Chapter 15: Talent
If the situation in this world weren't becoming increasingly bewildering, the three factions of Su Xiao, Di Luo, and Deer God would surely have fought to the death, deciding victor and vanquished alike. But now, with five peak powerhouses already reduced to source blood, none of them wished to become the next.
The matter of cooperation was put on hold for now. Su Xiao's stance would depend on Deer God's attitude. After all, Deer God and Di Luo had old grievances. If even that old hatred could be temporarily set aside for an alliance, then Su Xiao's new grudge with Di Luo was even less of an obstacle.
Leaving the Lord's Train, Su Xiao sat cross-legged, placing his sheathed longsword across his thighs. He began to meditate, using this to more quickly adapt to his strengthened physique.
Several hours later, Su Xiao ended his meditation. He picked up the communicator beside him and tried to call again. He had attempted once before, but the other party was in an area with no signal, so the call hadn't connected.
*Beep~*
The indicator light on the communicator turned green, signaling a successful connection. He waited for the other side to answer. Soon, the call connected:
"Is the struggle for the Abyss Core going smoothly?"
The Tuanzhang's voice came through the communicator.
"Not smoothly. Any experience to share?"
"No. What I competed for back then was the Elemental Eye."
After chatting with Tuanzhang for a moment, Su Xiao got to the point. He asked, "When a Supreme attribute reaches 500 points, what resources are needed to break through this limit?"
"You don't need to worry about that issue for now…"
The Tuanzhang's words trailed off mid-sentence. After a few seconds, the Tuanzhang on the other end asked, "You absorbed Abyss power? That shouldn't be possible."
The Tuanzhang's tone carried disbelief. After all, the Hunter Bai Ye he knew wouldn't do such a thing. But with this rate of power increase, there were too few possible explanations.
Su Xiao sent the three peak abilities through this communication link in text form. Such peak abilities didn't inherently require secrecy, and besides, there was simply no possibility of him and the Tuanzhang becoming enemies.
"This…"
The Tuanzhang was silent for over ten seconds this time before saying, "Theoretically speaking, the physique you've built this way is actually more stable than one built through gradual accumulation."
"Why?"
"When you reach the Supreme Peak, the way to improve your physique is to absorb the 'Primordial Source Power of the Star Realm.' So tell me, which is more stable: slowly absorbing some very impure 'Primordial Source Power of the Star Realm' to gain power, or absorbing a large amount of the purest 'Primordial Source Power of the Star Realm' in a single instance and consciously using it to strengthen your physique?"
From the Tuanzhang's meaning, it was clearly the latter that was more stable. Of course, slowly absorbing the purest 'Primordial Source Power of the Star Realm' and consciously using it to strengthen the physique was the safest method, but where was there so much perfection?
In the late game, Su Xiao's opponent was Arcane Eternal Star. He couldn't give this enemy even half a chance to eliminate him.
One mistake, and he was dead, with absolutely no chance of survival. Back when Arcane Eternal Star was responsible for killing Su Xiao, it was Mage Sage Seraphilia. At that time, Su Xiao was at the Third Rank.
If not for the world rank suppression from Reincarnation Paradise, he would have surely died in that Third Rank world.
"Bai Ye, you have two choices to break through your current limit."
"…"
Su Xiao didn't speak. The Tuanzhang, long familiar with this old friend, continued:
"The first is to sacrifice your talent abilities. The more talent abilities you sacrifice, and the higher their rank, the higher the physique limit you can leverage. This method is actually quite suitable for you. Your Supreme attributes have increased too quickly. Using this method, you can deeply consolidate the foundation of your physical attributes, essentially stabilizing yourself."
"And the second?"
"The second is to obtain a 'Primordial Source Crystal of the Star Realm.' I've only seen one of these. After consuming it, you immediately gain a higher Supreme physique limit. No additional benefits, and no cost either."
As the Tuanzhang finished speaking, a commotion sounded from the other end, along with White Bull's voice. White Bull said from the other side, "Is that Bai Ye?"
"Yeah."
"I heard he's in Doom Star?"
"Are you going?"
"Yeah. Want to have a few drinks with him. Ask him if he has time."
"You heard him. White Bull wants to have a few drinks with you. Got time?"
"Yes."
"Alright, let's ignore White Bull for now. Back to your problem. Which option?"
"Sacrifice talent."
Su Xiao had three talent abilities: [Law Destruction Exclusive Talent: Shadow Hunt (S Rank)], [Talent: Soul Devourer (SSS Rank)], and [Talent: Blood Beast (SSS++++)].
First was [Law Destruction Exclusive Talent: Shadow Hunt]. This talent absolutely could not be touched. The talent awakening quest for this ability was already on its final step. Its awakening was, with 80-90% probability, a super qualitative transformation.
[Soul Devourer] could be sacrificed. Increasing Soul Strength by 150 points per world progress was an important boost in the past, but the power of this type of growth talent indeed diminishes sharply in the late game. Using it now to gain a higher physique limit was the best choice.
As for the [Blood Beast] talent, it could also be consumed. The reason was that the core of the Blood Qi system was [Blood Spear Grandmaster]. The current [Blood Beast] talent was actually more like a skill. Given Su Xiao's current mastery over his own Blood Qi, even without the [Blood Beast] talent, he could construct a Blood Beast of equal strength without any problem.
Upon getting Su Xiao's clear answer, the Tuanzhang on the other end said, "If you choose to sacrifice talents, I do have a suggestion. Have you heard of the highest-grade Talent Fusion Stone?"
"I've heard of Talent Fusion Stones, but not the highest-grade one."
"The so-called highest-grade Talent Fusion Stone roughly achieves a 1+1=3 to 5 effect. The specifics depend on the tier of the talent abilities you fuse. What do you think? Need one?"
"Yes."
"Alright. I don't have one either, even if you need it. You'll have to find it yourself. See you later."
With that, the Tuanzhang hung up.
Holding the communicator, Su Xiao was silent for a moment before standing up and walking towards the [Awakening Stele].
Compared to searching for [Talent Fusion Stone], the immediate priority was to consume the stored [Law-Destroying Skill Points]. After refining a few Law-Destroying Skill Points, he invested the resulting refined points into the [Azure Steel Shadow] ability. But this time, out of 30 Law-Destroying Skill Points, only 25 were consumed. The remaining 5 were absorbed by the [Law Destruction Talent: Shadow Hunt].
What surprised Su Xiao even more was that while the [Azure Steel Shadow] ability was being upgraded, the [Law Destruction Talent: Shadow Hunt] also underwent a change. When he checked its talent characteristics, they had turned into a blurry mass of text.
Several hours later, the [Azure Steel Shadow] ability finished its upgrade. Immediately after, the [Law Destruction Talent: Shadow Hunt] also completed its transformation. Su Xiao first checked the [Azure Steel Shadow] ability.
[Azure Steel Shadow: X (Active/Passive Skill · Fully Awakened State)]
Activation Condition: After activating the Azure Steel Shadow ability, consumes 300,000 Mana Points per minute.
Active Effect: Each melee attack burns 40% of the enemy's maximum Mana Points (or other Supreme body energy) and deals True Damage equal to 1.25 times the burned Mana Points, which is 50% of the enemy's maximum Health Points as True Damage. The enemy will suffer 'Intense Pain' from the Mana burn.
Defensive Form: Proud Song (Passive). Can generate crystals in any shape to defend against enemy attacks. Crystal strength is directly proportional to the Mana Points consumed. The maximum Mana Points consumed per single use is 10% of the current 'Mana Points Upper Limit.' Crystal layer defense rank +120.
…
Had [Azure Steel Shadow] finally reached its limit? Not exactly. More accurately, it had reached the limit achievable through [Law-Destroying Skill Points]. Once this stage was reached, the talent ability of a Law Destroyer who had mastered the [Shadow Hunt] talent would undergo a change.
Su Xiao always remembered Mawen Hua'erzi mentioning that the Law Destruction Shadow system possessed the power to destroy all realms, meaning the Star Realm. But now, aside from a few unique, self-created abilities, he had mastered all the important inherited abilities of the Law Destruction system. Yet he hadn't discovered any ability with the potential to be so exaggerated.
The power to destroy the Star Realm was terrifying. Even if the true Abyss Doom Calamity descended, it would only push the Star Realm into the Abyss Era, not destroy it. Even the current Lord of the Abyss, upon entering the Abyss Era, would need to drive the 'Supergiant Abyss Entities' from the ancient era to gradually destroy the Star Realm.
If Su Xiao had indeed already grasped the prerequisite for this power, he could only think of one possibility: the [Talent Ability: Shadow Hunt]. After all, the awakening process for this talent was indeed too long and arduous.
Of course, Su Xiao leaned more towards another possibility: that only after completing the awakening of this [Law Destruction Talent] would he truly gain the qualification for that 'power of a powerful individual capable of destroying the Star Realm.' He checked the current [Law Destruction Talent: Shadow Hunt].
[Shadow Hunt]
Category: Law Destruction Shadow · Exclusive Talent (Not Awakened)
Rank: S (Upon completing one awakening, it will reach SSS Rank).
Talent Effect (Passive): Upon killing an enemy, your Devouring Core will absorb the enemy's 'Primordial Energy' that has not yet dissipated, converting it into 'Soul Energy' for storage, in preparation for the awakening of this talent.
…
Seeing this talent ability, Su Xiao suddenly thought of a substance unique to the Law Destruction Faction, called [Soul Energy Crystal].
Su Xiao took out an existing [Soul Energy Crystal] and checked its attributes.
[Soul Energy Crystal]
Origin: Law Destruction Shadow · First Generation Law Destroyer.
Effect: Can be used for deep enhancement of Law Destruction system abilities currently mastered by the Law Destruction Shadow.
Warning: This item is restricted to Law Destroyers/Silver Moon Wolves. Use by others will result in severe backlash.
Rating: -- (Due to the extremely high information rank of this item, additional Space-Time Power must be paid for notarization before its grade, rating, etc., can be displayed).
Introduction: ??? (Insufficient Permissions)
…
Based on what Su Xiao already knew, the 'First Generation Law Destroyer' might not be what was previously understood: the first Law Destroyer in history. Furthermore, the achievements of the very first Law Destroyer were, with over 90% probability, not very high. This founder's abilities were undeniable, but the risk of trial and error was too high. One wrong step meant either death or an incurable injury.
Only through the gradual refinement by subsequent generations of inheritors could a very powerful power system emerge. Conversely, if it were a bloodline power, the first generation was generally the strongest. It wasn't that later generations couldn't surpass them, but it was very difficult.
This led Su Xiao to speculate that the 'First Generation Law Destroyer' referred to the first Law Destroyer of the current era. Under the premise that a Law Destroyer power system already existed in the ancient era before the First Era, it wasn't abnormal for the first generation Law Destroyer to have extremely high achievements. Of course, all of this was speculation.
Su Xiao had obtained a total of six [Soul Energy Crystals], but without exception, their origin was 'Law Destruction Shadow · First Generation Law Destroyer.'
Su Xiao strongly suspected that the awakened [Law Destruction Talent: Shadow Hunt] could condense [Soul Energy Crystals] by accumulating Soul Energy. After all, the initial version of the [Shadow Hunt] skill used Soul Energy to condense [Law-Destroying Skill Points]. After awakening, it could condense higher-tier Law Destruction resources. [Soul Energy Crystal] was a reasonable and highly probable outcome.
Following this line of reasoning, Su Xiao was very likely the second person in this Star Realm era, from the First Era to the Third Era, to master the [Law Destruction Talent: Shadow Hunt]. At least according to the records he knew, none of the previous generation Law Destroyers from the Second Era period could condense [Soul Energy Crystals].
Back when Su Xiao awakened his [Law Destruction Talent], he had four choices. He chose the one with the highest requirements, which was:
'To master this talent, you must ensure your Devouring Core ability reaches X+++ and have a Soul Strength of over 420 points.'
At the time, this prerequisite didn't seem high. The problem was that Su Xiao was only at the Eighth Rank then. This was already an incredibly absurd prerequisite. If he weren't a Hunter who could undergo enhancements in Reincarnation Paradise, he would have had no way to meet this prerequisite.
Now that he finally had some free time, Su Xiao opened the Hunt Bounty list and submitted the completed 'Mad Heart' bounty:
[You have submitted the bounty 'Mad Heart'.]
[Due to the multiple bounty + bounty correction of the 'Hunt List: Blood Pact', you will receive a bounty reward with a total value of 64,000 ounces of Space-Time Power.]
[You have received Space-Time Stone Fragments × 15 (This is an equivalent item, can be sold to Reincarnation Paradise at any time for 150 ounces of Space-Time Power).]
[You have received Iron Blood Dark Wolf (Fragment) (This item is valued at 63,850 ounces of Space-Time Power in this judgment).]
…
An equipment fragment appeared in front of him. Su Xiao checked its attributes.
[Iron Blood Dark Wolf (Overlord Rank · War Boots · Fragment): This is a powerful Overlord Equipment, ranked fourth among Overlord Equipment. It possesses an Indestructible characteristic. The more complete you collect it, the higher its strength will be. Once completely restored, it will reclaim the fourth position among Overlord Equipment (Fragments of Iron Blood Dark Wolf have mutual attraction).]
The doubt in Su Xiao's mind was cleared. He had been wondering why an equipment fragment was valued at over 60,000 ounces of Space-Time Power in Reincarnation Paradise's judgment.
Estimating, the Overlord Equipment ranked fourth was worth over a million Space-Time Power. Of course, compared to the top-tier Reincarnation-grade equipment, this price wasn't high. The top few pieces of equipment were: three Reincarnation-grade, two Death-grade, one Apocalypse-grade, one Sanctuary-grade, one Holy Light-grade, and the original three Dawn-grade, all of which were now shattered.
*Buzz~*
The [Iron Blood Dark Wolf (Fragment)] in his hand emitted a slight burning sensation. This signified one thing: there were other [Iron Blood Dark Wolf (Fragments)] in this world.
Su Xiao was alone now, and neither Bubu Wang nor Baha could leave. Amu's whereabouts were temporarily unknown. This made it somewhat difficult for him to be in multiple places at once, but then an idea surged into his mind.
Su Xiao released his Blood Qi. An Iron Blood imprint appeared in his palm. He pressed his hand to the ground, and Proud Song crystals spread out to form a summoning array.
The blood-colored light of the summoning array blazed, and the light was exceptionally strong. When the blood light receded, seven Iron Blood Hounds of varying sizes appeared in the room. Among these Iron Blood Hounds, one had a glossy, pitch-black hide, over a dozen eyes on its head, and a medium build for an Iron Blood Hound. Not counting its scorpion-pincer-like tail, its body length was between 4 to 5 meters. This was the current strongest of the Iron Blood Hounds, Omen.
The seven Iron Blood Hounds that came were the seven strongest among the current Iron Blood Hounds, ranked by strength as:
Omen, Styx, Abyss Gullet, Sin, Moon Devourer, Black Leech, Ancient Curse.
Why didn't he summon Giant Bloodfang? The reason was that Giant Bloodfang wasn't skilled at finding things, and Doom Star was quite dangerous.
"Law Destroyer, sir."
The second-ranked, Styx, spoke. It had a sickle-like long tail and was slightly smaller than Omen.
"Summoning us, what, matter."
Having Iron Blood Hounds that could communicate was undoubtedly good news. However, Styx clearly deferred to Omen, acting as its representative for negotiation.
"Help me find this thing in the Star Realm."
As he spoke, Su Xiao took out the [Iron Blood Dark Wolf (Fragment)]. Sensing the aura of this item, except for Omen, the other six Iron Blood Hounds stirred. This was clearly an Overlord Equipment related to the Iron Blood Hound race. Correspondingly, they should have an advantage in finding it.
Before the Iron Blood Hounds could make any demands, Su Xiao had already taken out seven [Titan Dragon Hearts], one for each of the seven Iron Blood Hounds.
The Iron Blood Hounds simply couldn't resist this item. It was specially cultivated for them through the strongest insect nest in the Star Realm.
What's more, Su Xiao had already equipped the Overlord Equipment he currently possessed, [Iron Blood Nether Hound], which had the effect:
[Killing Resonance (Core · Passive): You will enhance the Iron Blood Hounds you summon. The enhancement magnitude will be determined by your Charm attribute. Due to the special nature of the Iron Blood Hound race, the lower your Charm attribute, the stronger this enhancement effect will be (Iron Blood Hounds that have been summoned by you and have received the 'Killing Resonance' buff from this Overlord Equipment for more than 5 natural days will gain a significant permanent increase in combat power. The magnitude of the increase will be determined by the current combat power of the Iron Blood Hound).]
…
"For each fragment found, I'll pay 100 [Titan Dragon Hearts]."
For Su Xiao, [Titan Dragon Hearts] were worthless. Jila could mass-produce them. But for the Iron Blood Hounds, this was an astronomical price that stunned them on the spot.
In fact, all seven Iron Blood Hounds present, including the previously cooperative Black Leech, were prepared to refuse this cooperation. The reason was that [Iron Blood Dark Wolf] was once a sacred relic within their clan, passed down from the Underworld's ancient era. It was seized during the First Era and later forged into war boots by the Dwarf King during the Second Era.
Unfortunately, the Law Destroyer who summoned them this time was offering too much. Moreover, since the sacred relic had already been forged into war boots, it was no longer a sacred relic. War boots came in a pair, but Iron Blood Hounds generally had four legs. This new generation of 'sacred relic' was full of malice.
Plus, now that they were being bombarded with [Titan Dragon Hearts], sacred relic? What sacred relic? Wasn't it lost in the First Era? I wasn't even born then. No, even my grandfather's grandfather might not have been born yet.
Omen's eyes narrowed one by one. A blood-colored array appeared beneath its feet, and it vanished from the spot. The other Iron Blood Hounds present were stunned, momentarily unsure whether to continue or leave together.
After a few minutes, the blood-colored array appeared, and Omen materialized. However, upon appearing, it was already holding a fragment of the [Iron Blood Dark Wolf] war boots in its mouth, slightly smaller than the one Su Xiao currently possessed.
One had to say, as the leader of the Iron Blood Hounds, its reserves were indeed deep. It had long treasured a fragment of the [Iron Blood Dark Wolf] war boots.
Su Xiao opened the window and released a hundred [Titan Dragon Hearts] from his team storage space outside the window. Omen transformed into countless black tentacles, piercing through all the [Titan Dragon Hearts]. The massive hearts, each over a meter in diameter, heart-shaped, and covered in blood vessels and meridians, were rapidly absorbed, shriveling up until they turned to ash and scattered.
Inside the room, Omen re-condensed its form. It seemed a bit drunk, even letting out an incredibly loud burp. Its slightly strengthened aura made the eyes of the other six Iron Blood Hounds involuntarily widen.
The next moment, all the windows in the room flew open. The seven Iron Blood Hounds rushed out one after another. Having carefully sniffed the [Iron Blood Dark Wolf (Fragment)], they were certain that there were other fragments in this world.
Seeing this result, Su Xiao was very satisfied.
…
Deep within the Shadowy Swamp.
The pitch-black 'Abyss Fallen' greatsword cleaved down, sending mud and water splashing. Boiling Red Alisha was sent flying by the impact. Already severely injured, she crashed into a rock wall, droplets of blood splattering. After falling, she saw Crystal Ji sitting at the base of the rock wall nearby. The sewage beneath Crystal Ji was already stained red with blood.
Crystal Ji's face was dotted with specks of blood, and her body bore many wounds. The most serious was a penetrating wound in her abdomen. Needless to say, it was inflicted by Black A.
After Boiling Red, Dark Sun, Sun Apostle, and Crystal Ji were hunted down, Dark Sun was the first to die, devoured in a few bites by Black A, who had transformed into a semi-beast state. Left with no choice, the three of them fled deep into the Shadowy Swamp, planning to disturb the local Overlord creature, the Swamp King, which was a giant bull.
The result was that they had already ventured deep into the Shadowy Swamp, but the Swamp King hadn't appeared. The three didn't know that this was only natural. The current Black A, continuously gaining power through the [Nether Bone Ring], had a strong aura of Original Sin. Sensing this Original Sin aura, the local Swamp King was even considering whether to pack up and move away overnight. Come out and intervene in the conflict? Was it crazy?
On the sweltering swamp, blood dripped into the mud that reached past the ankles. Black A held Sun Apostle by the throat with one hand, a sinister grin gradually spreading across his face:
"My brother, let me eat you. You won't be dead; you'll be one with me. Don't worry, I will one day devour the Creator too. Let him know the price of underestimating me. Let him regret creating a monster as powerful as me. But, I also have to thank him for letting me come to this hunting ground of endless prey. My hunt has only just begun."
Black A grinned sinisterly. Sun Apostle, whose throat he was choking, had eyes that were almost rolling back. He forced out the words with difficulty:
"Black A, we, still have, a little, chance. We still, have, value. We might, be able to, cooperate voluntarily, maybe we can…"
"Heh~, about to die, and still trying to sweet-talk me. You know why I'm wasting words? I'm initially adapting to your cells. Though unnecessary, being cautious with you won't hurt."
With that, a mass of black tentacles sprouted from Black A's left arm, which was choking Sun Apostle, forming a beast's maw. It bit off Sun Apostle's head in one gulp. Black A tossed the headless corpse up, and before it hit the ground, it was completely devoured.
Black A turned his head to look at Boiling Red. Suddenly, the beast's maw shot out. Boiling Red sidestepped to dodge. With a *boom*, the beast's maw bit a hole in the rock wall.
Boiling Red, sitting at the base of the rock wall, gasped for air. Although she had dodged this attack, she suddenly felt weak all over for some reason. Looking down, there was a large hole in her chest. The Devourer's Heart, which represented her life, had been swallowed by Black A.
Facing the encroaching death, Boiling Red felt no fear. Instead, she was considering another question. If she hadn't succumbed to the 'Eye Ritual'—the instinct of her power source—and betrayed the Law Destroyer who created her, what would her situation be now?
"How pathetic. You were schemed against by Sun Apostle to this extent and still don't understand what happened."
At Black A's words, Boiling Red's eyes widened slightly. Unfortunately, having figured everything out, her gaze was already beginning to dim. And Sun Apostle was merely a guide; betrayal was the source of the Devourer's power.
Black A had never noticed one problem: from the moment he devoured Dark Sun until now, he had changed from his original silence to being very expressive of his inner thoughts. This was because the [Nether Bone Ring] amplified his power while also amplifying his various emotions and impulses.
"Now, it's your turn."
Black A looked at Crystal Ji, who was leaning against the rock wall, pale-faced, with a bitter smile. Suddenly, Crystal Ji's expression turned terrified. She tremblingly raised her hand and said in fear:
"You, behind you!"
Seeing this, Black A, whose mouth was full of beast-like fangs, grinned even more ferociously. He looked at Crystal Ji with pity and said, "Such a childish trick. How naive."
The moment Black A finished speaking, a hand landed on his shoulder. This made his body tremble, because in his perception, there was nothing behind him or beside him.
Black A lunged forward fiercely. When he landed, he was facing where he had just been. He saw a figure, bare-chested, with his long leather coat hanging down, held by the waistband of his sword. His crystal left arm was stained with a few traces of blood, as if he had killed some enemies on the way here.
Blood Qi formed thread-like patterns on Black A's body surface. It wasn't a sealing technique used for combat, but it pushed his power to the extreme. Black A's whole body creaked and cracked, but he couldn't move an inch.
*Pat, pat, pat~*
Black A moved with a strange and stiff gait, like a marionette, walking towards Su Xiao. When he stopped in front of Su Xiao, Su Xiao raised his hand and pressed it against Black A's face. At this moment, Black A truly felt despair, followed by extreme unwillingness.
"Ah!!!"
Black A roared. The half-sealed [Book of Original Sin] he had swallowed released the seal on the [Nether Bone Ring] inside, increasing from 2% release to 10% release. This caused Black A's pupils to turn an eerie green, and with a *crack*, he broke free from the seal's restraint.
Was this caused by Black A's outburst? Not at all. This was exactly what Su Xiao wanted to see. Black A gaining more power through the [Nether Bone Ring] meant he was drawing more Original Sin karma. This also set a better stage for the upcoming removal of the Original Sin karma.
If Black A could break through his limits, or even have a sudden power-up on the spot, it would be a dream start for the 'Original Sin karma' removal, where a single misstep would cost a heavy price. It was time to let Black A fully realize his final value.
But before that, there was one more Devourer to deal with. Su Xiao looked at Crystal Ji, who was leaning against the stone wall. A Blood Smoke Cannon began to gather at his fingertip.
At this moment, Crystal Ji's brain was working at its limit. She instantly took something out from the ring on her left hand. It was, surprisingly, a share certificate for the Shadow Merchant Guild, and it was notarized by the Void Tree.