Chapter Twenty-Three: Traces of Energy

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A. Enduring: Skill duration +1 second.
B. Overload: Neural reflex speed increases by an additional 200%; after the skill ends, all attributes -20% (lasts 1 minute).
C. Consecutive Burst: Focused Burst can be used twice in a short span (the interval between uses cannot exceed thirty seconds), but each activation lasts only 60% of the original duration.
D. Blade's Edge: During the skill duration, the user's attributes increase by 20% (rare enhancement direction).
E. Bullet Time: During the skill duration, the user's five senses are greatly heightened (rare enhancement direction).
F. Energy Trajectory: The user gains a certain degree of energy sight; during the skill, this sight is greatly enhanced, allowing the user to clearly perceive the flow and distribution of energy (uncommon enhancement direction).

Note: When the skill is upgraded to lv.4, lv.7, and lv.10, an enhancement direction can be chosen. Using basic skill points, one can choose from 4 directions; using golden skill points, from 6 directions.

...

Chen Qi let out a long sigh. As someone who struggled with making choices, he sometimes dreaded decision-making.

But this uncommon enhancement direction revealed its superiority in no uncertain terms.

Although Chen Qi still didn't fully understand what an energy trajectory was, that didn't stop him from making his choice.

After selecting F, Energy Trajectory, he examined the skill description carefully.

[Focused Burst lv.4]

Skill Effect: Consumes 20 mana points. Upon activation, neural firing speed +450%, lasting for 2.6 seconds.

Enhancement Direction 1: Energy Trajectory: During the skill duration, the user can clearly perceive the flow and distribution of energy.

Note: The base cooldown for this skill is 5 minutes. Forcibly using the skill during cooldown will greatly increase the cooldown time and may cause injury (within a single world, it can only be forcibly used once during cooldown)!

...

Chen Qi immediately activated the skill, wanting to familiarize himself with Focused Burst at level 4 while he was still out of combat.

Lying on the grass, Chen Qi felt a familiar surge ripple through his body, as if every nerve was eager to spring into action.

With an exaggerated ninety-degree bend of his legs, he kicked off the ground and sprang up!

His heart pumped blood faster throughout his body, his brain whirred at high speed, growing slightly warm.

This time, however, his vision had changed—he could see red blood energy shifting within his body as he changed posture, and a faint green energy, thinly distributed over the grass, like a delicate blanket.

Unfortunately, with no enemies present, Chen Qi had no way to test the combat value of energy sight.

But at the very least, he could see that when he struck with all his might, by channeling his blood energy, it would coil faintly around his long blade.

In the energy sight, the blade looked as if entwined with countless blood vessels, giving it a rather gory appearance.

The skill duration was simply too short, and Chen Qi could not delve into the finer details of channeling blood energy—this might make it hard to fully utilize in real combat.

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Once the skill ended, the sensation of clearly directing his blood energy vanished. As for his default energy sight, perhaps due to the skill's low level, it remained blurred and of little practical use.

Chen Qi closed his eyes in slight disappointment, carefully recalling the previous experience.

With a cooldown of five minutes, he resolved to practice several times, aiming to extract some benefit even in a normal state.

...

After an uncertain number of Focused Burst activations, Chen Qi felt his meridians had become a little more open.

“Maybe the repeated flow of blood energy has cleared some of the channels,” he mused, slashing the air in front of him. The blade cut through the air with a fierceness surpassing any previous full-strength attack.

And this time, Chen Qi had not even activated the skill.

He did not leave immediately, instead consolidating his striking motion with care.

With his eyes tightly shut, he found his awareness of his own body growing keener.

Moreover, throughout his repeated practice, he noticed that his breathing rhythm could alter the efficiency of blood energy flow.

To be precise, at the very moment before inhaling or exhaling, both the speed and explosiveness of his blood energy increased slightly.

Opening his eyes, Chen Qi drew in a deep breath, and as he exhaled, he struck!

The long blade slashed fiercely through empty air. If viewed in energy sight, one would see the blood energy wrapped around the blade thickening visibly.

Though it was still far from the level of Sun Ruohai’s Crimson Cloud Blade, its power now exceeded Chen Qi’s former attacks by a great margin.

At the very least, Chen Qi felt he could now sever the wooden dummy with the wooden whip in three strikes or less.

Satisfied, he slowly exhaled, and, at the moment his breath emptied, he suddenly retreated—his body flashing backward three meters.

A small pit appeared on the grass where he had pushed off so forcefully.

Chen Qi was not the least surprised. His wide eyes shone with satisfaction.

He even felt that, if he continued practicing along this path, breakthroughs in basic blade technique and basic footwork would not be far off!

Suppressing his excitement, Chen Qi closed his eyes again and meditated.

After a while, he gained some insight, and concluded with quiet satisfaction:

“I truly am a martial genius like no other!”

...

After a short rest, when his mana was fully restored, Chen Qi did not immediately head to Master Chi’s residence. Instead, he quietly returned to the wooden dummy array.

His health was fully restored, his right leg healed, though the wound had left behind a rather ugly scar.

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Chen Qi went straight to the motionless wooden spear dummy.

Indeed, he was here for revenge.

No, for a martial artist, how could it be called revenge? It was blade technique testing.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Qi began to strike.

As expected, the blade only sparked against the wooden spear dummy, leaving it unscathed.

Chen Qi adjusted his breathing and channeled his blood energy according to his earlier training.

“Pa, pa...”

With each inhale and exhale, the long blade struck the dummy in rhythm. If anyone were present and paying close attention, they would notice that each strike coincided precisely with his breath.

After familiarizing himself with the rhythm of the strikes, Chen Qi activated Focused Burst at level 4.

Sure enough, at the instant before every slash, countless strands of blood energy coiled around the long blade.

From his perspective, the pale red of the blade was now shrouded in deep crimson, appearing almost demonic.

While the skill lasted, his breathing quickened as he strove to gather all his blood energy into his hands.

The blood hue of the Crimson Blood Blade grew deeper. Suddenly, when the energy reached a critical point, he sensed a surge of fire energy emanate from the blade.

If Chen Qi guessed correctly, this was the blade's second special property—Crimson Crystal.

With the now deep-red blade, he struck fiercely at the dummy’s waist.

Bang!

The blade crashed against the wood, crimson energy exploding across its surface, accompanied by a faint scent of scorched wood.

Looking closely, Chen Qi saw a tiny notch had appeared at the dummy’s waist, the wood inside charred black.

With a slight motion of his left hand, he dabbed a drop of blood on the blade, triggering its blood-staining effect. At the same time, he drew a sharp breath.

Recalling the sensations from the skill’s duration, he once more channeled his blood energy.

With an explosive exhale, he slashed again at the notch in the dummy’s waist!