Dragon Trap's basic principle was to use a sword to form a cage of Sword Qi in an extremely short time.
Moreover, the cage's position had to be established in advance, so the Sword Qi could rain down with precision and without pause.
That made the entire training process extremely difficult. Xu Ziming swung his sword with all his might, but he still couldn't reach the speed required for Dragon Trap.
It wasn't because his swordsmanship was lacking. The problem was a rather awkward one: his Life Energy Level wasn't high enough.
With his current physical condition, he simply couldn't wield swordsmanship of this caliber.
Even with all kinds of traits to assist him, and the Qi and blood he'd gained from reaching Minor Accomplishment in the Basic Body Forging Method—more than half again as much as others at the same level—he still didn't have enough.
His Life Energy Level of 3.4 severely limited the speed of his cultivation.
So he had to put his training in the Five Prison Sword Art on hold and focus on raising his Life Energy Level instead.
There were only two ways to raise his Life Energy Level quickly.
The first was to train steadily, take Blood Qi Potions, and use the Basic Body Forging Method to work the potions' energy into his body.
The second was to consume natural treasures: all kinds of spiritual items that boosted Qi and blood, as well as the [Purified Alien Warrior Life Source Crystal (First Evolution)] his father had once mailed back from the front lines.
According to his father, taking it could greatly increase his Life Energy Level.
The only concern was that impure alien energy might affect the purity of his own Qi and blood, slowing his cultivation later on.
But Xu Ziming didn't need to worry about that. He had two traits that filtered Qi and blood.
They were [Filtering Charge] and [Filtering Charge+]. With these two traits, he could take all kinds of medicines and supplements without worrying about the losses.
Besides, while the Purified Alien Warrior Life Source Crystal (First Evolution) could grant him a trait that increased his damage against aliens, he already had the Qilin Body. Ordinary aliens at the first evolution posed little threat to him, while the trait would be useless against those who had undergone a second Life Evolution.
That made it rather pointless. He might as well consume it outright.
With that thought, he didn't hesitate any longer. Xu Ziming had never been the sort to waver.
It was like going to save his family. Even knowing there was only a slim chance of survival, he still wouldn't hesitate.
Besides, he'd spent this time looking into the crystal's effects. It seemed that only the first dose would raise his Life Energy Level, so he could always save any he got later.
Xu Ziming took the Purified Alien Warrior Life Source Crystal (First Evolution), which he'd kept in his wristband for nearly ten days, and put it straight into his mouth.
The moment it entered his mouth, the little red bead melted. A scorching heat followed, flowing down his esophagus.
So hot!
That was Xu Ziming's first thought. Then came the boiling Qi and blood energy, surging from his stomach and coursing rapidly through his meridians.
So painful!
That was his second thought. The alien's Qi and blood were far denser than he'd imagined. Even though the crystal had formed after its death, the monster must have been a powerful being that had undergone its first Life Evolution while alive.
So much Qi and blood rushing through Xu Ziming's body in just a few seconds was more than his mere 3.4 Life Energy Level could withstand.
Even so, Xu Ziming kept repeating the movements of the Basic Body Forging Method.
A chance like this was hard to come by. He wasn't about to waste it.
The scorching Qi and blood circulated through his body again and again, bringing with it the exhilarating sensation of a life advancing to a higher level.
He didn't know his current Life Energy Level, but he could be certain it had increased.
It was much like when his Iron Cloth Shirt broke through to the Iron Skin realm. Xu Ziming's entire body was giving off heat, and his skin had turned bright red.
"If only I could unlock a monster-killing level-up feature in the Equipment Slot."
Xu Ziming muttered the words, but didn't stop moving.
At last, after a full two hours, the alien crystal's energy was finally exhausted. It was now afternoon.
A layer of gray residue had also surfaced on Xu Ziming's body.
But unlike the last time with the Iron Cloth Shirt, this residue had no strange smell and wasn't very noticeable.
Xu Ziming simply took off his clothes and grabbed a few bottles of mineral water from the training room to rinse himself off.
Only after most of the gray residue had washed away did he turn his attention to the Life Energy Level page in the Equipment Slot.
This panel was a newly developed feature, unlocked the last time the Equipment Slot opened up.
It seemed to combine the ability to view cultivation progress that came with traits like Body Forging Acceleration and Natural Sword Bone, putting it all in one dedicated panel.
[Host: Xu Ziming] [Life Energy Level: 3.8] [Methods: Basic Body Forging Method (Minor Accomplishment 13.5%), Basic Sword Method (Minor Accomplishment 24.7%), Five Prison Sword Art (Not Yet Initiated 2%)] [Equipped Traits: Qilin Body (Purple), Sword Saint Body Technique (Blue), Filter Charge (White)] [Permanent Traits: Body Forging Acceleration (White), Natural Sword Bone (Green), Steel Body (White)] [Evaluation: A lowly creature who has barely managed to gain a foothold in a high-martial world]
His Life Energy Level had finally increased. It had even risen by a full 0.4 in an extremely short time. He had no idea when he'd next get such a rapid increase.
As for his equipped traits, the requirements to make Qilin Body and Sword Saint Body Technique permanent were currently difficult to meet.
He could only make Filter Charge permanent first. Xu Ziming had already taken eight E-Grade Blood Qi Potions, and he needed just two more to successfully make it permanent.
"Beep, beep, beep."
His wristband sounded.
"Holy crap, have you two heard? The Second Mock Exam's practical test is apparently going to drop us into a small secret realm just brought under Pengcheng's control. They've put a large number of beasts in there, and we'll have to fight them ourselves. Our scores will be based on how many we kill."
"The top 32 scorers will compete to decide first place. Every high school student in Pengcheng will take part."
The Second Mock Exam?
Xu Ziming stared at those words, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat. Right, it was nearly a month into the school year already. It was now mid-March.
The long-awaited Second Mock Exam was almost here.
The message had come from Tang Xing in the group. Xu Ziming had no idea how, but that guy was always incredibly well-informed.
"That's right, Tang Xing's got it. I've received notice too. The rewards are very generous for anyone who makes it into the top 36."
Ma Mingyu added in the group.
"Don't worry, it won't be hard. The three of us can stick together and score high."
"Don't get ahead of yourselves. I heard there are aliens in the secret realm who are at least Martial Artists."
Shen Xingyue, who'd been silent for a long time, suddenly appeared in the chat. As soon as she spoke, she revealed an extremely important piece of information.
After all, even Xu Ziming couldn't beat an alien that had undergone its first Life Evolution without using the Qilin Body—and the Qilin Body completely countered fire-based attacks.