22: Rapid improvement, intermediate body refinement
Deep within the city ruins, near the center of the ruins.
Li Ziyu's muscles trembled all over, his hands gripping the long blade tightly, his gaze fixed on the direction ahead.
Fifty to sixty meters in front of him, there was a tiger-like beast staring coldly at him.
This beast's skin was golden, like silk.
Under the sunlight, it gave Li Ziyu the feeling of wind blowing through golden wheat fields.
What attracted Li Ziyu's attention the most was that on the side of this beast's mouth, which was several times larger than a polar bear, there were two Arm Blades, two meters long, resembling mammoth tusks.
"A peak-level beast, Arm Blade Tiger!"
Li Ziyu's entire body trembled, his gaze fixed on the Arm Blade Tiger in front of him.
But it wasn't fear; it was excitement!
"This... how much money would this sell for?!"
The Arm Blade Tiger looked at Li Ziyu with disdain.
Ever since this human saw him, his body had been trembling, likely from being intimidated by his presence.
After the beasts descended upon Blue Star, humans were no longer the overlords of Blue Star; in the eyes of some powerful beasts, humans were merely crunchy rations.
Without another word, the Arm Blade Tiger pushed off with its four limbs and, at a terrifying speed, roared and pounced directly at Li Ziyu!
Li Ziyu could even clearly see human flesh on the Arm Blade Tiger's teeth.
Li Ziyu advanced instead of retreating, not at all afraid of the Arm Blade Tiger's imposing aura.
As the Arm Blade Tiger approached within three meters, the power of his vital energy surged throughout his body, gathering entirely in his hands and then transferring to the long blade he held.
"Swift Wind Slash!"
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Just as the Arm Blade Tiger was excited that he was about to have another meal.
With a squelch, he felt his neck tighten, his tiger eyes went black, and he lost consciousness.
The massive tiger body, propelled by inertia, rushed forward for more than ten meters, crashing through several walls before finally coming to a halt with a thud.
"My current strength means that level one beasts no longer pose a threat to me."
"Even the peak-level beast, the Arm Blade Tiger, I can kill it with three Swift Wind Slashes!"
"Strong! It's only been three days since the vital energy test, and I've already grown to this extent. System, you're truly amazing!"
Name: Li Ziyu
Realm: Level One Advanced (+)
Combat Skills: Swift Wind Blade Technique (+), Elementary Mad Bull Tempering Method (+), Intermediate Blade Technique (+), Initial Body Technique (+).
System: Martial God System.
Function: Can absorb all things to increase vital energy; other functions await the host's own discovery.
"It can be upgraded!"
After hunting these beasts, the plus sign finally reappeared on the system.
However, this time, Li Ziyu looked at the pile of plus signs on the system panel and felt a bit conflicted.
"Realm, Body Refinement Method, and Swift Wind Slash can all be upgraded."
"Tsk, each one offers a huge boost to my strength, it's a bit of a dilemma!"
A conflicted look flashed in Li Ziyu's eyes.
If he upgraded his realm, then the Body Refinement Method and Swift Wind Slash could only be improved by accumulating more vital energy later.
However, both the Body Refinement Method and Swift Wind Slash were very helpful to him: one comprehensively enhanced his physical qualities, and the other increased his attack power.
After pondering for a moment, Li Ziyu's eyes suddenly lit up.
He slapped his head abruptly.
"Damn it! I'm such an idiot. The system only grants a lot of vital energy when killing beasts of the same level or higher than oneself."
"If I raise my realm, wouldn't I have to keep looking for higher-level beasts to hunt?"
"The higher the level of the beast, the stronger it is. If I only have vital energy but lack the corresponding combat power, wouldn't the efficiency of hunting high-level beasts be terribly low?"
"The correct approach should be to maximize combat skills before each realm upgrade, and then upgrade the realm; that's the most correct choice!"
"This way, I'll be invincible in battles of the same rank, or even in cross-rank battles, and it will be easier to gain vital energy by killing beasts!"
"System, upgrade my Mad Bull Tempering Method!"
Thinking this, Li Ziyu no longer hesitated and directly spoke in his mind.
Boom.
As his thoughts settled.
Li Ziyu instantly felt a strong electric current appear in his limbs and bones, coursing wildly through his body.
His entire being was like he had been electrocuted, and his whole body's muscles began to tremble uncontrollably.
His entire body's muscles felt as if they were being torn apart. This sensation lasted for a full half an hour, and after it ended, Li Ziyu felt as if he had been pulled out of water.
However, what was on his body wasn't water, but thick layers of grime.
The dirt covered Li Ziyu's entire body, making his appearance unclear.
But his eyes shone terrifyingly bright.
There was uncontrollable joy and excitement in his eyes.
Name: Li Ziyu.
Realm: Level One Advanced Warrior.
Combat Skills: Intermediate Mad Bull Tempering Method, Elementary Swift Wind Blade Technique, Intermediate Knife Skill, Elementary Body Movement.
System: Martial God System.
Function: Can absorb all things to increase vital energy; other functions await the host's own discovery.
"My decision was correct! The Intermediate Body Refinement Method is at least twice as strong as the Elementary!"
"My current strength, speed, and stamina completely overwhelm my previous self before the upgrade!"
Li Ziyu looked at his hands, his expression excited.
Then he formed his hand into a fist and fiercely smashed it against a one-meter-high granite rock in front of him.
With a loud boom.
The massive rock, which had stood there for an unknown amount of time, its surface weathered and indestructible.
Under Li Ziyu's punch, it was directly shattered into pieces!
Li Ziyu then drew the long blade from his back and tried out the Swift Wind Slash.
Finally, he put his blade away, satisfied.
Through his test.
He could confirm that if he encountered a peak-level beast, the Arm Blade Tiger, again, he was confident he wouldn't need three slashes; he could kill it with just one!
Just as Li Ziyu was about to test it again, footsteps sounded not far from him.
Li Ziyu's gaze sharpened, and he subconsciously gripped his long blade with both hands, coldly shouting in the direction of the footsteps:
"Who's there! Come out!"