Chapter 98: Elemental Crystal

For three solid hours, he mined tirelessly, collecting a substantial amount of crystals. When the last shard clinked to the ground, he sat cross-legged and began absorbing them one by one.

Time blurred as four more hours slipped past, his mana steadily rising with each crystal absorbed.

Yet, as soon as his mana crossed 100,000 points, a notification popped up in the system interface:

*Ding!

[Mana limit reached. System requires upgrade for further absorption.]

“Ugh…” Lin Fang leaned back, groaning softly in complaint. He then asked. “Alpha, do you think my current reserves would be enough to resist my master’s mana core?”

To which Alpha chuckled, “Your master has twenty times the mana you currently hold. So, I would say, still not enough, but your mana core should be strong enough to resist a merge.”

“A Merge?”

“It’s like… There is a huge kingdom and a tiny kingdom. Now, if the tiny kingdom is too weak, the kingdom will absorb it into itself. And if it is just as big as the other, there will be rivalry among them with never-ending wars, and if there is absolutely no rivalry, like in your current case, a merger will happen to form an Empire. But if this smaller kingdom is weaker but still not too weak or strong, an alliance will form between those two kingdoms and keep the region stable. Understood?”

Lin Fang grabbed his chin and looked down, thinking about it. It isn’t that complicated for him to understand the concept. “Yeah, I guess.”

A pause later, he then murmured. “Anyway, I’m done here. Since we have a bit of time, let’s go and get that sword, too. And test Alpha’s powers…”

He left the crystals scattered across the cave floor and exited the habitat, returning to the white-dimensional hub. In the center sat a large, luminous yellow crystal. He tapped it, bringing up the list of worlds, and selected the barren world.

No sooner had he entered than the guardian appeared, its massive form already rising like a shadow over the desolate terrain with its fists clenched tightly as if it was going to punch him. Lin Fang’s eyes narrowed, and he too acted swiftly, summoning the replica of the Sword of Goujian just as the golem swung a colossal fist toward him.

Lin Fang tightened his grip on the replica Sword of Goujian and poured his mana. With a determined glance at the towering guardian, he charged forward.

“Alpha, use your spell on the sword,” he commanded silently. “Activate, Divine Blessing.”

Almost instantly, a notification blinked in his interface:

*Ding!

[A skill was invoked.]

[System’s resistance: Failed]

[Divine Blessing Activated. Sword of Goujian (replica) has been selected.]

[Damage inflicted by the Sword of Goujian (replica) increased by 500%. The user’s mana is consumed by 10% per second.]

Without wasting any time, as the guardian swung its massive fist in a devastating arc, Lin Fang used his fast reflexes to slip behind the colossal figure with a swift sidestep.

Raising the sword high, he swung it down, releasing a massive arc of energy behind. With a single, full-powered strike, the guardian shattered like glass, pieces scattering across the barren landscape.

“Wha…”

Lin Fang exhaled, awe flickering in his eyes. “Just like that? Wow…”

The notification appeared, confirming his achievement.

*Ding!

[Guardian Quest Completed. Reward: Sword of Goujian acquired.]

[You cleared the habitat: Cragstone Expanse. Cooldown timer is off.]

[100% Earth Element Resistance (Passive)]

A small, satisfied smile curved his lips as he looked down at the weapon in the inventory while the replica disappeared.

Just as Lin Fang sheathed the sword and turned to leave, Alpha’s calm voice stirred in his mind.

“Head east. I sense something… unusual.”

Lin Fang paused, furrowing his brows. “East?” he murmured, then gave a small nod. “Fine, let’s see what you’ve found.”

After forty minutes of trekking across the rugged terrain, he finally came to the base of a cliff. There, half-hidden behind jagged rocks, was a cave entrance glowing faintly with a strange translucent light.

Spotting the faint illumination spilled across the cave floor, Lin Fang’s eyes narrowed, curiosity flickering as he stepped inside. Immediately, the system chimed:

*Ding!

[You have discovered: Elemental Crystal Vein.]

Excitement sparked in his chest. He gripped his pickaxe once again and swung it at the wall. The strike rang out, and a jagged shard of crystal tumbled free. He caught it in his palm and brought it closer for inspection.

The system window popped open:

Elemental Crystal

Usage: Can be used to increase the quality of weapons.

Lin Fang’s eyes widened slightly. “So, the weapons quality can be increased?”

Alpha’s voice echoed again, calm yet insistent. “Use it on the sword.”

Lin Fang looked down at the real Sword of Goujian, its blade still gleaming faintly from Alpha’s Divine Blessing it bore half an hour ago, despite the effect having already worn off. His grip tightened around the hilt, and a small smile tugged at his lips. “Alright then… let’s see how much stronger you can get.”

Following Alpha’s instructions, Lin Fang lifted the shard and pressed it lightly against the Sword of Goujian’s flat blade. The system immediately chimed, a new window popping into view:

*Ding!

[Do you wish to infuse Elemental Crystal into the Sword of Goujian?]

Lin Fang didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

The crystal dissolved into a swirl of brown motes, flowing into the sword like sand carried by the wind. The blade pulsed faintly, its aura thickening with a grounded, earthen weight.

“Infusion successful. Sword of Goujian has absorbed +3 Elemental Energy.”

Before he could admire it further, another prompt appeared:

*Ding!

[You received a new Quest.]

Quest: Infuse a total of 100,000 Elemental Energy to upgrade the Sword of Goujian.

Reward: Sword spirit

Lin Fang’s brows rose. “Hundred thousand? That’s around 30000 of these crystals… All for the sword to get a spirit and talk with me, or move on its own?”

Alpha’s voice then echoed in his head. “It will be worth the hard work, as sword spirits are incredibly rare, Lin Fang. It takes heavy practice for years with the weapon and a tight bond with its user to reach such a level. And with a weapon spirit, it will be like having an extra arm or an additional monster companion. When you have more than four weapons with weapon spirits, you can learn the spirit weapon formation technique.”

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