Shing!
The pitch-black lance sliced through the low air. Flowing lava was pushed aside by the wind pressure. Amidst a piercing shriek, the pitch-black hexagonal shield shattered on contact, and "Big Universe," hiding behind it, was pierced through by the sharp edge.
Pop!
Big Universe dissolved into particles of light and vanished.
Directly opposite it, another Ranger-class, identical in form and color scheme, slowly reined in the surging Honkai energy around it.
Snap.
As the Honkai energy halo slowly materialized above its head, within the vast space, the last remaining intact Honkai energy crystal silently shattered, transforming into a dozen long threads of energy that flowed into its body.
Kchack—
Amidst changing lights and the sound of mechanical assembly, Lu Xing transformed back into his Temple-class form.
That's right. Both Honkai Beasts just now were Lu Xing.
First, he used the [Fission] skill to create a Ranger-class avatar possessing half his own attributes—after advancing to Temple-class, Lu Xing could now perfectly utilize this move—and then had his main body fight against it.
Regardless of attributes or skills, Lu Xing could train using this method. It roughly went like this: to train speed, he would transform into a Ranger-class; to train attack, he would become a Knight-class; and to train defense by specifically taking hits, he would remain in his Temple-class form.
There was no entertainment here. Honkai energy was abundant, and Honkai Beasts didn't need rest... The training continued uninterrupted for several months, until Lu Xing had exhausted the very last crystal in the Great Rift Space.
This training method, which could be described as an exploit, allowed Lu Xing to gain a massive amount of experience.
Although due to the inherent racial cap of the Temple-class, Lu Xing's level was still stuck at Lv.55, the attribute values derived from the accumulated experience had seen explosive growth.
Not only that. After Lu Xing consumed such a vast amount of Honkai energy, the number of times he had used each of his mastered skills could almost be counted in the tens of thousands.
Furthermore, because he had too many skills (including basic skills converted from excess experience), Lu Xing had to utilize the ability granted by the [Kingslayer] achievement to fuse some lower-tier skills he no longer needed, and then engage in targeted training.
Now, Lu Xing's stats had become...
Like this:
————
Race: Emperor · Variant · Imaginary Guard · Temple Legion Commander
Level: 55
Abilities: Spiritual Perception, Frostflame Charge, Frostflame Thrust, Dawnbreaker, Hold Shield, Fission, Blazing Star, Echo, Teleport, Space-Time Rend, Atomic Breath, Molecular Manipulation.
Equipment: Midnight's Black Light
Attack: 220 (Max)
Speed: 220 (Max)
Constitution: 220 (Max)
Evaluation: Trailblazer
————
That's right. Relying on the abundant energy in the Great Rift, Lu Xing acted as a true hardcore grinder and maxed out his Temple-class attributes!
Before this, Lu Xing hadn't even known that attribute values had a cap.
And by the time he achieved this, nearly one-third of the Honkai energy crystals in the Great Rift still remained.
Previously, he had trained skills and attributes simultaneously. After maxing out his attributes, all Lu Xing could do was have his main body and avatar exchange skills with each other—which was the scene at the beginning.
As for the new things in the skill list:
[Dawnbreaker] was a new skill Lu Xing obtained by fusing and further evolving the two moves [Strike] and [Power Strike]. When used with the knight lance, depending on whether it was released as a "cleave" or a "thrust," it would convert Honkai energy into a giant sword aura or a light cannon. When used with the greatshield, it would unleash a powerful "shield bash"; besides damage, this strike had a 100% chance to stun the target, with the only difference being the duration of the effect.
[Blazing Star] was the fire-attribute advanced skill of [Honkai Lance Projection]. It could inflict explosive damage by compressing its attribute energy into the crystal lance, or directly imbue the lance's surface with fire-attribute ultra-high temperatures to enhance its piercing power.
[Echo] was the further ice-attribute advanced skill of [Crystal Wall]. It could construct freely arrangeable rectangular defensive fields centered on himself, with a maximum radius of 15 meters (the larger the range, the greater the consumption).
These two skills, due to their extreme versatility and relatively low risk of use, Lu Xing had painstakingly trained to their current proficiency.
[Teleport] needed no further explanation. It was a common skill for Variant Temple-class Honkai Beasts. Of course, although this move was listed as a separate skill, it was essentially a special application of [Space-Time Rend], similar to "phasing."
Speaking of Space-Time Rend...
"I have to leave."
This place was indeed a treasure trove. But staying too long could drive one stir-crazy—Lu Xing's "hardcore grinder" tendencies had truly been forced out of him.
Lu Xing had wanted to break free from the confines of this space more than once. But lacking even coordinates, he truly didn't know how to "open a door" to the surface.
Now that his Honkai energy replenishment had been cut off, Lu Xing had to take a gamble—
Kachak!
The ring suspended motionless behind his back began to rotate. Sixteen crystal segments slowly detached from their interlocked state, maintaining their circular rotation as they gradually moved before Lu Xing.
Space-Time Ring.
This was the name Lu Xing had given to this structure.
By harnessing the power of the Space-Time Ring, Lu Xing could, like the Emperor, use [Space-Time Rend] to open ultra-long-range teleportation portals.
Voom!
The Honkai energy halo also materialized above his head.
Lu Xing pushed both his power and consciousness to their absolute limits, his mental tendrils extending continuously towards the vault above—through rock, sand, slurry, and water, piercing layers of diverse materials, his mental energy rapidly depleting.
Thirty seconds, sixty seconds...
After an unknown amount of time, just as his tendrils were about to reach their breaking point, Lu Xing finally sensed Honkai energy signatures. At the focal point of his mental concentration, a mix of weak and strong, yet somewhat unfamiliar, multiple Honkai auras were successfully pinpointed by Lu Xing.
"This is it!"
Although it felt somewhat abrupt, this coordinate lock was the most reliable one Lu Xing had achieved after countless attempts.
Without Honkai energy replenishment, it was unknown how long he would have to wait to attempt such a grand maneuver again. Although it deviated somewhat from his expectations, this opportunity absolutely could not be squandered!
"Let's go!"
Lu Xing's form flashed as he flew into the Space-Time Ring!
The power inherited from the Emperor made the teleportation journey seem incredibly effortless. Even a novice like Lu Xing felt no discomfort... until he materialized on the surface.
Voom!
Solidifying from the void, the pitch-black knight revealed his true form amidst the ruins.
The next second, his fully extended perception picked up an anomaly, and Lu Xing instantly snapped into a combat stance.
In the utter darkness, devoid of any light, a colossal figure lay prone before Lu Xing.
This creature... was precisely the one with the "strongest" Honkai energy signature that Lu Xing's mental power had detected here. As for the appearance revealed by this behemoth—
"A snake?!"