CHAPTER 374: CHAPTER 374: THE BATTLE FOR POSITION (FOUR)_1

With Clam Girl Ming Yu’s assistance, Shen Mo thoroughly tested his upgraded [Danger Perception].

Afterward, he returned to the Bamboo Pavilion, quite satisfied.

Compared to before, I can still only sense dangers within three breaths. However, when I sense them, it’s no longer vague. Instead, I can ’see’ in advance where the danger comes from and what its nature is.

Shen Mo had intentionally blocked his own five senses. Relying solely on the blue-quality [Danger Perception], he then let Ming Yu attack him with all her might, using various methods.

Clam Girl Ming Yu was very obedient and sequentially used magic artifacts, magic, close-combat martial arts, talismans, and so forth. Of course, as a Marine Race big demon, many of her methods were somewhat different from those of human cultivators. The magic artifacts she used were either strange extraordinary organs unique to the Marine Race or pearl-type magic treasures she had refined herself. The magic she cast leaned towards Water-type. Her close-quarters combat skills were weak; since her two clam shells formed a small, protective space, the body within was her most vulnerable point. Even her talismans, refined from some kind of fish scale, were quite primitive and simplistic.

But, essentially, they were all the same. Under her attacks, Shen Mo reassessed [Danger Perception].

In essence, nothing had changed: only attacks that could truly harm Shen Mo would trigger a warning from [Danger Perception]. Those that posed no threat to him were directly ignored.

When Shen Mo removed his Auspicious Snow inner armor, and refrained from using the Wall Palm or the Crystal Sand Energy for protection, relying only on his robust vitality, Ming Yu’s various methods were all able to stimulate a response from [Danger Perception]. However, it was still unclear how much damage these "dangers" would cause to Shen Mo. Whether it was an attack that would merely scratch his skin, cause minor injuries, or even severely injure him to the point of near death, all triggered [Danger Perception] without exception.

This aspect was simple enough to address.

Shen Mo put his inner armor back on, raised his Crystal Sand Energy shield, and set up layers of defense. When they tried again, Ming Yu had only one method left that could hurt Shen Mo and trigger [Danger Perception]. All other attacks were actively ignored by this Destiny.

Clam Girl Ming Yu’s strongest method was a wisp of White Bone Cold Flame, a gift from her mother, Demon Lord Ming Cang. This spirit flame was born in an abyssal trench of the Immortal Burial Sea, a place where countless great demons of the Marine Race were buried. It had evolved over endless eons under horrific pressure and extreme cold. It was even a notch above Nether Fire, having reached the level of a Spirit Fire.

This was the first time Shen Mo had witnessed the terrifying power of a Spirit Fire-level flame.

When Ming Yu produced the White Bone Cold Flame and it floated towards his body, [Danger Perception] began to warn him frantically. Several layers of his Wall Palms were instantly incinerated by this wisp of spirit flame, and even a significant portion of his Nine-Extreme Crystal Sand Energy melted. Had Shen Mo not used magic to dodge in time, he might have been severely burned by his adopted sister!

Of course, this would have been the result only if Shen Mo had stood still and allowed Ming Yu to do as she pleased. In actual combat, Shen Mo had numerous ways to deal with this wisp of White Bone Cold Flame; it wouldn’t even have been able to singe the hem of his robes.

And as the White Bone Cold Flame burned towards him, Shen Mo, using [Danger Perception], had ’seen’ the appearance of this wisp of Spirit Fire three breaths in advance. This was precisely how the upgraded Destiny had been enhanced. It allowed Shen Mo to make targeted preparations. Unlike before, when even if he knew danger was approaching, he only had two ways to respond: fleeing or enduring it. Unfortunately, the cultivation world had many formidable techniques that could neither be escaped nor endured, which made [Danger Perception] quite limited before its upgrade. Now, it was undoubtedly much stronger.

「Back at the Bamboo Pavilion」

Shen Mo once again liberally spent his remaining 128 Destiny Points.

[You have consumed Destiny Points in an attempt to upgrade Destiny [Martial Performance]. Failed.]

[You have consumed Destiny Points in an attempt to upgrade Destiny [Martial Performance]. Failed.]

[You have consumed Destiny Points in an attempt to upgrade Destiny [Martial Performance]. Failed.]

[You have consumed Destiny Points in an attempt to upgrade Destiny [Bright Vision]. Failed.]

Ten attempts at upgrading—seven for [Martial Performance] and three for [Bright Vision]—all failed without exception.

I still have 28 Destiny Points left. I might as well try to draw two new Special Destinies from the Destiny Pool.

It would be great if I could draw an Orange or Gold Special Destiny...

With that thought in mind, Shen Mo opened the Destiny Pool and made his choice.

In the blink of an eye, his Destiny Points decreased by 10.

With a fleeting glimpse of golden light, a new Destiny attribute appeared before his eyes.

[[Tough Skin (White)]: Your skin is tougher than an average person’s, making it difficult for ordinary swords to injure you.]

A defensive-type Special Destiny?

Shen Mo immediately equipped it, tried it out, and then wisely discarded it.

It might have been somewhat useful back when I was still in the Body Tempering Realm and hadn’t cultivated any external magic. But right now... the enhancement is too minimal, so small it’s negligible! Moreover, it only strengthens the defensive power of the skin; there’s absolutely no enhancement to my flesh and blood, organs, Chakras, Dantian, or soul. It would need to be upgraded to at least Purple quality to be somewhat useful!

Just like [Courage], this Special Destiny was somewhat of a ’chicken rib’—marginally useful but not particularly desirable. Of course, if one were willing to spend a large number of Destiny Points to upgrade them to Orange or Gold quality, perhaps they could shine in a different way! The problem was, Shen Mo didn’t have that many Destiny Points. He could only prioritize upgrading the Special Destinies that were more useful to him.

I still have one more draw!

With a mental command from Shen Mo, accompanied by a dazzling golden light, another Destiny was drawn from the Destiny Pool.

[[Uncommon Victory (Green)]: A special Buddhist skill that grants enhanced power when dealing with Demons.]

Hmm... it’s actually this Destiny!

A hint of joy appeared on Shen Mo’s face. Compared to [Tough Skin (White)], [Uncommon Victory (Green)] was quite good. This was especially true considering the current state of the Red Flame Country, where demonic menaces were rampant, and one never knew when a greater Demon Tide might erupt. The Special Destiny [Uncommon Victory], on the other hand, could target Demons. Spending some more Destiny Points to enhance it, if used properly, would undoubtedly make it a very powerful tool!

In addition, the term ’Demon’ specifically emphasized their nature as ’demonic evil’. In the cultivation world, demonic beasts, including those of the Marine Race, were not classified as Demons. Instead, they were regarded as a type of non-human cultivator. Though their appearances differed, the fundamental nature of their pursuit of the Dao and immortality was the same as humans. Thus, slaying demonic beasts was merely a competition for Cultivation Blessed Lands and various resources. It was similar to the infighting among the Five Great Sects before the great demonic calamity arose over a hundred years ago, and it did not involve a fundamental conflict of Dao. Conversely, evil cultivators of human origin were indeed considered a form of demonic evil.

There are no Buddhist cultivators in the Red Flame Country. Perhaps in other regions, there are lineages of the Buddha Path. Although this Destiny won’t provide much benefit in the upcoming battle in a few days... the mere fact that it targets Demons makes it precious enough for me to continue investing Destiny Points to improve its quality!