Only I Am A Reader
chapter-426

The formerly orange orb had long changed form since it had fused with the Frozen Bloom. Its outward look was no different from a big glass orb with a faint blue tint.

The purple aura that used to surround it from the outside had now become a stunning stream swirling deep inside.

However, after staying for a whole day inside the Blast Freezer, its color scheme was further changed as a thin layer of white frost enveloped the Frozen Plum Core. An additional white stream now danced alongside the purple one!

As Leo cradled it into his hands, the coldness spread through his whole arm. It might have been the source of excruciating pain for others, but for Leo, it was more of a calming refresher…

'A month… Maybe even two.'

The bounty that he found deep inside the treasure didn't disappoint. In comparison to the effect of the deep freezer in the kitchen, the rate of generation had at least increased by 5 times.

Nonetheless, Leo didn't rush to harvest the clear energy that many Martial Artists would kill to obtain.

Considering its pure nature, he could just ingest it as it is in no time, instantly increasing his Internal Energy reserves and stepping closer to his advancement.

Even if he did nothing else other than that, he would be able to directly step into the Transcendent Stage within a year!

'There is a way.'

It would be extremely wasteful to take that just as!

Now that energy was abundant inside the Core, Leo could fully analyze its properties. While the Violet Plum Core could only produce basic but purified natural energy, the Frozen Plum Core's energy pronouncedly carried the Cold Attribute!

For those who practiced basic Breathing Methods like the publicized versions or ones that took an entirely different direction like Scarlet Sky Breathing, the type of Energy was irrelevant.

However, those that used the attribute-specific method could actually amplify the energy's quantity just by breathing it in!

'I wouldn't be able to change my way now nor do I want to, but…'

Considering that Scarlet Sky Breathing was the strongest when it came to output, Leo wouldn't change it even if he could. Growing weaker at a faster rate wasn't an option.

Besides, he was bound to meet many obstacles when practicing something different than the path that he had already taken. With the lack of Murim's special resources, he wouldn't be able to solve any of them.

Still, that didn't mean that he had no option at all!

'The Heavenly Demon's Library isn't comparable to a treasure chest for nothing.'

While almost every single member of the Heavenly Strength Society practiced Scarlet Sky Breathing, there were those that pursued slightly different paths, especially among the pillars!

In order to push their strength beyond the limit when advancing to the next stage seemed impossible, the only thing that Martial Artists could turn their focus to was their techniques.

And while the strength of the techniques usually depended on the user's degree of mastery, there was one more way to go about it. Focusing on the Technique's attribute!

If one could further refine their Scarlet Sky Internal Energy to take on the attribute of the technique, they could challenge the limit of the attack output defined by their stage.

'It wasn't publicized because of the extreme rarity of attributed resources. However, this isn't something that I need to worry about.'

The reason that such a method was almost left unused was self-explanatory. Even if one found something like the Frozen Bloom, they would be left with nothing to use pretty soon.

However, just like Leo managed to obtain the Frozen Plum Core, there were Pillars in the Society's history that either found a renewable resource or a treasure trove of attribute-specific resources that would last them a lifetime!

With the undeniable need to make use of something like that, auxiliary Refinement Techniques were created!

'I'm using it the other way around, so it doesn't really matter.'

While Leo had yet to learn a Technique that uses Cold Energy, his aim in this instance wasn't to increase his attack strength, he just wanted to take the fastest shortcut to the Transcendent Stage!

That being said, it wouldn't be too bad to learn something as a trump card on the side. After all, Leo did have the chance to look at a few techniques of the Northern Ice Palace both within the Heavenly Demon's Library and at the island itself.

Either way, even without using a technique specific to it, using attributed Internal Energy wasn't that different from bonafide magic.

All in all, Leo only needed to spend a little more effort to obtain benefits on all sides!

'I can just do it here, but let's push it to the limit!'

Just like the Frozen Plum Core itself, there were also certain conditions that could amplify the results of auxiliary Refinement Techniques.

Without hesitation, Leo spread the doors of the Blast Freezer before taking the shelves out. It was time to fully immerse himself in Cold Energy while absorbing it!

Finding a space or a cave full of Cold Energy in the Murim Mainland was no different than another miraculous encounter comparable to finding the Frozen Bloom Core itself, but Leo could easily reproduce it back on Earth using money and technology.

'Gulp.'

Since he had yet to reach the Transcendent Stage where his body would become impervious to coldness and heat to some extent, Leo still felt a strong chill, but he preserved for the sake of the rewards!

'Frost Refinement.'

The principle of the auxiliary Refinement Technique was to change the minor Energy Cycle from the main Breathing Technique and harmonize it with the big Energy Cycle that was still under its control.

'Double…'

As the energy finally started to make its way into Leo's meridians, the amplification effect was already visible. The 1~2 Months worth of energy looked like they would produce 4~5 Months of Internal Energy!

'There is more!'

However, that wasn't the end of it either. Once the first minor Energy Cycle was completed, the coldness surrounding Leo started blending in with the process…

With all of the Frost Refinement Technique's requirements being present, Leo felt what it was like to cheat once again!