Chapter 35

Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

The flesh and blood leg armor, formed by intertwined and naturally combined vines, extended from the tips of the feet up to the roots of the thighs. As soon as it appeared, it gave a sense of exquisite harmony and tightness, evoking the image of wild grass growing on land after the spring breeze, exuding a vigorous and thriving vitality.

The flesh and blood armor was the ultimate manifestation of life force. The moment the leg armor formed, Xu Dong's perception of the world changed dramatically. First, his six senses, which he used to perceive the world, were heightened—like suddenly being in a sea of flowers, where every petal was visible down to its veins, and the gentle breeze was clearly audible. Even his mouth and nose seemed to taste a magical flavor.

Secondly, he felt many differences in his body and consciousness. The most direct analogy was that he had been struggling to climb a hill, but the next moment, the view before him was a vast, flat plain, a feeling of liberation and freedom of body and mind!

Xu Dong subconsciously clenched his fist, a sense of abundant power emerging.

After activating the flesh and blood armor, Xu Dong couldn't help but recall the desperate path he had barely managed to pass through after countless hardships. If he had been in this state at that time, he might have failed the first time due to a mistake, but he would have definitely passed safely on the second or third attempt!

This was the power of the flesh and blood armor!

At the same time, deep in his consciousness, a green sprout suddenly sprouted from the void. It was rooted in the void, with green leaves and tender brown roots. The roots instinctively reached out in all directions, as if trying to grasp something.

Centered around the sprout, a strong wind blew, sweeping over the light balls representing the four innate skills: "Small Steps," "Power," "Devour," and "Insight," covering them with a faint glow of life. In the next second, an additional note appeared behind each innate skill—Awakened—along with various changes in the descriptions of the innate skills.

1. Insight (Awakened)

Level: 1

Content: The user can obtain detailed information about living beings or objects through this skill, and in certain situations, can even activate quests.

Consumption: None

Cooldown: 1 minute

2. Power (Awakened)

Level: 1

Content: After activating this skill, the power of your next attack will increase by 50% (75%).

Consumption: None

Cooldown: 30 minutes

3. Small Steps (Awakened)

Level: 1

Content: After activating this skill, your movement speed will increase by 50% (75%), lasting for 10 (15) seconds.

Consumption: None

Cooldown: 30 minutes

4. Devour (Awakened)

Level: 1

Content: You can recover by devouring organic matter, with the recovery effect depending on the object devoured, lasting for 60 (90) seconds.

Consumption: None

Cooldown: 30 minutes

Note: The values in parentheses are the awakened values.

The activation of the flesh and blood armor had a transformative effect on the innate skills, increasing their power or duration by a staggering 50%! This enhancement was not just terrifying but a surge of explosive growth.

The appearance of this series of information did not move Xu Dong. What truly gave him a 100% confidence to defeat Stiletto was—

The green sprout deep in his consciousness gently unfurled its leaves, and a strange feeling immediately washed over him. Another piece of information appeared in his mind—this was not the first time, but Xu Dong always felt a genuine sense of awe and surprise after learning this information!

Passive Innate Ability: Spirit of Nature

Level: 1

Content: You have comprehended the power of the agility-type flesh and blood armor and successfully activated the "Ancient Green Armor." The Ancient Green Armor is the most common type of flesh and blood armor in the nature category. Based on your attributes, when you are in a lush forest, your movement speed, attack speed, and neural reaction speed will increase by 10%.

Description: This skill is a passive innate ability and does not affect its effects whether the Ancient Green Armor is activated or not.

What did the appearance of this skill mean? After activating the Ancient Green Armor, Xu Dong's abilities had undergone a fundamental leap. Compared to Stiletto, an experienced Awakened, he was only slightly inferior. But once the Spirit of Nature took effect, the comparison of their qualities would immediately reverse, with Stiletto being slightly inferior to Xu Dong.

Don't underestimate this subtle advantage. Both being speed-oriented Awakened, if one side's movement speed, attack speed, and neural reaction speed were even a bit faster, it would naturally mean taking the initiative in every move and attack. Even if Xu Dong pressed Stiletto to beat him up, it wasn't impossible!

Moreover, with a 10% increase in movement speed, once Xu Dong activated the "Small Steps" innate skill, his movement speed would instantly increase by 82.5%! After breaking the 80% barrier, he couldn't help but want to toy with his opponent before delivering a harsh blow.

Xu Dong's changes seemed long, but in reality, they happened in an instant. The moment the Ancient Green Armor appeared, he immediately used the Insight skill on the opponent. In the next second, a series of information flashed through his mind:

Race: Human

Name: Stiletto

Level: First-stage, one-star Awakened

Description: Stiletto was once a sharpshooter and scout officer in the 36th Border Defense Army of the Great Chen Empire. He was later expelled for violating military discipline. It wasn't until he was discovered and employed by the Yang family of Blood Helmet City that he ended his wandering life.

Abilities:

1. Snake Bite: Stiletto is proficient in dagger-type weapons and, through constant understanding in battle, has developed this bizarre combat technique. He always strikes unexpectedly from unimaginable angles, inflicting severe injuries with a three-edged dagger, with a comprehensive hit rate of 40%.

2. Danger Sense: Stiletto has survived multiple battles and gradually become a sharpshooter and scout officer. This is partly due to his superior abilities and partly to his danger sense, which allows him to evade attacks in advance, with a comprehensive dodge rate of 30%.

3. ???

Seeing this description and summary, Xu Dong realized he had underestimated the opponent. He quickly understood the significance of the comprehensive hit rate. The comprehensive hit rate was the overall data of Stiletto's successful hits with the Snake Bite ability throughout his life. A 40% hit rate meant that out of five uses of Snake Bite, two would hit the target.

It didn't seem impressive, but don't forget that a three-edged dagger striking the body was no joke.

Of course, the key to this ability was the element of surprise. Moreover, if there was a chance for a direct stab, why would he deliberately use a backhand Snake Bite? Do you think you're showing off? Therefore, Xu Dong wasn't overly worried about this ability.

As for the Danger Sense ability, Xu Dong was even less concerned, given his superior qualities compared to Stiletto.

What made Xu Dong uneasy was the last ability marked with a question mark.

This ability was likely related to the flesh and blood armor. Xu Dong couldn't help but recall the moment when, despite setting up numerous traps, his seemingly certain strike was countered, resulting in a broken arm.

Stiletto, who was shocked and uncertain, witnessed Xu Dong's sudden activation of the flesh and blood armor, feeling a sense of absurdity, as if a sow had climbed a tree. However, the truth was undeniable, and he had to accept it. Being a seasoned veteran of blood and fire, he quickly regained his composure, roared, and charged forward, thrusting the three-edged dagger directly.

With the Ancient Green Armor, Xu Dong's dynamic vision was incomparable. He had barely caught a glimpse of the opponent's trajectory during the chase, but now he could see the opponent's movements clearly. Facing the attack, he suddenly raised his head, so fast that his bangs flew up, exuding a sense of indescribable heroism.

At the same time, he gripped the small iron knife in his reverse hand and swung it forcefully.

Suddenly, a crisp sound of metal clashing was heard. Sparks flew from the point where their weapons met.

A look of surprise quickly flashed across Stiletto's face, and he trembled, "What incredible strength!" Due to his momentary carelessness, he was forced to retreat even faster than he had advanced, leaving nine deep footprints in the damp soil before finally stopping.

Stiletto's face turned from green to red, and he stared at Xu Dong, saying in a deep voice, "It seems everything was your plan, right? From Nangjiao Village, you've been setting everything up, even using those three fools to lure us here. You really surprised me!"

At this moment, Xu Dong certainly wouldn't admit that the three could escape purely due to his momentary negligence. However, this mistake had lured the big fish.

Xu Dong, who preferred action over words, immediately went on the offensive, advancing quickly. Knowing he couldn't match Stiletto's proficiency with daggers, he decided to attack recklessly, holding the small iron knife in a straightforward grip and launching a chaotic and fierce assault. The speed of his attacks was extremely fast, alternating between slashing and stabbing, exuding a wild and fierce aura.

Stiletto spat and met Xu Dong head-on, thinking, "Indeed, your strength is greater than mine, but in terms of attack speed and neural reaction speed, how can a newly awakened person like you be my match?"

With this thought, a mocking expression appeared on Stiletto's face, as if saying, "You're asking for it."

As the rapid and intense clashes continued, the mocking expression on Stiletto's face quickly faded, replaced by a look of shock and panic, "This kid, how can he be so fast? Impossible!!"

A careless move, and with a tearing sound, a blood arrow shot from his shoulder. Stiletto grunted and retreated quickly, only to find that this time, it was Xu Dong who became the relentless pursuer, chasing him like a mad guard dog!

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