C34 Refining

Inside the cultivation chamber, Lin Xuan sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion. With a mere thought, he began utilizing the array of treasures he had replicated that day. A warm current cascaded through his body, and Lin Xuan's aura incrementally expanded.

Time slipped away like a river's flow. Intermittently, the system's crisp, detached voice chimed in his ears with notifications:

"Congratulations, Host, on enhancing your cultivation talent!"

"Congratulations to the Host for advancing to Initial Perfect Level, Mid Grade Rank 6 martial arts!"

"Congratulations, Host, on ascending to High-grade Gale Attribute Talent!"

After half an hour, Lin Xuan's eyes snapped open, his powerful presence unfurling, sending ripples through the air. He surveyed the attribute panel before him, noting the subtle shifts within the void and the significant increase in his physical strength. Satisfied, he nodded.

"Continue cultivating."

Lin Xuan then brushed his right middle finger over the simple ring, and a bottle of Vitality Pills materialized in his palm. As the most promising new initiate, his resource allocation was exceedingly generous, rivaling even that of the top disciple in the Outer Sect.

Moreover, having completed his talent assessment earlier, he had collected the materials necessary for a month's worth of cultivation. The storage ring was a bonus gift. These provisions would sustain his practice for some time, promising a substantial boost in his capabilities.

As time flowed seamlessly, two days whisked by. Lin Xuan had unlocked dozens of acupuncture points. Aside from brief meal breaks, he had spent the entirety of this period in deep, uninterrupted cultivation.

Word of his talent test outcomes and his status as the most promising new disciple spread rapidly, creating a buzz throughout the Drifting Cloud Sect's Outer Sect. His reputation solidified, and with it came a sizable accumulation of energy points.

Lin Xuan reviewed his attribute panel. After a period of rest, he was ready to resume his secluded cultivation. His stockpile of resources was far from depleted.

But just then, the system's cool voice intruded once more:

"Excessive number of martial arts detected in the Host. Synthesis function activated."

The message ended as abruptly as it had begun.

"Synthesis function?"

Lin Xuan whispered to himself, a glint of realization dawning in his eyes.

A rush of information flooded Lin Xuan's mind.

He closed his eyes to absorb the knowledge.

Moments later, his eyes snapped open, sparkling with brilliance.

"The fusion function, impressive," Lin Xuan whispered to himself.

The fusion function worked just as he had predicted. It used energy points to merge one martial art with another, enhancing the martial art's grade and power.

Previously, he had replicated numerous martial arts, though not all were practical for him.

They appeared high-grade, and with energy points to spare, he had copied them.

But now, the fusion function was perfectly suited to his needs.

It allowed him to utilize all his martial arts, elevating their grade and power with incredible ease.

Moreover, he could retain the strengths of the original martial arts while eliminating their weaknesses.

The resulting martial arts bore some resemblance to the originals, yet they were entirely distinct.

He had been concerned that using copied martial arts might draw unwanted attention and potential trouble.

Now, those worries were dispelled.

With such numerous advantages, Lin Xuan was thoroughly pleased.

Without delay, Lin Xuan set aside his cultivation practice to focus on synthesizing the multitude of martial arts he had acquired.

He started to experiment.

The system's instructions on this were vague, leaving him to navigate the process on his own.

It didn't take long for Lin Xuan to get the hang of it.

There were several important considerations in martial arts synthesis.

Firstly, cultivation techniques and martial skills could not be mixed—only like with like.

Secondly, cultivation techniques, which cultivated True Qi energy, could generally be merged as long as they weren't too incompatible.

Martial skills, however, were more specific. Palm techniques could only merge with other palm techniques, and the same went for saber techniques.

Finally, the energy point cost varied with the martial arts' levels. Fusing a Rank 1 martial art into another would consume 200 energy points.

For Rank 2, it was 500 energy points, and for Rank 3, a thousand.

This was consistent with the energy point cost of duplicating a treasure of the same grade.

Having figured everything out, Lin Xuan took a deep breath and set to work on an extensive synthesis. It was fortunate that he had a number of energy points at his disposal. Merging them should suffice.

Once he got the hang of the rules, the synthesis process was a breeze, taking him just over ten minutes. Upon completion, Lin Xuan gazed at the attribute panel, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Divine Level Duplication System."

"Host: Lin Xuan."

"Realm: Middle stage of the Enlightenment Stage."

"Talent: Superior Grade Cultivation Talent, High-grade Talents (Speed, Blade Dao), Middle Grade Talents (Strength, Sword Dao), High-grade Attribute Talents (Sharp Gold, Violent Wind), Middle Grade Attribute Talents (Green Wood, Heavy Water, Crimson Fire, Earth)."

"Martial Arts: Mixed Essence Formula (Rank 6 High-grade, Initial Perfect Level), Wind Flame Saber Technique (Rank 6 Mid-grade, Initial Perfect Level), Red Moon Sword Technique (Rank 6 Low-grade, Initial Perfect Level)."

"Barbarian Elephant Art (Rank 6 Mid-grade, Initial Perfect Level), Tyrant Fist (Rank 6 Mid-grade, Initial Perfect Level), Shocking Wave Palm (Rank 6 Low-grade, Initial Perfect Level), Space Cracking Legs (Rank 6 Low-grade, Initial Perfect Level), Shadow Trail (Rank 6 Low-grade, Initial Perfect Level)."

"Energy Points: 8741."

"Walkspace: 25."

Lin Xuan's eyes shone as he reviewed the 'Martial Arts' section of the attribute panel, now streamlined to include a select few high-quality martial arts. He had successfully condensed the original plethora of techniques into a comprehensive set that spanned various disciplines—martial arts, saber techniques, swordsmanship, fist and palm strikes, leg techniques, and movement skills.

These refined skills were of such caliber that he could effortlessly defeat peers in his realm and even challenge those at higher levels. Lin Xuan's satisfaction grew with each passing moment.

The only slight regret was that despite possessing a high-level cultivation technique, it wasn't necessary at the Body Refining and Enlightenment Stages, which focused on physical conditioning and vitality enhancement. All he needed to do was consume vitality pills, practice his martial arts, and assimilate their essence.

Lin Xuan would only need his cultivation technique when he reached the Qi Gathering Stage and his body was robust enough to withstand the wild spiritual qi from heaven and earth. At that point, he could use the technique to absorb the qi and elevate his cultivation level.

For now, however, the technique would have to be set aside.

Afterward, Lin Xuan took a short break to restore his mental equilibrium. Once he had regained his composure, he resumed his cultivation practice.

He consumed medicinal pills and spiritual herbs, activated the Barbarian Elephant Art, and assimilated their essence to fortify his body and amplify the force of his vitality.

Time slipped by quietly.

Unnoticed, two more days had gone by.

In the cultivation chamber, Lin Xuan was seated on a meditation cushion, a subtle silhouette of a Barbarian Elephant flickering behind him.

Soft echoes of the elephant's roar resonated.

A more potent aura emanated from Lin Xuan, radiating outwards in every direction.

Lin Xuan exhaled deeply, feeling the dynamic energy coursing through his body, and gazed into the void before him.

"At last, I've advanced to the late stage of the Enlightenment Stage," he whispered, nodding in quiet acknowledgment.

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