Chapter 63: Forging
Su Xiao did not head directly to the Skill Upgrade Hall. He stopped by a park fountain along the way. Inside the fountain was a Ξ emblem, pitch black, exuding a sense of majesty while also carrying a chaotic disregard for rules.
This was the emblem of Dawn Paradise. Seeing it here in the fountain was not particularly strange. Back when the Reincarnation Paradise faction invaded Dawn Paradise's interior, after that battle ended, some of the high-rank contractors who survived had this emblem statue made. It was not to commemorate Dawn Paradise, but to remember the close friends who died under this emblem.
Moreover, within Reincarnation Paradise's rule system, there was no regulation prohibiting mention of Dawn Paradise's emblem. Therefore, this artistically crafted emblem statue appearing here was not surprising. Low and mid-rank contractors were unlikely to recognize what it was anyway.
From a distance, Su Xiao saw a large witch hat approaching him. The witch hat was gray, made of soft fabric, yet the brim did not droop limply. It was the Undead Girl.
What was puzzling was that the Undead Girl's aura had already reached the peak of the Absolute Strength rank. It was well known that the Undead Girl loved to accumulate. Back when she was at the Fifth Rank, she had even suppressed over 40 world progressions before advancing to the Fifth Rank. That was only because her world evaluation showed negative returns, prompting her to decide on advancing to the Sixth Rank.
But now, the Undead Girl had completely changed her previous style, climbing rapidly. Besides that, her appearance and temperament had also changed significantly.
Being an Undead System practitioner, she had always had pale skin, but at most it was an unhealthy, sickly white. Now, however, her skin was a cold, somewhat ethereal blue-white. The biggest change was in her eyes—black pupils set against white irises.
In the late stages, the Abyss was truly an irresistible power, especially for the Undead Girl. At the late stage, she had only two choices: become the First Dead, or fall into the Abyss. Compared to becoming a corpse, the Undead Girl chose the extremely dangerous one-in-a-billion chance of survival.
Regarding a close friend falling into the Abyss, Su Xiao did not offer much persuasion. Sha's matter had taught him that when pursuing power in the later stages, everyone had their own choices. Those who could climb to such power levels had all experienced countless life-and-death situations and possessed extremely firm wills. A few words of persuasion trying to change such a person's decision was nothing but a fool's dream.
"Aren't you going to... persuade me... to stop falling into... the darkness?"
The Undead Girl spoke, her words occasionally pausing due to her will being shrouded in darkness.
"No."
"Then when I... completely fall into darkness... and lose myself... what will you... do?"
"Kill you."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, the Undead Girl was visibly stunned. She looked at him, trying to form a genuine smile on her face, but couldn't complete the action of smiling. She used her index fingers to push up the corners of her mouth, creating a physical smile.
"Then you are... my only... friend now. Congratulations... congratulations."
"..."
"Let's... trade. As agreed, 800 Soul Coins... per piece."
With that, the Undead Girl took out a [World Core (Fragment)].
Su Xiao needed a lot of these. The Black Maple Tree's thriving growth to this day was largely due to the pieces of [World Core (Fragment)] inserted into the soil beneath it. Previously, there were dozens of [World Core (Fragment)] pieces in the soil, but as the Black Maple Tree reached 10.2 meters in height, these fragments were quickly absorbed completely.
"How many do you have?"
Su Xiao planned to buy a large quantity of [World Core (Fragment)] this time.
"How many... do you want?"
The Undead Girl held a piece of [World Core (Fragment)] between her index and middle fingers, tilting her head to look at Su Xiao through the translucent crystal fragment.
"As many as you have, I'll take them all."
"Heh... heh~"
The Undead Girl took out a large cloth bag, placed it on the ground, and untied it. Inside, the [World Core (Fragment)] pieces spilled out slightly. It looked like there were over a thousand pieces. Where she got them from was anyone's guess.
Considering that the Undead Girl had immersed herself in darkness, within the Abyss's darkness, a large amount of fragments left over from collapsed worlds—i.e., [World Core (Fragment)]—had settled. This was quite possible.
For others, these [World Core (Fragment)] pieces were inferior goods. But for Su Xiao, who intended to use them as fertilizer for the Black Maple Tree, they were top-tier treasures. This type of extraordinary item containing precipitated matter could release 20 to 23 times the nutrients of a same-volume [World Core (Fragment)] when decomposed.
As for whether the Black Maple Tree would be affected by the Abyss's darkness, do not forget that the first "Black Maple Mother Tree Seed" in the Star Realm was obtained when the Law Destruction Faction opened a "Super Deep Abyss Passage" and conducted a shallow exploration inside. A supreme treasure from the Abyss could hardly be eroded by the Abyss's darkness; on the contrary, it would thrive even more.
This was one of the Black Maple Tree's strongest traits—originating from the Abyss yet providing purely positive benefits. The corresponding cost was not reflected at all in the Black Maple Tree's yield.
"I'll take them all."
"?"
The Undead Girl, who was squatting on the ground, grabbing a handful of [World Core (Fragment)] and slowly letting them trickle through her fingers, suddenly looked up at Su Xiao in shock. It seemed that even after falling into darkness, Soul Coins still had a strong stimulating effect on her. This was a permanent buff brought on by Undead System syndrome.
Even someone as cold as Solomon couldn't help but show a hint of a smile on his face after receiving a large sum of Soul Coins, though it vanished in an instant.
In total, Su Xiao paid 921,600 Soul Coins, successfully purchasing 1,152 pieces of [World Core (Fragment)]. Such wealth made the Undead Girl's gaze clear up a bit.
Just as Su Xiao was about to turn and leave, the Undead Girl grabbed his sleeve. She frowned, pressing one hand to the side of her head as if struggling to recall something. After a moment, she suddenly remembered and said:
"Be careful... Spider... she... joined the clan."
Having said this, the Undead Girl's expression was somewhat confused. Her demeanor clearly showed she didn't quite understand what she was saying. Obviously, this was something she had decided to tell Su Xiao when she was still clear-headed. In her current state of confusion, she naturally didn't fully grasp the meaning of her own words.
"Anyway... that's it."
The Undead Girl left with a splitting headache. Upon closer inspection, her eyes were darker than before.
...
The World War was approaching, and the Equipment Enhancement Hall was buzzing with activity. Given the brutality of the World War, it was only natural to use every means to boost combat power before it began. One of the most direct ways to enhance combat power was to strengthen weapons.
As soon as Su Xiao walked into the Equipment Enhancement Hall, he saw a burly man who was a head taller than the enhancement machine itself. The man stood bare-chested in front of the machine, one hand resting on top of it, the other clenched into a fist. His posture clearly indicated that if the enhancement failed, he would punch the machine with a fist the size of a sandbag.
Su Xiao noticed this giant because of the Phantom Troupe emblem on the right side of his back, along with the number "3."
Pfft~
As steam sprayed out at the end of the enhancement, a smile spread across the giant's face. He picked up a ring from the machine's tray, his smile growing even wider. However, when he noticed Su Xiao's gaze, he returned the look.
"Bai Ye, ignore that idiot."
Gulu, standing beside Su Xiao, spoke up. Hearing this, the giant's smile twisted into something grotesque. Bubu Wang, next to Su Xiao, was terrified, then snapped a photo with a click. This startled the giant, whose smile had contorted. He stared at Bubu Wang for a moment before striding away.
There were two types of Phantom Troupe members. The first were recruited, like the witch responsible for recruiting new members. The problem was, the witch didn't like recruiting male members, almost turning the Phantom Troupe into a Phantom Girl Group.
The other type were those who killed a Phantom Troupe member and took their Phantom Emblem, thereby joining the Troupe. This was the price of the Phantom Troupe's absolute freedom. Aside from the iron rule of not becoming a Violator, the leader, Number 0, would not demand anything from the members. Of course, if they were willing to run errands for him, the benefits would certainly not be lacking.
The giant encountered here had killed the original Number 3 of the Phantom Troupe and taken the Phantom Emblem.
"Bai Ye, here to smash some equipment?"
Gulu, with her sweet mouth, spoke up, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled. Without asking, it was obvious that Gulu had just smashed some equipment. Adhering to the principle that if you don't smash equipment alone, sharing the pain with someone else halves it, Gulu followed beside Su Xiao, waiting to share the suffering. She knew his luck—he had survived to this day purely through raw strength.
[Welcome to Equipment Enhancement Machine No. 208.]
The machine's tray extended, and Su Xiao placed Dragon-Slaying Flash on it. The metal tray retracted, and subsequent prompts appeared.
[Equipment inspection complete. To enhance Dragon-Slaying Flash (Eternal Rank) to +11, 1 Rare Origin Stone is required.]
[Note: Due to the enhancement method being an Eternal Rank exclusive enhancement certification, even if this enhancement fails, the equipment's enhancement level will not decrease.]
...
The enhancement level indeed would not decrease, but the problem was that a very good "Rare Origin Stone" gave only a 0.186% chance of successfully enhancing Dragon-Slaying Flash to +11. This meant that subsequent enhancements of Dragon-Slaying Flash could only rely on luck plus a large number of Rare Origin Stones, gradually chancing upon success.
Given Su Xiao's luck, even if he poured in tens of thousands of "Highly Rare Origin Stones," he might not succeed in getting Dragon-Slaying Flash to +11. The question was, did that many "Highly Rare Origin Stones" even exist in the entire Star Realm?
Fortunately, Su Xiao was well-prepared this time when he came to the Equipment Enhancement Hall. He took out a gem that emitted starlight and pressed it into the slot on the right side of the enhancement machine.
[This enhancement has been supplemented with 1 Star Gem.]
[The success rate for this enhancement is: 100%.]
The enhancement began. After waiting nearly an hour, it ended. Su Xiao took out another [Star Gem] to push Dragon-Slaying Flash to +12. This time, he had a total of three [Star Gems].
Four hours later, after Gulu had finished three servings of sweets and two cups of fruit tea, the enhancement ended.
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +13 enhancement successful.]
As steam sprayed from the bottom of the enhancement machine, Gulu was devastated. Of course, her own failures made her feel down, but a friend's excessive success was undoubtedly a thunderbolt from the blue.
Gulu, who was proficient in equipment enhancement, naturally knew that Eternal Rank equipment could not be shattered by enhancement; it would only fail. Therefore, in the past, when she watched Su Xiao enhance, she would secretly worry about his weapon exploding out of some conscience. But now, Gulu silently chanted "fail, fail, fail" throughout the entire process.
"How did you do it?"
"Just lucky."
"Ah?"
Gulu looked at Su Xiao in confusion. After a moment, she laughed and said, "Impossible. If my luck is 100, yours must be -100,000,000."
"But I succeeded, and you failed."
"No, that's not the same thing. You, me, ah!!"
Gulu was utterly miserable. She naturally refused to accept that she was more unlucky than a Law Destroyer. After a moment, she took out a piece of equipment she both wanted to enhance and was hesitant about, started the enhancement machine, and under her constant watch, the enhancement ultimately succeeded.
"Haha, see? I told you I'm luckier. Huh? Hey? Where'd he go? That bastard, humiliating me and then just leaving like that."
Gulu was about to chase after him but suddenly stopped. Thinking about what would likely happen in the next world, she decided it was best not to provoke Bai Ye in the near future, lest she end up getting beaten to the ground in the next world progression.
Su Xiao hadn't actually gone far. After leaving the Equipment Enhancement Hall, he came to a street a few hundred meters away. There were hundreds of shops here, mainly dealing in gem setting and equipment appraisal.
He had previously sent a "Eternal Rank Full Score Nourishment-Type Equipment" here. Calculating the time, Beini had brought it yesterday morning, so it should be mostly appraised by now.
Entering Shop No. 183, which was laid out like a jewelry store, Su Xiao inserted the extraction card into the identification device. A few seconds later, the device delivered a sealed box with the equipment's name and Su Xiao's mark number. After biometric verification and paying 15,000 Soul Coins, he successfully retrieved [Life Source Monarch (Eternal Rank Full Score Nourishment-Type Equipment)].
The reason for spending this money was to determine the compatibility between [Life Source Monarch (Eternal Rank Full Score Nourishment-Type Equipment)] and Su Xiao. Over half of Nourishment-Type equipment had a characteristic: once activated, it could not be traded. This Nourishment-Type equipment named [Life Source Monarch] had a compatibility rate of 95.67% with him.
[Life Source Monarch]
Origin: Eternal Light World High Lord Private Residence Fourth Forging Workshop.
Quality: Eternal Rank.
Category: Ring.
Durability: 500/500 points.
Warning: Durability of Nourishment-Type equipment cannot be repaired.
Equipment Requirement: 800 True Stamina.
Equipment Effect 1: Life Hunt (Nourishment Passive) - Upon killing a powerful enemy, this equipment absorbs the enemy's "Life Source," storing, filtering, and transforming it. When enough Life Source is absorbed, it forms a "Life Source Essence."
Note: Each absorbed "Life Source Essence" permanently increases Health Points by 200,000 points.
Note: Can absorb 1 to 5 "Life Source Essences," depending on the total of your main attributes.
Your main attributes are: Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intelligence.
Your total main attributes: 3,200 points.
Note: You can absorb up to 5 "Life Source Essences"!
Equipment Effect 2: Monarch (Core Passive) - After successfully absorbing 5 "Life Source Essences," this equipment transforms into "Form 2."
Note: This equipment has a total of three forms. Stage 1: Nourishment-Type Equipment. Stage 2: Slaughter-Type Equipment. Stage 3: Devouring-Type Equipment.
Rating: 6,000 points (Eternal Rank equipment rating ranges from 3,000 to 6,000 points).
Introduction: Nourish, slaughter, devour—achieve ultimate power.
Price: 13,200 Soul Coins.
...
This was a "Nourishment-Type Equipment" that could increase Health Points by a total of 1,000,000. Although all "Nourishment-Type Equipment" was strong, [Life Source Monarch] was definitely among the top tier of its kind.
Su Xiao had two ring slots. One was occupied by [King's Crown], and the other by [Blood Moon Queen]. [Blood Moon Queen] occupied a total of four equipment slots, so he had to temporarily unequip [Silver Moonlight], allowing [Blood Moon Queen] to occupy the "Necklace Slot," "Right Bracer Slot," "Pendant Slot," and "Badge Slot."
He successfully equipped [Life Source Monarch]. As for [Silver Moonlight], this Moon Wolf system equipment would need to be reforged by the Demon Blacksmith later to fully unleash its power. Now that he had mastered the "Perfect Block" ability, the bonuses from [Silver Moonlight] were more suitable for use when fighting Abyss System enemies.
Besides that, Su Xiao needed to quickly acquire a belt-type Eternal Rank equipment. Belt-type equipment was special. Regardless of the type of bonus, it would inherently come with Perception System ability growth assistance traits. This compensated for the fact that most high-tier Perception abilities could not be upgraded in the Skill Upgrade Pod.
Su Xiao did not return directly to the Equipment Enhancement Hall. He went to the nearby Trade Market, rented a stall, casually placed some Soul Crystals on it, and sat behind the stall. He then took out the Lord's Train key. This equipment had a characteristic:
"Equipment Effect 3: Seven-Level Certification (Core Passive) - Due to this equipment being successfully certified at seven levels by the Void Tree during the First Era by the Slinster Dwarves, after transforming into Overlord Equipment, it lost its corresponding growth method. According to Reincarnation Paradise's certification balance, this Overlord Equipment can be enhanced using 'Overlord Soul (Extra Large).'
Enhancement Method: Reincarnation Paradise Equipment Enhancement Hall. Hold the Train Key and place the 'Train Key' along with the corresponding 'Overlord Soul Extra Large' into the enhancement machine to complete the enhancement.
Note: Due to the particularity of this enhancement, the enhancement cap is +18."
...
Su Xiao planned to push this characteristic to its limit. He took out [Scarlet Amplifier].
[Scarlet Amplifier]
Origin: Eternal Light World Scarlet Castle.
Quality: Overlord Rank.
Category: Enhancement Item / One-Time Consumable.
Effect: Can be used on Overlord Equipment with over 70% compatibility. After use, this Overlord Equipment can be enhanced through Overlord Souls.
Rating: 4,500 points (Overlord Rank equipment rating ranges from 1 to 6,000 points).
Introduction: Scarlet power may far exceed imagination.
Price: 7,560 Soul Coins.
...
Su Xiao took out [Blood Feather]. [Blood Feather] floated in midair. He took out the "Book of Original Sin" and manipulated it to adjust the sealing intensity on the "Scarlet Scepter," causing scarlet patterns to spread across the surface of the "Book of Original Sin."
Almost simultaneously, scarlet mist emerged from [Blood Feather]. Su Xiao reached out with one hand and grasped, and with a crackling sound, a piece of scarlet fragment was stripped from [Blood Feather]. This was [Blood Fragment (Unique)].
Previously, Su Xiao had used [Blood Fragment (Unique)] to enhance [Blood Feather]. It wasn't that he wanted to, but at that time, aside from enhancing [Blood Feather], [Blood Fragment (Unique)] had no other use. Selling it would have been asking for trouble.
[Blood Fragment (Unique)] had a significant origin. Su Xiao obtained it by killing the Scarlet Monarch Eiyushir. Before being sealed in Eternal Light, the Scarlet Monarch was on the same tier as the Underworld God, Soul Lord, and Blade Demon—"Supreme Peak."
From a certain perspective, [Blood Fragment (Unique)] was nearly a crystallization of the Scarlet Monarch's Life Source and Source Blood. Using such an item naturally required caution.
After using [Blood Feather] to absorb [Blood Fragment (Unique)], Su Xiao found that [Blood Feather] was not qualified for this. In layman's terms, [Blood Feather] was currently wrapping around [Blood Fragment (Unique)] to gain enhancement, but it couldn't digest the [Blood Fragment (Unique)] at all.
Therefore, by appropriately loosening the seal on the "Scarlet Scepter," the induction of this Scarlet Source artifact, combined with his precise extraction derived from Sealcraft, he could naturally extract [Blood Fragment (Unique)] from [Blood Feather]—this dangerous extraordinary item that had not been digested at all.
As a cost, [Blood Feather] immediately reverted to its previous version's attributes, which was the Healer's Pain Mask version.
Since [Blood Feather] couldn't digest it, Su Xiao would use something stronger. The "Lord's Train," as a creation of the Slinster Dwarves, combined with the financial support of the richest High Lord of the First Era, even if the current "Lord's Train" was not at its peak, it still had the qualifications to devour [Blood Fragment (Unique)]. After all, the Scarlet Monarch Eiyushir had already been slain by Su Xiao.
[Yes/No attempt to have the Lord's Train devour Blood Fragment (Unique).]
[This devouring has been initiated. Estimated time: 20 hours 58 minutes.]
...
No need to go to the Equipment Enhancement Hall for now. Su Xiao checked the newly enhanced Dragon-Slaying Flash.
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +13]
Origin: Shadow of Law Destruction.
Quality: Eternal Rank.
Category: Long Blade.
Durability: 1,250/1,250 points (Increased by 60+150 points).
Attack Power: 1,000~1,175 points (Increased by 60~82 points).
Equipment Requirement: Shadow of Law Destruction.
Base Bonus: True Damage caused by Cyan Steel Shadow Energy increased by 50%.
Supreme Blade Effect 1: Sharpness +2,332 points (Increased by 150 points).
Supreme Blade Effect 2: Damage Tier +25, Slashing Judgment Tier +25.
Supreme Blade Effect 3: Demon Blade (Core Active) - After activating the Blade Demon Spirit, when attacking an enemy unit with "Health Points" below 30%, this unit can be executed...
Current Blade Demon Spirit Strength: 830 points.
Enhancement Effects:
+11 Additional Effect: Weapon durability permanently +150 points.
+12 Additional Effect: Proud Blade (When blocking with this weapon, durability consumption reduced by 25%).
+13 Additional Effect: Transcendent Blade Secondary Enhancement (Damage caused by this weapon ignores 20% of damage immunity, reduction, and similar effects. This trait has high priority. When facing "Absolute Strength Rank Judgment" enemies or below, this effect ignores all damage immunity and reduction effects).
Gem Slots: 3/3.
Soul Gem (Eternal Rank Gem): This weapon gains Soul Slash effect.
Rating: 10,050 points (This weapon's rating ranges from 3,000 to 15,000 points).
Introduction: Slay gods, punish evil, sever souls, slay heretics, seal demons in the blade, cut down the immortal and indestructible!
...
Dragon-Slaying Flash returned to its sheath. Su Xiao checked the time, stood up, and returned to his Exclusive Room. As soon as he entered, he found that Bubu Wang and Baha, who would normally be out causing trouble at this time, were both there. They clearly wanted to go to this Starry Sky Seat gathering to see the new member chosen by the Saintess Seat, i.e., the holder of [Star Ring (7)].
He took out a spatial card provided by the Tuanzhang. Originally, the Saintess Seat had insisted on providing the spatial card herself, but after being stared at by Su Xiao, Tuanzhang, and White Bull for a few seconds, she could only mutter and retract the idea.
Activating the spatial card, with a pop, spatial fluctuations spread. The next second, Su Xiao appeared in the remote "Wasteland" area of the Void. Looking south, a wall of annihilation mist came into view. That was the location of the Starry Sky Seat. Suffice it to say, the Tuanzhang was reliable.
On the nearby train platform, a figure in a gray-white feather coat, with a feather coat hood on their head and a bone mask on their face, stood with arms crossed, leaning against a platform pillar. This person's right hand was wrapped in a skin-tight bracer, adding a touch of metal to their light attire. It was the strongest assassin, Xiao.
"It seems your daughter is awake."
Baha spoke with a mischievous grin. Knowing Baha's trash talk, Xiao interrupted, "Shut up," then pointed at Su Xiao and continued, "You negotiate with me, or I leave immediately."
"..."
Su Xiao took out a large box of potions and tossed it to Xiao. Xiao took it suspiciously, opened it, and found it filled with various conditioning and nourishing secret medicines. With Xiao's experience, she could tell that each of these potions was a rare treasure in the outside world. In fact, they could not even be obtained with money alone; one would need incredibly absurd luck.
"You..."
Even as the strongest assassin, Xiao was a bit stunned. The hardest path she had ever walked in her life was the one laid out by this Law Destroyer in front of her. In terms of strength, as a Supreme Rank, she could certainly take Su Xiao's life. She could have done so on Blazing Sun Star. The problem was, her weakness did not allow her to do so.
"We're friends. Don't be polite."
A hint of a friendly smile appeared on Su Xiao's face, causing Xiao to involuntarily take half a step back. Even though there was a large tier gap in strength, as a mid-to-low Supreme Rank, Xiao suddenly felt a bit of palpitation.
"You'd better... state your terms."
Xiao's tone was unusually serious.
"A gift for a friend. How could I attach conditions?"
"State... your terms."
"Alright, since you're so eager, go deep into the Ancient Battlefield and find this for me."
Su Xiao tossed a sealed scroll to Xiao. Xiao caught it and learned the contents: to go deep into the Ancient Battlefield and find a "Law Destroyer Exclusive Secret Art" used for advancing to Supreme Rank.
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. These nourishing potions must be taken in order, and you cannot exceed the daily dosage."
Su Xiao tossed another sealed scroll. After catching it, Xiao frowned and asked, "What happens if I don't follow the order and daily dosage on this?"
"You'll die. A miserable death."
"You..."
Xiao was amused and angered. She now wanted to draw her short blade and stab this Law Destroyer a few times, each strike piercing through his chest to feel satisfied.
"Oh, look at my memory. This is the first course of secret medicine for your daughter. There are three courses in total for her to fully recover."
Xiao did not ask about the remaining two courses of secret medicine. She knew full well that those would come at a price to be paid later.
Just as Xiao was about to leave, Su Xiao asked, "Interested in going to a Nightmare?"
"No interest."
"What a pity. I have an ancient book here, an autobiography of an assassination master."
"I need... the guidance of an assassination master? Let alone a recorded ancient book."
"From the First Era, an assassination master who killed a High Lord and three Ancient Wyverns—G. Roman."
"Which Nightmare?"
"Golden King City."
"Got it."
Xiao was about to turn and leave, but Su Xiao had already tossed the aforementioned ancient book of the assassination grandmaster. This made Xiao silent for a few seconds before she turned and left. After all, this feeling of being trusted with payment upfront was really nice. The problem was, the subsequent scheming and being played for a fool was really frustrating.
Su Xiao looked at the wall of annihilation mist and walked toward the entrance of the Starry Sky Seat. He was somewhat curious about what kind of new member the Saintess Seat would recruit.