# Chapter 1: Continue Completing the Death Process
Su Xiao slowly opened his eyes, the familiar feeling of death still lingering in his mind. The sensation of having his soul torn apart, the complete darkness before his eyes, and the final moment when his consciousness completely dissipated—all of it was still vivid in his memory.
He was lying in his exclusive room within Reincarnation Paradise. The white ceiling, the faint mechanical hum, and the cool air all told him that he had returned.
"Welcome back, contractor."
The mechanical voice of Reincarnation Paradise sounded, devoid of any emotion.
Su Xiao sat up, his body feeling somewhat stiff. This was the sequelae of death—even in Reincarnation Paradise, the experience of death would leave a mark on the soul.
"How long was I dead?"
"Three hours and twenty-seven minutes. Your soul has been fully restored. Please check your status."
Su Xiao nodded slightly, opening his personal interface.
[Contractor: Su Xiao]
[Rank: Eighth Rank]
[Paradise Coins: 12,850,000]
[Soul Crystals (Complete): 327]
[Soul Crystals (Incomplete): 1,589]
[True Attribute Points: 0]
[Golden Skill Points: 0]
He glanced briefly at his stats, then focused on the battle log.
[You have been killed by: Mage Sage Seraphilia]
[Death Method: Soul Annihilation Spell]
[Death Process Duration: 0.3 seconds]
[Death Evaluation: Instant Kill]
"Instant kill..."
Su Xiao muttered to himself, a hint of contemplation flashing in his eyes. That old witch Seraphilia was indeed formidable. The power of a Mage Sage from the Second Era: Alchemical Civilization was not something to be trifled with.
He recalled the battle. At that time, he had been fighting against several contractors from Arcane Eternal Star when Seraphilia suddenly appeared. She didn't even give him a chance to react before a single spell instantly shattered his soul.
"Still not strong enough."
Su Xiao clenched his fist. This was not the first time he had died, but each death made him more aware of his own inadequacy.
He stood up and walked toward the Attribute Enhancement Hall. Since he had returned, he needed to continue strengthening himself.
Inside the Attribute Enhancement Hall, the familiar white light enveloped him. Su Xiao placed his hand on the enhancement pod, feeling the energy flowing within.
"Begin attribute enhancement."
[Detected that you have 0 True Attribute Points. Enhancement cannot be performed.]
Su Xiao frowned slightly. True Attribute Points were not easy to come by. They required completing high-difficulty missions or killing powerful enemies to obtain them.
"Forget it, let's go to the Skill Upgrade Hall first."
He turned and walked toward the Skill Upgrade Hall. Inside the Skill Upgrade Hall, several skill upgrade pods were arranged in a row, emitting a faint blue light.
Su Xiao chose a pod and lay down inside.
"Begin skill upgrade."
[Detected that you have 0 Golden Skill Points. Upgrade cannot be performed.]
"Tsk."
Su Xiao clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had used up all his Golden Skill Points before dying, and now he had none left.
He sat up from the pod, thinking about how to quickly obtain resources.
"System, check my current mission status."
[Current Main Mission: Survive in the Transcendent Primordial World (Duration: 72 days)]
[Mission Progress: 45 days completed, 27 days remaining]
[Mission Reward: 5 True Attribute Points, 3 Golden Skill Points, 1 Holy Spirit Chest]
"Still 27 days left..."
Su Xiao muttered. The Transcendent Primordial World was extremely dangerous. As a Transcendent Primordial World, it contained countless powerful beings and unknown dangers. Surviving there for 72 days was no easy task.
He had already died once, which meant his death count had increased. In Reincarnation Paradise, each death would deduct a certain number of Paradise Coins and might even lower his rank.
"System, check my death penalty."
[Death Penalty: Deduct 500,000 Paradise Coins, current balance: 12,350,000 Paradise Coins]
[Additional Penalty: Luck Attribute temporarily reduced by 3 points, duration: 7 days]
"Luck Attribute reduced..."
Su Xiao frowned slightly. The Luck Attribute affected many things, including drop rates, critical hit rates, and even the probability of encountering danger. A reduction of 3 points was not a small loss.
"Forget it, let's go to the Trade Market first and see if there's anything good to buy."
He walked out of the Skill Upgrade Hall and headed toward the Trade Market.
The Trade Market of Reincarnation Paradise was always bustling with activity. Contractors from various worlds gathered here, trading various items and resources.
Su Xiao walked through the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the stalls on both sides.
"Fresh Soul Crystals (Complete), 10,000 Paradise Coins each!"
"Legendary-grade longsword, 800,000 Paradise Coins, bargain price!"
"Origin Stone fragments, exchange for rare materials!"
Various shouts rang out, but Su Xiao was not interested in these ordinary items. He was looking for something that could enhance his strength.
Suddenly, he stopped in front of a stall.
On the stall lay a black branch, faintly emitting a strange energy fluctuation.
"Black Maple Tree branch?"
Su Xiao's eyes narrowed. The Black Maple Tree was a rare treasure in Reincarnation Paradise. Its branches could be used to craft powerful equipment or refine potions.
"How much?"
The stall owner was a middle-aged contractor who looked up at Su Xiao and said, "This is a Black Maple Tree branch from the Eternal Light World, quality top-grade. 1.5 million Paradise Coins."
"Too expensive."
Su Xiao shook his head. Although the Black Maple Tree branch was good, 1.5 million was indeed a bit high.
"Then how much are you willing to pay?"
"1.2 million."
"Deal!"
The middle-aged contractor agreed without hesitation, as if he had been waiting for this price.
Su Xiao paid the Paradise Coins and took the Black Maple Tree branch. This branch was about half a meter long, with a dark black surface and faint golden patterns visible.
"Not bad."
He put away the branch, planning to find a blacksmith later to forge it into a weapon.
Just as he was about to leave, a familiar voice came from behind.
"Bai Ye!"
Su Xiao turned around and saw a contractor in a black robe walking toward him. It was his old acquaintance, Mawen Hua'erzi.
"Waltz? What are you doing here?"
"I was just looking for you." Mawen Hua'erzi walked up to him and lowered his voice, "I heard you died at the hands of Seraphilia?"
"Mm."
"That old witch is really ruthless." Mawen Hua'erzi shook his head, then said, "But I have some news that might interest you."
"Oh? What news?"
"There's a secret realm opening in the Wind Sea Continent. I heard there's an Origin Stone fragment inside."
"Origin Stone fragment?"
Su Xiao's eyes lit up. The Origin Stone was a precious item that could enhance one's foundation. Even a fragment was priceless.
"Are you sure?"
"Eighty percent sure." Mawen Hua'erzi smiled slightly, "But there are quite a few people going after it, including some from Arcane Eternal Star."
"Arcane Eternal Star..."
Su Xiao's eyes turned cold. He had a grudge against Arcane Eternal Star. Those spellcasters had tried to kill him several times.
"When does the secret realm open?"
"Three days later. If you're interested, we can team up."
"Alright."
Su Xiao nodded. With Mawen Hua'erzi's strength, teaming up would indeed increase the success rate.
"Great, I'll contact you then."
Mawen Hua'erzi waved and turned to leave.
Su Xiao stood in place, thinking about how to prepare for the secret realm exploration.
First, he needed to replenish his supplies. The potions and alchemy bombs he had used up in the last battle needed to be restocked.
Second, he needed to strengthen his equipment. The Black Maple Tree branch he just bought could be forged into a weapon, which would increase his combat power.
Finally, he needed to gather information about the secret realm to avoid being caught off guard.
"Let's go to the Alchemy Laboratory first."
Su Xiao turned and walked toward the Alchemy Laboratory.
The Alchemy Laboratory was a place in Reincarnation Paradise where alchemy could be performed. Contractors could use the facilities here to refine potions, craft items, and more.
Su Xiao pushed open the door and walked in. The laboratory was spacious, filled with various alchemy equipment and materials.
He walked to a workbench, took out the materials he had prepared, and began refining potions.
First was the Recovery Potion. This was the most basic potion, used to restore health and mana. Su Xiao was very skilled at refining it, and in less than ten minutes, he had finished ten bottles.
Next was the Alchemy Bomb. This was a powerful explosive that could cause massive damage to enemies. Su Xiao carefully mixed the materials, controlling the proportions to ensure the bomb's power.
After two hours, Su Xiao had finished refining all the potions and bombs.
"Not bad."
He looked at the neatly arranged items on the workbench, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
Just as he was about to leave, the door of the Alchemy Laboratory suddenly opened, and a figure walked in.
"Bai Ye? What a coincidence."
The newcomer was a woman in a white robe, with long silver hair and a cold expression. She was Green Gillian.
"Gillian? What are you doing here?"
"I came to refine some potions too." Green Gillian walked over, glanced at the items on Su Xiao's workbench, and said, "Your alchemy skills have improved."
"Barely."
Su Xiao replied casually. He didn't have much of a relationship with Green Gillian. They had only teamed up a few times.
"By the way, I heard you're going to the Wind Sea Continent secret realm?"
"Mm."
"Be careful. I heard there are quite a few powerful people from Arcane Eternal Star there, including some Archbishop of the Abyss level characters."
"Archbishop of the Abyss?"
Su Xiao's expression turned serious. The Archbishop of the Abyss was a high-ranking member of Arcane Eternal Star, with strength comparable to an Eighth Rank peak contractor.
"That's right." Green Gillian nodded, "So if you're going, you'd better be fully prepared."
"Thanks for the reminder."
Su Xiao nodded slightly, then turned and left the Alchemy Laboratory.
Walking in the corridor, he thought about how to deal with the Archbishop of the Abyss.
If it was just an ordinary Eighth Rank contractor, he was confident he could handle it. But an Archbishop of the Abyss level character was a different story. Those old monsters had lived for who knows how many years and had unfathomable strength.
"Forget it, let's take it one step at a time."
Su Xiao shook his head, no longer overthinking. He walked toward the Equipment Enhancement Hall, planning to strengthen his equipment.
Inside the Equipment Enhancement Hall, various enhancement pods emitted a faint glow. Su Xiao walked to a pod and placed his main weapon, Dragon-Slaying Flash, inside.
"Begin equipment enhancement."
[Enhancement Target: Dragon-Slaying Flash (Legendary)]
[Current Enhancement Level: +7]
[Enhancement Cost: 200,000 Paradise Coins]
[Success Rate: 45%]
"45%..."
Su Xiao hesitated slightly. The success rate for equipment enhancement was not high, and failure would result in the equipment being damaged or even destroyed.
But thinking about the upcoming secret realm exploration, he still gritted his teeth and chose to enhance.
"Confirm enhancement."
[Enhancement begins...]
The enhancement pod emitted a dazzling light, and Su Xiao nervously watched the progress bar.
[Enhancement successful!]
[Dragon-Slaying Flash enhancement level increased to +8]
[Weapon damage increased by 12%]
"Success!"
Su Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. +8 was already a pretty good enhancement level, significantly increasing the weapon's power.
He took out Dragon-Slaying Flash and felt the increased power within the blade, a hint of satisfaction appearing on his face.
"Next, let's go forge the Black Maple Tree branch."
He turned and walked toward the blacksmith shop.
The blacksmith shop was run by a contractor named Lide, who was a master blacksmith skilled in forging various weapons and equipment.
"Lide, help me forge this."
Su Xiao took out the Black Maple Tree branch and placed it on the counter.
Lide picked up the branch, examined it carefully, and nodded, "Good stuff. What do you want to forge?"
"A dagger."
"Dagger? Alright, give me three hours."
"How much?"
"500,000 Paradise Coins."
"Deal."
Su Xiao paid the deposit, then sat aside and waited.
Three hours later, Lide handed him a pitch-black dagger.
[Black Maple Dagger (Epic)]
[Damage: 78-95]
[Special Effect: Armor Penetration Lv.3 (Ignores 30% of target's defense)]
[Special Effect: Soul Devour Lv.2 (Each hit absorbs 5% of target's soul energy)]
[Durability: 85/85]
[Requirement: Strength 60, Agility 70]
"Not bad."
Su Xiao weighed the dagger, satisfied with its attributes. This dagger was perfect for assassination, especially the Soul Devour effect, which could weaken the enemy's soul.
He put away the dagger, ready to leave the blacksmith shop.
Just then, his communicator suddenly rang.
Su Xiao picked it up and heard Mawen Hua'erzi's urgent voice.
"Bai Ye, something's wrong! The secret realm has been discovered by Arcane Eternal Star, and they've sent a large force to blockade it!"
"What?!"
Su Xiao's expression changed. If Arcane Eternal Star had blockaded the secret realm, it would be much more difficult to enter.
"Where are you now?"
"I'm at the entrance of the secret realm. Hurry over!"
"Got it."
Su Xiao hung up the communicator and rushed out of the blacksmith shop without any hesitation.
He had to get to the secret realm before Arcane Eternal Star completely sealed it off, or else all his previous preparations would be in vain.
Running through the corridor, Su Xiao's mind raced as he thought about how to break through Arcane Eternal Star's blockade.
If it was just ordinary members, he could handle them. But if there were Archbishop of the Abyss level characters, it would be troublesome.
"Forget it, let's see the situation first."
Su Xiao gritted his teeth and quickened his pace.
Soon, he arrived at the teleportation array and chose to teleport to the Wind Sea Continent.
A white light flashed, and his figure disappeared from Reincarnation Paradise.