Chapter 3: Planning
Before formulating a feasible plan, Luo Xiu conducted a further analysis of the crisis event.
Luo Xiu was unfamiliar with Huanghun Town’s predecessor, Dawn Town, but he was quite familiar with the Blood of Thorns.
These cultists were enemies known as 'Newbie Repellent Top 3' and 'Torment Kings'!
These enemies, who believed in the Scarlet Lotus Path, posed limited threat to a Radiance First Path user who had not yet advanced to Over Transcendent.
With some preparation, Luo Xiu was confident he could kill one Blood Disciple of the Scarlet Lotus Second Fate.
However, the Abyss could ensure none of them returned!
This was a power of Over Transcendent that had not yet appeared on the Fannor Continent of the Apocalypse World at this time!
At this moment, no one had ever witnessed the might of the Abyss, nor did anyone know its power!
Luo Xiu had a clear calculation.
Originally, as a believer of Radiance, one could not simultaneously walk the Abyss Path, but for Luo Xiu, who possessed both the abyss scripture and the Heart of Revelation, this was a natural progression.
Combining the powers of Radiance and the Abyss was the cornerstone of Luo Xiu's plan; he would gradually forge his own unique Over Transcendent Path.
...
After preparing all the materials, Luo Xiu pulled the Abyss Book from the stack of books, stroking its somewhat gritty, Darkness cover.
With the abyss scripture in hand, he might be the only human in this world so far to fully master the Abyss Path.
—The true powerhouses who walked the Abyss Path, those demons and Abyss kin, were still sealed at the bottom of the Sevenfold Abyss at this time.
And the only surface dwelling branch of the Abyss kin—the Ghost Tribe—was currently fighting amongst themselves on the isolated Scarlet Continent, akin to a warring states period in another world.
Therefore, Luo Xiu was not worried about exposure.
On the Fannor Continent where he currently resided, there were no similar beings.
However, Luo Xiu was not completely at ease; he was also contemplating other issues.
For example, the "uniqueness" of the Abyss Book... Was there another abyss scripture still enshrined at the "bottom of the Sevenfold Abyss" at this time?
If not, what would the Abyss look like without its source of power?
These questions surfaced and lingered in Luo Xiu's mind, but Luo Xiu did not know the answers, so he decided not to think too much for now and refocused his attention on the abyss scripture.
To continue flipping through the Abyss Book and learning the Forbiddance knowledge of the Abyss, Luo Xiu needed to further enhance his "Divinity."
To be safe, Luo Xiu wanted to first raise his "Divinity" attribute to 13 points.
Before leaving the Radiant Church, Luo Xiu had already tried flipping through the Abyss Book; the Divinity values required for the first two pages were 8 and 10 points respectively.
This was a gamble, betting that the Divinity requirement for the third page would be 12.
Only by exceeding the required attribute could the judgment be stably passed; if he lost the gamble, he would suffer a mental corruption...
However, if he really had bad luck and suffered mental corruption, Luo Xiu felt he could endure it if the difference between his own attributes and the required attributes wasn't too large...
Luo Xiu happened to use this to test whether his player panel had some normal functions.
Luo Xiu stood up, his eyes lowered, and his hands lightly placed in a perfect triangle shape on his chest.
"His name is Sun Forger, He was born as Radiance, His Kingdom is the Eternal Kingdom..."
Luo Xiu murmured softly, his body emitting a warm, pale white Radiance, and a golden mist, symbolizing holiness, slowly condensed in the center of the triangular pyramid formed by his hands.
After a long while.
【You completed one "Elementary Prayer (Lv.1)."】
【You gained the "Prayer" effect, increasing "Radiance" Path skill effects by 20%.】
【Elementary Prayer (Lv.1) skill proficiency +1, you gained 36 basic experience points.】
Indeed! Luo Xiu rejoiced inwardly.
Unlike NPCs, players had various ways to gain experience.
Among them, gaining proficiency and experience points through "using skills" was one of the unique experience acquisition methods for players.
Luo Xiu continued to pray.
"His name is Sun Forger, He was born as Radiance, His Kingdom is the Eternal Kingdom..."
"..."
【You completed one "Elementary Prayer" (Lv.1).】
【You gained the "Prayer" effect, increasing "Radiance" Path skill effects by 20%.】
【Effect duplicated, overwritten.】
【Elementary Prayer (Lv.1) skill proficiency +1, you gained 30 basic experience points.】
Each use of a skill would consume mana, and the experience gained would also decrease.
"..."
【Current Main Profession: Acolyte (Lv.1) can be upgraded to Lv.2】
【Do you want to upgrade? (Automatic prompt can be turned off)】
After three rounds of prayer, he had gained over a hundred experience points in total. At this point, Luo Xiu's mana bar was empty, but he had successfully reached the threshold for upgrading to Lv.2.
"Confirm," Luo Xiu instructed in his mind.
【Current Main Profession "Acolyte" invested 102 experience points.】
【Current Main Profession: "Acolyte" has been upgraded to Lv.2!】
【You gained 1 free attribute point!】
Luo Xiu immediately upgraded his profession level to Lv.2 and added this 1 free attribute point to "Divinity."
The sum of the highest Path's profession levels was the character's level value.
And at the First Path stage, each time the character level was increased, one free attribute point would be gained, which could be freely allocated among the seven basic attributes.
With Divinity points +1, Luo Xiu felt that in his mind, indistinct figures of light and shadow were flowing.
Luo Xiu seemed to feel an unintentional glance from the gods, a feeling so faint, so minuscule, yet it vanished in an instant.
Only after adding the "Divinity" attribute to 13 points did Luo Xiu breathe a sigh of relief.
And the +1 Divinity gained through Radiance prayer, Luo Xiu immediately invested it into the embrace of the Abyss, opening the abyss scripture!
"This, how is this not also a form of..." Luo Xiu shook his head.
The moment he opened the Abyss Book, a strange surge, like the whisper of a soul, attacked Luo Xiu's mind.
Opening the first page of the Abyss Book, just like before, a Divinity check was performed again.
【You gazed upon the Forbiddance.】
The alluring whispers once again echoed in his ears, but with the previous close call of almost getting lost as a lesson, Luo Xiu tried his best to maintain his composure, not to be swayed by the Abyss's temptation.
【Triggered "Divinity" saving throw, minimum Divinity required is "8", your Divinity is "13"...】
【Saving throw successful, immune to this mental corruption.】
The eerie soul whispers gradually faded, and before Luo Xiu, a portion of the Abyss's Forbiddance knowledge itself appeared.
It was an unnamable purple pattern, slowly and subtly wriggling on the yellowed paper. This might be some ancient script, or perhaps just a pattern with a recording function.
At the same time, the prompt panel for unlocking new Over Transcendent techniques appeared in Luo Xiu's vision.
【Abyss Technique: Abyss Inscription (Lv.1, unlearned)】
"Learn," Luo Xiu instructed in his mind.
【Learned: Abyss Inscription (Lv.1)】
【Gained Sub-Profession: Abyss Servant (Lv.1)】
Luo Xiu felt his head suddenly become heavy, and a cold aura seemed to pierce through his body.
Forcibly calming his mind, bringing himself into a relatively quiet and clear state, Luo Xiu began to sense the changes within himself.
Luo Xiu could feel that his soul seemed to resonate with something.
It was a seven-pointed star-shaped pattern, faintly emitting an ultimate Darkness and profound black Radiance, like a brand, etched upon his soul.
Continuing to flip to the second page of the Abyss Book, the prompt for a successful saving throw also appeared.
【You gazed upon the Forbiddance.】
【Triggered "Divinity" saving throw, minimum Divinity required is "10", your Divinity is "13"...】
【Saving throw successful, immune to this mental corruption.】
【Abyss Technique: Soul Manipulator (Lv.1, unlearned)】
"Learn," Luo Xiu continued to give new instructions in his mind.
The newly acquired Abyss Technique appeared like a copy in Luo Xiu's "Character Panel - Path Techniques" section.
"Soul Manipulator" is a technique that can control souls. This is an Over Transcendent technique that all Paths will encounter, but the emphasized functions, development, and evolution differ.
And in the Abyss Path's skill tree, "Soul Manipulator" can control souls for various purposes, such as creating familiars, performing sacrifices, fusing to produce higher-level souls, and so on...
Its success rate is related to the strength of the controlled soul and the Over Transcendent's own strength.
Luo Xiu's gaze was deep, his fingers caressing a corner of the Abyss Book's page.
As if having made some kind of decision, Luo Xiu turned to a new page.
【You gazed upon the Forbiddance.】
【Triggered "Divinity" saving throw, minimum Divinity required is "12", your Divinity is "13"...】
【Saving throw successful, immune to this mental corruption.】
【Abyss Technique: Abyss Beast Summoning (Lv.1, unlearned)】
...I gambled correctly!
Luo Xiu's eyes suddenly brightened the moment the prompt appeared.
"This is it!"