Soul of Blades - Chapter 67: Insanity (Patreon)

Authors note: theres an interchange between the terms “D rank” & “D grade” in some chapters. Although both mean the same thing, sometimes the latter or former sounds better. Enjoy.

Chapter 67: Insanity

A slew of notifications assaulted Alex’s senses.

[You have defeated [Error - Non System Entity - Quantification rejected - Unable to Quantify] - No experience gained]

[Congratulations, you have improved your race, ascended your body, and elevated yourself in pursuit of service to your imperial masters. Grow, and serve them well]

[Human - Rank E > D]

[Rank D Body - all stats 400]

[Original method of Race Ascension logged - Due to the unique nature of your ascension, unique passive skill ‘Nascent Body (imperfect)’ created]

[Unique Skill: Nascent Body (Imperfect) - Your body is made of multiple energies of existence, infused in every cell. Absorption, adaptation, and utilisation of energies involved in its creation have greatly increased in affinity and effectiveness. Imperfect due to the weakness of materials and lack of variance of energies used]

[Gained Mythical Feat: "Innovator" Created unique skill - Skill mastery and mana related skill effectiveness increased by 50%]

[Gained Legendary Feat: "Reborn" Survived Death without system aid - Healing and regeneration 20% faster.]

Name: Alex Ironwood

Level: 70

Race: Human - Rank D

Primary Class: ̷̷͎̠̠̖̳̮̿́̏̄͝͠Sys̵̞̈́͆̓̓te̸̪̟͇͕͂mic SwO̷̟̮̙͚̔rd So̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅve̶̷̵̴̲̳̱reign

Sub-class: Locked

Strength: 1085 (723)

Dexterity: 1121 (747)

Endurance: 792 (528)

Intelligence: 1230 (820)

Wisdom: 11 642 (428)

Feats: First Encounter, Pioneer, Pinnacle IV, Survivor, Warrior, Champion, Dungeon Insurgent, Innovator, Reborn,

Active skills: Phoenix Leap, Mana Burn, Mana Blade, Boundless Dodge, Duȅ̷̳̮̄͝͠l of C̷͎̠̠̖̿́orruption, Sovereign Executioner, InfiniteBody, Sovereign Clone,

Passive skills: Inner Focus, Outer Focus, A̷̶̵̴̲̳̱l̸̢͉̗̣̑͐͛à̸̶̵̴̶̷̶̺̥̮̯͇̲̳̱̼̲͒̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̸̴̶̷̵̢̳̮̲̳̱͉̗̣̲̳̱̏̄̑͐͛͝͠Ω̴̵̶̷̲̳̱ ̶̶̯͇̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̴̶̷̵̳̮̲̳̱̲̳̱̏̄͝͠g̵̶̷̴̲̳̱e̸̪̟͇͕͂e̶̷̵̴̲̳̱E̵̴̶̷̶̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̢̲̳̱̼̲̲̳̱̟̮̙͚͉̗̣̺̥̮͋͐͋͂̔̑͐͛̀͒ͅͅ ̶̷̶̴̵̶̷̯͇̲̳̱̈́̈͛ ̷̸̴̶̷̵̳̮̪̟͇͕̲̳̱̏̄͂͝͠M̷̶̵̴̲̳̱m̸̵̴̶̷̸̷̸̴̶̷̵̢͉̗̣̲̳̱̪̟͇͕̟̮̙͚̺̥̮̲̳̱̑͐͛͂̔̀͒ͅ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̸̶̢̳̮͉̗̣̼̲̏̄̑͐͛͋͐͋͂͝͠ͅO̷̟̮̙͚̔o̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅᾯ̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̸̢̲̳̱̲̳̱̟̮̙͚̪̟͇͕͉̗̣̺̥̮̑͐͛̀͒ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̶͎̠̠̖̼̲̿́͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̳̮̏̄͝͠ ̷̶̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̴̶̷̵̲̳̱̲̳̱̲̳̱, Inventory, Bestial Senses, BladeBody,True sight, Mana Vortex, Aurelias Blessing (Temporary), Nascent Body (imperfect),

Dao: True Immortality - 0.16% Progress

Unassigned stat points: 0]

Alex found himself raking through his notifications and status updates with the intensity of a miner sifting for gold.

So he really had died. And yet, here he was—alive, breathing, and apparently fundamentally altered. He had gained an unimaginable amount of stats, just over 3000, excluding the 500 Wisdom boost from his passive Mana Vortex. It was under the base stats for D rank, but his feats boosted his base by 50%, driving his total to just below 5000 stats. He still had stats similar to before the battle, but they were more real— not able to be stripped away at a moments notice. Now, his base truly had the stats of someone at the D-grade, or to be more precise, someone at level 79 in the D-grade, or level 405 in the E-grade. All without having to rely on impossible to acquire equipment. While still only being level Seventy.

But how? The notification had said he’d received no experience for killing Jun Li.

If system users received no XP for defeating cultivators, how would they ever grow strong enough to defy the Empire and take control of their worlds? And of their lives? Alex considered the possibility of the Martial Empire being benign or benevolent rulers, but judging by Jun Li’s behaviour, he doubted it. Jun Li's attitude towards him had pretty much matched what he had expected from Earth’s tales.

It was a deeply unfair system, but it still did not answer the question of his enhanced stats. Reviewing his notifications, he noticed the alert on his racial advancement and the passive skill ‘Nascent body’. So that explained it, well, most of it.

There was still another unexplained element. He had gained an incredible amount of Wisdom and Intelligence. A hundred stats in each that couldn't be accounted for. And he noticed a myriad of energies shifting within him... energies which were exactly the same as those of the artifacts the vortex had absorbed. Mei's artifacts.

"No way," Alex thought, "it couldn't be."

He glanced down at his navel and peered, focusing, relying on inner focus and true sight in tandem, to peer at the small white flames of Qi at the center of his being. It was exactly the same as Jun Li’s—a replica, only smaller.

The vortex, created by his strange, unreadable glitched skill — Had it fused with his artifacts, using these very same artifacts and world materials to recreate his body? Had it transferred the items energies and mana to him? Had it actually absorbed Jun Li's Qi?

If that was true, it changed everything.

That would explain the extra stats in wisdom and intelligence. Could he absorb anything? Anyone? Or did it only work on cultivators? How could he activate the skill?

Gathering his thoughts, Alex glanced around the destroyed forest. He could vaguely remember the direction he and Mei had come from and began his stumbling journey back to her hut.

As he walked back through the forest, Alex considered his huge gain in stats. It was strange that he didn't feel any different, not faster or stronger. The air and environment no longer resisted him, but he felt about as fast and strong as he had on Pyra. In fact, he even felt a little weaker. It must be the world resisting him, weakening him. Higher-grade worlds were no joke. He would have to ask Mei the exact grade of this world to understand why its environment was so harsh and energy-rich.

Finally, the familiar structure of Mei's hut appeared in his sight. But what he saw filled him with dread. Mei was kneeling, bloodied, in front of a man and woman dressed in flowing robes. The woman was floating and blazed with Qi in Alex’s true sight like a miniature sun. It was almost blinding. It made Jun Li's Qi look like a matchstick in comparison.

This cultivator was unbelievably powerful.

Alex gulped in trepidation.