Chapter 81: (1)

(PS: There is still another part, which can also count as a chapter; it might be a bit past 12 o'clock. Sorry. But rest assured, all updates count toward today, and tomorrow's update volume will not be less.)

After the Fire-Feathered Humans retreated, Fang Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This battle was the most severely injurious one since his rebirth.

Fang Shi had not been injured for a long time; previous battles were either crushing victories.

Or life-or-death situations where life and death were decided within two or three moves.

But it was all worth it; the second effect of Berkner's Demonic Longbow has been successfully activated.

"Effect Three: Demon Wolf. You can cast Interdimensional Summoning three times a day, summoning Giant Wolves from the Howling Plains to fight for you.

The Giant Wolves' level matches your level, with a maximum cap of level 22. (Sealed)

You must sacrifice at least 200 Tier-1 Souls to unseal the Demon Wolf's effect.

And you must also sacrifice 20 Tier-1 Souls daily to maintain the Demon Wolf's effect."

Fang Shi glanced at the third effect and lost interest.

Is this effect strong?

Very strong. Although Fang Shi did not know how powerful the summoned Giant Wolves would be, he figured they should not be weak.

After all, the cost to unseal them is so high.

Especially later on, when he can summon three Legendary Giant Wolves, it will be incredibly powerful.

But the problem is that this summoning scales with the holder's level.

Fang Shi's strength has already surpassed the limits of his level.

No matter how strong the summoned Giant Wolves are, they would only be equivalent to three Gato Monsters.

For Fang Shi, the significance is not great, especially given the high cost.

"Forget it, let's take it slow. I'll unseal it when there's an opportunity and see what the fourth effect is."

"Today's battle is basically over; I'll just level up to 8 first."

Fang Shi pondered, opened his attribute panel with his consciousness, and clicked to level up.

"Consume 28,000 Experience Points to advance to level 8?"

"Yes."

"Please select the class to advance."

"Air Refiner."

"You have advanced to a Level 3 Air Refiner."

"You gain 4 + Intelligence (14-10)/2 = 6 Skill Points."

"Your Health Points increase by 8 + Constitution (18-10)/2 + Robust 1 = 13 points."

"Your Magic Power increases: 6 → 7."

"You gain one free Attribute Point."

"As a Level 3 Air Refiner, you can acquire one Personal Feat."

Fang Shi glanced at the long list of feats, pondered for a moment, and finally selected one feat.

"【Extra Magic Power I】: Your Magic Power increases by 2 points."

"Your Magic Power increases: 7 → 9."

The current Fang Shi lacks neither burst damage, nor defense, nor speed.

The only thing he lacks is Magic Power. If Fang Shi had enough Magic Power.

He would not have been injured in the previous battle; using the Bai He Sword Art would have easily resolved the crisis.

"Name: Fang Shi"

"Race: Human"

"Attributes: Strength 19 (+1), Agility 24 (+6), Constitution 18, Intelligence 14, Perception 21, Charisma 15"

"Classes: Level 5 Martial Artist / Level 3 Air Refiner"

"Stage: Qi Refining"

"Health Points: 37/101"

"Magic Power: 2/9"

"Experience Points: 1324/36000"

"Attribute Points: 4"

"Feat Points: 1"

"Survival Points: 5422.4"

"Race Feat: Versatile I"

"Life Skills: (Omitted)"

"Class Skills: (Omitted)"

"Personal Trait: Transcendent Perception"

"Personal Feats: Iron Will II, Athlete I, Eloquent Memory I, Tenacity I, True Dragon Armor III, Shi Breathing Method IV, Divine Stride I, Lightning Reflexes III, Weakness Insight I, Robust I, Force Resistance I, Swordsmanship I, Extra Magic Power I"

"Class Feats: Gale Combo I, Unarmed Attack I, Steel Bones I, Crushing Fist I, Reflexive Evasion I, Improved Initiative I, Cannon Fist I, Vertical Leap I, Immune to All Diseases I, Magic Power Control I, Magic Power Conversion I, Spirit Power Absorption I"

"Combat Feats: Sword Art Formula (Perfected), Bai He Sword Art (Perfected), Multiple Force (Second Force)"

Four hours later.

Fang Shi walked through the grassy woods and the streets and alleys, strolling casually.

This moment could be called the safest time after the apocalypse.

When extraterrestrial creatures descended from the light sphere, they exhibited a distinct characteristic.

That was that extraterrestrial creatures no longer emerged from spatial channels.

Instead, they were deployed once daily at dawn.

Of course, this time would later be called 8 o'clock in the morning.

Just like in the monster defense war, as long as humans eliminated the extraterrestrial creatures, the entire city would be safe.

The downside was that the deployment of extraterrestrial creatures was incredibly precise.

One could say everyone had to face monsters.

No matter which corner you hid in, you would be attacked by extraterrestrial creatures.

Therefore, it was no longer possible to find a hidden corner to store food as before.

Hiding inside, ignoring everything, and peacefully passing through the apocalypse.

At this current point in time, the Fire Feather People and Fire Wing Birds had basically been dealt with by the humans of Ancheng.

Ancheng had gained a rare peace.

Yet such a moment had come at a heavy price.

As Fang Shi walked along, every residential building he passed had its outer layer severely damaged, some still retaining traces of fire.

The surviving humans, with numb expressions, carried corpse after corpse and dumped them in the nearby jungle.

There were Fire Feather People and Fire Wing Birds, but the majority were humans.

No one wailed or mourned.

Because the relatives and friends of the vast majority had already died when the apocalypse began.

Basically, everyone was a lone wolf.

In fact, the number of people who committed suicide after the apocalypse was not small.

Those who continued to live did so only because they were unwilling to die like this.

They wanted to struggle to survive.

But now, even these people were about to collapse.

Besides the survival issue, the apocalypse also brought severe psychological problems.

Humans are intelligent lifeforms with an incredibly rich emotional system.

Empathy and sorrow for one's own kind are basic abilities.

In peaceful times, this could still alert humans to cherish life and stay away from death.

But in this cruel apocalypse, especially with the tragic deaths of most people today.

The aftermath was very severe; those carrying the corpses already belonged to the group with the most resilient psyches.

Some others were like dead bodies, staying inside the buildings, not knowing what to do.

They simply watched the busy others quietly.

There was no joy, only numbness and stagnation.

As if surviving was not a happy thing either.

Perhaps there was happiness when they were first rescued.

But as time passed, it turned into despair.

Especially since emotions are contagious; when passed from person to person, it became even more disheartening.

Even some cadres' hearts were filled with the air of death.

Mechanically leading everyone to work, they let those who didn't want to work do as they pleased.

Fang Shi shook his head, quickened his pace, and soon arrived before a hundred-meter-tall skyscraper.

The soldiers busy at the gate, seeing Fang Shi stride with the bearing of a dragon and the step of a tiger, all made way for a path.

"Greetings, Advisor Fang!"

One by one, they saluted Fang Shi; some of them had been the earliest to follow Zhao Wenjun.

Those who had seen Fang Shi's face personally, and those who had not, cleverly followed their companions in saluting.

Through the dissemination by Luo Song and others, Fang Shi's great name spread again throughout Ancheng.

After this period of circulation.

Everyone knew the founder of the Breathing Method, the strongest among humans, Fang Shi, had returned.

And he had returned with outstanding achievements.

He had saved the residents of two buildings.

The official authorities of Ancheng showed no trend of stopping this.

Instead, they fanned the flames, hoping to establish an image of a hero through this.

Hoping to ignite hope in the hearts of the people.

"Mm." Fang Shi nodded; he was quite accustomed to these behaviors.

"Take me to Zhao Wenjun."

"Yes, Advisor Fang!" The soldier named by Fang Shi was overjoyed.

He unconsciously puffed out his chest, as if it were the greatest honor.

The other soldiers looked at him with envious eyes.

As the strongest among humans.

Fang Shi was capable of single-handedly defeating the extraterrestrial creatures of an entire building.

He was an existence difficult for anyone to reach.

He was simply a hero among humans.

Everyone takes pride in being close to him.

Moreover, he created the To Breathing Method, greatly enhancing human strength.

If Fang Shi is in a good mood, receiving guidance on the To Breathing Method is an even greater profit.

Now, no one would underestimate the importance of strength.

"Master, you have arrived," Zhao Wenjun said ashamedly.

"Please forgive your disciple for not coming to welcome you personally."

"Nor did I take the initiative to visit you."

Fang Shi waved his hand indifferently: "It doesn't matter; I do not place much importance on such empty formalities."

"Especially at this time, your work is busy; post-disaster reconstruction is not easy."

Zhao Wenjun remained full of apology: "I am glad Master understands."

Fang Shi suddenly spoke seriously: "How do you think the humans in Ancheng are doing now?"

Zhao Wenjun's expression froze, looking somewhat ugly: "Not good; basically, they have no fighting spirit at all."

"Reconstruction work is extremely slow; most people suffer from post-disaster syndrome to some degree."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"Our current plan is to wait until the priests recover their spell slots tomorrow, then use spells like Soothing Mind to eliminate negative emotions."

"Previously, many civilians and soldiers suffering from psychological problems were treated this way."

"The effect is very good, much better than seeing a psychologist or taking medicine before the apocalypse."

Fang Shi shook his head: "You are treating the symptoms, not the root cause."

"Moreover, your spell slots are definitely insufficient, especially at the same time tomorrow."

"Otherworldly creatures will descend again; you need to reserve your spell slots for the enemy."

Zhao Wenjun was startled: "What! Otherworldly creatures will descend again?"

Having experienced today's battle, Zhao Wenjun was already exhausted in his heart.

If not for the heavy burden of his position, he would have even wanted to escape.

Who would have thought otherworldly creatures would descend the next day as well.

"That's right, they will continue to descend. And just like today, they will be dropped at fixed points via light spheres."

"And they will still be able to enter and exit buildings at will."

Zhao Wenjun felt his scalp go numb and grew restless: "Master, forgive my rudeness as I leave. I must tell everyone this news; humanity can no longer bear such losses."

Fang Shi smiled: "Do not rush; I have not finished speaking yet."

"Actually, the fact that otherworldly creatures arrive the next day is not a bad thing."

"Have you not noticed? The deployment of otherworldly creatures follows a pattern."

"The more people there are, the more monsters there are."

Zhao Wenjun was not stupid; a glint flashed in his eyes: "Master, do you mean we can set traps and ambush them in advance?"

"Even shoot at the sky when they descend to knock down the light spheres."

Fang Shi nodded: "That's right, that can indeed be done. But the light spheres are invincible; you need not waste effort on them."

"You only need to find a flat, large open space and arrange your positions."

"Wait for the otherworldly creatures to descend, then form encirclements to annihilate them directly."

"If operated well, you can basically kill monsters without any losses."

"And it can also build strong confidence among the people."

"Thereby establishing the goal of rebuilding their homes and dispelling the shadows in their hearts."

"As long as the people see hope, seeing otherworldly creatures easily killed."

"And even feel themselves growing stronger, they will have the motivation to survive."

The more Zhao Wenjun listened, the brighter his eyes became: "A good method, truly a good method; no wonder you are my master."

Fang Shi smiled; he had merely repeated the methods used by the Hua Guo officials before his rebirth.

Now, he was just proposing it earlier.

Fang Shi had also heard that the other nations on Blue Star.

Mostly relied on establishing churches to give their citizens psychological support.

Fang Shi continued: "I remind you of one thing; the Trial Tower is usable again now."

"Of course, even if I didn't say it, you would send people to try it every day."

"However, you must also pay attention to one point."

"Otherworldly creatures are not stupid; be careful of the losses caused if they break out."

"Especially, otherworldly creatures that break out must be surrounded and annihilated as soon as possible."

"Otherwise, they will gather in greater numbers, and eventually assemble into a great army to attack you."

Zhao Wenjun nodded; he did not ask why Fang Shi knew so much.

This was the benefit of being powerful.

Fang Shi's strength was already common knowledge among everyone.

Furthermore, due to his actions after the Second Impact, his reputation was even higher.

Every word and deed carried immense authority.

If not for Fang Shi needing rest and Ancheng's high officials needing to handle post-war affairs.

After the war ended, those who wanted to see Fang Shi could form a long queue.

Of course, this also had a factor of Fang Shi's personality.

Earlier, the Hua nation side had already conducted a corresponding personality simulation based on Fang Shi's performance in Ancheng.

They also knew Fang Shi liked quiet, and thus everyone had a sense of it in their hearts.

As for Fang Shi, unless necessary, do not disturb him, to avoid causing his displeasure.

To avoid giving rise to a rift.