Boom!
The shattered rocks exploded and shot out in all directions like pieces of cannonball fragments.
Qi Yuan was like a barbaric Iron Chariots, directly tearing apart the sharp rock swords, forcibly creating a path to the edge of the stone pillar.
"Such a powerful defense!" Sun Jia was slightly surprised.
He had been at rank 3 for many years, and as a peak rank 3, he knew very well what Qi Yuan's display of defense meant.
Against these Rock Spikes, a Tier 3 Enhanced Defense would definitely not be able to smash through them like Qi Yuan.
This meant that Qi Yuan's defensive enhancement was very likely not a standard rank 3 ability.
For wilderness refugees, there wasn't much difference between a standard ability and a non-standard ability, but for ability users of the Shelter, there was an insurmountable chasm between standard and non-standard abilities.
Gene medicine could allow ability users to steadily awaken a standard ability, but it didn't mean that gene medicine could completely replace automatic awakening. The main reason was that automatic awakening had a certain probability of awakening a non-standard ability.
Although non-standard abilities were usually stronger than standard abilities of the same type.
More importantly, the synergy between non-standard abilities and other abilities was far more powerful than standard abilities.
This meant that the probability of breaking through to rank 4 increased, meaning that there was a higher chance of stepping into a higher rank.
Sun Jia vaguely felt that he seemed to have guessed why Tanqiu valued Qi Yuan so much.
Just by relying on this non-standard defensive ability, Qi Yuan's core ability, the probability of stepping into rank 4 was much higher than other people's.
If Qi Yuan still had a non-standard ability that could be combined with his defensive ability, even if he only applied for the 1-star Glory Trial and controlled the core ability, the probability of stepping into rank 4 would still be over 50%.
If he could apply for the 3-star Glory Trial, it would be practically a 100% success rate.
The Black Steel Shelter's Glory Trial, from normal to excellent, was divided into 1-star, 2-star, 3-star, and 4-star. The contribution points required for each star were different.
The 1-star Glory Trial was the most popular, only requiring 1000 contribution points. Most residents of the Shelter could exchange for it.
However, from two stars onwards, the amount of contribution points needed to exchange would increase exponentially. Between each star level, the price would increase by a whole ten times. Exchanging for a three star Glory trial alone would require a total of a hundred thousand contribution points, enough to make most third level ability users shrink back.
In addition, there was an invisible threshold set by the higher-ups for the three-star Glory Trial. Even in the Black Steel Shelter, more than 90% of the aptitude users were unable to apply for the three-star Glory Trial.
Ke Shoulin had promised to give Pei Zongyan two chances to participate in the Glory Trial, but they were only two-star Glory Trial. Ke Shoulin might have a chance to participate in a three-star Glory Trial, but even though he was the vice chief of a combat division, he could not easily give this chance to someone else.
As for Sun Jia himself, he had practically no chance of applying for the 3-star Glory Trial. Moreover, all of his abilities were standard abilities awakened through the use of gene potions. The success rate of passing the 2-star Glory Trial to reach Tier 4 was no more than 30%.
Failing the Glory Trial would usually bring about serious repercussions, such as death, losing control of one's ability, or severe contamination. Very few people would have the chance to attempt a second Glory Trial after failing the first one.
Sun Jia was the same as most of the third level ability users in the Black Steel Shelter. He did not have the confidence to attempt the 2-star Glory Trial. He could only wait for a miracle to happen as time passed. If he was lucky enough to awaken a non-standard ability that could be embedded, he might still try. If he was unable to awaken a non-standard ability that could be embedded, the final outcome would be to use other methods to advance to a fake Tier 4 ability without a core ability.
Therefore, for Sun Jia, a Tier 4 mechanical suit made by Tanqiu might not be as attractive as a chance to participate in the 3-star Glory Trial, but it was far more attractive than two Tier 2 Glory Trials.
Sun Jia glanced at Pei Zongyan.
Pei Zongyan watched as Qi Yuan crushed the rock spikes with his body and broke through to the next pillar unscathed, leaving the other hunters in the dust. He also began to seriously examine Qi Yuan, examining this wasteland refugee that Ke Shoulin had singled out.
"How many non-standard abilities do you see on this Qi Yuan?" Pei Zongyan asked softly.
"At least two!" Sun Jia sighed.
"His defense and speed should both be non-standard abilities. With them embedded, even if it's a 1-star Glory Trial, he has a 50% chance of advancing to Tier 4 and gaining control of a core ability!"
"What an enviable talent!" Pei Zongyan said with a complicated expression.
He was the same as Sun Jia. Because he relied too much on gene potions, he did not awaken any non-standard abilities, nor did he have the chance to apply for the 3-star Glory Trial.
Now, a wasteland refugee had two non-standard abilities that could be embedded with each other. This made the two of them envious.
"Both of his non-standard abilities are combat abilities. This kind of person would be very popular no matter if he joined the military or the Wilderness Exploration Department. He would quickly accumulate enough merits to advance to the next tier. Why did Tanqiu recruit him to the lab as an assistant researcher?" Pei Zongyan probed.
"This is a question that Tanqiu needs to consider. Trash like us who don't even dare apply for the Glory Trial have no right to think about this!" Sun Jia said self-deprecatingly.
Pei Zongyan fell silent. Sun Jia was right. From a certain point of view, the two of them were indeed trash in the Black Steel Shelter. If they could not reach Tier 4 and gain control of a core ability, they would be eliminated by the shelter sooner or later. Although the shelter would not directly eliminate official residents, the higher-ups had a way to deal with eliminated people, and that was to send them out.
None of the eliminated people who were sent out into the wastelands had ever returned to the shelter alive. For the residents of the shelter, this was another form of exile.
Although the lifespan of humans in the new era had been greatly extended, with aptitude users below Tier 4 having an average lifespan of 100 years, in the Black Steel Shelter, there were almost no Tier 3 aptitude users above the age of 50.
All the residents of the shelter who were over the age of 50 and below Tier 4, except for a very small number of people, would receive a special assignment on the first working day after their 50th birthday.
For pseudo-Tier 4 aptitude users, Tier 4 was an insurmountable threshold. Most pseudo-Tier 4 aptitude users would fall outside this threshold. If they wanted to cross the threshold with their pseudo-Tier 4 aptitude, the success rate was even lower than passing the One-Star Glory Trial to reach Tier 4.
Not only did the shelter have a relatively perfect social order, but it also had the law of the jungle, where the strong preyed on the weak. The weak who could not keep up with the progress of the shelter were destined to be eliminated.
When he thought about how Qi Yuan was likely to reach Tier 4 in a short period of time, Pei Zongyan could no longer keep his calm. Jealousy spread wildly in his heart like weeds.
If I let Qi Yuan gain a foothold in the shelter, he will definitely take revenge on me!
Once I lose my value, I will definitely be kicked out by Ke Shoulin. Without anyone to protect me, I will not be able to withstand Qi Yuan's revenge. I might even be pushed out into the wastelands by Qi Yuan before I reach 50.
"Your heartbeat is 50% faster!" Kou Haitao said expressionlessly as he turned around and stared into Pei Zongyan's eyes.
"I know what you're thinking, but I'm warning you. Don't cause trouble for me. I don't want to mess with Ke Shoulin, but that doesn't mean I don't dare to do anything to you!
Don't cross my bottom line, or I will make you regret it! "
Pei Zongyan raised his head with a ferocious expression. Under Kou Haitao's pressure, he took a deep breath and nodded with a gloomy expression.
Sun Jia also noticed the change in Pei Zongyan. As a coward who did not have the courage to gamble on the Tier 2 Glory Trial, he knew very well why Pei Zongyan suddenly lost his composure.
In fact, he also felt a trace of jealousy in his heart. It was just that he could keep it in check for now. After all, he was still young and had more than 20 years to wait.
While the three of them were having different thoughts, Qi Yuan, who had flown past five stone pillars, finally engaged in a head-on battle with the Zerg on the sixth stone pillar.
Other than Qi Yuan, the fastest Hunter had only just stepped onto the third stone pillar. Qi Yuan was the only one left in the dust!
A Nightmare with three tails waved its tail and attacked Qi Yuan the moment he stepped onto the stone pillar.
Its three tails were burning with black flames that almost melted the rocks under it into magma. The terrifying heat that was visible to the naked eye enveloped the entire stone pillar.
Roar!
The Nightmare released a low roar at the charging Qi Yuan. Its three tails swung violently, transforming into flaming black tails that were dozens of meters long. The tails lashed at Qi Yuan as if the sky had been set ablaze.
What a showy move!
Qi Yuan inwardly evaluated the Nightmare. Without reaching the peak of Tier 3, these Zergs did not even have the qualifications to stop him.
Qi Yuan's expression did not change when he saw the massive pillar of black flames pressing down on him. Instead, he met the flaming black tails with a punch.
Boom!
A violent force erupted, instantly shattering the black flames. A ferocious aura soared into the sky, and the black flames that filled the sky paused for a moment as if suppressed by an invisible force.
Ever since he had obtained all his Tier 2 Talent Points and upgraded all his Tier 1 abilities to Tier 2, Qi Yuan had not had the opportunity to use his full strength. Now that the Nightmare was blocking his path, Qi Yuan unleashed his full strength for the first time without restraint.
After shattering the pillar of black flames with a single punch, the Nightmare let out a furious roar. The black flames around its body instantly rose, and its entire body turned into a burning fireball.
Qi Yuan moved as if he was flying. In just a few steps, he had crossed the distance of dozens of meters and arrived before the Nightmare.
Facing the burning enemy, Qi Yuan's eyes flashed with a cold light.
"Scram!"
Qi Yuan growled. He clenched his right hand into a fist and punched the Nightmare's head.
Energy Control activated instantly. The moment the black flames came into contact with Qi Yuan's fist, they dispersed into streams of flames, revealing the Nightmare's weak body.
Although the Elemental Domain's insectoids had stronger physiques than the Elemental Domain's aptitude users, they were still inferior to those from the Combat Domain. After being stripped of the protection of the black flames by Energy Control, the Nightmare's defense was even weaker than that of a normal Tier 3 insectoid.
Under Qi Yuan's merciless fist, the Nightmare did not even have the chance to struggle before its head was struck.
Boom!
The Nightmare's head, along with the burning black flames, was shattered by Qi Yuan's fist. The black flames that filled the sky slowly dispersed. Qi Yuan did not even stop running. He rushed to the edge of the stone pillar, then jumped up high and leaped toward the next pillar.
The moment Qi Yuan left the stone pillar, the Nightmare's shattered head suddenly reformed. Its eyes flashed fiercely as it stared at the Wilderness Hunter behind it with an extremely violent gaze.
Pei Zongyan clenched his fists tightly. In less than two minutes, Qi Yuan had passed through six stone pillars consecutively!
Even a troublesome insectoid like the Nightmare could not stop Qi Yuan for even a moment. His strength had completely surpassed Pei Zongyan's.
Even Ke Long might not be able to pass through the first six stone pillars with such speed.
What shocked Pei Zongyan even more was that Qi Yuan had not displayed much of his strength. He had only relied on his defense and speed to easily crush the first six stone pillars. He had not even used a weapon.
If Pei Zongyan had not stopped him, with the strength that Qi Yuan had displayed, he could have easily passed through the assessment and stepped into the Black Steel Shelter without any hindrance.
Powerful freaks would often appear during the wilderness recruitment at the gathering points. However, most of them would only show their prowess after entering the shelter and receiving a large amount of resources.
Qi Yuan was still in the midst of the assessment, but he had already shown his prowess.
In the past assessments, there had never been a single wilderness refugee who had been able to crush the first six stone pillars in such a short period of time.
Even the few young men who had been heavily groomed by the Army and had unlimited potential could only reach this level of strength.
On one side, there was a regular army with all kinds of resources, and on the other side, there were refugees who were struggling in the wilderness.
Pei Zongyan was almost certain that with Qi Yuan's strength, once he broke through Ke Shoulin and Feng Qian's obstruction, he would definitely soar.
If Qi Yuan passed the assessment and entered the Black Steel Shelter, Pei Zongyan would definitely have to face his revenge.
The stronger Qi Yuan was, the more dangerous it would be for Pei Zongyan.
Without Ke Shoulin's protection, Pei Zongyan had no confidence that he could survive Qi Yuan's revenge.
Seeing Qi Yuan crushing the seventh stone pillar in such a manner, Pei Zongyan's face turned even darker.
Sun Jia was also expressionless. No one knew what he was thinking.
Only Kou Haitao's eyes flashed. As a mechanic who had passed the Walker's trial, he could see more clearly than Sun Jia and Pei Zongyan.
Along the way, Qi Yuan had already displayed four powerful non-standard abilities. This kind of strong potential was almost visible to the naked eye.
At the same time, Kou Haitao felt that he might have guessed why Qi Yuan had become the center of the battle between the bosses.
What a pity!
Kou Haitao shook his head silently in his heart.
If this did not happen, with Qi Yuan's potential, once he stepped into the Black Steel Shelter, he would definitely be heavily groomed. No matter if it was the combat division or the Desert Exploration Division, they would definitely not let go of such a talent.
However, now that he was targeted by Feng Qian and Ke Shoulin, it was almost impossible for Qi Yuan to grow up safely.
Although Tan Qiu was a level four researcher, compared to the other two, her foundation was still too shallow.