Chapter 569: Seamless

The connection Liam had uncovered earlier was not a channel that had to be reopened every time. Now that he had awakened that awareness, it was always there, ready for him to delve deeper.

Even while testing other techniques, Liam had felt that familiarity with everything he poisoned. It was a constant echo that gnawed at his brain, the sensation intensifying the longer he spent in the toxic world of his own creation.

That trend culminated in a sort of resonance in the back of Liam’s mind. He couldn’t explain it, but he understood it. It was similar to when he gained enough insights into poisons to predict the behavior of those he still hadn’t tested, but deeper and far more personal.

In a way, Liam felt a sort of authority toward what he had infected, as if it were an extension of his body, or rather, existence. The swamp was part of his power just like the Qi his cultivation produced.

As always, the issue lay with the weaponization.

With alchemical products, the challenge was getting them past the enemies’ defenses. Liam had to diversify how he applied his poisons since drawing blood wasn’t always possible.

That was relatively easy. Creativity, ingredients, and skills were the only limiting factors, but alchemy’s limitless nature provided plenty of options.

Instead, making use of the toxic swamps Liam created posed a different challenge. He literally only had fumes and slime at his disposal. A concoction with so few and limited ingredients didn’t leave much room for creativity.

Even using those makeshift ingredients in their raw form wouldn’t do much. Any of Liam’s techniques were leagues stronger. His black Qi could likely do far more than sending those toxic fumes forward.

Yet, that only applied to alchemy done behind a cauldron.

Liam might have demeaned his success in the third layer of Qi mastery, but it gave him an idea nonetheless. Actually, ideas had always been there. The achievement had simply shown that he could start implementing them.

As Liam had already predicted, alchemy’s combat applications were easier to express at the branching stage. The intent his Qi wielded aided the flexibility he had learned from the alchemical flame. He could change his energy’s texture and nature more easily and with far fewer mental filters.

That meant retaining more power while also expanding the range of what Liam could manifest with Qi alone. It was why the glass-like barriers had remained black.

In alchemical terms, the flame under the cauldron wouldn’t have changed color despite applying a different effect.

Liam’s Qi coursed through the toxic swamp of his own creation, so that theory applied. He could even use quantity to compensate for the power loss caused by the mental filters.

As for the weaponization, Liam wasn’t too confident in the third layer of Qi mastery, so he went for the simplest shape he could imagine, one he knew so well he barely had to think about how to craft it.

The process was nothing short of instinctive. Liam had basically spent his entire life with a bow and arrows in hand, even carving some when they broke. That experience seamlessly translated into the flexibility the alchemical flame had taught him.

Liam also had experience with the alchemical spell learned from the Demoness. His intent and familiarity with poisons, especially his poisonous Qi, did the rest, allowing him to succeed on the first try.

Despite being made of toxic fumes, the arrow felt quite solid in Liam’s hand. He obviously didn’t need to test that because he had crafted the item to be like that, but his perceptive body could still add details.

’It’s weaker than the alchemical spell,’ Liam calculated. ’Well, the old alchemical spell, but I definitely can and have to get better at it.’

Liam’s brain overflowed with ideas, even including the Alchemical Refinement and all the items currently involved in it in his plans, but his body never stopped moving.

If anything, Liam had to hurry. His senses told him that playtime was over after all.

"Don’t bother trying to dodge it," Liam reassured, the Black Bow materializing in his right hand. "He’ll block it anyway."

"What?" Caspar muttered, frowning, before his eyes widened at the perfect smoothness that unfolded.

The nocking, drawing, and firing were so seamless it almost looked like a peerless masterpiece, an expression of utmost mastery worthy of every praise, respect, and admiration Caspar could muster.

Of course, the fact that Caspar was the target eventually caused a reaction from his survival instincts, snapping him out of his admiring daze, only for a heavy aura to descend and stop him.

Liam watched the makeshift arrow leak poison as it cut through the air before exploding into a forward, dense cloud upon clashing with its target.

’It’s smaller than the Poisonous Cloud pill,’ Liam studied. ’But its expansion is more immediate. Considering that I can make them on the spot, once I get better at them, I’ll just add features depending on the situation.’

Liam even considered the process behind the alchemical spell, albeit power definitely wasn’t a disappointing feature. He could do far better, but his first makeshift arrow remained poison caused by his Qi.

At least in terms of deadliness, the arrow was already worthy of branching experts.

’Now,’ Liam thought, storing the bow. ’Who exactly is he?’

The reason behind Liam’s previous words appeared as soon as a gale of Qi blew away the arrow’s cloud. A rather handsome middle-aged man now stood before Caspar, his stretched hand having blocked Liam’s attack. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

’Mid-stage,’ Liam felt. The newcomer was a branching expert, one he had sensed even before firing, but his eyes went to his belt, its blue color disclosing allegiances.

"The Invincible Oasis Tribe?" Liam questioned. "Can I finish testing stuff before fighting you? I think I’m close to an enlightenment of sorts."

Liam was being utterly honest. That way of using poison seemed exactly like what the Demoness had explained about technique creation. That just-discovered ability could be the key to developing original martial arts and spells.