Chapter 56: Enhancement of Realm Severing Thread
No white-quality growth-type equipment was obtained, but green quality is only one rank above white. The growth condition is clear: hold the shield and take hits.
As Su Xiao expected, the lower the quality of growth-type equipment, the easier it is to cultivate. If Amu had basic shield-related abilities, this equipment would be excellent for him.
Amu adheres to the principle of returning a hammer blow for every punch. Taking hits is acceptable, but not without retaliation.
The [Woruth Shield] can fetch a high price. It will be sold later on Trade Street. Selling it at the Trade Market would require luck to find a contractor who recognizes its value.
After opening the chest, Su Xiao prepared to enhance his own strength. He took a medal from his storage space. This item, named [Bravery Medal], could increase the [Melee Combat Grandmaster] ability by Lv.3 to Lv.5. It was obtained through a mission reward.
Su Xiao's Melee Combat Grandmaster ability was at Lv.18. Even if it only increased by 3 levels, it would break through Lv.20, granting him the Lv.20 ultimate ability of Melee Combat Grandmaster.
The [Bravery Medal] shattered in Su Xiao's hand. He immediately felt a sensation similar to consuming Soul Crystals to enhance his blade technique.
In a hazy state, Su Xiao saw a man in gray clothes standing atop a massive, distorted beast corpse. The creature's head was caved in over a large area.
"Focusing everything on a single technique... what an enviable way to fight."
After the hoarse voice faded, the blurriness before Su Xiao's eyes gradually dissipated. Five translucent figures charged at him. When they were half a meter away, all five shattered.
Everything before Su Xiao faded. He was still sitting cross-legged on the bed in his exclusive room.
[Melee Combat Grandmaster has been increased by Lv.4.]
Su Xiao picked up a water glass from the nightstand. He tossed it into the air, swung his arm, and struck the glass wall with the knuckle of his index finger.
With a crack, the water in the glass was shattered into droplets. A force penetrated the glass, leaving fine cracks on the opposite wall.
Su Xiao opened his skill list to check Melee Combat Grandmaster.
[Melee Combat Grandmaster: Lv.22 (Passive Skill)]
Skill Effect: Increases melee combat attack power by 452% (increased by 32%), neural reflex speed by +44% (increased by 10%), dynamic vision by +44% (increased by 10%), and greatly enhances melee combat techniques and reaction abilities.
Initial Additional Ability: Increases physical defense by 25%. Immune to all physical control effects derived from attributes lower than own Strength and Agility. When forcibly breaking free from physical control effects, judgment correction is increased by 30 points.
Lv.10 Ultimate Ability: Power Penetration (Passive): All melee combat attacks will carry a force penetration effect, dealing defense-ignoring damage to the enemy's internal organs.
Lv.20 Ultimate Ability: Power Penetration: Kick Technique Enhancement (Passive): If a kick technique hits an enemy and causes body stiffness, paralysis, dizziness, etc., the enemy's physical defense will be greatly reduced during this period.
...
Su Xiao was not surprised by the Lv.20 ultimate ability. His Melee Combat Grandmaster ability was like this, entirely focused on straight kicks and side kicks. The effects derived from each person's basic abilities differ due to different combat styles.
Sha also had Melee Combat Grandmaster. Based on this, she independently developed numerous abilities, much like Su Xiao's blade technique.
For Su Xiao, Melee Combat Grandmaster was a very powerful passive. As for developing abilities from it, he would rather spend that time developing his blade technique. The most important aspect of this ability for him was attacking the enemy's weaknesses.
That's why Su Xiao's Melee Combat Grandmaster was like this, continuously enhancing side kicks and straight kicks. No, there was another function: improving his neural reflex speed and dynamic vision. Beyond that, nothing else.
If Sha knew how Su Xiao was developing his Melee Combat Grandmaster ability, she would definitely come to him for a "friendly spar," provided Su Xiao didn't use his blade. Blade techniques naturally countered Melee Combat Grandmaster, to an unreasonable degree.
After initially adapting to the Melee Combat Grandmaster ability, Su Xiao took a skill scroll from his storage space. This scroll was named [Soul Thread], a reward obtained after killing the Moon God.
Su Xiao had obtained this scroll long ago but couldn't master it because his True Intelligence attribute hadn't reached 150 points. Now that it had finally reached 150, he immediately thought of this ability.
If used alone, Soul Thread wasn't that impressive. Its binding strength was indeed strong, but it was too slow, making it very difficult to entangle enemies.
Su Xiao had previously enhanced Realm Severing Thread. His idea was to attach Soul Thread to Realm Severing Thread, thereby increasing its speed and toughness.
With Soul Thread attached, even if it entangled the Archbishop, he wouldn't be able to break free in a short time.
[Yes/No to master Soul Thread. This ability is initially X rank.]
Su Xiao naturally chose yes. The Soul Thread scroll shattered in his hand. He immediately felt a bang in his head, and some indescribable techniques emerged. Soul Thread didn't turn part of his own soul into thread form; instead, it consumed Soul Energy to form Soul Thread.
Su Xiao wasn't entirely sure what Soul Energy was. He just had high Soul Strength.
In his personal understanding, Soul Energy was like stamina. It could be recovered after consumption, but the recovery rate wasn't fast. It could only be restored through sleep or meditation, with sleep being much faster than meditation since the body was most relaxed during sleep.
[You have mastered the Soul Thread ability.]
[Soul Thread: X (Passive Skill)]
Skill Effect: Consumes Soul Energy to manifest Soul Thread. If it entangles an enemy, it can bind the enemy's soul for 10 to 600 seconds, ignoring physical or energy-based attempts to break free. If the enemy's Soul Strength is insufficient, they will be unable to break free from the Soul Thread's binding, and will suffer Soul Damage while attempting to do so.
Tip: If Soul Thread is attached to a physical object, its soul-killing power is reduced by 50%, but its toughness is increased by 75%.
...
Soul Thread turned out to be a passive ability. Su Xiao hadn't expected this. He felt that this should be a basic ability of the soul type, not profound but exceptionally practical.
Su Xiao wasn't ready to explore how to use Soul Energy yet. The reason was that he couldn't let his abilities deviate from the right path. He hadn't yet gathered the Soul Severing Shadow Stone. Soul Severing Shadow was related to this aspect. After mastering Soul Severing Shadow, he could try to develop this area. For now, having a crude method like Soul Thread to use Soul Energy was sufficient.
Soul Thread wasn't an external energy release; it consumed Soul Energy to form Soul Thread. In other words, Soul Thread wasn't actually connected to Su Xiao's soul. It was an independent ability constructed by consuming Soul Energy.
Zzzt~
Realm Severing Thread shot out, embedding itself in the wall. Su Xiao pulled his arm, tightening the thread until it was straight. The thread had undergone some changes. Originally pale cyan, it now appeared somewhat translucent. This was an optical illusion caused by Soul Thread attaching to it. In reality, the thread remained the same.
Only in actual combat could the power of Realm Severing Thread be tested. Su Xiao pulled his arm back. A flash of cyan light passed, and the thread retracted into his sleeve.
With the ability enhancements mostly complete, Su Xiao thought of the Starlight Iron obtained from the Light and Dark World. The equipment reforging used the Archbishop's scepter, so the Starlight Iron was saved, totaling 121.5 grams.
Enhancing Dragon-Slaying Flash's Demon Blade was impossible; that required 600 grams of Starlight Iron. However, enhancing Dragon-Slaying Flash's Ability 2 was feasible, which would increase the True Damage caused by Azure Steel Shadow.
Starlight Iron couldn't just be smashed onto Dragon-Slaying Flash to enhance it. He needed to go to Lide.
With most abilities enhanced, Su Xiao planned to stop by Lide's place on the way, then take Beini to Trade Street for a spending spree. He had also obtained several items to sell on Trade Street.