10: Can you withstand this punch, the result of six days of hard work?

Early the next morning, Bai Ye wandered over to the vicinity of the Sinkhole, ready to unleash another fierce attack.

The losses suffered by the Bunker were unusually heavy. The Lich was clearly afraid, ordering large numbers of Undead Yao Beasts to form a circle around the perimeter of the Sinkhole.

They guarded strictly, forbidding any living creature from approaching.

"Heh, with so much free labor, it makes me want to contract a Lich to work for me."

Bai Ye chuckled, not taking these skeleton frames seriously at all.

There are always more solutions than problems.

Threads of nearly imperceptible light pink dust, carried by the breeze, silently seeped into the ground beneath the bony feet of the Undead Yao Beasts.

Last night, the Proficiency of Dust Explosion had just broken through to Mastery, allowing his control over the Skill to reach a whole new level.

Once the dust was deployed, the feeling of control was worlds apart.

The control distance had significantly increased.

Whether concentrating the explosion on a single point or scattering it across an area, he could do as he pleased.

Switching between single-target output and area-of-effect attack was effortless.

Boom!

With another loud bang, the Bunker, which had just been hastily repaired, collapsed almost entirely.

Inside the Castle, the Low-rank Yao Beasts that the Lich reared like livestock were crushed to death in large numbers by falling rocks.

Although these creatures couldn't compare to the two Wraith Warriors, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

The Lich's heart, which had never beaten, now felt a stabbing, agonizing pain.

Nearly all the valuable living creatures in the entire Secret Realm were inside this Bunker. Who knew how long it would take for them to multiply again?

"Time to scram."

Bai Ye knew when to quit while he was ahead.

A single night was not enough time for him to advance to Transcendence High-rank.

The Photosynthesis (Green) Talent could, at most, ensure his survival after his heart was crushed.

As for continuing the fight, that was basically impossible.

If he wanted to truly confront the Lich's "Heart Control" move, he would have to wait until he leveled Photosynthesis to Blue Quality, making the heart no longer a vital weakness when exposed to sunlight.

"ROAR!!"

A pitch-black aura of death shot up from the Sinkhole ruins, sweeping up the surrounding Undead Yao Beasts who were too slow to evade.

The Soul Fires in their eye sockets instantly extinguished, turning into sustenance for the Lich.

Beneath the cloak, those ink-like eyes frantically scanned the surroundings, yet couldn't find a single ghost shadow.

With nowhere to vent its mounting rage, it raised its hand and crushed a trembling Skeleton Soldier lying at its feet.

"Blowing things up and running away, truly thrilling."

Bai Ye hadn't actually run far; he simply found an embankment, dug a hole, and buried himself entirely inside.

Ever since he became a Grass Attribute "Yao Beast," he realized he could also stop breathing for short periods.

"This old fossil is really like an Iron Turtle; it took two massive explosions head-on and didn't even suffer a scratch."

Bai Ye had thought that the upgraded Dust Explosion would at least inflict some substantial damage on the Lich.

In the end, forget injury, he couldn't even blast off the tattered cloak it wore.

For the past few days, he had either been fighting or fleeing for his life, never getting a decent night's sleep.

His body didn't feel tired, but his spirit was starting to give out.

Finding such a safe and comfortable spot was rare, so it was the perfect time to let his brain rest.

Gauging his mental state, he set his rest period for three hours.

During this time, Ghost Orchid's roots were anchored outside, serving as his lookout.

The entire morning passed quickly while he rested.

By evening, when Bai Ye resumed his training, his overall condition was noticeably better. He also took the opportunity to teach Ghost Orchid some usage techniques for Dust Explosion.

Moving from beginner to Proficiency required Bai Ye to absorb ten times.

From Proficiency to Mastery, that number increased fivefold.

And to go from Mastery to the Perfected, the number would have to increase by at least another fivefold.

The difficulty of leveling Mid-rank Skills far surpassed that of Low-rank Skills; he didn't have an exact count of how many times it would take.

Over the next few days, Bai Ye lived a three-point routine.

During the day, he bombed the Lich; afterward, he absorbed the Ghost Orchid; after absorbing, he left enough physical strength for the Ghost Orchid to train extra at night.

After several days, the entire Sinkhole was riddled with holes from the explosions.

The Castle was reduced to mere foundation remnants; forget raising Undead Yao Beasts, even a mouse entering would leave weeping.

The Lich numbly crawled out from underground.

The cloak it wore to block the sunlight was gone, and its left arm had been blasted off, exposing the dry bone underneath.

If this were a few days ago, losing an arm wouldn't matter; absorbing a few more Undead Yao Beasts would restore it.

But now... it was all gone! Everything was gone!

Inside the Secret Realm, it couldn't even use one-tenth of its Talent; to grow stronger, it had to follow the Evil Path.

It had spent decades painstakingly building up its Undead Army, only for it to be completely obliterated by that maniacal Grass-type Yao Beast.

Although it had been the one to launch the initial siege, taking a step back, did that guy really have to be so aggressive?

The Lich raised its sole remaining right hand, subconsciously trying to summon some Skeleton Soldiers.

"Well, well, well, isn't this the Old Lich? Haven't seen you in a few days. How did you lose an arm?"

A lazy voice sounded.

Bai Ye stepped out from the woods, flashing a row of white teeth at the miserable-looking Lich.

Facing the Lich, whose strength had plummeted, he no longer needed to resort to sneak attacks.

[Name]: Bai Ye

[attribute]: Grass

[Aptitude]: rare

[Rank]: Transcendence High-rank

[Skills]: Dust Explosion (Mid-rank) (Mastery), Aromatic Pollen (Low-rank) (Peak Perfection), Energy-Storing Nature Fist (Mid-rank) (beginner)

[Talents]: Bond Nexus, Photosynthesis (Blue)

[Photosynthesis (Blue)]: Recovery Power is further enhanced; under sunlight, limb Rebirth is possible, and the heart is no longer a weakness.

Cultivation speed is five times that of Photosynthesis (Green); during the most intense period of sunlight (12:00~14:00), strength is tripled.

Feeling the continuous surge of power within his body, Bai Ye's physique had developed further, and his height had grown to 1.85 meters.

His musculature was clearly defined, brimming with explosive power.

Upon seeing Bai Ye, the Lich, whose emotions should have been as still as an ancient well, instantly broke down.

"You bastard! Die!"

The voice, filled with killing intent, exploded directly in Bai Ye's mind.

Yao Beasts that manipulate Souls are mostly adept at Mental Energy, and their wisdom far exceeds those of the same Rank.

But precisely because they possess near-human intelligence, once provoked, they become even more impulsive than ordinary Yao Beasts.

The Lich forgot to use its Skills and charged forward, swinging its slender, solitary arm, preparing to deliver a fierce punch to Bai Ye's face.

In its view, Bai Ye had managed to put it in such a pathetic state entirely thanks to that bizarre explosion Skill.

Based on its observations over the past few days, that explosion move required not only a confined space but also an extremely long preparation time to unleash its maximum power.

Such a Skill was useless in a one-on-one fight.

Aside from that, the opponent was merely an ordinary Extraordinary Level Yao Beast.

Bai Ye couldn't understand the Lich's maneuver, but he was greatly astonished.

You're a Mage, and you want to engage in a bayonet charge with me, a Warrior?

Under the sunlight, his power was tripled.

Forget a Transcendent Limit existence, even if an Elite Low-rank came, Bai Ye was confident he could beat their brains out.

The Lich's withered fist whistled toward him.

Bai Ye neither dodged nor avoided, simply reaching out and catching the slowly extending fist.

The Lich struggled desperately but found its hand firmly clamped, unable to move.

The next second, it felt the world spin as it was swung around and violently smashed onto the ground.

With a "boom," a clear human-shaped crater was smashed into the ground.

"This punch—ten years... wait, six days of work. Can you block it?"