Level Up Complete, Time for Something Big! (33)

As the name implied, Eternal Physique referred to the flesh and blood of the entire body after being thoroughly transformed by Voltage-Transforming Muscles.

Its effects were also extremely simple—before his Origin Matter was exhausted, Ian would not feel fatigued, and he would almost never fall ill or be poisoned, unless the virus was some kind of Origin Matter creation or the result of high-level alchemy.

Beyond that, Eternal Physique could make perfect use of most "enhancement potions." The bodily fluids of Flying-Flame Giant Locusts were one of the main ingredients in stamina potions, and its muscle structure inherited the corresponding ability. With the same dosage of potion, the duration on a holder of Eternal Physique would be extended by roughly 50% to 100%.

Of course, this did not come without a price—Eternal Physique possessed a bizarre resistance to most sustained healing potions.

With an ordinary regeneration potion and sufficient nutrition, an Ascendant could regrow a severed limb. But a holder of Eternal Physique would rapidly consume those beneficial healing components, resulting in tremendous waste.

Although the speed of recovery would increase, the consumption might rise to more than three times the original amount.

In short, once injured, one would recover at high speed, but the cost of a full recovery was three times that of an ordinary Ascendant.

It was an absolute oil-guzzler.

If you had money, it was no problem. If you did not...

Why cultivate Immovable Fortress if you had no money? Why ask for suffering?

For the Emperor and the First Knight's top-tier inheritance, talking to them about whether one had money or not was honestly a bit insulting.

Eternal Physique had not yet completed its transformation, but Ian was confident that, with the vast Origin Matter reserves provided by the Ancient Dragon Core, he could finish the modification before leaving the laboratory.

Correspondingly, his preexisting Molten-Iron Stomach Sac formed a synergy with Eternal Physique.

The Molten-Iron Stomach Sac produced a high-quality energy-storing fat, which became one of Eternal Physique's reserve energy sources. Meanwhile, bolstered by Eternal Physique's powerful base qualities, the Molten-Iron Stomach Sac's digestive abilities were also enhanced. Both its ability to crush food and its digestive power improved, to the point where it could practically be called a Steel-Melting Stomach Sac.

Likewise, Silver-Scaled Bastion formed a synergy with Ian's preexisting Pure Rock Crystal Bone.

Silver-Scaled Bastion originated from the Silver Halberd Falcon, and it was also the Silver Halberd Falcon's perfect material—thus, Silver-Scaled Bastion's abilities received an enhancement.

An ordinary Silver-Scaled Bastion was essentially a layer of tough silver scales beneath the skin. Under Origin Matter reinforcement, it could even manifest a phantom resembling Origin Matter armor, blocking most attacks through Origin Matter alone. If one also added the Sand Armor that a Sand Armor apprentice originally possessed, its defensive power would surge dramatically, and it would gain additional durability independent of Ian's physical body.

Besides increased defensive power, the enhanced Silver-Scaled Bastion also granted Ian the ability to gather earth-element Origin Matter and unleash a sharp assault.

Just like the Silver Halberd Falcon's wings were like blades, its beak nearly a spear, and its feet grasping weapons capable of crushing heavy armor.

Rainbow Spear Plume allowed Ian to gather earth-element Origin Matter, strengthen his own body, and transform it into blades, swords, and spears that posed a lethal threat to his enemies.

And if Ian held a weapon, that weapon would also become sharper and harder. It could even, like a weapon-enchanting potion, gain the ability to directly inflict heavy blows upon incorporeal enemies.

Both offense and defense were covered.

Pure Rock Crystal Bone was, in truth, the prerequisite for Silver-Scaled Bastion.

Without the metal-base conversion rate brought by Pure Rock Crystal Bone, Silver-Scaled Bastion could not take shape at all.

Thus, Pure Rock Crystal Bone also received an enhancement, though it had not yet transformed into a new Origin Matter bone. It had merely become tougher.

Lastly came Lucid Source Crystal, the Origin Matter organ originating from the Infernal Ice Wolf.

It was a brand-new Origin Matter organ developed upon the foundation of Ian's Origin Matter organ, Heart of Fertile Soil.

Located in front of the heart, at the center of the chest, it took on an "'I'" shape and formed a hexagonal crystal lattice, protected by a rather thick layer of Silver-Scaled Bastion.

Lucid Source Crystal could simultaneously process and convert vast quantities of earth-element Origin Matter, though its quality was quite poor. Yet it could store that Origin Matter, slowly purifying and refining it through six layers of processes. The refined Origin Matter was of extremely high quality, though its output speed was relatively slow.

It sounded as though its efficiency was not particularly high, no different from the most ordinary Second Energy Level Origin Matter organ—simply high-quality Origin Matter, nothing more.

But Lucid Source Crystal's strength lay in its ability to reduce the probability of aberration.

And not just one's own Origin Matter. Other people's destructive Origin Matter and Ascendant arts, even invisible virulent poisons and diseases—whether paralysis, freezing cold, stagnation, slumber, contamination, erosion... nearly all known negative conditions would be purified and dispelled by Lucid Source Crystal.

Combined with Eternal Physique, Rockforged Knights were like true boulders forged into form. They were almost immune to underhanded schemes and sinister tricks, and could only be defeated head-on.

But here came the question.

Who could defeat a Rockforged Knight head-on?

Stamina, defense, offense, and self-dispelling purification—aside from being unable to fly, a Rockforged Knight was practically a ruthless killing machine. One person alone could breach a city.

And now, Ian could make a Rockforged Knight fly.

Thus far, Ian possessed a total of sixteen Ascendant organs.

Rockforged Knight's two Origin Matter organs, Heart of Fertile Soil and Lucid Source Crystal; six Ascendant organs, Pure Rock Crystal Bone, Sand Armor Rock Core, Molten-Iron Stomach Sac, Eternal Physique, Silver-Scaled Bastion, and Rock-Coiling Tendrils.

Fairy Bloodline's two Origin Matter organs, Fairy's Ice-Tide Pearl and Misty Jade; six enhancement organs, Fairy Wings, Cold Comet Skeleton, Ghostfirefly Regeneration Core, Fairy's Lamplight, Spirit-Matter Storage Core, and Spirit-Matter Nerves.

They encompassed physical offense and defense, stamina and technique, digestion and endurance, poison removal and purification, as well as mobility, the spread of area-of-effect negative conditions, regeneration abilities of body and spirit, and reaction speed.

At this moment, within the scope of the Second Energy Level, Ian no longer had any weaknesses to speak of.

But this was not the end.

Because he had simultaneously achieved the ultimate domain of two techniques, Ian sensed that the way he perceived the world had become clearer—and farther-reaching.

How should he put it?

It was as though his field of vision had suddenly stretched outward, and the world seen through his eyes and Fairy perception had become vastly larger... At this moment, it seemed as though the youth had risen above his original world, and all kinds of brand-new things had suddenly appeared within the world he had long been familiar with.

Ian raised his hand. The fingers of his right hand were slender and straight.

And now, a layer of pale silver, metallic earth-element Origin Matter extended from his fingertips. It was as fine as a strand of hair, yet it stretched perfectly straight for a full twenty meters, reaching the laboratory window.

The sharp and keen Origin Matter could even leave marks upon the glass—the youth's fingers trembled slightly as he used this hair-thin, minute strand of Origin Matter to engrave his name into the sturdy crystal glass from twenty meters away.

Elegant cursive letters that had to be measured in fractions of a millimeter, letters ordinary people could barely see even with a magnifying glass.

His externalized Origin Matter could actually perform sub-millimeter operations from twenty meters away! And Ian felt no strain whatsoever from this level of control!

This was not even the limit... It could reach farther, and become even more minute... but this place could no longer test it.

Then Ian rubbed his face.

He looked toward an experimental mirror at his side—Ian's face now bore a startling resemblance to Isengard's!

His teacher had once controlled every muscle cell in his body to achieve complete "disguise," and Ian could already replicate a portion of that ability!

Though he could not completely transform into Isengard, that was merely because he had not practiced... At this point, Ian suddenly felt that heaven and earth had become boundless.

His overly exceptional appearance made him far too easy to notice and remember. Even if he left Harrison Port, wherever he went, as long as someone asked, "Have you seen that very handsome White Folk youth?" everyone who had seen him would recall his existence.

At this moment, Ian felt more than wild joy in his heart. "I can finally hide my identity and explore and adventure independently—I can finally have a real alternate identity separate from Ian!"

The dual minute control of Origin Matter and flesh was an enormous improvement for Ian, whether in battle or daily life.

At this moment, Ian had reached the complete form of his Second Energy Level—dual Second Energy Level Bloodline True Forms and the ultimate domain.

The Third Energy Level beyond that was no longer a realm he could reach in a short time... Whether Soul Light Body or the unity of body and soul, he only had a vague clue and had not yet begun working on them.

"With a thought, Origin Matter can leave the body at will and resonate with the natural spiritual energy field outside—I still can't do that. I must use my body as a foundation to extend Origin Matter outward. The same goes for resonant Origin Matter. I cannot yet, like someone at the true peak of the Second Energy Level, freely manipulate Origin Matter outside my body to assist in combat."

Ian still remembered that Magnetic Light Knight Chris could even manipulate magnetic sand to form supersonic storms for offense and defense. That was one hallmark—or rather, one foundation—of the Second Energy Level's peak.

Only with that ability was it possible to enter the peak.

Ian could not do it. He simply relied on his incomprehensible base qualities, an abundance of alchemical potions, and Grand Knight-level swordsmanship to crush everything in his path.

Everyone else used all sorts of peculiar Ascendant arts, while Ian only had Shark-Whale Overlord Fist.jpg.

But he had already begun to gradually grasp the idea... The ultimate domain of technique seemed to be an enhancement in this regard.

The day Ian became a dual Second Energy Level peak might not be far away.

As for now...

"Pick out a batch of useful potions, get used to my current Origin Matter reactions, and keep using the Dragon-Worshiping Cult's secret method to disguise myself as First Energy Level."

Ian casually walked toward his alchemical potion storeroom—now was not the time to hold back. It was not his money, anyway.

"Bring all the weapons and armor. Arm myself to the teeth."

With that thought, the youth smiled. "Then it's time to prepare to set out."

"Time to do something big."