Chapter 120 - 85 Optical Stringer

Chapter 120: Chapter 85 Optical Stringer"A Third Level Thunderbolt Hand, and it only takes 743 spiritual origin energy points to upgrade again!" Ji Xinghuo raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. However, thinking that the Thunderbolt Hand is just a high-quality ability, it seemed understandable. He raised his hand, and electric light burst from his fingertips. Crack! A silver-white lightning bolt flew out, striking ten meters away, with the sound of thunder echoing in the martial arts arena. "Is it only that far?" Ji Xinghuo, after a comparison, found that the lightning of the Third Level Thunderbolt Hand could only reach about ten meters, only five meters more than the First Level; beyond ten meters, its power plummeted, and the lightning nearly dissipated entirely, leaving it with hardly any lethality. But the power of the lightning was evident from its diameter and brightness; it had obviously increased a lot! Now, releasing a lightning bolt required at least 1 star power point, and at most, 30 points could be channeled into it to triple its might, but it also required a longer charging time, nearly two seconds. "There should be more than just increased lethality between the First and Third Levels." Ji Xinghuo studied carefully. He released the Thunderbolt Hand over and over, and soon discovered a difference; he could seemingly slightly control the direction of the lightning with his hand gestures! "I think I understand." Ji Xinghuo’s eyes brightened as he looked at his palm. Then he stared intently ahead, his fingertips lighting up with a buzzing current for about a second, and with a forward thrust, a thick bolt of lightning shot out, zigzagging through the air for about five or six meters before suddenly veering a meter to the left. "It really can!" Ji Xinghuo was overjoyed; previously, the lightning went straight in the direction it was pointed at, and once it was launched, it couldn’t be altered. Although the path of the lightning was unpredictable and twisting, it would ultimately hit the intended target. But now, he could actually make the lightning change direction. Besides needing greater concentration, the key to making the lightning turn seemed to be his own hand gestures, especially the movements of his fingers. The lightning was like a thread, pulled in different directions by the movements of his fingers. It was difficult! The maneuver had to be executed in a very short instant, and his thoughts had to be quick enough. However, Ji Xinghuo mastered it quickly, as he possessed the Thousand Spirit Skillful Hand, also at the Third Level. "I didn’t expect the Thousand Spirit Skillful Hand to have a synergistic effect with the Thunderbolt Hand. The combination of two Third Level abilities produced an unexpected effect!" Ji Xinghuo kept trying. With each bolt of lightning released, he gradually became proficient at controlling the direction of the lightning, although he could only change direction at the end of the strike, two meters being the limit. And after turning, the precision of the lightning decreased. But he was already satisfied. After releasing dozens of lightning bolts, Ji Xinghuo suddenly felt his wrist go numb, with a slight tingling, and quickly stopped. The Thunderbolt Hand shouldn’t be released too frequently, or the tendons might become overloaded, possibly injuring his arm. He had also expended most of his star power. Ji Xinghuo activated the Rotating Magnetic Field, and the tingling in his wrist immediately receded. He raised his hand again, with currents converging at his fingertips all over his skin, bright and dazzling. Thunderclap sounded, and finally, a bolt of lightning, thicker than his arm, blazed across the martial arts arena and instantly hit the wall on the opposite side. Boom! The whole martial arts arena shook momentarily. The cement wall was charred, with a half-meter deep crater at the center, debris sprayed out more than ten meters away, leaving the ground in disarray. "Uh..." Even Ji Xinghuo was stunned by the power. "What happened, Xinghuo?" Ren Mian appeared at the door of the martial arts arena, with Chi Zhonglin and Jiangnan Caiyi following close behind. Ji Xinghuo looked at his three teammates, his expression somewhat awkward, "I was trying out my new ability, and I accidentally went overboard." Ren Mian walked in, looked at the marks on the wall, and exclaimed in surprise, "Thunderbolt Hand?" Ji Xinghuo nodded. Chi Zhonglin touched the edges of the crater, feeling it very hot and asked incredulously, "Can the Thunderbolt Hand strike this far and be this powerful?" He had seen the Thunderbolt Hand multiple times and knew a bit about this ability, but Ji Xinghuo’s Thunderbolt Hand seemed a bit outrageous. If this had hit him, it could have caused severe injuries. "I have the Rotating Magnetic Field, which boosts the effect of the Thunderbolt Hand," Ji Xinghuo could only explain it this way. In fact, he was also surprised. The amplification of a Second Level Rotating Magnetic Field on a Third Level Thunderbolt Hand was much stronger than that of the First Level, with an attack range close to thirty meters and the lethality increased by more than five times. This silver-white lightning consumed about 80 of his star power points. However, the preparation time to release the lightning was too long, over three seconds, and the lightning couldn’t be redirected. Clearly, it couldn’t be used often. Hearing Ji Xinghuo explain this way, Chi Zhonglin believed him, and enviously said, "You really deserve to be the strongest professional, the Magnetic Field Madman. Anyone who gets close to you in combat is truly unlucky; they’re definitely going to be electrocuted badly!" "Fighting Xinghuo from a distance is even worse," Jiangnan Caiyi added softly. Chi Zhonglin recalled Ji Xinghuo’s archery skills and was momentarily speechless, finally sighing, "I’m glad you’re on my team." Ren Mian’s eyes were also filled with astonishment. She had been watching the trace on the wall, seemingly still skeptical, but eventually, she didn’t pursue it further. Ji Xinghuo changed the topic, asking, "Sister Ren, have you successfully fused with your spiritual energy?" "Of course." Ren Mian slightly smiled, her fingertips lighting up with a faint white glow, giving off a pure and flawless sensation. The light stabilized into a small orb, resembling a tiny lightbulb. As the three of them watched curiously, she stretched out her fingertip and lightly tapped, and the brightness of the orb immediately surged, turning into a beam of light that shot straight at the wall. The light flashed and was gone. Whoosh! There was a new hole in the concrete wall, much smaller than the one caused by Ji Xinghuo’s lightning strike—only two to three centimeters in diameter, with no explosion or loud noise. However, Ji Xinghuo was staring wide-eyed. "Holy shit!" Chi Zhonglin was startled, standing right next to the wall, just two or three meters away from where Ren Mian’s light beam hit. He quickly dodged to the side. He then approached out of curiosity to take a closer look and couldn’t help but gasp. The one-meter-thick concrete wall had been pierced straight through by the light beam! The martial arts arena was built underground; behind the wall was dirt. The edges of the small hole left by the light beam were vitrified, as if burned by terrifying high temperatures, directly exposing the soil behind the wall. "Optical Stringer!" "Sister Ren, are you now an Optical Stringer?" Ji Xinghuo looked at Ren Mian as if he were appraising a rare treasure. Spiritual Power Stringers have many subtypes. Beyond the crucial core "spiritual energy," one needs a "tuning ability" to decide the form of energy to control. For example, the tuning ability of a Thermal Stringer is often "burning" or "frozen," combined with spiritual energy, they can master thermodynamics and its applications. The tuning ability of a Sound Wave Stringer is related to vibration, mastering mechanical wave energy, usually manifesting the effects in the form of sound. Meanwhile, an Optical Stringer masters light energy! This is a very rare branch of spiritual energy, as the tuning ability related to light is extremely scarce. Ji Xinghuo didn’t know which ability Ren Mian used in conjunction with her spiritual energy to master light, but it was foreseeable that her strength would soar to astonishing levels. The energy contained within light is beyond ordinary imagination. Light beams, light waves, changes in brightness, focusing heat, light bursts, spectral shifts, flashing, optical invisibility, and so on—with spiritual energy, many powerful methods could be developed, combining lethality with functionality! The greatest advantage of an Optical Stringer lies in the attack range and pinpoint lethality. As the spiritual energy grows, it turns into a humanoid laser cannon, which is terrifying. Ren Mian smiled faintly, her beautiful face maintaining a degree of reserve. "Congratulations, sister!" Jiangnan Caiyi cheered enthusiastically, more excited about Ren Mian’s improvement in strength than her own. Chi Zhonglin was also envious. You’re a Magnetic Field Madman, and she’s an Optical Stringer!" he shook his head, suddenly feeling a sense of urgency, "I have to work harder or I won’t be able to keep up with you. I’ll become redundant...." "I need to work harder too!" Jiangnan Caiyi clenched her fists. "You can do it!" Ren Mian cheered them on, then said, "Next, I need to prepare for my promotion to Super Mutant. I won’t be going out hunting for a while. You guys should also seize the time to strive to evolve into Super Mutants as soon as possible. Let me know if you need anything." "I’m merging with Bloody Frenzy tomorrow," Chi Zhonglin said. "Then I’ll head back to Earth to cultivate and accumulate Star Power while selecting a compatible Star Gland." "I’m going to be more diligent in my cultivation too," said Jiangnan Caiyi. "Good," Ren Mian nodded, "I will stay here a Star Realm month, fully committed to helping you. A month from now I’ll leave, returning as soon as a year or at most, not more than two years. During this time, you can cultivate or do as you please, according to your own plans." Jiangnan Caiyi’s eyes were filled with reluctance, "Sister, are you going to be away that long?" "Leaving is for a better reunion," Ren Mian said softly, "Caiyi, you’re no longer an eighteen-year-old girl. You need to have your own opinions. You can’t follow me forever. One day, you’ll need to learn to leave me and make your own way." "I’m willing to follow you all my life," Jiangnan Caiyi first shook her head, then nodded strongly, "If that’s what you expect of me, then I can definitely do it." Ren Mian smiled, reassured. She glanced at Ji Xinghuo and walked out of the martial arts arena. In the following thirty-odd days, it was the most peaceful but also the most fulfilling time Ji Xinghuo spent in the Star Realm; he immersed himself in cultivation, his strength growing steadily. The Class B Blood Marrow Solution he had purchased last time was not yet finished. Ji Xinghuo went to the Dragon Terrace and bought another batch from Selena, stocking up for a Star Realm month, drinking a bottle daily to enhance his cultivation effects. After upgrading the Thunderbolt Hand, he still had 311 points of Spiritual Origin Ability left. Ji Xinghuo thought it over and invested all these Spiritual Origin Abilities into Ether Affinity, reaching (Third Level 508/1439). Coupled with the Blood Marrow Solution, his cultivation effects were outstanding, almost increasing by one Star Power point every day. The price of a bottle of Class B Blood Marrow Solution was fifty thousand Ya Yuan. That Star Realm Month, Ji Xinghuo spent over one hundred eighty million on his cultivation, resulting in an increase of 37 Star Power points, bringing his total to 431! Sёarᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In that period, Chi Zhonglin successfully merged with "Bloody Frenzy," and after cultivating together for over half a month, he returned to Earth. Jiangnan Caiyi wasn’t as lucky; to this day, no one was selling Demon Souls. Following Ren Mian’s advice, she merged with "Demonization," and her strength also improved significantly. One day, after Ji Xinghuo attended a live combat training at the Extreme Martial Arts Academy and had just returned to the villa, Ren Mian suddenly said, "Xinghuo, come to my room."