Alpha Reborn!

Blade Mastery: Thunderous Blade Wave!

With a swift swing of his blade, a destructive arc of ice blasted into existence, emanating an intense chill that froze the ground and trees in its wake.

The icy arc cut through the monsters like a hot knife through butter, drawing a red line in their bodies.

The very next moment, each creature was cleaved in two, their bodies separated horizontally from the middle.

The force of the blow was so powerful that a slash wound appeared in a hill far off.

"Winter has come."

The aftermath of the battle was akin to a winter storm, with the monsters and the hill encased in a thick layer of ice. It was as though a fierce winter had descended upon this section of the forest, freezing everything in its path!

The system's notification rang in Evan's mind.

[Ding! You have decimated a pack of monsters. You have gained 1560 EXP, and +15 AGT, +19 STR, +22 STA, +26 DEX, and more than a 146 points permanent increase in your soul energy bar! As this is your first time killing a pack of beasts, you have gained an additional reward. You get +100 EXP!]

This was the first time Evan had been rewarded so generously from a single battle, but he couldn't even muster up the strength to smile.

His body felt heavy and weak, and he fell to his knees, feeling completely exhausted after expending so much energy in the battle. He touched his chest, feeling a dull ache in his heart. It wasn't physical pain, but something spiritual. He had never felt this way before.

Just then, a series of notifications rang in Evan's mind.

[The burden of the Blade Master skill crystal was too much!]

[Your skill weaving soul plate has been damaged. Its durability has been reduced by 8%!]

[Remaining durability: 92%!]

Evan felt anxious and summoned his soul plate, examining it closely.

There were eight tiny cracks on its surface.

He knew that every soul plate had a limited durability, and if it reached zero, the plate would be destroyed, cutting off the cultivator's cultivation path, and he was heading towards such a future.

It happened because he recklessly used the Blade Master Crystal skill.

The Blade Master skill crystal was an extremely powerful source of power, meant to be used only after the soul plate had been refined once or twice, a process that usually occurred during the tribulations one faced while ascending to the next realm of cultivation, but he had chosen to go against the norm, risking everything to use the skill crystal without refining his soul plate as he needed its incredible strength to win the inheritance war and secure his position in the clan.

In the Black Eye Galaxy, there existed a prized artifact known as the repair scroll. This coveted item had the power to restore soul plates, but at a steep price - a single scroll was worth 1000 high-level soul energy crystals, a fortune equivalent to the average price of a small planet.

Though he possessed the wealth required to afford it thanks to his father's immense care, the acquisition of a repair scroll was easier said than done. However, he knew that the clan's treasury was bound to house dozens of these scrolls, and winning the war would grant him immediate access to one of them.

Evan stayed where he was, his eyes fixed on the surrounding chaos.

"The scent of blood is quite strong. It's concentrated enough to lure the Craterborn and its slaves here. They might already be on their way. I'd better stay put and prepare myself for their arrival. After all, this is the best chance to complete my task."

It was clear that Evan was speaking the truth, as Craterborn were infamous for their attraction to such carnage.

He took a deep breath and calmed himself, knowing that he needed to recover his strength before the inevitable encounter.

With a quick movement, Evan's hand darted to the Starlight Amulet hanging from his neck.

As his fingers closed around the smooth surface, a soft, gentle light pulsed out from the artifact, enveloping him in its warm glow.

In an instant, Evan felt the fatigue and weariness that had been plaguing his mind and body vanish, replaced by a renewed sense of energy and vitality.

[Ding! Your stamina has been restored!]

Wanting to fill up his energy bar before the big battle, he then slowly sat down cross-legged on the ground and pulled out a soul energy crystal from his inventory.

He focused his mind and began to refine the crystal, using his soul refining skill to convert the energy of the crystal into his own. He felt his soul pockets fill up with soul energy, energizing his body and restoring his depleted strength.

As he was a practitioner of the Breath of Frost, Evan the soul energy he absorbed was converted into ice-type energy.

Shaa! Shaa!

A quarter of an hour later, a strange hissing sound pierced the silence, causing Evan's heart to race.

Soon after, he saw them - grotesque creatures with pointed ears, slimy bodies, and elongated limbs. Five of them were 1.5 meters tall, almost identical in appearance, but the sixth one, the one that stood out, was 2 meters tall, with a menacing aura that would send shivers down one's spine. This was their master, the craterborn.

Without wasting a moment, Evan unleashed a barrage of ice bullets, each faster than the last. However, their trajectory was linear, and only three of the creatures were hit in their vital parts, instantly dying and encased in a layer of ice. The rest, including the towering craterborn, managed to dodge the attack with surprising agility.

"Dang, they're pretty quick on their feet, but I can still take them out. U-turn!"

He pulled the uno reverse card on them.

With the creatures closing in on him, Evan willed the bullets that had moved past the monstrous creatures to take a sudden U-turn, attacking them from behind, which was their biggest blind spot.