I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

"If I don't have lightning abilities, then... I'll create one myself!"

This is his core advantage as an arcane archer. He is neither a mage who relies on skill books, nor a warrior who follows the rules step by step. He is a deconstructor and reconstructor of rules.

Li Wu closed his eyes and sank his mind into his sea of ​​consciousness. He began to review the known secret texts, especially the one he had used to construct the fire skill, [Blazing].

【炽】.

He once thought it represented fire.

But now, reflecting on the deeper meaning of "炽" (chì), it is not simply referring to a certain element.

It is a conceptual core that represents "energy, activation, radicalism".

Flame is the result of the intense oxidation of matter by heat.

What about lightning?

Li Wu began to try to connect the concept of "blazing" with the essence of lightning.

Lightning is the violent separation and instantaneous neutralization of electric charge; it is a directed burst of high-energy electrons.

Doesn't this perfectly align with the "activation" and "radicalization" represented by the character 【炽】?

It is also an instantaneous release of energy, just in a different form.

If we consider the word "炽" as meaning "explosion," then when it combines with "wood" and "oxygen," it represents "fire and explosion."

When it combines with "cloud charge" and "ground", it results in a "lightning explosion".

The same core concept can manifest different physical phenomena depending on the objects it is combined with.

This discovery brought a sudden clarity to Li Wu's mind. The cipher text was letters representing concepts, not labels representing elements.

Now, he needs to find the corresponding "grammar" for lightning.

He recalled another secret inscription: [Lan].

【岚】 represents movement, direction, and separation. Isn't the essence of lightning precisely the separation and high-speed movement of electric charges? Its conduction and directionality coincide with the meaning of 【岚】.

【炽】provides the vitality of energy, 【岚】gives movement and direction.

These two secret documents are like a natural pair.

Li Wu attempted to combine [Blazing] and [Storm] in the Sea of ​​Spirit.

He mobilized the arcane energy within his body, using [Blazing] as the core to outline the contours of an energy burst. Then, he introduced [Storm], guiding this active energy to possess penetrating and conductive properties, simulating the trajectory of lightning.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, a tiny arc of electricity suddenly ignited, tearing a brief streak of light through the void.

[System notification: Congratulations! You have successfully created a new skill: [Lightning Arrow]!]

Lightning Arrow

[Secret Text Combination: Blaze + Storm]

[Effect: Fires a rapid, straight bolt of lightning, dealing lightning damage based on 150% of the caster's magic attack value to the target, and has a 10% chance to paralyze the target for 1 second.]

【Features: Extremely fast casting speed, low energy consumption, and high projectile velocity.】

Become!

Li Wu opened his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips. He felt the new energy flowing through his body, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.

"What's wrong?" Hua Zitong asked with concern when she noticed his unusual expression.

"I think... I've found a way to deal with these iron lumps," Li Wu replied. He raised his arcane bow and drew the bowstring taut.

This time, instead of the scorching heat of flame, the arrow was accompanied by a flickering blue electric light. It trembled on the bowstring, emitting a faint hissing sound, as if it might break free of its restraints at any moment.

"Lightning Bolt!"

The arrow left the bowstring, transforming into a blue beam of light, too fast for the naked eye to follow. It struck precisely the mining puppet that had been fighting Hua Zitong earlier.

"boom!"

With a muffled thud, blue lightning exploded on the puppet's steel body.

-1550! (Weakness Critical Hit)

An astonishing damage number floated above the mining golem's head.

Then two more arrows were fired in quick succession!

The mining golem's movements visibly faltered, and charred black smoke billowed from its body. The single eye on its head flickered a few times before dimming. It collapsed to the ground with a thud, leaving only its broken shell.

[System notification: You have killed a Level 23 Dark Iron Dwarf Wraith, gaining 130 experience points.]

[System Notification: Your talent 'Soul Devourer' has been triggered, permanently increasing your Luck by 0.08 points and Intelligence by 0.08 points.]

Hua Zitong was stunned. She looked at the fallen puppet, then at the bow in Li Wu's hand.

"You...you created lightning magic?"

"It's just a basic single-target skill," Li Wu said, his gaze once again fixed on the group of puppets in the distance.

A single-target skill, three arrows are enough to kill an elite monster instantly. But to clear the field quickly, even stronger methods are needed.

Li Wu closed his eyes again and focused his attention on the secret text [Domain].

【Domain】 represents space or range. If the active energy of 【Blazing】 and the conductivity of 【Storm】 can be confined to a 【Domain】, allowing it to jump and spread within that range, then the monster-clearing efficiency will far exceed that of single-target skills.

He began to try to construct this more complex combination in the sea of ​​the mind.

【Blazing】is the energy core, 【Storm】is responsible for guiding the flow and direction of energy, while 【Domain】 is like an invisible cage, binding this flowing energy within a specific range and forcing it to be transmitted between multiple targets.

This is much more complicated than creating a Lightning Bolt.

Li Wu felt his mental energy rapidly depleting, and his mana gushing out like a flood. He had to precisely control the proportion and interaction of each secret inscription.

In the sea of ​​consciousness, the arcs of electricity were no longer straight lines; they began to leap and branch, eventually forming a complex network. When he incorporated the concept of "domain" into it, the network instantly expanded, enveloping a virtual circular area.

[System notification: Congratulations! You have successfully created a new skill: [Chain Lightning Arrow]!]

Chain Lightning Arrow

[Secret Text Combination: Blaze + Storm + Domain]

[Effect: Fires an arrow imbued with chain lightning. Upon impact, the arrow automatically jumps to up to 5 targets within an 8-meter radius (prioritizing unaffected targets). Damage decreases by 20% with each jump. Targets hit have a chance to be chain-electrified, reducing their movement speed by 15% for 3 seconds.]

【Features: Area-of-effect monster clearing and crowd control effect.】

"I did it!" Li Wu opened his eyes, his face showing a hint of fatigue, but even more so excitement.

"That's amazing!" Hua Zitong exclaimed sincerely. She knew how difficult it was to create skills, especially such a highly targeted and complex skill. Li Wu had solved the problem that had been troubling them in such a short time.

"Now, let these lumps of iron witness true power." Li Wu raised his bow again.

This time, the arrow was crackling with even more ferocious blue lightning, the arcs of electricity crackling and emitting a deep roar.

He spotted a group of mining golems digging in the distance; there were five of them.

"Chain Lightning Arrow!"

The arrow whistled out and struck one of the puppets accurately. Blue lightning exploded instantly, then, as if alive, leaped from the first puppet to the second, then the third, the fourth, and finally the fifth.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of explosions rang out in the mine tunnels, and each of the mining golems that were hit trembled in the lightning, thick black smoke billowing from their bodies.

-1500! (Weakness Critical Hit)

-940!

-892!

-833!

-846!

……

Three arrows again!

None of the five mining golems survived the electric shock. They swayed and finally collapsed to the ground with a crash.

[System notification: You have killed a Level 23 Dark Iron Dwarf Wraith, gaining 46 experience points.]

[System notification: You have killed a Level 23 Dark Iron Dwarf Wraith, gaining 46 experience points.]

……

In just a few seconds, all five elite monsters were wiped out. Experience points poured in like a waterfall, and Li Wu and Hua Zitong's experience bars started to jump again.

"That's too fast." Hua Zitong opened her mouth as she watched this scene.

This efficiency is simply unbelievable.

"This is the true power of an arcane archer," Li Wu said softly. He felt his mana rapidly depleting, but his face showed satisfaction.

This is not just an improvement in monster-clearing efficiency, but also a further expansion of the boundaries of his abilities. He is no longer limited to existing combinations of secret texts, but can create the most suitable tools according to actual needs.

From this moment on, the mining golems in the Black Iron Mine are no longer obstacles, but rather free ATMs for experience points and attributes.

"Let's go." Li Wu put away his bow and said to Hua Zitong, "We should speed things up."

Hua Zitong nodded, her heart pounding as she watched Li Wu's retreating figure. She had once thought she had all the "strategies" for the future, but Li Wu, this man who constantly created miracles, always managed to shatter her expectations time and time again.

After Li Wu mastered the lightning skill, their leveling speed reached an unprecedented level. Whether it was hordes of dwarven wraiths or sturdy mining golems, they were all turned into experience points under Li Wu's arrows.

Deep within the mine, lightning flashed, occasionally accompanied by booming sounds. It wasn't thunder from the sky, but rather the symphony of lightning played by Li Wu's arcane bow.