[You have successfully completed a quest. Quest Name: Guardian’s Protect]
[Rewards: 4 Skill Upgrade Passes | The Rat’s Lair Medallion | A Hidden Reward]
“Tower, how do the Skill Upgrade Passes work?”
[The Skill Upgrade Passes can be used to upgrade the grade of your skills. Basically, instead of upgrading the ranks, which only enhances the effect, the grade upgrade will evolve the skill to the next level.]
“I see. This is good, then.” Kent wasn’t really concerned with the reward he would earn when he received the quest. His mind was on rescuing Li Hua. However, now that he had received such a reward, he could only smile.
“Although I have four passes, I must select between the three skills now lagging behind since the Appraiser’s Eye skill has evolved to Enchanted Eyes.”
Since the Appraiser’s Eye has now become a divine skill, Kent only needs to select between [Elemental Manipulation], [36 String Weaving Strike], and [Teleport].
Of course, he could use them to develop his divine skills, but that would be a waste, considering he doesn’t have the strength to wield even 10% of those skills yet.
That is especially true for martial skills. Making them Ancient-grade skills would be good, but they would remain as trophies until he can wield them—which he is nowhere near doing.
Now, which of the three skills will receive a double upgrade? He has four upgrade passes, and with his skill set, he doesn’t need new sword skills. He can make do with the ones he has.
But even if he wants more, he still has two slots he can use to receive two skills from Vexthra’s arsenal and one from Lilian. He doesn’t really need a new martial skill.
However, if he were to upgrade these three, he would gain some really cool upgrades. Of course, with him having no control over how the skill evolves, he can only cross his fingers and hope.
“Tower, use one pass on the 36 String Weaving Strike,” Kent decided. The outcome will determine what he gets.
[Command received. Upgrading skill… 36 String Weaving Strike skill successfully upgraded from Earth Grade to Heaven Grade.]
[The skill has undergone a name change; 72 String Sovereign Strike]
[Skill Name: 72 String Sovereign Strike]
[Grade: Heaven]
[Rank: SS]
— Using 72 strings fashioned from sword qi, unleash any pattern you can visualize with a single swing of your sword.
— Based on your mastery and mental strength, the patterns can be manipulated mid-attack to counter enemy defenses
— Each string can be infused with condensed elemental qi, allowing for elemental attacks (fire, ice, lightning…) depending on the user’s affinity.
“Damn, this is incredible.” Kent was elated.
The skill had evolved, and it hadn’t just evolved into something marginally better—it had become extraordinarily powerful, adding two new effects. The number of strings increased from 36 to 72.
That alone was impressive. Now, with a thought, he could change the direction of the strings mid-attack, allowing him to switch between opponents seamlessly during combat.
But that wasn’t even the best part. With his mental strength strong enough, he could separate the strings and make them attack multiple opponents simultaneously.
Then, the Elemental Infusion feature enabled him to infuse his fire element into the attack for additional damage.
If he wanted to, he could abandon the Elemental Manipulation skill entirely and focus solely on this new skill. But of course, the more options, the better.
With people knowing about Li Hua’s secret, it was only a matter of time before visitors—likely enemies—started appearing. Kent needed to grow stronger so that when Li Hua began cultivating, he could fully support her.
Her grandmother said she could protect herself once Li Hua started cultivating. Kent, however, wanted to ensure he was strong enough to guard her while she grew stronger.
“Tower, upgrade the Teleport too.”
[Command received. Upgrading skill… Teleport skill successfully upgraded from Earth Grade to Heaven Grade.]
[The skill has undergone a name change; Blink]
[Skill Name: Blink]
[Grade: Heaven]
[Rank: SSS]
[Effect:]
— Teleport up to 5000 meters in an instant.
— You no longer need direct sight, only a clear mental image of the destination.
— Each teleport leaves a shockwave that disrupts enemies within 10 meters of your starting and ending points.
— Stamina efficiency is improved, allowing more frequent use.
“Wow”
[The Master has indeed hit the jackpot. Now, you can blink inside anywhere, provided no restrictions prevent teleportation. In fact, with the skill, if used well, you will only be seen like a dot blinking in and out of existence]
“Sweet. I will need this when trying to escape or create chaos.” Kent’s laughter filled the room as he examined the nature of his new skill.
“Tower, focus on the elemental manipulation skill next.”
[Skill Name: Elemental Lord]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Rank: SS]
[Effect:]
— Channel elemental energy through any weapon effortlessly.
— Infuse weapons with multiple elemental energies simultaneously.
— Manipulate elements to create shields, projectiles, or traps.
— Boosts weapon durability and cutting power with infused energy.
“Not bad, not bad at all” Kent smiled and waved his hand. At once, pointed darts made of fire appeared in front of him, each exuding potent fire qi.
“With this, even without my sword, I can fight someone on the same level as me. But with my sword, I can do much more damage to an opponent.
[The master can relax and save the last Upgrade pass for a fortunate encounter in the future]
“That is wise Tower, very wise.” Kent, after seeing the effects he had reaped, decided to relax for now. A lot was riding on his becoming a Grandmaster and unlocking the towers.
Using everything now is good but can help significantly in the future.
“To the next reward, then.” Kent accessed the next reward, which made him grin from ear to ear from the first line.
[The Rat’s Lair Medallion]
— The Rat Lair Medallion is a secret key to the Dungeon left behind by the Rat Emperor Rattinus.
— It is said to contain 50 levels, and each level contains a challenge that, when cleared, will award you a treasure from the Rat Lair.
— Only the first 15 levels have been cleared in the last 23 thousand years due to how difficult the levels are as they progress.
— Rumor has it that whoever clears the dungeon will inherit all the wealth inside the dungeon.
— Those brave enough who don’t fear death may venture into its dept and fight for their chance of inheriting the astronomical wealth left behind by the Rat Emperor.
[If you are brave enough, you can travel to the Ratinix world, a high-grade world, and challenge the dungeon. Note that death inside the dungeon is permanent, and you must clear at least five levels to be able to exit.]
“Not a bad item, but I don’t qualify for it now, so Tower, keep it and alert me when I am ready to challenge it.”
[Okay, Master.]
Kent focuses on the last item, the hidden reward.
[True Name Token]
— This token allows you to awaken the True Name of anyone who possesses one or bestow upon them a True Name you see fit.
Note: It can be used only once and cannot be used on yourself.
“Good stuff. I guess I will use it on Unity since her foundation is much weaker than Lilian’s. But for now, let me become a Grandmaster.”
With that, Kent checked on Li Hua, who was still asleep. He then left to spend time with his two vixens.