Equipment Enhancement

Three medium Energy Stones lay in Lin Xiao's palm like warm jade eggs, emitting a soft, milky white glow. The pure energy aura seeped through his skin, into his flesh and blood, causing the barren, dim azure light screen in his mind to stir with a faint but clear sense of longing.

[Detected medium-purity energy source (3 units)... Absorbable... Estimated replenishment: 0.3-0.5 points...]

The cold prompt sounded like heavenly music.

Lin Xiao sat cross-legged on the cheap motel's cold, hard bed. The city's neon lights outside the window were blocked by thick dust, allowing only a hazy, dim yellow light to filter in. His bare upper body bore scabbing wounds that looked like twisted bas-reliefs in the dimness. Deep in his right leg, the dormant, dark green "Viper's Kiss" core pulsed with a cold, greedy beat as the Energy Stones neared, as if wanting a share.

"Absorb!" Lin Xiao didn't hesitate. His will, like a starving fierce beast, lunged at the three Energy Stones!

Hummm—!

The three warm jade stones trembled violently! Their milky white glow suddenly became blinding! Strands of pure energy, as if pulled by an invisible hand, surged towards Lin Xiao's palm and coursed through his meridians!

[Absorbing energy... Source Energy Points replenished: +0.05... +0.07... +0.12...]

Crimson numbers flashed wildly on the azure light screen!

[Source Energy Points: -0.1699 + 0.05 = -0.1199... +0.07 = -0.0499... +0.12 = +0.0701!]

Boom—!

A long-lost feeling of fullness, like a sweet spring gushing into a dry riverbed, instantly swept through his entire body! The dim light screen in his mind seemed to be infused with new life. The core's pulse grew stronger and steadier, and the fine black cracks at its edges slowly mended and faded under the nourishment of the abundant energy! His depleted soul felt reignited, the dizziness and tearing sensation receding like a tide!

Power! The feeling of power to control everything returned!

However, just as this pleasant sensation reached its peak, the dark green "Viper's Kiss" core deep within his right leg, like a startled viper, erupted with a powerful pulse! A cold, sweet, and putrid foreign energy, like a maggot clinging to bone, forcibly flowed upstream along the surging pure energy current, attempting to contaminate the newly replenished Source Energy!

[Warning! Highly contaminated foreign energy (Viper's Kiss core residue) is abnormally active! Attempting to reverse-corrupt newly infused Source Energy! Contamination risk: High!]

[Core instinct suppressing... Suppressing... Contamination erosion rate: 0.001%... Source Energy Point loss: -0.0005!]

[Source Energy Points: +0.0701 - 0.0005 = +0.0696!]

A trace of imperceptible dark green pollution mixed with the pure milky white energy, forcefully stripped and annihilated by the azure light screen's core! Lin Xiao grunted, a needle-like sting erupting from deep within his right leg! Although the dark green core's pulse was suppressed again, it became more hidden and colder, like a viper lurking in the shadows, ready to strike again at any moment!

"Damn it!" Lin Xiao cursed, a shadow flashing in his eyes. The Source Energy Points replenished by these three Energy Stones ultimately settled at [+0.0696]. While he had temporarily escaped the abyss of negative values, he had also lost a portion due to the interference of that damned tumor. More importantly, it reminded Lin Xiao that the bomb buried within him had not been defused!

He opened his palm. The three originally warm and smooth jade stones were now gray-white and dim, covered in spiderweb-like cracks. With a gentle pinch, they turned into dust and fell away.

Source Energy Points: [+0.0696].

This amount of Source Energy was far from enough for the upcoming Su family competition and the Blood Wolf Gang's potential counterattack! Su Hao's insidious move, which had triggered the backlash of his latent cold qi, required Source Energy Points to modify Su Qingxue's cultivation technique path. And he himself desperately needed a trump card!

Lin Xiao's gaze fell upon the unremarkable alloy dagger on the bedside table.

It was one of the spoils from killing the Scorpion. The material was ordinary, just basic forged steel alloy, and the blade's edge was slightly dulled from previous battles and scrapes. Apart from being sturdy enough, it had no special properties.

This was it!

Lin Xiao grabbed the cold dagger. The rough feel of the grip transmitted to his hand. He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the azure light screen that had regained its vitality.

[Deep scan initiated... Target: Alloy Dagger (Ordinary)... Material composition: Iron 86.5%, Carbon 10.2%, Chromium 2.1%, Vanadium 0.7%, trace impurities 0.5%... Molecular structure stability: Medium... Blade microscopic structure: Multiple stress concentration points and lattice dislocations present...]

A three-dimensional model of the dagger was instantly projected onto the light screen, its internal molecular structure, lattice arrangement, and stress distribution clearly presented like peeling an onion! Countless subtle flaws and weak points were highlighted, like lesions on a human body.

[Modification plan deduction...]

[Optimization Direction 1: Enhance overall material density and molecular bond strength (increase hardness)... Requires Source Energy Points: 0.25]

[Optimization Direction 2: Reconstruct blade's microscopic structure, eliminate stress concentrations, form a single-molecule sharp edge layer (increase sharpness)... Requires Source Energy Points: 0.15]

[Optimization Direction 3: Add weak energy guiding properties (minor armor penetration)... Requires Source Energy Points: 0.2]

[Optimal Comprehensive Plan (Directions 1+2)... Estimated effect: Hardness increased by 300%, sharpness increased by 500%... Requires Source Energy Points: 0.4]

0.4 points!

Lin Xiao stared at the glaring number on the light screen, then at his meager [+0.0696]. His heart clenched fiercely! This was almost enough to drain all the reserves he had just recovered! But the dagger, as his last resort in close combat, was undeniably important! Especially when Source Energy Points were still so scarce, making frequent use of the modifier for environmental micro-manipulation impossible!

He was gambling!

A resolute fierceness flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes! His will, like a red-hot iron clamp, plunged fiercely towards the core of the light screen!

"Execute optimal plan! Target: Alloy Dagger! Modify!"

[Command confirmed! Source Energy Points deducted: 0.4!]

[Source Energy Points: +0.0696 - 0.4 = -0.3304!]

[Modification initiated!]

Hummm—!

A torrent of energy, far more surging and powerful than when he absorbed it, erupted from the depths of Lin Xiao's mind! This time, it wasn't flowing in, but a violent outpouring! The Source Energy Points that had just been replenished were instantly emptied, even plunging back into the abyss of negative values! A strong sense of emptiness and soul-tearing pain surged again, more intense than before!

"Argh!" Lin Xiao couldn't help but let out a suppressed groan, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat instantly soaking his entire body! The alloy dagger in his hand vibrated violently!

In the real world, a strange transformation was occurring!

The dagger's dull, rough surface seemed to be roasted by invisible flames! A visible, wave-like azure glow instantly enveloped the entire dagger! Within the glow, the dagger's form seemed to be undergoing an extremely subtle yet fundamental change!

First, the material! The originally dull metal surface, at a visible speed, became deep and restrained, exuding a cold, hard, dark luster like millennium-old profound ice! It was as if all impurities were forcefully removed and compressed, the molecular structure forcefully optimized and reinforced by the mighty power of Source Energy! The dagger's weight also seemed to increase slightly, and holding it felt solid and incomparably sturdy!

Next, the blade!

The originally slightly dulled edge, with even visible micro-nicks, was where the azure glow was most intense! The light was like the most precise carving knife, madly sculpting at the microscopic level! The dulled edge was smoothed, the nicks were filled, and countless subtle lattice dislocations and stress concentration points were forcefully corrected and mended! The metal molecules at the blade's edge were maximally compressed and arranged, forming an absolute sharp line, as fine as a hair, yet flashing with a deadly cold light!

Chichichi—!

The air even echoed with an extremely subtle sound, like a hot knife cutting through butter! It was the sound of air molecules around the dagger being sliced by an invisible sharpness!

The azure light lasted for about ten seconds before slowly receding like a tide.

Lin Xiao leaned against the cold wall as if drained, gasping for breath. His face was as pale as paper, and his hand holding the dagger trembled slightly. The number [-0.3304] in his mind was glaring, and the sense of depletion deep within his soul washed over his consciousness like a cold tide, wave after wave.

But the dagger in his hand was now brand new!

Its entire body exhibited a deep, restrained dark cyan hue, as if it had been tempered thousands of times like fine iron. The patterns on the grip seemed to have become clearer and fit his palm better. What was most striking was the blade! It was no longer the silvery white of metal, but an almost transparent, extremely sharp edge with a cold, ethereal glow! Just looking at it felt like his skin was being sliced by a chilling sensation!

Lin Xiao endured the dizziness, picked up the dagger, and lightly drew it across a discarded piece of angle iron, as thick as a thumb, on the edge of the bed.

He didn't use any force, and there wasn't even a harsh scraping sound.

It was like a hot knife cutting through solidified butter.

The angle iron snapped in two! The break was as smooth as a mirror!

Lin Xiao looked at the reborn weapon in his hand, feeling the cold killing intent and the indestructible texture it conveyed. A cold, weary, yet fiercely determined smile, like that of a lone wolf, slowly spread across his pale face.

The trump card was forged!

The price was heavy!