Chapter 358 - 51: New Weapon [Shock Edge], Special Effects

’Tremor Edge...’

He thought of the gauntlet’s name and the effects Master Ge had described.

Curious to test them, Lu Chao put the metal gauntlets on again.

VMMMM!!

His Qi Flame swirled, and his solid, brown rock armor merged with the metal gauntlets.

The intangible defense and destructive power were strengthened once more. Lu Chao immediately began his test, just as Ge Hongfeng had instructed.

The inner lining, crafted from the Beast King’s Tendons and Membranes, fit his skin perfectly, leaving almost no gap.

Then,

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!!

He unleashed a flurry of punches, each one packing enough force to make the air crackle.

The afterimages of his fists, a blur of brown and silver, moved like high-speed cannonballs, impossible for the naked eye to track.

Lu Chao focused on the sensation and quickly identified the first benefit.

’My punching speed really is faster. By about twenty percent.’

Lu Chao nodded to himself, then stopped punching and examined the surface of the metal gauntlets.

Several streamlined markings on the surface appeared ordinary, but they clearly reduced wind resistance.

Furthermore, he sensed there was more to the gauntlet’s inner lining. The Beast King Materials were the key; they seemed to absorb his Qi Flame and release it in an explosive burst, making each punch launch like a rocket propelled by a jet of air.

A twenty-percent increase might not sound like much, but in a critical moment, it could be enough to turn the tide of a battle.

’That’s not all.’

With a thought, Lu Chao guided his Qi Flame to activate the first hidden trigger within the gauntlet.

BOOM!!

The Qi Flame flowing over the gauntlet’s surface erupted violently, creating a powerful, short-range shockwave.

The air in the room boomed. Half a meter away, the chest of a silver-steel training dummy caved in, as if it had been struck by the aftershock of a cannonball.

This was the effect of the Qi Flame’s shockwave—it could detonate the air at close range to increase the attack’s area of effect.

What’s more,

VMMMM!!

He threw a punch, concentrating the Qi Flame’s concussive force into a single point.

BOOM!!

The silver training dummy exploded. Shrapnel flew everywhere, striking the walls of the Cultivation Chamber with a series of dull thuds. PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!

’The destructive power of my Qi Flame has increased by at least thirty percent.’

Lu Chao nodded to himself, thoroughly pleased. This was as good as mastering a new Martial Skill.

Moreover,

He turned to face another steel training dummy directly in front of him.

He threw another punch, aiming straight ahead.

A fierce wind howled, and he could hear the rushing sound of his own blood.

Just as his fist was about to smash into the steel dummy—

SWOOSH!!

—his fist abruptly changed direction without any warning!

It veered a full ninety degrees, smashing into the empty air to his left.

THUD!

The air crackled as another shockwave erupted.

Lu Chao’s eyes lit up. He had now fully adapted to the gauntlet’s final effect.

’Excellent.’

He knew full well that changing a punch’s trajectory mid-swing would normally either cause injury and torn muscles or sap the strike of its power and speed.

But just now,

When he had activated the gauntlet’s second hidden trigger, his fist had changed direction and struck without any warning, its power not weakening in the slightest.

He carefully analyzed the reason for this.

It all came down to the superior materials—the manganese-steel alloy and the Beast King’s Tendons and Membranes—as well as the gauntlet’s ingenious design.

The gauntlet’s so-called "hidden triggers" actually mimicked, to a certain extent, the force-generation techniques of a particular type of Beast King.

It used his own Qi Flame as a power source, then channeled that force through the tough and resilient Beast King’s Tendons and Membranes.

Each time a hidden trigger was activated, the gauntlet’s inner lining would mimic a Beast King’s musculature, allowing for a smooth exertion of force.

This came as no surprise.

This was the true purpose of Fighting Weapons: to augment one’s defensive and offensive capabilities in various ways.

In fact, even ignoring the manganese-steel alloy, the gauntlet’s functions were equivalent to him having mastered several new Martial Skills at the Minor Achievement level.

’Tremor Edge... A tremor to kill the enemy, a hidden edge to change direction.’

’The name is quite fitting.’

Nodding to himself, Lu Chao’s appreciation for his new weapon grew.

However,

With a slight frown, he quickly took off the gauntlets and looked at his own fists.

A rapid increase of ten full points of Life Energy... such a breakthrough had come a little too quickly.

And during his test just now,

He felt as if his control over his own strength had been negatively affected.