She stole another glance at Bai Xuan, confirming to herself that he was indeed fine before continuing, “I just heard a strange noise and was worried something had happened, so I came to check. Please, carry on with your training. I won't disturb you any further.”
With that, she turned to leave, but after taking only half a step, she suddenly paused.
Glancing down at the cloth bag in her hand, she suddenly remembered something and turned back around.
“I almost forgot. This is what the townspeople gathered after clearing up the monster tide. Everyone asked me to hand it over to you.”
She stepped forward, set the cloth bag on the ground, and knelt down to untie the thick rope at the opening.
Once the bag was open, a full load of Magic Cores of various sizes and colors was revealed, glinting faintly under the light of the oil lamp.
She reached out and pushed a few Magic Cores that had slipped toward the opening back into the bag, afraid they might roll out and get lost.
Bai Xuan stared down at the bag overflowing with Magic Cores, falling silent for a moment.
When he was clearing the monster tide earlier, he had only taken the high-grade Magic Cores from the monsters he personally killed. He hadn't bothered with the rest of the numerous ordinary Magic Cores, as it was too much of a hassle.
But he hadn't expected the townspeople to spontaneously gather the scattered Magic Cores and go through the trouble of collecting them all to give to him.
“Keep everyone thanked for me,” he said to Yvonne with a slight smile.
When Yvonne saw Bai Xuan's smile, she jerked her gaze away as if she had received an electric shock.
“We are the ones who should be thanking you,” she said, shaking her head gently, her voice filled with sincerity. “If not for you, Calais Town would have been destroyed, and none of us would have survived that monster tide.”
As she spoke, her gaze lingered briefly on Bai Xuan's hand resting on the cloth bag before she quickly looked away, seemingly searching for the right words.
“There are still a few Magic Cores that haven't been gathered yet. Once everyone finishes sorting through them tomorrow, I'll bring them over to you.” As she spoke, her fingers twitched slightly at her side before she relaxed them.
Then, she looked up again, her eyes sweeping over the stray strands of hair falling across Bai Xuan's forehead before quickly darting away, her expression carrying a hint of awkwardness.
Bai Xuan bent down and lifted the cloth bag, weighing it in his hand. It was quite heavy. “There's no need. You can keep the rest for yourselves.”
Yvonne hurriedly shook her head in refusal. “How could we do that? These are your spoils of war from defeating the monsters. Everyone gathered them specifically for you. We absolutely cannot keep them.”
“The town has just gone through a battle, and resources are very scarce. Trading these Magic Cores for supplies can help solve a lot of the town's problems,” Bai Xuan said calmly. “I don't need this many anyway.”
A brief silence fell between them. Her gaze swept over the empty guest rooms in the courtyard, and she suddenly remembered something. She asked softly, “By the way, do you plan on staying in the guest room here tonight?”
Bai Xuan nodded slightly and pointed toward the vacant guest room.
Seeing this, Yvonne quickly glanced at the room's door, her tone filled with self-reproach. “You already plan to stay in this one? But this guest room hasn't been cleaned yet. It's not fit for someone to stay in at all.”
She continued with a touch of frustration, “We should have swept and organized it beforehand to prepare a clean and comfortable place for you.”
“No need to go to any trouble. I'm only staying for one night. A simple tidy-up is more than enough. Don't worry about it,” Bai Xuan said calmly, his tone relaxed and casual, showing he didn't mind the simple conditions in the slightest.
Yvonne gently rubbed the edge of her sleeve with her fingertips. “While you're still in town, conditions are relatively convenient, so it's always better to stay somewhere comfortable. A clean environment allows a person to truly relax and recuperate.”
She looked up and stole a quick glance at Bai Xuan. “Besides, once you leave town, you'll be traveling and adventuring in the wilderness. You won't have the luxury of a proper rest then. Since you can spend a peaceful night tonight, there's no need to settle for less.”
Bai Xuan gave it some thought and found her words reasonable. Tonight would be his last night of peaceful rest under a roof. For the rest of his journey, he would most likely have to sleep outdoors.
“Then I'll trouble you with it,” he said. Hearing this, a smile tugged at the corners of Yvonne's lips. She turned and walked toward the guest room, her steps noticeably lighter than before. Reaching the door, she pushed it open and stepped inside first.
Bai Xuan stood in place, glanced at the bag of Magic Cores in his hand again, and then stored it in his Space Ring before walking over to the doorway.
The door was half-ajar. Through the gap, he could clearly see Yvonne carefully wiping the dust off the table. Satisfied that everything was fine, he turned and walked back to the open space in the courtyard.
He retrieved the skill engraving stone from his Space Ring, holding it in his palm. Closing his eyes, he slowly channeled his mana into it, clearly visualizing the operational form of Strength Enhancement in his mind.
It was a powerful force that erupted from deep within his bones, spreading through his tendons and across his entire body, greatly boosting his muscle explosiveness when unleashed.
He attempted to guide the effects of the Strength Enhancement within his body, pouring them into the engraving stone in his palm. A faint glow gradually lit up the surface of the stone, and intricate patterns began to manifest layer by layer across its body.
The status panel immediately popped up with a new notification: Skill Engraving Stone (Strength Enhancement Lv.5): Can continuously consume mana to provide the holder with a Strength Enhancement boost.
It appeared that passive skills could indeed be successfully engraved, and the complete effects of Lv.5 had been preserved.
The only uncertainty was whether the shockwave effect unlocked by the Limit Breakthrough had also been engraved into the stone. He would know once he found an opportunity to test it later.
With the engraving of Strength Enhancement complete, now was the perfect time to test his newly acquired mid-tier skill, Holy Charge, and get a clear picture of its true power.
Bai Xuan walked toward the long path on the west side of the courtyard. This path was flanked by low walls on both sides, ending at a half-open wooden door, spanning a distance of about several dozen paces.
Bai Xuan stood at the start of the path and gripped his staff tightly. Without intentionally building up power, he triggered the Holy Charge skill purely with his mind.
The instant the thought formed, the stone slabs beneath his feet shattered with a loud bang, sending gravel flying in all directions.
A violent propulsion suddenly surged, launching him forward like a projectile. The speed was so unimaginably fast that he had absolutely no time to react.
Sharp wind howled past his ears, and the tearing force generated by the high-speed movement gave his body a faint tearing sensation.
Fortunately, with the dual boosts of Physique Tempering and Strength Enhancement, his physical strength had long since far surpassed that of ordinary people. The tearing force from this high-speed movement only caused a stinging pain on the surface of his skin, unable to cause any real harm.
He crashed straight through the first low wall, sending shattered stone and wood chips exploding outward. Without slowing down in the slightest, he went on to smash through the second and third walls in quick succession.
By the time he regained his bearings and came to a stop, he was already at the end of the path. The ground beneath his feet was covered in shattered bricks and broken wooden boards, and the soles of his shoes had been lightly scuffed by the ground.
He looked back the way he came. The spot where he had originally stood was now just a sunken crater of crushed stone, and the low walls of the path now featured three massive, perfectly aligned gaps.
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