Chapter 469: A Brand-New Breathing Technique
He still had roughly 37 million experience points left. It was already starting to feel a bit tight, but fusing a few skills would definitely be enough.
Both his wallet and his experience were completely drained at this point. No matter what, he had to harvest another big wave of players tomorrow to stay afloat.
He planned to release some new skills and equipment he no longer needed, and he would also choose certain universal advancement skills to open up to all classes.
It was basically pure profit anyway, and it was the perfect chance to refill his nearly empty wallet and experience bar.
Opening the skill list and entering the skill fusion interface, Zhou Ning first selected [Sun Breathing] and [Ripple Breathing] for fusion. A prompt immediately appeared:
[Fuse Sun Breathing (Beginner) and Ripple Breathing (Master)? This fusion will consume 1,363,000 experience. Success rate: 87.3%.]
Because the skill levels weren't high enough, the success rate was only 87%. Zhou Ning didn't rush the fusion; instead, he spent some experience to upgrade Sun Breathing to Advanced before proceeding.
"Fusion successful. You have obtained the skill [Solar Ripple Breathing] (Beginner)!"
[Solar Ripple Breathing (Beginner): A fusion of Sun Breathing and Ripple Breathing. This special breathing technique simulates the power of the sun to greatly strengthen the body. Its effect slightly surpasses both Sun Breathing and Ripple Breathing. It includes thirteen basic forms. Effects from the three breathing styles cannot stack; only the highest effect applies.]
[Your skill Ripple Shot has been upgraded to Solar Ripple Shot.]
[Your skill Ripple Slash has been upgraded to Solar Ripple Slash.]
...
Success! Zhou Ning scanned through the effects of the new skill and let out a sigh of relief. The skill description looked a bit vague, but it was clear the fused skill was superior to the original two. Ripple Breathing used to take a long time just to raise physical attributes a little—now who knew how strong the effect would be?
With his theory proven, Zhou Ning attempted several more fusions, but they all failed. Skills like [Sun Breathing], [Scarlet Blade], and [Navy Six Styles] belonged to different systems and were extremely hard to fuse.
After countless attempts, one combination finally succeeded.
[Fuse Divine Departure (Expert), Scarlet Blade (Beginner), and Sun Breathing (Beginner)? This fusion will consume 1,963,000 experience. Success rate: 37.3%.]
Zhou Ning poured in a huge amount of experience, upgrading Divine Departure, Scarlet Blade, and Sun Breathing all to Master before trying again.
"Fusion successful. You have obtained the universal skill [Blazing Wave Sword] (Beginner)!"
[Blazing Wave Sword (Beginner): A powerful slash combining Sun Breathing, Scarlet Blade, and Divine Departure. Launches a flame-like wave of sword energy forward, dealing 185% weapon damage as fire damage and knocking enemies back.]
Seeing the description, Zhou Ning couldn't help but feel delighted.
Luck was on his side this time. The damage bonus was high, the style rating would probably be good too, and since it was a universal skill, players were guaranteed to love it.
He failed a few more times after that, wasting several million experience points. Just as he was running out of experience, he finally found another successful combination.
[Fuse Sun Breathing (Beginner), Ripple Breathing (Beginner), and Basic Shooting Mastery (Grandmaster)? Success rate: 63%.]
After dumping in the last of his experience, all three skills reset to zero proficiency, and the game sent out a notification:
"Fusion successful. You have obtained the skill [Blazing Rounds] (Beginner)!"
[Blazing Rounds: Converts a certain number of bullets into fire-attribute rounds, causing an explosive flame blast upon hitting enemies.]
This skill wasn't bad either—perfect for harvesting players.
From his experience, this skill could also fuse with Silver Bullets, creating a holy-fire hybrid ability. But that would require a precious skill fusion card. Besides, Beowulf combined with Blazing Rounds could achieve the same effect. Zhou Ning decided to stop while he was ahead.
...
Morning.
District Seven's Discipline Square was Nathaniell's safe zone, bustling with players setting up stalls, dueling, and looking for party members.
Yanran Weile's gaze fell on Alex, a top player from France's Nirvana Club. He was a calm-looking Chinese player in his twenties.
Alex was currently in a duel with the wandering gunslinger Super Blue Cat. Several players from the Bryston Kingdom—Sunken Star Beneath the Water, Jinse, and Wrath of Thunder-Chasing Winds—were watching alongside XB and Qinbai Wild Sake, both former pro players now acting as commentators.
The main tournament would start in two days, and pro players from all regions were arriving in Nathaniell one after another. In Yanran Weile's eyes, every one of them was a tough opponent.
"Man, they're all tough nuts to crack! I really regret not clinging to Wayne Sturwell's thigh earlier. If I had stuck with him, I'd be set." Yanran Weile shook his head helplessly.
"This is what happens when you're given a chance but can't hold onto it," his teammate, meteorologist Yu Qiwen, said disdainfully. "Just look at Shorty—she held tight to the protagonist's thigh and now she's top of the level rankings, and first place in the qualifiers."
"Shorty" was Jinse's nickname in the pro scene, bestowed after her height was exposed during a physical exam—160 cm with shoes, 150 cm without, despite claiming 170. The exam results had publicly debunked her claim.
Jinse had no idea her height was being mocked and was happily watching the duel. Alex's approach to fighting a wandering gunslinger was interesting—he stayed calm and patient, holding onto his leap slash and waiting for a moment to slow his opponent before sliding in with a triple slash followed by a leap. Super Blue Cat wasn't his match.
At that moment, a regional quest notification appeared in everyone's task list.
[A new storm is brewing. Wayne Sturwell has arrived in Nathaniell City and is about to begin a new legendary chapter. As the protagonist of Apocalypse, he is always ready to assist players who share his resolve to fight evil. Location: Carnaby Street. Countdown: 00:59:59.]
[Reward: +5 Wayne Sturwell Favorability, personal shop unlocked.]
"Holy crap! Wayne Sturwell is here!"
The square erupted into a frenzy as players rushed toward the location.
To be honest, players here had been waiting for him to arrive for a long time. They were sick of seeing Darkland's players brag on the forums and watching gunslingers flaunt their superiority. Now it was finally their turn to shine.
Even the pro players joined the surging crowd heading toward Carnaby Street a few blocks away.
The scene was spectacular.
...
Of course, Zhou Ning had written this quest himself. After so much practice, he was already a master of using quests to secretly hype himself up.
Standing in front of his not-yet-open alchemy shop, it didn't take long for Zhou Ning to see the entire street fill with players. As far as the eye could see, crowds packed shoulder to shoulder. Everyone stared at him with curiosity and excitement.
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