Martial Saint with Passives

However, he soon discovered that not just any two Talents could be fused.

Only Talents with similar functions or some underlying connection could be fused together.

At the same time, the panel showed a level indicator for each Talent for the first time.

According to the panel’s description, all the Talents he currently possessed, even after numerous upgrades and fusions, were still fundamentally at the most basic [Mortal] Level.

After the [Mortal] Level came the [True] Level.

As for what came after the [True] Level...

...it was still unknown, as he had yet to acquire a [True] Level Talent.

He then experimentally combined [Rejuvenation] (healing and recovery), [Mountain Collaps] (strength amplification), [Break Extreme] (critical hits), [Stacking Force] (stacking strength into attacks), and [Fury] (enhancement when injured).

...along with the more recently activated [Copper Skin] (enhanced defense), [Piercing Star] (increased penetration), [Returning Essence] (increased total Strength), [Butterfly Dance] (increased evasion), and [Sky-Splitting] (increased attack speed).

He tossed all ten Talents into the fusion at once!

Instantly, the panel erupted in a brilliant light!

[Talent Acquired: True: Infinite Battle Armor]

[By continuously tempering your body and Jin Qi, you have finally awakened your deep-seated killing instinct. Your body’s latent potential has been completely unleashed, granting you an all-around permanent boost to your attributes. You have also comprehended a single strike that concentrates your entire body’s Strength into one point to utterly destroy your opponent!]

[Passive Effect: Permanently and significantly boosts core attributes such as strength, evasion, defense, recovery, attack speed, penetration, and critical hit rate.]

[Active Skill: Consume a large amount of Strength to instantly unleash a terrifying strike with ten times your own power! This move is unparalleled in power, but after using it, you will enter a brief state of weakness and cannot use it again consecutively.]

’This...’

Jiang Che stared at the description of this brand-new Talent, dumbfounded.

’A strike with ten times my strength?’

He couldn’t imagine just how powerful that strike would be.

’And...’

He subconsciously clenched his fists, feeling the power surging within him.

The passive attribute boost was also far greater than the combined effects of the previous ten Talents!

He even felt that if he encountered that Black Beast Dominator again, he might actually be able to win!

He couldn’t help but marvel. This [True] Level Talent was truly incredible!

To fuse even more powerful [True] Level Talents...

...in the days that followed, Jiang Che cultivated new Qi Blood Realm Martial Arts with even greater fervor.

This was not just for the sake of the Dissipating Skill, but also to activate more Talents.

Soon, he combined [Insight] (seeing through weaknesses), [Heart Stream] (ultimate focus), and [Omen] (danger premonition)...

...along with the newly activated [Spiritual Connection], which allowed him to see the trajectory of an enemy’s next attack.

He fused these four perception and prediction-related Talents into a new one: [All-Seeing Eye].

Unfortunately, the result of this fusion was still a [Mortal] Level Talent.

Its effect was primarily a combination of the four Talents’ abilities.

Its range and precision were slightly enhanced, but it didn’t undergo a qualitative change, nor did it awaken any Active Skills.

Next, Jiang Che fused [Sword Momentum], [Blade Momentum], and the newly activated [Spear Momentum]—three Talents related to "Soldier Momentum"—into a Mortal Level Talent: [Nine Li Commander].

[Nine Li Commander: Mortal Level Talent. When wielding any Weapon, you can unleash a powerful, intimidating mental force to overawe your opponent. Against those in a lower Realm than you, it can inflict intense fear, causing them to lose their will to fight. Against those in a slightly higher Realm, it can still create a minor disturbance, unsettling their minds.]

Finally, he fused four Body Technique and movement-related Talents: [Invisibility] (concealment in shadows), [Divine Movement] (speed boost), the newly activated [Breaking Wave] (rapid swimming), and [Instant Step] (instantaneous short-distance teleportation within several dozen meters). This created a new Mortal Level Talent: [Shadowless Escape Stream].

[Shadowless Escape Stream: Mortal Level Talent. Greatly enhances movement speed and the flexibility of your Body Technique. Your Concealment Ability is vastly improved in shadows or at night. You can move swiftly in water and perform short-distance, instantaneous movements.]

At this point, the dozens of miscellaneous Talents Jiang Che had accumulated were all fused and streamlined into four brand-new Core Talents.

[True: Infinite Battle Armor], which provided an all-around attribute boost and a strike with ten times his strength.

[All-Seeing Eye], which granted him superior perception and crisis foresight.

[Nine Li Commander], which gave him mastery over all Weapons and allowed him to intimidate his foes.

And [Shadowless Escape Stream], which specialized in movement, Body Technique, and concealment.

These four new Talents not only replaced the dozens of scattered ones he had before, but their effects were also vastly superior.

Afterward, whenever Jiang Che cultivated new Martial Arts, he would still activate some new, basic Talents.

But as soon as these new Talents appeared, they were automatically categorized and absorbed into his four Core Talents, slightly enhancing their Passive Effects.

A suspicion began to form in Jiang Che’s mind.

As long as he continued to cultivate new Martial Arts and "feed" these four Core Talents...

...with enough Talents integrated into them, the other three [Mortal] Level Talents would one day evolve into the [True] Level!

’He even wondered if [True] Level Talents, if fused continuously, could one day reach an even higher level.’

However, the panel didn’t show any level beyond [True], so all of this was just speculation.

But Jiang Che had a feeling.

’Since the [True] Level [True: Infinite Battle Armor] could still absorb other Talents and grow stronger, there had to be a higher level!’

「Time flew by during his all-consuming Cultivation, and before he knew it, eight months had passed.」