Chapter 54: The Bracelet of Spiritual Power

“Bracelet of Spiritual Power”, a low green magic item, can store the wielder’s spiritual power and release the skill “Instant Spiritual Power Regeneration”

Xiao Yu froze for a moment before revealing a surprised expression. This type of item that could help him store his own spiritual power was extremely valuable; it was something that could be encountered but not sought for, and Xiao Yu felt as if he had just hit the jackpot.

After a year or two, this low-grade green item may as well be worth more than a blue grade equipment.

Of course, they were not the only supplements of energy. In general, soul gems contained spiritual power that might be utilized to replenish an individual’s energy, but the recovery process was far too slow; it took approximately an hour or two to start exhibiting symptoms of recovery; therefore, they could not be used during fast-paced battles.

On the other hand, magic items with the capability of storing spiritual power were very different. Throughout the day, the wielder can slowly transfer energy into the item and store it. Then, during tough times, he can instantly draw this stored spiritual power from it to supplement his consumption, which is extremely practical!

I must say, my luck is pretty good!

When Xiao Yu put on the bracelet, a green beam of light surged across his body from head to toe. Only then did he realize that the bracelet had somehow shifted, and its size had been adjusted to fit his arm. He could see fluctuations emanating from his wrist as the object mingled with his body, creating the feeling of being connected to both his flesh and blood.

When equipped on the body, any equipment above the green grade will immediately make various adjustments based on the user’s physical condition to adapt to the usage of all individuals; this adjustment was necessary because people’s bodies will change dramatically as their power increases. Jiang Xiaowen, for example, has translucent butterfly wings; Zhang Kai has praying mantis-like arm blades; and Jinshi has a body length of more than two meters…. Furthermore, green-grade and higher equipment will automatically connect to the user’s spiritual power, and the equipment can be disarmed at any time following the user’s will. 

Xiao Yu closed his eyes and began injecting energy into the bracelet. The gemstones on the bracelet gradually brightened, and when nearly 50% of his whole spiritual force was infused, a wave of resistance drove it back, and it was no longer feasible to pour in any more spiritual power. However, this also meant that Xiao Yu’s energy could be increased by more than half in a split second.

“My strength is close to the middle first order; even if I were to step into the late first order, the increase in spiritual power could not be more than that.”

Nobody could underestimate a 50% recovery; this was an unimaginably huge increase.

When two individuals with equal power and ability engage in combat, an extra point of spiritual energy often makes the difference between victory and defeat.

Xiao Yu’s mood vastly improved. He, Jiang Xiaowen, and Yun Yun scoured every nook and cranny in the underground space, only this time, they came up empty-handed. However, on this trip alone, their harvest of soul gems was tremendous, and with a bracelet of unfathomable value and a scroll used to summon a powerful half-abomination, it could be said that they came across an incredible treasure trove. They grabbed everything and returned to the underground cave along their original route.

Xiao Yu returned to his cavern, sat cross-legged, and took out a crystal clear green stone from his ring. After a week of absorption, this “Holy Stone of Origins” shrank to one-fifth of its original size.

“I must fully absorb the holy stone of origins today!”

With such thoughts in mind, Xiao Yu held the holy stone with both hands and sank his mind into his sea of consciousness. He could see that the blazing power of the origins flame was ten times stronger than before as it floated and surrounded the white light of the inheritance seed, and with the continuous injection of pure origins power from the holy stone of origins, the inheritance seed was slowly undergoing some subtle changes as well.

Just like that, four hours passed by.

Xiao Yu sat cross-legged on the spot and remained motionless; the green crystal-like stone in his palm was slowly shrinking before it got completely absorbed into his body.

Almost when the “holy stone of origins” was completely absorbed, the white inheritance seed in his sea of consciousness finally underwent an earth-shaking transformation. First, rays of intense light shot out from the inheritance seed, and it seemed to have grown in size as if it had become some kind of higher-level entity, and then the white light quickly faded away and was immediately replaced by a brighter and more conspicuous green light.

The leap from “white grade” to “green grade” was simply a substantial breakthrough!

Xiao Yu read the information in the inheritance seed and couldn’t help but show a gratified smile on his face. The power he had acquired was well worth consuming a whole piece of that precious holy stone of origins.

The flame missile ability!

has evolved into the blast flame ability!

After the skill’s substantial upgrade, the newly formed magic was called “Blast Flame”, a second-rank fire attribute magic with great lethality.

Xiao Yu was very clear about the power of the “Blast flame” skill, which was enough to threaten all monsters below the second order. However, as second-rank magic, the consumption of spiritual power was five to six times that of the previous first-rank, “Flame Missile”. Furthermore, with his current strength, he needed to consume 20% of his total spiritual power each time it was used. Therefore, he had to be more mindful when using it, as too frequent use could cause his energy to deplete quickly, and even in the best of circumstances, four or five consecutive uses were most likely the limit.

However, relatively speaking, “Blast Flame” was much safer than “Bullet Time”, as this innate skill consumed spiritual power in proportion to the length of time it was employed, and although it could break through limits, the strain it entailed was likewise immense. In the phase of bullet time, Xiao Yu could burst with three times his standard explosive power, which could easily lead to significant harm or even a breakdown!

This explains why Xiao Yu’s regular use of “bullet time” not only weakened his spiritual power but also caused lesions to appear in his muscles and bones, rendering him paralyzed for a while, and the burst of his capillaries and blood vessels also resulted in severe bleeding.

Xiao Yu exited the cavern just as lunchtime arrived.

Han Kexin and the others greeted him in the open space at the cave’s midsection. Jiang Xiaowen, who offered to help with the making of noodles, was stirring the food in a big pot with a large spoon in her small hands. By her side stood a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his forties or fifties; he was sprinkling water from time to time and adding lots of seasoning whilst the appetizing noodle aroma wafted throughout the underground area.

The middle-aged man was called Sun Dazhu; he looked very rough, with dark skin and a thick beard all over his face. He was one of the best cooks in the underground cave, only slightly inferior to Xiao Yu in barbecuing. However, as long as he had ingredients in his hands, he could fry, boil, and grill them, and they should turn delicious right away. Now he has become the go-to chef for Du Tao, Han Kexin, and others.

Sun Dazhu wasn’t only an excellent cook but also a skilled elementary warrior of the physical body evolutionary type. Given that he was honest and trustworthy, people in the underground cave welcomed him wholeheartedly.

“Xiao Yu, here! Come and eat!”

Jiang Xiaowen beckoned Xiao Yu over and brought up a large bowl of steaming hot noodles topped with a few poached eggs, green onions, slices of ham, and two cans of beef chili sauce. All of the cave dwellers sat down together and started enjoying the meal.

“Yunyun and I found these eggs in the forest,” Jiang Xiaowen explained, “there were many bird nests to be found.” The girl was probably thinking that digging out bird nests was disgraceful, as she had an embarrassed smile on her face.

There was a charming and seductive smile on Han Kexin’s face. “It’s already been a whole month, and now our situation is getting better and better.” She said this while dipping her chopsticks in hot sauce and gently stirring the noodles with her white, slender fingers. “I believe everyone has finally adapted to this way of life, which is honestly not as simple as it sounds.”

Du Tao nodded in agreement and said: “In the past month or so, driven by everyone’s growth, the group has also achieved remarkable progress.”

“Don’t be satisfied with the status quo. It’s unrealistic for us to live in this dark underground cave forever.” Xiao Yu paused and said, “Since everyone’s strength has gradually improved, we must consider leaving the forest.” He stirred the noodles in his bowl and explained, “You must understand that the sooner we leave the forest, the sooner we’ll reach the continent of chaos, which will be very beneficial for our future growth.”

Han Kexin’s eyes lit up, and she asked, “Have you already started considering this?”

Xiao Yu didn’t hide his thoughts from Du Tao and Han Kexin, “It’s too early to start; we may need another month to prepare. However, you just have to do your best and train those with less strength in the coming days. Make it so everyone can eventually advance into the elementary realm.”

Han Kexin set the bowl down and asked, “What should I do?”

“I’m wondering if we need to adjust the division of labor.” Xiao Yu thought for a while and continued: “In the near future, there will be no danger in the surrounding region. After all, we are gaining more and more elementary warriors in our ranks, and we now possess the power to fully dominate this area; unfortunately, the warriors who have long advanced are finding it difficult to grow.” He thought for a moment and continued, “I believe the elite team should go farther to battle stronger monsters; this will help them grow their power and remove some obstacles for the team’s eventual evacuation from the forest so as to provide an early path. After all, there is an increasing number of people in our group, and it is too dangerous for everyone to venture into the woods.”

Du Tao nodded thoughtfully, “I’ll think about this matter carefully before making arrangements. But, of course, we can’t arrange for people to hunt farther away without a plan. For that, I need a forest map as detailed as possible.”

In his previous life, Xiao Yu spent nearly half a year in the greenhorn forest before leaving with his team. Unfortunately, the forest itself was too vast, and more than 90% of the area was left unexplored. As a result, he felt hazy about the forest situation and only knew the broad picture. 

What’s more, during the time when I left the forest, I was often chased by monsters and lived in hiding. Four years had already passed, and I can’t recall many locations.

“Ten days, just give me ten days, and I’ll draw you a good enough map!”

“Are you going to explore it on your own?”

Xiao Yu did not deny Du Tao’s words since he had already made that decision. The current him was much more powerful than before, and with strength close to that of the middle first-order level coupled with his rich fighting experience, he was perfectly capable of moving throughout the woodland. And, since the surroundings are vague, why not explore and make a complete map? 

Moreover, with his current power, growing stronger is becoming more and more of a challenging task. In this part of the forest, there were few first-order creatures he could kill. Thus, if he had just remained in the cave all day long, only leading the team to hunt from time to time, then it would truly be a waste of his fighting power. People could only gain treasures by going out to take risks!

There was no shortage of geniuses in this world, nor was there a shortage of lucky individuals with their own adventurous tales. To keep up with their counterparts, however, those people also needed to take risks and strive for progress, so he has to accumulate more advantages in the early stages!

(TN: The blast flame skill is the same one in Han Kexin’s ring.)