Chapter 524: Solo Running an Instance to Level Up, Hidden Enemies in the Shadows

Jiang Chen's time standing outside the Instance does not exceed three seconds.

Outside the Instance, thunder and lightning clash, Jiang Chen's stay is extremely brief, and most people do not notice his presence.

However, the adventurer who previously noticed Jiang Chen entering the Instance has again caught sight of him.

He widens his eyes, rubs his own eyes in disbelief, "I saw him again."

His companions are enjoying the warmth by the campfire, with laughter and chatter rising and falling.

"Seen who?" someone asks curiously.

"It's the person who just entered the Instance alone; he's come out again."

"Where? How did I not see?"

"He went back in."

His words are drowned out by the crowd's laughter.

"Are you seeing things? In this thunder‑and‑Lightning weather, where could anyone be?"

"Or maybe you're seeing ghosts; how could anyone Solo Run this Instance?"

The others don't believe him; after all, Solo Running a 12‑person Instance that requires team coordination is, to them, a pipe dream.

Amid the laughter, he gradually begins to doubt his own judgment, perhaps he really mis‑saw.

Yet, high above where no one notices, a pair of eyes shimmering with a faint glow stare down at the world.

Its gaze pierces the heavy clouds, ignoring thunder and Lightning, landing precisely on the Instance Entrance.

The eyes are cold and deep, as if they can see through everything.

Yet its existence is like a ghost; no one can detect it.

Jiang Chen enters the Instance a second time, his speed even swifter than the first.

The Skeleton Legion he summons works seamlessly with a necromancer inside the Instance,

raising a storm of blood and gore.

Whether minor monsters or elites, all fall under the onslaught of this overwhelming force.

His Experience Value continuously rises, each kill bringing him considerable gain.

After one Instance run, he gains a 5% Experience Value increase, a speed that leaves other Elite Professionals far behind.

He maintains this pace, advancing steadily one level per day.

While others still struggle for each level up, he has already gone farther along the road to the summit.

"Perhaps only Sister Jiang Ruo could be faster than me on the path of cultivation."

Thinking of Jiang Ruo, Jiang Chen can't help but feel wistful; it's been a while since he saw her.

The last meeting was still within that mysterious ancestral land.

Jiang Ruo seems even busier than he is, constantly pursuing higher realms.

As the direct disciple of a legendary strongman, the responsibilities and pressure she bears are indeed extraordinary.

Besides Jiang Ruo, Jiang Chen also thinks of Yi Ning and Lin Cai'er.

Both of them, likewise diligent in cultivation, have never slacked.

Each constantly strives to become stronger.

"Kill Tianshan Shadow Leopard, Experience +6,200,000"

Looking at the on‑screen prompt, Jiang Chen's face shows little expression.

He looks again toward the spot in the Instance where Tianshan Snow Grass once appeared, but this time he feels disappointed.

The precious snow grass does not reappear.

"Looks like I was too greedy," Jiang Chen says with a self‑deprecating smile, shaking his head.

He knows that some things, encountering once is already a huge opportunity.

Leaving the Instance, Jiang Chen prepares to enter again.

Yet at that moment, he suddenly feels an inexplicable sense of being watched.

Jiang Chen's intuition is always sharp; he is certain that if someone watches him from the shadows, he would sense it.

However, when he looks around, he finds nothing unusual.

Around the camp tents and by the campfire, people are busy, with conversation rising and falling.

"Maybe I'm overthinking," Jiang Chen thinks, no longer dwelling on it.

He pulls out another cooldown talisman, preparing to reset the Instance.

For this cultivation, Jiang Chen specially prepared three high‑grade cooldown talismans.

One was his own saved earlier, the other two borrowed from Hong Jishi and Li Xueru.

The three high‑grade cooldown talismans are enough for him to reset the Instance 150 times.

Jiang Chen repeatedly runs the Instance, his efficiency improving from one run every 45 minutes to one every 35 minutes.

In just one day, Jiang Chen's level rises to Level 54.

His attributes and Skills have markedly improved, yet Jiang Chen's brow remains tightly knit.

That feeling of being watched grows stronger; whenever he leaves the Instance, the unseen gaze seems to follow like a shadow.

"It must be an entity far stronger than me, at least an Elite Professional above Level 80."

"Who exactly is watching me from the shadows? An Assassin of the Demon Worship Society, or those Dragon Race or Demon lurking in the dark?"

Jiang Chen ponders, yet cannot find an answer.

The Human Race's border defenses, strengthened over years, are now impregnable.

Even demons from the Abyss must pay a huge price to infiltrate.

Moreover, the strongest they can send is only something akin to...

The rank of the Flame Demon King.

If a Divine-level Strongman truly appears, Jiang Chen is confident he can repel him.

"Forget it, if I can't figure it out, I won't think about it."

"When troops come, block them; when water comes, cover with earth."

Jiang Chen decides to stop agonizing over the issue and throws himself wholeheartedly into solo running instances.

After level 54, the Experience Value required for leveling up rises dramatically again.

Each run yields only about a 2% increase in Experience Value, noticeably slower than before.

But for Jiang Chen, this remains within an acceptable range.

He estimates that roughly 40 instance runs are needed to level up.

At his current pace, he can run two instances per hour, meaning he can complete the level‑up within a day.

It might even take less than a day.

As time passes, Jiang Chen's figure finally draws the attention of those around him.

The adventurer who first spotted Jiang Chen shouts loudly: "Look, I told you I wasn't mistaken—someone is truly solo running the Heaven Mountain Divine Palace!"

"Whoa, is this guy crazy? Entering and exiting instances so frequently is literally wasting Advanced Cooldown Talismans!"

"Look closely, he's still using Advanced Cooldown Talismans, and it seems more than one!"

"What a luxury—what's this guy's background? Advanced Cooldown Talismans aren't something just anyone can get."

"I don't know, but regardless of his identity, such frequent instance runs must be for something important."

The surrounding crowd starts murmuring; someone tries to approach Jiang Chen with a question, but Jiang Chen completely ignores them, still engrossed in running instances.

"I've calculated it; the time he spends each outing is roughly

half an hour."

"It's such a waste; the cost of replenishing energy with Advanced Cooldown Talismans is extremely high."

"Perhaps they simply don't care about that."

"People are more infuriating than anything."

Amid the surrounding gazes filled with envy, jealousy, and bewilderment, Jiang Chen emerges from the instance once more.

This time, dazzling light surrounds him, a symbol of his leveling up.

The aura released during the level‑up, not yet fully condensed, leaks out, instantly drawing gasps of awe.

"He actually leveled up! He's actually training his level inside the instance!"

"How is that possible? One person solo running an instance to train level? That's simply unbelievable!"

"Which brother has a high level, quickly check how many levels this guy has now."

At that moment, a 72‑level professional nearby, about to break through the Third Transcendence, says: "I saw him at level 54 before; now he should be level 55."

The words of this professional, about to enter the advanced stage, confirm the fact.

"He really is training his level inside the instance!"

"He's literally a monster."

After reaching level 55, Jiang Chen doesn't stop running instances. He re‑enters and finds the required Experience Value has risen again, this time only by 1.5%.

After a simple calculation, Jiang Chen realizes that to reach level 56, he needs at least 67 instance runs. At his current speed, that means over 34 hours—more than a day.

He checks his remaining Advanced Cooldown Talismans and finds 77 cooldown uses left, enough to reach level 56.

"Still too optimistic; didn't expect the experience requirement to rise so quickly."

"It takes a day and a half to gain a single level."

Jiang Chen, though

continues muttering to himself, and his hand movements never cease. While leveling, he also continuously replenishes the Undead Legion.

After reaching level 55, he commands 35 Lich Generals, the Summon Queue rises to 1,050, and the total Skeleton count of the Undead Legion reaches 36,750. He still employs an even distribution strategy, with each of the three Skeleton types numbering 12,250.

Although at first glance the Skeleton Great Mage and Divine Archer seem weaker than the Skeleton Berserker, especially under the "Strong Soldier" Skill, the disparity among the three is especially stark. Yet Jiang Chen firmly believes that each existence holds its unique value.

He believes these seemingly modest skills and abilities will inevitably showcase their strength in the future.

Some professions become stronger later on, and some skills likewise gradually reveal their power as time passes and the user grows.

As for the Skeleton Berserkers, under Jiang Chen's talent boost, their Four-dimensional Attributes have reached an astonishing 312,000.

A single attribute alone can already rival a same‑level Lord-level BOSS. If the Four-dimensional Attributes are summed, even a World BOSS would struggle to match them.

If someday in the future the Skeleton Berserkers' vitality can be further enhanced, they will become beings stronger than World-Class BOSSes.

Jiang Chen often imagines that when he reaches the Divine Level, those Skeletons might also ascend to the Divine Level.

Imagine a charge of a Divine‑level Undead Legion numbering hundreds of thousands, millions, even tens of millions—what a spectacular sight that would be.

By then, even when facing the mighty super

god, Jiang Chen also believes he has sufficient confidence to deal with it.

After exhausting the uses of three Advanced Cooldown Talismans, Jiang Chen levels up again under everyone's gaze.

He proves with his actions that he truly is solo running instances, not wasting resources.

His conduct also demonstrates to everyone that the instance is not impossible to solo run; it's merely a matter of insufficient personal ability.

This undoubtedly delivers a resounding slap to all doubters.

Finally, Jiang Chen checks his level—56 (13%).

"After level 56, each level‑up can only add 1.3% Experience," Jiang Chen sighs lightly.

The Teleport Stone in his hand activates, a flash of light bursts, and Jiang Chen's figure vanishes on the spot.

However, at that moment, another strange light flashes in the sky, landing precisely in an unknown space.

Jiang Chen, mid‑teleport, immediately senses something amiss.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time; you're finally taking action," Jiang Chen's mouth corners lifted slightly, as the enemy hidden in the shadows finally showed its hand.