Chapter 3: Element King (Amplified Talent · SSS Rank)
[You must choose one to sacrifice, thereby reducing the risks brought by this talent awakening. If no choice is made, one of the three talents will be randomly selected within 20 seconds.]
Su Xiao decisively chose [Element King]. If, after 20 seconds, the random selection landed on Soul Devourer or Blood Beast, it would become an epic-level brain hemorrhage incident.
[Tip: You have chosen to sacrifice the talent ability · Element King. The talent awakening device will activate in 3 seconds.]
[3, 2, 1...]
Boom!
A thunderous roar seemed to explode in Su Xiao's ears...
After an unknown amount of time, Su Xiao's index finger twitched. He opened his bloodshot eyes, trembling as he brought the small canister of [Extreme Oxygen] to his lips, biting down on the straw to inhale.
Hiss, hiss, hiss~!
As the [Extreme Oxygen] entered his body, the world before Su Xiao's eyes blurred for a moment. The overwhelming pain surging through every part of his body finally subsided.
Su Xiao finally understood why there was a crystal seat inside the talent awakening device. This wasn't about humanization—without that seat, after activating the device, he would have collapsed directly onto the ground.
The talent awakening wasn't complete yet. This time, the Law Destruction Faction was indeed unusually "humanized," splitting the talent awakening into two stages: 1. Sacrifice a talent, 2. Choose a new talent ability.
The reason these were unique talent abilities of the Law Destroyer's Shadow wasn't that they were only suitable for Law Destroyers, but that the talents that could be awakened required Law Destruction abilities as a foundation.
At this point, the first stage had passed during Su Xiao's unconsciousness. After resting for a moment, he reactivated the talent awakening device.
With a hum, the light and shadow before Su Xiao's eyes stretched. When his vision returned, he found himself standing on a patch of scorched earth.
The ground around him was covered in traces of demonic energy erosion. Skeletons lay scattered everywhere, clad in mostly decayed robes. Some clutched staffs in their hands, while others wore crowns or ornaments on their heads. Judging by these artifacts, the owners of these skeletons were certainly no small figures in life.
Su Xiao walked among the skeletons. In the dark red sky hung a blue sun and a cyan crescent moon.
After walking forward for an unknown distance, a mountain appeared ahead. This was no mountain—it was a pile of spellcaster skeletons.
Stepping on the skeletons and skulls of spellcasters, Su Xiao climbed to the flat summit. Here stood four stone tablets.
The first tablet was entirely dark blue. Su Xiao raised his hand and pressed it, finding that the ability it represented didn't suit him. The talent symbolized by this tablet was the limit of [Rift Shadow] ability, combined with extremely high control over Cyan Steel Shadow Energy.
Su Xiao had superb energy control, but the [Rift Shadow] ability was out of the question.
Approaching the second tablet, Su Xiao decisively gave up. This one was a combat system derived from the [Supreme Blade] ability, and he hadn't developed in that direction.
The third tablet was light blue, and the fourth was crystal blue. The former was a talent ability based on Cyan Steel Shadow Energy, while the latter was based on [Devouring Core] and Soul Strength.
Both talent tendencies perfectly matched Su Xiao. After careful consideration, he decided to abandon the third tablet and choose the fourth.
The reason was that his [Dragon-Slaying Flash] and [Azure Shadow King] abilities already provided bonuses to Cyan Steel Shadow abilities, and the upcoming [Soul Severing Shadow] seemed to have a significant connection with Cyan Steel Shadow.
He already had enough traits tied to Cyan Steel Shadow. Adding a talent closely related to it would create too many entanglements.
In contrast, the fourth tablet was based on [Devouring Core] and Soul Strength. Notably, Su Xiao's [Devouring Core] ability had already reached X, but the feedback he received was minimal. He could only use it to enhance his Cyan Steel Shadow ability and Blood Qi, and even then, the former required the presence of Soul Crystals.
Even if Su Xiao searched the world for Soul Crystals, they were rare. Whether natives or contractors, everyone used them for themselves.
Using ancient battlefields to enhance Blood Qi was a creative operation Su Xiao had thought up himself. Who knew whether, after raising his [Aura Release] ability to a certain level, he would still be teleported to ancient battlefields when upgrading it in the Skill Upgrade Pod.
Su Xiao always felt he hadn't utilized even a tenth of [Devouring Core]'s potential—not because he didn't want to, but because he lacked a focal point.
The talent represented by the fourth tablet could be amplified by Soul Strength. For Su Xiao, this was a tremendous opportunity. Aside from Element Affinity, his highest attribute was Soul Strength.
Su Xiao focused his attention on the fourth tablet, and a line of text from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[To master this talent, ensure your [Devouring Core] ability reaches X+++ and your Soul Strength exceeds 420 points.]
This was it. Su Xiao pressed his hand firmly against it. With a boom, the tablet shattered, sending large pieces of crystal flying toward him.
...
Inside the talent awakening device, Su Xiao suddenly opened his eyes. He exhaled a breath of turbid air. The latter half of the talent awakening process was slightly painful, but nothing significant for Su Xiao. The first half, sacrificing the talent, was truly unforgettable.
His body felt slightly weak. Su Xiao checked the newly appeared notifications.
[Tip: Because you have awakened a new talent ability, you gain the permanent trait [Proud Song Amplification].]
[Proud Song Amplification: The crystal strength of Cyan Steel Shadow Energy achieved in Proud Song form will be amplified by Soul Strength. Amplification intensity = Soul Strength × 10%.]
[Tip: Because you have mastered a new talent ability, [Devouring Core] has gained a new structure: [Soul Core]. [Soul Core] is located at the center of [Devouring Core] and is used to store Soul Energy.]
[You have awakened the talent ability: Shadow Hunt.]
[Shadow Hunt]
Category: Law Destroyer's Shadow · Exclusive Talent.
Rank: S (After completing one awakening, it can reach SSS Rank).
Talent Effect (Passive): Upon killing an enemy, you can seize one of their abilities, after which you can choose one of the following two options.