Chapter Eighteen: One sword can separate the world!
Early the next morning, Xianyu glanced at his sign-in interface, as usual. Just as he was about to close it, he discovered an extra skill. It had been almost half a year since the last year-end bonus, and no skills or items had caught his eye during that time.
"Wouldn't it be great if this system had reminders? You have to manually check it every time, and if you forget, you won't even know if you received something good," Xianyu mused. He thought the sign-in system was a bit of a scam. It didn't offer any prompts or explanations, and it was quite stingy with its rewards. Thankfully, he had grown accustomed to it over time.
"I didn't expect this time's surprise to be something like this..." Xianyu said, looking at the "One Sword to Separate World" skill on the interface, deep in thought.
Leaving aside whether this skill was powerful, he remembered that it seemed to have its own set of techniques, indicating the potential for internal growth. Additionally, it had a sword control function.
Of course, Xianyu didn't care much about the minor internal strength aspect. After all, he was already on the path to immortality, so martial arts seemed like putting the cart before the horse unless he had gone mad!
What truly piqued Xianyu's interest was the unique skill, "One Sword Separates the World," and its sword-wielding effects.
"I can learn the techniques and use them without needing to focus on internal strength. Moreover, my spiritual power surpasses my internal strength, offering better results!"
He wondered, "If I become stronger in the future, will I be able to fly with a sword?"
Thinking about the possibility of flying with a sword ignited Xianyu's interest. Who doesn't dream of becoming a sword-wielding hero soaring through the skies? The idea of efficiently dealing with foes from thousands of miles away was equally enticing.
But all of this was just a dream for now, as he wasn't at that level yet.
Despite the dream being a distant one, Xianyu started practicing in accordance with this new skill.
After executing a few moves, he realized the cave was too cramped for proper practice, so he stepped outside.
Regarding the matter of finding Durin's remains, there was no urgency. It had been many years, and the chances of an accident were virtually nil.
Amidst the howling wind and snow, there was just one person dancing with a sword.
The scene was remarkably picturesque, but alas, there was no one around to appreciate this beautiful display.
After completing a set of exercises, Xianyu paused, pondering something.
"Why do these moves feel inferior to my basic swordsmanship? Is it my imagination?"
Indeed, after practicing a set of sword skills, Xianyu realized that the regular moves were not much different from his basic sword techniques, if not worse.
This discovery left him somewhat disappointed.
In truth, this was to be expected. The so-called path to greatness through simplicity meant that by mastering the fundamentals of swordsmanship to a certain level, incredible transformations would occur.
"I wonder if the final killing move is just as ordinary? If so, it would be quite disappointing."
With this thought in mind, he didn't continue practicing other sword techniques but instead used his spiritual power to follow the specific technique of "One Sword Separates the World."
"One sword can separate the world!"
In an instant, a surge of sword energy that seemed to divide the very essence of existence appeared.
The wind ceased, and the snow vanished.
After a few seconds, the wind and snow returned to normal, accompanied by the sound of falling trees.
Furthermore, Xianyu noticed a sword mark had been etched three-quarters of the way into the stone on the wall behind the fallen trees.
"This...!"
"It's so powerful! It's so sharp that it's probably challenging for ordinary lord monsters to resist."
Of course, this was applicable to lord monsters made of flesh and blood. If it were an elemental creature, it was uncertain whether the attack would be effective.
After all, without flesh and blood, there's no way to pinpoint a fatal point, making it unrealistic to kill someone with a single strike.
The effectiveness of this skill would depend on practical experience. However, given Xian Yu's somewhat lazy personality, it was unlikely he would bother with the strenuous training required. This skill might end up gathering dust, much like the "Heaven-Destroying Sword Drawing Technique."
"Finally, a proper finishing move. It doesn't have to be as problematic as 'Zhantian,' which weakens after two uses. Although it may not match the latter in power, it's undoubtedly a qualified ultimate move."
Its limitations stemmed from his current strength. If he grew stronger, the effectiveness of this sword technique would only improve.
With the long sword sheathed, Xian Yu prepared to continue his journey. But just as he took a couple of steps, he halted.
He opened the skill panel and tried to upgrade the newly acquired skills. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tapped on them, nothing happened.
"This is incredible! So, apart from upgrading 'Basic,' I can't use my experience points for any other skills?"
It seemed the functionalities of the renowned skills were limited.
"Well, if I can't upgrade it, I can't upgrade it. As long as my strength increases, my techniques will also become more potent."
Unable to activate this skill, Xian Yu experimented with other skills, and he noticed that his "experience value" had reset to zero.
He used his accumulated experience to advance the "Basic Breathing Method" to a higher level. As the skills improved, his cultivation speed would also increase, so he didn't regret it.
Experience points were just a matter of time and would accumulate over time.
However, he was aware that he wouldn't be able to retain his experience points next time; they would be funneled into his basic swordsmanship.
This was reminiscent of the original draw card system, where the rough stone never exceeded 160.
"By the way, what's my current level of strength?"
Interestingly, Xian Yu was clueless about this ranking of strength, and Teyvat also appeared to lack such knowledge or skills.
Based on Xian Yu's self-assessment of his strength, he believed he was at the lower-middle level among the Chosen Ones. It wasn't surprising; he had only recently mastered elemental powers. However, this assessment was based solely on his elemental power and didn't take into account his other abilities.
As for understanding his overall strength, Xian Yu had always been unclear. His capabilities were unique and quite unpredictable. Without skills and spiritual power, he was essentially a "newcomer" among the Chosen Ones. When it came to using other powers, he hadn't really experimented with them yet.
So, he decided not to dwell on it and continued his journey.
Xian Yu resumed his search for Durin's remains, knowing that finding the bones would bring him closer to locating the heart. His main goal in finding the heart was to see if it could have any influence on the Cryo Crystal Butterfly and to determine its precise location.
Xian Yu wasn't entirely certain if Durin's heart could trigger the evolution of the Cryo Crystal Butterfly. In terms of attributes, it seemed highly unlikely, as Durin's attributes had no apparent connection to Cryo element. However, as both were elemental entities, there was a slim chance it might work, and Xian Yu felt it was worth trying.
After all, this creature at the pinnacle of elemental beings might be able to bring about unexpected changes in the Cryo Crystal Butterfly. Yet, this remained a hopeful expectation; his primary objective was to craft an exceptional sword for himself.
Drawing from his gaming experience, he understood the importance of the heart level. As for dragontooth, he had his own plan. He didn't need to search for them because there was a massive head in the place where Durin had died, providing him with the dragontooth he needed. It was a readily available resource, and there was no reason to seek them elsewhere.
In his earlier gaming experiences, Xian Yu often wondered why players had to go to great lengths to collect dragontooth when they had a colossal dragon head at their disposal. Yet, he acknowledged that in games, items are often not easily obtained, and quests come with various tasks and challenges.