Chapter 63: Affinity for Aethesthetics
Chapter 63: Affinity for Aethesthetics
A man should not attack me, nor will I attack others.
This was the principle that Ji Xinghuo established before entering the Starry Realm.
Outside Freedom City, this group of people had ill intentions, but since they were also humans from Earth and had not taken any concrete actions, he chose to ignore them and actively avoided conflict.
However, tonight, they not only stole his prey but also struck first, sealing their fate.
Ji Xinghuo had no qualms about killing them.
He scanned the surroundings with his magnetic field sensing ability to ensure no other strangers or monsters were approaching before confidently approaching the Stone Sickle Giant's corpse and reaching out to touch it gently.
Monster: Stone Sickle Giant
Level: Super-Cluster
Species: Stone Sickle Claws, Gigantification, Robustness, Basalt Body, and Violent Leap
Ji Xinghuo looked at the information interface, his eyes lighting up with surprise.
As expected of a Super-Cluster monster, it possessed five species, all of which it had awakened on its own. The interface on the right showed the locations of these species within its body.
He immediately began the collection process.
The most valuable one was, of course, the "Basalt Body," a super-limit ability. This species appeared as a hard stone, located within the body like an overgrown internal organ.
Holding the species in his hand, Ji Xinghuo immediately accessed its information.
Species: Basalt Body
Grade: Super-Limit
Successful Fusion Probability: 82%
Upgradeable: Yes
"Seems like it's not very suitable for me..." Ji Xinghuo shook his head regretfully. The Basalt Body could make one's body as hard as a rock, resulting in extremely high defensive capabilities with almost no weaknesses. However, it mostly relied on passively enduring attacks and would affect speed and flexibility.
Even though it was an extremely rare super-limit ability, he was unwilling to fuse with it.
"Looks like I can only sell it."
The profession that would benefit the most from fusing with the Basalt Body was the Earth Walker. When combined with their core ability, Earth Pulse, one could truly unleash the power of this species.
However, Earth Walkers were a rare profession, and it might be challenging to find a buyer.
Ji Xinghuo then collected the other species.
"Gigantification" was the core ability of the Giant General, allowing one to inflate their body and drastically increase their strength. It was rated as Excellent, and he knew it would be in high demand.
"Robustness" and "Violent Leap" would also fetch a good price.
Only the "Stone Sickle Claws" were worthless; Ji Xinghuo immediately discarded them.
After collecting the Stone Sickle Giant's species, Ji Xinghuo began searching through the strangers' loot. He checked all five corpses and found numerous valuable items.
First was the cash.
Everyone carried varying amounts of money, and the denomination was large—the "Legal Pound" issued by the Western Alliance. Converted into Asian Dollars, the total amounted to approximately 1.3 million.
The currencies of the major countries on Earth were all circulated in Olympia, making it easy to spend.
Next were the two dozen or so species, all of which were the hunting spoils of this team. The highest grade was only Excellent, and the total value was approximately 3 million Asian Dollars.
Lastly, there was their weaponry and equipment.
There was Shadow Blade's dagger, Ice Fang's Frost Dual Blades, White Knight's full-body plate armor and cross-shaped double-handed sword, steam rifles, compound hunting bows, and more. The most valuable items were the Frost Dual Blades, a pair of super-ability one-star weapons that Ice Fang must have saved up for a long time to purchase.
The rest were all top-quality items, but they were cumbersome to carry, especially the full-body plate armor, which would take a lot of effort to remove from the corpse.
Ji Xinghuo only took what he wanted and left the rest, making off with the excellent three-star dagger.
"Oh right, there's also these two..."
Ji Xinghuo looked at the two war pets of the pursuers—the Terror Claw Ling Dragon and the Chilling Wind Crow. They were both monsters before being tamed, and they also had valuable species.
Soon, he collected two valuable species, "Balance" and "Wind Shear."
"Murder and robbery are indeed the fastest ways to get rich..." Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but sigh. By defeating this team, he had acquired nearly 10 million worth of valuables—a much faster rate than hunting. No wonder some people couldn't resist the temptation and became ruthless in their pursuit of power and wealth.
He repeatedly reminded himself to stick to his principles and never become a morally bankrupt villain driven by the pursuit of power and wealth.
After packing up the loot, Ji Xinghuo immediately left.
Shortly after.
Ji Xinghuo returned to the crag where he had hunted the Stone Sickle Basalt monster. He ventured into the deep gorge, collected all the valuable species from the Stone Sickle Basalt monsters, and picked up the arrows that could be reused after some repairs.
There were still ten hours until the end of the starless night, and true darkness was yet to come.
Ji Xinghuo rested on the stone cliff, eating dried rations and drinking water. He saw the little green snake crawl out from the gap in the ceramic steel armor, poking its head out to look at him with unreadable emotions in its eyes.
This was the first time he had interacted with the little green snake at such close quarters.
In this miniaturized form, it was less than ten centimeters long from head to tail. Its snake body was slender, and the verdant green scales were smooth and glossy, reflecting the light, making it look miniature and adorable. It lacked the vicious and cruel aura typical of snakes, and with its pair of golden eyes, it seemed almost doe-eyed and cute.
"Do you want some?"
Ji Xinghuo offered a piece of dried ration to the little green snake, who sniffed it and flicked its tongue out to taste it before immediately shaking its head in disapproval.
"Hahaha..." Ji Xinghuo laughed heartily.
After today's battle, the little green snake seemed to have grown closer to him and no longer ran away when he approached.
"It's still the starless night, so I can't light a fire. I'll make you some roast meat tomorrow morning," Ji Xinghuo said as he continued to tease the little green snake for a while before opening the interface of the Myriad Star Pupils.
The spiritual source energy harvest was significant!
The Stone Sickle Basalt monster group consisted of fifteen monsters, including one elite and one Super-Cluster leader. They contributed 45 points of spiritual source energy.
"Just 70 points away from the next level!"
"I wonder how much spiritual source energy it will take to reach Level 5 after this upgrade," Ji Xinghuo thought.
If the amount of spiritual source energy required wasn't too outrageous and was similar to what was needed for Thousand Spirit Dexterity and Rotating Magnetic Field, then he should prioritize upgrading Ether Sensitivity.
After all, it would enable him to cultivate faster and the effect would be permanent.
Stellar power and evolution were the most crucial foundations for an alien! Higher ranks and more stellar power would allow one's abilities to exhibit stronger might.
Before reaching the Super Alien level, the gap in stellar power between the lower ranks of Junior, Intermediate, and Advanced Aliens wasn't very noticeable, and the disparity in strength could be compensated for by abilities.
However, once one reached the Super Alien level and beyond, stellar power became of paramount importance.
The Stone Sickle Giant served as a perfect example.
As a Super-Cluster level creature, equivalent to a Super Alien, it possessed only five abilities, similar to an Advanced Alien. Yet, its strength was several times greater than that of a typical Advanced Alien due to its higher rank, extremely tenacious life force, and abundant stellar power.
Ji Xinghuo believed that he needed to progress through the first three ranks faster, hence the importance of Ether Sensitivity.
Moreover, the more stellar power he had, the longer he could maintain the Myriad Star Pupils!
He glanced at the interface.
[Stellar Power: 131/188]
Despite not cultivating or hunting, and spending most of his time taming the little green snake, his stellar power had still increased by 1 point due to the absence of any stellar power consumption in recent days.
"It's already mid-January. Sister Ren and the others will be back soon."
"I need to make the most of my time."
Waiting for his stellar power to recover, Ji Xinghuo immediately ended his rest and continued hunting under the starry night.
Before nightfall, he had managed to find a large group of Stone Sickle Claws, a stroke of good luck that yielded 15 points of spiritual source energy.
For the next two days, Ji Xinghuo spent the entire time hunting.
Each morning, he would prepare enough food for the little green snake to last the whole day, and then set out. He wouldn't rest until nightfall.
Spiritual Source Energy +24
Spiritual Source Energy +27
On the third day, Ji Xinghuo stood atop a towering tree, in a state of stealth, silently shooting arrow after arrow.
About a hundred meters away, on the mountainside, dozens of Stone Sickle Claws were unable to pinpoint the location of their enemy. As one monster after another fell to his arrows, they finally scattered and fled.
Spiritual Source Energy +9
Ji Xinghuo glanced at the interface, a look of delight on his face.
"Finally enough for an upgrade."
The night before, the progress of Ether Sensitivity had already reached Level 3, 429/433, just 4 points of spiritual source energy away from the next level. But today, his luck hadn't been so good, and it wasn't until almost noon that he found the first group of Stone Sickle Claws, which he immediately set about hunting.
Skilfully collecting the species, Ji Xinghuo left the area and sat down at the base of a large tree.
"Keep a lookout for me."
He took the little green snake out of his waist pocket and said a few words to it. The snake promptly climbed up the tree to a concealed spot, lifting its head to scent the air around them.
After spending several days together, Ji Xinghuo had learned to communicate with the little green snake on a basic level.
At night, when they made camp, the little green snake could act as a guard. Its sense of smell was both broad and sensitive, and it would immediately sound an alert if any monsters drew near.
Opening the interface, Ji Xinghuo invested 4 points of spiritual source energy into Ether Sensitivity.
433/433!
Instantly, Ji Xinghuo sensed something unusual.
The previous two upgrades of Ether Sensitivity had been quick affairs, and the effects were simple, making his perception of ether energy clearer and his stellar power recovery faster.
However, this time, the human silhouette on the right side of the interface was glowing—its entire body illuminated.
The situation was clearly different! Ji Xinghuo could see the ether energy in front of him, and even without focusing, he could clearly sense the distribution and flow of energy. His brain and body were undergoing a transformation to become more attuned, sensitive, and intertwined with ether energy.
At the same time, the [Stellar Power] value in the interface was slowly rising.
188, 189, 190...
It quickly surpassed 200 and continued climbing.
"My stellar power limit has increased again," Ji Xinghuo mused, unsure whether to be happy or resigned. While a higher stellar power limit meant a stronger foundation, it also meant that he was further away from the next evolution of his life.
A few minutes later, the increase in stellar power stopped at 215 points, and the transformation of his body was complete.
The information in the interface updated accordingly.
[Ability: Ether Affinity (Level 3, 1/1439)]
Ji Xinghuo was astonished. Now he understood what was happening. Ether Sensitivity could only reach Level 3, and the next level would evolve into Ether Affinity. What was originally a quality ability had now become a super-limit ability. Although it was still Level 3, the amount of spiritual source energy required to upgrade had more than tripled.
He recalled that Ether Affinity could be further evolved into "Ether Resonance," and it would be a Starfall Ability!
Would it be Level 5? Level 6?
Or would it require an even higher level, Level 7, to evolve?
Ji Xinghuo was filled with anticipation. He invested the remaining 5 points of spiritual source energy into Ether Affinity and then stood up, beckoning to the little green snake in the tree, signaling for it to return to his pocket.
"Let's go! We have more hunting to do!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
