The system's voice sounded in his ear.
Lin Yu nodded excitedly, giving a hum.
"Confirm combat power upgrade!"
"Ding, upgrading..."
Suddenly, he felt surges of powerful energy pouring in from an unknown source.
Then, his body was bathed in this power, and he himself emanated a faint glow.
This power was extremely gentle, enveloping him, giving him a feeling akin to soaking in a hot spring.
Under the transformation of this power, he could clearly feel his strength rapidly increasing.
Onefold!
Twofold!
Fivefold!
Tenfold!
Rumble!!!
A roar suddenly erupted from within him, and the next moment, a cracking sound echoed, as if something inside him had broken.
Before he could sense it carefully, the system's voice sounded again.
"Ding, congratulations to the host, your combat power has been upgraded to the early stage of the eighth order. Keep up the good work!"
At the same time, he felt the power within him cease its growth. This was a complete breakthrough, and the system's power receded.
Hearing the system's voice, his heart was uncontrollably excited.
The eighth order was ten times stronger than the seventh order, which was the change Lin Yu experienced after his breakthrough.
Of course, the increase in strength varied for each person depending on their innate talent.
Some could increase their combat power tenfold, while others could only manage threefold.
Sometimes, the gap between people was greater than the gap between humans and pigs.
The increase in strength made him feel as if he could blast through space with a single punch, though this was a mere illusion he had experienced many times before.
Whoosh!
He took deep breaths, calming his surging emotions.
Having just broken through, he did not yet have a clear understanding of his own strength. He needed to calm his emotions, quiet his mind, and use his heart to feel the explosive surge of power, gradually mastering this immense force.
After a long while, he opened his eyes.
His eyes gleamed with sharp radiance, like a cold, flashing sword.
However, he quickly reined in his sharpness, appearing no different than before.
Those with inferior strength would only feel that he was somewhat different, but they would not be able to discern the change in his power.
Only those stronger than him could sense his transformation and see the surge of power within him at a glance.
If they knew Lin Yu's strength had increased tenfold, they would surely be astonished, their mouths agape, exclaiming that he was a monstrous genius.
Lin Yu smiled and looked towards the battlefield.
He had leveled up; it was time to make a contribution to the human race.
He wondered if his current strength was enough to kill a ninth-order alien beast.
He anticipated it with great interest.
Clones!
Boom!
This time, the white light appeared even faster, and the clones materialized more quickly.
In an instant, the area within a hundred meters was filled with clones.
"Everyone, kill!"
Just as he issued the order to attack, a cracking sound reached his ears.
What was going on?
He looked up in confusion, and upon seeing the situation, he froze in place.
"This is..."
Before he could confirm what was happening, exclamations of alarm reached his ears.
"This is bad! The formation is cracking! Damn it, this alien beast royal clan has such powerful means to shatter the formation!"
"Curse these alien beasts, they've suddenly sent triple reinforcements! They're giving us too much credit."
"Everyone, don't slack off, kill!"
"Look, that Scarlet Viper is back, damn that snake!"
"Quick, quick, don't hold back, kill this snake quickly!"
"And that monkey is so annoying."
"The most dreaded is that Flood Dragon, it's too powerful."
"No good, energy is being depleted too quickly, the energy crystals can't keep up!"
A group of people shouted loudly. This included adventurers who did not understand the specific situation, as well as those maintaining the formation at its center.
At this point, they could no longer afford to hold back, as the formation was on the verge of collapse.
Elder Ge and the others were stunned upon hearing this dire news.
According to their original predictions, the formation would not be broken.
It would merely exhaust its energy and become useless, but now, with triple the number of alien beasts as reinforcements, it instantly surpassed the formation's resistance limit.
What should they do now?
The human race's high-ranking officials looked at each other, their gazes eventually falling on Elder Ge.
He was now the cornerstone of everyone's hope.
Even Jian Ku and Chi Yu fell silent, waiting for Elder Ge's command.
At this moment, chaos could not be allowed to spread. In times of extreme crisis, it was most crucial for someone to lead everyone through the predicament.
Perhaps Elder Ge had made many missteps during his tenure, leading to corruption and inciting the anger of the common folk.
However, throughout his two hundred years of governance, the human race had been flourishing and on an upward trajectory, not a downward one.
Therefore, no one is perfect. Even with a thousand faults, Elder Ge could not erase his contributions to the human race.
Elder Ge was accustomed to all of this. He pondered for a long time and glanced at the increasingly cracked formation.
"The only way now is to retreat!" he gritted out, his heart in agony.
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.
Elder Ge roared, "Everyone, retreat! Retreat to the Supreme Academy. There is a formation set up by the Sword God there, which might be able to block them. Remember, do not let the alien beasts breach our human territory, or our race will be finished."
The Charioteer suddenly stepped forward and took Elder Ge's hand, saying, "Elder Ge, let me stay behind!"
Elder Ge sighed, "It's useless. Your strength is still insufficient. Let Chi Yu and Jian Ku stay. The three of us will combine our efforts to try and block the alien beasts and buy you time. Also, Fuyaozi must return. You two will split up and leave."
With the arrival of the three major royal clans of alien beasts, the ninth-order powerhouses were already several times that of the human race, and those below the ninth order were even more than ten times greater.
In such a lopsided battle, even with the boost from the clone aura, victory was almost impossible.
Chi Yu's expression was solemn as he nodded. With the crisis upon them, he could not stand idly by.
Jian Ku, however, looked ecstatic. He declared, "With my sword, I will prove that I am no less than the Sword God."
In the past, he had been repeatedly defeated by the Sword God. And in the past, the three who guarded the human race were the Sword God, Elder Ge, and Chi Yu. These three were the backbone of the entire human race, and its most powerful individuals.
Now, he, Jian Ku, would replace the Sword God!
His eyes gleamed with excitement. Today, he would prove that he was no weaker than the Sword God!
Thinking of this, his sword trembled, he was too excited.
Everyone looked at him, utterly speechless.
This was a matter that could easily cost one's life, and he was this excited?
Were all swordsmen so perverse?
Roar!
Roar!
Crack!
Boom!
The alien beasts' attack struck again, and the formation finally could not withstand it, a large gap tearing open.
Elder Ge roared, "Yan Jun, take them and retreat!"
Yan Jun's eyes reddened. "Yes!"