Chapter 62: Refinement
Closing the prompt, a mass of orange-red flame was located ahead. Even Su Xiao, with his constitution, could feel its searing heat.
[Flame Core]
Origin: Sun Center · Zuo'er.
Quality: World-Class.
Category: Blessing Item.
Effect: Can be used to reignite a sun, or to provide 1.5 to 2 eras of flame illumination.
Illumination Range: 200 to 600 kilometers in diameter (depending on the specifications of the torch tower).
Note: When the [Flame Core] is placed on a sufficiently sized [Torch Tower], it can dispel all darkness.
Rating: 6000 points (World-class item rating ranges from 10 to 6000 points).
Description: Only those trapped in darkness that cannot be dispelled truly understand the value of a flame's light.
...
Seeing this item, Su Xiao's first thought was of worlds eroded by the Abyss that stubbornly persisted. For the native inhabitants of such worlds, the [Flame Core] was a priceless treasure.
This time, he had obtained three [Reincarnation Certification Authorities]. After checking, he found that this was far more versatile than the temporary certification authority previously given by the Void Tree. He first used it to certify the [Awakening Stele].
[Yes/No to certify this item. This certification opportunity is extremely precious.]
Choosing to certify, the [Awakening Stele] ahead emitted a blue glow. The mark of the Law Destruction Faction gradually surfaced on the [Awakening Stele]'s surface. After a few minutes, the certification was complete.
[The Awakening Stele has been fully certified.]
[Detected that the Supreme-level abilities inscribed on the Awakening Stele have an excessively high mortality rate for mastery. This certification will improve this characteristic to a certain extent.]
[Mortality rate for mastering abilities from the Awakening Stele reduced by 10%.]
[The Awakening Stele has unlocked the corresponding ability: Refinement.]
[Refinement can be applied to already mastered abilities or to obtained Law-Destruction Skill Points.]
[The Law-Destruction Skill Points you have obtained can be refined at the Awakening Stele. By consuming a certain number of Law-Destruction Skill Points, you can increase the enhancement effect of those skill points on abilities.]
[Current Refinable Law-Destruction Skill Points: 0.]
[Refinement condenses 3 Law-Destruction Skill Points into 1, granting a 4x enhancement effect.]
[Note: Refined Law-Destruction Skill Points are in a highly active state and must be used within 20 hours, otherwise, the primordial energy will dissipate, reducing the enhancement effect.]
[Currently Refinable Abilities: Azure Steel Shadow, Azure Shadow King.]
[General passives learned from the Awakening Stele cannot be refined.]
...
Certifying the [Awakening Stele] was a wise choice. As for ability refinement, he had experienced this before. In fact, his previous refinements of the Azure Steel Shadow ability, by absorbing the [Primordial Finger Bones], were essentially the same process, just less formal and systematic. With such a function, it was no wonder the [Awakening Stele] was a treasure of the Law Destruction Faction. Previously, the stele was too damaged, with only one of its two core abilities remaining—the recorded Law Destruction abilities.
Su Xiao placed one hand on the Awakening Stele, attempting to refine the Azure Steel Shadow ability. A stream of transparent energy flowed from the stele into his body. This familiar feeling was exactly the same as absorbing the [Primordial Finger Bones], except the amount of this transparent energy was far greater, and its purity and activity were incomparable to the crystal-preserved [Primordial Finger Bones].
This made Su Xiao realize why the previous Law Destroyers could condense [Primordial Finger Bones] before dying. They had refined their Azure Steel Shadow ability through the Awakening Stele's [Refinement] trait. Before death, the Azure Steel Shadow's primordial energy within their bodies dissipated, leaving behind only the impure refined energy. Using the [Proud Song] ability to crystallize this refined energy resulted in the [Primordial Finger Bones].
This was an epiphany. He had previously wondered why, as a fellow Shadow of Law Destruction, he never felt he could condense a [Primordial Finger Bone] upon death.
The experience of refining abilities was quite good, at least much gentler than enhancing them. A few hours later, Su Xiao, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, opened his eyes.
[Azure Steel Shadow skill has been upgraded to Lv.65.]
Activation Condition: After activating Azure Steel Shadow, consumes 6160 mana points per minute.
Active Effect: Each melee attack burns 8860 mana points from the enemy, dealing true damage equal to 1.8 times the burned mana (Base 11268 + 400 true damage + Dragon-Slaying Flash 50% increase + Azure Shadow King 30% increase + Swift Shadow 40% increase = 35486 true damage). The enemy will suffer intense pain from the mana burn.
Defense Form: Proud Song (Active). Can generate crystals of any shape to defend against enemy attacks. Crystal strength is proportional to the mana consumed. Single mana consumption cap is 19900 points. Crystal layer defense rank +22.
Combat Form: None.
...
The level of the Azure Steel Shadow ability had been refined down by a full 82 levels, without any reduction in strength. This increase in upper limit was incredibly absurd. After all, Azure Steel Shadow already had an exceptionally high level cap, being the ability with the highest certified level cap.
Furthermore, Law-Destruction Skill Points were condensed at a ratio of 3 to 1. However, after condensation, 1 point equaled the effect of 4 previous points, plus there was a storage time limit. This was reasonable; it would be too unreasonable to keep the skill point energy activated to such a degree while maintaining its stability for a long time.
However, there was a problem. Su Xiao could currently obtain 80 Law-Destruction Skill Points per world. This was because the storage capacity of the [Primordial Container] was that large, and this important artifact was starting to malfunction due to its extreme age.
[Primordial Container]
Origin: Void · Shadow of Law Destruction.
Category: Container (Equip in special equipment slot to take effect).
Durability: 295/850 points (Partial functions damaged).
Equipment Requirement: Shadow of Law Destruction, Silver Moon Wolf.
Equipment Effect: Absorption (Core · Passive). Automatically absorbs scattered primordial energy within a 1000-meter radius.
Note: This effect can be briefly activated, increasing the absorption range by 70 to 80 times for 30 seconds. Can only be activated once per natural day. Multiple activations will cause significant durability loss.
Stored Primordial Energy: 0%.
...
This was the origin of Law-Destruction Skill Points. After killing an enemy, he used the [Primordial Container] to absorb and store the enemy's dissipated [Primordial Energy]. Then, he used the [Law-Destruction Talent · Shadow Hunt] to convert it, storing it back into the [Primordial Container].
[Shadow Hunt]
Category: Shadow of Law Destruction · Unique Talent (Not Awakened)
Rank: S (Upon awakening, reaches SSS rank).
Talent Effect (Passive): After killing an enemy, your Devouring Core absorbs the enemy's un-dissipated primordial energy, converting it into soul energy. When soul energy reaches 100%, you gain 1 Law-Destruction Skill Point.
...
The basic process was: kill enemy → Primordial Container absorbs primordial energy → Law-Destruction talent converts primordial energy into soul energy → soul energy reaches 100% and converts into a Law-Destruction Skill Point → use Primordial Container to store the Law-Destruction Skill Point → finally, activate the Law-Destruction Skill Point at the Skill Upgrade Pod or Awakening Stele to upgrade the Law-Destruction skill level.
When the [Primordial Container] stored 80 Law-Destruction Skill Points, its capacity was full. To ensure the storage time of the soul energy, i.e., the Law-Destruction Skill Points, the [Primordial Container] would automatically seal itself after reaching its limit. Therefore, its stock had to be completely emptied before it could be reactivated.
How to increase the [Primordial Container]'s storage limit for Law-Destruction Skill Points was key to the subsequent progress of upgrading the Azure Steel Shadow ability. Su Xiao took out an old communicator and tried to make a call. Although this thing might not connect even after ten tries, it was worth a shot.
Static hissing came from the communicator. After waiting for two minutes, Su Xiao was about to hang up when the call was picked up on the other end. Due to the long distance, the voice on the other side was distorted into a strange pitch.
"Kid, why are you calling me?"
It was Mawen Hua'erzi. It seemed this unscrupulous old man had regained some vitality, showing signs of recovering from his remnant soul state.
But neither he, nor the old Law Destroyer, nor Green Gillian could truly come back to life. Even if they regained physical bodies, they would no longer be the living powerhouses they once were. Their fortune, fate, cause, and effect had all been killed by the Supreme Being.
"The Primordial Container's capacity isn't enough. Is there a way to increase it? Also, it's having some problems."
Su Xiao got straight to the point. He was worried the communication might be interrupted by interference.
"Of course there is. You just need to... *beep*... and then... *beep*... to increase the Primordial Container's capacity. What's your current capacity?"
"..."
Su Xiao was silent for a moment. He suspected that the unscrupulous old man Mawen was doing this on purpose, with the signal interference *beeps* coming at the crucial parts.
"Eighty."
"That's indeed not enough. You need to raise it to at least 100 to be sufficient. So, go to... *beep*... and find... *beep*... to have him recast the Primordial Container for you."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't say a word. He was sure the old bastard was doing it on purpose.
Sure enough, after a while, the communicator echoed with the unscrupulous combined laughter of three old men—the Black Mist Figure, the old Law Destroyer, and Mawen Hua'erzi.
Did you think these former Spellcasters and Law Destroyers were serious people? Never think that. The Black Mist Figure was quite serious when alive, but he was corrupted by proximity, and after death, hanging out with the other two unscrupulous old men, his moral bottom line kept slipping. These three old geezers would even impersonate a helpful old grandpa mentor to act as a shady old grandpa. What fun thing wouldn't they do?
"Can you find the Molten Giant?"
The old Law Destroyer spoke.
"Yes."
"Oh? Looks like you have a good relationship. Unfortunately, our Law Destruction Faction has a [Covenant Blood Seal] with him. He can't help us for nothing. Ahem~ Of course, this also prevents certain shameless bastards in our faction from treating this old giant like a beast of burden. He's our ally; we must give him due respect."
Clearly, the "certain people" the old Law Destroyer mentioned were almost directly naming Green Gillian.
"As I recall, before I died, I still had one [Covenant Mark] with the Molten Giant. What about you, Mawen?"
"I have three."
"That's enough. To forge the [Primordial Container], two [Covenant Marks] are sufficient. Go find the Molten Giant and explain the situation to him. He trusts us Law Destroyers. Don't deceive him, kid."
Hearing this, Su Xiao asked, "How do I obtain a [Covenant Mark]?"
"Don't even think about it. The Covenant Stele is nowhere to be found. You'll have to obtain [Covenant Marks] by chance in the future. By the way, the three of us are planning to go to..."
Hissing static came through, and the call was cut off.
Su Xiao needed to go to the Eternal Light World anyway, to visit the Molten Giant at the Gray Sanctuary and also to collect some Elemental Brew from the nearby Star Giant Tree.
He had two Reincarnation Certification Authorities left. After weighing the options, although this authority was precious, he was about to advance to Supreme. It was safer to maximize his combat power. He took out the [Overlord Source Matter · Unique] and tried to apply for an exclusive certification for this item.
[Detected that this item has already been certified.]
[You have applied for an exclusive certification for this item. Detected that your compatibility with this source matter is 78.5%. If this exclusive certification is performed, your compatibility with this source matter will reach 100%, but it will consume this precious certification opportunity.]
[Certification has begun.]
[Your compatibility with Overlord Source Matter · Unique has reached 100%.]
...
This source matter was extremely domineering. Even with 99.99% compatibility, if a rejection reaction occurred due to that 0.01% incompatibility, death was certain. Resurrection or death-avoidance items could not reverse this kind of death.
A bottle of dark gold liquid source matter was sealed within a source matter container. Su Xiao opened the container and began to absorb this Overlord Source Matter. As the source matter gradually merged into his chest, he felt one of his abilities begin to be progressively strengthened. This ability was [Ultimate · Basic Passive · Overlord Power].
Surging vitality was stimulated, followed by an enhancement of a defensive type of body energy. This enhancement lasted for two hours before ending. This Overlord Source Matter did not grant Su Xiao any new abilities but instead greatly strengthened the already maxed-out [Overlord Power].
[Ultimate · Basic Passive · Overlord Power, X.]
Skill Effect 1: Increases HP by 600,000 points (increased by 350,000 points), all attributes +100 points (increased by 60 points), negates 20% of all damage, all potential upper limit ranks +15 (overflow by 4 points, as all potential upper limit ranks are already +48, the overflow of 4 points has no effect), all technique ability level caps increased to Lv.110.
Note: Grandmaster technique abilities have a maximum level cap of Lv.110.
Skill Effect 2: For each Overlord Equipment worn/equipped, your main weapon's attack power increases by 10%.
Note: Each person can wear/equip a maximum of five Overlord Equipment pieces.
...
Su Xiao's HP successfully reached 8 million points. He could feel that this was the absolute limit of the Absolute Strength rank, just like his current attribute points—all four main attributes at 900 points. The attribute point bonus from Overlord Power would only take effect once Su Xiao broke through to Supreme.
Furthermore, what truly satisfied Su Xiao was the [Negates 20% of all damage]. Even if the Overlord Source Matter improved nothing else, just having this one attribute made the entire enhancement worthwhile.
[Devour Darkness · Soul Core (Passive): Negates 30% of all damage.]
Both were passive ability bonuses. Combined with the 10% from Blade Domain, he had a permanent 60% damage reduction. Paired with his 8 million HP, his survivability was already extremely formidable. Coupled with his attack method where a normal attack was equivalent to an ultimate skill, his formidable stance was undeniable.
This wasn't the most absurd part. The most absurd part was that for each Overlord Equipment worn/equipped, his main weapon's attack power increased by 10%, meaning a maximum increase of 50%.
One thing to note was that the power foundation of all Su Xiao's blade techniques was determined based on the Dragon-Slaying Flash's attack power. Therefore, despite the Dragon-Slaying Flash growing for so long, its weapon attack power was only 1000 to 1175 points.
There were very few channels to increase weapon attack power. The main weapon's own skill effects were entirely occupied by [Demon Blade], and no other skill was allowed. The other channels were weapon enhancement and gem socketing. The [Soul Gem] firmly occupied the gem slot, and it couldn't be replaced.
The [Soul Gem] wasn't just about increasing soul-slashing intensity; it was itself a soul-slashing judgment. Blade technique soul-slash + Soul Severing Shadow soul-slash + Soul Gem soul-slash—a triple soul-slash judgment. Even within the Law Destruction Faction, this was a top-tier configuration.
The Dragon-Slashing Flash had reached the highest equipment rank, Eternal. This meant the only way to increase its weapon attack power was to enhance it. The problem was that the Dragon-Slashing Flash was currently at +13 enhancement. Subsequent enhancements required rare Origin Stones, and he had already poured in quite a few rare Origin Stones, with no result other than enhancement failures.
Now, Overlord Power could increase the Dragon-Slashing Flash's weapon attack power by 50%. It truly lived up to its reputation as the [Supreme Source Matter] most compatible with Su Xiao. However, he currently only had one Overlord Equipment piece left.
Over ten minutes later, the door of the Skill Upgrade Pod behind Su Xiao closed.
[Welcome to the Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod.]
[Please select the skill you wish to upgrade.]
[You have chosen to consume the Skill Upgrade Pod's free usage permission (one time).]
[Selected skill to upgrade: Burning Blood Embers Lv.1.]
[This is an Absolute Strength rank passive. Upgrading requires not only Soul Coins but also 1 Golden Skill Point per level. This permission only covers the reduction of Soul Coin costs. You need to pay the required Golden Skill Points yourself.]
[This upgrade requires 90 Golden Skill Points.]
...
Including what he had saved before and what he had won from the Paradise Battle, he had a total of 104 Golden Skill Points. The problem was, with such a massive single upgrade, would he be sent straight to the afterlife? He glanced at his four attributes at 900 points and his 8 million HP, felt a bit more at ease, and chose to upgrade.
Hum~
The Skill Upgrade Pod began to operate. Half a minute later, Su Xiao was lulled to sleep. The sleep-inducing effect of the Skill Upgrade Pod was quite good.
When Su Xiao woke up, he felt pain all over his body. Dragging his aching body back to his Exclusive Room, he leaned back on the sofa and rested for over half an hour before he could catch his breath. However, following this came a surging sensation of blood energy from the greatly enhanced blood-related ability.
[Burning Blood Embers: X (Absolute Strength rank · Passive)]
Skill Effect 1: Blood-related abilities are imbued with the Burning Blood Embers state. Penetration +270%, Explosive Power +350%.
Skill Effect 2: Each time an attack imbued with Blood-related · Burning Blood Embers hits an enemy, the enemy's maximum HP is reduced by 30%, stackable, up to a maximum reduction of 150% of the enemy's maximum HP.
Note: This reduction characteristic can reduce the enemy's maximum HP to a minimum of 1%. Once the enemy's HP reaches 1%, this characteristic becomes ineffective.
Note: This characteristic is not a temporary reduction but a permanent one. Over 99.82% of means cannot heal it; it is a deep, permanent injury.
...
Extremely powerful, even unreasonably so. However, this ability required millions of Soul Coins + 90 Golden Skill Points to be upgraded to this level. Not to mention, the skill scroll itself was exceptionally difficult to obtain. Most importantly, the Abyss-type enemies Su Xiao faced were equally absurd.
Without at least 300% maximum HP, one couldn't even be considered a major boss in the Abyss system. Of course, there were exceptions, and these exceptions might be even harder to deal with. Su Xiao had faced enemies with not just 300% maximum HP, but even 800% maximum HP.
Arriving at the training room, Su Xiao activated the teleportation device there. This was a corresponding benefit provided by Reincarnation Paradise after the Demon Insect Race occupied the Eternal Light World. It allowed him to teleport directly to the Eternal Light World.
Whoosh~
A teleportation sensation spread. Su Xiao and Baha were enveloped in teleportation light. As for Bubu and Amu, they were out having fun. Beini had booked a fur maintenance and paw care session.
The teleportation sensation stabilized. Su Xiao arrived at the [Gray Sanctuary]. Walking inside, the first thing he saw was the old Tree Clan member, withered into a tree. Many wildflowers were placed on the steps in front of the old tree. The facial contours on the trunk had also been wiped clean. Higher up, a flower crown was tied, making the deceased old tree look as kind and gentle as when he was alive.
It seemed that Suones's disciple, Yousha, hadn't gone out to train yet. Passing by the stone table where the Dark Maiden often sat in a daze, Su Xiao saw a letter on the table. The envelope read: [To the Law Destroyer Lord, personally opened].
Opening the letter, he saw a delicate Void script. It was clear that the Dark Maiden had achieved an excellent state of adaptation with the two [Proud Song] crystal combat prosthetics.
The first part of the letter said that the Dark Maiden had visited several worlds invaded by the Abyss and plunged into darkness. She had defeated the powerful enemies there and recovered much of her combat power, roughly at the peak of Absolute Strength. It might not be long before she recovered to the Supreme level.
The Dark Maiden wasn't getting stronger; she was recovering her strength. This generation's Dark Maiden wasn't the strongest. The strongest Dark Maiden in history could, in close combat, beat Green Gillian into bedridden. Of course, that was because Gillian had provoked her and was caught off guard, but it still showed the power of that Dark Maiden.
The Dark Maiden's power was inherited, passed down from generation to generation. This also meant that once the upper limit was reached, it was very difficult to advance even half a step further. This further highlighted the uniqueness of that strongest Dark Maiden.
During this time, the Dark Maiden had obtained a lot of [Primordial Energy] from [Undying · Abyss Spawn]. Although the Dark Maiden couldn't kill such beings, her [Dark Domain], upon reaching the Absolute Strength level, gained this ability.
The [Undying · Abyss Spawn], whose primordial energy was being continuously absorbed, would inevitably flee that world and return to the Abyss after realizing it couldn't kill the Dark Maiden.
However, the Dark Maiden could only store this primordial energy within her [Dark Domain]. She would have to wait until their next meeting to give this primordial energy to Su Xiao. The Blade Demon Spirit could devour this primordial energy.
Furthermore, the Dark Maiden had recently visited the Wind Sea Continent, saying that the Abyss invasion there was more severe. She had discovered a powerful Abyss presence there, suspected to be an Abyss Descendant, and had found a clan emblem imprint.
After reading the letter, Su Xiao took out paper and pen, leaving a brief message for the Dark Maiden. He told her that the presence on the Wind Sea Continent was from the [Azguk] clan of the Abyss Descendants. The clan emblem she saw represented [Azguk]. She should not provoke them. Not to mention Absolute Strength, even a Supreme powerhouse, before reaching their peak, would not be a match for the [Azguk] clan.
Besides the Wind Sea Continent, she should also not go to the Ancient Dragon Kingdom. The Abyss Descendant [Dukain] was sealed in that world.
Leaving the letter on the stone table, Su Xiao walked towards the forge at the innermost part of the sanctuary. Entering the forge, he heard thunderous snoring. The forge furnace fire was half-extinguished. The Molten Giant was fast asleep. This old giant might sleep for centuries at a time, but judging from the aura fluctuations, this wasn't a deep slumber but a nap; he would wake up in a few days at most.
Not disturbing the Molten Giant's nap, Su Xiao left a note explaining the situation, placed the [Primordial Container] on the anvil, and left a few large barrels of Elemental Brew for the Molten Giant. He then left the Gray Sanctuary and walked towards the Star Giant Tree.
The Star Giant Tree here was now over a hundred thousand meters tall. It was one of the world's landmark landscapes. Under the shade of the tree's crown, it was cool. Tiny specks of light fell on the fungal carpet. Strange insects often flew by, birds chirped, and the nearby wetlands attracted many waterfowl. The ecology in this area was getting better and better.
As he walked, Su Xiao raised his hand to shoo away the fire-type natural elements flying towards him. They were too hot. These enthusiastic little guys might accidentally burn his eyebrows or hair. Don't ask Su Xiao how he knew.
Arriving at the area with the densest fungal carpet, the center was a large wine barrel several meters high, covered with various vine plants that thrived in elemental environments. Approaching the large barrel, Su Xiao took out a container, cleaned the bottom valve, opened it, discarded a small amount of the wine, and soon the large container was full.
This batch of Elemental Brew smelled even more fragrant just from its aroma. Su Xiao patted the large wooden barrel, estimating there was still about half a barrel left. In such an environment, the older the brew, the better it tasted, and the less there was.
Su Xiao had discovered a wonderful use for Elemental Brew. Although this wine did not contain natural elements, it was filled with elemental aura. When the elemental aura was thick enough and fully integrated into the wine, drinking a sip of Elemental Brew when the body was eroded by the Abyss, although it couldn't dispel the Abyss erosion, could greatly alleviate the pain caused by the Abyss erosion for a period of time.
He checked the time. The Honor Shop refresh was not far off. Although he had the [Reincarnation Badge] in hand, if it was a single piece of Overlord Equipment or other rare treasure, once it was bought, it would no longer be displayed in the Honor Shop. At that point, even having the [Reincarnation Badge] would be useless.
It was important to note that every time the Honor Shop refreshed, there were 6 to 10 very top-tier secret treasures that would be snapped up immediately upon refresh.
Activating the teleportation permission, Su Xiao returned to his Exclusive Room. He leaned back on the sofa and took a short nap to conserve his energy.
[Notice: The Honor Shop has been refreshed.]
Almost simultaneously with the Honor Shop refresh, Su Xiao had already opened the Honor Shop and, with lightning speed, used four [Reincarnation Badges] to purchase the bottom four items. His reaction was so fast that some Hunters had only just opened the Honor Shop to find that the eight publicly sold secret treasures below had all disappeared.