A brand new attribute panel appeared before Chu Xiu.
[Yin Wind Blade]
[Skill Level: Beginner (5/200)]
[Release Consumption: 0.8—3.6 (increases with charging time)]
[Charging Time: 1s—2.2s]
[Power: 1.8—5.0 (decays with distance)]
[Speed: 25m/s—38m/s (decays over time)]
[Extreme Distance: 28m—70m]
[Cooldown Time: None]
Looking at the newly upgraded Yin Wind Blade, Chu Xiu's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
All attributes of the upgraded Yin Wind Blade had improved! Although the increase wasn't large, when combined, it greatly enhanced the skill's actual combat ability!
At maximum charge, its power even reached an astonishing 5.0!
Although Chu Xiu wasn't sure what this meant, the previous power of just 1.5 had already left a deep impression on him.
A power of 5.0... If used in a close-range ambush, it might just slice that Corpse Demon in half!
"Now that I have offensive capability, the next step is defense!"
Chu Xiu looked at the Corpse Demon corpse beside him.
First, he attempted to extract the eyes of the Corpse Demon, wondering if he could use them to cultivate the Nether Demon Eyes.
To his delight, he didn't even need to do it himself. Merely having the thought triggered the Perfect Refining talent automatically, followed by a notification sound.
[Nether Demon Eyes Cultivation Progress +4, Current Progress: 4/100]
"As expected of an SSS-level talent," Chu Xiu praised inwardly.
"This way, I don't need to waste Cause and Effect Points on cultivating the Nether Demon Eyes. Just about twenty more Corpse Demons will do."
This number seemed far off, but Chu Xiu had confidence that as his strength grew, future hunting would become more and more successful.
With this in mind, Chu Xiu activated Bone Refining, integrating the remaining parts of the corpse into the Bone Armor.
The powerful life ability within the Corpse Demon's body caused the Bone Armor to strengthen rapidly, as if it had taken a great tonic!
The crack on the left shoulder healed at a rate visible to the naked eye, becoming smoother and more solid!
Once the Corpse Demon's body completely vanished, the Bone Armor had undergone a massive transformation!
Its structure was more intricate, covered in projecting spines, like a fiend cast of bones!
The defense reached 3.4, and the quality upgraded to [Fine]. More importantly, it finally unlocked the First Layer Restriction!
Three options appeared before Chu Xiu.
[Activity] Your armor seems to have acquired life, able to spontaneously move short distances to protect you and heal damage over time.
[Wind Resistance] Your armor's weight is greatly reduced, and when attacked, it automatically triggers a wind blade counterattack (Power: 0.4).
[Energy Absorption] Your armor can absorb some energy when attacked, greatly reducing the impact damage.
"Hiss—"
Looking at the options, Chu Xiu stroked his chin.
He wanted all of them!
All three restrictions were very useful!
But one cannot be so greedy.
After some consideration, he first eliminated [Activity].
The armor's protective area was already sufficient; unless facing an enemy with particularly precise attack capabilities, this restriction wouldn't be of much use.
Between the remaining two, after some hesitation, Chu Xiu finally chose [Energy Absorption].
Given his current Constitution, the 20kg armor was heavy, but not overly burdensome, especially for short battles with Corpse Demons, which ended quickly.
As for the counterattack wind blade, its power was too low. It might be somewhat effective against people, but would be like scratching when used on monsters!
Meanwhile, [Energy Absorption] was well-suited to handling the Corpse Demon's monstrous strength; he didn't want to be almost broken to pieces by a single slap from a Corpse Demon again!
After making his choice, mysterious inscriptions began to appear on the Bone Armor, imbuing it with an ancient aura.
Huddled inside, Chu Xiu felt like an invincible heavy-armored warrior that no blade, spear, or even blunt weapon could harm.
"If I went to ancient times now, I'd be invincible, whether men or gods blocked my way!"
This Bone Armor provided him with an unprecedented sense of security.
"But it's still not enough!"
"Continue the hunts, and level up!"
Chu Xiu made up his mind and walked out the door.
Yun Lu and the others awaited next door.
The four of them followed their original plan, moving up to the thirteenth floor, arriving at a new ambush point.
After setting up, it was already noon.
All their stomachs growled in unison, and what was worse, they were parched, with dry and cracked lips.
"Chu, do you have more mushrooms?" Li Shan licked his lips, "Yun Lu just shared some with us, but it's not nearly enough."
"Don't worry, I won't take it for free. I'll prepay from my share: How about 10 mushrooms for 1 Cause and Effect Point?"
The guy was clever, he knew Chu Xiu might not split the Cause and Effect Points, so he tried bargaining for benefits ahead of time.
Even though Chu Xiu thought it over, he still gave him two mushrooms and three to Yun Lu.
This girl was too kind-hearted with a thin skin, in the apocalypse she'd be the first to perish.
But her skills were very useful, and Chu Xiu needed to ensure she stayed in good shape.
"Thank you," Yun Lu murmured, surprised and thankful, taking them.
Wang Long, full of envy, didn't ask for any, but muttered, "We need to find water, a bit of hunger is tolerable, but lack of water is deadly."
For once, Chu Xiu agreed with Wang Long and turned to Yun Lu, asking, "Can we eat those creatures?"
At his words, both Li Shan and Wang Long's faces changed, with Li Shan whispering, "Chu, those things... they're poisonous, right?"
However, Yun Lu, after a moment's hesitation, unexpectedly nodded.
"I... I'm not sure, but those Corpse Demons seem like they're from... the sewers, emitting a foul stench, very disgusting, but I don't feel any danger."
Hearing this, Chu Xiu rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
The reason he asked was because the previously exhibited equipment necklace mentioned that the mutation of these creatures wasn't due to a [Toxin] but a [Curse].
So, when faced with desperation, perhaps they could serve as food.
Of course, Chu Xiu wouldn't casually eat such things. Although currently, most of the curse's power seemed concentrated in their teeth, who knew how much residue remained on them or how it might affect humans.
"After we kill another monster, let's head up to the rooftop. Usually, in high-rise buildings like this, there's a water tank on the roof," Chu Xiu suggested.
Although the water tank's contents were likely unclean, the school had taught them how to make simple filtering devices, so that wasn't an issue.
With the water source problem identified, they prepared to repeat their earlier tactics to attract more Corpse Demons.
Chu Xiu and Wang Long found their ambush positions, while Li Shan began making noise.
It wasn't long before noises were heard from outside.
As before, the Corpse Demon immediately spotted Li Shan and launched an attack without hesitation.
This time, however, Chu Xiu, with nearly doubled strength, swiftly and cleanly skewered the Corpse Demon through the abdomen with a Bone Spear, lifting it up as if displaying a trophy.
The Corpse Demon let out a hoarse shriek, and Wang Long stepped forward, crushing its head with a club.
[Killed a creature, Professional Experience +45]