Chapter 48: Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship

Name: Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship (Lv. 1)

Category: Soul Energy Skills

Rarity: Rare

Effects:

1. Attack speed +3.

2. Sword Intent comprehension +1.

3. Upon reaching max level: Strength +3, Agility +3.

4. Upon reaching max level: Attacks have a low chance to create butterfly illusions.

[Do you wish to spend 100 Soul Energy Points to level up this skill?]

[This skill’s level is not maxed out. It cannot be upgraded.]

Since it didn’t require many Soul Energy Points, Li Heng had directly leveled up his original Mist Butterfly Swordsmanship while comprehending the sword moves, and he had even upgraded it.

Mist Butterfly Swordsmanship had 10 levels, each costing 10 Soul Energy Points to level up. After it was maxed out, he spent another 100 Soul Energy Points to upgrade it into Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship.

Remaining Soul Energy Points: 1,062.

Looking at the upgraded Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship, Li Heng was eager to try it out. He decided to head home first, wait until after dinner to lock his bedroom door, and then go to Wolf King Mountain to test it out.

Li Heng decided to postpone his trip to the Ice Jiao Lake Dungeon for now. He didn’t have many Soul Energy Points left, so he planned to first visit a familiar Dungeon to farm some points and get used to his new Swordsmanship.

’Otherwise, if I just enter the Ice Jiao Lake Dungeon now, I’ll be met with a swarm of Cold Ice Pythons right away. Wouldn’t that just be throwing away the 200-Soul-Energy-Point entry fee?’

As for his previous plan to visit the Soul Energy Pet Shop, Li Heng decided to drop it. Never mind finding a pet he liked—even if he did, the price would probably be astronomical.

And so, Li Heng left the skill shop without a second thought.

He took a taxi home, ate dinner, and chatted with his parents for a bit. He told them he needed to review his knowledge on secret realms and asked not to be disturbed. After returning to his room and locking the door, he spent 100 Soul Energy Points to enter the Wolf King Mountain Dungeon.

A few days had passed. Seeing the valley again, Li Heng felt a faint sense of nostalgia. The system information displayed "Severely Injured Blood Wolf King (0/1)." ’The Dungeon must have reset,’ he thought.

Last time he fought the Severely Injured Blood Wolf King, Li Heng had barely managed to survive. Now, although his Spirit attribute was still at 11, his Strength and Agility had reached 18 with the help of his equipment.

’If I face the Severely Injured Blood Wolf King head-on now, I should see if I can defeat it without taking any damage!’

However, before entering the main area of Wolf King Mountain, Li Heng stuck to his usual routine: first, he would kill some Sturdy Wild Wolves to save up Soul Energy Points and familiarize himself with the Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship.

Surrounded by eight Sturdy Wild Wolves, he channeled his Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship and brandished the Cyan Blade Longsword.

This time, as he swung his sword, that feeling of "lacking" something didn’t reappear. In fact, wielding the Cyan Blade Longsword felt even more natural than before.

’It must be because my Swordsmanship’s level increased, and my rudimentary Sword Intent is also taking effect,’ Li Heng thought.

Li Heng was very satisfied with his increase in power—his sword was faster and easier to handle. But another effect of the Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship also did not disappoint him.

His sword strikes looked pretty damn cool!

As his sword parried, thrusted, and countered amidst the wolf claws, it was as if real butterflies were dancing and pausing in the air.

And each time a butterfly paused, a Sturdy Wild Wolf was struck in a vital spot and collapsed.

Previously, Li Heng had assessed his own strength and concluded that if he ever encountered more than eight wild wolves, he should avoid them if at all possible; otherwise, he would risk severe injury.

But this time, upon seeing the eight wild wolves, Li Heng felt not a shred of fear.

He didn’t even flinch.

He just raised his sword and charged in, not even bothering to activate his Wolf Walk Technique!

Li Heng’s confidence stemmed entirely from two reasons.

1. This was a Dungeon. Even if he were severely injured, he would be fine after leaving. Plus, he still had four penalty waivers, so he could be as reckless as he wanted without worrying.

2. He truly felt no fear. While holding the Cyan Blade Longsword and channeling the Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship, these eight wild wolves posed no threat to him whatsoever. In his eyes, their movements had slowed down immensely.

Without using the Wolf Walk Technique and relying solely on his Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship, Li Heng wasn’t scratched even once by the Sturdy Wild Wolves.

Li Heng didn’t even use his full strength, just fighting with his normal sword swings. In a mere two minutes, five of the eight Sturdy Wild Wolves were dead, and the other three were on the brink of death.

Not wanting the three remaining wolves to suffer, Li Heng finished them off one by one.

’No wonder skills like Gale Swordsmanship sell for such a damn high price!’

Li Heng found the Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship incredibly easy to use. He felt his strength had increased tremendously; he could even emerge unscathed relying on his Swordsmanship alone, without needing the Wolf Walk Technique.

’If I had the money, I’d buy all those Swordsmanship skills! Then I’d just keep upgrading them!’

’Solid!’

This thought made Li Heng recall a certain period of his life on Earth, and two phrases that had constantly echoed in his ears back then.

How can you get stronger if you don’t pay?

How can you create fun without paying up?

Of course, Li Heng was only joking with himself about buying so many Swordsmanship skills.

He had discovered long ago, back when he was practicing the Wolf Walk Technique, that even if he used Soul Energy Points to raise a skill’s level, he still needed to diligently use and practice the Soul Energy Skill itself.

The more he used the Wolf Walk Technique, the more familiar he became with it. It reached a point where he could sometimes activate it subconsciously, without any deliberate effort.

The same was true for Swordsmanship. It was better to master one style than to be a jack-of-all-trades.

Besides, even if he did have that many Swordsmanship skills, Li Heng didn’t have enough Soul Energy Points to "nurture" them all.

Li Heng had already been treating the Sturdy Wild Wolves as easy EXP fodder. Now that his strength had soared, farming them was an even faster and more enjoyable process.

An hour later, having earned 600 Soul Energy Points, Li Heng had killed 75 Sturdy Wild Wolves and simply couldn’t find any more. Only then did he slowly start his ascent up Wolf King Mountain.

Considering their price and other factors, Li Heng didn’t bother collecting the wolf pelts. He only picked up the small but valuable Wolf Fangs, placing them into his Space Stone.

Perhaps it was because he had killed so many Sturdy Wild Wolves in a short time, or perhaps the scent of wolf blood on him was too strong. Whatever the reason, he hadn’t been on the mountain long before a small pack of Blood Wolves noticed him and charged straight in his direction.

Facing these Soul Beasts, Li Heng shed the relaxed attitude he’d had with the Sturdy Wild Wolves. He subconsciously activated the Wolf Walk Technique and immediately brandished his Cyan Blade Longsword.

Previously, Li Heng had only dared to take on two Blood Wolves by himself, and even that process had been fraught with danger.

This time, however, four of them charged him at once. Li Heng felt no fear, only a slight bit of pressure.

Without hesitation, he activated the Wolf Walk Technique and charged toward the four onrushing Blood Wolves, his Cyan Blade Longsword a blur as he moved.

"Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship!"

When he was less than half a meter from the Blood Wolves, Li Heng’s gaze sharpened, and he instantly unleashed a flurry of sword strikes!