This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 743 - 386: Upgrade and Inventory, Energy Level Touches X_2

Chapter 743: Chapter 386: Upgrade and Inventory, Energy Level Touches X_2

Moreover, there is a shared ability, occupying one ability slot.

[Gigantification: Weapons can be magnified tenfold.]

Initially, he wanted to sell them, but considering these were Terrax Civilization’s weapons and might stir up a wave, he decided to recycle all of them.

In the end, he still kept an A-level weapon, thinking it might have other uses.

The recycling yielded nearly fifty million metal energy. Combined with what was left originally, after a round of operations, he still had three hundred and fifty million remaining.

While pondering, he suddenly felt his skin heat up. Upon returning to his senses, he noticed streaks of blood-colored flowing light wrapping around him like little snakes burrowing into his skin, causing his heartbeat to accelerate gradually.

This must be the so-called bloodline purification. Just as Li Ming had this thought, a piercing and scalding sensation began radiating from his skin, akin to thousands of glowing needles simultaneously stabbing through, making his body tremble uncontrollably.

Every muscle twitched violently, every nerve convulsing in extreme pain.

Amid this unbearable agony, Li Ming began to undergo a deeper metamorphosis. His skin gradually became as tough as metal, gleaming with a peculiar luster, seemingly covered by a mysterious energy shield.

His cells frantically divided and reorganized, releasing powerful life energy and becoming more active as if they’d gained self-awareness.

The bones let out cracking sounds as they continuously strengthened and reshaped themselves. The internal structure became increasingly complex and precise, capable of withstanding unimaginable pressure and impacts. It was a transformation intertwining pain and rebirth.

The purification of the Titan Bloodline was fiercer than Li Ming imagined, faintly conflicting with his genetic seed.

However, Li Ming had experienced such a situation before. He immediately used the Defense Buff. Under the effect of over 200-fold Defense Buff, all conflicts and tearing vanished without a trace.

The roaring, surging river instantly calmed into a tranquil stream.

After a long while, confirming that the metamorphosis was complete, Li Ming finally withdrew the Defense Buff. He immediately felt an entirely different sensation, as if his entire being had elevated, his physical strength subtly yet significantly enhanced.

His eyes flashed with determination as he quickly took out the genetic testing device.

"Development progress has improved, now reaching 40%..." Li Ming stared at the numbers on the screen and silently clenched his fist, making a crackling sound.

He couldn’t help but feel a trace of excitement, "I remember the last time something like this happened, it was during..."

He delved into a more detailed assessment of his development potential, his eyes brimming with brilliance. "Indeed, my root development potential has risen to Level Twenty."

His original root development potential was only Level Ten, and it had now doubled.

"Titan Bloodline, is this one of its benefits? Didn’t the Observer say it would suppress development potential?" Li Ming pondered in surprise.

Does suppression occur only after development potential reaches Level Forty-Five? Could the increase in bloodline concentration beforehand actually boost development potential?

The Observer didn’t mention this, perhaps thinking my development potential must already be high, but in truth, it’s shockingly low.

Titan Bloodline: "Kid, your development potential is way too low. Let me raise it for you."

Li Ming brushed off the absurd scenes within his mind and grinned. This was an unexpected blessing.

With this, his development rate would continue to climb steadily, even securing a stable path for improvement.

This gain was far more than worth it.

Li Ming calmed his emotions. The trials of the Holy Castle weighed more heavily in his favor; the rewards weren’t wasted, and the weapons provided ample metal energy to recycle.

Although the final trial posed significant difficulty, to him, reaching X-level life status combined with various controlled objects made success inevitable.

In this case, there’s no need for me to worry about searching for the Holy Castle. I just need to follow the trials step by step.

Hmm... that won’t work either. While I ignore it, that doesn’t mean others won’t keep looking. The Empire certainly wouldn’t give up; they might even go to greater extremes.

The progress on that front is beyond my control, and stopping it would be like a fool’s dream.

He paced back and forth in the room, thoughts spiraling. Suddenly, his footsteps halted, and an idea surged in his mind.

Li Ming’s eyes narrowed. I can’t stop them, but that doesn’t mean others can’t.

No one can resist the allure of the Holy Castle, so he decided to mass-produce the programs designed by the Hammer Divine Craftsman to locate Terrax Holy Castle.

Since I can already participate in the Holy Castle trials, let’s make sure everyone gets a copy—no one gets to monopolize it.

"This is way too devious." Li Ming suddenly looked up at the metallic wall, where his handsome face was faintly reflected on the smooth surface.

Making up his mind, Li Ming immediately began planning, drafting a table.

"The Sister’s Heretical Cult will definitely want it. Black Hole Hall has plenty of ambitious figures, and the Holy Revolution Army wouldn’t mind giving the Empire a headache. As for the Federation, that’s a given. Then there are the overlords of the Chaotic Star Gap and the Divine Craftsman..."

Li Ming muttered, "No, I can’t act too recklessly; otherwise, it might lead to targeted retaliation. Focus on selling it to the Sister’s Heretical Cult, the Holy Revolution Army, and the Federation for now..."

He opened the Black Hole Network and contacted a liaison within the Sister’s Heretical Cult to send a message. For the Holy Revolution Army and Federation, he would need intermediaries to spread the word.

The message transmission required time, so Li Ming set down his intelligent terminal for now and opened the Control Page to prepare for upgrading his controlled objects.

He still had two Terrax Stones left. Since the Holy Castle trials prohibited external items, enhancing controlled objects would be more effective. The addition of two Guard slots wasn’t urgent right now.

As for which controlled object to upgrade, he had already made up his mind. Opening the Control Bar, he locked his target on three identical objects: [Earth-shattering Giant Fist]. A massive influx of metal energy was directed at them, triggering their transformation—

[Earth-shattering Giant Fist—S-level: Shatter the land!]

Control Effect: Trait—[Shattering Earth], [Shattering Star]

Control Ability—Earth-shattering: Gains 5000% Power Amplification.]

[Shattering Earth: Gains 2000% Power Amplification and applies "Shattering Earth" marks to attack targets. Every ten layers of marks will detonate, inflicting additional damage.]

[Shattering Star: Marks can stack an additional ten layers. For every mark the enemy carries, additional inflicted damage increases by 2.5%, cumulative.]

After investing two hundred million metal energy, [Earth-shattering Giant Fist] saw significant enhancements. The data buff spoke for itself.

The new trait [Shattering Star] also proved quite useful. Using two pairs of [Earth-shattering Giant Fist], the damage amplification could directly reach as much as 75%, nearly doubling its effect.

After calculating for a while, among his eight controlled objects, four were now S-level: the core [Talos’ Heart], [Justice Arm Armor], and two [Earth-shattering Giant Fists].

The other objects included [Feros Mecha], primarily utilized for its [Thunder Master] ability, although it was becoming less necessary and could be replaced.

[Life Power Core], primarily enhancing stamina; [Vortex Shadow], enhancing speed; and an additional [Earth-shattering Giant Fist], providing auxiliary strength amplification.

Overall strength amplification directly soared to 310-fold, with nearly 160-fold applicable to his physical body.

"With development progress slightly improved and reinforced by the Titan Bloodline, standard burst energy has already exceeded 90A. Combined amplifications push burst levels past 1X... not to mention various traits and abilities..."

Li Ming estimated for a moment before falling silent, even shocking himself.

Of course, past experience allowed him to understand clearly that merely hitting the X-level threshold for burst energy and nearing 100% development progress of S-level life forms wasn’t sufficient. Genetic Release at this stage could also reach this level.

And once at this threshold, it typically led to a bottleneck period. Due to the immense difference in energy levels, further enhancement of controlled objects rarely brought qualitative changes.

Such was the period of growing pains. Each life level had similar phases; he naturally wouldn’t stagnate. What needed to be enhanced would be enhanced, and upgrades would follow suit.

Upon becoming an S-level life form, a natural evolution would occur.

Li Ming contemplated, "Still, I can tackle the Holy Castle trials now. Every bit of improvement counts. A thorough plan is essential to replace certain controlled objects. Once development progress increases further, middle Lord-level trials should be manageable."

"Tsk, I still have two A-level Evolutionary Source materials that aren’t S-level yet. Guess I’ll have to find two unlucky souls for those."