It was still that ancient battlefield. As soon as Su Xiao arrived here, the blood essence of the ancient battlefield surged towards him.
Su Xiao's aura emanated outward. Compared to last time, his aura was noticeably stronger this time. However, the blood essence of the ancient battlefield was too powerful, and his atmosphere was insufficient to resist it fully.
If Su Xiao wanted to devour these blood essences through the Devouring Core or the Demon's Mark, he first needed the ability to resist these blood essences.
He couldn't do anything else besides constantly emanating his aura. Even a slight distraction would result in the invasion of the blood essence. Once completely invaded, the consequences would be severe.
The blood essence gradually permeated Su Xiao's aura. These blood essences would affect his consciousness and rationality.
Blood-red lines gradually appeared on Su Xiao's cheeks; a crimson light emanated from his eyes, and the blood essence rapidly eroded his consciousness.
Su Xiao struggled to maintain his sanity, but he could feel his rationality gradually fading. If it weren't for the Mind Blade keeping him awake, he would have been consumed by the blood essence. These blood essences had already surpassed the scope of mental influence.
Just as Su Xiao was about to be unable to withstand the erosion of the blood essence, lights flickered before him, and he returned to the skill upgrade chamber, causing the blood essence within him to dissipate instantly.
["Aura Emission (Passive)" has been upgraded to level 3.]
Su Xiao leaned against the skill upgrade chamber, panting heavily, his body covered in cold sweat.
Absorbing those blood essences was more difficult than he had imagined. Let alone absorption; even initial resistance is now arduous.
"Continue."
Su Xiao paid another 30,000 amusement park coins and was teleported back to the ancient battlefield.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao's figure suddenly appeared again in the skill upgrade chamber. His face was covered in blood-red lines, his eyes flickering with crimson light. He looked like a blood demon from purgatory. He had repeatedly entered and exited the ancient battlefield several times.
Green dots enveloped Su Xiao, causing his blood essence to dissipate.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Su Xiao erupted into a fit of violent coughing, spitting out droplets of blood. When he attempted to absorb the blood essence during his sixth entry into the ancient battlefield, the blood essence lost control as soon as it entered his body. He couldn't remember anything that happened afterwards. When he regained consciousness, he was in the skill enhancement chamber, feeling heavy and weak, as if recovering from a severe illness.
["Aura Emission (Passive)" has been upgraded to level 7.]
"Warning: The hunter has been affected by the blood essence invasion on the ancient battlefield. Do you wish to spend amusement park coins for recovery?"
"Spend."
As soon as Su Xiao spoke, the amusement park coins rapidly depleted at an astonishing rate, with 13,500 points consumed instantly.
"What the..."
Su Xiao couldn't help but curse. He could accept the high cost of upgrading 'Aura Emission,' but why was recovering from injuries so exorbitant?
The discomfort within him vanished. After hesitating momentarily, Su Xiao upgraded 'Aura Emission.'
It was still that ancient battlefield. Su Xiao had just arrived, sitting cross-legged on the ground and instinctively emitting his aura, resisting the blood essence surrounding him. He didn't use any other abilities, even compressing the Qing Gang Yin energy near his heart.
He came here to enhance the strength of his aura. Using other abilities to resist the blood essence would render the spending of amusement park coins meaningless.
Su Xiao had already sensed that its strength gradually increased while resisting the blood essence with his aura.
Su Xiao's aura formed a circular shape, creating a beautiful and dazzling five-meter-sized ball of pale blue threads.
As time passed, sweat dripped from Su Xiao's cheeks. His aura had compressed into a two-meter-sized sphere, and the blood essence was about to invade his body.
As the aura compressed, it became denser, both in intensity and quantity, due to external pressure.
The surrounding blood essence wasn't targeting Su Xiao; it was unconsciously invading. However, as it infringed on Su Xiao's aura, these blood essences formed blood-red spikes that pierced his aura.
One of these blood-red spikes gradually touched the back of Su Xiao's hand. In an instant, blood-red lines appeared on his hand and quickly spread throughout his body.
When the blood-red lines spread to Su Xiao's neck, his cheeks began to twitch.
Swoosh...
Su Xiao disappeared from the ancient battlefield and returned to the skill upgrade chamber.
The blood essence within him dissipated instantly, and the blood-red lines on Su Xiao's body peeled off his skin, disappearing rapidly into the air.
["Aura Emission (Passive)" has been upgraded to level 8.]
Su Xiao's eyes opened. After this upgrade, he could resist the blood essence for a while. Initially, he would be sent out of the ancient battlefield in less than 5 seconds, but now he could endure for 48 seconds.
"Just a little more."
After hesitating for a moment, Su Xiao chose to continue. Even though that place on the ancient battlefield was dangerous, risks and rewards coexisted.
Ten minutes later, a heavily blood-red Su Xiao collapsed. Once again, his attempt to absorb the blood essence failed.
["Aura Emission (Passive)" has been upgraded to level 10.]
["Tip: Since 'Aura Emission (Passive)' has reached level 10, the hunter can choose a level 10 branch reward."]
Iron Will: +3 Willpower. Asura's Soul: Able to morph his aura into a Blood Asura, enhancing the deterrent effect (no offensive power). Aura Amplification: +10% Aura Strength.
...
In the past, Su Xiao would have undoubtedly chosen option A, but this time, he had grander ambitions.
After much consideration, Su Xiao ultimately chose option c, Aura Amplification: +10% Aura Strength.
As he made the selection, Su Xiao's aura suddenly emanated outward.
Boom.
An extreme aura spread within the skill upgrade chamber, rapidly increasing in intensity.
After a while, Su Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now, perhaps there's a chance."
Su Xiao took out a bottle of chewing gum, poured out a piece, and gnawed it. Though his mana consumption was not high, he needed to maintain it at its maximum value. The next time he entered the ancient battlefield, he had a plan.
"Continue to upgrade 'Aura Emission.'"
"To upgrade 'Aura Emission lv.10 (Passive),' you must spend 50,000 amusement park coins. Do you wish to proceed?"
Su Xiao grinned; the cost to strengthen Aura Emission had increased even more.
"Spend."
Light flickered, and Su Xiao appeared on the ancient battlefield, becoming familiar with the place.
When he arrived at the ancient battlefield, Su Xiao immediately sat down and released his level 10 aura. This time, he resisted the surrounding blood essence much more effortlessly.
Closing his eyes briefly, Su Xiao knew he could only endure for about five minutes under the invasion of the blood essence. Time was of the body; he needed to act quickly.
Su Xiao rapidly converted his mana into Qing Gang Yin energy, gathering it in his hands and compressing it to a high density.
As his mana quickly depleted, having converted all 1200 points into Qing Gang Yin energy, a honeycomb-like sphere appeared in Su Xiao's hands.
The structure of this sphere was highly intricate. If observed closely, it might even cause dizziness.
Continuing to inject Qing Gang Yin energy into the sphere, its size gradually increased from a walnut to an apple.
Yet, it was not enough. Su Xiao had crafted this simplified version of the Devouring Core, closely resembling its structure. He had facilitated the Devouring Core, specializing this version in three abilities: absorption, purification, and refinement.
Su Xiao's main focus was on purification for this simplified version of the Devouring Core. The blood essence on the ancient battlefield was too diverse, containing many energies that couldn't be absorbed into his aura.
With only 300 mana points left, a basketball-sized simplified Devouring Core floated above Su Xiao's head. He had once crafted a complete version of the Devouring Core, so constructing this simplified version was simple.