Chapter 1359: Chapter Eighty-Five: The Stingy Old Codger

Spatial power surged, and Su Xiao appeared out of thin air in the exclusive room, taking a few staggering steps forward before steadying his footing.

"Ow!"

After a miserable cry, Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Bubu Wang, who had been napping on the carpet, was stepped on and woke up, his doggy face dazed.

"Ooooh~"

Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Bubu Wang lay on the ground howling, meaning: "Without 1000 park coins, I won't get up today."

In the next moment, Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Bubu Wang immediately got up, trotting with small steps to make tea for Su Xiao.

Su Xiao put down the 65-size large slipper used to ward off evil, then checked the prompt from the Reincarnation Paradise.

【Blade Master has been upgraded to lv. 46.】

【Blade Master has been upgraded to lv. 47.】

【Blade Master has been upgraded to lv. 48.】

【Heart Meditation has been upgraded to lv. 40.】

……

Su Xiao was not surprised by the Blade Master's upgrade; he opened the skill description to check the changes in blade technique.

【Blade Master: lv. 48 (Passive Skill)】

Skill Effect: Increases blade-type weapon attack power by 242% (increase of 18%), blade technique greatly enhanced.

lv. 10 Additional Ability: All Things Rhythm (max)

lv. 20 Additional Ability: Blade Radiance

lv. 30 Additional Ability: Soul Blade (max)

Blade Radiance: Blade radiance flight speed +140% (+20%), blade value +20 (+5), armor penetration +20, blade radiance upgraded to semi-solid.

……

The improvement in blade technique is not too obvious; basic abilities are like this, requiring constant accumulation. Without basic abilities, no matter how many active skills one has, they are merely castles in the air.

The Skill Mage possesses many abilities, but they also do not neglect investment in basic abilities.

Precisely because of the massive consumption of basic abilities, the price of soul crystals is so high; over 98% of contractors understand the importance of basic abilities, and the remaining 2% will be eliminated in a short time.

If active skills are branches and leaves, then basic skills are the trunk. Without the trunk, branches and leaves can only lie on the ground waiting to wither.

Or put another way, without basic skills, one cannot master active abilities. Su Xiao has seen 99% of active skills, and their prerequisites all require a certain level of basic ability.

For example, the Lightning Spear he used earlier requires mastery of 'Lightning Basic Control lv. 30 or above'. Without lightning control, where would the lightning for generating the Lightning Spear come from? By thought? Mysticism? Assistance from the Reincarnation Paradise?

It simply does not exist. The Reincarnation Paradise will not assist contractors, workers, including hunters in combat. If one cannot control lightning, even after obtaining the Lightning Spear scroll, they can only watch.

Precisely for this reason, all contractors strive to improve basic abilities, and moreover, basic abilities are not mere decorations; high-level basic abilities can even surpass active abilities.

Over time, soul crystals will naturally become scarce; solo contractors are like this, let alone adventure teams.

Therefore, Su Xiao feels no pain in consuming large amounts of soul crystals to improve Blade Master, and even wants to find opportunities to upgrade several more levels.

Compared to the improvement of Blade Master, Su Xiao is more surprised by the enhancement of Heart Meditation, as he persists in meditation every day, even in the derived world without interruption, which has brought Heart Meditation to lv. 31.

Raising this ability, which cannot be improved through the Reincarnation Paradise, to lv. 31 shows Su Xiao's emphasis on it. As long as battle is not intense to the point of non-stop 24 hours, he will meditate for a moment before resting.

【Heart Meditation: lv. 40 (Active/Passive)】

Skill Effect 1: Greatly enhances perception and willpower, calms the mind, and deepens understanding of nature, etc.

Skill Effect 2: After entering the meditative state, willpower x3, perception acuity increased by 80%.

……

Su Xiao saw the newly appeared Skill Effect 2, his eyes lit up—this is absolutely a divine skill. Although it cannot directly enhance combat power, if he encounters danger, such as an external consciousness invading his body, he only needs to enter the meditative state, and his willpower will become like steel, unlikely to be shaken, or put another way, at that time Su Xiao could hang the enemy's consciousness up and whip it.

This ability inevitably makes Su Xiao think: if he accidentally becomes a Blade Demon, can he use the meditative state to dispel the Blade Demon or expel that energy outward?

Su Xiao certainly will not try it himself; each time the Blade Demon's phantom appears, he cannot help but feel a chill in his heart, for with his current strength he is still insufficient to oppose that thing, let alone take it for himself.

Blade technique improvement completed, and an unexpected gain obtained, Su Xiao's mood is clearly not bad.

A palm-sized piece of bark appeared in Su Xiao's hand; this piece of bark quickly decomposed upon appearance, scattering in the air.

Su Xiao hurriedly took out a glass cover, collected the bark floating in the air, and placed it into a glass bottle the length of a pinky finger.

Shaking the glass bottle, the brown fragments inside seemed unaffected by gravity, lightly floating up. Su Xiao tried to check the data of these bark fragments.

【Black Maple Bark (Fragment)】

Origin: Deepest part of the Black Abyss (Unique)

Quality: White to???

Category: Material

Usage Effect: Can attempt to plant.

Rating: None

Description: A small piece of black maple bark, using the vitality of the black maple tree, can attempt to plant, requiring soul crystals + Abyssal Pool water as nutrients.

Price: 200000 park coins

……

The bark Su Xiao casually obtained is obviously not a common item; he rubbed his lower back, and during the teleportation, he felt as if someone had kicked him, the pain unbearable to say the least. He actually had 5726 mana points, but now only 465 remain, and his lower back still aches faintly.

"That old bastard..."

Su Xiao naturally guessed what happened; through contact with Marvin Waltz, he discovered one thing: although other Law-Extinguishing Shadows do not harbor ill will toward him, 'mutual love and affection' is obviously impossible, just like that old man, who clearly appeared after receiving soul crystals, and when Su Xiao tore off a piece of black maple bark, he kicked Su Xiao as he left.

Thinking this way, Marvin Waltz seems to be a quite reliable guide, although that guy's laugh is very shameless.

Su Xiao got a flower pot, filled it with soil, then poured the bark fragments from the glass bottle into the pot, hesitated for a moment, and then stuffed a medium soul crystal into the soil.

As for Abyssal Pool water, he had previously inquired with the Reincarnation Paradise; the answer is that this can be exchanged for park coins, 5000 park coins per 100 milliliters.

100 milliliters sounds little, but actually it's not much; a disposable cup can hold about one cup.

Su Xiao exchanged 200 milliliters of Abyssal Pool water; a clump of emerald-green water ball appeared before him, and he controlled this clump of Abyssal Pool water to surge into the flower pot.

After watering, Su Xiao observed the changes in the flowerpot, but there was no change at all—just soil, nothing but soil; the imagined scene of immediate rooting and sprouting did not appear.

As Su Xiao was observing whether the black maple tree would sprout, a dog's head approached, seeming very interested in this flowerpot.

"Bubu, if you chew this thing, I'll hang you up and whip you with a slipper."

"Woof."

Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Bubu Wang raised his dog's head, meaning: "Master, I've drafted over 300 home-demolition plans in my head—do you want to review them?"

At that moment, Am, the core member of the demolition squad, stepped forward, also seeming very curious about this flowerpot.

Su Xiao came to the bedside, picked up the house-guarding slipper, placed it beside the flowerpot; this time, Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Bubu Wang and Am no longer dared to entertain any mischievous ideas about the flowerpot, for being whipped by the slipper really hurt...