As Chu Xuan analyzed the situation, future battles, due to the emergence of protective gear, would gradually shift toward close combat or legendary magic-based ranged attacks. The reason for this gradual shift is that protection equipment below Grade B isn't highly effective against high-tech weaponry, meaning high-tech weapons will remain relevant for quite some time.

"Protective gear has a very distinct characteristic: it offers strong defense against long-range attacks or explosive damage from high-tech weaponry. Conversely, this type of gear is much weaker against close combat and legendary magic. At the very least, the Dragon Crystal Necklace we wear only defends against attacks from high-tech ranged weapons, offering far less defense against a direct physical blow from a fist. Thus, when we face battles against other teams, if they have widely adopted Grade B protective gear, or if they also possess Dragon Crystal Necklaces, our high-tech weapons could very well become useless."

Chu Xuan laid out the characteristics of future weaponry and personal enhancement for everyone, being particularly clear about the relationship between self-enhancement and weapon dependency.

"Let’s use an analogy. Suppose there are four of us—excluding Zhan Lan—fighting against Zheng Zha. Unless we encounter him in an open field, and he has no Grade B protective gear or items like the Dragon Crystal Necklace, only then could we obliterate him before he closes the distance. Both Zero Point’s Gauss Sniper Rifle and Overlord’s Tubular Pulse Rifle could achieve this. But what if he does have Grade B protective gear? Then the ones who die will definitely be the four of us. Once he gets close, our demise is certain."

"Changing the combat scenario to a city filled with skyscrapers? With so many obstructions and varied terrain, in an environment like that... even without any defensive gear, he would be enough to kill us all... Therefore, weapons are merely external enhancements to our attributes. If they cannot protect us like robotic shells, we must enhance our own inherent attributes to increase survivability."

"This is what I believe. In the future, besides strengthening my orthodox Gun-Fu skills, I will also enhance high-survival attributes. For instance, I find the high regenerative capability of the Troll Bloodline quite appealing..." Everyone broke out in cold sweat. The notion was too jarring; they could hardly imagine someone as cold and intelligent as Chu Xuan being a Troll, and furthermore, coldly analyzing situations for them—it seemed virtually impossible.

"I was merely giving an example; you don't need to make such exaggerated expressions... In short, I will first master Gun-Fu to raise my combat strength, and then reinforce high-survival bloodlines. Compared to direct combat, my role in the team should be that of an analyst and planner. I don't need to compete with you for fighting positions."

Zheng Zha nodded: "In that case, I will continue to strengthen my Internal Force and Vampire Bloodline enhancements, as my 'Explosion' and 'Destruction' skills require the entanglement and detonation of these two energies. My clone seems to have already abandoned Internal Force enhancement; he even grew a pair of bat wings. It looks like he must have already cultivated his Vampire Bloodline to a very high level... Aside from enhancing these two attributes, I will probably exchange for a high-grade legendary magic weapon later when I have more reward points and sub-plot opportunities, and then continue to grow stronger. At the very least, I must stop facing my clone..." Overlord, seeing both Zheng Zha and Chu Xuan speak, also thought for a moment and said, "I find the destructive power of this Tubular Pulse Rifle quite good, but since you both think it might be countered by protective gear... I might as well exchange for a legendary magic suppression-type weapon. Hahaha, Zheng Zha, help me choose such a weapon when we get back. As for inherent attribute enhancement... what do you think about enhancing my Werewolf Bloodline? I always feel that those huge, furry creatures look incredibly formidable."

Huge... furry... creature. Isn't that describing you? Everyone looked at Overlord with bizarre expressions. This big Russian fellow truly resembled a giant bear standing upright and speaking human language. It seemed enhancing the Werewolf Bloodline was indeed the best way to boost his strength and speed.

Wang Xia’s desired direction of enhancement was completely unexpected by everyone. He actually wished to strengthen his Internal Force attribute, yet the weapon he chose was not a close-combat blade or sword. Despite enhancing Internal Force, his weapon choice was artillery—yes, he wanted to exchange for a cannon suitable for mobile deployment, preferably a legendary magic cannon. This defied everyone's expectations.

Zero Point's desired enhancement direction was similar to Wang Xia's, only he didn't need Internal Force. He chose an A-grade skill enhancement called "Foresight." Apparently, he had noticed this skill back when he enhanced the Hawk Eye. According to Zero Point, this was the skill every sniper dreamed of possessing. For weaponry, he also opted for a potentially high-level sniper rifle within the legendary magic category.

Zhan Lan’s enhancement was quite straightforward: she basically just needed to strengthen her psychic skills—whether it was telekinesis or mind control derived from psychic power. If she managed to fully develop these psychic skills, her combat prowess might not be inferior to the rest of the team’s combat members, and in terms of team utility, she might even surpass them.

During these nine days, everyone had a relatively clear idea of the enhancements and weapon exchanges they planned for the future, even if they currently lacked sufficient reward points or sub-plot opportunities. After resting for several days, Zheng Zha also resumed training his skills.

Setting other skills aside for the moment, Zheng Zha’s most immediate concern was his self-created skills, "Explosion" and "Heaven’s Ruin." As a skill usable under normal combat conditions, the power of "Explosion" was already terrifying. Given his now-improved physique and the two energies, once he activated "Explosion," his attack power would reach an extremely horrifying level. He could potentially destroy a yacht within seconds with just his fists or easily kill any ordinary person with a single blow. The sustained duration would be about several tens of seconds.

As for "Destruction," that was his ultimate life-saving skill. It instantly raised his strength to an extremely terrifying degree, allowing his speed to reach a level where he could walk on air, and a single kick could unleash effects like a vacuum slash. If he landed several full-power blows on a yacht, he was even confident he could break it in half—this was why his 1.78-meter body could shatter the lower jawbone of a giant dragon at that time. However, the skill named "Heaven's Ruin" implied complete and utter destruction—destroying the enemy also meant destroying himself. His body could only withstand it for less than ten seconds, and after use, his body would essentially be semi-paralyzed. This immense power was explosive but unsustainable, which was the greatest flaw of the "Destruction" skill.

Zheng Zha once had an accidental flash of inspiration regarding this flaw. Back on the island in the first arc, he spent one second executing the "Tempest Kick" (). This technique allowed him to exhibit the high destructive power of "Destruction" without exhausting the time limit and causing severe damage to his body. This was precisely the combat method he now hoped to train: instantaneous "Destruction"! Yes, instantly entering the "Destruction" state only to execute skills like "Soru" (), "Geppo" (), or "Tempest Kick," and then rapidly disengaging from the "Destruction" state once the skill was used. By activating "Destruction" only at the instant of striking the enemy, he could not only extend the duration of the skill significantly but also allow his body time to self-repair during the excess period. Given his current regenerative physique endowed by Dragon Cells, the instantaneous self-damage from "Destruction" could be quickly mended. This way, his sustained combat time could be prolonged indefinitely...

Thus, Zheng Zha began training the "Heaven's Ruin" skill. However, no matter how he trained, achieving perfect control over the "Destruction" state required breaking through a bottleneck: how to channel the Vampire and Internal Force energies into the heart more rapidly. There was always a slight delay in energy movement; one couldn't just move the energy the instant it contacted the other. The human body wasn't a controllable power source like a machine... Regardless, several days of training, punctuated by occasional leisure, quickly ended. The nine days passed by swiftly, ending almost in the blink of an eye. Everyone returned from the Gods and Ghosts Legendary world to the "Main God Space." Before their eyes, the small girl modeled after a handsome little boy by Zero Point stood in the "God Ascent Space" plaza. She had returned to this space almost simultaneously with them.

As everyone stared in astonishment, the little