I Can Strengthen Everything

"How are things?" Fang Xing asked, looking at Baili Yanran.

Baili Yanran nodded. "Yes, it’s all been cleared. There’s quite a lot of good stuff here, but we can’t take it all. We have to turn some of it in."

Fang Xing nodded. He wasn’t concerned about that.

He had already acquired the most important prize.

Of course, he wouldn’t refuse his share of the other spoils.

...

After dividing the loot, Fang Xing and his party descended the mountain.

The local County Yamen would handle the aftermath.

The fall of the Golden Yuan Sect sent unprecedented shockwaves through Chang County.

But none of that had anything to do with Fang Xing and his group anymore.

Back in his room at the Post Station, Fang Xing began to carefully sort through his haul from the mission.

There were plenty of Spirit Pills and Treasure Medicines.

However, ordinary items were no longer of much help to his current progress.

A single enhanced Demon and Monster Core was far better than any Treasure Elixir.

Still, Spirit Pills had their own unique uses.

The boost they provided after enhancement was still significant.

Having sorted through his gains, Fang Xing calmed his mind.

The biggest prize from this trip was Enhancement Points.

The Great Turtle Demon alone had provided twenty thousand Enhancement Points.

Combined with the others he had killed, he had reaped a total of nearly forty thousand Enhancement Points this time.

Adding that to his existing savings, his Enhancement Points had now surpassed the sixty thousand mark.

The stronger he became, the faster he could harvest Enhancement Points.

A year ago, sixty thousand Enhancement Points would have been an astronomical figure, something he couldn’t have even imagined.

Now, he could earn that much from a single mission.

’A little over sixty thousand... Hmm, I’ll have to put this to good use.’

A thought flashed through Fang Xing’s mind as he looked at his total Enhancement Points.

He immediately took out the Great Turtle Demon’s Inner Core.

’Fifteen thousand points... I wonder what this will enhance into.’

Gazing at the Demon and Monster Core in his hand, Fang Xing willed it, and in an instant, a crimson light enveloped the Demon Core.

A brilliant crimson light covered the Demon Core.

The crimson light faded, and a notification appeared on his panel.

[An Inner Core from an Initial Realm Demon has been successfully enhanced. You have obtained one pure Initial Realm Black Tortoise Essence.]

’Black Tortoise Essence... Just as I expected.’

Looking at the panel notification, Fang Xing gazed at the brilliant Essence in his hand.

He wasn’t particularly surprised, judging by his past experiences enhancing Demon and Monster Cores.

The enhancement process tended to transform them into Divine Beast Essence.

Different types of Demon and Monster Cores would enhance into different types of Divine Beast Essence.

First there was the Dragon Essence, then the White Tiger Essence, and now the Black Tortoise Essence.

’Just need a Phoenix, and I’ll have collected the Essences of all Four Great Divine Beasts.’

Fang Xing blinked. Inhaling the exotic fragrance wafting from the Black Tortoise Essence, he swallowed it without a moment’s hesitation.

HUMMM—!

After swallowing the Black Tortoise Essence, Fang Xing instantly felt a profound, heavy power surge through his entire body.

It was even more vast than the power from the Initial Realm Dragon Essence and the White Tiger Essence.

Fang Xing immediately activated his Divine Skill and began to absorb the power of the Black Tortoise Essence.

It was as if a Black Tortoise was roaring within him, its boundless Essence Power being continuously absorbed.

A faint light enveloped him. Behind him, a phantom image faintly took shape.

It was the phantom of a Black Tortoise Divine Beast, and its powerful aura filled the entire room.

His Longevity Technique and Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt were constantly improving.

His flesh, sinews, bones, and even his internal organs were permeated by the Essence Power, continuously being tempered and refined.

His Flesh Body was gradually growing stronger!

Early the next morning, Fang Xing opened his eyes.

In a single night, he had absorbed a third of the Black Tortoise Essence’s power.

The changes to his Flesh Body were astonishing; his strength had increased by Ten Thousand Jin Divine Power.

The Black Tortoise Essence’s transformation of his Flesh Body was even more potent than that of the White Tiger Essence.

After absorbing one-third of the Essence Power, his True Qi had more than doubled.

His True Qi grew, pushing him ever closer to the peak of the True Qi Third Layer.

’The stronger my Cultivation, the more resources I need to advance. I’m afraid this single Essence won’t even be enough to push my Cultivation to the peak of the Third Layer.’

The chasm between the True Qi Third Layer and the True Qi Fourth Layer was so vast that the power of a single Black Tortoise Essence was no longer enough for him to break through.

’Slow and steady. No need to rush. At least I’m making consistent progress.’ Fang Xing exhaled and stretched his limbs.

Then, he glanced at his panel.

Name: Fang Xing

Cultivation: True Qi Third Layer!

Enhancement Level: Three-Star (68%)

Enhancement Points: 45,816!

Fang Xing stared at the panel, his expression thoughtful.

’With my current accumulation of Enhancement Points, it should be enough to raise my Enhancement Level.’

’But I have to use them wisely. At the very least, I need to elevate my Martial Arts to the next level!’

The thought flashed through his mind.

The key was to use the Enhancement Points wisely, converting them into actual strength.

He couldn’t just enhance things randomly for the sole purpose of leveling up his Star Rank.

After all, he had earned every single point by arduously slaying Demons and Monsters.

They weren’t easy to come by.

After pondering for a moment, Fang Xing pushed the thoughts aside, got up, and left his room.

After grabbing a bite to eat at the inn with Baili Yanran and the others, the party set out.

The mission was, for all intents and purposes, a perfect success.

...

Two days later, Fang Xing and his party finally returned to the Observatory.

Baili Yanran submitted the mission report and received a very substantial reward.

His share alone was a full six thousand Merit points!

This amount of Merit was a small fortune in itself.

After receiving his reward, Fang Xing returned to his residence.

He had absorbed almost all of the Black Tortoise Essence.

Although he hadn’t broken through to the next layer, his strength had still taken another step forward.

His Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt had reached the limit of the Fifth Layer.

To break through to the Sixth Layer, Fang Xing estimated he would need the power of another Essence.

But he wasn’t in a hurry about that.

When one’s strength climbs, it takes time to fully digest and consolidate the gains.

It wasn’t just about breaking through quickly; more importantly, one’s foundation had to be solid.

Otherwise, if one only sought momentary speed, future breakthroughs could become insurmountable, potentially halting progress for a lifetime.

Every step had to be taken with stability and care.

Without a deep and solid foundation, breaking through minor realms might not be an issue.

But when it came to breaking through to a major realm, the drawbacks would become glaringly obvious.

The slightest misstep could even lead to a disastrous Qi Deviation.