"Crackle, pop!"
Inside the forging workshop, the torches, processed and enhanced with combustion enhancers, with branches of the Ming Guang tree as their core fuel, were burning slowly, emitting light and heat.
This was already the third version.
Wang Chui observed the burning process of the torches, his gleaming head reflecting light under the torchlight. "This should be about right. Continuous burning will release the special properties contained within the Ming Guang tree branches. As for the specific effects, you mentors will have to test it to know for sure."
"Hmm, one piece of fuel like this can burn for about half an hour."
Fang You took one.
The handle was made of a special alloy, and the top could be refueled at any time to burn flames, ensuring maximum utilization of the Ming Guang tree branches.
After all, combustion was the most effective way to disperse the mist, but combustion required the consumption of Ming Guang wood... He could already foresee that the Ming Guang tree would be a very important strategic resource in the future.
As for the effect...
He hadn't tried it yet. The description from his skill detection was also vague, but...
This torch had already been recognized by the Salvation Game and was considered a standard item!
[Ming Guang Torch (White)]
[Description: A torch primarily fueled by Ming Guang wood, possessing strong capabilities in dispersing mist and repelling anomalies. The specific crafting process is as follows...]
[Hint: Given the clarity of this crafting process, it can be replicated, and the 'Blueprint: Ming Guang Torch (White)' has been automatically generated.]
[Currently created blueprints include: Vitality Secret Medicine Blueprint (White), Stamina Potion Blueprint (White), Energy Recovery Potion Blueprint (White), Mental Secret Medicine (Green), Standard Weapon Saber (White), Standard Weapon Spear (White), Standard...]
There were over a dozen of them. Although these blueprints couldn't instantly produce items with a single click, they represented valuable techniques.
Among them, the crafting process for standard weapons heavily relied on Wang Chui's awakened ability. However, with the forging workshop now available, even anomalies with similar abilities could learn the intricacies and use the workshop equipment for rapid production.
This allowed for the integration into blueprints.
Having obtained the Ming Guang Torch, the next step was to test its effects. Whether entering from a regular designated entrance or taking a shortcut, they would still face the dense gray mist.
Naturally, taking An Jianyou's shortcut would be faster.
When he returned to the training ground, An Jianyou was no longer awkward; after three times, she was used to it.
He said, "Let's go and test the effects of the Ming Guang Torch."
Hearing her mentor's description, An Jianyou's eyes widened as she looked at the burning torch before her. "With this torch, we won't be ambushed by so many anomalies?"
With her mentor present, she wasn't as afraid of entering the anomaly realm. The two walked through Channel No. 2 and, in a moment, arrived at the Bai Jiang Service Center.
However, after just a few steps, An Jianyou spoke with some uncertainty, "My talent also improved after my third awakening. It seems I can enter the anomaly realm without needing to touch a node of the anomaly realm gate."
Oh?
Fang You's interest was piqued.
The changes to Hei Dao's abilities after his third awakening were that his killing intent could transform into weapons and armor, and his talent enhanced these effects and provided greater improvements.
The changes in his own third awakening included a tenfold expansion of his belief perception range, allowing him to capture the beliefs of apostles from afar, and faster, controllable burning of tinder, which could be utilized even in daily combat, albeit with less effect.
As for talent, he had none.
He signaled for her to demonstrate. An Jianyou said, "My amplification ability only increased in intensity; I haven't discovered new ways to use it. But my Through-Sight Eye... Mentor, look, it's like this."
As she spoke, a faint blue light bloomed in her eyes.
Instantly,
The environment in Fang You's vision changed. Gray mist swirled, buildings seemed weathered, and numerous shambling figures appeared outside. The roars of anomalies reached his ears.
However, he hadn't made physical contact with An Jianyou. Had her talent range expanded?
He noticed that centered around An Jianyou, a circle about five meters in diameter appeared... Was it that by being within this circle, one could enter the anomaly realm with her?
At this moment, the anomalies outside the circle didn't seem to notice them. They hadn't truly entered the anomaly realm yet.
So, what about outside?
He suddenly thought of a possibility. "Wait here for a moment."
Under An Jianyou's puzzled gaze, Fang You stepped out of the gray circle. Instantly, the gray mist dissipated, sunlight streamed down, and the wind howled on the rooftop, but An Jianyou was nowhere to be seen.
He walked forward.
One step, two steps. He didn't enter the gray circle again and saw nothing. He even counted his steps and walked to where An Jianyou had been standing, reaching out to touch, but found nothing.
This ability...
He couldn't see An Jianyou at this moment, and his calls received no response. He guessed she couldn't hear him, but it wasn't a problem. He directly opened An Jianyou's status panel and clicked on the chat channel.
Beep, beep, beep—
He stepped back a few paces. In the next moment, An Jianyou's figure appeared out of thin air a few steps away.
She had exited her Through-Sight state.
"You didn't enter the anomaly realm just now, could you see me?"
"No, no."
Earlier, her mentor had told her to maintain her state, and though she was puzzled, she figured her mentor had his reasons and decided to obey.
She had been maintaining it all along.
She was still afraid to enter the anomaly realm on her own.
But hearing her mentor's description of what had just happened, her small mouth parted slightly. "I couldn't see, couldn't touch. Does this mean..."
She suddenly understood and became incredibly excited.
An Jianyou was no longer a novice. She had a complete combat system and understood her strengths and weaknesses.
Her strengths were endurance and being able to deal with swarms, while her weakness was herself – she was too fragile.
Although she had been continuously training in the Trial of Swords during this period, only slightly mitigating some of her weaknesses. She knew very well that if she encountered a major crisis, she would still be flustered. She was truly unskilled, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Now, if this ability could truly allow her to hide...
An Jianyou experimented.
Her Through-Sight Eye could adjust the degree of "visibility." However, whether it was Level 1, 2, or 3, her body remained in reality, and she could only see more or fewer anomalies.
Only when she prepared to enter the anomaly realm and was on the verge of entering, did she encounter a bug.
She crouched down, staring at the gray circle around her. After trying for a while, she discovered, "When entering this state, this circle becomes immobile. However, I can still move. But once I step out of this circle, I'll fall back into reality."
Despite the flaws and the fact that this bugged state couldn't be maintained for too long, An Jianyou was still very excited.
I'm getting stronger!
Pride.jpg.
"Then let's enter the anomaly realm."
"Oh, right. Yes."
She had gotten too excited and forgotten about it.
Soon, she used her Through-Sight Eye talent again. A gray field enveloped both of them, and the scene in their eyes rapidly changed.
Gray mist shrouded them, buildings weathered, pedestrians disappeared, and anomalies appeared.
Previously, An Jianyou had been stuck at this stage, right before the membrane of the anomaly realm. She couldn't fully enter and had to find places where anomaly realm gates had appeared, with significant "weaknesses," to manage an entry.
But this time,
As if hearing a soft 'pop,' they stepped into this gray world.
The sky was gray, the ground was gray, and the surroundings were filled with hideous anomalies. Their heads all turned in unison, and their eyes all fixed upon them.
Stare—!
An Jianyou shivered and quickly summoned her units from One to Six.
She hadn't had time to change her equipment, but she could still easily slaughter those shambling ghoul-like anomalies.
However, for now,
Just like last time, the anomalies, as if drawn by the scent of blood, were about to swarm them.
At this moment,
"Whoosh~"
Flames ignited, orange-red tinged with a faint white, spreading out.
Before their eyes, the dense gray mist began to recede, as if blown away by the wind.
In a moment,
The gray mist within tens of meters around them thinned considerably. While wisps of mist still lingered, without the shroud of dense fog, the torch burned, and the environment before them suddenly became brighter.
Those anomalies that had smelled their presence and were swarming towards them became less ferocious.
Within their field of vision, they still lunged at them, but beyond their field of vision, the anomalies continuously emerging from the mist were far fewer.
"At the same time, the self-healing ability of the anomalies has been reduced by about eighty to ninety percent."
"As expected, the Ming Guang Torch is an absolute sharp weapon for exploring the anomaly realm."
Carrying the torch, their journey was indeed much safer.
Occasionally, a few two-star anomalies would stumble upon them, discover them, and be quickly killed.
After the mist dispersed, the roars of the anomalies sounded more distant, and the surroundings seemed to fall into a sudden silence.
Before them lay a street, a street in the northern district of Bai Jiang City. They walked out of the service center and followed this street south.
Familiar yet strange.
The surrounding buildings, even the advertising signs hanging above the shops, were identical to the real world.
However, the advertising signs were covered in rust, the building walls were very old and riddled with cracks.
Fang You even deliberately entered a supermarket. He remembered that this supermarket was still operating outside, but now, within the anomaly realm, the shelves had long since rusted, and the items on them were black and indistinct.
An Jianyou ordered a small black creature to rummage through the items on a shelf, and suddenly a bloody eyeball emerged from a can-like item, startling her.
"Be careful, there are anomalies everywhere here."
"The torch cannot completely repel anomalies; at most, it just makes us less appetizing."
Fang You scanned his surroundings.
Roars continued, yet there was also a lonely dead silence. The entire world seemed devoid of life.
However, with the Ming Guang Torch, as long as they were careful, exploring within this anomaly realm didn't seem difficult, though they hadn't discovered anything of value yet.
Thinking this, as they just walked out of the supermarket, the ground suddenly trembled.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The stones on the ground shook, and cracks spread across some weathered buildings.
A terrifying colossal shadow appeared within their sight.
It was extremely, extremely large!
Even from a great distance, even within the dense gray mist, one could look up and see the colossal shadow.
Its body was like a mountain. In comparison, the buildings within the mist were like toys. As its legs, like pillars reaching the sky, stepped forward, colliding with the buildings, they collapsed like sandcastles piled on a beach.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The colossal shadow moved, its sounds gradually receding. The two stood in place, speechless for a long time.