All rewards had been added to the previous round's collection.
Behind Liang Wei, the portal shimmered faintly—its surface pulsing as if reminding him of its presence… and of every slain creature that had failed to cross into it.
His gaze drifted toward their small campsite.
"Fuck."
He helped the Empress clone onto her feet.
"I thought we'd have more time to get acquainted," he muttered, handing her his storage pouch. "But it seems the world has other plans. Take this. Pack everything around us into it—cauldron included."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned away, retrieving the brush he'd dropped earlier before gripping his hand axe once more.
The Empress watched him in silence, her expression faintly vacant—as if her thoughts were buffering.
"…Very well," she said at last, her voice flat.
Then, without warning—
"Beetle Rush."
She dipped her hand into the cauldron, fingers stirring through the ink before flicking the liquid into the air.
The droplets rippled.
Hardened.
Forming black insect shells.
Buzzzzz! Buzzz!
A swarm of beetles burst into existence, their wings unfolding as ink sloughed away to reveal glistening blue carapaces. The air filled with the sound of vibrating wings as they scattered outward in formation.
She had activated her racial skill instantly, her face remaining completely emotionless.
Liang Wei blinked, momentarily caught off guard—not by the beetles, but by the precision behind their creation.
The technique carried none of the hesitation of a novice.
It felt interwoven with her being itself…
But then—
"Grrowl."
A paw pushed through the surface of the cauldron.
Liang Wei's gaze snapped toward it as one shape after another forced its way free.
Wolves crawled out first, shaking off dripping ink that evaporated into cold mist. They snarled, revealing their gray winter pelts and frosted breath.
The largest one looked around before meeting Liang Wei's gaze directly.
He blinked, noticing the familiar ice plating and tank-like build.
Behind them, a massive mantis nearly four feet tall unfolded itself from the vessel, its blades clicking softly as it cleaned its head.
Ultimate Skill: Dark Rebirth.
"!!!"
The shared notification froze Liang Wei in place.
His eyes shifted back to the Priestess just as her summoned beetles returned, carrying potions and scattered herbs toward the pouch she still held.
[(Lv 5 → Lv 13)]
Her level surged in an instant.
One Ultimate Skill… and she was already closing the gap between them.
Liang Wei exhaled slowly, the corner of his lips curling upward.
This was the marvel of Dao's Rising.
There were no experience bars. No kill rewards. No linear grind.
Players gained invisible skill points instead—each activation, each practice, each moment of synergy pushing abilities toward transformation. A crude sword strike could evolve into layered techniques. A novice skill could branch into something entirely new.
Level wasn't time spent.
It was mastery achieved.
And the woman standing before him had just leapt from expendable imitation… to invaluable asset in a single breath.
"An ultimate off the bat~"
He smiled as the wolf padded closer.
It stared at him with an intelligence he couldn't quite name.
Then he looked away. "Dark Rebirth…"
He stepped back, brush rising as ink began to drip into the air.
"That's an interesting skill," he mused. "But can you keep your pets in line?"
The ink on his brush shifted color.
Wild Beast Calligraphy — Pouncing Snow Leopard
His arms moved on instinct.
"I wouldn't want to hurt them right after they've been brought back."
A giant leopard prowled into existence, muscles coiling as it prepared to clash with the resurrected spirit beasts.
His priestess watched his brush… then the axe in his hand… then her bow. Her gaze swept back to the wolf before she quietly stored the weapon and extended her arm.
Ultimate Skill: Dark Revival
Sub Skill: Battle Forge
The wolf stiffened as a pulling force seized it.
"Grrr—"
It tried to flee, but its body distorted, unraveling into strands of ink.
The strands spiraled into her grasp, condensing… reshaping.
An axe formed in her hand.
[(Lv 13 → Lv 17)]
"Did I perform satisfactorily?" she asked, holding the runic polearm that had replaced the wolf. "Or should I dispose of the others as well?"
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Well, I wouldn't complain if you could make me a chest plate," Liang Wei replied, turning toward the arena tunnel ahead. "Maybe if you can control the rest, we can let them play with our incoming guest~"
The once-charred arena floor began to shift.
The air shimmered—thick, oppressive heat gathering.
Liang Wei squinted at the gateway where the previous waves had emerged. The tunnel now glowed with a deep red hue.
The tension split open again.
Unlike the biting cold from before, molten air bled from its seams.
A thunderous roar shattered the silence.
[Wave Three — Grade 3: Elemental Flame Lion, Lv. 15]
It stepped forward—a mountain of muscle wrapped in living fire, nearly the size of a carriage, its mane blazing like a furnace.
The ground sizzled beneath its paws, dirt glowing cherry red. Each breath warped the air around it.
Liang Wei's eyes narrowed.
"Fire versus fire… let's see whose burns hotter."
Behind him, the priestess approached the mantis corpse. Its body contorted, folding inward before launching toward him.
[Elemental Grade: Green Mantis Chest Plate]
Type: Defensive Item
Quality: Grade 3
Effects:
• Shields 10–15% of Physical Damage
• Prevents Minor Bone Fractures
• +23 Blunt Force Resistance
Flavor Text:
"A treasure reborn in ink, twisted and reforged to fit a role it could not comprehend."
The armor strapped itself across his torso.
"You actually pulled it off," he admitted.
The lion roared, flames spiraling outward.
Liang Wei answered with a grin.
From the corner of his eye, he watched the remaining ink beasts lining up obediently.
"You really know how to follow orders. Maybe leaving your personality blank was a good thing, Xuyue~"
His muscles clenched beneath the armor, boots angling as Vitae surged through him. His breathing slowed into rhythm.
I have an hour of this… isn't that amazing.
The lion charged.
Liang Wei hurled his axe to meet it halfway.
"Crimson Harvest!!"
The spinning blade carried a saber-like vestige of energy.
Their collision carved a crater into the arena floor—fire exploding outward in a shockwave that scattered embers like falling meteors.
"Art of Calligraphy — Dancing Beast Illusion."
Roar! Roar! Roar!
More snow leopards emerged from his brush, rushing to intercept the lion.
Behind him, Xuyue raised her hands, attempting to mirror his commanding presence.
"Attack!"
Her wolves lunged forward, jaws opening as shards of ice gathered within.
Ice Qi sped through the arena.
"Roarrrr!"
The lion thrashed in pain, shaking its mane and biting through inked spines as its flames expanded. Leopard claws dug into its pelt alongside the rapidly landing icicles.
Hiss! Hiss!
The cabin-sized ball of flames was surrounded by persistent ink beasts.
Wolves circled, creating foggy snowflakes.
Leopards prowled, clawed, and ripped into its flesh.
Liang Wei crouched.
"Quick Dash."
He shot forward in a blur.
"Hard Strike!" he yelled, swinging his brush.
Ink shot out in a solid splash, the hit cutting a wound through the lion's neck.
!!!
Liang Wei didn't give it time and spun in place.
He linked the crescent slash.
"Twisting Leap."
He kicked himself into the air, his brush drawing a line like a painting.
He grabbed the ink line and looked at Xuyue, who had sent in bugs to help him.
"Make this a weapon!!!"
She gave a small nod, instantly sacrificing the beetles she had sent to his aid.
They melted into the ink, then she closed her eyes.
Chinese Wind and Fire Wheels…
Meteor Hammer…
Rope Dart…
In her head, hundreds of images appeared—obscure trinkets and well-established weapons.
The ink line in Liang Wei's grasp trembled, suspended between potential and collapse.
Xuyue's eyes remained closed.
Inside her mind, forms flickered one after another.
Wind and Fire Wheels — too rigid.
Meteor Hammer — too wild.
Rope Dart — too unpredictable with this much flame in the arena.
The lion thrashed below, a furnace wrapped in muscle. Every second wasted meant another surge of heat building in its core.
He needed reach.
Control.
Penetration.
Her fingers tightened.
A shape stabilized.
The ink hardened into chains.
Liquid shifted from the brush, running from its bristles to the end of its wooden hilt. This was where the chains began. Below, the ink condensed into a solid wheel.
The lion pulled at the newly formed circular blade, dragging him down—
The ink still at the tip of his brush extended into a blade.
[Dao-Grade Relic: Chain-Linked Crescent Glaive]
Type: Defensive Item
Quality: Grade 4 (Hybrid)
Dao Brush: Grade 4
Glaive & Chain Blade: Grade 2
Effects
• Fluid Form Conduit — Weapon can retract into brush form or extend into glaive/chain configuration (0.5s transition)
• Ink Resonance — Gains +12% damage when used alongside summoned ink constructs
• Tethered Momentum — Chain attacks build rotational force, increasing impact by up to 20% over sustained swings
• Binding Crescent — Successful hook or wrap reduces enemy movement speed by 15% for 4 seconds
Flavor Text:
"What does it look like when the souls of a dozen find perfection in unity?"