He immediately fed a Wood Element Rune Essence to the Jingzhe Rune. It was now only one short of an upgrade.
After obtaining two Light Element Rune Essences, he faced a choice between two upgrades.
He could upgrade the Water Mirror Refraction Rune or the Shadow Leap Rune.
The former only required one.
The latter would consume both.
Right now, both Runes deep within his consciousness were radiating an intense sense of longing.
’I’ll upgrade Shadow Leap to Lv3 first.’ Su Chen decided without hesitation.
[Shadow Leap] has successfully advanced from Lv2 to Lv3!
Properties Enhanced: Leap Distance, Casting Efficiency, Shadow Recognition
...
[Shadow Leap] (Lv3): The Spellcaster can leap to any dark area or region of faint shadow within their line of sight. The maximum distance is 30 meters.
Upgrade Requirements: Shadow Leap Rune 0/4, Spiritual Dust Sand 0/1
Runes Mastered: Water Mirror Refraction Lv1, Flame Burst Lv4, Jingzhe Lv2, Shadow Leap Lv3, Shadow Summon Lv3
’The leap distance is longer.’
This was the most noticeable change.
In addition, the increased casting efficiency meant a shorter wind-up time, allowing him to complete the spatial jump a step faster.
And with the less restrictive shadow recognition, his options for leaping had become more varied.
He could now traverse even areas with faint shadows.
’It works!’
The moment Su Chen willed it, his vision highlighted a swathe of viable jump points.
Numerous patches of shade cast by trees under the daylight now fell within the skill’s shadow recognition criteria.
He gave it a test cast. The response was noticeably faster; in the blink of an eye, he leaped into a faint tree shadow over twenty meters away.
’All in all, pretty good.’
’Of course, there’s still room for improvement.’
’I probably can’t leap onto someone’s shadow under the blazing noon sun.’ Su Chen mulled it over and got the general idea.
Soon, he was back on the path, following the navigation route on his watch.
Xiaoye followed close behind. Its somber eyes coldly scanned the nearby branches, and its nostrils twitched incessantly, a sign of its growing vigilance.
Su Chen didn’t let his guard down either.
The fog hadn’t fully dispersed. After learning that camouflaged tree lizards could completely conceal their life force, he began to scrutinize every oddly-placed branch.
He even carefully inspected the vines hanging from the ancient trees ahead, checking for hidden snakes.
When he couldn’t be sure, he simply launched a few slashes from a distance with his Wind Blade War Axe.
Sure enough, he actually managed to kill a real snake—one with a triangular head that looked highly venomous. Unfortunately, it didn’t drop any Rune Essence.
The path he was on was undoubtedly an animal trail, marked with hoofprints of various sizes and the tracks of slithering snakes.
Skeletons of all kinds were also plentiful.
Some bones still had strips of dark red flesh that hadn’t completely dried. Strange fungi, as if drawing nutrients from the remains, grew in rings around them, emitting an eerie, flickering red glow amidst the floating Wind Fluff.
Furthermore, many of the ancient trees along the trail had distinct, directional markings that perfectly matched the route on his watch’s navigator.
「Six minutes later.」
’Almost there.’
The dotted green arrow on his watch screen was nearing its destination.
Su Chen glanced down at the soil; it already had a faint greenish tint.
Xiaoye, too, had keenly sensed the aura of a monster piercing through the hazy morning mist. It silently crouched, a fierce light glinting in its eyes as it prepared itself.
This unspoken message told Su Chen that another monster was at the mineral deposit—one that posed a significant threat, at least not something on the level of a Demon Dog.
This was entirely expected.
Plant and Mineral Crystals had healing properties. In an environment fraught with danger, it was inevitable that any monster who discovered them would flock to them, or even monopolize the resource entirely.
Su Chen had already drawn a Small Straight Knife from his tactical belt with his right hand, while his left hand gripped the Wind Blade War Axe.
After advancing cautiously for another minute, he used the shadows of rocks and withered logs to sneak to a high point with a clear view.
Through the thin mist, he could see a large, burly tiger-leopard resting on a mineral-rich rock formation. Two smaller cubs were playing nearby.
’Another Wind Attribute monster.’
Its fur had a cyan hue. In the morning light, its coat seemed to be wreathed in a layer of rippling Wind Fluff.
With each breath it took in its doze, faint cyclones were drawn in and puffed out.
The most peculiar features were the crescent-scythe-shaped Wind Blade Crystals on its elbows, claws, and the tip of its long tail, making it look incredibly dangerous.
’And it’s a mother with cubs...’
Though they were cubs, their frames not yet fully developed, they were already slightly larger than Xiaoye.
Su Chen’s eyes hardened. A thought flickered in his mind as he spotted a patch of shade nearby. He issued a command through his summoning contract, and the Netherworld War Dog beside him vanished, silently circling to approach the target.
Perhaps because the cubs were sensitive to changes in the air currents, this stealthy movement caused them to pause their playful wrestling.
The burly mother tiger looked like it was about to open its eyes.
Su Chen didn’t wait any longer.
In that instant, a volatile surge of Power erupted from his hand and was violently channeled into the Small Straight Knife.
WHOOSH!
He activated the Shadow Jumping Skill.
Dark fluctuations enveloped him, and in a flash, he crossed the maximum thirty-meter distance. The instant spatial ripples bloomed and his figure materialized, he immediately activated a second Shadow Leap.
This time, he leaped just over twenty meters, landing in a patch of shade near the mineral deposit.
The dense surge of elemental fluctuations startled the mother tiger awake. Its pale, slitted pupils flew open in fury as countless air currents erupted from its body, coalescing into a translucent shield of Wind Gauze.
But at that moment...
a fully charged Flying Knife flew from his hand, tracing a deadly, cunning arc before striking its target with precision.
BOOM!
The instant the blade touched the Wind Gauze, a blazing wave of fire bloomed like a furious lotus. The disintegrating force within it forcibly tore apart the shield’s tightly-woven structure of air currents.
The massive beast didn’t even have time to cry out before its head and the entire front half of its body exploded into a shower of blood and gore.
On the other side, Xiaoye had also succeeded.
It suddenly materialized, its Dark Gold Claws sweeping like scythes to silently slit the cub’s throat.
Panicked, the other cub forgot all thoughts of revenge and scrambled over the rocks, fleeing into the distance.
Xiaoye’s silhouette once again faded from view as it gave chase like a phantom.
’Not bad.’
Su Chen had succeeded in one blow. He was getting more adept at using the Shadow Jumping Skill in quick succession.
The moment he landed, there had been no time for hesitation or even aiming. He could only rely on his hard-won muscle memory to throw the Flame Burst Flying Knife.
Fortunately, his aim was true today.
The chaotic winds stirred up by the fight gradually subsided.
Before picking up the dropped Rune Essence, he scanned his surroundings warily to prevent a sneak attack.
Only after Xiaoye returned with a Wind Element Rune Essence in its mouth did Su Chen begin to take stock of his spoils.
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