I Can Upgrade Everything Infinitely-Chapter 56 - 55: Stepping into Outer Gang! Wandering Dragon Sword, Soft Hedgehog Armor

Chapter 56: Chapter 55: Stepping into Outer Gang! Wandering Dragon Sword, Soft Hedgehog Armor

Ever since Xu Qing bought a full five hundred catties of Black Mountain Tiger Meat from the Black Market, he had enough Level 2 Spiritual Food. He stopped going out altogether, and his daily routine became very simple.

Martial Arts! Martial Arts! And more Martial Arts!

He even stopped leaving the city to farm Experience Points for his Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique from ant nests. The heavy snow had buried everything, and the ants were nowhere to be found.

By his count, this winter was almost over. Only a little more than a month remained. The temperature was even starting to rise, and the snow covering the land had begun to melt.

Also, after the last incident, tens of thousands of refugees and commoners were brutally killed by Demon Fiends. As news of this spread, the refugees and victims from the surrounding county towns no longer dared to come to Qingbei Town.

In any case, Qingbei Town had found some temporary peace.

However, no one knew how long this "peace" would last. And in the shadows of Qingbei Town, who knew how many people were plotting, or what they were planning.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye.

「Five days later.」

BAM!

Xu Qing threw a punch, generating a powerful Fist Force that vibrated the very air. He slowly withdrew his stance and communicated with the Encyclopedia of All Things in his mind.

Baji Heaven-Striking Fist LV4: 1000/1000 (Upgradeable!)

The information appeared.

In five days, Xu Qing had thrown himself into his training, practicing Baji Heaven-Striking Fist over and over. By practicing for more than eight hours a day, he could gain about forty Experience Points.

After five days, his Experience had reached one thousand.

It was time to upgrade.

’Upgrade Baji Heaven-Striking Fist,’ Xu Qing commanded inwardly.

HUM!

The moment the thought formed, the Encyclopedia of All Things flickered with a fluorescent light, emitting a mysterious aura. Before Xu Qing’s eyes, countless small black figures appeared, endlessly practicing the Baji Heaven-Striking Fist.

BOOM!

A roaring sound erupted in Xu Qing’s mind. The countless small black figures seemed to turn into a torrent, flooding into his consciousness.

At that moment, Xu Qing’s consciousness trembled as if he had entered a mystical space. Within this space, the Baji Heaven-Striking Fist was continuously practiced and perfected.

Finally, the Baji Heaven-Striking Fist underwent a metamorphosis, an incredible transformation, a fundamental change that caused Xu Qing’s aura to steadily grow stronger.

Upgrade Successful!

Baji Heaven-Striking Fist LV5: 0/2000 (Originally a new Martial Art created from the fusion of Baji Fist and Heaven-Fighting Cyan Eagle Force, it has nearly reached the pinnacle of ordinary Martial Arts and is only one step away from becoming a Fundamental Skill. It integrates the secrets of Fist Techniques, Stepping Techniques, and Claw Techniques. Now, through further refinement, it has undergone a metamorphosis: it opens the Ren and Du Meridians, builds the Bridge of Heaven and Earth, absorbs Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, and transforms Qi and Blood and Power to form Gang Qi, which can extend over Seven Inches from the body.)

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

Xu Qing’s eyes flew open as his entire body transformed. The Level 5 Baji Heaven-Striking Fist had shattered his previous limits, propelling his Cultivation Realm past the Peak of Pill Strength and into the Second Step of the Martial Dao: the Outer Gang Realm.

At the same time, Xu Qing finally understood the true meaning of a Fundamental Skill.

’So that’s what a Fundamental Skill is. It’s mainly about refining all of one’s Qi and Blood and Power into a single, extreme point to open the Ren and Du Meridians. Then, one uses that same energy to construct a Bridge of Heaven and Earth.’

Xu Qing mused, ’At that point, you can connect with the omnipresent Energy of the world. You absorb it, combine it with your own Qi and Blood and Power, and trigger a qualitative transformation—condensing Power into something that transcends it: Gang Qi.’

’Once you reach this Realm, you start to become something beyond human. The Gang Qi you control can extend Seven Inches from your body. You could kill someone with a thrown leaf. You could infuse Gang Qi into a normal sheet of paper and slice through steel.’

He exhaled slowly.

Xu Qing took a deep breath. He stepped forward, threw a punch, and began practicing the Level 5 Baji Heaven-Striking Fist.

Each of Xu Qing’s movements contained immense Power. An invisible layer of Gang Qi now enveloped him, covering his body like a suit of thick, defensive armor.

After more than ten minutes, Xu Qing finished a full run-through of the form and slowly withdrew his stance.

Experience +1

’I can’t believe it. I’ve already reached the Second Step of the Martial Dao: the Outer Gang Realm.’

The corners of Xu Qing’s mouth lifted into a slight smile. He felt the immense Power coursing through him, and his mood was excellent. ’But it’s not enough. The power of the Outer Gang Realm alone won’t be enough to face the dangers ahead.’

’I need to be stronger.’

’And another thing...’ Xu Qing mused, ’There are other things I need.’

「At noon.」

Xu Qing left his home.

He went straight to the largest weapon shop in Qingbei Town’s Outer City: the Ten Thousand Weapons Pavilion. He was looking for a new weapon.

On the top floor of the Ten Thousand Weapons Pavilion, Xu Qing was surprised to find the Level 6 Iron Sword he had sold.

’This...’

Xu Qing was a little surprised.

’That’s the one.’

Xu Qing scanned his surroundings, and finally, his gaze landed on a Treasure Sword on the top floor. It was a three-foot blade, emanating a cold glint—truly a fine sword.

In fact, its quality was nearly on par with a Level 6 Iron Sword.

And this was before Xu Qing had even upgraded it.

"Not bad."

Xu Qing nodded in satisfaction and asked, "Boss, how much silver for this Treasure Sword?"

"My good sir, you have a keen eye."

The owner of the Ten Thousand Weapons Pavilion was a bald, middle-aged man. A smile bloomed on his face. "This Wandering Dragon Sword," he said, "is a masterpiece forged by Master Zhu Fangming, one of the three great Master Blacksmiths in Qingbei Town. It’s made with materials mixed with Cold Pool Profound Iron and was forged over a period of eighty-one days."

"So..."

"You can take it home for just thirteen thousand silver."

"Too much."

Xu Qing shook his head. "Go lower."

"Alright."

The owner of the Ten Thousand Weapons Pavilion said, "I can tell you’re a man who appreciates a good sword, and likely a skilled swordsman yourself. I can give you a better price."

"Twelve thousand, nine hundred silver."

"..."

Xu Qing pursed his lips. He’d only knocked off a hundred silver.

"Ten thousand," Xu Qing stated, "and I’ll take it right now."

"That’s impossible..." the owner of the Ten Thousand Weapons Pavilion practically shrieked.

In the end, after some haggling, Xu Qing bought the Wandering Dragon Sword, forged by Master Zhu Fangming, one of Qingbei Town’s three great Master Blacksmiths, for eleven thousand silver.

Next, Xu Qing spent another ten thousand silver at the Ten Thousand Weapons Pavilion on a suit of Soft Hedgehog Armor. It could be worn as an inner lining to protect his vital organs.

「In the afternoon.」

Xu Qing returned to his courtyard.

’Record.’

With a thought, Xu Qing focused on the two items in his hands—the Wandering Dragon Sword and the Soft Hedgehog Armor. The Encyclopedia of All Things began to glow.

FLASH! FLASH!

Flashes of white light. The two items were successfully recorded.

...

Wandering Dragon Sword LV1: 0/60 (A Treasure Sword capable of slicing through iron like mud. Forged by Qingbei Town Master Blacksmith Zhu Fangming using Refined Iron of a Hundred Forgings mixed with Cold Pool Profound Iron.)

...

Soft Hedgehog Armor LV1: 0/10 (A form-fitting soft armor woven from golden thread and Centennial Vine. It offers both concealment and defense, protecting the body’s vital areas.)

...

’Good,’ Xu Qing thought with a nod.

Next, Xu Qing was going to upgrade these two items.

The Wandering Dragon Sword was like the Iron Sword; he just needed to swing it to increase its Experience Points. However, the Wandering Dragon Sword needed sixty Experience Points to upgrade at Level 1.

The Soft Hedgehog Armor gained Experience Points in a way similar to the Evil Ghost Mask; Xu Qing just had to wear it to gain Experience Points.

The Soft Hedgehog Armor gained one Experience Point for every ten minutes it was worn.

This meant that as long as Xu Qing wore the Soft Hedgehog Armor continuously, not even taking it off to sleep, he could constantly gain Experience Points.

By that calculation, the Soft Hedgehog Armor could gain a maximum of 144 Experience Points per day.

"Excellent," Xu Qing nodded repeatedly.

Afterward, Xu Qing immediately put on the Soft Hedgehog Armor. He wore it underneath a long shirt and an outer robe, completely concealing it from view.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!!!

At the same time, Xu Qing picked up the Wandering Dragon Sword and began swinging it relentlessly in his courtyard. With his current power and physique, he was no longer limited to just one swing per second.

If he wanted to, he could unleash ten swings in a single second.

After all, Xu Qing had reached the Outer Gang Realm.

He was on a completely different level now.

Time flew by.

In the courtyard, Xu Qing swung the sword again and again. He didn’t actually swing ten times per second, settling for five instead. Pushing for ten was too draining.

...

Experience +1

...

Experience +1

...

Experience +1

...

In a blink of an eye.

「An hour later.」

’Hm.’ Xu Qing nodded in satisfaction. He had swung the sword continuously for an hour, five swings per second without a break, which had consumed a lot of his stamina.

At this point, the status read:

Wandering Dragon Sword LV1: 18000/60 (Upgradeable!)

’Excellent,’ Xu Qing was more than satisfied. ’Upgrade the Wandering Dragon Sword!’ he commanded.

FLASH!

The Encyclopedia of All Things flickered with a fluorescent glow.

Similarly, the Wandering Dragon Sword in Xu Qing’s hand also flashed with a white light.

The next moment, Xu Qing seemed to see a vision of the Wandering Dragon Sword being reforged.

Upgrade Successful!

Wandering Dragon Sword LV2: 17940/120 (Upgradeable!)

’Keep going,’ Xu Qing commanded.

...

Wandering Dragon Sword LV3: 17820/240 (Upgradeable!)

...

Wandering Dragon Sword LV4: 17580/480 (Upgradeable!)

...

Wandering Dragon Sword LV5: 17100/960 (Upgradeable!)

...

Wandering Dragon Sword LV6: 16140/1920 (Upgradeable!)

...

Wandering Dragon Sword LV7: 14220/3840 (Upgradeable!)

...

Wandering Dragon Sword LV8: 10380/7680 (Upgradeable!)

... 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Wandering Dragon Sword LV9: 2700/15360 (This is a peerless Treasure Sword forged by a Master Blacksmith over eighteen years using Thousand-year-old Cold Pool Profound Iron. It is close to achieving Spirit Communication and is rarely seen in the Mortal World.)

...

’Still a little short.’

Xu Qing gripped the Wandering Dragon Sword. Even though it was only Level 9, he could feel it was vastly more powerful than his old Level 10 Iron Sword.

It seemed that for items, surpassing Level 10 triggered a metamorphosis, turning them from mundane objects into something more. However, an item’s original quality determined the true extent of its power after reaching Level 10.