Chapter 23: Refining, Something Came Out

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Refining, Something Came Out

"Success!" An overwhelming surge of joy welled up in Ji Zhixing’s heart. "I found it! This is the feeling!" he thought.

The power of his last strike still couldn’t compare to the state when the Breaking Army Rod had guided him, but it was already a cut above his previous attacks that were merely on par with basic staff techniques.

SQUAWK!

Enraged by the strike, the Iron Feather Pheasant King let out an angry cry. Flapping its wings frantically, it lunged at him.

"Again!" Ji Zhixing’s mind raced with excitement as he swung out another strike. But this time, he failed to infuse the power of his will into the blow.

"What’s going on?" Ji Zhixing wondered, furrowing his brows. He retreated to dodge the Iron Feather Pheasant King’s pounce while swinging his rod to meet the attack.

"Sky-Shattering Stance! Earth-Shaking Stance! Thunderous Stance!"

Stance after stance, he continuously executed the Eight Strikes of the Breaking Army Rod, trying to recapture that feeling once more. However, the sensation was fleeting, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.

WHACK!

Another strike smashed into the Iron Feather Pheasant King’s wing. This time, he succeeded again! A wave of delight washed over Ji Zhixing. But immediately after, with the very next strike, he failed once more.

"No good, it’s still too unstable," he murmured, continuing his attempts.

The Iron Feather Pheasant King’s offensive grew increasingly fierce. Its alternating wing flaps forced him into a rapid retreat, leaving him fraught with peril. Gradually, he realized that out of every ten strikes, he could only successfully infuse his will into two or three of them. The rest remained the same as before, lacking that vital spirit and energy. Moreover, he still hadn’t managed to unlock the Innate Staff Heart talent.

"It seems I haven’t completely mastered the Eight Strikes of the Breaking Army Rod yet," Ji Zhixing thought silently. "I’ve only just gained a hint of comprehension. I suppose I can only truly be considered to have mastered this staff technique when I can infuse every single strike with my own will.

"By then, I should be able to unlock the Innate Staff Heart talent."

Taking a deep breath, Ji Zhixing refused to be discouraged. "There’s no rush. Now that I’ve found the feeling, as long as I follow it and continue practicing, it won’t be long before I truly master this Tier One Two-Star Staff Technique," he told himself. Gathering his spirit, he continued to fend off the Iron Feather Pheasant King’s attacks.

"Why does his staff technique look a bit different now?" Zhao Qing wondered. She had been keeping her eyes glued to Ji Zhixing and felt a subtle shift in his movements. However, with only average talent in general skills, she couldn’t fully gauge his true progress.

"Zhixing, we’re here!" Just then, Liu Qifan shouted, charging over with his saber in hand.

Zhang Haoceng and Xie Jia followed closely behind, while Luo Yongguang put away his shield and sprinted over with long strides. Sensing the impending danger, the Iron Feather Pheasant King tried to back away, but it was already too late. The group formed a tight circle, trapping it squarely in the middle.

PHEW!

Ji Zhixing breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had wanted to use this Iron Feather Pheasant King to hone his skills, the creature was simply too strong. In just a short span of time, he had depleted more than half of his stamina and genetic source energy. If the battle dragged on, a single moment of carelessness could result in a serious injury.

"Kill it! Take it down!"

"Think you’re so tough just because you’re big?"

Shouting battle cries, the group charged at the Iron Feather Pheasant King in unison. The beast struggled desperately, flapping its wings frantically, but Xie Jia’s vines repeatedly entangled its legs, while Luo Yongguang’s shield blocked its attacks time and again. Coupled with Liu Qifan’s saber and Zhang Haoceng’s spear, the group fought with flawless coordination, raining blow after blow upon the creature.

"I’ve got this!"

Suddenly noticing the Iron Feather Pheasant King stumble, Ji Zhixing seized the opening. He leaped into the air, raising his Breaking Army Rod high above his head. In the next instant, he poured all his physical strength, genetic source energy, and that faint trace of will in his heart into the strike.

"The ninth stance of the Eight Strikes of the Breaking Army Rod—

"Die!" he roared.

WHACK!

The rod smashed ruthlessly into the crown of the Iron Feather Pheasant King’s head, caving its skull straight in. The beast’s body went completely stiff before crashing heavily to the ground.

"Finally dead. This guy was really tough," Zhang Haoceng said, kicking the Iron Feather Pheasant King a couple of times.

"Zhixing, it’s your turn to refine a genetic beast." Liu Qifan walked over. "We killed three Iron-Feathered Pheasants in one breath this time. Since you were the one who held off this Iron Feather Pheasant King, you should be the one to refine it."

"Yeah, you do it," Luo Yongguang agreed with a nod. "Liu Qifan and I have already collected the other two."

Ji Zhixing glanced around and noticed that the other two Iron-Feathered Pheasants they had just slain were indeed gone. "Alright, then I’ll take this one." He nodded, not refusing the offer.

"Collect!" Crouching down, he pressed his hand against the Iron Feather Pheasant King’s corpse. With a mere thought, he activated his genetic furnace. A second later, the carcass blurred and vanished without a trace.

"Hurry up and refine them. Let’s see which of you four has the best luck," Zhang Haoceng chuckled as he looked at them. Although Xie Jia had previously collected an Iron-Feathered Pheasant, the sudden appearance of the boss meant she hadn’t had the time to refine it yet.

"Don’t worry, our luck is definitely better than yours!" Liu Qifan shot back. He immediately began channeling all his energy to activate his genetic furnace and refine the Iron-Feathered Pheasant inside. Luo Yongguang and Xie Jia did the same.

"My genetic furnace is different from everyone else’s," Ji Zhixing thought silently. "I wonder if the things I refine will be different too?"

He closed his eyes, sensing it carefully. Inside his genetic furnace, the Eight Trigrams Map slowly rotated, radiating streams of brilliant light. The Iron Feather Pheasant King’s corpse hovered in the center of the Furnace Space, enveloped by the light as it was broken down and refined piece by piece.

Minutes ticked by. About three or four minutes later, Liu Qifan, Luo Yongguang, and Xie Jia completed their refinements one after another. However, the anticipation etched on their faces quickly gave way to disappointment. None of them had received any bonus rewards. They had only managed to refine a single Genetic Source Stone each.

But this was the norm. Whether it was Genetic Equipment or genetic potions, the drop rate from refining was exceptionally low.

"I hope I get something good!" Ji Zhixing thought, feeling a twinge of anxiety upon seeing their lackluster results.

"Zhixing, how about you?" Liu Qifan asked after the three had revealed their hauls.

"I’m almost there. The Iron Feather Pheasant King was massive and powerful, so it naturally requires more time," Ji Zhixing replied. He was indeed still in the process of refining it.

It took another two minutes before the streams of light in his genetic furnace finally faded. Then, three items materialized within his Furnace Space.

"Three items?" Ji Zhixing’s face lit up with joy.

Sweeping his consciousness over them, he saw that two of the items were Genetic Source Stones. Both of them were significantly larger than Zhang Haoceng’s stone; if refined into genetic coins, they would likely yield around a hundred coins. However, he merely gave the two Genetic Source Stones a passing glance before shifting his focus to the third item residing in his genetic furnace.