Transmigrated with my corruption system

Chapter 201: Chapter 198: Tempered in the mist

"Hmm... interesting."

Elsewhere, at the edge of the Misty Lands, a dark-robed youth quietly muttered. A thoughtful look plastered across his face as he gazed toward the Misty Lands while slowly rubbing his chin.

If a regular powerhouse were there to witness the sight, they would be confused—and a little shocked.

It was widely known among all those who had visited the Misty Lands that unless one stepped inside, there was no way to peer within.

Multiple powerhouses had tried all sorts of perception techniques. Yet every single attempt had ended in failure.

But Ulric seemed completely unfazed by this limitation.

His previously crimson gaze now glowed with a molten golden sheen as he activated Phantom Vision.

Tapping into the threads of fate to monitor Amber and the rest, I have observed their current states while noting every improvement, no matter how minute. But the longer he watched, the more taken back he became.

Barely a few minutes had passed since they stepped into the Misty Lands, yet the progress they had made was nothing short of exemplary. It was almost as though several days of arduous training had been compressed into mere minutes.

Incredible! Truly incredible! Ulric mused inwardly.

He hadn’t expected the Misty Lands to be such a perfect training ground.

Or...

He suddenly paused in thought.

Could it be that the Misty Lands didn’t merely distort one’s perception of time... but actually diluted time itself?

It was the only explanation that made sense for such absurd growth within only a few minutes.

Making a mental note to investigate its secrets later, Ulric grinned.

Maybe the Misty Lands would turn out to be a gold mine.

His gold mine.

Discarding the thought, Ulric continued observing their growth as he muttered quietly beneath his breath.

"Improved mind and body coordination... better environmental awareness... heightened senses... good! Good! Good!"

Ulric chuckled, noting only a few of the significant improvements he could already see.

He couldn’t wait to witness the extent of the girls’ growth after a few more hours.

But one thing was certain.

Their improvement would be explosive.

***

Deep within the outskirts of the Misty Lands, a white-robed maiden stood.

Two intricately curved blades were clenched in her hands, each radiating deadly ice energy.

Her body was riddled with multiple claw wounds, blood trailing gently across her fair skin before staining the ground beneath her crimson.

Yet despite all this, an impassive expression rested upon Lyra’s face as she continuously mumbled beneath her breath.

"Huh... I see. So that’s how it is."

Ever since separating from Amber and the others, she had encountered multiple Ghost Wraiths.

Yet no matter what she did, she couldn’t dodge any of their attacks.

She first had to wait for the Ghost Wraiths to attack before she could even sense their presence.

The mist was simply too advantageous for them.

Even more troublesome, it was as though they existed in a strange merged state with the mist itself.

As long as there was mist... They were there.

Waiting patiently for the perfect opportunity to strike.

After all, the Ghost Wraiths excelled in the art of stealth.

Only attacking when they were certain they could claim their prey’s life in a single blow.

She had devised countless combat strategies.

Yet every single one had proven futile.

No matter how strong or fast she became, the Ghost Wraiths always held the advantage.

Because they remained undetected.

Allowing them to always make the first move.

But if she could somehow eliminate that advantage...She was certain the odds would tilt heavily in her favor.

And she had a feeling she had just figured out how.

Unable to help herself, a small pout formed across her lips as she snorted.

"Hmph! If that’s how you want to play it, then so be it."

The instant those words left her lips, she slowly exhaled.

At first, nothing appeared to happen.

But upon closer inspection, faint streams of icy energy seeped from her body and quietly merged with the surrounding mist.

Spreading unnoticed.

The farther her icy energy expanded, the brighter Lyra’s eyes became.

The frost remained connected to her consciousness, allowing her to perceive everything within the area it covered in vivid detail.

A radius of ten meters. Turning that space into a miniature frost domain.

Every Ghost Wraith hidden within that range was instantly exposed.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"So that’s where you were hiding... let’s see where you’ll hide now."

Lyra charged forward.

The Ghost Wraiths had bullied her for long enough.

Now it was time to return the favor.

Swinging her twin blades, they appeared to slice through nothing but empty air.

Yet with every slash, the surrounding space rippled.

The hidden Ghost Wraiths were revealed.

Their bodies split cleanly in half before dissolving into wisps of white energy.

Realizing Lyra could somehow perceive them through the mist, the remaining Ghost Wraiths abandoned their concealment altogether.

They emerged toward the white-robed girl from every direction, intending to overwhelm her through sheer numbers.

Yet Lyra remained surprisingly calm.

She adapted almost instantly.

Her blades danced through the air, effortlessly carving apart every Ghost Wraith before her.

Even those that slipped past her strikes failed to land clean attacks.

Despite already engaging enemies from the front, she continued dodging assaults from behind as though she possessed eyes on the back of her head.

Her senses alone weren’t enough to defend herself against the Ghost Wraiths.

But when combined with her frost domain...

Everything changed. Still, she wasn’t invincible.

Not yet. But she was determined not to suffer another claw wound.

Although her ice energy could purge the poison, the process remained painfully unpleasant.

So whenever a Ghost Wraith drew too close, she instantly froze it in place before shattering it into countless icy fragments with her blades.

Then repeated the process all over again.

At the side, Ulric continued watching, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The more Lyra swung her blades, the less crude her movements became.

Each strike grew smoother.

Sharper. More refined. Until suddenly...

After unleashing countless slashes...

A faint white sheen coated her blades with every swing.

The unmistakable sign that his swordsmanship had reached the Elementary Realm.

"Impressive," Ulric breathed.

From what he understood, it took months—sometimes even years, for talented individuals to elevate their weapon mastery to the Elementary Realm.

Yet Lyra had accomplished it in merely a few days.

Without even an instructor to guide her. Lyra seemed to sense the change as well as she squealed excitedly.

Her strikes became even faster and more precise as she swept through every Ghost Wraith before her.

As the Ghost Wraiths dissolved into streams of white energy, part of it flowed back into her.

Strengthening her body and sharpening her mind.

The restrictions imposed by the mist gradually weakened.

The ten-meter radius limiting her senses had now expanded to fifteen.

But this...This was only the beginning.

A smirk crept across Lyra’s lips as she felt the wounds covering her body slowly closing.

Without another thought, she rushed deeper into the Misty Lands.

Carving through every Ghost Wraith she encountered.

Leaving nothing but carnage in her wake. The prey had become the predator.

Yet as much as she wanted to maintain the impassive expression upon her face...

She couldn’t. Twisted, pearly giggles escaped her lips with every Ghost Wraith she slew.

The power was simply too intoxicating.

***

Elsewhere within the Misty Lands, Amber and the others each devised their own methods of dealing with the Ghost Wraiths.

At another edge of the Misty Lands...

Amber’s figure stood motionless like an immovable statue.

A faint smile curved across her face.

Although her elemental powers were restricted, her skills remained intact.

If anything... They had become even sharper.

Without warning, her staff slammed into the ground.

Sending powerful tremors rippling outward for nearly a hundred meters.

Using those vibrations, she tracked her enemies despite the fact that they floated freely through the air.

The tremors painted a perfect image of everything within a hundred-meter radius.

Combined with her recent mastery over gravitational force, the Ghost Wraiths had nowhere left to hide.

Although they were nearly invisible to the naked eye...

Their energy signatures remained.

And that was all she needed.

The instant the image formed within her mind, Amber vanished.

Her body shot into the air as though gravity no longer applied to her.

Her staff swung toward seemingly empty spaces.

Each strike appeared light. Yet the very air screamed beneath its weight.

Thanks to the staff’s gravitational manipulation, every casual swing carried devastating force.

Within only a few seconds...Every Ghost Wraith had been destroyed.

In the distance, Ulric watched in a daze.

Amber drifted gracefully through the battlefield, crushing the Ghost Wraiths with the eleg

ance of a lotus flower swaying in the evening breeze.

The entire exchange almost gave him the illusion that he was witnessing a beautiful dance.

Sinking deeper into his thoughts, Ulric’s grin only widened.

This just kept getting better and better.