"The fiery conviction..."
Fang You mumbled. This ability was very special, completely different from the cold killing intent of his Black Blade brother. It didn't possess any abilities itself and could only amplify.
But amplification...
"From one to two is amplification, from one to a hundred is also amplification. What is the limit of the fiery conviction?"
Fang You closed his eyes.
Awakened abilities were like instincts. One might not understand the principles but could naturally use them.
The awakened ability 'Fiery Conviction' was divided into four steps: sensing, gathering, burning, and amplifying.
He could vaguely sense surrounding emotions, desires, and convictions.
But it was very vague. Only when a certain conviction was extremely strong could he sense it, gather it, and burn it.
As for now...
"Too weak, all too weak. This one won't do, and neither will that one."
According to the ability description and his own exploration, the upper limit of this ability should be quite high, making it a very powerful and special awakened ability.
However, the conditions for its use were extremely stringent.
It needed to be used in the right environment and at the right time. If he wanted to use this ability in normal times... Fang You closed his eyes, trying hard to generate a conviction of becoming stronger, stronger, and stronger.
His own conviction could also serve as firewood!
He was a powerful individual and could provide far more conviction than ordinary people.
In a short while, Fang You captured his own diffused conviction, gathering these wisps of conviction and burning them as firewood.
Whoosh~!
An invisible force of fiery conviction appeared, integrating into his body. It could temporarily enhance his physique and spirit, be integrated into basic sword techniques to potentially increase their lethality, or be integrated into Palm Thunder...
Zzzt—
A ball of lightning bloomed, and azure lightning arcs danced within his palm. After awakening, Fang You's control over Palm Thunder became much easier. Before, it was like a child wielding a broadsword; no matter how profound the sword technique, it felt strenuous. Now, it was different. He squeezed his hand, and the shape of the lightning continuously changed in his palm.
With a thought, the fiery conviction was integrated! It was like adding new firewood to a pyre, making the flames surge. The dancing lightning before him became even more brilliant, and the entire mass of electricity grew considerably larger.
"About 1.5 times. The fiery conviction force amplified the power of this strike by 50%."
It didn't seem like much, and the process was cumbersome. But this was only his own conviction, and it wasn't strong enough – without sufficient atmosphere, Fang You's conviction couldn't become intense.
He pondered, "But this process is indeed cumbersome. Gathering more conviction also requires more time. The prelude to the ability is long, which is not useful in intense one-on-one combat."
This ability was not meant for one-on-one combat! Nor was it suitable for casual use. It should be used to amplify a finishing move, serving as a decisive blow.
For example, at the right moment, with someone else tanking and drawing the enemy's attention, he could silently charge up a powerful move. That was the correct way to use it.
Fang You simulated several scenarios and felt... well, this awakened ability was truly suited for him.
It perfectly matched his usual role of being a cautious, long-range supporter. If he could gather the conviction of tens or even hundreds of people to burn as firewood, how great would the amplification be?
Fang You was somewhat expectant, but unfortunately, he couldn't test it.
The limit he had currently tested for sensing and gathering conviction was about five hundred meters. It was easiest within a hundred meters; beyond that, the consumption of life energy would gradually increase.
He slowly experimented, analyzing and verifying each aspect.
After a few hundred more push-ups and squats, and practicing his basic sword techniques... after over an hour of training, Fang You had a general understanding of his current physique and could slightly control the strength that had surged after his awakening.
Otherwise, he might not just break chopsticks, but also pull off the doorknob.
The trouble of having too much strength.
And this perfect physique and muscles. Fang You looked in the mirror and was very satisfied. He then moved on to trying other things. The changes brought about by his awakening were vast and numerous. He needed to have a clear understanding of himself to avoid mistakes when dealing with anomalies.
This was very important.
The biggest change was in the Palm Thunder skill. He had already tested it lightly, and now he was delving deeper into it.
On his palm, crackling lightning kept emerging, constantly changing shape.
"Before, my stamina could only support three Palm Thunders. This was very dangerous when dealing with anomalies. But now, the same medium output can sustain me for a full..."
A full fifteen times!
Firstly, his physique and spirit had doubled. Secondly, he was more economical with his life energy, with no intermediate conversion losses.
Not only that, but "with the same output, my Palm Thunder is more sustained and its lethality is stronger. If I maintain an output that can eliminate a Knocking Door Child in one hit, this output can be further reduced, allowing for about... twenty shots!"
"If it's a full burst, the upper limit..."
The azure lightning was converged, continuously extending forward along his joined index and middle fingers.
Before, it was a foot long, but now it extended to two feet, two and a half feet.
With one strike, it might even blast a hole in the wall.
Fang You quickly suppressed this thought. He dared not test it, he could not test it!
But it was very powerful, that was for sure. If there was an opportunity, he would find a small anomaly to test it. If there were any regrets...
"It's that this lightning cannot be projected outwards. This isn't Palm Thunder anymore. I also lack a long-range killing move now."
Fang You tried to knead the lightning into a sphere and then throw it out, but it seemed not to work?
He couldn't confirm it at home.
...
More than an hour later, Fang You appeared in a remote, desolate mountain forest far from his home, holding a sphere of lightning in his hand.
Spherical lightning, go!
The blue lightning ball shot out with a crackle, but it completely dissipated after only about ten meters.
"Moreover, from the moment it left my hand, the power of the spherical lightning was constantly leaking. At three or four meters, six or seven meters, the lightning ball was still there, but its lethality had weakened considerably."
Not effective!
His control over this lightning was still too poor. It exceeded his limits. He wondered if he could improve it if his Palm Thunder proficiency leveled up.
Fang You glanced at his status panel on his phone and sighed. Then, he untied the cloth strip wrapped around his beginner wooden sword and advanced with the sword.
In the desolate mountain forest, a foul wind drifted, and there were mottled claw marks on the ground.
A creature the size of a calf anomaly was ahead.
It appeared, a wild anomaly!
At this moment, the anomaly was drifting, passing over a bird that had fallen to the ground.
Fang You couldn't see the anomaly's appearance clearly, but he saw the bird as if it had been bitten by something. Its flesh and blood were torn, and after struggling for a while, it became motionless. Its entire corpse rapidly rotted, as if it had been dead for a long time.
He widened his eyes.
This was indeed the first time he had seen such a scene. Before he could think further, the anomaly 'made eye contact' with him and charged forward like a gust of wind.
Basic Sword Technique, initial stance!
First segment! Second segment! Third segment! Heavy strike!
Sword shadows like wind, sweeping through layers of illusions. Driven by the beginner wooden sword, life energy flowed incredibly smoothly. A faint white light shimmered on the entire blade of the wooden sword.
One move was enough to make the anomaly roar, bringing forth wisps of gray mist like seaweed.
After a few moves, followed by a heavy slash, the life energy transmitted to the wooden sword fully erupted. With a bang, he heard the anomaly's sharp roar before it completely exploded.
Fang You performed a sword flourish, rotating the blade twice.
Sheathed.