Lin Xuan's intention was to distance himself from this area.
He was about to fuse and absorb the various treasures he had copied, including a defective spatial talent. He had no idea what might happen. To avoid any accidents, it was better to find a safe, uninhabited peak to proceed.
Half an hour later, Lin Xuan arrived at an empty cave and sat down cross-legged. He blocked the entrance with a large boulder, then chose to use the treasures.
Instantly, a surging warm current flowed through his entire body, accompanied by a slight swelling sensation. Fortunately, his *Golden Scale Elephant Art* had already reached the entry level, granting him a physique far surpassing others at the same stage of the Spirit Opening Realm. He could withstand it.
Time passed slowly, and Lin Xuan's aura steadily rose. During this time, the system's cool prompts rang out repeatedly.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for advancing to the Spirit-grade Speed Talent!" "Ding, congratulations to the host for advancing to the Spirit-grade Earth Attribute Talent!" "..." "Ding, congratulations to the host for advancing to the Defective-grade Spatial Talent!"
Soon, another half hour passed. Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the void before him. His attribute panel had changed significantly. He nodded slightly, a smile in his eyes.
The next moment, Lin Xuan vanished from the cave, appearing outside it at the same time.
"Is this the only effect of the defective spatial talent—instant movement?" Lin Xuan murmured to himself, his eyes flickering.
Having fused and absorbed this defective spatial talent, he naturally understood its function. Perhaps due to its low grade, it currently had only one ability: teleportation. Within ten meters, he could instantly shift to any position in space. He could use it about a hundred times a day; beyond that, his spirit and physique would be unable to bear it.
Even so, Lin Xuan was already satisfied. Teleportation, if used well, could not only instantly kill opponents of the same level but even easily overcome those a full major realm higher. For example, if he encountered an early-stage Spirit Yuan Realm cultivator, he might not be a match head-on, but with a surprise teleportation attack, a few punches could bring even a Spirit Yuan Realm cultivator to ruin. Such was the terror of spatial talent.
However, its weakness was also obvious: it could easily be targeted and countered. So, unless absolutely necessary, it was best not to reveal it. If he did use it, he would have to eliminate all witnesses to be safe. Lin Xuan resolved to keep this defective spatial talent as his greatest trump card for now, deeply hidden, to be unleashed at the right moment for a decisive reversal.
Calming himself, Lin Xuan activated his movement technique and swiftly left the cave, heading straight for the location of the non-gold, non-silver puppet from before. That puppet was comparable to a peak Spirit Opening Realm cultivator. If he took it down, the crystals he harvested would surely be excellent, likely enough to break through to the third layer of the Spirit Opening Realm. Moreover, that puppet possessed spatial talent, so its crystals might have additional uses. He couldn't miss this opportunity.
As for its teleportation ability, he now had it too and could counter it. To him, this puppet was no different from other bronze puppets at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm. He had no fear.
After another half hour, Lin Xuan returned to the plain where the non-gold, non-silver puppet had fought over twenty martial artists, all at least at the late stage of the Spirit Opening Realm. Now, the area was empty, leaving only large patches of blood and over a dozen corpses. The battle must have ended, with the twenty martial artists either killed by the puppet or having fled. Lin Xuan wasn't surprised. That puppet, with its spatial talent and teleportation, combined with its puppet body immune to pain, could fight recklessly. It wasn't something twenty-plus late-stage Spirit Opening Realm martial artists could surround and kill.
After a quick scan, Lin Xuan chose a direction at random and began searching. This layer seemed endless, and he couldn't find the entrance to the next one. So, he would hunt bronze puppets here, harvest crystals, and boost his cultivation.
A few minutes later, Lin Xuan suddenly froze.
*Whoosh!*
A sharp air blast exploded by his ear. A fist, neither gold nor silver, appeared beside him, tearing through the air as it hurtled toward him. The punch was ferocious and overwhelming, enough to severely injure an ordinary peak Spirit Opening Realm cultivator. Yet Lin Xuan, only at the second layer of the Spirit Opening Realm, remained calm, his expression unchanged.
He reached out and grabbed.
*Boom!*
A thunderous blast sent layers of air rippling away. Lin Xuan stood firm, completely unharmed. The terrifying punch had been caught.
"Finally here. I've been waiting for you," Lin Xuan said with a light laugh, his left hand gripping the puppet's right fist. He clenched his right hand and threw a punch like a pestle striking a mortar.
*Crackle, crackle...*
The air shattered layer by layer, sparks flying from the sheer force.
*Bang!*
A deafening explosion rang out. The non-gold, non-silver puppet's chest caved in with a fist imprint, sent flying dozens of meters. Then, the puppet flickered and vanished, reappearing from another direction to attack Lin Xuan. But Lin Xuan, as if anticipating it, threw another punch, sending it flying again.
*Boom, boom, boom...*
The air trembled with continuous explosions. The puppet was sent flying time and again, its chest caving in further, its aura rapidly weakening. Throughout it all, Lin Xuan remained indifferent, as if nothing was happening.
"He's suppressing that non-gold, non-silver puppet so completely it can't fight back—so strong!"
"Which major faction's top genius is this? With such power, he's far beyond Sun Yuwen or Liu Qianyu!"
"Yeah, back then, over twenty of us ganged up on it, and only three of us survived. Now this guy is crushing it with ease. Too strong!"
"..."
Several hundred meters to the west, behind a small hill, three figures watched Lin Xuan's battle with the puppet, gasping in shock, their hearts filled with awe. They were a peak Spirit Opening Realm cultivator and two late-stage ones, all bearing serious injuries—the only survivors of the group that had previously attacked the puppet. They had been healing nearby when they heard the commotion and came closer. Witnessing this scene, they were stunned, frozen in disbelief. After a few breaths, they snapped out of it, their exclamations still laced with immense shock.