It amused Arthur that he was creeping out of the cave in the middle of the night, but after he'd healed to a point where he was happy to allow the Tower to continue the rest of the process, he had begun to pull energy from the numerous monster cores he held and the Tower itself to top himself off. Unfortunately, while he could - and did - cultivate under the Hermit's stare, it grew increasingly uncomfortable doing so.
Eventually, he found himself needing to leave, the burning gaze that threatened to drill a hole through him disrupting his focus enough that he had slowed down significantly. He wasn't topped up, or even close to it, but it was good enough for now. After all, he still needed to find a place to train his new technique.
Which was why, creeping along with Shadow Sense up, Arthur was headed up the peak, climbing the rocky face not far from the waterfall. Not too close that the spray and loud crash of water would impair his climbing or hearing, but also not so far away that he couldn't follow the water back.
Up and up, climbing hand over hand, spear strapped to his backpack. A part of him missing the fact that he had a pouch he could have bought, that would have made this easier. Having it knock into him as he climbed all the time was annoying, but that was the tradeoff in the end.
Till he was up on the cliff and had a bit of a straight walk, though even here, the ledge was not far. He almost started walking again, when he realised that this might work. Not perfect, of course, but with some propping up and the use of his tarps and cut grass, he could hide from birds above and creatures below.
Add in the monkey ward, the energetic howler monkey's scrambling into the distance to surround him and Arthur was as safe as one could get on the ninth floor. At least for a while. Eventually, something would arrive but...
"That's later. Now I'm going to get bay-ter." Drawling a little, trying to make it rhyme didn't work; but that was fine. Arthur was more focused on what he had to read, letting Bark Skin run through him. He'd have to cultivate to draw back in energy for what he was wasting, but with his much larger pool, he had over twenty minutes of use before he had to stop and cultivate for another hour. And since he was stopping and starting a lot of the time, it wasn't even that bad.
The only real concern was if he was attacked, which was why, for the first time in a while, he filled his second dantian with Tower energy before he began.
First step, modify the flow of Tower energy to shift it away from wood to metal. Or the Tower equivalent of metal energy. There were, supposedly, thousands of types; though sometimes that became a matter of cutting things super close. Like the difference between five or four elements, or how one might split earth and metal and yet, not have air.
Mattered little, for practical purposes unless you were the kind to fixate on such details. Which Arthur, thankfully, was not. Instead, he just followed the lessons, pouring energy through him, adjusting the flow till he had metal-aspected tower energy. Then, splitting it further to make steel - a specific kind of metal imbuement.
Once he had that down - only requiring two cycles of testing and cultivating - did he get to the hard part. He took a break then, did a series of stretches, enjoyed the sunlight and made sure that nothing was trying to creep up on him and his tent. With the sun beginning to rise, Arthur even stopped to enjoy the giant ball of flame, amused at how large it was and yet, not shedding near as much heat as their own.
Made for beautiful sunrises though.
Afterwards, he stepped into his tent again and began the process of distributing and welding the steel. He focused on small portions at first, getting it right in a patch around his arm, around his hand, creating a single layer at the top of his skin. Everywhere else, it clumped and bubbled, hurting a little and feeling stiff and ungainly. For the most part, he ignored it; allowing the accelerated healing that was part of his constitution deal with the clots that refused to go away, that required rejection or breakdown.
Like getting a burr in one's shoe, but in random spots all across the skin and muscle of the body. The most uncomfortable - just above his cocyx, forcing him to shift onto one buttcheek while he waited for it to fade.
Again and again, testing and learning and then cultivating. A part of him knowing that the time was draining away, that monsters were getting tougher.
His first warning, the howler monkey's screaming. Dying, as giant hornets attacked them and Arthur stumbled out, weapon in hand to fight the creatures off. Amusingly enough, these were earth-aspected wasps, hard to injure - except for their wings. Not at all a sensible advantage, especially when Arthur was fighting them on a cliff ledge and all he had to do was cut-off a wing and send them spiralling down to the ground, desperately trying to stay afloat.
The battle was over fast enough, though he only got two monster cores before he retreated away. Howler monkeys reforming as he utilized the ward once more. Useful thing, that it used up its charge upon creation; and then recharged. So if you stayed in one place, it mattered not. The monkey's would eventually fade, but it took them over twenty four hours each time.
Unless they got killed.
The second time, it was a wasp not a hornet and it was a day later. He loosed a Refined Exploding Energy Dart at it, then took to battle against a wasp that was half again his size, fencing with the monster with his spear till he managed to cut it enough times that it bled to death.
One-on-one, he was still their superior.
Time running out, like a hole in a bag of rice that you were totting home. Leaving precious grains behind, dragging along rats and other vermin that might follow you back. Never a good thing, especially if you didn't notice and your Tsifu smacked you on the top of the head for wasting money and then had you run a dozen laps till you were so tired that you collapsed on your face.
Then run another dozen after that.
He sped up the study, the testing, the learning. Pushing himself harder, running his cultivated Tower energy down to lower levels each time, such that it became more and more dangerous but something he could ignore, would ignore.
Till, finally, three days later; the notification came.
Success! Bark Skin technique upgraded to Steel Skin
Bark Skin technique removed from Status Screen
Steel Skin (100.2%)
Such a small thing, but important nonetheless. He pulled up his new status screen then, because of course he had to.
Cultivation Speed: 2.773 Yin
Energy Pool: 7/30 (Yin) + (7/7)
Refinement Speed: 0.1421
Refined Energy: 0.17 (40) +(0/3)
Attributes and Traits
Mind: 15 (Multi-Tasking, Quick Learner, Perfect Recall)
Body: 25 (Enhanced Eyesight, Yin Body, Swiftness, Fast Twitch Faster, Lightning Reflexes, Explosive Strength)
Spirit: 15 (Sticky Energy, From the Dregs, Strengthened Aura)
Techniques
Night Emperor Cultivation Technique
Focused Strike
Accelerated Healing – Refined Energy (Grade III)
Heavenly Sage’s Mischief
Refined Energy Dart
Steel Skin (100.2%)
Seven Cloud Stepping Technique (204.3%)
Pocket Simpanan Tua (142%) (Refined Exploding Energy Dart 68% Integrity)
Imbued Strike - Yin Poison
Yin Aura (Level 1) (128.3%)
Partial Techniques
Simultaneous Flow (227.4%)
Yin-Yang Energy Exchange (98.3%)
Yin Poison Darts (50.4%)
Shadow Sense (54.2%)
He reveled in the improvements all around, then, drew a breath and stood up.
Time to leave and finish this floor and face that final challenge.