Chapter 27: Chapter Twenty Seven: Strengthen
Sword Qi emerged as a result of Xian Yu's practice.
Since "[One Sword to Separate the World]" could release sword energy, could it be further streamlined?
Even though the process wasn't elegant, the results were quite satisfying.
This development meant that Xian Yu would have the ability to harm and potentially defeat foes from a distance in the future!
It was a significant but not overly dramatic breakthrough.
Naturally, this couldn't compare to the power of a hand-held sword, but it could compensate for conventional long-range attacks.
"I've tested both my physical abilities and sword energy. It's time to take things seriously."
While sword energy could cause harm, it wasn't fatal. Dealing a fatal blow to a resilient creature like the white fox would require the foe to remain still, allowing Xian Yu to maximize his output. Yet, that was clearly an impossible scenario, so he had to get closer.
Xian Yu's current physical strength was quite formidable, and he had the capability to kill the fox with ease. There was no doubt about the outcome of this battle.
However, a fox remained a fox, and as Xian Yu closed in rapidly, it abruptly leaped towards the rock wall.
Its sharp claws dug into the stone, and after a series of climbs and jumps, it vanished from Xian Yu's sight.
It was mentioned earlier that the opponent was a beast, but their cunning escape was somewhat unexpected.
"How clever."
Xian Yu didn't dwell on it; if the fox had fled, there was no need to pursue it. His primary objective was this location, and whether he defeated the fox or not held little significance.
Unlike the previous occasion, he hadn't initially considered climbing the mountain first, so he subconsciously overlooked this option. Xian Yu wouldn't resort to it unless absolutely necessary.
Upon reaching the spot where the fox had been lying earlier, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. The elemental concentration here was indeed stronger than outside, but it was still insufficient to give birth to an elemental lord once more.
However, even though they had reached this spot, ascending the mountain's peak wasn't currently an option. Thus, it made sense to remain here.
Staying in the Hilichurl's base camp was not a viable alternative.
For Xian Yu, there was nothing particularly remarkable about this place, but it wasn't the same for the Cryo Crystal Butterfly.
When the Cryo Crystal Butterfly landed on the ground while holding the fractured core, the surrounding elements began to flow rapidly. Simultaneously, the core it held began to shrink.
According to Xian Yu's estimation, this half of the core could be fully absorbed within three days at most. In other words, the two halves of the core he had in his possession would last for about a week.
However, this was a positive development. If this pattern continued, the next evolution would come sooner.
He believed that with two more evolutions, along with the influence of the outside environment, the core required would be significantly reduced.
"The environment plays a crucial role."
...
The endless wind and snow persisted.
Silver remained eternal, leaving no trace behind.
One day, Xian Yu was surprised to find a card on his sign-in page.
"Strengthening Card": This card allows you to enhance a skill. (Note: The higher the skill's level, the higher the risk of failure.)
This card was intriguing.
If Xian Yu used it to enhance his magical skills, what level of skill would he attain if it succeeded?
However, this didn't seem feasible. After all, they were all magical skills, and the success rate would likely be extremely low.
Excluding the enticing idea of enhancing magical skills, there were only a few other skills left.
The skill "Contracted Spirit" had been completely darkened when contracting with the Cryo Crystal Butterfly, signifying that it couldn't be used again or enhanced.
"One Sword to Separate Worlds" is a possibility, but considering the potency of this skill, the failure rate is also quite high.
Then there are the two basic skills.
The sword technique can be enhanced twice, while the breathing method can be enhanced three times. It's evidently more cost-effective to strengthen the breathing method.
While Xian Yu does want to explore whether other abilities will emerge after reaching the third level of swordsmanship, judging from the third level of the breathing method, there shouldn't be significant changes.
"I just hope the fourth level of the breathing method can bring a transformation. After all, it's the foundation of my strength!"
Indeed, Xian Yu has never overlooked the significance of this breathing method. The majority of his strength is derived from it.
"Strengthen!"
There was no prompt, no visible change, just an incredible force condensed in the Dantian region of the body.
Sensing this sudden power surge, Xian Yu knew that the enhancement had succeeded.
This newfound strength was remarkable. If his previous power was like " Fog," it now resembled "liquid."
While there hadn't been any qualitative changes, such as ascending to the "core formation" level, his endurance had significantly improved.
His "spiritual power" had also undergone a transformation.
The elemental power was steadily increasing as well, despite Xian Yu spending most of his time practicing the breathing method.
The reason for this could be observed in the enormous butterfly soaring in the sky.
During this period, Xian Yu didn't remain idle in this location. Instead, he spent part of his day searching for Cryo elemental beasts or Cryo Whopperflower.
Though it required considerable effort, he managed to find two Whopperflower and a Cryo Hypostasis.
As for Cryo Hypostasis, he didn't kill it.
This Cryo Hypostasis wasn't like the first one he had encountered, which cowered after being attacked. Instead, it took to the air and bombarded him with ice cones.
Even with Xian Yu's strength, there was little he could do. Dealing with that thing proved to be quite troublesome!
Not only could it soar to great heights, but it could also move and attack at high speed, making it even more challenging to defeat.
If it were an ordinary creature, continuous attacks would eventually lead to its demise. However, facing an elemental lord-level monster, even if it had special abilities, Xian Yu could only land a few occasional hits. If he didn't strike the core, it wouldn't result in a fatality.
After two attempts, Xian Yu decided to give up.
After all, Dragonspine Mountain was vast, and he could undoubtedly search for it elsewhere. If he couldn't locate it, he could return and grind it down eventually.
Fortunately, the environment here truly was "harsh," making it a haven for certain creatures. Few people ventured here to hunt them.
Thanks to this, Xian Yu eventually found the Cryo Whopperflower.
Speaking of Cryo Whopperflower, although they were relatively easier to defeat, they were no walk in the park either.
In his first encounter with one, Xian Yu was unaware of its characteristics, so he approached and performed a vertical slash, intending to use a powerful attack.
He succeeded without much difficulty, but he wasn't prepared for what happened next - the creature exploded upon death!
Caught off guard, he sustained some injuries, which clearly exceeded his expectations.
Moreover, the Cryo Whopperflower had never exploded in the game, and Xian Yu had never heard of such an occurrence in reality, so he suffered a bit of a setback.
Fortunately, although he was injured by the explosion, Whopperflower's core remained intact and functional.
"Although the evolution is somewhat unusual, and the form hasn't changed, the strength is nearly up to par."
The current Cryo Crystal Butterfly, or rather, it should be called an Elemental Lord now!
While it differed from other lords and its strength was only in the middle-to-lower range, not even comparable to Xian Yu's own, it was still an Elemental Lord. At the very least, he didn't have to worry about its safety anymore.
In the future, minor troubles wouldn't require Xian Yu to handle them himself; The big Butterfly could take care of them.
Actually, Xian Yu was more interested in the accompanying abilities.
For instance, flight!
With the butterfly's current form, carrying Xian Yu to the mountain's peak wouldn't be a problem.
In addition to flying, it could also transform into outer armor, akin to a battle suit.
The thought of "battle attire" unconsciously reminded Xian Yu of the Demon King Armament (Foul Legacy Transformation).
But the intensity...
It was challenging to describe in a single word.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone