I have an Apocalypse City

Chapter 655: Chapter 655: Skill Book

Song Jian entered a narrow passage, with both sides lined with stone walls covered with scratches and fissures, creating a sense of antiquity.

It wasn’t long before Song Jian saw a pile of scattered bones on the stone floor ahead, as if a skeleton had been shattered into pieces.

Song Jian moved closer to examine the remains; the bones seemed to have shattered from within, but the skull had been cleanly cut in half, likely by a sharp Sword Qi that left a smooth, mirrored surface.

As he touched the smooth cut, Song Jian’s fingers felt a tingling sensation, as if an electric current was present at the cut.

“This Sword Qi should have been released by Jian Qi; only he could have such a chilling Sword Qi!” Song Jian thought to himself as he rubbed his fingers, stood up, and looked ahead with a smile on his face.

Continuing forward, Song Jian quickly came across a fork in the road. Without hesitation, he chose the left path. He walked about ten meters further and encountered another fork, maintaining his emotionless expression as he continued down the left passage.

After several minutes, Song Jian had encountered more than a dozen similar forks. Despite always choosing the left path, he began to suspect something was amiss.

“A maze? Or has the space been altered?” Song Jian furrowed his brow: “Although the hall is vast, it shouldn’t be this extensive…”

The length of the passage Song Jian had traveled could easily encircle the entire hall and then some, making it clear that the situation was not as simple as he initially thought.

Looking back, the winding passageway now seemed blurred, as if a thin layer of fog had enveloped it.

As Song Jian tried walking backward, he found the air becoming viscous, hindering his retreat. The further back he went, the greater the resistance, and he felt like a bug trapped in resin, unable to escape its entrapment.

After he hesitated for a moment, Song Jian turned around and continued forward. As he did, the air’s viscosity and resistance gradually decreased, and quickly returned to normal.

“A strange place!” Song Jian kept an increasing sense of caution in his heart.

At that moment, a ghostly, white-haired skull appeared before him, its gore-filled, blinded eyes an utterly miserable sight.

“What technique should you use to counter the 17th move ‘Turning Glance of the Swallow’ from the Returning Swallow Sword Technique?”

“Which Sword Technique must be mastered to complete the Spiritual Snake Sword Technique?”

…

The skull relentlessly fired questions at Song Jian through its shattered eyes.

Song Jian’s face darkened as he slashed his sword, unleashing a dazzling golden Sword Qi that filled the passage.

Light Strike!

Light Strike was extremely effective against these dark creatures. As the golden Sword Qi passed, the inquisitive old skull vanished.

Still wearing a grim expression, Song Jian continued walking forward. He didn’t receive any confirmation for killing the monster nor gained combat experience, suggesting the encounter was either an illusion, or his attack had not harmed the opponent.

“This hall is more dangerous than I thought!” Song Jian said to himself.

After another half hour of monotonously traversing the identical stone passages, Song Jian eventually reached the end of the hallway. A small room appeared before him, spanning around 20 square meters, with minimal furnishings except for a stone platform, upon which stood a monster over two meters tall.

Song Jian squinted at the motionless monster, before his attention was drawn to an item on the stone platform behind it.

It was a Skill Book, illuminated with a golden glow.

“A Skill Book?” Song Jian was delighted, but to obtain it, he first needed to defeat the BOSS guarding it.

Song Jian’s gaze once again focused on the monster in front of the stone platform.

This monster looked like a wooden puppet, composed of thousands of wooden planks, and it firmly gripped a seven-foot-long sword that shimmered with a chilly gleam, seemingly unaffected by the passage of time.

“This sword also looks like a treasure!” Song Jian’s eyes lit up, his fondness for one-handed swords undiminished despite already owning the Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword Set.

“I don’t need to hide anything here; I can unleash my full power!” Song Jian put away his regular sword and, with a thought, summoned a dark red, glowing sword into his hand.

At the same time, an entire set of Dark Gold armor appeared on his body, clearly part of the same set based on their design and style.

The Ant Emperor Ancestor Set appeared in this world for the first time;

Song Jian, enveloped in the Dark Gold armor, looked imposing and fierce, resembling a humanoid beast.

“A level 35 Swordwood Puppet BOSS with first-grade Combat Power. Let me see just how big the gap between my current strength and first-grade Combat Power really is!” Song Jian muttered to himself.

Broken Wing Dance!

Song Jian’s figure dashed towards the Swordwood Puppet BOSS;

The seemingly statue-like Swordwood Puppet instantly detected Song Jian’s hostility and opened its eyes, glowing with a red light.

“Clang!”

The Crimson Fire Heart Ape Sword fiercely clashed with the Swordwood Puppet’s sword, sending a shower of brilliant sparks flying as the blades connected;

Clang, clang~

Two more strikes landed on the Swordwood Puppet’s sword, accompanied by the dance of two more sword shadows, one emitting a pale golden light and another a greenish-blue hue.

Song Jian remained motionless as his frontal attack caused the Swordwood Puppet to stagger and step back. His confidence soared, and a sense of surprise filled his heart.

“With the Ant Emperor Ancestor Set’s enhancement, my strength has more than doubled. I now have the ability to resist a first-grade Combat Power BOSS!” Previously, Song Jian could only face a first-grade Combat Power BOSS after employing the Immortal Sword Body.

“This Skill Book will be mine!” Song Jian glanced at the stone platform, his eyes shining with determination.

…