Chapter 180: New Talent Combination Route

Found it!

Among countless lights, Mu Yi found several mutually shining stars and then decisively chose them.

"You have obtained Elite Talent: Muscle Defense, Rigid Defense, Attack Absorption, Energy Resistance, No-Start Charge, Charge Defense."

"You have unlocked a new Talent Combination Path 【Charge Formation】— No-Start Charge and Charge Defense; using them together grants a special effect."

"You have unlocked a new Talent Combination Path 【Ultimate Defense】— Muscle Defense, Rigid Defense, Attack Absorption, Energy Resistance; using them together grants a special effect."

"Success!" Mu Yi stared at the information on his retina, clenched his fist excitedly; what was once random selection became targeted customization, and the difference is huge.

【Charge Formation】

Talent Combination: No-Start Charge + Charge Defense

Talent Effect: Consumes stamina to instantly enter Charge state; while charging, frontal defense increases by 20%.

Combination Effect: In Charge state, the defense boost becomes omnidirectional.

Just like the 【Burst Arrow】 formed from a Charged Blast Arrow, two talents that are hardly useful alone become markedly effective when combined.

They lack Ten-Aspect Mastery, Scorch, Time Confusion, Fivefold Sacrifice; such readily usable Elite Talents are practical, and they also lack universal Elite Talents like Power Amplification or Heavy Armor Defense, but pairing them yields even better effects.

Chu Yi tilted his head, a bit puzzled, but he also sensed Mu Yi's change, so he nodded, slapped the ground with a claw, and a stone as tall as a person slammed up from the ground toward Mu Yi.

Looking at the smooth cross‑section, Mu Yi seemed thoughtful.

The Wheel of Fate began to turn again, everyone watching it, yet this time the Wheel of Fate underwent a completely different change.

Mu Yi did not use a sword; he twisted his waist and launched a straight punch. As his fist struck the stone, his muscles instantly formed a subtle organic coordination, transmitting heavy force from his fist outward.

Mu Yi does not know fist techniques; without a sword, his output is only about seven or eight tenths of his own capacity, clearly still below Transcendent, yet it is entirely different from before.

Mu Yi feels he can now crush his former selves, with plenty of room to grow; when he maxes out these Elite Talents, he may someday possess the power to fight the Rakshasa King head‑on.

Talent Combination: Muscle Defense, Rigid Defense, Attack Absorption, Energy Resistance

Talent Effect: Boosts basic defense, raises innate armor, reduces slashing, blunt, and piercing damage by 10%, and reduces elemental damage by 10%.

It seems that at the last moment, more than just Mu Yi's team entered as a last‑minute rush.

【Ultimate Defense】

【Event Rule 3: The secret realm harbors many native duelists; defeating them yields massive points, while losing a battle requires paying a large amount of points】

【Event Rule 1: Defeating one opponent grants you one‑fifth of that team's points; when points reach zero, all members of that team are eliminated.】

The recoil from the fist‑stone impact spread from the fist to the whole body, then was completely nullified by the body's defense system, vanishing without a trace as if it never occurred.

Effects that previously required Inner Qi can now be achieved solely through pure bodily function.

…

The boost in defense seems to have opened a boundary in Mu Yi's body; his strength and speed both rose, making his destructive power greater because his body can endure more intense force.

"Fate is in your own hands!"

The Wheel of Fate rumbled half a turn, showing an inverted Tarot card, then flipped back; the Sphinx and two other deities could not provide any fate insight.

"Two thousand four hundred thirty‑two teams!" Princess Liliana Brenda used a spell to tally the exact number, far exceeding their estimate.

His body generated spontaneous force, letting each punch unleash ton‑class power.

A massive blast‑like roar echoed from the stone.

Boom!

The force from his fist shattered the stone outright, leaving no mark on Mu Yi's hand.

The mysterious old man smiled, planted his staff into the ground, and everyone was instantly teleported into the secret realm.

"Sss!" Mu Yi glanced around, seeing a terrifying number of teams in the activity hall; using a troop‑counting method, he estimated at least ten thousand people.

The boulder was instantly sliced in half; the smooth cut surface could even reflect images.

But this time, they descended into a super‑large secret realm.

Mu Yi smashed the stone outright; the collision of speed and force made this strike heavier than a bare fist.

Mu Yi waved at Chu Yi, who was lying nearby.

Mu Yi joined his hands to form a blade, then heftily cleaved down.

Mu Yi seemed thoughtful, then lifted his leg and charged at a nearby stone; at the extremely close range, his speed suddenly surged, and at the moment of takeoff it felt like a sprint.

Clang!

Mu Yi and his group, drawn by the event notice, entered the Source World's activity hall, where almost every qualified Zongwang Player gathered.

Mu Yi signaled Chu Yi to produce a harder stone; Chu Yi blinked, slapped the ground with a claw, and a massive stone of a different color and texture appeared before Mu Yi.

Combination Effect: Increases defense, reduces all damage types by 15%, and ignores any attack whose type does not exceed 10% of his defense.

"Chu Yi, come on, hit me!"

【Event Rule 2: Duelists themselves may not participate in combat】

Touching the massive stone, Mu Yi realized it was condensed by Chu Yi using Mountain Power; it not only provides physical defense but also resists elemental forces, making it an excellent whetstone.

The second stage of the Wheel of Fate event soon began.

After a brief trial, Mu Yi sat cross‑legged on the ground, began meditating and resting, adjusting his condition to optimal; the Zongwang realm's monsters were as numerous as cattle hair, and even though he was lucky enough to obtain a big trump card, he still dared not take other opponents lightly.

Even the most basic effect already lets Mu Yi sense its future ceiling; they are all quality‑type talents that can also synergize with his professional specialties, yielding even better results.

(Holy/Chaotic damage is unaffected)

【Event Rule 4: Any problem can be resolved by duel; refusing a duel counts as a duel failure】

【Event Rule 5: The Sphinx, Anubis, and the Underworld Serpent will appear outside the designated circle, issuing duel invitations to duelists beyond the circle, and the circle will continuously shrink】

"A battle‑royale‑style card duel!" Mu Yi scratched his head; for them, that was a bit ominous.

They landed right on the edge of the circle; with the circle's shrinkage uncertain, it was clearly risky.

"First scout the path! Slowly move toward the center as much as possible!" Lily thought for a moment before deciding to advance cautiously.

The Sphinx, Anubis, and the Underworld Serpent are clearly there to shorten the event's duration; if you actually encounter them, you'll probably get hoisted up and beaten. When you have enough points, you could try pulling a tiger's whisker, but for now it's better to skip it.

A few oddly‑shaped familiars were summoned by Lily, then they scouted in all directions; you have to pick the soft persimmon to squeeze, first clear out the small fish, that's the proper way.

The familiars quickly brought back the intel.

"Acting separately?" Mu Yi looked at the feedback intel with some confusion.

During the familiars' reconnaissance, there was a squad moving in a 1‑3‑1 formation, seemingly the same plan as Mu Yi's group, both first avoiding stepping out of the circle.

"Planning to split up to avoid being taken down in one fell swoop? Foolish!" Lily evaluated.

"Then leave this part to me!"

Mu Yi randomly chose an opponent; this kind of tactic clearly shows they have little confidence in their own combat power, the sort of old sixth gang that wants to hide and survive till the end.

Moreover, just from the fact that the opponent didn't notice Lily's familiars, one can tell these few aren't particularly formidable characters.

Following Lily's familiars, Mu Yi directly blocked the opponent's front.

"Duel!" Mu Yi pointed at the opponent and directly initiated a duel.

Two beams of light pulled the two of them into a mysterious space that looked like the interior of a pyramid; they stood on opposite sides of a vast arena.

"Damn!" The opponent forced into the duel by Mu Yi looked very angry, not expecting that they were immediately confronted upon landing.

【Mu Yi, LP8000】

【Ke Libo, LP7000】

According to the star‑level generated LP values, reaching zero means defeat.

Since Mu Yi initiated the duel, the first move belongs to Mu Yi.

"My turn!"

When he previously frantically explored secret realms, he also learned how to duel with decks; when building the deck before, Princess Liliana Brenda also calculated how to play to maximize suppression.

As a duel where cards can be played freely, Mu Yi directly selected five cards from his deck; after all, imprint cards and the like are standard for a powerful duelist.

"Draw a card, then summon a five‑star Asura Warrior; it cannot attack on the first turn, so set a card, end the turn!"

Mu Yi calmly watched the opponent, waiting for their move; honestly, he felt this event's duel tested one's understanding of abilities, since a person cannot create cards they do not comprehend.

It's like when he creates, he cannot make an Asura Warrior that exceeds the Asura's own level.

"Hmph, you'll regret choosing me as your opponent!" Seeing Mu Yi end his turn unremarkably, Ke Libo swelled up when it was his turn to play.

"Draw a card!"

Looking at the six cards in his hand, Ke Libo was clearly confident.

"Activate Fusion Magic! Fuse and summon the monster cards in my hand!"

A thick black mist rose from the ground, and a dark monster sprang up, looking like a giant python coiled on the ground.

【Netherworld Snake Shadow, eight‑star】

"Activate Netherworld Snake Effect; when the Netherworld Snake is summoned, you can directly summon a Netherworld monster from your hand cards."

While speaking, two beings that looked like a standing snake had arms extending from both sides of the torso, each holding a sword and a shield.

【Nether Snake Warrior, seven‑star】

【Nether Snake Warrior, seven‑star】

"Sacrifice two Nether Snake Warriors to summon a second Netherworld Snake Shadow!"

"Activate Magic Card Sacrifice, sacrifice the two Netherworld Snake Shadows, and summon Anubis Avatar!"

The two Netherworld Snakes tangled on the ground, black mist rapidly coalescing and mixing in the air, spiraling and forming some illusory entity.

Mu Yi, having seen Anubis once before, saw the Anubis Avatar appear on the field, its eyes glowing a grim crimson, staring at Mu Yi like a wicked blade.

【Anubis Avatar, nine‑star】

"Activate Special Effect! Destroy all opponent's monsters on the field, dealing damage equal to half the destroyed monsters' star levels to the opponent."

The Anubis Avatar glared, and a towering tornado immediately swept Mu Yi's Asura Warrior on the field, tearing it to pieces.

The Asura Warrior is a five‑star monster, so Mu Yi instantly took 2,500 damage.

【Mu Yi, LP8000→LP5500】

"One, two… five, six, extreme six‑in‑one, really impressive!" Mu Yi was now truly certain the opponent was a complete noob.

The six cards ultimately summoned a nine‑star monster whose effect still destroys monsters, and with no trap card in hand to handle the special situation, it was almost a duel with known cards.

But then again, Zongwang Players come from various worlds, and this card duel mode is likely unprecedented; stacking high‑star monsters seems to be a tactic that best suits them.

Moreover, not every team has an all‑knowing mage.

"Anubis Avatar, direct attack!" Ke Libo swung his hand large, about to give Mu Yi defeat.

The Anubis Avatar hovered midair, charging from above, its gathered energy brewing a black energy sphere.

"Activate Trap Card – Mirror Reflection"

Mu Yi activated the trap card he had set on the field; he had previously suffered from this card, and when building his deck he specifically asked Lily to make this thing to trap opponents.

The card's effect is simple: reflect the opponent's attack back onto them.

When Anubis's attack slammed toward Mu Yi, it was reflected by the mirror, smacking its own face, then exploding, instantly turning into particles sent to the field's graveyard.

Ke Libo looked at the empty field, his face ashen; he felt as if he had kicked a steel plate and his leg bone shattered.

"End turn!" Ke Libo lowly ended his turn.

"Because of the Asura Warrior's special effect, after being destroyed it can return to the field!"

As Mu Yi's words fell, the previously torn Asura Warrior gathered from the ground and reconstituted its form.

"When an Asura Warrior exists on the field, you can specially summon a second Asura Warrior onto the field!"

Seeing the two Asura Warriors on the field, Mu Yi waved his hand and directly launched an attack.

There's no need to continue; in the opponent's state, two Asura Warriors are enough to kill them.

When the two spears thrust at Ke Libo's body, his barrier suddenly shattered, and he was flipped into the air and slammed hard onto the ground.

"Event notice: Duel victory, defeat one duelist, earn 200 points!"

The current team cannot initiate a second duel against that duelist; the remaining protection time is 120 minutes.