Chapter 30: The Terrifying Gap in Strength

“Humanoid monster?”
“No, that aura is different from both monsters and humans. Could it be… an extraterrestrial demon?!”
Song Qi grew increasingly tense.
Although Principal Shen had already warned him that humanity was not a monolith, he had never expected that a demon would be lurking within the City Lord’s Mansion.
He turned to look beside him.
Lü Bu was clutching his chest, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his hand trembling at the wrist. He could hardly muster half of his full strength.
The opponent’s power was truly astounding!
Just the recoil from a single clash left Lü Bu severely wounded, while the enemy remained utterly unscathed.
The gap between their strengths was simply unfathomable.
Thud!
A dull metallic thump sounded as the black humanoid being stepped out of the dark mist.
At this moment, Song Qi finally saw his true form.
The figure was completely encased in black armor, not a single inch exposed!
The black mist that had been scattered before now seeped once again from every crevice of the armor with every movement.
In just a few breaths, the black hand reformed.
Lü Bu’s eyes reddened; he forced himself upright and took a step forward, placing himself in front of Song Qi.
“My lord, go! I’ll cover you!”
Boom!
Lü Bu’s aura surged forth!
The blood-red cloak behind him whipped and snapped in the wind, his momentum now even more formidable than before!
Then…
A towering crimson steed materialized from the void, emerging slowly.
[Ding!]
[ Sensing its master in danger, Red Hare broke free from part of its seal and has followed to this world! ]
[ Congratulations! Divine Red Hare’s current unseal progress: 10%! ]
“Hahaha… Good! Red Hare, who would have thought we’d meet again!”
“In that case, today let’s fight side by side, with all our might!”
Coughing blood, Lü Bu laughed wildly and vaulted onto his horse’s back.
“Neigh!”
Red Hare, sensing the battle spirit, reared up, its hooves striking the air with a thunderous sound.
Man and horse leaped into action, brimming with fighting spirit!
The Sky-Piercer Halberd came crashing down!
The black hand was once again shattered!
“Red Hare actually broke its own seal?!”
“What a pleasant surprise!”
Song Qi was momentarily stunned, but quickly came to his senses and hurriedly opened the lottery interface.
He had saved up three draws, planning to use them later.
But now, he couldn’t afford to give up any chance to improve his odds of survival.
[Ding!]
[Ding!]
[Ding!]
The system’s mechanical voice chimed three times in succession.

[ Congratulations! You have obtained a Triple Experience Card (duration: 2 hours). ]
[ Congratulations! You have obtained a Quintuple Experience Card (duration: 2 hours). ]
[ Congratulations! You have obtained ten Triple Experience Cards (duration: 2 hours). ]
[ Please note: You have used eight lottery draws. The tenth draw is guaranteed to yield a special reward. One more draw to go—keep it up! ]
“Damn it!!!”
Right now, Song Qi wanted nothing more than to curse. What kind of lottery system was this!
Were there only experience cards in the prize pool?
Guaranteed reward?
These three prizes were going to get him killed! Guaranteed reward, my foot!
While Song Qi was fuming, the battle ahead suddenly shifted.
A mass of black mist slipped past Lü Bu, hurtling straight at Song Qi.
“Crap!”
He tried to dodge, but the mist was far too swift—he had no time to react.
It surged into his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all at once.
“Urgh…”
In a heartbeat, Song Qi felt as if his entire body was filled to bursting with the black mist.
His airways were sealed; suffocation crashed over him.
Even the space between his scalp and brain seemed invaded by the darkness.
His consciousness began to dissolve into chaos.
His mental energy scattered, and he could no longer maintain Lü Bu’s presence.
Pop!
Lü Bu and Red Hare vanished like popped bubbles.
“My life ends here.”
Song Qi could feel his life force ebbing away.
He was going to die.
“I just wonder if, after dying this time, I’ll transmigrate again.”
Perhaps because he had already died and crossed worlds once before, Song Qi found himself strangely calm.
He felt his body growing heavier, his brain starved of oxygen, his thoughts slowing to a crawl.
Time slipped by, second after second…
Suddenly!
“Cough… ugh…”
Song Qi sensed weightlessness—the black mist abruptly ripped itself from his body at the last moment.
“Gasp—”
“Gasp—”
He was dumped onto the ground, greedily gulping in fresh air.
After several deep breaths, he began to recover.
When he looked up again, he saw the armored figure had removed his helmet, revealing the face every resident of the Seventh District knew well.
“City… City Lord?”
Song Qi glanced at the elevator doors.
He saw a thin veil of black mist drifting away from the LED display that showed the floor number.
He was on the twelfth floor.
The danger had passed. He collapsed to the floor, unwilling to move another inch.
In that instant, everything made sense.
Most likely, all that had just happened was the City Lord’s test.
“What’s this? You can’t even stand?”

The City Lord’s armor dissolved into black mist, revealing casual attire beneath.
He walked over, crouched down, and asked with a playful smile.
Song Qi turned away, refusing to answer.
“Hey! Still got some spirit.”
The City Lord chuckled, took out a thumb-sized vial, and placed it beside Song Qi.
“Alright, get up. This is a Life Elixir—drink it and your wounds will heal. Think of it as my apology.”
A Life Elixir?
Worth fifty million credits a bottle, rumored to reattach even severed limbs and pull someone back from the brink of death?
At that, Song Qi finally turned his head.
He looked and saw it was indeed the real thing!
He hesitated.
“My summoned spirit is injured too…”
Clink!
Before he finished, another Life Elixir was tossed his way.
“Now are you satisfied?” the City Lord asked.
Song Qi’s face split into a grin and he nodded vigorously.
“I’m satisfied, very satisfied.”
In truth, the dosage for a Life Elixir was a mere drop.
A single bottle was enough to heal both his and Lü Bu’s injuries completely.
The second bottle was simply a gift.
Song Qi got up, dripped a drop into his mouth, then summoned the gravely wounded Lü Bu.
After explaining, he gave Lü Bu two drops as well.
But Lü Bu’s injuries were more severe, and his own attributes higher, so recovery would take a bit longer.
Watching Lü Bu’s state improve visibly, Song Qi finally relaxed.
He only had this one summoned spirit for now.
He couldn’t summon a second until he reached level twenty.
He couldn’t let anything happen to this one.
He then asked in confusion,
“By the way, City Lord, why did you call me here today? It wasn’t just to torment me, was it?”
“That wasn’t torment, merely a test.”
The City Lord reached out with his right hand, and a mass of black mist gathered behind him into a chair. He lounged back comfortably.
“This black mist is one of my means of attack, but it also serves a diagnostic purpose.”
“The attack just now was both a trial and a test.”
“A test?” Song Qi scratched his head.
“A test for what? Talent?”
“No.”
The City Lord shook his head.
“A test to see if you’re human.”