Chapter 39: Characteristics
On the lake water that barely covered his ankles, blood dripped from the chin of the Soak Tribe Leader. The battle had only lasted five minutes so far, yet one of the Soak Tribe Leader's arms had been severed, and his entire body was covered in slash marks.
The Soak Tribe Leader's earlier aura of abandoning his humanity was astonishing; his Source·Erosion ability had increased by a full Lv.9. Unfortunately, he had been blasted half to death by Apollo. In most cases, combat technique-type powerhouses did not have the highest survivability among various ability types, with a few exceptions.
The Soak Tribe Leader had "eaten" a big pineapple, and on top of that, when he fell from a thousand meters high, he was pummeled by building debris. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have been an issue, but given his already severe injuries, the falling building debris from a thousand meters only added to his wounds.
If Su Xiao hadn't been on guard against the "Secret Technique: Heavenly Flow," the Soak Tribe Leader would already be a corpse by now.
The Tianba Clan was not entirely famous for their combat techniques; they placed more emphasis on their Soak and Drown abilities. The purpose of cultivating combat techniques was to train the body and enhance willpower, preparing them to drink the Source Water.
Baha flew over from a distance with Amu and Liu, placing them on a large rock in the lake. As for Bubu Wang, it had long been watching the battle from there.
"Pant, pant~"
The Soak Tribe Leader gasped heavily, his eyes fixed on Su Xiao. He knew he was doomed to lose, but even in defeat, he wanted to make his enemy understand that the combination of blade techniques and Source Power was formidable enough.
The longsword in the Soak Tribe Leader's hand slanted toward the water's surface as he retracted his aura. This move was his secondary development of the "Secret Technique: Heavenly Flow," a blade art that belonged solely to him.
"Ba's Flow: Soak."
The Soak Tribe Leader vanished from his spot. When he reappeared, he was behind Su Xiao. A few strands of Su Xiao's hair fell, and a bloodstain appeared on his cheek.
Drip, drip~
Blood dripped from the tip of the Dragon-Slaying Flash into the water, diluted by it. In that instant, Su Xiao had relied on his reflexes to dodge the enemy's strike and, in the moment they brushed past each other, slashed his blade across the enemy's neck.
"What... happened?"
Liu blinked. She hadn't seen what happened at all; she only caught a flash of the blade.
"You don't get it, do you? The Soak Tribe Leader lost."
Baha chuckled, wanting to act as a battlefield commentator. Unfortunately, it hadn't seen clearly either and could only bluff in front of Liu. In that instant, the strikes exchanged between Su Xiao and the Soak Tribe Leader were both incredibly fast.
If time were rewound to 0.5 seconds ago, one would see the Soak Tribe Leader, wielding his longsword, suddenly appear in front of Su Xiao. A trail of water droplets followed his blade as it aimed straight for Su Xiao's head.
Just as the Soak Heart Blade was about to strike Su Xiao's head, Su Xiao, as if foreseeing it, lowered his body. The Soak Heart Blade passed over his head, severing a few strands of hair while a droplet shaped like a blade tip grazed his cheek, leaving a bloodstain.
The Dragon-Slaying Flash cut through a cold gleam, slashing into the front of the Soak Tribe Leader's neck and exiting through the back. This strike didn't draw a single drop of blood; in fact, no slash mark was even visible on the Soak Tribe Leader's neck.
"Tianba!"
The Soak Tribe Leader roared, and then his head fell into the water. His headless body collapsed.
[Prompt: You have killed the Soak Tribe Leader·Niro.]
[You have obtained a Holy Spirit Chest (49%).]
[You have obtained the Soak Soul (Special Item). Using this item grants a certain amount of World Source. This item can only be used within this world.]
[Prompt: If the Soak Soul is given to the Giant King, he can temporarily extinguish the Burning Blood within him. This action will not fully consume the Soak Soul.]
[Warning: This action will significantly increase the danger level within Source·Divine Realm.]
[Prompt: If the Soak Soul is given to the Giant King, the overall evaluation of this world has a chance of reaching S+.]
……
The function of the Soak Soul was quite intriguing. Su Xiao glanced at his World Source, which had reached 117.85%. Since he started searching for the [Source], aside from not killing Ted, he had slaughtered every enemy hostile to him that could provide World Source.
Using the Soak Soul and the Drown Soul would grant a total of 25% World Source, bringing the total to 142.85%, still 7.15% short.
There was an extremely dangerous method that could both push the World Source beyond 150% and potentially achieve an S+ overall evaluation.
Su Xiao couldn't yet confirm his conjecture. He stepped through the shallow water and arrived in front of the azure [Source].
Taking a small piece of [Source] from his storage space, he observed the main body of the [Source] for a moment before bringing the piece in his hand close to the gap.
Click~
The small piece of [Source] in Su Xiao's hand was instantly attracted and snapped into place, making the large piece of [Source] whole.
[You have obtained the Source Crystal (Complete).]
[It has been verified that the Hunter has obtained all 'Source Crystals' held by the Tianba Clan. This 'Source Crystal' is of the Water attribute and is now complete.]
[Yes/No to immediately complete the main mission, or remain in this world to find the 'Source Crystal (Fire Attribute)'.]
[Prompt: The Source Crystal (Fire Attribute) cannot be taken out of this world. If the Hunter obtains this item, the overall evaluation at the end of the world will be significantly increased.]
[Prompt: The Source Crystal (Water Attribute) can be taken out of this world. Due to the long-term nurturing by the Tianba Clan, the energy activity of this item has undergone a qualitative change.]
……
Su Xiao's conjecture was confirmed. The Source, no, there were two Source Crystals in total. One was with the Tianba Clan, of the Water attribute, which was why the Tianba Clan's core abilities were Soak and Drown, both related to the Water attribute.
As for where the other Fire attribute Source Crystal was, how did the King's Blood appear? Moreover, the Burning King's Blood was of the Fire attribute.
Su Xiao took a seed from his storage space and tossed it to Bubu Wang. Bubu Wang caught it in its mouth and instinctively tried to swallow it, a habit from when it was first born and Su Xiao often threw it food, though he rarely did so now.
"Don't eat."
"Woof~"
Su Xiao looked at the Source Crystal submerged in the water and stabbed it with his blade.
With a crack, the longsword pierced into the Source Crystal. Su Xiao pushed hard, and the Source Crystal split open from the center. Inside was a crystal the size of a walnut, even more azure in color. This was the main body of the Source Crystal.
Su Xiao's current action essentially severed the spread of the Water attribute Source Power, meaning that from this moment on, no true Tianba would ever appear again.
Extracting the core Source, Su Xiao took the Moon Tree Seed handed to him by Bubu Wang and placed it inside the outer shell of the Source Crystal. A crystal layer adhered, wrapping the outer shell of the Source Crystal back into its original form.
Su Xiao tossed this Source Crystal shell into the Moonlight Lake and walked toward the valley on the opposite shore. Before he had gone far, the sound of water breaking came from behind him.
A tree began to grow wildly within the lake. In less than half a minute, it formed a towering giant tree. This was a Moon Tree, growing by absorbing the residual Source Power in the Moonlight Lake.
"Owooo~"
An energy wolf howled atop the Moon Tree. After one long howl, its body gradually shattered, drifting toward Su Xiao and eventually forming a cyan gem in his hand.
[Completed Hidden Quest: The Wolf's Last Wish. You have obtained the Wolf Soul Stone (Holy Spirit Rank·Full Rating Gem).]
Su Xiao stored the [Wolf Soul Stone] in his storage space and continued forward.
"Thank you."
A faint voice came from behind. Su Xiao ignored it, hesitating over whether to unseal the other Source Crystal. That Source Crystal was completely different from the Tianba Clan's. It would likely be extremely violent and scorching, and the one guarding it would probably be much stronger than the Soak Tribe Leader.
Weighing the pros and cons, Su Xiao decided to put it off for now. He would first go to the Blind Old Man to exchange items using the Ba Soul, promote [Divine Judgment] to the Holy Spirit Rank, and then go to unseal the other Source Crystal.