Chapter 21: Breakthrough

  Among all the people, except for Zhou Yue and Tang Kun, the rest of them were either in pairs or trios, completely surrounding this wave of nearly thirty 2nd-level evil spirits!

  Although yesterday had a cumulative time of one afternoon, after all, not everyone has the strength of Zhou Yue or Tang Kun. As soon as they came into contact, several team members were killed or seriously injured, their daggers having little effect against the 2nd-level evil spirits. On the other hand, Zhao Dashan and Li Dan's fire axes were incredibly powerful, and Qin Lang's three men held Tang knives forged from high-quality steel!

  At that moment, the cries of agony and furious roars filled the air, blood splattered everywhere, and severed limbs flew wildly about. This tragic intensity reached its peak from the very beginning!

  Zhou Yue originally wanted to turn around and welcome the next wave of 2nd-level evil spirits, but seeing this scene, he hurriedly joined in as well. Relying on his speed advantage, he quickly moved around the battlefield. After the initial chaos, everyone grasped a bit of trickery, and eventually, within a short span of twenty-odd seconds, they killed all nearly thirty evil spirits. Zhou Yue himself took advantage of the chaos to kill four more, adding up to a total of eight, which was an eye-catching achievement.

  In comparison, the casualties of the four squads with over sixty people were extremely severe, with at least over ten deaths and several serious injuries. Except for a few people like Zhou Yue, almost everyone else was injured.

  However, those who managed to survive gained quite a bit, as the items dropped by 2nd-level evil spirits were significantly better than those dropped by 1st-level evil spirits.

  The eight 2nd-level evil spirits killed by Zhou Yue contributed forty copper plates with the Yellow Heaven Standing, a ring of evil spirit that adds +1 to strength and +1 to speed, and three pieces of rice cakes that can be consumed in non-combat states to increase life value by 3 points. This evil spirit ring was naturally worn on his left hand index finger immediately, so his strength became 13 points and agility became 19 points.

  Apart from Zhou Yue, the one who killed the most evil spirits was Tang Kun. He had experience in killing 2nd-level evil spirits and with his 19 points of strength and powerful fighting skills, he killed three of them. The experience gained from these three 2nd-level evil spirits made him the second person to reach level 3 among everyone. He also obtained an Evil Spirit Ring, bringing the total to two in his possession. With the free points gained from leveling up, his strength reached 22 points, making him the strongest attribute among everyone, even surpassing Zhou Yue. For a time, Tang Kun was so excited that he forgot about his identity and let out a loud roar like a giant ape. A strength of 22 points was equivalent to the combined strength of two adult men, which was truly terrifying.

  Zhao Dashan is another person who rose to 3rd rank after Tang Kun. He collaborated with Li Dan and killed two heads together, but the final blow was always dealt by Zhao Dashan. Due to his previous accumulation of a large number of 1st-level evil spirits, he also smoothly advanced in rank. His luck wasn't bad either, as he obtained an Evil Spirit Ring, plus the free points awarded for leveling up, so his power attribute reached 20 points, second only to Tang Kun.

  The third person to reach level 3 was unexpectedly Qin Lang, and the method he used was similar to Zhao Dashi's. He cooperated with his two subordinates, and the three evil ghosts they killed were all counted towards his own kills. Moreover, his luck seemed even better, as the dropped items included a Ghost Tooth and a Ghost Ring, making his equipment suddenly identical to Zhou Yue's.

  Perhaps it was because of the shadow that Zhou Yue gave him last night, this time after upgrading, Qin Lang did not choose balanced development, but instead put all his free points into agility, originally 13 points of agility became 15 points, plus the 2 points of agility brought by the Evil Ghost Tooth and the bonus from an Evil Ghost Ring, he suddenly became 18 points of agility, originally 15 points of strength also became 16 points, overall attributes look stronger than Zhou Yue.

  Apart from Tang Kun, Zhao Dashi and Qin Lang, no one else was promoted to level 3. However, a few people were extremely lucky and obtained several evil spirit rings. At this moment, although there are only over 40 people left in the four teams who can continue fighting, their overall strength is actually stronger than before.

  At this time, Zhou Yue felt a strong sense of pressure. Although he had known that the gap between himself and others was not too big, he still had some complacency, after all, he was the first to be promoted to level 3. But now it seemed that this gap was being quickly caught up with, and would soon be surpassed!

  One reason for this is that Zhou Yue's original attributes are very low, such as his original strength being only 10 points, whereas someone like Tang Kun has an original strength of 14 points and is also a skilled fighter, which is why he was able to catch up quickly. His original agility is even lower, at only 9 points, whereas Qin Lang's original agility is a full 11 points.

  Another important aspect is that, whether it's Zhao Dashan or Qin Lang, they all have a team backing them up. Although this team only has two or three people, they can accumulate experience in a short period of time. If Zhou Yue can defeat them individually, how can he defeat their entire team?

  If this situation continues, then the first person to advance to 4th dan might not be Zhou Yue anymore!

  "Team!"

  Zhou Yue hummed a sound, how could he possibly find a team that he can completely trust and fully implement his will in such a short period of time? Isn't it impossible?

  At this moment, when he turned his head back, Zhou Yue suddenly lit up in front of him, because behind the crowd, the woman who had been following him and wouldn't leave no matter what was now excitedly staring at him, her eyes full of admiration. It wasn't until she saw him looking over that she hastily lowered her gaze, feeling embarrassed.

  "Teamwork! Indeed needs a team! Let's start with her!"

  Zhou Yue made a decision at this moment, to take in that foolish woman. Although she was very foolish, she was still obedient and seemed loyal. Most importantly, the woman's qualifications were actually not bad, although her strength was only 8 points, but her agility was actually 12 points! It was really strange!

  With this decision, Zhou Yue suddenly found that stupid woman more pleasing to the eye, and gave her a faint smile before turning around. Meanwhile, the woman in the distance was almost moved to tears by Zhou Yue's smile, perhaps without realizing it, he had already reached the point where others would worship him.

  The crowd had only been gasping for a few short seconds when the second wave of more than 40 level-2 evil spirits rushed up, and Tang Kun, Zhao Dashan, Li Dan, Qin Lang and his two subordinates immediately charged out in the first moment. Without a doubt, their goal was not only to chase Zhou Yue but also to leave Zhou Yue far behind!

  But Zhou Yue couldn't let them have their way, after all, he was a full eight levels higher than those two 2nd-grade evil spirits!

  With a calm smile, Zhou Yue also rushed up. If it's about killing speed, even Tang Kun can't compare with him. The only one who can compete with him is Qin Lang, but for now, Qin Lang really can't surpass him because from the beginning, he was used to fighting alone. This rich combat experience is absolutely not something that Qin Lang, who relies on bodyguards to level up, can possess.

  Zhou Yue did not unfold his fastest speed, he was very clear that he was short in strength, and to last long, he needed to cherish his physical strength at every moment, and every move had to be absolutely effective!

  So this time Zhou Yue was the last one to join the battle, and it was still on the edge. Victory was what he needed, but safety was more important, and no injury was the standard!

  Taking advantage of the time when more than 40 level-2 evil spirits were attracted by Tang Kun and others, Zhou Yue quietly began to harvest experience. Perhaps it was a change in his mental state, but he became increasingly calm in his heart, and the hot blood and excitement brought about by battle were gradually suppressed. Even for an instant, he seemed to be able to predict the exact position of the attack and how much damage it would cause. Everything was so neat, fast, accurate, and completely under control, like fingers dancing on the piano.

  After this wave of more than 40 evil spirits were killed by everyone again, Zhou Yue alone managed to kill nine heads in one breath, which was one more head than the previous wave. The second most kills was still Tang Kun, with a total of five heads. Although he was as strong as a diamond, since he was the first to rush into the group of evil spirits and didn't have a shield in his hand, it was difficult for him to gain an advantage. In fact, if someone else had helped him, he could have killed at least seven or eight heads.

  The third place in the number of kills is naturally Qin Lang, who has the second Evil Ghost Tooth and almost the same attributes as Zhou Yue. He killed a total of three heads, which is already quite good. Of course, more importantly, one of his subordinates, Guan Hong, also leveled up to level 3.

  Fourth in the number of kills was Zhao Dashan, who killed two heads and also helped Li Dan kill one head. It is estimated that with another 2nd-level evil spirit experience, Li Dan will also be promoted to level 3.

  Apart from this, among the crowd, there were five more people who rose to level 3. Among these five people, four of them came from the soldiers of the first squad, and the remaining one was a survivor named Wang Qiang. From this, we can see the overall combat strength of these soldiers, who were generally lagging behind Li Dan and others yesterday, but now they are catching up rapidly!