Chapter 16: Mid-Stage Skin-Shedding Realm, Mask Upgrade

    Soul-Suppressing Tower

    Wu Yuan first checked on his doppelg?nger’s condition. Since he had ventured ten miles away earlier, the doppelg?nger had moved beyond his control range and could only act on instinct.

    The situation was better than expected. The doppelg?nger had been cultivating inside the Soul-Suppressing Tower and, even after briefly losing control, maintained this habit—still practicing the Reclining Buddha Stance.

    Relieved, Wu Yuan considered experimenting more with this uncontrolled state in the future. Perhaps he could discover a better “method” for managing the doppelg?nger.

    Next, he willed the bottle of Three-Blood Pills into his hand.

    Given his current cultivation level, Blood Essence Pills would have sufficed. However, the ones Zhu Youqi sold were low-grade, which Wu Yuan found unsatisfactory. So, he decided to splurge and use the Three-Blood Pills for his cultivation.

    What did it feel like to swallow a pill worth a million Longxia coins?

    Wu Yuan wanted to tell the world: “Bliss.”

    No—sheer euphoria!

    The Three-Blood Pills used mid-grade blood essence as the primary ingredient, supplemented by the refined blood of two other exotic beasts and various spiritual herbs.

    The mid-grade version had a smoother, more potent effect. The moment it entered his mouth, it dissolved into streams of scorching blood essence that surged toward his heart.

    He could practically hear his heart pounding several times louder than usual—yet instead of discomfort, he felt an overwhelming surge of vitality radiating from his core.

    Seizing the moment, he swiftly transitioned into the dynamic stance of Serpent-Dragon Body Movement.

    After a while, he shifted from stance-work to fist techniques.

    Right there in the Soul-Suppressing Tower, he locked the pill’s effects into his heart as his aura grew increasingly formidable.

    Half an hour later, his aura peaked—then exploded past its limits, propelling him to new heights before continuing to climb.

    His fists never stopped moving. The Three-Blood Pills’ energy continued to pour forth.

    Two full hours passed before his body-refining cultivation stabilized at the pinnacle of the mid-stage Skin-Shedding Realm, teetering on the brink of advancing to the high-stage.

    Rather than forcing the breakthrough, he steadied his cultivation, allowing his foundation to solidify.

    When he finally retracted his fists, he noticed his skin had tightened significantly, now bearing a jade-like sheen—so smooth he couldn’t resist touching it.

    Next came the doppelg?nger’s breakthrough.

    Originally, he had planned to use Three-Blood Pills for the doppelg?nger. But after experiencing the mid-grade pill’s intensity firsthand, he worried the doppelg?nger might not withstand it. For safety, he opted for Blood Essence Pills instead.

    Though the low-grade pills had flaws, they were still tier-one elixirs. As long as he didn’t overuse them, they wouldn’t harm the doppelg?nger’s cultivation.

    A Blood Essence Pill (20 silver per pill) floated toward the doppelg?nger, which promptly swallowed it.

    Wu Yuan focused on guiding the doppelg?nger’s movements, shifting it from the Reclining Buddha Stance to Serpent-Dragon Body Movement. His goal was to test whether the doppelg?nger could practice this technique independently without his direct control.

    The results far exceeded his expectations. After just one cycle of the Serpent-Dragon Body Movement, the doppelg?nger flawlessly replicated the entire technique.

    Even when Wu Yuan deliberately withdrew his conscious control, the doppelg?nger continued executing the movements perfectly.

    Before long, the doppelg?nger’s aura also began fluctuating—effortlessly breaking through to the high-stage Tendon-Tempering Realm.

    As a result, the identity tokens for both the original and the doppelg?nger updated:

    [Li Xinyuan].

    Level: 10

    Status: Wasteland Immigrant, Mid-Grade Refugee, Relay Station Courier

    Cultivation: Mid-Stage Skin-Shedding Realm

    Blood Essence: 3,682

    Lifespan: 26 / 110

    [Zhou Zisheng].

    Level: 7

    Status: Wasteland Immigrant, Mid-Grade Refugee, Relay Station Courier

    Cultivation: High-Stage Tendon-Tempering Realm

    Blood Essence: 257

    Lifespan: 26 / 100

    Cultivation wasn’t like leveling up in a game, where one could skyrocket multiple tiers in a day.

    Advancing in cultivation was like laying a foundation and building a house—each layer had to be solid before the next could be added. Otherwise, it would be like constructing a castle on sand: unstable and incapable of reaching great heights.

    Wu Yuan longed to recklessly gorge on pills for rapid breakthroughs, but he didn’t dare. To go far, he needed an unshakable foundation.

    Beyond cultivation, there were other ways to enhance his strength indirectly.

    He retrieved the last two items—Illusory Wave Liquid and Splintering Howl Stone.

    The former was stored in an exquisite jade vial. A hundred drops amounted to little more than a sip. When he unsealed the vial, phantom waves shimmered at its mouth—living up to its name.

    The latter was a head-sized black stone, its only peculiarity being the eerie, wind-like howls it emitted—chilling to the bone.

    Since he planned to upgrade the Soul-Mimic Mask’s abilities this time, he wasn’t sure if the process would affect the doppelg?nger. After some thought, he recalled the doppelg?nger into the mask’s subspace.

    For safety, he first removed the Soul-Mimic Mask from his face, reverting to his true appearance. Then, he dripped the Illusory Wave Liquid onto the mask, drop by drop.

    The mask hungrily absorbed every droplet until none remained.

    The strange white lines on the mask began glowing as spiritual energy swarmed into it. Several of its cracks and scars gradually faded.

    Wu Yuan’s eyes lit up. It seemed this damaged marvel could indeed be repaired!

    Originally, he had intended to use the two special materials to upgrade the mask’s Disguise and Doppelg?nger abilities separately. But now, he changed his mind—first, he’d attempt partial restoration.

    Without hesitation, he placed the Splintering Howl Stone atop the mask and, through their mental link, commanded the mask to repair itself.

    Whether due to his order or not, the stone’s eerie howls gradually quieted, its black hue fading.

    Once the mask absorbed what seemed to be the stone’s essence, the rock crumbled into sand.

    Wu Yuan immediately picked up the mask. Upon closer inspection, three-quarters of its cracks had vanished.

    Simultaneously, a stream of information flowed into his mind through their connection:

    [Soul-Mimic Mask].

    Owner: Wu Yuan

    Rank: Marvel (Damaged) – Tier 2

    Lv. 2 [Disguise]:

    When worn, the mask can alter the user’s appearance, voice, and aura. Only those three tiers higher can see through the illusion.

    This ability can be activated once every 500 days. Once triggered, the chosen form remains fixed unless manually reverted.

    Upgradable via equipment enhancement or special illusion-type materials.

    Lv. 2 [Doppelg?nger]:

    Using special life-force materials, the mask can create two doppelg?ngers under the user’s control.

    Initial cultivation: 20% of the original.

    Doppelg?ngers can cultivate independently. Upon merging with the original, their cultivation stacks.

    Control range: 500 meters. Beyond this, they enter autonomous mode, acting on habitual instincts with animal-level intelligence (including self-preservation).

    Doppelg?ngers must return to the mask’s subspace for three days of recuperation every month. Failure to do so may cause them to collapse.

    If a doppelg?nger dies, a 500-day cooldown is required before creating a new one.

    Upgradable via equipment enhancement or special soul-type materials.

    Lv. 2 [Mask Subspace]:

    Slots: 1/2

    A unique pocket dimension for doppelg?nger recuperation. Cannot store other items.

    Upgradable via equipment enhancement, spatial materials, or special life-force/soul-type materials to improve recuperation effects. Sёar?h the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Current recuperation bonus: None.

    Wu Yuan was ecstatic.

    As he had guessed, partial restoration elevated the mask to Tier 2, significantly boosting its abilities.

    This suggested the Soul-Mimic Mask’s complete form might be a high-tier marvel. Otherwise, even in its damaged state, it wouldn’t have advanced a full rank from mere repairs.

    The shortened cooldown on Disguise wasn’t immediately useful, but the enhanced concealment effect meant fewer people could see through him—a major advantage.

    The upgrades to Doppelg?nger pleased him even more.

    An additional doppelg?nger, increased control range, and doubled initial cultivation all expanded his options.

    Most importantly, the improved intelligence in autonomous mode hinted at the doppelg?nger’s potential for growth.

    Perhaps one day, unless necessary, the doppelg?nger wouldn’t need his control at all—functioning like a fully sentient being.

    As for the Mask Subspace, the changes were minimal.

    Strangely, the mask’s upgrade hadn’t improved its recuperation effects.

    Wu Yuan guessed the Splintering Howl Stone simply had no bearing on subspace enhancements.

    Reattaching the mask, he resumed his Li Xinyuan guise.

    With a thought, the doppelg?nger emerged from the subspace.

    It had undergone subtle changes—its aura, already stronger after the breakthrough, now seemed even more robust without appearing unstable.

    Puzzled, Wu Yuan checked its attributes through the mask:

    Wu Yuan – First Doppelg?nger [Earth Spirit Elixir * Enhanced].

    Attribute: A doppelg?nger created by the Soul-Mimic Mask using the owner’s blood and Earth Spirit Elixir. Due to the elixir’s enhancement, it surpasses the mask’s base capabilities. Now further empowered by the mask’s upgrade.

    Physical Cultivation: Peak Tendon-Tempering Realm

    Control Range: 2,500 meters

    Recuperation Interval: Three days every six months

    As expected, its cultivation had advanced another sub-stage, while control range and recuperation intervals had doubled.

    After some thought, Wu Yuan realized the doppelg?nger’s improvements stemmed from the mask’s upgrade. Recalling the Doppelg?nger skill’s description, he grasped the underlying principle.

    Initially, he had worried that as his main body progressed, the first doppelg?nger—starting at only 10% of his cultivation—might fall behind.

    But the Soul-Mimic Mask had delivered an incredible surprise, resolving many potential issues in one upgrade.

    ———

    Half a day had passed since Wu Yuan entered the Soul-Suppressing Tower—first refining pills to boost his cultivation, then upgrading the mask.

    He still had other matters to attend to.

    Retrieving five high-grade primordial artifact longswords, ten mid-grade light armor sets, ten low-grade Feather-Step Boots, and five bottles of low-grade healing pills, he placed them in the temporary storage.

    During a lull in the fighting outside, he summoned key personnel:

    Chen Yong, Huang You, Huang Tie, Cai Yu, Blackhead, Ma Jin, Shi Zhan—and even the “Black Loach” who had slain the Iron-Carapace Centipede, now a candidate for promotion.

    He showed them the newly stocked arsenal and medicinal pills.

    These items wouldn’t be distributed freely rewarding meritless favor wasn’t his way.

    Instead, he devised an alternative: loaning the equipment. This also served as preparation in case powerful monsters attacked the relay station.

    Once they earned sufficient merit, the weapons and gear would be formally awarded to them and even the ordinary couriers.