Fantasy: I Become God by playing a game [Dungeons + LitRPG +Xinxia]

**Chapter 11: Dungeon: Ancient Cultivator's Tomb (8)**

Clang!

The crisp sound of swords echoed throughout the underground tomb. A sharp blade's radiance sliced through the air, heading straight for Ye Chenglin's face.

The resounding clash carried an indescribable sense of oppression, like the arrival of a true dragon, its momentum overwhelming.

Su Chen initially thought Ye Chenglin would retreat upon witnessing this powerful attack. Yet, to his surprise, Ye Chenglin stood calmly in place and extended a single hand.

Bang!

A burst of air exploded as Ye Chenglin caught Su Chen's full-strength strike barehanded. The impact that rebounded from his palm felt as if Su Chen had struck not flesh but a piece of hard, refined iron.

One hand can block my Perfection Level Water Dragon Roar? Is this the physical strength of a Foundation Establishment Stage Magic Corpse?

Though shocked by Ye Chenglin's strength, Su Chen made a swift decision. Releasing the sword's hilt, he channeled his spiritual power, conjuring ten invisible blades of air. They floated in midair, sharp and menacing, all aimed at Ye Chenglin standing before him.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The air blades struck Ye Chenglin in rapid succession, their sharp force akin to relentless waves crashing against a shore. Yet, apart from scattering a few sparks, they failed to harm him.

The Water Dragon Roar doesn't work. Even transforming Qi into swords is ineffective. Ye Chenglin's physical strength is beyond my imagination. This demonstrates how vast the gap is between the Foundation Establishment Stage and the Qi Gathering Stage.

Su Chen descended from the air, landing two meters away from Ye Chenglin. Options were dwindling fast.

As Su Chen paused his assault, Ye Chenglin appeared uninterested in prolonging the confrontation. With a slight exertion of force, he crushed the sword in his hand into countless metal fragments that floated in the air.

Yet, amidst the fragments, Su Chen noticed a shallow wound on Ye Chenglin's palm. It was minor, barely worth mentioning, but it gave him hope. Though faint, it proved Ye Chenglin wasn't invincible.

The sight of the injury uplifted Su Chen's spirits, shifting his desperate mood to one of determination.

As long as he can be hurt, there's hope.

Ye Chenglin glanced at Su Chen, a flicker of humane admiration appearing on his grotesque, decayed face.

"You… are not bad."

Hearing this, Su Chen fell silent. After a moment, he replied, "But it's still not enough."

Ye Chenglin approached slowly, his gaze meeting Su Chen's. Calmly, he said, "What a pity."

Before Su Chen could react, a sharp pain pierced his chest. He looked down in disbelief as Ye Chenglin's claw tore into him, extracting his still-beating heart.

In his final moments, Su Chen heard Ye Chenglin's parting words:

"Unfortunately, you're still too weak."

The 131st Challenge Failed!

Upon resurrection, Su Chen began reflecting on his battle:

"The body of the Foundation Establishment Magic Corpse is terrifyingly strong. I miscalculated—thinking proximity would give me an advantage."

"But now I see how naive that idea was. A talisman cultivator's physical body pales compared to a physical cultivator's. Normally, talisman users are vulnerable in close quarters."

"Yet Ye Chenglin isn't just a talisman cultivator. As a resurrected magic corpse, his physical strength surpasses that of most body cultivators."

Even with the Water Dragon Roar enhancing my swordsmanship, my Qi Gathering Stage Level Two is still too weak. I could barely scratch him despite my best efforts.

"In the previous hundred battles, Ye Chenglin didn't even take me seriously. This time, however, he did. A fully focused Foundation Establishment Magic Corpse, even injured, is far beyond my ability to defeat."

To win, I must either improve my cultivation or increase my proficiency in the Water Dragon Roar.

Given the choice, Su Chen hesitated to use precious experience points on cultivation. Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't waste even a single point.

Thus, the key to defeating Ye Chenglin lay in refining the Water Dragon Roar. But how?

Sitting in the open space before the bronze door, Su Chen pondered. He'd learned from past experience that merely practicing techniques wasn't enough to raise proficiency. True progress required understanding their essence.

For example, he mastered the Floating Cloud Steps by realizing its core principle—utilizing water mist from spiritual power to lighten his movements. Once he understood this, he spent hundreds of battles perfecting the technique, ultimately achieving a state where he could seemingly walk on air.

Similarly, to improve the Water Dragon Roar, I must understand its essence.

After careful thought, it clicked.

Vibrations.

The Water Dragon Roar's power came from vibrations. By enveloping the sword in water-attributed spiritual energy and inducing a rippling, wave-like vibration, the technique unleashed devastating damage. The dragon-like roar was merely a byproduct.

If I want to enhance the Water Dragon Roar, I must focus on increasing the frequency of these vibrations.

Currently, Su Chen could vibrate his sword fifty times per second, creating impressive damage. But if he could push it to hundreds—or even thousands—of vibrations per second, the power would skyrocket.

However, there was a problem.

The ordinary magic sword he used, meant for servant disciples, could barely handle fifty vibrations per second. Beyond that, the weapon would shatter under the strain.

This limitation brought his practice of the Water Dragon Roar to a standstill.

If my sword can't withstand the vibrations, can something else?

As Su Chen pondered, inspiration struck.

"Why must I rely on the sword alone? My body is an excellent carrier too!"

What if I channel high-frequency vibrations into my spiritual energy instead? Upon drawing the sword, I could release this vibrating force through the blade's energy rather than the blade itself.

As soon as this thought occurred, a message appeared on his game panel:

----

[Your understanding of "Water Dragon Roar" deepens, gaining 300 points of technique proficiency.]

[Water Dragon Roar: Perfection Level (301/4000)]

----

Seeing the sudden boost in proficiency, Su Chen's excitement grew.

This proves my theory is correct. The essence of the Water Dragon Roar lies in the vibration of spiritual energy itself. The true roar is the resonance of spiritual power, unbound by physical limitations.

Weapons have limits, but spiritual energy does not. Theoretically, as long as my spiritual reserves were sufficient and my meridians strong, the Water Dragon Roar could achieve infinite vibrations.

At that moment, it felt as though a veil had been lifted, revealing a clear path forward.

(end of this chapter)