Chapter 415: Madness Enhancement

Chapter 415: Madness Enhancement

Ji Xinghuo saw the three fusion success rates, and as expected, neither he nor his two battle pets were suitable for merging with the Lord of the Earth's Crust.

The abnormal gravity around them faded away.

He slowly landed on the ground and turned to look at Kui Gang.

Kui Gang was also staring at the exotic creature in Ji Xinghuo's hand, clearly surprised that he had managed to obtain it while defeating the Earth Devourer.

"Your movements are quick," Kui Gang commented.

Ji Xinghuo smiled.

In truth, the Earth Devourer had been dead for a few seconds, and he had only wrapped his torrent form around its corpse to hide it from Kui Gang. He had taken the opportunity to use his Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil to locate the "Lord of the Earth's Crust" and then strike to obtain it.

Among the scattered flesh and blood on the ground lay more than ten exotic creatures, including a Star Meteor-level "Gravity Earth Field."

However, neither Ji Xinghuo nor Kui Gang paid them any heed.

Kui Gang's gaze remained fixed on the Lord of the Earth's Crust, his desire for it unhidden. "If you give me the Lord of the Earth's Crust now, increasing my strength greatly, I will have a better chance of helping you obtain the Stellar Power," he said earnestly.

Ji Xinghuo remained silent, considering his options.

"I, Kui Gang, pledge my honor as a Silicon Giant that I will uphold our trade agreement, even if it costs me my life," Kui Gang declared, his voice resonating with sincerity.

"How long will it take for you to obtain the Stellar Power?" Ji Xinghuo asked after a moment.

"If all goes well, I can deliver it to you before the end of this hot season. At the very latest, it won't take more than a year," Kui Gang replied, referring to a stellar year. "Stellar Power is extremely rare, and I won't make any false promises."

Ji Xinghuo inquired further, "And if you were to obtain the Lord of the Earth's Crust, how much faster could you be?"

"I can't guarantee anything, but it will definitely be quicker," Kui Gang asserted.

Ji Xinghuo nodded, trusting that Kui Gang was being truthful. The most prudent course of action would be to wait until Kui Gang acquired the Stellar Power before making the exchange.

However, life was about taking risks.

Kui Gang possessed immense strength, even among the plethora of experts in the Star Realm, and he was among the very best of the Sixth Stage. Moreover, he had tremendous potential, and the powerful Silicon Giant clan backed him. There was a chance he could even aspire to become a Star Shepherd Saint.

Most importantly, Kui Gang's character was worthy of forging a connection. By betting on a Star Meteor exotic, he might gain a powerful ally in the future.

Ji Xinghuo's expression remained neutral as he contemplated, giving no hint of his thoughts.

Kui Gang, assuming he was still being refused, felt disappointment well up within him. Suddenly, he saw Ji Xinghuo toss the Lord of the Earth's Crust's exotic over to him.

"Then I'll do it as soon as possible," Kui Gang said, his voice filled with elation as he quickly caught the exotic.

Remembering his promise, Kui Gang immediately asked, "How do I contact you once I obtain the Stellar Power?"

"Do you have a place to stay in Titanium Ring City?" Ji Xinghuo replied.

"Yes," Kui Gang answered, providing an address.

"Come to Titanium Ring City once you have the Stellar Power, and I will find you," Ji Xinghuo instructed, not wanting to reveal his connection to Earth.

"Alright, that's a deal!" Kui Gang's joy knew no bounds, and he couldn't wait to merge with the Lord of the Earth's Crust. His towering figure sank into the ground as if plunging into water, and his voice echoed from below, "I'll take my leave first, and you'll hear from me soon."

Through electromagnetic induction, Ji Xinghuo sensed Kui Gang swiftly departing underground until he vanished from perception.

Ji Xinghuo maintained his Silicon Giant form as he sifted through the Earth Devourer's remains, collecting the remaining exotics.

In addition to the Lord of the Earth's Crust, there was another Star Meteor-level exotic—the "Gravity Earth Field." Although he couldn't use it himself, it could be sold or traded for a substantial sum.

There were also several other ultra-limit exotics: Crystal Armor, Devourer, Iron Stomach Stone Guts, and Limb Regeneration, all of which were highly valuable.

The rest were more common exotics, also found on other Earth Devourers.

After storing the exotics, Ji Xinghuo blended into the shadows and swiftly moved through them, leaving behind only a pool of blood and flesh on the ground. Soon, nearby Earth Devourers were drawn to the site, devouring the remnants of the corpse until nothing was left.

Ji Xinghuo ventured far from that area and continued his hunt in the Silent Wasteland, gathering spiritual source energy.

Days passed, and shuttle after shuttle flew overhead in the Silent Wasteland, each bearing the insignia of the Rock King family. They were searching for the killer of Rock King Ke, and the satellite surveillance of the Silent Wasteland had intensified tenfold.

Out of caution, Ji Xinghuo headed to a stronghold to discreetly gather information.

Only then did he relax.

Despite the tense atmosphere on Black Ring Star and the Rock King family's fervent search for the murderer, they had made no substantial progress.

The Rock King family attempted to seal the stargate on Black Ring Star but was rebuked by the Titanium-Cobalt family.

Black Ring Star belongs to the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon King! The Rock King family is only managing it in his stead. How dare they try to seal the planet just because a mere Dragon Lord was killed? Their loss of face was complete when this message spread.

However, the Rock King family dared not harbor any thoughts of defiance. They had no Dragon King or Star Shepherd Saint to back them, and even if they did, they could only submit to the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon King's will.

When he eliminated Rock King Ke, all the means he employed were attributed to the Nine Shadows, completely distinct from "Jin's" exotic abilities.

After staying in the stronghold for a day and confirming his safety, Ji Xinghuo resumed his identity as 'Jin' and once again ventured into the Silent Wasteland.

Aside from Kui Gang, no one knew that the Quake-level Earth Devourer had perished.

People kept arriving in the Silent Wasteland, searching for that Earth Devourer, but for over ten consecutive days, there was no news of it. Some guessed that the Earth Devourer might have been killed, and their enthusiasm started to wane. Gradually, the hunting teams left.

Whether there were many people or few, it didn't affect Ji Xinghuo's hunt for the Earth Devourers.

Each day, his spiritual source energy increased.

It returned to 500,000 points.

Then 600,000, 700,000, 800,000...

Over a hundred days after Ji Xinghuo entered Black Ring Star, with only three days left until the Apocalypse Dragon Festival, his spiritual source energy finally broke through 900,000 points!

In the ruins at the southern edge of the Silent Wasteland, Ji Xinghuo stood atop a collapsed building, opened his Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil to take a look, and shook his head, thinking, "What a pity, it's not enough time."

Spiritual Source Energy: 902,132

This was the highest accumulation of spiritual source energy he had ever achieved, setting a new record.

Ji Xinghuo had originally intended to break through the 1,000,000-point mark for spiritual source energy before the Apocalypse Dragon Festival. If he could do that, he would invest it all into "Electromagnetic Oscillation" and advance to Level 7, which would likely lead to a breakthrough to the Eclipse Exotic Ability!

But with only three days left until the Apocalypse Dragon Festival began, there was no way he could accumulate the remaining 100,000 spiritual source energy.

While others might not realize it, Ji Xinghuo himself was well aware of this fact.

In the Silent Wasteland, he hunted tirelessly for nearly a hundred days, and the number of Earth Devourers had noticeably decreased.

Although the decrease was only around one-tenth.

However, Ji Xinghuo found that his hunting efficiency was starting to slow down. As time went on, the density of Earth Devourers decreased, resulting in lesser spiritual source energy gains.

"I'll have to come back another time."

"Hunting also requires a sustainable approach. We can't wipe out all the Earth Devourers; we need to give them time to breed."

Ji Xinghuo muttered to himself.

Black Ring Star had an area of over 1.3 billion square kilometers, half of which was land, providing numerous places for hunting. There was no shortage of monsters, and since he had mostly cleared out the Silent Wasteland, he could simply move to another location.

He sat down and looked at the interface of his Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil, scanning through the information of his exotic abilities one by one.

900,000+ spiritual source energy.

Since it wasn't enough to upgrade Electromagnetic Oscillation, he decided to enhance his other exotic abilities first to strengthen his overall prowess.

"I can use up a third of it." Ji Xinghuo considered, "I'll keep 600,000 points of spiritual source energy in reserve. If I obtain the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon's Body smoothly, I can level up several levels immediately."

His gaze fell on "Titanium-Cobalt Dragon's Blood."

Exotic Ability: Titanium-Cobalt Dragon's Blood (Level 4, 2342/44449)



It had been a long time since he last upgraded this ability.

After arriving at the True Dragon Dynasty, Ji Xinghuo learned a piece of knowledge from the stone slabs.

For Dragon Blood Exotics and Dragon Body Exotics, as long as they originated from the same True Dragon bloodline, including Dragon Wings, Dragon Bones, Dragon Eyes, and more, advancing them to a higher level would eventually allow them to merge and evolve into a "Dragon Vein" Exotic.

For example, exotics derived from the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon would ultimately become the "Titanium-Cobalt Dragon Vein."

This was one of the ultimate pursuits of Dragon Warriors.

Possessing a "Dragon Vein" meant, to some extent, becoming a human-shaped true dragon, mastering all the exotic abilities of a true dragon.

Originally, Dragon Warriors were naturally inferior in status to Dragon Lords. However, obtaining a Dragon Vein indicated becoming a descendant of the Ancestral Dragon's bloodline, not only elevating one's strength but also elevating one's political status to be on par with Dragon Lords.

Nevertheless, merging and evolving dragon-type exotics into a Dragon Vein was incredibly challenging.

The stronger the bloodline, the more difficult it was to evolve!

Dragon Warriors had long figured out the pattern: the more diverse and higher-level Dragon Vein exotics they could merge, the higher the probability of a successful evolution.

Using the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon as an example.

In addition to Dragon Blood and Dragon Body, there were also Dragon Wings, Dragon Bones, Dragon Scales, Dragon Eyes, Dragon Soul, and more, totaling over ten exotics of varying strengths. Each exotic possessed corresponding abilities and could be understood as "combination exotics."

The number of exotics one had would determine the number of fusion attempts required.

For non-Dragon Warrior aliens, choosing this path would be a losing proposition.

Ji Xinghuo didn't intend to merge more Dragon Vein exotics.

Because there was another method—compensating for the lack of quantity with quality. If the core Dragon Body exotic was of a high enough level, along with one or two other Dragon Vein exotics also trained to a very high level, there was still a chance to merge and evolve into a Dragon Vein.

"With the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon's Blood and the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon's Body, there should be a chance to merge them into the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon Vein, right?

Ji Xinghuo sensed the changes within him.

At Level 5, the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon's Blood enhanced his physical fortitude and strength to a noticeable degree. While this increase would have been significant if he were still below the Legendary realm, at his current level of power, it was somewhat underwhelming.

The most notable improvements were in his bodily functions and recovery, as well as the enhancement of his skin's durability, now akin to titanium alloy. Not only could it withstand physical strikes, but it also possessed an "energy reflection" effect.

His skin could reflect energy, reducing incoming damage.

To raise the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon's Blood to the next level, Ji Xinghuo would need 220,000 points of spiritual source energy, and he chose not to pursue that path immediately.

After some consideration, he decided to enhance the Dimensional Stomach Pouch.

[Ability: Dimensional Stomach Pouch (Level 3, 3650/41141)]



This ability was shared with him by Qinghong, and as Ji Xinghuo began to upgrade it, Qinghong immediately noticed, lifting her head with shining eyes.

With over 40,000 points of spiritual source energy, the Dimensional Stomach Pouch quickly advanced to Level 4 (1/311111).

Its capacity had now reached 32 cubic meters! Ji Xinghuo was surprised, as he had expected the capacity to double with each level, but this time it had doubled and then doubled again.

Aside from the increased space, there were no other noticeable changes.

However, the expanded space was the most practical function, as many items that couldn't be stored before could now be attempted.

Qinghong's Dimensional Stomach Pouch also expanded to 32 cubic meters, allowing her to swallow larger and more numerous objects.

Next, Ji Xinghuo turned his attention to the Star Force.

Investing over 30,000 points of spiritual source energy, it rose to Level 6 (1/157747).

Like spiritual energy, Star Force was a unique ability that didn't evolve but grew stronger as its level increased.

At Level 6, Star Force was no longer limited to being released from the hands and feet, as any part of the body could now serve as a conduit. Its release was faster and more intense, making it easier to train a type of force to break through the "extreme intent" and enter the "ultimate simplicity" realm.

This was the ultimate goal of martial artists.

For others, advancing their martial arts realm would drive the improvement of their Star Force, but for Ji Xinghuo, it was the other way around.

"Before the Apocalypse Dragon Festival begins, I'll train the Electric Light Spiral Force further," Ji Xinghuo thought to himself.

Subsequently, he upgraded Hyperfrequency Thought to Level 7 (1/108533). When activated, this ability could overclock his brain's reactions tenfold, allowing him to manipulate spiritual energy more calmly and perform other abilities with greater dexterity.

Upgrading these few abilities quickly consumed 160,000 points of spiritual source energy.

"I still have 150,000 points left," Ji Xinghuo noted.

Finally, he chose to enhance Shadow Clone and Symbiotic Freak.

[Ability: Shadow Clone (Level 3, 122/50599)]



At Level 3, Shadow Clone allowed him to create up to eight clones, but each clone's strength was still too weak.

There had been speculations that advancing Shadow Clone by one level would bring about a qualitative change.

Ji Xinghuo invested over 50,000 points of spiritual source energy, and soon, Shadow Clone reached Level 4 (1/511711).

"It still can only create eight clones," he exclaimed in surprise, but then he discovered that each clone's strength had increased significantly. Each clone could now be imbued with up to 30,000 points of starlight, which was nearly ninety percent of his total starlight!

The clones' strength ranged from a minimum of 300 points to a maximum of 30,000 points of starlight! A difference of a hundred times.

Furthermore, the clones were no longer restricted by duration, persisting until their starlight was exhausted or recalled by Ji Xinghuo himself.

Ji Xinghuo immediately contemplated the best use of his Shadow Clones, creating different numbers of clones and investing varying amounts of starlight depending on the situation.

For example, he could create a single clone with ninety percent of his starlight while keeping his main body away from the battlefield to ensure his safety!

Alternatively, he could create two clones, each with 10,000 points of starlight.

Even with just 10,000 points of starlight and access to his powerful ability system, each clone could still exhibit sixty to seventy percent of his full strength!

Suppressing his excitement, Ji Xinghuo proceeded to enhance Symbiotic Freak.

He rubbed his hands together.

"Time to draw lots!"

[Ability: Symbiotic Freak (Level 4, 15/90359)]



Investing over 90,000 points of spiritual source energy, the ability's progress skyrocketed, and within minutes, it reached Level 5! This upgrade felt different from the previous ones, and Ji Xinghuo noticed that the ability's interface now displayed [Ability: Symbiotic Freak (Level 5, 1/271129)], indicating a clear and intimate connection with Qinghong, but without sharing abilities.

"Something's not right," Ji Xinghuo muttered, frowning. But after sensing it carefully, he suddenly rejoiced, "I don't need to draw lots anymore; I can choose autonomously!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end