Kaelan spent the entire day refining the Energy Bullet.
With each adjustment, the spell became more stable, more efficient, and more destructive.
By the end of the day, its final form measured nearly a quarter of a meter in length.
The energy particles within it were compressed to an extreme degree.
The projectile no longer resembled a construct of energy.
Instead, it gleamed like polished metal beneath the sunlight.
Standing at the entrance of his cave, Kaelan opened his beak.
Energy gathered.
Layer upon layer compressed together.
A long violet bullet materialised before him.
The moment it stabilised, he released it.
Boom!
The projectile burst forward.
It pierced through the first tree without slowing.
Then the second.
Then the third.
Only after penetrating multiple trunks did it strike the ground because of the downward angle from the hillside.
A fraction of a second later, the compressed energy destabilised.
Boom!
The explosion shook the surrounding forest.
Trees swayed violently.
Dust and shattered earth erupted into the air.
Birds scattered from the canopy.
The shockwave rolled through the woods like a gust of wind.
After several moments, the dust slowly settled.
A deep pit had been carved into the earth.
Kaelan examined the destruction with his Spiritual Perception.
After a brief calculation, he concluded.
The explosion possessed enough power to injure his current body.
It could not kill him outright, but it could inflict serious damage.
As a result, he abandoned any thoughts of increasing its destructive power further.
The Energy Bullet had already reached the limit of what his current knowledge could support.
Every improvement he had accumulated thus far had exhausted his reserves of understanding.
Further development would require new insights.
That process could take weeks or even months.
Since increasing power was no longer practical, Kaelan decided to improve the spell in another direction.
Casting speed.
At present, creating a single Energy Bullet required ten seconds.
Against weaker opponents, that was acceptable.
Against opponents of equal strength, it was far too slow.
If he could reduce the casting time by half, he could fire two bullets within the same period.
Even if a Tier One Transcendent survived the first shot, a second would almost certainly leave them severely wounded.
With a clear goal in mind, Kaelan began practising.
Again and again, he formed Energy Bullets.
He refined every step of the process.
The creation of the explosive charge.
The formation of the projectile.
The synchronisation between the two.
He practised until the sequence became instinctive.
His goal was simple.
With a single thought, he wanted the bullet to form and launch.
At present, the process remains divided into three separate actions.
First, he created the explosive charge.
Second, he formed the bullet.
Third, he triggered the explosion.
Every step consumed precious time.
He wanted to eliminate those delays.
He wanted to open his beak and fire immediately.
Days passed.
The forest outside remained peaceful while Kaelan immersed himself entirely in practice.
Thousands of attempts later, he finally reached his current limit.
He still could not create and launch the spell with a single thought.
However, he had reduced the casting time from ten seconds to three.
For now, that was the best he could achieve.
Any further improvement would require either greater cultivation or deeper understanding.
Satisfied with the results, Kaelan decided to rest.
Before creating additional spells, he needed time to organise his thoughts.
He settled onto the stone floor of the cave.
His eyes slowly closed.
Moments later, he fell asleep.
In his dream, he stood atop a mountain of corpses.
An enormous Energy Machine Gun floated before him.
Countless Energy Bullets streamed from its barrels.
Every enemy who stood in his path was torn apart.
Cultivators.
Demons.
Kings.
Gods.
One after another, they fell beneath the endless storm of bullets.
The path before him opened.
Step by step, he climbed toward the peak of existence.
Then the dream began to shift.
The battlefield disappeared.
A world appeared before him.
A beautiful world filled with life.
As he prepared to destroy it,
A warning erupted through his Spiritual Perception.
Kaelan's eyes snapped open.
The dream vanished instantly.
His body moved before conscious thought could catch up.
An immense energy signature was approaching.
Fast.
Very fast.
Kaelan immediately rose to his feet.
Energy surged from every part of his body.
Dark violet streams erupted outward and condensed around him.
A shield rapidly formed.
Unlike ordinary defensive barriers, its structure was identical to the Energy Bullet.
Every layer of energy had been compressed and reinforced.
The same principles that gave the projectile overwhelming penetration now granted the shield extraordinary durability.
The cave trembled slightly as the shield finished forming.
Kaelan focused his Spiritual Perception on the approaching presence.
Whatever was coming, it was powerful enough to trigger every instinct he possessed.
And it was heading directly toward him.
Boom!
Kaelan felt the impact a moment later.
The force slammed into his shield with terrifying power.
Without hesitation, he channelled more Energy into the barrier.
The compressed structure trembled violently as cracks spread through its surface.
For several seconds, the two forces struggled against one another.
Then the impact finally began to weaken.
The instant it did, Kaelan released the unstable shield.
Boom!
The barrier shattered outward.
The resulting shockwave blasted away dust and debris.
Sunlight poured into the cavern.
Or rather, what had once been a cavern.
Kaelan glanced around.
The explosion had widened the cave so much that it could no longer be called one.
An entire side of the hill had vanished.
Broken stone and shattered earth littered the landscape.
Then he looked toward the attacker.
An owl hovered in the sky.
Its feathers were grey.
Its claws were crimson.
White feathers surrounded its eyes, giving it the appearance of wearing spectacles.
While observing the owl, Kaelan silently wondered why it had attacked him.
At the same time, he had already begun casting an Energy Bullet.
Three seconds was fast.
For ordinary cultivators.
For opponents at their level, it was painfully slow.
The owl immediately sensed the gathering energy.
Its eyes narrowed.
The Energy Bullet finished forming.
Boom!
The violet projectile burst from Kaelan's beak.
The owl's eyes widened in surprise.
It frantically beat its wings and twisted aside.
The bullet narrowly missed its body.
However, the edge of one wing failed to escape completely.
The projectile tore through the feathers at the wingtip before vanishing into the distant clouds.
The owl screeched.
Then it folded its wings and dove.
Flames erupted around its body.
Wrapped in fire, it resembled a blazing meteor descending from the heavens.
Kaelan immediately released a burst of Energy beneath himself.
The force launched him skyward.
His wings beat rapidly as he climbed higher.
A moment later, the owl crashed into the hill below.
Boom!
Fire exploded across the landscape.
A massive dust cloud rose into the air.
Kaelan watched from above.
Through the dust, he noticed a crimson glow.
It steadily brightened.
Brighter.
Brighter.
Then a fireball erupted from the dust cloud and shot toward him.
Kaelan immediately began casting another Energy Bullet.
At the same time, his Spiritual Perception remained locked onto the owl hidden within the dust.
The fireball closed in rapidly.
He tilted his body and dodged.
The flaming projectile streaked past him.
Almost simultaneously, his Energy Bullet finished forming.
Boom!
The bullet shot toward the dust cloud.
The owl had likely believed the dust concealed its location.
Unfortunately, Spiritual Perception rendered such tactics useless.
A sharp cry of pain echoed through the air.
An instant later came another explosion.
Through his Spiritual Perception, Kaelan already knew the result.
The owl had been hit.
It was severely injured.
And no longer moving.
The dust gradually settled.
The devastation became visible.
The upper portion of the hill had disappeared entirely.
At the centre of the destruction lay a large crater.
Inside it rested the owl.
Its body was covered in blood.
One wing hung at an unnatural angle.
Clearly broken.
The owl opened its beak and spoke in Demon Language.
Kaelan listened.
Then he frowned.
He still could not understand a single word.
Today, I will learn Demon Language.
The thought immediately crossed his mind.
He had no intention of letting such an opportunity escape.
A wounded enemy had practically delivered itself to his doorstep.
How could he possibly refuse?
He descended toward the crater.
As he did, another thought surfaced.
The reason he had not attacked Francis before was simple.
Francis had approached peacefully.
He had been polite.
Most importantly, Kaelan knew nothing about his background.
If Francis were the descendant of a powerful Tier Three Crow Demon, killing him could attract unnecessary trouble.
There had been no benefit worth taking such a risk.
This owl was different.
It had attacked first.
Whatever happened next was entirely its own fault.
Kaelan landed beside the crater.
The owl glared at him with hatred and fear.
Its body struggled to move, but the shattered wing and internal injuries left it helpless.
Kaelan calmly approached.
His Spiritual Perception swept through the owl's body.
The injuries were severe.
Even if left alone, the owl would likely die.
That suited him perfectly.
Without another word, Kaelan released his Spirit.
The invisible pressure descended upon the wounded owl.
Its body stiffened.
Fear appeared in its eyes.
Then Kaelan's Spirit entered its Soul Space.
A moment later, he began searching through the owl's soul.
He started to delete all the memories, leaving behind cultivation, history, geography and language.