"Forty Energy Points for one? That's not bad."
Looking at the system prompt that had appeared before him, Linley's lips curled into a faint smile.
However, with Dragon Transformation active, Linley's entire body was covered in scales, making his smile look rather ferocious.
Fortunately, there was no one else around.
Doehring was the only one there, and he was merely in a soul state.
As for Lin Ke, he could only stay inside the System Space.
Bebe was still young, and he was a Magical Beast to begin with.
As for the Tooth Wolves, Linley had suddenly killed one of their companions. They couldn't care less whether he looked ferocious or not.
What could a mere two-legged creature do to them?
"As expected, making Linley the host was the right decision!" Inside the System Space, Lin Ke watched Linley caught up in the slaughter, his lips curling into a smile.
"Still, Linley's Destruction Talent is a bit troublesome." Lin Ke tapped his fingers against his knee, frowning slightly. "Killing Magical Beasts earns him Energy Points, and Linley will surely kill plenty in the future. What if he keeps killing until he ascends to godhood in Destruction?"
In the original story, Linley's Path of Transcendence had long been set.
If Linley accidentally gained an additional Destruction God Clone—
What would happen if he underwent a Soul Mutation then?
A Four Soul Mutation was already the only exception in the entire Coiling Dragon Universe in over a thousand cycles.
A Five Soul Mutation?
How many Energy Points would he have to spend to help Linley get through that?
Just working it out nearly made Lin Ke pass out from the astronomical number.
"Better to keep things under control." Lin Ke hurriedly shook his head. "I'll do my best to keep Linley on the original path. A Four Soul Mutation is enough."
Meanwhile, in the outside world.
As Linley watched his Energy Point balance continue to rise, the smile on his face grew wider.
The Tooth Wolves around him were all Rank 3 or Rank 4, but there were quite a few of them—forty or fifty in all.
After his Dragon Transformation, Linley had the strength of a Rank 7 Warrior, enough to slaughter these Tooth Wolves.
What puzzled Linley, though, was that even after he had killed nearly twenty or thirty Tooth Wolves, the ones around him showed no sign of fleeing.
"Awooooo!"
Another wolf howl rang out.
"Rustle, rustle..."
The sound of bushes shaking in the distance reached Linley's ears.
More and more Tooth Wolves appeared around him.
They didn't charge in to attack. Instead, they continued forming a circle, surrounding Linley.
Linley stopped and looked at the Tooth Wolves around him.
Most were Rank 4, mixed in with a few Rank 5 and Rank 6 wolves.
"This is bad, Linley. Get ready to run," Doehring said tensely. "The Wolf King leading this pack is definitely Rank 7, and might even be Rank 8."
Doehring was clearly nervous.
He was afraid Linley would get hurt.
Linley's strength was certainly not weak now.
But his combat skills were still far behind.
If he really fought someone of equal rank, Linley would definitely lose.
Linley scanned his surroundings. There were at least a hundred Tooth Wolves, and he hesitated.
If he killed them all, his strength would soon increase by leaps and bounds.
"Big Brother Lin Ke." In the end, Linley decided to give it a try. "Is there any way to increase my strength quickly? Preferably right now."
Lin Ke furrowed his brows at Linley's question.
Linley's current Energy Point balance wasn't enough for him to break through.
Besides, Dragon Transformation could only boost his strength so far.
Linley was only Rank 3 in his human form, but Rank 7 after transforming.
Even if Linley broke through to Rank 4, his transformed strength would only reach the middle stages of Rank 7 at most.
He would have to reach Rank 6 in his human form before he could become a Rank 8 Warrior after transforming.
And clearly, Linley didn't have enough Energy Points for that right now.
"Wait, if you can't improve your raw strength, then improve your other abilities!" Lin Ke smacked his forehead. "Linley can't afford to buy insights into the Laws for now. In that case, let's go with a combat skill and a weapon."
Lin Ke thought it over, then snapped his fingers. A book and a sword appeared before him.
"Linley, take a look at the shop."
Lin Ke spoke, and Linley hurriedly opened the Combat Mall. Two new items appeared in it.
Nine Solitary Swords: Sword-Breaking Stance (Beginner): 400 Green Energy Points
Black Iron Heavy Sword: 400 Green Energy Points
"Big Brother Lin Ke, even if I have a combat skill, I don't have time to learn it now!"
Linley couldn't help feeling helpless.
Hadn't he just asked for a way to increase his strength quickly?
There was no time to learn a combat skill now!
"Boy, why do you think it costs four hundred points?" Lin Ke chuckled. "That price includes the cost of the knowledge being transmitted to you. Once you buy it, you'll instantly master the combat skill."
Linley's eyes lit up at Lin Ke's words, and he hurriedly checked his Energy Point balance.
Energy Points: 910 Green, 17 White
He had just killed quite a few Rank 3 and Rank 4 Tooth Wolves.
A Rank 3 wolf was worth 40 Green Energy Points, while a Rank 4 wolf was worth 50.
Linley had more than enough Energy Points now.
"Big Brother Lin Ke, I want to exchange for the Nine Solitary Swords and the Black Iron Heavy Sword."
Linley didn't know why the combat skill had such a strange name.
But over the past month, he had come to trust Lin Ke completely.
Nothing he had exchanged through the system had ever been ordinary.
As soon as Linley finished speaking, a vast amount of information was transmitted into his mind.
Nine Solitary Swords: Sword-Breaking Stance: A wind-element combat skill centered on the Mysteries of Fast and Slow. A basic understanding of either Fast or Slow is enough to master it.
The information in Linley's mind lasted only an instant, yet he had completely mastered the skill.
Linley didn't understand what the Mysteries of Fast and Slow were.
But in that instant, he felt as if he had grasped something different.
"Awoooo!"
At that moment, a Tooth Wolf noticeably larger than the others appeared.
It howled, and the Tooth Wolves surrounding Linley charged at once.
"Big Brother Lin Ke, extract the Black Iron Heavy Sword!"
Linley tensed and hurriedly contacted Lin Ke.
In the next moment, his right hand grew heavy. A greatsword as wide as his palm and weighing hundreds of pounds appeared in it.
A Rank 6 Tooth Wolf had already reached Linley and lunged at his neck, baring its fangs.
"You're asking for death!"
Linley's blood-red eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip.
From Linley's perspective, the speed at which he raised his right hand and swung his sword seemed to slow to a crawl.
Yet, strangely, it also seemed impossibly fast.
"Splurt!"
In the blink of an eye, the Rank 6 Tooth Wolf that had lunged at Linley was split in two from forehead to waist by the Black Iron Heavy Sword.
The two halves of its body fell on either side of Linley.
But Linley didn't stop.
The system's transmission had only let Linley grasp the Sword-Breaking Stance of the Nine Solitary Swords.
But now that Linley was in the middle of a battle, the insight he had gained hadn't faded away.
"Could it be that this can be used for more than just swordplay?"
Recalling the insight he had just gained, Linley moved his feet.
He seemed to take a casual step forward, then another back.
But in the next instant, he had appeared beside another Rank 6 Tooth Wolf.
"Sword-Breaking Stance!"
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