Chapter 70: Mysterious Eye
The changes to [Woruth's Shield] were significant, completely lacking the characteristics of an ordinary shield. It could be stored within Amu's body during normal times, and during battle, whenever Amu formed an ice shield, the ice shield would come with the effect of Life Rebound.
Amu stepped forward and equipped [Woruth's Shield]. The shield transformed into a stream of ice-blue energy that merged into his body.
"Amu, any changes?"
Baha observed Amu up and down, but from the outside, Amu showed no difference.
"Moo."
A chill spread across Amu's surface, and a thick ice shield, over ten centimeters thick with patterns covering its surface, appeared. It was heavy, cold, and seemingly indestructible.
"Let's go, let's test it out."
Baha landed on Amu's shoulder with a mischievous grin, then after conspiring with Bubu Wang for a bit, the three of them decided to head to the arena inside Paradise to test the practical effects of Life Rebound. Before they even left, Baha's laughter grew more unrestrained and wicked.
Su Xiao walked into the Alchemy Laboratory, took out the Alchemy Codex, and flipped to the second page. He fixed his gaze on the mysterious eye depicted there.
After staring for a moment, Su Xiao sensed something was off. This time, the mental strain from gazing was much lighter than before. But he quickly realized that he had just raised [Basic Passive: Revitalize] to Lv.70. This basic ability had increased his mental strength by 52 points and mental resilience by 56 points.
Gazing at the mysterious eye was meant to train these two aspects. Only with sufficient mental strength could one hope to decipher the knowledge on the third page of the Alchemy Codex; otherwise, mental collapse could occur, which would mean death.
After Su Xiao gazed at the mysterious eye for several minutes, the second page of the Alchemy Codex slowly turned, revealing the third page before him.
Before Su Xiao could examine the third page, the second page detached from the codex, gradually dissolved, and eventually transformed into a highly intricate metal eyeball.
[You have obtained Mysterious Eye (Incomplete State).]
[Note: Due to the Second Era: Spiritual Contract, the Hunter has not yet obtained ownership of the Mysterious Eye. According to this spiritual contract, if the Hunter completes the Mysterious Eye to over 90%, they will gain ownership of this item. This is an Eighth Rank item.]
[Current Mysterious Eye Completion: 50%.]
Seeing these prompts, Su Xiao understood what was going on. The Mysterious Eye was created by the alchemists of the Second Era, but they had not completed it.
It wasn't that the Second Era alchemists couldn't create a complete Mysterious Eye; this was actually a test. Su Xiao was expected to use the knowledge gained from the Alchemy Codex to gradually perfect the Mysterious Eye.
The Alchemy Codex was "heavy." Its authors were like a group of selfless teachers whom one could never meet or converse with. They would teach every alchemist who obtained the Codex, then set "answer sheets" to test these alchemists. If one could complete the "answer sheet," the sheet itself was a gift from them. The Mysterious Eye required no additional materials, but its internal structure had been scrambled.
Don't think perfecting the Mysterious Eye is simple. The construction of this thing was so intricate it was maddening, showing just how demanding the Second Era alchemists were in their pursuit of perfection.
Su Xiao set the Mysterious Eye aside. Just sensing its internal structure gave him a headache. With his current level of alchemy, he would likely end up in the embarrassing situation of being unable to reassemble it after disassembly.
He examined the third page of the Alchemy Codex. It was covered in engravings, 327 in total. Su Xiao pressed his finger on the first engraving, and his mental energy merged into it. The mental energy gradually filled the white engraving, turning it blue.
A boom echoed in his mind, and Su Xiao was enveloped by a near-boundless sea of knowledge. Various intricate array diagrams overlapped, like countless interlocking gears turning.
A full hour later, Su Xiao opened his eyes. He raised a hand to rub his brow. Of the 327 engravings on the third page, he had deciphered 257. Once the third page was fully interpreted, the back of this engraved metal page would record an alchemical formula.
Su Xiao began organizing the alchemical knowledge in his mind. After sorting it out, a prompt appeared.
[Alchemy Bomb Manufacturing has been raised to Lv.50 (Increased by Lv.7).]
[Alchemy Potion Manufacturing has been raised to Lv.50 (Increased by Lv.7).]
[Alchemy Creature Manufacturing has been raised to Lv.50 (Increased by Lv.7).]
[Plant Harmony Chapter has been raised to Lv.63 (Increased by Lv.2).]
Su Xiao wasn't sure what level his alchemy was at in the Void. Compared to Tree Sage, he had already completely surpassed him.
He picked up a test tube from the workbench. Inside was [Natural Blessing], which he had obtained in the Primordial World. He still had 1731 grams left. He hadn't sold it but planned to dilute it through alchemy for a steady, long-term use.
Spending Soul Coins to exchange for materials, Su Xiao began concocting [Oceanic Essence]. This potion was popular among magic-type contractors. Each bottle cost 15 Soul Coins to make and sold for 35 Soul Coins.
Soon, five bottles of [Oceanic Essence] were prepared. The feel during preparation was good, and he almost managed to create a perfect-grade bottle.
Su Xiao extracted 100 grams of [Natural Blessing], diluted it, and while maintaining mental energy catalysis, added several types of highly active, compatible plant-based materials.
In no time, the 100 grams of [Natural Blessing] were concocted into 1500 grams. Each crystal vial held 100 grams, totaling fifteen vials.
[Life Trait: 01]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise · Holy Flame Alchemist
Quality: Legendary
Type: Permanent Enhancement Potion
Effect: After drinking, permanently increases True Stamina by 2 points, Health Points by 1000, and Mana Points by 400 (Effective when True Stamina is below 180 points; repeated use is ineffective).
Rating: 509 points (Legendary item rating range: 400–530 points)
Description: Prohibited for Necromancy and Life Transformation types.
Selling Price: 198,000 Paradise Coins.
...
Each bottle was priced at 10 Soul Coins, totaling fifteen bottles, sold together with the five bottles of [Oceanic Essence].
After finishing all this, Su Xiao left the Alchemy Laboratory, collapsed onto the bed, and fell asleep. The earlier mastery of two new abilities, along with deciphering the Alchemy Codex, had left him exhausted.
He slept for a full ten hours before waking up. After a dazed wash, he regained his energy and felt in good condition. He could now attempt to break through the Azure Shadow King ability past Lv.10.
Su Xiao found a quiet room, sat down to meditate, and adjusted his state. When he was at his peak, he consumed 3 Golden Skill Points to upgrade the Azure Shadow King ability.
The moment he chose to upgrade Azure Shadow King, Su Xiao immediately felt the Azure Steel Shadow energy within him become extremely active, as if about to go berserk, surging through every part of his body.
Excruciating pain throughout his body? Not at all. Su Xiao closed his eyes tightly to avoid losing consciousness. His entire body had gone numb, but the numbness was gradually receding. First came a slight pain, then it slowly intensified into severe agony.
After a while, Su Xiao noticed the intense pain inside him beginning to fade. A large portion of his Azure Steel Shadow energy had been consumed, and five Law-Destroying Blades, seemingly made of crystal, appeared around him.
In an instant, Su Xiao knew what he had to do: break the form of these five Law-Destroying Blades, allowing the Azure Shadow King ability to undergo a transformation. Azure Shadow King was all about continuous evolution, continuously enhancing Su Xiao's abilities.
Su Xiao's first thought was to release Azure Steel Shadow energy externally to shatter these five Law-Destroying Blades. But after experimenting, he found it impossible. Due to his high Mana Points, these five blades were very resilient.
External destruction wouldn't work, so Su Xiao took a different approach. He rapidly converted Mana Points into Azure Steel Shadow energy, then infused this energy into the Law-Destroying Blades, causing them to burst from within.
The bursting method quickly showed results. The five Law-Destroying Blades around Su Xiao grew increasingly radiant, and eventually, cracks appeared on their surfaces.
With a cracking sound, the five Law-Destroying Blades shattered simultaneously. They transformed into a stream of pure blue energy that merged into Su Xiao's chest.
Su Xiao remained seated cross-legged, unmoving for a long time. It wasn't that he didn't want to move; he couldn't move a single finger. Every time he upgraded the Shadow of Law Destruction ability, the experience was particularly unforgettable.
[Azure Shadow King ability has been raised to Lv.11.]