Chapter 7: Black Iron Horror, Big Loot

"Food's ready. Give my cooking a try, haven't been in the kitchen for years."

At noon, inside the dining room, Mother Ning brought over the dishes with a soft smile. "See if my skills have gotten rusty."

"I steamed these shrimp, Shikong, you should try one." Ning Qingya was also making her culinary debut, holding out a shrimp to Wang Shikong with her chopsticks.

Steamed should be fine...

"Thanks!" Wang Shikong accepted with a word of gratitude, peeling and eating it.

"Think nothing of it. I may never have cooked before, but I feel I’ve got a natural knack for it," Ning Qingya declared, radiating confidence.

The corner of Wang Shikong’s mouth twitched. Women... where did that confidence even come from?

The meal was warm and pleasant. They all finished quickly, and Ning Qingrou dashed back to her room shouting about conquering the Endless Continent. Ning Qingya pushed him back to his room, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Um... maybe I should take you to the bathroom first. I’m heading into the Endless Continent soon."

"Okay."

Wang Shikong paused briefly but didn’t refuse.

After she pushed him out of the bathroom, her face flushed crimson, she fled in embarrassment. Wang Shikong smiled faintly. Revisiting these small memories felt oddly interesting now, with his changed perspective.

Noting his fully restored spirit energy, he focused. The surroundings shimmered, plunging him back into the depths of the Lost Mine Passage.

He quickly scanned the area, summoning two skeletons to carry his palanquin immediately. They pressed deeper into the mine’s gloom.

"Hmm?" He soon spotted two Zombie Miners standing motionless about twenty meters ahead.

"No major problem."

A Five Elements Fusion spell erupted from Wang Shikong’s hand, slamming into the clustered zombies. Instantly, two eruptions of clashing light and darkness blasted the charging figures backwards, ending them.

His speed dispatching these horrors had actually increased. Efficiency soared.

As the skeletons carried him forward, he absorbed the dispersing mana orbs. Two more Black Iron Longswords materialized near the fallen undead.

"Oh?"

Pushing another twenty meters deeper, his gaze sharpened upon spotting a solitary figure ahead. Unlike the sword-wielding Zombie Miners, this one was slightly smaller, its outline wreathed in shimmering darkness.

"Whoosh!"

While he assessed it, a jet of black flame streaked towards him. The eerie fire radiated corruption, decay, and malevolent power.

"Wood, Fire, Earth!"

Wang Shikong’s eyes narrowed. A swirling mass of earth materialized—a basic defensive construct. Instantly, he altered its fundamental state, shaping it into a meter-tall earthen wall.

Thud! The black flame struck the barrier, held at bay.

Under his Elemental Foundation Forms ability, Wang Shikong could theoretically weave six elements simultaneously. But fully transmuting a spell's form took precious moments—four was his practical limit. The enhanced flexibility, however, proved its worth again.

Zombie Foreman Commander (Black Iron): Level 6

Health: 1200/1200

Physique: 25

Spirit: 55

Skills: 1. Blackflame 2. Shadow Strike 3. Darkplate

Weapon: Keeper Staff (Black Iron): Damage +55, Durability (100/100)

Seeing the Foreman Commander’s stats, Wang Shikong’s focus intensified. 1200 health, 55 Spirit, three skills—impressive for its level. But only that.

"Squeak-squeak-squeak!"

Wang Shikong began coalescing another Five Elements Fusion. But piercing squeaks erupted, echoing in the stone tunnels. He snapped his head around—a tide of twenty to thirty Mine Rats surged towards him!

"Rats too?" His expression turned serious.

Without hesitation, he flung the prepared fusion orb into the rodent wave.

*KA-BOOM!*

"-350."

...

A dozen rats disintegrated instantly. Yet, the rest charged on, undeterred. A single bite could end his frail life. He tensed. Streams of golden sand seemed to flow within his irises, time itself becoming tangible.

Foresight activated.

"Gale Force!"

Two miniature whirlwinds sprang to life. He tore a tissue loose, flicking it ahead. The first gust sent it fluttering forward; the second masked his scent drifting backwards.

Up ahead, the Zombie Foreman Commander raised its staff, dark energy condensing at its tip. When Wang Shikong unleashed the gales, its movement visibly stuttered. It unleashed another Blackflame blast—aimed this time at the fluttering tissue. A flicker of derision touched Wang Shikong’s lips. Exploiting the brief opening, he hurled his next Fusion orb, augmented by Fire Enhanced by Wind, into the remaining rats.

*KA-BOOM!*

Two resounding blasts. The tissue vaporized. So did the surviving rats. Wang Shikong’s head snapped up, eyes blazing with internal golden sands.

The Commander struck back, its staff blurring. This time, a two-meter-long shadow detached, streaking across the distance like lightning.

Impossibly fast. Already upon him.

"Time Stop!" He had no choice. Time fractured. Froze.

"Retreat!"

Frozen time bought one crucial second. He commanded the skeletons backward while frantically weaving another fusion orb.

*CRASH!*

The skeletons dragged him back four meters. Where he’d just been, a crater half a meter deep erupted, sending debris flying. Wang Shikong’s fireball flew an instant later. Before it even struck, he started molding the next fusion.

Zzzzt! Sizzle! (The frozen temporal distortion effect)

-700

The Five Elements Fusion hit home. 700 damage stripped away. The second orb followed in its wake.

*CRACK!*

But this impact did nothing. Obsidian plates shimmered into existence around the Commander, absorbing the blow. Darkplate.

Without pause, Wang Shikong bit his fingertip, squeezing out a drop of blood.

"Gale Force!"

He cast the wind again, propelling the blood droplet forward. Simultaneously, another gust scattered his scent rearwards. Zombies hunted by scent, not sight. His previous trick with the tissue had worked once. The blood was the upgraded decoy.

It worked. The Commander unleashed yet another Blackflame, targeting the falling blood. Wang Shikong seized the moment, completing his next fusion orb. Fire Enhanced by Wind.

*KA-BOOM!*

The orb detonated against the Commander just as its Darkplate winked out. The Foreman Commander toppled, defeated.

"Troublesome," Wang Shikong murmured, breathing hard. Less than a minute had passed. Yet, one-third of his spirit was gone, burned on Foresight and Time Stop. Without the damn rats, it would have been manageable—those two swarms cost him valuable attacks. Pushing five levels above his own against a Black Iron elite? A grim smile touched his lips. Fair trade.

He surveyed the field dotted with mana orbs. Wind currents from his palm-fan whisked away lingering dust. He approached, absorbing the rich energy.

[Ding! Your level has increased by 1! Spirit +5, Physique +2]

Absorbing the thirty Mine Rats' essence alone leveled him up. The Foreman Commander’s potent energy pushed the XP bar significantly higher. Three items gleamed near the Commander’s body. He directed a skeleton to retrieve them.

[Shadow Strike] Skill Book

[Darkness's Gaze] Potion Recipe

[500 Spirit Coins]

Seeing these drops, particularly the potion recipe, Wang Shikong’s eyes widened. "A recipe... An incredibly valuable potion recipe." Excitement surged. Master this formula as an Apothecary, gather the rare herbs, brew the Darkness's Gaze elixir—mountains of Spirit Coins awaited. A recipe’s worth dwarfed even the finest Black Iron weapon.

The Shadow Strike skill book lay there too.

[Shadow Strike: Release a shadow projection to strike a target, dealing damage equal to 7 x Spirit.]

[Congratulations! You have acquired the Shadow Strike Skill Template.]

Wang Shikong instantly learned the skill. He tentatively cast it, feeling the dark energy coalesce.

[You have comprehended the essence of Shadow Strike! Skill Proficiency has reached the Divine Level!]

He knew this spell intimately from his past life. Shadow Strike, when fused with the Light elemental skill Luminance Cloak, detonated with devastating force. In the early days, top-tier teams relied on dual-caster combos—one specializing in each spell. The synchronized blast was legendary.

And mastering both spells solo for a single, fused attack?

He chuckled darkly. Impossible. In the beginning, utterly impossible.