Liyue Harbor.
At the summit of Dunyu Ruins, Su Han sat upon a boulder, browsing through the system notifications. Previously, he had been just a step away from reaching Level 2 system authority, now, at last, he'd done it.
[System Prompt: Congratulations! Your System Authority has been upgraded to Level 2. New "Manga Tier" permissions unlocked!]
[System Prompt: As part of your upgrade reward, one free manga has been granted!]
[System Prompt: With this upgrade, the level of your martial arts and treasures can now be further enhanced!]
[System Prompt: A free enhancement opportunity has been issued!]
[System Prompt: Current "Myriad Worlds Manga System" authority: Level 2. To reach Level 3, a total of 150,000 sales must be accumulated.]
Just as Su Han had anticipated, once his authority was raised, both his martial skills and treasures could now be strengthened beyond their previous limits.
Surveying his possessions, he finally decided to start with the Fire Qilin Sword, a weapon bound to his bloodline, making it the most suitable for enhancement.
"System, enhance the Fire Qilin Sword!"
[Affirmative. This enhancement will cost 4000 points.]
"Do it!"
As Su Han gave the order, the Fire Qilin Sword dormant in his dantian was instantly engulfed in a surge of blazing crimson light. A moment later, the glow was absorbed into the blade, signifying the completion of the enhancement.
The most obvious change was that its once-radiant red glow had now become completely restrained. Unless its power was deliberately released, the sword appeared like a simple crimson metal blade.
Su Han summoned the Fire Qilin Sword, wanting to test its newfound strength. The moment he grasped the hilt, the grass at his feet withered away in seconds.
His eyes brightened in surprise. "Looks like your power's increased quite a bit."
Buzz… Buzz…
The sword pulsed twice, as if proudly responding to his praise.
"But just watching won't tell me much… Let's try something practical."
After scanning the surroundings, Su Han fixed his gaze on a pine tree not far away. With a casual swing, without using any inner force, a wave of red flame energy surged outward.
Boom!
The tree ignited instantly, consumed by scarlet fire.
This was no longer simple fire enchantment, it was genuine sword qi radiating from the weapon itself.
Su Han couldn't help but grin in excitement. "This is insane! System, keep enhancing it!"
If a single upgrade could produce fiery sword qi, what would happen after several more? But the system quickly doused his enthusiasm.
[Apologies, Host. The Fire Qilin Sword has reached its limit. Further enhancement requires higher System Authority.]
"..."
Expressionless, Su Han slowly raised his middle finger toward the empty air.
Just one more upgrade, would it kill you to allow that?!
Still, despite being unable to continue, this single improvement had given him a glimpse of how terrifying his future power could become.
He wasn't short on points, and now that the Abyss had set its sights on him, enhancing his strength was clearly the top priority.
"Well then, since the Fire Qilin Sword is done… might as well upgrade the rest. System, enhance Cloud-Piercing Palm!"
[Understood. This enhancement costs 4000 points.]
As radiant light flowed into him, Su Han's comprehension of the Cloud-Piercing Palm deepened dramatically. Dense clouds gathered overhead, cloaking the entire mountaintop in thick mist. Flocks of startled birds flapped their wings, but to their horror, they couldn't break through the fog, it was like hitting an invisible wall.
Within less than the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, Su Han opened his eyes and thrust his palm forward.
The swirling clouds rapidly condensed into a massive hand, ten meters wide, that crashed down with a thunderous roar.
The distant cliff groaned in agony as its rocky surface caved in, pulverized into dust by the overwhelming force.
Admiring the results, Su Han nodded with satisfaction. "So this is the Cloud-Piercing Palm at the Perfect Realm… Not bad at all."
But he knew that martial techniques had their limits. Once reaching Perfection, only the Grandmaster Realm remained, and beyond that, even spending points wouldn't improve them further.
"It's a pity, but still… For a technique like this, its power is already incredible."
Gazing at the vast palm imprint in the distant mountain, Su Han felt deeply pleased. Next, he began enhancing the Golden Light Mantra, only to find that it required a staggering 8000 points.
"System, are you serious? 8000 points? You sure you're not scamming me?"
[The System never deceives its host. The Golden Light Mantra is a high-tier cultivation method; higher-level arts naturally cost more to enhance. For comparison, a thunder-based technique would reach this price by its second enhancement.]
Su Han thought for a moment and nodded. "Fair enough. Spells are on a whole other level compared to martial arts anyway."
With that, he chose to proceed without hesitation.
As the mists began to fade, the mountaintop was once again filled with shimmering light.
[System Prompt: Congratulations! Golden Light Mantra has advanced from Great Achievement to the Perfect Realm!]
Su Han closed his eyes as countless golden rays enveloped him. After about half a stick of incense, the light slowly receded into his body.
When he opened his eyes again, a glint of brilliance flashed in them.
With the Golden Light Mantra perfected, its protective power grew far stronger, and his control over it reached the level of his master, Zhang Zhiwei himself. The mantra now flowed as smoothly and flexibly as water.
To test its might, Su Han released his full strength. In front of him, a golden barrier several meters tall and half a meter thick materialized out of thin air.
He drew the Fire Qilin Sword and slashed it down, the blade struck with a dull thud, but the wall didn't even crack.
Its defense was monstrous.
Next, he enhanced the Blackfight Armor, though the results were modest, it merely improved his durability a little further.
But when he enhanced the Divine Mask, he was genuinely astonished.
Another 8000 points again!, for what had once seemed a chicken-rib artifact. Yet after the enhancement, its properties had transformed. Not only could it now store far greater quantities of faith energy, but its duration had also been extended.
Most importantly, it gained a new function: the ability to steal faith energy from others without being detected by the gods themselves.
At last, Su Han felt truly satisfied. "Now this was worth the 20,000 points!"
Of course, back when he had no points to spare, he couldn't have known the Divine Mask hid such an amazing effect.
After completing this round of upgrades, Su Han opened his system panel once more. He now had two lottery draws available.
Who knew what fortune... or chaos awaited him next?
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