newbobooks Chapter 294 - 158: The Clouds Part and the Moon is Bright, Successful Breakthrough
Chapter 294 - 158: The Clouds Part and the Moon is Bright, Successful Breakthrough
’If I can refine all the Innate Qi in my body with Source Crystals, just how powerful will I be when I truly break through to the Gang Condensation Realm?’
Once this thought ignited, it could no longer be suppressed!
Lin Ye reached out again, broke off another, larger piece of Source Crystal from the rock wall, and stuffed it into his mouth without a second glance.
The acrid and frenzied energy exploded in his throat and esophagus once more. The familiar burning sensation and the excruciating pain of his meridians being forcibly expanded made his entire body tremble.
But he didn’t stop.
One piece!
Another piece!
Like a madman who hadn’t eaten in days, Lin Ye broke off every visible Source Crystal around the hot spring, regardless of size, and swallowed them whole!
He could clearly see that within his Dantian, the vortex that had already formed was rapidly collapsing inward under the wash of each stream of pure source energy, becoming smaller and denser.
The vortex’s scale was shrinking, but the suction force coiled at its very center was not diminishing. Instead, it grew, becoming ever more terrifying!
Once the last small piece of Source Crystal was swallowed and its frenzied torrent of energy had been completely absorbed by the vortex, Lin Ye slowly came to a halt.
He looked inward and discovered that the vortex in his Dantian had now shrunk to its absolute limit, leaving behind little more than a core singularity.
But that one insignificant singularity seemed to contain an entire galaxy on the verge of exploding.
Countless motes of Innate Qi, purified to the extreme, had transformed within it into billions of brilliant points of light. They orbited one another, shimmering with a mesmerizing glow, like a condensed sea of stars!
But Lin Ye’s brow furrowed.
’Not enough!’
’This amount of Source Crystal is still not enough for his abnormally massive foundation!’
He estimated that the Innate Qi now remaining in his body was likely less than one percent of his total volume of Qi and Blood back at Meridian Opening Perfection.
One hundred parts of Qi and Blood, after two brutal rounds of extreme purification, had been reduced to less than one part!
It was a ratio that would scare any Martial Artist to death if they heard it.
Lin Ye called up his attribute panel.
His three primary attributes were still hovering just over one hundred, nearly identical to where they were after he completed the first step.
This proved that the recent, borderline self-mutilating frenzy of consumption had only eliminated "impurities" he couldn’t even perceive himself, while his core essence had not been diminished in the slightest.
Lin Ye stood up and surveyed his surroundings.
Beneath a dark red sky, a black wasteland stretched to the horizon. In the distance, a forest of twisted, dead trees was barely visible through a sulfurous fog, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of scorched earth mixed with sulfur.
As far as the eye could see, not another trace of a Source Crystal could be found.
Lin Ye fell into a brief silence.
His current location should be the area closest to the rift’s entrance.
The instructors, especially Yin Liulan, had probably cleared out all the nearby members of the Celestial Abyss Race during their lessons.
That was precisely why he had been able to swallow those Source Crystals so peacefully, without being attacked.
But a problem followed.
If he went deeper to find more Source Crystals, he would inevitably encounter the Celestial Abyss Race.
With his strength having hit rock bottom, a direct confrontation with any member of the Celestial Abyss Race would be an utterly unwise choice.
But if he didn’t go deeper, he couldn’t find Source Crystals, making a breakthrough out of the question.
Lin Ye hid behind a massive slab of obsidian, his mind racing.
’What should I do?’
Just then, a thought suddenly flashed through the depths of his mind.
’I think... I have a skill that’s perfect for this exact situation.’
At Lin Ye’s thought, his personal panel instantly unfolded.
His gaze swept past the familiar skills, finally landing on the last icon in his temporary skill slot.
[Silk Puppet]!
He opened the skill’s detailed description and discovered that this skill, obtained by killing a Myceloid in the Fallen Zone, had unexpectedly undergone a transformation after he consumed a large amount of Source Crystals.
[Silk Puppet]
[Type: Active Temporary Skill]
[Effect: You can implant 100 black spores into any living organism. In a suitable environment, the spores will grow rapidly, forming black mycelia that spread throughout its entire body.]
[You can control these mycelia with your thoughts, share their senses, and move them over a medium distance.]
[With sufficient Spiritual Power, you can now control multiple puppets simultaneously.]
[Note: Controlling a puppet continuously consumes the mycelia within it. If the mycelia are depleted, the connection will be severed. The connection will also be severed if your distance from the puppet exceeds the maximum limit.]
[When implanting black spores into a living creature, the number of implanted spores is one-tenth of the normal amount, and the target must be significantly weaker than you for the spores to grow and for you to gain control. When implanting into a corpse, there are no restrictions.]
[Current Max Control Distance: 10 km.]
[Current Max Controllable Puppets: 3]
Lin Ye’s breath hitched slightly.
’The restrictions have been lifted!’
Before, he could only implant spores in creatures he had personally killed.
Now, any organism, living or dead, could become his target. The only difference was that targeting the living had more restrictions, while corpses had none at all.
The number of implantable spores had skyrocketed from 1 to 100!
This meant the growth speed of the mycelia would increase exponentially!
An unprecedented light bloomed in Lin Ye’s eyes.
A crystal-clear plan instantly formed in his mind.
’Scout for Source Crystals, transport Source Crystals, and even... act as cannon fodder when necessary.’