Merging Cultivation Methods

The movements of this blade-wielding Demon-Subduing Warrior were incredibly swift, so Li Hai did not have to wait long before he possessed three new subordinates.

The first held a jar-shaped gold hammer, his entire body covered in jagged wounds without a single patch of intact skin; the second held a bow and arrows, his frame somewhat slender but relatively more complete; the last held a long halberd, possessing a feminine appearance and a more petite build, standing only about 1.85 meters tall, yet her body was the most intact of them all.

In short, out of the vast number of Demon-Subduing Warrior scattered across this desolate wasteland, only these four were successfully activated; the rest were nothing but scrap.

Since Li Hai felt their serial numbers were not catchy enough, he gave each of them a new name.

For the first one holding the door-sized broadsword, Li Hai named him Brother Blade; for the second holding the jar-shaped gold hammers, he named him Ah Chui; the third, who held a bow and looked cold and gloomy, was dubbed Arrow Boy; finally, the feminine-looking warrior with the jade face and murderous aura holding the long halberd was named Fierce Lass.

"Tell me, do you run on oil or electricity?" Li Hai asked Brother Blade curiously. "You can't possibly survive on noodles and rice, can you?"

"Reporting to Master," Brother Blade replied, "We take Primordial Breath Yang Refining Method as our source."

"Oh," Li Hai nodded in realization, "So you live by sunbathing."

"Reporting to Master," Brother Blade added, "We can utilize all forms of Yang energy."

"Fine." Li Hai glanced at the surroundings. "Then, do you want to patch yourselves up?" As he spoke, he gestured toward the fields of discarded Demon-Subduing Warrior surrounding them.

"Master is wise," Brother Blade nodded in agreement. "Although these warriors are scrapped, they are not entirely broken. If we scavenge and piece them together, it will be enough to replace all our damaged parts."

"Then go and replace them," Li Hai ordered. "Once you're finished, I will release you from the grotto-heaven."

The warriors knelt on one knee in unison and replied, "We shall strictly obey Master's command."

With that, the four rose and headed in different directions, beginning to search the discarded warriors for suitable parts.

Li Hai then willed his phantom body to dissipate, shifting nearly half of his consciousness back to the real world. He opened his eyes and looked at the dark, dilapidated drill ground, his thoughts shifting to the newly acquired Stronger Fragment: "So, which technique should I upgrade?"

If he chose Beast Intent Demon Claw or Iron Barrel Bell-Coiling Manual, Li Hai would likely break through the shackles of the Steel Sinew Iron Bone Realm and reach a new level of martial arts. If he chose the high-level Primordial Breath Yang Refining Method, he might ascend to a level of sorcery higher than Focusing Spirit and Wandering. If he chose the ghost-path techniques of Evil Spirit Earth Yin Absorption Method or Red Dust Yin Gathering Method, Li Hai might transform into a powerful ghost entity surpassing the Fierce Soul level. Regardless of the path, Li Hai would gain a massive boost in combat power, but he only had one fragment.

"I'll choose the martial arts path." After a few seconds of thought, Li Hai made the same decision as last time—to upgrade a martial arts technique. Compared to chanting spells and using sinister ghost arts, he still preferred the visceral impact of hand-to-hand combat; it was far more satisfying.

"So, should it be Beast Intent Demon Claw or Iron Barrel Bell-Coiling Manual?" Li Hai fell into a dilemma once again. The former would directly increase his offensive combat power, while the latter focused on defense, enhancing both physical and mental fortitude, which would indirectly improve his overall strength.

"I don't fear strong enemies now, only encirclement and sneak attacks, so..." After pondering for a while, he made his decision. "I'll boost my defense; it's more reliable."

Having decided, Li Hai turned his attention to his personal interface, preparing to upgrade the Iron Barrel Bell-Coiling Manual. But just as he was about to consume the fragment, that strange sensation once again surfaced in his heart.

"This is the precognitive ability triggered by the intersection of Level 2 Wildness and Level 2 Spiritual Inspiration... it's starting again." This sensation "told" Li Hai not to choose a technique upgrade, but to choose a technique fusion. The targets for fusion were the Iron Barrel Bell-Coiling Manual and the Beast Intent Demon Claw.

"But if the fusion fails and I end up with a piece of junk..." Li Hai frowned deeply. "Wouldn't I lose everything?"

At that moment, the mysterious sensation surged from his heart again, radiating fuzzy ripples. Through these ripples, Li Hai experienced a flash of insight: "Huh? This precognitive power can actually predict the exact moment to perform the fusion for the highest probability of a good result—this is incredible!"

After marveling, he stood still and began to wait, waiting for the moment when the fusion success rate would be at its peak. Li Hai did not know how long he would have to wait. Half an hour, two hours, or even a day or two. He didn't care.

However, after waiting blankly for two hours, Li Hai felt he needed to find something to do; otherwise, it was truly quite boring. Thus, Li Hai began to examine the pair of steel whips he had scavenged from the outpost warehouse. This pair of Bamboo-Joint Steel Whip did not feel heavy in his hands, weighing roughly two thousand catties—not even half the weight of the Nine-Toothed Rake.

The overall shape was thick at the back and tapered at the front, inlaid with thirteen bamboo-joint segments. It measured three feet nine inches in total length, with a six-inch handle and a three-foot-three-inch whip body.

When Li Hai first obtained it, he had tried to bend it with force a couple of times.

The result was that it did not budge in the slightest.

One must know that with Li Hai's current strength of seventy to eighty thousand catties, ordinary iron or steel objects could not withstand his handling at all.

Yet, when faced with tens of thousands of catties of force, this pair of steel whips did not show even the slightest deformation; instead, Li Hai's own hands were left aching from the vibration.

From this, it was clear that this pair of steel whips was definitely a weapon that could be called a divine armament, perhaps even a pair of divine armaments themselves.

Since they were divine armaments, they must possess extraordinary abilities.

What Li Hai wanted now was to figure out what other wondrous capabilities this pair of steel whips possessed, besides being sufficiently hard.

This research took up more than half an hour.

Just as Li Hai had thoroughly explored and grasped the secrets of the steel whips and was intending to practice with them on this drill ground, that mysterious palpitation appeared in his heart once again.

Li Hai immediately understood:

"The optimal time to cash out has arrived!"

He set down the steel whips, instantly shifted his attention to his personal interface, and without the slightest hesitation, consumed that Stronger Fragment to begin the technique fusion.

"Hm?! So technique fusion isn't limited to just two; it can fuse many more!"

Upon learning this information from the system, Li Hai exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Good, then I shall fuse every single martial arts technique I have."