Feng Chen stepped out of the cave, his eyes narrowing as he gazed down at the Demon's Vile sword in his right hand and the Abyssal Devourer Blade in his left.
These weapons were powerful, yes, but not enough. Not yet. He could feel them craving more... a hunger for power that was palpable. The two weapons had been feeding on the blood and Qi of countless beasts he had slain, absorbing their essence in silence.
Today, however, was different. Today, he was going to push them beyond their limits.
He summoned half of the beast cores he had accumulated over countless battles from his inventory. The moment they appeared, their raw energy surged through the air, making the atmosphere around him dense with power. He could almost taste the electric charge in the air, buzzing against his skin.
With deliberate movements, Feng Chen arranged the cores in a perfect circle around his two weapons, making sure the placement was precise. Every core held a reservoir of untapped energy, and he wasn't going to waste a single drop. He placed one core on top of each weapon, watching as the blades pulsed in anticipation.
The Demon's Vile, once dormant, now rattled slightly, reacting to the influx of energy it was about to consume. The Abyssal Devourer Blade responded similarly, the dark aura around it swirling ominously as if hungry for more power.
"This will be worth it," Feng Chen muttered under his breath.
Without hesitation, he bit down on his thumb until he drew blood, letting the crimson liquid drip onto the cores and weapons. The blood seeped into the grooves of the weapons, the red glow intensifying with every drop.
The circle of beast cores began to hum in response, as though acknowledging the ritual. The Qi in the air was thickening, swirling around the space as if obeying the call of his blood.
Once enough blood was shed, Feng Chen used Yang Qi to heal his thumb and immediately followed with a surge of Yin Qi, guiding it into the weapons. Dark mist surrounded them as his Yin Qi seeped into their very essence. The once-static atmosphere became alive with energy, buzzing like a thousand lightning bolts.
The weapons began to glow, faint at first, but soon the glow intensified until the black energy around them seemed to grow thicker and darker, cloaking them in a shroud of power. But he wasn't done yet. Not even close.
For the final step, he pulled out the Nascent Soul Realm Beast Core... the most potent one in his inventory. This core had the energy of a beast far stronger than anything he had faced up to this point, and it would serve as the catalyst for the relic ascension.
With a swift motion, Feng Chen shattered the core, its raw essence spilling out into the air like a mist of pure, unfiltered power. The energy rushed into the two weapons, and they began to vibrate violently, their forms warping and shifting as the ascension process began.
The transformation was brutal.
The Demon's Vile, which had once looked jagged and rough, now began to smooth out. Its edges became sharper, but the surface gleamed with an otherworldly sheen. Dark red veins of energy ran through the sword, pulsing with life, as though the sword itself had gained a heartbeat. It emanated a low, ominous hum, as if it had become a living entity... a relic of destruction.
The Abyssal Devourer Blade transformed into something far more sinister. The once-dark blade had now become a void, a weapon that seemed to absorb all light around it, creating a dark halo of emptiness wherever it went. It was as if the blade had become a piece of the void itself, and merely holding it made Feng Chen feel like he could slice through reality.
The two weapons floated before him, hovering in the air, their auras intertwining. Both blades hummed in unison before lowering themselves into Feng Chen's open hands, acknowledging him as their one true master. A sense of completion filled the air, as though a contract had been signed between them, a bond of absolute loyalty.
Feng Chen grinned.
"Now that's more like it."
He could feel the immense power radiating from both weapons. The energy within them was overwhelming, almost too much for his current cultivation level to handle. But that only made him more eager.
As he stood there admiring his new relic weapons, he couldn't help but think about the system. No doubt, the system was about to unleash a storm of commentary and rewards. He could practically hear its frustration.
With a smirk, he muttered,
"I'm sure the system has a lot to say right now."
Without further hesitation, he commanded,
"Disengage Do Not Disturb Mode."
The moment the words left his mouth, the world around him exploded into chaos.
Countless windows materialized in front of his eyes, filling his vision with an overwhelming amount of notifications. The flood was almost too much to process, as though every single achievement he had earned during the past weeks had been waiting for this very moment.
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System Notifications:-
Relic Ascension Completed: Demon's Vile and Abyssal Devourer Blade have ascended to Relic Grade.
Relic Grade Upgrade Successful. Weapons bound to host.
---
And then, the floodgates truly opened as mission rewards began pouring in, reflecting everything Feng Chen had been working towards.
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System Notifications:-
Mission Completed: Hatch and aid the growth of beasts.
Mission Completed: Reach peak Foundation Realm.
Mission Completed: Successfully evolve two weapons to Relic Grade.
Mission Completed: Stabilize Yin and Yang Qi flow within the body.
Achievements:-
Hatchlings and Cultivation: Two Beasts' Growth Supported (Yin and Yang Snakes).
Master of Yin and Yang: Successful Stabilization of Qi Flow.
Weapon Master: Successfully Enhanced Weapons to Relic Grade.
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And then came the rewards.
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Rewards:-
- Heavenly Grade Technique: Wind Cloud Steps
- Core Formation Elixirs (3)
- Advanced Qi Enhancement Pills
- Relic Armor Blueprint: Shadow Void Armor
- Void Step Boots
- Wind Spirit Stone
- Yin-Yang Harmonizing Pill
- Nascent Realm Beast Core (1)
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As he read through the rewards, Feng Chen's grin widened even further. The Wind Cloud Steps alone were worth a fortune in any cultivation world. With that technique, his agility and movement speed would increase dramatically, allowing him to traverse battlefields like a ghost.
The Void Step Boots were another invaluable asset, boosting his speed by 70%, which was more than enough to outmaneuver even stronger enemies.
Of course, the system couldn't let him bask in his achievements without a snide remark.
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System Notification:-
Host, you know... you could have avoided all this trouble if you'd just relied on me earlier. I mean, honestly, what's the point of having me if you're just going to do everything the hard way?
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Feng Chen rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. Depend on you? You wish. You're the last thing I'll ever rely on."
He swiped away the rest of the windows with a flick of his wrist, closing the notifications. He didn't need any advice from the system. He'd made it this far on his own cunning and strength. And with the rewards he'd just received, he was about to become even stronger.
Turning his attention back to the cave, he smiled as he watched the two snakes... radiating powerful auras of Yin and Yang. The energies were swirling around them like protective veils, growing denser by the second.
"They're close," he muttered.
"Very close to breaking through."