Ready For Tribulation

Xuan threw a punch infused with Qi, and he was immediately met with a different result.

The hybrid gorilla's turtle shell cracked, causing it to tumble.

But before it fell, Xuan followed up with another Qi-infused fist attack straight to its jaw.

To Xuan's surprise, that was enough to break the monster's jaw, but not enough to kill it.

Its crab pincers headed straight for Xuan's neck, yet as they were about to close in, he used Swift Step to evade it, and then another Swift Step to close the distance.

The back and forth continued for a little while until finally, Xuan tired the monster out.

And with a single fist to its head, he blew it to bits.

<First Level Spirit Warrior - Chimera slain>
<+100 Void Qi | 169 / 5,000>

Oho? It gives so much... though, it's still a little weak, Xuan thought, satisfied.

When he turned around, he spotted Yuelan sitting by the bench, eating a sandwich.

"You took a very long time, big brother, so I went by the store and got some food."

"Aha... You killed yours already?" he asked.

"In one hit," Yuelan replied, puffing her chest. "Big brother, you should really use a sword. It can cut through those things like butter."

"It's alright, Yuelan, you'll see how overpowered fist techniques can get," Xuan replied confidently as he approached her and placed a hand on her head.

<You have shared your skills!>

<Xiao Yuelan has received: Basic Qi Fist>

"Hmm... I guess it might come in handy some day," she remarked and chowed down the rest of the sandwich.

She stood up and dusted herself off, then pointed to the side. "I saw a few more there. I'm thinking there might be enough for you to finish at least one of your requirements."

"It's a pity we can't share them," Xuan said with a sigh. "You still need 99, right?"

She nodded meekly. "Yep... but don't worry, big brother, I will get them done by the end of the day, and we can go back to cultivating."

Xuan let out a chuckle and stretched his limbs, and with that, they dashed to the side.

Tens, if not hundreds, of those chimera gorillas were scattered throughout the city's park.

A smirk appeared on his face.

"Wanna race to see who can kill more?" Xuan offered.

Yuelan tilted her head with a cheeky smile, and without responding, dashed toward one of the monsters, cleaving it in half.

Xuan chuckled and pulled up his sleeves before doing the same.

.
.
.

A few hours later...

<(x39) First Level Spirit Warrior - Chimera slain>
<+3,900 Void Qi | 4,069 / 5,000>

<(x13) Second Level Spirit Warrior - Chimera slain>
<+2,600 Void Qi | 6,669 / 1,000,000>

<Ding!>

<Skills have been upgraded!>

—
<Basic Qi Fist>
<Rank: Mortal>
<Mastery Level: 1 → 3>
<Description: Consumes 10,000 Qi → 500,000 Qi per fist attack. Must not have any weapons in hand to activate. Infuses your fists with Qi.>
—
<Swift Step>
<Rank: Mortal>
<Mastery Level: 1 → 3>
<Description: Consumes 10,000 Qi → 500,000 Qi. Instantly dash up to 5 → 25 meters in any direction.>
—
<Enhanced Senses>
<Rank: Mortal>
<Mastery Level: 1 → 2>
<Description: Permanently enhances all your senses. No activation required.>
—

But that was not all, as the long-awaited upgrade finally came.
—
<Boundless Void Physique>
<Rank: Supreme>
<Mastery Level: 1 → 2>
<Description: (NEW) Your body slips between the seams of space. You gain minor resistance to physical attacks. Void Qi gain is moderately increased.>
<Note: All previous Mastery bonuses are included.>
—

"Hmm..." Xuan tilted his head. Slips between the seams of space... so I'm harder to hit now? Neat.

The minor physical damage resistance was also welcomed, because even if he had a lot of experience, he couldn't dodge every single attack.

And then the Void Qi gain, which he desperately needed since the required Void Qi shot up all the way to 1,000,000.

Anyways... Xuan turned to the side, noticing Yuelan wiping the blood off her clothes.

"How many did you get?" he asked.

She flinched. "49..."

"Heh..." Xuan smirked. "I got 52. You thought you were in the lead so you slowed down. On the other hand, I fought several of them at once, so, little Yuelan, nice try."

She rolled her eyes. "I still need to kill 50 more Spirit Warrior monsters."

"Oh? Did you already reach mastery level 2 in 5 techniques?" Xuan asked, puzzled.

"Nearly, big brother," Yuelan replied, her eyes turning sparkly as she approached and lowered her head.

He sighed, placing his hand on it.

<You have shared your skills!>

<Xiao Yuelan has received: Basic Qi Fist (Upgrade) Swift Step (Upgrade)>

She hugged him with a smile, then patted his head as well.

<Xiao Yuelan has shared the skills: Basic Swordsmanship (Upgrade), Basic Sword Slash (Upgrade).>

"It's not much, but I'm sure you'll be surprised," Yuelan said and turned on her heel, glancing at the monsters.

But before she left, she asked one final question. "Big brother, are you going to break through now?"

He nodded. "I will, so just be careful, okay? I'm going inside that building. I don't want to come back out and find your corpse, got it?"

She giggled. "You wish."

With that, she dashed off, and as for Xuan, he swiftly made his way to a nearby building and inspected the skill upgrades Yuelan had given him.

—
<Basic Swordsmanship>
<Rank: Mortal>
<Mastery Level: 2 → 4>
<Description: Permanently enhances your accuracy with the sword. Greatly increases sharpness. Hitting weak points deals significantly more damage. No activation required.>
—
<Basic Sword Slash>
<Rank: Mortal>
<Mastery Level: 2 → 4>
<Description: Consumes 50,000 → 1,000,000 Qi. Must wield sword to activate. Infuses your sword slash with Qi.>
—

Level 4 already? She really is talented with the sword, isn't she? Xuan thought proudly.

He strolled across the hallways, then kicked open a random door and stepped inside.

It was a completely abandoned cozy-looking home.

He whistled to himself as he stepped up to the wardrobe and picked it up with one hand.

Xuan carried it over to the broken-down door and placed the wardrobe against it, making sure it wasn't so easy to break in.

Then, he skipped over to the comfy bed and sat in a lotus position before opening one interface in particular.

—
<Requirements to break through into the Spirit Warrior Realm>

Kill 10 Spirit Warrior monsters of any level. (Complete)

Reach the next level of your physique. (Complete)

Reach Mastery Level 2 in at least 3 techniques. (Complete)

—

<Ding!>

<You may now break through into the Spirit Warrior Realm!>

<Do you wish to undergo the Spirit Warrior tribulation?>

<Yes / No>