Xu Haishui was smart and behaved very honestly. He knew that fully earning their trust would take some time.
Su Li went downstairs and retrieved the steel rod the bald man had used, giving it to Ding Longyun. The rod was a meter long and was a better weapon than the small axe Ding Longyun was currently using.
Gong Xiao, having acquired the bayonet, gave her baseball bat to Xu Xuehui.
Su Li asked Xu Haishui what special abilities he had mastered and was surprised to learn he hadn't mastered any.
"You advanced to Level 4, yet you didn't kill any Elite monsters?" Su Li found this highly illogical.
Xu Haishui gave a bitter smile. "These past few days, I was always trailing Chen Xiangyu and the others. They only gave me Common monsters to kill. They never left the stronger monsters for me. So, even though I reached Level 4, I didn't acquire any special abilities. Now everyone knows that killing powerful monsters grants special abilities. Because of this, any time a strong monster appeared, those formidable guys immediately snatched the kill. We didn't get a chance. They'd politely say they were afraid of us taking risks, but in reality, they just wanted to steal those special abilities and grow stronger."
Su Li acknowledged this with a hum. He hadn't realized this was the situation.
"But advancing to Level 5 is completely different," Xu Haishui said, his face lighting up with excitement. "I heard Chen Xiangyu say that once you reach Level 5, you gain 'Spiritual Source Technique.' He said that the 'Spiritual Source Technique' is much more powerful than the special abilities acquired from killing monsters. His 'Steel Skin' was the 'Spiritual Source Technique' he acquired when he advanced to Level 5."
Su Li had noticed the Spiritual Source Technique entry when he used the "Peering Rune" on Chen Xiangyu. He hadn't known what it was then, but now, hearing Xu Haishui's explanation, he instantly understood.
"Are you saying you gain a 'Spiritual Source Technique' when you advance to Level 5? And that this 'Spiritual Source Technique' is similar to a special ability but much stronger?" Su Li grew curious about the Spiritual Source Technique. After all, Chen Xiangyu's "Steel Skin" was truly monstrous. If Xu Haishui hadn't known his weakness, killing him would have been nearly impossible.
Xu Haishui replied, "Chen Xiangyu said that advancing from Level 4 to Level 5 involves a qualitative leap. In any case, the change is huge. Several Level 4s teaming up wouldn't be able to defeat one Level 5. Su… Brother Su… aren't you Level 5?"
Xu Haishui had assumed that when Su Li mentioned them all advancing to Level 5, he meant Ding Longyun and the others, excluding himself. Now, hearing Su Li discuss the Spiritual Source Technique as if he didn't know what it was, Xu Haishui was shocked. Was Su Li truly not a Level 5 Spiritual Source Wielder?
He had always assumed Su Li's phantom-like footwork was his "Spiritual Source Technique."
Su Li shook his head. "I'm the same as you. I'm Level 4."
Xu Haishui took a deep breath. Shock gave way to a look of excitement and tension in his eyes.
If Su Li was truly only Level 4, yet could defeat the Level 5 Chen Xiangyu, to what power level would he jump after a qualitative leap to Level 5?
For the first time, Xu Haishui felt genuine hope—the hope of saving Zhang Ying.
"Brother Su, you are truly amazing! A Level 4 defeating a Level 5 Chen Xiangyu…" Xu Haishui grew more and more astonished as he thought about it, continuously catching his breath.
Su Li, however, remained calm and didn't let the flattery go to his head. He said, "You mentioned earlier that a powerful monster is likely hidden beneath every large building, attracting other monsters to form a nest. If that powerful monster is killed or leaves, the other monsters disperse?"
"Yes," Xu Haishui nodded, looking at Su Li, unsure why he was suddenly asking this.
"I understand." Su Li confirmed the accuracy of this speculation based on the changes in the surrounding environment over the past day. He now had a plan.
"Everyone eat something and rest for a bit. We're leaving here immediately."
Ding Longyun brought out a pot of freshly cooked rice. "Leaving here? Where are we going? Didn't we agree to advance to Level 5 before heading to the Purple Wind Building?"
Su Li said, "We're not going to the Purple Wind Building. We're going to search for monsters to hunt. How else can we level up?"
Ding Longyun let out a sound of understanding. "I thought we were going straight to the Purple Wind Building. You scared me, heh heh."
Gong Xiao smiled faintly. "I didn't think there was anything that could scare Brother Ding."
Ding Longyun said, "Seriously, four Level 5 Spiritual Source Wielders, each of them comparable to Chen Xiangyu. Tsk, tsk. Think about it. Besides Su Li, who among us could face them?"
Gong Xiao nodded slightly. "You're right. So even if we go to the Purple Wind Building, we must be cautious and consider every detail. We can't act rashly."
Su Li said, "All of this relies on the premise that we can reach Level 5 today. Everyone hurry and eat! We're short on time."
No one delayed. After quickly finishing their meal, everyone grabbed their respective weapons. Under Su Li's leadership, they went down to the 30th floor, to a balcony damaged by the Nightmare Beast. The raft was moored outside.
Su Li said, "Wait here for me. I'm going to dive down quickly and check something. I'll be right back up."
Ding Longyun's eyes lit up. "Going underwater? Take me with you."
Su Li shook his head. He still didn't completely trust Xu Haishui. He needed to leave Ding Longyun and Gong Xiao to watch him. If Ding Longyun went underwater with him, only Gong Xiao and Xu Xuehui would be left, which he wasn't comfortable with.
Refusing Ding Longyun, Su Li jumped into the water. He held the machete in his right hand and quickly descended along the building, passing the submerged 29th, 28th, and 27th floors…
As he dove, he peered into the floors. He saw a few Corpse Beasts and Sea Spiders, but only in small, scattered numbers. Unlike his previous dive, where the Corpse Beasts and Sea Spiders were densely packed, the area was now almost empty.
"As expected, after the Corpse Mother died, the monsters here have mostly dispersed. No wonder throwing down corpses only lured out a few scattered monsters."
Su Li checked five consecutive floors, finding the situation similar on all of them. He then stopped descending and floated upward, deciding not to waste any more time here.
He came and went quietly, without alarming the few scattered monsters resting in the building. He quickly surfaced and let out a long breath.
"How was it? What did you find?" Ding Longyun asked with concern.
Su Li vaulted onto the raft. He said, "The monsters below have mostly dispersed, leaving only a few scattered ones. It's not enough for us to reach Level 5. Everyone come aboard. We need to go somewhere else to find monsters."
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