“No, although that strike was more powerful, the energy utilization rate was too low. It felt like a large portion was forcibly squeezed out, rather than truly 'fusing' with the sword strike.”
“It seems there's still a deviation in my direction. I shouldn't aim for instantaneous bursts.”
Matthew's gaze fell on the old tree not far away, which was covered in sword marks, and a new idea formed in his mind.
“I can't keep blindly testing in the air and wasting energy. I need to test the specific effects on a 'target'.”
He took a deep breath, walked steadily to the large tree, and reached out to grasp the hilt of his sword.
Focusing his mind on the tip of the sword, he no longer pursued instantaneous explosive power, but instead tried to let the life energy naturally fuse with the trajectory of the sword strike...
Drawing on his experiences from just now, Matthew didn't need much effort to enter the state this time.
After circulating it for a moment, his body felt as if it were soaked in flowing water, and a gentle, stable flow of life energy naturally traveled to his arm and the sword blade.
He no longer hesitated, lined up his target on the tree trunk, and thrust his sword forward—
The life energy clung to the edge of the blade like a stream, bursting slightly the moment it made contact with the trunk!
Hum...
A solid sensation traveled back from the sword, the sharp blade sinking about three inches deep into the trunk—both deeper and with much greater ease than during his usual practices.
Matthew drew back his sword and stood, carefully assessing the consumption of that strike. He then furrowed his brow slightly and muttered:
“The physical consumption... is still close to one-tenth.”
“It seems the excessive consumption isn't caused by the 'burst' itself, but rather this external manifestation of 'energy attaching and bursting with the strike' simply requires this much life energy to begin with.”
“I can only wait for my proficiency or physical fitness to improve before this consumption changes.”
However, the benefits were also obvious—
Matthew focused his gaze on the clear sword mark on the trunk. It was nearly three inches deep, wide and smooth, with no jagged, splintered wood along the edges.
If he had relied solely on brute strength, even if he could have pierced to this depth, it would have required a stronger muscular burst and a longer buildup. It would also have easily splintered the wood, resulting in a stronger recoil.
“This 'fused' thrust not only increases power, but it's also more efficient and sharper in its force delivery.”
A trace of realization dawned in his heart:
“Perhaps the key to fusion isn't to let the energy pour out all at once, but to let it flow naturally along the trajectory of the form and release smoothly upon impact. It's like 'sending' the power deep into the target rather than letting it 'float' on the surface.”
He took a moment to adjust his breathing, suppressing the slight feeling of emptiness brought on by the energy consumption.
“Whew... As expected, the consumption is a fatal flaw.”
“And this is with my physical attributes. If it were those ordinary guys, they probably couldn't even practice it twice in a row.”
“No wonder advancing to a Black Iron Rank Class holder is so difficult...”
Complain as he might, Matthew's hands didn't slow down at all. He quickly pulled a strip of dried meat from the leather pouch at his waist and stuffed it into his mouth to chew.
The tough jerky was moistened by saliva between his teeth, spreading a salty, savory flavor throughout his mouth.
As the jerky went down, a faint but distinct warmth began to rise from his stomach, quickly spreading to his limbs and bones.
That slight sense of weakness from consuming his life energy was actually soothed by a fraction!
Although the amount replenished was far less than what was consumed, the effect was real.
“This is...?” Matthew's eyes lit up. With a thought, he pulled out a piece of rye bread he carried with him and took a large bite.
However, the bread only brought a basic sense of fullness. It did absolutely nothing to replenish his consumed life energy; that subtle warm current did not appear again.
“Only meat works?” Matthew quickly drew a conclusion. “It seems meat can nourish life energy. I wonder if other types of meat replenish energy in the same proportion?”
He focused on the feeling for a bit, but the recovery amount was too minuscule to accurately estimate the specific replenishment ratio relative to the amount eaten.
Suddenly, Matthew recalled the sensation of looking inward when he practiced his meditation method this morning...
No sooner said than done.
Matthew cleared his mind, closed his eyes, and tried to summon the “inner vision” state he had unlocked during his morning meditation practice.
Although it wasn't as deep and focused as full meditation, he worked hard to awaken that subtle perception of his own energy flow.
Sinking his consciousness into his body, he clearly “saw” the cyclone representing his life energy at his dantian.
At this moment, the glow of the cyclone was slightly dim, and its size had shrunk by a margin. Clearly, his several attempts to fuse the combat technique just now had consumed a massive amount of energy.
“It really works!” A curve appeared at the corner of Matthew's mouth.
He immediately took out another identical strip of dried meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed vigorously before swallowing.
A moment later, looking inward again, he discovered a thin, thread-like stream of warmth merging into the cyclone.
The entire process lasted for about ten breaths of time before that warm current was completely absorbed.
Matthew opened his eyes, a flash of understanding crossing them.
“As expected!”
He carefully compared his state before and after looking inward: after eating a strip of jerky, a tiny fraction of the dimness in his depleted life energy cyclone was dispelled. The fullness of the cyclone had recovered by about one-thirtieth!
“One strip of jerky can replenish about one-thirtieth of the life energy consumed by an attack of that intensity.”
Matthew reached a clear conclusion.
“This efficiency... is decent. At least it proves that jerky can indeed replenish life energy consumption.”
But the first thought that popped into Matthew's head was that it was incredibly expensive!
“One strip of jerky only replenishes this much, while a single full-power attack consumes one-tenth. That means one attack costs three strips of jerky!”
“This expense...”
One had to know that a strip of jerky about the length of an arm cost around 30 copper coins, and that was when prices were low.
Once winter arrived and meat became scarce, there would probably be plenty of buyers even at 50 copper coins!
Matthew weighed his flat coin pouch and sighed inwardly.
“As my training intensity increases in the future, relying solely on ordinary jerky won't be nearly enough. I'll either have to stockpile a massive amount of meat or find food with more concentrated energy.”
However, those were worries for the future. Matthew still had quite a few gold coins now, so getting through this winter would definitely be a simple matter.
Moreover, through this experience, he discovered an unexpected pleasant surprise—the “inner vision” effect brought by his meditation method could not only be used to perceive elements and Spirit during meditation, but it could also clearly “see” the flow and strength of his life energy!
Wasn't this the equivalent of installing a real-time 'energy monitor' on himself?
This thought lifted Matthew's spirits.
In battle, bumps and bruises were inevitable, leading to accumulated hidden injuries. These hidden issues were usually hard to detect, but over time, they could become obstacles to breakthroughs or even fatal weaknesses.
If he could use the “inner vision” function to conduct regular checks and address issues promptly, it would be of immense benefit to his long-term cultivation and combat survival!
“This inner vision function that comes with the meditation method is simply a treasure! Its supportive value on the path of a combat class holder might be even greater! After all, there are still many directions that haven't been explored yet!”
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