Classic Otherworldly Combination

Classic Otherworldly Combination

What did this mean?

It meant he could fight and cast. It meant CC+C=B. The instant Si Ming clenched his fist, the Night Battle Qi surging and rolling through his body turned into a boiling tide.

Whoosh—

A fierce wind rose out of nowhere.

The Gene Lock opened in response, finally bringing under control the Night Battle Qi that had swelled dramatically inside Si Ming due to the attribute conversion. As always, it remained under his control and, as he focused intently, gathered in his lower abdomen, at his dantian.

The immense quantity brought about a change in form. In an instant, an unstable dark vortex took shape within Si Ming.

It was highly unstable, liable to collapse at the slightest touch. But that also meant it had reached a higher level in the realm of Battle Qi. The next moment, Si Ming exhaled sharply and threw a fierce punch at the empty ground ahead!

Bang—

A dusky cloud of Qi erupted violently from his fist. It crossed more than ten meters and lightly tore apart the ground. A crater the size of a bowl exploded open, scattering stone chips in every direction.

Battle Qi Release, Hundred-Step Divine Fist.

He had mastered the technique of Battle Qi Release long ago. He could fire Battle Qi outward or attach it to physical objects. Previously, however, its power had at most been enough to shoot birds or drive away insects. Now, it carried close-range destructive force comparable to a large-caliber firearm.

Boom— The vortex inside him suddenly contracted. Just before it collapsed, the released Battle Qi abruptly flowed back—high-level Battle Qi used a vortex as its sign of advancement because it could greatly improve Battle Qi circulation and recovery speed. A mere increase in quality and quantity could not compare to a difference in underlying mechanics.

"Phew..."

The vortex dispersed, then gathered faintly within Si Ming again, on the verge of condensing once more. CC+C ultimately could not fully equal B. He still needed further improvements before he could establish a firm footing in this field.

"I need techniques for using Battle Qi, pills that replenish Qi, or perhaps heavenly treasures."

Si Ming knew that the thing he had cultivated was most likely not actually "Battle Qi." But since it could form a Battle Qi vortex and be released as a projectile, it meant that at least Qi-based martial arts were probably compatible with it. Martial skills could be used, so supporting resources could naturally be used as well. And then...

With a shift of thought, the Night Battle Qi transformed back into Necrotic Aura. The ritual materials purchased from the Main God descended once more. This time, three... no, four Skeleton Soldiers were successfully raised at Si Ming's will.

The Necrotic Aura flowed back, and the skeletons turned into bones again. Raising more dead brought back more mixed fragments. As a result, the summoning spell was difficult to activate continuously.

It needed adjustment. It needed purification. Or perhaps...

"Convert."

Convert, then convert again. Death aura into Battle Qi, Battle Qi into death aura. The Battle Qi vortex easily removed the fragments that caused the Necrotic Aura to become inert. Though the conversion still took some time, it nevertheless meant one thing.

Rapid Qi recovery, no matter what kind of Qi it was.

"Heh." Si Ming smiled. "Looks like I've become one of those damned dual-enhancement users too."

At this point, he already counted as an overpowered character. But Si Ming was practical and never content with the status quo. There was still more he wanted to obtain and verify.

A sphere appeared in his hand.

It was his first gain from the AVP world: that One Tomoe Sharingan eyeball. Apart from being nearly useless in the final battle, it had played a considerable role in dealing with Xenomorph sieges and infiltrating the U.S. military base. Now, however, it had essentially reached the limit of its use.

The eyeball was now little more than a memento. If activated one more time, it would turn to dust. Yet its very existence had already proven a fact to Si Ming: his Night Battle Qi could animate dead objects, even dead objects with supernatural power.

Would ordinary Battle Qi possess such a function? Perhaps some high-end specialized Battle Qi types might have such animating effects. He had only made that attempt in the first place because Naruto had featured something similar—placing a removed Sharingan inside a crow and remotely casting genjutsu through it. But thinking back on it now, he immediately realized that chakra and Battle Qi were fundamentally different!

So...

Let's try it.

"Main God, exchange for a... Wind-attribute Magic Wolf corpse."

[Request accepted.]

Two hundred reward points were spent. The corpse of a huge wolf appeared in front of Si Ming, pure white from head to toe, its fur without the slightest impurity. Even in death, it faintly radiated a sharp, chilling presence. He waited until the newly formed Battle Qi vortex had completely refined away the impurities in his energy before converting back to Necrotic Aura. Then, he raised it.

The white Wind Wolf staggered to its feet. Awakening this corpse consumed Necrotic Aura equivalent to that required for two Skeleton Soldiers. Under Si Ming's command, it ran and leaped, displaying speed and strength worthy of its price. But that was all it could do.

"Use Wind Bullet on the ground ahead."

The command was issued, but there was no response.

The Wind Magic Wolf, its eyes glowing dimly, stood quietly in place. As a corpse, all it possessed was the ability to control muscles and bones.

Si Ming walked over.

He reached out and touched the Wind Magic Wolf's body. The remaining half of the Necrotic Aura in his brow transformed into Night Battle Qi, and this converted power seeped into the corpse, penetrating deep within it just as when Si Ming used the Battle Qi Projection technique.

He quickly found the corresponding supernatural organ. In the region of the Magic Wolf's chest and lungs was a patch of necrotic tissue that had already lost all activity. But when he injected Night Battle Qi into it, that dead portion activated once more and released a distinct energy reaction.

He gave the same command again. This time, the awakened Magic Wolf under his control abruptly raised its head, and energy surged once again through the depleted circuits within its shell—

Boom—

A spiraling Wind Bullet burst from the Magic Wolf's mouth. Its power was just as Si Ming had once witnessed, enough to split mountains and shatter rocks. Yet neither his Night Battle Qi nor the activated supernatural Magic Wolf organ suffered any depletion from the strike.

So that was it. When the corpse was intact, what was activated was not merely the organ, but the entire energy system as well. The burden of consumption was therefore borne by the Magic Wolf's entire body rather than the Battle Qi or the supernatural organ. And if that was the case...

Night Battle Qi flowed into its brain.

The next moment, the ghostly glow in the Magic Wolf's eyes became much stronger. Clearly, the entire wolf became swifter and more agile as a result.

It could now carry out somewhat complex commands. It could lie in ambush and employ tactics. Dancing a four-legged tap dance on tiptoe was still a little difficult, but without question, this was an extremely crucial gain.

"Necrotic Aura can be improved by cultivating in graveyards. Battle Qi, meanwhile, has to be increased through dietary supplements, Qi circulation, or pills and treasures."

Reincarnators would almost never go to peaceful worlds. There would be plenty of chances to encounter graveyards and mass burial pits. But that was slow, grinding work that consumed time. Therefore, if he wanted to maximize efficiency, he needed to work from another angle.

He thought for a moment.

"Main God, give me all relevant information on the Xenomorph series and the Yautja series."

A large number of documents were projected down, appearing directly on the desk Si Ming had bought for 1 reward point. They were automatically loaded into the high-performance office computer that came with the desk, making them convenient for Si Ming to read.

Some intelligence was confirmed, and some conjectures were verified. Of course, the most crucial thing was the secret he remembered from the third generation. Deep within the ruins beneath the abandoned Antarctic research station was a precious treasure known as Death Divinity.

That hidden fragment of divinity was one important reason why he had chosen the Necromancer enhancement. Next, he would naturally act to obtain this secret treasure.

"I may not necessarily have to go to Antarctica. There are many places on Earth in AVP where Yautja ruins remain. They may all have been erased by explosions during failed hunts. But the Maya and Aztec civilization ruins in Central America should at least be able to yield some extra gains."

Even if they could not, he could make a trip to Africa or the Middle East. AVP 1 and 2 both took place in 2004. Earth at that point in time was not lacking in wars. As long as he participated in them, his skills could be honed, while the vast quantities of corpses and bones he encountered could also increase his Necrotic Aura.

Therefore, he needed a suitable identity.

He searched through the entertainment section of the exchange list and quickly found the corresponding item. Reincarnators would originally receive local identities granted by the Main God when descending into reincarnation worlds. As long as they used an item, those identities could be adjusted to a certain extent.

[Identity Adjustment Card—Special item. Reincarnators may use it when traveling to worlds that have already been cleared. It grants an identity in a designated direction that does not involve the world's central theme. Until this card is destroyed or the Reincarnator's identity is voluntarily exposed, the Reincarnator will receive passive recognition of this new identity within that world. This is a one-time-use item and does not involve adjustments to interpersonal relationships within the setting.]

At two hundred points per card, it looked like something made for leisurely vacations. Naturally, it could not make him a Xenomorph, a Yautja, or someone closely connected to them in the AVP world. And because it did not adjust interpersonal relationships, even if he used this card to gain the identity of the President of the United States, no one would support or acknowledge him. They would only think the system had malfunctioned. The same would naturally apply to sects and organizations in high-difficulty worlds.

"But it is enough to make me a scholar specializing in ancient civilizations... no, an explorer would be more suitable."

With a new identity, he could naturally use all kinds of transportation normally and avoid being dragged into the Xenomorph disaster in that Colorado town. In the first AVP film, the survivor who witnessed everything had likewise been a world-famous top explorer. If necessary, he could use the connection between their identities to try contacting her.

Then, the next essential item should be—

[Dimensional Ring—Originates from the Pan-Fantasy setting. It possesses no additional functions and is purely a spatial item for storing objects. It records the energy frequency of its first user and, after binding, opens a standard spherical space with a radius of three meters. Time does not flow within this space, but it cannot easily accommodate living individuals with intelligence.]

[Exchanging for this item requires 1 D-rank side quest and 1,500 reward points.]

With a wave of his hand, the Skeleton Soldiers and the Magic Wolf were all placed inside the summoning space that came with the Necromancer enhancement. It was a small space filled with negative energy, capable of preserving undead states and repairing undead damage, but it would also severely corrode all other objects with negative energy.

So he needed to buy an additional ring. The firearms, explosives, medicine, food, precious metals, and other items he would purchase later would then have a suitable place to be stored. Beyond that came the purchase of pills for advancement.

[Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill—Originates from the Battle Through the Heavens setting. Can greatly increase the Battle Qi level of C- to B-rank Battle Qi and Battle Qi-type users. This medicine is a perfect specimen; its side effects and uncertainty have been removed. Exchanging for this item requires 1 D-rank side quest and 1,000 reward points.]

With that, his side quests were nearly all used up.

That left only the final key item.

"Main God, I want to purchase a dead Burrowing Devil Worm!"