Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 191 Skill Enhancement

"Oh!"

A faint ring of air ripples spread out.

Li Xia delivered a side kick to the gleaming silver shield.

The man in black holding the shield was sent flying backward, knocking several people down.

Taking advantage of the momentum, he turned around, and the spear nimbly circled behind him, drawing a beautiful arc from bottom to top.

Ring! Flash!

The white slash instantly detached from the gun blade, slicing diagonally across the black-clad man's neck like wheat being harvested.

The man in black, who was about to charge forward, froze, his head rolling off, his powerful heart squeezing out blood.

Like fountains of blood, his deep brown pupils quickly scanned left and right, instantly taking in the surrounding situation.

"Thorn-"

A blinding flash of lightning erupted from the silence of the night, and then it truly transformed into a bolt of lightning that shot out of his hand.

In an instant, it pierced through the dozens of overlapping figures in front of it.

Unexpectedly, Li Xia did not immediately recall his spear, but instead took a wrong step.

He took a step back as if he had been moved horizontally.

But he managed to dodge the two long swords that came slashing down from behind.

He bent his arms and slammed his elbows into the black-clad man's chest, hearing a crisp cracking sound.

With a flick of his wrist, he grabbed both of their wrists, bent over, and slammed them both away.

At the same time, he was lifted into the air again and flipped over to the back of the crowd.

"Stab!"

The silence of night, returning in an instant from afar, once again pierced through the long line of men in black before them.

"Om-"

Night Silence trembled slightly in his hand, and a faint white light appeared on his half-crouching body.

A flash of silver light!

The massive, silvery-white slash spread outwards, seemingly slowly but in the blink of an eye it had already expanded to a range of tens of meters.

From the sky, it looks like a sickle harvesting wheat, the area swept by the arc of light neatly divided in two.

Whether it's weapons or shields, the cuts are as smooth as a mirror.

Some of the men in black reacted incredibly quickly as the arc light appeared, leaping into the air only to be met with a lightning-fast hole-hole wave.

It was a hasty jump, and there was no way it could react to the hole wave.

The massive slash slowly dissipated, leaving the plaza a scene resembling hell.

The bodies of thousands of people were scattered all over the ground, most of them broken in two, and there were puddles of blood everywhere.

The crimson color reflected in Li Xia's eyes, turning them blood red as well.

Silence reigned all around, and the wind, carrying with it a faint scent of blood, enveloped the body.

From Aowu and Heitan's perspective, Li Xia's body seemed to be shrouded in bloody smoke, and his whole being exuded a chilling killing intent.

"It really is the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts. Even though it's only the guiding section, its power is already beginning to show."

Awoo perched on the black charcoal's head, its little paws gripping the black charcoal's ears, just like piloting Unit-01.

"Let me tell you, little cat, those who follow this lineage are all war gods. Others may not be as good, but they are absolutely fierce in battle!"

"Meow?"

"Turning into a heartless killing machine? Impossible! The God of War isn't a killing machine. You're underestimating our Prince."

"Sigh, that's how it is for those who practice Qi. You wouldn't understand if you didn't practice Qi."

[Executioner, Phase Three is complete. Shall we continue?]

Li Xia ignored the floating panel and frowned at the blood energy surrounding him.

With a jolt, the surging true qi suddenly pushed away the blood qi, and the faint, pungent smell of blood in the wind also dissipated.

The air is thick with the scent of blood, making it look like a slaughtered embryo; that's not a good sign.

"Trial complete"

The corpses scattered on the ground slowly melted into liquid, seeping into the ground, and the surrounding environment gradually turned dark.

When the lights came on again, they were back in the small room of the practice area.

Li Xia stretched his slightly sore body and called out to Aowu and Heitan:
"Go back and rest, upgrade some skills, and then wait for [Smaug's Scale]."

He hadn't forgotten that he still had the arena to fight in; he needed to make a run in the arena before advancing to the next rank.

Even after leaving the practice field, the streets were still bustling with people.

The huge protective shield overhead provided ample light, making it seem like daytime all the time.

There is neither darkness nor sunset, just like its name, the Hall of Light!

The stalls on both sides had all sorts of exaggerated signs, each more abstract than the last.

Some stalls were even surrounded by apostles, their faces blurred, who used all sorts of tricks to haggle with the stall owners.

Li Xia suddenly slowed down, taking a leisurely stroll as she absorbed the noise.

This place is undoubtedly full of life. Although no one knows when death will come, everyone is desperately fighting for the hope of survival.

Strive towards tomorrow.

So there was a hidden explosive force hidden within that vibrant life, as if just a spark could ignite this place and turn it into a raging inferno that could burn everything.

Aowu and Heitan didn't think much of it. Aowu was fine, but Heitan, being a cat, was full of curiosity.

I wanted to check out every stall I passed.

"Meow!"

Black Charcoal suddenly stopped and raised its paw at Li Xia. Walking over to look, he saw that it was indeed necessary, and patted Black Charcoal's head.

Comfortable trousers

[Grade: Blue (Tier 2)]

[Origin: Employee No. 9522]

[Durability: 50/50]

[Defense Tier: 2 (Second Tier)]

[Biomaterials: capable of absorbing energy for self-repair]

[Energy Tuning: Through tuning, it becomes unaffected by the wearer's energy (fire, lightning, frost, etc.)]

[Introduction: Still worried that your skills will burn your clothes? The Tuning Series, the best choice for adventure—Employee No. 9552]

Moreover, this stall mainly sells bottoms, including shoes, all of which have the attribute of energy tuning.

Long before entering the world of Lord of the Rings, Li Xia had purchased a pair of green-quality trousers.

It is indeed very comfortable, but it cannot withstand high temperatures.

So after acquiring the Smaug Scales, I bought heat-resistant pants that were said to withstand 1300 degrees Celsius of heat.

Indeed, it's quite impressive; all his clothes were burned to ashes, but his pants remained intact.

Unfortunately, it was reduced to dust by Dragon Strike's [Destruction Beam].

So I really need a new pair of pants.

These comfortable trousers are actually quite ordinary; their defense tier is average, and they don't offer any bonus attributes.

But it suits Li Xia perfectly.

How much would you charge for these pants?

The stall owner immediately grinned and held up five fingers:
"Five thousand! Blue quality, five thousand for one piece, you won't regret it!"

The normal market price for blue-quality equipment is around four to five thousand.

Weapons will have a premium price; it's normal for top-tier weapons to cost over 10,000.

But to spend five thousand on these pants is pure rip-off.

Li Xia, stroking his chin, suddenly said:

"Two thousand and five!"

"Hey bro, are you trying to haggle like you're buying clothes?"

The stall owner's smile froze on his face.

"This price is definitely not right. Do you think we should add a little more?"

Got it, it's almost hit the bottom price, just a little below it.

"Two thousand seven"

The stall owner hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement.

Skill Enhancement Facility No. 666

Please select the skills you wish to improve.

1.【八九玄功】LV2初窥门径（2000点、时空铜币*2，1点功勋值兑换1个月经验灌注）

2.【技之尽头】LV3略有小成（是否支付1500点数，时空铜币*1，兑换6个月的技能灌注）
3【周天】LV4驾轻就熟（是否支付1000点数，时空铜币*1，兑换1年的技能灌注）
4. [Sharpshooter] LV4 Proficient (Exchange for 1 year of skill infusion)
5. [Ban/Ban] rank15
6. [Flying Technique] LV4 Proficient (Exchangeable for 1 year of skill infusion)
7. [Hole-hole wave] rank15
8. [General Driving] rank5
Li Xia stared at the pale blue panel floating in front of him, lost in thought.

My current skill system is roughly like this; the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts are the foundation and support.

Without the support of the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, this system can only be described as moderately strong.

The power of [The Ultimate Skill] gradually begins to emerge. It is extremely inclusive, encompassing techniques that one has come to understand, such as the slashing technique [Clang].

They were all incorporated into the [End of Skill] system. At first, the Afterimage Fist could stand alone as a skill, but it didn't last long and was also incorporated into the End of Skill.

The remaining skills.
We've been investing resources in [Sharpshooter], but the problem is we haven't encountered a good bow yet.

Monster Hunter World does have bows, but those bows are specially designed to better suit the needs of hunting.

The bow Li Xia wanted was the kind that didn't need arrows, but could generate energy arrows.

We'll just have to wait and see.

Resources for the [Sharpshooter] class can be paused, and level 4 is more than enough. Many ranged apostles who mainly use archery don't even have level 4 infused main skills yet.

Similar to [Sharpshooter] is [Seal/Ban], but I haven't used it yet, mainly because I haven't encountered any space-type enemies.

I reckon I should be able to encounter them once I reach Tier 3. Spatial skills aren't common, and it's indeed difficult to have such skills at lower tiers.

【Hole Wave】is still useful; it was originally intended as a mid-range attack method to supplement the main attack.

Even with the energy slash of [Ring] now available, the status of [Dongdong Wave] remains unshakable.

For example, the fastest [Sound Flash] is a high-speed slash with a speed of over 200 meters per second.

It is still not as fast as the Hole Wave, and theoretically the Hole Wave is also Li Xia's strongest burst method.

Just like the battle with Dragon Strike General, in the end he relied on inserting his arm into his eye socket to unleash the full power of his internal Hole Wave.

Otherwise, they might not be able to outlast the Dragon Strike General.

After strengthening my attributes, I currently have 440 True Qi points. If I unleash them all, I can deal nearly 20,000 energy damage!

After some thought, I decisively invested all three Time-Space Coins I had into [The End of Skill].

This skill encompasses a lot, and the necessity to improve it is increasing.

Of course, the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts are more important, but there's also the free enhancement.

"Awoo! Protect me!"

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

(End of this chapter)