Hearing the narrator's solemn warning against attacking the crimson eye, claiming it would corrupt him with magic, Feng Qi couldn't help but give an internal middle finger.
From the earlier battle, it was clear that while the crimson eye possessed formidable control abilities, it had glaring weaknesses—its defense was pathetically fragile.
He speculated that the only reason the crimson eye managed to hold off Little Black for so long in the past was due to its telekinetic control.
Unfortunately, Little Black was immune to physical harm. Once the crimson eye's psychic energy was depleted, it became nothing more than a lamb waiting for slaughter.
In contrast, Suction Cup and the crimson eye were polar opposites.
Suction Cup's ability to endure prolonged fights depended on her unparalleled defense, with little reliance on offensive strength.
On the other hand, the crimson eye's combat longevity hinged solely on its offensive capabilities, with no consideration for its fragile defense.
A glance at the now dormant crimson eye made the allure of "telekinesis" irresistibly tempting for Feng Qi, stirring an itch in his heart.
[As expected, magic is a corrupting force. You could have been a paragon of steel and muscle, yet you're about to succumb to the seduction of magic?]
"Shut up!"
Bending down, Feng Qi picked up a piece of rubble from the ground and threw it at the crimson eye.
The stone struck the sleeping crimson eye, causing it to twitch slightly but elicit no reaction.
Satisfied with his test, Feng Qi's resolve to hunt the crimson eye solidified.
Gripping his spiked mace tightly, he approached the crimson eye step by step, a wave of killing intent surging in his heart.
[Sharpening your claws for the eyeball, huh?]
Standing over the crimson eye, Feng Qi raised his mace slowly and then brought it down forcefully onto the rune crystal embedded in its forehead.
Rune crystals were the source of power for domain creatures. Destroying them would greatly diminish their abilities. Having made up his mind to strike, Feng Qi wasn't going to give the crimson eye a chance to counterattack.
The black energy coursing through the spiked mace erupted as it connected with the crimson eye's rune crystal.
Crack!
To his surprise, the rune crystal was as fragile as the rest of the crimson eye. The first strike left a visible crack.
As spiritual energy began leaking from the fractured rune crystal, the crimson eye, already dehydrated and wrinkled, suddenly opened wide.
Its bloodshot gaze was filled with terror, and Feng Qi could even detect a hint of pleading in its expression.
[Feng Qi, magic is already corrupting your mind. Stop now while you still can. Listen to me—let's stick to the path of pure muscle.]
"Not listening." Feng Qi rolled his eyes.
To Feng Qi, domain creatures deserved no mercy. Without hesitation, he swung his mace down a second time.
This time, the mace struck the open eye directly. The impact caused the crimson eye to burst like a water balloon, spraying liquid everywhere, soaking Feng Qi.
The crimson eye's defenselessness was beyond anything he had imagined.
As the eyeball ruptured, the writhing tendrils surrounding it fell limp, ceasing all movement.
To Feng Qi's delight, the crimson eye didn't release a blood mist upon its death. Instead, a golden mist emerged, swiftly surging into his mind.
It was like drinking icy water on a scorching summer day—a refreshing coolness coursed through him.
His vision became sharper, and he could distinctly see a worm squirming some ten meters away.
His thoughts flowed with unprecedented clarity, and memories he hadn't accessed in years came rushing back to him.
Perplexed, Feng Qi immediately summoned his status panel.
[Malice · Brute Strength · Blood Source · Nightmare · Resilience (Level 4) · Very Strong Living Dead: Feng Qi]
Power Level: Black Iron, Mid-tier
Spiritual Strength: Weak
Prefix Titles:
Very Strong: Increases physical strength by 30%, significantly enhances self-healing ability.
Resilience LV4: Muscle resilience increased by 4%.
Brute Strength (LV1): Boosts physical attributes by 5%. Close combat attacks inflict additional force damage proportional to blood vitality.
Nightmare (Non-Upgradable Prefix): Grants access to mental intrusion, allowing the user to read memories within the target's consciousness. Effectiveness depends on the user's spiritual strength. This prefix ability scales with spiritual growth.
Blood Source (Non-Upgradable Prefix): Condenses a blood core within the heart, significantly enhancing cardiac efficiency. This ability can be activated to drain the blood core's energy, temporarily boosting combat strength explosively. Its power scales with blood vitality.
Malice (Upgradeable): A unique ability to manipulate the movement of matter via mental intent. Useful for offense, defense, and control. Its strength is dependent on spiritual intensity.
Bloodline: Human (Basic)
Bloodline Evolution Points: 498/1000
Prefix Title Milestones:
Very Strong (Upgradeable): Third milestone progress: 17%.
Resilience LV5 (Upgradeable): Progress: 16%.
After examining his status panel, Feng Qi came to a realization.
Defeating domain creatures didn't always yield blood mist—sometimes it could produce golden mist, like with the crimson eye.
The newly introduced "spiritual strength" stat was clearly linked to absorbing the golden mist.
Moreover, he noticed that defeating the crimson eye had significantly increased his bloodline evolution points without being hindered by the constraints of the milestone system.
From this, Feng Qi speculated that the rewards from killing domain creatures and derivative creatures were fundamentally different.
When he killed derivative creatures, there was always a milestone limitation. He had to surpass the previous number of kills to make further progress.
But when it came to domain creatures, there were no such restrictions.
Previously, he had been concerned that as his strength increased, the number of creatures he'd need to kill would become astronomical, making future progress painstakingly slow.
Realizing that killing domain creatures circumvented this problem, his mood instantly brightened.
[Would you please wash up? If other systems saw my host looking this filthy, how would I ever show my face?]
Hearing the narrator's sarcastic comment, Feng Qi looked down at himself.
At the moment, his body was covered in a slimy, transparent fluid, adding a layer of grotesque malice to his already hideous appearance as a living dead.
After all, terrifying creatures from sci-fi movies were often accompanied by slime.
But taking a bath was clearly out of the question—there wasn't a water source nearby for him to clean himself.
Instead, he decided to test his newfound telekinesis ability.
Focusing his consciousness, it felt as though an invisible hand extended outward from within him. Nearby rubble trembled under his control and began to float.
Next, he used this invisible force to scrape the slimy residue off his body.
Though his control over the telekinesis was still clumsy, after much effort, he managed to clean off the sticky mess clinging to his skin.
[You're utterly corrupted by magic now, thoroughly fallen.]
"This power is just too convenient—I'm happy to succumb to it."
[He~tui!]
Feng Qi then attempted to lift himself into the air.
Enveloping himself with the invisible telekinetic force, his body began to tremble slightly before awkwardly lifting off the ground.
The sensation was strange, as though he were submerged in a soft water bubble, gently suspended in mid-air.
Due to his lack of mastery, his body wobbled in the air, and the telekinesis would occasionally falter, making it feel like he might drop at any moment.
Through trial and error, he slowly grew more adept at controlling the telekinesis, eventually achieving a stable hover.
With a thought, his body rose higher, quickly ascending over twenty meters above the ground.
He then used the telekinetic force to propel himself in the direction of the Star City Shelter.
The wind rushed past his ears as his perspective broadened. Flying above the desolate landscape, looking down upon the world, filled him with a sense of wonder.
But after covering a few hundred meters, something began to feel off.
The frequency of his telekinetic energy fluctuated, growing weaker and more erratic. His flight grew unstable, with his altitude rising and falling sporadically.
Realizing he was running low on telekinetic reserves, Feng Qi attempted to descend toward the ground.
However, at that moment, a sudden emptiness struck his mind. The soft sensation enveloping his body vanished, and he plummeted straight down.
A dull thud followed as his body hit the ground hard.
[See? That's magical backlash for you. Ignore the narrator, suffer the consequences—it's right there for you to experience.]
The narrator's merciless jab stung as Feng Qi lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain. Slowly, he got back on his feet, his entire body aching. He discovered that three of his ribs were broken from the fall.
Feeling both exasperated and resigned, he asked, "Narrator, is there a way to measure telekinetic reserves? Otherwise, it's impossible to know when it'll run out."
[Nope. Normally, a person's spiritual energy provides clear feedback during use. When it's close to depletion, they'll experience sharp headaches. But you're different—your state as a living dead prevents you from feeling the usual feedback. This is why I've always told you, the path of steel and muscle is far more suitable for you.]
Ignoring the narrator's last comment, Feng Qi asked again, "Then how do I restore spiritual energy after it's depleted?"
[To put it simply, it's like little tadpoles, you know what I mean.]
Feng Qi: …
Caught off guard, he nevertheless grasped the implication.
The narrator meant that spiritual energy would automatically regenerate over time.
"And how do I increase both the strength and reserves of my spiritual energy?"
[That's easy. Hunt down domain creatures like the crimson eye. The golden mist they release upon death is the best nourishment for growing your spiritual power.]
"Got it. Thanks for the tip, Narrator Bro!"
[You're welcome. But remember, as your senior, I'm like a father figure to you—just call me 'Dad' from now on.]
Feng Qi: …
Choosing to ignore the narrator's shameless banter, he turned toward the Star City Shelter and resumed his journey.
Hours of trekking brought Feng Qi to the metallic corridor leading into the shelter.
He stepped into the corridor without hesitation.
Reaching its end, he arrived at the shelter's central plaza, standing before the database console.
The screen was still active, displaying the unfinished lesson on foundational cultivation methods from his previous session.
Considering the limited gains from his recent exploration in the dream realm, Feng Qi decided to dedicate the remaining time to studying, equipping his future self with a solid foundation of knowledge.
Fixing his gaze on the screen, he quickly settled into the learning process.
As he immersed himself in study, he noticed a significant improvement in his efficiency. Concepts that previously required multiple readings now took just one or two passes to commit to memory.
He suspected this improvement was tied to the activation of his spiritual strength attribute.
To confirm, he asked aloud, "Narrator, does this mean that as I increase my spiritual strength, I'll gain the infinity memory ability you mentioned before?"
[Not even close. With infinity memory, you could live for tens of thousands of years without forgetting a single detail. But enhancing your spiritual strength will make you sharper, improving your memory considerably.]
Hearing this explanation, Feng Qi couldn't help but grin.
At the very least, he had found a reliable way to boost his learning efficiency.
While the concept of infinity memory remained an elusive dream, focusing on enhancing spiritual strength seemed like a more practical and achievable goal.