Chapter 115 Bitter Victory
"That's right." Ikaris chuckled innocently.
Danchun rolled her eyes at his expression. His petty intentions had been seen through at a glance.
She had the appearance of a pretty maiden, but the female cultivator was actually an elder ancestor at least several hundred years old. As smart as Ikaris thought he was, he was still too wet behind the ears if he thought he could fool her.
Despite this, she did not expose his childish agenda and calmly assumed her role as a private martial instructor. In the last few days, Danchun had not wasted her time either and had managed to create a Secondary Spark that allowed her to convert a fraction of her Stamina into Spirit Qi.
The yield was abysmally low, but as long as her body could access this source of energy, she could then use her atrophied Spiritual Root to absorb this Qi and nourish her cells with it following the precepts of her Cultivation Technique.
Basically, just as Ikaris was still human, Danchun still had the same biology as in her former world. She had simply lost her cultivation and was greatly rejuvenated.
If the Spirit Qi had been abundant, she could have entered the Body-Tempering Realm in a few months by training her body hard. The ambient Spirit Qi would have been passively drawn into her cells even if she was unable to perceive it, and in the long run she would have developed sufficient fitness and mental acuity to practice a Cultivation Technique. By refining her first strand of Qi in her Dantian, she could have circulated it through her meridians to nourish her cells and soul, thus formally entering the Qi Refinement Realm.
Instead, because of the non-existence of Spirit Qi in this world, she was forced to resort to this much less efficient method. Her only advantage was that her Soul Strength was not bad and she could directly practice her Cultivation Technique out of habit even if she was unable to perceive the Qi she was producing.
Actually, this was a non-issue. This world of magic wasn't as welcoming to Otherworlders at first glance, but the possibilities for evolution were limitless. Realizing that she couldn't perceive Qi, she had simply created a Secondary Spark that allowed her to do so. The practice of her Cultivation Technique was drastically facilitated.
Right now, her Cultivation was still close to nothing, but Ikaris' eyes widened slightly as he scanned her with his Appraisal Spell out of habit.
[Soul Strength: 4.4 points.]
He remembered that when she arrived a week earlier her Soul Strength was only 4.3. Looking at her attributes in detail, Ikaris noticed that they had all increased evenly. The gain was small, but it meant an objective increase in her potential.
Her Talent was only a C when she arrived, but if she followed this trend she would surpass the potential of other Earthlings within a few months. When he saw this, he suddenly felt immense pressure. He couldn't let a subordinate surpass him now that he had finally gotten on top!
'As expected from a Cultivator.' Ikaris praised bitterly in his head without showing anything of his astonishment on his face.
But this discovery led him to another realization. Creating Sparks like Enhanced Stamina or Strength were perhaps not the most ideal method to increase one's potential and attributes. Danchun's method couldn't be replicated directly because her anatomy was special, but it was still possible to accomplish something similar through imagination.
Ikaris could invent a Spark that converted his Stamina or any other energy source into a unique energy that performed specific functions and was under his full control. He could also directly enable himself to manipulate and control any type of energy, but the difficulty of creating such a nebulous and ambitious Spark would be exponentially greater.
An ordinary native of the Forsaken Lands was obviously unable to do so, but that didn't mean it was impossible.
"What are you waiting for to start this spar?" Danchun politely interrupted his ruminations with a smile that wasn't quite one.
Ikaris came back into focus and caught Malia's eager gaze as she had already armed herself with a wooden sword. His competitive spirit returned and he picked up a weapon in turn.
"I'm ready."
As in their previous fights, Malia didn't wait for the signal to start the fight and immediately attacked before the teenager got his guard up. Ikaris was familiar with her cunning nature lacking any sense of sportsmanship and he calmly side-stepped deflecting her blade with his own sword.
Malia was taken aback at having been dodged so easily but it only rekindled her lust for battle. She corrected her wrist position slightly and followed up with a backhanded sword swing aimed at the boy's throat. The latter tilted slightly his neck backwards and dodged by the skin of his teeth.
Confident in her physical strength, the Vampire smugly twirled around and tried to elbow the boy in the chin. Ikaris had already been fooled by this vicious move in the past, but this time instead of dodging he blocked the elbow directly with his hand.
The impact made his whole arm vibrate, a sharp pain radiating from his palm, but his arm did not budge.
"Hmm? Since when are you as strong as me?" Malia was so unsettled that she forgot about her next attack.
Ikaris didn't answer and closed his grip on her elbow, digging his fingers deep into the young woman's slender-looking arm. Several nerves were pinched and Malia let out a pained squeak of her own.
At that moment, her body covered itself with a crimson halo and Ikaris, who was confident of his future victory, was suddenly flung into the air. With his agility, he managed to land on his feet with a controlled backflip without being hurt.
He didn't have time to feel shocked when his pupils narrowed as he saw Malia dashing at him in a blur. Barely able to register her movements, he reflexively parried but his wooden sword splintered apart and he felt an excruciating pain in his liver as the Vampire's fist punctured his stomach.
Realizing that she had cheated by using a Bloodline ability or some Spark, a surge of anger and indignation exploded inside Ikaris and with an enraged roar he morphed into a Dire Black Werewolf. His normally subdued bestial instincts could not withstand this unfair defeat.
A monster of more than 2.5 meters with jet-black fur, a broad build, a slightly arched back, long muscular arms and claws as long as daggers suddenly appeared in the training field. When a huge shadow covered her, Malia who was until then absorbed by the fight finally realized that something was wrong.
ROOOAR!
A fist with lightning speed and the momentum of a buffalo's charge savagely slammed into the Vampire's face and although she raised her guard in time, her forearms were fractured on the spot and she was in turn knocked into the air for about fifteen meters.
When she landed on the ground, she rolled several times before coming to a stop. She did not get up immediately, coughing up blood, half stunned by the concussion.
"End of the match! Victory for Ikaris." Danchun declared straight away, stepping in between the two fighters.
The Werewolf's gaze locked on her and the cultivator's heart skipped a beat, her hairs bristling with goose bumps. She felt as if she was staring at a Demonic Beast rather than a human being.
If he wanted to kill her it would be a piece of cake.
The next moment, the monster began to shrink, while its fur retracted. An Ikaris dressed in torn rags and slightly embarrassed reappeared before Danchun. His clothes had not withstood his transformation and he was practically naked.
Realizing that Malia still hadn't gotten up, he ran over to her to inquire about her condition, but when she saw him she jumped back.
"Hey! It's me. I won't kill you." He smiled wrily, now feeling guilty about his first victory.
The young woman regained her composure a few moments later, returning to her normal demeanor, but after this incident it became clear that she was a little afraid of him. Ikaris had not wanted to transform, but in retrospect it was Malia who had escalated the fight first.
The Vampire was also aware of this and for this reason she felt even more ashamed. Wanting to save her from her predicament, Danchun suddenly asked,
"Since when are you a Werewolf? Did you let Liam bite you?"
"Not exactly." Ikaris answered evasively.
Danchun didn't insist. They all had their secrets. Malia, on the other hand, was much more curious.
Her parents had told her in the past that hybrids with two Bloodlines were rare. Often, one of the two Bloodlines would predominate or form a third mixed Bloodline with some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
For example, Malia inherited her Vampire bloodline from her father and her Kitsune bloodline from her mother, but she did not have quite the same abilities and limitations as her parents.
Unlike her father, she could tolerate sunlight, though it was unpleasant, and could do without blood to a certain extent while maintaining a normal meaty diet. Strictly speaking, she was a Half-Vampire, a Dhampir, weaker than a Vampire but without their weaknesses.
Ikaris gave her an entirely different impression. He was human, a Crawling-Thrall, but his transformation into a Werewolf was even more domineering than Liam's.
It was as if he had become a pure-blooded werewolf.