausted all his strength.</p><p>“The ant transformation is truly too taxing on my stamina. Even with my Ninth-Grade Warrior-esque body, I actually only lasted five minutes!”</p><p>Meng Lei found this inconceivable.</p><p>A formidable Ninth-Grade Warrior! Yet it had only lasted five minutes!</p><p>Would anyone believe that?</p><p>“Also! Every time I assimilate a bloodline, my body will be strengthened. After I assimilated the first two bloodlines, my body improved by double to triple of what it originally was.</p><p>“And now, after assimilating the Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline, my body has actually improved by a whole tenfold. That’s a whole tenfold!”</p><p>Meng Lei looked at his stats interface, still immersed in deep astoundment.</p><p>Host: Meng Lei</p><p>Race: Human (Contains Fire Dragon bloodline, Fire Demon bloodline, and Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline)</p><p>Wealth: 7,541,721,863 gold coins</p><p>Physical Body Constitution: Ninth-Grade Warrior (10,158,587/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Spirit: Ninth-Grade Magician (1,345,142/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Magic Power: Great Ninth-Grade Magician (1,129,328/1,000,000,000)</p><p>“Before assimilation, my Physical Body Constitution was 1 million points!</p><p>“After assimilation, it became 10 million points!</p><p>“That’s a whole tenfold difference!”</p><p>Meng Lei was in disbelief, but he couldn’t help but think of what his physical body constitution was like before and after he had assimilated the first two types of bloodlines.</p><p>Before he had assimilated the Fire Dragon bloodline, it was 800 points. After assimilation, it became 2,400 points—a threefold increase.</p><p>Before he had assimilated the Fire Demon bloodline, it was 7,000 points. After assimilation, it became 14,878 points—a twofold increase.</p><p>“The results are easy to see!</p><p>“If we don’t compare the other aspects but look purely at just my body’s strengthening and increments, the Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline far surpasses the Fire Dragon and Fire Demon bloodlines.</p><p>“Now, here’s the problem—what kind of living thing is the Golden Gods-Slaying Ant, exactly? Why is it such a mutant?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s gaze involuntarily landed on Little Gold. This bloodline must have dropped from Little Gold for sure.</p><p>Was Little Gold a Golden Gods-Slaying Ant? Or did it have Golden Gods-Slaying Ant blood in its body?</p><p>If that was really the case, then Little Gold’s background would truly be fearsome. It definitely wouldn’t be as simple as just the ant monarch of the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants.</p><p>Upon detecting Meng Lei’s gaze, Little Gold was instinctively rather fearful. Meng Lei gave off an aura that made it restless and antsy.</p><p>“Don’t be scared, Little Gold.”</p><p>Meng Lei stroked Little Gold’s head lightly and comforted it softly. Little Gold relaxed slightly and enjoyed his caresses docilely.</p><p>When Little Gold had more or less relaxed, Meng Lei voiced the question in his mind, “Little Gold, do you know of the Golden Gods-Slaying Ants?”</p><p>“The Golden Gods-Slaying Ants?”</p><p>Little Gold raised its head and looked at Meng Lei. Puzzlement flashed across its eyes, and it shook its little head. “I don’t know of it!”</p><p>“You don’t?”</p><p>Meng Lei was mildly taken aback.</p><p>“I don’t!”</p><p>Little Gold was very sure.</p><p>“Why doesn’t it know?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s brows knitted together slightly.</p><p>“It’s very normal for it not to know.” Ol’ Amos popped out with a decidedly complex look in his eyes. “The Golden Gods-Slaying Ants are creatures that are stuff of legends. They’ve long since become extinct, and there are very few people that know of them.”</p><p>“Stuff of legends?” A huge jolt went through Meng Lei.</p><p>“Yes, stuff of legends. It’s said that the whole world was still under the rule of the ancient Titans during those times. The Titans ruled over the skies and also controlled the lands.</p><p>“The ancient Titans! They were the one and only ruler of the Heaven’s Vault Continent… Until a certain day!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ eyes flickered as he said, “Golden rain fell from the skies, and an ant disaster broke out. It was only then that the ancient Titans’ rule finally came to an end!</p><p>“Later on, people realized that the golden rain that had fallen from the skies was, in fact, the eggs of a type of creature known as the Golden Gods-Slaying Ants.</p><p>“As the ant eggs hatched, baby ants were born, and a catastrophe broke out.</p><p>“Innumerable frenzied Golden Gods-Slaying Ant devoured everything that could be devoured—animals, humans, Magical Beasts, Fairies, Beast People… Including the ancient Titans, of course!</p><p>“The ancient Titans rose up in a counterattack. Unfortunately, the Golden Gods-Slaying Ants were simply too strong; not only were they indestructible, but they also possessed incredible physical strength.</p><p>“This directly led to innumerable Titans falling in battle. The ancient Titans also suffered devastating losses as a result, which ended their reign.”</p><p>“What happened after that?” Meng Lei asked incessantly, “Since the golden ants were so terrifying, who were the ones that stopped them? And who was able to stop them?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos gazed at the starry nightscape and uttered two words—”The deities!”</p><p>“The deities?”</p><p>Meng Lei was stunned.</p><p>“Yes, the deities!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ eyes flickered as he said, “The deities exist above the starry skies and overlook the whole world. They heard the ancient Titans’ prayers and also saw the catastrophe taking place in Heaven’s Vault Continent.</p><p>“And so, they descended upon the world!</p><p>“In the faraway ancient records, on the day that the deities descended, innumerable divine light beams cascaded from the sky. As though pillars of light that reached into the heavens and went deep into the ground, they lit up the entire sky. Even the sun hanging high up in the sky was dim and dull under the divine light’s shine.</p><p>“After that, an earth-shaking holy war broke out.</p><p>“The heavens split, and the earth cracked, and hurricanes swept across the lands!</p><p>“The floods broke loose, and earthquakes erupted!</p><p>“Dead bodies were strewn all over the wilderness as the earth and mountains shook and swayed!</p><p>“Toward the end of the war, even Heaven’s Vault Continent itself broke into pieces!”</p><p>Meng Lei sucked in a breath of chilly air.</p><p>“It’s said that a very long time ago, Heaven’s Vault Continent used to be much bigger than what it currently is. It was a whole five to six times the size of what it is now.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos went on with a sigh. “However, after that war, the continent broke and separated into many fragments. The current Heaven’s Vault Continent is one of the bigger pieces of those fragments.</p><p>“The other fragments either wandered about in the endless ocean and turned into solitary, lost continents, or they were submerged by the ocean and forever buried at the bottom of the deep ocean.”</p><p>“That great war was actually that terrifying?!”</p><p>Meng Lei was deeply astounded.</p><p>“The ones that partook in it were ultimately deities, after all.” Ol’ Amos shook his head repeatedly. “The deities’ strength is something you can never ever imagine. In front of the deities, Saint Domains are like ants in comparison to Colossal Dragons, and candlelight in comparison to the sun. It’s not something that can be clearly measured in numbers at all.”</p><p>“Are there really deities in this world?”</p><p>Meng Lei raised his head to the sky and gazed into the distance at the dazzling, brilliant stars in the night sky. A deep sense of puzzlement welled up within him.</p><p><em>Do deities really exist?</em></p><p>“Of course they do!” Ol’ Amos had no doubt about that. “Deities are higher beings that stand far above mere mortals. They are omniscient, omnipotent, immortal, and eternal. They possess a completely different lifestyle from mortals, and they truly exist at the other end of the starry sky!”</p><p>Taken aback, Meng Lei asked suspiciously, “Ol’ President, have you seen one before?”</p><p>“Of course!” A look of reverence appeared in Ol’ Amos’ eyes that were brimming with extraordinary splendor. “Our Lord, the Dragon God, that we, the Dragon God Empire, worship and believe in is a true deity. I once had the fortune to see his true form.”</p><p>“The Dragon God is actually real?”</p><p>Meng Lei was terribly shocked.</p><p>Calluses had already formed on his ears after hearing everyone going, “Oh my dragon god!” every day. He had initially thought that the so-called Dragon God was the same as the Venerable Master ¹ , Buddha, and God on Earth, and was just an abstract, intangible religion.</p><p>Little did he expect that the Dragon God… truly existed!</p><p><em>That’s true!</em></p><p><em>This is Heaven’s Vault Continent where even stuff of legends like Colossal Dragons and Titans exist. Why can’t the Dragon God be real, too?</em></p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-113

Chapter 113 - Strengths And Weaknesses, The Ruler Descends

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 113 - Strengths And Weaknesses, The Ruler Descends</h1><p>Even stuff of legends like Colossal Dragons and Titans existed, so… Why couldn’t deities exist, too?</p><p>When he thought of it that way, Meng Lei was able to reconcile himself with the idea. However, after that, another doubt surfaced in his mind—since deities existed, could humans become deities?</p><p><em>If they can, then am I able to become a deity?</em></p><p>“Humans can become deities, of course!” Ol’ Amos gave Meng Lei a definite answer to his query. “Or rather, every lifeform in Heaven’s Vault Continent has the chance to become a deity.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos looked up at the starry sky. As he gazed at the dazzling Milky Way shining so brilliantly, he gave a carefree sigh and said, “It’s said that many of the high and mighty deities were once lower lifeforms that became deities through cultivation.”</p><p><em>So, it’s possible!</em></p><p>Meng Lei became excited at once. “How do I become one?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos twisted his beard and replied with a smile, “According to old ancient records, there are many ways one can become a deity, but for the vast majority of lifeforms, there’s only one route to becoming a deity, and that is—the laws of nature.</p><p>“Deities are also known as the controllers of the laws of nature. In other words, as long as you can control the laws of nature, you are a deity.”</p><p>“Control the laws of nature?” Meng Lei murmured softly.</p><p>“The laws of nature are the truth and essence of everything in the universe and are also the rules and laws that everything in the world must follow. Nothing can break away from the laws of nature during their operation. The laws are supreme and contain inconceivable might!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos couldn’t help but let out a laugh. He said, “It’s exactly because the deities can control the laws of nature that they are omnipotent and eternal.”</p><p>Meng Lei asked, “In that case, how does one control the laws of nature, Ol’ President?”</p><p>“You’re already thinking about controlling the laws of nature when you haven’t even figured out the universe’s momentum? You’re biting off more than you can chew.” Ol’ Amos chided him in amusement.</p><p>His response dumbfounded Meng Lei.</p><p>“The universe’s momentum is the outward appearance of the laws of nature. If you want to comprehend the laws of nature, then you must be able to control the universe’s momentum first.” Ol’ Amos’ smile disappeared as he said, “It’s only when you can part the fog surrounding the universe’s momentum that you can access laws on a deeper level.”</p><p>Meng Lei looked thoughtful at his words.</p><p>“To put it simply, one controls the universe’s momentum at ninth-grade,” said Ol’ Amos in conclusion. “While they can only begin to study the laws of nature after they reach Saint Domain level. No matter what, grasping the universe’s momentum will always be a prerequisite.”</p><p>“I understand now.” Meng Lei nodded slowly, already starting to come up with plans in his mind.</p><p>By spending gold coins in the system, he could also break through the ninth-grade limits to become a Saint Domain.</p><p>In other words, it was possible for him to attain Saint Domain level without needing to control the universe’s momentum.</p><p>By right, this should have been something positive. However, Meng Lei suddenly realized that even if he did become a Saint Domain, it was very likely that he’d just end up becoming a pseudo-Saint Domain that had the corresponding body sturdiness, spiritual power, and magic power reserves, but not the actual spiritual realm.</p><p>It was just like when he had clearly possessed a body comparable to a Ninth-Grade Warrior previously but didn’t have the corresponding Battle Aura cultivation level.</p><p>He could only be considered… A pseudo-Ninth-Grade Warrior.</p><p>Going by the same vein, it was highly likely that he would really turn into a pseudo-Saint Domain.</p><p><em>In that case, won’t I have the living daylights beaten out of me if I were to run into a real Saint Domain? After all that’s said and done, I still have to comprehend the universe’s momentum, isn’t it? Damn, that’s annoying.</em></p><p>Meng Lei was rather troubled over this. Although spending gold coins in the system could improve his body, spiritual power, and magic power reserves, it couldn’t boost his comprehension of the universe’s momentum and laws of nature.</p><p><em>This means that I’ll have to comprehend the universe’s momentum and nature’s laws step by step properly like other people in the future? How miserable… What’s the use of this lousy system, then?!</em></p><p>Meng Lei cursed silently. Then, he asked, “Ol’ President, what must I do in order to control the universe’s momentum?”</p><p>“You’ll have to slowly figure that out on your own.” Ol’ Amos shook his head. “The universe’s momentum is invisible and non-tactile. If you comprehend it, you comprehend it. If you can’t, then there’s no other way. Nobody can help you with that!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s brows drew together tightly.</p><p><em>Is it that deep and profound?</em></p><p>“However…” Ol’ Amos twisted his beard with a smile. “You’ve become a Great Ninth-Grade Magician at such a young age—this is your biggest strength.”</p><p>“Uh… Is that even considered a strength?” Meng Lei frowned slightly.</p><p>“Duh, of course!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos snorted and explained, “Life is short, and one’s lifespan is limited. Even a Great Ninth-Grade Magician only has a short lifespan of 100 years or so. It’s so fleeting that it’s practically ridiculous.</p><p>“For a lot of people, by the time they’ve cultivated till the ninth-grade realm, their hair has already turned white from old age. How much time do they have left to comprehend the universe’s momentum?”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded. He made a lot of sense there.</p><p>“Because you don’t need to worry about dying from old age so soon, you have ample time to comprehend the universe’s momentum. You’re not just a mere step ahead of others.” Ol’ Amos stroked his beard as he gazed at Meng Lei. “However, your biggest weakness is that your magic talent is too good, and you actually have four types of elemental affinities—thunder, fire, earth, and wood—at the same time.”</p><p>“Is that a weakness?” Meng Lei was dumbfounded.</p><p>“Of course!” Ol’ Amos’ countenance was stern as he explained, “Having four types of magic talent means that you’ll need to spend four times, perhaps even longer, the amount of time others need in order to comprehend the universe’s momentum. That’s a huge rise in the difficulty level.”</p><p>Meng Lei’s brows drew together.</p><p>“Therefore, I’d suggest that you give up three of them and choose only one type to comprehend.” Ol’ Amos said with a smile, “You have excellent talent. If you cultivate only one element, I have confidence that you can start to see the laws of nature’s vague outlines and successfully break through to Saint Domain.”</p><p><em>Choosing only one element from among thunder, fire, earth, and wood?</em></p><p>Meng Lei fell silent.</p><p>Frankly speaking, he didn’t want to give up any of them. These were elemental affinities that he had only picked up after so much trouble. What a waste it would be to discard them…</p><p>“Let me think about this,” Meng Lei replied with a shake of his head.</p><p>“Think about it properly, brat.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos didn’t press him further but smiled and twisted his beard instead.</p><p>He understood very well how Meng Lei felt. Nobody that had four types of elemental affinities at the same time like him would want to give up any of them.</p><p>However, at times like this, one must learn how to make a choice.</p><p>Otherwise, there was a high chance that they would end up inhibiting both sides and end up wasting a great amount of time. To Great Ninth-Grade Magicians with such short lifespans, this was unacceptable.</p><p>“Alright, I understand.”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded lightly and changed the depressing subject. He asked, “Ol’ President, what happened after the deities descended? Did they kill off all the Golden Gods-Slaying Ants?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos nodded lightly. “The Golden Gods-Slaying Ants may be strong—among which, some of them could even contend with the deities—but they ultimately weren’t a match for the deities’ joint siege on them.</p><p>“In the end, the Golden Gods-Slaying Ants were completely annihilated by the deities. In fact, to prevent the Golden Gods-Slaying Ants from making a comeback, the deities even wiped out every single offspring that had inherited the Golden Gods-Slaying Ants’ bloodline.”</p><p>At this point, the way Ol’ Amos looked at Meng Lei turned complex at once. “Unfortunately, there were still some that had slipped through the cracks, and you… are evidently one of them.”</p><p>“There must be a lot of them that got away. Who knows just how many there are concretely?”</p><p>Meng Lei touched his nose, wishing he could say that the one that had truly slipped through the cracks was actually Little Gold and not him.</p><p><em>I’m just an idle onlooker that accidentally picked up the Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline.</em></p><p>“Brat, you must keep this in mind.” Ol’ Amos suddenly became very stern, unprecedentedly so. “No matter when, you must never let anyone know that you have the Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline in you. Otherwise, a great disaster will befall upon you.”</p><p>“I understand, Ol’ President.”</p><p>Mildly alarmed, Meng Lei nodded to indicate that he’d understood. His life was at stake here; he had to be cautious about it.</p><p>Ol’ Amos nodded lightly. “I’m glad you understand.”</p><p>At that moment, the ground suddenly began to shake. As if thousands upon thousands of horses were running across the ground, it emitted deep, dull, and varied explosions.</p><p>“Has the ant tide come?”</p><p>Meng Lei raised his head and looked around him.</p><p>“No, it’s not the ant tide!” Ol’ Amos shook his head. “The commotion is too great; it must be some kind of creature that’s even bigger. You must be careful and stay vigilant.”</p><p>True enough, Ol’ Amos was right.</p><p>The shaking in the ground intensified further and further. As trees broke and splintered, repulsive, savage-looking Underground Cave Magical Spiders with eight legs each and over a dozen meters long showed up one by one.</p><p>Their numbers were astonishing, and one couldn’t see till the end of them. They surrounded Meng Lei on all sides and thoroughly sealed off all his escape routes.</p><p>“Underground Cave Magical Spiders!”</p><p>The corners of Meng Lei’s lips quirked upward. “Are they here to send themselves to death’s door?”</p><p>Screech!</p><p>A sharp, ear-piercing cry suddenly rang out, and the Underground Cave Magical Spiders parted to make way.</p><p>Thud, thud, thud!</p><p>Amid deep, dull, and inseparably close thuds, a blood-red monster and taller than a 20-story building slowly walked in.</p><p>“Pinnacle-level Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-114

Chapter 114 - Wealth Reset, Killing A Saint Domain Magical Beast

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 114 - Wealth Reset, Killing A Saint Domain Magical Beast</h1><p>The massive, fully blood-red creature stood erect on the ground like a peerless ferocious beast from the depths of hell. It gave off a violent, malevolent aura that could make one’s hair stand on end and shiver in fear.</p><p>“The Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ pupils contracted in shock, and he shouted, “Brat, that’s the pinnacle-level Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor! It’s very hard to deal with, you must take absolute care.”</p><p>“Understood!”</p><p>Even without Ol’ Amos’ reminder, Meng Lei could already feel the fiendish, savage aura emanating from the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor.</p><p>Judging from its aura alone, it was even more fearsome than the Titanic Dragon-Ape he had encountered in the past. How would Meng Lei possibly dare to be negligent and careless?</p><p>Thud, thud, thud!</p><p>The Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s legs were like eight tall, towering trees covered in scarlet red steel needle-like spikes several meters long. Under the light from the campfire, they gleamed with a chilly, blood-red glint.</p><p>Its eight eyes glanced coldly at Little Gold before shifting toward Meng Lei. Its eyes gave off an icy glint, and then, it actually spoke.</p><p>“Human! Get lost! Otherwise! Die!”</p><p>“What the heck? It can actually speak?”</p><p>Meng Lei was astonished. Didn’t they say that only Saint Domain Magical Beasts could speak the human language? How come that Ninth-Grade Magical Beast in front of him could also speak?</p><p>“Evidently, that Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor has already broken through! It’s no Ninth-Grade Magical Beast anymore but a Saint Domain Magical Beast!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos sounded terribly anxious. “Although it has only just broken through, so its aura isn’t that steady, a Saint Domain is ultimately still a Saint Domain. Given your current abilities, it’s very difficult for you to beat it in a battle. You’d better get ready to run. It’s just that it’s a shame about the little ant monarch. You’ll probably have to abandon it…”</p><p>“Broken through?”</p><p>Alarm welled up in Meng Lei’s heart, and the muscles all over his body tensed up. He was fearless against a Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, but it wasn’t the same in the case of a Saint Domain Magical Beast.</p><p>Saint Domain and ninth-grade were as different as day and night. There was no comparison between the two at all.</p><p>“But… It seems like a Saint Domain Magical Beast is worth a lot of money?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes flickered as a crazy idea suddenly formed in his mind. If he killed the Saint Domain Magical Beast in front of him now…</p><p>As for Little Gold, in the instant the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor had appeared, it became so frightened that it quivered and shook like a leaf. It hid behind Meng Lei with everything it got, extremely terrified.</p><p>“Human, get lost!”</p><p>Upon Meng Lei’s silence, the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor lost its patience. It roared into the sky, the roiling soundwaves erupting in Meng Lei’s ears and almost rupturing his eardrums.</p><p>“Get lost? Hehe, what if I refuse?”</p><p>Meng Lei slowly got up. He grabbed the roasted pig trotter on top of the campfire and viciously tore off a piece of meat with a bite. A hint of insanity flashed across his eyes as they bore into the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor.</p><p><em>It has just broken through?</em></p><p><em>Unsteady aura?</em></p><p><em>Then… Why not slay it?</em></p><p>“Kid, what do you intend to do?” An alarmed Ol’ Amos hastily shouted, “Don’t do anything stupid! You’re not the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s match. You’ll throw your life away if you stubbornly fight it!”</p><p>“We’ll only know if I can match up to it after a fight!”</p><p>As Meng Lei took big bites out of the roasted pig trotter, he asked, “Ol’ President, how much do you think that Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor can sell for?”</p><p>“What do you intend to do? You’re out of your mind!” Ol’ Amos was infuriated. “A Saint Domain Magical Beast’s strength is not something you can even begin to imagine. Listen to me, hurry, and run. With your abilities, you’re totally capable of escaping.”</p><p>However, Meng Lei shook his head and replied, “Ol’ President, you just need to tell me how much that Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor is worth.”</p><p>“You… You stubborn mule!”</p><p>A fuming mad Ol’ Amos said, “A Saint Domain Magical Beast is a priceless treasure. You can’t buy one even if you have the money. Even if it does turn up once in a blue moon, it’s also worth an astronomical sum of several billion gold coins.</p><p>“Although that Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor has only just broken through, a Saint Domain Magical Beast is ultimately still a Saint Domain Magical Beast, so it can sell for a hefty 5 billion gold coins at the very least.”</p><p><em>5 billion? That means I can still earn at least a difference of 2.5 billion?</em></p><p>Meng Lei licked his lips, the look of insanity in his eyes intensifying. He burst into laughter and said, “You evil creature, your insignificant little life is mine!”</p><p>“System! Redeem all my Wealth and add them all to my Physical Body Constitution!”</p><p>“Ding!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s Wealth value was instantly reset to zero. All 7,541,721,863 gold coins evaporated into thin air!</p><p>At the same time, as many as 754,172,186 Attribute Points were abruptly added to Meng Lei’s Physical Body Constitution, and a surging and warm turbulent current began to strengthen his body like a tidal wave.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A terrifying aura reaching into the heavens and deep into the ground surged out of Meng Lei. Strong tremors went through everything in the surroundings wherever the hurricane passed through!</p><p>Trees broke into pieces, and dirt flew everywhere!</p><p>The campfire was blown away, and the whole place was in a total mess!</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>Upon sensing the terrifying aura that suddenly erupted from Meng Lei, Ol’ Amos’ eyes were widened so big and round that they almost fell out of their sockets!</p><p>“H-how can that be?!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos practically couldn’t believe what he was seeing.</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>The Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor was mildly surprised, too. However, it was also limited to just a bit of surprise. Although Meng Lei’s aura had strengthened tremendously, it was still within the Ninth-Grade tier.</p><p>A tiny little Ninth-Grade was but just a lowly ant. The Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor didn’t take Meng Lei seriously at all. It had absolute confidence in its own abilities.</p><p>“Ol’ President, I won’t abandon Little Gold, nor will I run away!”</p><p>Meng Lei licked his lips, a look of bloodthirstiness and insanity bursting forth from his eyes. “Open your eyes wide and watch well as I slaughter that beast!”</p><p>Meng Lei had only just spoken when he shot out in a split second.</p><p>In this instant, his speed spiked to its limit. His Physical Body Constitution, which reached as high as 764,330,773 points, made him feel as though his body was brimming with explosive energy, from head to toe.</p><p>His speed, strength, and agility—all of them had undergone a tremendous change.</p><p>“Die, damned beast!”</p><p>In a split second, Meng Lei’s fist, which carried a fearsome power capable of destroying the heavens and earth, had already gone smashing toward the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s abdomen.</p><p>“A tiny little ant that thinks too highly of himself!”</p><p>The Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor let out a snort. The blood-red spikes on its eight legs left the legs and shot abruptly toward Meng Lei like a dense, concentrated rain of swords.</p><p>They moved lightning-quick!</p><p>There were so many that they were densely packed like rain and sealed off the whole place.</p><p>The Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor wanted to stab so many holes into Meng Lei that he’d turn into a sieve.</p><p>“Good job coming here!”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a loud laugh. Dazzling golden light shot out of him, turning him instantly into a golden sun, and he went through a transformation again.</p><p>Dazzling golden armor, savage golden barbed spikes, and a brilliant golden body appeared as he transformed into a Golden Gods-Slaying Ant.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>In that instant, Meng Lei’s aura erupted once more, and his speed spiked dramatically again. Then, he strangely vanished into thin air.</p><p>Stab, stab, stab!</p><p>The dense rain of steel needles missed their target and stabbed into the ground, whereas Meng Lei suddenly appeared underneath the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s abdomen instead. Then, he smashed his fist ruthlessly into its abdomen.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Incredibly wild and violent energy erupted with a deafening boom. Like a drum, the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s belly actually let out a huge brass bell-like boom and produced wave after wave of ripples.</p><p>However, the unfortunate thing was that Meng Lei’s fist didn’t actually manage to punch through it.</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s expression changed at once.</p><p>After he had spent the gold coins in the system, his Physical Body Constitution points had gone as high as 7.6 hundred million.</p><p>In addition, after his ant transformation, his Physical Body Constitution had multiplied by several times again. He had long since broken through the 1 billion mark to reach another level altogether.</p><p>This meant that his body was comparable to a Saint Domain’s after his ant transformation. Since that was so, why wasn’t he able to punch through the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s abdomen?</p><p>“Kid, you’re oversimplifying things!” Ol’ Amos shook his head with a sigh. “The moment a Magical Beast steps into the Saint Domain, they become as strong as a mid-level human Saint Domain, perhaps even a high-level one. How is it something that you can kill?”</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>However, he had only just spoken when he heard a crisp pop. Ol’ Amos looked over in surprise, only to see a black spear piercing through the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s head.</p><p>“Hehe! It’s a good thing that I took precautions, then!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-115

Chapter 115 - I'Ve Grown Too Full Of Myself, But I Didn'T Slip Up That Badly

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 115 - I'Ve Grown Too Full Of Myself, But I Didn'T Slip Up That Badly</h1><p>To be very, very honest, Meng Lei felt that he’d grown a bit too full of himself recently—and the kind of growing into a huge balloon, no less.</p><p>His training in the Magical Beast Forest, the sudden eruption of the ant tide, the series of gold coin expenditure in the system, and his chance encounters had allowed his battle capabilities to skyrocket madly, which had, in turn, allowed him to advance quite a few grades in succession.</p><p>To recap, before he had come to the Magical Beast Forest, he had only been a Seventh-Grade Warrior and a Sixth-Grade Magician. Yet, in just a short month or so, he had already become a Ninth-Grade Warrior and a Ninth-Grade Magician!</p><p>If he were to use his trump cards, he could narrowly compare to a Saint Domain.</p><p>The speed of improvements in his battle capabilities was astounding.</p><p>However, this also made Meng Lei’s ego go through unprecedented inflation. As a result, when facing the Saint Domain Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor, what had occurred to Meng Lei first and foremost hadn’t been to escape but to kill the other party instead.</p><p>A Saint Domain Magical Beast! That was a Saint Domain Magical Beast!</p><p>If he could kill it, just how much would he earn?</p><p>And so, Meng Lei had staked all his assets on the gamble and made a frenzied attack. However, what he didn’t expect was that his best shot at full power hadn’t dealt even the slightest bit of damage to the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor at all.</p><p>How infuriating was that?</p><p>He had put in so much effort, yet it was still completely fine and dandy?</p><p>“It’s a good thing that I’d used the Gods-Slaying Spear when I attacked earlier. Otherwise, I would have been in grave danger.”</p><p>Meng Lei dodged a few times consecutively and put a safe distance between himself and the Magical Beasts. He couldn’t help but be relieved at his decision earlier.</p><p>As the saying went, “Always have a backup plan”!</p><p>No matter when, one must always leave a way out for themselves. Their forefathers didn’t lie, indeed.</p><p>“That kid is actually so devious?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos was dumbfounded. He had thought that Meng Lei was doomed for sure; after all, what he was up against was a Saint Domain Magical Beast.</p><p>How was charging forward like that so recklessly any different from seeking death on his own?</p><p>Little did he expect that Meng Lei would actually be that sly. At the same time as he had attacked, he hadn’t forgotten to use the Gods-Slaying Spear to ambush the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor from the back.</p><p>An attack from the open and another attack from the shadows.</p><p>The double whammy had successfully scammed a good one out of the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor. That was simply too insidious.</p><p>Screeeeechhh!</p><p>The Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor actually didn’t die even after its head was pierced by the Gods-Slaying Spear. Tremendous pain assailed its senses, and it roared again and again, its eyes full of violent brutality and bloodthirstiness.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Its blade-like foreleg lifted into the air and cleaved ruthlessly toward Meng Lei, moving fast and viciously. Should the hit land, even a Colossal Dragon would be cleaved into two.</p><p>“Hehe, you can’t hit me!”</p><p>Meng Lei zoomed backward and retreated. Then, with a snap of his fingers, a 100-meters-wide fireball suddenly appeared above the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor.</p><p>“Flame Inferno… Drop!”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Flame Inferno fell from the sky and crashed against the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s head with pinpoint accuracy, covering its eyes.</p><p>“Here’s my chance!”</p><p>Meng Lei wielded the Gods-Slaying Spear and stabbed it straight into the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s eyes. With a spurt, the Gods-Slaying Spear went all the way in.</p><p>Screech!</p><p>The Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor let out a shrill cry. It looked as if the intense pain would cause it to go berserk any moment.</p><p>Meng Lei was unaffected, however. He appeared at its abdomen again and shouted, “Where are you, Gods-Slaying Spear?!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The Gods-Slaying Spear transformed into a stream of light and returned to Meng Lei’s hand. With the spear in his grip, Meng Lei stabbed it forcefully into the Magical Beast, and then, he dragged it across with great force.</p><p>Rip!</p><p>Amid spine-chilling sounds of something being ripped, a deep fissure was slashed through the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s abdomen.</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>Foul-smelling scarlet-red blood sprayed about like a waterfall. Meng Lei sneered, and a ten-meter-long thunder arrow instantly appeared.</p><p>It was the Eighth-Grade Spell, Thunderbolt Light Arrow!</p><p>“Go!”</p><p>Meng Lei casually hurled it forward. The Thunderbolt Light Arrow cut through the air and stabbed accurately into the fissure.</p><p>“Your skin may be incredibly tough, but I don’t believe that your guts are just as tough!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s form retreated in an explosive burst of speed. Just as he dodged, the Thunderbolt Light Arrow that had shot into the fissure exploded with a loud boom. As the deafening explosion rang out, the light from lightning spilled everywhere freely, and blood sprayed about. A huge pit was blasted out of the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s abdomen.</p><p>Splash!</p><p>Together with blood and bits of flesh, brightly-colored innards and internal organs came smashing down onto the ground, emitting dull bams as they did so. A shocking stench rushed toward Meng Lei, and he almost threw up his meal from the night before.</p><p>“What the heck?” Meng Lei quickly held his hand over his nose and mouth and retreated swiftly. “Has that thing been eating sh*t or what? It stinks!”</p><p>The consecutive attacks had obviously heavily injured the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor. Its eight legs scrabbled at its internal organs, trying to stuff the foul-smelling organs back into its abdomen.</p><p>However, with such a huge hole there, how was it supposed to stuff them back?</p><p>Even after half a day of efforts spent in vain, it didn’t manage to stuff the internal organs back inside. On the contrary, its stamina even depleted at a faster rate. Its body became weaker and weaker, while its roars turned softer and softer.</p><p>At last, the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air intermittently. Its eyes also began to dull and glaze over, looking as though it was on the brink of death.</p><p>“Haha, I’ve succeeded!”</p><p>Meng Lei appeared on top of a large tree and watched the dozens of meters tall massive creature that was slumped on the ground, his blood boiling in excitement and agitation.</p><p>He had actually killed the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor, a Saint Domain Magical Beast!</p><p>“I… can kill even a Saint Domain now?” Meng Lei murmured to himself, feeling as though he was in a dream.</p><p>“Brat, you’ve actually managed to kill the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor!” Ol’ Amos exclaimed as he emerged.</p><p>He examined the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor that was barely breathing anymore as he twisted his beard, also finding himself in disbelief. He remarked, “Even though you did use a divine weapon like the Gods-Slaying Spear, I am still truly impressed that you managed to kill it.”</p><p>“Haha, it was just luck. Luck!”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a couple of loud laughs. Then, the Gods-Slaying Spear flew out of nowhere and stabbed wildly at the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s head. Although that thing was already at death’s door, who knew how long it would take before it would really breathe its last?</p><p>Meng Lei felt awfully insecure looking at his starkly empty Wealth, so he desperately needed gold coins. Many, many gold coins!</p><p>Stab, stab, stab!</p><p>A series of mad stabbings later, the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s head turned into a sieve, riddled with innumerable holes. It was only then that the powerful Saint Domain Magical Beast died with great grievance amid feelings of indignation and humiliation.</p><p>It really was filled with great indignation.</p><p>It, a high and mighty Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor, had immediately annihilated its eternal foe, the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants when it had only just broken through to the Saint Domain realm. It had been in high and vigorous spirits, ready to achieve great things!</p><p>Who would have expected that things would go downhill at its peak?</p><p>It had only just ascended to the peak of its spider life and hadn’t even begun to enjoy its life, yet this had to happen. Not only did it not manage to wipe out the remnants of the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants, but it had even lost its life.</p><p>It really fulfilled the meaning behind the saying, “Life is unpredictable; who knows which would come first—tomorrow, or an accident?”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor killed. 5.2 billion gold coins gained!”</p><p>A system notification appropriately rang out at this point. The cold, emotionless voice sounded just like music to Meng Lei’s ears, making him feel as if he was intoxicated.</p><p><em>Hehe! Although it was dangerous, my gamble paid off! Adding the extra 5 billion from the magic core to these 5.2 billion gold coins, that makes it 10 billion gold coins!</em></p><p><em>And that stinky carcass! I’ve struck it big, struck it big…</em></p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-116

Chapter 116 - Taking Inventory Of His Rewards, The Underground World

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 116 - Taking Inventory Of His Rewards, The Underground World</h1><p>With the end of the battle, peace and quiet were restored in the forest.</p><p>A campfire continued to blaze. On the ground, a short distance away quietly laid a massive object as tall as a building more than a dozen floors tall—the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s carcass.</p><p>Meng Lei admired its carcass as he munched away on a fragrant pig trotter, carefree and happy.</p><p>Although he had taken a risk in killing the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor, it had brought him handsome rewards and benefits.</p><p>The first was the 10 billion gold coins (inclusive of the magic core). Not only had he gotten back his 7.5 billion gold coins, but he had even earned an additional 2.5 billion.</p><p>This transaction… was totally worth it.</p><p>Next was the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s carcass.</p><p>Every part of a Saint Domain Magical Beast was a piece of invaluable treasure. The Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor could probably fetch a few billion gold coins at the very least.</p><p>That was another sum of profits.</p><p>The last was his Physical Body Constitution points that reached as high as 7.6 hundred million. This implied that as long as Meng Lei was willing to, he could spend 2.4 billion gold coins to break through the 1 billion points limit and step into the Saint Domain realm anytime.</p><p>A Saint Domain-level body at 16 years old—that was something rarely seen even in the long course of history!</p><p>“Hahaha!”</p><p>Immersed in his thoughts, Meng Lei couldn’t help bursting into loud laughter as he ate and drank. His free and unrestrained laughter echoed in the quiet forest like an owl’s cries, making one awfully creeped out.</p><p>“Hmph! What are you acting so triumphant for?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos sat cross-legged on top of a large tree. Terribly cross, he couldn’t resist letting out a snort secretly upon hearing Meng Lei’s laughter.</p><p>A while ago, he had asked Meng Lei how he had suddenly become so strong for no apparent reason. However, the response he had gotten was the three words, “It’s a secret!”, which terribly vexed the old man.</p><p>He had held nothing back and was very serious in teaching Meng Lei, but look at how the little bastard was keeping so many secrets from him in the end.</p><p>Thus, Ol’ Amos was very displeased.</p><p>“Since you’re keeping me in suspense, then fine.” Ol’ Amos gnashed his teeth secretly, “If I answer any of your questions again in the future, I’ll acknowledge you as my ancestor!”</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t know what Ol’ Amos was thinking, and he continued to eat, drink, and laugh. Upon sensing Ol’ Amos’ unusual expression, he couldn’t help but ask with a grin, “Ol’ President, can this Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor still fit in your spatial magic device?”</p><p>“Hmph!” Ol’ Amos snorted. “My spatial magic device has long since been full. Don’t you have any idea whether or not there’s any space left?”</p><p>“Uh…”</p><p>Meng Lei frowned slightly. He was in a pickle now—that was a carcass worth a few billion gold coins. There was no way he could possibly discard it, of course.</p><p>But where could he store it? Maybe he should get a few more spatial rings?</p><p>But that was an Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor that was as tall as a building over a dozen floors high. How many spatial rings would he need in order to fully store all of it?</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s gaze unwittingly landed on Little Gold. Wasn’t Little Gold’s stomach very big? Could it be used as a spatial ring?</p><p>Meng Lei popped the question the moment the thought occurred to him.</p><p>“Yes, it can. My stomach is very big.”</p><p>Little Gold nodded its little head to express that it was possible. After the events just now, it had become on even closer terms with Meng Lei now.</p><p>“That’s wonderful! Haha, Little Gold, you’re so awesome!”</p><p>Meng Lei was thrilled. “Little Gold, hurry and keep the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s carcass. Let’s go and do something big, hehe. Something big that’ll definitely make you very happy!”</p><p>“Yes, yes!”</p><p>Little Gold had no objections, of course. It climbed over to the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor, opened its mouth, and sucked in a deep breath. For a while there, something that left Meng Lei and Ol’ Amos dumbstruck took place:</p><p>The space around the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor carcass actually began to warp and distort. As if ripples spreading out on the water surface of a lake, ripples started to wrap around the carcass one by one!</p><p>The Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor carcass flew swiftly toward Little Gold, its size shrinking as it did. By the time it reached Little Gold, it had turned as tiny as a rice grain.</p><p>Then, Little Gold swallowed it into its belly in one gulp.</p><p>“This…” A huge jolt went through Meng Lei, and he asked in disbelief, “Ol’ President, is that space magic?”</p><p>“No! Space magic has long since been lost to the world!” Ol’ Amos shook his head. “That is just a simple space skill. Even so, it’s already very astonishing. The Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline is very extraordinary, indeed!”</p><p><em>The Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline?</em></p><p>A thought occurred to Meng Lei.</p><p><em>Didn’t I just assimilate the Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline? Do I have a spatial ability like that?</em></p><p>Meng Lei hastily checked his own body the moment the notion occurred to him.</p><p>He directed spiritual power rapidly to his stomach. However, even after staring at it for half a day, there wasn’t even a speck of dust there.</p><p>His stomach was still the same size as ever. It was close to becoming unable to fit even the roasted pig trotter he had just eaten, much less the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor’s carcass.</p><p>Meng Lei’s lip corner spasmed for a moment there. All that joy had been for nothing.</p><p>“I’ve stored all of it!”</p><p>Little Gold let out a burp and crawled over joyfully.</p><p>“You’re so awesome, Little Gold!”</p><p>Meng Lei readjusted his frame of mind. Then, he fondled Little Gold’s head and asked smilingly, “Do you want to go home Little Gold?”</p><p>“Go home?”</p><p>Little Gold was taken aback by his question. Then, a look of dejection came over its face, and it replied, “Of course I want to, but I can’t. The Underground Cave Magical Spiders have taken over the ant nest, and even the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest has…”</p><p>“It’s fine as long as you wish to go back.” Meng Lei reached out and carried it in his arms. “You should know the way back home, right? How about we go to your home now?”</p><p>Little Gold’s eyes lit up at once, hope and anticipation filling them. “Really?”</p><p>“Of course!” A smiling Meng Lei replied, “The Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor is already dead. Its remaining henchmen are just useless nobodies. They can’t stop us.”</p><p>“Yes, yes!” Little Gold was terribly worked up. Tears of joy trickled from its eyes.</p><p>“Haha, let’s go,” Meng Lei replied with a laugh.</p><p>Then, with Little Gold in his arms, he charged into the dense and dark forest.</p><p>…</p><p>Be it to humans or to Magical Beasts, the current Magical Beast Forest was an absolute forbidden zone. The ant tide wandering about everywhere ripped every lifeform it encountered into shreds.</p><p>Meng Lei, however, advanced unopposed and moved about unrestrained. Under Little Gold’s guidance, he found an entrance in no time and entered the underground world.</p><p>The so-called entrance was actually a cavern leading to the underground. Deep, quiet, and dark, it was as tall as a few people and dead silent.</p><p>Meng Lei found it especially novel. He looked around everywhere while Little Gold introduced the underground world to him.</p><p>“The underground world is shrouded in mystery and is even more complex than the world aboveground. There are numerous layers of space sandwiched in between one another, and many underground lifeforms live in these spatial layers.</p><p>“These spatial layers pass through innumerable caverns and are linked to countless tunnels. It is just like an underground maze. It’s very easy for one to lose their way if they don’t have any underground lifeform leading them.</p><p>“Once they are lost, they’ll be trapped underground. When that happens, they’ll be doomed for sure.”</p><p>“Lost?” Meng Lei was startled.</p><p>“Yes, lost!”</p><p>Little Gold nodded. “Take us, the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants, for example. With our headquarters, the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest, as the center, the whole area within a radius of several dozen million square kilometers, belongs to us, the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants!</p><p>“And distributed within this area are a total of several billion underground caves, burrows, passages, and tunnels of various sizes. Just like tree branches, they are scattered about in every corner of our turf.</p><p>“Dense, packed, and countless.</p><p>“The entire ant nest can be said to be a gigantic maze. Without any guidance, outsiders can forget about finding the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest. It is also the home that we, the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants, depend on for survival and our habitat that we rely on for self-protection.”</p><p>Little Gold’s head was raised, its eyes brimming with pride. However, it hung its head again very soon. “It’s just a shame that the Underground Cave Magical Spiders are an exception. They have been enemies with us, the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants, for generations and have a very thorough understanding of the ant nest’s distribution. That was why…”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-117

Chapter 117 - Bloodthirsty Golden Nest, The Ant Tide Concludes

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 117 - Bloodthirsty Golden Nest, The Ant Tide Concludes</h1><p>The Underground Cave Magical Spiders and the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants had been at war for tens of thousands of years. Ultimately, it was the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants that had lost in the end, and it had been a terrible defeat at that.</p><p>If not for Meng Lei, even Little Gold, the current ant monarch, would have been wiped out by the Underground Cave Magical Spiders. This could be said to be an utter defeat for them.</p><p>With regard to this, Little Gold was filled with dejection.</p><p>“Little Gold, you’re still young. This isn’t your fault.” Meng Lei patted Little Gold on the head. “Besides, the final outcome is that you’re still alive, while the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor is dead. That’s the most important thing, isn’t it?”</p><p>“Yes, yes!” Little Gold repeatedly nodded, its grief turning into joy.</p><p><em>Yes, I’m still alive! It’s only when I’m alive that there’ll still be hope.</em></p><p>They went down the meandering path.</p><p>Sometimes it was spacious, and sometimes it was narrow.</p><p>Sometimes it was filled with jagged, strangely-shaped rocks, and sometimes it was surrounded by cliff and precipitous rock walls.</p><p>Sometimes there were undercurrents and corridors, and sometimes there were bottomless pits that stretched all the way down.</p><p>The terrain was very irregular, and it was dark and lightless. If not for Little Gold guiding him, Meng Lei really wouldn’t have the guts to continue forward.</p><p>One would lose their way going about in a place like this the moment they got a little careless, and once they lost their way, only death awaited them. There was no way they would survive at all.</p><p>“Ol’ President, have you ever been to the underground?”</p><p>“No…”</p><p>They chatted idly as they walked.</p><p>At last, an especially spacious underground cavern finally appeared ahead of them. Little Gold introduced the place and said, “This is one of the spatial layers.”</p><p>“One of the spatial layers?” Meng Lei turned to look.</p><p>The spatial layer was very big, and one couldn’t see to the end of it at one glance. It was also 1,000 feet tall and appeared exceedingly wide and spacious.</p><p>The amazing thing was that there were patches of glowing plants growing on the ground, walls, and ceilings, making it look as if it was a forest, and they lit up the spatial layer very brightly.</p><p>“It’s gorgeous!”</p><p>Meng Lei was astounded by the sight. The glowing forest in front of him was as if twinkling, brilliant jewels. They gave off a dreamy glow and looked splendid and magnificent.</p><p>“Even the scenery in Pandora’s night forest in the movie Avatar is nothing more than this,” Meng Lei murmured to himself.</p><p>“Who would have thought that a beautiful place like this would actually exist in such a dark and quiet underground? The Creator is amazing, indeed!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos was also pretty astounded. He stroked his beard as he gazed at the glowing forest, his speech full of admiration.</p><p>Rustle, rustle!</p><p>Just as the two of them were immersed in their feelings of astoundment at the beautiful scenery in front of them, dozens of grayish-white Underground Cave Magical Spiders suddenly emerged. They trampled freely on the glowing forest, plowing several deep ditches in the forest.</p><p>What a blot on the landscape!</p><p>“Underground Cave Magical Spiders,” shouted Little Gold, its eyes full of hatred and fury.</p><p>This particular spatial layer had originally belonged to them, the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants and Underground Cave Magical Spiders were forbidden from entry. Yet these vile invaders were actually walking about in here unbridled now. It was simply too infuriating!</p><p>“Underground Cave Magical Spiders?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s objective in coming underground was exactly to annihilate the Underground Cave Magical Spiders. Upon the sight of them now, how would he possibly stand on ceremony?</p><p>“Go!”</p><p>The Gods-Slaying Spear hurtled out at once.</p><p>Stab, stab, stab!</p><p>The Gods-Slaying Spear formed an illusory arc in the air. Amid crisp, melodious sounds, before the dozens of Underground Cave Magical Spiders could even react, the Gods-Slaying Spear had already pierced through their heads. All of them fell to the ground, dead.</p><p>“A bunch of detestable killjoys.”</p><p>Meng Lei kept the Gods-Slaying Spear away. His gaze swept across the Underground Cave Magical Spiders carcasses, too lazy to even bother with their magic cores. The hundred thousand or so gold coins were simply too beneath his taste.</p><p>“Let’s continue forward.”</p><p>After cutting through the spatial layer, they entered another dark, quiet tunnel and continued advancing. The beauty and wonder of the underground world revealed themselves bit by bit to Meng Lei and Ol’ Amos’ eyes.</p><p>All the spatial layers! All the expanses of glowing forests! They were gorgeous, magnificent, and glowed brilliantly!</p><p>As Meng Lei and Ol’ Amos enjoyed the visual feast, they also finally arrived at an entirely different spatial layer—it was gold in color.</p><p>This was a golden dimension.</p><p>Golden lands!</p><p>Golden skies!</p><p>Golden walls!</p><p>Golden plants!</p><p>Everything was gold in color!</p><p>Dazzling golden light lit up the entire world, and scattered all over the wide and flat golden lands were several holes.</p><p>There were up to a million of these well-sized holes. They were distributed evenly on the ground in a dense, packed, and tidy manner. All the holes were identical in size and the spaces between each hole less than 10 meters wide each.</p><p>It looked like a hornet nest, yet also like a beehive.</p><p>Honey-like golden liquid filled the holes, and there were even white, round ant eggs soaking in some of them.</p><p>“That’s…”</p><p>Meng Lei and Ol’ Amos’ eyes widened big and round.</p><p>“That’s my clan’s divine weapon—the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest!”</p><p>Little Gold was awfully excited. “All my subjects are born here, so they have a mysterious connection with the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest. A young ant monarch can command all its subjects through the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest.”</p><p>“I see.”</p><p>“That’s so amazing!”</p><p>Meng Lei and Ol’ Amos were greatly astounded. However, a look of grief surfaced in Little Gold’s eyes as it gazed at the quiet Bloodthirsty Golden Nest.</p><p>“Before the Underground Cave Magical Spiders’ invasion, the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest was very lively and bustling. The queen produced eggs every day, and the worker ants went in and out of the nest. But now…”</p><p>There was only dead silence.</p><p>There was no ant queen here, and the worker ants were nowhere in sight.</p><p>The Bloodthirsty Golden Nest was frighteningly quiet. Even the ant eggs soaking in the holes were still and motionless—clearly, they had already been dead for a long time.</p><p>The Bloodthirsty Golden Nest was in a bleak and desolate state.</p><p>“Cheer up, Little Gold. As long as you, the ant monarch, are still alive, reviving your past glory won’t be a problem.” Meng Lei said with a smile, “The most pressing issue now is to take control of the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest and summon back all the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants wandering outside now so that they won’t continue to wreak havoc outside.”</p><p>“Yes, yes! I understand!” Little Gold nodded.</p><p>Then, it flapped its little wings and dived into the center of the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest, a hole about two-meters-wide.</p><p>Before long, a mystical, desolate horn blast traveled out of the Bloodthirsty Golden Nest, sending out some kind of mysterious and unknown message.</p><p>“Ol’ President, do you understand what the horn blast is saying?” asked Meng Lei as he looked at Ol’ Amos.</p><p>Ol’ Amos shook his head, indicating that he didn’t, and replied, “It’s probably the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants’ unique way of communication.”</p><p>What the two of them didn’t know was that the bleak and desolate horn blast passed through the golden world and the thick rock layers to finally reach the Magical Beast Forest’s surface.</p><p>Then, an amazing sight happened:</p><p>All the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants, no matter which part of Magical Beast Forest they were in, no matter where they were, and no matter what they were doing—without any exceptions, all of them came to a stop!</p><p>They miraculously froze on the spot, as if all of them had their movements sealed. All of them turned still and motionless, their actions neat and uniform.</p><p>The ones pursuing Magical Beasts… came to a stop.</p><p>The ones attacking cities… came to a stop.</p><p>The ones wandering about… came to a stop.</p><p>“What’s going?”</p><p>“Why has the ant tide stopped moving?”</p><p>Countless people and beasts under the ant tide’s threat were utterly baffled. Then, under their even more bewildered gazes, the ant tide withdrew like the receding tide.</p><p>In the blink of an eye, all of them had cleanly withdrawn.</p><p>If anyone were to be looking down from the sky at this moment, they would see an unbelievable sight—countless ants surging from all directions and converging at the same place, the entrance to the underground world!</p><p>At last, all of them dived right into the entrance and returned to their world!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-118

Chapter 118 - Returning To The Academy, Ten Superior-Grade Elemental Affinities

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 118 - Returning To The Academy, Ten Superior-Grade Elemental Affinities</h1><p>With the rise of the morning sun, the rays of dawn shone upon the land.</p><p>In front of the solemn and stately academy gates, an endless stream of horses, carriages, and people flowed to and fro. Guards in golden armor swept their eyes over the students going in and out of the academy, their eyes cold and sharp as though hawks.</p><p>“Tell me honestly, Alex. How many cute, gentle, little maidservants did you defile this winter break again?”</p><p>“Get lost, get lost! Don’t spoil my reputation!”</p><p>“Pooh! Who doesn’t know that you, Alex, are a famous lustful fiend? After holding it back for half a year in the academy, wouldn’t you let loose after you go home?”</p><p>“Bastard! Would it kill you to stop talking that much…”</p><p>As Meng Lei stood in front of the majestic and awe-inspiring gates and listened to the laughter and bantering around him, a brand-new sense of vigor and spirit shone in Meng Lei’s eyes.</p><p>The Underground Cave Magical Spiders had been annihilated, and Little Gold had stayed behind in the underground world.</p><p>After spending a day settling the arrangements for the Magical Beast Village villagers, Meng Lei also left. A night’s journey later, he was finally back at the academy.</p><p>He had undergone astonishing changes during this month or so away from the academy. It felt rather as though things had changed, but it was also a brand-new beginning.</p><p>Meng Lei had a lot of plans in mind, so he was looking very much forward to the future.</p><p>In comparison, the old geezer next to him was in a completely different mood—his body trembled, his eyes were red, and he was beside himself with agitation.</p><p>This was something understandable, though.</p><p>Ol’ Amos had still been this academy’s president and a high and mighty Saint Domain Great Magician when he had left back then. Yet upon his return 20,000 years later, he had become a wandering ghost instead.</p><p>How times had changed and how things had changed!</p><p>“Never would I have thought that I’d be back.” After gazing at the academy for a long while, Ol’ Amos sighed softly and said, “During those 20,000 years when I was trapped underground, I had wanted to come back and take a look even in my dreams. My wish has finally come true today.”</p><p>“There’s nothing much to see outside the gates, Ol’ President. Let’s go, I’ll bring you around inside.”</p><p>Meng Lei smilingly took his magic badge out of his spatial ring and pinned it on his chest. Then, he walked toward the academy gates.</p><p>The golden-armored guards’ line of vision landed on Meng Lei. When they saw the magic badge on his chest, they provided no obstruction and allowed Meng Lei in.</p><p>“Ol’ President, let’s go and take a look at the Saint Dragon Square first.”</p><p>“The Saint Dragon Square? What’s that?”</p><p>“You’ll see when you get there.”</p><p>They passed through the cooling, quiet sycamore tree-lined little path. Then, dozens of different statues entered their sight.</p><p>Meng Lei pointed at the Saint Domain statues and said cheerfully, “This is the Saint Dragon Square, Ol’ President.”</p><p>“Why did they put so many statues in such a big area here? What a waste of space!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos frowned lightly, a look of displeasure surfacing in his eyes. Nevertheless, he still walked over to the statue nearest to him and began to inspect it closely.</p><p>“Fred Flit, the 348th, and current academy president. A noble and powerful thunder-elemental Saint Domain Great Magician, his forte is thunder-elemental magic and thunder-elemental Dragon-Language Magic. He is the first person to successfully unravel the secret of the Titan Holy Thunder…</p><p>“…created a total of 1,058 thunder-elemental Dragon-Language Magic spells and normal spells, and made the most outstanding contribution to the research and development of thunder-elemental magic…</p><p>“Eh?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos was mildly taken aback when he read the history of this Saint Domain statue. “The current academy president is pretty impressive. He has actually managed to unravel the secret behind the Titan Holy Thunder. Impressive, impressive!”</p><p>“The Titan Holy Thunder?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rather puzzled.</p><p>“The Titan Holy Thunder is the Titan Empire royal family’, the Thunder Titans’ exclusive thunder-elemental spell. Its might is several times, even up to dozens of times, that of ordinary thunder-elemental spells. Even thunder-elemental Dragon-Language Magic pales in comparison to it.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos explained, “I had participated in the empire’s war with the Titan Empire back then, and had a taste of the Titan Holy Thunder’s might. The memory is still fresh in my mind even now.”</p><p>“Several times, even up to dozens of times…”</p><p>A huge jolt went through Meng Lei.</p><p>Ol’ Amos said with a smile, “Brat, you have thunder-elemental magic talent. If you wish to learn thunder-elemental Dragon-Language Magic and Titan Holy Thunder, the current academy president is probably someone pretty good to learn from.”</p><p>“I’ll try my best.”</p><p>Despite looking thoughtful, Meng Lei wasn’t very confident about it.</p><p>The academy president had always been someone elusive and hard to track down. He was rarely in the academy; Meng Lei had only seen him once during the opening ceremony, and never again ever since.</p><p>Learn from him? Where was he supposed to even find him?</p><p>“Don’t worry, there’s Fire Dragon blood in you, so you can also be considered part of royalty. This little fellow named Fred Flit is evidently also a member of the royal family. I should think that he wouldn’t reject your request to learn from him,” Ol’ Amos said with a smile as he twisted his beard.</p><p>“A member of the royal family?” An unusual gleam flashed across the depth of Meng Lei’s eyes.</p><p>“Let’s go and look at the other statues.”</p><p>A look of curiosity appeared in Ol’ Amos’ eyes. “I’m very curious to know what kind of fine juniors the academy has produced during the last 20,000 years…</p><p>“Dexter Drinkwater, the 319th academy president. A noble earth-elemental Saint Domain Great Magician. He created a total of 82 types of first-class spells…</p><p>“Augustus Flit…”</p><p>Ol’ Amos looked at the statues leisurely, nodding and giving praise sometimes, reserving his comments sometimes, shaking his head and sighing sometimes, not leaving out any of them. Just like that, an hour went by.</p><p>At last, Ol’ Amos finally came to the third last statue. His expression changed at once, becoming one that was extremely complex, furious, indignant, regretful, disappointed…</p><p>This was the first time Ol’ Amos had ever shown an expression like that. Meng Lei couldn’t help but become rather puzzled. Did he know the owner of that statue?</p><p>“Adolf Holman, the student with the strongest magic talent, shortest duration of study, and the youngest to graduate from the academy in all of Fire Dragon Magic Academy’s history. He is also the youngest Eighth-Grade Great Magician, Ninth-Grade Great Magician, and Saint Domain Great Magician in all of Dragon God Empire’s history. He was only 38 years old when he broke through to Saint Domain…”</p><p>Meng Lei had read Adolf Holman’s deeds and achievements before. However, at that time, he’d only taken them as a forefather’s glorious achievements. Apart from astonishment and admiration, he didn’t have any other thoughts about it.</p><p>However, he found them rather unfathomable now.</p><p>Not only did he create three records in the academy, but he also created another three records in the empire!</p><p>Not only did he create three records in the academy, but he also created another three records in the empire.</p><p>Now, that was impressive.</p><p>He’d actually created so many records!</p><p>Moreover, judging from the statue’s location, Adolf Holman was probably someone from 20,000 years ago and belonged to the same era as Ol’ Amos. This meant that those records he’d created had been maintained all this time over the last 20,000 years with no one breaking them.</p><p>What was the meaning of ‘unprecedented’? This was it!</p><p>Meng Lei developed a strong interest in such an amazing figure at once. He asked, “Ol’ President, do you know this person named Adolf Holman?”</p><p>“He’s my disciple!” Ol’ Amos replied, “My only disciple!”</p><p>“So, he’s your disciple!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos had been the academy president back then. Since Adolf had such wonderful talent, it was very normal that Ol’ Amos would take him in as his disciple.</p><p>Ol’ Amos sighed as he said, “Adolf was only 9 years old when he enrolled in the academy, but he possessed all-elemental superior-grade affinities, which was the first of its kind in history. This could be said to be a record never before seen in history and never to appear again!”</p><p>“All-elemental superior-grade affinities?”</p><p>Meng Lei was taken aback. “What kind of body constitution is that?”</p><p>“You know the ten elements of magic, right? All-elemental means that he possesses elemental affinity for all ten magic elements. In addition, all ten of his elemental affinities were… superior-grade!” replied Ol’ Amos slowly in a deep, low voice.</p><p>“S-superior-grade for… T-ten elements?”</p><p>Meng Lei jerked fiercely, almost wetting himself in trepidation.</p><p><em>Oh my goodness!</em></p><p><em>Earth, water, wind, fire, wood, metal, thunder, light, dark, and ice!</em></p><p><em>Superior-grade for all of them!?</em></p><p><em>Hiss!</em></p><p><em>He was actually that scary!?</em></p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-119

Chapter 119 - Abyss Demons, Private Territory

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 119 - Abyss Demons, Private Territory</h1><p>Meng Lei considered his own magic talent excellent. With three superior-grade elemental affinities—thunder, fire, and wood—and a high-grade earth-elemental affinity, while it might not be the best in the world, few could compare.</p><p>Yet someone even more outstanding than him had emerged before him.</p><p>Superior-grade for all ten elemental affinities.</p><p>“How can anyone possibly have such crazy magic talent?” asked Meng Lei, who found it absolutely unbelievable.</p><p>“That’s why Adolf is hailed as the most talented person in the academy’s history. Even as of now, there’s no one that can surpass him.”</p><p>With a soft sigh, Ol’ Amos said, “It’s exactly because he had an incomparable magic talent that Adolf’s speed of cultivation was extremely fast.</p><p>“He broke through to Sixth-Grade Magician and applied for graduation in just a year after he enrolled in the academy. Then, he wandered about the continent by himself and embarked on an even more glorious and stunning life.</p><p>“He became an Eighth-Grade Great Magician at 17 years old, a Ninth-Grade Great Magician at 25, and successfully broke through to Saint Domain at 38!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos said softly, “During those times, Adolf was like the blazing sun high up in the sky that lit up the entire era. It’s no exaggeration to say that it was the misery of all geniuses and monsters to be born in the same era as Adolf. He crushed everyone so badly that none of them could even raise their heads.”</p><p>“That’s so impressive!”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but be astounded, too. However, what was more puzzling to him was that Ol’ Amos’ tone didn’t sound quite right. Was that self-mockery? And a bitter smile?</p><p>He voiced the question in his mind. “Shouldn’t you be very proud to have such a disciple, Ol’ President?”</p><p>“If what came after hadn’t happened, I would indeed have been very proud. And in truth, before that incident, Adolf had always been my pride and joy, and I was very proud of him.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos let out a sigh, a wry smile all over his face.</p><p>A bewildered Meng Lei asked, “That incident?”</p><p>“In the 148th year after Adolf attained the Saint Domain realm, tens of thousands of Abyss Demons suddenly appeared in Heaven’s Vault Continent.” Ol’ Amos’ voice was full of grief as he went on. “Bloodthirsty and savage, Abyss Demons are innately cruel and brutal and live by slaughtering and massacring others. They are the very embodiment of death and evil themselves.”</p><p>“Abyss Demons?” A huge jolt went through Meng Lei!</p><p>“Nobody knows where the Abyss Demons came from, but they started a huge massacre after they showed up.</p><p>“Countless lives died in misery! Innumerable races were wiped out! And even the four great empires were under threat! Thus, a war that engulfed the whole continent and all the races on it broke out.</p><p>“After a long period of strife, we finally came close to achieving victory in the war. However, just as it reached the most critical final showdown in the war, Adolf… He betrayed us!”</p><p>A look of affliction surfaced on Ol’ Amos’ face as he said, “He ignited and blew up 1,358 mage towers, killing close to 1,000 Saint Domain Magicians and destroying the joint army’s line of defense. This caused the final showdown to ultimately end as a failure.”</p><p>“Why did that happen?” Meng Lei was in disbelief. “Why did Adolf betray you? What good did it do him to do that?”</p><p>“I couldn’t understand why in the beginning, either.” Ol’ Amos shook his head, “It was only after we defeated the Abyss Demons later on and captured Adolf that we learned the reason for his actions.”</p><p>“Why did he do that?” asked Meng Lei.</p><p>“Because Adolf himself was a devil!” Ol’ Amos shut his eyes and explained, “As it turned out, he was a spy that the Abyss had sent to Heaven’s Vault Continent. He had lurked for a long time in Heaven’s Vault Continent in order to make preparations for invading our world.”</p><p>“A devil…”</p><p>Meng Lei was stunned. His eyes involuntarily fell onto the statue of Adolf, which looked dignified and solemn, awe-inspiring and holy.</p><p>A person like that was actually a devil? How unbelievable!</p><p>“Although we triumphed over the Abyss Demons and drove them out of Heaven’s Vault Continent forever in the end, we also paid a heavy price in return. I blamed myself heavily for this.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos let out a sigh and said, “After that incident, I resigned from my position as academy president and left the academy. I began to wander about the continent, never concerning myself with the world’s affairs ever since. I didn’t return to the academy even until I was trapped in the underground.”</p><p>“It has nothing to do with you, Ol’ President.” Meng Lei shook his head and said, “One can only blame Adolf for hiding his intentions too well.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos shook his head. “You needn’t console me. It has already been so many years since the incident, and I had already gotten over it a long time ago. I was just suddenly overcome with emotion when I saw Adolf’s statue out of the blue, that’s all.”</p><p>As he spoke, he left Adolf’s statue and walked over to the second last statue. Then, he began to inspect it.</p><p>“Amos Kroc, the second president of Fire Dragon Magic Academy…” Ol’ Amos had a strange look on his face. “It feels rather odd, staring at a statue of myself.”</p><p>“Haha! Look at how you’re reacting looking at yourself…”</p><p>The two of them continued to stroll about in the academy after they left the Saint Dragon Square.</p><p>Ol’ Amos gesticulated and pointed here and there as he reminisced about the past, while Meng Lei listened as he picked up various stat attributes that had dropped.</p><p>They strolled about leisurely, free and unfettered.</p><p>“Hey, isn’t that Meng Lei?”</p><p>“What the heck? It really is that mutant! He’s probably back here to apply for graduation?</p><p>“That’s very likely. He’s already so strong, so there’s no point in him staying in the academy anymore anyway. If I were him, I would apply for graduation, too.”</p><p>“Apply for graduation? Isn’t Meng Lei a first-year freshman? What’s there for him to graduate from?!”</p><p>“Don’t you know?”</p><p>“Know what?”</p><p>“You actually don’t know when the news is already all over the academy? You’re really so ill-informed and out of the loop. I look down on you!”</p><p>“So what exactly has happened?”</p><p>“Meng Lei is already a Ninth-Grade Great Magician now. I’m guessing that he’s likely going to apply for graduation after coming back this time.”</p><p>“A Ninth-Grade Great Magician? Him? Are you kidding me?”</p><p>“Would I lie to you? I heard that when the ant tide broke out a while ago, Meng Lei showed up at the North River Pass and repelled the ant tide all by himself, and exhibited incomparably terrifying might…”</p><p>“Really? That’s just hearsay, isn’t it?”</p><p>“What hearsay? It has spread throughout the whole academy. Ask around if you don’t believe me…”</p><p>Just how sharp were Meng Lei’s ears? The other students’ comments naturally couldn’t escape his ears.</p><p><em>Apply for graduation?</em></p><p>Meng Lei wanted to laugh. He was certainly a Ninth-Grade Great Magician now, but he didn’t have any intentions of applying for graduation just yet.</p><p>How was he supposed to graduate when he hadn’t learned his thunder-elemental, earth-elemental, and wood-elemental Dragon-Language Magic spells yet, not to mention the Titan Holy Thunder?</p><p>Meng Lei’s magic communication device suddenly rang at this point. He picked up the call and a big, chubby face popped up—it was Fatty Hart.</p><p>“Old bro, you’re back?”</p><p>Meng Lei raised an eyebrow and replied, “You’re pretty up to date with the news. I’ve only just returned, yet you’re already aware.”</p><p>“Haha! I’ve set up a lot of spies in the academy, so I’ll know right away the moment you return.” Fatty Hart let out a laugh and said, “You’ve only just returned to the academy, so I’ll make this short. There are two things in total!”</p><p>“Okay!” Meng Lei nodded.</p><p>“The first is that news of your performance when you were fighting against the ant tide has already reached the royal palace. I heard from my old man that the king intends to host a celebratory banquet to reward you.” Hart laughed and said, “Tsk, tsk. Given your speed of cultivation and your performance at North River Pass, you’ll at least be conferred the life peerage title of an Earl! A life peerage Earl, you know! I’m still just a Viscount even now!”</p><p>“A life peerage Earl?”</p><p>Meng Lei quirked an eyebrow. He didn’t care about an empty title like an Earl and whatnot; so what even if they bestowed upon him the title of a Marquis or a Duke?</p><p>However, the title of nobility wasn’t just an empty one. It brought a lot of practical benefits, such as special privileges and… territory!</p><p>What Meng Lei valued, however, was the territory.</p><p>In this world completely controlled by the nobility, there were a lot of benefits to owning a plot of land that solely belonged to oneself and was one’s private property.</p><p>In that territory, the owner was the local emperor there. They could do whatever they wanted!</p><p>“What about the second issue?” asked Meng Lei.</p><p>“I’ve already contacted the three largest trade associations in the capital and 13 magic core acquisition companies. You can meet with them anytime when you’re back!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-120

Chapter 120 - Meeting The Academy President, I Have An Ancestor

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 120 - Meeting The Academy President, I Have An Ancestor</h1><p>Meng Lei hung up, secretly thrilled.</p><p>During this period of time in the Magical Beast Forest, he had accumulated quite a good number of magic cores. They would definitely sell for a hefty sum of money.</p><p>Cashing out the magic cores! An explosive increase in his wealth!</p><p>Tonight was the night! Meng Lei couldn’t wait!</p><p>Beep, beep, beep!</p><p>The magic communication device rang again at this point. Meng Lei took a look at it—it was his head teacher, Dirk Norway.</p><p>“Meng Lei, you’re back?”</p><p>“Yes, I am, Mr. Dirk.”</p><p>“Good to know that you’re back.” Dirk Norway heaved a sigh of relief. “Where are you at the moment? Come to my office if you’re free. Someone wants to meet you.”</p><p>“Coming right over.”</p><p>After Meng Lei hung up, he said apologetically, “I’m really sorry, Ol’ President. I can’t continue the stroll with you anymore.”</p><p>“Go ahead.” Ol’ Amos waved him off. “You can also ask about the Dragon-Language Magic along the way.”</p><p>“Got it.” Meng Lei nodded.</p><p>Then, he walked toward the faculty building. Half an hour later, he reached the front of the building.</p><p>“Eh?”</p><p>At this point, the countenance of Ol’ Amos, who had been floating about beside him the whole time, suddenly changed a little, and he returned to the spatial ring right away.</p><p>“What’s the matter, Ol’ President?” asked Meng Lei, who looked startled.</p><p>“There’s the presence of Saint Domains in there.” Ol’ Amos replied via spiritual telepathy.</p><p>“Saint Domains!”</p><p>Mildly alarmed, Meng Lei didn’t ask any further. Ol’ Amos was in spiritual form, so most people couldn’t see him. However, a Saint Domain expert could.</p><p>Should a Saint Domain expert discover him, things would become very troublesome. If mishandled, his life might even come under threat!</p><p><em>I didn’t expect there to be Saint Domains in the faculty building.</em></p><p>Meng Lei looked at the building in front of him.</p><p><em>I wonder who it is? The academy president? Or the few vice-presidents?</em></p><p>Mr. Dirk’s office came into view while he was immersed in his thoughts. Meng Lei knocked on the door.</p><p>The door opened, and Mr. Dirk came out to receive him. He looked Meng Lei up and down with joy in his eyes and said cheerfully, “You’re finally back, boy. Here, c’mon in!”</p><p>The office was as quiet as usual. Bookshelves and magic-related books occupied a large half of the space, making the place rather cramped and messy. Meng Lei’s eyes swept across the bookshelves, his thoughts flashing across his mind at high speed.</p><p><em>Mr. Dirk has such a vast collection of books. I wonder if there are any books on Dragon-Language Magic among them?</em></p><p>Just as he was thinking about that, Mr. Dirk’s voice rang out. “Meng Lei, let me introduce someone to you.”</p><p>“Eh?”</p><p>Meng Lei was taken aback for a moment there.</p><p><em>There’s someone else in here?</em></p><p>Meng Lei followed Mr. Dirk’s line of sight and noticed an ordinary-looking red-haired elderly man with a short and round stature. His dressing was very ordinary, and so were his looks. He didn’t exhibit any sort of aura and seemed down-to-earth and unadorned. Plain and unremarkable, he was the kind of person that one would lose sight of the moment he was thrown into the crowd.</p><p>However, Meng Lei felt rather unsettled. With his keen Ninth-Grade Great Magician senses, he could clearly detect other presences in the room, even if it were just a cat.</p><p>Yet, he hadn’t detected the elderly man’s presence at all even after he’d entered the room for such a long time. Was he really just an ordinary old man?</p><p>With a hint of respect, Dirk Norway introduced the man to Meng Lei. He said, “Meng Lei, this is President Fred!”</p><p>“President Fred?” Meng Lei looked dumbfounded. “He’s President Fred? Surely not?”</p><p>“Hahaha! Do you feel that I don’t look like him?” asked the elderly man with a laugh.</p><p>Then, his face began to undergo a swift transformation. It didn’t take long before he turned into a completely different appearance. A pair of horns grew from his head, and his eyes were dignified and awe-inspiring—it was exactly what Meng Lei remembered of the academy president.</p><p>“So it really is the academy president!” exclaimed Meng Lei. He hastily greeted him. “Greetings, President!”</p><p>“Come here, come here. Let me take a good look at you.”</p><p>A smiling President Fred looked at Meng Lei and remarked, “As expected of the most excellent genius our academy has recruited this year. You’re a handsome young man, indeed.”</p><p>“You’re too kind, President.”</p><p>Meng Lei took on a very humble attitude. The man in front of him was a Saint Domain, after all. A high and mighty Saint Domain!</p><p>President Fred asked with a smile, “Meng Lei, I heard that you’re already a Ninth-Grade Great Magician?”</p><p>“Yes, I am!”</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t deny it. He couldn’t deny it, either; a lot of people had already witnessed it. Besides, Meng Lei didn’t intend to, either.</p><p>“I heard from Mr. Dirk that you were only a Fifth-Grade Magician when you left the academy. After that, in just a short month or so, you broke through to become a Ninth-Grade Great Magician!”</p><p>There was a sharp glint in President Fred’s eyes. “A breakthrough speed like that is truly shocking. Even the cultivation speed of Adolf, that Abyss Demon genius whose achievements are peerless in history, wasn’t that fast. I’m very curious, Meng Lei, how did you manage to achieve this?”</p><p>Dirk Norway was also looking at Meng Lei, his eyes filled with puzzlement. Meng Lei’s cultivation speed wasn’t something that could merely be described as “fast” anymore; it was totally illogical.</p><p>President Fred added, “Of course, this is just pure curiosity on my part. I don’t have any intentions of interrogating you. You can choose not to answer if you don’t wish to.”</p><p><em>I can choose not to answer? Yeah, right!</em></p><p><em>If I don’t give you a proper explanation today, you’ll probably think I’m a devil spy, like Adolf!</em></p><p><em>Besides, I still want to learn how to use the Titan Holy Thunder from you. If I don’t convince you today, how am I supposed to learn it?</em></p><p>“This is actually my biggest secret. I didn’t intend to tell anyone initially…” Meng Lei looked awfully troubled as he said, “But since you’ve asked President, then I can only be truthful about it. I hope the President and Mr. Dirk can keep it a secret for me.”</p><p>“Of course!” The two of them nodded repeatedly.</p><p>“Actually, I had an amazing encounter.”</p><p>“An amazing encounter?” President Fred and Mr. Dirk exchanged a look.</p><p>In a deep and low voice, Meng Lei slowly said, “During the recent winter break, when I was training in the Magical Beast Forest, I met one of my ancestors by chance, and received pointers from him…”</p><p>“Brat, what are you trying to do?” Ol’ Amos’ panicked, and his accusatory voice rang out in Meng Lei’s mind. “Why are you ratting this old man out?”</p><p>“This is an emergency, Ol’ President. I can only let you down now!” Meng Lei hastily apologized and said, “But don’t worry, I’m just using you as a scapegoat. It won’t do you any harm!”</p><p>“A scapegoat? You unfilial descendant…” Ol’ Amos was practically boiling mad.</p><p>“Your ancestor?”</p><p>“Pointers from him?”</p><p>President Fred and Mr. Dirk looked at each other. Meng Lei had an ancestor?</p><p>What kind of ancestor could help Meng Lei, a Fifth-Grade Magician, to break through and become a Ninth-Grade Great Magician with just a few pointers?</p><p>“My ancestor’s name is Amos Kroc!”</p><p>Meng Lei sold Ol’ Amos out thoroughly!</p><p>“Amos Kroc?”</p><p>A frowning President Fred sank into contemplation for a brief moment. Then, his countenance suddenly changed. “Are you talking about the academy’s second president from 20,000 years ago, President Amos?”</p><p>“Yes, that’s him.” Meng Lei gave a heavy nod.</p><p>“To think it’s actually him!”</p><p>Mr. Dirk’s eyes widened dramatically, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Meng Lei, are you saying that President Amos is actually still alive? Hasn’t he gone missing?”</p><p>“According to what I know, President Amos had resigned from his position as academy president in the past because of what his disciple, Adolf, did. There was no news of him, and no traces of him at all ever since then.”</p><p>President Fred’s eyes bore into Meng Lei. “Yet you’re saying that he’s been living in seclusion in Magical Beast Forest all this time… Meng Lei, I’m finding your words truly hard to believe!”</p><p>“I know this sounds inconceivable, but it’s the truth.” Meng Lei brought out a red scale. “This is something that my ancestor gave me. He appointed me as the current clan leader of the Krocs and ordered me to restore the Krocs to their former glory.”</p><p>“That’s…”</p><p>President Fred stared hard at the red dragon scale in Meng Lei’s hand. At the sight of this, Meng Lei passed him the scale.</p><p>“A pure-blooded Saint Domain Fire Dragon’s scale! This is a pure-blooded Saint Domain Fire Dragon’s scale!”</p><p>President Fred examined the red dragon scale with a look of shock and astonishment. He said, “Isn’t President Amos a Dragon Person? Could it be that… He has already cultivated till the pinnacle of Saint Domain and has thoroughly been reborn into a pure-blooded Fire Dragon?”</p><p>“No, he probably isn’t just at the pinnacle of Saint Domain!” With a shake of his head, Meng Lei said, “I estimate that my ancestor has already stepped into another realm a long time ago. I once had the fortune to see his true Fire Dragon body. It was as long as 10,000 feet!”</p><p>“10,000 feet? Isn’t that…”</p><p>President Fred took a gasp of chilly air!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-121

Chapter 121 - A Deity Ancestor, A Successful Bluff

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 121 - A Deity Ancestor, A Successful Bluff</h1><p>Colossal Dragons were one of the strongest races in Heaven’s Vault Continent, and their strength was completely and directly proportional to their body size.</p><p>The stronger they were, the bigger they were. And the bigger they were, the stronger they were.</p><p>When an ordinary Colossal Dragon came of age, they were comparable to a Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, and their size reached up to over 20 meters. Should they break through to Saint Domain, they could go up to over 50 meters.</p><p>Following that, as they became stronger, their size would also grow and expand accordingly. However, even the size of a Saint Domain Colossal Dragon at its pinnacle didn’t go beyond 100 meters or so.</p><p>A dragon body that measured up to 10,000 feet—that was no longer the kind of size that a Saint Domain Colossal Dragon at its pinnacle would have. Even a Dragon King that stood above the Saint Domain wasn’t that big.</p><p>“Could President Amos have already surpassed a Dragon King?” President Fred wondered to himself as his eyes flickered in shock and uncertainty.</p><p>A Dragon King!</p><p>To borrow a term of address from other races, they were also known as… Half-deities!</p><p>What was a half-deity?</p><p>Someone that was half-mortal and half-deity!</p><p>Those that possessed a deity’s certain abilities but hadn’t yet shed their mortal bodies to truly metamorphose into a true deity—they were known as half-deities.</p><p>“An existence that surpasses a half-deity? Isn’t that…”</p><p>President Fred couldn’t help gasping in astoundment. “No, that’s impossible! It’s been close to 10,000 years since a deity has been born in Heaven’s Vault Continent. How could President Amos have possibly attained the state of a deity?</p><p>“Could it be that 10,000 years ago, he had already…”</p><p>President Fred’s eyes flickered as countless thoughts flashed past his mind. For a while there, he was rather uncertain about Meng Lei’s claims.</p><p>However, there was one thing that he did believe—Meng Lei likely had really encountered President Amos.</p><p>Firstly, after a period of over 20,000 years, the Krocs had long since been buried in the long course of history. There were very, very few people that knew of a clan like them, let alone a 16-year-old teenager like Meng Lei. Where was he supposed to learn about the Krocs from?</p><p>Secondly, that pure-blooded Fire Dragon scale didn’t lie—most people couldn’t come up with something like that at all.</p><p>Stealing it from a Colossal Dragon’s body? Pulling it off one? Snatching it from one?</p><p>Ha, was that even possible?</p><p>Lastly, Meng Lei was capable of casting Dragon-Language Magic. In particular, the Dragon-Language Magic spells he had cast at North River Pass could explain the issue itself very well—because some of the fire-elemental spells were exactly President Amos’ signature spells from 20,000 years ago, while some of the others were fire-elemental spells that had never before been seen or appeared in the continent.</p><p>Meng Lei’s original spells?</p><p>No, that was impossible! The only likelihood was that they were another person’s original spells.</p><p>In summary of the various points mentioned above, the likelihood of Meng Lei having encountered President Amos was very high. With that, his breakthrough to Ninth-Grade Great Magician in just a mere month’s time now had an adequate explanation.</p><p>As for whether or not President Amos had really become a deity, President Fred was skeptical for the time being—because this matter was simply too outrageous. Before they could find clear evidence on that, he found it very hard to be convinced.</p><p>“Meng Lei, I never thought that you would have such an amazing encounter like that!” President Fred was filled with marvel as he said, “Let alone the fact that you’re actually President Amos’ descendant. This is truly a blessing for the academy and the kingdom.”</p><p>“It’s all thanks to my ancestor’s kind mercy upon me,” replied a humble Meng Lei, who was totally in Best Actor mode.</p><p>“Meng Lei, since you’re a member of our Fire Dragon Kingdom’s royalty, can you let me see what you look like after you transform into a dragon?” President Fred requested.</p><p>No matter how fancy a story Meng Lei could come up with, it would never be as convincing as one’s bloodline. If he possessed a Fire Dragon bloodline, then all doubts would be dispelled.</p><p>“No problem,” Meng Lei replied with a nod. Then, he roused the Fire Dragon bloodline in his body, activated the dragon transformation, and entered a Dragon Person form.</p><p>“Not bad! Not bad, indeed! It’s a pure Fire Dragon bloodline!”</p><p>President Fred repeatedly nodded after witnessing Meng Lei’s dragon transformation. His heart was now completely at ease. He asked, “Meng Lei, President Amos had made a huge contribution to the academy in the past. Since you’re his descendant, is there anything you need help with?”</p><p>After making up and fabricating all sorts of stories for a good half a day, that line of his was exactly what Meng Lei had been waiting for, so how would he possibly stand on ceremony with him? Thus, he made his request right away.</p><p>“High-grade Dragon-Language Magic, as well as the secrets related to the Titan Holy Thunder, are all stored on the top floor of the library.” President Fred, who was all smiles, went on and said, “Initially, only talents that fit certain special requirements are eligible to enter, but since your situation is rather extraordinary, I’ll give you special permission to enter and study there, Meng Lei.”</p><p>“Thank you, President!”</p><p>…</p><p>“That was such a close shave, Ol’ President.” A relieved Meng Lei remarked as he wiped the cold sweat off his brow after leaving the faculty building.</p><p>After giving half-truths and making up all sorts of fabrications, he had finally managed to bluff his way past President Fred.</p><p>A fuming mad Ol’ Amos berated him fiercely, “You little bastard, how dare you make me your scapegoat? I have no such unfilial descendants like you!”</p><p>“Hehe, I really didn’t have no other way out just now, had I?” Meng Lei chuckled sheepishly and said, “If I couldn’t convince President Fred, not only would the Dragon-Language Magic and Titan Holy Thunder go up in smoke, but I might even be charged with the crime of being an Abyss Demon. I’d be dead meat for sure if that happened.”</p><p>Although President Fred was modest and unostentatious, Meng Lei could clearly sense his review and examination of him. If he couldn’t provide him with a satisfactory explanation, the consequences would have been unthinkable.</p><p>“When all’s been said and done, these are the repercussions brought about by my overly-quick cultivation speed. Sigh, looks like I’ll have to keep more of a low profile in the future.”</p><p>“Hmph! Your cultivation is so fast that it’s even crazier than Adolf’s. Who knows, you might really just be an Abyss Demon. This won’t do, I’ll have to investigate this properly, lest you fool me.” Ol’ Amos snorted furiously. “I’ve already been deceived once. I won’t be deceived another time!”</p><p>Meng Lei rolled his eyes. “Ol’ President, it’s not as if you can’t tell whether or not I’m an Abyss Demon? What’s there to deceive you about?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos snorted lightly and replied, “You’re so secretive that it’s hard to say. No, this won’t do! I must investigate this properly, after all.”</p><p>“In that case, you can just do a proper, thorough investigation, then. You’d better not get it wrong.”</p><p>Meng Lei curled his lip disdainfully in response. Then, he changed the subject and said, “President Fred said that the Dragon-Language Magic spells and Titan Holy Thunder studies are placed on the library’s top floor. I’ll go over and take a look right away.”</p><p>“Go, go! Run and advance!”</p><p>…</p><p>The library occupied a very large space and was the grandest and most imposing building in the academy. Even in the whole kingdom, it was considered an impressive building.</p><p>A pair of statues stood tall in front of the library. They were respectively a book on magic and a magic staff.</p><p>The book represented knowledge, while the staff represented magic power. Additionally, one mustn’t overlook the spiritual power holding them suspended in mid-air, too.</p><p>They symbolized the three great power sources of a Magician.</p><p>“How imposing! How magnificent!”</p><p>Meng Lei stopped in his tracks and stood in front of the library. As he lifted his head and gazed at the grand and magnificent white building, he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. “As expected of the largest library in the Fire Dragon Kingdom.”</p><p>“Stop marveling. Hurry, go in and take a look,” Ol’ Amos urged him impatiently.</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>Meng Lei stepped onto the stairs. By virtue of the magic badge pinned on his chest, he successfully entered the library. A magic screen towered in the wide, spacious hall, displaying the entire library collection’s layout.</p><p>There were a total of six floors in the library.</p><p>The first floor contained books on general knowledge, such as <em>The Continent Annals, The History of Dragon God Empire’s Development, An Encyclopedia of Magic Materials, 100,000 Magical Beast Species,</em> and so on.</p><p>The second, third, fourth, and fifth floors all contained books related to magic, ranging from low-grade to high-grade spells, all of them were stored on these four floors.</p><p>Every floor had a total of ten storerooms, each containing books on a specific magic element.</p><p>As for the sixth floor—in other words, the library’s top floor—it wasn’t displayed on the magic screen at all, meaning that access to the floor had been limited.</p><p>“The sixth floor… What I want is on the sixth floor.”</p><p>Unable to suppress the excitement at the bottom of his heart, Meng Lei rode the magic hanging ladder leading up to the sixth floor.</p><p>Beep!</p><p>He had arrived on the sixth floor.</p><p>After exiting the magic hanging ladder, Meng Lei walked toward the corridor leading to the inside. The whole floor was empty, and all the book repositories were also tightly shut.</p><p>The sixth floor was devoid of any human presence, as well as of any object.</p><p>He didn’t see anyone or any open book repositories even after he had walked all the way to the end of the corridor. Meng Lei’s brows involuntarily furrowed into a deep frown. What was he supposed to look at when there was absolutely nothing here?</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>In the midst of Meng Lei’s bewilderment, a colorful light beam suddenly shone down from above him and enveloped him right into it. The next moment, Meng Lei abruptly vanished from where he was.</p><p>The world began to spin, and the environment around him underwent a huge, radical change. It was no longer an empty corridor but a book repository full of bookshelves.</p><p>“It may seem empty and devoid of anything to the eye, but in truth, it’s full of profoundness within. This is what the true top floor of the library really is. Hurry and take a look! What kind of Dragon-Language Magic spells are there!?”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-122

Chapter 122 - Titan Bloodline, Meeting The Gods Of Fortune

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 122 - Titan Bloodline, Meeting The Gods Of Fortune</h1><p><em>A Detailed Explanation of Seventh-Grade Thunder-Elemental Dragon-Language Magic…</em></p><p><em>A Must-Read On Eighth-Grade Earth-Elemental Dragon-Language Magic…</em></p><p><em>A Premium Selection of Ninth-Grade Wood-Elemental Dragon-Language Magic…</em></p><p><em>An Encyclopedia of First-Class Water-Elemental Ultimate Spells…</em></p><p>Not only did the tiny, little book repository contain high-grade Dragon-Language Magic of all elements, but it even housed ultimate-grade spells. There were even thousands upon thousands of first-class spells.</p><p>It was no exaggeration to say that all the powerful spells that had ever appeared in history could all be found here. The fruits of intellectual labor of innumerable predecessors and experts from the Fire Dragon Kingdom over more than 20,000 years were all here.</p><p>“No wonder they kept the place hidden in such a secretive place.” This was a huge eye-opener for Meng Lei. He remarked, “Every spell here is worth a fortune. Even losing just one would be a terribly great loss.”</p><p>“Talents emerge from every generation in this world, and each of them excels in their own domain for years to come, indeed.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos was filled with emotion as he marveled. “Just the number of water-elemental and fire-elemental first-class spells that I’ve never seen before already come up to as many as 1,907 types and 2,348 types, respectively. Looks like the development of magic has never once stopped during the last 20,000 years.”</p><p>“As long as magic continues to be passed down, improvements in magic will never cease.” A smiling Meng Lei shook his head and said, “Every generation has its own geniuses. This is inevitable.”</p><p>“You’re right.” Ol’ Amos nodded lightly. Then, he said, “Hurry and look for the Titan Holy Thunder. I’m very curious as to what kind of secrets there are in it.”</p><p>“Alright, Ol’ President.”</p><p>Meng Lei quickly began his search. After a while, he found a book titled <em>The Secrets of The Thunder Titans: A True Breakdown of The Titan Holy Thunder</em> in a corner—the author’s name was exactly President Fred!</p><p>“Found it!”</p><p>Full of anticipation, Meng Lei began to flip through the book. Ol’ Amos also leaned over. However, they had only read the foreword when both of them broke into frowns.</p><p>“The Titan Holy Thunder is a thunder technique exclusive to the Thunder Titans. Its might is several dozen times, even hundreds of times, that of ordinary thunder techniques. It could be said to be the strongest thunder technique, the king of all types of thunder, and the most supreme of the thunder element.</p><p>“…However, there are very stringent requirements to casting Titan Holy Thunder. The spellcaster needs to possess the Thunder Titan bloodline and use their bloodline as a foundation before they can invoke the powerful Titan Holy Thunder.”</p><p>“Needs to possess the Thunder Titan bloodline?”</p><p>Meng Lei was instantly rendered speechless. “In that case, doesn’t that mean that without the Thunder Titan bloodline, it’s impossible for one to master the Titan Holy Thunder?”</p><p>“Isn’t the current academy president a member of the royalty? Why is he able to master the Titan Holy Thunder?” Ol’ Amos’ brows drew together, “Could it be that he has Thunder Titan blood in him?”</p><p>A jolt went through Meng Lei, and his eyes hurriedly skimmed further down the page. As expected, the related description entered his vision.</p><p>As it turned out, President Fred was actually a rare double bloodline-holder. Not only did he have Fire Dragon blood in him, but he also had Thunder Titan blood in him at the same time.</p><p>“Double bloodline?”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but frown. “Since he has both Fire Dragon bloodline and Thunder Titan bloodline, is President Fred a Dragon Person or a Demigiant? He can actually become the academy president despite such conditions?”</p><p>“There’s no harm about that, though. Just because someone possesses other races’ bloodlines doesn’t mean that they are outsiders. They cannot be generalized like that.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos went on. “After all, Heaven’s Vault Continent has existed for many years. It has experienced multiple eras, and racial mergers have taken place several times. In fact, invasions from foreign parties have even broken out before. After assimilation over the long course of history, how can races that are truly pure-blooded still exist?”</p><p>Meng Lei was stunned by his words.</p><p>“Even pure-blood Colossal Dragons, pure-blood Titans, and the Fairy royalty cannot guarantee that their bodies do not contain even a hint of blood from other races, let alone humans.</p><p>“The humans are the weakest race, and over thousands upon thousands of years, they’ve always been appendages to various stronger races. Therefore, their blood is the most heterogeneous bloodline among all the races.</p><p>“It can be said that the depths of every human’s blood contains many different hidden bloodlines, such as the Dragons’, the Titans’, the Beast People’s… It’s just that they are too diluted and cannot be awakened, that’s all.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos sighed and said, “The current president is a Dragon Person, so it’s not that hard to understand why he has Titan blood in him.”</p><p>Meng Lei was silent in response, but following that, he began to nod slowly.</p><p>The line of reasoning was actually very easy to understand.</p><p>Pure-blood races? How could they possibly exist? As long as one existed in this world, they wouldn’t be able to guarantee that their bloodline was absolutely pure.</p><p>Just like how a basin of pure, clean water would eventually be polluted by all sorts of impurities when placed under the sky—there was no way of avoiding this at all.</p><p>This was what assimilation was, the assimilation of races!</p><p>“It’s just like how there’s Golden Gods-Slaying Ant blood in your body. It’s very likely that there are also other bloodlines in your body. I won’t be surprised in the least even if you awaken the Titan bloodline someday.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos shook his head lightly and continued. “That’s why you cannot treat the current academy president—who has Thunder Titan blood in him—like an outsider or an enemy just because he has awakened the Titan bloodline.</p><p>“In truth, in the Fire Dragon Kingdom and even the whole of the Dragon God Empire, there exist a fair number of people that own special bloodlines in them, among which, there is no shortage of Demigiants, Demi-Beast People, and Demi-Fairies.</p><p>“Although people like them hold bloodlines of other races, they possess great strength and are able to become part of the nobility and hold high-ranking positions all the same.”</p><p>“I see.”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded slowly. Then, he sighed emotionally and said, “Since he has Fire Dragon blood in him and has even awakened his Titan bloodline, President Fred likely has terrifying strength.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos replied with a light nod, “There’s no doubt about that. Otherwise, do you think that the title of number one in thunder techniques in the Fire Dragon Kingdom is a joke?”</p><p>Then, he casually closed the <em>A True Breakdown of The Titan Holy Thunder</em> book and said, “There’s no need for you to continue reading this anymore. You’re not fated with the Titan Holy Thunder, so you’d better just properly study Dragon-Language Magic instead.”</p><p>“Am I not fated with it…”</p><p>An unusual look flashed across the depths of Meng Lei’s eyes. Then, he placed the book back where he had found it.</p><p>For the rest of the time, Meng Lei stayed on the library’s top floor and seriously studied Dragon-Language Magic spells of three elements. His spiritual power had become very strong by now, so he had encyclopedic knowledge and a retentive memory, enabling him to remember everything he saw.</p><p>He needed to read a ninth-grade Dragon-Language Magic spell only a few times to be able to copy it slavishly and cast it successfully.</p><p>Difficulty level?</p><p>The concept didn’t even exist!</p><p>Time always passed awfully quickly when one got busy. Before he knew it, a day had gone by just like that. Close to dinnertime, Meng Lei received a round of urging from Fatty Hart.</p><p>“Old bro, we’re already at Juxian Restaurant. You’re the only one left now. When will you be reaching?”</p><p>“You’re already there? It’s still so early in the day!”</p><p>It was then that Meng Lei suddenly realized to his astonishment that it was already dinnertime.</p><p>“Damn! I was too engrossed in reading!” Meng Lei smacked his forehead and hurriedly said, “Fatty, entertain the guests for me first. I’m coming right over!”</p><p>“Don’t worry, leave it to me.” Then, Fatty Hart added with a laugh, “You’d better hurry, though. The ones that have come are very busy people, so time is of the essence for them!”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>…</p><p>By the time Meng Lei hurried over to Juxian Restaurant, half an hour had already passed. Fatty Hart was in the midst of entertaining the guests when he reached the private dining room.</p><p>“Old bro! You’re finally here!”</p><p>Fatty Hart quickly greeted Meng Lei and led him inside. Then, with a smile, he made the introductions. “Everyone, let me do the introductions. This is Meng Lei, the strongest genius in all of our Fire Dragon Magic Academy’s history, as well as the seller today.”</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Everyone’s gazes fell on Meng Lei at the same time with looks of curiosity, blazing passion, and anticipation in their eyes.</p><p>They had heard of Meng Lei’s great repute, of course. The North River Pass battle, in particular, had even allowed his name to resound among the kingdom’s upper-class.</p><p>Who didn’t know that Meng Lei had driven back the ant tide all by himself?</p><p>Who didn’t know that Meng Lei had hundreds of thousands of magic cores in his possession?</p><p>As businessmen, what they cared about the most was still those hundreds of thousands of magic cores, of course. This was a huge transaction amounting to hundreds of millions, or even billions of gold coins, after all. Who wouldn’t be filled with fervency toward it?</p><p>“Old bro, the ones seated here are the representatives and people in charge of business dealings in the capital from the three largest trade associations in the kingdom and 13 other magic core acquisition companies.”</p><p>“Sorry to keep everyone waiting!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-123

Chapter 123 - Sell, Sell, Sell! Entering Saint Domain

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 123 - Sell, Sell, Sell! Entering Saint Domain</h1><p>After exchanging polite greetings with each other, both parties went straight to the main subject.</p><p>The representative from Lucivia Trade Association, one of the three large trade associations, stood and asked, “Lord Meng Lei, I heard that you had obtained a batch of Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ant magic cores at North River Pass. How many are there specifically?”</p><p>Upon hearing the question, everyone else also nodded repeatedly.</p><p>They were here specially for that batch of magic cores today. That was a big business transaction, after all. If they could get a bigger share of it, they would definitely earn a hefty sum from it.</p><p>Fatty Hart couldn’t help but look at Meng Lei, too.</p><p>Meng Lei thought for a moment before he replied, “Including those that I obtained in Magical Beast Forest and those from the two times I fought the ant tide at the Great Dragon Blood Wall, there’s probably a total of 750,000 of them?”</p><p>He had never done a detailed count before. However, basing it off his Wealth, the numbers were more or less about there.</p><p>Of course, this wasn’t necessarily accurate, either, because, at the same time as his Wealth was continuously increasing, it was also constantly depleting to replenish his stamina, his consumed magic power, and his consumed spiritual power. All of these required spending his Wealth points.</p><p>Therefore, one couldn’t calculate the number of magic cores solely based on the amount of riches he had gained. This wasn’t an accurate way of quantification.</p><p>The actual quantity definitely exceeded 750,000.</p><p>“What? 750,000?”</p><p>Everyone’s eyes widened.</p><p>Thinking that they found the quantity too low, Meng Lei frowned and said, “I haven’t counted how many there are specifically, either, but there are probably more than 750,000. It’s possible that there are 800,000.”</p><p>Hiss…</p><p>All 16 commercial representatives sucked in a breath of chilly air. Their eyes subsequently lit up, and they looked at Meng Lei with blazing passion brimming in their eyes. Even if they earned only an additional 100 gold coins from each sixth-grade magic core, 800,000 magic cores would still equate to 80 million gold coins.</p><p>That was a profit of 80 million gold coins!</p><p>This was definitely a big business transaction for sure!</p><p>Besides, a single magic core brought much more profit than just 100 gold coins. If they sold them for a good price, it was possible that they could earn hundreds or even a thousand gold coins from one.</p><p>“Lord Meng Lei, the Middles Trade Association is willing to acquire 400,000 magic cores. You can state your price. As long as the price is agreeable, we can transact immediately.”</p><p>“400,000? That’s a bold claim! There are only 800,000 magic cores in total. If the Middles Trade Association takes half of it in one go, are the rest of us supposed to go hungry, then?”</p><p>“Exactly! I’m not asking for much, just 100,000 magic cores would do. I can offer a price of 11,000 gold coins per magic core. What do you think, Lord Meng Lei?”</p><p>“Lord Meng Lei possesses great talent despite his young age and has provided illustrious service by defending the kingdom against the ant tide’s invasion. The Lucivia Trade Association doesn’t wish to take advantage of you, so we offer to purchase each magic core at 13,000 gold coins each…”</p><p>The quiet private room immediately turned terribly boisterous. Meng Lei’s one-liner had led all 16 company representatives to enter a purchasing rush.</p><p>At the sight of this, Meng Lei instantly realized that he had grossly underestimated these magic cores’ value. 10,000 gold coins per magic core?</p><p>That was too cheap!</p><p><em>I’m glad I entrusted this matter to Fatty. If I had done this myself, I would definitely have sold them for cheap for the sake of convenience. Just how much would I have lost if I had done that?</em></p><p>Meng Lei cast an approving glance at Fatty Hart before raising his hand to signal to everyone to calm down. Then, he said with a smile, “Everyone, do listen to what I have to say first. Aside from these 800,000 sixth-grade magic cores, I also have another 40,000 to 50,000 seventh-grade magic cores that I can sell to all of you, too.”</p><p><em>40,000 to 50,000 Seventh-Grade magic cores?</em></p><p>None of them could take their eyes off him upon hearing his words.</p><p>…</p><p>By the time they left Juxian Restaurant, Fatty Hart’s eyes were all red as he looked at Meng Lei. If not for the fact that he didn’t have that kind of power, he would definitely have robbed Meng Lei.</p><p>“Old bro, you’ve struck gold! You’ve really struck gold!</p><p>“14.7 billion gold coins! That’s a whole 14.7 billion gold coins!</p><p>“How is anyone supposed to spend that much money…”</p><p>“How to spend it? Just like that, I guess!”</p><p>Although Meng Lei looked calm on the outside, he was actually beyond thrilled inwardly. The sale of all the magic cores and carcasses had earned him 14.7 billion gold coins. Adding this to the 5 billion gold coins he already had, his Wealth had gone through an explosive increase to 19.7 billion gold coins.</p><p><em>Let’s take a look at the stats interface.</em></p><p>Host: Meng Lei</p><p>Race: Human (Contains Fire Dragon bloodline, Fire Demon bloodline, and Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline)</p><p>Wealth: 19,728,925,768 gold coins</p><p>Physical Body Constitution: Ninth-Grade Warrior (764,331,943/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Spirit: Great Ninth-Grade Magician (1,356,253/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Magic Power: Great Ninth-Grade Magician (1,132,358/1,000,000,000)</p><p><em>19.7 billion gold coins!</em></p><p><em>Adding to this the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor carcass, which I can sell for at least 5 billion gold coins, that’s 24.7 billion gold coins.</em></p><p><em>24.7 billion gold coins, you know! It’s enough to push me into the Saint Domain realm!</em></p><p>“Hahaha!”</p><p>Immersed in his thoughts, Meng Lei couldn’t help but burst into loud laughter. His uproarious laughter echoed beside Fatty Hart’s ear, making him gnash his teeth. Even his eyes had become red.</p><p>“Comparing myself to others only creates unwanted frustrations, indeed!”</p><p>Fatty Hart beat his chest and stamped his feet indignantly. “To think that I, Fatty Hart, who possess the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline, am born into an aristocratic Duke family, and have undertaken the best education since I was young! Yet up to this day, I am still penniless and dejected, spending my days waiting for death to befall upon me while depending on my parents for financial support as the days go by!</p><p>“But what about you?</p><p>“You’ve become a wealthy billionaire for some strange reason! The heavens are so unfair!”</p><p>Meng Lei burst into a fit of sneaky laughter. “Fatty! There’s something else that I haven’t told you yet. If you knew about it, you might just beat me up.”</p><p>“What is it?” asked a surprised Fatty Hart.</p><p>“When I was training in Magical Beast Forest, I accidentally found a Saint Domain Magical Beast carcass. According to initial estimates, it can probably sell for a few billion gold coins?”</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t forget to rub salt into Fatty Hart’s wounds.</p><p>“A S-saint Domain Magical Beast carcass? Accidentally… found?” Fatty Hart’s eyes widened big and round as he exclaimed, “Are you serious!?”</p><p>“Yes, I am!” Meng Lei had never discovered in the past that Fatty Hart’s eyes could actually widen that big.</p><p>“What the f*ck?” Fatty Hart jumped into the air at once.</p><p>“Wahahaha…”</p><p>…</p><p>The night passed peacefully.</p><p>Early the next morning, Meng Lei headed to the library as usual and continued to study thunder-elemental, earth-elemental, and wood-elemental Dragon-Language Magic. As for the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor carcass’ sale, he entrusted it to Fatty Hart as usual.</p><p>Although that guy was close to being burned into ashes by the blazing fires of jealousy when Meng Lei took out a supreme, luxurious reward of a one million gold coins red packet ¹ , Fatty Hart’s fires of jealousy were extinguished right away.</p><p>Fatty Hart suggested that a priceless treasure like a Saint Domain Magical Beast carcass absolutely mustn’t be handled so casually like the sale of magic cores. They should contact even more and even richer buyers.</p><p>Therefore, the best way to go about it was… an auction.</p><p>Meng Lei agreed readily to the suggestion. He entrusted the task of contacting the auction house to Fatty Hart while he continued over to the library.</p><p>In the evening, Fatty Hart contacted him again and informed him that he was done contacting the auction house. Meng Lei hurried over to the auction house at once and took out the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor carcass.</p><p>Dozens of meters tall!</p><p>Blood-red in color all over!</p><p>Savage aura spilling forth!</p><p>The moment the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor carcass made its appearance, everyone was astounded. Its bloodthirsty, savage outward appearance and heinous, fearsome visage caused chills to run down everyone’s spines.</p><p>“An imposing aura and a body size like that!</p><p>“There’s no mistake about it. It’s definitely a Saint Domain Magical Beast!</p><p>“Oh my goodness. It really is a Saint Domain Magical Beast!”</p><p>The auction house’s relevant person-in-charge immediately made the judgment that it was indeed a Saint Domain Magical Beast. Upon which, he informed Meng Lei that they required a few days’ time to carry out some advertising, so as to encourage a higher winning price.</p><p>Toward this, Meng Lei had no objections.</p><p>After the initial advertising period of ten days, the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor carcass’ auction successfully commenced. Then, with many experts, nobles, high-ranking officials, and wealthy tycoons as witnesses, the auction ended at an astronomical price of 6.8 billion gold coins.</p><p>After deducting the 10% auction fee and processing fee, Meng Lei earned a hefty net profit of 6.1 billion gold coins.</p><p>19.7 billion + 6.1 billion = 25.8 billion!</p><p>Meng Lei’s Wealth had reached an astounding 25.8 billion gold coins and achieved unprecedented heights.</p><p><em>2.58 billion Stat Attribute Points!</em></p><p><em>That’s enough for me to step into the Saint Domain realm now. Although I’ll only be a pseudo-Saint Domain, it’s still Saint Domain, nevertheless, right? Wahahaha!</em></p><p>O(∩_∩)O</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-124

Chapter 124 - Abbe'S Disappearance, An Inter-Academy Competition

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 124 - Abbe'S Disappearance, An Inter-Academy Competition</h1><p>That night, Meng Lei didn’t spend the money to enter the Saint Domain realm in a hurry. Instead, he withdrew innumerable gold coins and piled them on the bed and the floor, filling them up and lying on top of them.</p><p>“I wanted to roll about in money so much in my past life that I was even dreaming about it!</p><p>“And today… It has finally come true!”</p><p>Although the coins pressed somewhat painfully against him, extreme satisfaction filled Meng Lei as he took in the smell of the gold, an unprecedented sense of peace and tranquility within him.</p><p>“Happiness can be so simple sometimes,” Meng Lei murmured to himself as drowsiness slowly came over him.</p><p>Bam!</p><p>All of a sudden, someone pushed open the door to his room, and the magic lights switched on. Meng Lei turned over to see Abbe opening the door and walking in.</p><p>“Abbe?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rather confused.</p><p>Although the two of them were housemates, one lived upstairs while the other lived downstairs. They had never spoken to each other, let alone visit each other.</p><p>Why was Abbe there out of the blue?</p><p>Abbe stared at the gold coins that filled up the room with a stunned expression. Even with his usual cold, aloof poker face, he was almost blinded by the golden light in the entire room.</p><p><em>Meng Lei has a special hobby like this? It’s hard for one to know another’s true nature even after knowing them for a long time, indeed!</em></p><p>“Haha, I earned a small sum of money recently.” Meng Lei scratched the back of his head and explained with an embarrassed smile, “I wanted to try how it feels to sleep in a pile of gold… Haha, I’m sure you know what I mean.”</p><p>“You’re more like a Colossal Dragon than a Colossal Dragon itself!”</p><p>Abbe’s lip corner spasmed a couple of times in response before he resumed his usual cold and aloof poker face. His eyes bore into Meng Lei with a complex look within them,</p><p>“What’s the matter, Abbe?” Meng Lei was utterly bewildered by how Abbe was staring at him, and he remarked, “You’re behaving rather weirdly today.”</p><p>Abbe didn’t reply but merely gazed at Meng Lei quietly. A long while later, he abruptly turned around and walked toward the door. When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped again.</p><p>“I’m leaving, Meng Lei. If I can… If there’s a chance to in the future, we’ll meet again in the empire’s capital.”</p><p>Then, he left without even looking back.</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>Meng Lei was unable to make head or tail of his words. By the time he came to his senses, Abbe had already left.</p><p>“Abbe! Where are you going?”</p><p>Meng Lei hurriedly chased after him, only to realize that Abbe had long since disappeared. His spiritual power spread upstairs, but there was no one there.</p><p>He dialed Abbe’s code on the magic communication device, but to no avail.</p><p>Abbe had vanished into thin air!</p><p>“What the heck is he doing?”</p><p>As he stood in the empty living room, Meng Lei became more and more bewildered. They didn’t even exchange a word usually, yet Abbe had suddenly uttered such confusing words that didn’t make any sense today. What was that supposed to mean?</p><p>…</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t sleep that night.</p><p>Ever since he had mastered meditation, he barely slept anymore. However, whenever he did sleep once in a while, he always slept especially soundly.</p><p>However, tonight was a rare occasion where he couldn’t get to sleep.</p><p>The moment he closed his eyes, his mind would be totally taken over by Abbe. In particular, those eyes of his that shone with an unusual glow kept coming back and surfacing in his mind, causing Meng Lei to toss about in annoyance and restlessness.</p><p>Early in the morning the next day, Meng Lei went to the library as per usual. On the way there, to his surprise, he noticed several unfamiliar-looking figures. They were big and burly, wore suits of armor, and held all sorts of weapons…</p><p><em>Warriors… Warriors had shown up in the academy. And not in small numbers, either.</em></p><p>This caused the students to speculate wildly as they gesticulated at them. They spoke about things like a big competition among the empire’s elites and so on, which greatly puzzled Meng Lei, though he didn’t take their words seriously.</p><p>Be it Warriors or a competition among the elites, none of these had anything to do with him.</p><p>His top priority at the moment was to study Dragon-Language Magic. Thereafter, he would leave the academy to embark on an adventure to comprehend the universe’s momentum while hunting high-grade Magical Beasts to earn more money at the same time.</p><p>The matters in the academy could no longer pique his interest.</p><p>“The Green Dragon is a Wood-Elemental Colossal Dragon. Although its body is weaker than Colossal Dragons of other elements, the Wood-Elemental Dragon is a master of two types of magic—wood-elemental Dragon-Language Magic and poison magic.</p><p>“Wood-elemental Dragon-Language Magic is capable of commanding all plants in the world and controlling plant growth. This has led to the Green Dragon also becoming known as the Plant Manipulator, and it is a notch stronger than even the Fairies’ flower spirits.</p><p>“Poison magic…”</p><p>He had taken five days to study thunder-elemental Dragon-Language Magic and another five days for earth-elemental Dragon-Language Magic.</p><p>This was his eleventh day at the library, and Meng Lei began to study wood-elemental Dragon-Language Magic. Despite the fact that he had gained wood-elemental magic talent the latest, his cultivation speed for it was exceptionally quick.</p><p>One reason for this was his powerful spiritual power. Since he was building on top of an advantage, be it his accumulation of wood-elemental magic power or his study of wood-elemental spells, his speed was astonishingly fast for both.</p><p>The other reason was the Golden Leaf.</p><p>The Golden Leaf had occupied a spot in his sea of consciousness and was constantly absorbing Wood Elements in the universe every moment. As a result, Meng Lei was just like a magnet, accumulating wood-elemental magic power at a shocking speed.</p><p>Due to these reasons, it was hard for him to cultivate wood-elemental magic at a slow speed even if he wanted to!</p><p>Just as Meng Lei was immersed in the profound wonder of wood-elemental Dragon-Language Magic, his magic communication device suddenly rang.</p><p>Meng Lei’s brows furrowed slightly. He took out the communication device to see that it was actually Mr. Dirk that was calling. He muttered, “How strange. Why is Mr. Dirk looking for me?”</p><p>Puzzled, Meng Lei picked up the call.</p><p>“Meng Lei, I heard that you’ve been cooping yourself up in the library every day recently. How’s your mastery of Dragon-Language Magic?” Mr. Dirk asked merrily.</p><p>“Not bad. My rewards are great,” Meng Lei replied honestly.</p><p>“Your talent is practically insane!” Mr. Dirk couldn’t help but sigh in approval. Then, he went on to business and said, “Meng Lei, there’s something I need to inform you on in advance. You must be mentally prepared for it.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>A look of confusion came over Meng Lei’s features.</p><p>“The inter-academy competition to strengthen friendly ties among the academies is starting soon. President Fred has personally selected you as the captain to represent us, the Fire Dragon Magic Academy, in the competition this year.”</p><p>“Inter-academy competition?”</p><p>Meng Lei blanked out for a moment, and then, he recalled the Warriors on the school campus.</p><p>Mr. Dirk explained, “The inter-academy competition’s full name is known as the ‘Empire-wide Inter-Academy Exchange Competition of The Elites’, and it’s held once every four years.</p><p>“All participating contestants are chosen from the Dragon God Empire academies’ current student body. They must be 30 years old or below, and both Warriors and Magicians are eligible to enter.</p><p>“Apart from attractive prizes, all students that show excellent performance will also win great honor and glory for their academies.</p><p>“There’s even word on the street that the prizes this year include a slot to enter the empire’s sanctum of blessings!</p><p>“Therefore, the president and other academy leaders have placed great importance on this year’s inter-academy competition. The president has even specified during the meeting this morning that you are to participate.”</p><p>At this point, Mr. Dirk asked, “Meng Lei, do you have any other questions?”</p><p>“The Empire-wide Inter-Academy Exchange Competition of The Elites…”</p><p>Meng Lei was rather troubled. He said, “Mr. Dirk, as a member of the academy, I am obliged to represent the academy to participate in the inter-academy exchange competition… But aren’t we kinda bullying others if I join?”</p><p>“Uh…”</p><p>Mr. Dirk was taken aback for a moment before he subsequently burst into silent laughter. “Are you concerned that there’s… Cough, no real challenge in the competition, Meng Lei?”</p><p>“Yeah, that’s more or less what I mean.”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded repeatedly. He didn’t dislike competitions like these since he could take the opportunity to broaden his horizons and pick up a few attributes, spells, bloodlines, and whatnot to enrich his arsenal of weapons.</p><p>However, if they were asking him to fight with a bunch of kids, then that would be rather meaningless. Besides, it would feel somewhat like he was bullying young children.</p><p>“If it’s about that, then there’s no need for you to worry at all!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-125

Chapter 125 - Intense Competition, Posturing Fatty

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 125 - Intense Competition, Posturing Fatty</h1><p>“If it’s about that, then there’s no need for you to worry at all.”</p><p>Mr. Dirk shook his head with a laugh and went on. “The exchange competition’s prizes are much more attractive than what you can imagine, and they will attract hordes of experts.</p><p>“Because of this, apart from current students, there are actually a larger number of contestants that aren’t from the academies. They join the academies in name just to obtain competition eligibility.</p><p>“Additionally, there are many seniors that should have graduated simply refuse to do so, and they stay in the academy to pursue their studies for several years, all for the sake of obtaining competition eligibility, too.”</p><p>“You can actually do that?” Meng Lei was a little startled at what he heard. “In that case, aren’t current students like us at a huge disadvantage?”</p><p>“Yes, but there’s nothing to be done about that. The prizes are simply too attractive.” Mr. Dirk shook his head and added, “Frankly speaking, if it wasn’t because my age doesn’t fulfill the requirements, even I would want to register for and join the exchange competition. How unfair. This is simply too unfair!”</p><p>Meng Lei was rendered completely speechless. Was this really an inter-academy exchange competition? Even the experts in the community were rushing all the way here to join the competition.</p><p>“It can’t be helped. The current students tend to be very young, and it is common for most of them to be comparatively weaker. This leads to a severe lack in showmanship quality to the exchange competition, and the level of competitiveness in the competition also becomes very low as a result.”</p><p>Mr. Dirk explained with a smile, “Therefore, they can only relax the competition requirements and allow more experts to participate.</p><p>“However, there’s ultimately still a 30-year-old age limit. Otherwise, it’s possible that even some of the shameless old antiques would show up. The competition won’t be able to go on anymore that way.”</p><p>“Alright, I see.”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head and then asked, “When does the exchange competition start, Mr. Dirk? Where is it held, and what do I need to do?”</p><p>“The competition officially starts half a month later, and it’s held at the Imperial City. However, before you go to the Imperial City, we, the Fire Dragon Kingdom, will first conduct a preliminary round of filtering—in other words, the qualifying round.”</p><p>Mr. Dirk explained, “The exchange competition stipulates that each kingdom holds only 50 competition spots, and the contestants for these 50 spots will be selected via the qualifying round.”</p><p>“Only 50 spots per kingdom?”</p><p>This dumbfounded Meng Lei.</p><p>There were over 70 academies in Fire Dragon Kingdom’s capital city alone. After adding up all the academies in the whole kingdom, the number of current students far exceeded 100,000, not to mention that there would even be experts from the community.</p><p>Yet there were only a total of 50 spots despite there being so many contestants?</p><p>The competition sure was tough.</p><p>“In that case, I’ll have to join the qualifying round first?” asked Meng Lei as he raised his eyebrows.</p><p>“Yes, that’s right.”</p><p>Mr. Dirk replied with a light nod, “The one-week qualifying round will start in two days. After that, the selected winners will head to the Imperial Capital on the tenth day to represent the Fire Dragon Kingdom in the exchange competition.”</p><p>“Alright, I got it!” Meng Lei nodded slightly.</p><p>“Meng Lei, Douglas Magic Academy is in charge of hosting the qualifying round this year. Don’t forget to attend it two days later.”</p><p>“Got it, Mr. Dirk.”</p><p>After hanging up, Meng Lei continued his study of wood-elemental Dragon-Language Magic, striving to master it and get it down within two days.</p><p>…</p><p>Early in the morning, two days later, Meng Lei woke up and left his condominium after he was done packing his things.</p><p>He had only just walked out of the condominium when he bumped into Fatty Hart and Daniel right away. The two of them were in high spirits and all pumped up.</p><p>Fatty Hart chuckled and said, “Old bro, you’ll be the champion of the qualifying round for sure. We offer you our congratulations in advance!”</p><p>“Here’s hoping things will go like what you’ve said,” Meng Lei replied with a smile.</p><p>Then, with a wave of his arm, he let out the magic carpet and said with a smile, “Let’s head there together.”</p><p>“Seriously, old bro, riding an old and tattered flying carpet when you’re already a billionaire? Aren’t you concerned that it’ll cramp your style?” Fatty Hart remarked as he looked at the magic carpet in disdain.</p><p>Then, with a grand wave of his arm, he let out a shiny golden magic flying carriage. It bore a striking resemblance to a magnificent falcon, except with a dragon head and was covered all over in golden dragon scales.</p><p>There were only four words to describe it—crazy cool, mighty, and domineering!</p><p>Fatty Hart tossed his long hair and said awfully coyly, “Let’s go. We can take my vehicle instead!”</p><p>“What the heck? Isn’t this the latest version of the collector’s edition of Dragon-Falcon magic carriages? One costs over five million gold coins, you know! Where did you get that from, Fatty?”</p><p>Stunned by the golden vehicle’s sudden appearance, Daniel couldn’t stop gasping in shock.</p><p>“Haha! I had a small windfall recently thanks to old bro!” Fatty Hart looked awfully smug. “Hehe, you know what I mean.”</p><p>“You’ve used up all of the red packets I gave you to buy the carriage,” Meng Lei exclaimed as he looked at Fatty Hart.</p><p>He had given Fatty Hart a few red packets, and they had added up to two to three million gold coins.</p><p>He had already spent them all!?</p><p>“Haha, I, Fatty, have no worries about food or clothing, but what I do lack is a high-end vehicle that matches my status. Frankly speaking, I’ve been eying my old man’s carriage for a very long time now.”</p><p>A snickering Fatty Hart went on. “I’ve wanted to steal it and bring it out all this time. Alas, my old man keeps too tight of a watch over it, so I didn’t have a chance at all. Therefore, I secretly swore to myself that I must buy a vehicle that’s even cooler than his for sure someday. And now, my wish has finally come true. I’m so happy!”</p><p>“You wastrel!”</p><p>A corner of Meng Lei’s lips spasmed in response.</p><p>“Haha, let’s go!”</p><p>Fatty Hart pulled open the carriage door and said, “Today is the day that old bro’s gonna go on a rampage. You have to ride a presentable vehicle for sure! Only then will it match up to old bro’s status!</p><p>“Hop on, old bro!”</p><p>“…”</p><p>The five-million-gold-coin magic carriage was naturally incredibly flashy. They had only just risen into the air when it attracted several astonished, envious gazes.</p><p>Yet Fatty Hart the dummy, still chose to show off on purpose, insisting on circling leisurely around the campus. He even moved at an awfully slow pace, attracting countless envious and jealous exclamations.</p><p>Fatty Hart’s vanity was greatly satisfied upon hearing all the screams and exclamations. Only then did he leave the academy, fully content with his achievements.</p><p>And then… He started to show off again.</p><p>He drove slowly in crowded places and moved quickly in sparsely-populated areas.</p><p>That smug look of his gave Meng Lei a serious itch to beat someone up. “Fatty, at the speed you’re driving at, we won’t be able to reach Douglas Magic Academy even by next year!”</p><p>“Hehe!” Fatty Hart gave him an embarrassed smile and immediately pulled the control lever. The magic carriage instantly sped up, turning into a stream of light that flew outward. In less than ten minutes, they arrived at Douglas Magic Academy.</p><p>“You’ve actually somehow dragged on a few minutes’ journey into an hour…” Meng Lei griped after casting a glance at his pocket watch. “Seriously, Fatty!”</p><p>Douglas Magic Academy was already packed with a sea of people by now. Several long queues snaked in front of the academy entrance, causing Meng Lei to be rather troubled. “With that many people here, when are we going to have to queue till?”</p><p>However, Fatty Hart replied, “Old bro, look at the banner above. There’s an exclusive passageway for contestants like you guys.”</p><p>Meng Lei hurriedly looked over. True enough, he noticed a few banners hanging at the academy entrance, among which, one featured a few large, gold-gilded words—”Contestants, please enter via the exclusive passageway at the side door!”</p><p>The rest of the banner displayed other information, such as the number of gold coins external parties needed to pay in order to enter the academy to watch the battles, directions after entering the academy, the seating layout, and so on.</p><p>“What the heck? The fee to watch the matches actually goes as high as 2,000 gold coins!?”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-126

Chapter 126 - Gravitational Space, Free-For-All Arena Battle

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 126 - Gravitational Space, Free-For-All Arena Battle</h1><p>The quadrennial inter-academy exchange competition was a large event that shook the entire Dragon God Empire. Innumerable academies, geniuses, and experts took part in it, while innumerable nobles, vendors, and commoners were attracted to it.</p><p>The amount of attention it received far exceeded that of the World Cup on Earth. One could tell a thing or two about this from just the qualifying round today.</p><p>The place was swamped with a sea of people, the spectacle magnificent and unprecedented. Even a spectator fee as high as 2,000 gold coins couldn’t stop the passionate crowd.</p><p>“2,000 gold coins per person! Aren’t they going to earn quite a few hundred million after a day’s work?”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head repeatedly. He had only managed to earn a few billion gold coins after fighting so desperately, yet Douglas Magic Academy had it so easy, earning a few hundred million gold coins just by doing nothing?</p><p>“Comparing myself to others only creates unwanted frustrations, indeed.”</p><p>Then, after bidding farewell to Fatty Hart and Daniel, Meng Lei headed toward the passageway exclusive to the contestants’ use.</p><p>Compared to the massive horde of spectators, there were a much smaller number of contestants. Meng Lei entered the Douglas Magic Academy and arrived at the registration area.</p><p>There were a fair number of contestants waiting in line to register for the competition, but a large majority of them were big, burly, and muscular Warriors.</p><p>In comparison, there were much fewer Magicians. They didn’t make up even 10% of the Warriors’ numbers—no, not even 5%.</p><p>“Hello. Please present your magic badge.”</p><p>“Here you go.” Meng Lei passed his magic badge to them.</p><p>The student in charge of registration received the badge from him, placed it on a magic device similar to a ”card reader”, and swiped the badge lightly on it. A couple of beeps later, Meng Lei’s identity data was displayed.</p><p>A magic badge was similar to the student ID and citizen ID on Earth, and contained within was all of the badge owner’s identity data, such as their name, age, academy…</p><p>“Meng Lei, 16 years old, Fire… Eh? You’re Meng Lei!?”</p><p>The student in charge of registration let out an exclamation and stared at Meng Lei in pleasant surprise. Those white-hot, blazing eyes of his were as though he had just seen his idol, and his excitement and fervency were visibly obvious.</p><p>His exclamation was rather loud, causing all the contestants waiting in line for registration to look over, and their eyes fell on Meng Lei as one.</p><p>“Do you know me?” Meng Lei was a little taken aback.</p><p>“I do, I do!” The student nodded incessantly; his speech already somewhat incoherent. “Who doesn’t know of Meng Lei in this whole capital city? You’re the youngest Ninth-Grade Great Magician ever in Fire Dragon Kingdom’s history, and you’re also the hero that drove back the ant tide! How can I possibly not know of you?”</p><p>“Alright, the news does spread pretty fast,” Meng Lei replied with a smile.</p><p>“So that’s Meng Lei? He’s so young!”</p><p>“I didn’t expect even Meng Lei to be here. I hope I don’t run into him during the qualifying round. Otherwise, I’ll be out of luck!”</p><p>“Who’s Meng Lei? Is he very impressive?”</p><p>“What the heck! You don’t even know who Meng Lei is…”</p><p>The contestants waiting for registration started to whisper among themselves as they gesticulated at him.</p><p>Meng Lei was undoubtedly the person basking in the biggest limelight in the capital city during this recent time. He had become a Ninth-Grade Great Magician before 16 years of age and had even driven back the ant tide all by himself. Just how astonishingly talented was he?</p><p>Because of this, he had also become known as the youngest Ninth-Grade Great Magician with the fastest cultivation speed and shortest cultivation period ever in Fire Dragon Kingdom’s history.</p><p>How high of a glory was it to own three different records?</p><p>For a moment there, all the contestants looked at Meng Lei with very complex emotions in their eyes. Some had grave expressions on their faces, some scoffed contemptuously, some were filled with envy, and some brimmed with the will to fight…</p><p>Meng Lei! He would be a tough enemy for sure!</p><p>Meng Lei was surprisingly calm and collected despite being stared at by so many people, however. Had it been back when he had first arrived in Heaven’s Vault Continent, he might have felt uncomfortable, perhaps even restless and uneasy, but now… It was no different from a breeze caressing his face, and he was unfazed!</p><p>“The registration is complete, Meng Lei!”</p><p>“Thanks!”</p><p>Meng Lei then left the registration area. He followed the signs and landmarks the whole way and came to the front of a tall, straight, and grand palace.</p><p>The palace had two entrances, one on the left and one on the right.</p><p>In the middle stood a signboard that read, “Warriors are to enter by the left entrance while Magicians are to enter by the right entrance. Herein lies the first round of elimination where basic battle capabilities will be evaluated.</p><p>“Only experts that are Seventh-Grade and above are allowed to pass. Those below Seventh-Grade… Proceed with caution! Otherwise, your lives may be in jeopardy!”</p><p>“Seventh-Grade? Your lives may be in jeopardy?”</p><p>Meng Lei raised his eyebrow, a little surprised.</p><p>Although the Seventh-Grade level didn’t seem that powerful, it was already no longer a level that current students could attain. Just this round alone would eliminate almost all of the current students… With the exception of geniuses like him, of course.</p><p>“Seventh-Grade at the minimum!”</p><p>Several contestants had rather awkward looks on their faces. Right at that moment, someone suddenly charged out of the left entrance.</p><p>It was as though the person had been thrown out. He fell onto his bottom on the floor, his chest heaving up and down intensely as he panted heavily and gulped for air.</p><p>Perspiration drenched his whole body, and he couldn’t look any more pathetic.</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>“He couldn’t pass?”</p><p>The contestants speculated as they stared at him. A muscular man holding a giant axe even stepped forward and asked in concern, “Old bro, what happened to you? Why are you in such a state?”</p><p>The man let out a wry laugh, and then he said with lingering fear, “A gravitational space! It’s a gravitational space inside! Those that aren’t strong enough do proceed with caution!”</p><p>“A gravitational space?”</p><p>Everyone’s countenances changed a little.</p><p>“After I entered, the deeper I went, the stronger the gravitational pull became. By the time I was halfway through, my whole body felt oddly and incredibly heavy. Even my bones were close to breaking from the force. Left with no other choice, I could only retreat back out here!”</p><p>“Is it that scary?!”</p><p>The muscular man with the giant axe asked, “Old bro, how strong are you?”</p><p>“High-level Sixth-Grade!”</p><p>“A high-level Sixth-Grader could only reach the halfway mark?”</p><p>Upon hearing what he said, the contestants started to get cold feet. The man had only managed to reach the halfway mark, and many of them weren’t that much stronger than him…</p><p>“A gravitational space…”</p><p>Meng Lei suddenly realized something, and he remarked, “So this round really is evaluating one’s basic battle capabilities.”</p><p>What was a Warrior’s basic foundation? Their physical body constitution, of course!</p><p>By using gravitational pull as a means of evaluation, the ones with a strong body would pass while the ones with a weak body would be eliminated.</p><p>This was an evaluation that tested one’s absolute strength. There was no way to muddle through it at all.</p><p><em>I’ve never experienced a gravitational space before, though!</em></p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes swiveled around, and he entered the entrance on the left.</p><p>“Uh…”</p><p>“Isn’t he a Magician? Why did he go through the Warriors’ entrance?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s choice filled the contestants, who constantly had their eyes on him, with utter confusion. Why was a Magician like him going through the Warriors’ entrance instead of the Magicians’? What the heck was he trying to do?!</p><p>The so-called gravitational space looked like an enclosed corridor, yet also like a tunnel. Gravitational magic circles were engraved on the floor, walls, and ceiling, and they constantly exerted a gravitational pull.</p><p>Meng Lei sensed his body becoming heavy and weighted down after he entered the place, as if invisible shackles had been placed on him—it was the gravitational pull!</p><p>A gravitational pull that reached every nook and cranny!</p><p>However, this bit of gravitational pull was nothing to Meng Lei, of course. He sauntered about leisurely as if he was taking a stroll and advanced forward.</p><p>Then, completely unaffected, he walked out of the gravitational space in one go and passed the so-called elimination round.</p><p>Right after that, he arrived at an arena-like area. In front of him was a fighting ring several meters above the ground, and around it were rows and rows of spectators.</p><p>This scene looked awfully familiar to the eye—this was exactly what it looked like back when he had been participating in the Flame Arena battles!</p><p>“Why am I all the way here at an arena?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rather bewildered.</p><p>The audience in the benches weren’t, however. They looked at Meng Lei at once, their eyes twinkling with excitement and anticipation.</p><p>“The 100th one is here!”</p><p>“Haha! The 100th one is here!”</p><p>“We’ve finally reached 100 people now. Hurry and start the competition!”</p><p>“What’s going on?” Meng Lei found himself rather baffled. “What do they mean by the 100th one?”</p><p>“That contestant over there!”</p><p>Just as Meng Lei was in total confusion, a staff member ran over quickly and said, “Sir, you’re the 100th contestant to pass the elimination round. Please, go up the fighting ring immediately and get ready for the arena battle that’ll be starting right away…”</p><p>It was only when he heard the staff member’s explanation that Meng Lei finally understood what was going on.</p><p>What came after the elimination round was the arena battle. However, the arena battle wasn’t a one-on-one showdown but a 100-man free-for-all arena battle!</p><p>It was an intense free-for-all close-quarters battle with 100 contestants in a group and would go on until only ten people remained in the arena.</p><p>These ten people would then enter the next round.</p><p>Meng Lei was unfortunately the 100th person to pass the elimination round. Therefore, he needed to take part in the free-for-all battle right away without being given even a bit of time to rest.</p><p>“A free-for-all arena battle? Who came up with the goddamn idea?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rendered rather speechless, though he went up the battle arena nonetheless. Meng Lei sensed the other 99 contestants’ hostile gazes in an instant.</p><p>A 100-man free-for-all that would leave behind only ten people in the end. Everyone was an enemy!</p><p>“Dear guests and audience! Good morning, everyone! Welcome to the qualifying round of this year’s inter-academy exchange competition! I am your host for today, Jim!”</p><p>A middle-aged Dragon Person dressed in a magic robe went up the arena and began a short and concise but passionate and fervent pre-competition speech.</p><p>He then went on to explain the free-for-all’s rules—though there weren’t actually any, despite calling it so. There was only one key point—”Do everything you can to stay in the arena!”</p><p>Be it being a coward and staying low-profile or crushing others in a dominating show of power, as long as they could stay in the arena, then victory would be theirs!</p><p>A competition mechanism like this was evidently unfair, especially toward contestants that were the last to pass the basic evaluation like Meng Lei.</p><p>Additionally, it was full of loopholes. Things like acquaintances grouping together, weaker contestants teaming up, experts being ganged up upon, and so on… Various situations like these could happen, and it highly likely would lead to a situation where the ones remaining on the arena in the end wouldn’t necessarily be the strongest.</p><p>There was nothing to be done about this, however—these were the rules.</p><p>In this clearly-hierarchic society that revered the strong, the concept of fairness had never once existed.</p><p>“I hereby declare that the first arena battle of the qualifying round officially starts now!”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The moment the host finished speaking, the entire venue instantly quietened, and innumerable pairs of eyes flicked toward the arena.</p><p>The arena that had originally been quiet… erupted into a mad frenzy!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-127

Chapter 127 - Brilliant Dragon Might, Bombing The Arena Again

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 127 - Brilliant Dragon Might, Bombing The Arena Again</h1><p>99 contestants simultaneously started to move!</p><p>Some charged brazenly toward the contestants nearest to them, some retreated out of the battle zone immediately, some formed directly into small groups…</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The area outside the fighting ring also turned incredibly chaotic in no time. As the ferocious battle broke out and demons and monsters entered a dance of madness, the passion that the audience had accumulated over the last four years also fully erupted in this instant, and they started to scream and howl fervently.</p><p>“Come on, Allen! Kill those bastards!”</p><p>“Victory is yours, Jarvis!”</p><p>“Look out to your left! The left, you idiot…”</p><p>“Brat, this place isn’t somewhere that you should be!” A big, burly, and muscular man pounced toward Meng Lei with a ferocious look in his eyes and a savage look on his face. “Daddy will send you home now!”</p><p>One must always pick those weaker than themselves when bullying others. This was a logic that everyone understood.</p><p>Meng Lei looked young and immature, so he must be a weakling for sure. The muscular man had set his sights on him a long time ago. As such, the moment the battle started, he had charged over the first moment he got.</p><p>Meng Lei stood still and motionless, allowing the muscular man to charge toward him all he wanted. In the instant right before the muscular man reached him, he turned slightly to the side and easily evaded his attack. Then, his left hand went smacking outward with the momentum.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>As if a speeding train had crashed into him, the muscular man was thrown out in an instant, and he flew right out of the ring.</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>The muscular man got off the floor and climbed onto his feet. He stared at the big, tall ring in a daze, and then at the spot where he was standing, a look of stupefaction all over his visage.</p><p>“How did I freaking land down here?”</p><p>“Amos, you idiot!”</p><p>A furious roar reached his ears from the back. The muscular man turned around to see a fat woman with a plump, stout figure and a face full of flesh glaring viciously at him with great difficulty. Her countenance was savage.</p><p>“H-honey!” A shiver went through the muscular man.</p><p>“Amos! You useless imbecile, idiot, good-for-nothing, piece of trash… I only got you a spot after spending 1,000,000 gold coins, yet you’ve wasted it just like that?”</p><p>The fatty flesh on the obese woman quivered as she said, “I’m going to skin you after we get home today and give you a taste of the 18 torture methods ¹ …”</p><p>“Honey, I—”</p><p>The muscular man was as pale as a sheet, and he shook like a leaf.</p><p>“That guy…”</p><p>Meng Lei had overheard the fat woman and the muscular man’s entire conversation. Aside from finding it funny, he didn’t feel an ounce of compassion for him at all.</p><p>Of all people, why must he target him?</p><p>He could only blame himself for being unlucky.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>At this point, the sharp sound of something slicing through the air suddenly rang out beside his ear. Meng Lei raised an eyebrow and turned his head to the side slightly. A flying dagger gleaming with a chilly glint flew right by his ear.</p><p>“A sneak attack?”</p><p>Meng Lei turned around leisurely to see a small, skinny figure wrapped in black clothes about three meters behind him.</p><p>Both his head and neck were solidly wrapped, and only a pair of cold, emotionless eyes was left exposed.</p><p>“How can this be?”</p><p>However, there was a hint of shock in that pair of eyes at that moment. “You’ve actually dodged my flying dagger despite there being only such a short distance between the two of us? And when you even had your back to me?”</p><p>Meng Lei abruptly showed up right in front of the small, skinny figure. As their eyes met, he whispered in a low voice, “The entire ring is shrouded in my spiritual power. Ambushing me? What a joke!”</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>The small, skinny figure was greatly astounded. Then, he felt an intense, severe pain coming from his abdomen. He lowered his head to see that Meng Lei’s fist had landed squarely against his abdomen.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A surging, great force assailed him, and the small, skinny figure turned directly into a launched cannonball and flew right out of the ring.</p><p>“That’s a mid-level eighth-grade assassin.” Meng Lei secretly sighed inwardly. “He’s no weakling. It’s just a shame that he ran into me.”</p><p>Meng Lei looked toward the others—the free-for-all was still ongoing.</p><p>Aside from the two that he had blasted off the ring, the other contestants had also reaped their own respective rewards. A contestant was eliminated every two seconds, and the number of contestants in the ring decreased at a rapid rate.</p><p>90, 80, 70, 60…</p><p>Five minutes later, only over 20 people remained in the ring. The situation gradually became clear—aside from Meng Lei and a few other experts, everyone else was in small teams.</p><p>As the saying went, “A fence needs the support of three stakes, and an able fellow needs the help of three other people.”</p><p>In a free-for-all arena battle like this, even a small team comprising only three people would hold an extremely big advantage over others and benefit greatly, let alone when many of the small teams seemed to have come prepared.</p><p>There were as many as five to six people in the teams, and one of them even went up to as many as ten members.</p><p>A ten-man team! There was no need for a further explanation behind the meaning of the team!</p><p>“Victory will be ours, Team Fighting Dragon’s!”</p><p>That’s right, Team Fighting Dragon was the ten-man team. Not only did they coordinate well with each other, but they were adept at both offense and defense, swiftly cutting down the rest of the contestants like a ferocious tiger that had emerged from the mountains.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Team Fighting Dragon eliminated a five-man team.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Another solo expert was blasted off the ring by Team Fighting Dragon.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>In the twinkling of an eye, aside from Team Fighting Dragon, only Meng Lei, another Magician, and a six-man team remained in the ring.</p><p>“Wipe them out!”</p><p>Team Fighting Dragon turned around and charged toward the six-man team. Under the current circumstances, the six-man team posed the biggest threat. As long as they could wipe out the six-man team, Meng Lei and the other Magician didn’t pose a threat to them at all.</p><p>“The two sirs there. Let’s join hands and wipe out Team Fighting Dragon!”</p><p>Upon sensing the great threat, the six-man team hastily tried to recruit Meng Lei and the other Magician. “As long as we join hands and finish off Team Fighting Dragon, we’ll win!”</p><p>“That’s right! There’s only eight of us in total…”</p><p>A glint flashed across the Magician’s eyes, and he instantly agreed to the six-man team’s suggestion and formed an alliance with them.</p><p>Meng Lei, on the other hand, was taken aback for a moment there. “Form an alliance?”</p><p>“Let’s finish off that fellow first. I’ve taken notice of him for a very long while now.”</p><p>“He’s very strong. We mustn’t allow them to form an alliance. Otherwise, things will become very troublesome.”</p><p>At the sight of this, Team Fighting Dragon temporarily looked away from the six-man team and targeted Meng Lei instead. Then, they charged directly toward him.</p><p>Team Fighting Dragon was made up of ten Dragon People. They had either a pair of horns on their heads, Dragon scales on their faces, or a Dragon tail at their bottoms…</p><p>The ten Dragon People were strong and powerful, and their performance in the ring just now had directly conquered countless spectators’ hearts. At the sight of them charging toward Meng Lei, the audience broke into screams and cheers, shouting and rooting for them.</p><p>“Go for it! Go for it, Team Fighting Dragon!”</p><p>“Finish him off! Victory is yours!”</p><p>“I love you, Team Fighting Dragon…”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>As though ten T-rexes, Team Fighting Dragon came crushing toward Meng Lei with an aura capable of ripping everything into shreds. “Kid, if you know what’s good for you, then get the hell off the ring yourself, lest we end up having to dirty our hands!”</p><p>“Bastard! Serves you right!”</p><p>The muscular man, the small, skinny figure, and others that Meng Lei had thrown out of the ring just now were overjoyed at the sight of this. Delight flashed across their eyes, seemingly already witnessing the scene of Meng Lei being beaten into a pulp and thrown off the ring.</p><p>“To think there are actually people looking down on me!”</p><p>Meng Lei was as calm and collected as always. As he gazed at Team Fighting Dragon coming toward him with a crushing momentum, his right hand grabbed upward toward the sky, and all the Thunder Elements within 1,000 meters converged madly.</p><p>In a mere instant, a silver, savage-looking monster revealed itself and floated above the fighting ring.</p><p>“A t-thunder dragon?”</p><p>All the spectators gasped, their cheers abruptly dying down.</p><p>Team Fighting Dragon also raised their heads, only to see a Colossal Dragon with a wingspan of over 1,000 meters and wholly formed by lightning manifesting above their heads.</p><p>Its empty, vacant eyes bore coldly into them, and its brutal, raging might engulfed the entire venue. Despite standing a great distance away, Team Fighting Dragon could still feel the thunder dragon’s fearsomeness, nevertheless.</p><p>In a split second, everyone in Team Fighting Dragon swallowed hard, cold sweat trickling down their backs as a thought welled up within them, “Should it strike me, wouldn’t I be a total goner?”</p><p>Howl!</p><p>The thought had only just occurred to them when the thunder dragon suspended above them suddenly let out a loud, sonorous dragon roar. Then, it flapped its wings and swooped down headfirst.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The arena exploded in an instant!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-128

Chapter 128 - The Last Day, The King Watches The Battle

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 128 - The Last Day, The King Watches The Battle</h1><p>Chapter 128: The Last Day, The King Watches The Battle</p><p>The 1,000-feet-long thunder dragon crashed downward with a great boom. Amid earth-shattering sounds of explosion, raging lightning instantly covered the whole fighting ring.</p><p>Electric currents wreaked havoc as smoke billowed and rose.</p><p>All the spectators in the venue felt a violent tremor go through the entire arena. There was ringing in their ears, and they experienced temporary deafness.</p><p>Crackle, crackle!</p><p>The electric currents running rampant gradually dispersed and revealed the covered fighting ring, rendering everyone flabbergasted at once.</p><p>The fighting ring that reached several meters tall had disappeared. What replaced it was a black, charred chasm, and Meng Lei was standing right at the edge.</p><p>Team Fighting Dragon and everyone else in the fighting ring had disappeared, whereas over ten black, charred “wooden blocks” laid quietly at the bottom of the chasm.</p><p>Well, they could just be called wooden blocks for now—because they were pitch-black all over and bore a striking resemblance to charred wooden blocks.</p><p>“H-how did this happen?”</p><p>“Where did the ring go?”</p><p>“Where’s Team Fighting Dragon?”</p><p>“What grade of magic was that thunder dragon just now? Why is it so terrifying that even the fighting ring has been blasted into oblivion?”</p><p>“That’s the Ninth-Grade Spell… Raging Thunder Dragon!”</p><p>“What!?”</p><p>“A ninth-grade spell!?”</p><p>“Hiss!”</p><p>The spectators involuntarily sucked in breaths of chilly air. “No wonder it was so terrifying… To think it’s actually a ninth-grade spell!”</p><p>“That teenager is a Ninth-Grade Great Magician?”</p><p>“A great Ninth-Grade Magician? How can that be?”</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>The audience’s eyes landed on Meng Lei in tandem, astoundment, incredulity, and disbelief within them.</p><p>There were quite a fair number of Ninth-Grade Great Magicians in the kingdom, but most of the ninth-grade experts were already very advanced in age.</p><p>A Ninth-Grade Great Magician as young as Meng Lei was practically unheard of… No, it wasn’t unheard of! In fact, they had heard of one recently!</p><p>“Meng Lei?”</p><p>“Could he be Meng Lei?”</p><p>Someone among the audience let out a shout. The whole place went into a great furor in an instant, and everyone’s eyes widened and bore into the teenager standing at the edge of the chasm, their eyes full of fervent passion and astoundment.</p><p>“16 years old!”</p><p>“A Ninth-Grade Great Magician!”</p><p>“The number one genius in all of Fire Dragon Kingdom’s history!”</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>“That’s Meng Lei!”</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>The whole venue broke into massive cheers, and innumerable people shouted Meng Lei’s name loudly.</p><p>Fervency!</p><p>Idolization!</p><p>Excitement!</p><p>In particular, the look in some noblewomen, debutantes, and wealthy young ladies’ eyes were overt and openly ravenous, as if wishing that they could devour Meng Lei.</p><p>As for the ten-odd wooden blocks lying at the bottom of the chasm, no one cared about them at all.</p><p>“Am I that famous now?” Meng Lei wondered as he took a look at the fervent audience.</p><p>Then, inspiration suddenly struck him. “Those celebrities in my past life earned money like they were just picking cash off the ground. I wonder if I can emulate them?”</p><p>No matter how famous he was or how many worshippers he had, if they couldn’t be turned into actual, practical gold coins, then all of it was nothing but empty titles.</p><p>“This is a pretty good money-making idea. I can discuss this a little with Fatty and see whether or not I can earn some endorsement fees or something…”</p><p>Just as Meng Lei was silently making plans mentally, Jim, the host, hurried over and looked at him with a complex look on his face.</p><p>“Mr. Host, have I passed the test?” asked Meng Lei passively.</p><p>“Of course! It’s just that…”</p><p>Jim pointed at the ten-odd wooden blocks at the bottom of the chasm with a wry smile. Ten people were supposed to remain in the 100-man free-for-all, but Meng Lei was the only one standing now.</p><p>Well, alright, it wasn’t as if a situation like this hadn’t occurred in the past, right? But the problem now was that there were ten Dragon People among the ten-odd people that Meng Lei had finished off.</p><p>One must understand that these ten Dragon People came from eminent backgrounds. Although there was a liability waiver on fatalities in the qualifying round, now that they had died here today, the people backing them up would never let the matter rest.</p><p>“Don’t worry, they are still alive.”</p><p>However, what the host didn’t expect was Meng Lei shaking his head and saying with a smile, “They’ve just passed out, that’s all. You can wake them up just by pissing on them.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Of course!”</p><p>…</p><p>After the battle ended, Meng Lei left the arena directly. Only arena free-for-alls were scheduled for the next two days.</p><p>One could only advance to the next round after the arena free-for-alls.</p><p>In other words, Meng Lei had the following two days to rest. He was thinking of using these couple of days to get his hands on some endorsement fees and whatnot.</p><p>Thus, Meng Lei contacted Fatty Hart and told him about his idea of making money through endorsements. Fatty Hart was utterly stupefied by what he said.</p><p>“Endorsements? What are endorsements? Food?”</p><p>Meng Lei hung up on him right away. Then, he returned to the library like the good boy he was and buried himself in his study of wood-elemental Dragon-Language Magic again, never to mention the matter of making money through endorsements ever again.</p><p><em>F*ck!</em></p><p><em>To think there actually isn’t the idea of celebrity endorsements in Heaven’s Vault Continent! Well, that’s so goddamn awkward!</em></p><p>…</p><p>Meng Lei stayed in the library, closing himself off to everything happening in the outside world, but the qualifying round blazed on, nonetheless.</p><p>After two days of intense competition, the first elimination round and arena free-for-all had finally ended. A total of 412 people had successfully advanced to the next round.</p><p>As such, the second selection round began.</p><p>Compared to the deeply flawed arena free-for-all, the second round was much fairer because this particular round featured showdowns between random pairs of opponents—two-man showdowns among 412 contestants where the victor would advance to the next round while the loser would be eliminated.</p><p>Two days later, 206 contestants were left.</p><p>Another day later, 103 remained.</p><p>They had finally reached the last day of the qualifying round.</p><p>On this day, Meng Lei woke up early in the morning and rode Fatty Hart’s luxurious vehicle to Douglas Magic Academy.</p><p>Fatty Hart was very excited today, and he chattered non-stop.</p><p>“Old bro, let me tell you a piece of good news. His Majesty, the king, and Her Majesty, the queen, as well as all the adult princes and princesses, will be here to watch the battle today.</p><p>“Apart from that, innumerable royalty, nobles, officials, and the wealthy, as well as the presidents of all the major academies, will also be there.</p><p>“It’s no exaggeration to say that today is definitely the most ceremonious day ever since the start of the qualifying round. You’d better perform well. If any of the princesses fancies you, you’ll be able to kick back and relax for the rest of your life.</p><p>“Hehe! Never mind about the other princesses, but if you can gain the fancy of the Ninth Princess, you’ll strike gold…”</p><p>“Are you in heat right now?” Meng Lei rolled his eyes and asked dryly, “Do you think there’s a need for me to be a social climber and attain the peak of my life by conquering a princess?”</p><p>“Uh…”</p><p>Fatty Hart was stupefied for a moment before he replied sheepishly, “That’s true! Old bro has already become a Ninth-Grade Great Magician before he’s even 16 years old. You’ll definitely attain Saint Domain realm in the future, and your future is limitless…”</p><p>As they engaged in idle and nonsensical chat the whole way, they finally reached Douglas Magic Academy. The academy today was completely different from what it was like in the past.</p><p>Security within 1,000 meters of the academy was tight and brisk.</p><p>Teams of palace guards wearing golden armor were stationed every three to five steps, sealing off all the routes leading in and out of Douglas Magic Academy.</p><p>In the sky were even several handsome, magnificent-looking Dragon-Falcon Knights suspended in the air and circling around as they sealed off the air space above Douglas Magic Academy.</p><p>Douglas Magic Academy could be said to be completely surrounded on all sides at the moment—not even a fly could get past the guards!</p><p>Fatty Hart landed one kilometer away from the academy. Then, he pointed at the palace guards in front and said, “Douglas Magic Academy has been cordoned off, so I can only send you this far, old bro.”</p><p>“Thanks!”</p><p>After expressing his thanks, Meng Lei asked, “Are you going to watch the battle in the academy today, Fatty?”</p><p>At his question, Fatty Hart’s face fell at once, and he replied, “I would like to, but the spectator fee goes as high as 100,000 gold coins. I can’t fork out that much money!”</p><p>It was already the seventh day of the qualifying round today. Even though the number of contestants was falling day by day, not only did the people’s enthusiasm not wane but on the contrary, it was even rising further and further.</p><p>As a result, the spectator fee also rose higher and higher day by day.</p><p>2,000 gold coins, 8,000 gold coins, 16,000 gold coins…</p><p>By today, it had finally broken the 100,000 gold coins mark!</p><p>To be honest, 100,000 gold coins weren’t actually a lot. However, Fatty Hart had already spent all his savings on the luxurious vehicle, so how could he possibly still be able to fork out the huge sum of 100,000 gold coins?</p><p>“Let’s go. On account of you sending me back and forth to the academy every day, I’ll cover the 100,000 gold coins spectator fee.”</p><p>“Really!?”</p><p>“If you’re not going, then forget it!”</p><p>“I’ll go! Of course I’ll go! I love you, old bro!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-129

Chapter 129 - Saint Domains, Laws Of Nature Fragments

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 129 - Saint Domains, Laws Of Nature Fragments</h1><p>The arena was teeming with people moving to and fro. Strangely enough, in spite of that, it seemed very quiet inside the arena.</p><p>There was no hubbub, no noise, no cheering or screaming, or anyone shouting themselves hoarse…</p><p>In a move uncharacteristic of their usual behavior, the spectators sat upright and still. Even when they exchanged an occasional word with one another, they whispered among themselves and kept their discussions down.</p><p>The 100,000 spectator fee had kept a large number of lesser nobles and petit-bourgeois from entering the arena. Thus, the ones that could enter and watch the matches were basically all well-educated middle- to higher-class nobles.</p><p>Of course, what really made all the spectators in the arena that quiet was ultimately still the Fire Dragon King’s presence gracing the venue, as well as the royalty and officials’ arrivals.</p><p>Not only had the Fire Dragon King—King Flit the 66th—arrived together with Queen Diana in person, but all the princes and princesses had also come to the arena.</p><p>Aside from them, some of the senates from the senior statesmen’s assembly, other royalty members, chancellors, and other civil and military influential officials had also personally come to watch the matches.</p><p>It was no exaggeration to say that even any random person among the VIPs here to watch the matches today held an impressive identity and was someone that played a critical role in the kingdom.</p><p>With them around, who would dare to cause a commotion?</p><p>As a result, the usually lively and boisterous arena seemed rather stifling. Once in a while, the spectators would glance at the VIP private rooms with fear, awe, and reverence in their eyes.</p><p>In particular, the 103 contestants in the contestant seats wore even more excited expressions on their faces and had looks of anticipation and pumped-up spirits in their eyes.</p><p>After spending so many years painstakingly cultivating in silence, they were finally going to show their strength in front of the king and all the court officials today.</p><p>Who wouldn’t be worked up over it?</p><p>And who wouldn’t be all pumped up over it?</p><p>Even Meng Lei couldn’t help but direct his gaze at the private rooms above him, hints of unusual emotion flashing across the depths of his eyes.</p><p>Of course, what he was really astonished by weren’t just their statuses, but also their strength.</p><p>According to Ol’ Amos, there were actually almost 100 Saint Domains in the entire arena. Meng Lei almost wet himself in shock.</p><p>That was 100 Saint Domains, after all!</p><p>Who wouldn’t be astounded by the presence of that many Saint Domains?</p><p>“In just a short 20,000 years, Fire Dragon Kingdom has already come this far. As expected, time is indeed the most powerful cheating device!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ somewhat surprised sigh of emotion and admiration rang out in Meng Lei’s mind, to which Meng Lei also nodded quietly in agreement. Saint Domain experts enjoyed a long, endless lifespan, and on top of that, they were also very hardy.</p><p>As long as there were no massive upheavals like the Abyss Demons’ invasion, more and more Saint Domain experts were bound to appear.</p><p>Therefore, the current Fire Dragon Kingdom was even more powerful than what it was 20,000 years ago—there was no doubt about that.</p><p>But of course, what Meng Lei was astounded by the most wasn’t the arrival of the 100 Saint Domains, but the gifts they had given him!</p><p>“Ding! Dropped item detected. Will you pick it up?”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Physical Body Constitution +3,576!”</p><p>“Ding! Dropped item detected. Will you pick it up?”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Spirit +2,918!”</p><p>“Ding! Dropped item detected. Will you pick it up?”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained the First-Class Spell, Prairie-Blazing Heavenly Fire!”</p><p>“Ding! Dropped item detected. Will you pick it up?”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Wealth +129,632!”</p><p>“Ding! Dropped item detected. Will you pick it up?”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained the Ninth-Grade Spell, Multi-Layer Tempest!”</p><p>“Ding…”</p><p>Cold, emotionless system notifications constantly rang out in Meng Lei’s head, utterly delighting him.</p><p>In less than ten minutes, he had already picked up 39 eighth-grade spells, 9 ninth-grade spells, and 5 first-class spells!</p><p>As for light balls of other low-grade and mid-grade spells, Physical Body Constitution, Spirit, Wealth, and other attributes, they numbered so many that he couldn’t even keep count anymore.</p><p>In just a short while, Meng Lei had earned an overflowing amount of rewards—one could totally say that a windfall and a pleasant surprise had befallen him!</p><p>As a result, Meng Lei was in a wonderful mood, and he looked pleased as a punch. His expression ended up appearing completely out of place next to the other, pumped up, and nervous contestants.</p><p>“Dear all!”</p><p>At that moment, an elderly man dressed in a black magic robe went up the fighting ring. In a clear, bright voice, he announced cheerfully, “Welcome to the last day of the qualifying round, everyone! I am your host for today, Norman Obote!”</p><p>The host’s voice was clear and resonant as he went on. “First of all, let us welcome His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen with a passionate round of applause!”</p><p>Clap, clap, clap!</p><p>Thunderous applause rang throughout the arena.</p><p>“Next, the King will grace us with a few words!”</p><p>Clap, clap, clap!</p><p>The centermost private room’s door slowly opened, and a middle-aged man dressed in a fiery-red dragon robe walked out. He stepped on thin air and walked in the sky, taking step by step toward the area above the arena.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Everyone’s gazes in the arena fell simultaneously onto the man, their eyes carrying looks of reverence, respect, and worship.</p><p>His physique was full of power and grandeur and was lofty and majestic!</p><p>His eyes were sharp, awe-inspiring, and imposing!</p><p>His head of long, fiery-red hair flowed freely and uncontrolled, and he gave off an aura so powerful that it made one’s heart tremble. He was as though the blazing sun in the sky, so blinding that it made one’s eyes hurt, afraid to raise their heads to look at him.</p><p>The number one expert in the kingdom—Flit the 66th!</p><p>A powerful, pure-blooded Saint Domain Fire Dragon and the current Fire Dragon King with a reign of 637 years and counting!</p><p>“So that’s the Fire Dragon King!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes focused on him, an impossibly huge sense of pressure coming over him. He had a certain feeling—if the Fire Dragon King wished to, he could definitely kill him with just a smack of his palm. The gap between the two of them was akin to the gulf between heaven and earth!</p><p>“I’m still too weak!” Meng Lei sighed inwardly. “The most I can do is just bully the experts below the Saint Domain realm. When up against a Saint Domain, I have no chances of victory at all.”</p><p>At this exact moment, a light ball that shone with a fiery-red glow dropped from the Fire Dragon King. Then, the system’s voice notification aptly rang out.</p><p>“Ding! Dropped item detected. Will you pick it up?”</p><p>“Yes, pick it up!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained a Fire-Elemental Laws of Nature Fragment!”</p><p><em>Wait a minute! A fire-elemental Laws of Nature fragment?</em></p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes widened dramatically, and he almost jumped off his seat.</p><p><em>A fire-elemental Laws of Nature fragment?</em></p><p><em>Oh my god!</em></p><p><em>I’ve actually picked up something like that? Hurry! Assimilate it!</em></p><p>Meng Lei let out a shout in his mind.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>An incomparably vast and boundless wave of information suddenly gushed into his mind. Just like a breached dam, they ran amok in the depths of his mind.</p><p>An endless amount of comprehension of the Fire Element surged into his mind like a tidal wave. Meng Lei felt as though the only thing that remained in front of him at the moment was a sea of fire.</p><p>Other than fire, there was still only fire!</p><p>The amazing thing was that these flames completely formed from Fire Elements were no longer just shaped purely with Fire Elements. Rather, all of them were connected to one another via innumerable red threads.</p><p>Dense, concentrated red threads covered every inch of the flames, shrouding the entire sea of fire in them and connecting every granule of Fire Elements.</p><p>The red threads were in complete control of the Fire Elements’ dancing and burning. If the dancing Fire Elements were puppets, then these threads would be the strings controlling the puppets.</p><p>Meng Lei had a feeling that with just a light tug on any of the threads from him, he would be able to induce a dramatic spike in the flames’ might.</p><p>Of course, he could also extinguish the flames anytime he wanted.</p><p>“Fire-elemental… Laws of nature?” Meng Lei murmured to himself as he instinctively reached out and plucked out one of the threads.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The flames instantly went out, and the sea of fire vanished.</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head a couple of times, his senses abruptly coming back to him. It was only then that he discovered that the Fire Dragon King—Flit the 66th—had long since ended his speech and returned to the private room.</p><p>Instead, there were currently two contestants fighting it out in the fighting ring.</p><p>“I wonder how much time had gone by just now?” Meng Lei murmured under his breath.</p><p>He clearly remembered that the events just now had spanned only a split second, yet it seemed like a long while had actually gone by…</p><p>“Huh? Why is there a change in the stats interface?”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-130

Chapter 130 - Ice Momentum, Turning Into A Fire Lotus In A Second

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 130 - Ice Momentum, Turning Into A Fire Lotus In A Second</h1><p>Host: Meng Lei</p><p>Race: Human (Contains Fire Dragon bloodline, Fire Demon bloodline, and Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline)</p><p>Wealth: 25,976,435,428 gold coins</p><p>Physical Body Constitution: Ninth-Grade Warrior (769,877,006/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Spirit: Ninth-Grade Magician (1,388,760/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Magic Power: Ninth-Grade Magician (1,145,467/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Laws of Nature: Fire-Elemental (0.1%)</p><p>Spells: Some increase</p><p>Battle Skills: Some increase</p><p>Battle Aura Techniques: Some increase</p><p><em>There’s an additional Laws of Nature comprehension field now?</em></p><p><em>What does the 0.1% at the back mean? Is it a comprehension meter?</em></p><p>A shrewd glint flashed across the depths of Meng Lei’s eyes as he gazed at the additional field in the stats interface.</p><p><em>It’s probably related to the Laws of Nature fragment that I picked up just now. I wonder if I can use my Wealth to redeem points for it?</em></p><p><em>It would be awesome if I can!</em></p><p><em>Alright, I’ll give it a go?</em></p><p>Meng Lei silently ordered, “System! Redeem one billion gold coins and add them to my Laws of Nature attribute!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth value instantly decreased by one billion gold coins. True enough, the Laws of Nature field also underwent a change, going from 0.1% to 0.2%!</p><p><em>It went up by only 0.1% with one billion gold coins!?</em></p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but suck in a breath of chilly air. One must know that that was one billion gold coins! Yet it had only raised his comprehension of Laws of Nature by 0.1%?</p><p>This redemption rate was simply too low. At this rate, wouldn’t he need one trillion gold coins to reach a 100% comprehension rate for the fire-elemental Laws of Nature, then?</p><p><em>One trillion…</em></p><p>Meng Lei fell silent. By right, the ability to buy credits for his comprehension of the laws of nature was something positive. However, the price was simply too great!</p><p>Raising it by 1% required 10 billion gold coins. In other words, raising it to 100% would require one trillion gold coins!</p><p><em>I have such a hard life!</em></p><p><em>Where am I going to get that kind of money?</em></p><p>Immersed in his thoughts, Meng Lei secretly gave himself a wry smile of resignation. However, he didn’t notice that there was a group of people in the private room where the King was currently looking at him.</p><p>The red-haired Flit the 66th asked with a smile, “So that’s the little fellow named Meng Lei, Fred?”</p><p>President Fred nodded lightly and replied with a smile, “Yes, Your Majesty. That’s indeed Meng Lei.”</p><p>“He’s so young!”</p><p>As Flit the 66th gazed upon Meng Lei, he remarked, “Who would have thought that a young boy like him would actually be a Ninth-Grade Great Magician?”</p><p>“Indeed! A 16-year-old Ninth-Grade Great Magician is certainly an unprecedented occurrence in the history of our Fire Dragon Kingdom!”</p><p>The graceful and regal Queen Diana, who was also sizing up Meng Lei, remarked, “President Fred, the academy has certainly produced an impressive genius!”</p><p>“Thank you for the compliments, Your Majesties. The only reason why Meng Lei possesses such a level of cultivation now is that he had incidentally come across a few chance encounters. It’s all just luck! Luck!”</p><p>Even though President Fred felt triumphant inwardly, he kept his words very humble. At the same time, however, he didn’t forget to glance at the other old men in the private room, smugness showing obviously in his eyes.</p><p>“He’s certainly quite talented, but he’s ultimately still too young.”</p><p>A big, muscular black-haired elderly man said sourly, “Whether or not he can achieve great things in the future will still depend on his future diligence and development. His performance at this current point in time cannot determine his future.”</p><p>“Exactly! There is no shortage of geniuses that make a showy display of their abilities the moment they debut. People like that emerge in great numbers. However, ultimately, only a handful of them can attain the Saint Domain realm. That little fellow is still too young. You can’t tell much about him just yet.”</p><p>“He’s certainly rather talented, but if he’s hoping to achieve great things in the exchange competition, then his current level of strength ultimately still falls a little short…”</p><p>All the other old men in the private room spoke up one after another, trivializing the subject and showing disdain on their countenances. In spite of that, they couldn’t hide the sour grapes in their speech, nevertheless.</p><p>As a Ninth-Grade Great Magician at 16 years of age, Meng Lei well-deserved the title of being the first in history!</p><p>This was something that no one could deny. Thus, the only thing they could slam was Meng Lei’s age.</p><p>At such a young age, the future was full of countless uncertainties. Who could really predict that accurately just how far he could go?</p><p>“Sour grapes much?”</p><p>President Fred shook his head and laughed lightly. Then, he replied, “No matter what, the current Meng Lei has undeniably reached a point ahead of others. He has abundant time to break through to Saint Domain!”</p><p>All the other academy presidents snorted in response, though they didn’t rebut him anymore.</p><p>“I heard that Fighting Dragon Academy has also produced an impressive genius. I wonder who it is?”</p><p>Flit the 66th knew full well about the ongoings among the academy presidents. However, he didn’t lay them bare. Instead, with a smile on his visage, his gaze flicked over to the big, muscular black-haired elderly man, and he chose to change the subject.</p><p>At once, a smile appeared on the muscular elderly man’s countenance, and he replied, “Your Majesty, that young fellow’s name is Francis Matthew, and he’s a sixth-year student in my academy. He’s 28 years old this year and possesses ninth-grade pinnacle-level combat strength!”</p><p>Upon saying that, the muscular elderly man then looked at the contestants’ seating area. The smile on his face widened, and he said, “Your Majesty, do take a look. It just so happens to be Francis’ turn to go into the ring now. He’s that silver-haired young man over there.”</p><p>Flit the 66th raised an eyebrow. Then, he looked through the transparent glass in the private room at the fighting ring below to see a silver-haired young man wearing a suit of silver armor and holding a huge sword going up into the ring.</p><p>The young man’s eyes were sharp, and his expression cold and distant. As though he was an ice sculpture, he gave off an unapproachable feeling that rejected others from coming close to him.</p><p>“He has fairly rich Frost Colossal Dragon blood in him, yet he doesn’t possess even a hint of the Dragon race’s characteristics!”</p><p>Queen Diana’s rosy lips parted, and she asked, “That little fellow named Francis must have awakened his Frost Colossal Dragon bloodline at a later stage?”</p><p>“How astute of Her Majesty!”</p><p>The muscular elderly man nodded lightly and replied, “Francis awakened his Frost Colossal Dragon bloodline when he was 18 years old. He typically keeps his human appearance and only transforms into his Dragon Person form upon encountering a strong enemy.”</p><p>“Just as I’ve expected!”</p><p>Queen Diana said with a light laugh, “To possess such strength at such a young age, he has already surpassed many pure-blooded Colossal Dragons!”</p><p>“Indeed!” All the academy presidents and senates nodded in agreement.</p><p>Pure-blooded Colossal Dragons were certainly very powerful. They were comparable to Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts the moment they came of age, so they were much stronger than typical mixed-blood Dragon People.</p><p>However, this wasn’t absolute.</p><p>Some highly talented mixed-blood Dragon People boasted a cultivation speed that was faster than pure-blooded Colossal Dragons’, and this was something many pure-blooded Colossal Dragons couldn’t compare to—Francis was evidently one of those Dragon People.</p><p>“The battle has started!”</p><p>Francis’ opponent was a bald, uni-horned, muscular man holding a giant axe. His body was as strongly-built as an ox, and it brimmed with explosive strength.</p><p>Then, with just a single move of his sword, Francis slashed open the man’s throat and ended the battle.</p><p>“That ended so quickly!”</p><p>“How impressive!”</p><p>“What great icy and sharp momentum!”</p><p>“There’s hardly anyone that can match him among the ninth-grade experts!”</p><p>“The Saint Domain is within sight for him!”</p><p>Everyone in the private room couldn’t help but rub their palms and sigh in admiration.</p><p>The laymen watched the show, but what specialists focused on was the skill.</p><p>With their experience, they were naturally able to tell that Francis’ move hadn’t just been an overlay of his physique, physical strength, and Battle Aura. It had also… carried momentum!</p><p>Momentum—moving along with the flow, as well as the accumulation of momentum!</p><p>The momentum here referred to the universe’s momentum!</p><p>When one carried the universe’s momentum and released it along with the flow, their combat power would go through an explosive increase.</p><p>The bald, uni-horned, muscular man was also a ninth-grade expert. In terms of pure physical strength and agility, he wasn’t that far off from Francis in his human form, yet his throat had been slashed by Francis, nevertheless.</p><p>The difference laid exactly in their comprehension of the universe’s momentum. Francis’ comprehension of the Ice momentum had already reached a fairly astounding degree. By carrying the universe’s momentum and releasing it along with the flow, he had slain the bald, uni-horned man with just a slash of his sword.</p><p>“The young fellows nowadays are truly becoming more and more impressive!” One of the academy presidents sighed emotionally.</p><p>“Indeed!” Everyone else nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Eh? Isn’t that the little fellow named Meng Lei? Why has he gone into the ring, too?”</p><p>The muscular elderly man suddenly let out a soft exclamation and remarked in a slightly surprised tone of voice. Everyone looked over one by one—true enough, they noticed Meng Lei going up into the fighting ring.</p><p>“Is it already that little fellow’s turn?”</p><p>Flit the 66th remarked with great interest, “Everyone has been singing high praises of that little fellow during this recent period of time. I sure would like to take a good look at what he has to offer today.”</p><p>“His talent might take the top spot in history, but it’s a shame that he’s still too young.” The muscular elderly man shook his head and went on. “He’s stunning enough when compared to peers of his age, but it’s going to be really tough if he wants to achieve much in the exchange competition.”</p><p>“That makes sense. That little fellow’s biggest flaw is that he’s too young and too inexperienced. The amount of time he has spent on cultivation is too short!”</p><p>“Fred, if I were you, I’d have let him participate in the next exchange competition instead of putting him out there this year…”</p><p>All the other academy presidents spoke up one by one, their words causing President Fred’s expression to turn rather awful—yet he couldn’t rebut them at all.</p><p>Meng Lei was certainly very stunning, while his cultivation speed took the top spot in history. However, he was ultimately too young, the amount of time he had spent in cultivation was too short, and his experience when confronting enemies too little.</p><p>Disregarding the exchange competition where experts were abound and solely focusing on the contestants today, even the weakest one was someone at eighth-grade pinnacle-level. Could the young Meng Lei really stand on the same stage as them and compete with them?</p><p>“He’s rather good-looking, though, and he’s about the same age as our Little Ninth!” remarked Queen Diana as she watched Meng Lei with her beautiful eyes, before subsequently looking at a delicate young teenage girl behind her with allusion in her actions.</p><p>Flit the 66th burst into laughter. He couldn’t resist glancing at the delicate teenage girl, and he said teasingly, “Little Ninth has to inherit the throne in the future. If she really does take a fancy to that little fellow, there’s no harm in marrying him and taking him as a royal consort.”</p><p>“Father!”</p><p>The delicate teenage girl blushed furiously at once. A crimson hue also came over her pair of delicate, exquisite dragon horns as her cheeks turned rosy red.</p><p>“Hahaha!” Everyone burst into uproarious laughter.</p><p>Meng Lei’s opponent had also shown up in the ring. He had green dragon scales all over his body, a pair of green horns at the top of his head, a pair of green wings on his back, and a long, green tail at his bottom…</p><p>“Haha! To think it’s actually Chester!”</p><p>At the sight of the green Dragon Person in the ring, a blond elderly man wearing a magic robe rubbed his palms in glee right away. “Fred, the top genius of your Fire Dragon Magic Academy is going to embarrass himself soon!”</p><p>“Oh?”</p><p>Everyone looked at the blond elderly man, puzzlement in their eyes.</p><p>“Chester was the top genius of our Dragon People Magic Academy in the past. 29 years old this year and a dual cultivator of both magic and martial arts, his Warrior combat abilities are at ninth-grade elementary-level while his magic abilities are at eighth-grade mid-level!”</p><p>The blond elderly man side-eyed President Fred and went on smugly. “Because he has Green Dragon blood in him, not only is Chester familiar with wood-elemental Dragon-Language Magic, but he also knows poison magic.</p><p>“That’s poison magic, you know! Something that specializes in restraining Magicians that have weak, frail bodies! Now that he has encountered him, that little fellow named Meng Lei is going to be out of luck!”</p><p>Everyone nodded in agreement as poison magic was terrifying.</p><p>This type of rare, special magic that only Green Dragons could master was totally different from ordinary magic and could kill without warning.</p><p>One would easily fall victim to it the moment they were careless, and once they did, they would be down with highly toxic poison. In lesser cases, they would suffer a great loss in combat strength, while in serious cases, they would lose their lives.</p><p>Perhaps Warriors could resist it slightly, but Magicians, whose bodies were weak and frail, wouldn’t be able to withstand it for long at all. Out of everyone, poison magic restrained Magicians the most.</p><p>“That little fellow named Meng Lei is so young. He probably doesn’t have any experience dealing with poison magic. He’s in for it this time!”</p><p>One of the academy presidents sighed softly with a shake of his head.</p><p>President Fred had an awful look on his face, and he began to grow uneasy and nervous.</p><p>In the ring, the battle started!</p><p>In a bid to forestall his opponent, Chester put on a show of strength right away and began to loudly chant profound and hard-to-understand Dragon-Language Magic spells. Several thorny vines appeared out of nowhere and transformed into dozens of poisonous snakes that rushed toward Meng Lei.</p><p>At the same time, numerous pink flowers started to grow around the ring, giving off a toxic pink mist that shrouded the entire ring.</p><p>“Eighth-Grade Wood-Elemental Dragon-Language Magic, Toxic Magic Vines!</p><p>“Eighth-Grade Poison Spell, Bone-Softening Toxic Mist!</p><p>“The outcome is clear!”</p><p>The blond old man chortled and said, “Fred, you’d better hurry and stop the two of them. Otherwise, your top genius in history is gonna croak!”</p><p>“Hmph!” Fred let out a cold snort in response. However, his heart had already gone all the way into his mouth, and he got ready to step in and stop the battle at any moment and save Meng Lei.</p><p>At that moment, up against the thorny vines shooting toward him and the pervasive toxic mist, Meng Lei instead flicked his fingers and launched a basketball-sized fireball that shot slowly and leisurely toward Chester.</p><p>“The First-Grade Fireball Technique isn’t even enough to tickle me!” sneered Chester, who couldn’t even be bothered to dodge the fireball.</p><p>However, in the instant it came within range of him, the human head-sized fireball expanded wildly without warning, swelling into a fire lotus, whose diameter reached as wide as 1,000 feet!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The 1,000-feet-wide fire lotus engulfed Chester in a split second. It engulfed all the vines, as well as a large half of the fighting ring!</p><p>“What!?”</p><p>“Fireball Technique morphing into Fire Lotus Judgment in a second?”</p><p>“A first-grade spell turning into a ninth-grade spell?”</p><p>“How can this be?”</p><p>All the academy presidents in the private room got to their feet all of a sudden, astonishment written all over their faces!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-131

Chapter 131 - Choosing A Queen, Abandoning One'S Merits And Making Much Of Their Shortcomings

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 131 - Choosing A Queen, Abandoning One'S Merits And Making Much Of Their Shortcomings</h1><p>To ordinary people, magic was just like tricks, yet also different from them. At the same time, while they were cool and dazzling, they also carried fearsome destructiveness.</p><p>However, all Magicians were well aware that magic actually wasn’t that amazing—there was a specific and particular way to cast every spell.</p><p>How to chant the spell incantation;</p><p>How much magic elements they must gather;</p><p>How the magic elements should be arranged;</p><p>All these aspects had their own specific patterns and rules. Making a mistake in any of them would cause the spellcasting to fail.</p><p>What this meant was that Fireball Technique had its own way of arranging magic elements while the Fire Lotus Judgment also had its own set of spellcasting steps. Once they had been cast, the spells would be set in stone, and there wouldn’t be any way to alter them anymore.</p><p>There was no way it could be Fireball Technique one moment, yet morph into Fire Lotus Judgment the next. If anyone could achieve something like that, then sorry, but that would definitely be tricks meant to deceive one and not strict, rigorous magic!</p><p>This was the most basic piece of general knowledge in magic and was also something acknowledged among all Magicians.</p><p>Yet under the watchful eyes of the public, Meng Lei had broken this very same piece of general knowledge in magic.</p><p>“Fireball Technique has turned into Fire Lotus Judgment?”</p><p>“A first-grade spell has turned into a ninth-grade spell?”</p><p>“Oh my dragon god! Am I seeing things?”</p><p>A huge uproar went through the whole arena. Some people’s mouths were wide agape, some were rubbing their eyes hard, and some had almost jumped out of their seats…</p><p>Everyone in the venue was astounded by what they had seen!</p><p>In the private room, King Flit the 66th, Queen Diana, President Fred, the blond elderly man, as well as the other academy presidents’ jaws had also dropped.</p><p>For others, their astoundment arose from the fact that they didn’t understand what had happened. In their case, however, it was because they understood the inner workings that they found it inconceivable.</p><p>Just like how there was no way a rock could turn into gold for no reason, it was impossible for the Fireball Technique that had already been cast to morph into Fire Lotus Judgment for no reason!.</p><p>However, this didn’t mean that it was unachievable.</p><p>It was actually possible for rocks to turn into gold.</p><p>Similarly, the Fireball Technique could also morph into Fire Lotus Judgment!.</p><p>By using the laws of nature, one could achieve this!</p><p>And it was precisely because they knew that this was achievable through the laws of nature that they found it so shocking and horrifying.</p><p>“President Fred, when did that little fellow comprehend the laws of nature?”</p><p>Flit the 66th looked at President Fred with astonishment in his eyes. He was a Fire Colossal Dragon, and his main field of cultivation was fire-elemental laws of nature. Thus, he had the strongest right to speak among everyone present.</p><p>For Fireball Technique to morph into Fire Lotus Judgment, there were definitely fire-elemental laws of nature involved here. Although the depth of his technique was very shallow and had touched only the tip of the iceberg that was fire-elemental laws of nature, there was no denying that it was indeed the laws of nature. Once laws of nature came into play, the result was a difference between heaven and earth!</p><p>“Your Majesty, to be honest, I don’t know, either!”</p><p>With a shake of his head, President Fred gave him a wry smile and replied, “I’ve always thought that he was just a Ninth-Grade Great Magician. I’ve never once imagined that he could comprehend laws of nature. He’s so young, after all!”</p><p>Flit the 66th nodded slowly and said, “Indeed. He’s certainly too young. Attaining the realm of a Ninth-Grade Great Magician at 16 years of age is already astounding enough, let alone comprehend the laws of nature?”</p><p>All the academy presidents nodded one after another with complex looks on their faces.</p><p>16 years old!</p><p>What a young and tender age!</p><p>At 16 years old, most people had only just enrolled in school and were in the midst of learning their magic basics. As for comprehending laws of nature… That was a notion too far away from them.</p><p>“He has already comprehended the laws of nature!”</p><p>A flash went past Flit the 66th’s eyes, and he said, “It’s only a matter of time until that little fellow advances to Saint Domain!”</p><p>“Your Majesty is right!”</p><p>Everyone agreed wholeheartedly with him. For a Ninth-Grade Great Magician to promote to Saint Domain, they mustn’t lack any of the three aspects of spiritual power, magic power reserves, and comprehension of the laws of nature.</p><p>Among the three, comprehending the laws of nature was the hardest to achieve. A vast majority of ninth-grade experts spent their whole lives comprehending the universe’s momentum, yet up till the point of their deaths, they couldn’t even see the laws of nature’s vague outlines.</p><p>This wasn’t the case for Meng Lei, however. He had already begun to comprehend fire-elemental laws of nature, so he only needed to improve his spiritual power and magic power reserves, and the road to promoting to Saint Domain… would naturally form for him.</p><p>In other words, Meng Lei was already a shoo-in for the Saint Domain realm. On top of that, it wasn’t that far off anymore.</p><p>“Someone as highly talented as that is certainly a worthy match for Little Ninth!”</p><p>Flit the 66th suddenly turned to the delicate teenage girl behind him. Then, he asked in a mild, gentle voice, “Little Ninth, how do you find Meng Lei?”</p><p>“Father…”</p><p>The teenage girl’s face turned red from embarrassment at once.</p><p>…</p><p>Boom!</p><p>As a great fire blazed away, as far as the fire lotus reached, the dozens of thorny vines were all reduced to ashes. All the pink flowers scattered in various corners around the ring were also turned into ashes!</p><p>Chester, the Green Dragon Person, surprisingly reacted pretty quickly. He jumped out of the sea of fire the instant Fire Lotus Judgment crashed into him. Aside from singeing a bit of his hair, he didn’t take much damage.</p><p>His powerful physical body constitution shone through without a doubt in this instant.</p><p>However, Chester was staring at Meng Lei with a horrified expression at the moment. “Your Fireball Technique has actually morphed into the Ninth-Grade Spell, Fire Lotus Judgment? How did you do that?”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a small laugh in response, even though he was actually secretly astounded inwardly. He had only randomly tugged at a few red threads in an attempt to boost the Fireball Technique’s might just now, and then the subsequent events had happened.</p><p><em>As expected of the laws of nature!</em></p><p><em>Its might… is practically terrifying!</em></p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but hold a deeper level of comprehension toward the three words “laws of nature” now. No wonder everyone had to comprehend the laws of nature at the end of it all.</p><p>Everything that had happened just now was the best proof of that.</p><p>“Brat, when did you comprehend fire-elemental laws of nature?” Ol’ Amos’ voice surfaced in his mind, his voice filled with astonishment.</p><p>“We’ll talk about that later. I have to win this match first.”</p><p>Meng Lei looked at Chester. Several fire pythons appeared out of thin air and charged over from a few different directions with a wave of his arm.</p><p>Due to the lesson earlier, Chester didn’t dare to underestimate the fire pythons anymore. His form flashed as he moved about at high speed. At the same time as he dodged the fire pythons’ attacks, he also charged brazenly toward Meng Lei.</p><p>“You’re a Ninth-Grade Great Magician, so your body must be weak and frail for sure! Once I get near you, you’ll be dead meat!”</p><p>There was a chilly look in Chester’s eyes as he boosted his speed to the maximum it could go. In a split second, he had already arrived right in front of Meng Lei. In this instant, he exhibited the abilities of his powerful body to the fullest once more.</p><p>“Trying to engage in close-quarters combat with me?”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a chuckle in response. Then, he stopped casting magic and stood where he was quietly, allowing Chester to charge toward him at will.</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>At the sight of this, Chester’s pupils constricted at once, and a foreboding feeling suddenly welled up within him. “What’s that guy doing, standing still over there?”</p><p>However, the arrow had already been notched, and there was no point of return anymore. With a furious roar, Chester leaped high into the air. Throughout his body, the muscles quivered as he poured all the strength in his body into his right fist.</p><p>As though cleaving Mount Hua ¹ apart, his fist slammed downward.</p><p>“Eat my fist, kid!”</p><p>His raging fist reached in a split second, carrying a momentum capable of blasting everything into smithereens as it smashed toward Meng Lei.</p><p>Just how fearsome was a ninth-grade expert’s physical strength? Should his punch land squarely on its target, any Great Magician would be smashed to death.</p><p>“Good job making it here!”</p><p>Meng Lei did something that no one would ever expect at the critical moment—he reached out his left leg and took a step back with his right, lowering his hip and getting into a horse stance ¹ . Then, he met the attack with a punch of his own!</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>“Is he out of his mind?!”</p><p>At the sight of this, the spectators almost jumped out of their seats. Innumerable wealthy young ladies, noblewomen, and debutantes that idolized Meng Lei clenched their hands tightly into fists and held them over their chests. The timid ones even squeezed their eyes shut.</p><p>At the same time, Flit the 66th and the others in the private room also frowned one by one, finding it extremely hard to understand Meng Lei’s actions.</p><p>Meng Lei’s merit was his magic, while Chester’s was his body.</p><p>By using his shortcoming to attack an enemy’s merit, wasn’t he just seeking death?</p><p>“Fred, what’s the little fellow doing?” The muscular old man broke into a frown and asked, “Is he tired of living?”</p><p>“You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask, then?”</p><p>President Fred’s features were contorted into a savage expression, and he was close to being sent over the edge!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-132

Chapter 132 - Meng Lei The Monster, Violently Smashing A Hammer

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 132 - Meng Lei The Monster, Violently Smashing A Hammer</h1><p>Crash!</p><p>As though a meteor crashing into Earth, their fists clashed against each other. Together with a thunderous boom, with the two of them as the center, raging winds from the resulting shockwaves swept outward to every corner of the ring.</p><p>The next moment, something that no one ever imagined even in their dreams happened—Chester, who was in the air, suddenly cried out, and his form flew backward like a cannonball!</p><p>He then fell onto the ring, stumbling all the way almost to the edge of the ring before barely managing to steady himself and come to a stop.</p><p>His right arm was a bit twisted, and the entire arm—together with his body—was trembling slightly, and he even had a look of agony on his face!</p><p>On the other hand, Meng Lei stood where he was, completely fine. There was neither redness in his face, nor was he out of breath. He even blew at his fist coyly with a calm and easy expression, forming a stark contrast with Chester.</p><p>“…”</p><p>The whole venue was filled with silence.</p><p>No one made a sound at all.</p><p>Everyone was flabbergasted.</p><p>In the private room, the blond elderly man found himself somewhat tongue-tied. “Isn’t Chester a Ninth-Grade Warrior? Why has he been thrown out with a punch?”</p><p>“Isn’t that obvious?”</p><p>The muscular elderly man laughed wryly and replied, “That little fellow named Meng Lei has an even stronger body than Chester! At preliminary estimates, he has already attained at least ninth-grade mid-level status, perhaps even high-level!”</p><p>“This…” All the academy presidents looked at one another in silence.</p><p>“A 16-year-old Ninth-Grade Great Magician and Ninth-Grade Warrior! Is he a monster?!”</p><p>“Fred, just how exactly does that little fellow cultivate? Why is he such a mutant when he’s only 16 years old?”</p><p>Even Flit the 66th, who had been calm and collected the whole time, found it incredible by now. He shifted his gaze to President Fred, eager to know the key to all of this.</p><p>Fred gave a wry laugh and replied, “I don’t know the concrete details, either, but my guess is that there’s highly likely a Dragon King-class expert backing that little fellow!”</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>Flit the 66th was terribly shocked. His razor-sharp eyes instantly landed on Fred, and he asked, “Fred, are you serious?”</p><p>All the other academy presidents also looked at President Fred with horrified and incredulous expressions. The Dragon King-class was no trivial matter; one mustn’t joke around like that!</p><p>Fred gave another wry chuckle as he replied, “Your Majesty, I can’t be sure whether or not it’s true because I’ve never personally met that expert, but there’s likely no mistake about that!”</p><p>No mistake about that?</p><p>Then, wouldn’t that mean that there really was a half-deity backing Meng Lei?</p><p>Flit the 66th fell silent at his words. His fingers drummed lightly against the chair’s armrest, no one knowing what exactly he was thinking.</p><p>The other academy presidents also sank into contemplation. The enormous private room fell into pin-drop silence at once, leaving only the teenage girl and the rest of the princes and princesses looking at one another in confusion.</p><p>At that moment in the fighting ring, as a piercing pain came from his right arm, alarm, horror, and incredulity filled Chester. As the top genius of Dragon People Magic Academy in the past, he had refused to graduate all this time for the sole purpose of amazing the world with a single feat and to shine brilliantly.</p><p>Yet he had been defeated by a 16-year-old grunt when this was just the qualifying round!</p><p>Chester had received a huge blow from this, and he couldn’t help but question his life now.</p><p>Meng Lei’s voice rang out at this point. “Are we continuing this?”</p><p>“I’ve lost!”</p><p>After staring long and hard at Meng Lei, a dejected Chester went down the ring. He knew that he would only end up humiliating himself if he continued the fight—admitting defeat was his only option now.</p><p>“Meng Lei is the victor for this match!”</p><p>The host’s voice resounded throughout the arena.</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>All the spectators in the whole venue broke into deafening, resounding cheers at once. They shouted Meng Lei’s name hysterically as if they had gone mad.</p><p>In response, Meng Lei gave them a smile, and then, he turned and went down the ring.</p><p>The matches were still ongoing.</p><p>The victors advanced while the losers were eliminated.</p><p>Each match lasted an average of five minutes, and approximately ten matches took place every hour.</p><p>The matches carried on all the way from the morning into the afternoon. At 3 p.m. in the afternoon, all 51 matches finally concluded with 52 victors emerging in the end (one contestant drew a bye ¹ )!</p><p>“I officially announce the end of the two-man matches! Now, let us begin the most exciting challenge matches!”</p><p>As the host returned to the ring, he said in a resounding, passionate voice, “All losing or eliminated parties may challenge any of the 52 victors. If the challenger can defeat them, they shall take their place and join the ranks of the victors!</p><p>“However, each person only has a single chance to issue a challenge…”</p><p>“There’s even a segment like this at the end?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rather surprised when he heard the host. However, when he thought about it, he found it rather understandable.</p><p>The current group of 52 emerging victors wasn’t the strongest of the lot for sure. There was no lack of people stronger than them among the eliminated parties.</p><p>After all, the free-for-all was riddled with loopholes, while the two-man matches were too imbalanced and absolute. All of these could lead to people with strong abilities being… brutally eliminated!</p><p>The challenge matches identified gaps and made up for what was lacking in order to give these people a chance. As long as they could seize the opportunity, they would be able to obtain a spot.</p><p>“I hereby announce the official start of the challenge matches!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Right after the host’s announcement, a stream of light suddenly shot toward the ring and landed within.</p><p>It was a muscular man. Roughly 2.5 meters tall with intertwining muscles all over him, his whole body was filled with explosive energy.</p><p>“My name is Mondan, and I wish to challenge him!”</p><p>With two heavy hammers in his hands, the muscular man pointed at the contestant benches with the hammer in his right hand and declared in a low, muffled voice.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>All the spectators in the house looked toward where he was pointing, and then, they saw the person being challenged seated on the bench.</p><p>For a moment there, all the spectators became awfully excited.</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>“Someone is actually challenging Meng Lei!”</p><p>“Teach him a lesson, Meng Lei! Show him what you’re capable of…”</p><p>“Someone is challenging me?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rather bewildered.</p><p>The challenge matches were the eliminated contestants’ last chance. On top of that, they only had one chance to issue a challenge. As long as there was nothing wrong in their heads, everyone would know that they should be challenging the weakest there.</p><p>Or alternatively, the guys that didn’t look very strong.</p><p>Yet someone was actually challenging Meng Lei now. In addition, the very first challenger in the ring had specifically pointed him out to challenge him…</p><p>“Do I look that weak?”</p><p>Somewhat displeased, Meng Lei got up and walked toward the fighting ring.</p><p><em>I drove back the ant tide at North River Pass, blasted the fighting ring in the free-for-all, and defeated Chester in the two-man match…</em></p><p><em>I’ve made a great name for myself and crushed all my opponents in every match!</em></p><p><em>Yet I’ve actually given you the impression that I’m very weak!</em></p><p><em>Good! Very good!</em></p><p>…</p><p>“Haha! Someone has challenged that little fellow right away!”</p><p>Flit the 66th couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Everyone, why do you think that big guy is challenging that little fellow? Does he look that weak?”</p><p>“Your Majesty! In my opinion, there are two reasons for this.”</p><p>The smiling muscular elderly man replied, “Firstly, that little fellow Meng Lei is simply too young. Even if he has made a great name for himself, hearsay means nothing while seeing is believing. Therefore, others are still unwilling to concede defeat at this point.”</p><p>“That makes sense!” Everyone nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Secondly, it’s because he’s too famous.”</p><p>The muscular elderly man chuckled and went on. “Among the 52 victors, that little fellow is definitely the most famous of them all. A 16-year-old Ninth-Grade Great Magician, the top genius in history, the hero that drove back the ant tide at North River Pass… and so on.</p><p>“He’s much more famous than all the other contestants. Due to his fame, as long as one can defeat that little fellow in a match, they’ll be able to take his place and become famous with a single match.</p><p>“Gaining fame with a single match, you know! Cultivators like us pursue nothing but fame and fortune, after all. Who would be able to resist the allure of fame and fortune?”</p><p>“That makes sense!” Everyone nodded once more.</p><p>The muscular elderly man added, “Of course, there’s no lack of those that are reluctant to concede defeat, too. They are indignant at being defeated by a 16-year-old boy, so it’s also likely that they would challenge him.”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>At this point, the match had already started.</p><p>Mondan, the bronze-hammer-wielding muscular man, was incredibly mighty and powerful. He charged toward Meng Lei like a raging bull. Judging solely from his might, he had an extremely strong and powerful body, and he didn’t lose out in the least, even when compared to Chester the Green Dragon Person.</p><p>“Die, kid!”</p><p>The muscular man let out a furious bellow. He raised his hammer high into the air and swung it viciously toward Meng Lei. This strike of his contained a might so incomparably fearsome that it was enough to smash any Eighth-Grade Magical Beast dead.</p><p>“You actually dare to challenge me when you only have this bit of strength?” Meng Lei snorted.</p><p>A fiery-red glow suddenly blossomed around his right fist, and it went smashing toward the heavy hammer crashing down on him.</p><p>Crash!</p><p>The hammer and Meng Lei’s iron fist clashed against each other, and the muscular man felt a great, unparalleled force coming from his hammer. The web between his thumb and forefinger was directly crushed by the impact with a snap, and he felt intense, piercing pain.</p><p>“Ahhh!”</p><p>Right away, the hammer fell out of his hand, and the muscular man retreated backward as he cried out.</p><p>“You overestimate yourself!”</p><p>Meng Lei then kicked the hammer, instantly sending it flying out like a launched cannonball. It crashed into the muscular man’s abdomen with pinpoint accuracy and blasted him right out of the fighting ring!</p><p>“Fire Dragon Battle Aura!?”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-133

Chapter 133 - Elizabeth, Striking The Princess With Lightning

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 133 - Elizabeth, Striking The Princess With Lightning</h1><p>“Fire Dragon Battle Aura!?”</p><p>Flit the 66th was a little stunned as he stared at Meng Lei’s fist. “He’s also cultivating the Fire Dragon Manual?”</p><p>Everyone exchanged looks in silence before they looked at President Fred with looks of puzzlement in their eyes.</p><p>“Don’t look at me. I don’t know, either!”</p><p>President Fred could only let out wry laugh after wry laugh.</p><p>“Only members of our kingdom’s royalty can cultivate the Fire Dragon Manual. Those who aren’t royalty are prohibited from cultivating it.”</p><p>Flit the 66th drummed his fingers lightly against the table as he went on. “According to what I know, that little fellow is born a commoner. He probably hasn’t gone to the Royal Clan Ministry to get a test done on his bloodline, right?”</p><p>The royalty… What was royalty defined as?</p><p>The Fire Dragon Kingdom had a very broad and simple definition of royalty—all who possessed pure-blooded Fire Dragon bloodlines were royalty.</p><p>It didn’t matter whether they were born into the royal family or if they were born in the countryside. As long as they had the Fire Dragon bloodline, all of them were royalty.</p><p>However, there was a prerequisite to this—they must head to the Royal Clan Ministry to carry out a bloodline test. They could only officially become part of royalty upon confirmation.</p><p>One would only gain the right to cultivate the Fire Dragon Manual after they become royalty.</p><p>But what about Meng Lei?</p><p>For starters, he wasn’t born into the royal family.</p><p>Next, he hadn’t had his bloodline tested yet.</p><p>So, where did he obtain the Fire Dragon Manual from?</p><p>“This…”</p><p>President Fred hesitated for a moment before he replied, “Your Majesty, that Dragon King expert backing him is likely also a member of our kingdom’s royalty.”</p><p>“What!?”</p><p>Flit the 66th was awfully shocked. “Is there such an expert in the Fire Dragon Kingdom royal family? How come I’ve never heard about that?”</p><p>“Your Majesty…”</p><p>President Fred was just about to answer when a young princess suddenly clapped and shouted excitedly, “Father, look! Someone’s challenging that guy again!”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>Flit the 66th’s brows furrowed slightly, and he involuntarily shifted his gaze to the fighting ring. President Fred and the others also looked over.</p><p>And the moment they did, they received a shock right away.</p><p>Someone stood proudly in the ring. She had a head of long, fiery-red hair that cascaded like a waterfall, a pair of fiery-red spiral horns at the top of her head, and was covered in ferocious and mighty fiery-red dragon scales.</p><p>Curvaceous and voluptuous with a gorgeous face, she gave off an imposing, heroic spirit and was valiant and formidable-looking with a domineering aura.</p><p>“How come it’s her?”</p><p>Everyone exchanged a look, and then, they looked toward Flit the 66th with rather strange looks on their faces. Queen Diana even let out a light snort and gave the king a vicious glare.</p><p>“That girl…”</p><p>Flit the 66th coughed lightly a couple of times, awfully emotionally. “That girl is actually all grown up now after I haven’t seen her in a few years…”</p><p>Girl?</p><p>Yes, that’s right!</p><p>The valiant and heroic woman currently standing proudly in the fighting ring was Fire Dragon King Flit the 66th’s eighth child—Elizabeth Flit!</p><p>People might not know much about other princesses since they lived in the depths of the palace, making it very tough for ordinary people to come into contact with them.</p><p>However, this wasn’t the case for the Eighth Princess.</p><p>The Eighth Princess was well-known to everyone, and her deeds had even been adapted into stories that circulated in the streets and neighborhoods, enthusiastically discussed by wandering minstrels and bards.</p><p>The Eighth Princess differed from the other princes and princesses because she wasn’t born to the Queen or the other royal consorts. Instead, she was the accidental product from the time when Flit the 66th had been out on an occasional fling.</p><p>Dragons were wanton by nature, and they had affairs everywhere—this was the nature of the Dragon race. By right, the Fire Dragon King having affairs outside shouldn’t have been much of a deal.</p><p>However, what brought humiliation to the royal family was that the great King, who had a harem of consorts, had actually been hungry and desperate enough to grace a… Hen-Woman!</p><p>In the Fire Dragon Kingdom and even as far as the entire Dragon God Empire, Hen-Women were an existence of the absolute lowest-class. They couldn’t even compare to fourth-class human commoners.</p><p>It was exactly because she had a Hen-Woman mother that the Eighth Princess suffered her fill of great contempt from others after she was born. In particular, the verbal attacks from the royal family had been exceptionally fierce.</p><p>However, what no one had expected was that the Eighth Princess, who was born to a Hen-Woman, wouldn’t abandon herself and wallow in degeneration. Instead, she had exhibited astonishing magic talent and cultivation aptitude.</p><p>She had graduated from a magic academy in three years and graduated from a Battle Aura academy in two years.</p><p>Her talent made many members of the royal family blush with shame and feel ashamed of themselves, and Fire Dragon King Flit the 66th had also found it surprising. Never would he have thought that the seed that he had accidentally planted would actually bear such an outstanding fruit.</p><p>In Heaven’s Vault Continent, the strong were revered. Everyone held the strong in esteem and respected them. Naturally, Flit the 66th would also favor outstanding children even more.</p><p>It was just a pity that the Eighth Princess, who had suffered all kinds of scorn and contempt since she had been young, held extremely great animosity toward the royal family. In fact, she hated her irresponsible father, Flit the 66th, even more.</p><p>There was nothing Flit the 66th could do about that except to allow her to continue as she was. In the few years that followed, the Eighth Princess had left on a journey to train and cultivate and rarely appeared within the people’s sight anymore.</p><p>Time could wear everything away; after a few years of absence, people had gradually forgotten about the astonishingly talented princess.</p><p>However, little did they expect that she would actually show up in the qualifying round and in the final challenge match, no less.</p><p>“Time sure passes really fast.” The muscular elderly man stroked his long beard as he remarked, “I remember when the Eighth Princess was still just a young girl back then. In the blink of an eye, she has already become a big girl.”</p><p>“Indeed!” The blond elderly man nodded slightly. “Back then, the Eighth Princess had studied magic in our Douglas Magic Academy. She was so young back then.”</p><p>All the academy presidents were rather emotional. To Saint Domains like them, their lifespans were very long, so they could hardly feel the passage of time.</p><p>However, to an ordinary person, the traces that time left on one were extremely obvious. Every few years brought a difference to their appearance, and they changed every few years.</p><p>Time was like a knife that urged one to mature with every cut and age with every cut.</p><p>“It’s been a few years since I’ve seen her. I wonder how strong that girl is now?”</p><p>Flit the 66th gazed at the most outstanding princess with a complex look in his eyes. Upon his remark, everyone else also became awfully curious.</p><p>Considering the astonishing talent that the Eighth Princess had exhibited, just how far had she progressed after an absence of a few years?</p><p>In this instant, in the fighting ring…</p><p>Meng Lei, who had only just walked back to the contestant benches and hadn’t even warmed the benches yet, returned to the fighting ring again. As he gazed at the heroic, valiant Dragon Person beauty in front of him, he only had curses and swearing in his mind.</p><p><em>Damn it!</em></p><p><em>Someone’s challenging me again!</em></p><p><em>Do I look that easy to bully? Why are you all specially picking me to bully!?</em></p><p>Meng Lei was terribly displeased. He decided to give them a tough time this time and show all those blind bastards what he was capable of so that they would stop bothering him.</p><p>“Start!” The host announced loudly. Then, he scurried off the fighting ring with a whoosh. Hosting matches of a class like this was a demanding job; they would become collateral damage the moment they got careless.</p><p>Reality also proved just how right of a decision the host’s cowardice was—in the instant he scurried off the fighting ring, Meng Lei erupted.</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Raging Thunder Dragon!”</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Thunder Tribulation Domain!”</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Thunderblast Meteor!”</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Thunder God Descends!”</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell… Soul-Controlling Thunderblast!”</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>Meng Lei flung out five different ninth-grade spells in succession with an interval of less than two seconds in between each and directly covered the entire fighting ring that wasn’t big to begin with.</p><p>Amid the booming thunderous explosions, lightning flashed, and electric currents ran amok. At once, the tiny fighting ring turned into a sea of lightning. Before the unfortunate Eighth Princess could even make a move, she had been engulfed by the lightning.</p><p>“This…”</p><p>All the spectators in the house were dumbstruck.</p><p>And in the private room, all the bigwigs’ lip corners spasmed, all of them dazed and flabbergasted by what had happened.</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-134

Chapter 134 - A Berserk Meng Lei, The Infuriated King

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 134 - A Berserk Meng Lei, The Infuriated King</h1><p>“Is that kid out of his mind!?” Flit the 66th exploded. “How dare he attack Little Eighth like that? Is he tired of living?”</p><p>“This…”</p><p>The academy presidents looked at one another, none of them knowing how they should respond to him.</p><p>In the fighting ring, everyone fought with their own abilities, and their life and death were not open for dispute thereafter. Nothing would be considered as going too far, no matter what kind of attacks the other party launched.</p><p>Besides, how would Meng Lei know that she was a princess?</p><p>“That bastard! If anything happens to Little Eighth, I won’t let him off!”</p><p>…</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>Compared to the furious King, at the sight of Meng Lei’s insane moves, all the spectators in the house went totally crazy. Each and every one of them shouted and cheered hysterically, all pumped up!</p><p>The more berserk Meng Lei was, the more excited they became. The five spells just now were simply too cool and crazy.</p><p><em>With this, there shouldn’t be anyone challenging me anymore, right?</em></p><p>Meng Lei stood at the edge of the ring and cast a glance at the contestant benches with a hint of warning in his eyes. It was so bothersome being challenged again and again.</p><p>Upon sensing Meng Lei’s gaze, a vast majority of the contestants involuntarily lowered their heads—they had been frightened by Meng Lei’s harsh actions!</p><p>Enveloping the whole fighting ring with five ninth-grade spells… Was that guy even human?</p><p>Wasn’t that a little too savage?</p><p>A layer of cold sweat formed on some of the contestants’ backs, secretly relieved.</p><p><em>That guy has gone berserk. Fortunately, that woman had been a step faster! Otherwise, I’d be dead now!</em></p><p>Crackle, crackle!</p><p>The lightning gradually dissipated. As the covered fighting ring was revealed, everyone’s eyes gradually widened, and astonished cries escaped them.</p><p>The fighting ring… had disappeared again. What had replaced it was yet another charred, black chasm.</p><p>And at the bottom of the chasm was someone in a half-kneel. Her beautiful long, red locks were burned, and her fair, tender, and crystal-clear face was also somewhat charred. She looked as if she had just escaped from a fire.</p><p>In any case, only one word could describe the princess’ terrible state—pathetic!</p><p>Yes, that’s right!</p><p>Extremely pathetic!</p><p>And a sight terrible to behold!</p><p>Aside from that, the princess didn’t seem to have sustained serious injuries. She glared at Meng Lei, who was standing at the edge of the chasm, her feminine body trembling slightly and her eyes red.</p><p>“Damned bastard! I’m going to kill you!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Elizabeth drew the sword at her waist. Then, she suddenly turned into a stream of light that shot toward Meng Lei. That ferocious expression and blood-red eyes of hers were as though she wished she could cleave Meng Lei into eight pieces.</p><p>“What the heck? She’s actually alright despite all that?”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a strange cry and shot backward.</p><p>“You bastard! I’m going to chop you dead!”</p><p>Elizabeth wielded her sword and slashed madly at him as if she had gone insane. The sharp blade edge swooped past Meng Lei’s scalp a few times, only a hair’s breadth away from him. If not for his ultra-quick reflexes, he’d have long since been chopped into pieces.</p><p>“Damn it! Is there any end to this?!”</p><p>Meng Lei grew infuriated. A layer of gold scales suddenly surfaced atop his fists, and they instantly turned golden. Then, he hurled a punch out and met the sword cleaving down upon him head-on,</p><p>Snap!</p><p>The sword landed on the surface of his fist. As a crisp clang rang out, it actually broke into two in the middle.</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>Elizabeth was stunned.</p><p>“Hmph!”</p><p>Meng Lei snorted, and his leg went flying out, landing squarely on Elizabeth’s lower abdomen. As a tragic cry rang out, Elizabeth also flew out like a fallen leaf floating in the air.</p><p>Then, she crashed onto the floor and threw up a mouthful of blood, her countenance instantly becoming dispirited and listless.</p><p>“There are so many people here, yet you just had to challenge me instead. Have you had enough yet?” Meng Lei let out a snort, and then he returned straight to the contestant benches.</p><p>“Victory! Meng Lei is the victor!”</p><p>The host ran over and loudly declared the outcome of the match. Then, he asked in concern, “Miss, are you alright?”</p><p>Elizabeth didn’t pay the host any heed and climbed onto her feet as she clutched her abdomen. Then, under the eyes of everyone in the arena, she left in silence, leaving behind only a solitary, stubborn back view.</p><p>…</p><p>“That bastard!”</p><p>Flit the 66th was fuming mad. He broke the chair armrest into pieces with a smack of his palm, his eyes as if a ferocious man-eating tiger’s.</p><p>“How dare he treat Little Eighth like that! How can I condone him?!”</p><p>“Calm down!”</p><p>“Your Majesty, calm down!”</p><p>At the sight of this, everyone hastily tried to dissuade him. “Your Majesty, from the start, the moment one goes up the ring, life and death are not open for dispute.”</p><p>“Even if Meng Lei really kills Her Highness the Eighth Princess, he won’t be considered in the wrong. Besides, he has already shown her mercy!”</p><p>“Shown her mercy?”</p><p>Flit the 66th was so incensed that he was laughing instead. “Starting out with five ninth-grade spells and then launching such a heavy-handed punch after that—you call that showing her mercy?”</p><p>“Your Majesty! With Meng Lei’s capabilities, if he hadn’t shown any mercy, the Eighth Princess would have died a long time ago!”</p><p>“Your Majesty, please reconsider!”</p><p>“Yes, Your Majesty! That kid had broken the Eighth Princess’ sword with one punch just now. His body’s sturdiness is beyond our imagination. If he had really intended to harm Her Highness…”</p><p>All the academy presidents spoke up.</p><p>Only then did Flit the 66th’s fury ease a little. However, he was still gnashing his teeth. “That little bastard, he’s too brutal! Doesn’t he even have the slightest bit of tender, protective feelings for a woman?”</p><p>“This…”</p><p>Everyone exchanged a look, peculiar looks coming over their faces.</p><p>Tender, protective feelings for a woman?</p><p>What was there to feel tenderness toward?!</p><p><em>In the fighting ring, who would dare to show tender, protective feelings for a woman? Are they tired of living? Do you think everyone’s like you, refusing to let off even a Hen-Woman?</em></p><p>“But… Meng Lei is still young. Maybe he hasn’t awakened to amorous desires yet?” said Fred in response.</p><p>“Pffft!”</p><p>…</p><p>“Peace and quiet at last!”</p><p>Meng Lei returned to the contestant benches. As he watched the fighting ring rapidly take form under the staff members’ reconstruction efforts, he let out a long, pent-up breath. Then, he got into a Ge You slouch ¹ and lay down comfortably.</p><p>However, he had only just laid down when Ol’ Amos’ infuriated chastising rang out in his ear. “Brat, how many times have I told you not to expose your Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline in front of outsiders? Are you taking my words like water off a duck’s back?”</p><p>“It’s not that serious.” Meng Lei looked up and said leisurely, “Only my hands had transformed into ant-form just now. How would outsiders be able to tell that it’s the Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline? Ol’ President, don’t make a fuss over nothing.”</p><p>“Making a fuss over nothing? Hmph! The ignorant are fearless, indeed!” Ol’ Amos snorted and said, “The moment it’s exposed, you’ll be dead meat… Forget it, I can’t be bothered to nag at you. Just remember not to use it easily in front of others in the future!”</p><p>“Alright, alright.”</p><p>Meng Lei rolled his eyes.</p><p>“Hmph! How dare you get impatient with me?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos was rather displeased. “By the way, you still haven’t told me when you comprehended the fire-elemental laws of nature,</p><p>“If memory serves me right, you haven’t even comprehended the universe’s momentum, so why have you gone straight to comprehending the laws of nature?”</p><p>Elsewhere, under a few staff members’ efforts, the fighting ring was restored to its original condition in no time. The host had only just announced the resumption of the challenge match when a silver figure lunged up into the ring.</p><p>This person wasn’t an unfamiliar figure. He was the other genius that Flit the 66th and the others had been discussing earlier—the 28-year-old sixth-year student from Fighting Dragon Academy, Francis Matthew.</p><p>“It’s him!”</p><p>“Why has he gone up the ring?”</p><p>“Isn’t he a victor? Who is he challenging?”</p><p>At the sight of Francis, Flit the 66th and the others looked at one another in confusion. Then, they looked at the muscular elderly man, their countenances puzzled. “President of Fighting Dragon, what’s Francis trying to do?”</p><p>The muscular elderly man shook his head with a wry smile. “I don’t know, either!”</p><p>“Meng Lei, I challenge you!”</p><p>“What the hell!?”</p><p>Meng Lei almost went berserk!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-135

Chapter 135 - Equally-Matched Opponents, A First-Class Spell Falls

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 135 - Equally-Matched Opponents, A First-Class Spell Falls</h1><p>Francis stood tall and proud in the fighting ring, dressed in silver chainmail and holding a silver sword. With his long, slender figure and handsome features, even the reincarnations of Pan An ¹ and Song Yu ² couldn’t get any better than this.</p><p>The moment he went up into the ring, innumerable wealthy young ladies became starry-eyed with infatuation and almost started drooling.</p><p>“Wow! He’s so handsome…”</p><p>“He’s so good-looking!”</p><p>“That guy has really been blessed with a great face!”</p><p>Even Flit the 66th and the others in the private room couldn’t help marveling at how dashing Francis was.</p><p>Power was certainly revered in Heaven’s Vault Continent, but vanity was human nature. No matter where one went, good-looking people would always be at an advantage.</p><p>“What I find strange is that he’s actually challenging that little bastard. How interesting. Things are going to be interesting now!”</p><p>Flit the 66th drummed his fingers against the table lightly as a remarkably amused smile graced his lips.</p><p>“Indeed, Your Majesty. Between those two, one has a very deep comprehension of Ice momentum and hardly has a match among those below the Saint Domain realm.</p><p>“Whereas the other is even more of a mutant by straight-up comprehending the laws of nature, having the ability to do instant release of ninth-grade spells, and even has an impressive body. For them to go up against each other, this is certainly a match of equally formidable opponents and a clash of the titans.</p><p>“That little fellow Meng Lei has already comprehended fire-elemental laws of nature. In terms of pure talent alone, he edges out Francis by too much.</p><p>“His only disadvantages are a cultivation duration that’s too short and his status as a dual cultivator of magic and martial arts that has caused his cultivation specialization to become too broad.”</p><p>As the muscular elderly man stroked his beard, he said, “Because of this, he’s unable to raise his body, spiritual power, and magic power reserves to their peak. That’s how he has given Francis an opportunity to win.”</p><p>“Indeed! If Francis wants to defeat Meng Lei, now is indeed the best time for him to do so. Otherwise, once that little fellow cultivates his various attributes to their peak, he’ll go straight into the Saint Domain realm. By that time, Francis won’t hold any chances of victory anymore.”</p><p>As the academy presidents gave their evaluations of the situation one by one, looks of interest also showed in their eyes. In terms of one’s comprehension of the laws of nature, Meng Lei had evidently surpassed Francis—this was his merit.</p><p>On the other hand, his demerits were still the same—too young, a cultivation duration that was too short, and various attributes that hadn’t peaked yet. In these aspects, he was inferior to Francis.</p><p>If Francis wished to defeat Meng Lei, this was the best, as well as the last, opportunity for him to do so.</p><p>…</p><p>Meng Lei wasn’t aware of the discussion taking place in the private room. He was currently raging mad and had the urge to go berserk, as well as the urge to beat someone up.</p><p>As he walked step by step up into the ring, Meng Lei cast a glance at Francis, and then he turned to look at the contestant benches before saying, “If there’s anyone else that also wants to challenge me, all of you can come at me together!”</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>Despite the fact that Meng Lei wasn’t very loud, his voice still traveled throughout the whole arena and reached everyone’s ears clearly.</p><p>Everyone was stunned.</p><p>“What did that little fellow say?”</p><p>Thinking that he had misheard, Flit the 66th dug his ears a couple of times. The academy presidents also looked at one another in silence.</p><p>“If there’s anyone else that also wants to challenge me, all of you can come at me together!”?</p><p>What the heck?</p><p>Was that something a person should be saying?</p><p>“That kid is a little too arrogant.” The muscular elderly man had an awful look on his face. “How dare he humiliate Francis like that? He’s too much!”</p><p>“To think he’s actually so full of himself when he’s so young. Are all geniuses’ personalities that warped and weird…”</p><p>This time, even President Fred didn’t know what he should say anymore. Frankly speaking, even he himself felt that Meng Lei was full of himself.</p><p>This was clear, blatant humiliation of Francis.</p><p>And true enough, Francis had indeed gone berserk. His eyes were freezing cold, and a biting chill that reached all the way to one’s bones burst forth from his eyes. “You have a death wish, don’t you?”</p><p>His cold, distant voice was still echoing in the arena when Francis vanished from where he was.</p><p>Clang!</p><p>The sound of a sword being drawn had only just rung out when a blade gleaming with a chilly glint appeared a few centimeters away from Meng Lei’s throat.</p><p>“How quick!”</p><p>Upon sensing the icy-cold blade at his throat, Meng Lei retreated with a burst of speed. The next instant, he was already ten meters away.</p><p>“Thinking of killing me? Very well!” A cold gleam appeared in Meng Lei’s eyes as he slowly uttered two words, “Meteor Fall!”</p><p>He had only just spoken when a fissure abruptly appeared above the arena. Pitch-black and bottomless, it was as though someone had forcefully ripped open a hole.</p><p>“That’s…”</p><p>All the spectators in the house cried out as one.</p><p>Several Saint Domain experts’ countenances also changed dramatically.</p><p>The next moment, a gigantic 100-meters-wide meteor with black flames circling around it suddenly wove through the fissure and crashed toward the ring at a lightning-quick speed.</p><p>It produced deafening booms as it traveled through the air, causing all the spectators to lose their sense of hearing. Loud explosions went off in their heads, leaving behind only booming noises.</p><p>“Damn!”</p><p>“That’s the fire-elemental single-target first-class spell, Meteor Fall!”</p><p>“A lunatic! He’s a total lunatic!”</p><p>The muscular elderly man let out a furious curse and instantly vanished from the private room.</p><p>“A f-first-class spell!”</p><p>Francis stared at the black meteor crashing toward him in a daze. As he sensed the terrifying destructiveness coming from the meteor, his visage suddenly became deathly pale.</p><p>“Am I going to die?”</p><p>That was the only notion remaining in Francis’ mind at the moment. He could only watch helplessly as the black meteor came nearer and nearer to him.</p><p>He knew he couldn’t get away!</p><p>That was such a massive meteor, and it was so close to him!</p><p>There was no way he could get away at all!</p><p>In the twinkling of an eye, it had already closed the distance of several dozen meters between them and reached right above him in a split second. In the instant where Francis thought he was going to be blasted to death, a burly figure abruptly showed up.</p><p>“Destroy!”</p><p>A fierce shout rang out, and a fist went flying out.</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>The black meteor instantly broke and splintered into countless black granules that fell continuously in large amounts with a buzz.</p><p>The muscular elderly man stood tall and proud in the ring, his long robe flapping in the wind.</p><p>“P-President!”</p><p>A dazed Francis stared at the elderly man, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down slightly.</p><p>“Hmph!”</p><p>The elderly man glared at Francis, and then he looked at Meng Lei with an awful expression. “Little child, how dare you cast a first-class spell here? Aren’t you a little too bold?”</p><p>Meng Lei was noncommittal. He replied with a smile, “Didn’t everything turn out alright in the end, anyway?”</p><p>Despite his reaction, Meng Lei was actually secretly astounded. As a fire-elemental single-target offensive first-class spell, Meteor Fall contained incredible might.</p><p>Even ordinary Saint Domains wouldn’t dare to take it on head-on, yet that elderly man had shattered it with just a punch. His strength was truly unimaginable.</p><p>“Hmph!”</p><p>The muscular elderly man snorted. Then, he vanished right away.</p><p>“Are we still continuing the battle?” asked Meng Lei as he shifted his gaze to Francis.</p><p>“We don’t need to anymore! I concede defeat.”</p><p>Francis stared long and hard at Meng Lei. Then, he jumped off the ring without even looking behind him. His voice, however, floated back to Meng Lei. “Just you wait, though. I’ll defeat you someday!”</p><p>Meng Lei curled his lip disdainfully. This time, he didn’t leave the ring in a hurry. Instead, he looked at the contestant benches and said, “Anyone else? If there is, then you can come at me together. I don’t have the time to fight all of you one by one!”</p><p>“…”</p><p>Silence pervaded the contestant benches. The contestants practically lowered their heads all at the same time, none of them daring to face Meng Lei’s genius directly or challenge him.</p><p>Challenge him?</p><p>Oh my goodness!</p><p>Were they tired of living?</p><p>As if they would challenge him anymore!</p><p>The Meteor Fall from just now had given all the contestants the shock of their lives. While some of them had recognized the first-class spell and some hadn’t, this didn’t stop Meteor Fall from bringing them a terrifying sense of intimidation all the same.</p><p>Everyone had the same feeling—should the meteor hit them, they would be doomed for sure. They wouldn’t have any chance of survival at all!!</p><p>With all of them scared out of their wits, would they even still issue a challenge anymore?</p><p>“No one?”</p><p>Meng Lei made the offer another couple of times. After confirming that no one was challenging him, he finally left the ring, returned to the contestant benches, and took a seat.</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-136

Chapter 136 - Attaining Saint Domain, System Upgrade

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 136 - Attaining Saint Domain, System Upgrade</h1><p>“That little fellow…”</p><p>Flit the 66th was frowning badly. “He’s too unbridled in his behavior. There are tens of thousands of spectators watching the competition here, yet he dares to cast a fire-elemental first-class spell? He’s got a lot of nerve!”</p><p>“If not for the Fighting Dragon President acting in time, who knows just how many casualties it would have caused? He must be severely punished!”</p><p>“What’s he going to be like in the future when he’s already so ruthless at such a young age? President Fred, this is your negligence in duty!”</p><p>“How dare he cast an ultimate first-class spell like Meteor Fall in a place where there are so many people around? I really can’t tell whether it’s because he’s out of his mind or if he just doesn’t give two hoots about the spectators’ lives!”</p><p>“Severe punishment! He must be given severe punishment!”</p><p>All the academy presidents spoke up one after another, severely criticizing and condemning Meng Lei’s actions. Evidently, they were extremely displeased with his actions just now.</p><p>Flit the 66th nodded lightly. “Initially, because he had made a meritorious contribution by fighting the ant tide and because he’s also of royal blood, he should have been conferred the title of an Earl. I had intended to confer the title upon him at the end of the exchange competition, but we’ll just forget about it now.”</p><p>…</p><p>The challenge matches continued all the way till 8 p.m. at night before it concluded. 52 victors were successfully selected from the matches.</p><p>It was then followed by the King’s speech.</p><p>Then, the qualifying round was officially declared over.</p><p>Meng Lei and Fatty Hart left the arena together and headed to Juxian Restaurant for a meal. They gobbled down meat and gulped down wine, stuffing their faces silly. It was almost midnight by the time they finally returned to the academy to rest.</p><p>“Previously, I had always thought that by a stretch, my battle capabilities were enough, and should have been more than enough to handle the exchange competition, but now…”</p><p>As he laid on the sofa, Meng Lei thought back to the battle that afternoon. First, it had been Elizabeth and then followed by Francis. Although he had defeated the both of them in the end, it hadn’t been an easy feat.</p><p>In order to defeat Elizabeth, his hands had transformed into the ant-form—one could consider this a partial exposure of his trump card.</p><p>Then, in order to defeat Francis, he had cast a first-class spell. Casting a round of Meteor Fall had cost him over 100,000,000 gold coins!</p><p>While it had seemed like a cinch for him, to be honest, it hadn’t actually been.</p><p>“The situation is already this bad in the qualifying round. What more when it’s the official exchange competition? My opponents will definitely be even stronger.</p><p>“When it comes to strengthening battle capabilities, time is of the essence!”</p><p>With that, Meng Lei opened up the stats interface right away.</p><p>Wealth: 25,876,546,539 gold coins</p><p>Physical Body Constitution: Ninth-Grade Warrior (769,879,108/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Spirit: Great Ninth-Grade Magician (1,388,760/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Magic Power: Great Ninth-Grade Magician (968,678/1,000,000,000)</p><p>“System, redeem 2.4 billion gold coins and add them to my Physical Body Constitution!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth decreased by 2.4 billion gold coins in an instant.</p><p>At the same time, a warm, surging current started to barge about in his body, spreading to every part of his body and strengthening them fervently.</p><p>Meng Lei felt his body visibly being strengthened at a rate so fast as if he had launched off in a rocket.</p><p>0.8 billion, 0.88 billion, 0.9 billion, 0.99 billion…</p><p>Boom!</p><p>His body finally broke through the one billion milestone and entered an all-new domain! A terrifying aura emanated from Meng Lei and swept through the entire room in an instant.</p><p>However, Meng Lei instead felt like his whole body had become as light as a feather at this moment. It was as though he had blended with the universe; if he so wished, it seemed like he could fly up high into the sky anytime he wanted and ride on the wind for a thousand miles.</p><p>“This feeling…”</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t resist it. He started to float into the air slowly like a balloon before becoming suspended in mid-air quietly in the end, still and motionless.</p><p>Standing suspended in the air and riding on the wind!</p><p>“Brat, you’ve actually broken through to Saint Domain!?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos flew out of the spatial ring. He was staring so hard that his eyeballs almost fell out of their sockets as he gazed at Meng Lei, who was suspended in mid-air.</p><p>Previously, when Meng Lei kept mysteriously enhancing his abilities, even though he had been astonished, he could still somewhat accept it—but that wasn’t the case this time.</p><p>Saint Domain!</p><p>Meng Lei had actually become a Saint Domain!</p><p>The Saint Domain that countless people dreamed of, yet was beyond their reach!</p><p>There was no way Ol’ Amos wouldn’t be astounded.</p><p>Ninth-Grade!</p><p>Saint Domain!</p><p>Seemingly only a step away, yet akin to an insurmountable gap. So many people were stuck at the pinnacle of ninth-grade, unable to take another inch forward for the rest of their lives. Yet Meng Lei had stepped into the Saint Domain without any warning whatsoever.</p><p>This made no sense at all.</p><p>“Yes! I’ve broken through to Saint Domain!”</p><p>As Meng Lei took in the sensation of the surging flood of energy in his body, he felt exceptionally strong and powerful. It was an unprecedented sensation of strength and power where he could smash an enormous mountain into smithereens with his fist.</p><p>“The most critical thing is that I can fly now.</p><p>“I don’t need to borrow any other source of power or any other tools, and I can already fly. It’s as though it’s part of my instincts.</p><p>“Is this what the Saint Domain is?”</p><p>“Mutant! You’re a mutant!” Ol’ Amos was going crazy. “First, you’ve comprehended fire-elemental laws of nature for some strange reason, and now, you’ve become a Saint Domain for some strange reason! Why? Why exactly is that? Just how did you manage to do that?!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos had indeed gone mad. If it were possible, he really wished he could open up Meng Lei’s head and take a good look at what exactly his secret was.</p><p>“Calm down, Ol’ President.” Meng Lei chuckled and replied, “There’ll be even more ridiculous things happening in the future. After being astonished, again and again, you’ll get used to it over time.”</p><p>“Hmph!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos snorted, exceptionally dissatisfied.</p><p>The moment it concerned critical matters, that damn brat always clammed up, avoided the topic, or changed the topic. He was too much!</p><p>“Ding! Congratulations to the host. You’ve leveled up to a Saint Domain Warrior. Please continue to work hard and strive to break through again!”</p><p>“Ding! It has been detected that the host has attained the Saint Domain realm, thereby fulfilling the system upgrade condition. Dear host, will you upgrade the system immediately?”</p><p>“Upgrade? You’re upgrading?” Meng Lei was dumbfounded.</p><p>“Yes, host!” the system replied.</p><p>“Alright, go ahead and upgrade!” Meng Lei was full of anticipation.</p><p>“Ding! The system upgrade will consume 10 billion gold coins…”</p><p>“Wait a minute! 10 billion gold coins?” Meng Lei was stupefied. “Why do you need to consume 10 billion gold coins in order to upgrade?”</p><p>Meng Lei glanced at his Wealth—he was only left with 23.4 billion gold coins now. Should he upgrade the system, wouldn’t he only be left with 13.4 billion?</p><p>What a huge loss!</p><p>“Ding! Dear host, after the system upgrade, the system will become even more powerful and the functions even more well-rounded, and it will provide even better service to the host!”</p><p>“Dear host, will you upgrade the system immediately?”</p><p>“The functions will become even more powerful? Even more well-rounded? Meng Lei gritted his teeth and then said, “Yes, proceed with the upgrade!”</p><p>“Ding! System upgrade commencing!”</p><p>“Upgrade Duration: Half an hour!”</p><p>“During the upgrading process, all functions of the system will be shut down. Dear host, please wait patiently!”</p><p>Then, the system’s voice died down in an instant, and even the stats interface disappeared. Meng Lei returned to his bed with his eyes full of anticipation.</p><p>“I wonder what kind of additional functions the system will gain after the upgrade?”</p><p>Waiting always felt too long—a short half an hour seemed as long as a century.</p><p>At last, the familiar cold, icy voice sounded in his mind.</p><p>“Ding! System upgrade of The Most Powerful Pickup System is complete!”</p><p>“Ding! The Most Powerful Pickup System at your service!”</p><p>“It’s finally done upgrading!” Meng Lei was overjoyed. “Hurry, tell me. System, what functions have you gained after the upgrade?”</p><p>“Dear host, after the system upgrade, I have now gained two major functions pertaining to the Pickup function!”</p><p>“They are respectively Limitless Pickup and Brutal Plunder!” the system replied coldly.</p><p>“Limitless Pickup? Brutal Plunder?” Meng Lei blinked and remarked, “It certainly sounds very dramatic. Except I don’t know what exactly they are. Hurry and explain it in detail, System!”</p><p>“Limitless Pickup: One can pick up dropped items from other existential planes at random. It includes, but is not limited to Wealth, Bloodlines, Laws of Nature Fragments, Divinity, Divine Weapons…”</p><p>“It costs 10 billion gold coins per pickup!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-137

Chapter 137 - Laws Of Nature Origin Crystals, Gods-Slaying Bloodline

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 137 - Laws Of Nature Origin Crystals, Gods-Slaying Bloodline</h1><p><em>Pick up dropped items from other existential planes at random?</em></p><p>“System, what does ‘other existential planes’ mean?” asked a puzzled Meng Lei.</p><p>The system explained, “To answer the host, there are countless dimensional planes of existence in the vast and boundless universe. They are like quicksand and stars, scattered in all corners of the universe. Heaven’s Vault Continent is only a very ordinary material plane among them!”</p><p>“Countless dimensional planes of existence? I see, that’s understandable.” Meng Lei nodded quietly. “In other words, the Limitless Pickup function can pick up objects from other planes and dimensions?”</p><p>“Yes, host!” replied the system definitively.</p><p>Meng Lei’s spirits were all roused up now. “It can actually also pick up things from other planes… What a crazy function! What does the 10 billion gold coins at the end mean, though? You’re charging for it?”</p><p>“Dear host, Limitless Pickup is a chargeable function. The price for using it is 10 billion gold coins each time!”</p><p>“10 billion gold coins per usage! That’s daylight robbery!”</p><p>Meng Lei almost jumped off his seat.</p><p>10 billion gold coins were no small amount. It meant that he had to kill a Saint Domain Magical Beast, such as the Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor, so that he would have enough to use it even once.</p><p>What kind of sh*tty function was that? Wasn’t that a little too expensive!?</p><p>“I only have 13.4 billion gold coins left at the moment. I need only to use it once, and I’ll return to being a pauper?”</p><p><em>F*ck! What a scam!</em></p><p>A corner of Meng Lei’s lips was spasming as he barked furiously, “You sh*tty system, that’s so corrupt of you! Even if I starve to death or die out there, I’ll never use this function! 10 billion per use? You’re not getting even a single cent from me!”</p><p>“Ding! A friendly reminder: Among the countless dimensional planes exist innumerable planes and worlds of a higher level than Heaven’s Vault Continent! Inside these higher-level planes and worlds are innumerable advanced lifeforms that far surpass the Saint Domain. By using said function, the host has a certain probability of picking up dropped items from these advanced lifeforms!”</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>Meng Lei was stunned.</p><p>Higher-level planes and worlds? Advanced lifeforms that far surpass the Saint Domain?</p><p>“Higher-level… Far surpass…”</p><p>Meng Lei licked his lips. Even though he was very reluctant to admit it, he had to say it—he was indeed tempted.</p><p>Based on the trend in the past, the stronger the lifeform, the more precious and valuable the items they dropped were.</p><p>Didn’t everyone see? Even a strand of leg hair that a Saint Domain dropped could contain Laws of Nature fragment within.</p><p>In that case, what kind of things would powerful lifeforms that far surpassed the Saint Domain drop?</p><p>Just the thought of it alone was terribly tempting.</p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes swiveled a little, and then he gave a couple of dry coughs and asked, “System, what about Brutal Plunder? What can this function do?”</p><p>“Brutal Plunder: An unconventional pickup function! It can forcibly pick up any object on the target lifeform, including but not limited to Wealth, Bloodlines, Vitality, Spiritual Power, Laws of Nature Comprehension, Divine Weapons…”</p><p>“What the heck? This is such a crazy function, too!”</p><p>Meng Lei took a deep breath and remarked, “Picking up by force? Isn’t that just plundering? But hehe, I like it.</p><p>“System, is this function chargeable?”</p><p>The system replied coldly, “Brutal Plunder is also a chargeable function. The usage fee for this function is determined according to how strong the target of plunder is, as well as the value of the object to be plundered!”</p><p>“So, it depends on how strong the target of plunder is and how valuable the object to be plundered is…”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded lightly. “It does sound relatively more reasonable. But going by this sh*tty system’s unscrupulous and ruthless nature, if I do encounter something that I really want to plunder, it probably wouldn’t be cheap, either.</p><p>“Forget it. We’ll leave this for now.” Meng Lei shook his head. “System, call up the stats interface for me to take a look.”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Host: Meng Lei</p><p>Race: Human (Fire Dragon bloodline &lt;50%&gt;, Fire Demon bloodline &lt;45%&gt;, Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline &lt;10%&gt;)</p><p>Wealth: 1.35 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals</p><p>Physical Body Constitution: Saint Domain (1,069,879,108/100 billion)</p><p>Spirit: Ninth-Grade Magician (1,388,760/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Magic Power: Ninth-Grade Magician (968,678/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Laws of Nature: Fire-elemental (0.2%)</p><p>“The interface has undergone a pretty big change, hasn’t it?”</p><p>Meng Lei checked out the stats interface, finding it very new and novel. At the same time, several questions also popped up in his mind.</p><p>“System, what do the percentage counts after each of the three bloodlines mean?”</p><p>“They represent the degree of assimilation in the host’s body!”</p><p>“Degree of assimilation? I see. Does the appearance of these numbers mean that I can also raise the degree of assimilation by redeeming credit in the future?”</p><p>“Yes, host!”</p><p>“I see, so that’s how it is.</p><p>“Tsk, tsk. 50%, 45%, 10%… Eh? Is the Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline’s degree of assimilation that low? It’s only 10%. Looks like there’s still a lot of room for further development for this bloodline.”</p><p>Meng Lei continued browsing down the interface.</p><p><em>Wealth: 1.35… Laws of Nature Origin Crystals?</em></p><p>“System, wasn’t the measurement unit for Wealth gold coins? Why has it changed to Laws of Nature Origin Crystals?”</p><p>“Laws of Nature Origin Crystals—a type of rare crystal that contains laws of nature within, and also the currency in circulation among Saint Domains!</p><p>“Exchange ratio: 1 Laws of Nature Origin Crystal = 10 billion gold coins!”</p><p>“Oh, I see. It’s similar to the ratio used when elevating my laws of nature comprehension via credit redemption. It also requires 10 billion gold coins to elevate it by 1%.”</p><p>He continued reading downward…</p><p><em>Physical Body Constitution…</em></p><p>“What the hell! 100 billion? The Saint Domain upper limit is actually 100 billion points!</p><p>“What a scam! Doesn’t that mean that if I rely solely on credit redemption to break through to the cultivation realms above Saint Domain, I would need to save up… 1 trillion gold coins?</p><p>“One trillion gold coins… I’m gonna faint! Where am I going to get that kind of money?!”</p><p>Meng Lei felt a pressing urge to curse and swear.</p><p>A few dozen billion gold coins weren’t that out of reach; by killing a few Saint Domain Magical Beasts, he would be able to more or less put together that amount of money. But one trillion gold coins… That equated to 100 Saint Domain Magical Beasts!</p><p>Where was he supposed to find that many Saint Domain Magical Beasts to hunt and kill?</p><p>“A long road ahead… There’s a long road ahead!”</p><p>Meng Lei felt immense pressure at once.</p><p>“Improving the degree of assimilation for bloodlines requires money.</p><p>“Enhancing my Physical Body Constitution, Spiritual Power, and Magic Power also requires money.</p><p>“Improving the degree of comprehension for laws of nature requires money, too.</p><p>“Money, money, money! How much do I only have, currently?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s gaze swept across the Wealth attribute—he only had 1.35 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals now. In other words, 13.5 billion gold coins. What could this bit of money achieve?</p><p>It wasn’t enough!</p><p>It was far, far from being enough!</p><p>It wasn’t enough to do anything at all!</p><p>“This is the first time I’ve realized that I’m actually that poor. But…”</p><p>Meng Lei flipped himself off the bed. A shrewd glint flickered in his eyes. “10 billion gold coins is enough for me to use Limitless Pickup once, though.”</p><p>As the saying went, “Curiosity killed the cat.”</p><p>That was exactly Meng Lei’s current situation.</p><p>Even though he knew that Limitless Pickup only picked up things at random and that with so many planes and worlds out there, whether or not it could pick up anything good or useful was hard to say, he really wanted to give it a go.</p><p>Higher-level planes and worlds!</p><p>Lifeforms that far surpassed the Saint Domains!</p><p>What if… What if he picked up a treasure?</p><p>“How about… I give it a go?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s breathing was rather quick. Then, he suddenly gnashed his teeth and barked, “System, I want to use the Limitless Pickup function!”</p><p>The system asked coldly, “1 Laws of Nature Origin Crystal will be charged for the usage of this function. May I know if you’d like to use it?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth instantly decreased by 1 Laws of Nature Origin Crystal, leaving him only 0.35 Laws of Nature Origin Crystal now.</p><p>“I’ve totally become a pauper now.”</p><p>Meng Lei clenched his fists as he stared at his Wealth attribute that had only a fraction remaining now. Then, nervous anticipation began to fill him.</p><p>“Good stuff! You must pick up something good! If you pick up a piece of trash, I’ll suffer a huge loss!”</p><p>“Ding! Congratulations to the host. You’ve obtained the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline. Will you assimilate it?”</p><p>(⊙_⊙)</p><p>“The Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline!?”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-138

Chapter 138 - Lucky Breakthrough, Handsome Rewards

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 138 - Lucky Breakthrough, Handsome Rewards</h1><p>The moment the sun rose the next morning, Fatty Hart arrived outside Meng Lei’s condominium and shouted loudly, “Are you up yet, old bro?”</p><p>A short while later, Meng Lei walked out of the condominium wearing a brand-new magic robe.</p><p>“What are you shouting so loudly for early in the morning?” Meng Lei asked dryly.</p><p>“Hehe! Aren’t you setting off for the Imperial City today? I’m here to see you off!”</p><p>Fatty Hart let out a chuckle. Then, all of a sudden, he stared at Meng Lei with puzzlement in his eyes.</p><p>“What are you looking at?” Meng Lei glared at the fat fellow.</p><p>“Old bro, why do you feel kinda different?”</p><p>Fatty Hart circled around Meng Lei and commented in puzzlement, “It’s just different somehow. As for what exactly has changed, I can’t really pinpoint it for now. It just feels kinda strange.”</p><p>“You must have drunk too much last night!”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a laugh, and then he changed the topic. “Let’s go. We’ll go to the president’s office and meet up with the president and the others first.”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>When they arrived at the president’s office, President Fred, the few other vice-presidents, and other academy leaders were already waiting there. Mr. Dirk was also present among the ranks.</p><p>“Good morning, President.”</p><p>“Good morning, Academy Leaders.</p><p>“Good morning, Mr. Dirk.”</p><p>The academy leaders nodded at him with smiles on their faces and looks of approval in their eyes. However, President Fred’s eyes suddenly bore into Meng Lei, and he asked in shock, “Meng Lei, you’ve broken through to Saint Domain?”</p><p>“What!?”</p><p>Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked. All of them turned to Meng Lei, their eyes full of astonishment, incredulity, disbelief, and so on.</p><p>In particular, Mr. Dirk and Fatty Hart looked as though they had seen a ghost as they stared at Meng Lei.</p><p><em>Meng Lei… He has broken through to Saint Domain?</em></p><p>“I received some unexpected gains after the battles yesterday and had the good fortune of breaking through,” replied Meng Lei. He didn’t deny it. Besides, there was no way he could hide something like this anyway.</p><p>Perhaps he might be able to conceal breakthroughs in spiritual power and magic power, but he couldn’t hide his body’s breakthrough to the Saint Domain realm at all. Veteran Saint Domains like President Fred could see the signs with just a glance from them.</p><p>“Unexpected gains? Good fortune of breaking through?</p><p>An astonished President Fred’s mouth fell agape. Despite knowing that Meng Lei had already begun to grasp the laws of nature and that he was a shoo-in for the Saint Domain realm, who would have expected that he would break through so soon?</p><p>Didn’t they say that his various attributes hadn’t been cultivated to their peak yet?</p><p>Didn’t they say that he would need another period of time before he could break through to Saint Domain?</p><p>Why? Why was it that he had already broken through over the passage of just a night?</p><p>“You’ve really become a Saint Domain?”</p><p>When they heard Meng Lei personally admitting to it, everyone—the academy leaders, Mr. Dirk, and Fatty Hart—was greatly shocked and beyond horrified.</p><p>In particular, Mr. Dirk’s expression was exceptionally exciting—while there were astonishment and disbelief on his face, he also couldn’t help himself from giving a wry smile.</p><p>How long had it been? Just how long had it only been?</p><p>That little Third-Grade Magician back then had already become a Saint Domain while he, his Ninth-Grade Great Magician teacher, was still standing where he was.</p><p>Was there really such a huge gap between one and another?</p><p>“Although I’m finding myself somewhat in disbelief, this is great!” After President Fred calmed down, he couldn’t stop marveling. “With Meng Lei around, the Fire Dragon Magic Academy will definitely shine brilliantly in the exchange competition and avenge ourselves this time! Hahaha!”</p><p>“The president is right! In the past few exchange competitions, all the contestants that the Fire Dragon Kingdom had sent had all suffered a crushing defeat, and the competitions had ended so badly for us! This time…”</p><p>All the academy leaders were in great spirits, each and every one of them heartened and full of vigor. Their eyes were full of admiration and great expectations as they gazed at Meng Lei.</p><p>Of course, there was no lack of reverence and ingratiation, too.</p><p>Only a small handful of the academy leaders were Saint Domains, and the vast majority of them were ninth-grade experts.</p><p>The Saint Domains admired Meng Lei, but the ninth-grade experts would need to look up to him now.</p><p>Ninth-Grade!</p><p>Saint Domain!</p><p>It was just the difference of a single grade, but it made the distinction between heaven and earth.</p><p>…</p><p>All the contestants made their way over one after another.</p><p>This time, among the qualifying contestants from Fire Dragon Magic Academy, were two seniors that had deferred their graduation, four community experts that had joined the academy at the last moment, and Meng Lei himself.</p><p>There were a total of seven of them.</p><p>“Everyone’s here now. Follow me to the royal palace for the assembly!”</p><p>With a wave from President Fred, the academy carriage rose into the air and flew in the direction of the palace with Meng Lei and the others on board.</p><p>As the most luxurious and extravagant building complex with the largest scale and occupying the biggest amount of land in Fire Dragon capital city, the royal palace comprised almost 100 palaces of different sizes that came together to form an enormous palace community!.</p><p>“Lord Fred, please come with me.”</p><p>The academy carriage landed at the royal palace’s entrance. Then, under the lead of a palace guard, they arrived at a plaza where an enormous Dragon God statue stood tall and proud, mighty and extraordinary.</p><p>“O’ Dragon God above!”</p><p>“O’ Dragon God above!”</p><p>With President Fred in the lead, everyone prayed and bowed to the Dragon God statue before they headed toward a corner of the plaza, where King Flit the 66th and Queen Diana were already awaiting.</p><p>“Greetings, Your Majesty!”</p><p>“Greetings, Your Majesty ¹ !”</p><p>Everyone bowed in greeting.</p><p>“You may rise!”</p><p>Everyone else from the other academies also arrived at about the same time.</p><p>“Everyone, the exchange competition is about to begin. All of you will represent your respective academies and us, the Fire Dragon Kingdom, to participate in the empire-wide exchange competition. I hope you can shine brightly in the competition and bring honor and glory to your academies and the kingdom!”</p><p>Flit the 66th said encouragingly, “I hereby promise that those that show exceptional performance and achieve excellent results in the exchange competition shall be bestowed handsome rewards!</p><p>“Someone, read the royal decree!”</p><p>A senator stepped forward upon the summons. While holding a golden scroll in his hands, he began to read, “By royal decree, His Majesty the King has ordered that those who rank in the top three positions of the exchange competition shall be conferred a life peerage title of a Marquis, bestowed a plot of land measuring five hectares, and permission to enter the kingdom’s treasury to select three artifacts for themselves at will.</p><p>“Those who rank in the top ten positions shall be conferred a life peerage title of an Earl, bestowed a plot of land measuring 2.5 hectares, and permission to enter the kingdom’s treasury to select one artifact for themselves at will.</p><p>“Those who rank in the top twenty positions shall be conferred a life peerage title of a Viscount and bestowed a plot of land measuring 0.5 hectares.</p><p>“Those who rank in the top fifty positions shall be conferred a life peerage title of a Baron and bestowed a plot of land measuring 0.05 hectares.”</p><p>Upon the end of the royal decree, the senator stepped back in line.</p><p>A smiling Flit the 66th said, “Everyone, all of you are the outstanding young talents of my Fire Dragon Kingdom. I have high hopes for all of you. Do not let me down!”</p><p>“Long live the King!”</p><p>“May glory ever be with us!”</p><p>“Long live the King!”</p><p>“May glory ever be with us!”</p><p>All the contestants vowed aloud.</p><p>“Wonderful!” Flit the 66th nodded in satisfaction. “Since that’s the case, I shall leave the rest of the matter in everyone’s hands. I await good news in the capital city from all of you!”</p><p>“Yes, Your Majesty!”</p><p>…</p><p>There were a total of six teachers leading the teams for the exchange competition. All six of them were academy presidents, and President Fred was one of them.</p><p>“The journey to the Imperial City is a long one this time. We’ll need to spend five days on the road. We can either take the magic ferry or the empire special express, but after the six of us old fellows’ discussion, we’ve decided to take the Floating Beast.”</p><p>“The Floating Beast?”</p><p>Meng Lei perked up.</p><p>The Floating Beast was a Seventh-Grade Wind-Elemental Magical Beast. Although it boasted a huge size, it had a mild temperament and was very easy to tame.</p><p>Added to this the Floating Beast’s extreme patience, as long as it was fed, it would be able to sustain long hours of flight while ferrying a heavy load. Therefore, it was known as the best aerial Magical Beast when it came to long-distance travel.</p><p>“The magic ferry and the empire special express is undoubtedly more comfortable, but we cultivators wander the universe and spend the nights in the open. Comfort… is not to be coveted. The journey itself is a form of cultivation!”</p><p>Under the six academy presidents’ lead, everyone arrived at the Floating Beast Plaza, where several enormous behemoths stood tall and straight.</p><p>With a height of 30 meters, a body length that reached an astonishing 70 meters, and an extremely flat, wide, and spacious back, they were the Floating Beasts!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-139

Chapter 139 - A Great Bird Riding The Wind, Soaring Freely In The Sky

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 139 - A Great Bird Riding The Wind, Soaring Freely In The Sky</h1><p>In Meng Lei’s eyes, the Floating Beast bore a striking resemblance to the whales on Earth. With their flat and level, smooth and round pillar-shaped body; a flat, fleshy, wide, and spacious back; and a whale-like tail…</p><p>There were only two words to describe it—how alike!</p><p>The difference between the two laid in the fact that a whale’s abdomen had a leaf-shaped fin, whereas the Floating Beast’s abdomen had a pair of sky-spanning wings covered in scales and six pillar-like elephant-ish legs.</p><p>Enormous!</p><p>Strong and burly!</p><p>Lofty and majestic!</p><p>It was hard to imagine that an enormous creature like that would actually have such a mild and gentle temperament that even ordinary people could rear them.</p><p>Of course, riding a colossal creature like that wasn’t going to be as comfortable as riding a magic ferry or the empire special express for sure, but it suited the contestants just fine.</p><p>They were all ninth-grade experts. Who wouldn’t want to control a Magical Beast and ride on the wind? Where was the fun in riding a magic ferry or the special express?</p><p>The group arrived at the rental company and rented a Floating Beast in no time. Upon which, the related staff members got to work at once.</p><p>An hour and a little more later, a huge house had been fixed onto one of the Floating Beasts’ back—it looked just like a bulging turtle shell.</p><p>“This Floating Beast is now our mode of transportation. There are 60 rooms, and you may choose one as you please.”</p><p>“Thank you, President!”</p><p>A rope ladder cascaded all the way from the Floating Beast’s back down to the ground, allowing customers to climb up its back with it. However, none of the contestants used the rope ladder.</p><p>All of them transformed into numerous streams of light and went up the Floating Beast’s back in a jiffy with a light tap of their toes. Every one of them looked confident and moved about free and unhindered as though they were just taking a leisurely stroll, attracting much attention from others.</p><p>Indeed!</p><p>No matter where they went, a group of more than 50 ninth-grade experts would always be enough to cause a huge commotion. When it was Meng Lei’s turn, the commotion became even bigger, however.</p><p>As his feet left the ground, he began to slowly rise into the sky—it was as if there was an invisible flight of stairs beneath his feet, allowing him to take step after step into the sky.</p><p>This sight astounded everyone.</p><p>“President Fred, that little fellow has broken through?”</p><p>“Yes, he has!” President Fred nodded proudly.</p><p>“Hiss!”</p><p>The academy presidents stared at Meng Lei from the back, so astonished that they couldn’t even utter a single word. It had only been a night, yet Meng Lei had already broken through?</p><p>The other contestants were even more flabbergasted than them and held complex feelings about this.</p><p>…</p><p>After they got onto the Floating Beast’s back, Meng Lei casually chose a room from the many available. The room was smaller than what he had imagined and looked only to be about four to five square meters.</p><p>Within it was a slat bed and a desk, so apart from sleeping and eating, there was nothing he could do there. An environment such as this was totally shabby, but it couldn’t be helped.</p><p>Due to the Floating Beasts’ inexpensive rental costs, they were highly favored by small trader groups, adventurer teams, and mercenaries. Compared to other modes of transport, they were considered relatively low-cost long-distance tools of transportation.</p><p>Would anyone truly wealthy want to ride on them? Of course not. All of them had already gone to the magic ferry and the empire special express.</p><p>“It can’t get any shabbier than this.”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head at the sight of the room, disinclined to stay any longer. He went to the Floating Beast’s head instead, intending to admire the scenery before he decided what to do later.</p><p>There was no lack of contestants with the same thoughts as him. A fair number of them stood outside the house as they waited for the Floating Beast to take off.</p><p>“Dear passengers, please go to your rooms and buckle up. We’re taking off soon!”</p><p>The beast tamer controlling the Floating Beast gave them a kind reminder. Beast tamers like him had entered into master-servant contracts with the Floating Beasts, so they were able to control the Magical Beasts.</p><p>He was also their chauffeur for the journey this time.</p><p>“It’s fine!”</p><p>“Go ahead and drive!”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>The beast tamer didn’t press any further. He had already witnessed these passengers’ capabilities just now, so he knew that all of them were experts and probably wouldn’t fall off the Floating Beast.</p><p>Whistle!</p><p>The beast tamer took out a whistle and blew it forcefully.</p><p>Howl!</p><p>The Floating Beast slowly began to move with a long howl. Its six elephant-like legs took step after step on the ground, producing loud, dull, and muffled booms as they did so.</p><p>Meng Lei and the others standing on its back could feel violent jolts and bumps from the movements. As the Floating Beast ran faster and faster, the bumping and tossing about also became more and more intense.</p><p>It went from a slow walk to a brisk one, and then it began to dash forward.</p><p>At last, when its speed finally reached a certain point, the Floating Beast suddenly spread its gigantic wings capable of blotting out the sun and covering the earth and soared into the sky.</p><p>Violent winds howled with the flapping of its wings.</p><p>The Floating Beast soared higher and higher, going further and further away from the plaza.</p><p>A few minutes later, the Floating Beast’s wing-flapping rate began to slow down when it reached a certain altitude. They flapped once only almost every half a minute, and then it went into the most energy-saving gliding mode.</p><p>As Meng Lei took in the sensation of the strong winds blowing at him and looked down upon the land constantly becoming smaller and smaller, a sense of heroism arose within him. Then, with a leap, he jumped off the Floating Beast’s back.</p><p>“Hahaha!”</p><p>A bout of mad, unrestrained laughter rang out as Meng Lei spread his arms, and he started to soar about freely in the sky like a bird.</p><p>Dashing forward occasionally, swooping downward occasionally, and circling about in the sky occasionally—he was as happy as a lark and as free and unfettered as a magnificent eagle!</p><p>“That boy…”</p><p>The six academy presidents shook their heads and chuckled as they watched the soaring Meng Lei. They couldn’t help but think back to the times when they had just broken through to Saint Domain. They had practically behaved the same way as Meng Lei, too…</p><p><em>Soar! Soar as much as you want!</em></p><p>However, they didn’t know that Meng Lei was in even higher spirits than what they had imagined. As someone born and raised on Earth, Meng Lei knew very well that humans couldn’t fly on their own.</p><p>This was an iron-clad rule and also an established law.</p><p>They could only gaze into the sky time and again, full of envy toward the flying birds as they sighed. “If only I had wings!”</p><p>However, Meng Lei could fly on his own now. This was a feeling that no words could describe.</p><p>Carefree, excited, agitated…</p><p>“The roc rises with the wind someday, soaring 90,000 miles yonder with the wind ¹ !</p><p>“Sipping dew at sunrise and resting under the red clouds at sunset! This is exactly what a man should be like!</p><p>“Hahaha! This feels wonderful! So goddamn wonderful!”</p><p>The other contestants were green with envy as they watched Meng Lei soaring about unrestrained in the sky. How they wished they could also soar freely like him!</p><p>It was just a shame that they could only glare at him in vain.</p><p>Meng Lei flew to his heart’s content for almost half an hour before he finally returned to the Floating Beast’s back, far from sated.</p><p>“Meng Lei, come over here.” President Fred summoned Meng Lei over. “Here, let me introduce these people to you. This is the Fighting Dragon Academy’s president. And this is…”</p><p>Meng Lei greeted them one by one, while the five of them also responded with smiles.</p><p>Before he had broken through, Meng Lei was but just a junior and student with excellent talent. Therefore, it was alright for them not to take him seriously.</p><p>However, now that he had become a Saint Domain and was standing on the same level as them, they had to treat him as an equal—age was irrelevant!</p><p>“Valor is better demonstrated by the young, indeed!”</p><p>The Fighting Dragon Academy’s president sighed approvingly and remarked, “At the qualifying round yesterday, we had thought that you’d need some time before you could break through. Never would I have thought that you’d break through right away last night. This is truly…”</p><p>“Indeed!”</p><p>“I really have no idea how you managed to do that!”</p><p>The other academy presidents also marveled at him, awfully perplexed.</p><p>“You flatter me, Presidents!” Meng Lei spoke very humbly.</p><p>…</p><p>The Floating Beast flew fairly steadily.</p><p>Meng Lei and the six academy presidents sat on its back. They chatted freely about various interesting news and everything under the sun while they admired the mountains and the streams, the rivers, and the lakes.</p><p>Meng Lei listened to them quietly. One could say that he had gained much from this.</p><p>Even the youngest of the six academy presidents was already past 100 years old. All of them had seen a lot and were very knowledgeable—the opportunity to listen to them chat about life was a precious treasure that no amount of money could buy.</p><p>Suddenly, a smiling President Fred said, “Meng Lei, you can try challenging the Dragon God Tower when you’re at the Imperial City. If you’re in luck, who knows, you might just be able to get some good stuff!”</p><p>“The Dragon God Tower?”</p><p>A look of confusion came over Meng Lei’s features.</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-140

Chapter 140 - The Secret Of Deification, The Saint Domain'S Limits

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 140 - The Secret Of Deification, The Saint Domain'S Limits</h1><p>“The Dragon God Tower is the divine weapon protecting our Dragon God Empire. Legend goes that it’s the supreme divine weapon that His Holiness, the great Dragon God, forged for the Dragon God Empire after he had deified.”</p><p>The Fighting Dragon Academy president explained smilingly, “The Dragon God Tower is sited inside Dragon God Academy. It has a total of 100 levels, and each level is an independent half-plane of existence.”</p><p>“A half-plane?”</p><p>“Yes, a half-plane!</p><p>“The magic elements in these half-planes are extremely rich and dense, and even the laws of nature inside are much clearer than the outside world. You can achieve more with less by cultivating inside these half-planes. They are excellent cultivation spots.</p><p>“This has led to hordes of people desiring to enter the Dragon God Tower to cultivate. Unfortunately, only those below 30 years of age and stronger than eighth-grade are qualified to enter.”</p><p>President Fred continued the topic and said, “Therefore, there aren’t actually many that are truly qualified to enter. There’s also something else. The higher you go in the Dragon God Tower, the richer the magic elements and the clearer the laws of nature become!”</p><p>A look of longing appeared in President Fred’s eyes as he added, “It’s said that the Dragon God Tower’s 100th level even contains the secret to deification!”</p><p>“The secret to deification?” A huge jolt went through Meng Lei.</p><p>“It’s just a legend. No one knows for sure.”</p><p>President Fred nodded affirmatively. “After all, ever since the Dragon God Tower’s appearance over 40,000 years ago, there has never been anyone that has successfully ascended to the 100th level yet.</p><p>“Therefore, the legend’s credibility is still unverified as of today. However, the occasional oracles that His Holiness the Dragon God had imparted have hinted at it before!”</p><p>At the mention of the Dragon God Tower’s 100th level, longing and regret surfaced in all six academy presidents’ eyes. They were beings that had already reached the ranks of Saint Domains, and there were very few things in this world that could still pose an allure to them.</p><p>Deification was the only thing that they dreamed of, as well as what they were currently painstakingly pursuing.</p><p>Alas, they didn’t meet the requirements, so they couldn’t enter the Dragon God Tower. With that, they naturally wouldn’t be able to know the secrets of the 100th level, either.</p><p>“Many geniuses emerge in the empire every generation, and there are many great talents out there. Has no one ever successfully ascended to the Dragon God Tower’s 100th level all these years?” a frowning Meng Lei asked, puzzlement in his eyes.</p><p>“You’ve never been to the Dragon God Tower, so you’re naturally unaware of its fearsomeness.”</p><p>The Fighting Dragon Academy president went on with a wry smile. “I’ve mentioned it previously, but every level of Dragon God Tower is a half-plane where magic elements are rich, and the laws of nature are clear. While it’s certainly an excellent cultivation sanctum, it’s even more beneficial to the native beings inside them.</p><p>“These native beings live inside the half-planes all year round. After being nourished by the magic elements and laws of nature, they have become terrifyingly strong. The rate at which they produce strong experts is much higher than what it’s like in Heaven’s Vault Continent, where we are.</p><p>“Moreover, the half-planes’ natives are extremely xenophobic. Outlanders are easily attacked inside.</p><p>“Should they enter recklessly despite lacking sufficient strength, even surviving would become a problem, let alone cultivation.</p><p>“For innumerable years, just how many geniuses have perished inside the Dragon God Tower? How many great talents and mutants have been buried within? The memories are as fresh and vivid as if it had only happened yesterday!”</p><p>One of the academy presidents sighed emotionally. “When I had entered the Dragon God Tower back then, if it hadn’t been for my good fortune, I would have died inside, too. The under-30 requirement is too demanding!”</p><p>Another academy president sighed and said, “Geniuses and talents of this age are only elementary-level Saint Domains at best. With that level of strength, they can only persevere as far as the 50th level at the most.”</p><p>“Elementary-level Saint Domains can only persevere as far as the 50th level?” Meng Lei was astounded. “How strong must one be to reach the 100th level, then?”</p><p>President Fred replied, “The limits of Saint Domain!”</p><p>“The limits of Saint Domain?”</p><p>Meng Lei was stunned by his answer.</p><p>“Yes, the limits of Saint Domain.” President Fred explained, “The reason why the half-planes are only half-planes is that they weren’t fully nurtured, leading to the laws of nature becoming flawed and incomplete. In other words, complete laws of nature do not exist in the half-planes! Do you know what this means?”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head.</p><p>“This means that the strongest that the native beings can go is the limits of Saint Domain. It’s impossible for them to surpass this range!”</p><p>President Fred smiled and added, “You should be aware that upon stepping into the Saint Domain realm, one’s strength correlates fully with their comprehension of the laws of nature.</p><p>“The deeper their comprehension of the laws of nature, the stronger they will be. When a Saint Domain fully comprehends a type of laws of nature, they’ll naturally step into the half-deity level.</p><p>“However, because complete laws of nature do not exist in half-planes, the native beings will never be able to produce half-deities. Saint Domain limits-level is the highest they can achieve!”</p><p>“I see, so that’s how it is.”</p><p>Realization dawned upon Meng Lei. After reflecting on it for a long while, he asked, “In that case, as long as one can attain Saint Domain limits-level before they turn 30 years old, there’ll be hope for them to enter the Dragon God Tower’s 100th level?”</p><p>“Yes, that’s right?”</p><p>All six academy presidents nodded in response. Then, all of them shook their heads and added, “But it’s too difficult. There’s no way anyone can achieve that at all!”</p><p>Saint Domain limits-level!</p><p>What was Saint Domain limits-level?</p><p>If achieving full comprehension of a type of laws of nature made one a half-deity, then the Saint Domain limits-level was an existence that possessed almost limitless comprehension of a type of laws of nature. They were truly only a step short of fully comprehending a type of laws of nature.</p><p>Thinking of achieving Saint Domain limits-level before 30 years old?</p><p>Dream on!</p><p>“Comprehending the laws of nature is a process that requires an accumulation of effort over a long passage of time. One may not improve in the slightest, even over a period of several hundred or a thousand years.</p><p>“30 years is but just the amount of time for one to take a nap. Yet they still dream of fully comprehending a type of laws of nature? No way!”</p><p>“Alright. I was too ignorant.” Meng Lei nodded slowly.</p><p>“You’ve only just stepped into the Saint Domain realm, and you’re even a genius, too. Understandably, you wouldn’t know the difficulties involved in comprehending laws of nature.”</p><p>The six academy presidents laughed and added, “When you’ve fully immersed yourself in the ocean that is the laws of nature, you’ll come to understand the difficulties involved!”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded slowly in response. Then, he asked curiously, “Presidents, all of you must have entered the Dragon God Tower before, right? What’s the highest level that you’ve reached?”</p><p>Upon his question, all six academy presidents exchanged looks. They had differing expressions on their faces—some were smug, some were embarrassed, and some were awkward.</p><p><em>What’s going on?</em></p><p>At the sight of this, Meng Lei’s curiosity grew even stronger. However, the Floating Beast they were on suddenly jerked unexpectedly at this moment. It stared right at the space in front and emitted several low roars, its countenance extremely on guard.</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>Just as bewilderment filled everyone, they heard the beast tamer. “Oh no! Man-Vulture bandits have appeared ahead! All passengers, please take precautions!”</p><p>“Man-Vulture bandits?”</p><p>Everyone looked over. True enough, a dark expanse of clouds sweeping toward them entered their sights. The black masses blotted out the sun and covered the sky with their sheer numbers.</p><p>“It really is Man-Vulture bandits!”</p><p>President Fred’s brows drew into a frown. “Those dirty, greedy fellows! They’re just like rats in the sewers—they’re everywhere!”</p><p>“Man-Vulture bandits?”</p><p>Meng Lei looked over as well—the so-called “dark clouds” turned out to be a group of half-human, half-bird creatures!</p><p>They had heads of vultures and bodies of humans, as well as the vultures’ wings and sharp talons.</p><p>They looked absolutely like a motley crew with their shiny, bald heads, filthy bodies, and tattered, shabby clothes.</p><p>“Man-Vultures? Why aren’t they Vulture-Men?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rather puzzled.</p><p>President Fred explained, “Typical half-human, half-beast creatures can be considered human because they possess a very high level of intelligence, so they are no different from humans. For example, Taurens, Tiger-headed People, and Dragon People like us.</p><p>“However, this isn’t the case for Man-Vultures. Although those guys have humans’ bodies, their innate character makes them no different from a pack of Magical Beasts dressed in human guises.</p><p>“They’re barbaric, uncouth, greedy, brutal, and foolish. In addition, they are fond of attacking humans. They commit all imaginable misdeeds, like arson, assault, robbery, and plunder!</p><p>“Thus, they are known as Man-Vultures and not Vulture-Men—because one cannot consider them humans at all. Instead, they are a bunch of beasts and bandits!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-141

Chapter 141 - Extermination At A Finger Snap, Arrival At The Imperial City

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 141 - Extermination At A Finger Snap, Arrival At The Imperial City</h1><p>There was a great number of Man-Vultures, and they formed a dark mass as though they were roiling, dark clouds crushing toward them. Their momentum alone was certainly enough to frighten one.</p><p>In truth, Man-Vultures didn’t suppress others with just their aura—most of them were around sixth-grade, with a fair number of them at seventh-grade. In fact, the ruler of the Man-Vultures could even match up to a ninth-grade expert.</p><p>Added to this their terrifying numbers, Man-Vulture packs were practically the nightmare of every passing trade caravan and ordinary villagers. Once they set their sights on them, the consequences would undoubtedly be very tragic.</p><p>Yet the Man-Vultures simply had to be nomadic by nature. They roamed about like homeless, wandering spirits and messed with whoever they came across. Those that they came across could only lament their misfortune.</p><p>“Sirs, please return to your rooms and take a firm seat. We must hurry and circle around them. Otherwise, once they come on to us, we’ll be dead meat!”</p><p>The beast tamer’s voice was somewhat trembling. As for the Floating Beast they were riding, it was even shaking like a leaf, fearful and uneasy.</p><p>The Man-Vultures had frightened them badly.</p><p>“It’s just Man-Vultures. What’s there to be scared of?” Meng Lei chuckled and said, “Please wait a moment for me, presidents. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”</p><p>“Meng Lei, it’s just a bunch of good-for-nothings. Why would a Saint Domain like you need to take any action? Let them do it instead,” the six academy presidents replied with a laugh as they gestured at the contestants.</p><p>“It’s fine. They can’t fly, so it’ll be pretty troublesome for them.”</p><p>Meng Lei gave them a smile. Then, he soared into the sky in an instant and transformed into a stream of light shooting toward the flock of Man-Vultures.</p><p>All of these were money, after all. How could he allow others to do it for him?</p><p>Squawk!</p><p>Squawk!</p><p>Squawk!</p><p>The Man-Vultures flew at high speed. They let out strange-sounding squawks, their cries sharp and shrill, messy and chaotic as though they were a murder of crows cawing carelessly at random.</p><p>Together with their sheer numbers, ordinary people would definitely be scared witless. However, they were the ones in for a tragedy today.</p><p>“Die!”</p><p>As Meng Lei pointed at the sky, an orange-sized fireball drew a fiery arc across the sky and shot abruptly into the flock of Man-Vultures.</p><p>It looked absolutely unassuming, and neither did it cause any commotion. However, the moment the fireball shot into the center of the flock of Man-Vultures, it went off with a blast.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Violent shock waves swept through several kilometers of where they were in an instant. All the Man-Vultures within the range didn’t even have the time to scream before they were blown into smithereens and burned to ashes.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Man-Vulture killed, 310,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Man-Vulture killed, 80,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Man-Vulture killed, 170,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>As system notifications rang out following his actions, his Wealth also began to increase. Meng Lei couldn’t help but smile at that. “As expected. Sounds like these are the most pleasant-sounding, after all!”</p><p>“Squawk!”</p><p>The sudden explosion had shocked the remaining Man-Vultures into a daze. They flapped their wings frantically and fled far away from the sea of fire with shock and horror in their eyes.</p><p><em>Who am I?</em></p><p><em>Where am I?</em></p><p><em>What have I done?</em></p><p>It was just a shame that no matter how fast they fled, they just couldn’t go any faster than Meng Lei’s speed of shooting fireballs.</p><p>Several orange-sized fireballs shot fiercely toward them like a machine gun. Then, they exploded one after another.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Amid earth-shattering booming explosions, the entire sky was enveloped in a fearsome sea of fire. The vast ocean of fire also swallowed up the masses of Man-Vulture bandits.</p><p>A few minutes later, all the smoke and dust dispersed.</p><p>The black masses of Man-Vultures had disappeared—totally disappeared from the face of the earth, leaving behind not even a single feather.</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>“Huh? No magic cores?”</p><p>Meng Lei was a little taken aback as he stared at the empty sky. The sea of fire just now had only been an ordinary eighth-grade to ninth-grade spell, meaning it shouldn’t have been enough to burn away the magic cores.</p><p>“In other words, those Man-Vultures don’t have magic cores at all? F*ck! I was all worked up over nothing!”</p><p>Meng Lei was sorely disappointed.</p><p>…</p><p>The vast and boundless Dragon God Empire was situated in the east of Heaven’s Vault Continent, overlooking the endless oceans in the east and facing the Magical Beast Ridge in the west. 15 Kingdoms and 48 Dukedoms were under its rule.</p><p>These 15 Kingdoms and 48 Dukedoms were sited at the Dragon God Empire’s periphery and were subsidiary nations surrounding and protecting the Dragon God Empire. The widest and most spacious, and the wealthiest and most fertile lands were still under the Dragon God Empire’s jurisdiction.</p><p>Due to its exceedingly vast territory, flying from Fire Dragon Kingdom to the Dragon God Empire was an extremely long and slow journey. It took a minimum of five days to reach there by flight.</p><p>If one took the ground route, they would need an even longer time.</p><p>Fortunately, five days’ time didn’t count as much to cultivators like Meng Lei. It was no more than a meditation session, a nap, or a round of seclusion.</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t stay idle during this period of time, either. He picked up dropped light balls casually, killed bandits and Magical Beasts they encountered along the way…</p><p>After five days, he had gained a handsome amount of rewards.</p><p>“We’re finally here at the Imperial City!”</p><p>On the fifth evening, the Imperial City finally came within sight. As the six academy presidents gazed at the grand and magnificent huge city sprawling across the land in the distance, emotional looks appeared on their countenances.</p><p>“So many years later, I’m finally here at the Imperial City again!”</p><p>“The last time I was in the Imperial City had been 18 years ago. Who’d have thought that in the twinkling of an eye, 18 years had already gone by.”</p><p>“Haha, your Ink Splendor Academy has produced exceptionally poor results these recent years. As its academy president, there’s naturally no need for you to come to the Imperial City…”</p><p>Meng Lei and the other contestants also stood atop the Floating Beast as they gazed at the Imperial City from afar. There was still a great distance between their location and the Imperial City, but they could still see the Imperial City’s silhouette, nevertheless.</p><p>The Imperial City was just like a primeval behemoth prostrating on the great lands. Several routes accessible from all sides extended from the Imperial City like blood vessels, leading to every corner of the empire.</p><p>At the Imperial City’s outermost perimeter were lofty and towering city walls that stood tall and straight. The golden city walls that towered as high as 1,000 feet were mightier, more awe-inspiring, and more extravagant than any city walls that Meng Lei had ever seen. The rays at sunset shone upon the city walls and reflected an eye-catching radiance and dazzling brilliance.</p><p>“So, that’s the Imperial City?” all the contestants murmured to themselves, astounded by the sight.</p><p>Meng Lei’s gaze, however, had been captured by a gigantic tower that rose all the way into the clouds. That gigantic tower stood erect in the very center of the Imperial City like a holy tree that led into the heavens and connected the heavens and earth.</p><p>Big and tall!</p><p>Lofty and majestic!</p><p>One couldn’t see to the top of it!</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but think of the Korin Tower in Dragon Ball ¹ —that gigantic towering tower certainly bore a light resemblance to Korin Tower!</p><p>“That’s the Dragon God Tower!”</p><p>Upon noticing Meng Lei’s line of sight, President Fred twisted his beard and smiled as he said, “It’s the divine weapon protecting the Dragon God Empire. You can try challenging it during the exchange competition.”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>Meng Lei gave a heavy nod in response. He held great interest in the tower—he wanted very much to know how many levels he could reach.</p><p>The sky above the Imperial City was a no-fly zone. Apart from Saint Domains, all flying magic devices and flying mounts were prohibited from flight.</p><p>Left with no other choice, the Floating Beast could only land at a harbor outside the Imperial City. Then, Meng Lei and the rest rented a magic carriage and sped off toward the Imperial City.</p><p>The city gates were bigger and taller than any Meng Lei had ever seen in the past. Teams of golden-armored sentries guarded the gates and scanned every merchant and vehicle entering the city.</p><p>“The Imperial City was built 40,000 years ago.</p><p>“At that time, the Beast People Empire’s rule was starting to break down. As Heaven’s Vault Continent sank into unprecedented turmoil, all the various races that had laid low and silent emerged one after another.</p><p>“Unwilling to fall behind others, our Colossal Dragon forefathers also led 3,000 Colossal Dragons and flew out of the Dragon Island, beginning their noble conquest of Heaven’s Vault Continent!</p><p>“In the end, under the leadership of the founding Dragon Emperor, our Colossal Dragon forefathers forged through various troubles. It was only after several thousand years of efforts and battles that the current Dragon God Empire exists!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-142

Chapter 142 - No. 1 In History, Timon Barton

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 142 - No. 1 In History, Timon Barton</h1><p>Whilst riding the lavishly decorated magic carriage, everyone looked around curiously at their surroundings.</p><p>The streets were wider, smoother, and more level than the kingdom’s.</p><p>The shops were more prosperous, and there were more of them than in the kingdom.</p><p>The buildings were taller and grander than the kingdom’s.</p><p>The population was denser and more complex than the kingdom’s.</p><p>Among the passersby going to and fro were Taurens with ox heads, Demi-Fairies with pointy ears, as well as Demigiants that towered at several meters tall…</p><p>But of course, what there was in abundance were still humans and Dragon People.</p><p>“The Imperial City’s degree of prosperity is something far beyond the capital city’s.</p><p>“The population is denser here, so there is naturally a higher concentration of experts here. And there is an astonishingly high number of influential officials and nobles.</p><p>“Even with just a casual turn of the head, you may just bump into an Earl. Therefore, during this period where the exchange competition is ongoing, all of you’d better behave and refrain from making any trouble, lest you rile anyone that you shouldn’t be messing with and embarrass the six of us old fellows…”</p><p>“Yes, President!”</p><p>With regard to the academy presidents’ repeated advice, Meng Lei felt it even more keenly because ever since he had stepped into the Imperial City… the system’s voice notifications had never once stopped!</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Physical Body Constitution +116!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Wealth +1,290!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained the Third-Grade Spell…”</p><p>Meng Lei had already fallen in love with the system’s voice at some unknown point in time. Although it sounded icy cold, and emotionless, the moment an extended period of absence came about, he would end up anxious and restless as if something was lacking in his life.</p><p>Upon hearing the system’s constant voice notifications at this moment, Meng Lei felt greatly soothed, especially when he saw how his various attributes were continuously being refreshed. One could just imagine how pleased he was.</p><p>As expected, one certainly ought to come to big places like this more often. The attributes here were the plumpest and most fertile, as well as the highest in volume. His gains from being just a short while here could already match up to what he got in an entire day elsewhere.</p><p><em>Sweet!</em></p><p>By the time their group reached the inn, three hours had already gone by. They entered the inn and went through the check-in procedures.</p><p>And then, the academy presidents began their lectures.</p><p>“We have to assemble at the Dragon God Academy tomorrow morning, so have an early night. We’ll assemble in the hall tomorrow at 7 in the morning.”</p><p>“Yes, President!”</p><p>After the academy presidents left their instructions, all the contestants returned to their rooms to rest, including Meng Lei.</p><p>As he rested on the cottony-soft down silk comforter and took in the wonderful scent of the sheets, Meng Lei did something he rarely did—he didn’t go into meditation. Instead, he fell asleep in a good mood.</p><p>When he woke up the next day, he felt refreshed and invigorated.</p><p>By the time he went down the stairs and arrived at the hall, all the other contestants had already assembled. Then, Meng Lei found himself a seat somewhere.</p><p>At this moment, a Dragon Person contestant with a pair of horns on his head leaned over and asked carefully, “Lord Meng Lei, when are you going to challenge the Dragon God Tower?”</p><p>His name was Joel Elton. He was from the Fighting Dragon Academy and was born into nobility. As he had intentions of building good relations with Meng Lei, he had constantly tried to cozy up to Meng Lei during their whole journey to the Imperial City.</p><p>Meng Lei was well aware of his intentions. He cast a glance at him and replied calmly, “Aren’t we assembling at the Dragon God Academy today? If there’s time, perhaps I can go and take a look at it.”</p><p>Joel paid Meng Lei a whole lot of flattery with an obsequious expression on his face, and said, “With Lord Meng Lei’s abilities, I’m sure you can rank in the Dragon God Genius Ranking and awe the Imperial City to become the kingdom’s pride!”</p><p>“The Dragon God Genius Ranking?”</p><p>Meng Lei raised an eyebrow, a look of puzzlement coming over his features.</p><p>“Don’t you know about the Dragon God Genius Ranking, Lord Meng Lei?”</p><p>Joel was taken aback for a moment there. Then, he hurriedly explained, “There’s a magic light screen on the Dragon God Tower where the names of the top 1,000 people with the most outstanding results among those that entered will be listed.</p><p>“That’s the Dragon God Genius Ranking.</p><p>“After one enters the Dragon God Tower, the higher the level they go, and the longer they stay inside, the higher they’ll rank in the ranking.</p><p>“It can be said that the Dragon God Genius Ranking is a record of the 1,000 most astoundingly talented people in the empire’s 40,000-odd years of history!”</p><p>“A record of only 1,000 people over a period of more than 40,000 years?” Meng Lei was startled. “In that case, it’s going to be very difficult if one wishes to put their name on the list.”</p><p>“Yes, that’s right!”</p><p>Another contestant also came over and added, “This is because not only does the Dragon God Genius Ranking record the geniuses of our generation, but it also records the geniuses in history!</p><p>“It’s akin to having all the geniuses in history compete on the same platform. Therefore, there’s indeed an extremely high level of difficulty if one wants to enter the ranking.</p><p>“Because of this, every single one of those that could make their way into the ranking is a true genius that had gone down in history. Not only are they the kingdoms’ pride, but they are also the academies’!”</p><p>“I see…”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head lightly. Then, he asked curiously, “Do you know who the one that places top is?”</p><p>“It’s Timon Barton, the one known as the Child of The Dragon God, of course. There’s no doubt about that!” a contestant replied without any slightest bit of hesitation whatsoever.</p><p>“The Child of The Dragon God? Timon Barton?”</p><p>Meng Lei was puzzled.</p><p>“Timon Barton is someone from 13,000 years ago and is also the highest-ranked person ever in history among those that have entered the Dragon God Tower.</p><p>“He first entered the Dragon God Tower at 11 years old. In the short span of 14 years, until he turned 25, he had gone into the tower a total of 42 times. The highest he’s ever gone was the 78th level, while the longest he’s ever stayed for was a duration of 8 months.</p><p>“It’s said that Timon Barton started cultivating at the age of 9, became an eighth-grade expert at 11, and broke through to Saint Domain at 14. Because he’s so amazingly talented and peerless in history, he is known as the Child of The Dragon God. He’s also the one with the highest hopes of ascending to the 100th level of the Dragon God Tower!”</p><p>“Saint Domain at 14 years old?”</p><p>All the contestants couldn’t help but gasp. Then, they looked at Meng Lei and remarked, “Isn’t he even more of a mutant than Lord Meng Lei, then?”</p><p>They were already very astounded by how Meng Lei had become a Saint Domain at 16 years old. Little did they know that there was a ferocious guy out there that was even crazier than him. Indeed, however strong one was, there would always be someone stronger still.</p><p>“Since Timon Barton has already gone up to the 78th level when he was 25 years old, then why didn’t he continue going further up?” Meng Lei asked.</p><p>“Because he has fallen!”</p><p>Joel explained with a wry smile, “The reason for his death is unknown, but the official statement from the empire authorities is that he has indeed already fallen. As for the truth of the matter, it’s something we won’t know.”</p><p>“He has fallen?” Meng Lei was startled by the answer. At once, he felt immense regret about it. “To think a genius like that has actually fallen!”</p><p>“Yes, what a shame, indeed.”</p><p>Joel said regretfully, “Starting his cultivation at 9 years old, entering the Saint Domain realm at 14, and passing at 25—even though Timon Barton only had a short cultivation career of 16 years, the record he has created is unprecedented in history and never again seen after, shining brightly upon history and being passed down even today.</p><p>“As such, Timon Barton is also known as the number one genius in all of Dragon God Empire’s history!”</p><p>“He well deserves the title of the number one genius in the Dragon God Empire!” Meng Lei nodded slowly.</p><p>Ol’ Amos sighed and also remarked, “How unexpected that such an amazing talent had actually emerged from the Dragon God Empire after my passing! What a shame… Sigh!”</p><p>“It’s certainly a huge shame…”</p><p>“Is everyone here?”</p><p>At this point, the six academy presidents came down from the upper floors. The contestants nodded and replied, “Yes, everyone’s here! Not a single person missing!”</p><p>“Great. Since everyone has arrived, then let’s set off.”</p><p>Then, all of them boarded the magic carriage and made their way to the Dragon God Academy.</p><p>On the way there, President Fred suddenly asked Meng Lei, “I heard the lot of you talking about Timon Barton just now?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Timon Barton is indeed the most astounding genius in the Dragon God Empire’s history. In addition, he’s also from the Fire Dragon Kingdom. It’s just a shame that… The heavens are jealous of great talent!”</p><p>President Fred was terribly emotional as he remarked, “If he were still alive, he’d probably have already surpassed Saint Domain, or even the half-deity realm, to break through and become a deity a long time ago!”</p><p>“He was from the Fire Dragon Kingdom?”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-143

Chapter 143 - Assembly Of The Strongest, Hailing From The Countryside

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 143 - Assembly Of The Strongest, Hailing From The Countryside</h1><p>The fact that Dragon God Academy was named after the Dragon God was enough to show its lofty position in the Dragon God Empire.</p><p>And in truth, not only was Dragon God Academy the top Warrior academy in the Dragon God Empire, but it was also the best magic academy in the empire—and the title well-deserved, too.</p><p>Even in the entire Heaven’s Vault Continent, Dragon God Academy was the highest learning institution that ranked among the best. Its rich heritage and strength weren’t something that Fire Dragon Magic Academy or other academies could compare to.</p><p>“So, this is Dragon God Academy?”</p><p>A magic carriage came to a stop outside the Dragon God Academy gates, and then Meng Lei and the rest alighted from it. Looks of astoundment couldn’t help but surface in their eyes as they gazed at the grand and majestic gates in front of them.</p><p>The so-called “school gates” were actually formed by a pair of 1,000-feet-tall Golden Colossal Dragon statues that surrounded and protected the area. The two statues faced each other with their claws clasped around each other’s, and their wings spread in mid-flight.</p><p>Their dragon scales appeared vivid and true to life, and their claws ferocious and mighty-looking. Their heads were raised with their horns pointed toward the sky and their fierce-looking jaws open in mid-roar.</p><p>Savage!</p><p>Awe-inspiring!</p><p>Domineering!</p><p>Powerful!</p><p>“President Fred, all of you are finally here.”</p><p>Sporting an enthusiastic and cheerful smile, a middle-aged lady dressed in a violet magic robe walked briskly toward them in welcome.</p><p>“Dorothy, it’s been a while.”</p><p>President Fred broke into a smile at once and went toward her cheerfully at the sight of her.</p><p>It was only after they had exchanged their greetings with each other that President Fred finally gestured at the middle-aged lady and made the introductions. “Allow me to introduce you to each other—this is Dorothy Caesar, a fire-elemental and wind-elemental Saint Domain Great Magician and the vice-president of Dragon God Academy.</p><p>“She is also my disciple, as well as an outstanding alumnus of Fire Dragon Magic Academy. Among the Fire Dragon Magic Academy graduates, she’s one of the few with the best career progression!”</p><p>“Greetings, Lady Dorothy!”</p><p>Awed, the contestants hurriedly paid their respects.</p><p>“Hehe! Hello, everyone!”</p><p>A smiling Dorothy returned the greeting. As her gaze flicked past the contestants one by one, a gratified smile appeared on her visage. “President Fred, it looks like the contestants are pretty great this time. There are quite a few good saplings among them!”</p><p>“Hahaha, of course!”</p><p>Fred burst into hearty laughter as he stroked his beard. “We’re out for revenge this time, after all. We’ll have to consider ourselves as having failed in our mission if we don’t rank within the top three this time!”</p><p>“Haha! To think you actually have the guts to boast so shamelessly here!”</p><p>As a thundering laugh reached them, a burly, muscular elderly man with black horns on his head and leading a group of people strode over with his head held high.</p><p>He had a hawkish visage and a sinister expression all over his features.</p><p>“I was wondering who it could be. So it’s you, Fred!”</p><p>The burly elderly man walked over to President Fred. Then, a contemptuous look came over his visage at once. “Is there even anyone that doesn’t know how the Fire Dragon Kingdom always comes in last place every year? Out for revenge? Are you kidding me?”</p><p>President Fred’s countenance darkened at once. “Angus, don’t be a pot calling the kettle black. Your Black Dragon Academy isn’t any stronger!”</p><p>“At least it’s a little stronger than the Fire Dragon Magic Academy.” The burly elderly man gave him a smug smile as he went on. “Fred, I’m not afraid to tell you that a genius has emerged from the Black Dragon Academy this year. Hopefully, your men won’t run into him during the exchange competition. Otherwise, they’ll be crushed so badly that they’ll end up in tears!”</p><p>“Hmph! We’ll see about that!”</p><p>President Fred snorted in response. A confident smile appeared at the corners of his lips as he scoffed inwardly. “Do you think you’re the only academy that has produced a genius?”</p><p>In his opinion, no matter how impressive the Black Dragon Academy’s genius was, there was no way they could possibly compare to Meng Lei. After all, Meng Lei was already a Saint Domain. This was enough grounds for him to perform brilliantly in the exchange competition. There were far and few that were stronger than him.</p><p>“Be stubborn all you want, Fred!”</p><p>Angus—the burly elderly man—shook his head with a light laugh. Then, with a group of people in tow, he entered the Dragon God Academy. President Fred gazed at him from the back and retorted inwardly, “Wait and see!”</p><p>The Fighting Dragon Academy president also spat furiously. “That old black dragon is still so loathsome!”</p><p>“Everyone in the Black Dragon Kingdom is a lunatic with a dark, sinister personality.” President Fred shook his head. “Let’s go. We should head in, too.”</p><p>“People from the Black Dragon Kingdom…”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Spirit +139!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Magic Power +872!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained the spell…”</p><p>Meng Lei walked about in the ancient, time-worn forested island, listening to the system notifications constantly sounding in his ears and admiring the scenery in Dragon God Academy leisurely.</p><p>Unlike their big, tall, and majestic school gates, the Dragon God Academy interior seemed exceptionally quiet, with marks and vicissitudes of life left behind in every corner of the place.</p><p>Sycamore trees thick enough for a person’s arms to circle around each were lined up neatly!</p><p>Moss covered the old, aged flagstones!</p><p>Students in the midst of meditation could be seen everywhere in the forest!</p><p>Rich, heavy, and ancient—the place fully exhibited a historical vibe!</p><p>“As expected of a 40,000-year-old institution,” marveled Meng Lei.</p><p>He followed the academy presidents and the others to a big and tall teaching faculty building. Upon their arrival, he discovered that several other kingdoms’ contestants were already gathered there.</p><p>These contestants from various kingdoms were divided into quite a few camps. All of them secretly sized up one another, yet also minded their own business at the same time, maintaining a sufficient sense of distance from one another.</p><p>“The contestants from the Tempest Kingdom, Thunder Dragon Kingdom, Black Dragon Kingdom, and Earth Dragon Kingdom have already arrived. Including us, the Fire Dragon Kingdom, that makes five kingdoms from the empire.</p><p>“We’re supposed to assemble and report today while the competition officially starts tomorrow. Therefore, all contestants have to be present. I’m sure the contestants from the other ten kingdoms will be arriving soon, too.</p><p>“Stay here and wait for further instructions, everyone. We’ll be back in a moment.”</p><p>After the six academy presidents left them instructions, they entered the teaching faculty building together with Vice-President Dorothy, leaving Meng Lei and the other 51 contestants to wait there quietly.</p><p>During the next hour and a little more, the contestants and teachers-in-charge from the other ten kingdoms and dukedoms arrived one after another.</p><p>For a while, the area in front of the teaching faculty building was full of people.</p><p>15 kingdoms!</p><p>48 dukedoms!</p><p>Close to 2,000 contestants—and all of them ninth-grade experts!!</p><p>Just a line-up like this was enough to apply great pressure on many contestants. Meng Lei couldn’t be sure about those from other kingdoms, but what he did know was that quite a fair number of Fire Dragon Kingdom contestants were beginning to turn nervous.</p><p>It wasn’t over yet, though.</p><p>Another ten minutes or so later, an almost 3,000-strong team came approaching. They formed a large, black mass, as though a group of Triad members had been mobilized and caused a huge buzz to go through the crowd.</p><p>“They are…”</p><p>Everyone raised their heads and looked over.</p><p>At the sight of them, several people’s countenances changed.</p><p>“They are Empire-Affiliated Academy Contestants!”</p><p>“What? Empire-Affiliated Academy Contestants?”</p><p>“T-they’re so strong!”</p><p>Meng Lei also raised his head and looked over.</p><p>A small portion of the exchange competition contestants came from the 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms, while a large majority of them were from the Dragon God Imperial City itself.</p><p>This group of contestants was also known as Empire-Affiliated Academy Contestants—in other words, contestants from academies directly affiliated to the Dragon God Empire.</p><p>Evidently, those 3,000 people in front of them… were exactly those very contestants.</p><p>Dressed in uniforms of varying styles, those 3,000 contestants obviously hailed from different academies. However, the way they looked at Meng Lei and the other contestants from the 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms was the same—full of contempt and disdain!</p><p>As Empire-Affiliated Academy Contestants, they held an extreme sense of superiority toward others and totally looked down on contestants from the kingdoms and dukedoms.</p><p>In their opinions, contestants from the kingdoms and dukedoms were no different from people from the countryside. How could they possibly be qualified enough to compete with them on the same platform?</p><p>“So, they are the contestants from the 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms? They don’t look like much!”</p><p>“As expected of people from the countryside. They are but just a motley crew!”</p><p>“When have they ever taken the exchange competition seriously instead of just going through the motions…”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-144

Chapter 144 - Second In History, Augustine

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 144 - Second In History, Augustine</h1><p>Among those that could advance in their respective kingdom and dukedom’s qualifying rounds to make their way here, which one of them wasn’t proud and lofty?</p><p>How would they possibly be able to tolerate such provocation that was almost no different from humiliation?</p><p>“Aren’t they just Empire-Affiliated Academy Contestants? What’s the big deal about them? Come forward and fight one-on-one with me if you’re that strong!”</p><p>Unable to stop himself, a contestant from the Black Dragon Kingdom stepped forward and glared furiously at the Empire-Affiliated Academy Contestants.</p><p>“Exactly! A barking dog never bites. If you’re that capable, then let us take a gander at your skills! What does shooting your mouth off even count as?”</p><p>“Have the great Empire-Affiliated Academies groomed only a bunch of braggarts that only know how to talk big?”</p><p>The contestants from the other kingdoms and dukedoms also spoke up one after another—the Empire-Affiliated Academy Contestants had completely riled up all of them.</p><p>“Oho!”</p><p>The Empire-Affiliated Academy Contestants were greatly amused by the sight of the mounting public indignation among the contestants from the kingdoms and dukedoms. As if they’d just witnessed a bunch of infuriated country bumpkin dogs barking madly, they burst into uproarious laughter.</p><p>One of them snorted in derision and sneered. “Country bumpkins, I wish I could rip your foul mouths apart and show you what we city-dwellers are capable of, but unfortunately…”</p><p>He pointed at the ground right underneath his feet and continued. “Do you have any idea where you currently are? This is Dragon God Academy, the most sublime, most excellent, and noblest education institution in the empire! It’s not a place that your little colleges in the countryside can compare to, much less somewhere that you can act atrociously at will.</p><p>“Dragon God Academy prohibits private fights.</p><p>“Country bumpkins, you don’t need to be in such a hurry even if you’re looking for a thrashing. You’ll be so sorry when the exchange competition comes around tomorrow!”</p><p>“Hmph! Why bother waiting till tomorrow? I’ll show you a thing or two right away today. Which one of you wants to fight one-on-one with me?!”</p><p>The Empire-Affiliated Academy Contestants’ cockiness and contempt had thoroughly infuriated the contestants from the kingdoms and dukedoms. All of them stepped forward one by one, the aura around them fired up and the fight in them rushing straight to the skies.</p><p>“Do you think we’re scared of you, country bumpkins?”</p><p>Not intimidated in the least, the Empire-Affiliated Academy Contestants released their auras as well. At once, the atmosphere turned into one where they were ready to jump at each other’s throats.</p><p>“What are you doing? What are all of you doing?”</p><p>It was at this moment when a group of teachers-in-charge walked out of the teaching faculty building. As they did, a terrifying wave of vast, widespread aura also went crushing toward the contestants.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>All the contestants felt as though someone had just delivered them a crushing blow. Everyone turned as pale as a sheet, and alarm and fear surfaced in their eyes.</p><p>Even Meng Lei was filled with fearful apprehension, despite being a Saint Domain—because all the teachers-in-charge that had just arrived were Saint Domains.</p><p>All of them, Saint Domains!</p><p>There were as many as several hundred Saint Domains!</p><p>Just how fearsome of a force was that?</p><p>“What are all of you trying to do, being so presumptuous here?”</p><p>One of Dragon God Academy’s vice-presidents rebuked them coldly, “Do you know what this place is? What a bunch of scoundrels!</p><p>“The exchange competition only commences tomorrow. No matter how great your fury is, all of you’d better suck it up until tomorrow comes!”</p><p>All the contestants hung their heads at once, none of them daring to meet his eyes.</p><p>“Hmph! It’s the same kind of behavior from them every year. In the end, more than half of them croak even before the end of the exchange competition.”</p><p>The same vice-president snorted coldly. It was only then that his countenance mellowed a little, and he announced, “After much discussion among various parties, the exchange competition’s schedule has been finalized. We’ve decided to adopt the same round-by-round elimination system like what we’ve done in the past.</p><p>“Everyone is to assemble at the Dragon God Cathedral at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning. All those that do not arrive by 8 a.m. will be regarded as having voluntarily forfeited the competition! Is this understood?”</p><p>“Understood!”</p><p>“Great!”</p><p>The vice-president nodded lightly. Then, he said, “All of you may move about freely now. You can take a look around the campus as you wish, or you can also head out of the academy to have a taste of the delicacies here. You just need to assemble at the cathedral by 8 a.m. tomorrow!”</p><p>At his words, all the contestants’ eyes from the kingdoms and dukedoms immediately lit up, and their gazes shifted to their respective teachers-in-charge. Meng Lei and the rest also looked at President Fred’s group of six.</p><p>“All of you may move about freely today. Just remember to return to the inn by 9 p.m. tonight. Remember, do not make any trouble, and do not do anything that violates the law and discipline.”</p><p>“Yes, President!”</p><p>All the contestants looked as though they had been granted amnesty, and the group dispersed and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Almost all the contestants from the 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms were asking around about the Dragon God Tower’s location, all of them wishing to head over and challenge it. Meng Lei was naturally no exception.</p><p>At this point, with friendly and enthusiastic smiles, Joel Elton and a few other contestants came over and asked, “Lord Meng Lei, we’re free to do anything we want today. Do you want to head over to the Dragon God Tower for a look?”</p><p>“Sure!” Meng Lei nodded lightly and asked, “Do you know how to get to the Dragon God Tower?”</p><p>Joel nodded incessantly and replied, “Yes, I do. I’ve been to Dragon God Academy and visited the Dragon God Tower once in the past.”</p><p>“Lead the way.”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>The group of them charged toward Dragon God Tower enthusiastically. Before long, a tall, lofty, and majestic gigantic tower that stretched all the way into the sky entered their sights.</p><p>Contrary to what Meng Lei had imagined, Dragon God Tower didn’t possess any characteristics related to the Dragon God or the Dragon race at all, and it sported a very odd and peculiar appearance.</p><p>On the pitch-black tower exterior were engravings of the sun, stars, and the moon; mountains, rivers, the forests, and the woods; birds, animals, insects, and fishes; thousands upon thousands of different races…</p><p>It emanated an aged and boundless, mysterious and lofty vibe that involuntarily arose a feeling of insignificance and astoundment within one.</p><p>As he gazed at the gigantic tower that reached all the way into the sky with its peak out of visibility’s range, a hint of puzzlement couldn’t help but well up within Meng Lei—was this gigantic tower really forged by the Dragon God?</p><p>Meng Lei knew from great experience just what kind of sense of beauty the Dragons had.</p><p>And the gigantic skyscraping tower in front of him at the moment was anything but reminiscent of the Dragons. There wasn’t even the slightest bit of the Dragon race’s distinct characteristics.</p><p>It wasn’t the golden color that the Dragons loved!</p><p>There were no Dragon scales or claws, let alone their horns and head!</p><p>Was this really the Dragon God Tower?</p><p>“As expected of the Dragon God Tower. It’s majestic and domineering indeed!”</p><p>“Tsk, tsk! To think we can’t see to the top of it even with our eyesight. Just how tall must it be?”</p><p>“Probably at least 100 kilometers…”</p><p>All the contestants seeing the Dragon God Tower for the first time were astounded by it, and they let out exclamation after exclamation of astonishment and marvel!</p><p>Then, Joel pointed at a magic screen at the base of the tower and said, “Lord Meng Lei, look. That’s the Dragon God Genius Ranking.”</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>Meng Lei looked over—true enough, he noticed a huge magic screen that reached as high as 1,000-feet-tall. On it was a densely-packed record of numerous names.</p><p>And at the very top was an exceptionally eye-catching name:</p><p>“No. 1: Timon Barton, Human, 25 years old, Level 78”</p><p>“To think he’s actually a human!”</p><p>Meng Lei was amazed by the fact. Then, his gaze continued downward.</p><p>“No. 2: Augustine Kroc, Human, 30 years old, Level 76”</p><p>“Augustine Kroc…” Meng Lei was startled. “Kroc? This last name looks so familiar to the eye…”</p><p>“That’s the last name of us, Krocs!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ voice rang out in his ear. Meng Lei turned to see that the old man had suddenly emerged and spoken.</p><p>“In other words, this ferocious guy ranked second is actually from the Kroc clan?” Meng Lei was astonished.</p><p>Ol’ Amos replied softly, “Augustine is my father!”</p><p>“Y-your father?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s mouth fell open as he asked, “Ol’ President, the Augustine that’s ranked second is your father?”</p><p>“Yes! That’s my father, indeed!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ countenance was filled with pride as he said, “I told you, my father was a cultivation genius!</p><p>“He started his cultivation journey at 10 years old, became a Ninth-Grade Warrior at 16, and even successfully promoted to a Saint Domain when he was 26!</p><p>“Before this little fellow named Timon Barton had appeared, Father was Dragon God Empire’s number one genius in history!”</p><p>“Wow, my Ol’ President’s dad is way impressive!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-145

Chapter 145 - Entering Dragon God Tower, A World Of Sand

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 145 - Entering Dragon God Tower, A World Of Sand</h1><p>“No. 3: Goblen Frederick, Golden Colossal Dragon, 29 years old, Level 75”</p><p>“No. 4: Horace Frederick, Golden Colossal Dragon, 30 years old, Level 75”</p><p>“No. 5: Alex Frederick, Golden Colossal Dragon, 30 years old, Level 75”</p><p>“No. 6…”</p><p>As Meng Lei skimmed through the ranking, apart from the first and second places, everyone in the top ten places bore the last name of Frederick, and all of them were Golden Colossal Dragons!</p><p>It was only at 11th place that a Black Dragon finally appeared. After that, the Golden Colossal Dragons with the Frederick last name started to hog the ranking again.</p><p>“Frederick is the last name of the Dragon God Empire’s royalty.” Ol’ Amos explained, “All the Golden Colossal Dragons on the ranking are from the royal family. More than half of the top 100 places, no, the first few hundred places are actually all Golden Colossal Dragons. How incredible!”</p><p>Meng Lei stared at the ranking, finding it rather mind-boggling. There were countless geniuses in the massive Dragon God Empire; even with that many people around, were they still unable to match up to a few Golden Colossal Dragons?</p><p>“This is a very normal sign.” A smiling Ol’ Amos replied, “As royalty among the Dragons, the talent that the Golden Colossal Dragons possess isn’t something that other races can compare to.</p><p>“In the entire Heaven’s Vault Continent, only a few races—such as the Thunder Titans of the Titan Empire, the Golden Behemoths of the Beast People Empire, and the royal Fairies of the Fairy Empire—can compare to them.</p><p>“Although there are only very few Golden Colossal Dragons in each generation, every single one of them is amazingly talented. After all, Golden Colossal Dragons are one of the only few races that become Saint Domains the moment they turn of age.”</p><p>“They are Saint Domains the moment they turn of age?”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head lightly in disbelief before he continued to browse the ranking.</p><p>“Ol’ President, you’re actually ranked 689th place?”</p><p>“My talent is only average.”</p><p>After going through the ranking, Meng Lei now had a rough understanding of the whole ranking—60% of them were Colossal Dragons, 30% of them were Drakes, 9% of them comprised other races, and only 1% of them were humans.</p><p>Judging from the ranking alone, the Colossal Dragons had a much stronger gift and talent than humans and the other races. With 60% of the ranking made up of Colossal Dragons and 30% made up of Drakes, it came up to a total of 90%—this wasn’t just any ordinary gap!</p><p>“The humans are so tragic. They don’t even make up 1%!”</p><p>“That’s for sure! From the start, humans already have the poorest talent. Despite them having the largest population, there is only a scarce number of true geniuses!”</p><p>A human contestant sighed emotionally with a shake of his head.</p><p><em>Are humans’ talents really that poor?</em></p><p>Meng Lei had nothing to say to their comments. However, he held a different view inwardly. In terms of talent, while there was admittedly a gap between humans and Colossal Dragons, the root of the issue causing a gap like that wasn’t their talent. Rather, It was their… social statuses!</p><p>In the Dragon God Empire, humans were in the bottommost tier of the social hierarchy, leading to a situation where 99% of humans had no chances of cultivating at all. Even if people with amazing talent had emerged, who would have known?</p><p>In comparison, despite there being only a scarce number of Colossal Dragons, they still hogged 99% of the cultivation resources available nevertheless. Wasn’t it a matter of course for them to place in the ranking?</p><p><em>If humans were allowed the opportunity to cultivate someday, that so-called Dragon God Genius Ranking would definitely undergo a dramatic change!</em></p><p>Meng Lei held rather complex feelings toward the issue.</p><p>Then, he looked at the Dragon God Tower entrance and saw a team of golden-armored sentries guarding the entrance.</p><p>Many contestants from the kingdoms and dukedoms were currently gathered at the entrance, each and every one of them all geared up and eager to give the tower a shot.</p><p>A golden-armored sentry asked, “Is this the first time all of you are going into the Dragon God Tower?”</p><p>“Yes, it is!”</p><p>“Since this is your first time going in, I am obligated to inform you of a few things.</p><p>“Firstly, it is very dangerous in the Dragon God Tower. A moment of carelessness could lead to death. You must be fully prepared before you go in.</p><p>“Secondly, all the magic circles leading to the next levels are located at the areas where magic elements are the richest and densest, and the most powerful native beings usually occupy these places. Therefore, it’s also the most dangerous there. Be sure to act carefully.</p><p>“Thirdly, try your best not to move about together—because the bigger the target is, the easier it’ll be to come under the native beings’ siege. Once you’re besieged, it’ll become even more dangerous.”</p><p>This was a series of three reminders, yet every one of them was related to the dangers involved. From this, one could see just how treacherous the place was.</p><p>However, all the contestants had allowed their enthusiasm to go to their heads at the moment and only wished to enter the Dragon God Tower right away. Who would take the golden-armored sentry’s warnings to heart?</p><p>At the sight of this, the golden-armored sentry shook his head lightly and said, “Challenging the Dragon God Tower isn’t child’s play. A moment of carelessness will lead to death. I’ve already said what I should. Whether or not you heed them is none of my business.”</p><p>After he spoke, with a wave of his arm, he commanded, “Let them in!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Following the entrance’s opening, the contestants swarmed into the tower, unable to wait any further.</p><p>“That bunch of crazy, ignorant fools! Are they really going in so rashly? Aren’t they going to prepare at all?”</p><p>“Just you watch! They’re going to have a lot to cry about later!”</p><p>“Cry? You’ll need to have the opportunity to do even that. They might just stay in there forever without the chance to come out alive for eternity!”</p><p>“Exactly! They’ll pay a heavy price for their foolishness and insane arrogance. Is there anyone who doesn’t know that the death toll is the highest during the exchange competitions every time?”</p><p>“I wonder how many are gonna croak this time…”</p><p>Several Dragon God Academy students watching the show gesticulated at them, their attitudes totally gloating over their misfortune and watching a show.</p><p>“Joel, is the Dragon God Tower really that dangerous?” asked a contestant nervously.</p><p>“Isn’t that obvious? There is no shortage of geniuses that perish in the Dragon God Tower every year. This is no empty talk!”</p><p>Joel went on with a grave look on his face. “All of you’d better be careful when you go in later. Should you sense any danger, retreat at once. No matter what, safety always comes first!”</p><p>“I don’t really dare to go in anymore when you put it that way.”</p><p>“Exactly. That’s too scary.”</p><p>“Actually, there’s no need to be overly afraid, either. With our strength, the first ten levels are still relatively safe.” Joel said with a smile, “Besides, we still have to take part in the exchange competition tomorrow. We’ll just go in and have a casual look around today.”</p><p>‘You’re right!”</p><p>“We’re just here to broaden our horizons today…”</p><p>The few contestants nodded one after another in agreement.</p><p>“Lord Meng Lei, let’s go in together.”</p><p>“Let’s go!”</p><p>Then, they passed through the whirlpool-like magic screen. After the world spun for a while, the environment underwent a radical change at once.</p><p>Sand! Sand filled the sky everywhere!</p><p>As far as the eye could see, that was all there was—sand!</p><p>The sun blazed fiercely in the sky, steam was rising around them everywhere, and the ground was littered with ghastly white skeletons. The place was dry and intensely hot.</p><p>Barren and desolate, there was only dead silence everywhere. This was a world flooded by sand!</p><p>“So, this is Dragon God Tower’s first level?” Meng Lei commented as he looked around him.</p><p>It was as though he was in a vast and boundless desert with no end in sight.</p><p>Meng Lei was puzzled—this was a half-plane?</p><p>Was there any difference between this and a whole material plane?</p><p>“Where are Joel and the others?”</p><p>However, what amazed Meng Lei the most was that Joel and the others who had come in together with him were all missing. He was the only one standing here in the boundless sea of sand.</p><p>A vortex-like teleportation doorway was behind him. He needed only to pass through the teleportation doorway to leave the Dragon God Tower.</p><p>“Could the teleportation be random? Never mind, who cares? Let’s head to the second level and take a look.”</p><p>Meng Lei flew into the sky and took in the changes in the magic elements in great detail. Then, he turned into a stream of light flying out.</p><p>The earth-elemental magic elements in this half-plane were much richer and denser than the world outside. In addition, they were also constantly changing as his location shifted.</p><p>According to the golden-armored sentry, the entrance to the second level was located in the area where the magic elements were the most concentrated.</p><p>Therefore, he needed only to head toward the area where the magic elements were the most concentrated, and that would do. Meng Lei didn’t hold much interest in the first few levels as what he wanted was to take a look at the higher levels. Hence, he couldn’t be bothered to waste any time here.</p><p>As he sped about at high speed, his movements could only be described with one phrase—as swift as lightning!</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>All of a sudden, the intense sounds of battle rang out ahead of him. Meng Lei lowered his head to take a look, only to see a muscular man with silver horns on his head currently being besieged by a nest of African elephant-sized scorpions.</p><p>These scorpions had tough armor on their bodies and were a sandy-yellow throughout. Only their tails standing high and vertically upright presented a bewitching blood-red color. There were about 20 of them.</p><p>“The Seventh-Grade Magical Beast, Scarlet-Tailed Scorpions?”</p><p>A wind blade shot out with a casual flick of Meng Lei’s fingers, and then it separated into 20 wind blades that sunk accurately into the Scarlet-Tailed Scorpions.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Scarlet-Tailed Scorpion killed. 130,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Scarlet-Tailed Scorpion killed. 120,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding…”</p><p>In just a mere instant, all 20 Scarlet-Tailed Scorpions had been beheaded. They crashed onto the ground one after another, becoming still and motionless.</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>The silver-horned muscular man under siege had an utterly confused look on his face.</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-146

Chapter 146 - Killing Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts Like Slaughtering Livestock

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 146 - Killing Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts Like Slaughtering Livestock</h1><p>“Ding! 1 Scarlet-Tailed Scorpion killed. 150,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Giant Swamp Crocodile killed. 190,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Fiery Storm Eagle killed. 170,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>The first level—a world of flowing sand!</p><p>The second level—a world of torrential floods!</p><p>The third level—a world of raging storms!</p><p>The fourth level—a world of blazing flames!</p><p>The fifth level…</p><p>Meng Lei went up the whole way, not pausing for even a moment in between. In less than three hours, he had already charged all the way to the 11th level of Dragon God Tower. At once, Meng Lei felt a difference.</p><p>Only one type of element existed in rich abundance in the first ten levels, whereas he found that there were two types of magic elements that were exceptionally rich on the 11th level. They were respectively the earth-elemental and water-elemental magic elements.</p><p>This was a half-plane filled with silt and swamps. It stunk to the high heavens, and miasma wafted about—it was as though he had come to a dumping ground.</p><p>Given Meng Lei’s keen senses, he could detect several powerful auras lying dormant in the silt and swamps, ready to launch ambushes any moment.</p><p>“Most of the Magical Beasts in the first ten levels were seventh-grade ones or eighth-grade at best. However, ninth-grade ones have started to appear on this level. Would Saint Domain Magical Beasts start appearing in the higher levels?”</p><p>Meng Lei licked his lips as a hint of greed appeared on his features. “As expected! Dragon God Tower is the most suitable place for me to cultivate!”</p><p>Previously, he had earned a hefty sum of money when he had fought back the ant tide at the Magical Beast Ridge. Thanks to that, he had redeemed credit via the system and managed to tremendously improve his strength.</p><p>However, ever since then, he hadn’t had many gold coins coming into his pockets. As a result, his strength had also reached a standstill. This greatly distressed Meng Lei—if it weren’t for the fact that he had to participate in the exchange competition, he would have graduated and gone off to hunt Magical Beasts a long time ago.</p><p>But it was all good now. Meng Lei had discovered a place that was even more suitable for money-making—and that was the Dragon God Tower!</p><p>The Dragon God Tower had a total of 100 half-planes, within which lived countless Magical Beasts and native beings. To others, they were stumbling blocks obstructing them from passing through to higher ground, but in Meng Lei’s eyes, they were glittering mountains of gold.</p><p>The value of Eighth-Grade Magical Beasts started from a million gold coins, while Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts could sell for ten million, let alone the Saint Domain ones.</p><p>Just a single Underground Cave Magical Spider Emperor that had just broken through alone had already created 5.2 billion + 6.1 billion = 11.3 billion gold coins in total for him.</p><p>One could simply imagine what the Dragon God Tower meant to Meng Lei.</p><p>“The system + Dragon God Tower = The most awesome cheating device!</p><p>“Haha! My path to money-making is all-clear and free of obstructions from now on!”</p><p>“Gurgle~”</p><p>“Gurgle~”</p><p>Just as Meng Lei burst into loud, smug laughter, a few bubbles surfaced in the foul-smelling swamps a short distance away.</p><p>In the next moment, a fishy, pungent odor rushed toward him.</p><p>Meng Lei turned to see a shadow swooping toward him. It moved at an extremely high speed and took only a mere instant to reach him.</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>A lightning lance flashing with silver electric currents quietly appeared with a casual point of Meng Lei’s finger and impaled the shadow’s gaping mouth in an instant.</p><p>The shadow instantly froze in mid-air, its eyes filled with disbelief. The one that had launched an ambush had clearly been it, so why was it that the human’s attack that had been launched later had instead reached it earlier?</p><p>It was just a shame that it no longer had any way of knowing the answer to its question anymore because the raging thunder lance had exploded and blown its head into smithereens.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Blackwater Leech killed. 1,390,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“1,390,000 gold coins? Not bad!”</p><p>With a wave of his arm, Meng Lei kept the Blackwater Leech’s magic core. Then, he let out the magic carpet and continued forward.</p><p>Although he could already fly, Meng Lei felt that it was more prudent that he matured cowardly in a place like this instead. This way, he would be able to bait the Magical Beasts hiding in the shadows into attacking him.</p><p>This was the only way he could make money, right?</p><p>And in truth, that was exactly how it was. The sight of him steering the magic carpet about was as though a piece of plump, fleshy meat swaggering through the streets, and it attracted the covetous eyes of innumerable Magical Beasts.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Blackwater Leech killed. 1,360,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Six-Tailed Poisonous Centipede killed. 1,480,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Blue-Eyed Golden Toad killed. 2,710,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding…”</p><p>Meng Lei slaughtered all the Magical Beasts he encountered the whole way. Eighth-Grade Magical Beasts perished in his hands one after another. When he was about to reach the magic circle leading to the 12th level, he finally encountered a Ninth-Grade Magical Beast.</p><p>It was snowy-white, 50 meters tall, and steel needle-like fur covered its body, its hair pointing upside down. Its muscles were bulging and brimming with explosive energy.</p><p>Its form resembled a giant ape, yet it had four bewitching blood-red eyes. Even though it had arms and legs, it also had an additional two pairs of fins.</p><p>“The Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, Blood-Eyed Hydro-Ape!”</p><p>Meng Lei was all smiles at once. The worth of a Ninth-Grade Magical Beast started at ten million gold coins, after all. He could finally earn some money now!</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Blood-Eyed Hydro-Ape thumped its chest loudly, producing low, thunderous war drum-like thumps. Its large, savage mouth opened wide as it roared furiously.</p><p>The next moment, it raised its gigantic palm and grabbed at Meng Lei.</p><p>“Usually, I’d have been able to play with you a little, but I have limited time today. Sorry about that!”</p><p>With a flash, Meng Lei vanished from where he was. By the time he reappeared, he was already behind the Blood-Eyed Hydro-Ape. Then, a heavy fist went flying out.</p><p>Snap!</p><p>The back of the Blood-Eyed Hydro-Ape’s head was broken and crushed by the wild, violent blast. The rushing wave of energy entered its body and instantly ground its brains into bits and pieces, killing it on the spot.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Blood-Eyed Hydro-Ape killed. 12,000,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Tsk, tsk! Killing Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts brings in money faster indeed!”</p><p>Meng Lei gouged out the Blood-Eyed Hydro-Ape’s magic core with a casual grabbing motion, and then he left in a fantastic mood.</p><p>As for the carcass of that Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, he would just leave it for the native Magical Beasts of that plane to enjoy. He found it somewhat beneath him now.</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>The magic circle lit up, and Meng Lei disappeared from where he was. By the time he reappeared, he had already arrived at the 12th level of the Dragon God Tower.</p><p>Dense, lush primeval forests were surrounding him now. Towering trees that reached as high as 1,000 feet were everywhere. As far as the eye could see, it was a sea of forests!</p><p>Yet, in the center of the forests stood an enormous, lofty, and majestic mountain peak. Wisps of thick smoke billowed from the summit, rushing toward the sky like smoke signals in war.</p><p>Additionally, all around the mountain was black lava that had just hardened, as well as dust, limestone, broken rocks, and so on that covered the whole place…</p><p>That was an active volcano that could erupt any time!</p><p>“Forests and a volcano… The wood-elemental and fire-elemental magic elements in this world are exceptionally active. Looks like it’s a half-plane with mainly wood-elemental and fire-elemental laws of nature.”</p><p>At once, Meng Lei let out his magic carpet and flew slowly and leisurely toward the area where the wood-elemental and fire-elemental magic elements were the richest.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The swift and sharp sound of something slicing through the air rang out. As though a poisonous python, a vine suddenly shot out of the forest and shot toward Meng Lei at a lightning-quick speed.</p><p>“Ambushing me?”</p><p>Meng Lei chuckled. He neither ducked nor attacked, allowing the vine to wrap around him as it wished. Then, it dragged him down to the surface.</p><p>A brief moment later, Meng Lei was dragged right over to a strange tree with a trunk so thick that it would require ten people to circle around it. The strange tree wasn’t very tall; however, innumerable vines draped from its crown-like hair and in a mess.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Several vines covered in sharp thorns extended toward Meng Lei and went stabbing toward him viciously, as though they wanted to pierce into his body and suck him dry.</p><p>Clink, clink, clink!</p><p>However, the strange tree had made the wrong decision. Its thorns stabbed against Meng Lei as though they were stabbing against steel and iron, causing a series of sparks to fly about.</p><p>Apart from that, they didn’t manage to pierce into Meng Lei at all.</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, Man-Eating Tree Ghoul, eh? Even if I allow you to pierce me all you want, you wouldn’t be able to hurt me at all!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-147

Chapter 147 - Level 21, Red Rock Fire Demon

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 147 - Level 21, Red Rock Fire Demon</h1><p>“Even if I stand here and let you stab me, you can’t hurt me!”</p><p>Meng Lei sneered, and green vines also appeared on his body. They turned into green pythons and wrapped back toward the strange tree. Then they stabbed into the bark of the strange tree and started absorbing madly.</p><p>This was the Wood-Elemental Spell, Life Drawing!</p><p>Meng Lei retaliated against it with its own medicine.</p><p>“Weren’t you going to suck me dry? I’ll suck you dry first!”</p><p>“Gurgle~”</p><p>“Gurgle~”</p><p>Upon feeling its vitality being drained continuously, the strange tree started struggling. Its trunk shook, and its vines lashed out, attacking the green pythons madly to peel them off its tree body.</p><p>Unfortunately, the green pythons that rooted on it were like maggots deep in its bones. However hard it struggled, it simply couldn’t move them in the least. It could only watch them devour its vitality.</p><p>Whimper—</p><p>Eventually, amid the strange tree’s shrill screams, its vitality was entirely devoured, and it died with indignation and regret.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Man-Eating Tree Ghoul killed. 17,300,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Pfft! Gotten 17 million gold coins!”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded in satisfaction, then dug out a durian-sized, translucent green crystal that glowed with a green luster like a green jade.</p><p>“This is the Man-Eating Tree Ghoul’s magic core? Such rich vitality…”</p><p>“This is a treasure!” Ol’ Amos’ voice sounded in his head. “The magic cores of Wood-Elemental Magical Beasts are also called vitality cores. They contain a vast amount of vitality and can bring even people who are severely injured and on the verge of death back to life. It is called a divine healing medicine. Thus, the value of one vitality core is several times, even tens of times, that of similar-grade magic cores!</p><p>“The Man-Eating Tree Ghoul is a Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, so its vitality core is even rarer. If one brings its vitality core to an auction, it can sell for at least 100 million.”</p><p>“100 million? That’s very good then!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes lit up. He casually put away the vitality core and continued to fly forward.</p><p>Not long after he left, the completely still trees in the surrounding area all reached out with their vines to stab at Man-Eating Tree Ghoul’s body and started to absorb the remaining vitality in its body!</p><p>…</p><p>“Ding! 1 Jade Wood Butterfly killed. 12,900,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Witherbark Cicada killed. 1,460,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Physical Body Constitution +3870!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Magic Power +2659!”</p><p>He went all the way up without any resistance.</p><p>By the time Meng Lei reached the magic circle that led to the 13th level, he had casually killed a total of 48 Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts.</p><p>48 Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts!</p><p>What kind of efficiency was this? One had to know that only a mere half an hour had passed since he had entered the 12th floor!</p><p>Such efficiency, such speed!</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>He stepped into the magic circle. After a whirl of dizziness, the surrounding environment changed again.</p><p>Meng Lei arrived at a vast, endless grassland. Grass, the height of his knees, was very lush. A strong gust of wind blew, and the grass bowed down.</p><p>Swoosh…</p><p>On the patch of earth not far away, a tornado the height of dozens of meters was raging, bursting into a crazy roar.</p><p>The sound traveled more than 100 miles. The whole world was dark!</p><p>“Wood and Wind Elements, both are very rich.</p><p>“This is the Dragon God Tower’s 13th level? It’s actually very suitable for cultivating wind-elemental magic!”</p><p>Meng Lei did some sensing as usual and then continued to push forward.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Stormy Flying Elephant killed. 17,000,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Stormy Flying Elephant killed. 18,000,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Cloud Stooping Black Ox killed. 16,000,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>…</p><p>Half an hour later, Meng Lei arrived at the 14th level.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Gold Backed Mantis killed. 19,000,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Three-Winged Heavenly Thunder Ant killed. 18,600,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>…</p><p>The 15th floor!</p><p>…</p><p>The 16th floor!</p><p>…</p><p>The 17th floor!</p><p>…</p><p>The 18th floor!</p><p>…</p><p>The 19th floor!</p><p>…</p><p>The 20th floor!</p><p>He pushed through all the way!</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Half an hour later, Meng Lei arrived at the 21st level smoothly.</p><p>The environment changed drastically again. The world of ice, which was covered with the moment before, became a world filled with volcanoes and lavas in the next moment.</p><p>The sky was filled with thick layers of red clouds, and many purple lightning bolts moved rapidly between the cloud layers.</p><p>The sound of thunder had an intimidating impetus.</p><p>A boiling hot lava river was running non-stop on top of the earth. If ordinary living things arrived here, they would definitely be baked till their skins were dried.</p><p>“The Fire, Thunder, and Darkness Elements are particularly rich. From this layer onward, there should be Saint Domain Magical Beast already, right?”</p><p>There was a faint look of anticipation in Meng Lei’s eyes. The easy kills along his whole way before this were only small appetizers, after all.</p><p>The Saint Domain Magical Beasts in the higher levels were the feast he was really looking forward to. Therefore, he arrived here in one go non-stop.</p><p>“The magic elements over there are the richest!”</p><p>Meng Lei found out the direction and then flew over, riding his magic carpet. Half an hour later, the magic circle toward the 22nd level was already in view.</p><p>But strangely, he actually didn’t see a single Magical Beast, Not to mention Magical Beasts, not even a hair of a Magical Beast.</p><p>“How strange… Can there be no Magical Beasts on this level? But this shouldn’t be happening.”</p><p>Meng Lei stopped in mid-air, and looks of confusion filled his eyes as he observed the vast and empty world of lava.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>At that moment, a burning wave of air suddenly came from behind him. Then, he saw a viper completely made of boiling hot lava shooting right at him, as though it wanted to swallow Meng Lei whole.</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s ears moved slightly, and he suddenly disappeared from the spot where he was.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The lava viper’s failed attack suddenly burst and turned into countless droplets of lava, splashing all around.</p><p>Meng Lei eerily appeared at another spot, his eyes locked on a lava lake near him. The corners of his mouth curved upwards slightly. It was from that lava lake that the lava viper had shot out of just now.</p><p>Gurgle~</p><p>Gurgle~</p><p>The lava lake boiled with bubbles. A stone-like head slowly emerged, and on this stone head were actually a horn, a single eye, and a nose!</p><p>Splash!</p><p>The lava boiled, before a three-meter-tall humanoid creature, with a body made entirely of red rocks and burning flames surrounding it, came out.</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, Red Rock Fire Demon…”</p><p>Although Meng Lei was stunned, he immediately felt very disappointed. “Why is it still a Ninth-Grade Magical Beast? Where are the Saint Domain Magical Beasts? Where are they hiding?”</p><p>Right when Meng Lei was confused, one red head followed by another emerged from the lava lake. All of them had entirely flame-covered red bodies covered. They were all Red Rock Fire Demons, at least 100, and they instantly surrounded Meng Lei.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>All the Red Rock Fire Demons roared angrily, opened their bloody red mouths, and spewed out many waves of boiling hot red lava.</p><p>The boiling hot lava shot over from all directions and directly blocked Meng Lei’s way, leaving him no space to escape. He could only forcefully take on them.</p><p>“128 Red Rock Fire Demons, eh? Still quite a fortune. I will take you all reluctantly, shall I?”</p><p>Faced with the lava attacks, Meng Lei was calm and composed. At the moment right before the boiling hot lava reached him, a layer of diamond-like shining crystals suddenly emerged from all surfaces of his body. He turned into a diamond-like man instantly!</p><p>That was the Ninth-Grade Spell, Earth Guardian’s Saintly Armor!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-148

Chapter 148 - Undying Mud Leeches And Successfully Getting On Ranking

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 148 - Undying Mud Leeches And Successfully Getting On Ranking</h1><p>Boom!</p><p>The boiling lava drowned Meng Lei instantly like roaring ocean waves. A terribly high temperature burnt Meng Lei and melted the Earth Guardian’s Saintly Armor, and it seemed like it was going to burn Meng Lei to ashes.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Red Rock Fire Demon saw this and let out triumphant roars, then got ready to retreat into the lava lake to continue sleeping.</p><p>Meng Lei’s death was certain in their views, as there was no way he could survive their lava attack. No human could. There were at least hundreds and millions of outsiders who died in their hands.</p><p>Yet, in the next moment, the Red Rock Fire Demons were shocked.</p><p>Meng Lei actually stood right where he was, completely unharmed. Even the magic robe on him was just as new as before, without suffering the least bit of damage.</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>The Red Rock Fire Demons were shocked.</p><p>At that moment, Meng Lei had already turned into a stream of light and shot right toward the Red Rock Fire Demons.</p><p>Bang, bang, bang!</p><p>Amid successive collisions, the Red Rock Fire Demons’ heads burst open like watermelons.</p><p>Crushed rocks shot and lava splashed!</p><p>“Ding! 1 Red Rock Fire Demon killed. 6,400,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Red Rock Fire Demon killed. 6,370,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Red Rock Fire Demon killed. 6,290,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding…”</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The remaining Red Rock Fire Demons were terrified, and they all squinted into the lava lake in an attempt to dodge Meng Lei’s attack. Unfortunately, it was of no use.</p><p>With a soft snap of fingers… A gigantic rock with a diameter of hundreds of meters appeared in the sky and then smashed down right at this lava lake.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>With an earth-shaking loud bang, the gigantic rock hit very hard right at the lava lake center. Huge waves of lava were splashed, revealing the Red Rock Fire Demons hidden inside the lava lake.</p><p>The unlucky ones were smashed into a flesh pie, and the more fortunate ones were sent into mid-air by the huge force and then killed by Meng Lei.</p><p>Though he didn’t meet any Saint Domain Magical Beast, Meng Lei had to admit that these Red Rock Fire Demons that inhabited the 21st level were indeed very strong, and they had a geographical advantage on top of that.</p><p>Even peak ninth-grade experts like Francis would definitely be in grave danger when facing them.</p><p>One small mishap and they may die on this level. But it was different for Meng Lei.</p><p>Even though the Red Rock Fire Demons had a geographical and numerical advantage, they were still a bunch of fragile weaklings waiting for him to kill them.</p><p>Ninth-Grade!</p><p>Saint Domain!</p><p>It was just the difference of a single grade, but it made the distinction between heaven and earth.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The lava lake gradually returned to peace, but the Red Rock Fire Demons, who were ravaging and roaring just now, had fallen asleep forever.</p><p>All of them were killed, and not even a survivor remained.</p><p>“7.8 billion gold coins into the pocket!”</p><p>Meng Lei revealed a smile, and a fist-sized fiery red crystal appeared in his palm. “With the addition of 128 Red Rock Fire Demons’ magic cores, the 21st level has given me the richest rewards after I entered the Dragon God Tower.</p><p>“Pfft, it’s still faster to earn money by hunting Magical Beasts.</p><p>“Yeap, off to the next level.</p><p>“Hope I can encounter Saint Domain Magical Beasts!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The 22nd floor!</p><p>…</p><p>The 23rd floor!</p><p>…</p><p>The 24th floor!</p><p>…</p><p>Meng Lei advanced all the way very smoothly, passing through every level with an average of half an hour. His speed was so fast that it was unbelievable. Five hours later, he had already arrived at the 30th level.</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>Meng Lei turned into a flash of lightning and kept moving and attacking. Strange Magical Beasts constituted entirely of mud, and muddy water were around him. They looked very similar to earthworms and leeches.</p><p>After observing them closely, they were like a thick, entangled mass!</p><p>They were the peak Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts, Undying Mud Leeches!</p><p>There was nothing extraordinary about Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts, but what drove Meng Lei mad was that Undying Mud Leeches were practically impossible to kill.</p><p>Be it hitting them with his fists or bombarding them with magic, nothing worked at all!</p><p>“It’s impossible to kill them!”</p><p>“Boy, you must find the Undying Mud Leeches’ weakness before you can kill them. Otherwise, they will slowly exhaust your physical strength and magic power and kill you eventually.” Ol’ Amos reminded him promptly.</p><p>“I know about finding the weakness, but does such a thing really have a weakness?” Meng Lei was also thinking about this question.</p><p>From the 21st level onwards, he hadn’t met any Saint Domain Magical Beasts, yet he kept meeting a bunch of extremely strange Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts. They were not only shocking in their numbers, but they were also extremely hard to deal with.</p><p>They either had extraordinary defense systems and were very hard to kill, had amazing vitality and couldn’t be killed, or there were so many of them that they couldn’t all be killed!</p><p>These were still not that bad. Meng Lei had forced himself to be patient and deal with all of them, but on the 30th level, this bunch of Undying Mud Leeches he encountered made him feel particularly stuck.</p><p>After he broke them into pieces, they would return to their original forms…</p><p>One spell was enough to burn, dry, chop them up… Yet, within a few breaths, they were okay again.</p><p>Physical attacks were useless, and they were immune to magical attacks!</p><p>What else could he do?</p><p>“If physical and magic attacks don’t work, then try spiritual attacks!” Ol’ Amos reminded him. “Any living thing has a weakness, and Undying Mud Leeches can’t be the exception.”</p><p>“I was just thinking about this.”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded hard. His spiritual power unleashed like a tide and surged toward the nearest Undying Mud Leech.</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>Meng Lei’s spiritual power was rich to the extreme, and it madly attacked the Undying Mud Leech’s sea of consciousness. To Meng Lei’s surprise, the Undying Mud Leech’s spirit was actually much weaker than he imagined.</p><p>One small spiritual attack easily dismantled the seas of consciousness of several Undying Mud Leeches—they rolled their eyes and instantly dropped weakly to the ground!</p><p>“Ding! 1 Undying Mud Leech killed. 9,400,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“It died?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s spirit was greatly revived, and he continued attacking.</p><p>Bump, bump, bump…</p><p>Undying Mud Leeches fell in waves like harvested crops. In a short while, all the Undying Mud Leeches died.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Undying Mud Leech killed, 9,490,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Undying Mud Leech killed, 9,620,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>The system’s cue tones kept sounding. Meng Lei looked at the Undying Mud Leeches’ corpses that crashed into the mud pond and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.</p><p>“Ol’ President, now I finally understand why everyone said the Dragon God Tower is difficult to venture through.</p><p>“The first 10 levels are easy.</p><p>“At the 11th level, Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts start to appear, and the difficulty level slowly starts to increase.</p><p>“At the 21st level, there are more and more Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts, and they are harder and harder to deal with. The difficulty level increases exponentially.</p><p>“Below the Saint Domain level, it is hard for someone to even go past 25 levels!”</p><p>“You’ve finally realized it!” Ol’ Amos chuckled and said, “The first 10 levels are easy, so ordinary geniuses can get past them with a bit more effort.</p><p>“From the 11th level onward, it gets a bit hard. 90% of exchange competition participants would be stuck in these 10 levels and find it hard to make the slightest progress.</p><p>“As for the 21st to the 30th level, especially the higher 5 levels, they are almost impossible for Ninth-Grade experts to pass through.</p><p>“Faced with Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts that are astounding in numbers and are super hard to deal with, even pureblood Colossal Dragons have to fail!”</p><p>“Indeed!”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded slightly.</p><p>“So, usually people who can pass through the first 30 levels mostly are in Saint Domain, or have the battle power of Saint Domain.” Ol’ Amos smiled and said, “To be able to reach here, one would be good enough to be listed on the Dragon God Genius Ranking!”</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>Meng Lei was stunned. He said with surprise, “Which means my name has already appeared on the Dragon God Genius Ranking?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-149

Chapter 149 - Ranked 469Th, Second In History

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 149 - Ranked 469Th, Second In History</h1><p>It was currently 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon and seven to eight hours since Meng Lei and the others had entered the Dragon God Tower.</p><p>After Dragon God Academy played host to the teachers-in-charge and held a welcoming banquet in their name, the teachers also began their own leisure time.</p><p>Some of the teachers went directly to the Dragon God Tower. Among them were President Fred and the Fighting Dragon Academy president.</p><p>Had it been during the past years, there wouldn’t have been anything much to watch. After all, it wasn’t like there were any decent geniuses around. What was the point of watching others’ performances?</p><p>However, that wasn’t the case this year. There was much to look forward to!</p><p>“Given Meng Lei’s strength, if he stays somewhat careful and cautious, there won’t be much of a problem for him to pass through the first 30 levels. It’s enough for him to place in the ranking.”</p><p>“Instead of 30 levels, he just needs to pass through 22 levels, and he’ll have a chance of placing in the ranking. There’s also much hope for that Francis kid…”</p><p>President Fred and the Fighting Dragon Academy president idly chatted the whole way idly as they headed over. Soon, they reached the Dragon God Tower.</p><p>At that moment, the area in front of the Dragon God Tower was already packed with people. They gesticulated and speculated among themselves, creating quite the lively atmosphere.</p><p>“What the heck? The contestants from the 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms are really impressive this time! Quite a few have actually made it into the ranking!”</p><p>“Isn’t that so? The most impressive one is already ranked 487th. That’s 487th in history! How awesome!”</p><p>“Tsk, tsk. They passed through the 30th level so easily. Impressive!”</p><p>“If I recall correctly, it hasn’t even been eight hours since they entered the Dragon God Tower, right?”</p><p>“Seems like it…”</p><p>Upon hearing their speculations, President Fred and the Fighting Dragon Academy president both looked at the huge magic screen, and then their gaze slowly went all the way up.</p><p>“No. 972: Francis Matthew, Frost Dragon Person, 28 years old, Level 23”</p><p>“Did you see that? As expected, Francis has made it into the ranking!” President Fred remarked cheerfully, “That little fellow is certainly not bad. He didn’t disgrace you!”</p><p>“He’s alright, I guess. He can’t compare to Meng Lei!”</p><p>The Fighting Dragon Academy president adopted an awfully humble attitude. However, he couldn’t hide the smile on his lips, no matter what he did. One mustn’t be fooled by how the 972nd placement seemed rather low—it was more than enough to prove Francis’ shocking talent!</p><p>One must know that the Dragon God Genius Ranking was a ranking in which all geniuses competed against one another on the same platform in the recent 40,000-odd years.</p><p>Choosing 1,000 people over the course of 40,000 years—just how fierce was the competition? Just how many people desired to place in the ranking, yet failed?</p><p>Being able to make it into the ranking was the symbol of one’s strength itself.</p><p>Being able to make it into the ranking was the symbol of one’s talent itself.</p><p>It was no exaggeration to say that every one of those that could place in the ranking was a genius whose name would remain forever in history.</p><p>They had enormous potential, and the Saint Domain realm was within sight for them.</p><p>President Fred gave him a smile in response, and then his gaze continued to go up the ranking.</p><p>“Oh hey! Isn’t that Fred and Fighting Dragon?”</p><p>A sinister voice suddenly rang out from behind them.</p><p>“Why is it that old fogey again!”</p><p>The two of them broke into frowns at the same time. The voice was all they needed to know who had just arrived. Aside from that loathsome old Black Dragon, who else could it be?</p><p>“Why are the two of you interested in the Dragon God Genius Ranking, too?”</p><p>Indeed, the person who had just arrived was Angus, the academy president of Black Dragon Academy. His gaze flickered over to the Dragon God Genius Ranking, and then he broke into a smile so wide that his countenance became all wrinkled. “That Isaiah kid hasn’t disappointed me! He has ranked 692nd and reached Level 28. He didn’t let all my grooming of him go to waste!”</p><p>Upon hearing his words, President Fred and the Fighting Dragon Academy president couldn’t help but look at the person in 692nd place.</p><p>“No. 692: Isaiah Thomas, Black Dragon Person, 26 years old, Level 28”</p><p>“26 years old!”</p><p>“Level 28!”</p><p>“That fellow has pretty good talent!”</p><p>President Fred and the Fighting Dragon Academy president exchanged a look, both seeing the astonishment in each other’s eyes.</p><p>To pass through the 28th level, one must be at least a ninth-grade pinnacle-level expert and possess great mastery of the universe’s momentum.</p><p>For him to possess this level of strength at the age of 26, he was astonishingly talented for sure.</p><p>“I’ve heard that a few geniuses have also emerged from your academies. I wonder if they’ve placed in the ranking yet? Which positions are they in? How are they doing in comparison to our academy’s Isaiah?”</p><p>Angus asked cheerfully, “Since time immemorial, the Fire Dragon Academy and the Fighting Dragon Academy have always been elite academies where geniuses emerge in every generation. I’m sure there must be extraordinary geniuses in this batch of students, too?”</p><p>“Stop acting so smug, Angus!”</p><p>President Fred was someone with a blunt and straightforward temperament. He couldn’t help but snort and say, “Isn’t it just the 692nd position? What’s so great about that!”</p><p>“Yes! It certainly isn’t anything great!”</p><p>Angus didn’t flare up. Instead, he was all smiles as he replied, “Since that’s what you’re saying, Fred, then I’m sure the Fire Dragon Magic Academy must have an even more outstanding genius?”</p><p>“Hurhur! Of course!”</p><p>President Fred snorted, and then he quickly looked at where the 487th place was in the ranking. He believed that that must be where Meng Lei ranked.</p><p>However, he was disappointed.</p><p>“No. 487: Derrick, Golden Colossal Dragon, 30 years old, Level 31”</p><p>“It’s not Meng Lei?”</p><p>Fred looked absolutely stupefied. He had thought that the genius in 487th place must be Meng Lei for sure. After all, among the geniuses of the 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms, Meng Lei was the most outstanding one for sure.</p><p>Therefore, Meng Lei’s position must be the highest. Who else could it other than Meng Lei that had come in 487th place?</p><p>However, the truth was that… it wasn’t Meng Lei.</p><p>“What exactly is that fellow doing?”</p><p>President Fred was rather anxious. However, it was at this moment that bursts of exclamations reached his ears.</p><p>“What the heck? That guy from just now has sped all the way to 469th place!”</p><p>“469th? He’s sped all the way there so quickly?”</p><p>“Did that guy take a Rage potion or what?”</p><p>“469th?”</p><p>Upon hearing what they said, President Fred, the Fighting Dragon Academy president, and Angus, the muscular old man, looked at the 469th position almost all at the same time.</p><p>The moment they did, all three of them had different reactions.</p><p>President Fred heaved a long breath of relief while the Fighting Dragon Academy president’s countenance was full of marvel, the words “I knew it!” all over his face.</p><p>Angus, however, gasped and reacted as if he had just seen a ghost. “He’s reached Level 32 when he’s only 16 years old? Wait a minute! 16 years old!? How can that be!?”</p><p>The gasps of astonishment around them weren’t any less intense than his. All those who had noticed the person in 469th place were astounded by what they had just seen.</p><p>“No. 469: Meng Lei, Human, 16 years old, Level 32”</p><p>“For one to pass through Dragon God Tower’s 32nd level, they must at least possess the strength of a Saint Domain. In other words, that 16-year-old little fellow already possesses the strength of a Saint Domain?”</p><p>“16 years old?”</p><p>“Saint Domain?”</p><p>“Is he even human?”</p><p>“He must be a freak?”</p><p>“I really wonder where that mutant came from! For him to become a Saint Domain at 16 years old, he’s totally a monster on a level among the top ten—no, the top three of history!”</p><p>“He must be from the 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms! Otherwise, a genius on a level among the top few of history like that would have made it into the ranking a long time ago! He wouldn’t have waited until today to challenge the Dragon God Tower!”</p><p>“That makes sense! I wonder which kingdom he’s from…”</p><p>Upon hearing the crowd’s gasps of astonishment, a complex look came over Angus’ countenance. “I didn’t expect that a monster like that has actually emerged from us 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms! This is truly unbelievable!”</p><p>A 16-year-old Saint Domain!</p><p>He was only a notch inferior to Timon Barton, the number one in history.</p><p>That firmly made him the number two in history.</p><p>The number two person over the course of 40,000 years! How amazing was that?</p><p>At Angus’ exclamation of admiration, President Fred smiled so widely that his visage was all wrinkled. He said, “That Meng Lei kid hasn’t disappointed me, after all! Coming in at 469th place and going up to Level 32, he didn’t let all my grooming of him go to waste!”</p><p>The Fighting Dragon Academy president cast a glance at Angus and also remarked sarcastically, “Although he can’t compare with someone else’s genius from the Black Dragon Academy, he still did pretty well!”</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>At his words, Angus’ countenance immediately froze. “Fred, that mutant at 469th place is from the Fire Dragon Magic Academy?”</p><p>“Yes! Is something wrong?”</p><p>“…”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-150

Chapter 150 - Golden Steel Wind-Ape, Wind-Elemental Fragment

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 150 - Golden Steel Wind-Ape, Wind-Elemental Fragment</h1><p>The 32nd level of Dragon God Tower was a large, vast, and boundless silver-colored plains.</p><p>As far as the eye could see, there were no weeds, no trees, no mountains, and no signs of life.</p><p>The whole place seemed like the forbidden zone of life. On the silver-colored ground were violent gusts of wind wreaking havoc while letting out wild shrieks and howls.</p><p>And in the sky were roaring streaks of lightning running through the clouds. They thundered deafeningly, their momentum horrifying.</p><p>“The ground… It’s made of metal!”</p><p>Meng Lei stood proudly between heaven and earth, gazing into the distance at the solitary world where violent gusts of wind wreaked havoc and thunder crackled and boomed loudly, a look of anticipation vaguely in his eyes.</p><p>At the 31st level, his wish had come true, and he had encountered a Saint Domain Magical Beast. Although it was just a Golden-Backed Ox Scorpion, he had still earned 9.8 billion gold coins from it.</p><p>Coupled with its magic core, that was double the rewards for him.</p><p>Sweet!</p><p>“Here’s hoping that this level doesn’t disappoint me too!”</p><p>Meng Lei licked his lips. Then, his form flitted toward the area with the richest magic elements. From the 31st level onward, there was no longer any need for him to use the magic carpet anymore.</p><p>He moved at a speed neither too fast nor too slow. Before he knew it, he had already crossed the long distance and arrived at the area where the magic elements were the richest.</p><p>A great silver-colored mountain entered his sight. Like the ground surrounding it, the fairly majestic-looking silver-colored mountain was also made out of silver-colored metal. A silvery-white color throughout, the mountain reached as high as several hundred meters tall.</p><p>Puff!</p><p>Puff!</p><p>Halfway up the mountain were two caves. Two thick and solid tornadoes shot out of the caves and blew toward the ground in the distance, howling as they did so.</p><p>“A Saint Domain Magical Beast is hiding in the cave?”</p><p>Meng Lei landed in front of the cave. As he stared at the two almost identical-looking caves, he made an antagonistic move.</p><p>He threw a fireball into the cave with a casual toss of his hand—he wanted to bombard the cave and drive the Saint Domain Magical Beast out of it!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The fireball exploded, causing even the entire mountain to shake. Thick smoke billowed out of the cave, and then something that astonished Meng Lei happened the very next moment.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Amid dull thunderous booms, the mountain suddenly began to shake and sway, and the ground started to tremble and shake. At the same time, a series of roars also reached his ears.</p><p>“What the heck?”</p><p>Meng Lei realized something right away, and he retreated with a sudden burst of speed. At the same time, he also gazed at the mountain that was in the midst of standing up, a look of astonishment surfacing in his eyes.</p><p>A head!</p><p>Arms!</p><p>Legs!</p><p>That was no goddamn mountain—it was clearly a metallic giant!</p><p>It was just that… Wasn’t that giant a little too tall?</p><p>Was it 1,500 meters tall? Or 2,000 meters?</p><p>Meng Lei was dumbstruck by the sight. “What kind of Magical Beast is that?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ voice rang out as he replied, “That’s the Golden Steel Wind-Ape, a rare species among ape-type Magical Beasts. A Metal-Elemental and Wind-Elemental Saint Domain Magical Beast. It possesses Herculean strength and is fairly difficult to deal with.</p><p>“Be careful. If you can’t beat it, run immediately. Don’t let the Golden Steel Wind Ape smack you to death with its palm!”</p><p>“The Golden Steel Wind Ape?” Meng Lei raised an eyebrow.</p><p>The Golden Steel Wind Ape glared furiously at Meng Lei, raging flames of fury bursting forth from its huge eyes that were as big as elephants.</p><p>“Damned human! How dare you disturb Bradley’s beautiful dreams! You’re courting death!”</p><p>It had only just spoken when it immediately opened its bus-sized mouth and spat out a tornado measuring a dozen or so meters wide.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>As he faced the tornado sweeping toward him, Meng Lei stood still and motionless. In fact, he was even somewhat in a trance.</p><p>Because in the instant that the Golden Steel Wind-Ape had launched its attack, a few dazzling light balls had dropped from it.</p><p>“Ding! Dropped item detected. Will you pick it up?”</p><p>“Isn’t that obvious? Pick it up”</p><p>“Ding! Pickup successful. Host’s Physical Body Constitution +3,038!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained the first-class spell, Golden Wheel Reincarnation Blast!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained the first-class spell, Dimensional Blade!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained a Wind-Elemental Laws of Nature Fragment!”</p><p>“What the heck!?”</p><p>At the sound of the system notifications constantly ringing out in his mind, Meng Lei became excited at once.</p><p>First-class spells and a wind-elemental Laws of Nature fragment!</p><p>He had really struck gold this time! When he had battled Saint Domain Magical Beasts in the past, they had never once dropped this much good stuff before.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>However, during this exact instant, the fearsome tornado straight up engulfed Meng Lei, and countless razor-sharp wind blades sliced at his body. The magic robe he was wearing didn’t last long before it was ripped into shreds by the innumerable wind blades.</p><p>And then, it was his underwear’s turn…</p><p>Similarly, they weren’t spared, either…</p><p>However, the amazing thing was that when the razor-sharp wind blades cleaved onto Meng Lei’s body, it was as though they were cleaving onto steel plates—aside from causing bursts of sparks to fly about, they weren’t able to cut even a bit of his skin.</p><p>Additionally, it was as though Meng Lei didn’t feel any pain or agony, either. No matter how the wind blades cleaved at him or attacked him, he stayed still and motionless.</p><p>“The wind’s lithe gracefulness, nimbleness, raging violence…</p><p>“It could be as gentle as a soft breeze caressing one’s face while it could also be as turbulent as to destroy the heavens and earth…</p><p>“The wind…”</p><p>Waves of comprehension and information regarding the wind-elemental laws of nature appeared within Meng Lei’s mind. He browsed through them quickly as though he was watching a movie. In no time, he had opened the door to the wind-elemental laws of nature!</p><p>“So, this is… What wind is!”</p><p>After a long while, Meng Lei slowly opened his eyes. A shrewd gleam flashed across his eyes, and then his entire self disappeared inside the tornado. By the time he reappeared, he was already behind the Golden Steel Wind-Ape!</p><p>“As they say, it doesn’t fulfill propriety if one doesn’t return as good as they receive. You can have a taste of my wind, too!”</p><p>Meng Lei opened his mouth. A lithe, transparent air current suddenly shot out of his mouth and shot toward the back of the Golden Steel Wind-Ape’s head at lightning-quick speed!</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Upon coming into contact with air, the light and lithe air current had a sudden, dramatic burst of speed. In an instant, it morphed into an incomparably sharp wind blade that cleaved viciously against the back of the Golden Steel Wind-Ape’s head.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>Amid the sounds of metals colliding against each other, a small crack was cleaved out of the back of the Golden Steel Wind-Ape’s head, and peculiar black blood squirted out of it.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>Although the tiny crack didn’t count as much at all when compared to the Golden Steel Wind-Ape’s enormous body, it still pained the Magical Beast, nevertheless. It let out furious roars after roars. Then, it turned around, and its palm smacked viciously toward Meng Lei as though it wanted to crush him into smithereens.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Meng Lei vanished in an instant. By the time he reappeared, he was already on the Golden Steel Wind-Ape’s shoulder. He said, “Your defenses are pretty good, big guy, but you’re too slow!”</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Golden Steel Wind-Ape quickly turned its head and delivered another smack with its palm. Although its speed was fast enough, it was still as slow as an 80-year-old granny in Meng Lei’s eyes.</p><p>“Too slow!”</p><p>Meng Lei ducked slightly, and then he arrived at the top of the Golden Steel Wind-Ape’s head. It was only at this point that its gigantic palm finally landed against its shoulder. With a thunderous boom, the Golden Steel Wind-Ape knocked itself unsteady, causing itself to stumble.</p><p>“Hahaha! How stupid!”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but break into a grin. “Have all of its Stat Attribute Points gone to its size and defenses? There’s pretty much no one else with a speed like the Golden Steel Wind-Ape’s!”</p><p>“Duh! If the Golden Steel Wind-Ape was fast enough, would it appear here?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos snorted and said, “But come to think of it, isn’t your speed a little too fast? Even Saint Domain Magical Beasts with agility as their forte aren’t as quick-footed as you. It would be stranger if the Golden Steel Wind-Ape could catch up to you!”</p><p>“Haha! Of course!”</p><p>Meng Lei smiled smugly in response, thinking to himself, <em>My defenses are also super awesome, let alone my speed! Do you think the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline is unworthy of its reputation?</em></p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-151

Chapter 151 - This Is Just Basic Operations, So Don'T Be That Amazed, Dimensional Blade

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 151 - This Is Just Basic Operations, So Don'T Be That Amazed, Dimensional Blade</h1><p>Host: Meng Lei</p><p>Race: Human (Fire Dragon bloodline &lt;50%&gt;, Fire Demon bloodline &lt;45%&gt;, Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline &lt;10%&gt;, Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline &lt;1%&gt;)</p><p>Wealth: 2.88 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals</p><p>Physical Body Constitution: Saint Domain (11,072,554,516/100 billion)</p><p>Spirit: Ninth-Grade Great Magician (1,789,871/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Magic Power: Ninth-Grade Great Magician (1,457,391/1,000,000,000)</p><p>Laws of Nature: Fire-Elemental (0.2%), Wind-Elemental (0.1%)</p><p>Others: Some increase</p><p>These were Meng Lei’s current personal stats.</p><p>His bloodlines, Wealth, Physical Body Constitution, Spirit, Magic Power, and Laws of Nature comprehension had all undergone a dramatic change.</p><p>Within which, there was only one factor contributing to his spike in Physical Body Constitution—the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline.</p><p>After this particular fearsome bloodline—that he had picked up via the chargeable function Limitless Pickup—had been assimilated into his body, Meng Lei’s Physical Body Constitution had gone from 1 billion to 11 billion.</p><p>It had risen by a whole 10 times and more!</p><p>Apart from that, it had also given Meng Lei extraordinarily quick speed and extraordinarily strong defenses, as well as two different types of magic talent—wind-elemental and dark-elemental magic talent.</p><p>It could be said that the assimilation of the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline had given Meng Lei great benefits. And yet, its bloodline assimilation rate was only… 1%!</p><p>Now, that was crazy.</p><p>Just how fearsome was that bloodline!?</p><p>Meng Lei found this normal, though.</p><p>According to the system, the Gods-Slaying Rat was a Deity-level Magical Beast whose strength was absurdly powerful. Even in the vast and boundless universe, the creature was rarely ever seen.</p><p>In fact, because it was too much of a mutant, it attracted the heavens’ jealousy. As a result, the Gods-Slaying Rats were unable to form packs and could only live in solitude by themselves in the world.</p><p>One could imagine just how big of a mutant that creature was.</p><p>Therefore, what did the tenfold improvement of his body post-assimilation even count as?</p><p>What did obtaining extraordinarily strong defenses and speed even count as?</p><p>What did the 1% bloodline assimilation rate even count as?</p><p>This was basic operations, and one mustn’t be that impressed!</p><p>Keep calm, everyone!</p><p>Because of this, Meng Lei was very calm and composed when facing Ol’ Amos’ astonishment.</p><p><em>You’re already that astonished? This doesn’t even count as much yet…</em></p><p><em>When I’ve earned enough, I’ll boost the 1% bloodline assimilation rate. You can be astonished again when that happens.</em></p><p>“Stop being so smug. Hurry and take care of that Golden Steel Wind-Ape first!” Ol’ Amos sighed and said, “You don’t have much time left. You still have to take part in the exchange competition tomorrow.”</p><p>“Alright,” said Meng Lei in response, and then he promptly activated a first-class spell.</p><p>Rasp!</p><p>A green translucent wind blade several hundred meters long abruptly appeared and hurtled toward the Golden Steel Wind-Ape at lightning-quick speed.</p><p>Its speed was incomparably fast. The astonishing thing was that everywhere that the wind blade passed by, a gash was ripped directly into the air as if it were a piece of cloth.</p><p>It was the wind-elemental single-target first-class spell—Dimensional Blade.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>Upon sensing the life-threatening danger, the Golden Steel Wind-Ape hastily ran into the distance in an attempt to avoid the Dimensional Blade’s attack.</p><p>“Do you really think you can get away?”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head lightly.</p><p>Rasp!</p><p>In just the twinkling of an eye, the Dimensional Blade crossed the 100-meters distance and arrived at the Golden Steel Wind-Ape’s neck.</p><p>Roar!!</p><p>During the moment of crisis, the Golden Steel Wind-Ape hastily raised its arm and protected its neck. As a crisp rip rang out, the Dimensional Blade easily cut through its arm to slice into its neck. It was only after it sank a dozen meters or so deep into its neck that it dissipated completely from the depletion of force.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A segment of the Golden Steel Wind-Ape’s arm landed onto the ground. It was as though a towering tree dozens of meters thick had fallen, and the impact from the crash caused the ground to shake violently.</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>Black blood spurted everywhere, dyeing the silver-colored ground black. Severe pain assaulted the Golden Steel Wind-Ape’s nerves, causing it to let out sad and shrill cries.</p><p>“Goodbye, big guy!”</p><p>Before anyone even realized, Meng Lei had circled to the back of the Golden Steel Wind-Ape. Then, he tossed yet another Dimensional Blade out.</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>This time, the Golden Steel Wind-Ape was no longer able to block the attack, and the Dimensional Blade sliced cleanly across its neck.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>At once, the Golden Steel Wind-Ape froze on the spot, becoming still and motionless while a thin, narrow line of blood appeared at its neck.</p><p>The very next second, its head slid off and fell onto the ground with a great crash.</p><p>The system notification rang out in a timely fashion at this point.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Golden Steel Wind-Ape killed. 10.3 billion gold coins gained!”</p><p>“10.3 billion gold coins into the pocket!”</p><p>A smile appeared on Meng Lei’s visage, and he glanced habitually at his Wealth value—3.91 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals, which when converted into gold coins, equated to 39.1 billion gold coins.</p><p>“39.1 billion gold coins! This isn’t enough yet! Far from it!”</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t indulge in self-satisfaction. There were simply too many things that he needed money for. Disregarding how his magic power and spiritual power desperately needed to be boosted, he needed money for just his Laws of Nature degree of comprehension, his bloodline assimilation rate, and the Limitless Pickup function alone.</p><p>39.1 billion gold coins—that was nothing but just a drop in the ocean!</p><p>“Continue!”</p><p>Meng Lei gouged out the Golden Steel Wind-Ape’s magic core. Then, his gaze lingered on its carcass, reluctant to part with it. He really wished he could take it with him, but unfortunately, his spatial magic devices didn’t have the space to store it. Thus, he could only abandon it.</p><p>“However… This guy is a Wind-Elemental and Metal-Elemental Magical Beast. Even though I can’t take its carcass with me, can I take its metal-elemental magic talent?”</p><p>Meng Lei got into contact with the system right away. “System, if I use Brutal Plunder, will I be able to take the Golden Steel Wind-Ape’s metal-elemental magic talent? If it’s possible, how many gold coins will it cost?”</p><p>“To answer the host, it’ll cost 2 billion gold coins!”</p><p>“2 billion? What the hell? That’s so goddamn expensive! Never mind, just take it anyway!”</p><p>The next moment, his Wealth decreased by 2 billion gold coins in an instant.</p><p>“Ding! Plunder successful. Will you assimilate it?”</p><p>“Yes, assimilate it!”</p><p>“Great! Time to go!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His environment changed right away.</p><p>Meng Lei had already reached the 33rd level.</p><p>At the same time, in the outside world…</p><p>“Level 33! That monster named Meng Lei has gone up to Dragon God Tower’s 33rd level!”</p><p>“What a mutant! All the levels from the 31st one onward are overseen by Saint Domain Magical Beasts, yet he can actually still pass through them! Just how big of a mutant must he be to achieve that?”</p><p>“O’ Dragon God above! It’s hard to imagine that a monster like that is really from the 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms! How inconceivable!”</p><p>“The hardest thing to understand is that he’s actually human! Since when have the humans ever produced a monster like that?”</p><p>Everyone let out gasp after gasp of astonishment as they gazed at Meng Lei’s name—all of them had been astounded by him.</p><p>16 years old!</p><p>Level 33!</p><p>Just what kind of god-like achievement was that?</p><p>“Angus, our Meng Lei is pretty passable, right?” President Fred, who was all smiles, asked as he gazed at Angus, the muscular old man.</p><p>“Stop acting so smug, Fred!”</p><p>Angus snorted, his complexion becoming a dull purplish-red from anger. “A monster that can rank in the top few positions of history such as Meng Lei comes only once in 10,000 years. Your Fire Dragon Magic Academy was just lucky, that’s all!”</p><p>“You’re absolutely right! Our academy certainly has tremendous luck. However, Meng Lei ultimately still comes from our Fire Dragon Magic Academy and not your Black Dragon Academy,” replied a chuckling President Fred in retaliation.</p><p>The Fighting Dragon Academy president also followed up with an attack and added, “An old Black Dragon like you has already gotten on so much in years. Don’t you even know the simple principle that luck is also part of one’s skill?”</p><p>Angus had an awful look on his countenance, unable to rebut their statements.</p><p>“He’s gone to Level 34!”</p><p>“What the heck? He’s advanced again?”</p><p>“Why has he become even faster now, as compared to when he was in the first few levels?”</p><p>Just as the three of them were conversing with each other, gasps of astonishment rang out next to them again—Meng Lei’s ranking had risen again.</p><p>“No. 438: Meng Lei, Human, 16 years old, Level 34”</p><p>“That kid Meng Lei is even stronger than what we had imagined!”</p><p>Fred and the Fighting Dragon Academy president exchanged a look with each other, unable to stop an odd look from appearing in their eyes.</p><p>They were aware that Meng Lei had advanced to Saint Domain, but the strength that he was currently exhibiting was clearly stronger than typical Saint Domains that had just broken through. After all, his speed at making it through the rounds was simply too fast.</p><p>Level 31 → Level 32 → Level 33 → Level 34!</p><p>He was passing through each level at a faster speed than the previous.</p><p>Just what kind of speed was that?</p><p>“Fred, I don’t know if you’ve noticed this yet.” The Fighting Dragon Academy president suddenly said, “Isn’t that kid Meng Lei a Fire Dragon Person? Why is the ranking displaying his race as Human?”</p><p>Fred replied slowly, “Meng Lei undoubtedly possesses the Fire Dragon bloodline. I’ve seen his Dragon transformation with my own eyes!”</p><p>“Since that’s the case, then there’s only one possibility left—that kid is just like you. He’s also a possessor of double bloodlines!”</p><p>“That’s the only possibility left now!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-152

Chapter 152 - Diamond Mammoth, Becoming A Saint Domain Great Magician

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 152 - Diamond Mammoth, Becoming A Saint Domain Great Magician</h1><p>At the 34th level of Dragon God Tower, chilly winds howled in the brilliant white snow.</p><p>This was a world completely covered in snow and ice. As far as the eye could see, it was a total expanse of white.</p><p>Underneath the feet was a thick layer of snow while tall, lofty ice mountains were in the distance. Crystal-clear snowflakes floated and scattered about with the wind, dancing as they did so.</p><p>“A single pear blossom puts down the begonia, and thousands upon thousands of pear blossoms bloom. There’s only one word to describe this—beautiful!”</p><p>Meng Lei stepped on the waist-deep snow, producing crisp crunching sounds as he did so. With light taps of his feet against the ground, he started to hop about on the surface of the snow.</p><p>As a southerner that lived near the sea, he had only seen snow a few times since he was young. Upon seeing such a beautiful snowscape, he found it especially novel and interesting.</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ voice, which carried a teasing note to it, rang out. “Kid, you’ve never seen snow before, have you?”</p><p>“Yeah, I haven’t,” Meng Lei replied as he admired the snow leisurely.</p><p>“The Fire Dragon Kingdom has a warm climate all year round, so it has rarely snowed in the last thousands of years. It’s very normal that you haven’t seen snow before.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos flew out of the spatial ring. As he gazed into the boundless snowfields in the distance, he was filled with emotion and sighed. “Speaking of which, I’ve not seen snow for over 20,000 years now.”</p><p>“Watching the swirling snow covering the sky as you think about the past?” A mirthful Meng Lei said, “Ol’ President, you must be feeling especially emotional at the sight of the snow now after experiencing that Ice Age catastrophe at the Meteor Plains back then.”</p><p>“Yes, you’re right. Back then…”</p><p>It was a rare occasion whenever Ol’ Amos was actually overflowing with enthusiasm, and he launched into an unceasing torrent of words as he recounted the past. It was just a shame that he hadn’t gotten far before he was rudely interrupted.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The ground suddenly began to shake. Then, an enormous object that was snowy-white throughout came crushing toward them.</p><p>It was a snowy-white color throughout, and its body was covered in thick, needle-like fur. It looked like a gigantic elephant, except it had a single horn on its forehead. It stood at 100-meters-tall and had two long, transparent crystal-clear tusks that looked as though they were diamonds.</p><p>“That’s the Saint Domain Magical Beast, the Diamond Mammoth!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ eyes widened at the sight of it, and he shouted, “The Diamond Mammoth is an Ice-Elemental and Wind-Elemental Magical Beast! Not only is it skilled at both ice-elemental and wind-elemental magic, but it also possesses Herculean strength and has peerless defenses.</p><p>“It’s much harder to deal with than the Golden Steel Wind-Ape that you encountered earlier. Be careful. Don’t let it send you crashing to death!”</p><p>“An Ice-Elemental Magical Beast? Tsk, tsk. I’ve finally run into an Ice-Elemental Magical Beast!” Meng Lei licked his lips as he said in his mind, “Before we talk about anything else, system! Steal the Diamond Mammoth’s ice-elemental magic talent!”</p><p><em>Isn’t it just 2 billion gold coins?</em></p><p><em>I’m overflowing with cash right now!</em></p><p><em>2 billion? Easy-peasy!</em></p><p>The system stated coldly, “Ding! Stealing the Diamond Mammoth’s ice-elemental magic talent requires 23 billion gold coins. Will you steal it?”</p><p>“Of cour— Wait! 23 billion gold coins?!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes widened in shock. “Am I hearing things, system? 23 billion gold coins? Are you kidding me?”</p><p><em>Stealing the Golden Steel Wind-Ape’s metal-elemental magic talent had only required 2 billion gold coins earlier, yet 23 billion gold coins are required now? You must be joking!</em></p><p>Both the Golden Steel Wind-Ape and the Diamond Mammoth were Saint Domain Magical Beasts. Although there was a difference in their combat strength, was there supposed to be such a huge difference in the costs?</p><p>“Dear host, the usage fee for Brutal Plunder is determined according to the target of plunder and the object of plunder!”</p><p>The system explained, “The Golden Steel Wind-Ape was already dead, so the difficulty level in plundering was lower. However, the Diamond Mammoth is still very much alive and kicking. Hence, the difficulty level in plundering is relatively higher!”</p><p>“Different levels of difficulty result in different usage fees!”</p><p>“…”</p><p>Meng Lei was rendered speechless. That sort of logic actually existed?</p><p>“Alright, alright. In that case, steal it after I’ve killed it!”</p><p>Then, Meng Lei charged toward the Diamond Mammoth.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Just how fast was Meng Lei’s speed? In a split second, he had already charged right up under the Diamond Mammoth’s nose. With a mere thought, a green wind blade several hundred meters-long swept toward the Diamond Mammoth.</p><p>It was the wind-elemental single-target first-class spell—Dimensional Blade!</p><p>Crack!</p><p>The Dimensional Blade’s cutting force wasn’t to be doubted. In a mere instant, it had already cut through the long hair on the surface of the Diamond Mammoth’s body to cleave against its skin.</p><p>However, what surprised Meng Lei was that after cutting several centimeters deep into the Diamond Mammoth’s skin, the Dimensional Blade actually couldn’t advance any further. It slowly dissipated before it disappeared into nothingness in the end.</p><p>“It has actually managed to block the attack!” Meng Lei sucked in a breath of air. “Isn’t the Dimensional Blade hailed as the strongest offensive single-target first-class spell? It can’t even kill a Diamond Mammoth?”</p><p>“Kid, you’re underestimating the Diamond Mammoth’s defenses too much. Do you know why the Diamond Mammoth is known as such?</p><p>“It’s exactly because their physical defense is akin to diamonds’. Do you think the word ‘diamond’ is said in jest?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos went on dryly. “Of course, it also has to do with your strength. You’re only a Ninth-Grade Great Magician. Even though you can cast first-class spells, you’re far from being able to bring out their strongest might.</p><p>“In your hands, not even 10% of the Dimensional Blade’s original might remains. It would be stranger if you could actually use it to slice the Diamond Mammoth renowned for its high defenses dead!”</p><p>“I see. Well, that makes things a lot easier!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s frown eased as he instructed, “System, redeem 20 billion gold coins and distribute them evenly to my Magic Power and Spiritual Power!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth decreased by 20 billion gold coins in an instant.</p><p>At the same time it did, Meng Lei’s spiritual power and magic power reserves spiked crazily as though they were riding a launched rocket.</p><p>5 million, 10 million, 50 million…</p><p>100 million, 500 million, 900 million…</p><p>Boom!</p><p>It broke through the 1 billion milestone in an instant, and both attributes at that!</p><p>A surging, torrential aura erupted from Meng Lei and swept toward all directions like a nuclear bomb explosion.</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>At the sight of this, Ol’ Amos was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped. “S-Saint Domain Great Magician? You’ve actually broken through?”</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t respond to Ol’ Amos. Instead, he looked habitually at his stats interface and admired his stats.</p><p>Wealth: 3.03 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals</p><p>Physical Body Constitution: Saint Domain (11,072,558,583/100 billion)</p><p>Spirit: Saint Domain (1,017,181,553/100 billion)</p><p>Magic Power: Saint Domain (1,014,655,561/100 billion)</p><p>“Three attributes at Saint Domain level! That’s a lot more harmonious-looking!”</p><p>A smile appeared on Meng Lei’s lips at the sight. He hadn’t borne to promote himself to the level of Saint Domain Great Magician the whole time these few days. However, his wish had finally been realized today.</p><p>Dragon God Tower was still the best, after all.</p><p>It really was a fantastic place for money-making.</p><p>At this moment, the Diamond Mammoth charged right toward Meng Lei. Its eyes were blood-red as it had gone totally berserk!</p><p>Even though the strike from the Dimensional Blade earlier hadn’t been able to kill it, it had sliced open its skin and caused it great pain. The severe pain had triggered the Diamond Mammoth’s savagery. It wanted to kill Meng Lei to vent its fury.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Meng Lei was currently suspended in mid-air and in the midst of checking out his stats interface. This gave the Diamond Mammoth an opening, and then he was in for a tragedy.</p><p>Two sharp, pointed diamond tusks carrying an overwhelming force just so happened to crash into Meng Lei’s butt!</p><p>“Ow!”</p><p>Meng Lei felt a searing, piercing pain, and he jumped a whole meter high into the air. He was in so much pain that he was yelping loudly.</p><p>“What the hell!?”</p><p>Meng Lei instantly vanished from where he was. Then, he rubbed his buttocks—fortunately, there was no bleeding, and neither had his anus been violated.</p><p>Only two dimples had been pressed into his buttocks. With a gentle rub, they went back to their original smoothness, tenderness, translucence, and softness…</p><p>“Damned beast, you should die for that!”</p><p>Meng Lei was furious. With a wave of his arm, a green wind blade flashing with green light formed in an instant before it quickly shrank in size.</p><p>Within an instant, the green wind blade had already shrunk to almost 1/10 of its original size and also become even more transparent, lighter, and more agile. However, the piercing quality that it vaguely gave off wasn’t just a mere ten times stronger.</p><p>“Die!!”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a ferocious roar, and the green wind blade vanished right away.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>Upon sensing a lethal threat to its life, the Diamond Mammoth converged ice and snow underneath its feet, manifesting them into a sturdy suit of ice armor that firmly protected it within.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The green wind blade cleaved onto the ice armor on the surface of the Diamond Mammoth’s body. With a soft crack, the ice armor was sundered into two halves…</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-153

Chapter 153 - Magic Talent For Eight Elements, Golden Wheel Reincarnation Blast

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 153 - Magic Talent For Eight Elements, Golden Wheel Reincarnation Blast</h1><p>Crack!</p><p>The green wind blade easily broke the ice armor on the Diamond Mammoth and buried itself into its body.</p><p>0.01 second later, it flew out of the Diamond Mammoth’s body. Then, it cleaved all the way into the thick layer of snow on the ground, cutting a deep fissure in it.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Diamond Mammoth froze on the spot as a thin line of blood formed on its neck. Scarlet blood spurted everywhere and gushed like a fountain, leaving scattered spots of crimson on the silvery-white snow!</p><p>“Ding! 1 Diamond Mammoth killed. 12.3 billion gold coins gained!”</p><p>The system’s voice notification sounded at that moment. It was only at this point that the Diamond Mammoth’s head finally separated from its body. It crashed onto the ground with a loud boom, and then it stopped moving.</p><p>“Done!”</p><p>Meng Lei descended from the sky and landed next to the Diamond Mammoth’s carcass. Then, he gave the order. “System, use Brutal Plunder, and steal the Diamond Mammoth’s ice-elemental magic talent!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth instantly decreased by 2,3 billion gold coins. At the same time, Meng Lei also successfully obtained ice-elemental magic talent.</p><p>“As of now, I already own a total of eight types of magic talent—thunder, earth, fire, wood, wind, dark, metal, and ice. I’m just missing water-elemental and light-elemental magic talent now.</p><p>“Not bad! I must continue to work hard!”</p><p>After gouging out the Diamond Mammoth’s magic core, Meng Lei stepped into the magic circle leading to the 35th level without so much as even a look behind him.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The world spun, and the environment changed once more.</p><p>This time, he had actually arrived at an ocean.</p><p>As far as the eye could see, the surroundings were a boundless, endless ocean. The salty, fishy ocean breeze blew and set off wave after wave in the waters. Seabirds soared atop the vast water surface that stretched as far as the eye could see, shrouded in a smoke-like mist.</p><p>“Fahai ¹ ?”</p><p>As he gazed at the vast and boundless great ocean, a smile appeared on Meng Lei’s countenance at once. His hometown had been right by the seaside; one could say that he had grown up stepping on the beaches’ sand, playing with shells, and eating seafood.</p><p>Despite entering the working society later on, he would also bring his wife and child to the seaside for playtime every weekend. His emotions easily became peaceful and tranquil just by gazing into the vast ocean.</p><p>The ocean was his home!</p><p>“Hahaha! I’m home!”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a cheer as he tugged the magic robe on him right off. With a leap, he dived right into the ocean, his form staying out of sight for the longest time.</p><p>After a long while, Meng Lei finally emerged from the water. His arms reached forward while his legs kicked furiously, his body hitting against the water rhythmically. He was just like a fish darting about at high speed in the water.</p><p>First, it was a violent freestyle!</p><p>Then, it was a comfortable breaststroke!</p><p>Finally, it became an energy-saving backstroke!</p><p>After a round of swimming, he felt relaxed and comfortable all over. How awesome!</p><p>As he laid on his back on the ocean surface and took in the waters’ gentle caress, Meng Lei felt unprecedentedly relaxed and steady.</p><p><em>The ocean is still the best. If I have the chance in the future, I can consider settling down by the seaside…</em> Meng Lei thought leisurely to himself.</p><p>It was at that moment that he suddenly felt a great force in the water. A shadow dived out of the water and came biting toward him with its mouth open.</p><p>“How dare a tiny little fish disturb me?”</p><p>Meng Lei snorted lightly. Then, he suddenly rose in an upright position, leaving the ocean and flying into the sky.</p><p>Splash!</p><p>The shadow missed its target. However, due to inertial force, its massive body also ended up flying out of the ocean—it was actually a strange-looking fish with the body of a snake but the head of a shark.</p><p>Its huge mouth was wide open, and the inside was filled with ghastly fangs. Tough, hard scales covered its body, which reached as long as an astonishing 20 meters. Every scale was as big as a watermelon.</p><p>“Eighth-Grade Magical Beast, Snake-Shark…”</p><p>Meng Lei’s gaze swept across the strange-looking fish. Then, a white gust of cold air shot out of his fingertip and instantly enveloped and wrapped around the Snake-Shark.</p><p>Krak, krak, krak…</p><p>The Snake-Shark was encased in ice in no time. A few breaths later, the savage and mighty-looking creature had turned into a gigantic ice sculpture.</p><p>Its scales were arranged row upon row, looking vivid and true to life.</p><p>“Break!”</p><p>Meng Lei knocked lightly against the ice sculpture.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>The gigantic ice sculpture broke into bits and pieces right away.</p><p>“What bad luck!”</p><p>As he gazed at the ocean surface that had been polluted by bits of flesh and blood, Meng Lei lost the mood to continue swimming at once. He put his magic robe back on, and then he began to fly toward the area where the magic elements were the richest.</p><p>More than ten minutes later, a small island floating on the great ocean came within view in the far distance. The island was neither too big nor too small; it was only about a dozen kilometers in breadth and length.</p><p>Tropical plants grew in sparse amounts here and there on the island. The magic circle leading to the next level was located right in the center of the island, And sprawled on the sandy shore next to it was a gigantic turtle with its eyes closed in repose. It was a golden-yellow color throughout and as enormous as a mountain ridge.</p><p>The gigantic turtle laid there quietly, still and motionless. One couldn’t sense much of a powerful aura from it. However, that enormous size did give off a strong sense of pressure.</p><p>Despite being sprawled on the shore, it was still 100-meters-tall. A size like that could only belong to a Saint Domain Magical Beast.</p><p>“What kind of Magical Beast is that gigantic turtle, Ol’ President?”</p><p>“It’s a Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle, a Water-Elemental and Metal-Elemental Saint Domain Magical Beast. It has great strength, and its forte is its defense. In terms of just defenses alone, it’s even stronger than the Diamond Mammoth you encountered earlier.” Ol’ Amos explained, “Therefore, it’s very hard to kill the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle. Don’t just meet it head-on blindly. You must look for its weakness and kill it in one strike!”</p><p>“Alright, I will!”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded lightly. Then, he flew toward the little island.</p><p>Seemingly sensing that there were intruders, the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle in repose on the shore slowly lifted its head, and its golden eyes flicked toward Meng Lei.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Without any warning whatsoever, the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle attacked right away. The ocean next to it began to surge and churn violently, and a few hydras dozens of meters long soared into the sky and crashed toward Meng Lei viciously.</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Spell, Hydra Blast!”</p><p>Meng Lei marveled, “As expected of a Saint Domain Magical Beast. Having ninth-grade spells at its fingertips and almost instantly releasing it. However…”</p><p>Meng Lei abruptly vanished from where he was. With a few flashing turns and shifts, he crossed the distance of several hundred meters to appear right in front of the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle. He made a grabbing motion with his right hand, and a golden light ball formed in his palm.</p><p>Meng Lei looked at the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle and said slowly, “First-class spell, Golden Wheel Reincarnation Blast!”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A dazzling golden light suddenly burst forth from the golden light ball before it turned into a piercing golden light that shone high into the heavens and deep into the ground. Then, it cleaved furiously toward the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle’s head.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The Golden Wheel Reincarnation Blast’s speed was incomparable. However, the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle was even faster. Its head suddenly retracted, and in an instant, it had hidden inside its tough golden turtle shell.</p><p>The incomparably sharp Golden Wheel Reincarnation Blast cleaved against the sandy shore. It rendered the shore into two with a boom, forming a fissure that measured one to two kilometers long.</p><p>As a metal-elemental first-class spell, Golden Wheel Reincarnation Blast’s might was not to be doubted. Even if the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle had peerless defenses, as long as the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Blast struck it, only death awaited it… With the exception of the turtle shell, of course!</p><p>However, that old turtle was extremely sly. In the instant that the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Blast landed, it had retracted its head into the shell, causing the attack to miss.</p><p>“What a coward ¹ , indeed! It actually ducked!”</p><p>Meng Lei was amazed.</p><p>At that moment, the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle’s head reemerged. As it let out a low roar, countless metal spikes glittering coldly in the light suddenly appeared. As though a dense and packed rain of swords, they shot toward Meng Lei from all directions.</p><p>It was the Ninth-Grade Spell, Arrow Storm!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-154

Chapter 154 - Magic Talent For Ten Elements, Coming Back To Life

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 154 - Magic Talent For Ten Elements, Coming Back To Life</h1><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Many metal spikes that could cover the whole place pierced through the air and shot toward Meng Lei at lightning-quick speed. They reached right in front of Meng Lei in an instant, seemingly wanting to stab so many holes into him that he’d turn into a sieve.</p><p>There was nowhere to hide and nowhere to dodge, so he could only take them on head-on.</p><p>“Piece of cake!”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head lightly. With a mere thought, Earth Guardian’s Saintly Armor quietly manifested.</p><p>Then, while facing the whole sky of spikes, Meng Lei charged brazenly toward the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle, all the while actually ignoring Arrow Storm, the ninth-grade spell.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>At the sight of this, the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle’s head retracted into its shell again, leaving Meng Lei only an enormous turtle shell.</p><p>“This again? Can’t you just fight me head-on?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rendered somewhat speechless. “Looks like a turtle will always be a turtle. Even if it has put on golden armor and given itself an impressive name, it can’t change its scaredy-cat nature.</p><p>“Never mind. You like being a coward, don’t you? In that case, then don’t ever come back out.</p><p>“Fire-elemental single-target first-class spell, Meteor Fall!”</p><p>Rip!</p><p>A rip suddenly appeared in the sky. Then, a gigantic meteor more than 1,000-meters-wide in diameter with black flames circling around it descended from the sky. It came crashing down, carrying with it an aura capable of destroying everything in the world.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>Even though the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle’s head had already retracted into its shell, it could still sense the life-threatening danger coming from the sky, nonetheless.</p><p>It knew very well that once it was struck by a fearsome first-class spell like Meteor Fall, it would suffer grave injuries even if it survived.</p><p>The Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle went into a huge panic. A dazzling golden shield manifested around it, firmly protecting it from incoming danger.</p><p>It was the Ninth-Grade Spell, Golden Guardian!</p><p>It wasn’t over yet, though.</p><p>A few hydras then rose from the ocean and circled around the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle, forming a thick shield of Water Elements around it.</p><p>It was the Ninth-Grade Spell, Poseidon Barrier!</p><p>“What the hell?”</p><p>At the sight of this, the corners of Meng Lei’s lips spasmed a couple of times. As expected of a scaredy-cat. First the Golden Guardian, and then Poseidon Barrier… Was it planning to die defending itself?</p><p>Boom!</p><p>At that moment, the black meteor carrying a terrifying strength crashed heavily onto the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle. Then…</p><p>Boom!</p><p>It easily ripped the Poseidon Barrier apart.</p><p>Then, it went on to break the Golden Guardian before finally crashing onto the turtle shell.</p><p>At last, it stopped moving! Meteor Fall had come to a stop!</p><p>At the very last moment, the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle had used its sturdy and indestructible turtle shell to fend off Meteor Fall’s violent attack.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>With a roar, the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle’s head poked out of the shell as a smug look flashed across its eyes. It said in an aged voice, “Trying to kill me, human? You’re still too soft!”</p><p>“Is that so?!”</p><p>Meng Lei only gave it a smile, refraining from saying anything further.</p><p>As his hand pressed downward lightly, another black meteor popped out of the fissure and came crashing down.</p><p>“Instant release of a first-class spell? Who exactly are you?!”</p><p>The Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle’s eyeballs almost fell out of their sockets as it stared at the other Meteor Fall that had abruptly appeared, its heart filled to the brim with fear and horror.</p><p>It tried desperately to cast a defensive spell to protect itself so that it could avoid the fate of being crushed to death.</p><p>However, it turned out to be a major miscalculation this time—after the second meteor came the third, the fourth, and the fifth!</p><p>As though shooting stars chasing after the moon, a succession of four black meteors came crashing down one after another. They carried an overwhelming and terrifying destructiveness as they crashed onto the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle successively!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Amid violent, intense crashes that rang out one after another, the entire island was shaken down to its core. Smoke and dust billowed and roiled about with only the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle’s pitiful cries echoing for a long time…</p><p>The system notification rang out in a timely fashion at this point.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle killed. 13 billion gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Piece of cake! Did you really think that there was nothing I could do about you? No matter how tough your turtle shell may be, there’s no way you can block my first-class spell!”</p><p>Meng Lei snorted lightly. Then, he gave the order resolutely. “System, steal the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle’s water-elemental magic talent!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth decreased by 3 billion gold coins in an instant.</p><p>“Water-elemental magic talent in the bag now… I have a total of nine elements now! I’m just missing light-elemental magic talent!”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded in satisfaction. After gouging out the Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle’s magic core, he then stepped into the magic circle leading to the 36th level without even looking back.</p><p>At Level 36—”Ding! 1 Double-Heart Rainbow Scorpion killed. 14.6 billion gold coins gained!”</p><p>At Level 37—”Ding! 1 Six-Winged Extraterrestrial Demon Bug killed. 16.1 billion gold coins gained!”</p><p>At Level 38—”Ding! 1 Evil-Eye Overlord killed. 17.3 billion gold coins gained!”</p><p>At Level 39—”Ding! 1 Two-Headed Great Earth Lion killed. 18.1 billion gold coins gained!”</p><p>At Level 40—”Ding! 1 Golden-Winged Holy Light Tiger killed. 19.6 billion gold coins gained!”</p><p>“The Golden-Winged Holy Light Tiger, a Metal-Elemental, Thunder-Elemental, and Light-Elemental Saint Domain Magical Beast! Thank heavens, I’ve finally encountered a Light-Elemental Magical Beast!</p><p>“System, steal the Golden-Winged Holy Light Tiger’s light-elemental magic talent!</p><p>“It’s done! I now have magic talent for all ten elements!</p><p>“Surely my current self can match up to that Adolf guy in terms of magic talent now, right?!</p><p>“This feeling sure is great!”</p><p>Meng Lei could clearly sense all ten types of magic elements in the universe. The golden Metal Elements, cyan Wind Elements, yellow Earth Elements, green Wood Elements, blue Water Elements, red Fire Elements, silver Thunder Elements, black Dark Elements…</p><p>Every one of the magic elements was like dancing fairies—they were either nimble and agile, or light and gentle, or dense and heavy, or violent and raging, or cold and aloof, or lively and bubbly…</p><p>Ten types of elements!</p><p>Every one of them was different from the other!</p><p>“The world of magic elements is truly fascinating. What would it be like if I could comprehend all ten elements’ laws of nature someday?”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head to clear his thoughts. Then, just as he was about to head toward the magic circle leading to the 41st level, Ol’ Amos’ voice rang out. “Let’s stop here for now. You’ve already stayed in the Dragon God Tower for more than 20 hours. Are you still intending to take part in the exchange competition or not?”</p><p>“More than 20 hours?”</p><p>Meng Lei was startled by his words. He took out his pocket watch and glanced at it—it was currently 6:45. He couldn’t help but comment in puzzlement, “Is it the evening or morning the next day now?”</p><p>“Duh! It’s morning the next day, of course!” Ol’ Amos rolled his eyes. “Aren’t you supposed to assemble at the Dragon God Cathedral at 8 a.m.? If you continue to challenge the tower, you’re going to miss the exchange competition.”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head, not quite having had his fill of fun yet. “So much time passed before I even realized it. Time sure passes really fast.”</p><p>However, as he gazed at his assets that had spiked dramatically in value, Meng Lei couldn’t help but smile. After conversion, 13.5 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals equated to 135,068,947,455 gold coins!</p><p>“135 billion gold coins! In less than a day, I’ve already earned so much!</p><p>“If I were to stay for another period of time, how much more would I earn?</p><p>“The Dragon God Tower is my land of blessings, indeed. How awesome!”</p><p>Meng Lei suppressed the urge to guffaw into the sky. Then, he started to double back.</p><p>Going back was a lot simpler. He flew at his fastest speed, and in just a few minutes, he was already back at the magic circle.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The environment changed, and he returned to the 39th level.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>A low roar reached his ears at this moment. Meng Lei turned to see a lion-type Magical Beast that was as big as a mountain ridge glaring viciously at him. Its fangs were bared, and it had a savage look in its eyes.</p><p>“A Two-Headed Great Earth Lion?” Meng Lei looked absolutely stupefied. “What the heck? Didn’t I already kill it? Why is it still alive?”</p><p>Meng Lei remembered very clearly that he had definitely killed the Saint Domain Magical Beast guarding the magic circle—the Two-Headed Great Earth Lion—when he’d passed through the 39th level. He had even gouged out its magic core.</p><p>It should’ve been deader than dead, so why had it come back to life?</p><p>“This is just the way it should be. Don’t be so surprised!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-155

Chapter 155 - Turning Back Time, Coming Back To Life

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 155 - Turning Back Time, Coming Back To Life</h1><p>“The way it should be?” Meng Lei looked stupefied. “The Two-Headed Great Earth Lion that I’ve killed has come back to life, and you’re telling me this is just the way it should be?”</p><p>“How ignorant of you!” Ol’ Amos shook his head, laughing as he did so. “Let me ask you something. If the Magical Beasts that you’ve killed were really dead, wouldn’t all the Magical Beasts in the Dragon God Tower have been massacred after the last 40,000 years?”</p><p>The question dumbfounded Meng Lei.</p><p>“If all the Magical Beasts inside the Dragon God Tower were dead, then will there still be any need for future generations to challenge the tower? That way, is there still any meaning to the Dragon God Genius Ranking?”</p><p>Meng Lei found himself dumbfounded once more.</p><p>“The last question—if everyone behaves like you and slaughters the Magical Beasts level by level, won’t the challengers following after you be able to go up to the same level as you effortlessly?”</p><p>The three questions thrown at him one after another completely stupefied Meng Lei, and he asked, “Ol’ President, what exactly is going on?”</p><p>“I’ll just tell you the truth. All the native beings and Magical Beasts inside the Dragon God Tower are immortal. Or rather, they certainly can be killed. However, they’ll come back to life again in the blink of an eye, and then, they’ll continue to guard the half-planes!” Ol’ Amos sighed and explained, “This is a cycle that keeps repeating over and over. They guard the half-planes for all their lifetimes to come, and exist to be hunted by people.”</p><p>“How did that happen?”</p><p>Meng Lei was astounded!</p><p>“You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask, then? All I know is that the creatures in Dragon God Tower are immortal. As for how they are being revived, that isn’t something I’m privy to.” Ol’ Amos shook his head and went on. “However, rumor goes that Dragon God Tower has the ability to turn back time and revive all the Magical Beasts that have been killed.”</p><p><em>Turn back time?</em></p><p>Meng Lei was stunned by his answer.</p><p>“Time is a taboo that even deities cannot touch. Nobody knows for sure whether or not the Dragon God Tower can really turn back time.” Ol’ Amos shook his head and remarked, “Perhaps only the Dragon God Tower’s creator—His Holiness the Dragon God—would know the answer to that.”</p><p>Meng Lei had only silence as a response to that. He couldn’t help but shift his gaze to the Two-Headed Great Earth Lion currently baring its fangs at him.</p><p>Contrary to expectations, that Saint Domain Magical Beast, which he had just cleaved into two with the Dimensional Blade a while ago, was actually standing there well and intact in this instant. Even the blood that had spurted onto the ground during their battle earlier had vanished from sight.</p><p>On top of that, there was no fear or reservations in the way how the Two-Headed Great Earth Lion was looking at him. What was present in its eyes were still a look of hostility and savagery!</p><p>That look in its eyes was exactly the same as when he had first encountered it back when he had just ascended to the 39th level!</p><p><em>Turn back time?</em></p><p>Meng Lei suddenly found himself somewhat convinced that the Two-Headed Great Earth Lion had indeed been revived by turning back time—after all, that fellow was behaving as though it was seeing him for the very first time. Those eyes… There was no mistake about it!</p><p>The next few Saint Domain Magical Beasts he subsequently encountered only served to prove the theory truer and truer.</p><p>The Evil-Eye Overlord on the 38th level…</p><p>The Six-Winged Extraterrestrial Demon Bug on the 37th level…</p><p>The Double-Heart Rainbow Scorpion on the 36th level…</p><p>The Titanic Golden-Shell Turtle on the 35th level…</p><p>All of them had come back to life!</p><p>Each and every one of them stood there well and intact. On top of that, all of them behaved as if they had never seen Meng Lei before!</p><p>The look in their eyes… There was no way they could fake it!</p><p><em>Can the Dragon God Tower really turn back time?</em></p><p>The question lingered persistently in Meng Lei’s mind all the way till he reached the first level.</p><p>All the Magical Beasts he had previously killed had all come back to life.</p><p>The scenery in all the half-planes was also exactly the same as when he had first gone in. It was as if he had never even been there in the first place!</p><p><em>What an incredible divine weapon! Did the Dragon God really craft this thing?</em></p><p><em>Never mind! Who cares? This is a piece of good news for me anyway, isn’t it?</em></p><p>Meng Lei pushed his doubts to the back of his mind and exited the Dragon God Tower. Right after he did, he was immediately met with several pairs of astonished, astounded, idolizing, jealous… eyes!</p><p>It was only then that Meng Lei realized that the area outside the Dragon God Tower was packed with people, and everyone was staring at him with all sorts of complex looks in their eyes as if they were staring at an alien.</p><p>“So, that’s Meng Lei? He looks so young!”</p><p>“I didn’t think that he would really be a human!”</p><p>“It’s hard to imagine that he’s actually a human!”</p><p>“In terms of talent alone, that guy is probably more of a mutant than even Prince Barbarossa, Sachhen the Golden Dragon-Lion, Adil the Thunder Giant, and so on!”</p><p>“He certainly has greater talent than Prince Barbarossa and the others, but that may not necessarily be the case when it comes to their strength. He’s too young…”</p><p><em>Wasn’t it daybreak just a moment ago? Where did all these people come from?</em></p><p>Meng Lei wondered to himself as he glanced at his pocket watch—it was currently only 7:25 a.m. and still early in the morning.</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>A familiar voice reached his ears at that moment. Meng Lei turned to see President Fred and the Fighting Dragon Academy president gazing at him with much approval and marvel on their countenances and their eyes brimming with gratification.</p><p>Behind them were the Fire Dragon Kingdom’s contestants. Joel and the others that had entered the Dragon God Tower together with him were also there.</p><p>“President Fred! Fighting Dragon Academy president!”</p><p>Meng Lei walked over and greeted them.</p><p>“Atta boy! You’re finally out! I was so worried that you had lost track of time and would end up missing the exchange competition.”</p><p>President Fred patted Meng Lei on the shoulder hard, the very picture of a greatly comforted and gratified old man. “Haha! You’ve really brought great honor to the academy and Fire Dragon Kingdom this time.”</p><p>“Coming in at 227th place and reaching Level 40 at 16 years old!”</p><p>The Fighting Dragon Academy president remarked in astonishment, “It’s truly a marvel that you can accomplish results like that during the very first time you enter the Dragon God Tower!”</p><p>“227th place?”</p><p>Meng Lei turned to look at the huge magic screen—true enough, he saw his name occupying the 227th position!</p><p>“No. 227: Meng Lei, Human, 16 years old, Level 40”</p><p>“I’m already at 227th place?” Meng Lei was rather surprised. “That’s really quick!”</p><p>“How do you feel? Have you been astonished by your own results? Hahaha!” President Fred burst into laughter and said, “Frankly speaking, you’ve astounded all of us. So much so that none of us even slept a wink the whole night. Instead, we just stayed here the whole time and watched your god-like achievements from challenging the tower!”</p><p>“All of you were waiting here the whole night?” Meng Lei was a little stunned. “Do you really need to be that crazy?”</p><p>“Of course! How can we not be?” The Fighting Dragon Academy president, who was all smiles, said, “You’re now hailed as the number two person in the empire’s history of 40,000 years! It’s just a notch inferior to Timon Barton, who’s ranked number one!”</p><p>“Number two in history?” Meng Lei shook his head. He didn’t give two hoots about all these empty titles—they weren’t even as valuable as a few hundred gold coins.</p><p>At this point, a smiling President Fred said, “It’s about time. We should head to the Dragon God Cathedral now.”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>Then, everyone began to make their way to the Dragon God Cathedral.</p><p>During the whole journey there, everyone asked Meng Lei about his experiences during the process of him challenging the tower, to which he answered all their questions one by one, causing them to constantly gasp in astonishment.</p><p>In particular, a small group of them that had also entered the Dragon God Tower—such as Francis and the others—found it even more unbelievable.</p><p>The Dragon God Tower really wasn’t an easy place to challenge.</p><p>This was especially true from the 21st level onward—each of the Ninth-Grade Magical Beast packs was crazier than the last and harder to deal with than the last. A moment of carelessness, and one would die a tragic death.</p><p>Francis knew this only too well.</p><p>On the other hand, Meng Lei had bulldozed his way through and climbed all the way to the 40th level just like that. Moreover, judging from how he sounded, if it weren’t for the fact that he needed to participate in the exchange competition, he would have no problems going even further up.</p><p>Just what kind of combat strength was that?</p><p>As they chatted idly with one another, they finally arrived at the Dragon God Cathedral half an hour later.</p><p>The Dragon God was the one and only god that the Dragon God Empire’s billions of citizens believed in. The Dragon God Vatican was a church that worshipped the great Dragon God, and the Dragon God Cathedral was their headquarters.</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-156

Chapter 156 - Picking Up Items Until Even His Hand Had Gone Limp, Generous Rewards

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 156 - Picking Up Items Until Even His Hand Had Gone Limp, Generous Rewards</h1><p>The Dragon God Cathedral was a snowy-white color throughout.</p><p>Lofty and majestic, grand and magnificent!</p><p>Squarish in structure and solemn in bearing!</p><p>And last but not least, dignified and holy!</p><p>In front of the Dragon God Cathedral stood an altar approximately 1,000-feet-tall. As enormous as a mountain ridge, the whole structure was crafted from gold and looked like a pyramid with its tip shaved off.</p><p>A 1,000-feet-tall Golden Colossal Dragon statue stood at the apex of the altar. It had rows and rows of golden dragon scales, fierce and sharp claws, solemn and imposing eyes…</p><p>It dazzled with a golden brilliance, its divine might vast and majestic, and gave off a holy and untouchable domineering aura that reached high into the heavens and deep into the ground.</p><p>…It was a statue of the Dragon God!</p><p>At the moment, the area in front of the Dragon God statue was packed with people, ranging from the Dragon God Empire’s emperor all the way to the contestants in the competition…</p><p>All of them stood in front of the Dragon God statue, their demeanors solemn and dignified as they prayed piously. Even Meng Lei the husky ¹ among the wolves had no choice but to put on a pretense and mumble to himself.</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Physical Body Constitution +10,086!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Magic Power 2,345!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Wealth +6,666!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained the Water-Elemental First-Class Spell, Disastrous Tsunami!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained the Ice-Elemental First-Class Spell, Absolute Zero!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained the Thunder-Elemental First-Class Spell, Three Thousand Strikes of Lightning!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained the Metal—Elemental First-Class Spell, Ten Thousand Swords Return Home!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained the Wood—Elemental First-Class Spell, Myriad of Nature!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained a Thunder-Elemental Laws of Nature Fragment!”</p><p>“Ding! Congratulations to the host. You’ve obtained the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline. Will you assimilate it?”</p><p>“Ding…”</p><p>As he listened to the system notifications constantly ringing out in his mind, Meng Lei was utterly delighted.</p><p><em>I was right in coming! I was right in coming here, indeed!</em></p><p>Ever since he had arrived at the Dragon God Cathedral, the system notifications hadn’t paused for even a moment. Multi-colored light balls filled the place like soap bubbles, dense and packed. There was no way of counting their numbers at all.</p><p>They were either Physical Body Constitution, Magic Power, spell, or gold coin light balls!</p><p>He had even picked up quite a few bloodline light balls and Laws of Nature fragment light balls! If not for the fact that Meng Lei had already upgraded the system, hence he could now choose whether or not he wanted to assimilate the bloodlines, they would probably have already been assimilated into him and turned him into Ultraman!</p><p>“There are too many Saint Domains here today… There are probably at least 800 of them, if not 1,000! A force like that can practically destroy the world! The Dragon God Empire’s heritage is too fearsome…”</p><p>There was indeed an extraordinary number of bigwigs present on this day. Including the Empire’s emperor, princes, princesses, members of the royalty, nobles, high-ranking officials, academy leaders, and teachers-in-charge of the contestant teams…</p><p>There were no fewer than 100,000 people there!</p><p>Among the many present were also innumerable Saint Domain-level experts. Although they hadn’t deliberately given off an intimidating aura, nevertheless, with so many of them standing together, the energy fluctuations they vaguely gave off were still enough to silence the proud and defiant contestants.</p><p>Ten minutes later, the prayers ended.</p><p>The emperor, Frederick the 32nd, straightened his back and got up. A palace attendant brought forth a chair at once, and Frederick the 32nd settled into the seat.</p><p>Then, the palace attendant announced in a loud voice, “Bow to the Emperor!”</p><p>“Greetings, Your Majesty!” Everyone bowed in deference one by one.</p><p>The Saint Domains bent over at the waist and bowed down before the emperor, while all those below them got down on one knee.</p><p>“You may rise!” Frederick the 32nd declared with a light wave.</p><p>“Thank you, Your Majesty!”</p><p>Then, everyone got back up.</p><p>“Today is the day that the quadrennial Empire-wide Inter-Academy Exchange Competition of The Elites officially begins. I’m looking forward to all the geniuses from the various major academies showing us their best in the exchange competition!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd was a chubby middle-aged man. With a mild and gentle voice and a kind and amiable disposition, he looked just like a good-tempered uncle next door.</p><p>However, if one really thought so, then they would be dead wrong.</p><p>Frederick the 32nd—whose full name was Howard Frederick—was a history-making monster who was ranked 9th in the Dragon God Genius Ranking. He was also a pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragon and currently a Saint Domain expert.</p><p>It was no exaggeration to say that underneath Frederick the 32nd’s mild and gentle exterior laid unfathomable depths of strength.</p><p>The reason why he currently seemed like an ordinary person was because the ruler of the empire had already reached a state so high that he’d returned to his true self. His fearsomeness was something that only people from the same era as him understood.</p><p>“A total of 7,848 contestants have joined the exchange competition this year, making the number higher than all the previous years. This shows that our empire has an abundance of talents, and the power it holds is prospering with each passing day. I am greatly comforted to know that!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd’s gaze landed on the 7,000-odd contestants, and he said, “I hope that all of you can achieve excellent results in the upcoming competition and bring glory to yourself, your academy, your family, and your respective kingdoms!</p><p>“Someone, read my royal decree!”</p><p>Upon his command, a palace attendant took out a scroll and began to read it aloud, “By His Majesty’s royal decree! All those who rank in the top 50 positions of the exchange competition shall be conferred the title of a Viscount and bestowed a plot of land measuring 25 square kilometers, 50 servants, and a Saint Domain-level magic device!</p><p>“Those who rank in the top 20 positions of the exchange competition shall be conferred the title of an Earl and bestowed a plot of land measuring 50 square kilometers, 100 servants, a Saint Domain-level magic device, and five kilograms of elemental crystals!</p><p>“Those who rank in the top ten positions of the exchange competition shall be conferred the title of a Marquis and bestowed a plot of land measuring 250 square kilometers, 500 servants, a Saint Domain-level magic device, a Laws of Nature Origin Crystal, and 50 kilograms of elemental crystals!</p><p>“Those who rank in the top three positions of the exchange competition shall be conferred the title of a Duke and bestowed a plot of land measuring 500 square kilometers, 1,000 servants, ten Laws of Nature Origin Crystals, 500 kilograms of elemental crystals, and the right to a one-year residence in the Dragon Island!”</p><p>Whoaaa!</p><p>The attendant’s voice spread clearly throughout the whole place, despite not being very loud. Upon the announcement, an uproar went through the crowd. Everyone’s gazes shifted to the contestants, their eyes full of envy and jealousy.</p><p>The rewards this year were simply too much more generous than the previous years’.</p><p>The title of a Duke!</p><p>In the past, only the champions were conferred as Dukes, yet one needed only to enter the top three, and they would receive the title this year.</p><p>Laws of Nature Origin Crystals!</p><p>In the past, only the top three contestants would receive Origin Crystals, yet one could get them just by making it into the top ten this year. On top of that, they would even receive as many as ten of them.</p><p>Ten Laws of Nature Origin Crystals! Just how generous were the rewards?</p><p>After all, what were Laws of Nature Origin Crystals?</p><p>They were the key to the Saint Domain realm!</p><p>Just a tiny one alone would already be enough to help a ninth-grade expert open the doors to the Saint Domain realm. How many years of painstaking cultivation would that save a Ninth-Grade expert?</p><p>It could be said that Laws of Nature Origin Crystals held a lethal attraction to any ninth-grade expert. Any expert stuck at the pinnacle of ninth-grade and unable to advance any further would love to have one to help them to break through.</p><p>Unfortunately, how would something like that possibly be that easy to obtain?</p><p>As for the right to residence in Dragon Island, this was something that one daren’t even think about!</p><p>As the Holy Land of the Colossal Dragons and even the Dragon God Empire, traditionally, only pure-blooded Colossal Dragons and Saint Domain Dragon People were allowed to enter Dragon Island. How would ordinary people possibly be qualified to enter the island?</p><p>Even the champions didn’t receive a privilege like that during the past years of the competition!</p><p>Yet one needed only to make it into the top three positions, and they would receive the right to a one-year residence on the Dragon Island this year? This was practically… insane!</p><p><em>Your Majesty, are you out of your mind? Why are the rewards so generous this year?</em></p><p>“Those little fellows are simply too lucky this year!”</p><p>Some people were so jealous that their countenances were pretty much close to becoming altered beyond recognition. “Why weren’t the rewards this generous the last time?”</p><p>“What a loss! What a huge loss! If I’d known, I’d have joined the exchange competition this year no matter what…”</p><p>However, before all of this was even over, the attendant went on. “The champion shall be conferred a King and bestowed a plot of land measuring 5,000 square kilometers, 10,000 servants, 100 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals, 5,000 kilograms of elemental crystals, and permanent residence in Dragon Island!”</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>“Conferred a King?”</p><p>The entire venue was thrown into a huge furor at once!</p><p>Even the princes and princesses, as well as old-time Saint Domain experts, like President Fred and the others, were astounded by this particular reward! Each and every one of them stared at the emperor in disbelief!</p><p>Conferred a King?</p><p>How many years had it been since the empire had last conferred someone a King?</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-157

Chapter 157 - Establishing A Kingdom And Conferring A King, A Lost Continent

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 157 - Establishing A Kingdom And Conferring A King, A Lost Continent</h1><p>How many years had it been since the empire last conferred someone a King?</p><p>2,000 years? Or 3,000?</p><p>Many of them couldn’t help but try to recall… It seemed like the last time someone was conferred a King had been more than 2,000 years ago?</p><p>During that time, another dukedom was added to the Dragon God Empire, thereby increasing the number of affiliated dukedoms from a total of 47 to 48.</p><p>Even so, there were currently only 63 Kings in the empire, and they were respectively the rulers of the 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms.</p><p>Apart from them, there were no other rulers.</p><p>What? Couldn’t the emperor’s sons be conferred as Kings?</p><p>One would be dead wrong if that’s what they thought!</p><p>In the Dragon God Empire, the emperor’s sons were but just princes. No matter how outstanding they were, how strong they were, or how favored they were by the emperor, they were still just princes and had nothing whatsoever to do with being a King.</p><p>In the Dragon God Empire, the conferment of a King held special meaning—not only did the conferment mean that a new ruler was going to emerge in the empire, but it also meant that a new dukedom—or even a kingdom—would be added to the empire!</p><p>The territories occupied by dukedoms and kingdoms were far beyond the other nobles’ territories. Even if the emperor wished to confer someone as a King, he’d need to be able to provide the corresponding amount of land first.</p><p>Otherwise, the conferment would exist only in name.</p><p><em>Why is His Majesty suddenly conferring someone as a King?</em></p><p>Many of the high-ranking officials’ minds ran at lightning-quick speed as they mused over the emperor’s intentions. A lot of them were utterly confused, but a small group of officials who were on closer terms with the emperor did manage to guess his intentions.</p><p><em>The reason for His Majesty’s sudden conferment of a King is likely related to the 13th Princess!</em></p><p><em>Not only is the 13th Princess highly favored by His Majesty, but she’s also amazingly talented and edges out even the most talented Prince Barbarossa. She’s indisputably the strongest among the empire’s youths!</em></p><p><em>It’s just a shame that she’s half-human, so it’s destined that she’ll never be able to inherit the throne. Therefore, His Majesty intends to settle for the second-best option and confer the 13th Princess as a King?</em></p><p><em>But the problem is that in order to confer someone as a King, they’d also need to be given their own territory. Although the empire occupies a vast amount of land, all of it is currently presided by their own overlords, so where’s the territory going to come from…</em></p><p>Just as the people let their imaginations run wild, Frederick the 32nd stood, and with a smile, he announced, “Let me tell everyone a piece of good news! Three months ago, a team of adventurers discovered a lost continent in the southeastern waters of the Endless Oceans!”</p><p>“A lost continent?” Everyone was greatly shocked by the news.</p><p>“The continent hangs isolated above the Endless Oceans to the east of the Dragon God Empire and is obstructed from view by the clouds surrounding it. Thus, prior to this, no one has ever discovered its existence until that team of adventurers entered it by accident.”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd went on mirthfully and said, “After the empire’s investigation team’s appraisal, it has been found that the continent occupies a vast territory and has abundant resources.</p><p>“The distance from the east to the west spans more than 5,000 kilometers while the distance from the north to the south reaches over 6,000 kilometers. The surface area covers as much as ten million square kilometers. In terms of just territory alone, it’s enough to match up to a dukedom.</p><p>“It can be said that this is yet another plot of land and territory that the great Dragon God has bestowed upon our Dragon God Empire! We thank the Dragon God for his benevolence!”</p><p>At this point, Frederick the 32nd looked in the direction of the contestants. There was an almost indiscernible hint of mirth in his eyes as he said, “I hereby promise to confer the person that wins the exchange competition and emerges as the champion as the first ruler of this lost continent!”</p><p>The moment he said that all the contestants’ breathing turned heavy and ragged. Every one of their hearts was pounding madly—the emperor had instantly incited their wild ambitions!</p><p>Ten million square kilometers! Just how wide and vast of a territory was that?!</p><p>As long as one could win the title of the champion, they’d become the ruler of that continent! From then on, they would preside over the region, watch over the area that stretched on for thousands upon thousands of miles, and become an existence on the same level as the Fire Dragon King, the Frost Colossal Dragon King, the Black Dragon King, and so on!</p><p>Just how great of an allure did that notion hold?</p><p>Who would be able to resist it?</p><p>Even a “city boy” like Meng Lei had become tempted by a thought like that, let alone people of this world who possessed even stronger concepts of territory?</p><p>“The champion title!”</p><p>“The champion title is mine!”</p><p>“Don’t anyone dare fight with me for it!”</p><p>A good number of the contestants’ eyes had become all red—all of them had decided to make a determined effort to strive for the title.</p><p>“Alright! I shall hand the upcoming matters over to Duke Eustace now!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd looked at a skinny middle-aged man standing to his left. With a warm and mild smile, he said, “My brother, I’ll leave the matters of the exchange competition to you now.”</p><p>“Yes, Your Majesty!”</p><p>Duke Eustace bowed in response. Then, he turned to the 7,000-odd contestants, and in a loud voice, he announced, “By His Majesty’s order, I am in charge of hosting the exchange competition this year. I hope that every academy president, teacher-in-charge, related crew member, and every contestant…</p><p>“…Lastly, this year’s exchange competition is separated into a total of three segments. They are respectively the Lost Continent Elimination Round, the Half-Plane Matches, and the Mount Dragon God Challenge!</p><p>“The first segment is the Lost Continent Elimination Round.” Duke Eustace explained, “Here, the ‘Lost Continent’ refers to the place that His Majesty has just introduced to all of you.</p><p>“After some investigation, it has been found that Magical Beasts currently occupy the Lost Continent. There is a great variety of them, and they range all the way from as powerful as Saint Domain Magical Beasts to those as weak as first-grade!</p><p>“Your mission is to head to the Lost Continent and hunt the Magical Beasts there. Collect their magic cores and use them to redeem corresponding point rewards.</p><p>“The time limit is set at one month! The concrete magic core-to-points redemption rate is as follows:</p><p>“1 point per first-grade magic cores.</p><p>“5 points per second-grade magic cores.</p><p>“10 points per third-grade magic cores.</p><p>…</p><p>“1,000 points per ninth-grade magic core.</p><p>“10,000 points per Saint Domain elementary-level magic core.</p><p>“20,000 points per Saint Domain mid-level magic core.</p><p>“50,000 points per Saint Domain high-level magic core.</p><p>“And 100,000 points per Saint Domain limits-level magic core!</p><p>“The top 100 contestants with the most points will advance to the next stage. Those that perish or give up mid-way, those that do not have sufficient points, and those that do not stay for the full month will all be eliminated!”</p><p>All the contestants held their breath in concentration and listened quietly to the instructions.</p><p>“Later on, we’ll distribute to everyone a specially-made magic communication device each. Should you meet with life-threatening danger, you may dial the magic device to request for help. However… In doing so, you shall be seen as having given up mid-way.”</p><p>At this point, Duke Eustace looked at the emperor and asked, “Your Majesty, I’ve finished explaining the competition rules. Is there anything you’d like to supplement?”</p><p>“I won’t add that much.” Frederick the 32nd stood and said, “All of you are the empire’s geniuses and talents. Every death among you is a loss to the empire!</p><p>“Therefore, let’s make a small change to the Elimination Round’s rules. During the Elimination Round, you may snatch magic cores from others, but taking another person’s life is prohibited!</p><p>“Remember, every move you make will be under our supervision. Should anyone violate the rules and harm or kill others without authorization, they’ll be eliminated from the competition!”</p><p>At this point, Frederick the 32nd heaved a sigh and explained, “The reason why I’m changing the rules at the last moment is only because I hope that all of you won’t end up like the previous years’ contestants, where not even 1/10 of them were left after the competition, causing the empire to suffer the loss of countless elites for nothing!”</p><p><em>Not even 1/10 of them were left?</em></p><p>The contestants’ hearts trembled at the thought.</p><p>What a low survival rate that was!</p><p>There were a total of 7,848 contestants this year. If not even 1/10 of them were left, then didn’t that mean that there weren’t even 1,000 survivors?</p><p>What the hell?</p><p>From this, all the contestants could tell just how brutal the past competitions had been.</p><p>“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty!” All the contestants were overflowing with gratitude at once.</p><p>“Alright!” Frederick the 32nd nodded lightly.</p><p>“His Majesty is kind and benevolent. On account of how cultivation hasn’t been easy for all of you, he has specially altered the competition rules. Nevertheless, all of you mustn’t be careless!”</p><p>Duke Eustace reminded them. “There are countless Magical Beasts in the Lost Continent; just the Saint Domain ones alone already number several hundred. The place is fraught with dangers, and a moment of carelessness would lead to one perishing in the jaws of a Magical Beast and dying a terrible death. Do take care!”</p><p>“Yes!” All the contestants responded loudly.</p><p>“We shall activate the magic circle one hour later and send all of you to the Lost Continent. If there’s anything any of you still needs to say, instruct, or prepare, then have it done immediately!”</p><p>Whoaaa!!</p><p>The contestants went into a furor at once, and all of them approached their own respective teachers-in-charge.</p><p>“Contestants from the Black Dragon Kingdom, come this way!”</p><p>“Those from the Frost Kingdom…”</p><p>Meng Lei, Joel, Francis, and the rest of the 52 Fire Dragon Kingdom contestants were also summoned by President Fred and the other five academy presidents.</p><p>“The sudden change in the competition rules this time is something that we didn’t expect.”</p><p>The six academy presidents looked stern as they said, “With regard to the Lost Continent, we also hadn’t heard even a peep about it prior to this. However, since His Majesty has set that place as the competition ground…”</p><p>After a slew of instructions and reminders, the six academy presidents finally asked, “Is there anything else that any of you needs to hand over or prepare? If so, hurry and tell us now so that we can get someone to get it done.”</p><p>“No, we’re all prepared!”</p><p>“Presidents, do any of you have spare spatial magic devices lying around? Can I borrow them for the time being? The more, the better, and the bigger, the better. I want to use them to store Magical Beast carcasses!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-158

Chapter 158 - Spirit Dragon Ring, King Kroc

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 158 - Spirit Dragon Ring, King Kroc</h1><p>Naturally, Meng Lei was the one who had raised that request. After all, he was the only one among the 52 Fire Dragon Kingdom contestants that would dare make such a request.</p><p>Borrowing spatial magic devices?</p><p>To store Magical Beast carcasses?</p><p>All the contestants’ gazes fell onto Meng Lei as one, the corners of their lips spasming. They felt a pressing urge to punch that braggart dead.</p><p><em>What the heck!?</em></p><p><em>All of us have our hearts in our mouths at the thought of heading to the Lost Continent, lest Magical Beasts kill us with just one smack in a moment of carelessness!</em></p><p><em>On the other hand, you are already thinking about borrowing spatial magic devices to store Magical Beast carcasses? Are you a devil?</em></p><p>“Meng Lei, Magical Beast carcasses won’t get you points.” President Fred shook his head and said with a wry smile, “It’s no use no matter how many you collect.”</p><p>“I know I can’t redeem points with Magical Beast carcasses, but I can sell them for money. Think about it.” A smiling Meng Lei said, “One Saint Domain Magical Beast carcass can sell for ten billion gold coins, so ten of them means 100 billion gold coins, and 100 of them means one trillion gold coins! If I throw them away, I’ll be struck by lightning!”</p><p>“100 of them…”</p><p>“One trillion gold coins…”</p><p>The six academy presidents’ lip corners spasmed in response to his words.</p><p><em>You sure are daring in your imagination! 100 Saint Domain Magical Beast carcasses? Why don’t you just ascend straight to heaven?</em></p><p>Despite thinking so, President Fred still brought out a spatial ring after a moment’s hesitation and handed it to Meng Lei.</p><p>“Thank you, President!” Meng Lei nodded incessantly and said his thanks. “Don’t worry, President Fred. As long as I’m still breathing, I won’t lose your spatial ring for sure!”</p><p>“Good to hear that!”</p><p>“Here’s my spatial ring. Take it and use it!”</p><p>“Here’s mine, too!”</p><p>…</p><p>An hour went by very quickly. All the contestants reassembled once more, and then, with the spatial rings and magic communication devices distributed to them in their possession, they entered the teleportation magic circle.</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>With a flash from the teleportation magic circle, a group of people vanished without a trace.</p><p>Then, with another flash, the second group of people also vanished.</p><p>Ten minutes later, all the contestants were gone.</p><p>As they watched the backs of the contestants disappearing into the magic circle, the teachers-in-charge sighed one after another. “Here’s hoping that more of them can make it back. May the Dragon God watch over you!”</p><p>“May the Dragon God watch over you!”</p><p>When everyone was gone, and the magic circle returned to total peace and quiet, the Fighting Dragon Academy president finally turned to President Fred. He lowered his voice and asked, “Fred, if I wasn’t mistaken, the spatial ring that you lent Meng Lei just now is probably the Spirit Dragon Ring, right?”</p><p>President Fred glanced at him and replied, “What, can’t I do that?”</p><p>“Fred, the Spirit Dragon Ring is a half-divine weapon that you obtained in the Ancient Crown Mage Tower. With an existential plane fragment sealed within it, the space inside the ring is astonishingly big. It’s your baby, isn’t it?”</p><p>The Fighting Dragon Academy president exclaimed in a low voice, “You can’t even bear to allow others to touch it usually, yet you’ve actually lent it to him. You sure are composed about it! Aren’t you afraid that that kid will lose it?”</p><p>“I trust Meng Lei!”</p><p>…</p><p>The world spun after the contestants entered the teleportation magic circle. By the time they saw light again, Meng Lei and the others were already on a tiny island.</p><p>The island was truly very tiny. Measuring less than one kilometer in breadth and length, it was just like a reef and floated all by itself above the boundless ocean!</p><p>Howling gusts of wind blew across the ocean, making churning, surging great waves. It was as if they wanted to blow the people away together with the island itself.</p><p>The sky was overcast, and their surroundings were also covered in gray, gloomy fog. Visibility was very low—the furthest they could see was only about 100 meters away.</p><p>“Where’s the Lost Continent?”</p><p>The contestants turned and looked about.</p><p>“Look over there!” someone shouted.</p><p>The contestants looked over one after another upon the shout, only to see a barely-visible big and tall shadow in the depths of the thick fog. Waves splashed loudly as they crashed against the shadow.</p><p>A Blue Dragon Kingdom contestant exclaimed, “There’s land over there!”</p><p>Then, he flitted toward the shadow. His toes tapped lightly against the ocean surface as he stepped across the waters. With a few leaps, he’d disappeared into the depths of the fog.</p><p>“Let’s go over, too!”</p><p>At the sight of that, the remaining contestants also demonstrated their own abilities. They either rode on the wind, stepped across the waters, or rode on magic carpets… All of them flitted toward the shadow one by one.</p><p>“Lord Meng Lei, let’s head over, too!” A few Fire Dragon Kingdom contestants suggested.</p><p>Meng Lei replied with a slight nod, “Let’s go!”</p><p>In the twinkling of an eye, they had covered the several hundred-meters-long distance. The shadow in the depths of the fog was actually a black cliff that reached as tall as 1,000 feet.</p><p>Churning waves crashed against the cliff, breaking down into tiny droplets and turning into innumerable silver pearls that dissipated with the wind.</p><p>The black cliff was incredibly steep. Surrounding it were jagged reefs and messy, chaotic rocks—it was obvious that no one had ever stepped into the place before.</p><p>“An island?”</p><p>“No! It’s likely the continent!”</p><p>A smile appeared on Meng Lei’s features, and he flew across the 1,000-feet-tall cliff. Then, an entirely different world appeared before his eyes.</p><p>Endless forests where birds soared!</p><p>Mountains that stretched on and on as the howls of beasts rang out!</p><p>Primeval and ancient, yet brimming with life and vitality!</p><p>“So, this is the Lost Continent?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos popped out and gazed into the far distance at the vast and boundless forests. He remarked, “Never would I have thought that such a continent would actually be hidden in the Endless Oceans. The Creator’s wonders are indeed beyond one’s imagination!”</p><p>“Didn’t you mention in the past that the deities broke Heaven’s Vault Continent and that many of the broken fragments drifted above the Endless Oceans?” Meng Lei pointed at the Lost Continent and said, “Perhaps the Lost Continent had evolved from exactly one of those broken fragments!”</p><p>Heaven’s Vault Continent was surrounded by an endless and boundless ocean—in other words, the Endless Oceans.</p><p>Within the Endless Oceans lived countless terrifying marine Magical Beasts. It was extremely tough for terrestrial creatures to get a foothold in the ocean with the place fraught with dangers.</p><p>Thus, nobody knew whether or not other continents existed in the Endless Oceans—after all, no one had ever explored it.</p><p>“A legend is ultimately still just a legend. Who can say for sure what exactly the truth is?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos sighed and added, “However, since the Lost Continent has been discovered, then its ownership will definitely go to the Dragon God Empire.</p><p>“Kid, step on it and strive for the champion title. Become a King and establish a kingdom, and become the master of this continent and bring back the Krocs’ glory and magnificence!”</p><p>Meng Lei raised an eyebrow and asked, “Do you really think that highly of me, Ol’ President?”</p><p>“Duh, of course!” Ol’ Amos rolled his eyes and said, “Your battle capabilities are always being boosted in such an inexplicable manner. It’s to the extent that you can even easily kill the Saint Domain-level Golden-Winged Holy Light Tiger now. In terms of craziness, is there anyone who can beat you?”</p><p>“I’ll get embarrassed if you praise me so much!”</p><p>Meng Lei laughed sordidly and added, “You can’t really say that, though. I heard that there are quite a fair number of geniuses in this year’s competition. None of them are people who are easy to get along with.</p><p>“In fact, quite a few of them are ranked higher than me in the Dragon God Genius Ranking. Up against that many monstrous opponents, I’m feeling intense pressure!”</p><p>“Intense pressure? What nonsense! No matter how big of a mutant they are, can they be more of one than you? Stop showing off in front of me!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos broke into a rant. “Inexplicably comprehending laws of nature, inexplicably becoming a Saint Domain Great Magician, inexplicably awakening powerful bloodlines, inexplicably doing instant release of first-class spells…</p><p>“No matter how other people break through and advance, and no matter how much precious herbs and medicines they consume, they won’t be able to match up to how terrifying your inexplicable power boosts are!</p><p>“You bastard, being so smug and showing off in front of me! Alright, that’s enough! Stop being cheeky with me and get down to hunting the Magical Beasts! The Krocs are taking the title of the champion this year! Don’t anyone dare fight with me for it!</p><p>“I’ve even thought of the dukedom’s name for you. We can call it the Kroc Dukedom! This Lost Continent shall be known as the Kroc Continent in the future! As for your title, you can be known as King Kroc!</p><p>“Oh, right! And you! You have to reinstate your last name to Kroc, too. From today onward, you must change your name to Kroc Lei. I’ll also appoint you as the current clan leader of the Krocs…”</p><p>“Are you dreaming, Ol’ President?”</p><p>“Dreaming?”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-159

Chapter 159 - All-Round Surveillance, Seeded Monsters

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 159 - All-Round Surveillance, Seeded Monsters</h1><p>At the Dragon God Cathedral…</p><p>Emperor Frederick the 32nd asked softly, “My brother, have all the contestants entered the Lost Continent?”</p><p>“Yes, they have, Your Majesty!” Duke Eustace replied respectfully, “With no exceptions, all 7,848 contestants have arrived at the Lost Continent. The first batch of contestants that arrived has already gone dozens of kilometers deep into the continent.”</p><p>“Great!” A satisfied Frederick the 32nd nodded and said, “Let us take a look at the empire’s young talents, then!”</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Several dazzling beams of light suddenly rose from all directions, converging in the sky simultaneously to form a magic screen so enormous that it could easily blot out the sun.</p><p>The magic screen was simply too big. It hung suspended in the sky, blocking out everything, including even sunlight.</p><p>“That’s…”</p><p>As a crisp and clear image of a world was displayed on the magic screen, everyone’s eyes widened at once.</p><p>There were mountains and hills, and flat plains and raised plateaus…</p><p>There were lakes and rivers and forests and basins…</p><p>There were deserts and arid lands, and fields and wastelands…</p><p>It featured a complex and great variety of terrains, and there was just about everything that one could imagine.</p><p>“Your Majesty, is that the Lost Continent?” asked an agitated official.</p><p>“That’s right! That’s the newly-discovered Lost Continent, indeed!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd smiled and went on. “During the last three months, I’ve sent men to scout and survey the Lost Continent, as well as installed a magic crystal device there beforehand. Thus, everything happening on the Lost Continent is within my supervision.</p><p>“Not only am I able to have a bird’s eye view and overlook the entire continent from high up in the sky, but I can also zoom in on certain areas to monitor specific regions!</p><p>“I can check out any corner of the continent, as well as observe any of the contestants!”</p><p>“I see!”</p><p>“How brilliant, Your Majesty!”</p><p>Everyone was full of praises.</p><p>The empire had long since possessed the magic techniques and related equipment for live broadcasts, but to install magic crystal balls to monitor the entire Lost Continent… This was truly a huge deal for sure.</p><p>Just how many magic crystal balls would he have to install?</p><p>Moreover, the task even had to be completed within a short three months.</p><p>How much manpower, money, and resources would that have taken?</p><p>Emperor Frederick the 32nd continued and said, “When the champion is born at the end of the exchange competition, I shall gift the full set of equipment to the champion so that it’ll be more convenient for them to supervise and manage the Lost Continent!”</p><p>“Gift?”</p><p>Everyone found themselves a little dumbstruck and rendered speechless by the comment. After going through so much to set up that surveillance equipment capable of monitoring the entire continent, he was going to just gift it to the champion free-of-charge?</p><p>His Majesty sure was generous!</p><p>The small group of officials in the emperor’s inner ministerial circle that had managed to guess his intentions didn’t find the gesture out of the norm, though. If all went well, the exchange competition champion this year would undoubtedly be the 13th Princess. His Majesty was just giving the set of equipment to his favorite daughter; what’s there to be reluctant to part with?</p><p>Then, Frederick the 32nd said, “My dear subjects, who are the seeded candidates in the exchange competition this year? Feel free to tell us so that we may have a look at them together!”</p><p>Someone took the initiative to reply. He said, “Your Majesty, a total of 389 people from Dragon God Academy are taking part in the exchange competition this year, of which 71 are ranked in the Dragon God Genius Ranking.</p><p>“And among them, the most outstanding one is none other than Prince Barbarossa, who is ranked 148th in the Genius Ranking. Everyone would love to catch a glimpse of his stunning abilities!”</p><p>“Indeed, Marquis Horace!”</p><p>“As one of the best among the youths, Prince Barbarossa is amazingly talented and exceptionally strong. At just 26 years old, he’s already ranked 148th in the Dragon God Genius Ranking. I’m sure he’ll definitely display his awe-inspiring abilities and impress all of us in the exchange competition this year. We’d love to witness his magnificence!”</p><p>“…”</p><p>“Alright! Since everyone wants to take a look at Barbarossa, then let’s do that!”</p><p>With a chuckle, Frederick the 32nd nodded lightly at the palace attendant.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The scene pictured on the gigantic magic screen abruptly changed. A split second later, a dense and lush forest appeared.</p><p>A handsome young man with a pair of golden horns and wearing golden armor appeared in the field of view—it was Barbarossa Frederick, the 888th Prince. He was Emperor Frederick the 32nd’s 888th child, as well as the one and only pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragon among the many princes.</p><p>Dragon God Empire was a country exceptionally particular about bloodlines—only Golden Colossal Dragons with the purest bloodline were eligible to inherit the throne.</p><p>Be it princes or princesses, as long as they were Golden Colossal Dragons of pure bloodline, they would be eligible to become an heir to the throne.</p><p>Apart from that, no matter how excellent one’s talent was, how strong they were, or how amazing they performed, if they weren’t pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragons, then it was impossible for them to inherit the throne.</p><p>Among more than 1,000 of Frederick the 32nd’s children, Barbarossa the 888th Prince was the only pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragon. Therefore, his future had already been set in stone.</p><p>And that was—to ascend the throne and become the empire’s ruler!</p><p>Therefore, toward Barbarossa the 888th Prince, many of the civil and martial officials naturally tried to be on his good side. After all, nobody wanted to offend the future emperor.</p><p>“It’s Barbarossa!”</p><p>“Look! It’s Brother…”</p><p>At the sight of Barbarossa, the many princes and princesses there let out exclamations one after another. The influential nobles and officials also looked at Barbarossa on the magic screen with looks of marvel in their eyes.</p><p>On the screen, Barbarossa gave off a peerless and domineering aura. With his feet braced against a huge golden sword, he rode on the sword and traveled about in the air, much like the gleaming edge of a blade.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Everywhere he passed by, he shot out several golden rays of light, which pierced through all the Magical Beasts that he encountered along the way.</p><p>Their magic cores subsequently left their bodies and automatically converged toward him. Then, all of them entered Barbarossa’s arm and disappeared from sight.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>A Ninth-Grade Magical Beast suddenly charged out from somewhere—it was a 50-meters-tall Diamond Giant-Backed Lizard. The giant lizard let out a furious roar, producing roiling sound waves that caused the trees and surrounding vegetation to fly everywhere.</p><p>Barbarossa, however, merely cast a glance at it. Then, a ray of golden light shot out of him and impaled the Diamond Giant-Backed Lizard’s head, killing it immediately.</p><p>Every move and action of his was like a leisurely walk in the park.</p><p>All his gestures and mannerisms were calm and carried absolute ease.</p><p>Killing Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts was no different from slaughtering livestock for him.</p><p>That was exactly what Prince Barbarossa’s elegant and graceful bearing was like!</p><p>“Bravo, Prince Barbarossa!”</p><p>“As expected of Prince Barbarossa! How impressive! Even a Ninth-Grade Magical Beast is no match for the prince!”</p><p>Everyone was full of wonder, and praises for Barbarossa filled the place.</p><p>With a smile, the marveling Dragon God Academy president remarked, “Your Majesty, seeing how Prince Barbarossa is decimating Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts like slaughtering livestock, he must be nearing mid-level Saint Domain!”</p><p>“Thereabouts, I guess!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd smiled lightly and said, “President Luke, I’ve heard that there are a great many talents from Dragon God Academy this year. Several geniuses and heroes have emerged, among which quite a few are even more impressive than Barbarossa. I wonder who they are?”</p><p>“Your Majesty, I must say that there really isn’t anyone among Prince Barbarossa’s peers who’s more impressive than him. However, there are indeed a few who are slightly older that are a bit stronger than him,” replied a smiling President Luke.</p><p>Frederick the 32nd raised an eyebrow and asked, “Oh? Who might they be? I’d like to take a look at them!”</p><p>“They are Sachhen the Golden Dragon-Lion, Adil the Thunder Giant, Miriam the Immortal Fairy, Meredith the Empire’s Dawn, and Mond Aston the White Tiger Knight!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-160

Chapter 160 - : The Golden Dragon-Lion, The Raging Giant

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 160 - : The Golden Dragon-Lion, The Raging Giant</h1><p>This was an emerald-green lake that looked just like a bright pearl embedded in the sea of forests that extended forever into the horizon.</p><p>The waters were clean and clear, with ripples going through the surface.</p><p>A light breeze caressed one’s face as waters rippled.</p><p>All around it were dense, lush reeds. They grew in bunches that circled around and blocked the lake from view.</p><p>Moo!</p><p>Moo!</p><p>All of a sudden, the howls of beasts traveled over.</p><p>A 20-meters-long ox-type Magical Beast covered head to toe in black bristles and with six hooves, a python-like tail, and a single horn on its head laid prostrate in the reeds as it produced sad and shrill cries—it was the Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, the Black-Eyed Ox-Python!</p><p>At the moment, it was in a rather bad spot. A Sky-Ripping Giant Armored Crocodile had actually clamped its jaws onto the Black-Eyed Ox-Python’s tail and was holding it in a death grip in an attempt to drag it into the lake.</p><p>The Black-Eyed Ox-Python struggled desperately. Despite its tail becoming drenched in blood from the bite and severe pain assailing its senses, it didn’t give up.</p><p>Moo!</p><p>One dragged while the other pulled away!</p><p>One wanted to live while the other wanted food!</p><p>Neither was willing to let go!</p><p>Just like that, both parties entered a tussle and started to pit their patience against the other’s. Whoever was able to persevere till the end would be able to live on.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Unexpectedly, there was a sudden turn of events. A green leaf suddenly sliced through the air toward them, sinking accurately into the Black-Eyed Ox-Python’s temple and then bursting out from the other side.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Black-Eyed Ox-Python’s cries came to a sudden stop. Its eyes widened dramatically, and it instantly stopped struggling. The Sky-Ripping Giant Armored Crocodile was overjoyed. It started to haul the Black-Eyed Ox-Python into the water right away.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>At this point, another leaf came attacking and stabbed right into the Sky-Ripping Giant Armored Crocodile’s left eye. At once, it froze on the spot, and then it stopped breathing.</p><p>“Collect!”</p><p>As an aloof voice rang out, both the Black-Eyed Ox-Python and Sky-Ripping Giant Armored Crocodile’s magic cores burst out of their bodies and flew toward a large tree at the side.</p><p>On the tree stood a tall, sturdy, and strongly-built young man. He had a head of blond hair and was as strong and muscular as a lion. The young man made a casual grabbing motion, and then he caught the two ninth-grade magic cores in his hand easily,</p><p>Slurp~</p><p>The muscular young man licked off the freshly-spilled blood on the magic cores. Then, with a flash, he vanished without a trace from the tree fork.</p><p>Only the two Ninth-Grade Magical Beast carcasses laid quietly by the lake, silently recounting the desperate and bitter scene from earlier.</p><p>“As expected of Sachhen the Golden Dragon-Lion! To kill the Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts—the Black-Eyed Ox-Python and Sky-Ripping Giant Armored Crocodile—with just two leaves, he’s indeed extraordinary!”</p><p>At the Dragon God Cathedral, everyone watched clearly the scene of the muscular young man attacking and killing the Black-Eyed Ox-Python and Sky-Ripping Giant Armored Crocodile. Full of marvel and wonder, they couldn’t help but enter a great furor.</p><p>“Killing Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts with just flowers and leaves!”</p><p>Emperor Frederick the 32nd nodded slightly as he remarked, “That little fellow named Sachhen is certainly pretty impressive! His comprehension of laws of nature is several notches higher than Barbarossa’s!”</p><p>“Your Majesty is too kind!” The Dragon God Academy president replied humbly, “When Prince Barbarossa reaches his age, he’ll definitely be stronger than Sachhen!”</p><p>“Perhaps!” Frederick the 32nd was noncommittal with regard to that. Then, he asked, “President Luke, Sachhen isn’t purely a human, right?”</p><p>“How insightful of Your Majesty!”</p><p>President Luke nodded. He explained with a smile, “Sachhen possesses Golden Dragon-Lion blood and is a descendant of the Golden Dragon-Lion clan!”</p><p>“The Golden Dragon-Lion clan?”</p><p>A huge jolt went through Frederick the 32nd as he exclaimed, “To think he’s actually a descendant of the Golden Dragon-Lion clan! No wonder he’s so outstanding!”</p><p>At the sight of the emperor’s expression, some of the officials were rather bemused.</p><p><em>What kind of clan is the Golden Dragon-Lion clan? To think that it can cause such a big reaction in His Majesty?</em></p><p>Most of the Saint Domain experts’ countenances also changed slightly as looks of astonishment, caution, and other complex emotions appeared in their eyes.</p><p>Those who were unaware wouldn’t know what the Dragon-Lion clan was, but those who did knew very well that it was a colossus among all clans.</p><p>The Golden Dragon-Lions! They were a clan from which great existences had emerged before! In terms of heritage, they were second only to the four great ancient empires!</p><p>“Let’s take a look at the others!” suggested Frederick the 32nd as he looked at the magic screen.</p><p>“Yes, Your Majesty!”</p><p>The scene on the gigantic magic screen then changed to a lofty, towering mountain. A 1,000-feet-tall waterfall flowed from the mountain and crashed down along the cliff.</p><p>At the bottom of the waterfall was a pool, and currently, a fierce battle was taking place beside it.</p><p>An enormous snake with six heads was roaring incessantly. Its six heads were either spraying ice blades, water arrows, huge rocks, or toxic matter…</p><p>It charged madly toward the human opposite it!</p><p>The human was no ordinary human, either. Standing at 15 to 16 meters tall, his upper body was unclothed, exposing his incredibly muscular, well-built muscles. He gave off explosive power!</p><p>Up against the gigantic six-headed snake’s consecutive attacks, the giant let out a long howl. Then, instead of retreating, he pressed forward and actually ignored all the magic attacks as he charged toward the snake in an overbearing manner.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The wide spread of magic attacks submerged the giant. However, great flashes of lightning burst forth from around the giant the next second, reducing all the magic attacks to dust.</p><p>“Die!”</p><p>The giant charged at the six-headed snake. Its watermelon-sized fists, which were imbued with incredibly wild and violent strength, smashed heavily into the six-headed snake’s middlemost head.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Violent, raging power erupted, and the middlemost head was smashed right into a pulp of flesh. As great pain came over the six-headed snake, its remaining five heads bit at the giant as though they had gone mad.</p><p>“Hahaha!”</p><p>The giant burst into laughter. He allowed four of the snakeheads to bite him while he grabbed hold of the last head and stuffed it directly into his mouth. Then, he crunched on the head loudly and began to chew! That sight of him was practically fierce and brutal to the extreme!</p><p>“Hiss, hiss!”</p><p>The gigantic six-headed snake let out sad and shrill cries. Its remaining four heads bit madly and desperately at the giant. Alas, he was simply built so thick and sturdy that their teeth couldn’t even pierce his skin!</p><p>“Hiss, hiss!”</p><p>Knowing that it was no match for the giant, the six-headed snake gave up on biting him. Its tail whipped about as it retreated, intending to flee into the pool.</p><p>“Thinking of fleeing?”</p><p>The giant snorted, and then, a mad flurry of fists bombarded the snake.</p><p>“Hiss, hiss!”</p><p>This was evidently not an equally-matched battle. It went without saying how the final outcome turned out—one by one, the six-headed snake’s remaining four heads were swallowed into the giant’s stomach!</p><p>And then, it died!</p><p>“This…”</p><p>At the sight, everyone at the Dragon God Cathedral felt chills running down their spines, and their necks felt cold and breezy.</p><p>“So, that’s the little fellow named Adil?”</p><p>Dumbfounded, Frederick the 32nd couldn’t help but laugh. “What a fierce and brutal little fellow he is! His battle style is surprisingly very similar to that bunch of boorish, unreasonable Titans, though!”</p><p>“How brilliant, Your Majesty!”</p><p>A smiling President Luke said, “Not only has Adil awakened his Thunder Titan bloodline, but the awakening is even an in-depth one. In terms of bloodline purity, he can already match up to a demi-Titan!”</p><p>“An in-depth awakening? Not bad!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd repeatedly nodded as he said, “Thunder Titans are a high-end race that’s in no way inferior to us Golden Colossal Dragons. If Adil can achieve ultimate awakening, he’ll be able to match up to a pure-blooded Thunder Titan!”</p><p>“Indeed, Your Majesty!” replied a smiling President Luke.</p><p>“That kid has great potential. Emphasis must be placed on him in terms of grooming! With due time, perhaps a Thunder Titan clan can also emerge in the Dragon God Empire!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd went on. “When that happens, that barbaric Titan in the western continent will definitely be so infuriated that he’d die! Hahaha!”</p><p>“Your Majesty indeed has a heart as big as the Endless Oceans and as broad as the vast starry skies! I’m full of admiration!” President Luke lauded sincere praise from the bottom of his heart!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-161

Chapter 161 - A Proliferation Of Geniuses, A Deep Sinkhole

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 161 - A Proliferation Of Geniuses, A Deep Sinkhole</h1><p>The scene displayed on the magic screen changed constantly. Following Sachhen the Golden Dragon-Lion and Adil the Thunder Giant, the other geniuses also made their debut one by one.</p><p>“Your Majesty, that’s Miriam the Immortal Fairy. Miriam has successfully awakened her Wood Fairy bloodline and has nearly perfectly inherited all of the Wood Fairy’s abilities.</p><p>“Not only does she have superbly high wood-elemental magic talent, but she also possesses a superbly wide field of vision, making her both a wood-elemental Saint Domain Great Magician as well as a Saint Domain archer!</p><p>“That’s Meredith the Empire’s Dawn. Meredith possesses the powerful Angel bloodline and has incredible and exceptional talent when it comes to light-elemental laws of nature.</p><p>“At the young age of 29 years old, Meredith already possesses the strength of a mid-level Saint Domain. Even many old-timer Saint Domains wouldn’t dare say for sure that they can beat her in a battle!</p><p>“That white-haired fellow wearing beast hide is Mond Aston, the White Tiger Knight. Mond Aston is a rare double bloodline-holder. Additionally, both bloodlines he holds are extremely powerful.</p><p>“One of them is the Beast People’s royal bloodline, the White Tiger bloodline, while the other is the Netherworld White Tiger bloodline.</p><p>“White Tigers are legendary warlord divine beasts. They are resolute and decisive in battle, and their ferocious might reaches all the way to the heavens, while Netherworld White Tigers are rare light-elemental and dark-elemental Saint Domain Magical Beasts, which makes them strange and unpredictable.</p><p>“For Mond Aston, who has successfully awakened his double Tiger bloodlines, not only does he possess the rarely-seen combination of light-elemental, dark-elemental, and metal-elemental magic talents, but he also has a strong and powerful body, as well as incredible speed. Mond Aston’s strength is not to be doubted!”</p><p>“Sachhen the Golden Dragon-Lion, Adil the Thunder Giant, Miriam the Immortal Fairy, Meredith the Empire’s Dawn, and Mond Aston the White Tiger Knight!”</p><p>Upon hearing President Luke’s introduction, Frederick the 32nd was terribly emotional. “The geniuses this year are undoubtedly the most impressive in the last 100 years!</p><p>“Any of them would’ve been a well-deserved candidate for the title of champion in the past years, yet there are so many of them this year! I am greatly comforted to see that!”</p><p>“These are all thanks to Your Majesty’s great leadership!”</p><p>“The proliferation of geniuses and the empire’s prosperity are all thanks to Your Majesty!”</p><p>“Ever since Your Majesty has ascended the throne, all have surrendered, and every race has realigned their allegiance to the empire. The Lost Continent was then discovered, and now, there are geniuses…”</p><p>At the sight of the emperor’s reaction, the officials began to sing unending praises, which flowed like the gushing, flooding rivers beyond one’s control.</p><p>Frederick the 32nd waved lightly and said, “The proliferation of geniuses is certainly the empire’s fortune, but I’ve heard that those aren’t the only talents this year!”</p><p>At this point, Frederick the 32nd’s gaze landed on the other academy presidents, his inquiry evident.</p><p>“Your Majesty, several geniuses have also emerged from the Royal Knights Academy. The most outstanding one is no doubt Her Highness, Annabella the 13th Princess!</p><p>“Her Highness has excellent talent. At 28 years old, she’s ranked 17th in the Dragon God Genius Ranking and firmly overpowers everyone in the younger generation. She has even made great contributions during the dozens of marine beast attacks. Her strength makes even old antiques like us ashamed of ourselves.”</p><p>“Little Thirteen is indeed not bad!”</p><p>Upon hearing praises of the 13th Princess, a smile appeared on Frederick the 32nd’s countenance at once. Among all his children that numbered more than 1,000, the one he doted on the most was Little Thirteen.</p><p>All the officials and numerous Saint Domains also nodded repeatedly. As the one hailed as the strongest among the younger generation, there was no doubt about the 13th Princess’ strength. Thus, she was highly favored by His Majesty.</p><p>If it weren’t because her bloodline wasn’t pure, she’d have been the next emperor for sure. Prince Barbarossa wouldn’t even have been part of the discussion at all.</p><p>In a certain area of a forest in the Lost Continent…</p><p>“The Saint Domain Magical Beast aura is emanating from this pit!”</p><p>A young man wearing a black magic robe approached a sinkhole in the depths of the forest. The sinkhole, measuring 100-meters-wide and unfathomably deep, looked just like a monster’s enormous mouth that was about to devour someone.</p><p>The sinkhole’s walls on the inside were full of fine grasses, lichen, and fungi that blocked the sinkhole firmly and entirely from view. If he hadn’t found his way here by following the Saint Domain Magical Beast’s aura, he wouldn’t have discovered its existence at all.</p><p>“Yet another Saint Domain Magical Beast is going to croak. Sigh, they must be really down on their luck to have run into you! How pitiful~”</p><p>“Ol’ President, must you really say it like that?”</p><p>“Am I wrong in saying that?”</p><p>“Aren’t you?”</p><p>“Are you intending to kill it?”</p><p>“Of course!”</p><p>“It’s staying in its den all fine and dandy, yet calamity’s going to fall out of nowhere from the sky. Since it’s going to be killed by you for no good reason, then doesn’t that make it really down on its luck?”</p><p>“Well, I guess so.”</p><p>“There’s nothing wrong with what I said, then!”</p><p>“I can’t win in an argument with you…”</p><p>The young man was naturally Meng Lei. He went right into the sinkhole with a leap. A chilly, humid dampness in the air coupled with the stink of decay rushed toward him.</p><p>As he went deeper and deeper into the sinkhole, the temperatures began to drop, and the light became dimmer and dimmer. However, the aura of the Saint Domain Magical Beast lurking within also became increasingly stronger.</p><p>Meng Lei, who was bold and fearless thanks to his skills, descended swiftly into the sinkhole. Approximately five minutes later, he finally reached the bottom of the sinkhole. A gigantic underground cave entered his sight.</p><p>“Wow, there’s a whole different world at the bottom of the sinkhole!”</p><p>Despite how dimly lit the bottom of the sinkhole was, as Meng Lei had astonishingly good eyesight, nothing in the surroundings could escape his vision. The area at the bottom of the sinkhole was incredibly wide and spacious, and one actually couldn’t even see to the end of it.</p><p>It was truly a whole new world full of profoundness within.</p><p>The ground was strewn with various skeletons and remains. The largest skeleton was as tall as 100 meters, and just a single rib bone alone was already as tall as a 10-story building.</p><p>As for other skeletal remains, there were so many around that one couldn’t keep count at all.</p><p>“The concentration of methane here is astonishingly high. Just a tiny spark would be enough to ignite an earth-shattering explosion. But where’s the Saint Domain Magical Beast, though?”</p><p>Buzz, buzz!</p><p>All of a sudden…</p><p>A peculiar buzzing reached his ears, and then several pairs of blood-red eyes suddenly appeared in his vision.</p><p>Innumerable pairs of eyes the color of blood appeared in the dark. As though the eyes of fiends from hell, they gave off an incredibly sinister and chilly glint that would badly frighten anyone.</p><p>At the same time, the sounds of something licking its lips and swallowing its saliva also reached him. One could easily imagine that the masters of these blood-red eyes were currently watching Meng Lei intently and licking their lips greedily.</p><p>And the truth was indeed so.</p><p>In the pitch-black cave opposite him, Meng Lei could clearly see bat-like creatures hanging upside-down. As large as a yak, each of them had a pair of wings on their back, the head of a black wolf, blood-red eyes, and a mouth full of fangs.</p><p>Those were the Sixth-Grade Magical Beasts, Shadowwolf Bats!</p><p>“I’m being seen as food by a bunch of Sixth-Grade Magical Beasts…”</p><p>The corners of Meng Lei’s lips quirked upward in a contemptuous smile. He tossed an orange-sized fireball toward them with a flick of his fingers.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The fireball successfully ignited the methane permeating the air at the bottom of the sinkhole. Amid deafening explosions, a series of successive explosions erupted, and shocking waves of fire began to roast everything at the bottom of the sinkhole.</p><p>Hooowl!</p><p>At once, shrill cries rang out everywhere. All the Shadowwolf Bats flapped their wings and flew about frantically as they tried to flee. They looked as though they had all gone mad. How they wished they had been born with another pair of wings!</p><p>“That’s for not knowing what’s good for you.”</p><p>Meng Lei snorted lightly. Then, he dived straight into the flames rushing into the heavens and went toward where the Saint Domain Magical Beast’s aura was coming from.</p><p>As for the tens of thousands of Shadowwolf Bats trapped inside the sea of fire, he could hardly be bothered with them. If they were going to be burned to death, then be his guest.</p><p>As for those that the fire couldn’t burn to death, they would only be in even more pain and agony as they suffered from a living hell.</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-162

Chapter 162 - Hermaphrodite, This Is My Mount

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 162 - Hermaphrodite, This Is My Mount</h1><p>The underground cave was deep and bottomless.</p><p>After Meng Lei walked for 15 minutes or so, an enormous underground pool finally appeared. Mist drifted about above the pool, such that one couldn’t see how deep it was or how wide it spanned. It looked just like a celestial pool.</p><p>In the center of the pool laid an exotic-looking Magical Beast that bore a striking resemblance to a Chinese giant salamander. A milky-white color throughout its body, it looked as if it was made out of fine white tallow jade. It looked incredibly soft, smooth, white and tender, sparkling and translucent, bright and clear, and as tender as though water was going to ooze out of it…</p><p>Its skin could make countless noblewomen and young debutantes ashamed of their own unseemliness, as well as countless beauties and young ladies insanely jealous.</p><p>“What the heck? That’s such a huge giant salamander!” Meng Lei exclaimed in a low voice, “It’s probably at least 70 to 80 meters long, isn’t it? How impressive!”</p><p>“Waaa~”</p><p>His voice greatly alarmed the gigantic salamander-like creature, and it turned to look over.</p><p>Perhaps it wasn’t quite apt to say that it had “looked over”—because its eyes were actually tightly shut. Evidently, its body had regressed in order to adapt to the dim underground environment.</p><p>Nevertheless, it had still discovered Meng Lei’s presence.</p><p>“Waaa~”</p><p>“Waaa~”</p><p>The giant salamander’s mouth opened, and it emitted sharp, ear-piercing cries, which sounded just like the crying and wailing of a child. It sounded awfully terrifying.</p><p>“Ol’ President, what kind of Magical Beast is that?”</p><p>Its cries were making Meng Lei rather creeped out.</p><p>“If I’m not wrong, that’s likely a Saint Domain Magical Beast that has long since gone extinct in Heaven’s Vault Continent—the Split-Body Devil Salamander!” Ol’ Amos commented with slight astonishment in his voice, “The Lost Continent is truly an amazing place! There are a lot of creatures here that have already gone extinct in Heaven’s Vault Continent a long time ago!”</p><p>“The Split-Body Devil Salamander? Why does it have such a strange name?” Meng Lei was rather puzzled.</p><p>“That’s because that Magical Beast has the ability to split apart its body.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos explained, “When it encounters lethal attacks, the Split-Body Devil Salamander will split into several individual parts to mitigate the damage from the attack. In other words, the Split-Body Devil Salamander is immune to physical attacks.”</p><p>“It can split its body into different parts?” Ol’ Amos’ explanation stupefied Meng Lei. “As expected, fact is really stranger than fiction in this boundless universe. To think there are actually such amazing Magical Beasts in this world!”</p><p>Splitting its body?</p><p>Wouldn’t that make it very similar to the slugs in <em>Naruto</em> ?</p><p>“There are a lot of creatures beyond your imagination out there. What’s the big deal about this?” Ol’ Amos smiled noncommittally. Then he said, “You’ll have to be careful later on. The Split-Body Devil Salamander may look cute and silly, but it’s undoubtedly highly irritable and extremely hostile. That’s where the ‘devil’ in its name comes from, after all.”</p><p>“Understood!”</p><p>Meng Lei turned around. True enough, the Split-Body Devil Salamander, which was snarling and had its fangs bared, entered his sight. It growled deeply and entered an offensive stance.</p><p>“Waaa!”</p><p>The next moment, innumerable silver water spears glittering coldly in the light abruptly appeared around it. Then, it brazenly launched its attack.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>As though they wanted to jab countless holes into Meng Lei, the silver water spears pierced through the air toward him, emitting shrill whizzes as they did.</p><p>“Eighth-Grade Spell, Water Judgment? Am I being underestimated?” Meng Lei shook his head lightly. Then, he slowly uttered two words, “Absolute Zero!”</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>The Ice Elements in all directions suddenly converged, and then they turned into a surging white air current that rushed toward the Split-Body Devil Salamander.</p><p>“Waaa!”</p><p>The Split-Body Devil Salamander let out a strange cry. Before it could even react, the white air current had already thoroughly engulfed it.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>Crack!</p><p>In a split second, the innumerable water spears shooting toward Meng Lei were frozen.</p><p>The Split-Body Devil Salamander, as well as the pool underneath it, was also frozen.</p><p>Everything in the cave was frozen!</p><p>For a moment there, the dim, humid cave turned into a crystal palace that emitted an astonishing chill. It was so cold that even one’s breath would turn into mist.</p><p>A whitish mist permeated the air!</p><p>The solid ice was bright and clear!</p><p>The Split-Body Devil Salamander had turned into a sculpture. It was still maintaining its previous pose and seemed like a freshly sculpted ice sculpture—vivid and true to life, animated and lively.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Split-Body Devil Salamander killed. 10.4 billion gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Absolute Zero sure is fearsome. But there’s nothing more suitable than that when it comes to dealing with the Split-Body Devil Salamander!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos took a deep breath and sighed from the bottom of his heart. As for why Meng Lei could cast an ice-elemental first-class spell, he had already reached a stage where he was nonplussed about it. There was no lack of inexplicable events when it came to Meng Lei, after all.</p><p>“Splitting? Something like that doesn’t even exist when Absolute Zero is around!”</p><p>Meng Lei laughed lightly. Then, he tapped lightly on the ice sculpture. With a crack, the enormous Split-Body Devil Salamander broke apart and turned into ice shavings at once.</p><p>“Collect!”</p><p>A watermelon-sized magic core flew out at once. Meng Lei stored it in his ring, and then he returned to the forest to continue his hunt.</p><p>At a level like Meng Lei’s, he was no longer satisfied with just ordinary Magical Beasts. His minimal target was Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts, while his priority was Saint Domain Magical Beasts.</p><p>As for low-end stuff like Seventh-Grade and Eighth-Grade Magical Beasts, he’d just wipe them out along the way should he encounter them. As for making the special effort to go after them, that was just a waste of time.</p><p>“Ol’ President, can you sense any Saint Domain Magical Beasts?”</p><p>“Not yet. But there’s a pretty good Ninth-Grade Magical Beast toward the southeast.”</p><p>“How far is it?”</p><p>“About 50 to 60 kilometers, I’d say.”</p><p>“Since there isn’t any Saint Domain Magical Beast around, then let’s go over and take a look!”</p><p>Meng Lei looked a little disappointed at that. Then, he flitted toward where the Ninth-Grade Magical Beast was. Unexpectedly, he’d barely taken off when Ol’ Amos stopped him.</p><p>“Wait a moment, brat!”</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>“I sense a Saint Domain Magical Beast aura in that direction!”</p><p>“In the northeast?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>Without any hesitation, Meng Lei flitted toward the northeast at the fastest speed he could muster. After he had assimilated the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline, his speed had been boosted by multiple times, including his flying speed.</p><p>His current flying speed was even faster than a vast majority of flying mid-level Saint Domain Magical Beasts. It could be said to be as swift as the wind.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>A stream of light drew across the sky and crossed 100 meters in an instant.</p><p>A few minutes later, Meng Lei arrived at the Saint Domain Magical Beast’s location. What surprised him, however, was that it was currently in an extremely bad spot.</p><p>It… was actually being besieged! A team of six contestants had surrounded it and was currently pummeling it into the ground.</p><p>Those six people were evidently no kind souls. Their blades were sharp and keen, their strength fierce and brutal, their spells accurate and precise—every move of theirs was a lethal one. No matter how thick and sturdy that Magical Beast was, it wasn’t going to be able to withstand the six-man team’s joint attack.</p><p>Under their siege, that unlucky Saint Domain Magical Beast was struggling to cope. It was already injured and could die at any moment.</p><p>“A beautiful crimson red all over with rose petal-shaped scales and a single horn on its head—that’s the wood-elemental Saint Domain Magical Beast, the Uni-Horned Rose Python!”</p><p>A smiling Ol’ Amos said, “The Uni-Horned Rose Python is in charge of the beauty aspect among snake-type Magical Beasts. It’s very rare in Heaven’s Vault Continent.”</p><p>“In charge of the beauty aspect? When it looks as sad as that?”</p><p>Meng Lei rolled his eyes. As he looked at the six-man team besieging the Uni-Horned Rose Python, he remarked, “That’s the Dragon God Academy uniform. Are they from Dragon God Academy?”</p><p>“Judging from their academy uniforms, they probably are.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos concurred with Meng Lei’s evaluation.</p><p>“What a shame about the Saint Domain Magical Beast. They’re gonna kill it!” Meng Lei sighed as he shook his head.</p><p>“What’s all that pretense for? Don’t you know just what kind of person you are?” scoffed Ol’ Amos, his countenance full of contempt.</p><p>“Ol’ President, you’re not gonna have any friends if you’re that frank!”</p><p>Meng Lei curled his lip in response. Then, he descended from the sky and jumped right into the fray.</p><p>“What are all of you doing? Why are you attacking my mount?”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-163

Chapter 163 - Crushing A Hammer, Taking In A Spy

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 163 - Crushing A Hammer, Taking In A Spy</h1><p>Chapter 163: Crushing A Hammer, Taking In A Spy</p><p>Much like a monkey riding a colorful cloud that had appeared out of nowhere, Meng Lei descended from above and frightened everyone.</p><p>“Be on guard, everyone! Someone’s trying to seize our prey from the jaws of death!”</p><p>Following the shout from a girl with blond wavy locks and wearing a golden magic robe with a golden spell in her hand, all six of them instantly stopped their attacks and directed their gazes at Meng Lei with extreme caution.</p><p>“I was wondering who it could be. So it’s just a little brat who hasn’t even grown up!”</p><p>The blond girl quietly heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she said, “Leave at once, and we can put this behind us, brat. Otherwise, don’t blame us if we go hard on you!”</p><p>“Where did that kid come from? Get lost!”</p><p>“How dare you snatch our prey? Do you have a death wish?”</p><p>The other five people also straightened their backs as they relaxed their guard. They stared coldly at Meng Lei with contempt in their eyes.</p><p>“Your prey?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s countenance changed to one of displeasure at once. He pointed at the Uni-Horned Rose Python behind him and said in a deep, low voice, “That’s obviously my mount, yet all of you are actually taking it as your prey?!”</p><p>“Your mount?”</p><p>The group of six was rather taken aback. They couldn’t help but look at the Uni-Horned Rose Python, only to discover that it was also staring at Meng Lei with abject stupefaction.</p><p><em>I’m his mount?</em></p><p><em>Why aren’t I aware of that?</em></p><p>Evidently, it didn’t know Meng Lei at all.</p><p>The group of six flew into a rage at once.</p><p>A muscular man among them shouted, “You little brat, how dare you play us for fools?”</p><p>Over two-meter-tall, the man had a horn on his head and a pair of wings on his back. As though a raging bull, he charged right toward Meng Lei.</p><p>“Don’t be too heavy-handed and end up killing him, Marcus! Otherwise, you’ll be eliminated!” One of his teammates kindly reminded him. “You can just leave him half-dead instead.”</p><p>“Don’t worry. I know what I should do.”</p><p>Marcus, the man with the single horn, gave a sinister laugh. Then, he raised the hammer in his right hand high into the air and smashed it down at Meng Lei.</p><p>“This place is not for you, kid. Go back to drinking your milk instead!”</p><p>One must admit that this strike of Marcus’ contained great might. Even a Ninth-Grade Magical Beast would be smashed into a pulp by it, let alone the skinny Meng Lei who didn’t even reach 1.7-meters-tall.</p><p>Judging from their outer appearances alone, there was more than just the average gap in strength between the two of them.</p><p>In spite of that, Meng Lei merely grabbed casually at the heavy hammer strike smashing down like a mountain pressing down on him and managed to catch it in his hand.</p><p>By applying just a bit of force, he easily punched holes into the hammer with his fingers, and crumbling powder scattered with the wind as they slipped through his fingers.</p><p>“What!?”</p><p>At the sight of that, Marcus’ eyes almost jumped out of their sockets. One must know that the hammer was crafted from an Ocean Whale’s bones, a Saint Domain Magical Beast. It was incredibly heavy and tough!</p><p>Yet he had actually caught it with his hand so casually? And he had even crushed it so casually!</p><p>Was he really a goddamn human?</p><p>However, before he had the time to be astounded, a severe, heartrending pain suddenly came over his abdomen. Marcus lowered his head—at some point, Meng Lei had already appeared right before him and punched him squarely in the gut.</p><p>“You—”</p><p>Marcus’ mouth had only just opened when he felt an incoming great force. Then, as though he had been hit by a high-speed rail racing toward him, his entire self was thrown backward.</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>The blond girl and the other four were all stunned by the sight. In a daze, they stared blankly at Meng Lei as though they had just seen a ghost.</p><p>Marcus wasn’t the strongest among them, but as a Black Dragon Person, his physical strength was the strongest for sure.</p><p>Yet someone as strong as Marcus had actually been knocked out instantly. Even the Ocean Whale hammer that he was so proud of had been crushed into pieces.</p><p>What kind of physical strength was that? And what kind of combat strength was that?</p><p>Saint Domain! The unassuming little brat currently standing in front of them was a Saint Domain for sure. On top of that, he was even an extremely strong one. Otherwise, there was no way he could’ve instantly knocked out Marcus!</p><p>The moment they realized that, the five of them were horrified at once.</p><p>Meng Lei looked at the blond girl and the others and said, “This is my mount. Do you have any issues with that?”</p><p>“…”</p><p>A shiver went through the five of them at once.</p><p>All of them were half a step away from the Saint Domain realm. Together with the Saint Domain magic devices in their possession, the six of them could kill elementary-level Saint Domain Magical Beasts by working together with some difficulty.</p><p>However, when the one they were facing was a fearsome Saint Domain that could instantly knock out Marcus, how could they possibly be a match for him?</p><p>“Staying quiet? I’ll ask again.” Meng Lei raised an eyebrow and repeated, “This Uni-Horned Rose Python is my mount. Do you have any issues with that?”</p><p>“Sir, it’s all yours!”</p><p>The corner of the blond girl’s lips spasmed a couple of times as she spoke. Despite being absolutely reluctant to, she still very wisely gave up on the Uni-Horned Rose Python.</p><p>When one was facing an unfathomably strong Saint Domain, being stubborn, having backbone, and fighting head-on to the very end was definitely the stupidest thing one could do.</p><p>“Get lost!” Meng Lei waved them off.</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>The five of them carried Marcus and left so quickly that it was as though they were fleeing—they were afraid that they might incur Meng Lei’s displeasure if they were too slow.</p><p>“It’s just you and me now,” Meng Lei said as he turned around.</p><p>As his gaze fell onto the bruised and battered Uni-Horned Rose Python, the corners of his lips couldn’t help but quirk upward.</p><p>One must say that the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s outer appearance was indeed rather exquisite. It looked as though it were made out of rose petals. As expected of the creature in charge of the beauty aspect among the snake-type Magical Beasts.</p><p>“Hiss, hiss!”</p><p>With a look of terror in its eyes, the Uni-Horned Rose Python growled in a low voice, “W-what do you want?”</p><p>Upon seeing that the Uni-Horned Rose Python didn’t immediately attack him, Meng Lei couldn’t help but give an approving nod. Even though it hadn’t been that long since he had come to the Lost Continent, he had discovered that all the Magical Beasts there possessed a certain characteristic—they weren’t particularly hostile toward humans.</p><p>Perhaps because they had never seen humans before, they ended up also seeing them as fellow Magical Beasts. Therefore, when facing humans stronger than themselves, they behaved just as they would when they faced other strong and powerful Magical Beasts and experienced feelings of fear, reverence, and submission.</p><p>Unlike the Magical Beasts on Heaven’s Vault Continent, which would instead view humans with animosity, hold feelings of fury, indignation, and would rather die than submit.</p><p>“I’m thinking whether I should braise you, roast you, or freeze you into a popsicle? Or perhaps I should turn you into a snake kebab?”</p><p>Meng Lei rubbed his chin as he pondered aloud. “But that’s a little too bloody. How about I try cutting you into snake meat slices instead? That’s right, snake meat slices! I’ve never seen snake meat slices before, after all.</p><p>“And those rose scales all over you, too. If I pluck them off and arrange them into a rose, I’m sure it’ll be highly effective in wooing girls, right?”</p><p>“Hiss, hiss!”</p><p>His words made the Uni-Horned Rose Python shake like a leaf, and fear filled its eyes. It said, “S-sir, p-please don’t kill me! I’m just an inexperienced, naive little python that’s innocent and ignorant. I taste awful, really!”</p><p>“Eh? You even know how to beg for mercy?” Meng Lei was greatly surprised. “It makes things easier if you know how to beg for mercy. Let me ask you something. If your answer satisfies me, I’ll consider letting you off.”</p><p>“Ask away, sir! I’ll definitely tell you everything I know!” The Uni-Horned Rose Python nodded incessantly as it trembled in its boots.</p><p>Meng Lei tossed out the first question. He asked, “Are you familiar with this continent?”</p><p>“Yes! Of course I am!” The Uni-Horned Rose Python nodded hastily as it replied, “I’ve lived on this continent since I was young, so I know every nook and cranny of it!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes brightened. Delighted, he asked, “In that case, you know where all the Saint Domain Magical Beasts on this continent are?”</p><p>“Yes, sir!”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python didn’t quite understand why he was asking that, but it still replied respectfully, “All the Saint Domain Magical Beasts on this continent are my friends. I know all of their dens.”</p><p>“Great! Fantastic!” A gratified Meng Lei nodded. Then, he asked, “One last question—do you want to live or die?”</p><p>“Live! I’d like to live, sir!”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python was so scared that it was close to tears.</p><p>“Since you want to live, then follow me!” Meng Lei broke into a grin as he said, “Bring me to your Saint Domain Magical Beast friends. Remember, every single one of them!”</p><p>“What are you looking for them for, sir?” asked the Uni-Horned Rose Python as it blinked.</p><p>“Is that something you should be asking?” Meng Lei glared at it. “Can’t I look for them to talk about life?”</p><p>“Yes, yes!”</p><p>“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”</p><p>Then, with a flash, Meng Lei landed on top of the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s head.</p><p>“Yes, sir!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-164

Chapter 164 - Getting Others To Do The Dirty Work, I'M About To Get Mad

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 164 - Getting Others To Do The Dirty Work, I'M About To Get Mad</h1><p>Chapter 164: Getting Others To Do The Dirty Work, I’m About To Get Mad</p><p>In a pile of well-hidden bushes somewhere, a few heads slowly popped out. As they watched the skinny teenager leaving with the huge snake underneath his feet, they heaved a long sigh of relief.</p><p>He’s gone! That frightening fellow was finally gone! In no time, however, the relief in their eyes was replaced by hatred and fury.</p><p>“That damned brat! How dare he steal our prey? When have we ever been taken advantage of this badly during our days of rampaging in the Imperial City? Damn it!”</p><p>“I swear in the Dragon God’s name that I won’t be known as Carcasnordslavkimablo anymore if I don’t get my revenge for this!”</p><p>Upon hearing her companions’ indignant curses, the blond girl let out a cold snort and said, “Revenge? That guy is unfathomably strong. Even if the six of us lay in ambush and launch a sneak attack, we won’t be a match for him for sure. Yet you’re thinking of seeking revenge?”</p><p>“This…”</p><p>“Are we supposed to let it go just like that, then?”</p><p>“There’s nothing I can say if I had been robbed by Sachhen, Adil, Mond Aston, or the others, but what does that little brat even count as?”</p><p>“Exactly! Who does he think he is? How dare he rob us? I simply can’t take this lying down!”</p><p>“A disgrace! This is a terrible disgrace!”</p><p>The blond girl shook her head lightly as she said, “He’s unfathomably strong. It’s too hard for us to get revenge.”</p><p>“What should we do, then?”</p><p>“Do we let it go just like that?”</p><p>“Let it go? How can I let it go just like that after he robbed the prey of I, Alice?” The blond girl sneered. “There are many different ways of taking revenge. Risking your life is but the most foolish one of them all.”</p><p>“Have you thought of something, Alice?”</p><p>The others’ eyes lit up. “I knew you’re the smartest!”</p><p>“We aren’t the only ones here at the Lost Continent. Many others can kill him.”</p><p>“You mean…”</p><p>“…We’ll get someone else to do the dirty work for us!”</p><p>…</p><p>With Meng Lei on its back, the Uni-Horned Rose Python traveled across mountains and hills all the way until they reached their first stop—a large mountain.</p><p>“Sir, my first friend Jimmy Frost lives right on that volcano.”</p><p>“A volcano?”</p><p>Meng Lei turned and looked over. The lower half of the mountain was filled with lush vegetation and looked no different from other mountains, while the upper half was bare and pitch-black without even a single blade of grass—it was a volcano, alright.</p><p>“Let’s go! We’ll head up!”</p><p>Meng Lei could already sense the aura of a Saint Domain Magical Beast.</p><p>“Yes, sir!”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python didn’t dare to be remiss. It soared into the sky and flew toward the mountain summit. As an elementary-level Saint Domain Magical Beast, it had already become capable of flight, though not at a very fast speed.</p><p>In no time, it had flown all the way to the summit. The strong smell of sulfur rushed toward them at once. Smoke billowed at the mouth of the volcano, which spanned about six square kilometers, and lava bubbled as it gave off astonishingly high heat.</p><p>“Go. Get it out here,” Meng Lei ordered as he patted the python underneath his feet.</p><p>“Sir, this…”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python hesitated as a hint of fear and alarm flashed across its eyes.</p><p>“Isn’t it your friend?” Meng Lei’s brows furrowed slightly as he asked, “What’s there to fear when visiting an old friend?”</p><p>“But sir…”</p><p>“Do you believe me when I say that I’ll throw you into the lava lake for a hot bath if you spew any more superfluous rubbish?”</p><p>Meng Lei glared at it, somewhat impatient.</p><p>“Yes, sir!”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python trembled, and then it quickly went over obediently. It was a wood-elemental Magical Beast, so it feared fire the most. If Meng Lei threw it into the bubbling lava lake for a bath, what would be cleaned off definitely wouldn’t be dirt, but its skin instead…</p><p>“Hiss, hiss!”</p><p>“Jimmy Frost, your old friend is here to visit you!”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python let out a loud shout. A vigorous wave of energy burst forth from it and pressed down into the bubbling lava lake.</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>A low roar rang out.</p><p>The very next second, lava churned, and waves surged as a large head emerged from the lava lake.</p><p>The head was ferocious and terrifying to behold. It was covered in fiery red scales, had a sharp, spiral horn on it, while its eyes were bigger than even watermelons.</p><p>“A Fire Dragon?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes widened!</p><p>That head that had popped out of the lake bore a great resemblance to a Fire Dragon. Was that fellow a pure-blooded Fire Dragon?</p><p>However, as the behemoth emerged further and further from the lava lake, its massive body was also slowly revealed.</p><p>A long, muscular body, fiery red tough scales, a body like a giant crocodile’s, and… Four tiny little legs!</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. So it wasn’t a Fire Dragon! If it had really been a Fire Dragon, then it wouldn’t be wise for him to hunt it down anymore.</p><p>One could do anything they wanted in the Dragon God Empire except for one thing—slaughtering dragons was the only thing absolutely forbidden!</p><p>One must pay a price if they wanted to be a brave dragon slayer!</p><p>“Is that a Drake, Ol’ President?”</p><p>“It’s just a Lava Dragondile.” Ol’ Amos scoffed. “It surprisingly has a bit of Fire Dragon blood in it, though. It’s just a shame that it’s too diluted, so it doesn’t count as a Drake.”</p><p>“Good to hear that.”</p><p>A smile appeared on Meng Lei’s lips right away.</p><p>Colossal Dragons were highly protective of their own and brooked no bullying or humiliation of their offspring from others. They were also very prideful and rejected creatures whose bloodlines were thin and diluted.</p><p>Evidently, Ol’ Amos rejected that Lava Dragondile very much. Of all things, it simply had to resemble a Fire Dragon. Who else was he going to reject, if not it?</p><p>“Clara, you piece of trash! How dare you intrude on my territory!”</p><p>Jimmy Frost’s—the Lava Dragondile’s—gaze swept coldly toward the Uni-Horned Rose Python, its eyes full of disdain and dissatisfaction.</p><p>“Jimmy Frost, my old friend!”</p><p>Although the Uni-Horned Rose Python was inwardly on tenterhooks, it managed to sound awfully friendly as it said, “I had some free time today, so I came over to visit you along the way.”</p><p>“Friend? When you’re such a good-for-nothing?”</p><p>The Lava Dragondile burst into raucous laughter as if it had just heard the funniest joke in the world. Its voice was like rolling thunder, the reverberations from it causing rocks to fall and roll off the mountain and lava to churn.</p><p>When it was more or less done laughing, the smile finally disappeared from the Lava Dragondile’s visage, and it bared its fangs as it scoffed. “But if you offer up that life force-filled vitality core of yours, I can consider acknowledging you as a friend.”</p><p>“Jimmy Frost!”</p><p>After being repeatedly humiliated by the Lava Dragondile, the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s embarrassment couldn’t help but turn into anger. “Our territories are linked to each other’s, and we’re considered neighbors. Are you really going to be that unceremonious with me?”</p><p>“Hahaha! Who do you think you are?” The Lava Dragondile sneered. “If it weren’t because you lucked out and was fortunate enough to be favored by the Tree of Life, do you think you could become a Saint Domain? In my eyes, you’ll always be nothing more than just a tiny little sixth-grade python!”</p><p>“Jimmy Frost!”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python was hopping mad, yet there was nothing it could do about the Lava Dragondile. What it had said was the truth for starters, and secondly, it wasn’t as if it could beat it in a fight.</p><p>It couldn’t beat the Lava Dragondile at all!</p><p>“How arrogant of you, my friend.”</p><p>Meng Lei stepped forward at this point and gazed coldly at the Lava Dragondile.</p><p>“Who are you?” asked the Lava Dragondile as it looked down on Meng Lei.</p><p>“I’m the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s friend!” Meng Lei said dispassionately, “When you look down on my friend like that, you’re also looking down on me at the same time. If you don’t give me a satisfactory explanation today, I’m going to get mad!”</p><p>“Get mad? Feh!” The Lava Dragondile burst into uproarious laughter as it scoffed. “Who do you think you are? How dare you hoot that much in front of me? Believe it or not, I can swallow you in one gulp!”</p><p>“My friend, I treated you with only kind words and blindly gave way to you the whole time, yet you’re being so overbearing and acting in such a villainous manner. Left with no other alternative, I can only get mad now!”</p><p>Meng Lei snorted coldly and shouted, “Ten Thousand Swords Return Home!”</p><p>Buzz, buzz!</p><p>Dazzling golden light abruptly burst forth from all around Meng Lei. At his call, all the Metal Elements within a few kilometers converged to form swords that circled around him.</p><p>“That’s…”</p><p>The Lava Dragondile was straight up blinded by the golden light all around it and ended up reacting half a beat too slow.</p><p>“Ha!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s voice was cold and aloof as he declared, “You damned villain! Today, I shall play the part of the main character in a novel and take out a demon like you! And get rid of evil for the people!”</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Densely packed golden swords turned to point toward the Lava Dragondile. Then, all of them pierced through the air and shot toward it.</p><p>Their sheer numbers practically covered the sky and the earth. Their momentum was so strong that even great heroes wouldn’t be any match for them.</p><p>“Aaahhhh!”</p><p>Amid peculiar-sounding splurts, shrill cries rose and fell in succession.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The glint of the swords faded, and the golden light vanished.</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python hurriedly looked over, upon which a shiver then went through its whole body, and a bone-chilling iciness welled up in its heart. Was that really the Lava Dragondile?</p><p>That was clearly just a goddamn pile of minced meat! Even if it had been kicked into an unrecognizable state, surely it wouldn’t have ended up in this sorry state?</p><p>“Ding! 1 Lava Dragondile killed. 11.5 billion gold coins gained!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-165

Chapter 165 - Fruit Of The Divine Tree, Deification By Religious Faith

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 165 - Fruit Of The Divine Tree, Deification By Religious Faith</h1><p>“Sir, you’re simply too impressive! My feelings of admiration toward you are endless and eternal, like the gushing rivers. They are like the overflowing Yellow River, beyond control once the floodgates open—”</p><p>“Cut the crap. Just drive properly.”</p><p>“Drive?”</p><p>“…”</p><p>Meng Lei was rendered speechless. Then, he asked, “Judging from what that old crocodile said just now, prior to becoming a Saint Domain, you were just a Sixth-Grade Magical Beast?”</p><p>“Yes, sir!”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python didn’t dare to keep any secrets from him. It explained, “Ten years ago, I was indeed a Sixth-Grade Rose Python. But because I was lucky enough to get a Tree of Life fruit, I was able to become a Saint Domain Magical Beast.</p><p>“I had initially thought that after I became a Saint Domain Magical Beast, I’d be able to become buddies with those old-timer Saint Domain Magical Beasts high up above. Who’d have thought that those guys would still look down on me—”</p><p>Meng Lei interrupted Clara’s unceasing torrent of words and asked, “Are you saying that you used only a short ten years to advance from a tiny little Sixth-Grade Magical Beast into a Saint Domain?”</p><p>“Yes, sir!” The Uni-Horned Rose Python didn’t quite understand. It asked, “Is there an issue with that?”</p><p>Ten years!</p><p>It had taken only ten years for a Sixth-Grade Magical Beast to become a Saint Domain!</p><p>Wasn’t that totally an issue?</p><p>It wasn’t just Meng Lei who was shocked; even Ol’ Amos was astonished by its words. At once, he emerged from the spatial ring and urged him. “Hurry! Meng Lei, ask the python what the Tree of Life is!”</p><p>Meng Lei took a deep breath, and then he posed the question to the Uni-Horned Rose Python.</p><p>A look of idolization surfaced in Clara’s eyes at once. An expression akin to those of fanatics in relation to the deity they worshiped and believed in also came over its countenance.</p><p>“The Tree of Life is the divine tree on this continent. It’s also the spiritual belief of all living things on this continent. Be it plants or animals, everyone and everything worships and believes deeply in the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life protects us eternally!”</p><p>“Is the Tree of Life that great?” Meng Lei’s eyes flashed as he asked, “What’s the Tree of Life fruit?”</p><p>“The Tree of Life bears fruits once every hundred years. Each time it does, it only bears a total of nine fruits. When the fruits ripen, the Tree of Life will send these nine fruits to various corners of the continent for the living things here to consume.”</p><p>With much gratitude, the Uni-Horned Rose Python said, “If you’re lucky enough, you’ll be able to get one. After consuming the fruit, one will gain great power within an extremely short amount of time—just like me.”</p><p>“A single fruit has allowed you to take only ten years to become a Saint Domain Magical Beast. That fruit’s effect…”</p><p>Meng Lei found this incredible. He asked, “Ol’ President, have you heard of a fruit like that before?”</p><p>“Not at all!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos took a breath and said, “In Heaven’s Vault Continent, there are also many treasures that can help people to break through their limits and boost their strength, but none of them can compare to an amazing fruit like that.</p><p>“That thing is practically even crazier than a Laws of Nature Origin Crystal!”</p><p>“Indeed it is!”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded heavily. Laws of Nature Origin Crystals contained nature laws within them and could aid a ninth-grade expert in opening the door to laws of nature and helping them attain the Saint Domain realm. However, this was limited to only ninth-grade experts and was ineffective for those below.</p><p>However, this was evidently not the case for the fruit.</p><p>A Sixth-Grade Magical Beast had become a Saint Domain in ten years.</p><p>What was that?</p><p>A huge tonic supplement for mass-manufacturing Saint Domains, that’s what it was!</p><p>How could Laws of Nature Origin Crystal match up to it?</p><p>“I must find it! I must find that divine tree!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes were blazing bright with a spectacular outburst of light. “If we can take it for ourselves and sit and wait for the divine tree fruits to come rolling in, we’ll strike gold!”</p><p>One divine tree fruit = One Saint Domain!</p><p>Just how much was the divine tree worth?</p><p>What was the big deal about having a mine?</p><p>What was the big deal about having one’s house demolished and relocated ¹ ?</p><p>What was the big deal about having a villa in 2nd Ring Road ¹ ?</p><p>Compared to the divine tree, they didn’t amount to anything at all!</p><p>However, Ol’ Amos’ countenance was grave, and there was a complex look in his eyes as he said, ‘We’ll have to look for it for sure, but I’m afraid we can’t hold ourselves against it.”</p><p>“Can’t hold ourselves against it?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rather puzzled.</p><p>Ol’ Amos asked slowly, “Do you remember a certain sentence that the Uni-Horned Rose Python said just now?”</p><p>“Which?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos replied slowly, “That all living things on this continent, whether plants or animals, worship and believe deeply in the Tree of Life.”</p><p>“Yes, I know that. What about it?”</p><p>Meng Lei was even more puzzled now.</p><p>“You once asked me in the past how one can become a deity, right?” Ol’ Amos didn’t answer his question. Instead, he asked, “My answer was that laws of nature maketh the deity, right?”</p><p>“Yes!” Meng Lei nodded. “You once said that deities were also known as the controllers of the laws of nature. If one can fully comprehend a type of laws of nature, they’ll be able to become a deity.”</p><p>“Deification by comprehending the laws of nature is only one of the methods available.” Ol’ Amos said slowly, “In truth, that’s not the only route to deification. There’s also another very common method that’s the easiest to achieve, yet also the hardest.”</p><p>Meng Lei was taken aback. A very common method that was the easiest to achieve, yet also the hardest? What kind of method was that? Why was it so self-contradictory?</p><p>“Ol’ President, the method you speak of is?” Meng Lei was terribly curious.</p><p>“Deification by religious faith,” Ol’ Amos answered.</p><p>“Deification by religious faith?” Meng Lei perked up.</p><p>“As long as you have enough believers worshipping and devoutly believing in you, you don’t even need to do anything, and you can become a deity. Even if you’re just lazing about and doing nothing every day, you can still become one nonetheless!”</p><p>A smiling Ol’ Amos explained, “That’s what deification by religious faith is! What do you think? Isn’t it simple?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rendered speechless. “One can become a deity without even doing anything? Isn’t that taking the matter a little too lightly?”</p><p>“Thus, deification by religious faith is very simple to achieve. Compared to comprehending the laws of nature, it’s practically cheating.”</p><p>Then, Ol’ Amos changed the course of the conversation and lamented, “It’s just a pity that it’s not easy to gain enough believers. In fact… It’s extremely difficult!</p><p>“Take Heaven’s Vault Continent, for example.</p><p>“There’s the Beast People Empire in the north, the Dragon God Empire in the east, the Fairy Empire in the south, and the Titan Empire in the west.</p><p>“Yet all four great empires have their own gods that they believe in. Even though there are trillions of living things in Heaven’s Vault Continent, do you think it’s possible to snatch believers from the four great empires?”</p><p>Meng Lei gave a wry smile in response—that was something totally impossible, alright? Or at least, that was currently the case.</p><p>“Therefore, deification by religious faith is also a method as difficult as nailing jelly to the wall—because it’s totally impossible for you to find a sufficient number of believers to provide enough religious faith for you to become a deity.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos shook his head lightly and went on. “As a result, the only thing all living things in Heaven’s Vault Continent can do is to properly comprehend the laws of nature and go down the route of deification by comprehending laws of nature.”</p><p>Meng Lei asked, “Ol’ President, you’ve mentioned just now that deification by religious faith is also a very common method. What do you mean by that?”</p><p>“In Heaven’s Vault Continent, deification by religious faith is indeed very tough, but this may not be the case for other existential planes.” Ol’ Amos explained with a smile, “You probably don’t know this yet, but in the vast and boundless universe exist countless planes of existence. The Heaven’s Vault Continent is only a very ordinary material plane among them all!”</p><p>“Huh?” Meng Lei pretended to be astonished.</p><p>“…”</p><p>Ol’ Amos explained at great length before he finally said, “Existential planes are much like bubbles. New planes are constantly being born, and old planes are constantly dying out every moment.</p><p>“In those newly-born planes, neither deities nor experts exist. The living things there live the life of savages and are primitive and backward.</p><p>“The living things that those planes birth are innocent and ignorant. They harbor great respect for the heavens and are fearful of nature. Therefore, they easily hold religious faith toward certain supernatural phenomena or inexplicable things and incidents.</p><p>“For example, they may worship a powerful person, a snake, a ball of fire, a rock, and so on.</p><p>“That’s the earliest form of religious faith—primitive worship!”</p><p>Meng Lei murmured to himself, “Primitive worship?”</p><p>“To primeval lifeforms, the act of primitive worship doesn’t mean much. It’s nothing more than just pure faith. However, to the subjects of worship, it’s something incredibly extraordinary!</p><p>“Because… Primitive worship can allow them to… Become deities!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-166

Chapter 166 - The Threat Of A Half-Deity, The Multi-Armed Behemoth

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 166 - The Threat Of A Half-Deity, The Multi-Armed Behemoth</h1><p>“Primitive worship produces religious faith, while faith itself creates a god. That’s exactly what deification by religious faith is.”</p><p>With a sigh, Ol’ Amos went on. “In the vast and boundless universe, new planes are constantly being born, and old planes are dying out every moment.</p><p>“As a result, primitive worship is taking place every moment. In fact, Heaven’s Vault Continent has also experienced something similar during its early stages. It has also created a fair number of deities because of that.</p><p>“It’s just a shame that as civilization prospered, the religious faith resources in Heaven’s Vault Continent were subsequently split among several parties right down to the very last bit. Thus, it’s no longer a fertile land with regard to deification by religious faith now.”</p><p>“I see!” Meng Lei nodded. “So, what you’re worried about is that the Tree of Life has also deified because of the religious faith that the living things on this continent holds in it, Ol’ President?”</p><p>“It likely hasn’t reached the point of deification yet.” Ol’ Amos shook his head lightly. “It has been more than 10,000 years since deities were last born in Heaven’s Vault Continent. The Tree of Life likely hasn’t deified yet!”</p><p>“Then what are you so worried about?” Meng Lei’s brows furrowed slightly in confusion.</p><p>“It may not have deified yet, but a half-deity status is not out of the question.” Ol’ Amos’ countenance turned grave as he said, “Although a half-deity isn’t an actual deity, they are still very powerful all the same.</p><p>“In the event that the Tree of Life has attained half-deification thanks to its endless source of faith, will you be able to fight against it?”</p><p>“That’s…”</p><p>Meng Lei was at a loss for words. A half-deity was an existence that was infinitely more powerful than even a limits-level Saint Domain. How would he possibly be a match for it?</p><p>“What should we do then, Ol’ President?” Meng Lei hastily asked.</p><p>“Don’t panic, and don’t fear!” Ol’ Amos mused aloud. “Whether the Tree of Life really is a half-deity or not is merely our conjecture. What you need to do now is to do your best to collect as much information as possible about the Tree of Life so that you can make a more accurate judgment. It’s only when you know your enemy and yourself inside out that you can survive all your battles.”</p><p>“I understand now!” Meng Lei nodded.</p><p>Then, he patted the Uni-Horned Rose Python under him and asked, “Clara, what do you know about the Tree of Life?”</p><p>“Sir…”</p><p>As Clara went into an endless narration. Meng Lei also gained a better understanding of the Tree of Life.</p><p>According to the Uni-Horned Rose Python, even though the Tree of Life was a tree, it was also unlike one at the same time. It had no fixed form or a fixed location.</p><p>It could appear at any corner of the continent and could also show up in any form. It was a tree, yet also not one at the same time.</p><p>As for what it specifically looked like, no one had ever seen it before.</p><p>The only thing one could be sure of was that every 100 years, the Tree of Life’s voice would sound in the minds of every living thing on the continent to inform them that the fruits were ripe. Apart from that, none of the living things knew anything else about the Tree of Life.</p><p>After hearing all that, Ol’ Amos immediately concluded, “The Tree of Life is definitely collecting the power of religious faith. The so-called fruits are merely its method of spreading faith.</p><p>“Most typical living things aren’t capable of collecting religious faith by their own initiative. Brat, you must take absolute care in everything you do from now on. If you discover anything amiss, run immediately!”</p><p>“Understood, Ol’ President!”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded heavily. A hint of gloom couldn’t help but form in his heart.</p><p>A divine tree whose strength was unfathomably deep was lurking in the Lost Continent, and all the living things on the continent were its worshippers.</p><p>But what was he currently doing?</p><p>He was hunting the divine tree’s worshippers!</p><p>Moreover, he wasn’t the only one doing so—the other 7,847 contestants were also hunting its worshippers.</p><p>Would the divine tree be agreeable to that?</p><p>It seemed like the answer was a negative one!</p><p>“Sending us here to hunt Magical Beasts when he hasn’t even gotten a handle on things on the continent—has His Majesty become a senile old dotard?”</p><p>In the following period of time, there was always a certain tension in Meng Lei’s mind. He didn’t dare to relax even the slightest, lest he came under the divine tree’s attack.</p><p>And yet!</p><p>As time went by, under Uni-Horned Rose Python’s guidance, four Saint Domain Magical Beasts perished in Meng Lei’s hands one after another.</p><p>In spite of that, the divine tree… didn’t make any move!</p><p>It was as if it had decided to just leave things unchecked.</p><p>Gradually, Meng Lei also relaxed. Since it didn’t intend to do anything about it, then he wasn’t going to stand on ceremony anymore.</p><p>At this point, Clara flew over to a basin and said, “Sir, that basin in front is Sacas the Multi-Armed Behemoth’s territory!”</p><p>“The Multi-Armed Behemoth?”</p><p>A look of confusion came over Meng Lei’s features.</p><p>He knew about the Behemoths—the Beast People Empire’s royal family was exactly the Behemoth race. Among the Behemoths, the Golden Behemoths were even existences comparable to Golden Colossal Dragons and Thunder Titans.</p><p>Apart from that, there were also two lower-end Behemoth species—the Silver Behemoths and the Bronze Behemoths.</p><p>…But what the heck was a Multi-Armed Behemoth?</p><p>“Little boy, you should read more when you have the time!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos snorted lightly and explained, “The Multi-Armed Behemoth is a mutated species among the Behemoths. Compared to regular Behemoths, they have four additional arms. Thus, they are also known as Six-Armed Behemoths.</p><p>“Behemoths are hailed as the kings of terrestrial battles. In terms of pure physical strength, even Dragons are no match for Behemoths.</p><p>“In addition, Behemoths have astonishingly high defense. Apart from first-class spells, they are immune to every other spell. In a wrestling match, Colossal Dragons are no match for Behemoths of the same grade.”</p><p>“Tsk, tsk! Impressive!”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but marvel. Ol’ Amos was a Fire Dragon Person, and on top of that, he was even one that possessed terrifying strength. Yet even someone like him admitted that Behemoths overpowered Colossal Dragons of the same grade!</p><p>From this, one could tell just how strong the Behemoths were.</p><p>Ol’ Amos warned, “As the Multi-Armed Behemoth has four more arms than regular Behemoths, they are even more skilled at grappling and, in turn, even harder to deal with than usual. You’d best take it easy later!”</p><p>“Got it!”</p><p>It didn’t take long before Meng Lei arrived at the basin. The basin resembled a sunken-in bowl and was lower than sea level by almost a thousand kilometers.</p><p>Within the basin was a stone forest of erect rock pillars. As far as the eye could see, the place was actually a densely packed stone forest. They looked just like bamboo shoots in the mountains!</p><p>Whew!</p><p>Whew!</p><p>It wasn’t long after they entered the stone forest when thundering snores reached their ears. At the same time, a terrifying, mighty pressure also spread toward them and pressed down on their nerves.</p><p>“Sir, that’s the Multi-Armed Behemoth!”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python’s voice trembled as it pointed at a massive grayish creature lying in the stone forest. It could hardly conceal the fear in its eyes.</p><p>Being a snake-type Magical Beast, it feared Magical Beasts whose forte was physical strength the most, let alone physical strength freaks like the Multi-Armed Behemoth that had even grown itself a few more arms. It was practically the bane of its existence.</p><p>“Wake it up,” Meng Lei ordered as he watched the massive creature in deep slumber intently.</p><p>“Y-yes, sir!”</p><p>With a woebegone expression, the Uni-Horned Rose Python flew over immediately. It had already been some time since it had started to follow Meng Lei around, so it understood his personality very well—should it dare refuse to go over, it would definitely end up with a tragic fate.</p><p>“Sacas, my old friend!”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python didn’t dare to go too near. It hollered at the top of its voice before it was even anywhere near it.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>Rudely awakened from its slumber, the Behemoth flew into a rage. “Who is it?! Who dares disturb Sacas’ beauty sleep? Are you tired of living?!”</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth was simply too loud. Its voice was as though the booming thunder. The resulting reverberations caused the surrounding stone forest to shake and sway as giant rocks fell and rolled off.</p><p>Even Meng Lei felt his ears, which were ringing from its voice, go numb. He couldn’t help but be astounded. “What the heck? It’s so loud!”</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth—which had gotten onto its feet from rage—was 50-meters-tall. A thick layer of gray fur covered its body from head to toe. The muscles hidden by its fur could only be described with one word—exaggerated!</p><p>It had the mouth of a hippopotamus and the legs of a lion; the back of a crocodile and the body of a gigantic ape; as well as… The claws of a sloth!</p><p>Hanging next to its knees were its six incredibly thick and muscular arms—there was no question as to how terrifyingly strong they were!</p><p>Added to this its razor-sharp, barb-like claws that extended as far as two-meters-long, the Multi-Armed Behemoth gave off a spine-chilling aura.</p><p><em>So, that’s the Multi-Armed Behemoth?</em></p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-167

Chapter 167 - Golden Giant, The Behemoth Submits

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 167 - Golden Giant, The Behemoth Submits</h1><p>Chapter 167: Golden Giant, The Behemoth Submits</p><p>“Who is it? Who dares disturb Sacas’ beauty sleep?!” The Multi-Armed Behemoth roared furiously.</p><p>Its voice was as though the dull booming of roiling thunder, its reverberations erupting in the sky and blasting people’s ears.</p><p>“S-Sacas, my… My old friend!”</p><p>In a terrible panic, the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s voice trembled as it stammered, “I… I’m here to visit you. H-how are you?”</p><p>“Die, you lowly worm!”</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth let out a ferocious roar. Then, without another word, it grabbed a gigantic ten-meters-long stalagmite and hurled it at the Uni-Horned Rose Python. It didn’t take Clara as a friend at all.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The stalagmite produced whizzing sounds as it hurtled through the air. It blasted straight toward Clara like an intercontinental missile, and the might it contained enough to blast an E-100[1] apart.</p><p>“Hiss, hiss!”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python received a huge shock. It fled hastily to the side, its long tail swishing about as it did so. The gigantic stalagmite whizzed past it by a hair’s breadth, and then it just so coincidentally had to crash toward Meng Lei.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>Meng Lei formed a sword with his fingers. With a light slash, a golden ray of sword glint flashed across the air and instantly sliced the gigantic stalagmite into two.</p><p>Roar!!</p><p>The rudely awakened Multi-Armed Behemoth was currently running berserk and in a terrible rage. It strode forward with its thick, muscular thighs and charged over barbarically.</p><p>“You lowly worm! I’m going to tear you into pieces!”</p><p>The ground shook and trembled as the stone forest swayed about, while huge rocks rolled and fell off as smoke and dust billowed.</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth, which was over 50-meters-tall, moved at breakneck speed. With just a few large steps, it had already crossed the several hundred-meter-long distance and charged right up to the Uni-Horned Rose Python. Then, its two-meters-long barbed claws grabbed forcefully at it.</p><p>“Hiss, hiss!”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python was scared witless.</p><p>“Clara, step back!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s voice rang out at this point.</p><p>“Yes, sir!”</p><p>His voice was no different from celestial music in the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s ears. As though it had been granted amnesty, the Uni-Horned Rose Python hastily dived behind Meng Lei, its tail swishing about in the air.</p><p>“The king of terrestrial battles? I’d like to have a taste or two of that!”</p><p>Meng Lei licked his lips. Rays of dazzling golden light shot out of him and instantly shrouded him within.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth’s razor-sharp claws slashed down at him. With a golden flash of light, he quietly appeared at a spot 100 meters away. At the same time, the Metal Elements within a few kilometers started to converge madly toward him.</p><p>As the golden light turned brighter and brighter, the ball of light also became bigger and bigger.</p><p>10 meters, 50 meters, 100 meters…</p><p>The golden ball of light emitted an infinite light. It was as though the sun hanging in the sky, brilliant as it shone upon the land.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>An arm radiating a dazzling golden shine reached out from the golden light. It was golden-yellow in color throughout and looked just as though it were crafted from gold. The golden veins on the arm bulged fiercely on the surface, and the muscles on it were solidly intertwined. It brimmed with explosive strength.</p><p>Then, it was followed by the second arm… The third… The fourth…</p><p>In the short span of a breath, the form of a 50-meters-tall golden giant with three heads and six arms and radiating a dazzling golden shine all over was revealed in the golden ball of light. Then, it landed on the ground with a loud crash.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>An incredibly sharp and raging aura erupted from the golden giant and spread outward, sweeping toward every direction. Several rays of golden light burst forth from it, instantly jabbing so many holes into the surrounding stalagmites and turning them into swiss cheese.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth let out an earth-shattering roar as it sprinted madly toward the golden giant. It was evident from those ferocious blood-red eyes that it intended to rip the golden giant into shreds.</p><p>“Good job making it here!” Meng Lei said as he laughed into the heavens. Then, he controlled the golden giant and dashed over, too.</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>When two enormous creatures as tall as buildings more than a dozen floors high ran at high speed, just how huge and earthshaking of a commotion would it cause?</p><p>The ground shook and trembled violently as if an earthquake had broken out. Large expanses of stalagmites fell off as the earth shook and mountains swayed.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>In the next moment, the Multi-Armed Behemoth and the golden giant collided hard with each other, producing a shockingly loud metallic clash.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth’s claws slashed a few deep fissures into the golden giant while the golden giant’s six fists landed on the Multi-Armed Behemoth at the same time.</p><p>Thud, thud, thud!</p><p>The two massive creatures retreated at the same time, pressing a few wide and deep enormous footprints into the ground as they did so. They even broke a few stalagmites along the way.</p><p>Their very first clash had concluded with a draw.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth, whose savagery had been triggered, charged over once more.</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>The basin was completely destroyed. Everywhere that the two giants passed by, all the solid stalagmites around them were as if they were made out of tofu, breaking with just a touch and being crushed with just a brush.</p><p>A good half of the stalagmites in the basin were already broken and in disorder in less than five minutes. The place looked as if a Category 12 typhoon had swept through it.</p><p>“Is he even human?”</p><p>As the one and only witness to the grappling match, the Uni-Horned Rose Python had long since been left flabbergasted and dumbstruck. It was astounded by the ferocity of the battle and even more so by Meng Lei’s choice of action.</p><p>It knew very well just how strong the Multi-Armed Behemoth was. On this continent lived hundreds, almost up to 1,000, of Saint Domain Magical Beasts, but those that really dared to get into a wrestling match with the Multi-Armed Behemoth didn’t even make up a handful.</p><p>That guy was the king of terrestrial battles and possessed Herculean strength. Wasn’t getting into a wrestling match with it tantamount to committing suicide? Were they tired of living?</p><p>Yet that was exactly what Meng Lei had done. To transform into a golden giant and fight the Multi-Armed Behemoth head-on, just how stubborn must he be?</p><p>However, the final outcome of the wrestling match was something completely outside of the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s expectations—Meng Lei had won!</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth… had collapsed!</p><p>Its body, which sported multiple wounds, was trembling lightly. It panted heavily and took large gulps of air, actually unable to even lift a finger.</p><p>On the other hand, the golden giant stood steadily where it was, the many cuts on its body healing rapidly. A few breaths later, it was restored to its original condition and looked as brand new as ever.</p><p>After a comparison of the two, the outcome was clear.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>A sharp sword appeared in the golden giant’s hand. As it held the sword against the Multi-Armed Behemoth’s throat, it said in a deep, rumbling voice, “Sacas, I’ve taken an interest in you! You have two choices now!</p><p>“The first is to have your head cut off by me and die by my sword! The second is to become my dog and pledge allegiance to me!”</p><p>The one currently speaking was naturally Meng Lei. He had initially planned to kill the Multi-Armed Behemoth, but after the fierce battle, Meng Lei now had a deep understanding of just how powerful and fearsome the Multi-Armed Behemoth was.</p><p>Ferocious and raging!</p><p>Immensely strong!</p><p>Massive combat strength!</p><p>To sum it up—violence! Incredible violence!</p><p>If he hadn’t been the one it was fighting, there was no way it would have lost. After all, the real reason for its collapse was exhaustion.</p><p>That’s right, utter exhaustion! If it weren’t because it had reached a point of utter exhaustion, in the end, it could definitely continue to fight on!</p><p>What? Its injuries?</p><p>They were just superficial wounds that didn’t get in the way at all!</p><p>It was a pity to kill a savage beast like that. Since that was the case, why not take it in instead and turn it into his second fighter?</p><p>“I’ll give you ten seconds to consider the offer!” Meng Lei’s voice was loud and sonorous as he said, “I want an answer in ten seconds!”</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth sank into a painful struggle. Its pride didn’t allow it to submit to others—it was a proud and arrogant Behemoth! A powerful Multi-Armed Behemoth!</p><p>How could it submit to others?</p><p>Yet, it was being presented with harsh reality.</p><p>If it didn’t submit… Then it would die!</p><p>“Submit?”</p><p>“Don’t submit?”</p><p>“Submit?”</p><p>“Don’t submit?”</p><p>“…”</p><p>“Time’s up!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s voice rang out once again. He asked, “So? What’s your decision?”</p><p>“I… I’ll submit!”</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth ultimately lowered its noble and elegant head.</p><p>“That’s a wise decision you’ve made!”</p><p>[1] Refers to the Panzerkampfwagen E-100, a German super-heavy tank design developed toward the end of World War II</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-168

Chapter 168 - Blazing Jealousy, As Vicious As A Viper

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 168 - Blazing Jealousy, As Vicious As A Viper</h1><p>Chapter 168: Blazing Jealousy, As Vicious As A Viper</p><p>“Hurry up!”</p><p>“There’s a huge commotion over there!”</p><p>“A fierce battle must be taking place!”</p><p>“It’s a great chance to cash in on others!”</p><p>“All of you, hurry up! Don’t let other bastards get there before we do…”</p><p>A few streams of light whizzed swiftly through the mountainous forest outside the basin. A few breaths later, they reached the basin’s periphery.</p><p>Gasp!</p><p>“The whole stone forest has actually turned into such a terrible state?”</p><p>“Just how fierce must the battle just now have been?”</p><p>The few of them exchanged a look. All of them could see the astonishment in one another’s eyes. Then, they looked at a blond young man among them.</p><p>“Carlos, what should we do now?”</p><p>“Are you sure you want to cash in on this?”</p><p>Carlos, the blond young man, was obviously the leader of the team. He didn’t answer his companions; instead, he looked toward the depths of the basin.</p><p>A brief moment later, his eyes widened, and he burst into laughter. “Yes! Why shouldn’t we? Fellows, we’ve struck gold this time!”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>His companions exchanged looks of confusion with one another.</p><p>“Don’t ask. We’ll talk again after we head over!”</p><p>An earth dragon automatically rose from underneath his feet and raced toward the depths of the basin with Carlos on its back. At the sight of this, all his companions also followed after him.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>The group moved at high speed. Soon, they arrived at the basin center, and then they saw something that terribly astounded them.</p><p>A 50-meters-tall enormous creature laid on its back in the stone forest. Riddled with wounds and covered in blood, it was barely breathing anymore. From the looks of it, it was on the brink of death.</p><p>“A B-Behemoth! That’s a Behemoth!”</p><p>“Oh my dragon god! It’s actually a Behemoth!”</p><p>Astounded, the few of them let out a series of exclamations.</p><p>“No! It’s not just any ordinary Behemoth!” Carlos swallowed hard as he said, “That’s a Saint Domain Multi-Armed Behemoth! Who was it that managed to pummel a Saint Domain Multi-Armed Behemoth into a pathetic state like that?”</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>For a moment there, everyone’s gazes practically landed at the same time on Meng Lei, who was opposite the Multi-Armed Behemoth.</p><p>Meng Lei laid on a huge rock; his complexion was as pale as a sheet. With blood at the corners of his lips, he was the very picture of someone heavily injured and on his deathbed after a fierce battle.</p><p>Evidently, his battle with the Multi-Armed Behemoth had worn both parties out.</p><p>“He’s the one that wounded the Multi-Armed Behemoth?”</p><p>“What kind of joke is that? It’s actually a little brat?”</p><p>“It doesn’t seem like there’s anyone else here, aside from the Multi-Armed Behemoth and him. Who else can it be, other than him?”</p><p>“Oh my dragon god, is he really the one?”</p><p>“Not only is a Saint Domain Multi-Armed Behemoth comparable to a Golden Colossal Dragon, but their terrestrial combat strength and wrestling abilities are even stronger than a Golden Colossal Dragon’s. Yet he can actually beat up the Multi-Armed Behemoth into that state?”</p><p>“Who’s that little brat? Do any of you know him?”</p><p>“No, I don’t!”</p><p>“Never seen him!”</p><p>“I know all the Empire-Affiliated Academy Contestants, but I’ve never seen that little brat! He’s obviously from the 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms!”</p><p>“There’s someone that strong from the 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms?”</p><p>Carlos, the blond young man, stared hard at Meng Lei as flames of jealousy blazed within him.</p><p>That little brat looked so young, yet he was strong enough to contend against the Multi-Armed Behemoth. Just how amazingly talented must he be!?</p><p>But what about him?</p><p>Born with a silver spoon, he had gone through the strictest education since he was young and enjoyed the highest grade cultivation resources. He was already past 29 years old, yet his cultivation hadn’t gone past pinnacle-level ninth-grade yet. He was only barely bordering on Saint Domain.</p><p>If he had to fight the Multi-Armed Behemoth head-on, it would practically be no different from sending him straight to his death.</p><p>Jealousy burned within Carlos. With a deep, dark look in his eyes, he ordered, “The few of you, kill that Behemoth. Leave that little brat to me!”</p><p>“No problem!”</p><p>“How exciting! This is my first time seeing a Multi-Armed Behemoth, not to mention killing one!”</p><p>“Oh my dragon god! To think I actually get to kill a Multi-Armed Behemoth that’s hailed as the king of terrestrial battles in my life! The blood in me is boiling uncontrollably!”</p><p>Unable to wait any further, the others rushed toward the Multi-Armed Behemoth while Carlos walked up to Meng Lei with a complex look in his eyes.</p><p>“Little brat! Although I don’t know who you are, I can imagine that in the kingdom or dukedom where you come from, you must be a genius basking in the limelight, idolized and embraced by countless people, right?”</p><p>“What are you trying to do?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s complexion was ghastly pale.</p><p>“Frankly speaking, I’m very envious of people with excellent talent like you. You can disregard background, resources, age, and without putting in any hard work, still possess strength far beyond others’ to bask in the limelight and be embraced by many.</p><p>“It’s just a shame that there are many things that one can’t get despite their envy!”</p><p>The corners of Carlos’ lips curled upward as he said, “I have a lot of strengths, but having the tolerance for people more outstanding than me isn’t one of them. In particular, amazingly talented monsters like you make me even crazier with jealousy!”</p><p>“Y-you… Don’t you dare!”</p><p>Meng Lei warned with a horrified and fearful expression, “The emperor has prohibited us from hunting and killing fellow contestants. Otherwise, they’ll be eliminated. You can’t kill me!”</p><p>“Kill you? Of course, I won’t do that!” Carlos gave him a chilly smile. “But I can destroy you! So that you’ll no longer have amazing talent and turn into a total cripple!”</p><p>As he spoke, he took out a test tube filled with red liquid from his spatial ring. The content looked like blood! Scarlet, demoniac blood!</p><p>“This tube of blood is filled with Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches. Do you know what Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches are?”</p><p>Carlos gave the test tube in his hand a couple of shakes as he went on. “They are a type of exotic parasitic poisonous worm that lives in humans or Magical Beasts’ blood. They specialize in devouring Battle Aura, magic power, and spiritual power!</p><p>“Once Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches make their way into someone’s body, even Saint Domain experts can forget about ever getting rid of them!</p><p>“The only thing they can do is to watch helplessly as the Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches devour their spiritual power, magic power, and Battle Aura bit by bit until everything’s gone! And perish in the end!”</p><p>A smiling Carlos added, “Before the competition started, I had specially gotten the Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches ready for the sole purpose of dealing with strong and talented monsters like you. If I could, I would like to kill all of you! And you… You’re just the first one I’m starting with!”</p><p>After he spoke, Carlos popped off the cork and prepared to pour the blood infused with Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches onto Meng Lei.</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t keep his act at this point. With a flip, he got up and caught Carlos’ arm with his own. Then, he snatched the test tube from him.</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>Carlos was stunned.</p><p>“You’re too goddamn disgusting!” Meng Lei had a dark look on his countenance as he said, “Not only are you robbing me of my battle spoils, but you’re even intending to destroy me with something so malicious! What a goddamn pervert!”</p><p>Then, Meng Lei slammed his fist into Carlos’ abdomen, almost beating his dinner from the previous night out of him.</p><p>“You loser, I’ll leave you to have a taste of this thing here yourself!”</p><p>With a casual grab, pour, and close, Meng Lei poured all the blood in the test tube into Carlos’ mouth.</p><p>Then, he broke Carlos’ jaw into pieces with a flying kick so that he wouldn’t even have the chance to throw up the Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches!</p><p>“Ughh~”</p><p>Carlos fell onto the ground and began to whimper and scream as he held his stomach. Anxious, in pain, and terrified, he had totally broken down.</p><p>Elsewhere, the few preparing to kill the Multi-Armed Behemoth turned around upon hearing the commotion, their countenances full of horror.</p><p>“Carlos!”</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>“Birds of a feather flock together! None of you is anyone decent!”</p><p>Meng Lei snorted coldly. Then, with a flick of his fingers, several golden rays shot out and instantly slashed across their knees.</p><p>With a neat and organized soft thud, the few of them fell onto the ground—their upper bodies, that was. From the knee down, they were still standing…</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-169

Chapter 169 - Harsh Competition, I Don'T Hit Women

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 169 - Harsh Competition, I Don'T Hit Women</h1><p>Chapter 169: Harsh Competition, I Don’t Hit Women</p><p>Seated atop the Multi-Armed Behemoth’s shoulder, Meng Lei headed to the next Saint Domain Magical Beast’s territory while taking an inventory of his rewards from earlier.</p><p>“Three Saint Domain magic cores, 76 ninth-grade magic cores, and innumerable magic cores of other grades… They already have these many magic cores when it hasn’t even been half a day?”</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t think that Carlos and the others had gotten these through hunting. The only possibility was that they had also robbed other contestants, just like how they had intended to rob him. That was the only way they could collect that many magic cores in half a day’s time.</p><p>Meng Lei remarked with a sigh, “Robbing others, fighting, maiming, and injuring others at the drop of a hat—this exchange competition sure is rather brutal.”</p><p>“The exchange competition is a very brutal one from the start.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ voice rang out as he said, “The strong are vicious and heartless while the weak group together for solidarity.</p><p>“For victory, contestants resort to unscrupulous means like ambushing others from the back, making use of others, and other schemes and conspiracies… It’s impossible to guard against them all.</p><p>“Rather than an exchange competition, one might as well just call it a slaughterfest. Numerous contestants die in the competition every time it’s held. If not for the fact that you’re strong enough, you’d have died from others’ schemes a long time ago!”</p><p>“Perhaps, I guess.” Meng Lei chuckled in response to his words.</p><p>“This is especially true when you’re traveling around with two Saint Domain Magical Beasts now. It’s too eye-catching,” Ol’ Amos kindly warned him, “Take it easy. Be careful you don’t slip up in unexpected places.”</p><p>He had only just spoken when Ol’ Amos suddenly laughed. “See? What did I just tell you? Let’s see how you’re gonna deal with it this time!”</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>With an eyebrow raised, Meng Lei’s spiritual power swept across the area—in the bushes a few kilometers away, a teenage girl laid in a pool of blood…</p><p>“What’s that supposed to be? A honey trap?” Meng Lei shook his head lightly. Then, he instructed, “Stay here and wait for me, Sacas and Clara!”</p><p>“Yes, Boss!”</p><p>Meng Lei soared into the air. Soon, he arrived right in front of the girl.</p><p>“H-help…”</p><p>Upon discovering Meng Lei’s presence, the weak and delicate girl acted as though she had just seen her savior, calling out as loud as she could in a hoarse voice.</p><p>The magic robe on the girl—probably a Magician—was torn and tattered, exposing large patches of snowy-white skin.</p><p>There was blood on the corners of her lips, as well as on her body… Or rather, all over her body, especially because a spear had pierced through her thigh, pinning her to the ground such that she could barely move.</p><p>“I… I’ve been attacked!”</p><p>The girl’s pretty face was pale as she said, “They robbed me of all my magic cores and even injured me. I can’t move anymore, can you help me?”</p><p>“Of course!”</p><p>Meng Lei repeatedly nodded upon hearing the girl’s explanation, the total picture of a loser begging to please.</p><p>“Can you extricate the spear on my thigh for me?”</p><p>She looked charmingly pitiful with a pleading look all over her face.</p><p>“No problem!”</p><p>Meng Lei walked forward and grabbed hold of the spear. Unexpectedly, the spear in his hand abruptly morphed into a small blood-red snake at this point. It opened its mouth and bit down directly on Meng Lei’s hand at once.</p><p>“Ahhh!”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a cry and shook the small blood-red snake off forcefully. Then, he staggered backward while he held his bitten right hand.</p><p>“Hehe!”</p><p>At the sight of this, the frail and delicate teenage girl immediately broke into giggles. Her crisp and melodious giggles were exceptionally clear in the quiet and tranquil forest, and she looked like a completely different person compared to her previous pitiful state.</p><p>“Y-you… tricked me?”</p><p>His complexion deathly pale, Meng Lei’s eyes bore furiously into the girl!</p><p>There was no hint of her previous wretched appearance to the girl anymore at this point. The blood on her had mysteriously disappeared, and even her torn and tattered magic robe had been restored to a spanking new condition. The blood-red little snake had slithered onto her arm as well.</p><p>“Tricked you? You can only blame your own stupidity!” The girl stroked the blood-red little snake as she giggled. “Everyone employs their own means in the exchange competition and will stop at nothing to get what they want. Fools like you can’t even get past the first day at all!”</p><p>As she spoke, her gaze also fell on Meng Lei’s spatial ring. A smile appeared on her countenance at once, and she said in a girlish voice, “Give that to me!”</p><p>“I got these magic cores through my own painstaking hunting efforts! How can I give them to you?” said Meng Lei, who had an indignant and grieving look on his face and looked as if he’d rather die than give in.</p><p>“You won’t give them to me? You can just die, then!”</p><p>At once, the girl’s expression changed and turned into one of cruel tyranny. She said, “Do you know what kind of snake this is? It’s a Bloodscale Blazing-Sun Snake! It’s incredibly poisonous, and once it bites you, even a Saint Domain will be left paralyzed for half a day, let alone someone like you.”</p><p>“You… How can you be so vicious?”</p><p>Terribly shocked and fearful, blood drained from Meng Lei’s face at once.</p><p>“Cut the crap! If you don’t wish to die, hand over your spatial ring immediately, and I’ll give you the antidote. Otherwise, you can just wait to turn into a puddle of pus and die!”</p><p>The girl spoke fiercely and viciously.</p><p>“You—”</p><p>After a brief moment of hesitation, a deathly pale Meng Lei ultimately still chose to remove his spatial ring. He threw it over to the girl, who received it in satisfaction and upon which, began to check the contents.</p><p>The moment she did, she turned livid. “Five first-grade magic cores? These are the magic cores that you ‘got through your painstaking hunting efforts’? Are you f*cking kidding me?”</p><p>Meng Lei said with an awful look on his face, “What? You don’t believe me?”</p><p>“So you’re just a bloody pauper! What a waste of my time!”</p><p>The girl glared viciously at Meng Lei. That look in her eyes was as if she wished she could eat him alive. Then, she turned and left.</p><p>Meng Lei hastily shouted, “Hey! Where’s the antidote?”</p><p>“You can just die, you goddamn pauper!” spat the girl coldly. Then, she left without even so much as a look behind her.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>A light breeze blew past, and then Meng Lei floated over to her.</p><p>“You—”</p><p>Terribly shocked, the girl stared at Meng Lei, who had suddenly shown up in front of her, in disbelief.</p><p>“Little miss, you robbed me earlier. It’s my turn to rob you now!”</p><p>A total change from his pathetic state just a moment ago, Meng Lei currently had a cheeky smile all over his face.</p><p>“You’re not poisoned!”</p><p>The girl reacted very quickly, retreating with a burst of speed. When she had retreated to a safe distance away, she glared furiously at Meng Lei as she said, “How dare you trick me? Are you tir—”</p><p>Bam!</p><p>Before she could even finish, Meng Lei’s foot had already appeared. His foot hit the girl on her face squarely, sending her flying.</p><p>“Don’t you know how to choose your words properly? Did I trick you?” Meng Lei snorted and replied, “What I did is something known as beating you at your own game, get it?”</p><p>“You bastard! I’m gonna kill you!”</p><p>Thoroughly embarrassed and furious, the girl leaped forcefully off the ground and began to launch a series of attacks as if she had gone mad. Amidst wheezing attacks, the woods and trees around them seemed to come to life.</p><p>Numerous vines morphed into poisonous snakes and pythons that surrounded Meng Lei from all directions. Then, they shot toward him altogether.</p><p>“Playing with wood-elemental magic in front of me? You think too highly of yourself!”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a contemptuous scoff of laughter, and then with a point of his finger… Several whitish air currents burst forth and shot toward the large numbers of poisonous snakes and pythons hurtling toward him.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>Crack!</p><p>Upon coming into contact with the whitish air currents, a layer of white ice crystals wrapped around all the poisonous snakes and pythons, freezing them on the spot.</p><p>A few moments later, all the snakes and pythons turned into vivid, life-like ice sculptures, still and motionless.</p><p>“Break!” Meng Lei commanded.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>Instantly, all the ice sculptures broke into pieces and turned into ice chips that rained down onto the ground, producing crisp and clear clatters as they did so.</p><p>“This…”</p><p>Alarm interspersed with horror took over the girl. She hastily began to chant a magic incantation, intending to cast an even more powerful spell.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Meng Lei appeared quietly in front of her.</p><p>“I’m a kind, thoughtful, and gentle man. I’ve never been one to hit women, so you don’t need to worry about that.” Meng Lei gave her a warm and mild smile as he went on. “But I’d like very much to have a taste of what it feels like to hit one now. Are you ready?”</p><p>And then…</p><p>Smack, smack, smack!</p><p>Bam, bam, bam!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-170

Chapter 170 - Betraying Boss? A Chaotic Battle At The Cliff

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 170 - Betraying Boss? A Chaotic Battle At The Cliff</h1><p>Chapter 170: Betraying Boss? A Chaotic Battle At The Cliff</p><p>“One Saint Domain magic core, 38 ninth-grade magic cores, and innumerable magic cores of other grades. For a woman that’s even operating solo to collect these many magic cores in just a short half a day, just how many unlucky bastards has she tricked?”</p><p>Meng Lei was infinitely filled with emotion as he sighed. “What a moral-less world we live in now. People are no longer what they used to be. There aren’t many kind and upright contestants like me anymore!”</p><p>“Yeah, right!”</p><p>The corners of Ol’ Amos’ lips were spasming as he scoffed. “If you’re that kind and upright, then why were you playing possum to rob Carlos and gang? If you’re that kind and upright, then why did you treat a young lady that way?</p><p>“No offense, but you’re simply too heartless and have absolutely no idea how to treat a woman. You actually beat up a proper young lady like that to the point that she was unrecognizable. How is she supposed to face others in the future?”</p><p>“Hahaha! I did it for her own good!” Meng Lei burst into laughter. “Given her current level of strength, she’s not going to be able to go far. Rather than becoming destroyed by perverts like Carlos, she might as well just withdraw from the competition while it’s still early.”</p><p>“Then why did you rob her of her spatial rings? And all three at that?” Ol’ Amos side-eyed him.</p><p>Meng Lei was full of righteousness and justice as he replied, “It’s also for her own good! Lest she becomes the target of someone else’s greed!”</p><p>“As if I’m gonna believe you! I know you’re a terribly sly one!” Ol’ Amos snorted lightly as he went on. “But on the contrary, I’m relieved now. Seeing as to how you’re so sly and cunning, other contestants can only lament their misfortune if they run into you!”</p><p>The two of them chatted idly on and off. As the warm, comfortable sunlight shone onto him, Meng Lei suddenly felt rather drowsy, and he said to the Multi-Armed Behemoth and Uni-Horned Rose Python, “The two of you, continue moving forward while I nap a little.”</p><p>“Yes, Boss!”</p><p>“Yes, sir!”</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth’s shoulder was very broad and full of densely-packed long fur. Meng Lei made a nest for himself, and then, he fell asleep comfortably.</p><p>Before long, the sound of snoring rang out.</p><p>At the sight of Meng Lei entering deep sleep, the Uni-Horned Rose Python went up to the Multi-Armed Behemoth. Then, it lowered its voice and called out, “Sacas!”</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth cast a glance at the Uni-Horned Rose Python.</p><p>“He’s fallen asleep. Should we…”</p><p>Then, the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s lips formed the words “slip away”!</p><p>“You’re thinking of betraying Boss?”</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth’s voice suddenly raised in volume as flames of fury surged in his eyes. “Clara, snakes like you have no honor to speak of at all indeed!”</p><p>His volume almost frightened the Uni-Horned Rose Python into a heart attack. “Lower your volume! Lower your volume, big bro! I’m begging you…”</p><p>“Hmph!”</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth let out a muffled snort.</p><p>“I was forced to come along with him against my will. I have neither pledged allegiance to him nor entered a contract with him; from whence does the talk of betrayal come?”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python lowered its voice and went on. “We’re Saint Domain Magical Beasts. We’re creatures that stand at the apex of the continent’s pyramid of lifeforms, the rulers among Magical Beasts! We should be living freely and unfettered without anything holding us back, rather than being his slaves and mounts like what we’re doing now!”</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth sank into silence at Clara’s words.</p><p>Thinking that it had convinced the Multi-Armed Behemoth, the Uni-Horned Rose Python began to speak with even more enthusiasm. “You should know that once Saint Domain Magical Beasts like us fall asleep, we’ll need a very long time before we can wake up. He’s already fallen asleep. Now’s our best chance to escape!</p><p>“Let’s escape together. And soar as freely as the birds do in the sky and swim as freely as the fishes do in the ocean. Why should we follow him and let him boss us around?”</p><p>“You can leave if you want to. I’m not leaving!” The Multi-Armed Behemoth resolutely turned down the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s bewitchment. “Since I’ve been defeated by him and already pledged to submit, then I will never go against my words. The proud and lofty Behemoths always honor their promises!”</p><p>“Sacas, you…” The Uni-Horned Rose Python was infuriated. “You’re a Multi-Armed Behemoth, you know! The king of terrestrial battles on par with a Golden Behemoth! Are you really willing to be bossed around by—”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python was in the midst of speaking when it suddenly froze. Then, with much difficulty, it slowly turned around, only to be greeted by the sight of Meng Lei, who was currently watching it with a broad smile on his face.</p><p>“S-sir… I… I…”</p><p>At once, a huge jolt went through the Uni-Horned Rose Python, and a smile that looked even more awful than a crying face appeared on its countenance.</p><p>“Thinking of leaving?” Meng Lei raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“No, no, no! I’m not!”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python shook its head incessantly. “I’m willing to be Sir’s follower forever until the oceans are barren and the forests wilt—”</p><p>“You can leave if you want to.” Meng Lei said calmly, “Now that I have Sacas to bring me around, you’re just an extra around here. If you want to leave, I won’t stop you.”</p><p>The Uni-Horned Rose Python was rather stunned. “S-sir, are you being serious? You’re really willing to let me go?”</p><p>“Hurry up and get lost if you want to.” Meng Lei waved it away impatiently. “Sacas, speed up!”</p><p>“Yes, Boss!”</p><p>With a sound of acknowledgment, the Multi-Armed Behemoth put in a burst of speed, and then it flew a few hundred meters away instantly, leaving behind the dazed Uni-Horned Rose Python.</p><p>“I… I’m free? I’m free! I’m finally free! Haha, I’m f— Ugh!”</p><p>A golden ray suddenly appeared and instantly sliced the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s throat. A bloody line quietly appeared, and then its head gradually left its body.</p><p>…</p><p>“You didn’t let it off, after all.” Ol’ Amos shook his head lightly. “I knew it! How could you possibly be that kind-hearted?”</p><p>“Even if I didn’t kill it, someone else would.” Meng Lei smiled lightly as he said, “With its strength, it’s not going to survive for long. If that’s the case, then I might as well kill it.”</p><p>“What a fool!” Ol’ Amos sighed. “The continent is a perilous place right now. Contestants are hunting Magical Beasts everywhere.</p><p>“Saint Domain Magical Beasts, in particular, are even luscious pieces of meat that all the contestants are fighting for. It’s still somewhat safe if it follows you around, but leaving? Only death awaits it, then!”</p><p>“Who can stop it from seeking death if that’s what it wants?”</p><p>Then, Meng Lei shut his eyes and continued to sleep.</p><p>Half an hour later, they arrived at the front of a cliff. The cliff rose a thousand feet sheer and stood tall and straight—it looked extremely dangerous.</p><p>The top of the cliff was riddled with densely-packed, beehive-like holes. They came in a variety of sizes—big, small, wide, narrow…</p><p>It was just that the place was currently extremely lively.</p><p>50 to 60 contestants had actually been drawn to the area, and they were currently fervently attacking a bird-type Magical Beast that was a snowy-white color throughout.</p><p>With the body of an albatross, the mouth of a crocodile, and the claws of a hawk, its wingspan was over 20 to 30 meters wide and covered in white feathers.</p><p>It was the social Magical Beast, the Crocohawk Albatross!</p><p>As a Wind-Elemental Magical Beast, the Crocohawk Albatross was relatively strong. Most of them were Seventh-Grade Magical Beasts, with a handful being eighth-grade. The outstanding ones reached ninth-grade while their king was a Saint Domain Magical Beast.</p><p>Given such strength and terrifying numbers, no wonder those social Magical Beasts could attract that many contestants.</p><p>“Kill!”</p><p>“Kill them all!”</p><p>“Protect the Magicians!”</p><p>“Hurry! Don’t let them take everything!”</p><p>All the contestants saw red from bloodthirstiness as they hunted the Crocohawk Albatrosses in an almost insane manner. Despite their sheer numbers, the Crocohawk Albatrosses couldn’t do anything about them at all.</p><p>Not only did every contestant possess the strength of a ninth-grade expert, but the vast majority of them were even Dragon People. They could be said to be double cultivators of magic and martial arts; how could the Crocohawk Albatrosses possibly be their match?</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Bam, bam, bam!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Densely packed wind blades!</p><p>Blazing fire dragons!</p><p>Thunderstorms of astonishing might!</p><p>Tornadoes that engulfed all!</p><p>Churning and surging ocean waves!</p><p>Vines covering every expanse of land!</p><p>Booming explosions and animal cries!</p><p>Sounds of collisions and furious shouts!</p><p>“The battle sure is fierce. This is much more exciting than even Hollywood visual effect blockbusters!” Meng Lei couldn’t help but sigh emotionally. “But I can’t just watch from a safe distance and cash in on the situation. I have to act, too!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-171

Chapter 171 - Barbarossa Says, "These Magic Cores Are Mine"

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 171 - Barbarossa Says, "These Magic Cores Are Mine"</h1><p>Chapter 171: Barbarossa Says, “These Magic Cores Are Mine”</p><p>“Sacas, hide here while I go over.”</p><p>Then, Meng Lei turned into a stream of light and flew into the battleground.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Several ice blades launched forcefully toward the Crocohawk Albatrosses in the sky. Ice blades were just low-grade spells, but in Meng Lei’s hands, they held astonishing might.</p><p>Splurt! Splurt!</p><p>Amid soft, continual sounds, the ice blades impaled the Crocohawk Albatrosses’ heads one by one with utmost accuracy, reaping their lives.</p><p>On top of that, Meng Lei was also rather sly and crafty—he went exclusively for the stronger Crocohawk Albatrosses like the eighth-grade and ninth-grade ones; he was above hunting the weaker ones.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Crocohawk Albatross killed. 9,000,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Physical Body Constitution +1,987!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Crocohawk Albatross killed. 6,790,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Magic Power +498!”</p><p>“Ding…”</p><p>As Meng Lei listened to the system’s cold and emotionless voice notifications, he felt as if he was listening to celestial music. While humming The Most Dazzling Folk Style[1], he also released ice blades to the beat.</p><p>“The boundless horizon is my love!</p><p>“At the foot of the stretching mountains the flowers bloom!</p><p>“What kind of rhythm is the most…”</p><p>His movements were leisurely and carefree as if taking a stroll in the park.</p><p>It was just a shame that the battle was simply too chaotic, so even a ferocious tiger like Meng Lei had become completely inconspicuous among the dogs. He didn’t catch anyone’s attention at all.</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>The massacre continued without even a moment’s pause, and large numbers of Crocohawk Albatrosses perished at their hands. At last, their actions finally enraged the Crocohawk Albatross King.</p><p>Screeeech!</p><p>A sharp and crisp, loud and resounding cry that could almost shatter someone’s eardrums suddenly rang out. Then, a massive Crocohawk Albatross with a golden crown on its head and a wingspan of over 100-meters-wide shot out of a cave.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Countless wind blades shot down everywhere!</p><p>“The Crocohawk Albatross King!”</p><p>“It’s the Crocohawk Albatross King! Be careful, everyone!”</p><p>“The Crocohawk Albatross is a Saint Domain Magical Beast! Let’s work together to slay that beast! We can discuss how to split the spoils thereafter! What say everyone to that?”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>“That’s the only choice we have! We mustn’t be negligent and careless when up against a Saint Domain Magical Beast!”</p><p>“Attack!”</p><p>Apart from a minority of lone rangers like Meng Lei, all the other 50 to 60 contestants were obviously split into quite a few teams. After a bit of discussion, all of them made their decisions.</p><p>Then, they charged toward the Crocohawk Albatross King together.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The Dragon People Warriors flapped their wings and soared into the sky, while the Magicians chanted magic incantations and cast high-grade spells.</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>Overwhelming attacks engulfed the Crocohawk Albatross King!</p><p>At the same time, a dazzling golden light also flew toward it with the other attacks. Hidden among the rest of the attacks, it cut across the Crocohawk Albatross King’s head!</p><p>“Ding! 1 Crocohawk Albatross King killed. 11,000,000 gold coins gained!”</p><p>Squawk!</p><p>The Crocohawk Albatross King froze in mid-air. Its wings that were capable of blotting out the whole sky also became weak and powerless at this moment. Then, its head went limp, and it crashed toward the ground with a deafening boom before its movements ceased completely in the end.</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>“It died just like that?”</p><p>“Were our attacks so sharp and powerful that we could even straight up kill a Saint Domain Magical Beast?”</p><p>The contestants looked absolutely stupefied. However, their reactions were in no way slow—all of them flew toward the Crocohawk Albatross King at lightning-fast speed!</p><p>“The magic core is mine! Don’t any of you dare fight me for it!”</p><p>“No, it’s mine!”</p><p>All the contestants’ eyes had turned red from agitation.</p><p>However, a sudden turn of events occurred at this point.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The sharp whiz of something shooting through the air rang out. By the time a golden ray of light flashed past the contestants, someone had already appeared in front of the Crocohawk Albatross King.</p><p>A head of dazzling golden-blond hair!</p><p>A suit of golden armor!</p><p>A pair of golden horns on the forehead!</p><p>A huge golden sword underneath his feet!</p><p>He was suave and handsome, domineering, and outstanding!</p><p>He gave off an incredibly noble and elegant air, every action of his exhibiting a gentleman’s grace!</p><p>A coexistence of dominance and elegance, he was someone who had both looks and power!</p><p>“Barbarossa!”</p><p>“It’s Prince Barbarossa!”</p><p>All the contestants froze on the spot, none of them daring to take another step forward.</p><p>Without any hint of emotion on his countenance, Barbarossa’s golden eyes swept across the place as he uttered lightly, “This Saint Domain magic core is mine!”</p><p>Then, without paying any heed to the others anymore, he turned and flew toward the Crocohawk Albatross King.</p><p>“This…”</p><p>All the contestants looked at one another. Despite being incredibly frustrated, none of them dared to step forward to stop Barbarossa.</p><p>Prince Barbarossa’s terrifying strength aside, his identity alone was already enough to stop them from acting rashly.</p><p>Not only did he possess terrifying strength that placed him at 148th place in the Genius Ranking, but he also had a powerful identity—someone destined for the throne!</p><p>Who would go against him just for a mere Saint Domain magic core?</p><p><em>Forget it, forget it!</em></p><p><em>I can’t afford to offend him! Nope, not at all!</em></p><p>Countless miles away, while all of this was happening, everything that had taken place had also coincidentally entered the sight of the emperor and the others.</p><p>It actually wasn’t quite appropriate to say that it was “coincidental”, though.</p><p>The chaotic battle at the cliff had simply been too intense. It had attracted Frederick the 32nd’s attention a long time ago, so he had specially gotten someone to switch the display to the area.</p><p>Barbarossa showing up was purely coincidental and not some kind of special attention on him.</p><p>However, at the sight of Prince Barbarossa’s actions, ingratiating compliments rang out one after another, and there was no pause to the praises lauding his actions.</p><p>“He killed the Saint Domain Crocohawk Albatross King with just a swing of his sword!”</p><p>“He easily scared off 50 to 60 contestants with just a simple word or two!”</p><p>“Is that the might of Prince Barbarossa?”</p><p>“As expected of Prince Barbarossa!”</p><p>“The empire is so blessed to have him…”</p><p>Upon his subjects’ praises and compliments, Frederick the 32nd only gave a noncommittal smile. Then, he got ready to get someone to switch the display to other contestants.</p><p>However, something unexpected occurred at that point.</p><p>“Where did you come from? How dare you steal my magic core?”</p><p>A bright and placid voice suddenly rang out. At the silent cliff, it sounded especially crisp and clear.</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>All the contestants froze at once and looked at the owner of the voice in disbelief.</p><p>Prince Barbarossa, who had just flown over to the Crocohawk Albatross King and was about to gouge out its magic core, also paused slightly.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>50 to 60 pairs of eyes simultaneously landed on Meng Lei. The gazes of tens of thousands of people at the Dragon God Cathedral also fell onto him.</p><p>“Who’s that?”</p><p>“Who’s he?”</p><p>“Where did that little brat come from?”</p><p>“Is he out of his mind?”</p><p>“Even someone the likes of him dares to stand in Prince Barbarossa’s way?”</p><p>“What a fool…”</p><p>As the contestants stared at Meng Lei, all of them were rendered speechless. They had been wondering what kind of hotshot it could be, but little did they expect that it was just an egotistical, ignorant little brat.</p><p>At the same time, silence also reigned in the Dragon God Cathedral.</p><p>With surprise written all over their faces, the emperor, princes, princesses, Saint Domain experts, and high-ranking officials and nobles—all of them were watching the young teenager on the magic screen.</p><p>“That boy…”</p><p>President Fred and the Fighting Dragon Academy president could only chuckle wryly. “I just knew that this would happen, except I didn’t expect it to be so soon…”</p><p>“That kid is too hot-headed. Doesn’t he know that he’s up against Prince Barbarossa this time?! Even if we disregard his status, just his strength alone is already…”</p><p>The Fighting Dragon Academy president shook his head lightly, his countenance grave.</p><p>President Fred nodded silently in response, feeling somewhat nervous.</p><p>“This magic core is mine. Do you have a problem with that?”</p><p>An aloof Barbarossa cast a glance at Meng Lei.</p><p>“Is it yours just because you say so? Who do you think you are?”</p><p>Meng Lei burst into laughter at once. “If I say that the spatial ring you’re wearing and that golden sword underneath your feet are mine, would you give them to me?”</p><p>“Die!!”</p><p>Barbarossa’s eyes narrowed slightly…</p><p>[1] A popular Chinese square dance song by folk song duo Phoenix Legend</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-172

Chapter 172 - Beating Up A Prince, A Colossal Dragon'S True Form

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 172 - Beating Up A Prince, A Colossal Dragon'S True Form</h1><p>Chapter 172: Beating Up A Prince, A Colossal Dragon’s True Form</p><p>“Die!”</p><p>Barbarossa’s eyes narrowed slightly. His eyes flashed gold, and then a golden sword beam burst forth from his eyes and cleaved toward Meng Lei at lightning-quick speed. In a mere instant, it had already reached him.</p><p>“Insignificant tricks.”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head and chuckled lightly. He easily evaded the golden sword beam with a slight dodge. After that, he turned up bizarrely right in front of Barbarossa with a flash of his feet, and then he rammed his knee upward forcefully.</p><p>Bam!</p><p>Meng Lei’s knee landed squarely against Barbarossa’s abdomen with a dull bam. A great force broke out upon impact, and Barbarossa was sent flying right out.</p><p>Thud!</p><p>Meng Lei went on his toes and easily caught Barbarossa’s golden sword. “Yeap, this has a good weight to it. It seems like it’s crafted from pure gold, so I can probably sell it for quite a pretty sum?”</p><p>The lip corners of all the contestants present and the Dragon God Cathedral spectators spasmed when they heard what he said, and expletives filled their minds!</p><p>That was Prince Barbarossa’s weapon! Not only was the sword meant for the royalty’s exclusive use, but it was also an invaluable Saint Domain-level magic weapon. How others wished they could snatch it for their private collection! Yet he was actually thinking of selling it?</p><p>What a heartless and insensitive fellow he was!</p><p>“That little rascal!”</p><p>President Fred’s countenance darkened, and he glanced carefully at Frederick the 32nd. Contrary to his expectations, however, not only was His Majesty the Emperor not angry, but he was even watching Meng Lei with great interest as if he had just discovered a whole new world!</p><p>At the sight of that, Fred secretly heaved a sigh of relief.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Prince Barbarossa had erupted. Like blazing golden flames, a dazzling golden light burst forth from all around him.</p><p>“Eh? Has he transformed into a Super Saiyan?”</p><p>A huge jolt went through Meng Lei as he wondered to himself, “Is it the first or second form of Super Saiyan mode? Surely it can’t be the third form? His hair isn’t that long…”</p><p>At the same time, a horrifying wave of surging, torrential aura also erupted from Barbarossa.</p><p>“You cheap piece of trash, you deserve death for that!”</p><p>Barbarossa’s icy-cold eyes brimmed with overflowing murderous intent. The Metal Elements within a few kilometers of where they were converged madly toward him, and in a mere instant, they had already formed into innumerable golden spears!</p><p>“Die!”</p><p>With a low roar from Barbarossa, thousands upon thousands of golden spears instantly shot toward Meng Lei upon command. Amid sharp, shrill whizzes, it was as if even the sky had been slashed open. The swords’ might was incredibly horrifying!</p><p>“Retreat!”</p><p>“Hurry and retreat!”</p><p>At the sight of this, the contestants’ countenances changed dramatically, and they hastily fled into the distance. The mid-level Saint Domain Prince Barbarossa’s raging attacks weren’t something that they could bear at close range.</p><p>Should something go wrong and they end up as collateral damage, their deaths would only be for naught!.</p><p>“He’s enraged Prince Barbarossa!”</p><p>“That bastard! He’ll know very soon just how foolish his actions were!”</p><p>“Prince Barbarossa’s fury isn’t something he can bear…”</p><p>At the Dragon God Cathedral, many officials and nobles’ blood was boiling with passion, their eyes brimming with excitement. President Fred and the others were the only ones whose hearts were practically in their mouths, nervous and uneasy.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Amidst sharp, shrill whizzes, it took only 1/10th of a second for the thousands upon thousands of golden spears to reach Meng Lei.</p><p>That terrifying momentum and sharp, piercing golden light of theirs were as though they wanted to jab Meng Lei into swiss cheese and nail him down onto the ground. Only then would Barbarossa’s fury be fully vented.</p><p>“Ninth-Grade Metal-Elemental Dragon-Language Magic, Heavens-Locking Golden Spears?”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head lightly. “While it certainly possesses terrifying might, and he’s also fast enough in his spellcasting, it’s just a shame that it won’t work on me.”</p><p>Meng Lei’s calm and passive voice was still echoing in the surroundings when he instantly transformed into several golden rays of light and disappeared from where he was.</p><p>All the Heavens-Locking Golden Spears whizzed through the air, piercing through him before becoming embedded into the ground.</p><p>“Is he dead?”</p><p>“Has he been pierced to death?”</p><p>Everyone’s eyes widened as they watched.</p><p>The smoke and dust gradually dispersed to reveal the hole-riddled, beehive-like ground. However, Meng Lei had already disappeared from sight. He didn’t leave behind even a trace of his existence.</p><p>Taken aback, someone asked, “Is he dead?”</p><p>“No, he isn’t! He’s right there!”</p><p>Everyone raised their heads at the person’s response and looked up to see a massive fire shield that spanned as wide as 100 meters in the sky. White-hot flames blazed as nine fire dragons circled around it.</p><p>Their gigantic wings blotted out the sky as they roared furiously into the sky.</p><p>The next moment, while carrying a terrifying heat capable of burning everything to the ground, the gigantic fire shield plummeted from the sky. Barbarossa was only in time to dash a few steps out when it enveloped him.</p><p>“Contract!” Meng Lei commanded.</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>Upon command, the gigantic fire shield began to shrink and contract, turning from a huge 100-meters-wide fire shield into a small fire bell that didn’t even reach 10-meters-wide.</p><p>“Explode!” Meng Lei commanded again.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The spell followed his commands, and the small fire bell exploded with a great boom. Amid earth-shattering explosions, a mushroom cloud rose into the air. At the same time, raging energy waves also exploded and instantly swept several miles outward.</p><p>Smoke and dust roiled and billowed as the ground shook and quivered.</p><p>The cliff broke, and rocks rolled and fell off.</p><p>“…”</p><p>Dead silence filled the Dragon God Cathedral—or rather, it was frighteningly quiet!</p><p>The dazed princes, princesses, officials, and nobles stared at the magic screen that had been entirely covered by the mushroom cloud. They felt their throats go dry and their brains short-circuit!</p><p>Only the Saint Domain experts were able to maintain clarity of mind, but even so, they couldn’t get any more astounded all the same.</p><p>“Does anyone recognize that fire-elemental spell?”</p><p>“No, I don’t!”</p><p>“Never seen it before!”</p><p>“Not at all!”</p><p>“But its might is definitely one of the first-class spells!”</p><p>“If no-one knows of it, then could it be an original first-class spell?”</p><p>“An… original first-class spell?”</p><p>Gasp!</p><p>Gasps filled the venue!</p><p>“Where’s Prince Barbarossa? How is he?”</p><p>As the others regained their senses one by one, their eyes also bore into the magic screen, wishing desperately to know Prince Barbarossa’s current condition.</p><p>At the same time, the contestants that had retreated a great distance away were also staring at the center of the battleground. Their necks were craned awfully long, and they didn’t blink even once.</p><p>Puff~</p><p>As the ocean breeze blew, the surrounding smoke and dust completely dispersed to reveal the bombarded battleground.</p><p>Gasp!</p><p>Everyone gasped once more.</p><p>What a massive pit!</p><p>Where the ground had been, a massive pit over 1,000-meters-wide was now in its place. The walls of the pit shone and gave off a multi-colored light—it was obviously the result of sand and rocks being burned into glass upon the explosion.</p><p>The glass reflected a dazzling array of colors under the sunlight.</p><p>“Just… How high must the heat have been just now?”</p><p>Everyone swallowed hard as their gazes fell hurriedly onto the bottom of the pit.</p><p>At the bottom of the pit was the form of someone in a half-kneel. A large half of his brilliant golden-yellow hair had been burned away, and his dazzling, eye-catching golden-yellow armor was also scorched pitch-black.</p><p>The key here, however, was that his handsome and suave, domineering and elegant face had also turned charcoal-black. His previous noble grandeur was no longer, and his elegance and dominance also nowhere in sight…</p><p>If one must describe him with a word, then it would be—pathetic!</p><p>Indeed, the current Prince Barbarossa was certainly in an extremely pathetic state. Not only was his hair burned, but even his eyebrows, handsome face, and armor… Every inch of him was burned!</p><p>Slathered all over in ash, he was the very picture of… An extra filming a war film!</p><p>“That’s Prince Barbarossa?”</p><p>Everyone clapped their hands over their mouths, somewhat unable to accept the sight.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>Even the audience was unable to tolerate it, let alone the person involved himself?</p><p>A loud, sonorous, and furious dragon roar rang out like an explosion. Then, a terrifying wave of dragon might suddenly erupted from the bottom of the pit.</p><p>In that instant, breathing difficulties came over all the contestants present, and they felt an intense, dull ache in their chests as if their hearts were clenched tightly in someone else’s hand.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Raging winds blew sand and earth everywhere!</p><p>Then, a gigantic golden shadow charged out of the pit and soared into the sky…</p><p>Roar!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-173

Chapter 173 - I'Ve Beaten Up The Crown Prince? The Overlord Of The Skies

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 173 - I'Ve Beaten Up The Crown Prince? The Overlord Of The Skies</h1><p>Sharp, savage-looking dragon horns!</p><p>Dragon scales that dazzled gold!</p><p>Imposing, razor-sharp dragon claws!</p><p>Surging, churning dragon might!</p><p>Loud, clear, and sonorous dragon roars!</p><p>Every one of them was indicative of that enormous creature’s true identity!</p><p>Yes, that’s right!</p><p>The terrifying creature currently suspended high up in the sky and releasing dragon might at will was none other than the existence standing at the apex of the continent’s pyramid of lifeforms and the one known as the Overlord of The Skies—the king of all dragons, the Golden Colossal Dragon!</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Golden Colossal Dragon roared into the sky. Its 100-meters-long body was incredibly massive. Its muscles were powerful and brimmed with great strength, while its claws were incomparably sharp…</p><p>It was powerful, handsome, a combination of dominance and beauty, and a coexistence of power and aesthetics!</p><p>“So, that’s the Golden Colossal Dragon?” Meng Lei muttered to himself, “It really looks very handsome. If I had a mount like that, I’d definitely look very cool riding it…”</p><p>“A mount?” Ol’ Amos snorted. “You sure dream big! If someone else had overheard you, you’d be a goner for sure!”</p><p>“That’s true. This is the Dragon God Empire, after all.” Meng Lei gave a patronizing response, and then he asked, “Ol’ President, that guy shouldn’t be as strong as you, right? Why is his dragon form so much bigger than yours?”</p><p>“What’s so astonishing about that? When an ordinary Colossal Dragon comes of age, their bodies can reach as long as 20 to 30 meters. And when one crosses over into Saint Domain, their size also doubles to 50 to 60 meters.” Ol’ Amos explained, “As the king of all dragons, the Golden Colossal Dragon is twice the size of ordinary Colossal Dragons. That guy is also a Saint Domain, so isn’t it very normal for him to be bigger in size than me?”</p><p>“No wonder.” Meng Lei nodded slightly. Then, he licked his lips and added, “But for its size, it sure has pretty average abilities. If it weren’t for the fact that I’m in the Dragon God Empire now, I would have slain it!”</p><p>“Slain it?” Ol’ Amos, who got a huge fright, barked fiercely, “You treasonous little rascal! Even if you have a death wish, don’t you dare implicate me! What kind of brave dragon slayer nonsense are you saying? Do you have a death wish!?”</p><p>“Hehe, well, that was just a casual mention, wasn’t it?”</p><p>Meng Lei gave a sheepish laugh.</p><p>“Kid, that’s too dangerous a thought to have.” Ol’ Amos took a deep breath and said, “Listen up, you’d best not harbor thoughts like that ever again in the future. Otherwise, there’ll be no place for you in the Dragon God Empire.”</p><p>“Alright.” Meng Lei curled his lip disdainfully as he said, “It’s just a casual remark. Must you be that worked up? I’m not that foolish.”</p><p>“Hmph! Even a casual remark is forbidden,” Ol’ Amos replied with a snort.</p><p>A chuckling Meng Lei replied, “Don’t worry, I won’t.”</p><p>Then, he looked at the massive figure in the sky and asked, “Speaking of which, aren’t Golden Colossal Dragons royalty of the empire? That guy must have a really extraordinary identity, right?”</p><p>“Does ‘extraordinary’ even cut it? When it comes to the passing down of bloodlines, pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragons have always only produced one offspring in every generation.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos shook his head as he went on. “Every emperor only produces one pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragon offspring at the maximum. Considering how young that fellow is, if I’m not wrong, he’s likely the current emperor’s one and only pure-blooded son.”</p><p>“The emperor’s son? That guy is a prince of the empire?”</p><p>Meng Lei was shocked. Then, realization dawned upon him, and he remarked, “No wonder those contestants chose to swallow the insult and suffer in silence despite having their magic core stolen. So he’s a prince.”</p><p>“What, are you scared?” asked a mirthful Ol’ Amos.</p><p>“Scared?” Meng Lei licked his lips as he said, “Hehe, I’m so excited that I’m almost climaxing. I can barely stop myself from going forward and beating him up again!”</p><p>“The ignorant are the bravest, indeed.” A snorting Ol’ Amos said, “In the Dragon God Empire, only pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragons can inherit the throne. Do you know what that means?”</p><p>“…”</p><p>The answer had already occurred to Meng Lei.</p><p>“It means that that fellow in front of you right now is going to ascend the throne and become the emperor in the future. In other words, he’s the future master of this empire!” Ol’ Amos had a gloating look all over his face as he said, “But what about you? To think you actually dare to beat up the future emperor! Hehehe…”</p><p>“The future emperor? Doesn’t that make him the crown prince, then?” Meng Lei was rendered completely speechless. “The very first Golden Colossal Dragon I encountered in my entire life, and it actually had to be the empire’s crown prince? My luck is seriously like no other…”</p><p>“Are you scared yet?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos said with a laugh, “I’d advise you to admit defeat like a good sonny and offer up your ass for His Royal Highness to whoop and vent his anger. Perhaps you’ll have a shot at survival if you do that.”</p><p>Meng Lei snorted and replied, “Admit defeat? You’re thinking too much.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos raised an eyebrow and asked, “What are you intending to do?”</p><p>“Since it’s destined that he’s going to have a grudge against me, then I might as well go all the way. That way, I won’t lose out too much.” Meng Lei licked his lips and sneered. “I actually held back just now, you know!”</p><p>“Tsk, tsk! You sure are impressive!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos burst into laughter.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>At that point, Barbarossa had finally charged up his attack. He turned into a bolt of golden lightning with a flap of his wings and shot toward Meng Lei!</p><p>Winds howled and swirled sand and dust everywhere, while a vast, incredible dragon might pervaded the area!</p><p>“Since my debut, I’ve battled all sorts of Magical Beasts, among which there was no lack of Saint Domain Magical Beasts like the Golden-Winged Holy Light Tiger and so on. Even the king of terrestrial battles like the Behemoth has submitted to me. But Colossal Dragons are the only ones that I’ve never fought before.”</p><p>Meng Lei slowly rose into the air, his long hair fluttering and his magic robe flapping in the wind. His eyes gleamed brightly as his blood boiled.</p><p>“Today, I shall have a taste of the so-called Overlord of The Skies and see if it really deserves its title!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Meng Lei also turned into a stream of light that went straight toward Barbarossa.</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>“W-what’s he doing?”</p><p>“Is he fighting head-on with Prince Barbarossa?”</p><p>Everyone was stupefied at the sight of Meng Lei’s actions!</p><p>At 100-meters-long and incredibly massive and handsome, the current Barbarossa fully deserved the title of Overlord of The Skies.</p><p>But what about Meng Lei?</p><p>Standing at barely 1.7-meters-tall, although he had pleasant and attractive features that wealthy older ladies favored, compared to Prince Barbarossa, the difference between the two of them was practically like heaven and earth.</p><p>Was he actually intending to fight Barbarossa head-on with that sad-looking body of his?</p><p>The Fighting Dragon Academy president’s eyes widened, and he exclaimed, “What’s he doing, Fred?”</p><p>“You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask, then?”</p><p>President Fred was on the edge of breaking down. He really didn’t know what Meng Lei was trying to do.</p><p>In his opinion, Meng Lei’s advantages were his magic and his comprehension of the laws of nature. Instead of what he was currently doing, he should have been putting more distance between the two of them and making use of magic to launch long-range attacks on Prince Barbarossa.</p><p>What was the difference between him charging forward like a moth flying into the fire and seeking death?</p><p>“What exactly is that kid doing?”</p><p>To Meng Lei and Prince Barbarossa, the distance of several hundred meters was nothing but a matter of a mere instant. As a thunderous, earth-shattering boom erupted, the human and dragon clashed brazenly against each other.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>An explosive boom erupted in the heavens and earth, sending soundwaves reverberating everywhere.</p><p>Gales wreaked havoc as smoke and dust roiled and billowed!</p><p>However, something that left everyone flabbergasted took place the next moment—the two parties involved in the barbaric clash, respectively, retreated at the same time!</p><p>Meng Lei retreated 20 to 30 meters to the back while Barbarossa retreated five to six meters away.</p><p>At first glance, it seemed like Meng Lei was the one that had lost.</p><p>However, on further inspection, one would realize that Meng Lei was completely unscathed. His face was neither red, nor was he out of breath. On the other hand, golden dragon blood was dripping from Barbarossa’s claws, and he had a look of affliction on his face.</p><p>“Prince Barbarossa is wounded?”</p><p>A furor went through the crowd. Even Frederick the 32nd was taken aback by the turn of events, and a look of surprise surfaced on his visage.</p><p>“My beloved subjects, do any of you know that teenager? Which academy is he from?”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-174

Chapter 174 - His Name Is Meng Lei, Deceiving The Emperor

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 174 - His Name Is Meng Lei, Deceiving The Emperor</h1><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>The princes, princesses, officials, and nobles looked at the academy presidents and teachers-in-charge all at once. They were also extremely curious as to who exactly that genius who could fight Prince Barbarossa head-on was?</p><p>“I don’t know who he is!”</p><p>“He’s not from our academy!”</p><p>“Does anyone among all of you know who he is?”</p><p>All the academy presidents and teachers-in-charge shook their heads. Only Angus, the president of Black Dragon Academy, couldn’t help but look at Fred, a hint of strong jealousy flashing across his eyes.</p><p>Fred stepped forward and replied with a wry laugh, “Your Majesty, he’s Meng Lei from our Fire Dragon Magic Academy!”</p><p>“The Fire Dragon Magic Academy?”</p><p>“That boy is from the Fire Dragon Kingdom?”</p><p>“There’s a genius like that in the Fire Dragon Kingdom?”</p><p>“Meng Lei?”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd laughed and asked, “President Fred, tell me, how old is Meng Lei this year? Has he challenged the Dragon God Tower yet? What’s impressive about him?”</p><p>“Yes, Your Majesty!”</p><p>President Fred cleared his throat. Then, his gaze swept across the whole venue, and he replied, “Your Majesty, Meng Lei has just reached 16 years of age this year. He’s a first-year student of the Fire Dragon Magic Academy. With his outstanding magic talent, he can be said to be the number one genius of the Fire Dragon Magic Academy within the last 10,000 years!</p><p>“Before the exchange competition, Meng Lei had never been to the Imperial City, so he hadn’t challenged the Dragon God Tower before. He did, however, visit the tower yesterday. His ranking as of this morning was 227th place at Level 40!”</p><p>Whoaaa!</p><p>A furor went through the crowd!</p><p>Everyone was astounded by Meng Lei’s achievements.</p><p>16 years old!</p><p>227th place!</p><p>Level 40!</p><p>On top of it all, he’d taken just a day to do all that.</p><p>Just how amazingly talented must he be?</p><p>Just how terrifyingly strong must he be?</p><p>“For one to pass through the Dragon God Tower’s 30th level, they must at least possess the strength of a Saint Domain. To pass through the 40th level, one must be at least mid-level Saint Domain!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd found this rather unbelievable. “For a teenager that has just turned 16 years old to possess such strength, he is truly astonishingly talented and possesses an amazing gift!”</p><p>Everyone nodded quietly in response. Even though there were those who were indignant among them, they couldn’t rebut the statement. For a 16-year-old to be a mid-level Saint Domain, it was truly hard to imagine just how he had cultivated to such an extent.</p><p>“President Luke, in your opinion, how does Meng Lei compare to Sachhen, Adil, Mond Aston, and the others from the Dragon God Academy?”</p><p>“This…”</p><p>President Luke glanced at President Fred, his brows drawing together into a slight frown. Then, he replied, “In terms of talent alone, Sachhen, Adil, and the others certainly cannot compare to Meng Lei! But…”</p><p>President Luke changed the course of the conversation at this point and said resolutely and decisively, “When it comes to their strength, Sachhen, Adil, and the others are definitely stronger than him. 16 years of age is ultimately still too young!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd gave a small smile at his words, refraining from making any judgment. Instead, he looked at President Fred and asked, “President Fred, what do you think?”</p><p>“This… It’s hard to say when they haven’t competed against one another.” President Fred shook his head slightly, and then he added, “However, Meng Lei’s talent in magic talent is one-in-a-million. He also has a fairly deep comprehension of laws of nature, so he is likely able to put up a fight against them.”</p><p>“For him to possess such strength at 16 years old, that child’s talent is truly hard to come by even in 10,000 years! As expected of the Fire Dragon Kingdom! Rich lands indeed foster many outstanding talents!”</p><p>“Thank you, Your Majesty!”</p><p>President Fred was rather proud of that!</p><p>“However…”</p><p>As Frederick the 32nd watched the magic screen intently, the course of the conversation took a sudden turn, and he asked, “Since Meng Lei has such outstanding magic talent, why is his body also so strong? Isn’t he a pure-blooded human?”</p><p>Everyone nodded at his words.</p><p>Humans were frail and weak, and so were human Magicians’ bodies.</p><p>Even an Eighth-Grade Warrior’s body was stronger than a human Saint Domain Great Magician’s, let alone a Golden Colossal Dragon like Barbarossa! And fighting him head-on at that!</p><p>Yet Meng Lei had the guts to fight Prince Barbarossa head-on. Why was his body so strong and sturdy?</p><p>“Your Majesty, there’s more to it than meets the eye!”</p><p>President Fred had seen this coming, so he explained with a smile, “Meng Lei isn’t purely human. Rather, he’s a Fire Dragon Person!”</p><p>“A Fire Dragon Person?”</p><p>Upon hearing his response, realization dawned upon everyone.</p><p>“No wonder his body is so strong! So he’s a Fire Dragon Person!”</p><p>“A Golden Colossal Dragon’s body is definitely stronger than a Fire Dragon’s”;</p><p>“A pure-blooded Colossal Dragon’s body is definitely stronger than a Dragon Person’s”;</p><p>These propositions were wrong, of course.</p><p>However, there was a condition to that—they must be of the same grade.</p><p>At the same grade, a Golden Colossal Dragon’s body was stronger than a Fire Dragon’s for sure, and a pure-blooded Colossal Dragon’s body was also definitely stronger than a Dragon Person’s. There was no doubt about these two points!</p><p>However, if the Fire Dragons’ or Dragon People’s bloodline developments were deeper, then there was a chance that their bodies might be stronger than the Golden Colossal Dragons’ and pure-blooded Colossal Dragons’.</p><p>Frederick the 32nd understood this line of reasoning, of course. Nevertheless, it still puzzled him. “Meng Lei is only 16 years old. The amount of time he has spent on cultivation is extremely limited. Apart from having to cultivate magic, does he really have the time to develop his Fire Dragon bloodline and build his body to such an extent?”</p><p>“What His Majesty says makes sense. At the young age of 16, not only does he have to cultivate magic, but he also has to comprehend laws of nature and, on top of that, develop his bloodline to train his body. Where does he find the time for all that?”</p><p>“An extremely deep level of comprehension of laws of nature, as well as body durability that matches up to Prince Barbarossa’s… If he were a slightly older pure-blooded Fire Dragon, perhaps that might be possible, but at 16 years old…”</p><p>Terribly perplexed, everyone began to whisper among themselves.</p><p>Meng Lei’s talent was no longer something that could be merely described as “monstrous”. It was so crazy that people couldn’t accept it at all.</p><p>It was as if a 10-year-old had received the Nobel Prize in Physics as well as the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.</p><p>Was that even possible?</p><p>“This…”</p><p>At once, President Fred started to hem and haw.</p><p>“Might you be hiding something, President Fred?” A look of puzzlement came over Frederick the 32nd’s countenance.</p><p>“I have something to say, Your Majesty!”</p><p>Angus, the Black Dragon Academy president, stepped forward at this point.</p><p>Frederick the 32nd said with a look of puzzlement, “Feel free to speak your mind, President Angus!”</p><p>Angus declared loudly, “Your Majesty, when Meng Lei was challenging the Dragon God Tower yesterday, I saw with my own two eyes that the Dragon God Genius Ranking had clearly indicated that Meng Lei was human and not a Fire Dragon Person!”</p><p>“A human?”</p><p>“Isn’t Meng Lei a Fire Dragon Person?”</p><p>“Can a pure-blooded human actually have such a strong body?”</p><p>“Humans are born with frail and weak bodies; how can his body possibly be that strong…”</p><p>Everyone began to speculate at once!</p><p>Frederick the 32nd looked at President Fred and asked, “What are your views with regard to President Angus’ words, President Fred?”</p><p>“Your Majesty, while I dare not have any views about that, I do have a question that I’d like to ask President Angus!”</p><p>President Fred looked at Angus with a slight smile and asked, “Must the challenger definitely be human just because the Dragon God Genius Ranking indicates him as such?”</p><p>“Of course not! A double bloodline-holder is also indicated as human!”</p><p>Angus snorted lightly and said mockingly, “President Fred, surely you can’t be saying that Meng Lei also carries two types of bloodlines like you, the Fire Dragon Titan famous throughout the whole continent?”</p><p>“Why not?” President Fred countered.</p><p>“Haha! President Fred sure knows how to crack a joke!”</p><p>Angus burst into uproarious laughter and scoffed. “Just how rare are double bloodline-holders? Otherwise, how would President Fred’s name resound throughout the whole continent?”</p><p>“Just because it’s rare doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-175

Chapter 175 - Assimilating Another Bloodline, A Member Of Royalty

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 175 - Assimilating Another Bloodline, A Member Of Royalty</h1><p>“Just because it’s rare doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist!”</p><p>With a calm smile, Fred asked, “Isn’t Mond Aston the White Tiger Knight from the Dragon God Academy also a double bloodline-holder?”</p><p>“President Fred, since Meng Lei holds two types of bloodlines, I’d like to know what his other bloodline is?”</p><p>Angus, who continued to pursue the matter, asked, “Just what kind of bloodline can actually allow him—at the age of 16—to have a powerful body that’s comparable to Prince Barbarossa’s?”</p><p>With curiosity in their eyes, everyone else’s gazes also landed on President Fred. Even Frederick the 32nd was no exception!</p><p>At that, President Fred could only give a wry smile as he replied, “I don’t know what Meng Lei’s other bloodline is, either. I’ve only determined that he must be a holder of two types of bloodlines when I saw the Dragon God Genius Ranking’s indication yesterday.”</p><p>“Meng Lei is a Fire Dragon Magic Academy student, Fred. Don’t you even know what bloodlines he holds?”</p><p>Angus went on and said sarcastically, “Surely that genius student of yours isn’t really a pure-blooded human, is he? Because if that’s true, then that’ll really make him too great of a monster!”</p><p>At his comments, a slight frown appeared on Frederick the 32nd’s countenance, and he said, “Meng Lei is a Fire Dragon Magic Academy student. As the academy president, don’t you even know what the other half of his bloodline is? That’s rather inexcusable!”</p><p>“Your Majesty, I’m indeed not sure!” President Fred then hastily continued, “But Meng Lei certainly holds the Fire Dragon bloodline in him. I can swear to the Dragon God with regard to that. May Your Majesty look into the matter!”</p><p>“A 16-year-old Saint Domain Great Magician and the owner of a Saint Domain body at the same time… Not even a Fire Dragon Person can achieve that, no matter how great of a genius they are!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd drummed his fingers against the throne lightly as he said, “When the exchange competition is over, I’ll have to ask that little fellow what his other bloodline is!”</p><p>At which, Fred repeated respectfully, “May Your Majesty look into the matter!”</p><p>‘Ask’? Bluntly put, it was an investigation. Fred knew that His Majesty had ultimately still become somewhat suspicious of Meng Lei.</p><p>His reaction was understandable, though!</p><p>After all, Meng Lei’s achievements were simply too outrageous, so much so that people could hardly accept it. Should they not conduct a thorough investigation at this point, who could be sure just what kind of creature Meng Lei might actually be?</p><p>A devil genius like Adolf?</p><p>A spy sent by other existential planes?</p><p>Or the reincarnation of some evil god?</p><p>All the possibilities were extremely disadvantageous to Meng Lei, no matter which it was. In Dragon God Empire, there was no place for even a pure human genius like Timon Barton, let alone other creatures?</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Just as Fred’s thoughts were running at full speed, Meng Lei and Prince Barbarossa’s battle also reached the climax!</p><p>Meng Lei hadn’t used any magic in the showdown; instead, he’d chosen to purely butt heads with the other party. In this instant, his body’s great strength was exhibited to its fullest!</p><p>His senses were sharper than Barbarossa’s!</p><p>He had more endurance than Barbarossa!</p><p>Even his weakest aspect—physical strength—was almost equally matched with Barbarossa!</p><p>After a few clashes, Meng Lei was currently at a complete advantage. Neither red-faced nor out of breath, he looked as if nothing had even happened. On the other hand, Prince Barbarossa, who had transformed into his true form, was actually panting heavily and wounded in several places!</p><p>It was obvious at a glance who the stronger one was!</p><p>“Brat, don’t go too far. He’s a prince, after all. Don’t embarrass him too much!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos reminded him and said, “You’ve already shown yourself to be enough of a monster. If you display your monstrous abilities any further, aren’t you afraid that you’ll be captured and sliced into pieces for research purposes?”</p><p>“Sliced into pieces for research purposes? I’d like to see if anyone has the guts to do that!” Meng Lei sneered, “I’m a member of the empire’s royalty, you know. Who would have the guts to do something like that?”</p><p>“A member of the empire’s royalty? Don’t you have any idea what kind of bloodline you’ve awakened?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos rolled his eyes and said, “I’ll tell you, kid, once your Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline is exposed, it’s all over. You definitely won’t end up any better than Adolf!”</p><p>“Don’t worry, Ol’ President, I’m not Adolf. It’s also impossible for me to ever be!”</p><p>A calm and composed Meng Lei smiled and said, “I’d initially planned on associating with you as an ordinary person, but all that got me was instead just suspicion and jealousy. Forget it. I’m quitting the show and laying my cards on the table now!”</p><p>“…”</p><p>Ol’ Amos looked absolutely stupefied at his words.</p><p>Then, Meng Lei said no more. Initially, he hadn’t planned on assimilating that particular bloodline, but Ol’ Amos’ warning had changed his mind.</p><p>If one was ten times more outstanding than others, people would envy them!</p><p>If one was 100 times more outstanding than others, people would look up to them!</p><p>But when one was so outstanding that it surpassed the range of what people could comprehend, then what it attracted would no longer just be envy and idolization but very likely also… Endless suspicion and trouble!</p><p>Meng Lei more or less, understood that somewhat!</p><p>Therefore…</p><p>“System! Assimilate the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline!”</p><p>“Yes, host!”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>An incredibly sharp and incomparably domineering aura abruptly burst forth from his body before breaking out into dazzling golden light!</p><p>For a moment there, golden light much like blazing golden flames circled around Meng Lei, transforming him into the brilliant sun!</p><p>As if a breached dam, a fairly violent wave of pain rushed madly into his limbs, body, and his central nervous system, reaching every nook and cranny of his body and every inch of his skin!</p><p>Had this been in the past, Meng Lei would no doubt have been in great pain and agony. However, at his current cultivation level, this pain was nothing more than just a drizzle. Compared to what it had been like in the past, it was just child’s play!</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>Amid horrifying sounds of bones piercing through flesh, several golden scales coated in blood gradually emerged from within his body like mushrooms sprouting after rain.</p><p>One scale, two scales, three scales…</p><p>It was followed closely by two dragon horns and a dragon tail before it ended with a pair of golden bat-like wings that shone with dazzling golden light!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The dazzling golden flames blazed on, instantly evaporating all the bloodstains on Meng Lei. He also turned straight into a Golden Colossal Dragon Person covered from head to toe in golden-yellow dragon scales! Standing at two-meters-tall, he had a pair of golden horns on his head, golden wings on his back, and a golden dragon tail on his bottom!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A wave of pure dragon might erupted from Meng Lei and swept toward every direction, causing the countenances of everyone within several kilometers of where he was to change dramatically upon sensing the pure dragon might!</p><p>A severe jolt went through all the contestants present!</p><p>Everyone at the cathedral was also totally dumbfounded!</p><p>“G… Golden C-Colossal Dragon Person?”</p><p>“He’s a Golden Colossal Dragon Person?”</p><p>Angus’ facial expression was incredibly exciting as it went through a myriad of different emotions—astoundment, disappointment, indignation, disbelief…</p><p>“Meng Lei’s other bloodline is actually the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline? O Dragon God above, this is simply too astonishing!”</p><p>President Fred and the Fighting Dragon Academy president exchanged a look, both seeing the astonishment in each other’s eyes. When they had been watching Meng Lei’s Dragon God Tower challenge the day before, they’d already determined that Meng Lei must be a double bloodline-holder.</p><p>However, never would they have ever expected his other bloodline to actually be the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline! This was simply too unbelievable!</p><p>“But! This is great! Exceedingly great!”</p><p>After the momentary surprise, President Fred was overjoyed. “Since Meng Lei possesses the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline, then that makes him a member of the Dragon God Empire’s royalty. Who would dare cast doubt upon him now?”</p><p>The moment the thought occurred to him, Fred hurriedly turned to Emperor Frederick the 32nd, who was obviously also astounded.</p><p>“No wonder that little fellow’s body is so strong and tough! So he’s a member of the royal family! I am extremely glad to know that!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-176

Chapter 176

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 176</h1><p>Chapter 176: Two First-Class Spells, Myriad of Nature</p><p>“Congratulations, Your Majesty!”</p><p>“That child has great aptitude and is amazingly talented! As expected of the empire’s royalty!”</p><p>“Didn’t I say so? How can such an amazingly talented person be a human…”</p><p>The people’s opinions did a dramatic 180-degree turn and changed instantly. While there were only suspicions and perplexity earlier, they had all turned into praises and compliments now!</p><p>This was inevitable, after all!</p><p>While they could cast doubt upon Meng Lei and make things up about him previously, they couldn’t do so anymore. Meng Lei was a Golden Colossal Dragon Person and a legitimate member of the royalty. Thus, he wasn’t someone whom they could speculate about!</p><p>“President Angus, what do you have to say now?”</p><p>President Fred looked at Angus and said, “You had claimed that I was deceiving His Majesty just now, but I’d like to ask who’s the one deceiving the emperor and fooling the people now?</p><p>At his words, Angus’ countenance turned extremely awful and constipated, yet he couldn’t rebut him at all!</p><p>Rebut?</p><p>There was nothing he could rebut him with!</p><p>The moment Meng Lei had displayed his Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline, there was no longer any point in saying any more!</p><p>16 years old!</p><p>A Saint Domain Great Magician!</p><p>A Saint Domain-level body!</p><p>A double bloodline-holder!</p><p>Even if a person like that hadn’t been a member of the royalty, the emperor would still have wished to make a connection or two with them, much less when Meng Lei possessed the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline and was legitimate royalty!</p><p>“President Angus, your doubt is not without cause.”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd spoke up at this point. Then, he went on and said, “However, before you raise your doubts, you should have thoroughly investigated the situation prior to bringing it up to me. Otherwise, it would seem as though you’re sowing discord and slandering a fellow official!”</p><p>“I will keep Your Majesty’s admonishments in mind!”</p><p>Angus responded respectfully, and then, he slunk back to his seat gloomily.</p><p>At the same time, in the Lost Continent…</p><p>“My body has improved quite a fair bit! That’s a surprise!”</p><p>Meng Lei felt rather comforted as he viewed his stats interface. He’d initially thought that at his body’s current level, it’d be tough for normal bloodlines like the Golden Colossal Dragon’s to strengthen his body by much.</p><p>After all, the Golden Colossal Dragon was just a Saint Domain Magical Beast while he himself already possessed a Saint Domain-level body. How much could the Golden Colossal Dragon possibly strengthen his body?</p><p>To his surprise, however, it had actually strengthened his body by quite a fair bit!</p><p>Host: Meng Lei</p><p>Race: Human (Fire Dragon bloodline &lt;52%&gt;, Fire Demon bloodline &lt;47%&gt;, Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline &lt;10%&gt;, Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline &lt;1%&gt;, Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline &lt;50%&gt;)</p><p>Wealth: 22.3 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals</p><p>Physical Body Constitution: Saint Domain (12,063,858,705/100 billion)</p><p>Spirit: Saint Domain (1,028,303,785/100 billion)</p><p>Magic Power: Saint Domain (1,025,877,840/100 billion)</p><p>Laws of Nature: Fire-Elemental (0.2%), Wind-Elemental (0.1%), Thunder-Elemental (0.1%), Metal-Elemental (0.1%), Light-Elemental (0.1%)</p><p>From the stats interface, one could see that the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline assimilation had raised his Physical Body Constitution attribute from the previous 11 billion to 12 billion points. It had increased by a whole 900 million points!</p><p>That was in no way a small increment!</p><p>If he’d used his Wealth for point redemption instead, he’d have needed a whole 9 billion gold coins. That would have been a pretty hefty sum of money!</p><p>Roar!</p><p>Elsewhere, Barbarossa was also shocked by Meng Lei’s appearance. He didn’t expect Meng Lei to actually be a Golden Colossal Dragon Person!</p><p>And this… infuriated him even further!</p><p>“We’re both members of the royalty, but I’m a Golden Colossal Dragon with the purest bloodline, whereas he’s just a bastard with an impure bloodline! So why should he be stronger than me?!”</p><p>It was the same logic as to how ordinary humans wouldn’t be jealous of how rich Jack Ma[1] was, but they would be jealous of friends and relatives by their side who were richer than them!</p><p>That was exactly Barbarossa’s current frame of mind. He was the one and only pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragon in Dragon God Empire’s younger generation, thereby destining him as the one to ascend the throne and become the ruler of the empire!</p><p>There was already nothing he could do about the 13th Princess being firmly a notch above him, but that guy who had popped up out of nowhere was actually stronger than him, too! How could that possibly do?</p><p>Roar!</p><p>With a ferocious roar, Barbarossa crushed the pure gold pendant hanging around his neck. Right away, dazzling golden light spilled forth and instantly enveloped Barbarossa within!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>As if a brilliant golden sun, light shone from Barbarossa! Dazzling and golden, it shrouded the whole area around him!</p><p>Roar!</p><p>At the same time, Barbarossa’s aura also skyrocketed! In a mere instant, it had strengthened by several times!</p><p>As the golden light gradually died down, Barbarossa’s body also expanded by quite a few rounds. His muscles became even stronger and filled with power, his horns and claws became even sharper, and his 100-meters-long body expanded to 300 to 400 meters!</p><p>The most fascinating thing was that a thin layer of golden glow was rippling around him. The mist rose and fell as it flowed around him constantly!</p><p>“What’s going on, Ol’ President?” Meng Lei was stupefied. “Why has that guy powered up again?”</p><p>“Obviously, two first-class spells were sealed in the pendant that that guy crushed just now,” Ol’ Amos explained, “If my eyes didn’t deceive me, the two spells are likely Metal Guardian and Metal God’s Blessings!</p><p>“Metal Guardian is a defensive single-target first-class spell while Metal God’s Blessings is an offensive single-target first-class spell.</p><p>“Judging from their might, those two etal-elemental first-class spells are the handiwork of a Metal-Elemental Saint Domain Great Magician who’s at least in the high-level or limits-level stage. They’re several times mightier than most typical first-class spells, so you’d best be careful!”</p><p>“Metal Guardian? Metal God’s Blessings? The handiwork of a metal-elemental Saint Domain Great Magician who’s at least in the high-level or limits-level stage?”</p><p>Meng Lei licked his lips as he remarked, “That guy sure is rich! To think he even has something like that!”</p><p>At the same time at the Dragon God Cathedral…</p><p>Everyone stared in stupefaction at the magic screen as the place fell strangely silent.</p><p>Sharp-eyed spectators could all tell that Prince Barbarossa had used a special magic device to enhance his abilities!</p><p>Although the usage of magic devices wasn’t prohibited in the exchange competition, openly using one to enhance one’s abilities in a fair one-on-one showdown was honestly a move beneath one’s dignity!</p><p>Moreover, his opponent was also a member of the royalty like him. To use a magic device on a fellow member of the royalty, his breadth of mind was honestly…</p><p>“What an embarrassment! He has thoroughly embarrassed the royal family!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd narrowed his eyes as he said, “Throw him into the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest when the exchange competition ends, so that he can reflect upon himself!”</p><p>No-one dared to make any response. While His Majesty could admonish Prince Barbarossa at will, they, on the other hand, couldn’t comment carelessly!</p><p>“I’ll never lose to a bastard like you!”</p><p>Barbarossa roared furiously in the sky. Then, he transformed into a stream of golden light that rushed straight toward Meng Lei. The current Barbarossa was just like a wild horse geared in heavy armor—indestructible yet capable of destroying everything!</p><p>“Do you think there’s nothing I can do about you just because you’ve decked yourself in two layers of metal? Fine, I’ll give you a taste of what a real first-class spell is!”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a cold laugh. Then, he slowly uttered six words, “Wood-elemental first-class spell, Myriad of Nature!”</p><p>Buzz, buzz!</p><p>Meng Lei had only just spoken when pure, unadulterated wood-elemental magic power abruptly burst forth from all around him, dyeing his entire self into a green-colored sun!</p><p>Simultaneously, Wood Elements several kilometers from where he was also started to converge madly toward him upon being summoned!</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>Amid soft, strange sounds, the plants on the ground started to grow at an insane rate as if they’d been injected with growth hormones!</p><p>10 meters, 100 meters, 1,000 meters…</p><p>Earth and rocks rolled about as gigantic trees sprung into the air!</p><p>In just a short few breaths, the battleground in front of the cliff had transformed into a forest. Several towering trees morphed into wooden dragons with high fighting spirit and shot toward Barbarossa in the air!</p><p>Roar!</p><p>Barbarossa let out several furious roars as he easily broke wooden dragon after wooden dragon. Then, with an overwhelming force, he charged toward Meng Lei!</p><p>“Hurhur, you’re pretty good!” Meng Lei sneered.</p><p>Then, he commanded, “Myriad of Nature!”</p><p>“Myriad of Nature!”</p><p>“Myriad of Nature!”</p><p>“Myriad of Nature!”</p><p>“Myriad of Nature!”</p><p>“Myriad of Nature!”</p><p>“Myriad of Nature!”</p><p>“Myriad of Nature!”</p><p>“Myriad of Nature!”</p><p>“Myriad of Nature!”</p><p>One must admit that Barbarossa, who had two first-class spells cast on himself, had indeed gone through a dramatic spike in combat power. Be it his speed or the force of his attacks, both had been enhanced by quite a few times!</p><p>It was just a shame that the one he’d run into was Meng Lei, a mutant who could cast instant release of first-class spells and had no fear of magic power depletion!</p><p>As he bombarded Barbarossa with ten successive Myriad of Natures, thousands upon thousands of wooden dragons wound around Barbarossa and submerged him entirely!</p><p>Were there 500 of them? 1,000? Or tens of thousands of them?</p><p>There was no end to their numbers!</p><p>Therefore, Barbarossa’s outcome was destined!</p><p>As thousands upon thousands of wooden dragons wound around him one after another, Barbarossa’s speed started to fall further and further…</p><p>By the time he’d charged right up to Meng Lei, the infinite number of wooden dragons had already firmly bound him. All he could do was glare at Meng Lei and nothing more!</p><p>“Do you know why Madara[2] can’t defeat Hashirama[3]?</p><p>“This is the reason why!”</p><p>[1] A Chinese business magnate and co-founder and former executive chairman of Alibaba Group</p><p>[2] Antagonist and a very powerful character from Japanese comic and anime series, Naruto</p><p>[3] Character from Naruto. Hailed as the God of Shinobi for his unmatched ninja prowess</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-177

Chapter 177

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 177</h1><p>Chapter 177: Golden Corpse Canyon, The Golden Corpse Bug Emperor</p><p>It was frighteningly quiet at the Dragon God Cathedral.</p><p>From the royalty and nobles all the way to the civil and martial officials, every single person was immensely astounded. None of them would have ever imagined that the battle’s outcome would turn out like that in the end.</p><p>Prince Barbarossa, who had crushed his gold pendant and strengthened his abilities by quite a few times, was actually still no match for Meng Lei!</p><p>Was the gap between the two of them that massive?</p><p>“The interval between each Myriad of Nature is no more than three seconds!”</p><p>Emperor Frederick the 32nd marveled, “With an interval of just three seconds, it’s practically an instant release of first-class spells. Is that little fellow’s prowess in wood-elemental laws of nature that deep?”</p><p>Everyone nodded in agreement.</p><p>Since one could do instant release for normal spells, they could also do the same for first-class spells, of course.</p><p>However, to achieve instant release for first-class spells, the caster needed an extremely high degree of comprehension of the laws of nature. Only then could they operate from a strategically advantageous position and see everything at one glance.</p><p>There was no way an average Saint Domain Great Magician could achieve something like that!</p><p>Yet, in spite of that, Meng Lei was able to do so. This showed that his degree of comprehension of wood-elemental laws of nature had already reached a terrifying stage!</p><p>“This…” President Fred could only laugh wryly at that.</p><p>“Am I wrong in saying that, President Fred?” A look of puzzlement came over Frederick the 32nd’s countenance.</p><p>“Your Majesty, to tell the truth…” President Fred had no choice but to explain, “Right before just now, I didn’t even know that Meng Lei had wood-elemental magic talent.”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd frowned slightly and asked, “You don’t even know that?”</p><p>President Fred answered honestly, “Your Majesty, all I know is that Meng Lei has thunder-elemental, fire-elemental, and earth-elemental magic talent. I indeed am not aware that he has wood-elemental magic talent.”</p><p>“Thunder, fire, earth, and… wood?”</p><p>“Four elements?”</p><p>“Meng Lei actually has four types of magic talent?”</p><p>“Gasp! How terrifying! How terrifying, indeed!”</p><p>“On top of possessing both Golden Colossal Dragon and Fire Dragon bloodlines, he also has four different types of magic talents! O great Dragon God above, aren’t you favoring that guy too much?!”</p><p>The people couldn’t help but gasp, every one of them astounded by Meng Lei’s terrifying talent.</p><p>Double bloodlines! Four different types of magic talents!</p><p>Either aspect was enough to drive one crazy with jealousy, let alone both. Even the Dragon God’s illegitimate son wouldn’t have been that much of a mutant!</p><p>Frederick the 32nd praised from the bottom of his heart, “With such talent, he’s surely the most talented member of the royalty in the last 10,000 years. This greatly comforts me!”</p><p>At the same time, in the Lost Continent…</p><p>The battle had already come to an end at this point. No matter how unwilling Barbarossa was to admit it, it had indeed already ended!</p><p>“You’ve lost, Your Highness!” Meng Lei said meaningfully.</p><p>Then, he paid no more heed to Barbarossa, who was so infuriated that he was close to killing someone. He picked up the Crocohawk Albatross King’s carcass, and then, he left the area.</p><p>“He’s gone!”</p><p>“That guy has finally left!”</p><p>“He’s too powerful! And too frightening!”</p><p>“Is there anyone among you that knows who that guy is? Just where did he pop out from? Why is he so strong?”</p><p>“With such strength, he can probably fight on par with those four mutants from the academy…”</p><p>…</p><p>“You’re totally famous now, kid!</p><p>“Tsk, tsk! Beating up a prince! That’s something I’d wanted to do back then but hadn’t managed to, y’know!</p><p>“Speaking of which, though, when did you awaken the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline? How is it that I never knew? Just how much are you keeping from me, kid?”</p><p>Meng Lei laid back down on the Multi-Armed Behemoth, which resumed its journey. Then, he started to chat idly with Ol’ Amos.</p><p>Roughly half an hour later, a huge canyon entered their sight, and Sacas the Multi-Armed Behemoth stopped in its tracks.</p><p>“Boss, that’s the Golden Corpse Canyon—the Golden Corpse Bugs’ territory—ahead!”</p><p>“The Golden Corpse Canyon?”</p><p>The canyon was wide and deep, and the path through it rough and rugged, long and winding. One couldn’t see to the end of it at one glance. Filled with drifting smoke, it also gave off a shocking stench.</p><p>Strewn all over the bottom of the canyon were innumerable carcasses and remains. Some were already starting to rot, and flies, mosquitoes, and maggots were crawling all over them, while some were old, aged carcasses where ghastly white skeletons were the only things remaining…</p><p>Meng Lei stared from afar at the carcasses and skeletal remains littered all about. Coupled with the overwhelming stench, he hadn’t even gotten anywhere near the area when he felt his stomach churn, and he almost threw up the contents in his gut.</p><p>“Sacas, why did you bring me to a place like this?”</p><p>Meng Lei clapped his hand over his nose, somewhat displeased.</p><p>“Aren’t you looking for Saint Domain Magical Beasts, Boss?” Sacas explained, “The emperor of the Golden Corpse Bugs is the Saint Domain Magical Beast that was the nearest to us. It dwells right in this Golden Corpse Canyon!”</p><p>“Fine!” While pinching his nose, Meng Lei asked, “Is there any way to get the Golden Corpse Bug Emperor out? I have no interest in going into the canyon and dying from the stench!”</p><p>“Easy-peasy!”</p><p>Sacas grabbed a huge rock and then, he hurled it forcefully into the canyon. The impact caused the canyon walls to shake and tremble and rocks and stones to roll and fall off.</p><p>“Boris, you motherf*cker! Get the hell out here! I’m going to beat you up so bad that even your mother wouldn’t recognize you!”</p><p>Sacas let out a thunderous roar as he thumped his chest, his voice resounding in the canyon like roiling thunder.</p><p>“Compared to Clara, Sacas’ way of doing things is so simple and crude!”</p><p>At the sight, Meng Lei couldn’t help but laugh. When he’d sent the Uni-Horned Rose Python to call on others in the past, that fellow was always cowering in fear, afraid of every single thing. Even the sight of it was an embarrassment!</p><p>In comparison, Sacas was much wilder!</p><p>Buzz, buzz!</p><p>A brief moment later, a buzzing sound cut through the air and rushed toward them. Then, they saw a golden cloud floating out of the canyon.</p><p>With Meng Lei’s eyesight, he could naturally see that that was no golden cloud at all—it was obviously innumerable golden insects that had clustered into something like a locust swarm!</p><p>Dense and packed, they were a large golden mass!</p><p>“Boss, those are the Golden Corpse Bugs!” Sacas shrank back a little as it said, “They are a type of repulsive insects with tiny little bodies but an extremely shocking level of destructiveness!”</p><p>“Which grade of Magical Beasts are the Golden Corpse Bugs?” Meng Lei asked as he watched the glittering golden cloud intently.</p><p>“Boss, a Golden Corpse Bug barely makes the cut as a Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, but their mouthparts can easily pierce through a vast majority of Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts’—and even Saint Domain Magical Beasts’—armor and skin!”</p><p>In a low voice, Sacas explained, “A large swarm of Golden Corpse Bugs can polish off a Saint Domain Magical Beast in a matter of minutes. Therefore, they are highly dangerous entities!</p><p>“Unless I absolutely have to, I’d never come to this damned canyon to provoke those damned stinky bugs. They are simply too fearsome. The moment I imagine them crawling all over me and worming into my fur, I can’t help but shudder all over!”</p><p>“Haha! Look at how scared you are!” Meng Lei couldn’t help but laugh, though he also wondered, “Since every Golden Corpse Bug is a Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, with so many around, imagine the amount of money I can earn!”</p><p>Buzz, buzz!</p><p>Just as Meng Lei’s imagination was running wild, the golden cloud of Golden Corpse Bugs also finally flew over to them. Then, they came together to form a huge insect.</p><p>Standing at 100-meters-tall and with a greenish face and ferocious fangs, the huge insect looked as though it was a gigantic louse, except golden-yellow in color throughout and with a pair of wings on its back. Armor-plated all over, it was incredibly savage-looking!</p><p>“To think you actually dare to come to my Golden Corpse Canyon, Sacas! Bold of you to do so!”</p><p>In a thunderous voice, the huge insect spoke the human tongue and said, “Since you are so bold as to come here, then I shall eat you today so that you’ll know that the Golden Corpse Canyon isn’t a place where a big guy like you can enter! My little ones, gobble it up!”</p><p>Buzz, buzz!</p><p>The huge insect instantly dispersed and turned into a golden cloud that covered the entire sky and rushed toward Sacas!</p><p>Roar!</p><p>Sacas roared furiously into the sky, fully displaying its tyrannic stance. Yet it had no effect whatsoever on the Golden Corpse Bug cluster blotting out the sky. The insects dispersed at times, converged at times, morphed into a humanoid form at times…</p><p>In a mere instant, it’d already charged all the way to Sacas!</p><p>Roar!!</p><p>Sacas roared furiously and incessantly as its sharp claws swiped about here and there, smashing huge rocks around it in a haphazard manner. Yet despite its violent, raging power, it gave off a rather helpless feeling, as though a tiger that didn’t know how it should be eating a porcupine.</p><p>Indeed!</p><p>Against a cluster of tiny insects like that, what use was its wild and extreme physical strength?</p><p>Sacas was on the verge of being surrounded by the overwhelming masses of Golden Corpse Bugs. When that happened, it would end up like the rest of the broken carcasses lying forgotten at the bottom of the Golden Corpse Canyon—devoured by the Golden Corpse Bugs and then, rotting, decaying, and becoming the food of maggots and flies!</p><p>Just as that was about to happen…</p><p>“Absolute Zero!”</p><p>Meng Lei attacked at this point!</p><p>Crack!</p><p>A white, chilly air current burst forth and engulfed the large golden cloud, sealing it in ice amidst crisp-sounding cracks!</p><p>At the same time, the white, chilly air current also continued to spread toward the Golden Corpse Canyon. It sealed everything in its path in ice, including even the all-pervasive stench and carcasses.</p><p>A brief moment later, the Golden Corpse Canyon from earlier was no longer anywhere in sight. In its place was instead a vast white glacier.</p><p>… And of course, an infinite number of motionless Golden Corpse Bugs frozen in mid-air!</p><p>“They aren’t dead yet?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rather startled. There hadn’t been any notifications from the system—this showed that the ice-sealed Golden Corpse Bugs hadn’t died yet. The spell hadn’t frozen them to death—not a single one!</p><p>“Well, that’s amazing!” Meng Lei was filled with marvel at once.</p><p>“Golden Corpse Bugs are metal-elemental and ice-elemental Magical Beasts. They’re practically immune to spells of these two elements,” Ol’ Amos’ voice rang out at this point, “Absolute Zero can’t kill them!”</p><p>“No wonder!”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded slightly. “They might not be afraid of Absolute Zero, but what about Prairie-Blazing Heavenly Fire?”</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>With a mere thought from him, large expanses of black flames immediately descended from the sky and engulfed the whole area within 1,000 meters of where they were, including the Golden Corpse Canyon behind him!</p><p>Everything in the black flames’ path was set ablaze—even the solid ice giving off an astonishing chill was no exception!</p><p>Crackle, crackle!</p><p>Upon being scorched, the solid ice surprisingly didn’t melt. Instead, they became the black flames’ fuel, making them burn even more violently.</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>The flames blazed furiously.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Golden Corpse Bug killed, 10 million gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Golden Corpse Bug killed, 10.01 million gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding…”</p><p>At once, system notifications began to ring out. On top of that, they rang out without any pause!</p><p>“That’s more like it!”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded in satisfaction.</p><p>“Damn! You bastard! How dare you slaughter my children! You should die for that!”</p><p>A voice that sounded like an owl’s hoot rang out. Then, a Golden Corpse Bug the size of a baby’s fist abruptly flew out of the cluster. It glared furiously at Meng Lei, its teeth gnashing as it did so.</p><p>“Boss, that’s Boris, the Golden Corpse Bug Emperor!”</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth supplemented in a timely fashion at this point.</p><p>“The Golden Corpse Bug Emperor?” Meng Lei couldn’t help but look over.</p><p>A normal Golden Corpse Bug was pitifully tiny and only about the size of a date seed. However, that particular Golden Corpse Bug was dozens of times—even up to 100 times—the size of other Golden Corpse Bugs! It was as big as a human’s fist!</p><p>“That’s a Saint Domain Magical Beast?”</p><p>Meng Lei was astonished. “A fist-sized Saint Domain Magical Beast… That’s probably the smallest Saint Domain Magical Beast I’ve ever seen…”</p><p>Right at this point, two golden light balls dropped from the Golden Corpse Bug Emperor.</p><p>“Ding! Dropped item detected. Will you pick it up?”</p><p>“Yes, pick it up!”</p><p>“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained a metal-elemental Laws of Nature fragment!”</p><p>“Ding! Congratulations to the host. You’ve obtained the Golden Corpse Bug Emperor bloodline. Will you assimilate it?”</p><p>“Assimilate the metal-elemental Laws of Nature fragment! But I’ll skip the Golden Corpse Bug Emperor bloodline!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-178

Chapter 178

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 178</h1><p>Chapter 178: The Tree of Vitality, The Hammer of Destruction</p><p>Ever since he’d assimilated the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline, Meng Lei had become awfully picky about his bloodlines. He honestly turned his nose up at most typical bloodlines now!</p><p>Be it the Fire Dragon bloodline, the Fire Demon bloodline, or the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline that he’d just assimilated, they were but just white elephants.</p><p>If it were possible, he didn’t even want them!</p><p>Therefore, Meng Lei held even less interest in the Golden Corpse Bug Emperor bloodline that he’d just picked up.</p><p>“Assimilate the metal-elemental Laws of Nature fragment!”</p><p>After a split second, a wave of information about metal-elemental magic elements and metal-elemental laws of nature surged into his mind, rapidly boosting Meng Lei’s comprehension of “metal”.</p><p>“Metal—sharp and solid, it specializes in slaughter…</p><p>“Metal—reserved and austere, it specializes in revolution…”</p><p>After a long while, Meng Lei finally exhaled a long breath of pent-up air. His comprehension of metal-elemental laws of nature had obviously moved a whole step up!</p><p>“Thank you for your metal-elemental Laws of Nature fragment!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s gaze fell onto the Golden Corpse Bug Emperor, and he said, “To thank you, I’ll leave your body in one piece!</p><p>“Ice-elemental first-class spell—Absolute Zero!</p><p>“Wood-elemental first-class spell—Judgment of Life!”</p><p>With two first-class spells tossed out successively, the Golden Corpse Bug Emperor didn’t have the chance to flee at all before it lost its life.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Golden Corpse Bug Emperor killed, 11.8 billion gold coins gained!”</p><p>When the carcass came falling down, Meng Lei caught it in his hand casually. He couldn’t help but sigh. “If only all Saint Domain Magical Beasts’ carcasses were this small. I wouldn’t need to be troubled over storing it anymore…”</p><p>Then, he ordered, “Sacas, look for the next Saint Domain Magical Beast!”</p><p>“Yes, Boss!”</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth resumed its journey once more. As per usual, Meng Lei also started to take stock of his rewards. He wouldn’t have known just how scary his rewards were had he not done so, but the moment he did, he received a huge shock!</p><p>“My Wealth points have increased by so much?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rather astonished.</p><p>58.6 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals!</p><p>When converted to gold coins, that would amount to 586 billion gold coins!</p><p>“How much did I have before this again?</p><p>“22.3 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals, so that makes it 223 billion gold coins…</p><p>“And now… It has become 58.6 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals.</p><p>“It has increased by a whole 36.3 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals!</p><p>“Oh my goodness! Why did it suddenly spike that much?</p><p>“Wait a minute! Let me calculate this…</p><p>“One Golden Corpse Bug is worth ten million gold coins, so ten of them makes it 100 million gold coins.</p><p>“36.3 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals is equivalent to 363 billion gold coins. In other words, that’s 36,300 Golden Corpse Bugs?</p><p>“36,000 Golden Corpse Bugs? They’re worth that many gold coins?</p><p>“Oh my goodness! Hunting Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts is more lucrative than hunting Saint Domain Magical Beasts?”</p><p>“…”</p><p>It was only after a long time that Meng Lei finally regained his composure.</p><p>He understood that it wasn’t so much as Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts were more valuable than Saint Domain Magical Beasts; rather, it was because the number of Golden Corpse Bugs he’d just killed was simply too high!</p><p>Every little bit counted when winning through sheer numbers!</p><p>That was how he’d gotten the windfall of 363 billion gold coins!</p><p>“Little did I imagine that casually killing those Golden Corpse Bugs would actually bring me this much benefits! Looks like hunting pack Magical Beasts is still the most cost-effective when it comes to money-making!”</p><p>Meng Lei ordered resolutely, “Sacas, prioritize going to Saint Domain Magical Beasts with a clan! The bigger the clan, the better! And the stronger, the better! Understand?”</p><p>“Yes, Boss!”</p><p>“Great!”</p><p>A satisfied Meng Lei nodded. Then, he looked at his massive Wealth again. 58.6 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals was a huge sum of money. How should he spend them?</p><p>His gaze swept across his stats interface. At once, Meng Lei had an idea. He instructed, “System, raise my Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate!”</p><p>The system’s icy-cold voice rang out. “Ding! Raising the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline by 1% requires 10 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals. May I know whether you’d like to raise it?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>Meng Lei looked absolutely unwilling to part with the money, but he still gave the order to do so anyway. He was already aware of the cost beforehand, so it didn’t surprise him.</p><p>Raising his bloodline assimilation rate by 1% required 100 billion gold coins, while raising his comprehension of laws of nature by 1% only required 10 billion gold coins.</p><p>In other words, if he’d used the 100 billion gold coins to raise his comprehension of the laws of nature instead, he’d have been able to raise his comprehension of a certain type of laws of nature by 10%!</p><p>10%!</p><p>That was already 1/10 of the total!</p><p>From that, one could tell just how expensive raising the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate was!</p><p>Meng Lei found it worthwhile, however.</p><p>The reason for that was because raising the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate gave an all-rounded boost to his combat abilities. In particular, the boost it brought to his speed and defenses were even more fearsome.</p><p>There was an absolute need for him to boost his speed and defenses in the perilous Lost Continent, especially when there was also a mysterious divine tree eying them in the shadows. Speed and high defenses couldn’t get any more essential!</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth instantly shrunk by 10 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals.</p><p>At the same time, a blackish-green air current also abruptly emerged from the depths of his blood vessels and flowed rapidly into his limbs, body, veins, bones, and skin. It flowed into every inch of Meng Lei’s body, rapidly modifying and strengthening it.</p><p>“Here it comes again…”</p><p>The intense agony and sharp pain that accompanied the strengthening process assailed Meng Lei’s pain receptors, reaching straight into the bones and burning his insides. It was much, much more intense than when he’d assimilated the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline previously!</p><p><em>Pain!</em></p><p><em>Pain!</em></p><p><em>Pain!</em></p><p>Meng Lei let out a muffled grunt and clutched Sacas’ fur. If he could, he really wished he could blackout and get it over and done with.</p><p>Unfortunately, when one’s spiritual power was as powerful as his, how would they possibly pass out that easily?</p><p>He couldn’t! Therefore, the only thing he could do was to endure it!</p><p>In that case, then that was what he would do!</p><p>Upon sensing Meng Lei’s abnormality, Sacas couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong, Boss?”</p><p>Meng Lei growled in a low voice, “Don’t bother with me. Just focus on moving!”</p><p>“Understood!”</p><p>For some reason, Meng Lei’s low growl seemed to contain a boundless sense of majesty that gave Sacas shivers from the depths of its soul. It hurriedly buried its head into traveling and asked no more.</p><p>The whole modification process lasted roughly half an hour before it ended. Although it was a painful process, the results were encouraging!</p><p>The Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate had successfully risen to 2%!</p><p>Apart from that, the biggest change was in his Physical Body Constitution—it had doubled and reached an astonishing 24.1 billion points!</p><p>Prior to this, it had been 12 billion points, but it had now reached 24.1 billion points. It had totally doubled!</p><p>In other words, at the same time, his Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate was being raised by 1%, his Physical Body Constitution had also increased by 12 billion points along the way!</p><p>Had he redeemed the 12 billion Physical Body Constitution points via credit, he’d have needed 120 billion gold coins to do that.</p><p>What a worthwhile transaction! It couldn’t get any more worthwhile!</p><p>Not to mention that his speed and defenses had definitely received a great boost, too!</p><p>It was absolutely no exaggeration to say that the practical benefits that Meng Lei’d received had far surpassed the value of 100 billion gold coins.</p><p>To sum it up in one sentence, these 100 billion gold coins were simply too well-spent!</p><p>“I’ve earned big! This is way more efficient than pure credit redemption.</p><p>“I don’t need to spend on Physical Body Constitution anymore in the future. If I want to spend on credit redemption, I can just put it all into the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate. It’s obviously way more cost-effective! It’s just that the process is a little more painful…”</p><p>Meng Lei took a breath and steamed off the perspiration and bloodstains on himself. Then, he continued to browse his personal stats interface.</p><p>Host: Meng Lei</p><p>Race: Human (Fire Dragon bloodline &lt;52%&gt;, Fire Demon bloodline &lt;47%&gt;, Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline &lt;10%&gt;, Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline &lt;2%&gt;, Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline &lt;50%&gt;)</p><p>Wealth: 48.6 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals</p><p>Physical Body Constitution: Saint Domain (24,124,607,410/100 billion)</p><p>Spirit: Saint Domain (1,028,314,896/100 billion)</p><p>Magic Power: Saint Domain (1,025,888,951/100 billion)</p><p>Laws of Nature: Fire-elemental (0.2%), Wind-elemental (0.1%), Thunder-elemental (0.1%), Metal-elemental (0.2%), Light-elemental (0.1%)</p><p>Others: Some increase</p><p>“Now that I’ve boosted my absolute combat strength, it’s time for the game!”</p><p>Meng Lei switched into a comfortable position and laid down. Then, he took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.</p><p>“System, I want to use the Limitless Pickup function!”</p><p>The system’s icy-cold voice rang out. “Ding! 1 Laws of Nature Origin Crystal is required for the usage of this function. May I know if you’d like to use it?”</p><p>“Yes! I’m loaded with cash!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth instantly shrunk by 1 Law of Nature Origin Crystal.</p><p>Following that, a system notification also rang out a few seconds later. “Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s wealth +1 million gold coins!”</p><p>(⊙_⊙)?</p><p>Meng Lei was dumbfounded.</p><p>“Host’s Wealth +1 million gold coins? What does that mean? I spent 10 billion gold coins just to pick up 1 million gold coins?</p><p>“What the actual f*ck!!! What a huge loss! This is a terrible loss! 10 billion gold coins just to pick up something like this?!</p><p>“I won’t take this lying down! Again!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Laws of Nature Origin Crystal is required for the usage of this function. May I know if you’d like to use it?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth shrunk by 1 Law of Nature Origin Crystal again.</p><p>The system’s icy-cold voice rang out. “Ding! Congratulations to the host. You’ve obtained a branch from the Tree of Vitality!”</p><p>“A… Branch from the Tree of Vitality?”</p><p>Rather flabbergasted, Meng Lei hastily took it out for inspection. An emerald green tree branch approximately one-meter-long appeared in his hand.</p><p>A split second later, a surge of vitality emanated from it, revitalizing and refreshing Meng Lei and sweeping away his fatigue.</p><p>“Boss!”</p><p>Upon sensing the vitality surge, Sacas turned his head at once.</p><p>“Where did you get something like that, brat?”</p><p>It had caught Ol’ Amos’ attention, too. He emerged from the spatial ring and gazed in astonishment at the green tree branch in Meng Lei’s hand.</p><p>“Do you recognize this thing, Ol’ President?” asked Meng Lei.</p><p>“Duh! If I can’t even recognize something like that, wouldn’t I have lived these tens of thousands of years in vain?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos rolled his eyes. Then, he picked up the tree branch and took a light sniff. As if an opium addict that had caught a whiff of opium, a look of revelry and infatuation appeared on his face at once!</p><p>“A branch from the Tree of Vitality! This is definitely a branch from the Tree of Vitality!</p><p>“This is good stuff! It contains an astonishing amount of vitality. Not only can it revive and heal, but it’s also a treasure that can restore one’s magic power!</p><p>“With this branch in hand, not only will meditation be several times—even dozens of times—more effective, but the restoration rate of the magic power in your body will also increase by a few times!</p><p>“This is good stuff! Definitely good stuff!”</p><p>Meng Lei asked eagerly, “If I auction this off, how much can it sell for?”</p><p>This thing was completely a white elephant to him. If he could turn it into gold coins instead, then the 10 billion gold coins to pick it up wouldn’t be spent in vain!</p><p>“What? You want to sell it? You wastrel!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos broke into a rant at once. “The Tree of Vitality is the Fairy Empire’s holy tree! Outsiders can’t even catch a glimpse of it, let alone obtain a branch from it!</p><p>“But if you were to auction this small little branch off, it’ll fetch at least dozens of billions of gold coins, I guess? Perhaps even 100 billion?”</p><p>“Up to 100 billion? Phew, that’s not a loss, then!”</p><p>Meng Lei heaved a sigh of relief and quickly kept the Tree of Vitality branch before contacting the system.</p><p>“You lousy system, look at what you’ve picked up for me? You rascal, aren’t you scamming me too much?”</p><p>“Dear host, the Limitless Pickup system is a random pickup function. The quality of the item picked up is completely random.”</p><p>“Damn your randomness!” Meng Lei said huffily, “Can’t you pick up something better for me? Even at the worst, you shouldn’t make it too great of a loss. 10 billion gold coins per try is too hefty a price!</p><p>“Forget it. I won’t do it anymore. It’s too big a scam!</p><p>“But… I really can’t reconcile myself with this. I didn’t get anything good twice in a row. I really can’t reconcile myself with this!</p><p>“How about… I give it another go? Yeah! I’ll do it one last time! System, one more time!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Laws of Nature Origin Crystal is required for the usage of this function. May I know if you’d like to use it?”</p><p>“Cut the crap, I’ll use it one last time!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth shrunk by 1 Law of Nature Origin Crystal once again.</p><p>“Please stop scamming me! If I get another piece of trash, I’m gonna go berserk!”</p><p>“Ding! Congratulations to the host. You’ve obtained the Hammer of Destruction!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-179

Chapter 179

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 179</h1><p>Chapter 179: The Behemoth On The Brink of Death, The Immortal Fairy</p><p>This was a polluted swamp!</p><p>Large patches of withered trees and vegetation laid in the muddy shallow waters. The bark had already fallen off the trees, causing the surfaces to be bald and smooth, and the polluted, yellowish lake waters gave off a terrible stench.</p><p>The whole swamp was barren, desolate, and quiet. There were no traces of life, and the whole place was silent.</p><p>Then, all of a sudden…</p><p>A huge shadow rushed from afar before ultimately coming to a stop in mid-air above the swamp. Thick, dense fur and powerful intertwining muscles covered its body—it was Sacas the Behemoth!</p><p>“Boss, this is the Scarlet Swamp Snakes’ territory,” Sacas said as it turned to Meng Lei. “The Scarlet Swamp Snake is an extremely powerful snake species that lives in a pack in the Lost Continent. Their numbers are fairly big.”</p><p>“How strong are they?”</p><p>“They vary in strength. Some are sixth-grade to seventh-grade, and some are eighth-grade to ninth-grade, while the Scarlet Swamp Snake Emperor itself is a Saint Domain Magical Beast.</p><p>“Generally speaking, the Scarlet Swamp Snakes are not any weaker than the Golden Corpse Bugs. Both are Magical Beast species that live in large packs.”</p><p>“Not bad.”</p><p>A satisfied Meng Lei waved him away. Then, he ordered, “Go on and get the Scarlet Swamp Snake Emperor out here.”</p><p>“Yes, Boss!”</p><p>Sacas casually picked up a withered branch and threw it into the swamp, causing the waters to splash about everywhere and the mud to spatter.</p><p>“…”</p><p>Two minutes later, a 20-meters-long water snake covered in reddish-brown spots weaved out of the swamp and slithered over to them in a crooked line.</p><p>“That’s the Scarlet Swamp Snake, Boss.”</p><p>As it watched the Scarlet Swamp Snake intently, Sacas explained, “This particular group of snakes is too greedy and has eaten all the living things inside the swamp.</p><p>“Therefore, Scarlet Swamp Snakes are constantly hungry. The moment there’s even the slightest bit of motion, they’ll be lured out of their den.</p><p>“Take a look over there!”</p><p>Meng Lei looked over on his cue to see Scarlet Swamp Snakes of varying sizes also popping out from other areas of the swamp. Additionally, their numbers were getting bigger and bigger. It was as though thousands upon thousands of snakes were spilling forth from their den.</p><p>“They’re a bunch of starving snakes, indeed.”</p><p>Meng Lei bent his fingers and made a stroking motion as if he were strumming a guitar. As he did so, wind blades also shot out one after another toward the Scarlet Swamp Snakes.</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>Amid constant jarring noises, the wind blades severed the Scarlet Swamp Snakes’ heads one by one, and they died one after another.</p><p>Blood spurted everywhere, and decapitated snakeheads were thrown out in all directions.</p><p>In a mere instant, the Scarlet Swamp Snakes that had crawled out of their den had all been killed. Freshly-spilled blood dyed the swamp red in dozens of spots, and the faint smell of blood slowly began to pervade the air.</p><p>Was everything over?</p><p>Of course not!</p><p>As though they’d caught the smell of blood, more and more Scarlet Swamp Snakes emerged from the swamp, like mushrooms sprouting after rain.</p><p>10, 50, 100…</p><p>In less than the amount of time it took to take a few breaths, the initially-quiet swamp had become incredibly lively. Scarlet Swamp Snakes that had been hiding in unknown places made their grand appearances and filled up every corner of the swamp.</p><p>At one glance, the whole place was a scarlet red.</p><p>As far as the eye could see, big snakes were everywhere.</p><p>“Tsk, tsk! There must be at least 8,000 of them, if not 10,000!” Meng Lei marveled at the sight. “Just as well! I can just take them all out, then!”</p><p>“Absolute Zero!”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A white, chilly air current burst forth and shrouded the whole area within 10,000 meters. Amid crisp snaps and cracks, everything in the surroundings was fixed in place during this instant.</p><p>The scarlet swamp became a nation of frost, and all the Scarlet Swamp Snakes within 10,000 meters turned into vivid-looking ice sculptures.</p><p>“Ding! 1 Scarlet Swamp Snake killed. 13 million gold coins gained!”</p><p>“Ding! 1 Scarlet Swamp Snake killed. 3.97 million gold coins gained!”</p><p>Meng Lei rose into the air and flew further into the swamp’s depths while Sacas followed closely after him.</p><p>Just like that, the pair slew everything in their path as they advanced. Snake carcasses were littered all about, and innumerable ice sculptures were created everywhere they passed through.</p><p>When the pair reached the very center of the swamp, a deep pool appeared in front of them. As though an old well, the pool waters were a clean and clear dark green. Deep and bottomless, it was completely different from the unbearably polluted swampy waters around it.</p><p>A powerful Saint Domain Magical Beast aura emanated from the pool, leaving no doubt to the fact that an enormous, savage beast was lurking within.</p><p>“Sacas, get him out here!”</p><p>“Yes, sir!”</p><p>Sacas grabbed a huge piece of wood and threw it right into the pool. At the same time, he also started to hurl abuse loudly. “Albin, here’s a f*cking coffin for your ancestors! Hurry and get the hell out here…”</p><p>Splash!</p><p>There was no way of telling whether it was the huge piece of wood that’d alarmed the savage beast in the pool or Sacas’ verbal abuse that’d taken effect!</p><p>Splash!</p><p>Amid great splashes, an enormous snakehead jumped out of the pool and bit at Sacas—who was in mid-air—at lightning-quick speed! Its huge mouth opened wide, and a fishy, pungent stink rushed toward their faces.</p><p>“Hmph!”</p><p>Sacas was already prepared for this a long time ago. In the instant the snake dived toward it, its sharp claws closed together, and it grabbed viciously at it!</p><p>Unexpectedly, in the instant that it was about to make contact with the snake, its head whipped to the side in an S-shape and bypassed Sacas’ sharp claws to clamp its jaws down at its waist!</p><p>Splash!</p><p>The next moment, the snake’s massive body followed closely and wound around Sacas at high speed. It went one round, two, two and a half…</p><p>Roar!</p><p>As a raging Behemoth, how would Sacas possibly allow the huge snake to get its way? With a roar into the sky, six two-meters-long barbed claws grabbed viciously at the snake’s body!</p><p>Slash!</p><p>Slash!</p><p>The claws created deep fissures in the snake’s body with every grab Sacas made as though metal hooks. Blood sprayed everywhere and dyed the snake—as well as the pool waters underneath them—red.</p><p>Hiss!</p><p>Pain came over the huge snake. It opened its cavernous jaws and bit at Sacas’ neck. Two sharp venomous fangs gleamed with a cold, greenish glow under the sunlight as they bit viciously at Sacas.</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but shake his head with a light laugh at the sight of that. Just how tough and solid was Sacas’ body? First-class spells might not even be able to break its defenses, so how would two venomous fangs possibly be able to wound it?</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>However, something unbelievable happened the next moment. The two venomous fangs actually managed to pierce through Sacas’ skin and sink viciously into its body with a splurt.</p><p>Large amounts of venom were injected into its body and began to spread rapidly. Sacas stiffened up, and the movements of its sharp, barbed claws that were brandishing about fervently also gradually began to slow down—evidently, it had been poisoned!</p><p>“What the f*ck!!!”</p><p>Meng Lei, who was awfully shocked, hastily got ready to go forward to render aid. Not only was Sacas his trusted subordinate and favored aide, but he was also loyal and devoted. He couldn’t just watch it die from the snake’s venom.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Unexpectedly, a sudden turn of events occurred at this point.</p><p>A shrill whiz abruptly rang out, and a green arrow shot toward them at an unbelievable speed. In an instant, it’d pierced through the snake’s point of weakness!</p><p>At once, the snake’s eyes rolled up, and its massive body immediately froze up. From the look of it, it wasn’t going to survive.</p><p>At the same time, the green arrow continued its momentum and pierced through the snake’s head to shoot toward Sacas’ throat!</p><p>The green arrow’s might hadn’t diminished by much. Even Meng Lei couldn’t be sure whether or not it would pierce through Sacas’ throat.</p><p>He couldn’t take chances with it!</p><p>“Damn!”</p><p>Meng Lei hastily grabbed at the arrow. After he had raised the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate to 2%, his speed had improved even further. In an instant, he had come right up to Sacas.</p><p>Unfortunately…</p><p>It was ultimately still a step too late.</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>The green arrow’s ability to penetrate had reached terrifying levels. It easily broke through Sacas’ superbly strong defenses and shot right into its throat.</p><p>“Ugh!”</p><p>Blood sprayed into the air. Sacas let out a mournful cry as blood began to spurt madly from its throat, instantly dyeing the thick fur at its chest red.</p><p>“Bastard!”</p><p>Meng Lei almost went berserk. However, he managed to barely hang on to his last vestige of rationality and stop himself from killing the person that had launched the sneak attack. Instead, he cast a wood-elemental first-class spell—Blessings of Life!</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>The Wood Elements within 10,000 meters of where he was converged fervently to form a 100-meters-wide funnel that covered Sacas within. Wood Elements containing abundant vitality began to rapidly heal the wound at Sacas’ throat.</p><p>Under Blessings of Life’s healing powers, the wound at Sacas’ throat began to visibly heal. The bleeding gradually stopped in just a few moments, and the wound had become close to closing.</p><p>“Eat this.”</p><p>Meng Lei also brought out a wood-elemental Saint Domain Magical Beast’s vitality core and stuffed it into Sacas’ mouth to continue healing its wound.</p><p>“Thank you… Boss!”</p><p>The successive blows had made Sacas, a strong and muscular Behemoth, rather weak, and its voice was no longer as fierce and ferocious as it had previously been.</p><p>“All I can do is heal your physical wound. I can’t remove the snake venom in you.” Meng Lei had a grave look on his face as he asked, “Are you able to tough it out?”</p><p>“Don’t worry, Boss!”</p><p>Sacas grinned a little and replied weakly, “It’s nothing but just the Scarlet Swamp Snake Emperor’s venom. It can’t kill me. We Behemoths are immune to most snakes’ venom. If you let me take a short break, I’ll be alive and kicking in a while!”</p><p>“Good to hear that.”</p><p>Meng Lei heaved a sigh of relief. His tightly-knitted brows also smoothened out. As he patted Sacas’ shoulder, he said comfortingly, “Have a good rest. Leave the rest to me!”</p><p>“Yes, Boss!”</p><p>Meng Lei turned round, the look in his eyes already replaced by a chilling harshness. As he gazed at the direction from which the green arrow had shot out 0f, murderous intent suffused his eyes as he said, “You sneaky bastard, get the hell out here!”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The order, once given, was strictly enforced. As a furious roar rang out, endless black flames suddenly rained down from the sky and shrouded the forest in the other direction.</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>As though the flames of Amaterasu[1], the black flames set everything in their path on fire and turned them into blazing flames that sprayed everywhere. In the twinkling of an eye, the forest had turned into a sea of black fire.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>A green feminine figure flew out of the sea of fire. The tips of her toes tapped lightly in the air, and she landed gracefully on the ground like a green butterfly. Her movements were light and nimble like an otherworldly celestial maiden’s.</p><p>Pointed ears, a tall, slender figure, a beautiful, exquisite face, soft, tender skin, and a pair of gentle, attractive, jet-black eyes that looked as though they could speak…</p><p>Added to those her emerald-green armor that covered only the essentials and left everything else exposed, she was innocent-looking yet sensual at the same time and brimmed with endless allure.</p><p>When faced with such an enchanting woman, any man would be moved. Meng Lei was also a little stunned by her beauty, but what he felt, even more, was fury—fierce, blazing fury!</p><p>“Were you the one that ambushed my prey and attacked my mount? How bold of you!”</p><p>“All the Magical Beasts on this continent are my prey. Those two Saint Domain Magical Beasts are naturally no exception.”</p><p>The beautiful woman’s lips moved as she replied. Her voice was clear and melodious as if a trickling stream that moistened the bottom of one’s heart. She said, “You can leave now. They are mine.”</p><p>Meng Lei broke into laughter at her words. His sinister laughter resounded in the air above the swamp.</p><p>“And if I don’t?”</p><p>[1] The sun goddess in Japanese myths</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-180

Chapter 180

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 180</h1><p>Chapter 180: Undeveloped Carnal Desires, Magical Beasts Wiped Out</p><p>The breeze blew lightly, rippling the waters.</p><p>Above the deep pool, two figures stood facing each other from afar.</p><p>One had cold eyes and emanated murderous intent while the other sported an aloof expression and a haughty demeanor.</p><p>“Leave? What if I don’t?”</p><p>Meng Lei licked his lips, the corners of his lips curling upward.</p><p>“I don’t have time to waste on you. If you’re not too foolish, you should know what you should be doing,” Miriam, the Immortal Fairy, replied in a clear and melodious voice. “Otherwise, I can only use the arrow in my hand to give you a hand.”</p><p>“Yet another braggart that thinks too highly of themselves.” Meng Lei shook his head lightly. “I’ve seen too many people like you, and there’s usually only one outcome for all of you.”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>With a soft whiz, Meng Lei quietly vanished from where he was. His movements were so fast that he left behind a series of afterimages!</p><p>Everywhere he passed by, he left behind a trail of afterimages.</p><p>In an instant, Meng Lei was already right in front of Miriam. Then, his foot went flying out!</p><p>His kick was honestly one that was as immovable as a mountain when still and like a clap of shocking thunder when in action. Most people couldn’t react in time at all, and this category of people naturally included the powerful Prince Barbarossa as well.</p><p>However, what surprised Meng Lei was that Miriam the Immortal Fairy had actually reacted in time. A hint of anger appeared on her exquisite features—she was thoroughly enraged.</p><p>“How dare you kick me, you bastard!”</p><p>Without a second word, she raised her arm and fired an arrow.</p><p>Her actions as she held her bow up and notched an arrow were as smooth as flowing water, and she was actually slightly faster than even the current Meng Lei.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>A green arrow instantly shot toward Meng Lei. As they were too near each other, Meng Lei couldn’t even duck in time, and the green arrow shot straight toward his heart.</p><p>Thud!</p><p>This time, something that shocked Miriam happened—the green arrow collided against Meng Lei’s chest, only to let out a dull thud before turning into a bunch of green dots and dissipating into the air.</p><p>Other than that, it actually didn’t hurt Meng Lei at all. It didn’t even pierce through his skin.</p><p>“Oh my dragon god!!!”</p><p>Miriam was terribly stunned; she was thoroughly astounded by what had just happened. One must know that she was a Saint Domain archer. The power in her arrows could pierce through the vast majority of Magical Beasts, yet it hadn’t made a scratch on him!</p><p>Just how powerful were Meng Lei’s defenses?</p><p>Practically a nightmare!</p><p>Was he really human?</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A moment or two was enough to determine the outcome of a battle between experts. In the split second where Miriam was distracted, Meng Lei’s foot had already reached!</p><p>His foot struck her exquisite face viciously. Miriam let out a shrill cry and flew outward with a scream.</p><p>“Do you think it’s over? You’re dead wrong!”</p><p>Meng Lei had no intentions to stop. He used both his fists and his legs, launching a series of frenzied attacks and raining blows upon her in succession.</p><p>It was kick after kick and punch after punch!</p><p>Bam, bam, bam!</p><p>Smack, smack, smack!</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>As she had already lost the initiative, and coupled with Meng Lei’s incredibly berserk attacks, Miriam wasn’t able to launch any decent attacks anymore. Instead, she turned into a punching bag that could only passively take attacks.</p><p>The fury in Meng Lei caused him to attack without holding back at all, much less hold any tender feelings toward the fairer sex. She wasn’t his wife anyway, so why should he feel any sort of tenderness toward her?</p><p>“Ahhh!”</p><p>“Ahhh!”</p><p>“Ahhh!”</p><p>After a few minutes of pummeling, the fury in Meng Lei was finally appeased. Miriam looked as if she had been struck by the legendary Beyond Recognition Kick, and her face was totally swollen. Even the sight of her alone was already nauseating enough to most people, let alone feel the urge to kiss her.</p><p>“Has my Beyond Recognition Kick reached a great mastery level?”</p><p>At the sight of Miriam’s terrible state, Meng Lei nodded in satisfaction. The fury in him had finally been vented. “This… is the outcome of launching sneak attacks from the shadows!”</p><p>“Y-you… You…”</p><p>Miriam was both alarmed and furious. How she wished she could eat Meng Lei’s flesh, drink his blood, slash him a thousand times, and dismember him into a million pieces!</p><p>She, the great Immortal Fairy! One of Dragon God Academy’s four great monsters! The ice goddess that countless people idolized!</p><p>Since when had she ever taken such a vicious beating?</p><p>This was practically a great insult to her!</p><p>And yet…</p><p>“What’s there to ‘you’ about? Cut the crap! If you don’t hand over your spatial ring, I’ll beat you up again!”</p><p>Meng Lei snorted and went on. “A glance at how little you’re wearing is enough for me to know that you’re no decent person. Someone like you should just hurry up and go to Yihong Brothel[1]. This isn’t a place where you should be.”</p><p>“Ugh!”</p><p>Miriam was so furious that she threw up blood. Then, she fell right onto the ground.</p><p>“Playing dead?”</p><p>Meng Lei raised an eyebrow. With a casual point of his finger, the deep pool below them instantly froze, and Miriam landed on the ice.</p><p>Afraid that she was playing tricks, Meng Lei froze her arms and her legs before he approached her with peace of mind. Then, he took off all her…</p><p>Spatial rings!</p><p>And then, he escaped at once!</p><p>“Be thankful that I showed mercy, b*tch! If the exchange competition hadn’t prohibited contestants from taking another contestant’s life, your head wouldn’t be on your neck right now!”</p><p>…</p><p>“I seriously doubt whether or not you’re really a man. Such a beautiful woman, and such an exquisite-looking face…</p><p>“Pure and innocent, yet sensual! A beauty so gorgeous that she can fall kingdoms and cities and captivate even the birds and the beasts, and yet you…</p><p>“Not only are you unmoved, but you even beat her up into such a horrible state!</p><p>“Is it because you didn’t develop properly and haven’t developed your carnal desires, or are you just not a man at all?”</p><p>After leaving the Scarlet Swamp Snake swamp, Meng Lei resumed his Saint Domain Magical Beast-searching journey. Along the way, Ol’ Amos grumbled and nagged, constantly criticizing Meng Lei’s terrible conduct.</p><p>Terrible conduct?</p><p>Yes, terrible conduct, indeed!</p><p>What Meng Lei had done to Miriam were wicked deeds that enraged both gods and mortals alike. How could he beat a beauty into that awful state? Was it something that a human should do?</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t feel like entertaining that amorous old man, so he changed the topic and asked, “Sacas, how’s the snake venom in your body?”</p><p>“I’ve already more or less recovered, Boss!”</p><p>“Alright, that’s great. Something is puzzling me, though. Why were the Scarlet Swamp Snake Emperor’s venomous fangs able to pierce through your skin so easily when your defenses are so high?”</p><p>“You don’t understand, Boss. The Scarlet Swamp Snake Emperor’s venomous fangs are comparable to a half-divine weapon. Incredibly sharp and virtually indestructible. They can pierce through almost all Saint Domain Magical Beasts’ armor and defenses.”</p><p>In the period of time that followed, Meng Lei continued to hunt Magical Beasts.</p><p>As time moved forward day by day, his Wealth also increased rapidly.</p><p>Apart from resting, eating, and occasionally redeeming credit, all Meng Lei did the rest of the time was hunting.</p><p>Before he knew it, half a month had gone by.</p><p>On this day, Meng Lei arrived at the seaside.</p><p>The Endless Oceans were shrouded in boundless fog as usual. Apart from the sound of surging torrential waves, one couldn’t see any further.</p><p>Meng Lei went over to an ocean bay. The waters at the crescent-shaped bay were calm and peaceful and a clear azure blue, much like a sapphire.</p><p>A short distance from the bay was an expanse of forests. Sandwiched between the dense forests and the bay was a soft sandy shore with fine sand and warm, mild sunlight.</p><p>Large crabs occupied the shore, bubbling at their mouths as they sunbathed. Relaxed and comfortable, they were as carefree as can be.</p><p>“Boss, this is the Golden Ocean Bay, the Golden Brown Crabs’ territory!”</p><p>Sacas pointed at the calm and peaceful shore and said, “Domineering and savage by nature, most of the Golden Brown Crabs are very strong. They are basically all Eighth- and Ninth-Grade Magical Beasts.”</p><p>“At last, a group of Magical Beasts that haven’t been slaughtered yet. What a hard life I lead!” Meng Lei heaved a small sigh. “In just a short half a month, almost all the Magical Beasts on the Lost Continent have been wiped out!”</p><p>The Lost Continent occupied a vast territory, and its surface area reached as big as over 10 million square kilometers, and in it lived innumerable Magical Beasts.</p><p>During the first few days of reaching the Lost Continent, Meng Lei had a lot of fun. His average daily profits had exceeded 100 billion gold coins.</p><p>However, as time passed, there were fewer and fewer Magical Beasts. The target Magical Beasts had either all been slaughtered by others or were currently in the midst of being hunted. Hence his profits had started to plummet.</p><p>As a result, they’d only found this undiscovered “paradise” and a group of yet-to-be-slaughtered Magical Beasts after traveling about for an entire day.</p><p>Not only did his daily profits not reach even 10 billion gold coins, but he was spending the vast majority of time moving about…</p><p>To sum it up—the number of Magical Beasts had really decreased!</p><p>To be honest, the calculations made sense, too.</p><p>With an area of 10 million square kilometers and 7,000 to 8,000 contestants, each contestant didn’t even have an area of 1,500 square kilometers to themselves on average. How could the place possibly be able to endure a two-week-long hunt?</p><p>One must understand that hardly even a single Magical Beast could be found within several hundred kilometers of the Saint Domain Magical Beasts’ territories. These large regions were practically empty!</p><p>Those that weren’t Saint Domain Magical Beasts couldn’t withstand the contestants’ massacres, either. After the passage of half a month, it was entirely understandable how almost all the Magical Beasts had been cleanly slaughtered.</p><p>“Without Magical Beasts to hunt, a large-scale massacre among the contestants is going to take place in the upcoming half a month’s time!”</p><p>Meng Lei knew that very well.</p><p>In the Lost Continent elimination round, only the top 100 contestants with the most number of points would be selected, while all the other 7,748 contestants would be eliminated.</p><p>With only one in 78 advancing to the next round, the ratio was simply too low. One could totally imagine just what was going to happen in the upcoming half a month’s time!</p><p>“What does that have to do with me, though?”</p><p>Without Magical Beasts to hunt, Meng Lei’s enthusiasm in moving about had dropped significantly. Rather than pursuing the other contestants all about the continent, he might as well wait for them to come to him instead!</p><p>The moment the thought occurred to him, Meng Lei’s gaze couldn’t help but land on the Golden Ocean Bay. With clean and clear waters, beautiful scenery, white and clean sand, and gentle and mild sun, it was both suitable for swimming, as well as for sunbathing. It was totally a sanctuary for a beach vacation!</p><p>“Looks like even the heavens want me to wait idly for opportunities. Alright, I’ll rest here for a few days.”</p><p>Meng Lei smacked his lips. Then, as several wind blades shot out, the hundreds of Golden Brown Crabs on the shore were wiped out at once—including even the Golden Brown Crab Emperor.</p><p>“Let’s modify things a little!”</p><p>The seawater churned and splashed against the shore, washing away the blood on it.</p><p>Then, vines extended and weaved into a beach chair and a beach umbrella!</p><p>“Haha! Here I come!”</p><p>With a leap, Meng Lei jumped into the clean and clear waters and began to swim leisurely.</p><p>During the last half a month, he had either been hunting Magical Beasts or busy traveling about. Going about and camping outdoors had worn him out.</p><p>Therefore, he would relax properly this time.</p><p>After a round of swimming, Meng Lei returned to the shore in satisfaction. He laid down on the lush, green beach chair and brought out wine and fruits. Then, he began to eat them in delight!</p><p>“Sacas, it’s time for fishing. Whether or not we can bait the fishes will depend on you.”</p><p>“What do you mean by that, Boss?”</p><p>Sacas, who was soaking in the sea and swimming about, looked stupefied.</p><p><em>I’m bathing, y’know. Can it wait?</em></p><p>“…”</p><p>“In other words, you’re supposed to act as the bait. Never mind, just let out your aura!”</p><p>Poooot~</p><p>“I’m telling you to let out your aura, not your gas!”</p><p>[1] A common name for brothels in Chinese stories</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-181

Chapter 181

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 181</h1><p>Chapter 181: The White Tiger Knight, Hotpot Feast</p><p>“Kill them! This King Kong Bull is ours!”</p><p>“How dare you snatch our Magical Beasts? We should kill you for that!”</p><p>“Kill!”</p><p>Then, a chaotic fight broke out in the wide and spacious field.</p><p>Two groups of contestants totaling more than a dozen people clashed fiercely. Swords waved about and reflected light off them while magic spells filled the place. The ground shook, and the mountains swayed as the place turned gloomy and overcast.</p><p>There was only one cause for them getting into such a huge fight, and that was the 50-meters-long pitch-black gigantic bull next to them—the Saint Domain Magical Beast, the King Kong Bull!</p><p>Moo!</p><p>The King Kong Bull watched as the group of more than a dozen contestants fought it out with each other—while ignoring its Saint Domain Magical Beast presence the whole time—and then its bullheaded temper erupted.</p><p><em>All of you have got guts to clamor about hunting this old bull here. I’ve already primed myself for a hard battle ahead, but in the end, I’m left on the sideline while all of you fight it out. This is pure, total disregard for this bull here… A cow may be able to tolerate this, but not this old bull here!</em></p><p>Moo!</p><p>The King Kong Bull let out a furious roar. Then, it unleashed its full power straight away.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Countless leaves and plants rose into the sky amid several sharp whizzes. Then, they turned into an overwhelming expanse of grass arrows and instantly shot outward.</p><p>It was the wood-elemental first-class spell, A Soldier In Every Plant!</p><p>A first-class spell’s might was no trifling matter. By the time the contestants realized what was going on, the endlessly-wide net of grass arrows had already engulfed them.</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>Amid shrill screams, the contestants were thrown back one after another. They were either straight up killed by grass arrows piercing through their foreheads or turned into swiss cheese by grass arrows and suffered a tragic death…</p><p>Thousands upon thousands of arrows later, not even a single one of them was left standing. The fortunate ones had died on the spot while the unfortunate ones were on their last breath.</p><p>“A bunch of trash…”</p><p>The King Kong Bull viciously dealt the finishing blows, and then, it left triumphantly. During the last couple of days, people constantly tried to take its life and inherit its magic core.</p><p>A significant number of contestants had died in the King Kong Bull’s hands in the last few days. Close to 100 corpses laid in the fields, which were stained with blood. Even the King Kong Bull had grown somewhat tired of such meaningless battles. It wanted to leave the place in search of a safe haven.</p><p>Puff!</p><p>It was at this moment that a howling black wind blew over. Then, a tall, strong, and muscular man nearly three-meter-tall drifted over. The man had strong, intertwining muscles and wore striped tiger hide. His eyes were bright and sharp, much like a hawk’s.</p><p>“Here comes another one…”</p><p>The King Kong Bull wasn’t even the least bit surprised when he caught sight of the man. Instead, it looked around habitually to see if anyone else had also arrived—it was already used to situations like this.</p><p>“It’s been a long while since I last ate beef. You’ll satisfy my craving today!”</p><p>The muscular, tiger hide-clad man licked his lips. With just a shift of his feet, he appeared right in front of the King Kong Bull. Then, his ceramic pot-sized fist went flying out forcefully.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>With a crisp crack, the King Kong Bull couldn’t even cry out before the fist smashed right through its head, and it died on the spot.</p><p>The muscular man withdrew his fist. A look of revelry appeared in his eyes as he licked the whitish brains on the surface of his fist. “Beef brains taste the most addictive, indeed!”</p><p>As he spoke, the muscular man pried open the bull’s head with brute force while he was at it and started to take bite after bite of it. In under half an hour, he had finished almost half of the bull’s head.</p><p>“Perfect!”</p><p>After he was done, the tiger hide-clad muscular man rubbed his full belly. Then, he gouged out its magic core and left satisfied.</p><p>As a Saint Domain expert, his traveling speed was not to be doubted. Before long, he had already flown a distance of almost 100 kilometers to arrive in front of a great mountain.</p><p>The man remarked with a slight frown, “There are fewer and fewer Magical Beasts now. It’s been such a long time, yet I actually haven’t encountered even a single one…”</p><p>At that moment, a barely discernible aura drifted over from afar.</p><p>“That’s a Saint Domain Magical Beast’s aura. It’s coming from that direction!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>He followed the Saint Domain Magical Beast aura the whole way. It didn’t take long before the man arrived at a beautiful ocean bay and spotted a Behemoth over 50-meters-tall.</p><p>At the same time at the Dragon God Cathedral…</p><p>Everyone watching the magic screen became worked up at once. Their blood boiled as they cheered loudly, so agitated that their faces were all red.</p><p>“They’ve run into each other!”</p><p>“Those two mutants have finally run into each other!”</p><p>“Oh my dragon god! I’m so excited!”</p><p>“One is a double bloodline-holder and a Saint Domain expert in two areas of expertise, while the same also goes for the other!”</p><p>“They’ve finally run into each other!”</p><p>“We’re gonna have a good show now!”</p><p>Everyone, ranging from the princes and princesses to the nobles and officials, stared hard at the magic screen, looking forward eagerly to the upcoming battle.</p><p>Even Emperor Frederick the 32nd was no exception. He gave a light laugh and asked, “President Luke, President Fred. Between the two of them, who do you think edges out the other?”</p><p>President Luke glanced at President Fred before he replied confidently, “I’ll admit that Meng Lei is certainly greatly talented and is a talent that comes only once in 10,000 years, but he’s ultimately still too young.”</p><p>“Is President Luke saying that Meng Lei is no match for Mond Aston, the White Tiger Knight?”</p><p>President Fred said with a calm smile, “Both you and I are well aware that when it comes to geniuses of their level, age isn’t everything sometimes. Talent can bypass everything.”</p><p>“President Fred, you haven’t interacted with Mond Aston before, so you don’t understand just how frightening he is. He’s no ordinary genius.” President Luke said meaningfully, “Just watch on. He’ll show us with his might that even the strongest genius needs time to mature, including Meng Lei.”</p><p>“We’ll let the truth speak for itself, then!”</p><p>President Fred didn’t wish to say any more.</p><p>“The truth will prove everything!”</p><p>Neither was President Luke interested in saying any further.</p><p>“One is a Saint Domain Great Magician who, at only 16-years-old, not only possesses both the Fire Dragon bloodline and Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline, but also has four types of magic talent—thunder, earth, fire, and wood;</p><p>“The other is ranked 38th place in the Dragon God Genius Ranking. Not only does he possess both the White Tiger and the Netherworld White Tiger bloodlines, but he’s also a Saint Domain Great Magician of three different elements—light, dark, and metal.</p><p>“One is amazingly talented while the other is astoundingly gifted!.</p><p>“For these two people to go up against each other, this is certainly a match of equally formidable opponents and a clash of the titans!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd marveled sincerely, “This is one of the showdowns I am looking forward to the most since the start of the exchange competition this year.”</p><p>“Indeed, Your Majesty! Both 16-year-old Meng Lei and Mond Aston, who’s ranked 38th place in the Dragon God Genius Ranking, are seeded contestants in this year’s exchange competition. We are also looking incredibly forward to the battle between the two of them!”</p><p>“I had initially thought that they’d only run into each other in the latter half of the competition, but little did I expect them to meet so quickly. This is truly and terribly exciting…”</p><p>Everyone was staring at the magic screen.</p><p>Ever since Meng Lei had made his debut, everyone was astounded by his abilities and even more so his talent for magic. They craved for the sight of him—including even the Emperor.</p><p>Thus, Meng Lei had received a lot of screen time on the magic screen. It was almost as much as the screen time that the 13th Princess, the Golden Dragon-Lion, and the Thunder Giant had received.</p><p>It was only after Meng Lei had arrived at the Golden Ocean Bay and turned on his slacker mode to wait idly for opportunities to come knocking that the camera moved away from him.</p><p>Nevertheless, even so, they’d still return for a look now and then.</p><p>Thus, at the sight of the scenic ocean bay, everyone had recognized it as the very same Golden Ocean Bay where Meng Lei was waiting.</p><p>This implied that Mond Aston was going to face Meng Lei very soon.</p><p>“Such anticipation! Such excitement!”</p><p>“Meng Lei and Mond Aston! The two monsters whose names start with ‘M’ are finally facing each other!”</p><p>“I wonder who’ll win?”</p><p>“It’s going to be a fierce fight…”</p><p>A campfire blazed on the clean, white sandy shore.</p><p>Hanging above the campfire was a rather dramatically large pot. Inside the ten-meter-wide pot, soup bubbled and boiled as an aroma rushed toward one’s senses—the pot was filled with various seafood.</p><p>Fresh, tender fish, dustpan-sized crabs, black boar-sized lobsters, full, plump abalones, long, thick geoducks…</p><p>An aroma wafted about from the dish that boasted both looks and fragrance.</p><p>Meng Lei sat cross-legged as he floated in mid-air next to the pot. He held two long chopsticks and ate as he drank. One needn’t even mention just how enthusiastic he currently was.</p><p>“Gurgle~”</p><p>The Multi-Armed Behemoth, currently “letting out its aura” a short distance away, could only stare in his direction as it swallowed its saliva loudly. Oh, how enviable!</p><p>“You’re craving for the food again?”</p><p>While holding a boar-sized lobster and munching on its white, tender flesh, Meng Lei cast a glance at the Multi-Armed Behemoth.</p><p>“Yes, yes!”</p><p>Sacas nodded incessantly, drooling at the mouth.</p><p>“Take it!”</p><p>Meng Lei casually grabbed an ox-sized crab and tossed it over to Sacas.</p><p>Sacas caught hold of it smoothly. Then, without even caring that it was burning-hot, it bit the bright red crab pincer and stuffed it in its mouth.</p><p>Amid the crisp sounds of crunching, the huge ox-sized crab didn’t last long before it entered Sacas’ stomach, not even leaving behind its shell. Then, Sacas stared at Meng Lei longingly again as it swallowed its saliva, its stomach letting out thunderous growls again.</p><p>“Can you eat a little slower? You’ve already eaten 19 crabs, 38 lobsters, 76 abalones, and 152 geoducks.” Meng Lei was rendered speechless. “At this rate, it’s not gonna be enough no matter how much there is! Not to be judgmental, but when it comes to seafood, you have to chew slowly so that you can taste the freshness. Swallowing it whole like what you’re doing is practically a waste!”</p><p>“I get it, Boss!”</p><p>Sacas said with a pitiful look on its face, “But the hotpot is simply too delicious. The spice really packs a punch. I… I can’t stop myself!”</p><p>“Of course, I’ve always liked how this tastes since I was young.” Meng Lei was rather smug about it. Then, he tossed a millstone-sized abalone over and said, “Abalones must be eaten and savored slowly. Get it?”</p><p>“Got it, Boss!”</p><p>Sacas hurriedly responded, and then it grabbed the abalone and stuffed it into its mouth, shell and all, and began to crunch on it… In the blink of an eye, it had finished it all up again.</p><p>And then, it continued to stare at Meng Lei hopefully.</p><p>“…”</p><p>Meng Lei gave up completely. He pointed at the boundless ocean and chastised him. “We’re out of ingredients. If you want to eat, then go and catch them yourself.”</p><p>“Will you cook them for me if I catch them, Boss?”</p><p>“Of course not! Do it yourself!”</p><p>“Okay!”</p><p>After responding, Sacas started to strode toward the waters. The Golden Ocean Bay boasted a rich abundance of resources and a great variety of ingredients, and they became even more abundant, especially after the Golden Brown Crabs were wiped out.</p><p>Sourcing for a bit of seafood was really not a problem at all.</p><p>“La la la~”</p><p>Sacas quickly searched for ingredients as it daydreamed about the gourmand experience. It was at this moment that a shrill whiz rang out, followed by Mond Aston’s appearance.</p><p>“To think it’s actually a Multi-Armed Behemoth!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-182

Chapter 182

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 182</h1><p>Chapter 182: Who’s Beating Up Who? A Fierce Battle</p><p>“To think it’s actually a Multi-Armed Behemoth!”</p><p>Mond Aston’s eyes shone as he gazed at Sacas, which was standing in the waters, and stared at its thick coat of fur and strong, muscular body.</p><p>“A Multi-Armed Behemoth is a Behemoth that can rival a Golden Behemoth. If I can subdue it as my mount, how impressive would that be?”</p><p>Who wouldn’t want a mighty, imposing, and terrifyingly strong mount for themselves? Mond Aston was no exception, of course.</p><p>It was just a shame that he turned his nose up at most Magical Beasts, but the Multi-Armed Behemoth in front of him right now just so happened to not be one of them.</p><p>“Little cutie, Big Brother is here!”</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>Sacas sensed something, and it turned around to see a muscular man wrapped in tiger hide gazing at him with a wide smile.</p><p>“Another fish that I’d baited?” Sacas broke into a grin and thumped its chest hard. “Boss, hurry, and come over! Another idiot has bitten the hook!”</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>Mond Aston was dumbstruck at once. Why was the situation not quite what he had imagined? But it was alright—no matter what, it wasn’t as if the Multi-Armed Behemoth in front of him was fake, right?</p><p>“Multi-Armed Behemoth, I’ve taken an interest in you!” Mond Aston raised his chin slightly at once and proposed calmly, “What say you to follow me and become my mount?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Upon hearing the word “mount”, a hostile look appeared in Sacas’ eyes at once, and it raised its arms, ready to bash in the head of the damned human standing in front of it.</p><p>It was at this point that Meng Lei appeared.</p><p>Without even a word, he launched Absolute Zero.</p><p>A white, chilly air current burst forth and sealed Mond Aston in ice amid crisp-sounding cracks.</p><p>“What an idiot. Thinking of making me your mount? Dream on! I’ll always be Boss’ most loyal underling!”</p><p>Sacas spat disdainfully, and then it turned around and looked at Meng Lei with an ingratiating expression, like a husky, “Boss, look how I’ve lured another fish here. Shouldn’t you…”</p><p>It cast a glance in the direction of the hotpot, the meaning of its action self-evident.</p><p>“Go ahead. The rest of the seafood is all yours.”</p><p>Meng Lei cleaned his teeth with a toothpick and declared very generously. There wasn’t much meat left in the pot anyway, and they were even leftovers. What was the loss in giving them to Sacas?</p><p>“Wahaha! Thank you, Boss!”</p><p>Sacas was overjoyed. It ran quickly to the pot, its thick, muscular legs splashing the seawater about and causing great waves in the water.</p><p>“That guy…”</p><p>Meng Lei broke into a smile. Then, he turned and looked at Mond Aston, who had been sealed in ice, and said calmly, “C’mon out. Absolute Zero of this level shouldn’t be capable of sealing you.”</p><p>Crack!</p><p>Crack!</p><p>Cracks appeared in the hard, solid ice lump. As more and more appeared, the ice finally broke into an infinite amount of ice crystals.</p><p>“Here I was, wondering who had ambushed me. Little did I think that it’d be a little brat who hasn’t even grown up.” Mond Aston raised his chin at once, his eyes full of arrogance as he said, “Little brat, break your contract with that Multi-Armed Behemoth at once, and I won’t hold your sin of ambushing me against you. I can even let you off the hook. How does that sound?”</p><p>“Friend, do your parents know that you’re such a showoff outside of home?” Meng Lei scoffed and said calmly, “Hand over all the spatial rings on you, and I won’t pursue the matter of you posturing in front of me. I can even spare your life. What say you?”</p><p>“Hahaha…”</p><p>Upon hearing Meng Lei’s words, Mond Aston immediately burst into loud laughter as if he had just heard the funniest joke. His laughter was like the roiling thunder, ringing out with a deafening boom.</p><p>Then, all of a sudden…</p><p>His laughter came to an abrupt stop, and a harsh, murderous expression came over his features. “In all my years of moving unhindered through the world, no-one has ever dared to speak to me, Mond Aston, like that!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The next moment, he abruptly appeared in front of Meng Lei. He stared straight into his eyes and said, “All those that had dared to speak to me like that have all gone to hell and into the Grim Reaper’s embrace. Do you know that?”</p><p>“Is that so? I’m very honored to be the only survivor, then.”</p><p>The two men’s eyes bore into each other’s. There were only a few centimeters between the two of them; despite how Meng Lei could clearly sense the terrifyingly dangerous aura coming from Mond Aston, he didn’t fear him in the least.</p><p>“Survivor? Not necessarily so.” Mond Aston scoffed and said, “On account of how you’re just a little brat, I’ll allow you to make the first move, lest others accuse me of bullying someone younger.”</p><p>“Since that’s the case, then I won’t stand on ceremony!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s voice was still echoing in the surroundings, but his form had already quietly vanished from where he had initially been. A series of afterimages flitted by, and he abruptly rushed right up to Mond Aston.</p><p>Then, his fist went flying out.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>His punch was extremely fast, so much so that Mond Aston couldn’t quite react in time, and the punch shocked him in the gut. As a dull bam rang out, Mond Aston’s expression changed instantly.</p><p>“How’s that? Was that punch alright for you?”</p><p>Meng Lei smiled lightly at him. Then, he bizarrely appeared behind Mond Aston like a ghost. He kicked Mond Aston squarely in the jaw with a mighty and forceful roundhouse kick.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>Mond Aston was thrown outward at once.</p><p>“You bastard!”</p><p>As he felt the intense pain in his gut and his jaw in mid-air, Mond Aston was shocked and furious.</p><p>He had realized his lapse in judgment. That seemingly harmless little brat was definitely an unfathomably strong expert. Be it his speed or his physical strength. Both were far beyond an ordinary Saint Domain expert’s.</p><p>“Where’s that little brat from? To think he’s actually such a monster…”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t stop at that. He continued to attack, launching punch after punch and kick after kick…</p><p>Using both his arms and his legs, he launched a surging, endless wave of attacks.</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>Bam, bam, bam!</p><p>The combination of punches and kicks was such that Mond Aston simply didn’t have any chance of retaliation. It was just like a one-sided fight.</p><p>“(⊙o⊙)”</p><p>“How did that happen?”</p><p>Everyone in the Dragon God Cathedral looked at one another, absolutely flabbergasted. Where was the planned fierce battle?</p><p>Where was the planned exciting clash?</p><p>Where was the planned showdown between equally matched opponents?</p><p>What nonsense!</p><p>All of that was absolute nonsense!</p><p>Was that a goddamn fierce battle?</p><p>It was obviously a one-sided bashing and crushing!</p><p>“What do you think of that now, President Luke?”</p><p>Fred looked at the Dragon God Academy president, smugly.</p><p>“Mond Aston was careless and underestimated his opponent, resulting in him losing the initiative. That’s the only reason that led to the current situation.” President Luke had a surly look on his face as he said, “As long as he can regain his footing in time, the outcome of this battle still remains to be seen!”</p><p>“I’m just afraid that he won’t have that chance anymore.”</p><p>Fred shook his head and gave a soft laugh. Then, he continued to watch the magic screen. To be honest, he actually knew that President Luke was indeed right; as long as Mond Aston could regain his footing in time, the outcome remained to be seen.</p><p>Mond Aston was indeed a very extraordinary man.</p><p>“You bastard!”</p><p>“Damn!”</p><p>After taking a whole series of beatings, Mond Aston finally erupted. His body suddenly underwent a great change—his speed suddenly spiked, and he extricated himself from Meng Lei’s attack range in an instant.</p><p>“You bastard!”</p><p>Mond Aston stood proudly in mid-air, his eyes bearing into Meng Lei’s. The look in his eyes was as if he wanted to swallow Meng Lei alive.</p><p>“Eh?”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a soft sound of surprise. The change in Mond Aston was too great; he was completely a different person from before.</p><p>A pair of wings extended from his back, black on the left and white on the right. There was a pair of tiger ears at the top of his head and a few tiger whiskers on his cheeks. Black and white fur covered his body while a tiger tail hung at his bottom…</p><p>His height reached five meters tall. Every one of his rock-like muscles was bulging, and his body was filled with an explosive strength from head to toe.</p><p>“He’s transformed!”</p><p>“Mond Aston has transformed!”</p><p>“We’re gonna have a good show now!”</p><p>At the sight of Mond Aston’s change, all the Dragon God Cathedral spectators began to cheer. They were exceptionally excited.</p><p>They didn’t like to watch one-sided fights, much less when the one being pummeled was a genius from their own academy. They loved to watch fierce battles, equally matched battles, comebacks from desperate situations, and even more so their geniuses crushing other people.</p><p>“C’mon! Mond Aston!”</p><p>“Bring your strength to the table and show that country bumpkin your might!”</p><p>“Mond Aston!”</p><p>“Mond Aston!”</p><p>Several princes and princesses, nobles and officials began to shout and cheer for Mond Aston to encourage him.</p><p>“That was just a warm-up exercise just now, President Fred. The real battle only starts now,” President Luke said meaningfully.</p><p>“Or maybe it’s the end? It’s hard to say,” President Fred replied with a calm smile.</p><p>“What bloodline is that?”</p><p>A slightly astonished Meng Lei stared at Mond Aston, who had grown a pair of wings on his back and was standing afloat proudly in mid-air.</p><p>“It looks like the Netherworld White Tiger bloodline.” Ol’ Amos’ voice rang out as he said, “But it holds even more terrifying might than a pure-blooded Netherworld White Tiger. It’s a little strange.”</p><p>“The Netherworld White Tiger bloodline…” Meng Lei murmured softly to himself, “That black and white mix and spots and circles… Why does it look somewhat like a panda?”</p><p>“I’ll admit that I’ve underestimated you somewhat, kid!” Mond Aston’s tiger-like eyes were cold and harsh, giving off a sharp murderous intent. “But it ends here now. I will return—multiple times over—the humiliation you’ve given me just now to you!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The wings on his back flapped lightly, and then a series of afterimages flitted by.</p><p>“Die!”</p><p>As a tiger roar rang out, a fist also came flying toward Meng Lei.</p><p><em>He’s so fast! His speed has actually risen significantly!</em></p><p>An alarmed Meng Lei retreated with a burst of speed.</p><p>“Thinking of fleeing? Can you even?”</p><p>Mond Aston let out a sinister laugh. His speed spiked again to several times that of the speed of sound, and then a punch went smashing toward Meng Lei’s face.</p><p>Bam!</p><p>This time, Meng Lei didn’t manage to duck, and he took the punch squarely. Intense pain assaulted his senses as Meng Lei was instantly thrown backward.</p><p>“Take my punishment, kid!”</p><p>Mond Aston roared furiously as he rained attacks down on Meng Lei like a storm. This time, it was Meng Lei’s turn to be a punching bag.</p><p>Bam, bam, bam!</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p><em>That guy is so fast! Am I actually slower than him while I’m in human form? Inconceivable!</em></p><p>Meng Lei was greatly astonished.</p><p>After he had raised the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate to 2%, be it his speed or his defenses, both had reached an astonishingly high level. Even Saint Domain Magical Beasts whose forte was speed couldn’t rival him.</p><p>Never would he have expected that that guy who had come out of nowhere would actually be faster than even him. There was no way he wouldn’t be astounded by that.</p><p><em>It’s a shame that I can’t transform into a Gods-Slaying Rat. Otherwise, I’ll definitely be faster than him!</em></p><p><em>Since that’s the case, then let’s raise it some more!</em></p><p>“System, raise my Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate by 1%!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth decreased by 100 billion gold coins in an instant.</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-183

Chapter 183

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 183</h1><p>Chapter 183: The Divine Tree Reappears, Five Fruits</p><p>The changes brought about by the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate’s rise to 3% were all-rounded as usual.</p><p>His Physical Body Constitution received a spike of 10 billion points to reach a shocking 34 billion points, while his speed and defenses also underwent a dramatic change.</p><p>A spike in physical strength!</p><p>A spike in speed!</p><p>A spike in defenses!</p><p>The change between one moment and the next was the most clearly felt by Meng Lei, the one currently being beaten up.</p><p>What Meng Lei felt just a moment ago when he was facing Mond Aston’s beating had been severe, intense pain. His whole body had been close to breaking apart. But now, the pain had reduced significantly to become a normal level of pain that was completely within an acceptable range.</p><p>What did that imply?</p><p>It implied that despite how Mond Aston’s attacks hadn’t eased up, his pain had instead been reduced. This could only mean that… Meng Lei’s endurance had increased.</p><p>His defenses had been greatly enhanced!</p><p>“To what extent has my speed reached?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s eyelid twitched. He ducked the instant Mond Aston’s fist came smashing toward him. With a flash, he was already 100 meters away.</p><p>Mond Aston’s punch landed on thin air, and he stumbled forward, almost falling onto the ground. His expression changed as he looked at Meng Lei, who was standing 100 meters away.</p><p><em>He’s… actually managed to duck!</em></p><p><em>He clearly couldn’t just now, yet he has managed to now!</em></p><p>“Your attacks are extremely sharp. In particular, your speed is the fastest among all the opponents I’ve faced.”</p><p>As Meng Lei floated in mid-air and took in the endless strength pumping through his body, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath.</p><p>“It’s just a pity that I’m even faster!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His voice was still reverberating in the air when a series of afterimages flitted by. By then, Meng Lei was already behind Mond Aston.</p><p>With a bend of his elbow, his hand balled into a fist and went flying out.</p><p>His series of actions reached the absolute pinnacle of speed. It was so fast that his fist struck Mond Aston before he could even react.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>It held great impact and a heavy force that broke through everything.</p><p>“Ugh!”</p><p>Blood sprayed from Mond Aston, and he doubled over at once, the impact almost causing him to throw up the beef brains that he had eaten earlier.</p><p>A single punch alone had heavily injured him!</p><p>“Why has your strength suddenly spiked so much?”</p><p>Stunned by the change, Mond Aston was shocked and horrified.</p><p>“This…”</p><p>“How did that happen?”</p><p>The audience at the Dragon God Cathedral was close to breaking down. Was that a battle or a goddamn roller coaster ride? Could they finish it in one go instead of having so many twists and turns?</p><p>Their hearts couldn’t take it!</p><p>…</p><p>Up against Meng Lei, whose physical strength and speed had undergone a dramatic spike, Mond Aston’s outcome had long since been destined—in other words, to be beaten up!</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>As though a ghost, Meng Lei appeared at one place one moment and another place the next. He was like an afterimage constantly striking at Mond Aston.</p><p>A punch, two kicks, three elbow jabs…</p><p>A series of attack combinations later, Mond Aston was reduced to a punching bag and pummeled by Meng Lei once more.</p><p>And this time round, it was different from the previous time. Not only was he unable to make a comeback, but he instead started to suffer injuries—and serious ones—the kind getting more and more serious, too—at that!</p><p>As they watched Mond Aston, who was heavily injured and throwing up blood, the audience’s wishes at the cathedral finally came true.</p><p>The battle didn’t undergo any more twists and turns.</p><p>But… They simply couldn’t rejoice at all.</p><p>“He’s lost!”</p><p>“Mond Aston has actually lost!”</p><p>“Oh my dragon god! Is that guy the devil? He’s only 16 years old, yet even Mond Aston is no match for him?”</p><p>“Isn’t Mond Aston a double bloodline-holder? His transformation just now was only for one of his bloodlines, right? He still has another bloodline that he hasn’t used. Why isn’t he using it?”</p><p>At the spectators’ words, President Luke instead gave a wry chuckle. Mond Aston indeed held two different bloodlines, and the other one—the White Tiger bloodline—was, in fact, even stronger than the Netherworld White Tiger bloodline.</p><p>However, how would the heavily injured Mond Aston possibly be Meng Lei’s match, even if he activated his White Tiger bloodline?</p><p>“The outcome is clear!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd sighed a little emotionally and said, “Mond Aston has lost the battle!”</p><p>“How brilliant, Your Majesty!”</p><p>President Fred bowed slightly.</p><p>“President Fred, your academy’s Meng Lei is indeed extremely outstanding!” Frederick the 32nd marveled, and then, he asked in puzzlement, “But there’s something I find rather odd—why did his speed suddenly spike just now?”</p><p>“That… I wouldn’t know!” Fred shook his head lightly. “Perhaps he was hiding his strength. There’s also a chance that he had derived a greater degree of comprehension of some kind of laws of nature at the critical moment.”</p><p>“Is that so?”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd’s brows drew together lightly, clearly not quite satisfied with such an explanation. Regardless, he didn’t press any further but continued to watch the magic screen instead.</p><p>And like what he had said, the outcome was clear.</p><p>A few rounds later, the heavily injured Mond Aston wasn’t able to make any sort of effective attack at all, and at last, he collapsed from his wounds.</p><p>“I’ve finally settled the case.” Meng Lei heaved a sigh of relief.</p><p>That fellow was indeed a difficult one to deal with. If he hadn’t spent 10 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals to raise his Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate, he might just really have flopped unexpectedly and gotten pummeled by him.</p><p>“The Dragon God Empire has many talents in hiding, indeed.” Meng Lei was rather emotional as he muttered to himself, “I’m already cheating so much, yet there are still people who could beat me into the ground. Just how rich is the Dragon God Empire’s heritage?”</p><p>The exchange competition’s contestants were no older than 30 years old.</p><p>To Saint Domain experts with long lifespans, 30 years old was no more than just a fraction of their lifespans.</p><p>Just how strong would those old freaks more than 30 years old be when Mond Aston was already that monstrous before he had even reached 30 years of age?</p><p><em>I’m still too weak. I have to redeem more credit and work even harder.</em></p><p>Meng Lei swiped all the spatial rings on Mond Aston, and then he handed them to his loyal subordinate.</p><p>“Sacas, throw him away!”</p><p>“Yes, Boss!”</p><p>…</p><p>Meng Lei switched on his slacker mode again.</p><p>Swimming, fishing, sunbathing, eating seafood, occasionally robbing unlucky souls that he had baited… His days were carefree and leisurely.</p><p>His only regret was that aside from the magic cores that were slowly increasing in number day by day, there was pretty much no change in his Wealth. Meng Lei couldn’t help but reminisce about the days he had spent hunting Magical Beasts in the Dragon God Tower.</p><p>“Compared to the Lost Continent, the Dragon God Tower is more suited to me. This goddamn exchange competition should just hurry up and end!”</p><p>Day after day went by. The number of fish biting the hook also became fewer and fewer. By this day, despite Sacas giving off his aura all the way from the morning to the evening, it didn’t lure even a single person over.</p><p>“Three days. It’ll be a month in another three days. I’ll be able to leave this place at that time!”</p><p>Meng Lei thought idly to himself as he laid on the rocking chair and bathed in the gentle sunlight while gazing at the rolling waves rising and falling.</p><p>Suddenly, an aged voice rang out by his ear. Like a trickling stream, it flowed straight into the depths of his soul.</p><p>In that instant, Meng Lei felt his mind suddenly calming down and becoming tranquil.</p><p>“My children that believe in me devoutly, I am the spirit of the divine tree, the creator and guardian of this continent…</p><p>“This year’s ripened fruits have already been sent to various corners of the continent. I hope the lucky children can find them!</p><p>“Godspeed!”</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>Meng Lei jumped to his feet!</p><p>“Did you hear that, Sacas?”</p><p>To his surprise, he didn’t get any response.</p><p>Meng Lei turned to see Sacas kneeling on the ground and staring into the distance with an excited look on his face and fervent worship in his eyes.</p><p>“The divine tree! It’s the divine tree’s voice! O great divine tree, I am your child, Sacas! I sincerely offer up my faith and pray for you from the bottom of my heart…”</p><p>“…”</p><p>Meng Lei was rendered speechless and completely silent. Nevertheless, he contacted Ol’ President at once. “Ol’ President, did you hear that voice just now? The divine tree! It’s that divine tree’s voice!”</p><p>“I heard it.” Ol’ Amos’ voice rang out as he replied, “Not only did I hear it, but I’ve almost locked on to its location, too.”</p><p>“What? You’ve locked on to the divine tree’s location?” A huge jolt went through Meng Lei as he asked, “Where is it, Ol’ President?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos was silent for a brief moment before he replied in a low voice, “It’s not too far from us, 100 kilometers away at the furthest.”</p><p>“We’re so near to it?”</p><p>Meng Lei shuddered and hastily glanced about.</p><p>“Don’t bother. You won’t be able to find it.” Ol’ Amos lowered his voice and said, “Meng Lei, I have a very uneasy feeling about this.”</p><p>“Uneasy feeling?”</p><p>Meng Lei was stunned.</p><p>“Do you remember what the Uni-Horned Rose Python said?” Ol’ Amos asked in a grave tone of voice, “About the divine tree fruits.”</p><p>“Yes. The Uni-Horned Rose Python once said that the divine tree bears fruits once every 100 years and that there are nine fruits each round. When the fruits ripen, the divine tree will send the nine fruits to random locations in the continent for the lucky ones to consume.”</p><p>With a nod, Meng Lei went on and said, “I also remember that the last time the fruits had ripened was 25 years ago. There’s a whole 75-years-long difference from the 100-year ripening period that the Uni-Horned Rose Python mentioned. Ol’ President, why has the divine tree fruits suddenly ripened 75 years in advance? That doesn’t make sense.”</p><p>“That’s exactly what’s making me uneasy.” Ol’ Amos’ voice was grave as he said, “Before we came to the Lost Continent, the fruits have always taken 100 years to ripen. Yet the moment we came, the duration was suddenly brought forward. I suspect that the divine tree is doing this deliberately. It may be scheming something. In any case, this whole thing smells fishy!”</p><p>“What might it be scheming?” Meng Lei was greatly puzzled. “According to what you’ve said, the divine tree is highly likely a half-deity. Considering its venerable half-deity status, it could very well just kill us all. Is there the need to play schemes and games with us?”</p><p>“That’s exactly what puzzles me.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos shook his head lightly as he said, “Also, all of you have been wantonly hunting and killing Magical Beasts in the Lost Continent. It has almost reached the point of full annihilation, yet the divine tree has actually been indifferent to it.</p><p>“It’s only when they’ve been annihilated that it finally made a move.</p><p>“This is strange! Too strange!”</p><p>Meng Lei asked, “What do you think we should do, Ol’ President?”</p><p>“I’d suggest that we make a retreat.” Ol’ Amos said in a low voice, “Didn’t you frequently say that a gentleman doesn’t put himself in harm’s way? Considering how the divine tree is acting so abnormally, leaving now is the smartest choice of action!”</p><p>“Leaving?” Meng Lei hesitated. “The exchange competition hasn’t ended yet. If I leave now, won’t I be eliminated in advance?”</p><p>“You’re being muddleheaded!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos berated him, “What’s the big deal about the exchange competition? Staying alive should be your number one priority instead! I believe that with your talent, you’ll eventually surpass me one day to reach unimaginable heights.</p><p>“By then, what is there that you wouldn’t be able to get?</p><p>“Territory, money, power, status, women… You can have as much as you want. Is there a need to be hung up over a championship title?</p><p>“Listen to me, retreat first!</p><p>“No matter what, you must retreat to where the teleportation magic circle is first so that you can retreat safely immediately if an accident happens.”</p><p>“I’ll do that, Ol’ President.”</p><p>Convinced, Meng Lei sent a flying kick to Sacas’ butt and said, “Get up, we’re leaving!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>At that moment, a few golden streams of light suddenly shot toward them and reached right in front of Meng Lei in just a few breaths.</p><p>One, two, three…</p><p>They were actually five golden fruits!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-184

Chapter 184

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 184</h1><p>Chapter 184: Hand Over The Fruits, It’s Her!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A 100-feet-wide waterfall cascaded forcefully from the 1,000-feet-tall cliff, smashing out a gigantic pool at the bottom. The waters in the pool churned as thunderous booms rang out.</p><p>Beside the pool was a small unit currently roasting Magical Beast meat at a campfire. The golden-yellow roast was showing signs of charring, yet it was as if the few people in the unit hadn’t realized at all.</p><p>Their eyes were fixed on a golden fruit a short distance away from them. There was surprise, agitation, curiosity, perplexity, wariness… and greed in them!</p><p>“Did you guys hear that?”</p><p>“Yeah!”</p><p>“I heard it!”</p><p>“Is the master of that voice just now the Tree of Life that the Giant Crocodile mentioned?”</p><p>“There shouldn’t be any mistake about it. Didn’t it mention that the tree is the creator and guardian of this continent? So it’s likely no doubt the Tree of Life!”</p><p>“In other words, that golden fruit in front of us now is the Tree of Life fruit that the Giant Crocodile mentioned?”</p><p>“A miraculous fruit that can let low-grade Magical Beasts become a Saint Domain Magical Beast in a short amount of time?”</p><p>“Most likely!”</p><p>“Probably!”</p><p>“I think there’s no mistake about that!”</p><p>“Magical Beasts may be able to eat it, but can we eat them, too?”</p><p>The members of the unit sank into silence at once. All of their eyes were flashing, their thoughts unknown.</p><p>“My brothers, that fruit is of unknown origins. We mustn’t allow it to bewitch and deceive us. In the event that it’s poison itself or some kind of highly poisonous items, wouldn’t we be in for it?”</p><p>A short and shrewd-looking man said gravely, “Before we ascertain the authenticity of that fruit, we should distance ourselves from it as much as possible, lest we invite great calamity.”</p><p>“That makes sense.”</p><p>“I don’t dare to eat something of unknown origins like that.”</p><p>“Everything on this continent feels strange, and that fruit’s sudden appearance is even more so. We’d better not touch it.”</p><p>“Let’s just keep it for now.”</p><p>“We’ll talk about it again when we’re sure of its origins.”</p><p>The members quickly reached an agreement. Then, all of them turned around and walked over to the campfire, paying no heed to the golden fruit anymore.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Just as the few of them reached the campfire and sat down, ready to eat, the form of the short man who had spoken earlier suddenly flashed and darted swiftly over to the golden fruit.</p><p>“My brothers, this fruit is of unknown origins, and we don’t know whether it’s poison or a fruit. I’ll sacrifice myself and try it out!”</p><p>As the short man spoke, he also grabbed the golden fruit and stuffed it into his mouth. At that moment, a large hand appeared out of nowhere and closed around his throat, pulling him up from the ground.</p><p>The short man snapped furiously. “What are you doing, Ned?”</p><p>“Myers, are you thinking of monopolizing the fruit?”</p><p>The muscular man named Ned snorted and gouged the fruit out of the short man’s mouth. Then, he wiped it casually on his clothes and said, “Even if we must test it, I should be the one to do it. You’re no way even near in line for it.”</p><p>Then, he also raised the fruit and sent it toward his mouth.</p><p>Whiz, whiz!</p><p>Several swords flashed as they cleaved toward Ned, almost all at the same time.</p><p>“Damn!”</p><p>Having seen it coming, Ned hastily dodged the swords cleaving toward him and snapped furiously. “What are all of you doing, Frank?!”</p><p>“Put down the fruit, Ned!”</p><p>The other members said with cold looks on their faces, “All of us discovered that fruit. How it should be handled should be discussed and decided by all of us. No-one is allowed to monopolize it!”</p><p>“Put down the fruit, Ned. Don’t let it affect our relationship!”</p><p>“We’ve known each other for so many years, Ned. Is such a fruit of unknown origins worth breaking our friendship over?”</p><p>“Exactly…”</p><p>“You’re right. I was wrong!”</p><p>Ned, who seemed convinced, said, “I’m sorry, my brothers. My anger at Myers just now has made me muddleheaded, so I acted rather rash. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”</p><p>As he spoke, he bent over to place the fruit on the ground. However, in the instant he made contact with the ground, he grabbed a handful of sand and tossed it toward his companions.</p><p>Then, with a leap, he dived into the bushes at the side and disappeared from sight. “Making me hand over the fruit? Dream on! My hope for stepping into Saint Domain territory lies in this!”</p><p>“You bastard!”</p><p>“Ned, you bastard!”</p><p>“Go after him! Hurry!”</p><p>…</p><p>Similar situations constantly played out in various corners of the continent. In fact, there was no lack of situations even more bitter and desperate than that.</p><p>The target that the contestants were vying for had changed. It was no longer limited to just spatial rings and magic cores; what was more important were the golden fruits.</p><p>The golden fruits were as though Tripitaka’s[1] flesh. They held an endless allure that drove all the contestants crazy.</p><p>Brothers killed each other, friends fell out, and lovers went at each other’s throats.</p><p>All of these were directly displayed on the magic screen, causing all the spectators who saw what was happening to be dumbfounded.</p><p>“What exactly is going on?”</p><p>“Have all of them gone mad?”</p><p>“Why are they backstabbing their own companions?”</p><p>“Just what exactly are those golden fruits?”</p><p>The audience speculated wildly among themselves.</p><p>The teachers-in-charge and Saint Domain experts all looked toward the emperor. He was the one that understood the Lost Continent the best. Hence, he should also understand the golden fruits the best!</p><p>Little did they expect that Frederick the 32nd was actually also frowning and sporting a perplexed look on his countenance.</p><p>“I’ve sent men to investigate the Lost Continent before, but I’ve never expected it to have something like those golden fruits.” Frederick the 32nd sighed and said, “Thus, I was also completely unaware of those golden fruits’ existence.”</p><p>“This…”</p><p>“Even His Majesty is unaware of it?”</p><p>The teachers-in-charge looked at one another.</p><p>“Your Majesty, the contestants have gone rather out of control. They aren’t just vying for magic cores now, but more so the golden fruits. I fear we can’t let this go on!”</p><p>President Luke said, “Even though it’s unclear what those golden fruits are, the lethal attraction they pose to the contestants is enough to show that they are no ordinary objects. Allowing the contestants to vie for them at will will likely lead to trouble!”</p><p>“President Luke is right!”</p><p>The Royal Knights Academy president also spoke up. “Moreover, the fruits’ appearance was too out of the blue. Instead of showing up earlier or later, they had to pick this exact moment to show up instead. It’s too fishy!”</p><p>“What exactly those fruits are, where they came from, what they’re used for, why they’ve appeared, and the purpose for their appearance… We don’t know any of these.”</p><p>Another academy president chimed in and said, “This matter is too fishy. We must treat this with the utmost care, lest it leads to unnecessary trouble and a great disaster.”</p><p>“My beloved subjects, all of you are right.” Frederick the 32nd nodded slightly and ordered, “Inform the Royal Knight Order to keep a close watch on everything happening in the Lost Continent. Once any abnormalities are discovered, be sure to guarantee the contestants’ safety!”</p><p>“Yes, Your Majesty!”</p><p>“Just what are those golden fruits?”</p><p>There was a deep, dark look in Frederick the 32nd’s eyes. “To think they’ve actually caused a group of young fellows as strong as ninth-grade pinnacle-level and bordering on Saint Domain realm to have no hesitation in tearing at one another’s throats and family to harm one another?”</p><p>…</p><p>“Madness! They’ve all gone mad!”</p><p>Perched on Sacas’ shoulder, Meng Lei felt a rather big headache coming on as he overlooked everything happening on the continent.</p><p>The entire continent had totally gone off the rails.</p><p>No!</p><p>To be more accurate, the contestants had totally gone off the rails. The golden fruits were just like Tripitaka flesh that was causing them to see red as they vied for them.</p><p>The key was that Meng Lei had even discovered an astonishing matter—there were far more than just nine golden fruits!</p><p>There were already five in his possession ,and the number of fruits that the other contestants were fighting one another for was far more than just four. How could there possibly be just nine of them in total?</p><p>“This is feeling more and more like a scheme!” Ol’ Amos said gravely, “Tossing out so many fruits all of a sudden and causing all the contestants to go off the rails… This is obviously something planned in advance.”</p><p>“Who cares? I’m leaving soon anyway.” Meng Lei shook his head and said, “When I get back to the teleportation magic circle, I’ll watch what happens. If there’s any danger, I’ll escape immediately.”</p><p>“A gentleman doesn’t put himself in harm’s way.” Ol’ Amos chuckled as he said, “A future exists only for those who are alive. You’re right to do that.”</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>At that moment, booming sounds of intense battle suddenly came from the forest below them. The grounds shook, and the mountains swayed as trees were broken in halves.</p><p>Meng Lei looked over to see two groups of people fighting it out again. One side had seven to eight people, while there was only one person on the other side. The fight was so intense that the two parties were nigh inseparable.</p><p>“They’ve all gone mad!!”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t be bothered with them. He had seen too many of such situations along the way and gotten used to it by now. The sight was no longer surprising to him anymore.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>A loud, clear, and sonorous dragon roar suddenly traveled over to them. Then, a dazzling, eye-catching golden light burst forth from within the forest as dragon might surged!</p><p>“A Golden Colossal Dragon!”</p><p>“Damn! That fellow’s a Golden Colossal Dragon! Could she be Prince Barbarossa!?”</p><p>“No! She isn’t! She’s clearly a woman! Prince Barbarossa is a man, and I’ve seen him before. He doesn’t look like that!”</p><p>“Then, who is she? Does His Majesty have other pure-blooded children?”</p><p>“Who she is isn’t important. What’s important is that she has a golden fruit on her, and we must snatch it from her! That’s our guarantee for promoting to Saint Domain!”</p><p>“But she’s royalty…”</p><p>“So what if she’s royalty? Everyone competes on equal grounds during the exchange competition. As long as we don’t threaten her life, His Majesty, the Emperor won’t say anything!”</p><p>‘You’re right!”</p><p>“That makes sense!”</p><p>“We must get the golden fruit! I saw with my own eyes that Saquila broke through to Saint Domain after she ate one!”</p><p>“Mine! The golden fruit is mine!”</p><p>“Attack, everyone!”</p><p>“Kill!”</p><p>Roar!</p><p>“Another Golden Colossal Dragon?”</p><p>Meng Lei stopped Sacas and remarked, “Did you see that, Ol’ President? It’s another pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragon.”</p><p>“Every emperor typically only has one pure-blooded Colossal Dragon offspring. It’s exceedingly rare for them to have two. Why is there another one here?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos, who was looking at the Golden Colossal Dragon in the bushes, suddenly chuckled and replied, “Evidently, it’s not pure-blooded.”</p><p>“It’s not?” Taken aback, Meng Lei said, “Apart from being a little smaller, everything else about it is exactly the same as that Prince Barbarossa whom I beat into a bruised and battered state.”</p><p>“Its size is the best form of evidence. A Saint Domain Golden Colossal Dragon reaches 100 meters long, but that Golden Colossal Dragon isn’t even 50 meters long. Yet its aura rivals that of a Saint Domain Magical Beast.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos shook his head and said with a laugh, “That’s enough to show that it isn’t a pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragon. Rather, it’s the dragon transformation of a Saint Domain Golden Colossal Dragon Person that has refined and increased the purity of its bloodline.”</p><p>“I see.” Realization dawned upon Meng Lei.</p><p>“But for it to develop its Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline to such a degree before it’s 30 years old, that little fellow is certainly very impressive,” Ol’ Amos marveled.</p><p>“Yeah!”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded slightly. Then, he remarked in puzzlement again, “But for some reason, I can’t help but feel that that Golden Colossal Dragon’s aura feels rather familiar.”</p><p>“Familiar?”</p><p>Taken aback, Ol’ Amos couldn’t help but take a close look at the Golden Colossal Dragon. Then, his eyes suddenly widened as he exclaimed, “What the heck! It’s her!”</p><p>[1] A monk from one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, Journey to The West. His flesh is said to bestow immortality to those that eat it</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-185

Chapter 185

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 185</h1><p>Chapter 185: Asabelle, Colossal Dragon Transformation</p><p>Roar!</p><p>Besieged by the six people, the 50-meters-long Golden Colossal Dragon roared furiously again and again. It either bit with its razor-sharp teeth, sprayed dragon breath or smacked with its claws. Its dragon might was vast, majestic, and extremely domineering.</p><p>It was just a shame that the six assailants were similarly no simpletons. Not only were they terrifyingly strong, but they also moved with great rapport and coordination and were simply suppressing the Golden Colossal Dragon.</p><p>“Your Highness, hand over the golden fruit.”</p><p>“As long as you hand over the fruit, we won’t make things difficult for you.”</p><p>“Your Highness, you’re already a Saint Domain expert. The fruit is useless to you. As long as you hand over the golden fruit, we’ll immediately…”</p><p>The six people’s minds were moving as they besieged the Golden Colossal Dragon. To be honest, they were under great pressure—after all, the Golden Colossal Dragon in front of them was a princess of the empire.</p><p>Had this not been the exchange competition, and had the golden fruits not been that important, they would never have dared to besiege a princess of the empire, no matter how bold they were.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Golden Colossal Dragon roared furiously into the sky, not giving any sort of response at all. It sprayed golden dragon breath from its mouth and attacked the six assailants madly.</p><p>At the sight of that, the six assailants’ countenances gradually turned cold.</p><p>“Your Highness, since you refuse to cooperate with us, then don’t blame us for not being civil with you!”</p><p>“Attack!”</p><p>“Bring her under control first!”</p><p>“The fruit is ours!”</p><p>“Kill!”</p><p>The six assailants didn’t hold back anymore. They unleashed their strongest attacks one by one, their offensive power reaching several times of what it had previously been.</p><p>With that, the Golden Colossal Dragon finally couldn’t quite parry their moves anymore, sinking into straitened circumstances and perilous ground…</p><p>At last, it was firmly shackled on the spot by countless green vines and rendered immobile.</p><p>“Your Highness, sorry about this.”</p><p>“Molly, take her spatial ring.”</p><p>“Okay!”</p><p>A female assailant quickly bent over and began to search the Golden Colossal Dragon. In no time, she found two spatial rings.</p><p>“Retreat!”</p><p>Their countenances overjoyed, they got ready to withdraw.</p><p>“Leaving right after beating someone up? Is there anything that value-for-money in this world?”</p><p>At this point, an aloof voice rang out. The six assailants’ countenances changed, and they got into a defensive stance at once.</p><p>A big, muscular Black Dragon Person holding a broadsword among them barked fiercely, “What’s so impressive about playing hide and seek? Get the hell out here if you have the guts!”</p><p>“You sure are boastful despite not being very strong.”</p><p>A teenager descended from the sky and landed lightly on his feet like a falling leaf as he watched the six of them with a calm and peaceful expression on his face.</p><p>“Who are you?”</p><p>The six assailants were a little stunned, seemingly not having expected the intruder to actually be that young. Nevertheless, they didn’t carelessly let down their guard.</p><p>After so many days of the exchange competition, how could those that had managed to survive to this day possibly be people easy to get along with? The weak ones had long since been eliminated.</p><p><em>It’s him!</em></p><p>At the same time, a huge jolt went through the Golden Colossal Dragon trapped on the ground by vines as it watched the teenager with a look of disbelief on its face.</p><p>“Who I am isn’t important.”</p><p>The teenager was indeed Meng Lei. He said calmly, “What’s important is that all of you should know what I’m about to do. So, you don’t need me to explain what you should do now, right?”</p><p>“Thinking of snatching our magic cores?”</p><p>“That’ll depend on whether or not you have the ability to do so!”</p><p>The six of them sneered, and then their auras burst forth from them as they got ready to attack. They had as many as six people in their team; they didn’t fear Meng Lei at all.</p><p>“You overestimate yourselves.”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head lightly. Then, he grabbed the air lightly, upon which six leaves appeared in his palm. With the leaves in his grasp, he flicked his wrist lightly and ordered, “Go!”</p><p>The feather-light leaves became incredibly sharp and sliced through the air, emitting shrill whizzes and shooting straight toward the six assailants.</p><p>“Trying to defeat us with just a few leaves?”</p><p>“You’re going too far!”</p><p>The six assailants, who felt humiliated by Meng Lei, flew into a rage. Considering their strength, did he actually think that he could defeat them with just a few flying flowers and leaves?</p><p>He was totally insulting them!</p><p>However, the leaves’ speed surpassed their imagination. Before they could even respond, they had already slashed across their throats.</p><p>Waves of pain came over them.</p><p>The six assailants reached out and touched their necks, upon which blood stained their hands.</p><p>“This…”</p><p>Horrified and alarmed, the six of them stared at Meng Lei in shock and horror, only to realize that he had already vanished, his whereabouts unknown.</p><p>Right on the heels of it, a dull thud rang out.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Meng Lei floated back to where he was. By then, all six assailants had already collapsed onto the ground, either clutching their abdomens, arms, or heads…</p><p>They moaned in pain and groaned in agony, their previous momentum nowhere in sight anymore.</p><p>“A bunch of trash…”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head. Then, he paid no more attention to the six pathetic fellows, turned to the Golden Colossal Dragon, and walked over.</p><p>Although the Golden Colossal Dragon was a size smaller than Prince Barbarossa, it was still enormous, nevertheless. Standing in front of it, Meng Lei was no different from a dwarf!</p><p>“This aura… There’s no mistaking it!”</p><p>Meng Lei gazed at the Golden Colossal Dragon, and then a smile formed on his countenance. “I don’t know what you’ve been through that suddenly made you a Saint Domain expert, but my instincts shouldn’t be wrong. It’s been a while, Abbe!”</p><p>As he spoke, several wind blades shot out of him and severed the infinite number of green vines trapping the Golden Colossal Dragon.</p><p>A huge jolt went through the Golden Colossal Dragon, and a complex look flashed across its eyes. Then, its body shrank rapidly, and in no time, it resumed its human form.</p><p>Meng Lei was stunned at once.</p><p>A tall, slender figure and crystal-clear skin!</p><p>Beautiful, exquisite features and eyes that were bright like the stars!</p><p>Splendid, elegant dragon horns and a refreshing body fragrance!</p><p>A face so beautiful that it could take one’s breath away!</p><p>She was a beauty that could make one lose control!</p><p>Despite having seen an infinite number of natural beauties, Photoshopped beauties, as well as beauties shaped by cosmetic surgery in his past life, he daresay that not a single one could rival the woman currently standing in front of him.</p><p>She was just like a noble fairy that had walked straight out of a fairytale—pure, flawless, elegant, and… beautiful.</p><p>There was only one word to describe her—gorgeous!</p><p>“You… You’re not Abbe?”</p><p>Meng Lei swallowed hard. Abbe was a man, y’know!</p><p>“My name is Asabelle.”</p><p>The beauty’s lips moved as she replied, her voice holding a slight chill to it.</p><p>“Isn’t that Abbe’s voice?” Meng Lei was stupefied. “Who exactly are you?”</p><p>“I’m Abbe!”</p><p>Abbe sighed and said, “It’s been a while, Meng Lei.”</p><p>“Are you really Abbe? But isn’t Abbe male?” Meng Lei was even more dumbfounded. “Also, your looks aren’t right, either!”</p><p>“You’re really…”</p><p>Abbe was rendered speechless. Then, she took out a necklace embedded with an emerald, and a miraculous scene happened the next moment—a thin layer of mist appeared on the surface of her skin, and her originally beautiful face turned into an ordinary-looking one.</p><p>It was a face that Meng Lei couldn’t be any more familiar with—it was Abbe’s face!</p><p>“You really are Abbe…”</p><p>Meng Lei was rendered speechless. “Weren’t you a guy previously? Why have you suddenly turned into a woman? Which exactly is the real you?”</p><p>“I’m female!” Abbe explained softly, “Previously when I was studying in Fire Dragon Magic Academy, I had disguised myself as a man in order to avoid unnecessary trouble.”</p><p>“Alright! No wonder you were so cold to me. So you’re a girl!”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head. Then, he asked, “Since you’re a Golden Colossal Dragon Person and on top of that, your Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline development has even reached such a stage, you must be a princess of the empire?”</p><p>Abbe stayed quiet for a brief moment before she nodded and replied, “I’m 1,001st in the family and am Father’s 1,001st child.”</p><p>“T-the 1,001st… 1,001st Princess?”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but gasp. “His Majesty sure is fertile! To think he has actually given you so many brothers and sisters!”</p><p>“Brothers and sisters?”</p><p>Abbe gave a self-mocking smile and said no more.</p><p>“But you sure know how to act! We’ve been housemates—with one living upstairs and one downstairs—for half a year. Even though we didn’t speak to each other much, I really couldn’t tell that you’re a girl, let alone a princess.”</p><p>Meng Lei remarked wistfully, “If I’d known you’re a princess, maybe I’d have curried favor with you properly? Who knows?”</p><p>“Curry favor with me? Do you think I’d have believed you?” Abbe rolled her eyes. “All you care about is your cultivation. Even if you had known that I was a princess, you probably wouldn’t have given me the time of day anyway…”</p><p>“Hahaha, look at what you’re saying…”</p><p>Meng Lei gave a patronizing laugh and changed the subject. “By the way, if memory serves me right, you were just a Seventh-Grade Warrior a few months ago, weren’t you? Why are you…”</p><p>About two to three months ago, Abbe had barely been a Seventh-Grade Warrior after she had transformed into a Golden Colossal Dragon Person. She had even been beaten up badly by a few Demigiants. If it hadn’t been for him, she would have croaked a long time ago!</p><p>And yet, she was currently emanating a Saint Domain aura after transforming into a Golden Colossal Dragon.</p><p>Seventh-Grade!</p><p>Saint Domain!</p><p>The change between then and now was simply too great. It was practically even more monstrous than Meng Lei’s cheating.</p><p>“I went to the Dragon Transformation Pool.”</p><p>Abbe only touched briefly on the subject. After saying the three words “Dragon Transformation Pool”, she didn’t say any more, clearly not intending to offer any further explanation.</p><p>Meng Lei could only ask Ol’ Amos, “What’s the Dragon Transformation Pool, Ol’ President?”</p><p>“The Dragon Transformation Pool is one of the Dragons’ important places.” Ol’ Amos explained, “Contained within it is the pure blood essence of ancient Dragons. If Drakes could go inside and cultivate there, they’d be able to greatly refine the Dragon bloodline in their bodies and transform into Dragons. It’s just that…”</p><p>“What is it?” Meng Lei hurriedly asked.</p><p>“In typical situations, only Drakes that have reached Saint Domain level are qualified to enter the Dragon Transformation Pool. It’s very hard for those beneath Saint Domain level to enter, even if they’re the emperor’s sons or daughters.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos was rather puzzled. “This isn’t because the Dragons are misers. Rather, it’s because it’s extremely dangerous inside the Dragon Transformation Pool, so Drakes weaker than Saint Domain level aren’t able to handle the ancient Dragons’ blood essence’s forcefulness at all. I really wonder how that little girl managed to endure it.”</p><p>Stunned, Meng Lei couldn’t help but give Abbe a deep, profound look.</p><p>“What’s wrong?”</p><p>Abbe was confused.</p><p>“Looks like you’ve gone through a lot during these two months. But it’s alright. You’ve come through in the end.” Meng Lei shook his head lightly. “Never mind, let’s not talk about that anymore. Where are you intending to go after this? Why don’t you retreat together with me?”</p><p>“No! I want to continue looking for and collecting the divine tree’s fruits. If it’s possible, I even want to look for that Tree of Life and kill it so that I can take all the fruits it has!”</p><p>A glint shone in Abbe’s eyes as she spoke.</p><p>“You’re already a Saint Domain. Why are you so hung up over collecting the divine tree’s fruits?” asked Meng Lei, who had gotten a shock from her words.</p><p>“Because the golden fruits hold great use to me!”</p><p>Abbe said in a low voice, “Prior to coming to this continent, I was only at the pinnacle of ninth-grade, much less able to transform into a Golden Colossal Dragon.</p><p>“But after I accidentally ate a divine tree fruit, not only did I successfully break through to Saint Domain level, but the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline inside me was also greatly refined.</p><p>“I realized that the golden fruits held great use for me right away. As long as I can consume more of them, I might just be able to become a real pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragon!”</p><p>“The golden fruits can do that, too?” Greatly astounded, Meng Lei asked, “You’re clearly already able to transform into a Golden Colossal Dragon, though. Why do you still want to refine your bloodline?”</p><p>“I’m still a far way off from becoming a real Golden Colossal Dragon!” Abbe shook her head as she said, “I need even more golden fruits. I want to do everything I can to refine the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline in me.”</p><p>“The transformation into a Colossal Dragon and being a pure-blooded Colossal Dragon are two different concepts.” Ol’ Amos explained, “Under typical circumstances, as long as a Dragon Person’s Colossal Dragon bloodline assimilation rate reaches 70%, they’ll be able to transform into a Colossal Dragon. However, they’re evidently still not 100% pure-blooded Colossal Dragons.”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-186

Chapter 186

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 186</h1><p>Chapter 186: The Divine Tree Makes An Appearance, Sealing A Half-Deity</p><p>Transforming into a Colossal Dragon and being a pure-blooded Colossal Dragon—these were two entirely different concepts.</p><p>“In other words, as long as you consume more divine tree fruits, you can constantly refine the Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline in your body and allow you to get nearer and nearer to becoming a pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragon?”</p><p>“That’s right!”</p><p>“This thing can even refine one’s bloodline?”</p><p>With a flip of his hand, a brilliant golden divine tree fruit appeared in Meng Lei’s palm. As though a golden apple made out of pure gold, the apple-sized golden fruit dazzled with golden light in the sunlight.</p><p><em>I wonder if this thing can refine the Gods-Slaying Rat and Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodlines in my body?</em></p><p>Meng Lei held doubts about that. Just because the divine tree could refine the Colossal Dragon bloodline didn’t mean that it could also refine other types of bloodlines.</p><p>After all, he had as many as five different bloodlines in him.</p><p>Meng Lei sought Ol’ Amos’ opinion and asked, “Ol’ President, what will happen if I eat the divine tree fruit?”</p><p>“Don’t eat it yet.” Ol’ Amos shook his head as he said, “Although the divine tree fruit seems very miraculous before we figure things out, I wouldn’t suggest that you eat it. Keep them with you for now. We can talk about it again when we’ve figured everything out. What’s the difference between eating them now and later, anyway? There’s no hurry.”</p><p>“That makes sense.”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded slightly. Compared to risky things like that, he much preferred using the system’s credit redemption to boost his strength.</p><p>“The divine tree fruit!” Abbe stared hard at the fruit, a look of longing flashing in her eyes. “You managed to get them, too.”</p><p>“Yeah, I lucked out.”</p><p>Meng Lei smiled at her. It was at this moment that the sound of something whizzing through the air abruptly rang out. Then, dozens of wind blades shot toward them.</p><p>At the same time, other attacks also blasted toward them from all directions.</p><p>A 100-meters-long gigantic dragon of flames on the left!</p><p>Up to 100 basketball-sized rock bullets on the right!</p><p>Dozens of ten-foot-long water spears to their front!</p><p>And a muscular man with a huge axe in his hand behind them!</p><p>“Oh no! Someone’s ambushing us!”</p><p>The expression on Abbe’s pretty face changed a little. She wanted to transform into a Golden Colossal Dragon to engage in battle right away, but Meng Lei only waved her off as he said, “Relax, it’s just a bunch of ragtags. They pose no threat.”</p><p>Then, he tossed out a first-class spell—Absolute Zero!</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>A white icy air current manifested and, with Meng Lei and Abbe in the center, spread outward in all directions.</p><p>In a mere instant, it had enveloped the whole area within 10,000 meters of where they were.</p><p>The gigantic dragon of flames froze.</p><p>The hundred rock bullets froze.</p><p>The dozens of water spears froze.</p><p>And the ax-wielding muscular man also froze.</p><p>The trees and weeds around them were also frozen. The six fellows that had besieged Abbe earlier were no exception, either—they had also been frozen into popsicles.</p><p>As far as the eye could see, everything was covered in white.</p><p>The whole area around them had turned into a world of ice.</p><p>“Absolute Zero! And instant release at that!” Abbe took a breath and lamented, “Not only has the gap between the two of us not shrunk, but it’s instead becoming bigger and bigger.”</p><p>“It’s not that huge. Haven’t you been promoted to Saint Domain level, too?”</p><p>With a light snap of Meng Lei’s fingers, all the ice sculptures within 10,000 meters of where they were broke into pieces, turning into ice chips that scattered all over the ground.</p><p>Only the six assailants and the few people that had launched the sneak attack just now remained where they were. It was obvious at one glance that a total of five people—including the ax-wielding muscular man—had attacked them.</p><p>It was just that the five of them were currently ice sculptures, with every one of them frozen in a peculiar pose.</p><p>They either had a shocked look on their faces, were in the midst of chanting a spell incantation, or sported looks of excitement in their eyes… All of their facial expressions varied, and their manners of bearing also different from one another’s.</p><p>“You can only count yourselves unlucky for choosing to ambush me.”</p><p>What happened next was evident—body searching, looking for spatial rings, and taking them for himself.</p><p>“Tsk, these five must be pretty strong. They’ve actually gotten so many magic cores. Not bad, they even have a golden fruit, too.”</p><p>Meng Lei was grinning so widely that his face was all wrinkled. Disregarding the golden fruit, for now, just the magic cores in their spatial rings alone already made up an astonishingly high number. All of these were money to him.</p><p>“I really don’t know how you managed to cultivate to such a level!” Abbe’s eyes were filled with envy. “We haven’t seen each other for only two months, yet you’re already so strong. The next time we meet, would you have already broken through to become a half-deity?”</p><p>“A half-deity? That’s too far a notion.” As Meng Lei kept the fruit and the spatial rings, he said, “I’m about to leave this place. Why don’t you leave with me, too? This continent is currently fraught with great danger. It’s not safe here.”</p><p>“No, I want to continue looking for the divine tree fruits and the Tree of Life,” Abbe rejected his offer and said, “The fruits can refine my bloodline. I will never give up, no matter what!”</p><p>“That mentality of yours is too dangerous.” Meng Lei frowned as he said, “I suspect that the Tree of Life is a half-deity that’s currently plotting some kind of conspiracy. If you go looking for it, how is that any different from sending yourself straight to death’s door? Let’s just leave!”</p><p>“A half-deity?”</p><p>A huge jolt went through Abbe.</p><p>“All the living things on the entire Lost Continent worship the Tree of Life. It’s highly likely that it’s a half-deity!” Meng Lei shook his head lightly as he said, “Staying in a half-deity’s territory is simply too dangerous. Also, even if you do get more of the divine tree fruits, don’t eat them anymore. Those things aren’t safe.”</p><p>A look of indignant reluctance came over Abbe’s features at once. A brief moment later, she surprisingly shook her head and said, “Thank you, Meng Lei, but I’m not leaving!”</p><p>Then, she rose into the sky and flew away.</p><p>“…”</p><p>Meng Lei opened his mouth but ultimately chose not to call out to her. Abbe was a stubborn one; Meng Lei had already had a taste of that a long time ago.</p><p>“Never mind, do what you want, then.” Meng Lei shook his head as he remarked, “I’ve already said what I should. It’s up to her whether or not she wants to heed the warning.”</p><p>Then, he also left the area.</p><p>“Why aren’t you going after her, kid?</p><p>“Not only is she gorgeous, but she’s even a princess of the empire. There are so many out there who wish to be her knight in shining armor yet couldn’t. To think you’ve actually given up such a prime opportunity!</p><p>“I’m really suspecting more and more that your carnal desires are undeveloped…”</p><p>“No-one’s going to mistake you for a mute if you speak a little less, Ol’ President.”</p><p>“Let’s go, Sacas!”</p><p>After Meng Lei left, Abbe walked out from behind a tree. As she stared at the departing Meng Lei, she murmured softly, “I wish I could leave with you, Meng Lei, but I can’t…”</p><p>A day later, Meng Lei finally returned to the seashore where they had been when they had first arrived on the continent.</p><p>“Let’s wait here! I’ll be able to leave in another couple of days.”</p><p>After finding himself a remote beach, he then took out a large ten-meters-wide golden pot, ready for another hotpot feast.</p><p>“Are we having seafood hotpot again, Boss?”</p><p>At the sight of that, Sacas obediently went to catch seafood again.</p><p>An hour later…</p><p>A bonfire blazed into the sky as soup bubbled and boiled in the pot. An aroma rushed toward them as a human, and a beast sat around the hotpot and feasted.</p><p>“I want abalone, Boss!</p><p>“Give me that geoduck, Boss!</p><p>“I want more, Boss! I want some more…”</p><p>Time went by very quickly, and a day passed. There was currently only a day left to the end of the exchange competition’s month-long duration.</p><p>Meng Lei laid on the soft beach and bathed in the warm, mild sun as he waited for the exchange competition to end.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A tremor suddenly went through the ground!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Another tremor!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Right on the heels of it, the ground began to shake and tremble rhythmically. It felt like 10,000 horses galloping across the fields, yet also like tanks crushing the ground. The entire continent was booming and shaking.</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>Meng Lei quickly soared into the sky and looked around, upon which he was immediately stunned into a daze.</p><p>In the continent’s center, a far distance off, stood a massive tree so tall that there was no telling its height and so wide that one couldn’t tell its trunk circumference.</p><p>It seemed like the Jianmu Tree[1] that connected the heavens and earth, yet also like the Yggdrasil[2] whose roots were entrenched into the earth. Standing erect between heaven and earth, the towering tree branches were as though passageways to heaven while the lofty tree crown shrouded the area 10,000 miles from where it was.</p><p>When looking from afar, clouds could be seen circling around it.</p><p>The sun’s multicolored radiance reflected upon it as the phenomenal scene went through a million grand changes.</p><p>The most inconceivable thing was that the massive tree was covered in several gold chains that wrapped around it like a net.</p><p>A majestic and holy might emanated from the massive tree reaching straight into the heavens and wantonly oppressed Meng Lei’s spirit, giving him the urge to submit to it, convert his faith to it, and prostrate before it.</p><p>“T-the Tree of Life!” Meng Lei exclaimed softly, “Ol’ President, is that the Tree of Life?!”</p><p>“Yes, it’s the Tree of Life!” Ol’ Amos emerged and said, “This aura is divine power! Though faint, it’s nevertheless no doubt divine power! There’s no mistaking it! I was right. It really is a half-deity!”</p><p>“So it really is a half-deity!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s heart quivered. He felt an urge to immediately return to the teleportation magic circle and make an escape. Against a massive tree of half-deity status, he really didn’t possess even a shred of confidence.</p><p>As for Sacas the Multi-Armed Behemoth, in the instant it saw the Tree of Life, it was already prostrating on the ground, so agitated that tears filled its eyes as it loudly prayed to and extolled the greatness of the tree.</p><p>“Something isn’t right! That half-deity’s aura is so weak! It can’t even compare to a Saint Domain limits-level expert’s! What’s going on? Are we too far away from it?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos, whose brows were tightly drawn together into a huge frown, stared hard at the massive tree for a moment. Then, he suddenly exclaimed in a low voice, “The gold chains… I get it now! That Tree of Life has been sealed! It has been sealed!”</p><p>“Sealed?”</p><p>Meng Lei was dumbfounded.</p><p>“Do you see those gold chains around the Tree of Life? That’s the seal! The Tree of Life has been sealed. That’s why it’s giving off such weak divine power!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos smacked his forehead as he said, “I knew it. Even though it was indifferent the whole time while all of you were wantonly killing its worshipers in its territory, it wasn’t done out of choice. Rather, it’s because it has been sealed and is totally immobile. That’s the actual reason why!”</p><p>Meng Lei asked with a dazed look in his eyes, “Just what kind of existence can seal a half-deity like the Tree of Life?”</p><p>“There’ll always be someone stronger out there, and there’s no limit to how high one can go; there is no lack of existences stronger than a half-deity. Heaven’s Vault Continent is ultimately just a small pond.” Ol’ Amos shook his head slightly. Then, he suddenly frowned and asked, “Meng Lei, are a lot of black dots floating around the Tree of Life?”</p><p>Meng Lei hurriedly looked over. Although they were a great distance away from the Tree of Life, he saw many tiny little black dots.</p><p>Those little black dots were suspended around the Tree of Life like insects around a willow in summer.</p><p>A puzzled Meng Lei asked, “What are those little black dots?”</p><p>“We’re too far away, so it’s hard to tell. Go a little nearer!” Ol’ Amos said gravely, “Don’t worry, it’s been sealed, so as long as we’re not too near, it can’t do anything to you.”</p><p>“Okay!”</p><p>After a moment’s hesitation, Meng Lei flew toward it.</p><p>As he approached, the black dots also became bigger and bigger. He could now see them clearly after he reached a certain distance—those dense and packed black dots were actually the exchange competition’s contestants. And apart from them, there were also many other unfamiliar-looking figures!</p><p>Those figures wore golden armor, held broadswords, and rode golden beasts—they were clearly all golden-armored knights!</p><p>As he continued to approach, he could vaguely see a thin golden shield around the Tree of Life.</p><p>Some of the contestants were enveloped within the golden shield, while all the golden-armored knights were fervently attacking the golden shield, seemingly trying to rescue them.</p><p>“What are they doing?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rather bewildered.</p><p>“Damn! They’ve been tricked! They’re attacking the seal! Once the seal is destroyed, the Tree of Life would be released!”</p><p>[1] Literally ‘building wood’. A holy tree worshiped in ancient times and said to bridge the celestial and mortal realms in Chinese mythology</p><p>[2] An immense and central sacred tree in Norse mythology</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-187

Chapter 187

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 187</h1><p>Chapter 187: Holy Knight Order, The Empire’s Half-Deity</p><p>“Attacking the seal?”</p><p>Meng Lei was bewildered.</p><p>“Can’t you tell?”</p><p>With a severe look on his face, Ol’ Amos explained gravely, “The divine tree fruits are just bait—bait that it tossed out in order to lure contestants like you. What’s tragic is that many of the contestants had actually fallen for it! Thus, they are now trapped within the seal, unable to escape!”</p><p>“And then?”</p><p>“In order to rescue them, the empire will definitely send experts to attack the seal, ultimately rescuing the Tree of Life and releasing it, too.</p><p>“A conspiracy! This is a total conspiracy from the start to the very end!”</p><p>Meng Lei hurriedly asked, “What will happen if the Tree of Life breaks the seal, Ol’ President?”</p><p>“Isn’t that obvious?” Ol’ Amos barked, “What do you think will happen when a sealed half-deity is freed?”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but shiver at the thought.</p><p>“Meng Lei, you must stop them from attacking the seal at once. Otherwise, it’ll lead to a great disaster!”</p><p>“Stop them?”</p><p>Meng Lei was hesitant. He couldn’t wait to escape and go far, far away from the Tree of Life at the moment. Yet he was telling him to stop those guys?</p><p>“The Tree of Life is currently sealed, so the degree of risk has been greatly reduced.” Ol’ Amos said gravely, “What you need to do is just to stop them. If nothing goes wrong, it won’t be dangerous.”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>As he went nearer and nearer, the view also became clearer and clearer.</p><p>The Tree of Life’s branches were too thick, too tall—taller and thicker than any great mountains that Meng Lei had ever seen.</p><p>Its crown was too large, too lush—just like a gigantic halo, it enveloped the sky within 10,000 miles of where it was.</p><p>Big, tall, lofty, and majestic! Vast and extensive!</p><p>“Who’d have thought that a massive life form like that actually exists in the world? Nature is indeed miraculous!” Meng Lei was thoroughly astounded. “And what’s even more inconceivable is that someone has actually sealed a fearsome life form like that!”</p><p>As he got nearer and nearer, the view also became clearer and clearer.</p><p>Branches flourished from the Tree of Life, leafy and lush. And amid the luxuriant leaves bore an abundance of golden fruits.</p><p>A quick glance revealed that the tree was filled with them.</p><p>“Just how many divine tree fruits are there? And just how much will I earn if I sell them all?”</p><p>Meng Lei swallowed hard, suddenly understanding why so many contestants had been lured there.</p><p>Given the numerous divine tree fruits on it, just how great of an allure did it pose?</p><p>Who would be able to resist it?</p><p>Nobody at all!</p><p>At last, he came close to it.</p><p>A mountainous ridge when viewed horizontally and a high peak when viewed from the side; far, near, high, and low, different from every angle.</p><p>Why couldn’t one tell the true form of Mount Lu?</p><p>For they stand within, part of the mountain they have become[1].</p><p>At this point, it was no longer possible for him to get a full view of the Tree of Life. All that entered one’s sight was just a big, tall, and rough wall—the Tree of Life’s trunk!</p><p>Wrapped all around the surface of the trunk was an infinite number of chains formed from golden magic sigils. Like a fishing net, they wrapped all around the tree.</p><p>The chains spread out, ultimately forming another golden shield around the Tree of Life and sealing it within.</p><p>At the same time, the golden shield also trapped almost a hundred unfortunate souls within—in other words, the hundred-odd contestants that had also been sealed inside.</p><p>Floating outside the golden shield were thousands of people. Aside from a few dozen contestants, the rest were all broadsword-wielding, beast-riding golden-armored knights!</p><p>“Where did these guys come from?”</p><p>Meng Lei stared at the golden-armored knights, somewhat puzzled.</p><p>“Judging from their gear, they are likely the Royal Holy Knight Order.” Ol’ Amos replied, “The Royal Holy Knight Order is the empire’s most elite troops. Even the weakest among them possesses ninth-grade pinnacle-level strength.”</p><p>“Why are they here?”</p><p>Meng Lei was puzzled. Weren’t the contestants supposed to be the only ones on the Lost Continent?</p><p>“If I’m not wrong, the Royal Holy Knight Order is in charge of protecting the contestants’ safety during the exchange competition.” Ol’ Amos instructed, “Get them to stop, Meng Lei. If they continue to attack, they’ll break the seal sooner or later!”</p><p>At the moment, be it the Holy Knight Order or the 100-odd contestants inside the shield, all of them were fervently attacking the golden shield.</p><p>Every attack from them caused the golden shield to reverberate intensely, which in turn caused the entire continent to shake along with it—it seemed like the seal was connected to the whole continent itself.</p><p>“Alright, I know what to do now.”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded slightly. Then, he took a deep breath and shouted, “Stop attacking, everyone! Listen to what I have to say!”</p><p>His voice wasn’t very loud, but it reached everyone clearly. Everyone stopped attacking one by one and turned to him.</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>Someone who recognized him called out his name.</p><p>“Who’s he?”</p><p>However, there were more of them that didn’t know who he was, and all of them broke into frowns.</p><p>“Stop attacking, everyone. Listen to me first!”</p><p>As the puzzled crowd gazed at him, Meng Lei said, “All of you can sense the divine power that this huge tree here is giving off, right? That’s right. This tree is a half-deity!”</p><p>“A half-deity?”</p><p>A jolt went through some of them as their countenances changed dramatically. All of them were just weak contestants that didn’t have any idea of the Tree of Life’s background.</p><p>However, the rest of them—in particular, the Royal Holy Knight Order—showed practically no response to his words. Evidently, they were already aware of the Tree of Life’s background since a long time ago.</p><p>Or perhaps they’d determined its identity based on the divine power that the Tree of Life emanated.</p><p>After all, its mighty divine power was right there for all to see. It wasn’t hard for them to make the judgment.</p><p>Meng Lei continued and said, “But this half-deity has evidently been sealed. That’s why we can stand here safely right now!”</p><p>Then, he changed the course of the conversation and said, “But what are all of you doing? You’re attacking the seal! And helping it to break out of its seal! Aren’t you afraid that by destroying the seal, you’ll really set the Tree of Life free?”</p><p>Nobody had anything to say to that.</p><p>In particular, all the knights of the Royal Holy Knight Order sank into total silence. Evidently, they were aware of what they were doing and also knew the consequences of their actions.</p><p>“Therefore, I hope that everyone can cease their attacks at once.”</p><p>Meng Lei’s voice was low and grave as he said, “Once the Tree of Life breaks the seal, all of us will die! Nobody will be able to escape! That’s all I have to say! Think about it yourselves!”</p><p>Then, Meng Lei turned, ready to leave. He didn’t know what they would do after hearing what he had to say, but that was all he could do.</p><p>Now that he’d fulfilled his objective, it was time to leave.</p><p>“Sir, we fully understand what you’re saying.”</p><p>A Golden Colossal Dragon Person dressed in royal armor stepped forward at this point. He had a pair of golden horns on his head and a pair of golden wings on his back.</p><p>As he pointed at the Tree of Life trapped within the golden shield, he said slowly, “We know that it’s a half-deity life form, and we also know that we’re currently attacking the seal, but we have no other choice.</p><p>“Our mission is to ensure the safety of every contestant and eradicate all external forces that interfere with the exchange competition. Therefore, it is our duty to protect every contestant.</p><p>“However, more than 100 contestants are currently trapped. In fact, they are sharing the same space with the half-deity Tree of Life. Their safety has come under serious threat.</p><p>“We must rescue them and ensure their safety while also ensuring that the exchange competition is running smoothly. This is our mission as well as our duty!”</p><p>“But by doing so, you’ll bring harm to everyone!”</p><p>Meng Lei was mildly taken aback. Just as he was about to persuade him further, Ol’ Amos’ voice suddenly rang out. “Look, Meng Lei! Your little princess housemate seems to be in there, too!”</p><p>Meng Lei hurriedly looked over. True enough, he spotted Abbe among those 100-odd contestants!</p><p>She stood behind the contestants, quietly watching him. Upon noticing his line of sight, she lowered her head at once.</p><p>“Abbe…”</p><p>Meng Lei was dismayed.</p><p>“There are also quite a few other familiar faces in there aside from her.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos went on. “That Netherworld White Tiger Person, Francis from the Fire Dragon Kingdom, and even that pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragon prince…</p><p>“No wonder the Royal Holy Knight Order is attacking the seal so desperately. To think the future emperor is also trapped inside!”</p><p>“So many of them…”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but gasp.</p><p>“Actually, you don’t need to worry, sir.” The Golden Colossal Dragon Person spoke up again. He said, “We’ve already reported the situation to His Majesty. I believe that in no time, His Majesty will dispatch experts here to destroy that evil half-deity treant!”</p><p>“The empire’s experts?” Meng Lei was startled. “Can the empire’s experts stand against a half-deity?”</p><p>“Typical experts definitely can’t, unless it’s a half-deity.” Ol’ Amos nodded and said, “If a half-deity really comes forward, then dealing with that Tree of Life won’t be a problem. I’m just afraid that the Emperor can’t get them to do it.”</p><p>“Is there also a half-deity in the Dragon God Empire?” Meng Lei was a little startled. “Why haven’t I heard anyone mentioning it before?”</p><p>“Duh! If the great Dragon God Empire didn’t have a half-deity presence, it’d have been destroyed by other empires a long time ago!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos scoffed derisively and said, “And it’s not just the Dragon God Empire. The Titan Empire, the Beast People Empire, the Fairy Empire, and even some ancient clans living in seclusion—all of them have half-deity presences among them.</p><p>“It’s just that half-deities, as existences that stand above Saint Domains and below deities, represent the strongest form of combat power in Heaven’s Vault Continent. They usually only exist as strategic deterrents.</p><p>“In most typical situations, half-deities tend to stay behind the scenes. Unless situations such as the empire facing the threat of subjugation arise, they almost never make an appearance.”</p><p>“I see!” Realization dawned upon Meng Lei, who then asked, “Ol’ President, what did you mean when you said that His Majesty might not be able to get the half-deity to come forward?”</p><p>“The emperor can command ordinary Saint Domains, but if he wants to request something of a half-deity… It’s a hard task to achieve!” Ol’ Amos said dispassionately, “In truth, even a Saint Domain limits-level expert can ignore the emperor if they want to.”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head lightly as he remarked, “Looks like not even the emperor is almighty.”</p><p>“Almighty? You’re thinking too much.”</p><p>Ol’ Amos was rather disdainful as he said, “Heaven’s Vault Continent is ultimately a world where the strong rule. Power will always come first and foremost.</p><p>“Status is but just something that comes with power.</p><p>“There are many experts in the Dragon God Empire who don’t fear the emperor at all. In fact, even the emperor has to bow respectfully in greeting when he meets the Dragon Kings who stand above the Saint Domain realm and the half-deities.</p><p>“Remember this—in the Dragon God Empire, there is no lack of people who can be the emperor, but there are only so many Dragon Kings and half-deities. You can do without an emperor, but you can’t do without a Dragon King or a half-deity!”</p><p>“In other words, whether the empire’s half-deity will make an appearance or not depends on whether they’ll act on account of the emperor?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rendered speechless.</p><p>“Exactly! After all, most half-deities are striving hard for the goal of deification. To them, time is even more valuable than Laws of Nature Origin Crystals. Where are they going to find the time to bother with trifling matters like this?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos shook his head.</p><p>“What should we do, then?”</p><p>“What should we do? Leave, of course!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos snorted and said, “It goes back to the same thing—a gentleman does not put himself in harm’s way. Whether or not the empire’s half-deity comes, you have to ensure your safety first and foremost!</p><p>“I’m reminding you—your little princess housemate may be beautiful and gorgeous, but she’s not worth you putting yourself in danger yet!”</p><p>“Ol’ President, you must’ve been a cold and heartless scumbag when you were young, right?”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes.</p><p>“A scumbag? Please, I’m a lifelong bachelor!”</p><p>[1] Written on the Wall At West Forest Temple, a poem by Su Shi</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-188

Chapter 188

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 188</h1><p>Chapter 188: God’s Domain, The Hammer of Destruction</p><p>“W-what’s that?”</p><p>“It’s… It’s so huge!”</p><p>“To think there’s such a lofty and majestic tree in this world… How inconceivable!”</p><p>“That tree is so massive! It’s probably no ordinary tree?”</p><p>A gigantic tree towering straight into the sky appeared on the Dragon God Cathedral’s huge magic screen.</p><p>It stood erect in the continent’s center, towering tall and straight into the sky above the sea of forests. The mountains were reduced to mere props while the ancient trees became its background.</p><p>It was simply too huge and too majestic—one could neither see to the top nor the ends of it.</p><p>The moment it entered their sights, it astounded everyone, ranging all the way from Emperor Frederick the 32nd to every single civil and martial official. All of them were dumbstruck and flabbergasted.</p><p>Frederick the 32nd was terribly alarmed. “Why didn’t the surveillance team discover a lifeform like that in the Lost Continent?”</p><p>Nobody knew whether or not they had discovered it, but Frederick the 32nd had already realized that the Lost Continent was far more unsafe than what he’d thought. The contestants… They were in danger!</p><p>“Reporting!”</p><p>It was at this moment that a golden-armored knight walked out of the teleportation magic circle. “Your Majesty, a half-deity lifeform has appeared in the Lost Continent. 100 contestants, including Prince Barbarossa and the others, have been captured, and their lives are in peril!”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Everyone got up at once, an indescribable astoundment brimming in their eyes. All of them were shocked.</p><p>The emperor barked fiercely, “Are you sure?”</p><p>The golden-armored knight replied loudly, “Your Majesty, it is the absolute truth!”</p><p>“Your Majesty!”</p><p>“Your Majesty!”</p><p>All the Saint Domain experts turned to the emperor at once. The princes, princesses, nobles, and officials also turned to him.</p><p>Everyone knew that things had gotten serious.</p><p>A half-deity lifeform had appeared in the Lost Continent, and it had captured 100 contestants, including Prince Barbarossa.</p><p>This was no longer an accident on a small scale but a serious matter that threatened to undermine the empire’s core.</p><p>Once mishandled, not only would the empire make an enemy out of a half-deity, but it would also cause irreversible losses for the empire.</p><p>This was an extremely serious matter.</p><p>Frederick the 32nd, who was facing everyone’s anxious, anticipative eyes, slowly closed his eyes. He said, “By sending all the contestants to the Lost Continent without careful consideration when we aren’t yet clear on the situation in the Lost Continent, I have sinned!”</p><p>“Your Majesty!”</p><p>Everyone exclaimed in low voices.</p><p>“However, it is nigh the time to pursue the matter of accountability now. What’s most imperative right now is to dispatch men to the Lost Continent and rescue the contestants!” Frederick the 32nd stepped forward. “Summon the senior statesmen’s assembly at once and order the Grand Elder, Second Elder, and Third Elder to follow me to Dragon Island to request aid from the grandmasters!”</p><p>“Yes, Your Majesty!”</p><p>An official bowed in acknowledgment and hastily went to deliver the imperial order.</p><p>“My beloved subjects, you’re dismissed!” said Frederick the 32nd as he looked at everyone.</p><p>President Luke hurriedly stepped forward and requested, “Your Majesty, the contestants are in critical peril. I am willing to head to the Lost Continent in advance to investigate the situation. If it is permissible, perhaps that may help a little with the situation!”</p><p>“Me too, Your Majesty!”</p><p>“We cannot stand by and wait idly while our students are trapped. I request to head to the Lost Continent in advance to investigate the situation!”</p><p>“Your Majesty…”</p><p>For a moment there, all the academy presidents and teachers-in-charge requested to be deployed to the Lost Continent to rescue their students.</p><p>“I am greatly moved by your sincerity, my beloved subjects. Unfortunately, a half-deity occupies the Lost Continent. All of you heading there is no different from moths flying into the fire—seeking death!” Frederick the 32nd shook his head lightly. “Everyone had better just wait for my good news. As long as the grandmasters are willing to help, a mere native half-deity can be wiped out with just a flick of the fingers.”</p><p>“Your Majesty!”</p><p>“My mind is set. Say no more!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd threw back his long sleeves, and then, he rose into the air and flitted toward the palace. A group of palace attendants, princes, and princesses hastily followed after him.</p><p>“This…”</p><p>All the Saint Domains looked at one another, sighing one by one.</p><p>In the Lost Continent…</p><p>“Protecting the safety of all the contestants and ensuring that the exchange competition doesn’t suffer interference from external forces—these are missions, as well as our duty, that His Majesty the Emperor has given us, the Holy Knight Order!”</p><p>With a brandish of the broadsword in his hand, the Golden Colossal Dragon Person shouted, “Where doth our duty lie?”</p><p>“With glory it lies!”</p><p>“With glory it lies!”</p><p>“With glory it lies!”</p><p>The knights of the Holy Knight Order roared.</p><p>“For the Holy Knight Order’s duty and for the Holy Knight Order’s glory, I order all of you to continue to attack!”</p><p>“With glory it lies!”</p><p>“With glory it lies!”</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>The Royal Holy Knight Order resumed their attacks on the golden shield. With their great strength and sheer numbers, thousands upon thousands of attacks struck the golden shield, causing the thin golden shield to shake violently as if it’d shatter any moment!</p><p>“Evil deity, release the contestants at once!” The Golden Colossal Dragon Person shouted as he attacked, “The half-deity expert from the Dragon God Empire is descending any moment now…”</p><p>This was originally just an insignificant threat, but unexpectedly, the Tree of Life, upon hearing the threat, seemed to have been triggered.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Up to 100 vines suddenly flew into the air and morphed into innumerable pythons that assailed the 100-odd contestants. The vines weren’t particularly fast. They moved at snail-like speeds; hence the contestants easily evaded their attacks.</p><p>However, an aged voice suddenly rang out the next moment.</p><p>“God’s Domain!”</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>A strange energy wave descended.</p><p>Instantly, the 100-odd contestants were frozen to the spot as if their acupoints had been sealed. They stood there just like that, still and motionless.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The vines crept over slowly and wound around the contestants again and again. In no time, they had wrapped around them and turned them into dumplings.</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>Everyone was rather dumbstruck.</p><p>“God’s Domain! That’s God’s Domain!” Ol’ Amos exclaimed, “It’s an ability that only half-deities can use. Not only can it freeze space-time, but it can also imprison everything in the world. As expected, the Tree of Life really is a half-deity. We can be completely sure of that now!”</p><p>“God’s Domain?”</p><p>A huge jolt went through Meng Lei!</p><p>“Go, Meng Lei! Hurry and leave!” Ol’ Amos urged him, “It was triggered by that fool just now. On the off-chance that the Tree of Life goes berserk and tries to break the seal at all cost, all of you will die!”</p><p>“Leave?”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but look at Abbe, and the moment he did, an intense shiver went through him.</p><p>The vines winding around the contestants had actually stabbed into them and were madly absorbing their lifeforce.</p><p>“Help!”</p><p>“Help me!”</p><p>“I don’t want to die!”</p><p>All the contestants whom the vines had wound around were actually visibly shriveling up.</p><p>Abbe was no exception to that, either. Little by little, her jade-like, crystal-clear skin started to lose its luster, shriveling and drying up bit by bit…</p><p>“Abbe!”</p><p>Meng Lei was terribly shocked.</p><p>“Go! You little bastard, go!” Ol’ Amos urged him loudly. “You won’t be able to save her! You won’t! Leave this place immediately! Out of sight, out of mind…”</p><p>“But Ol’ President…”</p><p>Meng Lei was in a struggle.</p><p>“There are no but’s to be had! The two of you are just mere acquaintances. That bit of friendship is not worth risking your life for!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos berated him loudly, “Besides, what can you do even if you rush in there? Can you save her? You can’t!</p><p>“Not only will you not be able to save her, but you’ll even throw your own life away instead! It’s… not worth it!</p><p>“Meng Lei, you’re a Saint Domain. Be more rational!”</p><p>Meng Lei fell silent. He was indeed rather weak at the moment.</p><p>“Don’t bother with me, Meng Lei!” Abbe shook her head hard. “This is what I’ve chosen. I have no regrets. There’s no need for you to throw your own life away!”</p><p>Then, she suddenly smiled. Next to her gradually-shriveling skin, her smile seemed as though a flower that was gradually withering and looked extraordinarily tragic.</p><p>“I was born into the royal family and was all by myself since I was young with no-one loving or doting on me. I had no family, no friends… Until I met you.</p><p>“You saved me twice. To me, you’re my only friend. If anything untoward happens to you because of me, I will live in guilt, regret, distress, and pain for the rest of my life!</p><p>“Go, Meng Lei! Live on! Live on properly!”</p><p>Abbe’s eyes gradually dimmed and dulled. A single teardrop rolled off the corner of her eye on her dried-up face.</p><p>“Your only friend?” Meng Lei took a deep breath. “Maybe I can’t stay so miserly anymore!”</p><p>Then, he licked his lips and ordered, “System, be on standby at all times. Let’s go crazy together later!”</p><p>Then…</p><p>“Shatter!”</p><p>With a shout, Meng Lei smashed his fist against the golden shield!</p><p>“What are you doing, brat!?” Ol’ Amos was aghast. “Are you crazy?!”</p><p>“Don’t worry, Ol’ President! I know what I’m doing!”</p><p>Meng Lei continued to launch a series of frenzied attacks on the golden shield, much like a raging bull.</p><p>Bam, bam, bam!</p><p>It was just a pity that despite the golden shield shaking violently as if it would shatter any moment, it ultimately didn’t. With a silent curse, a dark golden hammer appeared in Meng Lei’s hand.</p><p>“C’mon, break!!”</p><p>Meng Lei leaped high into the air and smashed the hammer down madly.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A shocking, thunderous boom erupted. Amid crisp-sounding cracks, a few cracks appeared on the surface of the golden shield. Then, more and more of them appeared, instantly spreading throughout the golden shield like a spider web!</p><p>Crash!</p><p>The golden shield broke apart in an instant the next moment, turning into countless glowing particles that dissipated into the universe.</p><p>“Abbe!”</p><p>“Break!”</p><p>As Meng Lei smashed the dark gold hammer about in a frenzy, the vines that had wound around Abbe broke at the roots. Then, Meng Lei reached out and caught hold of her.</p><p>“How are you feeling, Abbe?”</p><p>Abbe’s peerless beauty from before was nowhere in sight anymore. What was left was just a dry, shriveled-up face covered in wrinkles.</p><p>“M-Meng Lei!” As though she had heard him, Abbe slowly opened her eyes and said weakly, “Meng… Meng Lei, don’t… Don’t b-bother… wi… with me… Go… H-hurry… And go!”</p><p>“Ol’ President, what do I do now?” Meng Lei hurriedly looked at Ol’ Amos and asked, “Can she still be saved?”</p><p>“Sigh, what a sin!” Ol’ Amos let out a faint sigh and said, “The Tree of Vitality’s branch can save her.”</p><p>“The Tree of Vitality’s branch? Right, right! The Tree of Vitality’s branch! Why did I throw that out of my mind?”</p><p>Meng Lei hastily brought out the Tree of Vitality’s branch. Then, he asked, “How do I use this thing, Ol’ President?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos sighed again and again as he replied, “Squeeze out the lifeforce essence in it and feed it to her.”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded, and then, he squeezed the branch forcefully.</p><p>“Abbe! Open your mouth!”</p><p>One drop, two, three…</p><p>Then, something amazing happened!</p><p>As if rain descending upon dry riverbeds!</p><p>As if the spring breeze blowing across a frozen creek!</p><p>As if the blazing sun shining upon the moistened ground!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-189

Chapter 189

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 189</h1><p>Chapter 189: Facing The Evil Deity, Extreme Credit Redemption</p><p>Something amazing happened.</p><p>Bit by bit, Abbe’s face started to plump up and turn rosy. Her weak aura also began to strengthen again…</p><p>“It works! The Tree of Vitality’s branch is working!” Meng Lei couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief. “How are you feeling, Abbe?”</p><p>“You shouldn’t have saved me, Meng Lei.”</p><p>Abbe, who had recovered a bit of spirit, stared at Meng Lei in a daze as a layer of mist formed in her beautiful eyes. “You shouldn’t have!”</p><p>“No matter what, we’re housemates and classmates. It’s inexcusable behavior if I leave you to die when saving you is within my means.”</p><p>With a laugh, Meng Lei helped Abbe up and said, “Let’s go. We’ll leave this place and talk again when we reach somewhere safe.”</p><p>“Okay!”</p><p>Abbe didn’t speak any further. She rested her head against Meng Lei’s chest, listening to his strong heartbeat…</p><p>Meng Lei’s embrace suddenly felt so safe, so firm, and so warm to her…</p><p>At the same time, the Royal Holy Knight Order also rushed over to rescue the other 100-odd contestants, who didn’t receive the same treatment as Abbe, of course. Whether or not they would survive would depend on fate itself.</p><p>The Golden Colossal Dragon Person urged them loudly, “Hurry! Evacuate the contestants!”</p><p>“Since you’re here, then don’t bother leaving!”</p><p>The aged voice rang out again at this point, upon which a shocking scene then played out—countless golden rays of light appeared out of nowhere, and then they converged into yet another golden shield which trapped everyone within.</p><p>Bam!</p><p>Meng Lei was thrown right out upon crashing against the golden shield. The others were no better—every single one of them was also flung back to where they’d originally been. Everyone’s expressions took on a dramatic change.</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>Meng Lei, who was flustered and panicked, asked, “Didn’t I already break the seal, Ol’ President? Why has it appeared again?”</p><p>“I don’t know, either!”</p><p>The situation was driving Ol’ Amos rather mad, too.</p><p>“Damn! The barrier has appeared again!”</p><p>“Attack!”</p><p>“Attack the barrier at once, everyone!”</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>The Royal Holy Knight Order launched into yet another series of frenzied attacks.</p><p>“Wait a moment here, Abbe!”</p><p>The dark gold hammer appeared in Meng Lei’s hand again. With flames of fury burning in his eyes, he imbued all of his strength into the hammer and smashed it heavily against the shield.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>As the dark gold hammer smashed against the golden shield, the terrifying recoil of the impact threw Meng Lei out.</p><p>Yet the golden shield didn’t shake even a little, let alone become destroyed.</p><p>“No way!”</p><p>Meng Lei roared furiously, “One more time!”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>One hit! Two! Three!</p><p>In spite of that, the golden shield stood as enduring as rock, not wavering in the least.</p><p>“Why is this happening?” Meng Lei’s eyes were bloodshot. “Why has the golden shield become so much sturdier?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ voice was deep, low, and trembling a little as he replied, “Meng Lei, we might have been tricked!”</p><p>“Tricked?”</p><p>A huge jolt went through Meng Lei.</p><p>“Don’t bother trying anymore, little fellow.”</p><p>The aged voice rang out once more. Then, a gigantic human visage appeared on the Tree of Life’s trunk.</p><p>The human visage’s mouth opened and closed as it scoffed. “This is my territorial barrier. How can a Saint Domain like you possibly break it?”</p><p>“The Tree of Life!” Meng Lei exclaimed as he swung around.</p><p>The others also looked toward the huge human visage on the tree trunk. Under everyone’s gazes, the golden chains all around the Tree of Life disappeared little by little until they were all gone.</p><p>The seal… was gone?</p><p>At the same time, a vast, mighty divine power emanated from the Tree of Life, crashing down on everyone’s hearts.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>One after another, everyone plummeted onto the ground. They felt as if a mountain was crushing down upon their shoulders, as if great boulders were weighing down on their chests, and as if something was clenched tight around their hearts. Hardly able to breathe, it felt exceptionally horrible.</p><p>“We’ve been tricked! We’ve indeed been tricked!” Ol’ Amos bellowed madly, “It wasn’t sealed! Brat, the so-called seal doesn’t exist at all! It tricked us! It tricked us all!”</p><p>“Why would it do something like that?” Meng Lei couldn’t understand its motives. “Just how strong is a great half-deity? If it wishes to take our lives, all it needs is just a mere thought. So why would it go to so much trouble to scheme something like this?”</p><p>Ol’ Amos shook his head—he really had no idea why.</p><p>“Why?” Meng Lei’s eyes bore into the Tree of Life as he asked, “Why are you doing this? You’re a great half-deity, y’know!”</p><p>“A half-deity? But that’s ultimately still not a true deity.” The Tree of Life gave him a noncommittal smile as it said, “You must be very puzzled as to why I did all these, right?”</p><p>“Yes, why?!” shouted Meng Lei.</p><p>“Because of you,” answered the Tree of Life with a slight smile.</p><p>“Me?” Meng Lei was momentarily stunned. Then, he sneered, “I am but just a Saint Domain. Am I worth going to such lengths for?”</p><p>“Of course you aren’t, but there’s something on you that is!” The Tree of Life said aloofly, “For the sake of obtaining it, no matter how much I have to do, it’s all worth it. And now, it should return to its original owner.”</p><p>“Something on me?”</p><p>Stupefied, Meng Lei pointed at himself.</p><p>Ol’ Amos was just as stupefied as him while the others also looked at one another in confusion.</p><p>“What exactly are you talking about? I don’t understand what you’re saying,” A frowning Meng Lei shouted, “Are you talking about your fruits?”</p><p>“You cunning human, stop playing dumb!”</p><p>The Tree of Life snorted icily and said, “I’ve sensed that thing’s presence ever since you arrived at the Lost Continent. From that moment onward, I knew at once that that’s the object that I lost a long time ago.</p><p>“It has finally returned! It pleases me greatly to know that!</p><p>“But I’m also furious because you’re simply too sly. Not only did you not return it to me, but you even went into hiding and constantly avoided me!</p><p>“I was terribly enraged, so I could only resort to such painstaking measures. Fortunately, the outcome is still somewhat satisfactory.”</p><p>The Tree of Life’s voice grew louder and more sonorous as it commanded, “You cunning human, hand over that thing in your sea of consciousness. It belongs to me!</p><p>“Or else, you’d better not blame me if I come personally to take it from you! By then, you won’t be the only one dead—all of them will be, too!”</p><p>“That thing in my sea of consciousness? You’re referring to—”</p><p>A huge jolt went through Meng Lei, who had immediately thought of something. Aside from the soul flame, there was only one other object in his sea of consciousness—that golden leaf!</p><p>That golden leaf which he had obtained from the parchment manuscript had been occupying a spot in his sea of consciousness all this time. Apart from giving him the superbly strong wood-elemental magic talent, Meng Lei knew absolutely next to nothing about it.</p><p>What exactly was it?</p><p>Even now, Meng Lei still hadn’t figured it out yet.</p><p>But one could imagine that it must be no ordinary artifact.</p><p>It… belonged to the Tree of Life?</p><p>Ol’ Amos hurriedly asked, “Meng Lei, what is it talking about?”</p><p>“It’s talking about the golden leaf!”</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t keep it a secret from Ol’ Amos.</p><p>“The golden leaf?” A startled Ol’ Amos said, “But that’s a divine weapon. How can it be the Tree of Life’s? It shouldn’t be! Its aura differs completely from the Tree of Life’s. What the hell? It can’t be that that thing has taken an interest in the golden leaf, so it’s thinking of snatching it from you?”</p><p>“You don’t say, that might really just be the case!”</p><p>Meng Lei flew into a rage at once.</p><p><em>You keep going on and on about how it belongs to you, but in truth, it’s because you’ve discovered my divine weapon and are plotting murder for gain!</em></p><p><em>Disregarding the fact that it’s a divine weapon, so I can’t bear to give it to you at all; even if I do have the intentions to, I can’t get it to move, either!</em></p><p>Occupying a spot in Meng Lei’s mind, the golden leaf—apart from absorbing the Wood Elements in the universe every moment of the day—paid no heed to Meng Lei at all!</p><p><em>Hand it over?</em></p><p><em>Yeah, right! Am I supposed to burrow into my own sea of consciousness and gouge it out for you?</em></p><p><em>What a dumbass!</em></p><p>“Meng Lei, did you really take something that belongs to the Tree of Life?”</p><p>Everyone had been watching Meng Lei closely the whole time, so they had fully witnessed the changes in his facial expressions. Many of them became furious at once.</p><p>“What exactly did you take from the Tree of Life?! Hurry and hand it over!”</p><p>“That’s right! Bold of you to actually steal something from a half-deity!”</p><p>“Take it if you must, but you shouldn’t have implicated us! Take a look at Prince Barbarossa and the others; they are close to dying because of you…”</p><p>All the contestants trapped within the golden shield denounced Meng Lei, venting their anger and frustrations on him.</p><p>The Royal Holy Knights’ expressions weren’t very pleasant, either. The Golden Colossal Dragon Person leading them said in a low, deep voice, “Sir, for the sake of everyone’s safety, you’d better hand it over!”</p><p>“Hahaha!”</p><p>Furious to the extreme, Meng Lei burst into laughter instead. “Was it me that had embroiled all of you in this? If all of you hadn’t fought over the divine tree’s fruits, would you have landed yourselves in such a predicament?</p><p>“You can only blame your own greed for this, as well as yourselves for reaping what you’ve sown. What has it got to do with me?”</p><p>Meng Lei then looked at the Tree of Life and sneered coldly, “Not only have I not taken anything of yours but even if I have, do you think I’ll return it to you when it’s already in my hands?”</p><p>“Human, you’re challenging a deity’s authority!”</p><p>A vast, majestic wave of divine power weighed down on Meng Lei as the Tree of Life spoke in a low and deep voice, “I’ll give you one last chance! Hand over that thing, and I’ll spare your lives! Otherwise, don’t blame me for being heartless and ruthless!”</p><p>“Hurry and return that thing to the Tree of Life, Meng Lei! You’re holding everyone’s lives in your hands!”</p><p>“C’mon, return it to the Tree, Meng Lei!”</p><p>“Take it as I’m begging you. For the last 18 generations, my family has only had one son in every generation, so I can’t die here. Otherwise, it’ll be the end of my family lineage!”</p><p>“Meng Lei, I have a 200-years-old mother to support and a three-year-old toddler to feed…”</p><p>Upon hearing the Tree of Life’s threat, many of the contestants were badly frightened. They either cursed at him, threatened him, or pleaded with him…</p><p>But one thing stayed the same—all of them wanted Meng Lei to hand over the golden leaf.</p><p>“A bunch of fools!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos swore quietly. Then, he said, “Don’t listen to them, Meng Lei. Even if you hand over the golden leaf, the Tree of Life won’t let you off. You must understand that the leaf is a divine weapon. Once it gets its hands on it, the Tree of Life will definitely silence everyone and kill all of you.</p><p>“Why would that evil deity care about your lives when it doesn’t even care about the deaths of its countless Magical Beast worshipers? Begging for mercy?</p><p>“That’s just that bunch of fools’ wishful thinking!”</p><p>“Tree of Life!”</p><p>A hint of insanity flashed past the depths of Meng Lei’s eyes as he shouted hysterically, “Stop goddamn daydreaming! Even if we must fight it out, you can forget about taking even a strand of hair from me!”</p><p>Meng Lei had only just spoken when all the power in him erupted. Then, he smashed the Hammer of Destruction in his hand madly toward the Tree of Life.</p><p>“You foolish and ignorant human!”</p><p>The Tree of Life was enraged. “Now that you’ve rejected the final bit of a deity’s goodwill be prepared to suffer a deity’s fury!</p><p>“God’s Domain!”</p><p>A terrifying energy wave instantly came crushing down on Meng Lei. As if his acupoints had been sealed, he instantly froze on the spot, unable to move even a fingertip.</p><p>“It’s over! All over!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos heaved a sigh.</p><p>“It isn’t! It’s not over yet!”</p><p>Meng Lei, whose eyes were bloodshot and looked as if a crazed man, ordered, “System, raise the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate!</p><p>“Don’t stop! Raise it as much as possible! Until all my Wealth has been redeemed for credit!”</p><p>“Ding! Dear host, your Wealth amounts to a total of 73.2 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals. It is possible to raise the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate by 7%. May I know whether you’d like to raise it?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth instantly shrank by 70 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals!</p><p>Boom!</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-190

Chapter 190

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 190</h1><p>Chapter 190: This Is A Divine Technique, Gods-Slaying Rat Transformation</p><p>Underneath the Tree of Life and inside the golden shield, everyone had lost all hope. Many of them vented their hatred on Meng Lei.</p><p>“You bastard!”</p><p>“It’s all his fault! If it hadn’t been for him, we wouldn’t have landed ourselves in such a predicament!”</p><p>“That fool screwed us over so bad!”</p><p>“It’s over! All over!”</p><p>“What a pitiful and foolish idiot. Is he actually having delusions of resistance? What a joke! How laughable! Tragic…”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>However, it was at this moment that innumerable greenish-black air currents suddenly burst forth from Meng Lei, who had been imprisoned on the spot by the Tree of Life’s God’s Domain and unable to move even a finger.</p><p>As though blazing cyan flames yet also like thick, roiling smoke signals of war rising high into the sky, they wrapped all around Meng Lei in an instant.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>As if skyrocketing, Meng Lei’s aura spiked and expanded insanely.</p><p>10, 50, 98, 99…</p><p>Boom!</p><p>It instantly went off the charts.</p><p>In the time for one to take just a few short breaths, Meng Lei’s aura had been boosted by not just a hundred or a thousand times—a terrifying pressure spread and swept outward in every direction, crashing down on everyone’s spirits.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Hardly able to breathe, everyone felt as though a great mountain that weighed a billion tons was weighing down on them. Shock and horror filled their eyes.</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>“What has happened to that idiot?”</p><p>“Meng Lei has broken through again?”</p><p>Abbe’s beautiful eyes twinkled with extraordinary splendor.</p><p>“Eh?”</p><p>The Tree of Life let out a soft sound of surprise and commented, “That cunning human has actually broken through in the face of danger? Interesting!”</p><p>Screech!</p><p>A sharp, ear-piercing howl that almost pierced right through everyone’s souls suddenly rang out.</p><p>As everyone’s ears rang, to their horror, they saw the hologram of a furry creature manifest above Meng Lei.</p><p>Sleek, shiny fur!</p><p>Greenish-black, ink-like skin!</p><p>Sharp, savage-looking fangs!</p><p>And icy-cold eyes!</p><p>The Tree of Life exclaimed softly, “What’s that?”</p><p>For some reason, the hologram was actually causing a sense of fear that reached right into one’s bones and a sense of dread that could intimidate one’s soul in it.</p><p>It felt just like…</p><p>When it had faced a powerful Saint Domain Magical Beast when it was still small and weak—vulnerable, helpless, and pitiful…</p><p>“No! I’m a great half-deity! There’s nothing I fear!</p><p>“That’s right! There isn’t a single lifeform that I fear!”</p><p>Murderous intent overflowed from the Tree of Life’s speech as it dispelled its feelings of fear and dread.</p><p>“No matter who you are and no matter what kind of bloodline you carry, go to hell!”</p><p>Overwhelming divine power came fully crashing down on Meng Lei. Then, a golden branch shot toward him.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>In most people’s memories, tree branches were typically very light, nimble, and tender objects, but this particular golden branch from the Tree of Life was instead incredibly heavy and unbelievably quick.</p><p>A fearsome build coupled with a fearsome speed—one can easily imagine just how great the driving force contained in the branch must be.</p><p>Should one be struck by it, those weaker than half-deities would surely die on impact. As for how a half-deity would fare… No-one knew!</p><p>Slash!</p><p>The golden branch ripped through the air and reached Meng Lei in an instant. Just as it was about to lash against him…</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>At the very last moment, Meng Lei—who had been trapped—vanished, leaving behind not even a trace of himself.</p><p>“What?!” The Tree of Life couldn’t help but exclaim, “He’s actually vanished while he’s still inside my God’s Domain! This… This is impossible!”</p><p>“Nothing is impossible, you old tree demon!”</p><p>A cold, imposing voice rang out as Meng Lei abruptly showed up in front of the Tree of Life.</p><p>He raised the Hammer of Destruction high up into the air. A storm raged and howled furiously around the hammer. Then, it went smashing down.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The Hammer of Destruction, which had been imbued with incredible destructiveness, smashed heavily against the Tree of Life.</p><p>The Tree of Life shook violently with a deafening explosion as the hammer smashed a huge pit into its trunk.</p><p>Of course, relative to the Tree of Life’s immeasurably tall and thick trunk, the so-called “huge pit” was actually no different from a tiny pore on a human’s skin—indiscernible!</p><p>“No! Impossible!”</p><p>Nevertheless, the Tree of Life was terribly aghast.</p><p>One must know that it was a half-deity. On top of that, it was even a botanical half-deity lifeform. Its trunk was solid and indestructible; not even a fellow half-deity could wound it, let alone a mere Saint Domain.</p><p>And yet… Meng Lei had managed to!</p><p>A Saint Domain had actually wounded it!</p><p>The Tree of Life couldn’t help being alarmed, enraged, and horrified.</p><p>“Damned human! You’ve thoroughly enraged me!”</p><p>The Tree of Life flew into a terrible fit of anger. An infinite number of golden vines lashed about in the sky and turned into innumerable golden whips that blotted out the sun as they lashed toward Meng Lei in a swarm, as though intending to shatter him into bits and pieces.</p><p>“Kill!”</p><p>Meng Lei moved at lightning-fast speed, weaving to and fro and crisscrossing left and right at will amid the all-encompassing net of whips. No matter how the golden vines slapped and lashed at him, they simply didn’t manage to hit even the corners of his clothes.</p><p>He literally passed through a thicket of ten thousand whips and emerged without a single one touching him.</p><p>“Die, old tree demon!”</p><p>After weaving through the overlapping layers of whips, Meng Lei charged right up to the Tree of Life again and gave it another furious, earth-shattering hammer blast.</p><p>Howl!</p><p>Gales howled furiously as tornadoes went through the clouds!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Another huge pit appeared in the trunk!</p><p>“You bastard! Damn it! I’m so mad! I’m so mad!”</p><p>Rage drove the Tree of Life to the brink of insanity.</p><p>It was a great half-deity that stood at the apex of the pyramid of lifeforms on Heaven’s Vault Continent. Yet it was actually powerless against a Saint Domain? How was it supposed to uphold its half-deity reputation like that?</p><p>“God’s Domain!”</p><p>The Tree of Life let out a furious roar and tried madly to suppress Meng Lei.</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>A momentary pause came over Meng Lei’s form, and he froze.</p><p>“Die!!”</p><p>Thousands upon thousands of golden whips took the opportunity to lash toward him.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Meng Lei regained his mobility and vanished from the spot again.</p><p>And then…</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A third pit was formed!</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>“That brat is actually… actually…”</p><p>“Oh my dragon god! Am I dreaming?!”</p><p>“A hallucination! This must be a hallucination!”</p><p>“It’s fake! It must be fake! How can Meng Lei possibly be a match for a half-deity? He’s just a Saint Domain!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos, Abbe, the other contestants, the thousands of Holy Knights—everyone was astounded!</p><p>Who would have ever imagined the scene currently playing out in front of them?</p><p>Who would have ever imagined that the Tree of Life, a great half-deity, would actually be unable to do anything about Meng Lei, a mere Saint Domain?</p><p>On top of that, Meng Lei, the Saint Domain in question, was… even just 16 years old!</p><p>“Why exactly has it turned out like that?”</p><p>No-one could understand why, save for Ol’ Amos, whose lip corners were spasming as waves churned fiercely in his heart.</p><p><em>That little bastard has inexplicably gotten stronger again! It’s just that, isn’t the scale kinda too exaggerated this time?</em></p><p>“You goddamn little thief! I want you dead!”</p><p>The Tree of Life was so infuriated that it was close to bursting from rage.</p><p>“God’s Domain!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s form froze slightly, imprisoned once more.</p><p>“Divine Technique: Deprivation of Life!”</p><p>With a deep roar, thousands upon thousands of golden light rays burst forth from the Tree of Life. They morphed into a thick, sturdy golden light beam that instantly shrouded Meng Lei within.</p><p>Right on the heels of it, a mysterious wave of energy invaded Meng Lei’s body, taking instant effect and fervently stripping him of his lifeforce!</p><p>“A divine technique! This is a divine technique!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos shouted in warning, “Kid, a divine technique uses one’s power of divinity as a driving force. It holds absolute effect over lifeforms without any power of divinity!</p><p>“Quickly! Think of something!</p><p>“No matter what, you must break free of God’s Domain’s shackles! Otherwise, when the divine technique’s might unfolds, you’ll be doomed!”</p><p>“Move! C’mon, move!”</p><p>Meng Lei bellowed deeply, furiously trying to move his body, only to tragically find out that the God’s Domain was exceptionally powerful this time—his body didn’t listen to his command at all!</p><p>“Since that’s the case, then this is my only option now!”</p><p>Veins bulged on Meng Lei’s forehead as he let out a low roar. “Gods-Slaying Rat… Transformation!”</p><p>Pooof!</p><p>Right after he spoke, Meng Lei’s body began to furiously shrink and shrivel like a deflating inflatable doll. In the span of a few short breaths, he had become only 0.5-meters-tall.</p><p>At the same time, innumerable strands of greenish-black fur emerged on the surface of his body. Three black whiskers extended from each side of his cheeks while a long, slender, and exquisite tail grew from his bottom.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Several greenish-black air currents circled around him as a surging, torrential blast of vast, majestic savage aura erupted from him.</p><p>All ten fingers of his turned into razor-sharp claws. His eyes were a shiny jet-black while his two front teeth turned long, slender, and sharp—he had actually transformed into a Gods-Slaying Rat Person!</p><p>Screech!</p><p>Meng Lei broke free of God’s Domain’s shackles with a light shake and immediately vanished within the golden light beam.</p><p><em>What nimble agility!</em></p><p><em>What terrifying defenses!</em></p><p>His body had become immeasurably lighter and more nimble, while his defenses had also been enhanced by several times. Meng Lei took in the new sensations, overwhelmed by his emotions. His self-confidence rose like never before.</p><p>In that instant, he actually feared the Tree of Life no more. All there was left in him was just surging fighting spirit and overflowing murderous intent.</p><p>“Disappear!”</p><p>Upon command, the Hammer of Destruction vanished.</p><p>Meng Lei swayed slightly, and then, as if he had teleported, he appeared bizarrely on the Tree of Life’s trunk.</p><p>With a light swipe of his sharp claws, a crisp scratching sound rang out, and he clawed out a deep fissure on the Tree of Life!</p><p>“What sharp claws!”</p><p>Even Meng Lei himself was astounded. His eyes shone brightly, and he began to brandish his claws again and again. Then, amidst crisp scratching sounds, a deep hole was created.</p><p>Drip…</p><p>Drip…</p><p>Droplets of golden sap seeped out of the deep hole. They emanated a light and refreshing fragrance that invigorated and revitalized all that caught a whiff of it.</p><p>“Ahhh!”</p><p>On the other hand, the Tree of Life cried out in pain instead, as thousands upon thousands of golden vines whipped toward Meng Lei in a frenzy.</p><p>As Meng Lei eyed the innumerable vines lashing through the air toward him, his eyes swiveled sneakily, and he thought to himself, <em>Since my claws are so sharp, why don’t I…</em></p><p>Meng Lei promptly dived into the deep hole that he had just dug with that thought in mind!</p><p>Slash!</p><p>Slash!</p><p>As his claws repeatedly dug into the Tree of Life, the hole also became deeper and deeper.</p><p>Then, he dived right into it!</p><p>“You bastard! What are you doing? Ahhh!”</p><p>The Tree of Life was terribly aghast. Then, it let out a shrill scream, and its enormous body began to shake violently. As if it had taken Ecstasy pills, its trunk swayed while its leaves trembled.</p><p>“I dig! I dig! I dig, dig, dig!</p><p>“Compared to its astonishingly sturdy bark, its insides are surprisingly and relatively much softer! What fragrant sap! I wonder if it’s potable?”</p><p>“You little bastard, I’ve gotta hand it to you!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ voice, which contained boundless excitement, rang out at this point. “Hurry! Find its vitality core!</p><p>“The Tree of Life is also a botanical lifeform, so as long as you can find its vitality core, you’ll be able to kill it!</p><p>“Although there’s only a sliver of a chance, now that things have reached this point, it’s completely worth risking it and giving it a try. If you can kill it, you’ll strike gold!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-191

Chapter 191

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 191</h1><p>Chapter 191: Divine Might Personification, A Deity-Slaying Feat</p><p>“The vitality core! Yes, I must find its vitality core! Only then will I be able to kill it!”</p><p>With that, Meng Lei began to dig swiftly.</p><p>Compared to the tree bark’s tough, solid defenses, the Tree of Life’s insides were relatively much weaker. In fact, there were even a great number of sap-filled vessels.</p><p>Meng Lei had no way of knowing whether the vessels were used for transporting moisture and nutrients or not, but these spacious and convenient vessels that led everywhere certainly provided him great convenience—weaving through them was extremely convenient.</p><p>“What fragrant sap! I wonder if it’s potable?”</p><p>Meng Lei communicated with Ol’ Amos while he weaved through the vessels.</p><p>“This sap is the Tree of Life’s life essence. It contains a rich, surging lifeforce and is an invaluable treasure.” Ol’ Amos said, “But before you kill the Tree of Life, I’d suggest that you not drink it. On the off-chance that it contains the Tree of Life’s divinity, then it would be poison itself!”</p><p><em>I can’t drink it? But I can at least take it away with me, right? I’m a penniless pauper that urgently needs to replenish his wealth now!</em></p><p>Gurgle~</p><p>Meng Lei brought out a spatial ring and turned into a hardworking little bee as he furiously stored the sap into the ring.</p><p>Gurgle~</p><p>He filled a spatial ring to the brim!</p><p>Gurgle~</p><p>The second spatial ring was filled to the brim!</p><p>Gurgle~</p><p>And then, the third, the fourth, and the fifth!</p><p>When he reached the sixth spatial ring, Meng Lei was somewhat astonished. “This spatial ring can store so much! It actually isn’t full yet when I’ve been filling it with the sap for so long? Just how big is the space inside…”</p><p>Meng Lei quickly released some spiritual power to check the capacity, upon which he couldn’t help but gasp.</p><p>“It’s… It’s so huge! It’s pretty much a freaking continent! Ol’ President, have you ever seen a spatial ring that spans dozens of kilometers wide?”</p><p>“Is it that big?” Ol’ Amos was rather astonished. “That’s no longer a spatial ring, but a spatial magic device of half-divine weapon level. I daresay that an existential plane fragment is sealed within that spatial ring for sure. Otherwise, it couldn’t possibly hold such a huge space.”</p><p>“This is President Fred’s ring!”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help being moved when he took a close look at the spatial ring’s design.</p><p>President Fred was actually willing to lend him even a spatial ring of half-divine weapon level!</p><p>What kind of level of trust was that?</p><p>“Looks like your academy president trusts you very much!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos was full of praises. “An existential plane fragment is an extremely precious treasure because it’ll only form when a material plane is destroyed. It’s very hard for a Saint Domain to get their hands on it in most typical situations.</p><p>“An existential plane fragment measuring two to three kilometers-wide is worth hundreds—even up to a thousand—Laws of Nature Origin Crystals!</p><p>“You can do the math yourself on how precious that spatial ring of President Fred’s is.”</p><p>“I understand now.”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded silently.</p><p>“Let’s go. We must hurry and continue on our journey. Follow the life essence. The vitality core is the origin of a botanical lifeform’s life essence. The nearer you are to the vitality core, the life essence usually also becomes richer.”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>…</p><p>“That goddamn human!”</p><p>The Tree of Life was boiling mad. Never did it expect things to develop to such a point.</p><p>It was a great half-deity, yet not only did it fail to kill a Saint Domain, but it had even allowed him to enter its body.</p><p>A disgrace! This was an extraordinary disgrace!</p><p>What infuriated the Tree of Life even further was that it could clearly sense that Meng Lei was currently furiously plundering its life essence.</p><p>That was its life essence! How dare Meng Lei?!</p><p>“I must kill him! I must kill that bastard! Only with his blood can my fury be vented!”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A divinity personification formed in an instant and descended out of nowhere before Meng Lei.</p><p>It was actually a miniature version of the Tree of Life, except with legs, arms, a mouth, a nose, and eyes.</p><p>“Damn you, human!”</p><p>The divinity personification’s glowering eyes glared furiously at Meng Lei. How it wished it could dismember him into a million pieces!</p><p>“What the hell!”</p><p>Meng Lei did an emergency brake at once.</p><p>“That’s the personification of the Tree of Life’s divinity. There’s no need to fear it.” Ol’ Amos said as a reminder, “A divinity personification holds less than even 0.0001% of the original form’s power. Release the Gods-Slaying Spear and kill it!”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>The Gods-Slaying Spear appeared out of thin air. Meng Lei hurled it forward forcefully, upon which the divinity personification snorted icily and easily evaded the attack with a flash.</p><p>“Turn around!”</p><p>With a mental command from Meng Lei, the Gods-Slaying Spear reversed its course at once. The divinity personification was unable to react in time, resulting in the Gods-Slaying Spear piercing right through its head.</p><p>Then, something shocking happened:</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>Dazzling violet lightning erupted from the Gods-Slaying Spear. Then, a terrifying suction force emerged from it and started to absorb the divinity personification with a vengeance.</p><p>Gurgle~</p><p>The divinity personification began to shrivel up visibly. In the span of a few breaths, it was completely absorbed by the spear, turning into a bunch of green light participles and dissipating.</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>Meng Lei looked stupefied.</p><p>“I-it’s absorbing the power of divinity!” Ol’ Amos couldn’t help but gasp. “To think the Gods-Slaying Spear can actually absorb the power of divinity!”</p><p>“Absorbing the power of divinity?”</p><p>Meng Lei stared at the spot where the divinity personification had dissipated. A huge jolt couldn’t help but go through him.</p><p>“No, this is no longer just plain absorption, but plundering!” Ol’ Amos murmured absentmindedly, “To be able to fully absorb the Tree of Life’s divinity personification in just the span of a short two to three breaths, of what level is that divine weapon?”</p><p>Of what level?</p><p>No-one knew!</p><p>After absorbing the divinity personification into itself, the Gods-Slaying Spear circled about as though it hadn’t had enough yet. Only then did it return to Meng Lei with utmost reluctance.</p><p>“What a great treasure! To think it can even do something like that!”</p><p>Meng Lei stroked the spear’s icy-cold shaft as he marveled. He didn’t get overly hung up on the Gods-Slaying Spear’s abilities. As the saying went, “Whether it is a black cat or a white cat doesn’t matter; all cats that can catch mice are good cats!”</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t give two hoots about the reason why the Gods-Slaying Spear was able to absorb the power of divinity. All he knew was that this additional ability of the Gods-Slaying Spear was definitely something positive.</p><p>Or at least, it came right into play at the moment.</p><p>“Let’s see how you’re gonna fight me, Tree of Life!”</p><p>Meng Lei let out an icy laugh, and then he continued on his way.</p><p>…</p><p>“W-what exactly was that just now? My divinity personification has actually been absorbed?”</p><p>The Tree of Life was dumbfounded.</p><p>As a powerful botanical lifeform, it had always been the one plundering, absorbing, exploiting others, and using other lifeforms as food and nutrients all this time.</p><p>As the saying went, “What goes around, comes around.”</p><p>It was now its turn to be absorbed by others. It certainly didn’t feel good. In fact, the feeling could even be said to be frustrating!</p><p>On top of that, the frustration wasn’t even the most important thing here. The key was that the Tree of Life had been presented with information that made it shiver in fear.</p><p>This was because…</p><p>What the Gods-Slaying Spear had absorbed wasn’t blood, tissue fluid, lifeforce, or magic power. Rather, it was… The power of divinity!</p><p>It fed on the power of divinity!</p><p>That was simply too frightening!</p><p>As a half-deity that had only just achieved half-deification through faith, the Tree of Life had only taken a tiny little step forward on the road to deification. It had neither kindled the divine fire nor had it formed a state of divinity yet, much less establish a divine nation.</p><p>To put it nicely, the Tree of Life was no different from a little newbie that had only just embarked on the road to deification.</p><p>To put it bluntly, it was the weakest and wussiest half-deity! How weak was it?</p><p>Without kindling the divine flame, one wouldn’t be able to convert the endless, infinite power of faith into the power of divinity.</p><p>This was too fatal of a flaw!</p><p>What was the power of divinity?</p><p>Power of divinity was electricity, fuel, an energy source, a driving force. It was the rice and pork that one ate every day.</p><p>If a human were iron, then rice would be steel.</p><p>If one skipped a meal, they would be drained of energy.</p><p>This was the case for humans, as well as deities.</p><p>Wouldn’t a half-deity without the power of divinity be the weakest god, then?</p><p>In the songs and tales frequently sung by bards where humans managed to slay gods, the ones that were slew were usually gods like that!</p><p>Of course, as a half-deity, the Tree of Life was nevertheless still able to create the power of divinity. However, without the divine fire as a tool, the creation process’s efficiency was appallingly low. Every drop of power of divinity required an extremely long amount of time.</p><p>Thus, one shouldn’t be fooled by the Tree of Life’s thick and sturdy trunk and incredible height and size. It really didn’t possess that many drops of power of divinity.</p><p>To put it bluntly, not only was it the weakest half-deity, but it was also the poorest half-deity.</p><p>Precisely because it was poor, how the Tree of Life wished it could use every drop of power of divinity as if it had the capacity of three. How would it possibly have extra power of divinity lying around to squander and waste?</p><p>After all, its father was no Li Gang[1] or Little Big Brother Ma[2], much less the Heavenly Emperor or the Creator.</p><p>Therefore, how could the Tree of Life possibly not be filled with fear when faced with a weapon that could consume one’s power of divinity?</p><p>“What kind of weapon is it, exactly? To think it can actually consume the power of divinity? Could it be a divine weapon?</p><p>“And that hammer, too. It’s even sturdier than my body! It has to be at least a half-divine weapon!</p><p>“That bastard! Why does a Saint Domain like him have that many divine weapons? Is there even any justice in this world?!”</p><p>The Tree of Life felt terribly frustrated. How venerable and how powerful was a great half-deity like it?</p><p>Yet, it was still an impoverished pauper even to this day. On the other hand, Meng Lei instead had divine weapon after divine weapon. How infuriating!</p><p>“What is he trying to do? That location…! Could he be…”</p><p>The Tree of Life’s countenance changed greatly. It had suddenly realized what Meng Lei wanted to do.</p><p>“Damn! His goal isn’t the life essence but my vitality core! I have to stop him! I have to!</p><p>“Not only does he hold two divine weapons in his possession, but he’s even ridiculously strong. Once I allow him to go near my vitality core, I’ll be in great danger!</p><p>“Divinity Personification!”</p><p>Upon realizing the severity of the situation, the Tree of Life was no longer miserly with its power of divinity. It created an even stronger divinity personification and charged toward Meng Lei at all costs!</p><p>“Here to deliver food again?”</p><p>At the sight of the divinity personification that’d appeared once more, Meng Lei threw the Gods-Slaying Spear over again without any hesitation.</p><p>The divinity personification had come prepared this time. It easily dodged the Gods-Slaying Spear, and then it unleashed its skill.</p><p>“God’s Domain!”</p><p>A terrifying energy wave descended and froze Meng Lei to the ground.</p><p>“Divine Technique: Deprivation of Life!”</p><p>Meng Lei gave an icy chuckle. Then, a great force erupted from all over him, and he knocked away the shackles of God’s Domain. The Hammer of Destruction appeared in his hand, and he smashed it ruthlessly at the divinity personification!</p><p>“Hmph! This is home ground for me here. How can I possibly let you attack me?”</p><p>The divinity personification snorted and evaded the Hammer of Destruction’s attacks. To its surprise, however, the Gods-Slaying Spear actually ambushed it from the back and, with a splurt, pierced through its head.</p><p>“So what even if it’s your home ground?” Meng Lei sneered, “I can kill you insidiously with a pincer attack all the same!”</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>Lightning dazzled brightly on the Gods-Slaying Spear’s surface. Then, as though drinking sweet dew, it began to absorb the divinity personification once more.</p><p>“You bastard!”</p><p>The divinity personification roared furiously. Nevertheless, amid utmost indignation, it was ultimately still cleanly and totally absorbed by the Gods-Slaying Spear, leaving behind not even a trace of itself.</p><p>“Let’s continue forward!”</p><p>Meng Lei pushed on continuously.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The third divinity personification descended. It was obviously an even more solid manifestation than the previous two. Its aura was also more ferocious, and its divine power even more fearsome. The Tree of Life had clearly invested heavily in it.</p><p>However, this time round, without even needing Meng Lei’s command, the Gods-Slaying Spear that had gotten addicted to the taste shot forward by itself, chasing after the divinity personification and chomping down on it.</p><p>“What the hell!”</p><p>The Tree of Life was so frightened that it darted about everywhere. It didn’t have the leisure to attack Meng Lei anymore.</p><p>“Here’s my chance!”</p><p>It wasn’t attacking Meng Lei, but that didn’t mean that he was going to let it off. Upon finding an opportune moment, Meng Lei smashed the hammer over.</p><p>Bam!</p><p>The divinity personification was utterly stunned by the blow.</p><p>“Ahhh!”</p><p>The Gods-Slaying Spear took advantage of the opportunity and impaled the divinity personification’s buttocks in one strike.</p><p>“Third divinity personification down!”</p><p>Meng Lei chuckled, and then he darted swiftly toward the vitality core.</p><p>“Almost there! The life essence is becoming richer and richer! The vitality core must be nearby! Hurry! C’mon! Find it!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos was incredibly agitated, so much so that even his voice was somewhat shaking.</p><p>Meng Lei broke into another mad dash.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Dazzling light suddenly erupted ahead. The light was so piercing that Meng Lei couldn’t even really open his eyes. He had actually arrived at a massive hollow zone.</p><p>It was hollowed out.</p><p>The area ahead was straight up hollowed out.</p><p>And in the center of the hollowed-out zone, a golden sun-like bead hung suspended.</p><p>Spanning 100-meters-wide, the surface was covered in mysterious magic runes. It gave off a surging, gushing sense of vigor as if one would extend their lifespan by a thousand years just by taking a breath of it.</p><p>Root-like strands extended from the golden bead, connecting to every area of the Tree of Life.</p><p>They led everywhere, crisscrossing and intertwining as though one’s neural networks, yet also like a sheep’s intestinal tracts.</p><p>Dense and packed, innumerable, and infinite!</p><p>“The vitality core! That’s the Tree of Life’s vitality core!</p><p>“The most dangerous and most critical moment has come, Meng Lei. You must be careful of its counterattacks. A moment of carelessness will doom you to hell!</p><p>“Of course, should you succeed, then congratulations, you shall achieve the great feat of slaying a deity—though just a half-deity!”</p><p>[1] Referring to the Li Gang incident. The father of an unapologetic driver in a hit-and-run accident in China in 2010 and the deputy director of the local public security bureau</p><p>[2] Referring to Ma Huateng, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Tencent, Asia’s most valuable company and one of the largest Internet and technology companies</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-192

Chapter 192

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 192</h1><p>Chapter 192: Perishing Together, Goodbye Meng Lei</p><p>“The golden barrier is gone!”</p><p>“Here’s my chance!”</p><p>“Quickly!”</p><p>“Hurry and leave this place!”</p><p>At the moment that Meng Lei found the vitality core, the golden shield enveloping the outside disappeared with a boom.</p><p>Everyone who was trapped within was overjoyed, and they seized the opportunity to flee.</p><p>The Tree of Life didn’t stop them. They fled a long way out in one go before they finally came to a stop.</p><p>“That was close! We’re finally out!”</p><p>“That was really too close!”</p><p>“A moment of carelessness, and we’d all have been finished!”</p><p>“We’re still in a passable condition. It’s Prince Barbarossa and the others who are in for it…”</p><p>Prince Barbarossa and the other 100-odd contestants’ appearances were all shriveled up, and their faces filled with wrinkles, making them look even older than an 800-years-old elderly man!</p><p>The strong ones were still breathing faintly, barely hanging on—all of them were Saint Domains.</p><p>On the other hand, the weaker ones—all ninth-grade—were deader than dead.</p><p>“How are they?”</p><p>The Golden Colossal Dragon Person barked the question with a grave look on his countenance.</p><p>“Captain, out of 108 contestants, only 36 of them are barely managing to hang in there. The rest are all dead!”</p><p>“Bastard!”</p><p>With an awful look on his face, the Golden Colossal Dragon Person swore. “That goddamn evil deity! To think it’s killed so many of the empire’s elites. How utterly hateful!”</p><p>“Hmph! Isn’t all of this Meng Lei’s fault?!”</p><p>One of the contestants snorted icily and said, “If it weren’t for him, why would we be in such a predicament?”</p><p>“Exactly! It’s all Meng Lei’s fault! He has to take responsibility for the 72 contestants’ deaths!”</p><p>“So many contestants have indirectly died by his hand. It’s no different from him killing them himself. He’s no longer qualified to participate in the competition. He should be disqualified!”</p><p>“That’s right! He should be disqualified…”</p><p>The Golden Colossal Dragon Person gave the contestants a long, deep look before he said, “At this point of the competition, all of you are the only ones left now. Whether or not the competition goes on is dependent on His Majesty’s decision.”</p><p>Upon hearing that, the contestants’ countenances changed slightly, becoming dismayed at once.</p><p>…</p><p>“I understand, Ol’ President!”</p><p>Meng Lei took a deep breath and primed his body to its best condition. The Gods-Slaying Spear quietly appeared in his hand. Then, he leaped into the air and hurled it forward forcefully.</p><p>“Go, Gods-Slaying Spear!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Lightning weaved around the spear, and the Gods-Slaying Spear turned into a stream of light that shot toward the 100-meters-wide golden bead.</p><p>“God’s Domain!”</p><p>A roar that contained endless fury rang out. The space was locked down in an instant. The Gods-Slaying Spear’s speed reduced dramatically until it ultimately became imprisoned and stopped where it was.</p><p>“You lowly and cunning human!”</p><p>A gigantic human visage appeared in the sky. Its mouth opened and closed as it emanated endless murderous intent and immense wrath.</p><p>“How dare you seek to slay a great deity! How utterly audacious of you! I’m going to rip you into a million pieces!”</p><p>“Divine Technique: Imprisonment!”</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>Power of divinity even more fearsome than God’s Domain swept toward Meng Lei. Since he had been prepared for it, Meng Lei’s form flashed about again and again, and then, he vanished altogether!</p><p>“Old tree demon, your divine techniques are certainly fearsome. Once it hits me, I’m finished!” Meng Lei’s voice resounded in the surroundings as he went on. “But casting these techniques requires time, and so does hitting me with them. As long as I’m on guard against it, what can you do to me?”</p><p>His voice echoed in the void, but his form was nowhere in sight at all; hence the divine technique naturally also missed its target. The Tree of Life was so furious that it was screaming.</p><p>“You goddamn little thief! Get out here! Get out here!”</p><p>“Get out there? As you wish!”</p><p>Meng Lei abruptly appeared in front of the Gods-Slaying Spear, grabbed it in one smooth motion, and then, he vanished right away. By the time he reappeared, he was already on the other side of the golden bead.</p><p>“Break!”</p><p>With the Gods-Slaying Spear in hand, Meng Lei pumped all the strength in him into it and jabbed it forward ruthlessly.</p><p>Slash!</p><p>The Gods-Slaying Spear ripped through the air, emitting a sharp and shrill screech as it did so, and stabbed the golden bead.</p><p>Clang!</p><p>It was as though the Gods-Slaying Spear were stabbing against a firm, solid metal board, spraying sparks everywhere.</p><p>Apart from that, it actually hadn’t managed to impale the golden bead.</p><p>“What the! It’s that solid?” Meng Lei was shocked.</p><p>“This is normal. Magic cores are where all of a Magical Beast’s essence is stored,” Ol’ Amos explained, “Even low-grade Magical Beasts’ magic cores are incredibly hard, let alone an old half-deity demonic tree like the Tree of Life that has lived for an immeasurably long time.”</p><p>“That’s true!”</p><p>Realization dawned on Meng Lei.</p><p>“Bastard!” The Tree of Life roared, “Divine Technique: Elemental Storm!”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>An endless amount of wood elements sprayed forth and turned into innumerable formidable tornadoes.</p><p>Each tornado’s size might not be that big, but all of them were imbued with the power of divinity. The might they carried was countless times stronger than typical tornadoes’!</p><p>Should any hit him, while Meng Lei had no idea whether or not they could penetrate his defenses, what he did know was that with his current short and small body, he’d definitely be sucked into them.</p><p>When that happened, wouldn’t he become a trapped mouse?</p><p>“How can I let things go according to your plan?”</p><p>Meng Lei began to weave through the innumerable tornadoes. No matter how the storms howled, slashed, or cut, they actually couldn’t even… touch Meng Lei at all.</p><p>The Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline’s powerful superiority in speed was fully displayed at this moment.</p><p><em>Running around isn’t going to kill the old tree demon. I have to think of something! A way that I can kill it!</em></p><p><em>Eh? That’s it! There’s the Hammer of Destruction!</em></p><p>Meng Lei appeared at the golden bead again with the spear in his left hand and the hammer in his right. He pressed the tip of the spear against the golden bead and swung the hammer down on it!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Carrying with it a great, vast force, the Hammer of Destruction struck the Gods-Slaying Spear’s end heavily, causing a great force to course through the spear.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>With a crisp, melodious crack, the Gods-Slaying Spear’s tip actually pierced through the solid and sturdy golden bead’s defenses to make a small opening.</p><p>“Hahaha! It works!”</p><p>Meng Lei was immensely excited. He didn’t hold back at all with the Qilin Arm[1], that he had painstakingly trained for so many years.</p><p>Amid loud collisions, the Gods-Slaying Spear was embedded bit by bit into the golden bead. In the blink of an eye, almost half of the tip had gone in.</p><p>“Ahhh!”</p><p>The Tree of Life let out a shrill cry that sounded just like the wailing of vengeful spirits from hell, making one’s scalp tingle and shivers to go through them.</p><p>“Hurry! Step on it! Kill that bastard!”</p><p>An incredibly stimulated Ol’ Amos cheered Meng Lei on.</p><p>“Break! Break! Break!”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a long howl, displaying even the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique[2] that he’d painstakingly practiced for many years. Right away, deafening clings and clangs rang out, and sparks flew everywhere.</p><p>“C’mon, break!!”</p><p>“Aaahhhh!”</p><p>Each of the Tree of Life’s screams was louder than the previous, endless and eternal like the gushing rivers, yet also like the overflowing Yellow River, beyond control once the floodgates open.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>At last, amid crisp cracks that sounded incomparably wonderful, a thin crack appeared in the blazing sun-like golden bead’s surface.</p><p>The crack became wider and wider, longer and longer. Like a spider web, the cracks spread outward in every direction. In the blink of an eye, they had spread throughout the whole golden bead!</p><p>“Here’s my chance!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s blood boiled with passion as he leaped high into the air and swung the Hammer of Destruction down.</p><p>“I shall decide the universe’s fate with one strike of the hammer!</p><p>“Break!!”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The incomparably heavy Hammer of Destruction contained a fearsome might. Added to this Meng Lei’s incredible strength, everything erupted the instant it came into contact with the golden bead.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>At last! It broke!</p><p>The enormous golden bead broke into half from the middle!</p><p>“Ahhh!”</p><p>A scream that sounded like the wailing and crying of thousands of vengeful spirits rang out, hysterical and insane… It was the Tree of Life!</p><p>“I did it! Ol’ President, I did it!”</p><p>Meng Lei panted heavily with a look of excitement and stimulation on his face.</p><p>“Go! Hurry and go! Leave this place immediately!” Ol’ Amos shouted, “The Tree of Life is doomed! But you have to be careful of its final blow before it dies!”</p><p>“Don’t worry, I know!”</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t dare dally. He took off at once.</p><p>“Leave? Do you really think you can go after you’ve injured me to this extent?”</p><p>A cold, imposing voice that contained great murderous intent and endless hatred rang out. Then, a small golden tree that dazzled a radiant gold abruptly appeared in the empty zone.</p><p>It was a tree but looked more like a human—more so than even its divinity personification.</p><p>“That’s…”</p><p>A huge jolt went through Meng Lei.</p><p>“That’s the Tree of Life’s soul. Or rather… Its divine spirit.” Ol’ Amos’ voice shook as he said, “It has already attained half-deification, so its soul has metamorphosed into a soul of higher class that’s nearly immortal—the divine spirit.”</p><p>“Immortal?” Meng Lei shook violently. “Doesn’t that mean that it can’t die?”</p><p>“Theoretically, yes!” Ol’ Amos nodded.</p><p>“Who cares? Let’s just go!”</p><p>With even a moment’s pause, Meng Lei continued his mad dash.</p><p>“You’ve broken my vitality core and destroyed my divine body, thoroughly cutting off my path to divinity. I’ll fight to the death with you!”</p><p>The crazed golden little tree charged right up to Meng Lei in an instant and blocked his path.</p><p>“What the hell! It’s so quick!”</p><p>A shocked Meng Lei immediately changed his course and ran off again.</p><p>“Die! Die! Die! Die!”</p><p>As the little golden tree screamed, its divine spirit’s surging power morphed into a hammer that swung ruthlessly toward Meng Lei.</p><p>“Look out! That’s an attack on one’s divine spirit!”</p><p>Ol’ Amos hastily shouted a warning.</p><p>But just how fast was a divine spirit attack?</p><p>He’d only just shouted the warning when the divine spirit attack reached Meng Lei, disregarding his body to smash forcefully onto his soul!</p><p>“Ugh!”</p><p>As though he’d been struck by lightning, Meng Lei threw up a mouthful of blood. His mind buzzed as he blanked out completely…</p><p>A single strike alone had gravely wounded him!</p><p>“To think your soul is actually this weak and fragile!” At the sight of that, the Tree of Life became rather hysterical as it wailed, “Oh, the resentment in me! If I had realized this sooner, how would I have landed myself in this state!?</p><p>“Bastard! Die!”</p><p>The Tree of Life went even more berserk and launched an even more raging divine spirit attack.</p><p>“It’s all over!”</p><p>A tragic smile appeared on Meng Lei’s lips. His spiritual power had only just broken through the 1 billion point mark—in other words, it’d barely reached Saint Domain.</p><p>Even if he used all his remaining Wealth to enhance his soul, it was far from enough.</p><p>The Tree of Life’s spirit was a half-deity’s soul. Its very first attack had already wounded him gravely. How was he supposed to withstand the second blow?</p><p>“Am I actually going to die here?”</p><p>Meng Lei was unwilling to accept the fact.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>At this critical moment, a dazzling red light suddenly erupted. Meng Lei looked up in astonishment to see a big, tall, and majestic figure standing in front of him.</p><p>Fiery red scales and fiery red wings!</p><p>Fiery red horns and a fiery red body!</p><p>It was a pure-blooded Fire Dragon!</p><p>“O-Ol’ President?”</p><p>Meng Lei exclaimed in a low voice. He was too familiar with Ol’ Amos’ aura. It was Ol’ Amos’ aura!</p><p>“After being with you for such a long time, it’s time I should leave.”</p><p>The pure-blooded Fire Dragon turned to him and gave him a kindly smile. “You should know that I had remained single for my entire life. In your words, I’m a lifelong bachelor.</p><p>“My biggest regret is that I hadn’t left behind any descendants. Fortunately, I met you. Watching you grow, watching you breakthrough, watching you come all this way…</p><p>“It has let me experience what it’s like to enjoy a life of leisure in old age as one plays with their grandchildren, as well as the joy of guiding the younger generation. This is something that I’ve never experienced before, and also the happiest moments of my life in the last 20,000 years.</p><p>“Alas, all good things must come to an end. The fate between us has reached the end, and this day has finally come!”</p><p>With a hint of gratification and comfort at the corners of his eyes, Ol’ Amos said, “To be honest, brat, I’ve known from the very beginning that you’re not a descendant of the Krocs, so there’s no need for you to be sad after my death. Nor do you need to restore the Krocs’ glory and magnificence. From the start to the end, this clan had never been glorious before!</p><p>“So, go on your journey happily and create your own glory! I will watch over you quietly in the otherworld.</p><p>“Next is the thing that you care about the most—my inheritance. All of my inheritance is in my dragon remains in the Magical Beast Forest. You can look for it after you leave this place. Although it isn’t much, they should still be of some help to you.</p><p>“Lastly, haven’t you been curious all this time about how strong I was during my peak? Here’s a piece of good news—your wish has come true! You shall be the first, as well as the last, to see my strongest power!”</p><p>With a bright smile, the flames around Ol’ Amos suddenly turned into a dazzling golden-yellow!</p><p>A Fire Dragon had turned into a Golden Dragon!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Majestic divine power emanated from him and enveloped the whole place in it, sweeping through the heavens and earth.</p><p>“Divine spirit, ignite!”</p><p>Blazing flames suddenly burst forth from the Golden Dragon. As though flames that had been doused with petrol, his divine power instantly surged!</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>The Tree of Life’s countenance changed dramatically.</p><p>“To be able to kill a half-deity before I die… I have no more regrets!</p><p>“This is farewell, brat! Live on well!”</p><p>With a kindly and benevolent expression on his face, Ol’ Amos took one last look at Meng Lei. Then, he turned into a golden stream of light that shot toward the Tree of Life’s divine spirit, breaking into the most radiant, most dazzling brilliance at the very last moment, much like a comet shooting across the sky.</p><p>“NOOOOO!”</p><p>[1] Refers to Bu Jingyun’s powerful arm in Hong Kong martial arts story, Wind and Cloud</p><p>[2] The Clear Sky Clan’s martial technique in Soul Land, a popular Chinese web novel</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-193

Chapter 193

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 193</h1><p>Chapter 193: Two Half-Deities, Little Sister Has Come</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Accompanied by a dazzling golden light, a violent shockwave swept in all directions and exploded!</p><p>Meng Lei took the brunt of the impact. He was sent flying; his eyes rolled, and he fell unconscious!</p><p>When Meng Lei woke up again, he didn’t know how long it had been. It was all empty and silent around him—even a needle drop would be heard.</p><p>The small golden tree had disappeared!</p><p>Ol’ Amos had disappeared!</p><p>Everything had disappeared!</p><p>Only the vitality core, broken into two pieces, and countless vessels in disarray were left.</p><p>Meng Lei got up quickly, ignoring his dizziness, and yelled frantically.</p><p>“Ol’ President?</p><p>“Ol’ President!</p><p>“Ol’ President, come out!”</p><p>There was no response at all.</p><p>“Ol’ President, come out!</p><p>“Ol’ Amos, get out here quickly!”</p><p>Meng Lei shook the Gods-Slaying Spear hard, wanting to shake the old man out of it. It was from this spear that Ol’ Amos had emerged before.</p><p>Unfortunately, this time, Ol’ Amos didn’t come out anymore.</p><p>He extended his spiritual power inside but could detect nothing. Ol’ Amos had disappeared forever.</p><p>“No! No! No!”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head, unable to accept this reality. In the past, Meng Lei would always feel irritated at the old man’s non-stop chattering in his ears.</p><p>But now that Ol’ Amos had disappeared, and he couldn’t hear his nagging voice anymore, Meng Lei’s heart felt a piercing pain.</p><p>“I’m the President of Fire Dragon Magic Academy.</p><p>“My name is Amos Kroc.</p><p>“You unfilial descendant! Why would I get such an unfilial youngster like you…</p><p>“Brat, how come you’ve broken through again?</p><p>“Meng Lei, live well!”</p><p>Scenes of their past interactions kept replaying—Ol’ Amos’s voice, tone, smile, and appearance filled Meng Lei’s mind. Only now did Meng Lei realize that the elder who often scolded, criticized, and advised him, had long become a person who he couldn’t part with.</p><p>But now, the person Meng Lei was closest to in this world… had left forever!</p><p>“Why? Why did this happen?”</p><p>Meng Lei collapsed onto the ground, his tears gushing out uncontrollably.</p><p>…</p><p>After an unknown amount of time, Meng Lei’s mood recovered just slightly. He looked at the empty area and stood up.</p><p><em>Time to leave this sorrowful place…</em></p><p>He put away the Hammer of Destruction and grabbed his Gods-Slaying Spear. Meng Lei felt extremely sad; how he wished for Ol’ Amos to fly out of the Gods-Slaying Spear once again.</p><p>It was a pity that what would happen every single day before was an impossible dream now.</p><p>“Ol’ President, I’m sorry!”</p><p>Meng Lei decisively put away the Gods-Slaying Spear, not wanting to give it a single more look. Looking at it would only make him sadder due to the memories.</p><p>“Collect!”</p><p>“Collect!”</p><p>“Collect!”</p><p>…</p><p>More than two hours had passed when Meng Lei exited the Tree of Life.</p><p>The Tree of Life still stood high, majestic, green and lush, no different from before. The only difference was that the countless golden fruits in between the leaves had disappeared. Only a handful remained scattered in between, vastly different from the numbers before.</p><p>“Where are the fruits? Never mind! If they are gone, let them be gone!</p><p>If it were before, maybe he would be extremely angry, but now, he had no mood to even be angry.</p><p>“Collect!”</p><p>He collected all of the leftover fruits before looking at the tall and majestic Tree of Life once again.</p><p>Although the Tree of Life’s spirit had already died, Meng Lei was still raging with unappeased hatred at its empty shell.</p><p>“It was you who killed Ol’ Amos!”</p><p>Boom, boom, boom!</p><p>Meng Lei ruthlessly bombarded the tree. The huge tree trunk was still standing tall and straight, without the slightest sign of breaking.</p><p>“You bastard!”</p><p>Meng Lei punched his fist onto the trunk. He felt extremely undignified and really wanted to pull it right out of the earth!</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>A surprised call came from behind. He saw Abbe standing not far away, her face red, breathing heavily.</p><p>“Abbe!”</p><p>Meng Lei struggled to make a slight smile.</p><p>“It’s so good that you are okay. I thought you…”</p><p>Abbe flew over. Although tears were shining in her eyes, her face was full of excitement.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m okay.” Meng Lei smiled sorrowfully, shook his head, and diverted the conversation. “You didn’t leave with them?”</p><p>“I was waiting for you to come out!”</p><p>Abbe stared at Meng Lei. She could sense Meng Lei’s fatigue and sadness. In addition, Meng Lei’s eyes were red.</p><p>“Meng Lei, what’s… wrong?”</p><p>“I just… lost someone close to me.” Meng Lei was in a lot of pain. “Abbe, I want some quietness, some quietness alone.”</p><p>Upon saying that, Meng Lei turned to leave.</p><p>However, at that moment, a wave of terrible pressure appeared.</p><p>Divine power swept in all directions, and the void seemed to solidify!</p><p>“This is…”</p><p>Two streams of light rapidly shot toward their location, and instantly, they got closer. It was actually a man and a woman.</p><p>An old man with black hair and black horns, and a young woman with red dragon horns. These were two half-deities of the Dragon race!</p><p>Meng Lei glanced at the duo and couldn’t be bothered with them. He needed a good rest.</p><p>The black-horned old man suddenly spoke. “You both are also the empire’s contestants?”</p><p>“Yes, elder!”</p><p>Abbe didn’t dare to neglect him and hurried to bow and answer in the affirmative. Meng Lei ignored him and directly flew toward Sacas.</p><p>This action somewhat angered the black-horned old man, and his facial expression suddenly turned dark. “Boy, stop. I’m talking to you!”</p><p>Meng Lei ignored him.</p><p>“Elder, he’s also a contestant. He is in too much grief because of the loss of a family member. Please, forgive him!”</p><p>Abbe hurried to speak to explain for Meng Lei.</p><p>“Hmph!”</p><p>The black-horned old man snorted coldly. Though he was a bit dissatisfied, he didn’t continue questioning. Instead, he looked at the tall and majestic Tree of Life.</p><p>“This is the native half-deity?”</p><p>The black-horned old man and the red-horned young woman’s eyes flickered, and amazement showed in their eyes. Soon, the two frowned, however.</p><p>“The divine spirit is no longer there!”</p><p>“No more power of divinity!”</p><p>“This native half-deity… is dead?”</p><p>The black-horned old man looked at Abbe again. “Little girl, who killed this native half-deity?”</p><p>“It… It died?”</p><p>Abbe was confused.</p><p>“Of course! This native half-deity before us is only an empty shell. Its spirit has long died. Naturally, it’s dead!”</p><p>The black-horned old man said calmly, “Judging from the mess around here, there should have just been a battle here just now. Tell me, who killed it?”</p><p>“It’s… really dead?”</p><p>Abbe’s whole body shook violently. She was at a loss for words. She had been here the whole time, so if someone had killed the Tree of Life, it would most possibly be Meng Lei!</p><p>But how could Meng Lei possibly have killed a half-deity? Meng Lei was just a Saint Domain expert!</p><p>At that thought, Abbe couldn’t help but look toward Meng Lei’s back profile, with shock and disbelief filling her eyes.</p><p><em>Is Meng Lei already so strong to the degree of being able to kill a half-deity?</em></p><p>“Little girl, you can’t possibly insinuate that this boy killed this native half-deity? Nonsense!” The black-horned old man snorted. “How weak is a mere Saint Domain Warrior? How can he be compared to this native half-deity?”</p><p>“Maybe I guessed wrongly,” Abbe muttered to herself.</p><p>The red-horned young woman spoke. “Elder Thaniel, we should investigate first. Maybe we could find some clues!”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>The two approached the Tree of Life and started scrutinizing it. The Tree of Life was so tall, yet it only took the two half-deities one moment to complete the examination.</p><p>The duo was shocked at once. The red-horned young woman even disappeared right where she was.</p><p>“Not only the divine spirit disappeared, but the vitality core is also gone!” The black-horned old man was a bit angry. “The most precious part of a plant half-deity is its vitality core. My goal was exactly the vitality core!</p><p>“But now, the vitality core of the native half-deity actually disappeared! Isn’t our trip wasted then?”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>The black-horned old man suddenly turned back and fixed his gaze on Abbe. His eyes were as sharp as blades as he said in a chilling voice, “Little girl, exactly who killed this native half-deity? If you lie, I will definitely not let you go easily!”</p><p>“Little kid, who killed it?” the red-horned young woman suddenly asked as well. She grabbed Abbe’s shoulder, unable to contain her emotions. “Tell me, who killed this tree?”</p><p>Being stared at like this by two half-deities, especially faced with the red-horned young woman’s emotional and intense gaze, Abbe felt immense pressure.</p><p>“I don’t know!”</p><p>“Hmph!”</p><p>The black-horned old man snorted and immediately turned to look at Meng Lei. He grabbed at the air and pulled Meng Lei, who had already flown off quite a distance, right back.</p><p>“Boy, who killed it?”</p><p>The black-horned old man yelled the question.</p><p>“I killed it. You have a question?”</p><p>Meng Lei looked up, his tone stiff.</p><p>“You killed it? You really do dare to make yourself look good, stop joking!” The black-horned old man snorted coldly. “You are just a weak Saint Domain! Who are you compared to it?”</p><p>“Believe it or don’t!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s tone was aloof.</p><p>“You—”</p><p>The black-horned old man was enraged.</p><p>Then, the red-horned young woman spoke. Her voice was very soft and gentle, with a slight quiver. “Little guy, I checked just now. Two remaining divine spirits were moving in the tree body!</p><p>“It shows that it was another half-deity who killed this tree! Tell me, have you seen that half-deity? Where did he go?”</p><p>The young woman’s eyes shone full of sincerity and attentiveness.</p><p>Meng Lei’s throat moved slightly, and a look of pain showed on his face. “He died!”</p><p>“Died? No! It’s impossible! How could he possibly die? You lied! You lied! How dare you lie to me!”</p><p>The red-horned young woman’s breathing stopped for a moment, and instantly, she turned hysterical. A terrible surge of divine power spread from her body, pressing on Meng Lei so badly that he felt unable to breathe.</p><p>“Tell me, where on earth is he?”</p><p>“He’s dead! He’s dead!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes reddened, and his voice was hoarse. “He sacrificed his own life to kill the Tree of Life in order to save me! He will never appear again…”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The red-horned young woman looked like she was struck by lightning—her figure stumbled, and her face paled suddenly!</p><p>“Amolin, what’s up with you?”</p><p>The red-horned young woman’s abnormal behavior puzzled the black-horned old man. In his impression, Amolin had always been a person who kept all her emotions and feelings inside. She had never been like this before.</p><p>“I’m fine!”</p><p>The red-horned young woman waved her hand slightly, took a deep breath, stared deadly hard at Meng Lei, and said slowly and emphatically, “Tell me, what was his name?”</p><p>“You are called Amolin?” Meng Lei asked in a low voice, “May I know your family name?”</p><p>“Kroc!” The red-horned young woman said with a quivering voice, “I’m called Amolin Kroc!”</p><p>“Indeed!”</p><p>Meng Lei made out a dry laugh. “He was called Amos Kroc!”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The red-horned young woman’s vision blackened, and she almost collapsed on the ground. Her fragile body trembled slightly, and her shoulders quivered as she actually started crying intensely!</p><p>“Big brother!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-194

Chapter 194

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 194</h1><p>Chapter 194: Return to Magical Beast Forest, Farewell to Teddy</p><p>“I clearly remember that it was an ordinary night. My family had just finished dinner, and my sister and I were playing in the yard…”</p><p>“Suddenly, a comet fell from the distant sky, dragging a long, fiery tail, and piercing right across the night sky…”</p><p>“That was only expected. Father’s talent in cultivating Battle Aura was rare in the world. My younger sister inherited his talent in cultivating Battle Aura and also broke into Saint Domain at the age of 70…”</p><p>Younger sister!</p><p>After being around Ol’ Amos for so long, Meng Lei knew that he had a younger sister, but Ol’ Amos had been under the impression that his younger sister and family were long gone from this world.</p><p>After all…</p><p>Although the life expectancy of Saint Domain experts was prolonged, it didn’t mean immortality. 20,000 years was far too long of a time frame.</p><p>If one didn’t become a half-deity, they would eventually die!</p><p>But clearly, Ol’ Amos had guessed wrongly: his younger sister was not only still alive, but also a half-deity!</p><p>“Ol’ President, how good it would be if you were still alive…” Meng Lei closed his eyes. “You must have been really happy to reunite with your younger sister…”</p><p>“Big brother!</p><p>“I’ve been looking for you for the last 24,986 years!</p><p>“An entire 24,986 years!</p><p>“I thought you had died!</p><p>“I had finally let it go!”</p><p>“But you suddenly appeared again!</p><p>“But why did it end like this?</p><p>“Just why did it end like this?”</p><p>Amolin, the red-horned young woman, grieved even more than Meng Lei. Her hands covered her face as she wailed and cried.</p><p>“Amolin, the dead can’t be revived. Don’t take it too hard.”</p><p>Thaniel, the black-horned old man, sighed. As someone from a different time period, he didn’t know much about Amolin’s life before she had become a half-deity. He didn’t expect that Amolin actually had an older brother, and this older brother was also a half-deity.</p><p>It was intriguing that both siblings were half-deities!</p><p>After a really long time, Amolin finally calmed down. She said with reddened eyes, “Just now, you said my big brother died to save you. I want to know everything about him!”</p><p>“Sure!”</p><p>Meng Lei gave the black-horned old man and Abbe a look, and a look of hesitation showed on his face.</p><p>“Follow me!”</p><p>Amolin waved a hand and actually brought Meng Lei to the void, where they fought the Tree of Life earlier.</p><p>Ol’ Amos’ divine spirit waves were still lingering there.</p><p>“Now, you may speak!”</p><p>“I first met Ol’ President at the Magical Beast Ridge. At that time, he was sealed…”</p><p>Despite Amolin’s rich knowledge and life experiences, her brother’s experiences still astonished her.</p><p>Of course, these experiences pained her even more.</p><p>Getting accidentally killed 20,000 years ago!</p><p>Getting sealed for as long as 20,000 years!</p><p>Neither human nor ghost!</p><p>How much torture and suffering would that be?</p><p>“You had better talent and more power than me. You were also infatuated with cultivation, so I believed you could surely achieve the level of half-deity before me!” Amolin’s heart broke. “But never in my wildest imagination would I have expected that you would experience such a thing. Who on earth killed you? Who killed you, big brother…”</p><p>“Sigh…”</p><p>Meng Lei took out the Gods-Slaying Spear. “This is the divine weapon that sealed up Ol’ President. I am passing it to you now.”</p><p>“The weapon that killed my big brother?”</p><p>Amolin grabbed the Gods-Slaying Spear, and hatred showed in her eyes. Her divine spirit swept across the Gods-Slaying Spear, as though looking for information about the Gods-Slaying Spear’s owner.</p><p>Unfortunately, she was disappointed!</p><p>The Gods-Slaying Spear’s former owner had long died, and the information left inside had also disappeared, with only Meng Lei’s spiritual mark left inside.</p><p>Find?</p><p>Who could she possibly find?</p><p>“Never mind, never mind! Keep it properly!”</p><p>Amolin threw the Gods-Slaying Spear back to Meng Lei. “Any more last words from my big brother?”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head.</p><p>Amolin took a breath. “Take me to this Magical Beast Forest. I’ll retrieve my big brother’s dead body to bury him in the dragon graves and allow him to accompany our father and mother!”</p><p>“Alright!”</p><p>Meng Lei didn’t reject her.</p><p>Back outside, Amolin turned around to the tall and straight Tree of Life, and the hatred in her eyes was replaced by killing intent. Her red lips parted slightly, and one word came out—”Break!”</p><p>Buzz…</p><p>A terrible wave descended, and the Tree of Life, which Meng Lei couldn’t bring down with all his efforts earlier, actually turned into fine dust at this moment, dissipating into the air.</p><p>Splash…</p><p>The dust particles suddenly became erratic, and like a tall building that had suddenly fallen, dust flew all around, and a mushroom-shaped cloud rose into the air.</p><p>“Elder Thaniel, we’ll leave first!”</p><p>Amolin grabbed Meng Lei. Her figure flashed, and they disappeared right where they were.</p><p>Two hours later, the two were already at the Magical Beast Forest.</p><p>“So fast!”</p><p>Meng Lei was a bit astounded. From the Lost Continent to the Magical Beast Forest, it had actually taken them only two hours. What kind of speed was this?</p><p>One had to know that flying from the Fire Dragon Kingdom to Imperial City had taken them five days back then, but a half-deity needed less than two hours. The difference was evident.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>One beast’s roar followed by another resounded, and they saw many Magical Beasts filling the forest, killing, wandering, hunting, resting.</p><p>They were lively and prosperous.</p><p>“Magical Beasts really reappeared??”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t believe in his eyes. Back then, when the Bloodthirsty Iron-Crystal Ants’ tide was beyond control, almost all Magical Beasts, except Saint Domain ones, had been completely devoured by the ant tide.</p><p>However, not much time had passed, yet Magical Beasts were actually… in abundance again? Where did they come from?</p><p>“Just this valley!”</p><p>Under Meng Lei’s guidance, they reached the valley, passed through the hot spring, and reached the lava lake buried underneath the hot spring. The lava boiled with bubbles all over the surface.</p><p>Amolin casually waved and grabbed Ol’ Amos’ dragon carcass out of the lava lake. Upon feeling the familiar aura, Amolin couldn’t contain her emotions and burst out crying again!</p><p>For a half-deity to cry several times in a day, one could only imagine how deep her love for Ol’ Amos was…</p><p>“I’m bringing my big brother’s body back. As for this spatial ring, I will leave it to you.”</p><p>“Since my big brother was willing to die for you, his inheritance should rightly be yours!”</p><p>“If you encounter any trouble, you can come to find me on Dragon Island with this piece of dragon scale!</p><p>“Live properly. Don’t let my big brother’s death be in vain!”</p><p>Amolin then left.</p><p>Meng Lei was left standing, stunned, on the water’s surface, holding a spatial ring in his hand!</p><p>Meng Lei had no mood to check inside the ring. Instead, he took out a jug of wine and started drinking.</p><p>“Drawing a knife to break water, the water flows more;</p><p>Raising a glass to drink to eliminate worries, you worry more[1].”</p><p>But undeniably, when one is sad and sorrowful, alcohol was the best relief…</p><p>After an unknown period of time of continuous drinking, Meng Lei fell asleep. But when he woke up again, he woke from the sensation of being licked!</p><p>Something soft was licking his cheek. Meng Lei opened his eyes and saw a tall Magical Beast looking at him with joy!</p><p>It was seven meters tall and fully covered with black dragon scales!</p><p>It had two wings on its back, and its body was fully muscular!</p><p>“Teddy!”</p><p>Meng Lei rubbed his eyes.</p><p>“Master!”</p><p>Teddy flapped its wings and sent out spirit waves of surprise and joy. Meng Lei sensed that its aura was comparable to a Seventh-Grade Magical Beast. Spirit communication was not a problem for it, though it couldn’t speak in human language!</p><p>Meng Lei smiled and said, “Call me Boss!”</p><p>“Okay, Boss!”</p><p>“Boss, how come you are back?</p><p>“Boss, when did you get back?</p><p>“Boss, how come you returned just now?</p><p>“Boss, you won’t be leaving again, right?</p><p>“Boss, Teddy missed you…”</p><p>Teddy was so overjoyed that it kept asking questions like a non-stopping cannon, stunning Meng Lei.</p><p>He looked into Teddy’s eyes, stunned, and noticed shining tears on the rims. Those eyes were full of emotions.</p><p>Meng Lei felt a needle stabbing through his heart. In his own eyes, Teddy was a mere magical pet with low power. However, in Teddy’s eyes, he was its only family.</p><p><em>Family…</em></p><p>A thick sense of guilt rose in Meng Lei’s heart. He couldn’t help but touch Teddy’s nose. “Sorry, Teddy!”</p><p>“Boss, what’s wrong?”</p><p>Teddy blinked, a bit confused.</p><p>“It’s nothing, sand in my eyes!” Meng Lei breathed out and sat up straight. “Teddy, why are you here?”</p><p>“I sensed your aura, so I flew over to take a look!” Teddy answered happily. “I thought my senses were playing tricks. I didn’t expect it would actually be you, Boss.”</p><p>“I see!”</p><p>Meng Lei understood. Teddy had signed an equal contract with him, and they could sense each other’s souls. The closest the distance, the clearer the sensing.</p><p>They weren’t far from Magical Beast Village, so Teddy could naturally sense him.</p><p>“Boss, how come you are back?”</p><p>“I’m back to settle some affairs.”</p><p>“Now that you are back, are you leaving again?”</p><p>“Maybe!”</p><p>“Hum!”</p><p>“You are pretty much a Seventh-Grade Magical Beast. It seems that Captain Hudders and the others have raised you pretty well!”</p><p>“…”</p><p>Meng Lei’s mood improved a lot now that he had a companion to talk to, and the sadness in his heart dissipated quite a lot. “Teddy, go hunt some beasts. I’ll roast meat for you!”</p><p>“Got it!” Teddy replied joyfully and flew away happily. Not long after, it flew back with a five-meter long Mountain Porcupine.</p><p>“Boss, I want to eat roasted meat!”</p><p>“Okay!”</p><p>Waves of wind blades appeared, and they soon cut the Mountain Porcupine into many pieces.</p><p>A flame appeared in thin air, and after a quarter of an hour, an enticing smell attacked their nostrils!</p><p>“Let’s eat!”</p><p>Meng Lei took a roasted porcupine leg and threw all of the remaining roasted meat to Teddy.</p><p>“Boss, I’ll start eating!”</p><p>Teddy cheered joyfully.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>Then, all of a sudden…</p><p>A beast roar resounded. Teddy shriveled, and the dragon scales all over its body immediately stood up—it was on full guard!</p><p>“Don’t stress, it’s just a small beast.”</p><p>Meng Lei gestured for Teddy to calm down and then continued to nibble at the delicious roasted porcupine leg, totally disregarding the intruding Magical Beast.</p><p>“Boss, judging from its aura, it’s at least an Eighth-Grade Magical Beast!” Teddy didn’t lower its guard. “It can’t be treated lightly!”</p><p>“Is that so?” Meng Lei chuckled.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>Foul air pervaded the area before a 30-meter-long alligator-like lizard, with fiery red scales all over its body and a mouth full of canine teeth crawled in.</p><p>“It’s the Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, Groundfire Iguana!” Teddy called in a low voice, “Boss, this guy is too powerful. I can’t deal with it. Hurry and hop on my back. Let’s retreat first!”</p><p>“Retreat? Why are we retreating?”</p><p>Meng Lei mentally shook his head many times. As long as Teddy, a Titanic Dragon-Ape with the purest bloodline reached adulthood naturally, it would become a Ninth-Grade Magical Beast. It would definitely not be weak!</p><p>Unfortunately, a ninth-grade magical pet was still too weak to follow Meng Lei.</p><p><em>Teddy can probably consume the Divine Tree’s fruit, right?</em></p><p>[1] Chinese classical poem quote</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-195

Chapter 195

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 195</h1><p>Chapter 195: A Half-Deity’s Body, Vast Wealth</p><p>As of now, Meng Lei had discovered two effects that the divine tree’s fruits held.</p><p>The first—enhancing one’s power.</p><p>Upon consuming the fruits, Magical Beasts could become Saint Domain Magical Beasts within a short few years. The Uni-Horned Rose Python was an example of this.</p><p>Humans could also consume them, of course.</p><p>Meng Lei had personally witnessed many contestants, who were stuck at the ninth-grade pinnacle-level, break through the gates of Saint Domain to successfully promote to Saint Domain level after they had consumed the divine tree’s fruits.</p><p>Next, the second effect—refining one’s bloodline.</p><p>Abbe was an example of this.</p><p>According to Abbe, she had only been a Golden Colossal Dragon Person prior to eating the fruits and couldn’t transform into a Golden Colossal Dragon at all.</p><p>However, she had managed to do it after consumption because her body’s Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline assimilation rate had gone past 70%.</p><p>It was evident from this that the divine tree’s fruits were indeed capable of refining one’s bloodlines. As for other effects it might hold, he hadn’t discovered any for the time being. However, just these two effects alone were already enough to make the divine tree’s fruits an invaluable treasure.</p><p>But… Meng Lei still didn’t dare to consume them.</p><p>Why?</p><p>“According to Ol’ President, the divine tree’s fruits are the same as one’s life essence, so they may contain the Tree of Life’s divinity.” Meng Lei took a breath as he muttered, “If they really contain its divinity, then they would be highly poisonous!”</p><p>What was divinity?</p><p>It was a kind of mysterious energy that within which laid a deity’s will, personality, beliefs, memories, laws of nature comprehension, principles of conduct, favored factions, and so on.</p><p>Plainly put, divinity was akin to a deity’s soul fragments. A great amount of information was contained within them.</p><p>By absorbing divinity, mortals could raise their abilities, extend their lifespans, and increase their laws of nature comprehension, thereby greatly reducing the amount of time required for them to achieve deification.</p><p>However, there was one deadly risk to absorbing divinity—there was a high chance of the fallen deity coming back to life through the divinity absorbed by mortals and taking over their bodies. After all, a deity’s divine spirit was near-immortal. Just a tiny little divine spirit fragment was enough to give them a chance of revival.</p><p>This was absolutely no joke!</p><p>Pray tell, should the divine tree’s fruits and its life essence really contain the Tree of Life’s divinity, if even something like that wasn’t considered a poison, then what would be?</p><p>Or at least, before he was absolutely sure, Meng Lei dared not eat them at all. Neither did he dare to let his friends or Magical Beast pets eat them. He’d rather they be a little weaker than run a risk like that.</p><p>“Divinity… How do I examine it? I should look that up. I have so many divine tree fruits and life essence with me. I can’t just let them go to waste!”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The Groundfire Iguana strode over at this point. Its enormous form gave off a fearsome aura, causing Teddy to tense up all over as if it were facing a great enemy.</p><p>An anxious Teddy urged Meng Lei, “Hurry and get onto my back, Boss! Let’s retreat!”</p><p>“Withdraw? Why are we withdrawing?” Meng Lei shook his head lightly. “That luscious piece of meat has delivered itself to our doorstep. How can we let down its good intentions?”</p><p>(⊙o⊙)</p><p>Teddy was rather stupefied. Then, it turned flabbergasted.</p><p>The weeds around them began to grow excessively before turning into several strong yet pliable grass whips that shot toward the mighty-looking Groundfire Iguana.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The Groundfire Iguana let out a furious roar. It opened its mouth, and then several bouts of flames sprayed forth from within as it tried to burn the innumerable grass whips.</p><p>Alas, it was to no avail. The grass whips penetrated the flames’ blockade to wind around the Groundfire Iguana, binding it into a dumpling.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>The infuriated Groundfire Iguana roared into the sky and struggled fiercely, but the more it did, the tighter the grass whips contracted around it. The final outcome was evident.</p><p>Bound by the grass whips, the Groundfire Iguana died of asphyxiation.</p><p>“I-it’s dead?”</p><p>Teddy was rather flabbergasted. “Boss, it’s dead?”</p><p>“Of course it’s dead!”</p><p>Meng Lei flicked his fingers several times in succession, turning grass blades and leaves into razor-sharp blades. In just a few minutes, the Groundfire Iguana had been cut into several pieces and placed on the roasting rack.</p><p>“Boss, that’s a Ninth-Grade Groundfire Iguana. Just like that, it has died by your hand?”</p><p>“What’s wrong?”</p><p>“Are you already that impressive now, Boss?”</p><p>“…”</p><p>One must admit that Meng Lei’s casual act of slaying the Groundfire Iguana had thoroughly astounded Teddy.</p><p>Like a curious little baby, the little fellow pestered Meng Lei with questions. Even the roast wasn’t that attractive anymore.</p><p>By the time they were done with the Groundfire Iguana, three hours had already gone by. Seated on Teddy’s back, Meng Lei flew toward the Magical Beast Village.</p><p>He didn’t plan on returning to the Imperial City for the time being. Instead, he intended to stay a couple of days in the village to readjust his frame of mind. As for the suspended exchange competition… He would think about it again in the future.</p><p>…</p><p>“All of you’d better put in some strength! Stop being so limp and floppy like a pansy!</p><p>“Remember this! The chance to cultivate doesn’t come by easily. If you want to get ahead and become someone strong like Meng Lei, then you must train hard! Do you understand?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>“Great!”</p><p>“One, two! One, two!”</p><p>A loud, clear whistle rang out at the square in front of the village entrance. Even from afar, one could see a group of adults and children standing in the square, moving according to Captain Hudders’ commands and training.</p><p>They waved their swords and swung them, again and again!</p><p>“Not bad, even the children are cultivating!”</p><p>A comforting smile couldn’t help but appear on Meng Lei’s countenance. Staying in the mountains would never lead anywhere; only by cultivating could one hope to see the vast skies.</p><p>The villagers were doing pretty good.</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Teddy’s descent from the sky attracted the villagers’ attention, and they turned to look. At once, they were delighted, and looks of joy came over their countenances.</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>“Big Brother Meng Lei!”</p><p>“Big Brother Meng Lei is back!”</p><p>They swarmed toward him at once.</p><p>“I thought that Teddy had gone Magical Beast-hunting when I saw it flying out in a rush. Little did I expect that it was going to you instead!”</p><p>Captain Hudders was elated. He said, “By the way, I heard from Jonah and the others. Weren’t you heading to the Imperial City to take part in the exchange competition? Why—”</p><p>“There was a small accident during the competition. I went to the Magical Beast Forest to see to something, so I decided that I might as well come back to check on the village.” Meng Lei eyed Hudders up and down. Then, he asked with a smile, “Captain, you’ve become a Fourth-Grade Warrior?”</p><p>“Hahaha! All thanks to those high-grade Battle Aura manuals of yours!”</p><p>A rosy Captain Hudders said, “Of course, it’s also to do with the fact that the meals have been great recently. Teddy has been going to the forest every day, and every time he does, he returns with a Magical Beast.</p><p>“Eating mid-grade to high-grade Magical Beast meat every day halves the effort yet doubles the efficiency of cultivation. That’s how I’d managed to advance by two grades in such a short amount of time!”</p><p>“That’s right, that’s right!”</p><p>Meng Lei turned to the villagers to see that all of them had improved by varying degrees. Almost all the Trainee Warriors of the past had improved a lot and become Second- or Third-Grade Warriors.</p><p>As for the ordinary villagers, they had also become much stronger and sturdier than before. They were no longer skinny and sallow with haggard faces; instead, their skin had become supple, and their bodies strong and energetic.</p><p>“That’s great!”</p><p>A smile appeared on Meng Lei’s face.</p><p>“It wasn’t easy for you to come back, Meng Lei. We must show you hearty hospitality today!”</p><p>Hudders instructed the villagers loudly, “Training for today ends here! Inform everyone—we’ll hold a bonfire feast to give Meng Lei a warm welcome home tonight!”</p><p>“Yay! Captain Hudders’ the best!”</p><p>“Big Brother Meng Lei’s the best!”</p><p>The village held a grand bonfire feast that night. The aromatic fragrance of meat permeated the village as the villagers sang and danced and ate and drank happily.</p><p>As he ate the delicious roast and listened to the villagers’ cheerful voices and laughter, Meng Lei’s mood gradually improved, and he enjoyed a rare moment of happiness with the villagers.</p><p>Late at night…</p><p>Despite resting in his run-down house, Meng Lei wasn’t sleepy at all. Even though Ol’ President was no longer around, life still went on. It was time for him to come up with a clear plan for the future.</p><p>“I’m still too weak. If I’d been stronger, Ol’ President wouldn’t have died. At the bottom of it all, it’s still a matter of strength.</p><p>“System, bring up the stats interface!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Host: Meng Lei</p><p>Race: Human (Fire Dragon bloodline &lt;53%&gt;, Fire Demon bloodline &lt;48%&gt;, Golden Colossal Dragon bloodline &lt;51%&gt;, Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline &lt;10%&gt;, Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline &lt;10%&gt;)</p><p>Wealth: 3.2 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals</p><p>Physical Body Constitution: Half-Deity (Elementary-level)</p><p>Spirit: Saint Domain (1,039,876,198/100 billion)</p><p>Magic Power: Saint Domain (1,037,108,765/100 billion)</p><p>Laws of Nature: Fire-Elemental (0.2%), Wind-Elemental (0.1%), Thunder-Elemental (0.1%), Metal-Elemental (0.2%), Light-Elemental (0.1%)</p><p>Others: Some increase</p><p>“‘Physical Body Constitution: Half-Deity’? ‘Elementary-level’? Where are the numerical values? They’re gone?</p><p>“Since the numerical values are gone, does that mean that I can’t directly improve my Physical Body Constitution through credit redemption anymore?</p><p>“Is that so, System?”</p><p>The system gave him a definite answer. It replied, “Without concrete numerical values, the host naturally cannot redeem any credit.”</p><p>“Alright! So be it, then!”</p><p>Meng Lei curled his lip in disdain. “Well, as long as I can still redeem credit for bloodline assimilation rate. That way, I can enhance my body all the same.</p><p>“But as someone that also has the body of a half-deity, why was I unable to kill the Tree of Life?”</p><p>Meng Lei’s eyes were cold and dark.</p><p>What he didn’t know was that even though the Tree of Life was one of the weakest half-deities out there, it had a fairly fearsome half-deity build. Botanical lifeforms had always been known for their tough and durable bodies, as well as their astonishingly high defenses.</p><p>A half-deity of a similar level would usually find it challenging to break through a botanical half-deity’s defenses. In Meng Lei’s case, his body had only just broken through to become a half-deity, so how could he possibly kill the Tree of Life?</p><p>“Never mind, I won’t think about this anymore.”</p><p>Meng Lei’s gaze then landed on the Spirit attribute after it with a shake of his head.</p><p>From a Saint Domain with a Physical Body Constitution value of 34 billion points, he had broken through the 100-billion-point upper limit to become a newbie half-deity with a half-deity build. His improvement was undeniably fast, and the distance he had crossed undeniably great.</p><p>But… The disadvantages were too obvious, and that was… His soul!</p><p>Or rather, his spiritual power.</p><p>It was precisely because his soul was too weak that it had ended up giving the Tree of Life the chance to counterattack and give him one final blow, thereby indirectly causing Ol’ Amos’ death.</p><p>“I have to improve my soul’s durability. I mustn’t have such an obvious weakness. Unfortunately… I don’t have enough money…”</p><p>After a moment’s hesitation, Meng Lei ultimately still brought out the spatial ring that Ol’ Amos had left him. Stored within the ring was Ol’ Amos’ lifetime’s worth of assets.</p><p>“Ol’ President…”</p><p>Meng Lei heaved a sigh. His spiritual power entered the ring, and then, he was stunned at once.</p><p>“I-it’s so huge!!”</p><p>“Huge”? How could the word “huge” even cut it?</p><p>One practically couldn’t see to the end!</p><p>Inside the spatial ring was actually a continent that stretched on for hundreds of kilometers!</p><p>Standing tall and proud in the continent were mountains of gold, heaps of magic cores, Magical Beast carcasses, hills of elemental crystals…</p><p>The mountains of gold were big and lofty, tall and towering!</p><p>The innumerable magic cores came by the billions and more!</p><p>All the carcasses were of Ninth-Grade and Saint Domain Magical Beasts. There wasn’t any weaker than that!</p><p>Multi-colored magic crystals and glittering elemental crystals almost blinded Meng Lei!</p><p>“These are Ol’ President’s lifetime worth of assets? Isn’t this a little too much… and a little too incredible?!”</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t help but gasp, intense feelings of gratitude welling up within him.</p><p>“Thank you, Ol’ President. I will put these things to good use!”</p><p>“System, collect all the gold coins!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>As the mountains of gold vanished one by one, his Wealth value on his stats interface also began to spike.</p><p>4 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals, 5 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals, 6 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals…</p><p>20, 30, 40…</p><p>In the span of a few breaths, his Wealth had surpassed his previous 73 Laws of Nature Origin Crystal milestone and was continuing to rise at a terrifying speed!</p><p>At last, when the number reached 238 Laws of Nature Origin Crystal, it finally came to a stop.</p><p>“It has increased by a whole 235 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals! That’s 2,350 billion gold coins! Just the gold coins alone have amounted to so much, not to mention that there are still so many Magical Beast carcasses, magic cores, magic crystals, and elemental crystals…”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-196

Chapter 196

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 196</h1><p>Chapter 196: Divine Spirit Flame, The Power of Faith</p><p>“238 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals! What vast assets! System, redeem 100 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals’ worth of Spirit points!”</p><p>100 Laws of Nature Origin Crystal = 1,000 billion gold coins = 1,000 billion Attribute Points!</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth instantly shrank. He was credited with 1,000 billion attribute points, which he added to his Spirit attribute.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>An icy, surging aura gushed into Meng Lei’s mind and began to furiously enhance his soul.</p><p>For a while, Meng Lei could feel his soul’s durability rising exceptionally quickly!</p><p>At the same time, in Meng Lei’s vast, boundless sea of consciousness, a silver flame burned quietly, chilly and aloof—it was Meng Lei’s soul flame.</p><p>Suddenly, endless golden rays appeared out of nowhere, gushing in from all around and straight toward the silver flame suspended in the air.</p><p>The golden rays of light were just like petrol, like firewood, and also like natural gas!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The moment they came into contact with the silver flame, the silver flame’s intensity surged dramatically and began to visibly expand.</p><p>Expand, expand, and expand!</p><p>Doubling, tripling, quadrupling!</p><p>Tenfold, twentyfold, fiftyfold!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The silver flame expanded to a hundredfold of its original size and turned into an even brighter and even more radiant flame.</p><p>Additionally, it had also… changed in color!</p><p>It was no longer silver but gold in color now! Yes, gold!</p><p>The chilly, aloof silver soul flame had turned into a brilliant, dazzling golden one.</p><p>Just like the blazing sun spanning across the heavens, the golden soul flame gave off a million golden rays that shone upon the land and ruled the sky.</p><p>His soul was no longer a soul now; instead, it had metamorphosed into… A divine spirit!</p><p>“This feeling… It’s simply too fascinating!”</p><p>Meng Lei laid quietly with his eyes closed as he took in the changes brought about by his soul’s transformation.</p><p>Everything felt so natural and simple, yet also so complex at the same time.</p><p>The wind was no longer wind—yet still wind!</p><p>Trees were no longer trees—yet still trees!</p><p>Even the flowing air was no longer air but still air, too!</p><p>“Is this what the half-deity realm is like? It’s so fascinating!</p><p>“Are these golden chains covering the skies and the lands and forming all that exists in this world the laws of nature?</p><p>“Well, comprehending laws of nature isn’t that hard, is it? It feels as if layers of fog have been lifted, and I can now see clearer and have a more thorough view. Hmm, laws of nature…”</p><p>A mumbling Meng Lei withdrew his spiritual power, and then, he entered his sea of consciousness.</p><p>According to Ol’ Amos, once one attained half-deification, their soul would metamorphose into a divine spirit.</p><p>Divine spirits were near-immortal and near-inextinguishable. Even if a deity’s divine spirit were crushed into bits and pieces, they could still use their divine spirit fragments to come back to life.</p><p>Thus, Meng Lei wanted very much to take a look and see whether his own soul had metamorphosed or not…</p><p>“…My soul flame has actually turned golden! And it’s much stronger than what it was in the past! Is this what a divine spirit is? As expected, it’s something beyond one’s imagination!”</p><p>Meng Lei was awfully excited, but right after, he became terribly dejected.</p><p>“If I had owned a divine spirit earlier, Ol’ President wouldn’t have… Sigh, never mind! I wonder what these white threads are?”</p><p>Dozens, perhaps up to a hundred, milky-white threads had appeared within Meng Lei’s view.</p><p>It was not known where they had come from, yet they were attached to his golden divine spirit like innumerable antennas.</p><p>Rather curious, Meng Lei controlled his divine spiritual power to touch one of the white threads.</p><p>Right away, a voice brimming with gratitude played in his mind.</p><p>“Big Brother Meng Lei, you’re my idol! I want to be someone like you in the future!”</p><p>“Uh… Isn’t that Monica’s voice?”</p><p>Meng Lei was mildly taken aback.</p><p>Monica, whose full name was Monica Draper, was a little girl in the village with a twin elder sister named Hester Draper.</p><p>Apart from Jonah and himself, the two of them were the only ones in the village who were endowed with magic talent. On top of that, their magic talent was even better than Jonah’s, with both of them having high-grade elemental affinities.</p><p>“Why is Monica’s voice suddenly playing in my sea of consciousness?”</p><p>Meng Lei found this rather strange. His gaze continued down the white thread, and the sight of Monica currently lying in bed and looking as if she was in deep slumber entered his sight. However, she was also mumbling softly to herself as if she was dreaming…</p><p>“This is strange! Too strange!”</p><p>Then, Meng Lei picked another white thread.</p><p>“Thank you, Meng Lei! Thank you for everything that you’ve given us!”</p><p>…It was Captain Hudders’ voice!</p><p>“Big Brother Meng Lei…”</p><p>And now, it was Jonah’s!</p><p>“Why am I hearing everyone’s voices? Never mind about Captain Hudders and Monica, but Jonah’s a long distance away in the capital city right now… Could it be…” Meng Lei’s eyes widened as he exclaimed, “…That this is the power of faith?”</p><p>Faith was a very miraculous thing. It could make one strong-willed, as well as make one pure…</p><p>But in Heaven’s Vault Continent, it also had another natural order-defying effect—the investiture of gods!</p><p>As long as one had sufficient believers and the believers’ faith was pious enough, the one they worshiped could soar right into the heavens with the help of the copious amounts of power of faith, thereby becoming a god and attaining immortality.</p><p>“Monica, Captain Hudders, and the others… They believe in me and idolize me?”</p><p>Meng Lei was rendered speechless. He hadn’t done much for the village; all he had done was nothing more than just small favors that didn’t even require him to lift a finger. Never would he have ever imagined that the villagers would actually worship him. He honestly didn’t!</p><p>“Never mind, there’s no harm in it anyway!”</p><p>Meng Lei wasn’t too hung up over it. He continued to check the other white threads—true to his expectations, almost all of them led to the Magical Beast Village villagers.</p><p>“Are there so many people who believe in me? I’ve heard that there are many benefits to having the power of faith.</p><p>“Not only can it strengthen one’s divine spirit and allow one to comprehend laws of nature more easily, but it can also be converted into the power of divinity used to enhance one’s strength. It’s practically like Tiger Balm[1]!</p><p>“But why is it that I don’t feel these effects that the power of faith is supposed to bring about at all? Is it because I have too few worshipers?</p><p>“Forget it. I don’t have the time and leisure to spread my faith around to collect the power of faith. Being able to redeem credit is more than enough!”</p><p>Meng Lei exited his sea of consciousness. Then, his gaze landed on his stats interface again.</p><p>Wealth: 138 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals</p><p>Physical Body Constitution: Half-Deity (Elementary-level)</p><p>Spirit: Half-Deity (Elementary-level)</p><p>Magic Power: Saint Domain (1,037,108,765/100 billion)</p><p>“Both my Physical Body Constitution and my Spirit have gone through a qualitative change, so I’m just left with the Magic Power attribute now. Should I redeem some credit and complete the set…?”</p><p>Meng Lei rubbed his chin, unable to quite make up his mind. What would magic power metamorphose into? The power of divinity?</p><p>If it really turned out to be the power of divinity, then he would thoroughly become a real half-deity!</p><p>He would possess a half-deity’s body, a half-deity’s soul, as well as the power of divinity, instead of what he currently was—a half-baked half-deity with a half-deity’s body and soul but not the corresponding power of divinity.</p><p>But the problem was… Redeeming credit to boost his Magic Power attribute required a whole 100 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals! Once he spent that money, he’d become a pauper on paper again!</p><p>To redeem? Or not to redeem?</p><p>“Never mind, I’ll just do it! System, redeem 100 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals’ worth of Magic Power points!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>His Wealth shrank again!</p><p>Then, Meng Lei felt as if the magic power in his body was bubbling and boiling. They surged neatly and altogether toward his brain, taking only an instant to gush into it.</p><p>For a moment there, Meng Lei felt as though he had been drained, and he felt a great deal frailer.</p><p>However, the feeling of feebleness didn’t last long. Soon, another fiercer and more torrential rush of energy swept into his brain, instantly filling his limbs and every corner of his body!</p><p>The wave of energy was simply too fearsome. Meng Lei could feel endless strength gushing forth from within his body, and he felt as if he could crush a continent with his fist!</p><p>He hurriedly did an internal scan of his body—his magic power had disappeared; instead, what had replaced it was an all-new type of power!</p><p>It flooded through every fiber of his body, glowing a faint gold and emanating a terrifying might.</p><p>Meng Lei couldn’t be any more familiar with that mighty aura.</p><p>“The power of divinity! It really is the power of divinity!”</p><p>Meng Lei hurriedly looked at the stats interface:</p><p>Wealth: 38 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals</p><p>Physical Body Constitution: Half-Deity (Elementary-level)</p><p>Spirit: Half-Deity (Elementary-level)</p><p>Power of Divinity: 0.1 Divinity Crystal</p><p>“True enough, Magic Power has metamorphosed into the Power of Divinity!</p><p>“‘0.1 Divinity Crystal’? System, what’s a Divinity Crystal?”</p><p>The system replied coldly, “A friendly reminder: A Divinity Crystal is the crystallized form of power of divinity. It’s the unit of measurement for the power of divinity and is also the currency in circulation among deities. 100 Power of Divinity droplets usually equates to 1 Divinity Crystal.”</p><p>“In other words, I currently only have 10 Power of Divinity droplets?”</p><p>Meng Lei blinked and commented, “Isn’t that too little? How can this bit of power of divinity possibly suffice? It makes me feel so insecure! I have to redeem credit! Alright, let’s get to 10 Divinity Crystals before we talk!”</p><p>“A friendly reminder: 10,000 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals are required per Divinity Crystal.”</p><p>(⊙_⊙)?</p><p>“10,000 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals? I’m gonna faint! Aren’t you being too much of a crook?”</p><p>Meng Lei was almost jumping up and down in a fury!</p><p>“1 Divinity Crystal = 100 Power of Divinity points; and 1 Divinity Crystal = 10,000 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals.</p><p>“In other words, 1 Power of Divinity point = 100 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals, and 100 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals = 1 Power of Divinity droplet?</p><p>“Oh my goodness! One Power of Divinity droplet alone requires 100 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals! You f*cking system, aren’t you being too unscrupulous!?”</p><p>Meng Lei had almost wet himself!</p><p>With 100 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals, he could use Limitless Pickup 100 times!</p><p>With 100 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals, he could raise his Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate by 10%!</p><p>Yet the same amount was only enough for him to redeem one Power of Divinity droplet? Were they serious?</p><p>The system didn’t respond, leaving behind only a quiet space for Meng Lei.</p><p>“What the heck! It’s too unscrupulous!”</p><p>Meng Lei was fuming mad, yet there was nothing he could do about it. To think he had even been a little gleeful just now.</p><p>After all, he couldn’t directly redeem credit for his Spirit attribute or his Physical Body Constitution attribute anymore, so all that was left was just his Power of Divinity attribute (0.1 Divinity Crystal).</p><p>Despite his Power of Divinity attribute being the only thing left that he could still redeem credit for, this had to happen. He could only redeem 1 Power of Divinity point with 100 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals! Was this daylight robbery or daylight robbery?!</p><p>Did justice still exist? Was there still any law and order?</p><p>“I thought that I had gotten rich overnight and was on my way to my life’s pinnacle, but now… I’m back to being penniless!</p><p>“Boosting the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate requires money, as does boosting the Power of Divinity attribute and my comprehension of laws of nature.</p><p>“Every single thing requires money—and not just a small sum at that. They’re all large amounts of money!”</p><p>All that aside, though, at least he could still redeem credit for those. Meng Lei believed that with his current level of strength if he worked a little harder, he would surely be able to earn enough over time.</p><p>The troublesome part was his divine spirit! He couldn’t redeem any credit for that! How was he supposed to enhance it, then?</p><p>Meng Lei sank into contemplation. Since meditation could raise one’s spiritual power, it could also do the same for the divine spirit. The level of efficiency, though… That probably didn’t need to be expounded upon.</p><p>“There’s one more way I can enhance my divine spirit, and that is—to collect the power of faith!</p><p>“The power of faith is an all-nourishing elixir when it comes to enhancing one’s divine spirit. As long as I can get enough power of faith…</p><p>“But all the faith resources on Heaven’s Vault Continent have been fully split among other parties. Where am I supposed to spread my faith to? What a headache!”</p><p>Just as Meng Lei was lost in his troubled thoughts, his magic communication device suddenly rang. He took it out to see that it was actually President Fred who was calling.</p><p>“Where are you now, Meng Lei?”</p><p>President Fred had an awful look on his face.</p><p>“I’m in the Magical Beast Village.”</p><p>“The Magical Beast Village?”</p><p>President Fred was a little taken aback by his answer, but he regained his senses right away. “Why are you at the Magical Beast Village? Weren’t you in the Lost Continent?”</p><p>“It’s a long story, President.” Meng Lei shook his head lightly. Then, he asked in puzzlement, “Is something up?”</p><p>“Something terrible has happened! Prince Barbarossa is dead! And so is the 13th Princess whom His Majesty loves and dotes on the most!”</p><p>[1] A medicinal balm used to relieve itch and pain from insect bites and mild burns. Said to also help with rheumatism, headaches, blood circulation, etc., it’s commonly used as a metaphor for things or people with multiple uses</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-197

Chapter 197

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 197</h1><p>Chapter 197: Going Onto The Dragon Flesh-Scraping Platform, Falling Out Completely</p><p>“Among the 108 contestants who were captured, 72 died on the spot while the remaining 36 also passed away one by one while on the way back.” In a low, grave tone, President Fred said, “They’re dead! All dead! All 108 contestants are dead! Among which include Prince Barbarossa and the 13th Princess whom His Majesty dotes on the most! They’re actually all dead!”</p><p>Meng Lei fell silent.</p><p>“Meng Lei, answer me honestly.” President Fred asked gravely, “Do their deaths have anything to do with you? Is it really like what the surviving contestants claimed? That you’re the one that caused their deaths?”</p><p>“I caused their deaths?” Meng Lei couldn’t help but laugh. “If I tell you that this matter has nothing to do with me, would you believe me?”</p><p>President Fred stayed quiet for a moment before he replied, “If you dare give me your word, then I’ll believe you.”</p><p>“Alright! Since President trusts me that much, then I’ll tell you.”</p><p>Meng Lei let out a laugh and replied, “The 108 deaths indeed have a little to do with me, but the main cause of their deaths is still their greed!”</p><p>“Their greed?”</p><p>President Fred frowned slightly.</p><p>“This is what happened…”</p><p>Meng Lei hid nothing from him and truthfully recounted everything that had happened.</p><p>President Fred fell into silence at the end of the recount.</p><p>After a long while, he finally said, “Based on what you’ve said, you are indeed not to be blamed for this matter. Had they not coveted the divine tree’s fruits, they wouldn’t have brought down such calamity on themselves… But!”</p><p>President Fred changed the course of the conversation and said, “That’s not what His Majesty and all the officials think. All of them have pushed the blame onto you. They believe that this wouldn’t have happened had you not stolen that native half-deity’s possessions. Thus, all blame lies on you!”</p><p>“So, they intend to make me the scapegoat no matter what I say?” Meng Lei chuckled contemptuously and scoffed. “What a joke, this tragedy was obviously brought about by the emperor’s lapse in judgment and the contestants’ greed, yet they want to make me the scapegoat?”</p><p>“Meng Lei, His Majesty is the emperor. We can make mistakes, but His Majesty must never make any!”</p><p>President Fred chastised him furiously, “Moreover, not only are Sachhen the Golden Dragon-Lion, Miriam the Immortal Fairy, and so on, part of the fatalities, but it includes even Prince Barbarossa and the 13th Princess!</p><p>“One’s the empire’s future emperor, while the other’s the most favored princess—His Majesty cannot afford to make such a mistake! Therefore, the only thing that all the officials and nobles can do is to vent their anger on you!”</p><p>“So, what do they intend to do?” asked Meng Lei with a scornful laugh.</p><p>“His Majesty has already deployed the Royal Holy Knight Order to the Lost Continent to capture you.” President Fred shook his head and added, “If nothing goes wrong, you’ll be held responsible for the whole matter.”</p><p>“I’m to be held responsible for it?”</p><p>A sharp glint flashed across Meng Lei’s eyes as he said, “Just as well! I’ve been in a terrible mood recently and sorely missing a venting outlet!”</p><p>“What do you intend to do, Meng Lei?”</p><p>“Return to the Imperial City!”</p><p>At Dragon God Empire, conference hall…</p><p>Emperor Frederick the 32nd sat high above the others on the throne, his countenance frighteningly dark and sinister.</p><p>Academy presidents and teachers-in-charge from the various major academies, a great number of Saint Domains, and all the court officials stood at both sides of the grand hall.</p><p>In the center of the grand hall quietly laid more than a hundred corpses. All of them had been wrapped in yellow fabric, their faces hidden from view. However, the occasional glimpse of skin exposed outside the fabric showed signs of extreme dryness and shrinkage.</p><p>Evidently, those 100-odd corpses belonged to the 108 contestants who had just lost their lives.</p><p>Not a sound could be heard in the grand hall at the moment. Filled with dead silence, the atmosphere in there was frighteningly repressive.</p><p>Everyone stayed still and silent, none of them daring to open their mouths.</p><p>As time passed, at last, Emperor Frederick the 32nd couldn’t stand it anymore. He asked, “Is there still no news from the Royal Holy Knight Order?”</p><p>“No, there isn’t, Your Majesty.”</p><p>“It’s already been a day and a night since they’ve set off for the Lost Continent, yet there’s still no news from them. Has Meng Lei soared into the heavens or burrowed into the ground or what?”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd was enraged. “Send men there! Dispatch more hands at once! Meng Lei must be brought back! I have to get the truth from him face-to-face!”</p><p>“Yes, Your Majesty!” At once, an official left upon the order.</p><p>“Reporting!”</p><p>A golden-armored guard ran briskly into the hall all of a sudden. He knelt down and said, “Y-Your Majesty!”</p><p>“Are there news from the Holy Knight Order?”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd was elated.</p><p>“No, that’s not it! Meng Lei has come!”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Meng Lei has come?!”</p><p>The hall was in an uproar at once.</p><p>President Fred, who was among the crowd, was even more astonished. “Isn’t Meng Lei at the Magical Beast Village? Why is he here so quickly?”</p><p>“Let him in!” ordered Frederick the 32nd hastily.</p><p>“Yes, Your Majesty!”</p><p>Before long, led by the golden-armored guard, Meng Lei stepped into the grand hall.</p><p>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!</p><p>Everyone’s gazes simultaneously landed on him. Within their eyes was fury, murderous intent, hatred, confusion…</p><p>Frederick the 32nd eyed Meng Lei up and down, an unusual glint flashing across his eyes. Then, he shouted fiercely, “Meng Lei, do you own up to your sins?!”</p><p>“Own up to my sins? How have I sinned?” Meng Lei feigned astonishment. “Why the question, Your Majesty?”</p><p>“How dare you make fallacious arguments even at death’s door!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd was furious. He pointed at the 108 corpses on the floor as he shouted, “Do you know who they are?! Do you know how they died?!”</p><p>“These people…”</p><p>Meng Lei squatted down, casually flipped over a piece of yellow fabric, and took a look. Then, with a shake of his head, he remarked, “So it’s them!”</p><p>“You recognize them now, don’t you? Since you have, then tell me!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd roared furiously, his voice like dull, rolling thunder, “Why did you kill them? 108 people! That’s a whole 108 people!</p><p>“Every one of them was an elite of the empire, the painstaking effort of every major academy for the last dozens of years, and even more so the future pillars and Saint Domains of the empire!</p><p>“Tell me! Why did you kill them?!”</p><p>“I caused their deaths? Aren’t you shouting for others to catch the thief when you’re the thief yourself and deliberately framing me, Your Majesty?”</p><p>Meng Lei burst into loud laughter as though he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. His raucous laughter resounded brazenly in the hall, echoing continuously for a long time!</p><p>“How impudent!”</p><p>“How dare you!”</p><p>“How brazen!”</p><p>Everyone glared furiously at him right away. The way they were glowering at him was as if they wanted to eat him up.</p><p>“This is the empire’s grand conference hall, Meng Lei. With the emperor in front of you, a great many Saint Domains beside you, and all the court officials here, your impudence and arrogance will not be tolerated!”</p><p>Duke Eustace stepped forward and ordered, “You need only to answer His Majesty’s questions honestly. Do not be unruly and ignorant, or act in a bold and presumptuous manner!”</p><p>“Be civil, Meng Lei!”</p><p>President Fred, who was so shocked that his heart was pounding, hastily stepped forward and chastised him softly as well.</p><p>“Fine!”</p><p>Meng Lei nodded slightly. He couldn’t just disregard President Fred, after all.</p><p>He said dispassionately, “I sympathize with how the 108 contestants have died from unnatural causes, but there are only two real culprits behind their deaths. The first one—themselves!”</p><p>“They caused their own deaths? Ridiculous!”</p><p>Everyone couldn’t help but sneer at his words.</p><p>“Had they not coveted the divine tree’s fruits, would they have landed themselves in such a state? Therefore, it’s their greed that led to the current situation!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s voice was calm and aloof. He looked straight at Frederick the 32nd and went on. “The second reason is you yourself, Your Majesty!”</p><p>“Don’t be impudent, Meng Lei!”</p><p>President Fred was so shocked that he couldn’t help but shudder. He hastily lowered his voice and chided him, “Are you out of your mind? How dare you speak to His Majesty like that!”</p><p>“Hear me out, President!”</p><p>Meng Lei gazed at Frederick the 32nd, who was seated high above on the throne and said, “It’s because you sent us there for the competition when you haven’t even gotten a clear idea of the Lost Continent’s background and situation. That’s what ultimately led to this tragedy!</p><p>“Therefore, it’s you that caused their deaths, Your Majesty! It’s your lack of thorough investigation that caused their deaths! It’s your carelessness and lack of vigilance that caused their deaths! What… has it got to do with me?”</p><p>“Y-you… You…”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd’s face had turned a dull purple from his words. He glowered at Meng Lei, his visage pale one moment and green another, his eyes looking as if he wanted to eat Meng Lei up!</p><p>“Meng Lei!”</p><p>Duke Eustace shouted fiercely, “It’s clearly you that had stolen the native half-deity’s belongings and ultimately caused the deaths of 108 contestants. How dare you be so bold and audacious as to push the blame onto His Majesty! This is truly perverse behavior and an attempt to confuse the public!</p><p>“Your Majesty!”</p><p>Eustace looked at Frederick the 32nd and said, “I request that the survivors be summoned into the hall so that they can confront Meng Lei face-to-face!”</p><p>“Summon them!”</p><p>Soon, a group of surviving contestants walked into the hall. The moment they saw Meng Lei, they acted as if they’d just seen the murderer who killed their fathers and collectively lashed out at him.</p><p>“Meng Lei! You bastard! It’s you! It’s you that killed those 108 contestants!”</p><p>“If you hadn’t stolen the Tree of Life’s belongings, would it have killed them so mercilessly? You have to take full responsibility for the deaths of those 108 contestants!”</p><p>“Meng Lei…”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd took a deep breath and asked, “What do you have to say now, Meng Lei?”</p><p>“What do I have to say? There’s nothing much I have to say!”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head and went on. “I’ve already clearly stated whatever that should be said. Whether all of you are willing to listen or not has nothing to do with me.”</p><p>“How impudent! Meng Lei, you have caused the deaths of 108 contestants and caused the exchange competition to be halted midway. On top of that, you even raised your voice in the grand hall and acted brazenly without restraint, disrespecting me and taking the court lightly!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd pointed at Meng Lei and declared, “There is no limit to your perverseness! Your intentions are punishable by death!</p><p>“Men, capture him! He is to be sent to the Dragon Flesh-Scraping Platform three days later and publicly beheaded as a warning to descendants of the royalty!”</p><p>“Yes, Your Majesty!”</p><p>A group of golden-armored guards charged into the hall.</p><p>“Please be lenient, Your Majesty!”</p><p>At the sight of this, President Fred immediately wanted to beg for mercy but was stopped by Frederick the 32nd.</p><p>“Even if he’s royalty, a rebel like Meng Lei is, in truth, no different from devil spies like Adolf! Whoever begs for mercy on his behalf shall be seen as having committed the same crime as him!”</p><p>“Your Majesty…”</p><p>“This is the ring you lent me, President,” said Meng Lei as he stopped President Fred, who was intending to continue begging for mercy.</p><p>After he returned the ring, Meng Lei said with a laugh, “In Heaven’s Vault Continent, it’s the strong that are the most revered. If you aren’t strong enough, no matter how much you say, it is nothing more than just the tragic lamenting of the weak.”</p><p>He turned to Frederick the 32nd and, with a smile, said, “The Dragon Flesh-Scraping Platform is probably somewhere meant exclusively for killing members of the royalty, right? So sorry, but I’m not royalty, so you can come at me right away.</p><p>“If all of you are that capable, I’m very happy to become Timon Barton the 2nd and perish ‘unexpectedly’! If not, and if you can’t kill me, then don’t hold it against me if I annihilate all of you!</p><p>“To sum it up—either you kill me, or I’ll kill you!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-198

Chapter 198 - Stepping On A Black Dragon, A Tempest Colossal Dragon

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 198 - Stepping On A Black Dragon, A Tempest Colossal Dragon</h1><p>“Either you kill me, or I’ll kill you!”</p><p>Boom!</p><p>His words were virtually a Magnitude 10.0 earthquake that shocked and enraged all the high-ranking officials, nobles, and more than 1,000 Saint Domains present.</p><p><em>Madness! He’s gone mad!</em></p><p>Everyone gasped in unison as they stared at Meng Lei as though they were looking at a lunatic.</p><p>He was but a puny little 16-year-old Saint Domain and a child that hadn’t even fully matured!</p><p>And yet he dared to utter such things in front of so many Saint Domains in the most dignified place in the empire!?</p><p>Just how outrageous was he? Just how arrogant was he? And just how foolish was he?</p><p>“How dare a child like you behave so outrageously!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd crushed the throne with a strike of his palm as he roared furiously, “Where are the golden-armored guards?! Why haven’t you arrested him? What are you waiting for?!”</p><p>“Yes, Your Majesty!”</p><p>The dozen or so golden-armored guards responded loudly, and then, they swarmed toward Meng Lei.</p><p>“You’d better behave!”</p><p>“Get on your knees!”</p><p>“Don’t put up a fight!”</p><p>As sentries guarding the conference hall, every one of them was only a step away from becoming a Saint Domain. With so many of them joining hands, even a Saint Domain would have to bow down to them.</p><p>Unfortunately, they were destined for tragedy this time.</p><p>Just as the golden-armored guards charged over fiercely, a strong, surging recoil force suddenly burst forth from Meng Lei.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The wild, violent force erupted all of a sudden, instantly sending all the golden-armored guards flying backward. Blood sprayed from their mouths as they became still and motionless—all of them had actually died from the impact.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“They’re dead?”</p><p>A huge jolt went through everyone in the hall.</p><p>“You… How dare… How dare you?!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd looked infuriated, his visage savage-looking as he roared hysterically, “Take him down! Take him down!!”</p><p>“President Fred, so this is the great student that the Fire Dragon Magic Academy has produced!”</p><p>Someone rushed forward out of nowhere, giving President Fred a cold, icy look before glaring furiously at Meng Lei.</p><p>“You crazy fool who has lost all reason, you’ve got a lot of nerve! Give yourself up at once!”</p><p>“Who are you?” asked Meng Lei as he gazed at the black-haired elderly man with a pair of black horns in front of him.</p><p>“The academy president of Black Dragon Academy of the Black Dragon Kingdom… Angus!”</p><p>Angus ordered calmly, “You audacious and impudent maniac, get on your knees and kowtow to His Majesty and beg for forgiveness at once. Otherwise, don’t hold it against me if I show you no civility!”</p><p>“Show me no civility? How are you planning to do that?” Meng Lei flicked his fingers and stated calmly, “I’d like to have a taste of that very much!”</p><p>“How audacious!!”</p><p>Angus’ eyes widened. Rather than anger, he was pleased instead. He declared, “Since you have a death wish, kid, no-one will say anything even if I slaughter you right here and now!”</p><p>Whoosh!</p><p>Before he’d even finished speaking, Angus had already abruptly charged out, coming right up to Meng Lei in an instant.</p><p>There were no extra flourishes to his actions but just a simple and violent punch.</p><p>This single punch was more than enough.</p><p>“That guy has actually gotten ahead of me!”</p><p>The other Saint Domains who were intending to attack stopped in their tracks one by one, secretly more or less a little displeased.</p><p>Although they were dissatisfied with how Angus had acted one step faster than them, they nevertheless had to acknowledge his strength. As an old-timer Saint Domain, Angus had already made a name for himself since several hundred years ago. He possessed unfathomably great power.</p><p>In particular, he was even a pure-blooded Black Dragon and owned an incredibly strong and sturdy body. There weren’t many present who would dare claim certain victory over him. With him attacking, there wasn’t much left for the others to do anymore.</p><p>The next moment, however, everyone’s eyes widened dramatically as if they had just seen a ghost.</p><p>Meng Lei neither dodged nor evaded Angus’ attack. Instead, he casually stretched his right arm out, and then, with a light grab as though he was just catching a ping pong ball, he caught hold of President Angus’ fist.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>All the momentum, all the power, and all the raging violence—all of it dissipated into the air at this moment as if they had never once existed.</p><p>“H-how can that be?!”</p><p>Angus was shocked and horrified to the extreme.</p><p>“The Black Dragon Academy president is nothing more than just this.”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head, and then, his right leg casually kicked forward. With a dull thud, Angus flew backward with a tragic cry like a launched cannon.</p><p>He crashed headfirst into the dragon wall ¹ above the emperor, blasting a hole in the savage-looking Colossal Dragon wall mural made out of gold and embedding his entire self into it.</p><p>Silence!</p><p>The whole place was filled with dead silence!</p><p>Everyone stared at Angus—who was embedded in the dragon wall—in a daze, the look in their eyes blank, vacant, and stunned.</p><p>A single strike…</p><p>He had sent President Angus flying with just a single strike…?</p><p>Among the crowd, President Fred, the Fighting Dragon Academy president, and the others exchanged looks, every one of them seeing the shock, horror, and disbelief in one another’s eyes.</p><p>“F-Fred!”</p><p>The Fighting Dragon Academy president swallowed hard as he asked, “Since when has Meng Lei possessed such strength?”</p><p>“I… I don’t know, either!”</p><p>Fred murmured to himself, an exciting range of expressions on his visage.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>With a furious roar, Angus extricated himself out of the dragon wall. With blood at the corners of his lips, he glared furiously at Meng Lei as the flames of fury burned in his eyes.</p><p>“I’ve surprisingly underestimated you just now!” Angus wiped the blood off the corners of his lips as he sneered, “But you’ve successfully angered me now, brat! Dare you go outside the hall with me?”</p><p>“Why wouldn’t I?” Meng Lei replied as he cocked his eyebrow. Then, he shot out of the grand hall first.</p><p>With a cold snort, Angus also followed after him and flew out of the hall.</p><p>“Quickly!”</p><p>“Follow after them!”</p><p>“Don’t let him get away!”</p><p>At the sight of this, everyone in the hall quickly followed them out. The moment they exited the hall, they spotted Meng Lei and Angus, who both stood proudly in mid-air and staring at each other from afar.</p><p>“Brat, I’ll admit that you possess strength far beyond the average Saint Domain’s. I’ll also admit that you’re even more of a monster than Timon Barton, who’s ranked top in history.</p><p>“But… You still have to die anyway!”</p><p>Angus let out a furious roar, his voice erupting with a loud boom like rolling thunder—he had transformed.</p><p>Roar!</p><p>An enormous Black Dragon standing at over 60-meters-tall and covered in pitch-black scales all over abruptly appeared! Its sharp claws glittered with an icy-cold gleam, and sharp teeth lined its jaws.</p><p>Pure dragon might erupted and spread to the surroundings like smoke signals of war rushing into the sky. It swept through the entire palace in an instant and spread toward all directions.</p><p>“A Black Dragon!”</p><p>“That’s a pure-blooded Black Dragon!”</p><p>“What has happened over there?”</p><p>Alarmed, all the other people in the palace looked at Angus in the sky.</p><p>“Die!”</p><p>Angus opened his mouth, and an inky, pitch-black dragon breath sprayed forth from within, instantly sweeping toward Meng Lei.</p><p>A Black Dragon’s dragon breath was a very fearsome type of acid that contained astonishing corrosion abilities. It held shocking might, and even a Saint Domain expert would be corroded into mere bones if it got onto them!</p><p>“That’s all you got?”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head lightly. With a slight dodge, he easily evaded the Black Dragon Breath shooting toward him.</p><p>Then, he took step after step toward Angus. His movements appeared slow, but in truth, they were extremely quick. In a split second, he had reached right above Angus!</p><p>“Goodbye, President Angus!”</p><p>Meng Lei stamped his foot down lightly.</p><p>“Oh no!”</p><p>Greatly alarmed, Angus immediately wanted to flap his wings and duck. However, the thought had only just arisen in his mind when Meng Lei’s foot came lightly from afar and stepped on his head.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>A great, vast force erupted. Angus didn’t even have the time to cry out before his dragon head was blasted apart by the kick, much like a great hammer smashing into a watermelon.</p><p>Brain fluid spurted everywhere as blood sprayed all about!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Angus’ enormous body fell through the sky and landed on the even level square, smashing a huge pit into the square.</p><p>The body was still and motionless, evidently thoroughly dead. The head, which had been blasted apart, was an exceptionally painful sight.</p><p>(ΩДΩ)!!!</p><p>(⊙o⊙)…</p><p>o((⊙_⊙))o!</p><p>Everyone was stunned and dazed!</p><p>“Angus has actually been instantly taken out by a single kick?”</p><p>“Just what kind of combat strength is that?”</p><p>“O’ Dragon God above!”</p><p>A brief moment of surprise and stunned stupefaction later, a furor went through the entire square.</p><p>As every single person stared at the ruptured dragon head and at President Angus, who had been taken out in an instant, they couldn’t help but gasp.</p><p>That was President Angus! One must know that he was an old-timer Saint Domain that had already made a name for himself several hundred years ago. Moreover, he was even a pure-blooded Black Dragon of the purest bloodline! He was pretty much already a high-level Saint Domain!</p><p>And yet… His head had been blasted apart with just a kick, and he had been killed in a second!</p><p>Just what kind of combat strength was that?</p><p>Had it been others who had killed him, it wouldn’t have been that surprising, but the key here was that the one that had taken his life was just a 16-year-old little brat!</p><p>A 16-year-old brat!</p><p>Who would believe something like that?</p><p>Who would dare to believe something like that?</p><p>And how were they supposed to believe something like that?</p><p>For a moment there, the emperor, the whole court of officials, nobles, and up to a thousand Saint Domains all stared at that figure standing calmly and quietly in the sky, their eyes filled with disbelief.</p><p>“I’ve heard something before.”</p><p>Meng Lei, who was facing everyone’s gazes that looked as if they were looking at a monster, spoke at this point.</p><p>His voice was calm and even, yet it echoed in the sky above the palace and clearly reached every corner of the palace.</p><p>“I’ve heard that brave dragon slayers don’t exist in the Dragon God Empire because all those that dared harbor designs on pure-blooded Colossal Dragons have all died.</p><p>“Since I’ve killed a Black Dragon today, does that mean that I’ve become the one and only brave dragon slayer in the Dragon God Empire?”</p><p>“A brave dragon slayer?”</p><p>The corners of everyone’s lips spasmed at his words. They were fuming mad. He was simply too arrogant and conceited.</p><p>“That evil creature! That damned evil creature!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd was so infuriated that he was shaking with rage. Even his countenance was all contorted as he commanded, “Kill him! Kill him! I want him dead! I’m going to cut him into a million pieces and torture him to death! I want him to die a terrible death!”</p><p>“This…”</p><p>The many Saint Domains present hesitated. Meng Lei had taken only an instant to kill Angus, thereby exhibiting fearsome strength capable of instantly killing a high-level Saint Domain. Were they to attack, wouldn’t they just be sending themselves to death’s door in vain?</p><p>“President Luke, are you going to just watch as that evil creature behaves so presumptuously?!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd bellowed furiously as he turned to President Luke and the others.</p><p>Among everyone present, President Luke was definitely the strongest of them all. Who was supposed to attack, if not him?</p><p>“I understand, Your Majesty!”</p><p>President Luke nodded slightly. With a flash of his form and an aloof look on his countenance, he came right up to Meng Lei.</p><p>“Meng Lei, not only do you possess the Fire Dragon bloodline, but you’re even a member of royalty. Yet you behave in such a perverse and insane manner, wantonly slaying a pure-blooded Dragon…”</p><p>“Alright, alright. You can skip the unnecessary crap. Even my ears are becoming callused from all superfluous rubbish.”</p><p>Meng Lei waved dismissively and interrupted President Luke, who was filled with righteous indignation. “We’ll let our skills speak for themselves.”</p><p>“How presumptuous!”</p><p>President Luke looked livid. Then, a magic staff abruptly manifested in his hand.</p><p>Buzz!</p><p>Right away, Wind Elements within a few kilometers of where they were swiftly gathered and formed a 10-meters-long cyan wind blade.</p><p>“Go, Dimensional Blade!”</p><p>With an icy snort from President Luke, the cyan wind blade sliced through the air and shot toward Meng Lei at a lightning-quick speed. It moved incredibly swiftly and was hardly visible to the naked eye!</p><p>“As expected of a Saint Domain Great Magician at their pinnacle!”</p><p>At the sight of the Dimensional Blade shooting rapidly toward him, a look of approval appeared on Meng Lei’s face. Then, he stretched out his right arm and grabbed at it in the most casual of motions.</p><p>“What’s he doing???”</p><p>“Is he taking the Dimensional Blade head-on?!”</p><p>“What a lunatic!”</p><p>“He’s a total lunatic!”</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-199

Chapter 199 - A Brave Dragon Slayer, One Hammer Strike Each

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 199 - A Brave Dragon Slayer, One Hammer Strike Each</h1><p>“What a lunatic!”</p><p>“He’s a total lunatic!”</p><p>“Who would dare do that unless they’re a lunatic?”</p><p>Everyone in the square was shocked by Meng Lei’s crazy action.</p><p>Dimensional Blade was hailed as the strongest wind-elemental single-target offensive first-class spell. It was also considered one of the best among the many single-target offensive first-class spells out there in terms of offensive power.</p><p>This was especially true when it was President Luke, a Saint Domain at pinnacle-level, casting it—its might was absolutely incredible!</p><p>Yet Meng Lei actually intended to take it head-on with bare hands!</p><p>What was he, if not a lunatic?</p><p>“You’re going too far!”</p><p>President Luke let out an icy snort, a hint of great displeasure flashing across his features.</p><p>He was the Dragon God Academy president and a pinnacle-level Wind-Elemental Saint Domain Great Magician, yet Meng Lei was looking down on him so much!</p><p>What a great insult to him this was!</p><p>What happened next, however, completely overturned everything that President Luke knew.</p><p>Meng Lei easily caught the highly compressed and incomparably sharp Dimensional Blade capable of cutting apart everything in the world when it reached right in front of him with a casual grabbing motion.</p><p>The Dimensional Blade, which was hailed as the strongest wind-elemental single-target offensive first-class spell, simply couldn’t make even a nick on Meng Lei’s fair, tender, smooth, exquisite, slender, and delicate hand.</p><p>“Break!”</p><p>Meng Lei’s hand closed around it forcefully with a soft shout.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>The incomparably compressed Dimensional Blade instantly broke into pieces and turned into innumerable cyan wind elements, upon which they returned to the universe as if they’d never once appeared.</p><p>“Noooo!”</p><p>“That’s impossible!!”</p><p>“O’ Dragon God above!”</p><p>How can this possibly be true?!</p><p>“Catching and breaking the Dimensional Blade with his bare hand… Is he even human?!”</p><p>President Luke was dumbfounded, and so were the other 1,000-odd Saint Domains and Frederick the 32nd.</p><p>Astounded to the extreme, no-one could believe their eyes!</p><p>“As they say, it doesn’t fulfill propriety if one doesn’t return as good as they receive! Have a taste of my Dimensional Blade, too!”</p><p>Meng Lei formed a sword with his fingers and lightly drew a line across the air.</p><p>Slash!</p><p>The air instantly ripped apart. A black fissure slightly over one-meter-long quietly appeared, and then, as light as a feather, it started to extend toward President Luke!</p><p>“R-ripping apart the air…”</p><p>President Luke looked as though he’d just seen a ghost. He shuddered all over, and even his voice was trembling a little.</p><p>Then, his voice was abruptly cut off—the black fissure had quietly appeared and lightly slashed across his neck. A bloody line formed, and then, his head left his body.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>President Luke’s corpse plummeted onto the square with a crash before turning into its true form—it was actually a Tempest Colossal Dragon with cyan scales all over it and over 70-meters-long!</p><p>The Tempest Colossal Dragon was a wind-elemental Colossal Dragon and one of the ten major Dragon breeds. Their forte was wind-elemental Dragon-Language Magic.</p><p>Meng Lei descended from the sky and landed on top of the Tempest Colossal Dragon carcass. As he gazed at all the Saint Domains that numbered up to a thousand present, he couldn’t help but lick his lips.</p><p>Since hunting Magical Beasts could earn him gold coins… Would killing people also bring him gold coins?</p><p>The answer was… A definite yes!</p><p>To be honest, Meng Lei had actually known from the very beginning that he could also earn gold coins by killing people, but he had refrained from doing so.</p><p>After all, since he could earn gold coins just by hunting Magical Beasts, why should he kill people? He didn’t want to become a cold, ruthless devil that didn’t even so much as bat an eyelid when killing someone, just for the sake of money.</p><p>But today, Meng Lei had decided to go on a killing spree!</p><p>Killing Angus had earned him 7.3 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals, while killing President Luke had earned 9.2 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals.</p><p>With so many Saint Domains present, how many Laws of Nature Origin Crystals would that amount up to?</p><p>Besides, a vast majority of them weren’t even human, but… Magical Beasts!</p><p>Were Dragons human? Of course not!</p><p>“Your Majesty, didn’t you want me to die a terrible death? Why aren’t you attacking yet?”</p><p>Meng Lei held his hands behind him, and leisurely took step after step toward the emperor as though he was taking a stroll in the park.</p><p>“Guards! Guards!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd was so frightened that he shuddered all over and began to shout at the top of his lungs.</p><p>“Protect the emperor!”</p><p>“Protect His Majesty!”</p><p>Everyone quickly stood in front of the emperor, assuming a fighting stance as if they were protecting the emperor. However, their faces were pale, their legs were shaking, and their eyes were brimming with fear.</p><p>Meng Lei had badly frightened all of them.</p><p>“Meng Lei, stop that!” President Fred stepped forward at this point. “It’s not too late yet if you turn back now. If you continue to err so stubbornly, the Dragon God Empire will no longer have a place for you!”</p><p>“Turn back? Can I still turn back?”</p><p>As he looked into Fred’s eyes, which were filled with sadness and heartache, Meng Lei looked up and sighed to the heavens. “President, do you know something? I just lost someone who was dearest to me!”</p><p>President Fred was startled.</p><p>“To save me, he perished together with the Tree of Life. That’s the only reason why these pieces of garbage could leave the Lost Continent alive!”</p><p>Meng Lei cast a glance at the dozens of surviving contestants, frightening them so badly that their insides nearly ruptured from fear.</p><p>“But look at what happened in the end? Not only are these heartless and cold-blooded ingrates not even the least bit thankful, but they even want me to take the blame! Don’t you think they deserve to die?”</p><p>“Perished together with the Tree of Life?”</p><p>At once, something seemed to occur to President Fred, and he exclaimed, “Could it be that the Dragon King supporting you… has died?!”</p><p>“That’s right!</p><p>Meng Lei nodded heavily as harsh, killing intent filled his eyes. “So, don’t stop me! You can’t stop me, anyway! I’m going to kill all these ingrates today and let them follow Ol’ President to the otherworld!”</p><p>“Meng Lei…”</p><p>Fred wanted to persuade him further, but Meng Lei had already vanished from where he was. By the time he reappeared, he was already right in front of the emperor and the many other Saint Domains.</p><p>“Bunch of ingrates, how do you still have the cheek to live with yourselves in this world? Go to hell, all of you!”</p><p>With a flick of his fingers, several ice blades shot forward and instantly engulfed the surviving contestants!</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>Splurt!</p><p>A round of ice blades later, all the surviving contestants had lost their lives. They didn’t even have the time to beg for mercy!</p><p>After that, Meng Lei turned to Frederick the 32nd as if he’d only done something so trivial that it wasn’t even worth mentioning.</p><p>“Your Majesty, I feel pretty wronged that you should claim that I’ve caused the deaths of 108 contestants,” Meng Lei said with a slight smile, “So that you do not wrong me, I shall do a little something!”</p><p>“W-what are you planning to do?”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd roared furiously, “I’m the emperor of the empire! The noble and distinguished Dragon Emperor! If you dare attack me, all the old grandmasters on the Dragon Island will never let you off! There will no longer be a place for you in this whole world!”</p><p>“Is that so? I’d like very much to try that, then!”</p><p>Meng Lei made a grabbing motion in the air, and then, an ice sword glittering with a cold, icy glint appeared in his hand.</p><p>“Guards! Guards!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd retreated several steps, filled with alarm and fear. The group of Saint Domain experts standing in front of him and blocking him from Meng Lei also retreated along with him.</p><p>With every step Meng Lei advanced, they took a step back. With another step forward, they took yet another step back!</p><p>A single person was actually pressuring a thousand Saint Domains into pathetic retreat! It was practically the most comical sight ever!</p><p>“You bold, audacious outlaw! Don’t you hurt His Majesty!”</p><p>At that moment, a few loud and sonorous dragon roars suddenly traveled over from the sky a great distance away. Everyone raised their heads and looked over to see several Colossal Dragons flapping their wings and flying toward them.</p><p>Golden scales, golden claws, golden wings, and golden horns… There were a few Golden Colossal Dragons!</p><p>In terms of body size alone, those few Golden Colossal Dragons were a tad inferior to Barbarossa’s 100-meters-long dragon form, but the surging, torrential dragon might around them was immeasurably stronger than Barbarossa’s!</p><p>Evidently, all of them were Golden Colossal Dragon People with extremely pure bloodlines. Although still not as pure as Barbarossa’s, their actual strength far surpassed his.</p><p>“The elders!”</p><p>“It’s the ten elders!”</p><p>“Your Majesty, the ten elders have come!”</p><p>The many Saint Domains were overjoyed.</p><p>“That’s great! With the ten elders here, I have no need to worry anymore!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd was delighted. Then, a savage look gleamed in his eyes, and he declared, “You evil creature, I want you to die a terrible death today!”</p><p>“Those are the ten elders of the senior statesmen’s assembly!”</p><p>Fred heaved a sigh and tried to kindly persuade Meng Lei again.</p><p>“Meng Lei, don’t make any more mistakes. The ten elders of the senior statesmen’s assembly are all pinnacle-level Saint Domain great experts, among whom the Grand Elder is even a limits-level Saint Domain and an existence that’s a step away from becoming a half-deity. You won’t be their match at all! Listen to me, and stop while it’s still not too late!”</p><p>“A limits-level Saint Domain?” Meng Lei licked his lips and asked, “The kind of limits-level expert that has reached 99.999% comprehension of a type of laws of nature and is just a final step away from attaining 100% comprehension?”</p><p>“Yes!” Fred said in a low voice, “Every limits-level Saint Domain is incomparably exalted. Even the half-deity grandmasters have to show them some courtesy! You—”</p><p>“Awesome! The stronger, the better!”</p><p>Meng Lei licked his lips. The stronger they were, the more valuable they would be. Only then would there be a kick in killing them!</p><p>Crash!</p><p>Crash!</p><p>In the twinkling of an eye, the ten Golden Colossal Dragons had reached right above him. The largest was nearing 100-meters-long, and even the smallest was as long as 90 meters.</p><p>Each of them gave off vast, mighty dragon might that made everyone present feel immense pressure.</p><p>“Where’s the knave, Your Majesty?”</p><p>The longest Golden Colossal Dragon shouted the question furiously, his voice as though a thunderclap.</p><p>“What good timing, elders!” Frederick the 32nd pointed at Meng Lei and shouted furiously, “Kill that wicked fiend at once!”</p><p>“Calm down, Your Majesty. When we capture that wicked fiend, we’ll hand him over to Your Majesty to deal with!”</p><p>The longest Golden Colossal Dragon roared, “Bold and impudent knave, how dare you come and act so wildly in the empire’s palaces! You deserve to die a thousand times for your act of treason!”</p><p>“Haha, I deserve to die a thousand times for my act of treason?”</p><p>Meng Lei laughed into the sky as the Hammer of Destruction appeared in his hand. Then, he appeared out of the blue right in front of one of the Golden Colossal Dragons, raised the hammer, and swung it toward the Golden Colossal Dragon!</p><p>“How audacious!”</p><p>The Golden Colossal Dragon glowered at him and raised its sharp, savage-looking claws and swiped at him.</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The Hammer of Destruction collided with the Golden Colossal Dragon’s claws. The claws straight-up broke and became all mashed up with a hole smashed right into it!</p><p>“Ahhh!”</p><p>Following a shrill scream, large droplets of dragon blood splattered through the air and dyed the ground red.</p><p>“Take another strike of my hammer!”</p><p>Meng Lei quietly appeared above the Golden Colossal Dragon’s head with a slight sway of his body and gave it another heavy hammer strike.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>It was as though a great hammer had smashed into a watermelon! Or a sledgehammer knocking an egg!</p><p>With a crisp crash, the Golden Colossal Dragon’s head unsurprisingly broke apart!</p><p>Howl!</p><p>Amid a shrill and miserable dragon roar, the dragon’s nearly 100-meters-long body plummeted through the sky and smashed a huge dragon-shaped hole into the square. Just like that, a pinnacle-level Saint Domain had perished!</p><p>“Old Ninth!”</p><p>“Ninth Elder!”</p><p>At the sight of that, the nine remaining Golden Colossal Dragons roared furiously. Their voices were like rolling thunder, their wrath like violent winds and torrential waves, and their killing intent like the howls of the mountains and the roars of the seas!</p><p>“You bastard!”</p><p>“You evil creature!”</p><p>“You knave!”</p><p>“Return the Ninth Elder’s life!”</p><p>“Don’t be anxious. Everyone gets their own share!”</p><p>With a laugh, Meng Lei appeared right in front of the second Golden Colossal Dragon like a specter and smashed his hammer down again.</p><p>Howl!</p><p>Then, it was the third Golden Colossal Dragon, the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth…</p><p>All of them received one strike each, fair and square!</p><p>Everyone got a share each, not a single one receiving more or less than that!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>For a moment there, it began to rain pork dumplings, no, dragon dumplings!</p><p>Nine out of the ten mighty, awe-inspiring Golden Colossal Dragons roaring furiously into the sky just now had fallen onto the ground.</p><p>Then, they became still and motionless and turned into dead dragons.</p><p>“How did that happen!?”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd had totally broken down.</p>

https://newnovel.org/novel/picking-up-attributes-from-today/chapter-200

Chapter 200 - Slaughtering Them All, Top In History

Volume 2

<h1>Chapter 200 - Slaughtering Them All, Top In History</h1><p>The pinnacle of Saint Domain realm represented the apex. It was easy to advance to the Saint Domain realm, but to attain the Saint Domain realm’s pinnacle was an impossibly difficult task.</p><p>There were thousands of ordinary Saint Domains in the whole of the Dragon God Empire, so many that one could barely keep count, but there were only a handful of pinnacle-level ones. On top of that, that number was an accumulated result of many years.</p><p>Yet now, nine of them had died in such a short time!</p><p>Who would be able to accept that?</p><p>Nobody at all!</p><p>“How did that happen?”</p><p>Emperor Frederick the 32nd had broken down completely. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why Meng Lei, who was just 16 years old, was that strong.</p><p>He killed pinnacle-level Saint Domains as if he were just slaughtering livestock.</p><p>Just how did he manage to do that?</p><p>“You’re the only one left now!”</p><p>With the Hammer of Destruction hoisted over his shoulder, Meng Lei looked at the longest Golden Colossal Dragon and asked, “What’s your preferred manner of death?”</p><p>“You… You’ve actually killed nine of the elders!”</p><p>The Grand Elder was shaking as flames of wrath and hatred burst forth from his eyes. Amid his fury was, however, a hint of alarm and fear.</p><p>Although the other nine elders weren’t as strong as him, they were nevertheless still pinnacle-level Saint Domains.</p><p>Instantly killing pinnacle-level Saint Domains? He absolutely wouldn’t be able to do that at all!</p><p>And yet… Meng Lei had managed to!</p><p>What did this show?</p><p>It showed that Meng Lei was even more powerful than him and even stronger than a limits-level Saint Domain—a half-deity!</p><p>Only a half-deity would be stronger than a limits-level Saint Domain.</p><p>The moment that occurred to him, the Grand Elder couldn’t help but bellow in a deep voice, “Sir, by acting in such a way that shows no regard for authority, don’t you fear the Dragon Island’s half-deity’s punishment!?”</p><p>“That’s my business. I don’t need your unnecessary concern about that.” Then, Meng Lei suddenly laughed and added, “But if you want to worry about something like that, I can give you the opportunity.”</p><p>“What are you intending to do?” the Grand Elder bellowed in a deep voice.</p><p>“I’ve always had a dream, and that is to roam the heavens while riding a Colossal Dragon. In the past, I was too weak and could only dream about it, but that’s no longer the case now.”</p><p>Meng Lei gave him a leisurely smile and said, “Although you aren’t a pure-blooded Golden Colossal Dragon, you’re not that far off, either. As long as you form a master-servant contract with me and become my mount, I can spare your life!”</p><p>“Form a master-servant contract with you? And become your mount?”</p><p>The Grand Elder was so furious that he was shaking all over. “Sir, what you’re doing is trampling on a Colossal Dragon’s pride! The prideful Dragons will never let you off!”</p><p>“So, you’re not agreeable to it? Die, then!”</p><p>With an icy snort, Meng Lei came right up to the Grand Elder with just a step and swung the Hammer of Destruction down!</p><p>“No!”</p><p>The Grand Elder’s eyes were widened to the point of splitting, yet he nevertheless couldn’t dodge the Hammer of Destruction smashing down heavily toward him.</p><p>Crack!</p><p>Under the hammer, the limits-level Saint Domain great expert was no different from the previous nine pinnacle-level Golden Colossal Dragons—with just a strike, the hammer blasted his head apart, too!</p><p>Boom!</p><p>The enormous Dragon carcass plummeted onto the ground, causing an intense tremor to go through the ground before everything returned to peace and quiet.</p><p>In spite of that, no-one was feeling any peace and quiet in their hearts. In fact… All of them had already lost it!</p><p>“Dead? He’s died just like that?”</p><p>“Even the limits-level Saint Domain Grand Elder is dead?”</p><p>“Nine pinnacle-level Saint Domains and one limits-level Saint Domain have died just like that?”</p><p>“A devil! He’s the devil himself!”</p><p>“O great Dragon God, hurry and save your pious descendants…”</p><p>“And now, it’s all of your turns!”</p><p>With the Hammer of Destruction hoisted over his shoulder, Meng Lei gazed at Frederick the 32nd and the many other Saint Domains, nobles, and officials.</p><p>“Guards! Guards!”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd was as pale as a sheet, so frightened that he was shivering all over. Which part of him even looked like a sovereign now?</p><p>“Now… No-one can save all of you anymore!”</p><p>Meng Lei had a calm and tranquil look on his visage as he asked, “The higher management officials of Dragon God Empire are all here now, right?”</p><p>Frederick the 32nd’s voice trembled as he asked, “M-Meng Lei, what exactly are you planning? Be clear about it!”</p><p>Meng Lei gave him a calm smile as he replied, “Wiping all of you out at once!”</p><p>“Wiping all of us out at once?”</p><p>Everyone’s countenances changed greatly!</p><p>“Divine Technique: Absolute Zero!”</p><p>With a flick of his fingers, a golden, chilly air current burst forth and spread forward.</p><p>“Run!”</p><p>Everyone’s insides were close to rupturing from fear as they fled madly. However, the golden, chilly air current was even quicker—in the blink of an eye, it had spread outward and enveloped the entire square!</p><p>Creeeak!</p><p>Creeeak!</p><p>Creeeak!</p><p>All that it stood in the chilly air current’s path became sealed in ice.</p><p>From Frederick the 32nd to every high-ranking official, all of them were frozen to the spot. Then, they turned into golden ice sculptures.</p><p>Everyone maintained a pose in the midst of escape while looks of alarm and fear also remained on their faces.</p><p>In this instant, everything had become frozen in time!</p><p>“Flee? How laughable!”</p><p>Meng Lei walked into the crowd of ice sculptures. A sculpture fell onto the ground with a light tap, and then, with a loud crack, it shattered into ice chips!</p><p>“Meng Lei! Stop that! Hurry and stop that! They are all higher management officials of the empire! You can’t kill them all!”</p><p>President Fred, the Fighting Dragon Academy president, and the other four who hadn’t been sealed in ice, stared hard at Meng Lei.</p><p>“I know what I’m doing, Presidents.”</p><p>Meng Lei shook his head lightly and pushed the second ice sculpture down. Then, he went on to the third, fourth, fifth, sixth…</p><p>By the time Meng Lei had walked from one end of the square to the other end, 99% of the ice sculptures had broken into bits and pieces. Only about a dozen vivid-looking ice sculptures were left standing—and all of them were pure-blooded humans!</p><p>Meng Lei released them from Absolute Zero’s hold. The dozen or so humans that had been unfrozen watched Meng Lei with fear and trepidation on their countenances. In particular, upon noticing the broken fragments littered all over the ground, they became even more frightened, so much so that their insides were close to rupturing from fear, and they were scared witless!</p><p><em>Dead?</em></p><p><em>They’re all dead?</em></p><p><em>Oh my god!!!</em></p><p>Meng Lei’s gaze swept across them. Then, he turned and walked toward President Fred and the other five academy presidents.</p><p>“Look at what you’ve done, Meng Lei! You’re in deep trouble! You’ve totally stirred up a hornet’s nest! The empire will never let you off, and neither will the Dragon Island, not to mention the Dragon God!”</p><p>Fred and the others were terribly distressed.</p><p>“Then let them come!”</p><p>Meng Lei flicked his fingers as he said, “I’ll kill one if one comes, and if ten come, I’ll kill a dozen! If all of them come, then I’ll just kill them all!”</p><p>“Meng Lei!!!”</p><p>Fred bellowed deeply, “Why have you become like this? How can you let down the spirit of the deceased President Amos?”</p><p>“No, you’re wrong!”</p><p>Meng Lei gazed at President Fred as he replied, “If Ol’ President knew about everything I’ve done, he’d only be happy for me! I know him better than you do!</p><p>“He doesn’t belong to the Dragons! Much less sworn allegiance to that bunch of rotten, depraved nobles and that so-called Golden Colossal Dragon emperor!</p><p>“Therefore, Ol’ President wouldn’t be angry over those guys’ deaths at all! On the contrary, he’d support me instead!”</p><p>At this point, Meng Lei sighed and added, “He knows what I want, and he knows the reason why I’ve done all that. He knows why I have to do so!”</p><p>“What are you planning on doing, Meng Lei?”</p><p>Fred shouted hoarsely, “You’ve killed His Majesty, you’ve killed all the high-ranking court officials, you’ve killed all the officials and nobles, and you’ve killed a good half of the Saint Domains in the empire! Tell me, what exactly are you planning to do?!”</p><p>Meng Lei gazed into the distance, and then, he slowly replied, “President, I’ve become a half-deity!”</p><p>Then, he left without a second word.</p><p>“A half-deity?!”</p><p>Fred and the others were astounded!</p><p>Despite having witnessed Meng Lei go on a killing spree and instantly kill a limits-level Saint Domain, thereby realizing that he might already have entered that unfathomable realm, having Meng Lei personally admit to it to them nonetheless still astounded Fred and the others to the extreme.</p><p>“A half-deity!”</p><p>“Meng Lei has attained half-deification?”</p><p>“Oh my goodness! He has actually attained half-deification!”</p><p>“This…”</p><p>It was only after a substantially long while that the six of them finally got over their astoundment and regained their senses.</p><p>In a low voice, one of the academy presidents said, “While attaining half-deification is certainly astounding, can he act so recklessly and brazenly just because he has attained half-deification? What kind of position would he be putting the Dragon Island’s grandmasters in?”</p><p>“Exactly! Does Meng Lei think that he doesn’t need to fear the few grandmasters just because he has become a half-deity?”</p><p>“That’s too egotistical of him!”</p><p>“I don’t know whether he’s being egotistical or full of himself or not, but Meng Lei definitely isn’t just purely killing people for the sake of it!”</p><p>Fred’s voice trembled as he said, “This is him fighting for power of faith! He intends to fight for the power of faith!”</p><p>“Fight for the power of faith?!”</p><p>A huge jolt went through everyone!</p><p>…</p><p>Killing the emperor! Slaughtering the empire’s higher management!</p><p>With that, one could say that he had thoroughly offended the Dragons, the Dragon Island’s half-deities, and in fact, even the Dragon God!</p><p>This appeared to be an extremely rash, foolish, and irrational act, but in truth? Of course it wasn’t!</p><p>Because in just that brief amount of time, Meng Lei had already received rich, handsome rewards!</p><p>Wealth: 2,583 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals</p><p>After killing over a thousand Saint Domains, he had earned a net profit of 2,583 Laws of Nature Origin Crystals!</p><p>Was this transaction worth it?</p><p>There was no doubt about the answer—because this many Laws of Nature Origin Crystals was enough for him to do a lot of things.</p><p>Such as raising the Gods-Slaying Rat bloodline assimilation rate to 100%;</p><p>Such as raising the Golden Gods-Slaying Ant bloodline assimilation rate to 100%;</p><p>Such as redeeming 25 Power of Divinity droplets;</p><p>And such as using the Limitless Pickup function 2,583 times!</p><p>Pray tell, compared to such rich, handsome profits, what did offending the Dragons even count as? What did offending the Dragon Island’s half-deities even count as?</p><p>Should they dare to attack him, he’d kill them all and turn them all into Laws of Nature Origin Crystals!</p><p>As for offending the Dragon God?</p><p>Meng Lei remembered that Ol’ President had once said this—deities that had already left Heaven’s Vault Continent couldn’t descend upon the continent in their true form.</p><p>At best, they could only send a divinity projection—and divinity projections could only utilize a half-deity’s level of strength.</p><p>Meng Lei had no fear of half-deities; after all, an adult Gods-Slaying Rat at 100% bloodline assimilation rate… could eat a deity!</p><p>Therefore, while it might appear rash, foolish, and irrational, it actually wasn’t at all!</p><p>With this many Laws of Nature Origin Crystals, nothing in the entire Heaven’s Vault Continent fazed or frightened Meng Lei anymore!</p><p>Since that was so, then why not fight for the power of faith?</p><p>It was exactly like what Meng Lei had told President Fred—”I’ve become a half-deity!”</p><p>The underlying meaning behind those words was… “I’ve become a half-deity, so I need worshipers!”</p><p>And where were his worshipers going to come from?</p><p>The Dragon God Empire, of course!</p><p>For the sake of obtaining the huge piece of the power of faith “cake” known as the Dragon God Empire, he needed to get rid of the old religion.</p><p>Was there a need to leave the emperor and the empire’s higher management alive?</p><p>The answer was clear and definite—of course not!</p><p>“Now that even the emperor is dead, surely the Dragon Island’s half-deities will be infuriated? It’s best if all of them come over! If I can kill them all, I’ll be able to bring the empire under control with peace of mind.”</p><p>Meng Lei made his way over to the Dragon God Tower while he thought about all that. He wanted to continue earning money in the Dragon God Tower.</p><p>The Dragon God Academy was as quiet, peaceful, and harmonious as always. Students were doing whatever they should be doing, completely unaware that the empire’s higher management had all been slaughtered. Neither did they know that an unprecedented storm was about to sweep through the entire empire!</p><p>“Enjoy the last moments of peace quietly, children!”</p><p>Upon reaching the Dragon God Tower, Meng Lei strode forward and entered. In no time, he arrived at the 41st level.</p><p>The Saint Domain Magical Beast on the 41st level was the Heavenly Blade Bug and was roughly a mid-level Saint Domain. Meng Lei casually killed it, and then, he continued to head up.</p><p>The 42nd level, 43rd level, 44th level…</p><p>The 52nd level, 53rd level, 54th level…</p><p>The 62nd level, 63rd level, 64th level…</p><p>A half-deity’s strength was not to be resisted. Meng Lei advanced with a crushing force. It didn’t take long before he surpassed the top-ranking Timon Barton and arrived at the 79th floor.</p><p>At the same time, his ranking on the Dragon God Genius Ranking also rose to first place, triggering a huge commotion!</p>