Life Energy Level Rises Again

The basic principle of Dragon Trap is to use a sword to construct a cage made of sword qi within an extremely short period of time.

Furthermore, this cage must have its orientation pre-calculated to ensure the sword qi can descend precisely and continuously.

Therefore, the entire cultivation process is extremely difficult; Xu Ziming swings his sword with all his might, yet his speed still fails to meet the requirements for "Dragon Trap."

This is not due to a lack of proficiency in his sword technique, but rather an awkward problem: his Life Energy Level is insufficient.

With his current physical constitution, he is completely unable to master this level of sword technique.

Even with the assistance of various traits and the fact that his Basic Body Forging Method has reached minor completion—granting him fifty percent more blood qi than others at his level—it is still not enough. A Life Energy Level of 3.4 severely limits Xu Ziming's cultivation speed.

Thus, he has no choice but to temporarily shelve his practice of the Five Prison Sword Art and focus on raising his Life Energy Level instead.

To rapidly increase one's Life Energy Level, there are only two paths.

The first is steady, step-by-step cultivation: consuming Blood Qi Potions and using the Basic Body Forging Method to refine the energy within the potions into his own body.

The second is consuming rare treasures, various spiritual items that boost blood qi, and the [Alien Warrior Life Source Crystal (First Evolution) Purified Version] that his father sent back from the front lines.

According to his father, consuming this can significantly increase one's Life Energy Level.

The only concern is that the alien energy might not be pure, potentially affecting the purity of his own blood qi and slowing down subsequent cultivation.

However, Xu Ziming does not need to worry about such things because he possesses two traits for filtering blood qi.

These are [Filtering Charge] and [Filter Charge]. With these two traits, he can consume various potions and supplements without worrying about the loss of purity.

Besides, although the Alien Warrior Life Source Crystal (First Evolution) Purified Version could provide him with a trait that increases damage against aliens, he now possesses the Qilin Body. In reality, he faces no pressure when dealing with ordinary First Evolution aliens, and the trait would be completely useless against Second Life Evolution beings.

Therefore, it feels rather redundant; it is better to simply consume it.

Thinking of this, he no longer hesitates. Xu Ziming has never been a person who wavers.

Just like when he went to save his family, even knowing it was a near-death situation, he did not hesitate at all.

Moreover, he has spent time researching the effects of this item; it seems that only the first consumption increases the Life Energy Level. If that is the case, he can simply save any future ones he obtains.

Taking the Alien Warrior Life Source Crystal (First Evolution) Purified Version—which he had stored for nearly ten days—out of his bracelet, Xu Ziming places it directly into his mouth.

The moment it enters his mouth, the small red bead dissolves instantly, followed by an extreme heat flowing down his esophagus.

So hot!

This is Xu Ziming's first sensation, followed by boiling blood qi energy originating from his stomach, which rushes through his meridians at high speed, surging violently.

So painful!

This is his second sensation. The alien blood qi is more concentrated than he imagined; even as a crystal condensed after death, this monster was a powerhouse of the First Life Evolution while it was alive.

With such a massive amount of blood qi rushing through Xu Ziming's body in just a few seconds, he naturally cannot withstand it with his mere 3.4 Life Energy Level.

Nevertheless, Xu Ziming continues to repeat the movements of the Basic Body Forging Method.

Because such an opportunity is hard to come by, there is naturally no option to waste it.

The scorching blood qi circulates repeatedly within his body, accompanied by the exhilarating sensation of life advancement.

Although he does not know his current Life Energy Level, the only thing he can confirm is that it has indeed increased.

Similar to when his Iron Cloth Shirt broke through to the Iron Skin realm, Xu Ziming's entire body is now radiating heat, and even his skin has turned bright red.

"If only the Equipment Slot could unlock a way to level up by killing monsters," Xu Ziming mutters, though his physical movements do not stop.

Finally, after a full two hours, as the time reaches the afternoon, the energy of the Alien Warrior Life Source Crystal is finally exhausted.

A layer of gray impurities has emerged on the surface of Xu Ziming's body.

However, unlike the time with the Iron Cloth Shirt, these impurities have no strange odor and are not very noticeable.

Xu Ziming simply takes off his clothes and rinses himself off with several bottles of mineral water in the training room.

Only after the gray impurities are mostly washed away does he cast his gaze toward the Life Energy Level page brought by the Equipment Slot.

This panel is a new feature developed the last time the Equipment Slot was unlocked.

It seems to synthesize the ability to see cultivation progress—inherent in traits like Body Forging Acceleration and Natural Sword Bone—and places it on a dedicated panel.

[Host: Xu Ziming]
[Life Energy Level: 3.8]
[Techniques: Basic Body Forging Method (Minor Completion 13.5%), Basic Sword Method (Minor Completion 24.7%), Five Prison Sword Art (Not Yet Initiated 2%)]
[Equipped Traits: Qilin Body (Purple), Sword Saint Body Technique (Blue), Filter Charge (White)]
[Permanently Solidified Traits: Body Forging Acceleration (White), Natural Sword Bone (Green), Steel Body (White)]
[Evaluation: An ant that has barely managed to gain a foothold in a high-martial world]

His Life Energy Level has finally broken through, increasing by a full 0.4 in an extremely short time. He has no idea when he will be able to achieve such a rapid increase again.

As for the equipment affixes, the permanent solidification conditions for Qilin Body and Sword Saint Body Technique were currently too difficult to meet.

He could only prioritize the permanent solidification of Filter Charge for now. At this point, Xu Ziming had already consumed eight E-grade Blood Qi Potion units, with only the final two remaining to complete the process.

"Beep, beep, beep."

His wristband emitted a series of sounds.

"Damn, have you two heard? It seems the practical portion of the Second Mock Exam will involve dropping us into a small secret realm recently secured by Pengcheng, where they've released a massive number of beasts. We'll have to fight them ourselves, and scores will be calculated based on the number of kills."

"The top 32 scorers will advance to a tournament to determine the champion. Every high school student in all of Pengcheng will be participating."

Second Mock Exam?

Staring at the term, Xu Ziming felt a sudden jolt of shock. That's right, school had been in session for nearly a month, and the date had already reached mid-March.

The long-awaited Second Mock Exam was almost upon them.

This information had been posted in the group chat by Tang Xing; it was a mystery how that guy always managed to be so well-informed.

"That's right, Tang Xing is spot on. I've received the notification as well. As long as we make the top thirty-six, the rewards are incredibly generous."

Ma Mingyu added in the group chat.

"Don't worry, it definitely won't be hard. If the three of us stick together, we're guaranteed to get a high score."

"Don't get your hopes up. I heard there are alien races with strength beyond that of a martial artist inside the secret realm."

Shen Xingyue, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly popped up, dropping a piece of vital information the moment she spoke.

One had to realize that even Xu Ziming, without utilizing Qilin Body—and even with Qilin Body providing a complete counter to fire-type attributes—could not defeat an alien race that had undergone a single Life Evolution.