The Gobi Desert was quiet in the early morning.

The air was still chilly. Du Yu walked at the head of the team, two Long Spears strapped to his back.

When they were three hundred meters from their destination, he took a vial from his robes. It contained the black fat-tailed scorpion venom he had collected the day before. He carefully coated his spearheads with the poison.

Yuan Ming said, "Instructor Du, we’ll be waiting for you for lunch."

Qin Ziwu said, "Instructor, you have so much experience killing Raptors. You’ll definitely succeed."

Qin Ziwen cut them off. "Both of you, shut up. Stop jinxing him. Du Yu, your safety is the top priority. If it doesn’t work out, we can always try again."

A short distance away, the corners of Du Yu’s mouth lifted in a smile, his gaze resolute. "Yes."

In a cave within the canyon, a massive Desert Raptor was curled up, resting.

While it wasn’t at the very top of the food chain in this part of the Gobi Desert, it was certainly near the apex.

Most animals fled at the mere scent of it, but now, it seemed to hear approaching footsteps.

It raised its head warily, its eyes turning vicious.

It arched its back and crawled out of the cave. Once outside, it stretched its body and stared down imperiously at the human not far away.

There were no superfluous greetings, no pre-battle intimidation. Like a sharp arrow, it shot forward without hesitation.

Du Yu planted one Long Spear into the ground and took half a step back.

He thrust forward with the other spear in his hand.

The Long Spear planted in the ground and the one in his hands formed a two-layered, continuous spear formation.

The Desert Raptor’s speed was beyond imagination. Its massive body blurred into an afterimage skimming across the ground as it charged.

Du Yu’s pupils contracted.

At the last moment, he changed his attack, shifting from a thrust to a sweep, and precisely slammed the Long Spear onto the Raptor’s front claw, right in its path.

BANG!

A giant strength traveled up the spear shaft, making the web of Du Yu’s hand go numb. He used the momentum to slide backward.

The Raptor’s forward momentum was broken. It let out a low hiss, the vicious light in its eyes intensifying. It leaped, opening its cavernous maw, and brought it down on Du Yu’s head, accompanied by a foul-smelling wind.

"Die!"

A sharp glint flashed in Du Yu’s eyes. Gripping the spear with both hands, he executed an upward thrust.

The Long Spear shot straight up through the Raptor’s open mouth and drove deep into its skull!

PSHNK!

The Long Spear pierced its upper jaw, ran through its snout, and the tip burst out the other side. Blood sprayed wildly!

The Desert Raptor’s body stiffened, its massive frame slamming into Du Yu with its remaining momentum.

The sleeve on Du Yu’s left arm was instantly shredded. Three wounds, deep enough to show bone, burst open. The immense force sent him flying, and he crashed heavily onto the sand.

The Desert Raptor staggered a few more steps before collapsing with a thunderous crash. The ferocity in its eyes quickly faded, leaving them dull and gray.

On the surface of its body, two Cards gradually materialized.

Lying on the ground, Du Yu stared up at the sky, his chest the only thing moving as he heaved for breath.

"Du Yu!"

Qin Ziwen rushed forward and helped Du Yu up.

Du Yu pushed himself to his feet. His face showed no joy, only the calm that follows a great battle.

"Drink this first." Qin Ziwen took out some water from the Healing Spring and had Du Yu drink it.

"Sir, there’s one last step." Du Yu walked to the Desert Raptor’s corpse and sliced open its neck. Blood gushed out like a high-pressure hose, drenching him completely.

Du Yu closed his eyes and sat down on the spot. His skin turned crimson, and his whole body seemed to burn like a pyre.

He raised his arm as if he could feel something.

The others gathered around, their eyes fixed on Du Yu.

They waited until Du Yu opened his eyes on his own.

"Sir, I feel like I’ve broken through some kind of shackles." Du Yu raised his arm and threw a jab.

The punch whistled through the air, creating a sharp gust.

None of the three Full Stars humans present could clearly see the motion.

A hint of shock flashed in Cao Biansheng’s eyes. He was certain that the speed and power Instructor Du had just displayed with that punch had already surpassed his own limits, clearly reaching another level.

"Anything else?" Qin Ziwen asked.

"Besides that, I feel... there’s also this." Du Yu murmured thoughtfully, then began to concentrate.

Soon, his skin grew redder and redder. Veins surfaced all over his body, the dark red vessels looking like a dense network of demonic runes from a distance. Qin Ziwen, who was supporting him, could feel Du Yu’s body temperature rising.

Du Yu said, "In this state, my physical attributes are further enhanced. There should be other changes as well, but it’s been too short a time. I’ll need more time to confirm them."

Qin Ziwen used Insight on Du Yu.

[Extraordinary Dragon Hunter Human (Du Yu): ☆☆☆☆★]: Level 2 Hunting Intuition, Level 1 Blood Boiling, Level 1 Dragon Blood Warrior

’The changes Du Yu said he needed time to confirm must be the newly added Hunting Intuition.’

Qin Ziwen asked curiously, "How many of your former self do you think you could fight now?"

Du Yu thought about it seriously. "That depends on whether it’s a gauntlet or a simultaneous battle. If it’s a gauntlet, I could probably take on four or five. If they all came at me at once, I think two or three would be my limit."

"That’s it?" Cao Biansheng was a little disappointed. He felt Instructor Du’s improvement didn’t quite justify the effort.

Du Yu could understand Cao Biansheng’s thinking. He said calmly, "I was referring to my pre-breakthrough self. In terms of pure strength, five of my old selves combined wouldn’t have stood a chance against that raptor. And yet, it’s the one lying dead here now."

"Besides, after breaking through the limits of humanity, I can feel that the shackles that once bound me have been broken. It’s allowed me to see the path forward." Du Yu looked up. His greatest fear had always been not seeing a path ahead.

As long as there was a path, he could walk it.

Qin Ziwu asked curiously, "So can you solo a Tyrannosaurs now?"

Du Yu paused, seriously considering the feasibility.

He finally spoke. "Favorable timing, geographical advantage, and unified support. If I can secure two of the three, there might be a chance."

Qin Ziwen understood. He knew Du Yu’s character.

Du Yu wasn’t the type to boast. If he could do something, he’d say so. If he couldn’t, he wouldn’t.

Previously, when asked the same question, Du Yu had always denied it was possible.

Du Yu got up and collected the Cards that had formed above the corpse.

[Enhancement Card] Animal Constitution Enhancement Card (One Star) x1, [Building Card] Level 1 Blacksmith Shop.

They had gotten quite a few Enhancement Cards in the past two days: one Human Physique Enhancement Card and two Animal Constitution Enhancement Cards.

The Mongolian Horses were in for a treat.

Afterward, the group worked together to drag the Desert Raptor’s corpse back.

Luo Gang and Zou Jianghe greeted them at the gate. "Is it done?"

"It’s done." With Du Yu’s breakthrough, Qin Ziwen was in a good mood, a smile playing on his lips.

For the past few days, Qin Ziwen had been frantically searching for a lone Desert Raptor, a fact that Luo Gang and Zou Jianghe had both noticed. That was why when Zou Jianghe learned about this particular Desert Raptor, he had told Qin Ziwen directly, earning himself a favor.

Qin Ziwen had to acknowledge that favor, so he didn’t hide anything. He directly told the two the secret they were anticipating. "It’s the mission ritual for a Breakthrough Card to transcend human limits."

Amidst their complicated emotions, he told them about the effects of the Breakthrough Card. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"So when you eventually have to choose a mission, picking the right one is the most important thing."

’A Second Gear mission... is that something a human can even do?’ Zou Jianghe was shocked.

’The most fucking terrifying part is that he actually managed to complete it?!’

...

...