Chapter 92: A 100-Fold Increase to the Limit?
TL: Etude
"Let's test the defensive capabilities!" Ye Tian tested it out and found that his defensive abilities hadn't changed much compared to before. However, without using his healing talents, his skin recovered much faster. "Strange, could breaking through the Skin-Refining Realm only improve my skin's recovery rate?" Ye Tian wondered aloud.
Then, he reactivated his defensive talent. At that moment, a unique sensation emerged. It seemed that his defensive talent was merging with his skin in some special way, as if being branded onto it.
He had a feeling that if this merging continued, his top-level defensive talent would undergo massive changes, perhaps even an earth-shattering transformation.
"Typhoon King never mentioned this. Maybe it's because he never broke his own limits. He only knew that some people had broken the limits in terms of blood, making their blood much stronger—unlike that of ordinary people, as if it had been replaced. But he never broke any limits himself, so he's not aware of what happens after. It's all hearsay!" Ye Tian knew he couldn't rely on Typhoon King's experience and had to figure it out himself. But he had some inklings, wondering if his top-level defensive talent would break its own limits and ascend to a new level after the merging.
For the many months he had been at the Demon Sea base, he had heard about extraordinary cultivation talents that were above top-level cultivation talents, but never of any extraordinary special talents. Many even thought that top-level special talents were the limit. But Ye Tian speculated that top-level special talents surely weren't the limit, although breaking that limit would undoubtedly be difficult. If it weren't difficult, it wouldn't be called a limit. Top-level strength talents could amplify one's strength by 20 times. If one were to break those limits, wouldn't the amplification be 50 times or even more? That would be insane!
So, the level above top-level special talents was incredibly hard to break through. Even among beasts, few possessed talents beyond top-level. If a beast with a talent beyond top-level were to appear, it could certainly kill enemies two major realms higher than itself.
"I wonder when my defensive talent will truly merge with my skin. Maybe only after I've built a perfect foundation will I know whether my talent can ascend." Ye Tian stopped pondering the issue and instead focused on consolidating his newly transformed Skin-Refining Realm, before immersing himself in comprehending his sword intent.
When he couldn't increase his cultivation or strength, understanding sword intent was his main task. Now, his sword intent had reached 10%. His sword intent could kill souls and even attack ordinary martial warriors from hundreds of meters away, although it had little effect on peers. However, sword intent did amplify his sword skills, even intimidating enemies. Once integrated with sword intent, his sword skills became more versatile. Thus, he would not give up comprehending sword intent.
Especially since sword intent was key to understanding sword techniques. His bronze-level sword techniques were already perfected and required no further comprehension, but for silver-level sword techniques, he needed to reach 20% sword intent. To reach the minor mastery of silver-level sword techniques, 30% was required; for major mastery, 40%; and for perfection, 60%. Because his sword intent wasn't enough, Ye Tian hadn't sought out silver-level sword techniques.
"Sword techniques must be cultivated. This special method that can be stacked with strength is terrifying. Without the amplification of sword techniques, I couldn't possibly have such great offensive power. Moreover, sword techniques and strength talents must be the only two means that can be stacked. I can't give it up!" Ye Tian continued to delve into sword intent, as various profundities about the sword gradually revealed themselves. In a blink, four days had passed. His sword intent had only slightly improved, reaching perhaps 11%.
"It's time to duplicate the strength talents!" Ye Tian took out the corpses of two Black Armored Bears. The bodies, stored in his spatial ring, showed no signs of decay, just like before. Immediately afterward, Ye Tian duplicated their high-level strength talents. Undergoing the talent fusion twice in a row, Ye Tian felt even more agony than before.
The successive mergers of two talents had made Ye Tian's pain even more unbearable than before. Fortunately, after the pain, his talent for strength underwent a transformation.
[Strength Talent: Top-tier]
Upon seeing that his talent for strength had become top-tier, Ye Tian became genuinely excited.
This was a direct means of increasing his attack power!
"Top-tier talent in strength can amplify my attack power by 20 times, while the Qingfeng Slash can amplify it by 6 times. If both the talent and the technique can be stacked, wouldn't that result in a 120-fold increase in attack power?"
The mere thought of this made Ye Tian's breathing quicken.
A 120-fold increase in attack power—what a staggering concept!
"Let's try it!"
Ye Tian couldn't wait to begin his experiment.
Outside the cave:
"Activate top-tier talent in strength!"
"Qingfeng Slash!"
With a thunderous boom!
Ye Tian unleashed his sword, immediately creating a giant trench stretching for kilometers on the ground. Countless trees along its path were pulverized into dust. If someone were to pour water into the trench, it might even form a small river.
Such destructive power was already astonishing, but Ye Tian's brow furrowed.
"It's not a 120-fold increase, just a 100-fold increase. It's as if some unseen limit prevents me from going beyond 100-fold. Could it be that 100-fold is the upper limit?"
Ye Tian didn't believe this was the ultimate limit; he simply hadn't broken through it yet. After all, he now knew that so-called limits could be broken—it all depended on whether you had the capability to do so.
"I can definitely break this limit; I just don't know how yet. Let's leave that aside for now and focus on building a perfect foundation. A 100-fold increase in attack power is already enough to revolutionize my abilities," Ye Tian said contentedly.
He quickly calculated his attack power: his physical strength was the force of one elephant, augmented by yuan force to become two elephants, and after the stacking of his top-tier strength talent and sword technique, it could reach 200 elephants.
The ultimate attack force of an ordinary Grandmaster was no more than 200 elephants, which meant Ye Tian's attack power had reached the limit of an ordinary Grandmaster.
"As it stands, I am equal to the pinnacle of an ordinary Grandmaster, and I'm even faster. Aside from those Grandmasters with special attack talents who are stronger than me, there's no need to fear Grandmasters now," Ye Tian declared with full confidence.
Ye Tian hadn't forgotten the most important task: he still needed to break the limit of body refinement.
"Strength Talent!"
"Purple Blood Body Refining Technique!"
Boom!!
A massive influx of yuan force flooded into Ye Tian's body, tempering his muscles once again, and that tingling sensation reappeared. He could still refine his physical realm, just like the skin-refining realm.
Ye Tian estimated that, if he used the blood of high-level ferocious beasts to assist in his cultivation, he could probably break through the limit of body refinement in less than a month.
"Then let the insane cultivation begin!"
Ye Tian started his frenzied, relentless training.
In the blink of an eye, 28 days had passed...