Chapter 771: Dark Knight
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Congratulations! You've completed nonuple cross-ranking kill – Reward Card Draw x60!"
"Congratulations! You've obtained an Epic Monster Card – Dark Knight (Spirit) x2!"
As soon as Xiao Hei's second notification was heard, Lin Huang frowned.
He was not expecting to obtain a complete set of monster card from the last cross-ranking kill. Thanks to the Double Reward Card, he managed to get two monster cards.
Lin Huang, who already owned a large number of Legendary Monster Cards, was not interested in a double-mutated Epic Monster Card. He was going to put them away after catching a glimpse of the monster cards.
There was nothing special on the front of the card. The image of the monster was similar to its real body. Both of them were also humanoid monsters with black armor, holding a long, black spear in its hand.
Lin Huang took a glance at it and flipped to the back of the card. He wanted to see what skills the monster possessed.
As soon as he skimmed through the first description line, Lin Huang suddenly fixed his gaze on one of the skills. After several moments, a smile was plastered across his face.
"How is it possible to own such a skill?!" Lin Huang did not expect the Dark Knight that could not perform well in battle would possess such an attractive skill.
"Knight: It allows the Dark Knight to ride on any non-human monsters. On a ride, the Dark Knight can unleash its true ability, and the mount's combat strength will be one to three ranks higher (it depends on the mount's grade and combat strength). At the same time, the Dark Knight can share the skills that the mount possesses, which increases the skill power anywhere from three to five times stronger.
"Remarks: A knight without a mount is not a complete knight."
Lin Huang decided to train the two Dark Knights after seeing the skill. He did not act on impulse. The Knight skill seemed to be the most powerful skill Lin Huang had ever seen on an Epic Monster Card.
After reading through the skill description twice, Lin Huang already knew which mount to choose for the two Dark Knights.
Earlier in Division 7, Lin Huang had killed two Black Serpents. After that, both the Black Serpents went through their third mutation and evolved into Dark Crescent Snakes with ancient blood.
Both the Dark Crescent Snakes were pretty strong, but Bai and Lancelot outshone them. That was the reason why Lin Huang rarely summoned them. However, since he now had the two Dark Knights, both of the Dark Crescent Snakes could be paired perfectly with them.
"I'll upgrade both of the Dark Knights into a triple mutated monster after I return. After matching them with the Dark Crescent Snakes, perhaps their abilities will be on par with Bai's," Lin Huang thought to himself, "However, I'm not sure whether turning the two Dark Knights into card form would be affected by the curse or not."
Theoretically, the Monster Cards which he obtained after killing the Dark Knight would have nothing to do with the monster itself. However, Lin Huang was still feeling dubious.
It took a total of three hours to obtain ten cross-ranking rewards, and he got a total of 600 card draws. Lin Huang's main task had been completed.
In fact, the ten battles took him only about half an hour. He spent 2.5 hours traveling.
If he could summon Thunder, perhaps he would have gotten it done within two hours and could have even saved a Double Reward Card.
However, Lin Huang was pretty satisfied with the outcome. He had obtained 300 extra card draws with three Double Reward Cards. It was a great deal.
After recalling both the Dark Knight cards, Lin Huang tapped the map open again and looked at the rest of the marks made by Bloody.
"The burial ground is situated at the west of the island. From here, I'll pass three lakes and a place marked with the question mark. I need to detour."
Lin Huang soon made up his mind and chose the first destination: the largest lake on the island.
After more than 40 minutes, Lin Huang eventually arrived at his destination after avoiding an imperial-level monster lair on his way.
The largest lake on the island was not that vast at just about 80 square meters.
The vivid water of the lake enhanced the beauty of the greenery. If this were a place on Earth, it would definitely be a favorite tourist spot for sailing.
Lin Huang did not really enjoy the beautiful scenery in front of him.
When Bloody explored the island with its Leech Pods, the pods had actually parasitized a small number of the monsters. He then managed to retrieve some useful information from the monsters.
On this island was a monstrous bird on demigod-level. It liked to hunt for monsters living in the water. If there were any imperial-level monsters in the lake, they would be eaten in the first place. Sometimes when it was hungry, even immortal-levels would be killed.
This was also the reason why almost all the monsters in the lake were incapable of fighting Lin Huang.
As he recalled the information provided by Bloody, Lin Huang felt relieved and soon, he dove into the water.
Despite the lake not being huge, it was deep. Lin Huang surrounded himself with Life Power and dove to the bottom of the lake, which was about 200 meters deep.
The lake water was quite clear, and in addition to Lin Huang's terribly good eyesight, he could see everything about 100 meters away clearly.
He monitored a four-kilometer radius with Telekinesis. At the same time, he sized up the surroundings while monitoring the monster activities with his territory.
It took him about half an hour to thoroughly explore the lake. Despite the wall of the lake being scanned by his Telekinesis, he found nothing.
Therefore, he emerged from the lake and did not go in for the second time. He immediately opened the map and headed towards the second lake.
After exploring the second lake, Lin Huang then arrived at the location which was marked with a question mark on the map.
It was a swamp. Bloody had marked it with a question mark because its Leech Pods were unable to detect whether if there were any hidden items in the swamp.
The area of the swamp was no smaller than the first lake he had gone to. Based on the memory of the monsters which the Leech Pods had parasitized, there was nothing strange about this place. However, since it remained a mystery, Bloody had marked it on the map for Lin Huang so that it would not be neglected.
After entering the swamp, Lin Huang activated his Telekinesis again. He walked deeper in the swamp and began to explore.
He spent more time exploring the swamp compared to the time taken to examine the first lake. It took him about 40 minutes to complete combing the swamp.
Thanks to his Telekinesis, he discovered the greatest secret of the swamp. A large number of monster carcasses were buried beneath.
After leaving the swamp, Lin Huang spent another ten minutes exploring the third lake and still found nothing.
"Let it be. Perhaps the rest of the places will be more or less the same."
Since there was no new discovery after four attempts, Lin Huang's desire to explore gradually subsided. "Let the burial ground be the final destination. I shall leave after exploring it."
Chapter 772: The Burial Ground
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The burial ground was at the most western side of the island and was surrounded by mountains.
It was already 6 p.m. when Lin Huang arrived at the valley. The sky was turning dark.
As the setting sun glowed all over the valley, it added beauty to the scenery. A randomly captured photo of the scene could be set as a desktop or mobile wallpaper without the need to choose the perfect angle.
Lin Huang captured a few of the videos as well, sharing them on his social media which he had not logged in to for a long time.
He was not active on social media, and the total number of friends he had was less than ten. Just as he posted the videos, his friend commented within seconds. "That's so beautiful. Where's it?"
Lin Huang then took a look at it and realized the person who had commented was Yi Yeyu. It was evident that she had a lot of free time.
He then replied briefly, "The Cursed Land". Lin Huang then logged out of his social media as he did not have the time to chat with Yi Yeyu. Even imperial-levels would not put their guards down when they were in the forbidden land, let alone Lin Huang.
As soon as he entered the valley, Lin Huang delved deeper and soon, he was at the deepest point of the valley.
He went completely silent after seeing the scenery in the deepest part of the valley. He had no idea how to describe how he felt at the moment.
Above the ground, white bones entirely covered the ground.
There were several big pits in the valley. Apparently, humans were the ones who had dug them. The deepest pit was hundreds of meters deep. However, when Lin Huang peered into it, what he could see were still the remains of the monsters. Apart from that, he discovered nothing, not even a blade of grass.
There were several versions about the origin of the burial ground that could be found online. However, they sounded ridiculous. Nobody knew the actual reason behind the formation of the ground.
When the island was discovered, the burial ground had already existed for a couple of years.
However, there was a most widespread version, and it was also the one which most people agreed with.
This was what it said: The hidden god's item was at the burial ground of the Cursed Land. The item had dominated all the monsters' souls on the island. When all the monsters died, they returned to the place where the souls were kept. This was the only way where they could achieve peace.
Since many of them believed this, many people dug the burial ground, making it appear thus.
"It's similar to the elephants' graveyard, which people have been talking about on Earth." Lin Huang remembered that he had heard of this legend before back on Earth.
When the elephants sensed they were near death, they would enter the deep forest during the last few days of their lives. Following the path, they would reach the elephants' graveyard where they were buried.
Of course, Lin Huang could not confirm whether if elephants' graveyards really existed or not.
"It's less likely that it'd be a human-made burial ground. It must be related to the strange story behind the island. If I'm not mistaken, it's the same thing that caused the formation of the burial ground and the curse cast on the island. However, nobody knows what it actually is. Be it an item or a living being, no one can confirm," Lin Huang speculated.
He took a few photos and soon, he activated his Telekinesis. He then began to explore every single corner of the area.
The burial ground was not really big at about 30 square meters. However, due to its depth, Lin Huang had to investigate carefully. The sky had turned completely dark even before the first round of exploration was completed.
Far away in the sky, a red and a purple moon rose from different directions. It was a beautiful and cloudless night with the moonlight glinting off the ground without obstacles. The white bones buried beneath the burial ground looked even whiter.
"It's really a good place for the filming of a horror movie," Lin Huang grumbled. It was even creepier when the moonlight shone on the burial ground.
Despite the sky becoming dark, it had no effect on Lin Huang's investigation. The impact of the light ray on his eyesight was not significant, let alone given his Telekinesis and territorial skill. The investigation effect had nothing to do with the intensity of the light ray.
At night, all the spiritual monsters would become active. However, the burial ground was an exception. There was no living monster here. Even imperial-levels or demigods would intentionally avoid this area. The remains buried beneath the burial ground were different from the rest of the spirits as they would not reanimate back to life and attack others. They seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep forever.
"I have to complete the investigation twice before 10 p.m. After that, I can go back to the hotel and take my supper. I shall sleep after taking my bath." Lin Huang secretly planned.
At about 8 p.m, Lin Huang was finishing up the first round of investigation at the burial ground.
His Telekinesis penetrated through the gap of the remains and went 4,000 meters deep. However, he still did not manage to get to the deepest part of the burial ground. 4,000 meters was the maximum distance which Lin Huang's Telekinesis could reach to retrieve information in detail. It was not because his Telekinesis power could no longer be extended, but because there was a substantial decrease in his ability to control his Telekinesis and risked deteriorating the accuracy of the investigation.
Lin Huang was expecting to investigate with his Telekinesis in the first round whereby the investigation could be done precisely. If nothing was discovered, he would increase the depth of investigation in which his Telekinesis could reach. It would be fine if the investigation was not precise enough. If anything suspicious was found, he could use his Transformation Card, transforming himself into the Spectre and go underground for a more detailed investigation.
Since the first round of investigation was about to end, Lin Huang seemed disappointed.
He had scanned almost all the remains that were 4,000 meters beneath the ground. The performance of his oracle skill was at its peak as well. Observing all the skeletons that he could see with his eyes, there was nothing.
After a short while, Lin Huang's Telekinesis scanned through the last region of the burial ground.
It penetrated through the gap of the skeletons that were all piled up, resembling a spider web that scattered all around the underground world. His Telekinesis power went deeper and deeper through the gaps and extended thousands of meters away.
The underground world which was 4,000 meters deep was all revealed by Lin Huang's Telekinesis. Even if it was a granule of sand, Lin Huang could clearly identify how many crystal surfaces it had.
However, despite being able to detect things so precisely, Lin Huang could not find anything.
After the first round of investigation, Lin Huang could hardly hide his disappointment. Although it was within his expectations, he was still unwilling to accept the truth.
"Never mind. I shall follow my original plan to carry out the second round of investigation. If I find nothing, I'll just go back to the hotel."
Lin Huang then turned back, getting ready for the second round of investigation. However, he saw a cliff not far away from him.
"The surface of the cliff is so smooth as if someone cut it out with a saber," Lin Huang mumbled. He then scanned it with his Telekinesis. However, after doing so, his Telekinesis disappeared as if it would never return.
"What's happening? Could the god's item be right there in the mountain?" Lin Huang's eyes brightened as he stared towards the cliff. He never thought he would stumble upon an unexpected discovery just by merely scanning the cliff for fun.
Chapter 773: The God's Item in the Mountain
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Lin Huang could confirm that there was a treasure in the cliff since he had detected something strange with his Telekinesis. It could be the god's item that caused the weird phenomena to happen at the Cursed Land.
"It's highly possible that it's a spiritual god's item since it's capable of engulfing my Telekinesis power. In addition to that, its characteristic is similar to a legendary god's item's." Lin Huang looked at the cliff with excitement.
Since Telekinesis was a type of spiritual power, it would most probably be a spiritual item that could overwhelm his Telekinesis power.
He appeared at the bottom of the cliff in a flash. Lin Huang then pressed against the rock wall which had a rough surface and was similar to an ordinary mountain.
Again, he activated his ocular skill and carefully observed the cliff. However, he did not manage to find anything strange.
He attempted to detect with his Telekinesis, and again, as soon as his Telekinesis power reached the rock wall, it disappeared.
Since his ocular skill had been activated, Lin Huang could capture the energy waves that were created. They were completely transparent, and there was no force generated. Thanks to Lin Huang's ocular skill and his Boundless Vision, he could observe things beyond what the average eye could see. Otherwise, he might not have noticed it.
Lin Huang kept his Telekinesis activated while observing the cliff with his ocular skill.
Colorless waves spread wider and wider on the surface of the cliff which was where his Telekinesis power was in contact with the cliff. It seemed like the waves tightly adhered to the surface of the cliff by an invisible isolation layer.
Again, Lin Huang extended his hands towards the cliff. The position that he touched was right at the core of the waves. However, what he felt was similar to touching an ordinary rock. He could even pick up the rough texture on the surface of the rock caused by the rain as if the isolation layer did not exist at all.
Lin Huang frowned. He fell into deep thought for a while, standing in his original position.
After several moments, he suddenly raised his hand up. His palm was shrouded in black Life Power, and he smashed into the center of the waves created on the cliff.
Bang!
It seemed to be an ordinary attack, but his power should never be underestimated. A gaping pit was formed on the surface of the cliff with a diameter of more than two meters.
"It doesn't have any defensive power. It seems like I made the right guess. It's an isolation layer with spirit. That's why it doesn't interfere with the substances on the surface of the cliff. It also explains why my palm can reach the rock and why my attack isn't blocked. The isolation layer has ignored all the interference effects that occurred on the surface of the cliff."
Lin Huang could then be more confident that there was something hidden in the mountain. Perhaps it was the spiritual god's item, according to the legend.
Upon the confirmation, Lin Huang then remained calm. He started thinking of ways to obtain the item.
It was named as a god's item not merely because of its grade. It was also because it had an instinct.
The instinct it had was completely different from that of some evil creatures which were influenced by negative emotions. A god's item could think independently and even could learn. Its intelligence could be compared to a human's.
Even a baby would be on alert when encountering strangers, let alone the intelligent god's item.
There were two primary methods to capture the god's item.
The first method was to suppress and capture by force.
However, the captor had to meet a very high requirement in order to capture it with this method because the god's item would fight hard. The captor would have to be at least a Virtual God or even stronger.
The second method would be the influence method.
One would have to research the god's item's preference beforehand in order to persuade it and coax it to enter into a contract with humans voluntarily.
Lin Huang had not prepared for it before he came since he could not confirm if the god's item really did exist on this island. His main intention had been to obtain the cross-ranking rewards and scout around if there was anything he could discover.
He was not expecting himself to discover the legendary god's item by sheer luck.
"The god's item is hidden somewhere in the mountain. It's not easy to get it out of the mountain," Lin Huang thought to himself. Soon, he had a plan.
He took out a Transformation Card, transforming into Spectre after crushing it. He then squeezed his hand against the mountain.
However, Lin Huang's hand did not penetrate the mountain. Instead, he was blocked by the transparent isolation layer.
He felt a smooth and cold surface as he touched the isolation layer as if it was glass.
"So, it's true that the isolation layer only has effects on spirits. Spirits like Spectre would become isolated." Since Spectre, who could normally pass through mountains, was being blocked, Lin Huang could not think of a better solution at the moment. "If it doesn't work, I guess I have to smash the entire mountain."
As soon as the thought ran through his mind, an immense attraction force acted towards his palm that was touching the surface of the isolation layer.
He wanted to retreat, but it was too late to do so. His body penetrated through the isolation layer in an instant and was being drawn into the mountain.
Lin Huang's body was steadily being dragged into the mountain by the immense force. No matter how hard he struggled against it, all his efforts were in vain. The force far exceeded his strength which was usually incomparable.
Despite returning to his own body from his spectral form, the immense force still did not let go of him. What was so strange about it was that although he was inside the mountain, his movement was not restricted. There was very little difference compared to when he was in his spectral form. It seemed like the rock and soil were not real and that they were just an illusion.
However, with his ocular skill, he could quickly confirm that it was not an illusion. He had thought that it was not real simply because his body was entirely wrapped by the force, isolating him from touching the substances.
After realizing that his struggle was in vain, Lin Huang completely gave up. He waited until the immense force dragged him to its final destination.
After a short while, Lin Huang could clearly feel that the force dragging him was weakening and he knew that they were reaching their destination.
At the moment when the immense power disappeared, Lin Huang experienced a feeling of release. He immediately balanced himself and looked around, curious to know where he was.
He was stunned as he looked around.
"What's happening?" Lin Huang's eyes flew wide open.
He had been brought to a dimension with a starry sky, and he was in zero gravity as he floated in space.
Within his field of vision, the planets were so massive, making him feel insignificant.
Soon, he saw an enormous object approaching him at an incredibly fast speed. It was obviously not a planet. However, its size exceeded all the planets that Lin Huang had ever seen.
"A stone tablet?" Lin Huang gaped at the object in shock. He then quickly reacted. It must be the hidden god's item in the mountain.
Chapter 774: A Stone Tablet
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In the quiet skies, the black stone tablet was so colossal to the point that it far exceeded the size of anything Lin Huang had ever seen. It was floating in the air, exuding an ancient aura. Apparently, it had existed even longer than the dimension itself.
Sensing the aura coming from the stone tablet, Lin Huang was reminded of the many memories that he had left behind. These were the memories from Earth before he started traveling. It was like a playback of a video in which he could recall each and every detail clearly. Even some of the once-blur memories were now like videos that had been recorded in high definition.
He heard the creaking of the wooden door in his old house clearly when it was pushed open gently. The thread that was even thinner than a strand of hair could clearly be seen on his mother's black turtleneck sweater. Also, he could count precisely how many ants had escaped the ant nest in which he had poured water into when he was young and mischievous. Even though he could not remember anything when he was a swaddled babe, he could now remember everything clearly.
"What's the stone tablet for? Its aura alone can affect my memory."
As the stone tablet came nearer to him, Lin Huang then saw that the surface of the stone tablet had been struck by meteorites countless times. The great pits created by the meteorites scattered around three-quarters of its surface. In addition to that, there were apparent cracks that had begun to spread around the pits. Some of the cracks were rather significant and apparent. Lin Huang looked into these cracks and discovered that they were endless abysses.
It seemed like the entire stone tablet was severely damaged. Based on the number of pits and the depth of the cracks, it was not easy to keep it whole without collapsing.
"I don't think that the crashing of the meteorites causes them. Since all the god's items have instincts, it would've activated its defense shield when it encounters a meteor crash. It wouldn't leave any traces on the stone tablet. In addition to the power of the god's item, only a certain amount of damage can be caused to the stone tablet when its defense shield is completely activated. Causing such damage to the stone tablet is impossible. It's most likely man-made creatures (including humans and monsters) who are capable of damaging a god's item to this extent. Moreover, only True Gods or those who are stronger must've managed to do so.
"Perhaps it's not an ordinary god's item. Despite having encountered damages to this extent, its power is still capable of covering the entire island that's more than a million square meters, and it's still casting curses."
The more he analyzed it, the more he felt that the god's item was out of the ordinary.
Seeing the stone tablet advancing in his direction, he felt insecure.
"I hope it's not coming after me!"
As that thought arose in Lin Huang's mind, he immediately retreated, attempting to flee from the stone tablet. Soon, he realized that the stone tablet had changed its path and it was still following him.
"It's really coming after me!"
Lin Huang's face became grave, and he changed his flying direction again. He turned around and again, he saw that the stone tablet had changed its direction as well, chasing after him. He made several attempts to alter his direction and each time, the stone tablet followed. It was still heading for him, and to his horror, it was getting closer to him.
Despite having activated his double acceleration and flying at his maximum speed, he did not manage to distance himself from the stone tablet.
"I can't escape!" Lin Huang then resigned to his fate as he knew that his efforts would be in vain even if he continued to escape. He decided not to run away.
He crushed the Transformation Card, and his combat strength immediately leveled up from gold flame-level to immortal-level rank-4. He even had three spare Provisional Combat Strength Upgrade Cards in his left sleeve. He then grabbed the Air Slicer with his right hand.
He was floating in mid-air, facing the stone tablet head-on. He had a cold expression on his face as he braced himself to fight.
The giant black stone tablet moved forward, and soon, it approached Lin Huang.
Seeing that there were just merely hundreds of meters remaining, Lin Huang gathered the power of his sword skills, getting reading to attack.
All of a sudden, the stone tablet suddenly stopped moving and lingered in front of Lin Huang who was about 100 meters away.
Just as Lin Huang realized that something was amiss, a loud thud resembling the rumbling of thunder boomed.
"Human, there's something special about your soul."
Lin Huang froze, sizing up his surroundings with his Telekinesis. However, he found nothing.
He quickly regained his senses, fixing his gaze on the huge stone tablet. He then retreated hundreds of meters away, putting his guard up and staring in the direction where the stone tablet was with trepidation.
There was nothing there, and obviously, the voice was coming from the stone tablet.
"Don't panic. I have no bad intentions towards humans." The voice was heard again.
"Are you the stone tablet itself? Or is there a hidden creature in the stone tablet?" Lin Huang asked. "Since you have no bad intentions, why don't you reveal your true body and talk to me face-to-face?"
Lin Huang had seen many of the talking monsters after traveling to this world. However, apart from his Goldfinger Xiao Hei, he had never seen any other items that could talk.
That was why when he heard its voice for the first time, he did not think that it was the stone tablet that had spoken. Still, when he could not find anything, he could then tell that the voice was coming from the stone tablet. However, he could not confirm whether if it was the stone tablet or the creature inside the stone tablet that had spoken.
Lin Huang did not get an answer from it. After a moment of silence, he suddenly realized that the size of the stone tablet was decreasing drastically.
In less than ten seconds, the huge stone tablet that used to be larger than the stars had shrunk to a height of only three meters. At almost the same time, the same voice was heard again.
"Now, do you know who I am?"
The answer was clear. Lin Huang was startled as he stared at the stone tablet close to him. He could not imagine that the colossal item could have possibly reduced its size to this extent.
After a couple of moments, Lin Huang then recovered from his thoughts, but he was still alert. "You just said that you have no bad intentions towards humans. Why did you bring me here then?"
"Your soul releases an aura that strikes me as familiar." The stone tablet paused for a moment. "If I'm not mistaken, you're a traveler, aren't you?"
His heart plummeted when he heard this. For the first time, somebody managed to figure out his identity. Still, he maintained a neutral expression and did not answer its question.
"I'm sorry if I sounded rude. I haven't been talking to humans for a long time. My conversation skills have gotten rusty." The stone tablet then changed the topic. "Before asking you something personal, let me tell you about myself.
"My previous master is actually just like you. He's also a traveler. That's why the aura the both of you exude is somewhat similar. Also, I can clearly sense the Goldfinger's aura in your body because I used to be a Goldfinger too."
"You're also a Goldfinger?" Lin Huang was nervous. He could clearly remember what Xiao Hei had told him before about Goldfingers being able to subdue one another. He could also sense that the moment when he entered the dimension, Xiao Hei became quiet. When he used the Transformation Card, he did not receive any notification as well. Due to his anxiety, he neglected this earlier. As he recalled what had just happened, he believed that Xiao Hei might have sensed its existence and was forced to go into hiding.
Because it was severely damaged, if it managed to overthrow Xiao Hei, part of its casualties could be recovered. As the thought crossed his mind, Xiao Hei's face turned ghastly.
Noticing the changes in Lin Huang's facial expression, the stone tablet seemed to know what he was thinking.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything to you and your Goldfinger. Taking over a 2-Star Authority Goldfinger isn't going to have any significant effect on my recovery. Moreover, it's in its complete form. If I were to engulf it, I might be putting myself at risk as it might devour me."
"A 2-Star Authority Goldfinger?" Lin Huang mumbled. He was doubtful as he remembered that Xiao Hei had actually leveled up several times.
"You know nothing about its authority?" The stone tablet questioned. "It seems like your Goldfinger has a bad attitude."
"Hmm, it's still acceptable." Lin Huang immediately recalled back then when he just obtained Xiao Hei, the remarks he had received for his Exclusive Card had been awful for a long period of time. "Could you tell me more about that?"
"It's pretty simple. It's related to the host's life level. An ordinary person would normally have a 1-Star Authority Goldfinger whereas a transcendent's Goldfinger would be upgraded to 2-Star Authority. After becoming a God, one's Goldfinger would be upgraded to 3-Star Authority, and so on."
"So, do you mean that the notification we received from the system regarding the upgrade in authority isn't exactly an upgrade in the Goldfinger's Star Authority?" Lin Huang immediately asked.
"What you mean should be the upgrade in its functionality which includes functions unlocking and upgrading. It's the upgrade it obtains when it meets a certain requirement. It has nothing to do with the host's life level. The authority it has over the functionality and its Star Authority are two different things. However, each time the Star Authority levels up, some of the functions will be unlocked as well."
Lin Huang was suddenly enlightened after listening to the stone tablet's explanation.
"Can I ask you some other questions?" The stone tablet's explanation had given Lin Huang the courage to ask further.
"Shoot away. I'll try my best to answer."
"What's your Star Authority?" Lin Huang tried his luck.
"4-Star." The stone tablet did not try to hide anything from him.
"4-Star?! Does it mean that your previous master is even stronger than a God?" Lin Huang was shocked.
"Yes, indeed. His ability ranks above of many powerful men."
"Is he dead?" Under normal circumstances, Goldfingers would never leave their masters. Since the stone tablet was here and was severely damaged, Lin Huang assumed something must have happened.
After a moment of silence, the stone tablet answered solemnly, "Yes."
"With his abilities and your help, how could he have died?" Lin Huang could not imagine how the stone tablet's master died.
"He offended a mighty enemy." The stone tablet was trying to avoid the question. Obviously, it was a topic that it did not want to talk about.
As Lin Huang realized this, he did not ask any further. He remained silent for a couple of moments, and soon, he changed the topic.
"Why do you want to bring me here? I don't think it's simply because the aura which my soul releases is similar to that of your master's."
Again, the stone tablet kept quiet. After several moments, it said, "Let me tell you the truth. The reason why I'm bringing you here is that I wish that you can become my host."
"Wait. You know that I can only have a contract with one Goldfinger, don't you?" Lin Huang frowned. Under normal circumstances, he would, of course, not mind having another Goldfinger. However, he could remember that the contract with the Goldfinger was unique and it would be impossible for him to sign another contract.
"That's simple. You just need to terminate the contract with your current Goldfinger."
Chapter 775: A Conversation with the Stone Tablet
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Since you know nothing about your Goldfinger, I can surmise that the attitude of your current Goldfinger is quite bad. It might not like you either. Considering that it's only a 2-Star Goldfinger, you still won't know whether it can level up to 3- or 4-Star.
"But I'm different. I'm a 4-Star Goldfinger. All the functionalities from 1-Star to 4-Star have already been activated. Despite my authority being restricted to only 2-Star after getting into a contract with you, I'll definitely be stronger than your current Goldfinger. If necessary, I can even activate my 3-Star Authority with some special skills to provide assistance to you.
"By the way, I forgot to tell you that I'm capable of dominating spirits. To be exact, my functions include engulfing, controlling, sealing, endowing with spirits, and more. If I may exaggerate, I possess many skills that spirits have. I was on Level-S when I was a beginner. It's a level with the most powerful functions."
"Level-S?" Lin Huang picked up yet another concept which he had never heard from Xiao Hei before.
"It's our initial grading quality," the stone tablet explained, "The lowest level would be Level-D, followed by C, B, A, and S."
"A Level-D Goldfinger basically has defects as some of them don't even have an instinct. However, some of the Level-D Goldfingers with acceptable functions might be assigned to some unlucky travelers.
"Most travelers will randomly be assigned a Level-C or Level-B Goldfinger. Less than 1% of them will get a level-A Goldfinger. It has been said that the probability of getting a Level-S Goldfinger is less than 0.0001.
"Since your Goldfinger is hiding this from you, ostensibly, it's less likely to be a Level-A Goldfinger. If it's a Level-S Goldfinger, it's definitely going to brag about it. It won't keep quiet like this."
After understanding what the grading quality was all about, Lin Huang remained quiet. He was not considering the stone tablet's suggestion though. Instead, he was secretly guessing Xiao Hei's level.
After a couple of moments, the stone tablet then asked, "How's it? Have you made up your mind?"
"I'm sorry. I think Xiao Hei is great. I've been with it for several years, and I've gotten used to it. I'm not going to change." Lin Huang shook his head and rejected it.
"I don't really understand the logic behind this. I thought humans used to say 'The new should replace the old'?"
"Well, there's indeed a phrase like this. However, there's also a saying which goes 'Choose something that best suits your needs'." Lin Huang smiled, nodding his head. "The golden ax and the silver ax aren't as good as my iron ax. Perhaps you're much stronger than Xiao Hei, but I'm pretty satisfied with Xiao Hei's functions. I'm not going to change."
"You're a fascinating person," the stone tablet commented, "My previous master told me something like this before. People on the planet where he was born all strove to get the best car, the best house, the nicest clothing, the prettiest woman… Humans have always been doing things like that regardless of where they are.
"Humans have an endless desire like a bottomless dark pit. There are always more beautiful clothes, prettier women, and better cars in this world. If one were to endlessly chase after things like that, spending even a lifetime on that will not be enough for them.
"Perhaps giving what one desires can temporarily satisfy one's need. However, people tend to ask for more after feeling satisfied. They'll ask for more to have greater satisfaction and you'll need to give more. In the end, you'll be devoured when you can no longer satisfy them."
Lin Huang shared, "This sounds like the concept of the ascetic cultivators. I've met those who only need a few essentials whereas the rest of the things are unnecessary to them. The clothes that they are wearing have patches everywhere, and they only eat once in a few years. The rest of the time, they survive by only drinking water. Even during their training sessions, they don't need external resources. What they rely on are constantly oppressing their bodies and the energy of their souls." What Lin Huang said reminded the stone tablet of the ascetic cultivators it had encountered.
"There's a big difference between the ascetic cultivators and me." Lin Huang roughly guessed that they must be similar to the ascetic monks on Earth. "The ascetic cultivators never strive for anything, but I will when there's the need to do so. I don't take whatever that doesn't belong to me, unlike the ascetic cultivators who refuse all worldly goods."
"So, do you think that I'm something that you shouldn't take?" The stone tablet asked when it heard what Lin Huang said.
"If I need to exchange Xiao Hei for you, I don't think that's what I should do." Lin Huang nodded. "Even if you're a 5-Star Goldfinger that's in perfect condition, I shouldn't take you as well."
"Should I say that you're dumb or that you're stubborn?" The stone tablet had no idea how to comment on Lin Huang.
"If I were to replace Xiao Hei with a Goldfinger that has more stars, I'd rather train Xiao Hei until it reaches 4- or 5-Stars. I believe Xiao Hei will be on par with the Goldfingers that are on the same level by then." Lin Huang had no idea where he got the courage to say words like that.
The stone tablet kept quiet for a long while before responding, "Xiao Hei is lucky to have met you."
"I think that I'm lucky to meet Xiao Hei though. Without Xiao Hei, I wouldn't have been able to survive in this world for even three months. Because of it, I'm still alive now." Lin Huang knew very well that without the Monster Card, Bai, he would not have passed the Reserve Hunter assessment. All credits should go to Xiao Hei.
"I hope that you'll appreciate it till the end…" The stone tablet sounded depressed. Lin Huang did not know if it was because it was thinking of its previous master. It stopped being emotional after a while and asked, "Human, I saw that you were digging the burial ground just now. What are you looking for?"
"The god's item," Lin Huang said. He then briefly told the stone tablet about the Cursed Land.
"I'm looking for a spiritual god's item that can store the Divine Fire in my body. I didn't manage to find any god's item, but I found you."
"How did you get a Life Fire of this level?" The stone tablet knew Lin Huang's body condition. "It's definitely a good thing to have a high-level Life Fire. However, you're in trouble now. None of the monsters' souls in this gravel world can withstand your Life Fire."
"I know. That's why I'm looking for a god's item or a god's relic with a spirit that can substitute the monster soul." Lin Huang was helpless.
"That's right. But there are only a small number of god's items and god's relics in the gravel world, let alone those with spirit." The stone tablet could understand the gravel world quite well. "I guess you won't be able to gather enough god's items and god's relics to level up to immortal-level rank-9 after tens of years."
"Do you have any ways to overcome my problem?" Lin Huang could vaguely feel that the stone tablet might have a solution.
"Yes, I do. But whether you want to use it or not depends on you." The stone tablet smiled.
Chapter 776: The Deal Has Been Made
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"What's that?" Lin Huang immediately asked.
"I've told you earlier that I've mastered many of the spirit secret skills." The stone tablet then explained, "I guess one of them can help you with your problem."
"Which skill is that?" Lin Huang asked skeptically.
"It's the Spirit Visualization skill." It did not explain any further.
"Do you mean that I could visualize the True God-level monster's soul with the Spirit Visualization skill, making it the container to store the Divine Fire in my body?" After listening to the stone table's terse answer, Lin Huang immediately understood what it meant.
Lin Huang knew a little about the Spirit Visualization skill. It was a talent that was usually used to visualize a particular object, and his body could imitate the corresponding monster's soul. The visualized object could be the monster's skeleton, the monster's remains, a statue, a portrait, and more. However, the difficulty level of cultivating a skill like this was extremely high. Also, it had a very high requirement of one's comprehension and intelligence, without which, it would be difficult to even master the regular visualization skill, let alone the True God-level one.
"Yeah, you're right. Are you interested in giving it a try?" The stone tablet tempted.
"What would it cost?" Lin Huang knew very well that the price for the skill to visualize the True God-level monster soul would come at a huge cost. It was impossible that the stone tablet would give it to him for free.
After raising his question, the stone tablet remained silent for a moment. Lin Huang did not urge it to answer though. He patiently waited for its reply instead.
After a couple of moments, the stone tablet seemed to have made up its mind. "I want to create a clone and keep it in your body."
Lin Huang frowned when he heard what it said. If he allowed the stone tablet to enter his body, it would know many of his secrets. What it asked for had surpassed what his tolerance level.
"I'm not interested in knowing your personal issues. However, my real body is trapped in the burial ground. There's only one way to leave, which is to look for a new host. Since you don't agree with becoming my new host, I'm not forcing you to do so. I just wish that you can bring along my clone when you leave. Then, I'll get to access the outside world through my clone, and it'll be easier for me to look for a new host."
The stone tablet knew what Lin Huang was concerned about. In fact, all the travelers who owned a Goldfinger would have the same concern. "I can create a shield imprint that blocks my clone from reaching your secrets. You don't need to worry about me having access to your personal matters then."
Right this moment, Xiao Hei's voice was suddenly heard. "Just promise it!"
"Are you sure?" Lin Huang was stunned and immediately contacted Xiao Hei through his mind.
"You can promise the stone tablet, but you have to request for something. I don't feel secure if it were to create its own shield…"
After communicating with Xiao Hei, Lin Huang accepted its suggestion.
"Alright, I promise you, but I have a request," Lin Huang stated what he had just discussed with Xiao Hei, "I don't need you to create a shield imprint. I just need your clone to be a 2-Star Goldfinger."
"That's not a problem. With my current ability, I've only managed to create a 3-Star clone, and it's going to consume quite a large portion of my power. To find a new host, a 2-Star Goldfinger is sufficient." The stone tablet immediately agreed with him. "I'll pass you the skill first."
After finishing its words, a golden glow appeared and penetrated right between Lin Huang's brows.
"The visualization skill is named the True Spirit Guide. There are 183 portraits of true spiritual monsters which are True God-level monsters. There are descriptions of various types of monsters in the guide. Choose whichever you like. After visualizing it, the embryo of the monster's soul will be formed in the form of a monster egg. The spiritual power that you need to fill has to be at least equivalent to the strength of the Demigod's soul in order to hatch the monster egg. Of course, it's not necessary for you to kill a Demigod-level monster. You can also kill a large number of monsters with low combat strength in order to accumulate their spiritual power."
"Although the monster egg's combat strength is only on Demigod-level after hatching, the soul itself is still on True God-level. It's not going to be afraid of the Divine Fire in your body, and it'll be sufficient for you to use it as a container for your Divine Fire."
As the stone tablet explained the circumstances, Lin Huang quickly skimmed through the True Spirit Guide. He could then confirm that the skill would work for him.
"Alright, you can create your clone now."
"Wait a moment." Upon getting the confirmation from Lin Huang, the size of the stone tablet expanded rapidly. In just a few seconds, it recovered to its initial size, transforming into a massive object that was even bigger than the stars.
After returning to its original form, a shadow slowly left the stone tablet like its spirit was freeing itself from the physical body. The overlapping images seemed unreal.
As time passed, the shadow gradually withdrew itself from the body of the stone tablet, and the number of overlapping images was getting lesser and lesser. It took about five minutes to leave the stone tablet completely. It looked exactly like the stone tablet, but it was somewhat similar to a virtual projection as it was semi-transparent.
After leaving its body, the size of the shadow diminished quickly. After a short while, its size reduced from the colossal size of the stone tablet to only three meters tall. However, it did not stop shrinking. Lin Huang was shocked to witness it rapidly shrinking to the size of a palm.
The huge stone tablet had now become a token in the shape of a tombstone. It gradually floated in front of Lin Huang.
"The clone only has the basic functions of a 2-Star Goldfinger. The authority to use the functions are open to you. However, if you were to use it, you have to pay for it with an equal amount of spiritual power." Lin Huang did not expect the stone tablet to give him the authority to use the functions. It was already deemed a fair exchange to use the functions at an equal value since he could not use Xiao Hei's functions for free either.
"In order for it to work conveniently, I've granted it consciousness, and it has inherited most of my memory. It can be considered a semi-finished 2-Star Goldfinger. I hope that both of you can get along with each other happily."
After the stone tablet finished its sentence, the clone flew around Lin Huang's body and soon, it transformed into a golden glow and went right between Lin Huang's brows.
Lin Huang immediately inspected the world within his body. After the clone had entered its body, it circled around in his body. It noticed the existence of Xiao Hei, but it did not provoke it. Instead, it moved away and kept a certain distance from Xiao Hei. It then landed.
After settling down, the body of the stone tablet's clone began to expand. However, it stopped changing in size after growing to the size of an ordinary planet. Lin Huang noticed that it was different from how it had looked like when it was in its shadow form. The stone tablet's clone looked like a tangible object now.
Lin Huang then felt relieved.
Seeing that Lin Huang had recovered from his thoughts, the stone tablet then said, "Since the deal has been done, I'll send you out if you don't have any other questions."
Lin Huang gazed upon the sky, keeping quiet for a moment and finally, he asked out of curiosity, "Where's this place? How did you manage to bring me here? Is it a teleportation dimension?"
"The dimension doesn't really exist. It's a spiritual world. I didn't drag your body over. It was your soul instead. Your body is still right in front of the cliff," the stone tablet explained.
"Why can't you leave then? I remember that Xiao Hei told me before that once the host dies, the Goldfinger will be recalled and reassigned," Lin Huang continued.
"The soul of my previous host isn't completely dead. The contract between us hasn't been terminated as well. It has become a contract without a host whereby one party no longer has an instinct."
The stone tablet further explained, "Just when the spiritual world was being created, my host integrated his soul with this world. Simply because of the remaining soul, the contract between us can't be terminated. The spiritual world has since become a prison for me. The only way to leave this place is to look for a new host and enter a new contract so the current contract can be replaced."
"I understand. I'll try my best to look for a new host for you," Lin Huang promised.
Chapter 777: Can't Afford Anything
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
At the safety zone of Division 3, foothold No. 3A5, Wanbao City.
A young man was sleeping soundlessly in the top management room of a luxurious hotel. The Emperor's Heart Ring on his left hand suddenly vibrated.
"Who is it?"
The young man reluctantly tapped the communication page of his Emperor's Heart Ring open having been disturbed from his slumber. After identifying who the person who called him was, he hesitated for a while, but he still ended up accepting the person's video call with a frown.
"I can finally reach you!" A beautiful lady with long legs appeared and soon, she realized that the person she called was lying in bed. It seemed like he did not want to get up from bed at all. "Lin Huang, why are you still sleeping? What's the time now?"
"Sis, do you know that we're not in the same time zone? It's not even 5 a.m. here..." Lin Huang slightly shifted the camera. Dawn was breaking, and the sun had not even risen yet.
"Eh, I forgot. It's about 11 a.m. here, and it's lunchtime soon." Yi Yeyu then recalled that they were in different time zones. Then, she said confidently, "So are you trying to say that I'm disturbing your sleep? Why don't you just ignore my call?"
"Don't you know that you're an expert at calling incessantly?" Lin Huang sighed helplessly. This was the main reason why Lin Huang had not chosen to ignore her call.
It seemed like she could not refute. She then rolled her eyes at Lin Huang and changed the topic. "I couldn't seem to reach you at all yesterday. Did you really go to the Cursed Land in Division 3?"
"Yeah, I disabled the communication function." Lin Huang nodded his head.
Under normal circumstances, most people would decide to disable the communication function while exploring the danger zones temporarily. This was to avoid getting themselves from getting into trouble by receiving calls from others when they were in danger or when they had to hide.
Of course, Lin Huang had done the same as the place he had gone to was the Cursed Land.
"So, the videos and photos that you posted on your social media were taken in the Cursed Land?" Yi Yeyu asked.
"Yes. Why?" Lin Huang felt that Yi Yeyu's facial expression seemed weird.
"No… Nothing." After uttering her words, she realized that Lin Huang was staring at her quietly. She then told him the truth grudgingly, "I've shared your videos and photos on my social media. My friends shared them as well. It ended up getting more than 800,000 shares and approximately a billion views. The videos and photos are trending on a few of the social media platforms right now."
"Many of them said that they must visit the place in the video at least once in their lifetime." Yi Yeyu's voice became softer and softer.
Lin Huang did not expect that the photos and videos that he had randomly captured would become the latest social media trend.
Remaining silent for a while, Lin Huang then asked, "Did you tell them it's the Cursed Land?"
They would die if they were to enter forbidden areas like the Cursed Land randomly. He was worried that if Yi Yeyu revealed the location, those who were still weak would die there.
"No, I didn't. I just said that a friend of mine took the photos and videos in Division 3 and that I'm not sure about its exact location. I was wondering whether you were joking when you said you're going to visit the Cursed Land. Even then, I'm afraid that some of the dumbasses might go there and seek for death after I tell them the location." Yi Yeyu immediately shook her head. Although she would make silly mistakes, she would still consider the consequences when dealing with a serious issue.
"That's great." Lin Huang felt relieved.
"It's just been a day, and the videos and photos have become viral. I'm afraid that they'll be widespread on social media in the future. I guess many of the travel companies are going to seize the opportunity, offering tour packages to Division 3." Yi Yeyu forced a smile.
"That's good as one gains knowledge when they travel. Just don't go to the dangerous spots. Most of the places in Division 3 are actually considered safe." Lin Huang did not mind at all. It had nothing to do with him as long as the tourists did not go to the forbidden land.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you this." Yi Yeyu suddenly recalled why she had called Lin Huang. "My brother has just leveled up to immortal-level a few days ago. My family is going to send him to Division 3 for training. He's going to leave tomorrow early in the morning. I heard that his first destination is at Wanbao City which is situated in the grade-A foothold. Recently, they've organized an auction over there. You can go and have a look and ask him out for lunch."
Lin Huang knew that Yi Yeyu was worried about Yi Zheng since he was alone and was unfamiliar with the place. He then promised her, "I'm at Wanbao City now. Ask him to call me once he reaches."
"Thanks!"
After dealing with the important stuff, both of them chatted casually for a while until Yi Yeyu's housekeeper started urging her to go for lunch. She then hung up the phone.
The time projected by Lin Huang's Emperor's Heart Ring was about 6 a.m. now. Both of them had been on the phone for nearly an hour.
"Yi Zheng has leveled up to immortal-level. Perhaps he's one of the youngest people who managed to get to immortal-level in Division 7." When Lin Huang was still on white flame-level, Yi Zheng had already gotten to purple flame-level. Lin Huang did not feel surprised that he had managed to achieve immortal-level. He was not even 25 years of age but was already an immortal-level. The boy was a genius.
"The Yi family is sending their eldest grandson to Division 3 for training. They're really strict."
Lin Huang was impressed by how they trained the younger generation. At least, the Yi family had their very own way of training. Many others who came from smaller royal families would be unable to compare to them.
Yi Yeyu had awoken lin Huang early in the morning. He wanted to sleep for a little longer as he had been swamped over the past few days and did not get to sleep well. However, he could no longer fall asleep after tossing and turning in the bed for a while. He had no choice but to get up.
After taking his shower, he changed his clothes and went downstairs for breakfast. Instead of going out to paint the town red, he went back to his hotel room.
He was not a homebody, but the reason why he came to Wanbao City was not to go on a vacation.
Lin Huan had rushed back to Wanbao City as soon as he returned from the Cursed Land because he wanted to attend the auction which Yi Yeyu had just mentioned.
On the sofa in the living room, he browsed through the auction website and began looking at the items.
There was a variety of items being sold. However, there were only a few photos and a brief description of each of the item. The prices were not mentioned at all.
"There are a total of 273 items. The auction will officially start three days later, but I can't afford anything now." Lin Huang forced a smile helplessly. When he had upgraded to gold flame-level in the Cursed Land, the True God-level Life Fire had almost engulfed all his Life Crystals. He could not afford to place a bid on almost all the items displayed on the website, let alone buy them.
"After the auction has ended, there'll be an underground auction that sells illegal items. I heard that they have God Crashers this time. I've no idea if that's true."
The God Crasher was the reason why Lin Huang came to Wanbao City.
Chapter 778: A Way to Make Money
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Among the six God Crashers that Lin Huang had, five were completely destroyed during the battle with the evil spirit. Absolutely nothing was left. The last God Crasher he had was severely damaged and could only be used as a decoration now.
He had lost his trump card. Therefore, when he heard about the news of the God Crashers, he immediately rushed to Wanbao City.
Upon arriving at Wanbao City, Lin Huang found out that he was facing a severe problem – he had no money!
The Divine Fire in his body had engulfed all his Life Crystals. He might not even be able to afford an ordinary item, let alone the God Crashers for sale at the underground auction.
"The 33rd edition of the God Crasher is the latest model which the Union Government is selling at 280 million Life Crystals. It'll be priced at 350 million Life Crystals or more at the underground auction. Even the rest of the older models that have become obsolete are going to cost me more than 80 million Life Crystals. The 28th edition of the God Crasher that experiences deteriorating performance used to fetch 230 million Life Crystals on average at the underground auction," he thought to himself.
The reason why the 28th edition of the God Crasher was expensive was simply that it was the most successfully modified model of the third generation God Crasher.
Everybody knew that the third generation God Crasher was the most powerful one and that its only limitation was that it could only be used ten times.
According to the test data, the 28th edition of the God Crasher managed to achieve 82% more power than the third generation one. It was known to be one of the best versions of the third generation God Crashers. In addition to that, new materials had been used to replace the old ones, solving the problem that occurred due to the restriction imposed on the number of usages.
Many of them were optimistic about the 28th edition of the God Crasher. After using it, the Union Government discovered that despite having been able to overcome the problem of the number of usages, another issue arose. The barrel of the bulk-produced God Crashers began , and the precision of its attack was affected. The higher the number of usages, the more severe the distortion in the barrel, significantly impacting the precision of its attack.
The God Crasher was actually a failed product.
It was once a hot-selling item when it was first launched. However, after the problem of the distortion in its barrel was revealed, the new generation of God Crashers rapidly replaced it.
Some of the top gun masters were fascinated by this product and even boasted of it being a masterpiece because the precision of its attack could be adjusted personally. Although an ordinary gun master could only use it 30 times, many of the mighty gun masters could use it for about 80 times without affecting its precision. The top-ranked gun masters could even use it for more than 100 times.
As a result, many of the top gun masters flaunted their abilities, comparing the number of usages between one another. Moreover, these gun masters would usually place a bid for this model of the God Crasher at the auction.
"I wonder if the news that about them selling the God Crashers at the underground auction is true. If it is, which model are they going to sell?" Lin Huang zoned out, but soon, he snapped back to reality, thinking of the problem that he was facing. "Regardless of what model they're going to sell, I need to think of a way to make money. The auction is starting in three days."
Lin Huang had considered borrowing money from Yi Zheng, but he dismissed the thought quickly. There would surely be something that Yi Zheng wanted to buy at the auction. If he were to borrow money from him to buy the God Crasher, it was going to be a considerable sum. He did not want to affect Yi Zheng's purchasing decision. Furthermore, he was a person that did not like to owe others anything.
When Lin Huang was living on Earth, he had borrowed an eraser from his classmate when he went to school. He returned it to his classmate right after using it, not wanting to keep it any longer. If he were to borrow notes from his classmate, he would send them back to his classmate's house by bicycle right after he had finished copying them. He would not keep it with him until the second day.
After he began to work, he ate steamed buns for two months when he was in serious financial strain. The steamed buns cost him two yuan for two meals and the preserved vegetables cost him 1.5 yuan. He spent only 3.5 yuan in a day. He lived in a house no bigger than four square meters whereby he could only put a bed in it. The rental of his house was cheap at only 220 yuan per month. Even then, he had never borrowed money from anyone.
It seemed to be impossible to earn hundred million of Life Crystals in three days. However, Lin Huang soon understood what he needed to do.
"It isn't difficult to make money by selling the monster carcasses after killing immortal-level monsters. I have three more days to go. Although the Abyss Brink is a place where high-level monsters gather, the immortal-level monsters are scattered all around. I'll spend most of my time traveling. If it takes me ten minutes on average to kill a monster, I'll need about 17 hours to kill 100 monsters.
"It won't be a problem if I'm on the Stairway Tree. I'm already on the 55th checkpoint at the Stairway Tree. The 56th checkpoint is the level to hunt monsters. The monsters on that checkpoint range from immortal-level rank-7 to rank-9."
"According to the points on the Stairway Tree, I'll gain 640 points for each of the immortal-level rank-7 monsters killed. I will obtain 1,280 points if I kill an immortal-level rank-8 monster. That's equivalent to 1.28 million Life Crystals." Although that was what he was thinking about, Lin Huang was not going to convert the points to Life Crystals. He wanted to buy some of the rare items with his points so that he could sell them at the auction. Without a doubt, he could make way more money this way.
"Ancient relics are a hard currency. If I were to exchange my points for an ancient relic and sell it at the auction, the Life Crystals I obtain would definitely be 30% more than what I can get from directly converting the points to Life Crystals. The ancient telekinetic weapon belongs to an extremely rare category. Selling it at 50% higher is possible. There are also some modified guns that I can sell at the auction to make some money. If that's still not enough, I'll accumulate more points to exchange for the demigod relic and sell it at the auction!"
There were various types of items being sold at the Stairway Mall. Aside from some of the illegal goods that were prohibited for sale by the Union Government, there was nothing that one could not find from the Stairway Mall. The God Crasher was an illegal item. Since it was extremely powerful in addition to the requirements for users not being very high, it was a very dangerous weapon.
Unlike Lin Huang, not every one of them would buy the God Crashers for emergency use. Many of them who bought items like this from the underground auction were from the underworld. Organizations such as the Hunter Association and the Adventurer Paradise would not need to buy weapons from the underground auction as they could directly purchase it from the Union Government.
After making up his mind on how to earn money, Lin Huang did not hesitate any longer. He immediately tapped the Genius Union's website, which he had not visited for a long time, open. He then logged into the system after scanning his identity code.
"Since Yi Zheng isn't here yet and nobody is going to interrupt me, let's collect some points first!"
Chapter 779: I'm Logging in to Collect Points
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The 55th checkpoint on the Stairway Tree was the fourth human gathering point. When Lin Huang was still a blue flame-level, he had almost given his all to reach this checkpoint.
He had not logged into his account for about two months and had never used the points he collected. However, he was still ranked first on the leaderboard.
All the members of the Genius Union could see the name who ranked first on the leaderboard light up the second Lin Huang logged in.
All of a sudden, the Genius Union that had gone quiet for almost a month became active.
"He disappeared for two months, and now, Lin Xie has finally logged in!"
"I wonder if Lin Xie is going to collect more points this round!"
"Do you think that he's still on the 21st checkpoint? Starting from the 56th checkpoint right until the 60th checkpoint, the monsters on any of these levels will be on immortal-level rank-7 to rank-9. Lin Xie's combat strength is only on blue flame-level regardless of how strong he is. Do you think that a blue flame-level is capable of dealing with the monster horde that consists of immortal-level rank-7 to rank-9s with ease?"
"You're right. Although two months have passed and he has leveled up to purple flame-level, it's less likely that he's capable of doing so."
Of course, Lin Huang had no idea that the people were discussing him. After logging into the Genius Union, he did not dive headfirst into the challenge. He headed directly towards the foothold of the Heaven Alliance.
The 55th checkpoint on the Stairway Tree was one of the checkpoints with the most intense competition among all other organizations because most of their combat strength was on immortal-level rank-7 to rank-9. There were many formidable challengers there. Despite the challengers on the 63rd checkpoint being much stronger, the number of challengers on that checkpoint was less than a hundredth of those on the 55th checkpoint.
On the 55th checkpoint of the Stairway Tree, the number of members from the Heaven Alliance alone had exceeded 1,500. Of course, the Heaven Alliance was the organization with the most number of challengers on this checkpoint. The Hong Alliance ranked second, and the number of challengers who lingered at this checkpoint was more than 900. There were about 800 members from the Tang Alliance that took third place.
There were a total of 268 genius organizations in the Genius Union. As one reached the 55th checkpoint, it was pretty easy to determine who the strong and the weak ones were.
Those that managed to get into the first echelon would, of course, be the Heaven Alliance, the Hong Alliance, the Tang Alliance, and the Divine Alliance. They had more than 500 members on the 55th checkpoint. 11 organizations got into the second echelon, and they had more than 100 members on the 55th checkpoint. The number of challengers was slightly higher at the third echelon as there were about 50 of them. There were more than 20 of them who managed to reach the 55th checkpoint. Next would be the fourth echelon with only a few of them who were capable of getting to the 55th checkpoint. It was the echelon with the most members -- about 180 of them. Lastly, it would be the genius organizations that occupied the lowest level in the hierarchy. None of the members managed to reach the 55th checkpoint, and there were about ten such organizations.
Of course, the Heaven Alliance was known to be the strongest genius organization in the Genius Union, not because of the number of people they had. Most importantly, it was because of the existence of the dominant challengers.
Excluding Lin Huang, there were 18 supreme geniuses from the Heaven Alliance, 15 of whom were on immortal-level rank-9. The other three were on immortal-level rank-7 or rank-8. Their abilities were sufficient to kill an imperial-level.
Despite the Hong Alliance ranking second based on their overall abilities, they only had 12 supreme geniuses. There were only 7 of them who were on immortal-level rank-9 which was less than half the number from the Heaven Alliance. As for the Tang Alliance and the Divine Alliance, the number of supreme genius they had was much lesser; there were less than ten of them.
Simply because the Heaven Alliance had completely revealed how powerful it was on the 55th checkpoint, most people no longer dared to offend the members.
This was different from what had happened on the previous checkpoints whereby the challengers from the Divine Alliance dared to provoke them as the latter did not seem to be much weaker than the Heaven Alliance's members.
As Lin Huang walked towards the foothold of the Heaven Alliance, he encountered challengers from various genius organizations.
He was mentally prepared to be challenged, but nothing happened at all. Many people were watching him, and each of them saluted him with their glances. None of them came to block his way.
"Could they have given up on challenging me as they know that I've used up all the points and there's nothing they can get from me?" Lin Huang guessed.
In fact, the truth was that the Heaven Alliance was immensely powerful on the 55th checkpoint.
The Heaven Alliance had the most number of people at this checkpoint, occupying the three largest branches on the Stairway Tree. Three immortal-level members guarded the three footholds.
Lin Huang was walking on the first branch where the reception of the Heaven Alliance was.
Earlier, he had logged out as soon as he reached the 55th checkpoint, so he had never been to the Heaven Alliance's foothold on this checkpoint. Of course, he had to meet them now since he was here.
In just a short while, Lin Huang arrived at the bubble leaf where the reception was. The building could be clearly seen through the semi-transparent white bubble.
After confirming that he was at the right place, Lin Huang took a step forward and pressed his palm against the surface of the bubble.
A couple of moments later, a small door that was about two meters tall was activated, and Lin Huang strode towards it.
The moment as he entered the dimension of the leaf, a tall and young lady welcomed him.
"Mr. Lin, please come with me."
Lin Huang was stunned, but he immediately followed her.
"Did you guys know that I was coming?"
"Yes, we knew right after you logged into the Genius Union. Soon after, you headed towards the Heaven Alliance's foothold. The Surveillance Mosquito captured it," she said while sizing Lin Huang up.
"Where are you bringing me to?" Lin Huang could roughly guess the answer, but he wanted to verify it.
"To meet the guardians." The lady's answer was as he expected.
The guardians were the three immortal-level rank-9 supreme geniuses on the 55th checkpoint. Each of them guarded one foothold on the 55th checkpoint, hence they were called the guardians.
"Who's the guardian here?" Aside from Chan Dou, Lin Huang had no idea what the names of the rest of the supreme genius were. He heeded no attention to information like this.
"It's Master Feng Yi."
"Feng Yi?" Lin Huang knew nothing about this person.
The lady kept quiet after that and did not explain any further.
Lin Huang did not bother to ask as well since there would be no difference regardless of who the guardian was.
After a short while, Lin Huang followed the lady, and the both of them arrived at a door.
"You may enter..." It seemed like the lady had something else to say, but she ended up keeping mum.
Lin Huang frowned as he noticed this and he pushed the door open.
As he entered, Lin Huang realized that the room was small with an area of less than 30 square meters. There was a towering book cabinet along the wall and a sturdy man who had his back facing him. He was standing in front of the book cabinet as if he was looking for something.
"Have a seat," the man said without turning his head around as if he heard Lin Huang's entrance.
Lin Huang did not say anything as he sat down on the sofa placed on the side of the room.
After several moments, the man took a book from the book rack and turned around. He then put the book on his desk and started studying Lin Huang.
After studying him, Feng Yi then said without any facial expression, "Lin Xie, let us know if there's anything you need from us. Chan Dou has told us all about you." Nobody could ascertain if he were pleased or upset by his voice.
Lin Huang thought that he would make small talk with him first. Unexpectedly, he was so straightforward.
"Let me be frank with you. I need the complete details for the levels after the 55th checkpoint, including the information after the 63rd checkpoint," Lin Huang told him his real intention.
Feng Yi frowned but soon, he maintained a neutral expression.
"I can send you the information starting from the 55th to the 63rd checkpoints. As for the information after the 63rd checkpoint, only the chief and the deputy chief have the authority to send that to you. I don't have sufficient authority over that."
"It's okay. I'll have the details from the 55th to the 63rd checkpoints then. I'm not urgently in need of the information after checkpoint 63. I'll get it from the chief later on when I'm free." Lin Huang nodded.
He was not surprised. Many organizations treated the information about the Stairway Tree after checkpoint 55 as private and confidential. The information for the checkpoints after checkpoint 63 would, of course, be top secret.
"I've sent you the information. It belongs to the Heaven Alliance's internal database. You're not allowed to reveal it to others or send it to the rest of the Heaven Alliance's members that are below the 55th checkpoint. You have to keep it with you. Of course, the document itself has been protected. You aren't granted any authority to forward it to others."
Feng Yi had solid multi-tasking skills. Before Lin Huang could even finish his words, the file had already been sent.
"He's really an impetuous fellow," Lin Huang thought to himself.
"Is there anything else that you need?" Feng Yi asked.
"No, thank you!" Lin Huang shook his head, getting up from the sofa as he was about to leave.
As he took a few steps forward and was about to reach the door, Feng Yi's voice was suddenly heard coming from the back.
"Are you coming back to attempt the 63rd checkpoint?"
Lin Huang stopped, turning around and looking at Feng Yi. "No, I'm not. I'm logging in to collect points, but I'll try and see how far I can go at the next login."
Chapter 780: Secret Forest
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The 55th checkpoint on the Stairway Tree was not only a human gathering point. It was also a lush forest.
Perhaps people would see moss and fungus growing on a regular tree, but that was not what one could see growing on the trees at checkpoint 55.
Standing on the base of the branches of the Stairway Tree at checkpoint 55, Lin Huang lifted his head, gazing at the trunk on top of him. The large tree trunk was now entirely covered by the ancient forest. The roots of the big tree penetrated deep into the bark of the Stairway Tree.
There were also various types of wildflowers that grew from the bark. Lin Huang was surprised by what he just saw.
After climbing more than 50 checkpoints on the Stairway Tree, Lin Huang knew how hard the bark of the Stairway Tree was. He was unable to damage the bark despite attacking it with all he had. He even doubted if the Stairway Tree itself was something that could be destroyed in the virtual world.
Naturally, he was surprised when he saw the grass that grew from the bark of the Stairway Tree.
"I guess this is the Secret Forest…" Lin Huang studied the forest curiously. He had briefly browsed through the information provided by Feng Yi and knew that the 55th checkpoint on the Stairway Tree would not be as simple as he thought.
The unique thing about the Secret Forest on the 55th checkpoint was not the flowers on the tree branches. What drew the people's attention were the special rules imposed on this level.
All the creatures that entered the Secret Forest, be it humans like Lin Huang or monsters that were used to staying on the Stairway Tree, experienced shrinking. Their body sizes would be reduced to a thousandth of their original size. That being said, if a person as tall as two meters entered the forest, that person's height would instantly be reduced to two millimeters. The decrease in size would happen to all relics and equipment that one had, including one's clothing, shoes, Emperor's Heart Ring and more; there were no exceptions.
The shrinking effect caused the climbing route that was initially 10,000 meters long to shorten to 1,000 meters.
One was unable to fly on the Stairway Tree, and teleportation was prohibited from being activated. They could only climb with their hands and feet, and the terrifying gravitational force completely restricted their traveling speed. Even people like Chan Dao, who was capable of killing an imperial-level, had his traveling speed completely suppressed to the point that he was now slower than a transcendent. His traveling speed would no faster than an ordinary cultivator with a golden Life Wheel, let alone Lin Huang's.
With his body that had been reduced to a size that was 1,000 times smaller, Lin Huang knew that it would take him at least three days to complete the climb that was 10,000 meters long without any rest and without encountering any obstacles.
"It will take me at least three days to complete the climb with this reduced body size. However, the auction would have started three days later." Lin Huang grinned. "Luckily, I have my own transportation. Thanks to the Mighty Ape's size, despite being reduced 1,000 times smaller, it can complete the climb in less than a day if it doesn't face any obstacles. Let's get to the 56th checkpoint today. I need to meet Yi Zheng tomorrow morning, then I can start collecting points tomorrow night."
"Herculean King!"
Lin Huang crushed the card in his hand and the Mighty Ape was summoned, accompanied by a low growl.
The Mighty Ape, which was now an immortal-level rank-4, was more than 400 meters tall, resembling a small mountain.
Lin Huang leaped on the Mighty Ape's shoulder in a flash, pointing towards the leafy forest. "Go through the forest as fast as you can!"
The Mighty Ape bounded and entered the Secret Forest.
At almost the same time as it entered the forest, Lin Huang and its body shrunk to 1/1000 of their original size.
Lin Huang felt nothing strange during the entire process. The only thing he felt was that everything in front of him became much larger all of a sudden.
The Mighty Ape was slightly startled. It had no idea what was happening.
Sensing that the Mighty Ape was stunned, Lin Huang patted its neck reassuringly. "Don't worry. It's the rule of this region to make us 1,000 times smaller. We'll be able to return to our original size after getting out of this forest."
The Mighty Ape nodded its head as it heard what Lin Huang said. It regained its initial excitement from when it had been summoned and quickly scaled upwards.
The 400-meter tall Mighty Ape shrank to only 40 centimeters following the rules of the forest, turning from King Kong into a humble monkey.
However, the changes did not have a significant effect on the Mighty Ape's movement. Its diminished body size enabled it to be more agile when passing through the tree branches.
It loped through the trees at a breakneck speed. Sometimes, it held onto the tree branches to swing from branch to branch and leaped from tree to tree. As it familiarized itself with the forest, its movement became smoother, and its speed got faster and faster.
Lin Huang felt that the decision to summon the Mighty Ape was absolutely spot-on. However, he was still very alert towards his surroundings. His territorial and telekinetic powers covered a four-kilometers radius around him. The sword that he was holding in his right hand never left him.
Apart from the remaining monsters in the Secret Forest that could be dangerous, there were some perilous plants as well. Some of their skills were rather destructive, and they could kill an immortal-level rank-9 in an instant.
"Herculean King, stop!" Lin Huang suddenly yelled.
The Mighty Ape immediately stopped moving forward, grasping onto a tree branch with one of its arms. It then turned its head back, staring at Lin Huang doubtfully.
"There are Witch Petals in front of us. The region that it covers isn't that big. Let's cross that area from the right." Lin Huang's facial expression was stern as he looked towards the front.
He had sensed the existence of the Witch Petals with his telekinetic power. It was a type of demonic plant with enchantment power, and it was talented at casting enchantments on creatures that approached it, causing the creatures to commit suicide. Subsequently, the corpses would be used as its nutrients.
The combat level of the Witch Petals was not high and basically ranged from immortal-levels rank-1 to rank-3. The enchantment effect of a single plant could only deceive those who were on immortal-levels rank-4 to rank-6.
However, the enchantment effect of the plant could be multiplied. The effect might not be strong when it came to one or two plants, but it could be a huge nightmare when there were thousands of Witch Petals. They were capable of getting an imperial-level into that terrifying state of dreamland.
There were more than 8,000 Witch Petals in front of them.
Fortunately, Lin Huang realized that in time. He could not tell if he could get out of the dreamland if the Herculean King brought him there.
Despite the Mighty Ape not having any idea what the Witch Petal was, it would definitely obey Lin Huang's instructions.
After turning right and moving a certain distance away from the Witch Petals, Lin Huang then allowed the Mighty Ape to turn back as soon as he could confirm that they had left the region covered by the Witch Petals. They then headed towards the Secret Forest.
Thanks to Lin Huang's telekinesis, the human and the monster managed to avoid the perils around them several times.
After spending the entire afternoon, the Mighty Ape had completed half the journey with Lin Huang on its back.
"At this speed, we'll be able to pass through the Secret Forest before 4 p.m., and we'll soon arrive at the 56th checkpoint."