Chapter 5: Holy Spirit
"So this is the leader of the Divine Emperor Adventure Group? Not what I expected, no authority at all."
"You probably haven't seen his presence in the derivative worlds. He's the leader I most want to follow."
The surrounding murmurs continued, and Divine Emperor coughed dryly, grateful he was wearing full-body armor and a helmet.
"You've mistaken me. I'm not that Divine Emperor you've heard of. Same name, just a coincidence."
Divine Emperor's explanation was utterly feeble. Xila's red lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to speak again.
Divine Emperor's eyes glared fiercely from under his metal helmet, staring straight at Xila.
"Cough, I wasn't going to mention your visit to the big health spa."
With just one casual remark, Xila nearly infuriated Divine Emperor to the point of fainting.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about that."
Divine Emperor's fists clenched with a cracking sound. Now everyone already knew, didn't they?
"Brother Bursting with Killing Intent, you've got some good stuff here."
Xila seemed to have forgotten Su Xiao's name and casually gave him a new one.
"Huh?"
Su Xiao looked up at Xila.
"I don't know why, but don't look at me like that. It's terrifying. What class are you, anyway? A mage hunter?"
"Xila, shut up. I said before, I'll handle the negotiation."
"Fine, fine, I'll shut up. But remember to spend the money."
"I! Know!"
Divine Emperor gritted his teeth. Having such a troublesome sister was truly helpless.
"Brother Bai Ye, don't mind her. Let's talk business."
Divine Emperor examined the four items on Su Xiao's stall. After seeing the Original Sin Set and the Android Bloodline, he nodded in satisfaction. When he spotted the [Demon Spirit Crystal], his eyes lit up.
"Oh? Demon Spirit Crystal? A dark purple treasure chest?"
Divine Emperor knew his goods well and immediately recognized the origin of the [Demon Spirit Crystal].
"Interested?"
"Very interested. How about 25,000 Paradise Coins?"
"Purple materials cost at least 30,000."
The bargaining began. A few minutes later, Divine Emperor bought the [Demon Spirit Crystal] for 27,000 Paradise Coins. Large adventure groups like Divine Emperor Adventure Group often trained their own blacksmiths.
With the first deal settled, the atmosphere between them noticeably improved, partly due to Xila's silence.
Cooperating with a large adventure group like Divine Emperor Adventure Group was necessary, at least to quickly liquidate gains from derivative worlds.
If you accumulated a pile of benefits in a derivative world but couldn't sell them due to insufficient purchasing power among contractors, it would be disastrous.
"Brother Bai Ye, let's talk about these two pieces of the Original Sin Set."
Behind Divine Emperor, Xila clenched her fists. She already had three pieces of the Original Sin Set. Adding these two would activate one of the set's attributes.
Although the Original Sin Set was a seven-piece set, collecting three or five pieces unlocked a set attribute.
Set Effect 1: Original Sin (Passive), increases spell damage by 60%.
This was the effect after collecting all seven pieces: a 60% boost in spell power. What did that mean?
"I heard Xila has already gathered three pieces of the Original Sin Set. Congratulations."
Hearing this, Divine Emperor narrowed his eyes and glanced at Xila behind him.
"What are you looking at me for? You told him that."
"What? Did I say that?"
Divine Emperor seemed skeptical.
"Last time you two were drinking at 'Huang Yao,' the time you bought the Demon Fruit."
Divine Emperor felt a pang of regret. This was one of his flaws: he loved drinking and often did absurd things afterward, like leading over a hundred subordinates to a big health spa.
No one is perfect. Divine Emperor's ability to sustain such a large adventure group already proved his capability.
"Brother Bai Ye, you're not going to gouge me, are you?"
"Of course I will."
Su Xiao's blunt reply made even Bubu Wang, standing nearby, roll his eyes.
At this point, there was no need for pretense. Xila had already collected three pieces of the Original Sin Set, and Divine Emperor was determined to get these two.
"That's just your style, so straightforward."
Divine Emperor felt a headache coming on.
"Let's go. We can't afford these two."
Xila made as if to leave. This wasn't a bargaining tactic; she genuinely intended to go. She was Divine Emperor's sister, but she couldn't use team funds for personal gain—it would cause dissatisfaction among the members.
Divine Emperor knew this too, but he didn't get up.
"The two set pieces plus the Android Bloodline. I'll trade you one piece of equipment."
Divine Emperor took a deep breath, seeming reluctant.
"What equipment? Let's see it."
Su Xiao became interested.
Xila seemed to realize something and whispered in Divine Emperor's ear, "Brother, you're crazy."
Divine Emperor chuckled softly and shook his head.
"It doesn't matter. That bloodline is also important, perfect for Tandu."
Divine Emperor unbuckled the knight's sword at his waist and removed its scabbard.
It was a black-and-red scabbard that gradually changed shape in Divine Emperor's hands, transforming into a blade sheath in an instant.
The sheath's attributes appeared before Su Xiao.
[Divine Afterglow]
Origin: Seventeenth War Zone (Second-Tier Battlefield), Muouya Weapon Forge.
Quality: Dark Purple
Category: Weapon Sheath (All)
Durability: 82–82
Equip Requirements: Strength 10, Agility 10, Endurance 10, Intelligence 10.
Gem Socket: Socketed with Dark Purple Gem (Vitality)
Equip Effect 1: Strength +3, Agility +3.
Equip Effect 2: Adaptive (Passive), can transform into any weapon sheath.
Equip Effect 3: Repair (Passive), slowly repairs the durability of the sheathed weapon; cannot restore already broken weapons.
Special Effect: Holy Spirit Blessing (Active), upon activation, generates a layer of secondary invincibility shield lasting 1 second, cooldown 72 hours.
Socket Effect: Vitality (Passive), restores 10 Health Points and 0.5 Mana Points per minute.
Rating: 260+ (Note: Dark purple equipment ratings range from 151 to 260. A rating of 260 adds a special effect: Holy Spirit Blessing.)
Description: Forged from the essence of a false god.
Price: 71,000 Paradise Coins.
...
Su Xiao's pupils slightly contracted. Without a doubt, this was the strongest equipment he had ever seen.
The benefits included Strength +3, Agility +3, automatic weapon durability recovery, a one-second invincibility shield, and Health Point plus Mana Point regeneration.
Especially the Mana Point regeneration: at 0.5 Mana Points per minute, that was 30 per hour, or 720 over 24 hours—faster than his natural recovery.
Su Xiao's Mana Point recovery rate was 26 per hour, or 624 over 24 hours.
He had a total of 1,063 Mana Points. With this sheath, he could fully replenish his depleted Mana Points in just 19 hours.
"Hurry up and trade before I regret it."
Divine Emperor's eyelids drooped. Without a word, Su Xiao traded the Original Sin Set and the Android Bloodline, receiving the [Divine Afterglow] in return.
He touched the Dragon-Slaying Flash to the [Divine Afterglow], and the sheath immediately changed shape to fit the blade's dimensions.
Clang.
The Dragon-Slaying Flash let out a soft ring as it slid into the new sheath. Milky white energy enveloped the blade within the sheath, beginning to repair some barely noticeable damage.
Having dealt with all four items, Su Xiao hadn't gained many Paradise Coins, but he was very satisfied.
This sheath was practically tailor-made for him. Not only did it restore Health Points and Mana Points, but the one-second secondary invincibility shield was also extremely powerful.