"Deducting 874.8 million, One-Click Auto Hunting upgraded to Level 8, and the shadow count increased by one!"
However, reaching Level 9 for auto hunting required 2.6 billion, leaving Su Xiaobai unable to continue upgrading.
Fortunately, this eighth shadow perfectly compensated for the one lost earlier, allowing him to resume harvesting Lin family strongholds.
"The remaining 1.5 billion…"
"Upgrading one click alchemy isn't worth it for now. Let's upgrade one click collection instead… After all, heavenly materials and earthly treasures are a key link in the chain of profits!"
Among the pills Su Xiaobai produced, many rare materials were found by the treasure-hunting goblins. For instance, the Purple-Eyed Trileaf Flower from earlier was one such contribution, saving him significant costs.
Naturally, adding another treasure-hunting goblin directly increased Su Xiaobai's profits.
Moreover, one click-collection was already at Level 4.
He eagerly anticipated what new features Level 5 might unlock!
"Deducting 409.6 million, one click collection upgraded to Level 5, and one treasure-hunting goblin added!"
"Ding! Auto-collection space upgraded to Level 5, unlocking the new feature [Sprint]!"
"[Sprint]: Doubles the speed of treasure-hunting goblins!"
Sure enough, the new feature didn't disappoint Su Xiaobai.
Doubling the goblins' speed meant their efficiency in locating rare resources would increase—not just by twofold, but potentially several times over due to hidden factors.
Additionally, the faster speed reduced their risk of being killed by guardian beasts often found near rare resources.
Treasure-hunting goblins had no combat abilities. If their escape speed wasn't quick enough, they could easily be killed, requiring a 24-hour cooldown to respawn before resuming work.
With faster speed, goblins could better survive and further boost efficiency!
"Still 1.1 billion left… Just enough to allocate to one click cultivation and alchemy!"
"Deducting 204.8 million, one click-cultivation space upgraded to Level 12, increasing space-time flow from 8,192x to 16,384x!"
"Deducting 409.6 million, one click-cultivation space upgraded to Level 13, increasing space-time flow from 16,384x to 32,768x!"
"Deducting 194.4 million, one click-alchemy space upgraded to Level 6, allowing pill quality to reach Mid-Divine Grade!"
The system notifications stopped there.
Though Su Xiaobai still had 500 million left, none of the remaining system functions could be upgraded. This hinted that future upgrades would require exponentially larger investments.
"Everything to sell has been sold; everything to upgrade has been upgraded. Next comes the quiet wait for the results to bloom!"
Su Xiaobai packed up his stall and left the black market.
But through his keen spatial awareness, he sensed several advanced martial masters trailing him. Clearly, there was no shortage of greedy but brainless individuals anywhere.
"Ding! Qiankun Technique upgraded to Intermediate Level!"
Suddenly, the system notification came.
Su Xiaobai's expression lit up with joy.
After days of effort and billions poured into upgrading auto-cultivation, it was finally complete!
In an instant, a flood of unfamiliar knowledge poured into his mind:
New understandings of spatial attributes, new development directions, and mastery over spatial properties. All this knowledge imprinted itself in his brain, instantly becoming second nature.
After about half a minute, Su Xiaobai snapped back to reality.
"Spatial attributes… truly live up to their reputation!"
His eyes burned with excitement, as if glimpsing a new world.
Raising his hand with a thought, a crescent-like spatial blade materialized in his palm! Check latest chapters at NoveI(F)ire.net
Indeed, this was one of the significant changes brought by the intermediate Qiankun Technique—Spatial Blade!
It was silent yet visible, elusive yet tangible. It existed in one moment but seemed out of sync with the world the next.
The blade utilized spatial oscillations to unleash incredible destructive power.
Its potency was so overwhelming it could instantly kill even advanced martial generals!
Though methods to counter it existed.
Either one must possess sufficient strength, using spiritual energy to form a protective barrier to prevent being sliced by spatial oscillations, or have reflexes sharp enough to dodge the Spatial Blade before it makes contact.
However, achieving either of these is no simple task. Even advanced martial generals would struggle, and martial commanders might also find it challenging. Only advanced martial commanders could hope to evade it with ease!
That said, the Spatial Blade isn't invincible. Its effective range is limited.
Within 15 meters, it can strike almost instantaneously, but the farther the distance, the more time it takes to reach its target, giving the enemy more opportunity to evade.
As such, the Spatial Blade cannot be relied upon as a primary combat skill but serves as a trump card to execute a swift counterattack in critical moments.
The intermediate Qiankun Technique, however, provided Su Xiaobai far more than just this ability.
"My spatial perception has extended even further!"
"I can now clearly observe scenes up to 500 meters away!"
With his spatial perception activated, Su Xiaobai could, in the blink of an eye, cover a 500-meter radius around him. If any martial artists within that range lacked spatial attribute perception abilities, they wouldn't even realize they were being observed!
"Moreover, my spatial movement has improved… With my deeper understanding of spatial properties, my speed has effectively doubled!"
"My Qiankun Space has expanded tenfold!"
"Even the range of my spatial teleportation has increased to 20 meters!"
Su Xiaobai quickly sensed the myriad enhancements brought by the intermediate Qiankun Technique.
He checked his current stats:
Realm: Intermediate Martial Master
Strength Level: Beginner Martial General
Endurance Level: Beginner Martial General
Agility Level: Advanced Martial General
Cultivation Aptitude: Lowest Tier
Mastered Skills: Diamond Body (Supreme), Soaring Sky Transformation (Supreme), True Flame Hand (Supreme), Blood Attack (Supreme), Qiankun Technique (Intermediate), Tiger Subduing Saber (Advanced), Ghost Sword Technique (Advanced), Rainbow Axe (Advanced), Golden Spear Strike (Supreme), Cloud Shattering Slash (Supreme)
Unlocked System Functions: One-Click Cultivation (Level 13), One-Click Training (Level 14), One-Click Auto Hunting (Level 8), One-Click Alchemy (Level 6), One-Click Collection (Level 5)
Thanks to the intermediateQiankun Technique, Su Xiaobai's agility had now reached the level of an advanced martial general!
From now on, when facing advanced martial generals, he would no longer be defenseless. With his speed, he could easily maneuver and outpace them!
"As for those rats tailing me… Since they're so eager to deliver themselves to me, I might as well oblige them!"
"Distance: 13 meters—just within range!"
A smirk appeared on Su Xiaobai's lips.
With a casual flick, the Spatial Blade in his hand vanished instantly!
The next moment, 13 meters away, a group of advanced martial masters hiding behind a wall and wondering why Su Xiaobai had stopped suddenly felt a chill on their necks—
"Did anyone else feel like a cold breeze just brushed past their necks?"
One of the martial masters instinctively reached for his neck, only to find his hand covered in bright, glaring blood.
All the martial masters stared wide-eyed, their confusion frozen in time. A moment later, they collapsed to the ground, lifeless.