Chapter 139 - 104 Flash Step

Chapter 139: Chapter 104 Flash StepAfter coming out of the private training ground, Ji Xinghuo didn’t return to the hostel but took a train back to Olympia and entered a high-end equipment store. This store only sold superpower equipment, so there weren’t many customers. When Ji Xinghuo entered, a sales assistant observed him keenly, noting his equipment all over including two rings on his left hand, all of which were superpower equipment, and immediately smiled. "Esteemed guest, what do you need?" Ji Xinghuo got straight to the point, "Do you have any rings here?" "Yes!" The enthusiasm on the sales assistant’s face grew, and with his experience, he could tell that Ji Xinghuo was a ranger, "Sir, are you looking for an archery storage ring? We happen to have one in the store, it is of medium quality and can store 12 arrows." Ji Xinghuo was quite surprised. An archery storage ring is one of the most desired pieces of equipment for all archers and is also the space equipment most mutants are likely to come across. Its function is just as its name implies, it can store arrows. During combat, pulling the bowstring activates the ring, and the arrows stored inside are retrieved and placed on the bow, significantly increasing the shooting frequency. The principle is the same as his own dimension stomach. The manufacturing materials for the archery storage ring are very special, the capacity is extremely small, and it can only store arrows; other items cannot be placed inside. The quality of the ring is classified based on the number of arrows it can store. However, even the most basic ring that can store only five arrows, a superpower one star, is priced over ten million Ya Yuan. Ji Xinghuo had wanted to buy one before, but they were rarely available on the market, and he hadn’t encountered one. His sudden return to Olympia today was actually related to the archery storage ring. He wanted to use the dimension stomach openly in the future and needed a ring as a disguise, letting others mistake it for an archery storage ring, but in reality, it could have other effects. When he had wanted one before, he couldn’t find it, but now that he no longer wanted it, it suddenly appeared. Ji Xinghuo felt helpless inside. "Bring it to me to see," he said, "and bring out a few other types of rings as well, I’m interested in all of them." "Please follow me, sir." The sales assistant led Ji Xinghuo into the VIP room enthusiastically. Soon, he returned with several exquisite boxes, while Ji Xinghuo noticed two super mutants had arrived outside the VIP room, clearly to prevent any mishaps with the expensive equipment. "Please look, sir." The sales assistant opened the first box, took out a silver-white ring, and introduced, "This medium-quality archery storage ring can store 12 arrows, allows fast retrieval, has stable space, and is made of a hard material that is not easily damaged. Its design is also very simple, and even without the archery storage function, it greatly aids in archery skill." Ji Xinghuo picked it up, and the design of this ring was indeed thoughtful. It wasn’t the standard cylindrical ring, but slanted when viewed from the side, strictly speaking, this object is called a "she", which first appeared during the Shang Dynasty. After putting on the ring and focusing spiritually on it, he could sense the 12 arrows already loaded inside. With a thought from Ji Xinghuo, an arrow appeared in his hand. He tried several times to take arrows out and store them back inside, the response was a bit slower than the dimension stomach, and errors would occur if it were any faster. Even so, an archery storage ring greatly enhances an archer’s capabilities. "How much?" Ji Xinghuo asked. The sales assistant immediately replied, "17 million Ya Yuan, sir." Ji Xinghuo nodded, neither committing to buy nor showing any intention of bargaining, "I’ll look at the other rings." "Of course," the sales assistant was very patient and opened the other boxes as well. Ji Xinghuo looked at each one, all of these were superpower one star equipment, with varying designs—cylindrical, sloped, and made from materials like metal, jade, and so on, some had grooves for strings, and others did not, with different functions as well. The most common was a precision ring, which came with the "precision" ability. This was designed for non-ranger mutants, enhancing shooting accuracy. They were very popular, but generally, regular mutants could hardly afford them as the starting price was over six million. Ji Xinghuo certainly didn’t need one. However, he was considering whether to buy a precision ring to disguise as an archery storage ring or to spend 17 million directly on an authentic one. He hadn’t decided yet when suddenly one ring caught Ji Xinghuo’s attention. This ring also had a "she" design, the whole piece was pale green like bronze, inlaid with light golden animal motifs, resembling an ancient artifact unearthed. He picked it up and felt it, surprised, "It’s actually flash step." "Yes, sir!" the sales assistant explained, "This flash step ring is also designed for archers, providing an escape from fatal attacks when an enemy closes in. Paired with balance, it is very practical for a ranger." Ji Xinghuo nodded, his mind already bustling with ideas. He had encountered the "flash step" ability numerous times, and the Wanxiang Star Pupil always gave a very high fusion success rate, implying an excellent compatibility. However, flash step was just a basic ability, and using a precious fusion opportunity on it didn’t seem worthwhile. Now, this flash step ring would let him experience the effect firsthand. "I’ll try it." Ji Xinghuo put on the flash step ring, stood up, focused his thoughts on the right thumb, injected star power to activate it, and took a step forward. For an instant, there was a flash before his eyes. His entire body seemed to have moved instantaneously, Ji Xinghuo was surprised; even with his reaction time, he could barely perceive the movement process. The distance covered by that flash step was short, less than two meters. The consumption of star power was not much, only 3 points, but the physical strain was significant; his body felt like it was pushed harshly, with no particular sensation in his muscles and bones, though his internal organs and brain felt somewhat uncomfortable. "The acceleration is too high," Ji Xinghuo immediately understood the situation. In the flash step, moving from near-static to high speed and then stopping abruptly, the whole process of acceleration and deceleration generates inertial forces that burden the body. If it were an ordinary person, this single flash step could potentially cause severe injury or even instant death. Although mutants possess superior physical qualities, it’s hard for them to perform consecutive flash steps without exhaustion. Flash steps also consume physical strength, each one being an extreme anaerobic burst. Multiple successive attempts, and the body feels hollowed out. However, Ji Xinghuo felt little of this. He flashed several times in a row in the room and soon adapted to this rapid movement. Third Level Rotating Magnetic Field provided him with a robust physical quality that easily coped with the acceleration. After five continuous flash steps, he needed to stop to catch his breath and allow his physical strength to recover. "Flash Step is really fast!" Ji Xinghuo marveled inwardly that unless one anticipates the landing point in advance, it’s nearly impossible to be attacked during the process of a flash step, almost like being invincible. "It’s just that the distance is a bit short, only less than two meters," "If I could fuse flash step and level it up, I should be able to increase the distance and speed," Ji Xinghuo recalled the Dagon people’s Flying Steps he had killed; their flash step distance was over four meters, clearly well-trained and of a high level. After recovering his energy, he tried a few more times and discovered that not every flash step covers the same distance; he could control and shorten the distance to save star power and physical strength, but this required high nerve response to stop the flash step in a very brief moment. With this in mind, Ji Xinghuo activated high-frequency thinking. He flashed again, his figure instantly moving, this time covering less than half a meter! "Indeed, it’s possible." "Flash Step and high-frequency thinking really are a perfect match!" Ji Xinghuo roughly grasped the trick, but it still needed some practice. He did not hesitate any further and looked at the sales assistant asking, "How much is this Flash Step Ring?" A few minutes later, the sales assistant, all smiles, escorted Ji Xinghuo to the door. Ji Xinghuo’s right thumb already wore the Flash Step Ring, for which he had paid 7 million Ya Yuan, but he felt it was worth it; this piece of equipment suited him well. Before Star Night, Ji Xinghuo returned to the Midpoint Fortress. In the bar, he met up with Jing Ji and Yuan Chongzhen. Jing Ji immediately noticed the ring on Ji Xinghuo’s hand and asked, "New equipment?" Ji Xinghuo nodded. Yuan Chongzhen took a closer look. "Isn’t it a hidden arrow ring?" Before Ji Xinghuo could respond, Jing Ji laughed and said, "With Xinghuo’s strength, what else could it be besides a hidden arrow ring?" Ji Xinghuo only smiled, not saying a word. The three of them had each collected a substantial amount of bounty and were not short of money, frequently purchasing superpower equipment, so this was just a minor episode. Jing Ji and Yuan Chongzhen briefly commented and did not pay much attention. After dinner, the squad immediately set out. "Let’s go, we need to make up for lost time," Jing Ji felt a sense of urgency as their points had been overtaken, but he did not lose his composure, continuing to hunt enemies as usual. By the following afternoon, the trio had gained another ten million in bounties, each increasing their points by more than 120. A couple of days later, the trio’s points once again surpassed Alex’s team, reclaiming one of the top three positions. They gradually pulled ahead. However, not long after, Alex’s points suddenly skyrocketed, surpassing Jing Ji again. This time, Alex’s team had annihilated a Beiluo Shimen Clan gathering point containing over six hundred people, including many Third Rank individuals, amassing over a thousand points; even divided among three, Alex’s points still far led Jing Ji. Jing Ji could only increase his hunting duration and range, taking several days to catch up again. In the latter half of the month. seaʀᴄh thё NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The points lead alternated between the two teams, chasing each other, but neither could decisively pull away. As the final three days approached, Alex’s points suddenly froze. Jing Ji was ahead by a few points, but he felt no joy. He had heard that Alex hadn’t returned to Midpoint Fortress for two days, clearly planning a large-scale hunt; upon their next return, they were likely to submit a vast amount of trophies, potentially settling the bet. Many in the Midpoint Fortress were keeping an eye on this, and discussions could be heard everywhere. The day before last. As Ji Xinghuo and his team dined, they frequently caught glances from others. On the way out of the city gate, many people stopped to look back, making them the center of attention. Once they left the fortress, Jing Ji took a deep breath and said to his two teammates, "The final 100 hours, we won’t rest, we’ll keep hunting till the end. Whether we can win, that’s up to luck."