Chapter 68: Revival
At 5,000 Paradise Coins per level, Su Xiao could certainly afford it. He chose to directly raise the basic passive skill [Revival] to Lv.30.
[Prompt: Requires 650,000 Paradise Coins. Yes/No to upgrade.]
Su Xiao selected Yes. After converting 5 Soul Coins into Paradise Coins, the upgrade began.
The Skill Upgrade Pod whirred to life. An intense sensation spread throughout Su Xiao's body as a stream of cool energy coursed through him.
Half an hour later, the cool energy within Su Xiao was absorbed by his body, and a prompt appeared.
[Yes/No to upgrade Basic Passive: Revival to Lv.30. Upgrading this ability requires 3 Soul Coins.]
Su Xiao chose to continue. The familiar feeling returned, but this time, more cool energy appeared and gradually spread toward his head.
Su Xiao became increasingly clear-headed. Everything around him seemed to slow down. Noticing this, he knew that Basic Passive: Revival had not disappointed him.
[Yes/No to upgrade Basic Passive: Revival to Lv.40. Upgrading this ability requires 15 Soul Coins.]
Su Xiao's expression remained unchanged as he chose to continue. He could sense a peak approaching. Once he reached that level, the cost to upgrade Basic Passive: Revival would become exorbitant.
Nearly an hour later, Su Xiao opened his eyes. His senses were amplified many times over, but the feeling was fleeting. The benefits of having high Endurance attributes became apparent at this moment.
[Yes/No to upgrade Basic Passive: Revival to Lv.50. Upgrading this ability requires 130 Soul Coins.]
Seeing this nearly exponential increase in upgrade cost, Su Xiao remained calm, knowing that even more extreme situations might arise later.
He continued the upgrade. This time, Su Xiao felt his chest instantly turn ice-cold. After the 'cool energy' appeared, it was quickly devoured by the Azure Steel Shadow energy within his body.
This upgrade ended after just a few minutes, leaving Su Xiao somewhat unsatisfied.
[Yes/No to upgrade Basic Passive: Revival to Lv.60. Upgrading this ability requires 600 Soul Coins.]
Su Xiao checked his remaining Soul Coins. Fortunately, he still had enough to upgrade 10 more levels. This was the nature of basic abilities—relatively friendly to newcomers, but once upgraded to a high level, the costs became unfriendly.
Su Xiao chose to pay 600 Soul Coins. He had long since discovered that Basic Passive: Revival didn't just increase Mana Points. This basic ability enhanced many attributes derived from True Intelligence, and even improved some things that were otherwise unenhanceable.
With a splash, Su Xiao felt as if he were in the middle of an ocean, slowly sinking. Below him was not a pitch-black abyss, but a faint blue glow.
As he descended, strands of light blue energy seeped into Su Xiao's body. The moment this energy entered him, he felt a desire to absorb all the light blue energy below. Unfortunately, he couldn't do that yet.
No one knew how long passed. Su Xiao, seated cross-legged, opened his eyes. A blue light appeared in the center of his pupils, but it faded after a moment, eventually disappearing.
[Basic Passive: Revival, Lv.70.]
Skill Effect 1: Total/Basic Mana Points increased by 20% (4650 Mana Points already increased).
Skill Effect 2: Mental Strength +52 points, Mental Toughness +56 points.
Skill Effect 3: Greatly enhances innate talent for meditation and comprehension (such talents can only be improved through 'Basic Passive Abilities').
Skill Upgrade Requirement: Intelligence attribute above 190 points.
...
Su Xiao's Mana Points reached 27,900. This amount of Mana Points would leave any mage of the same rank dumbfounded.
For a long time to come, Su Xiao would not upgrade Basic Passive: Revival again. The resources required were too great, and he simply couldn't afford it. Besides, obtaining another basic passive and upgrading it to Lv.70 would be a better choice.
Strength, Agility, Endurance, Intelligence, and Charm—each had corresponding basic passive abilities. Su Xiao also wanted to acquire the basic passives corresponding to Strength, Agility, and Endurance.
If he could master all three of these basic passive abilities within the Seventh Rank and upgrade them to Lv.70, he wouldn't even need to advance to the Eighth Rank or break through the 200-point attribute barrier to beat Eighth Rank contractors black and blue. Unfortunately, this was very difficult. Even with sufficient Soul Coins, he might not be able to buy the scrolls for basic passive abilities.
It was said that the basic passive abilities for Strength and Agility greatly enhanced combat power, while Endurance focused on survivability. The basic passives for Intelligence and Charm were more inclined toward supportive buffs.
Seated cross-legged inside the Skill Upgrade Pod, Su Xiao took out the [Life Dragon Essence]. The life energy inside was only one-third full. Although it wasn't enough to upgrade the Lv.60 Azure Steel Shadow ability, absorbing it would still be beneficial.
The Devouring Core activated. Over ten minutes later, the Essence in Su Xiao's hand became translucent, empty inside. Although the Azure Steel Shadow ability hadn't increased by even one level, it wouldn't be long before it did.
Su Xiao took out 100 Soul Crystals (Complete) and consumed 34 Soul Coins, converting them into 5,100,000 Paradise Coins.
[Yes/No to upgrade Blade Grandmaster Lv.50. Upgrading this ability requires Soul Crystals (Complete)×100 + 5,000,000 Paradise Coins.]
Upgrading the Blade Dao was a process of continuous accumulation. Raising it by just one or two levels wouldn't show much change, but in actual combat, even the slightest difference could mean the difference between life and death.
The Soul Crystals shattered in Su Xiao's hand, and the rustling of leaves reached his ears.
A gentle breeze blew. Su Xiao was already seated cross-legged under a very tall Black Maple Tree, taller than the one at the bottom of the Black Abyss.
The world seemed to fall silent. Under the Black Maple Tree, Su Xiao entered a meditative state. It felt strange, as if he had temporarily merged into this world, which seemed to represent both origin and end.
No one knew how long passed. Su Xiao opened his eyes. He stood up and looked around, seeing no one else. His gaze turned to the Black Maple Tree, which was dozens of meters tall. Its massive canopy blocked the faint light from the sky; otherwise, Su Xiao couldn't have stayed here.
Sure there was no one around, Su Xiao's hands became covered in a crystal layer, making his right hand resemble a sharp claw. He suddenly reached for the trunk of the Black Maple Tree. There was already a small notch on the trunk—yes, this was where Su Xiao had torn a piece off last time.
Bang.
Su Xiao felt a dizzying spin, and then he was back inside the Skill Upgrade Pod. A burst of energy had just struck him, and the feeling of that energy was very familiar.
In the Land of Origin and End, a figure stood under the Black Maple Tree, inspecting the trunk. After confirming there was no damage, the aged figure seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
"This little brat, grabbing one piece wasn't enough."
The aged figure was clearly furious, but after a moment, he couldn't help but smile, recalling a saying from an old friend: "You Law Destroyers are all bandits."
...
Inside the Skill Upgrade Pod, Su Xiao moved his left arm. He hadn't been injured when he was sent back.
[Blade Grandmaster has been upgraded to Lv.51.]
Su Xiao checked his remaining Golden Skill Points. There were 3 points in total, enough to raise Azure Shadow King to Lv.11. But there was no rush. He had just upgraded too many abilities. If he upgraded Azure Shadow King now, his body wouldn't be able to handle it. It would be safer to wait at least 20 to 30 hours. Once Azure Shadow King reached Lv.10, there would be a qualitative change.
The door of the Skill Upgrade Pod opened. Su Xiao walked out of the Skill Upgrade Hall. As soon as he exited the main entrance, he saw a figure looking around at the passing crowd.
"What a coincidence. You're here to upgrade abilities too."
Gulu, wearing a Gothic dress with a lollipop in her mouth, walked over from the front. As for her saying it was a coincidence, that was highly unlikely.
"What's the matter?"
"Of course, it's about the Dark Walker set. Bai Ye, you're truly my best friend. You got good equipment and immediately sent it to me. I'm almost moved to tears."
After Gulu said this, her conscience ached as if cut by a knife. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, adjusted her expression, and tried to show a 'sweet' smile. Unfortunately, her smile wasn't sweet at all; it looked more like a little lunatic.
"Huh? Where did he go?"
Gulu looked around. After a moment, she nearly went dark.
...
Inside the Exclusive Room, Su Xiao sat on the carpet. Beside him were Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Beini, forming a circle. Several pieces of equipment were placed in the center, including Amu's [Woruth's Shield] and Bubu Wang's [Sacred Traveler].
Su Xiao wanted to try using the [Radiance Charging Device] to forcefully upgrade [Woruth's Shield] and [Sacred Traveler] to Holy Spirit rank by consuming Holy Spirit-level equipment.