#111Chapter 111: Abyss AdvancementAI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
Any unnecessary actions would only bring her more shame, so Xing Li gave up struggling.
"Just ask whatever you want."
Qin Jie didn't immediately ask his question but added four new commands.
"You must not lie to me."
"When I ask a question, you cannot embellish or omit important details."
"Your subsequent words must not contain any misleading or deceptive terms."
"Oh, and speak louder."
They were both from the Paradise, and Qin Jie didn't believe the other party would be completely honest, so he directly added these two commands to prevent Xing Li from deceiving him in this regard.
"You're really cautious. I originally wanted to trick you a bit," Xing Li sighed, then suddenly raised her hand and slapped herself twice.
If she felt any displeasure, she was to slap herself twice; this was the command Qin Jie had given her.
"Why did Fountainhead Palace become like this?" Qin Jie immediately asked.
"Because I brought in a seed. That seed was a **** seed."
[Based on the Hunter's current authorization, the content has been obscured. This obscuring will not affect the progression of the mission.]
Qin Jie understood the principle that the more one knows, the more danger one faces. Although he was a bit annoyed, Qin Jie understood the Paradise's actions.
"I was set up. This seed came from a scarlet card that I bought from the shop."
The Paradise shop did sell scarlet cards, much like gambling on unpolished jade. With good luck, one could indeed open something extraordinary.
But unfortunately, Xing Li had bad luck.
"Who knows whose scarlet card that was? It still makes me angry when I think about it now."
"That seed would draw life from its host and automatically seek out a host with vitality. Because I specialize in physical strength, this seed followed me for a long time!"
"Getting rid of this seed was simple enough; I just needed to encounter someone with higher physical strength than me. But I had invested 26 points into my physical strength attribute, so few Contractors or monsters had higher attributes than me."
"If I couldn't get rid of this seed, I would be sucked dry by it, and I wouldn't even have time to return to the Paradise."
"So, to get rid of this seed, I was forced to come to Fountainhead Palace, because only the Sakura Dragon would pique this seed's interest."
"I finally successfully reached the Sakura Dragon and indeed managed to transfer that seed to a new host!"
"But I couldn't defeat the Sakura Dragon!"
"As a result, I was killed, and my Soul was even split into three!"
Damn it!
Xing Li angrily slapped herself twice.
Because of Qin Jie's demand, she had to loudly recount these unbearable memories, which for her was like having her embarrassing kindergarten history exposed in public.
"So, the current chaos in Fountainhead Palace is all caused by the seed you brought in?"
"Yes! That's right!" Xing Li replied loudly and despairingly, her face slightly flushed.
For some reason, doing this made her heart tingle, and she felt an indescribable pleasure.
This question was actually quite redundant, as the Paradise's prompt had already appeared.
[Side Quest: Identify the source of the anomaly in this world. Completed.]
This statement indicated that Qin Jie had understood the source of the world's anomaly, and at the same time, he had triggered a new side quest.
[Now triggering the second side quest: Set Things Right.]
Set Things Right
Rank Level LV12
Quest Brief: A power more twisted than the Dragon Heritage Power exists above Fountainhead Palace. Go and end it.
Quest Information: Resolve the source of the anomaly in this world.
Quest Duration: 7 days
Quest Reward: Determined by quest completion status.
Failure Penalty: Eradication.
[Note: This quest reward settlement is cumulative with the first quest.]
If Qin Jie hadn't guessed wrong, if he didn't accept the second quest, he would likely return directly to the Paradise.
But Qin Jie still had many things unfinished in this world.
Reviving Isshin, slaying the Sakura Dragon, severing immortality—each of these offered considerable rewards, so Qin Jie had no reason to give up.
However—Qin Jie's current state was truly too poor. With impaired hearing in both ears and a severed arm, he would find it very difficult to continue with the subsequent quests in this condition.
But to flee now was not Qin Jie's style.
Based on his performance in this mission, his World Source acquisition rating would most likely still be S-Rank. At that time, his Rank would far exceed that of the Sekiro world, and he would no longer be able to enter this world.
This was his last chance.
Of course, recklessly courting death was not Qin Jie's nature either.
Before that, he would first open the treasure chests and such.
After all, he had just acquired an Overlord's Treasure Chest.
He thought for a moment, then suddenly picked up the devouring abyss and smiled slightly at it.
"How about you help me decide?"
Xing Li, who was nearby, inexplicably shivered. Even as a Soul body, she still felt a bit unnerved.
"If I'm not mistaken, you must be a skill-based fighter, and a rather perverse one at that."
"Otherwise, who would talk to their weapon?"
devouring abyss +5
Quality: Blue (Soul Value: 167.2%)
Indeed, the devouring abyss's Soul Value had accumulated to 167.2% at this moment.
A large number of vengeful spirits, the nobles of Fountainhead Palace, and the Overlord-level creature Magikarp, all provided Qin Jie with a large amount of Soul Value, so it was not surprising that so much had accumulated.
It was completely sufficient for an advancement.
If the devouring abyss's next advancement was powerful enough, then Qin Jie would continue with the quests in this world. If not, he would simply leave.
[100% Soul Value consumed.]
[Weapon advancing.]
The devouring abyss glowed with a grayish-white, attribute-less energy. This energy was Soul power, and the Souls absorbed by the devouring abyss were currently transforming into nourishment for its growth.
That familiar sense of palpitation returned. This feeling came from the devouring abyss, but it wasn't caused by the devouring abyss.
This might sound strange, but Qin Jie vaguely felt that some kind of existence seemed to be residing within the devouring abyss, and this existence appeared to be in a dormant state.
A moment later, the light faded, and the devouring abyss officially completed its advancement.
devouring abyss +3
Quality: Purple (Soul Value: 26%)
Origin: --- (Hunter Intelligence over 20 can view)
Durability: 70/70
Attack Power: 47-82
Equipment Requirement: ??? or Unconditional
Effect 1, Soul Devour: Can convert items with Soul traits into Soul Value. Slaying enemies will also absorb their Souls and convert them into Soul Value. Soul Value can be used to alter the weapon (form, skills, attributes, quality) --- Special enemies provide additional Soul Value.
Effect 2, Abyss Bottom: Gains an additional 20% damage bonus when attacking. Gains an additional 72% damage bonus when attacking --- (Hunter Intelligence 20 can view) special enemies.
Effect 3, Sword Shadow: Summons a Sword Shadow Clone by consuming health. The Clone's strength and duration depend on the health invested. When 20% of maximum health is invested, the Clone's attributes will be identical to the main body, and its duration will increase to 6 hours.
Description: I am gradually awakening, to be more useful than before. Let us slay enemies from ***** (Hunter Intelligence 20 can view)!
Rating: 110
Price: 70000 paradise coins
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