*Ding!*
[Skill 'Fireball Sniper' proficiency increased by 0.0005%]
[Skill 'Fireball Sniper' proficiency increased by 0.0005%]
[Skill 'Fireball Sniper' proficiency increased by 0.0006%]
[Skill 'Fireball Sniper' proficiency increased by 0.0006%]
[Skill….]
After a few days of travel by both foot and carriage, Xue Ren received a very pleasant system notification.
[Skill 'Fireball Sniper' Proficiency has exceeded 75%, nearing complete Mastery!]
'At this rate, the Skill should achieve 100% Mastery before we make it to Greensbury Village.'
Xue Ren briefly glanced at the three pretty young women sleeping on his lap in the carriage they were riding in.
'I should wake them and tell them to get off me, but they look so peaceful… Possibly the only peace they've had in weeks…'
Shaking his head, Xue Ren refocused his train of thought.
'But even if I get |Fireball Sniper| to 100% proficiency, |Fireball Burst| is still only at a little over 5%. This is to say that it definitely won't be possible to evolve my Primary |Fireball| to the next Tier before I return.'
It was unfortunate, but there was no use whining over it.
Instead, his time was better spent… Training!
So that's precisely what Xue Ren did for the next week of travel by carriage.
Right around when the main mountain-pass of Greensbury Village came into view, he received the notification that he had been so badly wanting to see:
*Ding!*
[Your Skill 'Fireball Sniper' has reached 100% proficiency, achieving Full Mastery!]
[EP +1000]
Double the Evolution Points of mastering his first Level 3 Fireball Skill!
Furthermore, Xue Ren could instinctively tell that his cultivation speed had more than doubled at 100% as opposed to what it was while only at 99%!
He could feel a breakthrough coming!
Having not expected this to happen, Xue Ren failed to warn the carriage driver in time. And without even a peep, he snatched up the triplets and leapt out of the left side of the carriage.
The carriage driver was about to angrily curse at the customer for ditching without paying up, but that was when he saw a couple of Lowest-grade Spirit Stones fall into his lap.
"Holy moly! These are the currency of Immortals! Each one is worth more than a thousand gold coins!!" The carriage driver exploded with joy, possibly having never had a happier moment in his life. "I can't believe I had actually been carrying around Immortals that entire time! This is my life's greatest fortune!!"
While the carriage driver made out with the two lightly glowing blue stones, professing his love to them, Xue Ren ran out into the wide open plains. And after finding a suitable place, he gently placed the triplets down before sitting on a nearby boulder.
He focused entirely on regulating the breakthrough that felt like it was going to burst him open from the inside!
"What's the Young Lord doing?" asked Mu Lian, the middle tallest of the group. "There's a bunch of stuff swirling around him."
"That's what you call a 'breakthrough' for Immortals," replied Mu Qing. "I read about it in a book once. It's what happens when you're about to become stronger through advancement."
"Wow, so knowledgeable!" Mu Yun praised. "But he won't get hurt from this, will he?"
"It's supposed to be very painful when breaking through, but since the Young Lord has done it before, I think he can do it again…"
"You don't sound so confident, Mu Qing," said the other two sisters.
In the end, they stopped speculating and focused on the handsome young man whose hoodie was blown off from the overly active atmospheric spiritual energy. Worry grew within their hearts, but they decided to put their faith in the belief that he'd make it through this.
And he did.
Quite easily at that as well…
*Ding!*
[You have successfully broken through to the 3rd Layer of Qi Condensation!]
[Your Energy-related Firepower has doubled, and your Physical Attributes have increased by 20%!]
Although the improvement to physical attributes was minimal, it was to be expected. After all, what Xue Ren advanced in was his Energy Path, not his Body Path.
OOOM…
The raging energies around the area gradually settled down, allowing a revitalized young man to step through the manifold. He appeared before the triplets with an ungodly glow about him.
"Is something on my face?" he asked upon noticing their stares.
"N-No, Young Lord…!"
They turned as red as beets, puzzling Xue Ren.
"Whatever," he said while turning around. "With that out of the way, we can resume our trek toward Greensbury Village. There's still a few miles left, but with the long naps you three had, I assume you can manage."
Embarrassed, the triplets averted their gazes. Yet they could still be found walking beside him, their moods most pleasant.
Looking away from them, Xue Ren cast |Fireball Sniper| in secret. He wanted to figure out how much slower his progression had become after his breakthrough.
Fortunately, the damage wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be. And in at most two months, he would see yet another breakthrough.
His cultivation speed was far faster than before, even rivaling those with extremely good Mid-Grade Spiritual Roots!
'Will I exceed the Mid-Grade with Level 4 Fireball Skills?'
Xue Ren was excited to find out.
— Some hours later —
The sun was still high in the sky when Xue Ren and the triplets arrived at the entrance to Greensbury Village. The settlement wasn't a very big or affluent one, so no barriers such as fences were erected. There weren't even any guards out on patrol.
The Village had never been attacked by anything more than a stray dog or coyote before, so there was really no need to waste the manpower. Moreover, almost all the Villagers had heard stories passed down from generation to generation of Immortal Cultivators living on 'Immortal Hill.'
And though the first to tell those stories were long placed in their graves, the Villagers of Greensbury Village were big on folklore. If they were told not to enter an area because of the presence of malevolent spirits, then they would listen.
It was the same for Immortal Hill. None disturbed the peace of the Ren Family. Though a daring few would greet them whenever they descended the slopes.
"I don't normally go into the village itself, but it should be fine for today," said Xue Ren as he guided the triplets through a wide, scattered assortment of houses and small shops. "Less than 100 mortals live here, but rarely anyone ever causes trouble. It's tranquil and mundane if nothing else."
"Mhm!" the triplets agreed while eyeing everything like tourists. "It's quiet as well!"
Xue Ren paused, his eyes narrowing. "Yes… It is quiet. A little too quiet."
Where were the Villagers?
Normally, Old Lady Meng would be boiling soup by the roadside. Or Handiman Chu would be bothering everyone, begging for something to fix.
Neither was Old Man Song sitting on his rocking chair, scowling at rambunctious kids by his old house on Lightmural Road.
Something was amiss…