Liquid Condensation Mid Stage! Flesh Cloak! Thousand Faces!

Liquid Condensation Mid Stage! Flesh Cloak! Thousand Faces! In the room.

Yang Xiao sat cross-legged, the Myriad Rivers Return to the Sea Qi-Condensing Method spread across his knees.

The ink on the pages was clear, the writing neat. It detailed how to condense the spiritual energy within his body into liquid.

The explanation was thorough, but putting it into practice would take considerable effort.

Yang Xiao glanced at his two empty Equipment Slots and thought, Why go to all that trouble?

The Equipment Slots trembled slightly. The manual was equipped in an instant.

[Myriad Rivers Return to the Sea Qi-Condensing Method]

[Effect 1: Myriad Rivers Return to the Sea Qi-Condensing Method proficiency reaches perfection.]

[Effect 2: Gain the trait (Blue) Qi Sea Expansion: Aperture capacity increases significantly, reserves double, and endurance improves greatly.]

[Permanent fixation condition: Equip for seven days or kill one Liquid Condensation Realm demon.]

Yang Xiao closed his eyes and focused. Under the perfected Myriad Rivers Return to the Sea Qi-Condensing Method, spiritual energy cycled through his meridians, compressed and refined again and again.

At first, the spiritual energy contracted only slightly, with no obvious change.

But as time passed, it began to thicken.

Fifteen minutes later.

A faint tremor passed through Yang Xiao's body.

The pure spiritual energy in his first Aperture had finally reached a critical point under the repeated compression.

A drop of pale golden liquid took shape deep within the Aperture.

Delight stirred in Yang Xiao's heart, and he continued circulating the technique.

With that first drop of Spirit Liquid as a seed, the rest condensed noticeably faster.

Spiritual energy surged like rivers returning to the sea, compressed into liquid spiritual power that filled one Aperture after another.

Drip, drip...

It was as though a fine rain were falling inside him, each drop becoming Spirit Liquid.

The first Aperture filled.

The second Aperture filled.

The third...

As Spirit Liquid continued to accumulate, Yang Xiao felt a fullness unlike anything he had known before.

Compared with the Qi Gathering Realm, the spiritual power of the Liquid Condensation Realm was heavier and denser.

If Qi Gathering Realm spiritual energy was a weightless bank of mist, then Liquid Condensation Realm spiritual power was a stream of water with real weight.

An hour later.

A soft sound came from within Yang Xiao's body.

All his spiritual energy had transformed. Spirit Liquid filled four Apertures, and he broke through to the Liquid Condensation Early Stage.

Yang Xiao slowly opened his eyes and felt the spiritual power surging inside him.

He rose and stretched, immediately sensing the difference.

His physical strength seemed to have increased with his breakthrough as well. Every movement carried abundant force.

Golden Spirit Liquid filled his Apertures, giving off a sweet fragrance like heavenly nectar.

"The Liquid Condensation Realm..."

Yang Xiao murmured, the corners of his mouth lifting.

Then he took two essence cores from his robes.

They were spoils from the battle in Heishui County: the Straw-Cloak Ghost's essence core and the Painted-Skin Demon's essence core.

The two cores gave off a faint demonic glow, one gray-green, the other gray-white.

As expected, his breakthrough had expanded his Equipment Slots to three. With one occupied by the Myriad Rivers Return to the Sea Qi-Condensing Method, two remained empty.

Yang Xiao equipped the Straw-Cloak Ghost's and Painted-Skin Demon's essence cores at the same time.

The Equipment Slots shuddered in quick succession.

[Liquid Condensation · Straw-Cloak Ghost essence core (single use)]

[Effect 1: Replenish Liquid Condensation.]

[Effect 2: Gain the trait (Purple) Flesh Cloak: Flesh becomes much tougher and gains extremely rapid healing and recovery.]

[Use successful!]

Yang Xiao closed his eyes and focused, guiding the core's power into his body. The Spirit Liquid in his Apertures steadily increased.

At the same time.

Another cool, damp current flowed in through his palm, traveled along his meridians, and finally gathered between his skin and flesh.

His skin seemed to gain an unseen resilience, as if he had draped himself in an invisible straw cloak.

He drew his Spring Embroidery Saber and slashed hard across his left wrist.

The blade cut through. Flesh split and blood welled out, yet he felt little pain.

But in the next instant.

The flesh around the wound began to writhe, healing before his eyes.

Within a few breaths, the wound had scabbed over.

A moment later, even the scab fell away, leaving only a faint pink mark.

Such rapid healing was scarcely inferior to the Straw-Cloak Ghost's own recovery.

"That healing speed really is astonishing."

Yang Xiao nodded in satisfaction.

It would be especially useful in battle against demons that specialized in tearing and piercing attacks.

As long as a wound was not fatal, he could recover at once.

[Liquid Condensation · Painted-Skin Demon essence core (single use)]

[Effect 1: Replenish Liquid Condensation.]

[Effect 2: Gain the trait (Blue) Thousand Faces: Change facial features and physique to assume the appearance of someone you have seen, and even briefly deceive a demon's senses.]

[Use successful!]

Yang Xiao guided this core's power into his body as well.

A strange current poured in. It felt as though countless fine threads were passing beneath his skin, leaving a tingling sensation.

An idea struck Yang Xiao, and he tried activating the new ability.

He closed his eyes and pictured Xu Qingshan.

The next instant.

The muscles in his face began to shift, and his bones gave faint clicks.

Yang Xiao opened his eyes and walked to a bronze mirror.

The reflection showed a face identical to Xu Qingshan's. Even his skin tone, expression, and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes were exactly the same.

It could pass for the real thing!

"Interesting."

Yang Xiao touched his face, feeling the texture of the disguise.

The ability would be immensely useful for infiltration, reconnaissance, and evading pursuit. Its drawback was that, for now, he could only disguise himself as a human.

If I could disguise myself as a demon, couldn't I walk straight into a demon's lair?

Then I could kill to my heart's content!

He shed the disguise and returned to his original appearance.

With both cores absorbed, Yang Xiao felt the spiritual power within him surge once more.

Driven by that power, he broke through beyond four filled Apertures and opened two more, reaching the Liquid Condensation Mid Stage.

Yang Xiao felt the fullness in his Apertures, and a faint smile touched his lips.

He was another step closer to perfection in the Liquid Condensation Realm.

"My foundation is solid now, but I lack ways to attack. My body isn't tough enough either..."

Yang Xiao murmured to himself.

Remembering how easily the Painted-Skin Demon had torn through his skin, he realized he still had many weaknesses.

If his body were stronger, strong enough to rival a demon's, perhaps an attack of that degree would feel like nothing more than an itch.

And his Demon-Slaying Blade Technique was beginning to fall short.

The demons he faced now were often in the Liquid Condensation Realm, or attacked in groups. The Qi Gathering Realm Demon-Slaying Blade Technique was no longer quite enough; he needed a higher-level martial technique too.

Next, he would keep accumulating Merit, exchange it for stronger techniques, and break through to higher realms.

He got up, intending to go out and fill his stomach. Perhaps he could browse the Cultivation Manual Archive as well.

Just then—

His Equipment Slots suddenly shook violently.

Yang Xiao froze and looked down at them.

All three Equipment Slots lit up at once, giving off a faint golden glow he had never seen before.

A new prompt appeared:

[Three Equipment Slots unlocked. New function activated.]

[Synthesis: Three traits of the same grade with matching or similar affinities can be synthesized into a higher-grade trait.]

[Condition: All three Equipment Slots must be filled simultaneously.]

[Result: After synthesis, the trait's grade increases, while its effects merge and strengthen.]

[Restriction: Traits with incompatible affinities cannot be synthesized. Synthesized traits cannot be separated again.]

Yang Xiao's pupils contracted slightly. Surprise and delight washed over him.

Equipment synthesis?