Chapter 142: A Surge of Transformation

Tianfeng Security Zone Military Base.

Inside the heavily guarded base, Yenir mechanically devoured a table laden with Intermediate Spiritual Energy Fruits.

“Ding, consumed Intermediate Strength Fruit: Strength +1, explosiveness increased by an extra 3%…”

“Ding, consumed Intermediate Constitution Fruit: Constitution +1, endurance increased by 6%…”

…

As intermittent system notifications resounded, surges of heat flowed wildly around him.

Ever since he partnered with Zhang Tao and Wang Tian, these two major forces had almost gone all out to secure the supplies he needed. Not only had they redirected provisions originally allocated to another echelon, but the Tiancheng Merchant Guild had also managed to procure a number of rare, special items that temporarily boosted attributes.

“It’s a bit hard to digest…”

Struggling to swallow, Yenir’s expression turned bitter as he felt like a water balloon on the verge of bursting. Each Intermediate Fruit contained a significant amount of energy, and given his physique, it took him ages to process just one.

The agony of consuming these fruits is something only those in the highest echelons can truly understand.

He hadn’t spent a penny on any of these resources; even the 800,000 points he had transferred to Wang Zheng were completely returned.

Moreover, Wang Tian had demonstrated utmost sincerity by pledging that, within his sphere of influence, he’d even dip into his own funds to meet Yenir’s needs.

“This is the last one…”

After spending an eternity on the final fruit, Yenir felt his entire reservoir of spiritual energy momentarily stall before surging at an unimaginable pace.

One circle. Two circles…

Inside him, the spiritual energy flowed like blood through his veins; he could even hear it rushing.

This was the first time he encountered such an effect. He hesitated for a moment – in his past life, he’d never pushed his enhancements to the brink. With this unexpected turn, even he wasn’t sure what was happening.

Fortunately, the period of accelerated energy flow was short-lived.

After roughly two minutes, the once-raging spiritual energy slowed, returning to a pace similar to before. Yet, thanks to his keen perception, Yenir noted that even at this slower rate, it was still considerably faster than before.

A thought flickered in his mind.

Slowly raising his right hand, Yenir seemed to suddenly grasp something and began manipulating his spiritual energy. Sure enough, he found it much easier to control. Although there was no increase in raw attributes, the synergy among his four core attributes greatly improved, eliminating those occasional bouts of sluggishness.

“Is this the benefit of reaching the limit?”

“A more efficient use of attributes, and faster energy mobilization?”

Assessing his current combat prowess, Yenir couldn’t help but be a little surprised. With his energy speeding up, his strength felt about 20% higher than he’d anticipated – as if he had mastered his body completely, moving as effortlessly as a fish in water.

“No wonder everyone chases that limit; it even has its perks…”

Yet a trace of melancholy crossed his face as he reminisced.

He recalled how in his past life, due to limited resources, he had rushed his promotion to Stage Three. If only he’d had this boost during that final battle – even with a slight edge, he might have broken through the encirclement. Back then, at the pinnacle of Stage Three, he had led the last spark of life to break out from the mutant horde, leaving a hope for the Huaxia Battle Zone.

Alas, being just shy of Stage Four, his battle strength in every aspect wasn’t perfected. Even with his SSS-Level Sword Technique and exceptional talent, he still ended up dying bitterly in battle.

Shaking his head, Yenir dispelled the unwelcome bitterness and refused to dwell on it any further.

“The past is gone. This life’s foundation is far superior to the last!”

Confidence filled his eyes.

Even without the Sword God System, he was determined to shatter the fate of his previous life. And besides, what more could he ask for?

Just as Yenir proudly noted his current total of 29 attribute points, a long-dormant system notification suddenly chimed.

“Ding, please collect and use all four types of special materials.”

“Material One: Heart of the Mountain Destroyer”

“Material Two: Human-Faced Falcon Bone Liquid”

“Material Three: Vertebral Jewel of the Butcher”

“Material Four: Core of the Otherworldly Ghost”

“Mission Reward: Once all materials are acquired and used, the cooldown for SSS-Level skills will be reduced to 12 hours with no consumption, and 1000 additional points of spiritual energy will be granted.”

Hmm?

A slight frown crossed his face as Yenir instinctively glanced at the mission issued by the Sword God System. Ever since that mysterious system had appeared, it hadn’t given him any tasks apart from a routine attribute boost and awarding him a Space Ring.

He hadn’t expected another mission—this time to gather materials.

Scanning through the material list, he frowned; many of these names were unfamiliar. However, one did ring a bell: the Mountain Destroyer.

The Mountain Destroyer – he remembered it from textbooks as a Stage Three mutant at its peak, once taken down by a united effort of several top Stage Three fighters twenty-seven years ago.

Acquired…

Lost in thought, Yenir spent a few seconds mulling it over before a realization dawned on him.

So, these materials were likely dropped by higher-level mutants? If they still existed, they’d probably be held by the Military or those other super-powered factions.

The mission didn’t seem dangerous at all – a quick inquiry with the Military in the Capital should suffice.

Once his plan was clear, Yenir’s gaze turned desirous as he eyed the mission reward.

A shorter skill cooldown? That was a massive advantage for him. Slashing the downtime to just 12 hours meant his combat gaps would shrink even further. Although he could already trigger skills at Stage Three, unleashing several Sword Techniques in rapid succession was a game changer.

He knew that after rising to Stage Three, his spiritual energy reserve barely allowed for one or two skill activations before depleting. Without the system’s aid, his strength would drop by at least half or more!

Not to mention the bonus 1000 spiritual energy – equivalent to an extra 10 points of willpower!

Moreover, Yenir realized that the full potential of the Sword God System hadn’t been unlocked yet. If it could reduce cooldowns now, there was bound to be further improvements later on. He had always wondered if the system’s benefits would diminish once he reached a higher stage.

After all, though his SSS-Level Sword Technique was formidable, it only delivered a Stage Three level of damage. At higher tiers or at its peak, it would merely serve as an auxiliary measure.

Looking ahead, Yenir sensed that the system might bring him even greater surprises in the future.

“Yenir, are you comfortable here?”

“The troops from the Capital should be arriving soon.”

Outside the door, Xiao Hai stood grinning ear to ear, his eyes sparkling with excitement.