“Skill upgrades don't just strengthen the skills themselves, but also the physical foundation?”
Bai Xuan mused, “This rule... it's perfect for me since I can use Pleasure for draws!”
“As long as I have enough Pleasure, I can quickly push multiple skills to high levels without worrying about the cost of time or energy.”
This was likely an unimaginable luxury for ordinary Practitioners. For them, leveling up a skill required years of practice, real combat, or finding extremely rare opportunities for enlightenment.
Because of this, most people could only carefully hone one or two core skills as their trump cards. But he seemed to have a shortcut.
Finally, his gaze fell on the shimmering 【Random Skill Card】.
“Open it. I won't know until I try.” With a thought, he used the card.
The card shattered into countless motes of light that swirled and intertwined in his mind. Finally, they condensed into an ethereal skill book with a muscle-patterned cover before dissipating into his consciousness!
【Acquired Passive Skill: Strength Augmentation Lv. 0】
【Effect: Increases base strength attribute. Effect strengthens as skill level increases.】
A heat that felt distinctly physical surged into his limbs, primarily concentrating on strengthening his muscle groups and skeletal structure.
Bai Xuan swung the Goldsand Iron rod. The weight that had felt just right after his level-up now seemed somewhat light, making it even easier to wield.
“A permanent passive buff. Not bad!” Bai Xuan nodded in satisfaction.
While not as immediate as an attack or healing skill, this kind of tangible boost to base attributes was effective at all times.
Having inventoried and processed all his gains, Bai Xuan's panel was completely refreshed:
【Bai Xuan】
【Level: Lv. 2 (69%)】
【Class: None】
【Health: 205/205】
【Mana: 95/95】
【Potential: ￥%…*&】
【Active Skills: Holy Light Catalyst Lv. 1 (8%), Redemption Strike Lv. 1 (7%)】
【Passive Skills: Strength Augmentation Lv. 0】
【Current Pleasure: 11】
【Items: Broken Compass that Always Points North, Simple Lighting Orb, Goldsand Iron rod, Earth Element Heart, Rock Seal】
He felt better than ever! Although hunger and thirst still persisted, they were temporarily suppressed by the exhilaration of his power boost.
He packed away all his items, gripped the heavy Rock Seal in his hand, and gave one last look at the spot where the Rock Core Guardian had dissipated.
“Let’s go.” Bai Xuan turned around, his steps steady and firm as he walked toward the massive magic door.
Sensing the approach of the Rock Seal, the patterns on the door began to glow with a faint, flowing light.
The 【Rock Seal】 in his hand grew slightly warm, resonating with the magic door before him.
Starting from the point closest to the 【Rock Seal】, the dim runes on the door's surface lit up one by one, rapidly spreading along the patterns until the entire door was illuminated.
A low rumble echoed from beneath the ground as the heavy stone door slowly swung inward.
The sight behind the door exceeded all expectations, causing Bai Xuan to hold his breath.
“...Was there a war of the century here?”
The space before him was far more grand and dilapidated than the one where the Rock Core Guardian had been. At a glance, the chamber's diameter was at least several hundred meters, with its high ceiling lost in the shadows.
Most striking was the center, where several giant stone pillars—so thick they would take several people to encircle—stood broken and tilted in a specific pattern.
On the ground was a massive circular magic circle with a radius of over twenty meters. The core patterns of the array had been completely erased, leaving only a scorched patch that looked as if it had been violently gouged out by a tremendous force.
Several dull chains, thicker than a person's waist, hung from the broken pillars. The other end was attached to a massive, cracked shackle with a gaping center—the wreckage left behind by some giant beast that had broken free.
The area around the shackles and the magic circle was in even worse condition.
Deep pits and gullies littered the ground. Shattered armor, broken weapons, and the remains of dull staves were scattered everywhere, mostly covered in a layer of dark corrosion, as if time itself had been instantly drained away.
The remains of hundreds, if not thousands, of magic scrolls carpeted the floor.
They had been crudely torn open, their expensive materials reduced to scorched fragments. One could only imagine how many powerful spells had been unleashed recklessly in that single moment.
“...What on earth happened here?” Bai Xuan muttered, tightening his grip on the Goldsand Iron rod. “This doesn't look like an ordinary battle.”
“How could a place this dangerous be connected to the teleportation circle in that small village's church cellar? Could this monster invasion be related to... what happened here?”
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Whatever the truth was, the most important thing right now was to find a way out.
Bai Xuan first approached the seal's core in the center.
He consumed mental energy to check:
【Ancient Sealing Array Core (Starfall Seven-Pillar Array) — Completely destroyed, irreparable.】
【God-Binding Shackles (Main Shackles) — Suffered fundamental erosion, structural collapse, no salvage value.】
Even the level 10 Transcendent guardian at the door had been beaten to the brink of death; how terrifying must the thing sealed here have been?
Bai Xuan felt a wave of lingering fear. His arrival was far too “timely.” Luckily, he had arrived after it was over; if he had caught the middle of it...
He began searching through the ruins.
Most of the equipment and items were severely damaged, contaminated by that eerie dark erosion power, leaving them without even the value of being melted down for scrap.
“Hmm?”
Just as he was about to give up hope, a flicker of light caught his eye.
Beneath a pile of scorched scroll fragments lay a simple, ancient-looking ring set with small, silver-gray gemstones.
【Space Ring: Extremely precious. Contains a permanent independent space inside. Can be used to store non-living items. Requires mental energy consumption to bind and use.】
“Now this is the good stuff!” Bai Xuan was truly excited now. A spatial item! This was a staple treasure for any protagonist!
He immediately consumed mental energy to bind it.
The process was smoother than expected. The ring was like an empty container, easily accepting his mental imprint.
Then, his consciousness delved into the independent space.
It was about three cubic meters in size. While not vast, it was a godsend for him.
The space was mostly empty, with only a few items scattered in the corner, showing the original owner's desperation after the great battle.
He first took out a scroll.
【Sealing Scroll (Single Use): A product of ancient sealing arts. Can forcibly seal a target no higher than Lv. 11 (Transcendent). Extremely poor effect against non-physical or conceptual entities.】
“A pet!... No, wait, the name says 'Sealing,' and it's only single-use.” Bai Xuan realized that this item could be very useful in certain situations.
Next, he pulled out a palm-sized, unremarkable dark brown metal block.
“So heavy!”
The moment it touched his hand, Bai Xuan's arm dropped sharply, and he almost dropped it! This tiny block was actually heavier than the Goldsand Iron rod!
Rate on N.U.
