I Can Merge Techniques

Chu Fan already had a plan in mind, but for now, he set the matter aside.

The Netherworld Array was the core Magic Technique the black-robed woman had used to perform Instant Teleportation repeatedly.

This technique required first setting up several supporting Arrays in a fixed area. Then, within a maximum range, one could travel back and forth between the Arrays an unlimited number of times.

However, the Netherworld Array required special materials for its deployment, and the materials left in the black-robed woman’s Sumeru Ring were scarce.

Thus, even if Chu Fan wanted to start cultivating it immediately, it would be quite inconvenient.

He planned to find some time to visit the Workshop Marketplace, purchase sufficient materials, and then immerse himself in practicing this Martial Art.

HUUUH!

Chu Fan let out a heavy breath.

The mental fatigue from visualizing the Nine-Petaled Jade Lotus for so long washed over him like a tidal wave, making him want to collapse and sleep for three days and three nights to recover properly.

But when he glanced at the two skills on his panel that were on the verge of Breaking their Limits, the desire to cultivate instantly overwhelmed his exhaustion.

’Two Cultivation Techniques are about to break their limits, and two powerful Traits are within my grasp. At such a critical moment, how can I possibly bring myself to sleep?’

With this thought, Chu Fan took a delicate, small white jade bottle from his Sumeru Ring.

The moment he pulled the stopper, a unique, refreshing fragrance wafted out, one that seemed to seep into his very Divine Soul. It felt like a clear spring flowing into a parched mind, and he instinctively took a deep breath.

Just from that one whiff of the Pill Fragrance, his muddled mind felt invigorated, becoming much clearer.

This was a bottle of five-patterned Calming Pills, a superb Spirit Pill for when one’s Divine Sense was overexerted. It could restore a depleted Sea of Consciousness and nourish the Divine Soul in the shortest possible time.

This Elixir was obtained from the Sumeru Ring of Ye Chang’an of the Medicine King Valley. It was of excellent quality and extremely precious. Even for someone with Ye Chang’an’s immense wealth, he had possessed only this single bottle.

Chu Fan took another intoxicating breath of the Pill Fragrance, but then decisively capped the bottle and returned the jade vial to his Sumeru Ring for safekeeping.

There were a total of eight Elixirs in the bottle, each one a life-saving Bottom Card.

If he were to face a desperate situation in a life-and-death battle against a powerful foe—his Sea of Consciousness depleted and his Primordial Qi exhausted—a single Calming Pill would be enough to turn the tide and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat!

’Using such a precious, strategic resource merely for recovery during routine cultivation would be an outrageous waste.’

Fortunately, that one whiff of the Pill Fragrance was enough to restore some of his energy, allowing him to hold on for a while longer.

He took out an Essence Enhancing Pill and consumed it. As he felt the warm current it transformed into flowing through his limbs, his thoughts shifted, and he gently twirled his right index finger.

FWOOSH—

The Sumeru Ring on his finger flashed with a faint white light. Clumps of gravel, tempered with a virulent poison, surged out of thin air and swirled around him like a great, living serpent.

Yet not a single grain of sand fell onto the bed. His Sand Control Skill was already remarkably refined.

The grains of sand ground against one another, emitting a low, dangerous hiss that was deeply unsettling.

Since acquiring the Sumeru Ring, he no longer had to hide the Poisonous Sand in the wine gourd at his waist. The stealth of his attacks and the element of surprise were both greatly enhanced.

Moreover, the amount of Poisonous Sand he could store had increased by hundreds, even thousands of times.

Chu Fan’s hands danced rapidly before his chest, his fingers fluttering like butterflies among flowers. One after another, complex and profound Seal Techniques formed in an instant, flowing ceaselessly.

As his Seal Techniques changed, the coiling Sand Snake seemed to be infused with a soul, immediately beginning to dance nimbly through the air in endless transformations.

One moment, with a CLANG, it would condense into a broadsword as wide as a door panel, its sharp edge glinting with a biting Cold Qi.

The next, with a HUM, it would expand into a thick, heavy round shield, simple and sturdy, its defensive power immense.

Then, in an instant, with a ROAR, it would transform into a Fierce Lion with a flowing mane, letting out a silent roar into the void. Its form was shockingly lifelike, its aura terrifying!

["Silent Extinction Quicksand Technique" Experience Points +2]

["Silent Extinction Quicksand Technique" Experience Points +2]

...

Time slipped by unnoticed amidst his focused cultivation.

A little over an hour later, when fine beads of sweat had formed on Chu Fan’s brow and his robes were slightly damp, the long-awaited notification finally sounded in his mind.

["Silent Extinction Quicksand Technique" has reached the limit of Perfection. Consume 20 Spiritual Essence to Break the Limit?]

Chu Fan’s fingers tensed slightly. The endlessly transforming sand in the air froze, instantly coalescing into a massive black Sand Sword. It hovered silently before him, its tip angled toward the ground, emanating a grim aura.

’Break the Limit!’ he thought without the slightest hesitation.

OMMM—!

Twenty points of Spiritual Essence were instantly consumed.

A familiar, profound sensation, like an electric current, surged through Chu Fan’s entire body. Countless insights, transformations, and ultimate truths regarding "sand" flooded his mind in a moment of pure enlightenment, integrating seamlessly into his understanding.

[Skill: Silent Extinction Quicksand Technique (First Breaking Limit: 2/4500) (Trait: Crystalization and Solidification)]

[Crystalization and Solidification: Comprehend the rigidity and resilience of sand, restructuring it at a microscopic level. With a single thought, the caster can cause flowing sand to crystallize, becoming harder than Profound Iron. Henceforth, a Sand Shield can withstand a Divine Weapon without a scratch, a Sand Spear can pierce heavy armor with ease, and once a Sand Prison is formed, no technique can break it. It is a technique for entrapping foes, as well as a blade for slaying them!]

Chu Fan’s eyes remained tightly shut, his consciousness seemingly pulled into a boundless world of sand.

Here, endless grains of sand converged into dragons and swirled into phoenixes. One moment they were as soft as water, the next as violent as thunder, and the next as hard as stone.

He could feel the essence of every grain of sand, how it could transform from a fine, fragile powder to an indestructible body of stone in a single thought.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of enlightenment and shock flashing within them.