I Can Strengthen Infinitely-Chapter 90 - 82: Outer Forging Perfection
When the last fox fell, Zhao Zijin couldn’t help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
Qin Yuesheng asked, "Did you encounter anyone else?"
"No."
With Zhao Zijin present, Qin Yuesheng found it unsuitable to proceed with disassembly. Once disassembled, the target would disappear without a trace, and if Zhao Zijin were to witness this, she might secretly inform Bai Hao, potentially leading to unforeseen trouble.
Looking at the fox corpses on the ground, Qin Yuesheng felt a strong sense of reluctance.
These were all All-Purpose Essence.
"It’s really fortunate that you helped," Zhao Zijin thanked with a clasped fist. "Let’s go, let’s hurry and find Lord Bai and the others."
Qin Yuesheng could only nod, "Mm."
No one knew precisely how large the Water Manor was, but after walking inside for a long time, Qin Yuesheng vaguely sensed that it seemed like a maze. He and Zhao Zijin had been advancing for a long time, yet the surrounding scenery hadn’t changed. At this rate, expecting to find Bai Hao and the others was a fool’s errand.
"I think we should get up on the roof. With a high vantage point, it might be easier to spot Lord Bai," Zhao Zijin suggested.
Qin Yuesheng immediately shook his head, "Not a good idea. Don’t forget, besides looking for Lord Bai, we also have to watch out for these hidden Fox Demons. What if we attract a Fox Demon as strong as Lord Bai? We wouldn’t stand a chance."
"True."
With the idea of gaining a high vantage point dismissed, Zhao Zijin followed Qin Yuesheng obediently on foot.
After some turns and detours, they finally saw a courtyard filled with vibrant flowers and plants. On its undulating walls was a round archway.
"Should we go in?" Zhao Zijin asked.
She already knew Qin Yuesheng’s strength far surpassed her own. In such situations, the weak naturally look to the strong for guidance and support.
"Let’s go in and take a look," Qin Yuesheng nodded.
Inside the courtyard, the abundant plants provided numerous inconspicuous corners and thickets where Fox Demons could easily hide.
Holding the Evil-Subduing Saber, Qin Yuesheng was highly focused; the effect of the Concentration Ice Orchid used by Bai Hao had not worn off yet.
Initially, there were bird calls and insect chirps, but as they ventured deeper into the courtyard, all sounds suddenly vanished, as if entering a silent zone.
Zhao Zijin was walking two or three steps behind Qin Yuesheng when suddenly, she felt the ground give way beneath her feet, causing her to fall into the ground. Fortunately, Zhao Zijin wasn’t an ordinary person; she instantly supported herself against the ground, halting her descent.
"Ah!"
At the sound, Qin Yuesheng quickly turned to see Zhao Zijin’s lower half buried in the ground, with soil covering her up to the waist — as if someone had planted her there.
"What’s going on?" Qin Yuesheng asked, filled with vigilance.
"I don’t know! Hurry and pull me out, or I’ll fall through!" Zhao Zijin nervously waved her hand at Qin Yuesheng, trying to get him to pull her up.
Just as Qin Yuesheng reached out his hand, the ground at Zhao Zijin’s position suddenly expanded into a pit, and she fell in completely.
The pit quickly closed, leaving no trace.
"Zhao Zijin?!" Qin Yuesheng was shocked and started digging at the spot where Zhao Zijin disappeared with the Evil-Subduing Saber.
But after digging four or five feet deep, he found nothing. The ground below was solid, unlike what one would expect from a tunnel.
With no options, Qin Yuesheng had to give up. It was evident Zhao Zijin’s disappearance was due to inadvertently triggering some mechanism in this treacherous place.
To avoid her fate, Qin Yuesheng immediately leapt onto a nearby tree, moving atop the branches with his Lightweight Skill.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a strong wind arose, making the branches sway wildly.
The treetop beneath Qin Yuesheng’s feet suddenly swayed at a speed not aligned with natural movements, almost as if determined to throw him off.
Qin Yuesheng grabbed the thickest trunk and activated the disassembly function.
[Yes/No—Disassemble ’Giant Fox’]
[Disassembly Success Rate 1.12%]
"Turns out you have a problem," Qin Yuesheng said, addressing the tree he was clutching.
Since the disassembly function indicated the presence of a Giant Fox, yet he was holding a tree trunk, Qin Yuesheng instantly realized he must be caught in some Illusion Technique.
Even with the aid of the Concentration Ice Orchid, he still unknowingly fell into an illusion; surely, the Fox Demons here were no ordinary beings.
Understanding the situation, Qin Yuesheng immediately struck the trunk with his saber, cutting a long gash several feet across.
Blood flowed rapidly from the gash, prompting a fierce roar to erupt from all directions.
The numerous branches lashed out madly, aiming to whip Qin Yuesheng.
But his Spiritual Swallow Body Skill was incredibly nimble, stepping lightly across branches to dodge every attack, all while his Evil-Subduing Saber slashed frenziedly, felling branches to the ground.
In an instant, blood gushed forth, and the branches whipped through the air, raining blood down on the scene.
Buzz!
Qin Yuesheng’s surroundings suddenly shimmered, as though the mirage had vanished; all the courtyards, trees, and flora dissipated, revealing an open space.
A short distance away lay a massive fox over twenty feet tall.
Its eyes were as large as cart wheels, and its fur was like a field of reeds, boasting a form that inspired an inexplicable fear at first glance.
"Oh no..." Qin Yuesheng couldn’t help but feel a sense of powerlessness.
How was he supposed to kill this thing? Could he even kill it?
About ten steps away, Zhao Zijin’s half-buried body lay there, seemingly dead for some time, with several small foxes feeding on her corpse.
The Giant Fox, its illusion broken and wounded by Qin Yuesheng, was furious. It had thought of Qin Yuesheng as mere prey, thinking itself the hunter. Now that its prey had injured it, it certainly wouldn’t let this slide.
Under Qin Yuesheng’s gaze, the Giant Fox slowly rose, slashing a paw at him.
The massive paw descended like a sky-crushing seal. Even with Outer Forging Perfection, if it were to hit Qin Yuesheng, he couldn’t guarantee his safety.
So he immediately ran toward an area away from the Giant Fox’s descending paw, quickly taking the Exorcism Toad from the Celestial Demon pouch to examine the hostility contained within the Giant Fox.
The index shot up all the way to sixty, and although the subsequent increase slowed down, it still showed signs of continuing to rise. It seemed reaching seventy was just a matter of time.
"Good heavens!" Qin Yuesheng was secretly astonished. This must be the most sinister and eerie creature he had encountered so far.
He leaped onto the back of the giant fox’s hand with great force, and Qin Yuesheng ran straight along the arm toward the giant fox’s head. For such a massive creature, attacking most parts of its body was useless.
It was like an ant trying to stab a human with a toothpick. The human would feel pain but wouldn’t be fatal.
To kill this giant fox, Qin Yuesheng had to attack its head.
The head had the most fatal weaknesses and was the easiest to strike.
Seeing that this little pest dared to confront it, the giant fox reached out its palm to grab him.
However, just because a creature is large doesn’t mean its movements are fast. To smaller creatures, the giant’s movements appeared relatively slow.
Qin Yuesheng thrust his saber into the fox’s fur, cutting a long gash as he ran. Against the Evil-Subduing Saber, the giant fox’s arm was as fragile as tofu, instantly split open by a long mark.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blood vessels burst, and a large amount of fresh blood bloomed like flowers, splattering all over Qin Yuesheng.
Bathing in fox blood as he advanced, Qin Yuesheng dodged multiple attacks from the giant fox, finally reaching the creature’s head.
The beast let out a cry, its sound waves carrying a soul-captivating power that left Qin Yuesheng momentarily stunned and immobile.
A cunning glint flashed in the giant fox’s eyes as it swatted at Qin Yuesheng again.
Yet what it could never have predicted was Qin Yuesheng’s spirit far surpassed that of an ordinary person. In just the blink of an eye, Qin Yuesheng recovered, diving straight into the giant fox’s nose.
The inside of the nose was indeed a weak spot. Qin Yuesheng unleashed his skills, deploying the Mountain-Crushing Tyrant Saber with all his might.
Combined with a vibrating force, the giant fox’s nose exploded, shattering into a pile of minced flesh.
"Awooo!" The damage to its nose sent an intense wave of pain surging through the giant fox’s head,
It angrily glared at Qin Yuesheng, green light suddenly appearing in the fox’s eyes. Vines grew directly from its eyes and formed a tree-giant that clapped its expansive hands toward Qin Yuesheng.
"Illusions no longer work on me." Qin Yuesheng was fearless, charging forward with unstoppable force and stabbing into the giant fox’s eyes.
The tree giant’s body was pierced by Qin Yuesheng, proving to be nothing but a mere illusion with no hindering effect whatsoever.
Experiencing diving into an eyeball wasn’t pleasant, like swimming through a pool filled with a mix of tofu and jelly.
Qin Yuesheng couldn’t see what lay ahead, forcing him to continuously churn the Evil-Subduing Saber forward with all his strength.
The vibrating force rippled out like waves across the surface of water, utterly churning the inside of the giant fox’s eye into a thick mess. It suddenly let out a mournful cry, its massive body collapsed to the ground, completely losing its breath.
"Huff, huff, huff..." Pulling half his body out from the giant fox’s eye socket, Qin Yuesheng stood drenched and sticky, gasping heavily for air.
This battle was straightforward, but for some reason, it left him feeling particularly exhausted, making even breathing difficult.
Standing on the head of the giant fox, Qin Yuesheng looked around, noting the watery estate shrouded in mist. Even from a high vantage point, it was impossible to clearly see faraway scenes.
He had no choice but to jump back to the ground and quickly dismantle the giant fox’s carcass.
[Decompose ’Giant Fox’? Yes/No]
"Yes."
[Decomposition successful. Acquired ’Giant Fox Heart x1’]
[Acquired ’Giant Fox Demon Core x1’]
[Acquired ’Spirit Fox Heart-Eye x1’]
Given the sheer size of the giant fox, only three items dropped, which was a bit touching.
"Spirit Fox Heart-Eye, what is this?" He picked up a milky white bead and examined it closely.
Inside it were numerous fine threads. Bringing it close to his eyes, the world through his gaze turned gray, stripped of all color.
Like peering through a monocular, Qin Yuesheng surveyed the surroundings. In the north and east, two white beams of light shot several feet high.
Though the beams weren’t bright, their whiteness stood sharply against the gray world, making them immediately noticeable to Qin Yuesheng.
"Just two beams, could it be..." Qin Yuesheng pondered with a frown, "Is that the location of Lord Bai and the Fox Demon?"
If this hypothesis was true, the Spirit Fox Heart-Eye had indeed provided substantial assistance to Qin Yuesheng.
Stowing the Spirit Fox Heart-Eye and Giant Fox Demon Core in the Celestial Demon pouch, Qin Yuesheng pried open the Giant Fox Heart and began drinking its marrow.
No wonder this sinister creature had such a high presence; it provided Qin Yuesheng with an extraordinary amount of All-Purpose Essence.
points.
Added to the 300 points of All-Purpose Essence from the previous three Fox Demons and Qin Yuesheng’s daily accumulation from medicinal herbs, totaling over 2200 points.
He glanced at his skill bar.
Vajra Iron Form (0/800) Mastered
Profound Celestial Treasure Mirror (0/1280) Mastered
Both external forging skills had been mastered; Qin Yuesheng didn’t know what realm lay beyond mastery, but to reach Outer Forging Perfection without any weaknesses, he had to elevate these two skills to their limits.
Profound Celestial Treasure Mirror, enhance!
Vajra Iron Form, enhance!
Suddenly, his skill bar underwent astonishing changes, both external forging skills turning red.
The numbers disappeared, leaving only two words.
Perfection.
Qin Yuesheng could clearly feel that the vulnerabilities that had been present in his body, on the Celestial Pillar, Wind Gate, and Chengfu positions, vanished.
This meant he had officially entered the realm of Outer Forging Perfection.
Only a fine line remained to reach the Inner Power Realm.
