Very soon, a tall man carrying a Black Gold Long Spear approached Ye Mingqiu and straightforwardly said, "I’m here to spar and hone my skills. What’s the price?"

"Attribute Enhancement Items, capped over 100," Ye Mingqiu responded with the same brevity.

The man produced a black elixir and displayed its information panel.

[True Martial Pill]

Description: A Treasure Pill from the Gao Wu World. Its use can significantly enhance the Power Attribute, with an enhancement cap of 120 points.

"Agreed," Ye Mingqiu said.

"I have one condition: during our spar, you cannot use attributes exceeding mine, nor use Skills. In return, I will also refrain from using Skills or equipment, keeping it a pure skill-honing spar," the man continued.

"Huh?"

Ye Mingqiu raised his eyes and asked in confusion, "Isn’t this common knowledge in skill sparring? Since when did such common knowledge need to be explicitly stated?"

"Uh... I encountered some problems recently,"

The man sighed, his expression pensive.

"When do we start?"

"Right now."

....

In an instant, the silhouettes of Ye Mingqiu and the man were teleported to the arena, and he also learned the man’s codename: Old Hei.

This battle is a spar, so the arena’s setup is relatively simple—just an ordinary platform, devoid of any flashy terrain, most suited for straightforward and simple sparring.

Of course, if one has special requirements, they can change the arena environment by spending a small number of Spiritual Points, but there is no need to change it at present.

"Divine Monarch, let me see how your skill level measures up," Old Hei lifted his Black Gold Battle Spear, eyes gleaming with fervor.

"Alright."

Ye Mingqiu was equally full of Battle Intent.

It’s rare to encounter a master in spear usage. Though guns and spears are slightly different, the combat experience and techniques can be mutually referenced and validated. Sparring with a Spiritualist of the same type can better enhance the Specialty Level.

"Come!"

Old Hei’s eyes sharpened, and his towering body burst forward like a Tank, rushing at an incredible speed. His Black Gold Long Spear thrust out, a single flash of cold transformed into dozens of silver glows flickering as if dozens of venomous snakes were unleashed, terrifying.

[Innate Perception]

Ye Mingqiu wielded the Blood Spear, focusing intently on Old Hei before him. The dozens of silver glows seemed alive, moving forward in an elusive path from the perspective of Innate Perception, constantly shifting, difficult to be directly countered.

This feeling was something he had encountered once before during sparring with Tang Ruobing; Tang Ruobing’s magic control was extremely strong, with the trajectories of countless ice spikes being controlled in real-time, adapting to his movements, requiring extra focus.

Now, it was the same feeling.

What a troublesome guy!

"Clang!"

The Blood Spear cut through the air, accurately intercepting the gun’s shadows, dissipating dozens of silver glows.

But Old Hei was unsurprised, simply twisting his wrist to make the deflected spear rapidly rotate back, the Black Gold shaft trembling with a breathtaking arc, followed by a sharp straightening explosion of a stronger offensive thrust.

What mastery of the spear!

Ye Mingqiu’s eyes brightened, again swinging his spear to counter, controlling his power to match Old Hei’s level. His combat experience escalated rapidly with each engagement, and his learning, memory, and mastery progressed at an alarmingly fast pace.

....

"I feel that our leader might suffer a loss."

Qing Yu on the audience seats smiled, munching on seeds, watching the sparring below.

"What makes you say that?"

"I know Old Hei. This guy’s overall strength might not be high, but his foundation is extremely solid. And he’s already saved enough to buy Techniques, planning to soar directly when he advances to Tier Two."

Qing Yu gestured with the seed packet, indicating that Lu should also have some, and continued, "Though his strength isn’t high, his Specialty Level is maxed out. And he’s also grasped momentum—although it’s unstable, he can trigger it occasionally. If he unleashes an attack with momentum, the Divine Monarch will find it hard to resist."

"His Specialty Level is maxed?"

Lu was somewhat surprised.

Among Spiritualists, having a maxed Specialty Level is actually uncommon because, compared to Skills, upgrading Specialties is more difficult and offers relatively minor benefits, often being a lower priority. Only those very strict with themselves will max it out.

In general cases, even in extreme Level 10 Heroes, many have not maxed their Specialty Levels. After all, the number of Skill Books required to upgrade is vast, and the difficulty to upgrade through combat is high, meaning many can’t raise their Specialty as fast as they level up.

Those who max out their Specialty Level typically start training young, possess good Talent, work hard, and have abundant family resources, and only under these circumstances can they max out.

"However, it may not be certain; our leader gives me a weird impression."

"How so?"

"Mm..."

Qing Yu thought a moment and said, "He feels like his Specialty Level isn’t high, but he can easily See Through his opponent’s attacks and make appropriate counters."

"Of course, that’s not the main point. The main point is that his combat fluency seems to be increasing in a terrifying manner, as if a once-amnesiac master is gradually Awakening his combat instincts, mastering what he originally knew... perhaps this is part of a greater cost."

"Cost?"

Lu murmured softly.

He always felt this was not as simple as Qing Yu imagined.

Because, according to historical records, the Ancient God’s remains they challenged happened to be the Omaragon’s Remains, and the leader most likely obtained the [Eye of Omaragon] at that time. If that’s truly the case,

then the Divine Monarch’s Level...

the Divine Monarch’s Combat Talent...

This is just too terrifying!