The Bone Catacombs is a dungeon modeled after the Boundary Zone. The injuries, mental fatigue, and energy loss suffered by Awakened Ones inside are all real—this is precisely why combat expertise and skill proficiency can improve there.
Of course, Awakened Ones have exceptional physiques. Once out of battle, their health recovers rapidly, and minor injuries heal quickly. The higher the endurance stat, the faster the recovery. For example, Gu Ning's fractured chest now no longer hurt.
"No rest," Gu Ning refused firmly. "I want to claim my rewards quickly, especially the skill book—I need time to study and understand it."
"Ah, classic rookie energy," Qilin laughed. "I used to be just as passionate."
"What about now?" Gu Ning was curious. In a world where combat abilities are fully quantified, even a tiny increase in power is visible and tangible. What could be more motivating than measurable progress?
Qilin scratched his head. "Kinda slacking now... Can't help it. Progress is too slow—after grinding hard for half a month, my combat skill proficiency only increased by 10%..."
Heihu chimed in, "You really have to go to the real Boundary Zones or the Spirit Realm. That's where progress speeds up. Earth's psionic particle density is only 1.1—it's just too low."
Thanks to their explanation, Gu Ning finally understood what the 1.5 World Strength rating of the Flesh Plague: Origin plane meant.
World Strength represents the density of psionic particles in a given realm. It typically correlates with the average strength of the native population, as well as the danger level of beasts, ruins, and terrain. Even things like the density of stone, or the energy value of fruit, are influenced by it.
Earth's World Strength is around 1.1. Even so, top-tier Awakened Ones on Earth can split mountains and rivers, send tremors through the ground with a single strike, and leap like birds defying gravity. But in higher-strength planes like those in the Spirit Realm, such superhuman feats are no longer possible.
Gu Ning realized that's why rocks in the Flesh Plague: Origin plane seemed heavier and harder than real-world stone.
According to Heihu, training in places with a higher psionic particle density—i.e., higher World Strength—led to much faster power growth.
"I'm not like you," Qilin sighed. "You're a berserker—tough, strong, able to solo everything. But I'm a support wordcaster. My skills are all control, support, and protection. I can't just charge into the Spirit Realm like that."
Su Xiaoxiao cut off Qilin's complaints. "Alright, alright. Xiao Gu Ning, let's get to the real business. How do you want to handle your rewards? Any virtual rewards you don't need can be exchanged for Honor Points."
Gu Ning asked, "Can I see the description of Unstable Shield?"
"Ooh, rare skill!" Su Xiaoxiao grinned. "You didn't have clearance before, but since you've already received it as a reward, you now have access. Just check it on your terminal."
Gu Ning glanced at his personal information terminal. A red light scanned his iris, and in a second, it unlocked.
"Hello, Master. Your smart assistant is at your service..."
It was the first boot-up, so it required setup. Gu Ning named the assistant "Xiao Bai."
Then he issued the command: "Xiao Bai, search for information on Unstable Shield."
The terminal projected a holographic display, quickly pulling up the data.
[The following information was retrieved from the Shen Ce Army's requisition list based on your current clearance level:]
Unstable Shield (2-Star Skill): Generates a shield that protects the user for 10 seconds. After a 3-second delay, the user can detonate the shield, dealing shockwave damage equal to the shield's value to all nearby enemies.
Offense and defense in one!
Area-of-effect damage!
Shockwave damage!
Gu Ning had a sharp eye for detail. With one glance, he spotted the advantages of this 2-star skill.
Shockwave damage is categorized as physical damage, meaning it can be reduced by armor. However, it has a hidden benefit—affected enemies are slowed or even stunned! It's essentially a damage + control hybrid.
"Damn, this skill is awesome."
Heihu and Qilin both leaned in, eyes gleaming with envy.
The star rating of a skill only determines its priority—not necessarily how useful it is. Still, it's true that 3-star skills are more likely to be top-tier compared to 1-star ones.
"You got this from that Level-3 virtual chest?" Heihu asked, itching to try. "Which monster dropped it? I'll go find it next time I enter the Bone Catacombs."
"It was a skeletal warhorse," Gu Ning replied casually.
"Skeletal warhorse? Holy crap, that's Nightmare! You actually killed Nightmare?! That thing's a Level 3 Enhanced Elite! And its owner, the Black Knight, is the floor boss of the third level!" Heihu's eyes went wide.
"Just lucky. The Black Knight wasn't there, and the horse happened to wander near the entrance," Gu Ning explained.
"I'm gonna try my luck too…" Heihu muttered. "I'm Level 4 now—a mid-tier Awakened. A Level-3 Enhanced Elite shouldn't be a problem…"
"Don't kid yourself," Su Xiaoxiao said flatly. "Even if you do kill Nightmare and get a Level-3 chest, the chance of pulling a rare skill is extremely low. Dungeon rewards factor in the challenger's strength. Xiao Gu Ning's a Level-1 rookie entering Bone Catacombs for the first time—that's why he had such a high drop rate."
Ignoring the others' envy, Gu Ning discussed how to allocate his rewards with Su Xiaoxiao.
He chose to redeem the following:
2-Star Skill: Unstable Shield
1-Star Skill: Jump Slash
Other useful items he redeemed as well. Redundant or low-value rewards—like duplicate standard gear or unimpressive skill books—he exchanged for Honor Points.
In the end, Gu Ning used up all his Honor Points, and even dipped into a 300-point credit limit to redeem another 2-star skill: Whirling Throw.
This skill had a ranged interrupt effect, with the same cooldown as Jump Slash—just two minutes. Highly practical.
He prioritized skills over gear to boost combat power directly. Take Jump Slash versus the Shoulder Charge from a basic elite shoulderpad—Jump Slash had a 120-second cooldown, while Shoulder Charge had a whopping 12-hour cooldown!
Rather than spending over 1,000 points on a mediocre elite piece of equipment, getting a powerful 2-star skill book was far more worthwhile.
Of course, an Awakened's ability to learn new skills isn't unlimited.
According to Su Xiaoxiao, while the Will of the Spirit Realm doesn't explicitly cap how many skills someone can learn, every skill book comes with a comprehension success rate. And if comprehension fails, the book is consumed.
The more skills an Awakened has already learned, the lower the success rate for acquiring new ones. Generally, a low-tier Awakened can reliably learn three skills. Trying for a fourth might waste multiple books with no result.
This is partly tied to a hidden stat: comprehension. Higher comprehension increases your odds of success—but even that has limits.
Thus, Gu Ning decided to stick with three skills for now:
Jump Slash
Unstable Shield
Whirling Throw
In addition to the success rate concern, there was the issue of skill proficiency. Learning too many at once would slow progress.
More importantly, all combat skills consume class energy.
For standard-template Awakened, their class energy can usually support 3–4 uses of a 1-star skill in a single fight—then they're drained.
Gu Ning, being a strengthened elite-class, had about double the usual energy reserves. But his 2-star skills—Unstable Shield and Whirling Throw—consumed significantly more.
With Su Xiaoxiao, the military requisitions officer, handling logistics, Gu Ning soon received all three of his desired skill books.