Chap 16 Qi pool

Silvan bent down, retrieving it. YunYun hovered nearby, puzzled. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't understand the transparent object.

[Genetic code: Wildwood Tendrils

Contains the code of Wildwood's tendrils. Used for absorption]

Silvan's eyes shined as he looked at it! Qi absorption such things do exist. With this, his problem with Qi regeneration would be removed, and he would be able to recover faster.

Silvan immediately proceeded to use it. A sudden warm sensation spread across his back. It wasn't painful, but it was strange, like something stirring deep within his flesh. His muscles tensed involuntarily.

A strange, creeping sensation traveled up his back, as if roots were growing beneath his skin. He gasped, reaching toward his neck just as something appeared from behind it.

Two dark green tendrils, thin and flexible, slowly emerged from the base of his neck, swaying slightly like living vines.

Silvan stood still, breath heavy, as he felt themnot as foreign objects, but as a new part of himself. The tendrils twitched, responding to his thoughts, and when he focused, they extended outward, almost like extra limbs. Even spinning, twisting up.

Silvan touched them, activating his Vein Eyes.

[Vein Eyes: Gazes at the circulating Qi that is being used and modified]

He could see it Qi was flowing through them and reacting whenever he willed them to do something.

[Genetic Code: Wildwood Tendrils have been merged]

[Wildwood Tendrils (LV.1): Sensory enhancement

Skill: Qi Siphon

(Upon upgrading the genetic code, new skills may be obtained)

[Qi Siphon: Continually drains Mana from a grasped entity]

The tendrils curled and twisted, responding smoothly to his intent. When he focused, they extended outward, stretching.

YunYun was shocked. Seeing what he was seeing this person had merged his body with a monster. But then again, thinking about it, this master of his had also given him a dragon body. Who knows how, but it didn't feel that shocking.

Silvan bent down, holding a small rock. The tendrils reacted, expanding at the tip, grasping it completely, and activating the skill.

Right away, the tendrils started to glow, and nodes of green traveled from them to his neck. Though the stone held little Qi, he could feel the transfer,the sensation of something being pulled in, refined, and integrated into his core. It was Qi.

The process slowed down and stopped. The small rock crumbled to pieces and fell to the ground.

[+3 Qi Points have been recovered]

"Good," Silvan uttered, gazing ahead. With this, he didn't have to worry about recovering Qi quickly. He could use anything in his surroundings to absorb Qi. Silvan hid the tendrils in his clothes.

Silvan felt some insecurity about leaving the dungeon like this, considering there were cultivators. But the cannon was set in automatic mode.

The last time it shot, it gave him a notification of an intruder. Thus, even if someone entered, he would get the notification.

Silvan walked through the dense forest.

YunYun flapped his wings, breaking the silence. "Hey, don't look so grim. We're heading toward a Qi pool, one of the best spots you'll ever find. If it weren't for me, you'd probably walk right past it."

Silvan glanced at him. "And you didn't use it before because…?"

YunYun huffed, "It's not that simple! A Qi pool of this quality needs preparation. Herbs, monster cores, and defensive setups. You think just anyone can absorb its energy without repercussions? It could fry you alive!"

Yes, what this fellow was saying was to go there and absorb the Qi. He already had a few sets of herbs that he had gathered during the process of obtaining a shard. YunYun said they were enough. Silvan could see why this fellow was urging him to go there he had to be quick now. He had to grow faster. Silvan also didn't mind. Now that there were still about two days before the world opened up to the public, it was better to gather as much strength as possible.

"Then why didn't you prepare it sooner?" Silvan's tone was calm as he walked, picking up another object that was rich in Qi. With the Eyes of the Dusk Lizard, detecting where most Qi gathered was quite easy.

"I was… planning! And besides, I didn't expect to die so suddenly! You know, getting stabbed by a cheap dagger wasn't exactly on my to-do list."

Silvan didn't react and continued walking, staying on guard the entire time.

But then, the quiet was broken by the faint crunch of leaves nearby. Silvan's steps slowed, his senses on high alert. He immediately used his Vein Eyes and finally saw strings of nodes and Qi behind a bush, bending down. It was a person picking up something.

"A cultivator, probably. Keep walking, prepare to fight."

Silvan nodded and continued at a steady pace. The sound increased until a young man in robes with white hair appeared. He froze when he saw Silvan and retreated right away, taking out his spear from his back and pointing it straight at him.

His eyes darted between Silvan and YunYun. He didn't lower his weapon.

"What do you want?" the man asked.

Silvan's gaze stayed fixed on the stranger, his hand drifting to the hilt of the sword at his waist. With a slow, swift motion, he also took out his sword.

[Human Cultivator, 5th Stage of Body Tempering]

The system's notification hovered above.

The man's eyes flickered toward Silvan's robes, and his expression changed as he recognized something.

"Dark Hall…" he murmured under his breath.

The man's gaze shifted to YunYun. That beast… it looks like… no, it can't be. A dragon? He immediately discarded the idea.

He could see this person from the Dark Hall was at a stage higher than him!

He lowered his spear before throwing a small pouch toward Silvan. "I don't want a fight to break out. Someone will at least be injured, which isn't ideal."

Silvan caught the small pouch. He didn't have to open it. He could see the rich Qi inside.

The man stepped back again, keeping a wary eye on YunYun. "I'll find another place. You can take whatever you came for." With that, he turned and disappeared into the forest.

As the man's footsteps faded, YunYun snickered. "Did you see that? He practically ran for his life! That's the power of the Dark Hall."

"Heh, even the Wind Palace is scared to clash with us. See? That's how powerful my sect is," YunYun said proudly.

Silvan ignored him and put the small pouch in his bigger pouch. Silvan knew the real reason that the dude retreated,it was because he was a stage higher than him rather than any affiliation with the Dark Hall.

Silvan kept walking. After a few minutes, YunYun suddenly flew ahead, circling a small clearing. Seeing this, Silvan had to give the guy some credit. This dude was really adapting well.

"This is it!" YunYun called out, landing on a rock. "The Qi pool is just below the surface."

Silvan got closer and gazed at the bush YunYun was looking at. He could see it rich Qi was seeping out. There was a hole hidden in those bushes.

Silvan approached and pushed aside the bushes, revealing the hidden hole beneath. As soon as the opening was exposed, a thick mist of pure Qi rushed out.

But before he could step forward…

HSSSSS!

A hiss echoed from within the hole. Then another, and another.

Silvan's grip tightened on his sword. His veins activated, scanning the darkness. Multiple Qi nodes appeared within.

"There are monsters," Silvan muttered.

"Oh? Surprised?" YunYun scoffed. "What, you thought a Qi pool this rich would just be sitting here, untouched? Every good one is taken, and guess who usually claims them first?"

Silvan nodded, thinking that made some sense, considering monsters tended to gather where energy was most concentrated.

But now there was a problem. How should he deal with them?

YunYun flew over. "Back away," he said, opening his mouth wide and activating his skill,Fire Breath.

Silvan took a step back and watched as instructed.

YunYun's chest expanded as flames gathered, his throat glowing.

FWOOSH!

A blazing fire erupted from YunYun's mouth, surging into the hole. The flames twisted, entering the depths below. Silvan caught a glimpse of the inhabitants,and just how unusually big that hole was.

For a moment, all was still. But then…

HSSSSSS!

A shriek pierced the air.

The ground shook as something lunged out from within.

A massive black-scaled serpent shot out, smashing against the tree above, breaking it apart.

[Black-Scaled Serpent – 7th Stage of Body Tempering]

Then, two smaller vipers slithered out beside it, both in the 5th Stage.

YunYun flew up. "Now kill them. Beware of their poison. I will send out flames from above."

Silvan took another step back, drawing his sword. He took a deep breath. He was just 4th Stage of Body Tempering while his opponents were at the 5th Stage and one was even at the 7th Stage.

He had killed a Wildwood at the 6th Stage, but the situation had been very favorable. Now it wasn't.

The big one hissed once more before it flared at him, spitting green saliva in his direction. Silvan wasn't curious enough to test how potent that poison was or what it would do to his body.

He dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. He heard the sizzling sound as the poison hit the ground. Without hesitation, he rushed forward.

Silvan dashed in, aiming for the serpent's side, but before he could strike…

HSSSS!

The two smaller vipers reacted first. Their jaws snapped open as they spewed out poison at him.

Silvan reacted instantly, twisting his body and leaping backward just in time. The toxic liquid splattered onto the ground, sizzling as it ate away at the grass below.

Without hesitation, he sent strings of Qi from his free hand, latching onto a nearby tree and gripping it tightly.

At that moment, the big serpent lunged forward with terrifying speed, aiming straight for him.

"YunYun, now!" Silvan shouted as he yanked on the Qi strings, using them as leverage to pull himself backward just in time.

The massive serpent's fangs snapped down on empty air. It barely had time to react before a blazing fireball crashed onto its head.

BOOM!

The black-scaled serpent let out a hiss of pain, thrashing wildly as flames burned on its head. The fire wasn't normal—YunYun had been concentrating on it for moments.

Silvan's eyes flickered as he zoomed in, activating his Focus Vision skill. This was his chance.

Without hesitation, he shifted his weight and lunged—not at the big one, but at one of the smaller vipers.

That was all Silvan needed.

His sword flashed as he closed the distance. The viper sensed him at the last moment and lashed out, but Silvan was faster. He twisted mid-step, evading the strike, and brought his sword down in a sharp arc, also activating Demonic Claw, shielding his hand from any poison if the viper spat at him.

Shhhk!

His blade sliced clean through the viper's neck, making a thin line of red appear.

HSSSS!

The headless body fell to the ground, its tail whipping around wildly while its severed head continued spitting poison instinctively. It wasn't dead yet.

Silvan didn't care,it would be soon. Using the momentum of his strike, he pivoted, his eyes already locking onto the second viper.

It had already spat poison toward him.

Silvan clicked his tongue. He knew this wasn't the best idea, but he didn't have an easy option now.

He swung his sword right at the incoming spit, shielding his face with his other hand.

[To be continued...]