Netherworld Retrograde

Chapter 291: Chapter 136 Banquet

Li Yelai, although not yet reaching the Four Awakenings, had significantly expanded his Soul Well after the bloody battle in the Disaster Fog.

The Four Awakenings were not far off, and it was time to prepare the magic potion for the awakening.

But this made Li Yelai somewhat conflicted.

Frenzied Bite and Beastification were not under consideration.

The former had too low a margin for error, and its activation speed was very slow, almost akin to the Fifth Sense’s Mimicry·Dragon Breath.

At least the Dragon Breath was a long-range attack with greater destructive power and strong effects. The Melting Furnace Captain’s Magma Dragon Breath could erupt like a mini volcano, drowning a swarm of enemies.

For a melee ability to be so slow to activate was simply outrageous!

Unless the battlefield was such that enemies were trapped within range, damage could be inflicted.

Otherwise, by the time Li Yelai summoned the dragon head ready to bite, the enemy would have either killed him or fled.

As for Beastification, it enhanced physical attributes and granted the user the extraordinary abilities of corresponding creatures. It was a seemingly powerful ability, but by its very name, it twisted one’s body to mimic those creatures.

The user would temporarily become a half-human, half-beast entity, easily influenced by extraordinary creatures and lose themselves in the heat of it.

There were comrades in the Disaster Fog who, in the form of blood-drinking Dragon Men, sprouted scales and grew Dragon Claws on their hands and feet.

Subsequently, their bloodlust exploded, and they dropped their weapons to gnaw directly at the Insect Swarm. They almost got attacked by Human Warriors mistaking them for a part of the Insect Race.

If Li Yelai used this ability, he might just forget his Single-handed Eighteen Strokes in the middle of a fight, toss his long spear aside, and turn into a half-human, half-beast driven by primal instincts.

Therefore, Li Yelai immediately ruled out Frenzied Bite and Beastification.

That left only Dragon Claw and Tail Swinging.

The Dragon Claw activated relatively quickly and, while its power might not be as ferocious as Frenzied Bite, it had a much higher tolerance for error.

Mimicry·Tail Swinging, on the other hand, was a mid-range attack ability.

Currently, apart from Overlord’s Spear, Li Yelai had no other mid-range Spiritual Energy attack methods.

”Ah, these abilities are all too simplistic.”

Li Yelai looked at Cheese, expressing his envy with a bit of a complaint: ”Unlike your Path of Babbling, like your Dragon Roar, one magic potion brought you eleven different effects, whereas we of the Wanxiang don’t have such benefits and really just focus on one simple thing.”

”My sister absorbed the tree sap and claims she’s into Dual Cultivation. Although there’s much to criticize, if you really think about it, it’s true! She herself follows the Path of Zero, where enhancing physicality equals boosting melee strength. While before my Fifth Sense, I can only walk down a dark path in melee.”

Originally, Li Yelai thought abilities like Mimetic Dragon Claw and tail-swinging were pretty good.

But compared to the Path of Babbling’s Dragon Roar, they seemed lacking.

And currently, Li Yelai’s combat methods were almost all close-ranged.

Could it be that before reaching the Fifth Sense, he really had no choice but to go down the path of a warrior stacking armor?

”That’s not necessarily the case,” Cheese comforted: ”Wanxiang may seem the most mundane among the Seven Paths, but in reality, the Wanxiang Path is the most versatile and changeable.”

”Though the Wanxiang Path’s Four Awakenings magic potion abilities may not seem strong, its advantage lies in the fact that if the correct special materials are added during potion blending, it’s relatively easier for variant abilities to occur compared to other paths.”

”Like the magnetic iron’s Dragon Capturing Hand, using gravity and repulsion to assist in attacks. Like the Melting Furnace Captain’s Steel Dragon Claw, once both claws cover the enemy, it is hard to break through, serving as both offense and defense. These are all variants of Dragon Claw, and theoretically, Wanxiang has the most magic potions. Because one potion can have multiple variants, while other paths’ Spiritual Ability Users rarely have variant abilities.”

”Do you remember the sparring between the captain and the Melting Furnace Captain? Then, the captain got a steel dragon heart from the Melting Furnace, intending to create a Steel Dragon Claw variant for you. Unfortunately, we haven’t discovered the underlying conditions and so it was shelved.”

”The captain has worked hard.” Li Yelai pondered thoughtfully, variant abilities?

It was similar to his own Mimicry·Abyss Dragon Scale.

Back then, it was Captain Yang Chen who brought a mysterious special material, which caused Li Yelai’s Mimicry·Scale Armor to mutate into the Abyss Dragon Scale.

However, variant abilities were unpredictable, often having some unseen condition.

Despite the same formula, magnetic iron gained Dragon Capturing Hand while Iron Rain got just an ordinary Dragon Claw.

It was the lack of clarity about the potential conditions that led to Iron Rain’s failed mutation.

Moreover, the materials required were extremely stringent.

For a Dragon Claw mutation, you’d at least have to hunt a dragon in the Forbidden Zone... and extract its heart.

’I’ll have to try in the ark, perhaps trade the new Wanxiang formulas or the variant conditions and materials for existing formulas with Scarlet Tree Liquid or Dragon-Devouring Thorn. I just don’t know who to trade with... Black Umbrella? Sell him some more of my intel? Or should I get Jing Lin to cooperate?’ Li Yelai thought to himself: ’It’s perfect. The Jing Family has invited us over tomorrow; I can discuss it with him then.’

Seeing Li Yelai in deep thought, Cheese did not disturb him.

Instead, she poured him a coffee and added a few cubes of sugar. With a gentle stir of her spoon, she then placed the coffee cup in front of Li Yelai.

Unlike herself, he liked it sweet.

Afterward, Cheese lazily took a seat on the nearby sofa, her loose pajamas looking exceptionally comfortable on her. Her legs were crossed, slender and fair, resting lightly on one side of the sofa. Her feet were adorned with fluffy slippers, giving off a nonchalant vibe.

Her short hair rested lightly against her cheeks, and a few strands fluttered gently with her movements.