As the large Cryo Slime drew closer, Lu Chen felt a sharp chill pierce through the air.
It was freezing. The Slime's presence alone seemed to lower the surrounding temperature by several degrees.
Lu Chen knew just how dangerous this thing was in his current state. He absolutely couldn't let it land a hit—not because of the physical damage, but because its attacks carried Cryo energy that would slow his movements.
His baseline 5 Agility finally came into play—he barely dodged the Cryo Slime's lunge.
It passed close enough to brush the hem of his coat, and the frigid air made him tremble.
Thankfully, none of the three Slimes managed to hit him. Lu Chen switched out the heavy Debate Club for the Blunt Sword and began circling them.
He'd pulled several Blunt Swords in his thirty-pull reward. Without hesitation, Lu Chen had merged them all into the first one.
The sword he held now was a level 40 Blunt Sword with an attack stat over 100—higher than what the Debate Club provided.
You could say it was the deluxe supreme edition of the Blunt Sword.
Why not merge all his junk weapons into the Debate Club instead? Because that thing was too heavy. The lightweight Blunt Sword suited Lu Chen much better right now.
If Lumine and Aether could use a Blunt Sword to fight the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, why couldn't he?
With the Blunt Sword in hand, Lu Chen hacked through the Cryo shields of two smaller Slimes.
His Vision allowed him to manipulate Anemo. He felt his steps lighten, his agility and speed boosted by several tiers.
Dodging incoming attacks, he weaved in and out among the monsters until only the largest Cryo Slime remained.
This one, he could handle.
Leaning casually against a tree trunk, Venti watched the back-and-forth fight without mocking Lu Chen. On the contrary, he was impressed—Lu Chen's combat instincts were still razor sharp.
Despite being in an ordinary human body, Lu Chen had no problem handling a group of high-level monsters. He was still composed and efficient.
As Venti watched, the large Cryo Slime shifted its movements. Its bulky body began to compress as though tensing muscle, and then it launched high into the air.
This was its signature move—Slime Slam. Upon landing, it would unleash a wide-range Cryo shockwave.
Lu Chen looked up at the airborne Slime. In that split-second of danger, how would he respond?
His next move caught Venti off guard.
Lu Chen didn't dodge. He made no attempt to escape the blast radius. Instead, he summoned Anemo energy and launched himself upward—chasing the Slime into the sky.
His plan was to finish it in one strike. He had limited stamina and didn't want to waste it dragging out the fight.
Every time he was in danger, his affinity for elemental energy would sharpen. That was how he'd awakened "Song of the High Sky" last time. This time, he was aiming to trigger the Pyro Vision that had yet to activate.
The Cryo Slime's underbelly wasn't completely covered in its icy shield—perfect for breaking through.
He gripped the Blunt Sword with both hands, channeled Anemo into his leap, and thrust the blade upward. The moment it connected with the Slime, a flicker of flame sparked from the sword's edge.
The hardened ice began to melt as Lu Chen's blade plunged deep into the Cryo Slime's body. The Pyro energy scorched the elemental creature from within.
With a thunderous crack, the Slime shattered mid-air. Ice fragments burst apart into a glittering spray and fell like snow.
Below, a puddle of sticky Slime Condensate splashed onto the ground.
[Slime Condensate ×5]
One Slime had dropped five units. Lu Chen still didn't know what they were for, but he stored them in the system anyway.
His inventory was overflowing with this stuff—Slime Condensate was currently his most abundant Teyvat material...
"Nice work!" Venti applauded with a wine bottle tucked in his arms.
"Nice? Come on..." Lu Chen looked at him helplessly. "It's not like that thing was a boss. Don't tease me."
"I'm serious!" Venti said earnestly. "Most people at your level would've taken a hit. But instead of worrying about self-preservation, you used that moment of danger to try awakening a new Vision. You banked your victory on a personal breakthrough. That's real diligence."
Embarrassed by the praise, Lu Chen shook his head with a small smile.
"If I'm not mistaken..." Venti pointed at Lu Chen's Blunt Sword. "Was that Pyro I saw just now?"
"Yeah." Lu Chen grinned and gave him a quick demo.
A small flame suddenly burst from the blade, making it look like he was holding a torch.
[Talent Acquired: Overload of Passion]
[Infuse your weapon with Pyro and the spirit of adventure. Effects vary depending on the intensity of the flame.]
The Pyro Vision that had quietly sat in his storage finally ignited. This was why Lu Chen had risked danger—he was after a breakthrough.
Now he could wield dual elements.
Venti was thrilled for him, but what really grabbed his attention was—
"Hey, it's freezing out here. That means you can make campfires now, right?"
"How about a barbecue later? Hunt a wild boar, roast it in the snow, throw in some hard liquor—sounds amazing!"
Lu Chen couldn't help but marvel at how offbeat Venti's train of thought always was. Still, he had a point: the deeper into the mountains they went, the colder it would get. Standard fire-starting tools might not even work, but with a Pyro Vision, Lu Chen could double as a walking lighter.
"Wild boars? Where? This city hasn't seen large wild animals in decades," Lu Chen replied absently, practicing his newly acquired talent.
Flames sparked to life on his Blunt Sword, then fizzled out. Again and again. It felt like playing with a lighter.
"I think there really is one!" Venti's voice came from a distance, confident and firm.
"Huh?" Lu Chen looked up to see Venti walking upstream along a frozen creek, disappearing into the woods.
Following the creek, they soon spotted several wild boars frozen solid in chunks of ice. The design was identical to the ones in Teyvat.
"These things came over too?" Lu Chen stared wide-eyed.
"Barbecue time~" Venti rubbed his hands excitedly.
...
Half an hour later, in a clearing deep in the mountains, a curl of smoke rose into the crisp air.
Lu Chen and Venti sat on their backpacks, warm firelight flickering across their faces as the bonfire crackled and popped.
The wild boar sizzled over the flames, its skin crisping into a glistening golden brown.
Head barbecue chef Lu Chen busied himself adding logs to the fire and brushing fat over the meat, while Venti watched with drool practically dripping from his mouth.
"Smells amazing..." he murmured, reaching out instinctively.
Lu Chen smacked his hand away.
"Not yet—it's still raw inside. Gotta roast the skin until it's charred."
"Oh—"
"Could you stop just staring and help me out here?"
Lu Chen had been plucking, cutting, fanning—doing everything himself, and he was exhausted.
"Sure." Venti gave a casual flick of his wrist to stir the flames.
The gust nearly blew out the whole fire.
Lu Chen growled, "Alright, never mind. Just sit there quietly."
"Oh..."