Chapter 69: Invitation
[Teleportation completed, you have returned to Reincarnation Paradise.]
The spatial fluctuations disappeared. Su Xiao checked his remaining stay time. He could stay in Reincarnation Paradise for 8 hours and 56 minutes before being teleported to Eternal Light World. It seemed that the higher the Brand Level, the earlier one could know which mission world they would enter.
Su Xiao checked his current Soul Coins. After buying [Skill Sublimation: Supreme Blade] earlier, he had 87,800 left. That seemed like a lot, but it wasn't enough for preparations.
He currently had 16 ordinary Origin Stones. Although they could still be used to strengthen Origin-level equipment in the future, it was more important to acquire more Soul Coins now. If he couldn't survive Eternal Light World, keeping more ordinary Origin Stones would be meaningless.
The Origin Stones sold smoothly. Before long, Beini had sold them in the Trade Market, each priced at 5,160 Soul Coins. This was today's market price, and many people were buying.
His current Soul Coins reached 170,360. In the past, this would definitely be used to enhance abilities, but this time was different. To deal with Eternal Light World, Su Xiao couldn't guarantee an 80% survival rate; in fact, he didn't even have 30%. But even so, he didn't feel pessimistic. On the contrary, his state was very good, better than ever.
With sufficient "Fire Gold" and "Crystal Resin," the cost to manufacture one "Sun Holy Sword" was 30,000 Soul Coins. With the Alchemy Laboratory in his Exclusive Room, manufacturing one in an hour was more than enough.
Su Xiao decided to manufacture four "Sun Holy Swords" to handle various situations. He walked into the Alchemy Laboratory, first paid 80,000 Soul Coins as a cost, condensed four full-score Sun Stones through the [Sun Disc], and then began manufacturing the Blazing Sun's Wrath: Apollo.
An hour later, the first "Sun Holy Sword" was completed. Compared to the original version, the improved "Sun Holy Sword" was more stable. Inside the glass column, a pale golden solution soaked walnut-sized Apollos, each compressed Apollo emitting a faint golden glow.
It didn't take four hours. Using the Alchemy Laboratory in his Exclusive Room, Su Xiao completed the manufacturing of all "Sun Holy Swords" in just over three hours. After that, he left 5,000 Soul Coins and used all the remaining Soul Coins to exchange for potion materials, even exhausting this batch's material exchange quota.
The efficiency of concocting recovery potions was much faster. If he bought recovery potions from the Trade Market, potions with good recovery effects for his current physique would be very expensive. But by exchanging materials himself and concocting them, he produced a full 210 bottles of [Vitality Essence].
[Vitality Essence (Perfect)]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise · Holy Flame Alchemist
Quality: Immortal Rank · Rare
Type: Recovery Item.
Effect: After drinking, rapidly recovers 45% of Health Points, and subsequently recovers 300 Health Points per second. This effect lasts for 180 seconds.
Perfect Grade Bonus: After drinking, greatly reduces potion resistance.
Rating: 1490 points (Holy Spirit Rank quality potion rating is 1000～1500 points)
Description: Pending (Hunters can freely set)
Price: Pending (Hunters can freely set)
...
The original Perfect bonus was that each drink permanently increased a small amount of Health Points, but everything has a limit. After the previous Perfect bonus reached its limit, Su Xiao improved it.
The so-called "after drinking, greatly reduces potion resistance" means shortening the interval between two drinks. Potion resistance is something that temporarily increases after drinking 99% of recovery potion types. When potion resistance is higher than 10 points, the effect of drinking a recovery potion decreases by at least 20%. When potion resistance temporarily increases to 30 points, the effect decreases by at least 90%.
Although it only recovers 45% of Health Points, this effect is already very good, and it was only achieved after Su Xiao upgraded [Vitality Essence] multiple times.
For contractors with less than 450,000 Health Points, this potion can quickly recover 99% of their Health Points. As for why it can't recover 100%, aside from Reincarnation Paradise's [Honor Recovery Potion], few recovery potions can achieve such an effect. Su Xiao could concoct a 100% big potion, but it wouldn't be worth it. The cost of one 100% recovery potion is several times that of a 99% recovery potion.
Su Xiao stored all [Vitality Essence] into the team storage space. As for why he concocted over 200 bottles, it was both for safety and convenience. He concocted one large batch at a time and then divided it into over 200 bottles.
Although there is a higher "Miracle" grade suffix, even with Su Xiao's current alchemy level, he could at most stabilize the "Perfect" grade. To concoct a "Miracle" grade, some luck was still needed, especially for recovery potions. The "Miracle" grade of this thing is particularly hard to achieve; the ingredients are too active, unlike permanent enhancement potions which are more stable.
After doing this, Su Xiao came to the room with the Awakening Stele, placed one hand on it, and began using the remaining 42 Law-Destroying Skill Points to enhance the Azure Steel Shadow ability, since it was only at Lv.20 and urgently needed improvement.
[Azure Steel Shadow has been upgraded to Lv.62.]
[Azure Steel Shadow: Lv.62 (Active/Passive Skill)]
Usage Condition: After activating the Azure Steel Shadow ability, consumes 500 Mana Points per minute.
Active Effect: Each melee attack burns 1980 Mana Points from the enemy (increased by 420 points), and deals True Damage equal to 1.8 times the burned Mana Points (base 3564 True Damage + Dragon-Slaying Flash increase 30% + Azure Shadow King increase 30% + Swift Shadow increase 40% = 7128 True Damage). The enemy will suffer intense pain from Mana burning.
Defense Form: Proud Song (Active), can generate any form of crystal to defend against enemy attacks. Crystal strength is proportional to Mana Points consumed. Single Mana Point consumption cap is 9500 points (increased by 1500 points cap). Crystal layer defense rank +5 (increased by 3).
Combat Form: Shockwave (Active), immediately consumes 20% of maximum Mana Points, causing an Azure Steel Shadow energy shockwave centered on you, putting all enemies within 1000 meters into a state of body energy disorder, thereby entering a "Silence" state where they cannot use active skills for the next 5 seconds.
Tip: The cooldown of this ability is 6 hours.
...
The Azure Steel Shadow ability is one of Su Xiao's main abilities. To be precise, his core abilities are actually two: Azure Steel Shadow and Blade Grandmaster. In the past, the True Damage of the Azure Steel Shadow ability was more like a powerful supplementary damage, but after being upgraded to the late stage, the single instance of 7128 True Damage is a nightmare for enemies.
The two forms of Azure Steel Shadow, the Defense Form had long been fixed as Proud Song. This is because the Proud Song ability is indeed very suitable for Su Xiao. As for why the Combat Form ability keeps changing, it's related to compatibility.
The current Combat Form: Shockwave ability, for now, is quite practical. Previously, this ability only targeted Spellcasters, but now it's effective against all types of enemies.
If fighting against an enemy like the Old Beast King, the Shockwave ability is useless. The Old Beast King basically just normal attacks; being unable to use active abilities for 5 seconds is irrelevant.
But if fighting against enemies like the Archbishop of the Abyss, the Supreme Insect, or the Sun Bird: Tahakark, then this Shockwave ability is quite useful, possibly even a game-changing divine skill.
Su Xiao drew Dragon-Slaying Flash. Dragon-Slaying Flash had completed its enhancement, reaching the breakthrough limit of +16, which added half a percent more chance of success in Eternal Light World.
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +16 (Blade Edge Value 0%)]
Origin: Shadow of Law Destruction
Quality: Origin Level.
Category: Long Blade.
Durability: 790/790 points (increased by 80+100 points).
Attack Power: 639～748 (lower limit increased by 45 points, upper limit increased by 50 points).
Equipment Requirement: Shadow of Law Destruction.
Base Bonus: True Damage caused by Azure Steel Shadow energy increased by 30%.
Supreme Blade Effect 1: Sharpness +1062 points.
Supreme Blade Effect 2: Demon Blade (Core · Active)...
Supreme Blade Effect 3: Shadow · Demon Blade (Core · Passive)...
Enhancement Effects:
+5 Additional Effect: Weapon toughness permanently +8 points.
+8 Additional Effect: Weapon toughness permanently +15 points.
+10 Additional Effect: Weapon attack power lower limit permanently increased by 35 points.
+12 Additional Effect: Weapon maximum penetration permanently increased by 33%.
+13 Additional Effect: Heavy Armor Cutter (greatly enhances slashing and penetration against armor).
+14 Additional Effect: Limit Blade · Secondary Enhancement (this trait provides a huge boost to weapon slashing, such as cutting enemy bodies, etc.).
+15 Additional Effect: Weapon durability permanently +100 points.
+16 Additional Effect: Transcendent Blade (damage caused by this weapon ignores all damage immunity and reduction effects).
Tip: This is a breakthrough limit enhancement level, the permanent gain obtained has high priority.
Inlay Effect: 0/3 slots.
Rating: 3000++++++++++ (Origin Level equipment rating is 1500～3000 points).
Description: Slay gods and punish evil, sever souls and slay demons, seal demons in the blade, cut down the immortal and indestructible!
...
The improvement to Dragon-Slaying Flash was significant. In Su Xiao's view, the newly increased 180 durability points were particularly crucial. After mastering the Perfect Block ability, Dragon-Slaying Flash would face greater tests in combat.
As for the Transcendent Blade obtained from +16 enhancement, this ability is very useful when fighting strong enemies. In the previous world, when fighting the Old Beast King, the opponent reduced 12% physical damage and 15.5% energy damage. This wasn't very high, but it was because the Old Beast King was too old and decrepit. When fighting the Supreme Insect, the Abyss Eldest Daughter, or the Eternal God, it wouldn't be the same.
Supreme Insect: Reduces 25% physical characteristic damage, reduces 30% energy characteristic damage.
Abyss Eldest Daughter: Reduces 27% physical characteristic damage, reduces 75% light damage, reduces 75% dark damage, reduces 90% ice damage.
Eternal God: Reduces 30% physical characteristic damage, reduces 36% energy characteristic damage.
Comparing these strong enemies' abilities, Dragon-Slaying Flash's new trait is quite useful.
He checked the remaining stay time; there were three hours left. Just then, a message appeared in the contact list. It was Solomon. He was ready and asked Su Xiao to send a team invitation. That way, without needing tracking items, Solomon would enter the same world as Su Xiao.
After weighing it, Su Xiao contacted Kaisa and asked if he was interested in Eternal Light World. The result was as expected. In the video, Kaisa's head shook like a rattle drum. However, when Su Xiao mentioned that Eternal Light World contained treasure vaults left by previous generations of Law Destroyers, some so ancient they had been forgotten, hidden in some corner of Eternal Light World, Kaisa hesitated. In the end, Kaisa gritted his teeth and decided to go check out Eternal Light World.
Kaisa didn't join the team. He had his own unique way to enter Eternal Light World. Moreover, Eternal Light World wasn't a difficult world to enter. It had a one-way spatial seal. There were many ways to enter that world, but few people would actively go there.
Kaisa not only agreed to go to Eternal Light World together but also wanted to come find Su Xiao for a face-to-face talk. This puzzled Su Xiao until Kaisa arrived, and he understood what was going on.
"My dear friend, look at this."
Kaisa mysteriously pulled out a photo. In the photo was a ruined hall bathed in daylight. The ceiling of the hall was empty, as if melted away. The furnishings inside were also severely weathered. Some rock reliefs showed signs of melting, like candles meeting heat. Below, a translucent light membrane blocked the daylight.
On the throne in the ruined hall sat a skeleton. The skeleton wore an iron-black crown on its head. What was truly astonishing was that the crown was inlaid with over a dozen "Primordial Fragments." Not only that, around the throne and the skeleton were piled Soul Crystals, Eternal Rank weapons, Soul Coins, etc., enough to form a layer that submerged up to the skeleton's knees.
In the photo, besides hard currency resources, there were also various rare treasures. Such a scene would make even an Absolute Strong's heart race.
More intriguingly, the photo also showed four tall undying bodyguards. From the shooting angle and the fresh bloodstains on the undying bodyguards' weapons, the photographer himself was likely in grave danger.
"Is this... the legendary Monarch's Treasure?"
Su Xiao looked at Kaisa, who grinned slyly, tacitly acknowledging the guess.
"So, the Monarch's Treasure has appeared in Eternal Light World?"
Su Xiao placed the photo in his hand on the tea table, his index finger lightly tapping on it.
"Yes, this news spread a few days ago."
Kaisa smiled even more cunningly, his gaze clearly saying, my dear friend, you understand.
"..."
Su Xiao certainly understood. He understood so well it was second nature, because he had used this trick before. Last time he went to Dead Silence City, he was very uncertain, so he spread the false news that a Black Maple Tree sapling had appeared in Dead Silence City. Although a withered Black Maple Tree was later found in Dead Silence City, it was purely coincidental.
That time, the false news attracted many contractors, as well as Void races or people from Transcendent Primordial Worlds. After these people entered Dead Silence City, they greatly attracted the attention of the People of Death, significantly reducing the risk Su Xiao faced.
Su Xiao's ability to come out of Dead Silence City alive was closely related to this matter. Therefore, this "Monarch's Treasure" gave him a familiar feeling, so familiar that it was almost identical to his own move back then.
Someone was forced to enter Eternal Light World, so they pulled this trick to minimize the risk after entering Eternal Light World. Thinking of this, Su Xiao confirmed one thing: he wouldn't be alone in Eternal Light World this time. He had to be extra cautious of the old yinbi who orchestrated this "Monarch's Treasure."
When the entry time was down to one hour, a series of prompts appeared one after another.
[Prompt: Detected that the Hunter is about to enter a new world progress. Your held "Hunt List: Blood Pact" is in a pending activation state.]
[Bounty has been activated...]
[Your current Space-Time Power: 5010 ounces.]
[You are about to enter Eternal Light World.]
[Based on multiple information sources, judging matters related to you...]
[Judgment complete. You can use "Hunt List: Blood Pact" to place bounties on the following matters.]