Explosive Fireball!
Qi Ping stood before a massive boulder, channeling all the fire-attribute power in his body. A fireball brimming with terrifying pressure condensed in his palm.
Under his control, the fireball shot toward the boulder with lightning speed.
With a earth-shattering boom, the boulder was instantly pulverized into countless fragments and dust. Under the impact and explosion, it was as fragile as tofu.
Qi Ping did not stop after unleashing the fireball. Instead, he lunged forward at extreme speed.
As he moved, he used his palms to control his spiritual power, instantly condensing a massive and incredibly flexible Explosive Flame Net in front of him.
Under his guidance, the net instantly enveloped the shockwave and flying debris rushing toward him. Amidst a series of thunderous booms, all the impact and stone fragments were intercepted before they could reach him.
"Not bad, not bad at all!"
Experiencing the might of the perfected Explosive Fireball and net, a satisfied smile appeared on Qi Ping's face.
Extreme offense used as defense. The perfected Explosive Flame technique perfectly showcased the shock, explosion, and searing brilliance of the fire attribute.
'Though the principles of this technique are simple, given my talent situation, it is the best way to unleash my power to the fullest...'
'Even at the Foundation Establishment stage, this technique would still show great power. As my knowledge of spells grows and my understanding of fire energy deepens, I might even be able to refine this technique further.'
Qi Ping knew that as a rogue cultivator, his sources for spells were limited. High-tier "Collector-Grade" spells were incredibly difficult to obtain. A simple yet powerful technique like Explosive Flame was actually the most suitable for him.
His true advantage lay in using his Druid class and animal companions to stack various passives, raising his attributes to a level far beyond his peers.
Thus, a spell that could release his entire foundation and all his stacked attributes at once was crucial.
It didn't need to be intricate. As long as it could perfectly explode with all of Qi Ping's attributes, it would be enough to crush any obstacle with sheer force!
Even if there were flaws, they could be compensated for by his animal companions.
This was the combat style that suited Qi Ping best—possessing extreme power, speed, and defense was enough. These were the essentials; there was no need for fancy, flowery tricks.
There were many intricate movement techniques in the Qi Refinement stage, but how many late-stage cultivators could withstand Qi Ping's terrifying speed and force that could shatter the very earth?
'I'll stick to this path for my spells in the future. The most exquisite sect spells are too hard to get. I'd rather spend that energy and those stones on better manuals and spirit beasts.'
With limited resources, manuals that related to his foundation and spirit beasts that provided shared talents were far more important than spells.
Besides, even if there were more sophisticated spells, they might not be able to unleash the attribute power in Qi Ping's body as perfectly as the Explosive Flame technique.
'I suppose I can be considered to have truly entered the gate of spell-casting now. Although my methods are singular, at least I'm no longer that half-baked cultivator who couldn't even cast a proper Fireball spell...'
With this mastered Explosive Flame in hand, who would dare say he was a cultivator who didn't know any spells?
After testing the technique, Qi Ping was in a fantastic mood.
With his current combat strength—even without counting his animal companions—he could be considered one of the elite among Qi Refinement practitioners.
Of course, what made Qi Ping happiest was the escape capability provided by the movement technique and the life-saving potential of the combined net and Barkskin.
No matter the time, Qi Ping prioritized survival above all else. Staying alive was the prerequisite for everything...
'I recall Barkskin is also close to reaching Level 5?'
Thinking this, Qi Ping opened his attribute panel.
[Skill: Lv4 Barkskin (779/800)]
"Only 21 experience points left."
"I'll focus on this for the next couple of days and try to get Barkskin to Level 5 as soon as possible to awaken the first trait..."
Seeing that Barkskin was on the verge of leveling up, Qi Ping was eager to max it out.
The hardest thing to endure in a game was being just one step away from a breakthrough—especially when that breakthrough involved awakening a trait and gaining an immediate boost in combat power.
Thus, in the time that followed, aside from the hours spent casting Plant Growth, Qi Ping devoted his primary energy to improving Barkskin.
Armor-like layers of wooden skin repeatedly appeared and vanished on his body...
During this process, Qi Ping worked hard to sense the unique energy and principles behind the spell.
He was already incredibly familiar with the motion; in his free time, he would cast and meditate on Barkskin constantly.
One could say this was the skill Qi Ping knew best. No matter the situation, the moment he sensed the slightest thing amiss, he could cast the spell in an instant.
Under his full concentration, it took only a day and a half for the skill to hit Level 5.
[Skill: Lv5 Barkskin (0/1600)]
[Skill Trait Extraction in progress... Please wait patiently...]
"Here it comes!"
Seeing this familiar sight, Qi Ping couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
Trait extraction was one of the most unique features of this system. Most skills automatically underwent an extraction upon reaching Level 5.
The extraction process was both nerve-wracking and alluring because it randomly pulled a single trait from a pool of hundreds to merge with the skill.
There were traits for attack enhancement, armor-piercing, tenacity, fluidity, bloodlust, gale, hardening... almost everything imaginable.
Thus, an extraction could result in a god-tier skill or provide almost no improvement at all.
The only comfort was that, regardless of the result, the skill would never become weaker. It was a win-win situation; the only question was the size of the win.
'Whether Barkskin can truly soar depends on this...'
Qi Ping stared intently at the extraction interface, silently praying for a good attribute like "Hardening" or "Tenacity"—anything that paired well with defensive bark.
Under his anxious gaze, the extraction finally stopped on a specific trait...
[Trait Extraction Successful...]
[Congratulations, you have obtained a new trait: Explosion...]
"Explosion?"
"Explosion!"
"What kind of nonsense is this!?"
The moment he saw the new trait, Qi Ping was dumbfounded. What use did Barkskin have for an "Explosion" trait?
Was he supposed to wear it and blow himself up?
After all that anticipation, this was what he got?
However, just as Qi Ping was feeling speechless, the fusion information that appeared next caused his expression to freeze, quickly replaced by shock.
[Barkskin Skill Trait Fusion Successful... Obtained Fused Trait: Explosive Impact]
'You can even play it like this? Is this just a Thorns-Armor?'