Although the Frozen Bloom was a great elixir for increasing Internal Energy unconditionally, once it fused with the Violet Plum Core, it would directly exhaust most of its energy in that fusion process.
As such, the Frozen Plum Core was more of an overtime generator rather than a periodical booster, and that was exactly what Leo was betting on, but…
'Of course.'
Once Leo cleared his mind and used his Internal Energy to scan the Core, what he found wasn't as pleasant as what he hoped for.
The energy generation process was far too slow!
It wasn't that Leo had miscalculated how slow it actually was. Rather, it was clearly mentioned in the novel that the process was fast enough to compare it to a daily energy pill dispenser, it just didn't seem to be the case now.
The basic measurement unit of Internal Energy, the 'Year', was calculated using the average amount of Internal Energy that a Martial Artist could absorb from the atmosphere using nothing but Meditation and a basic Breathing Method.
In the current Frozen Plum Core's case, the energy it generated was no better than the average amount that could be absorbed in Murim during the same time, maybe a little better.
In short, what Leo could collect from the core in a day was 1 to 3 'days' worth of Internal Energy. Using the points utilized by the Personal Book, it was around 0.07 points a day.
Of course, since there was no source of energy on Earth that Leo was aware of, even that much was already a miracle.
The fact that he didn't need to meditate all day for it and could just absorb it directly from the Core in one setting was also great. However…
Considering that Leo needed to refine at least 60 Years of Internal Energy to become a Transcendent once again, that meant he had to spend an actual 30 years to achieve it!
'Do I have to give up on advancing and accept my current power level as the ceiling?'
Compared to Leo's successful transfer of Sword Breath Practice back to Earth, the result of his attempt to do the same with Martial Arts was disastrous.
Was it because the law of conservation of energy refused to be shaken by much? Or was it because he didn't possess something that was especially compatible with the Frozen Plum Core to break that law?
Either way, it looked like it might be a better idea to give up on bringing this path upward and focus on what could be done with it in its current state.
'No…'
The more practical way to raise the power ceiling was to wait for the power system that he could obtain from the next book…
'I refuse to give up!'
The thing that Leo hated reading the most was stagnation! It didn't matter if what he was going to obtain from the next book would end up making his Martial Arts obsolete, he had to find his way around this problem!
Just like he did inside the book, there must be some sort of Hidden Piece to fix it!
'If the laws of the world are the cause…'
With his mind already on the move, Leo thought of a dozen processes that could possibly accelerate the Frozen Plum Core's energy generation, but just when he was thinking about what to try out first…
'Wait, shouldn't I try that out first instead of testing things haphazardly?'
Although the Frozen Plum Core was the last item on Leo's list of tests, there was one more thing that he wasn't in a hurry to explore just yet. However, it was the perfect time to see how it worked now.
'Reader's… Appraisal?'
Focusing his eyes on the Frozen Plum Core, Leo hoped that he would obtain a description that was detailed enough to help him narrow down his thoughts.
He wasn't particularly excited about this ability's function at the beginning since he more or less knew everything there was to know about important items and Hidden Pieces in each novel, but it seemed like the best way to understand the behavior of these items under the laws of Earth!
'Oh?'
After waiting for a few seconds to see how this new ability would work, the Personal Book appeared on its own and spread open to reveal a completely empty page.
[ Appraising… ]
[ Cold Energy Stimulated Generator (Frozen Plum Core): A natural treasure made through the spontaneous fusion of the 'Violet Plum Core' and the 'Frozen Bloom' ]
[ Appraised Ability: Can generate refinable Cold Energy. Works more efficiently in areas rich in Coldness or Natural Energy. ]
[ Further Appraisal isn't possible. ]
'This is pretty useful.'
The information's presentation was similar to the way the Personal Book had shown the use of the 'Skill Reading Page', but it was at least detailed enough to put Leo on the right line of thought.
'So it doesn't absorb outside energy but it needs to be in an energy-rich environment to stimulate it to generate the very same energy?'
Leo was starting to suspect that the way the Core was described in the novel was a scam. It wasn't too far-fetched considering the small differences that he noticed between the novel and the real thing.
Thankfully, however, it appeared that his suspicion was unfounded. The Frozen Plum Core could still produce energy from nothing, albeit under somewhat strict conditions!
'That would probably work, right?'
Given a general direction to work in, Leo didn't confine himself in the Reading Space any longer. He couldn't deny his eagerness to digest everything that he worked so hard to get, but he also had people who he missed in this world just like missed Yeon.
"Oh, Leo. Are you hungry? Dinner is almost done."
"I missed you, Mother."
"Oho, so emotional?"
Despite sounding surprised, Mia put down the utensil she was holding and accepted Leo's hug with a smile on her face. It appeared that her quiet yet reasonable son was starting to grow emotionally… And physically as well?
Mia could swear they were the same height just a few days ago, was Leo experiencing a sudden growth spurt? He seemed to have already gone beyond 180 cm!
"If you are free, can you help set the table? Your father will be home any minute now."
"Of course."
Sneakily slipping something into the kitchen, Leo grabbed the plates and spoons before leaving. His experiment needed some time to work, and he would rather spend that with his family!
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