Chapter 113 – 【Silver Arm】

The battlefield was truly a battlefield.

Under the massive assault of the Phantom Demon Legion, even on this remote defense line, many Phantom Demons had arrived and fallen here.

Su Ming spent about an hour sweeping through this area. After throwing most of the obtained Phantom Demon materials into the marketplace, he actually exchanged for tens of thousands of crystal chips.

“Another few dozen packages acquired.”

Su Ming was in an extremely good mood, so good that he almost felt like humming.

After tasting such benefits, Su Ming naturally wanted more.

“This area is cleared out. Why not go sweep through other defense lines?”

Su Ming was tempted.

But after some thought, he reluctantly gave up.

“If it were just this area, it would be fine. But if I go to other defense lines to sweep through and cause too much commotion, it might attract unwanted attention.”

Moreover, time and circumstances didn’t quite permit it.

Who knew if something might happen here if he went alone to other defense lines?

After all, the trouble with the Xu Family hadn’t been resolved yet, and Su Ming’s teammates were all here. There was no telling if someone else might encounter life-threatening danger.

Furthermore, Huaming District was now filled with Phantom Demons everywhere. The defense lines further back were one thing, but if he went to the front lines and accidentally encountered some Upper-Rank Professional or Upper-Rank Phantom Demon, it would only create unnecessary accidents.

“Better to stay here and continue collecting. One should know when to be content.”

Su Ming stopped thinking about those unrealistic things.

But what about more practical matters?

While collecting materials from the battlefield and watching the Phantom Demons that occasionally attacked the rear lines, Su Ming suddenly remembered something else.

“Speaking of which, I still have that non-standard sequence Spirit Art that Sister Zijing gave me.”

Su Ming recalled that non-standard sequence Spirit Art’s Spell Formula book.

It was a spell formula that could turn Phantom Demons into slaves to control.

Thinking about it, Su Ming’s entire mind became active.

“If I can master this Spirit Art here, then in Huaming District where Phantom Demons are everywhere, creating a small Phantom Demon army wouldn’t be difficult at all, right?”

Once this thought emerged, it could no longer be suppressed.

If he could truly master that non-standard sequence Spirit Art here and possess a Phantom Demon Legion, the help it would provide him was unimaginable.

“If it really works, I might even be able to give the Xu Family a surprise.”

Thinking this, Su Ming didn’t hesitate any longer and pulled out that non-standard sequence Spirit Art’s Spell Formula book from his backpack.

Over the past two days, Su Ming hadn’t been without studying this spell formula.

However, non-standard sequence Spirit Arts were too obscure and stagnant, completely different from the traceable and rule-following standard sequence Spirit Arts. Studying them was still too difficult.

To use an analogy, the former was like various flights of fancy, while the latter was like hypotheses that conformed to realistic laws. Which was easier to achieve didn’t even require thinking.

Therefore, after Su Ming’s cursory research over the past two days, it was impossible for him to have discovered anything useful.

But now, Su Ming’s Vision Mark had Awakened, and his spirituality had greatly increased. Perhaps he could try to deeply analyze the composition of this spell formula.”These Spirit Arts from the supplementary sequence are ultimately just flights of creative fancy. If I accept them wholesale, I definitely won’t be able to achieve the same understanding as their creator.”

Su Ming thought to himself.

“In that case, I might as well incorporate my own comprehension—replacing elements I don’t understand with concepts I can grasp—and reconstruct the Spell Formula from scratch. This approach might actually succeed.”

Thus, Su Ming conceived this bold idea.

In other words, he intended to make structural improvements based on his actual circumstances, without causing the Spell Formula itself to collapse.

Only through this method could Su Ming potentially master this technique.

“Though this idea is somewhat audacious, it remains a viable approach.”

Having resolved himself, Su Ming activated his Vision Mark.

“Hum!”

A fiery glow emerged on his forehead, causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly under the influence of Spiritual Qi.

The mystical patterns formed a rather pleasing design imprinted between Su Ming’s brows, subtly altering his aura.

After activating the Vision Mark, Su Ming’s spirituality received another boost.

The severalfold—even dozens-fold—amplification not only greatly enhanced the power of Spirit Arts executed in this state, but also cleared his mind, sharpened his Spirit Sense, and even improved his cognitive abilities.

Maintaining the activated Vision Mark, Su Ming began racing against time to study the Spell Formula book in his hands.

While activating the Vision Mark could significantly enhance a Sorcerer’s power, it wasn’t something that could be sustained indefinitely.

Just as a Hunter’s Demonization required consuming massive amounts of magic power to maintain, a Sorcerer’s Vision Mark similarly demanded substantial Spirit Power expenditure.

Once Spirit Power and magic power were depleted, both the Vision Mark and Demonization would become unsustainable, immediately ceasing function. This would not only revert the Professional to their original state but could even plunge them into a weakened condition.

Therefore, both the Sorcerer’s Vision Mark and the Hunter’s Demonization served as ultimate trump cards—powers to be deployed only in dire circumstances.

Reckless usage would only create unnecessary burdens, prematurely triggering the weakened state.

Under these constraints, even with Su Ming’s vast Spirit Power reserves, he couldn’t indefinitely withstand the Vision Mark’s consumption.

He had to study the Spell Formula book as much as possible before his Spirit Power depleted, thoroughly analyzing the structure of the supplementary sequence’s Spirit Art.

Naturally, this wasn’t something easily accomplished.

Su Ming prepared for a protracted effort, focusing entirely on studying the Spell Formula book. Whenever his Spirit Power drained and the Vision Mark faded, he would pause his research and instead circulate magic power, moving through various battlefield locations to continue collecting Phantom Demon materials.

When his Spirit Power recovered somewhat, Su Ming would reactivate the Vision Mark and resume studying the Spell Formula book.

In this manner, Su Ming kept himself constantly occupied—collecting Phantom Demon materials when Spirit Power was exhausted, studying the Spell Formula book when Spirit Power recovered. Only when he became aware of the time and knew his shift for frontline duty approached would he set aside his work, return to camp, and join Yao Beibei in combat operations at the Frontline.

Time continued flowing under these circumstances.

By afternoon, Su Ming once again left the camp and returned to the desolate battlefield.”Gurgle!”

With a bizarre roar, a Phantom Demon appeared before Su Ming.

It was a creature covered in scales, its body slick and wet, with a head resembling a crocodile and a body like a lizard, sporting a single horn. Its eyes fixed intently on Su Ming, glowing with a fierce light.

“A Scaled Horn Demon?”

Su Ming recognized the true form of this Phantom Demon.

The Scaled Horn Demon, possessing a sharp, elongated horn capable of piercing steel plates with ease, was clad in scales so resilient that even bullets could not penetrate or leave the slightest mark. Renowned for its formidable combat prowess alongside trolls, it stood as one of the strongest lower-tier Phantom Demons, excelling in both offense and defense.

Especially the one before him—its horn was grotesque and terrifying, its scales unusually colored—clearly not an ordinary Scaled Horn Demon.

This was an evolved Scaled Horn Demon.

Unfortunately, its evolution had failed.

It was a Scaled Horn Demon Mutant.

Judging by the ferocious aura it emitted, this mutant, though not quite matching an upper-tier Phantom Demon, far surpassed any ordinary lower-tier one.

“Excellent.”

Su Ming gazed at the Scaled Horn Demon Mutant, his eyes gleaming with an unusual brilliance.

It was a look as if he intended to treat it as a lab rat for experimentation.

“Gurgle!”

The Scaled Horn Demon Mutant seemed provoked by Su Ming’s gaze. With a savage roar, it stomped its limbs and charged toward him with astonishing momentum, kicking up a trail of dust.

Its speed was equally remarkable.

“Thirty-Third Form: Stasis Lock.”

Without hesitation, Su Ming spread his palm, his wrist trembling as four circular arrays materialized, radiating a spiritual glow.

“Whoosh…”

Invisible chains instantly swept through the air like serpents, swiftly coiling around the Scaled Horn Demon Mutant and binding it tightly.

“Gurgle!”

The mutant struggled fiercely, causing the invisible chains to clatter violently.

Clearly, this mutant possessed immense strength, showing signs of breaking free from Su Ming’s restraining Spell Formula.

As a mutant, its power lay between that of an upper-tier and a lower-tier Phantom Demon.

In terms of Professional star ratings, it had already surpassed Three-Star, rivaling a Four-Star Hunter without Demonization or a Four-Star Sorcerer without an activated Vision Mark.

Facing such a powerful Phantom Demon, it was unrealistic for Su Ming to subdue it effortlessly without activating his Vision Mark.

Fortunately, Su Ming was not just a Sorcerer but also a Hunter.

“Swish!”

Amid the sound of tearing wind, Su Ming’s figure flashed, darting in front of the Scaled Horn Demon Mutant.

His right hand shimmered with an eerie glow.

“Silver Arm: One Percent: Punch!”

As this low shout escaped Su Ming’s lips, a fist covered in cracks and enveloped in azure, flame-like radiance struck the mutant’s chest with a terrifying sonic boom.

“Boom—!”

A deafening explosion followed as the Scaled Horn Demon’s chest seemed to burst open, unleashing a shockwave that sent scales and flesh flying in all directions.

“Gurgle!”

The Scaled Horn Demon Mutant let out a cry of agony.

Su Ming kicked it to the ground, forcing it to collapse face-down amid a cloud of dust and shattered debris, leaving it in a pitiful state.A pool of blood gradually spread beneath the Scaled Horn Demon Mutant.

Su Ming watched the scene, clenched his right hand freed from its bandages, and grinned.

“I’ve finally grasped the basics of this right hand’s power.”

Su Ming named this power in his right hand—[Silver Arm].

He could now control the power of [Silver Arm], avoiding a repeat of last time when he threw a punch that drained all his magic, forming a nuclear explosion-like blast.

The punch just now was merely one percent of its full power.

For this reason, Su Ming called this strike the One Percent Punch.

(End of Chapter)