Chapter 221: Imperial Artifact Modification Blueprint (Fourth Update, Bonus for Patron

Su Xiao's eyes suddenly sharpened; Chi Tong had definitely been here before.

He carefully inspected the nearby walls—no signs of damage—then lightly tapped the floor with the hilt of Checking Zhan Long Shan.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Beneath the floor was hollow space; the sound suggested a sizable cavity.

In one swift motion, Su Xiao reversed Checking Zhan Long Shan and stabbed downward—then, without withdrawing the blade, he stabbed again and again.

He pulled Checking Zhan Long Shan free—no blood on the tip—and slammed his foot hard against the floor.

Crack. The floor caved in, revealing a pitch-black opening.

He shone a powerful flashlight downward and saw a tunnel—no doubt Chi Tong had escaped through here.

"Can the capital's guards be any more incompetent? The capital's practically become Night Raid's nest."

Su Xiao muttered under his breath. Chi Tong had escaped through such a tunnel twice now—clearly the capital's guards were useless; no one had noticed a tunnel dug beneath their own headquarters.

He widened the hole and flipped into the tunnel.

A musty odor filled the air. Su Xiao shone his flashlight ahead—the underground passage had only one path.

The tunnel wasn't deep, roughly five to six meters underground. From its condition, it was old—likely built long ago and discovered accidentally by Night Raid.

The entire tunnel resembled a mine shaft, supported by wooden planks holding up the earth above and on both sides. Occasional metal frames could be seen; without them, the tunnel would have collapsed long ago. It looked ready to cave in at any moment—entering required real courage.

Though worn, the tunnel's structural mechanics were flawless. Even with most wooden supports rotted, it wouldn't collapse anytime soon. Confident it was still stable, he began walking slowly forward.

This pursuit of Chi Tong wasn't without gain—he'd unintentionally unlocked a new ability.

After Mana Burn's energy penetrated an enemy's body, he could sense their location within a certain range.

Mana Burn's energy acted like a beacon, and he was the only one who could perceive it.

This ability was perfect for hunting—once wounded, an enemy couldn't escape within a short time.

Chi Tong had evaded him this long only because Su Xiao was unfamiliar with the capital's layout.

After advancing a short distance, Su Xiao spotted a pool of blood on the ground, along with an undergarment. The left side bore a tear—this was Chi Tong's.

He moved quickly through the tunnel. After roughly ten minutes, a fork appeared ahead.

No clues remained. He had to choose left or right—pick correctly and he'd catch Chi Tong; pick wrong and he'd lose her.

People instinctively choose the right path at forks—not without reason.

Most people write with their right hand, and naturally raise their right side first. Su Xiao wielded his blade with his right hand; over time, humans habitually favor the right.

Since it was pure luck anyway, he'd pick the right path.

He entered the right fork. After half an hour, he realized he'd chosen wrong—it was a dead end.

His reasoning wasn't flawed—Chi Tong had been here before and knew the right path led nowhere.

The earth ahead had collapsed into a mound. Su Xiao turned back—and as he did, his peripheral vision caught a faint metallic glint atop the debris.

He thrust Checking Zhan Long Shan toward the spot—*clink! * Why was there a metal door in this abandoned tunnel?

He'd been in this branch for half an hour. Even if he sprinted back, it'd take over forty minutes—Chi Tong was long gone.

But the metal door stirred his curiosity—not just curiosity. Hidden locations in the Derivative Worlds sometimes held valuable items. Some Contractors had even compiled these locations into a dossier, sold for 15,000 Paradise Coins—called the "Secret Realm Compendium."

From his storage space, he pulled out a white-quality shield and used it like a shovel to dig away the dirt.

This shield was acquired in the Giant World—only rated 3, and broken. Repair cost nearly equaled a new one—useless to keep, useless to discard.

Minutes later, he cleared the dirt from before the metal door—a rust-covered, crimson-hued door appeared.

At its center, a faint emblem was visible—the Empire's flag.

To open this rust-sealed door required brute force. Su Xiao gripped Checking Zhan Long Shan with both hands, lowered his stance, drew breath, and swung.

*Clang. *

A powerful recoil jolted his arms—his hands went numb—but the door only bore a two-centimeter-deep gash.

With Checking Zhan Long Shan's current sharpness, cutting through iron wasn't an exaggeration—yet it barely scratched this door. At this rate, he'd need serious effort to break through.

This didn't discourage him—it excited him. A door this sturdy meant one thing: treasure inside.

Killing Chi Tong granted a treasure chest—but whether it contained something valuable depended on luck. His luck had always been poor.

But exploring a Secret Realm was different—the items inside had fixed value, no luck involved. Like the warehouse where he obtained Checking Zhan Long Shan in the Pirate World—that was a small Secret Realm.

There were many such examples: the vertical shaft beneath the Central City in the Ghoul World's District 24—a medium-sized Secret Realm. The basement of Titan Eren's house in the Giant World—another small Secret Realm.

Of course, "Secret Realm" was a term coined by Contracted Ones. You could call them treasure rooms—but "Secret Realm" was the widely accepted term.

*Clang. Clang. Clang…*

Su Xiao began battling the metal door. Checking Zhan Long Shan was now incredibly durable—this level of striking wouldn't reduce its durability.

An hour later, drenched in sweat, Su Xiao leaned against the tunnel wall, gulping water. Today's events bordered on fantasy.

He'd gone from hunting an enemy to treasure hunting—the shift was dizzying.

Finally, after relentless chiseling, he carved a hole large enough to crawl through.

He shone his flashlight inside—the door opened into a long corridor, also timber-and-earth construction, supported by wooden planks.

Su Xiao squeezed through the hole. Unlike the stale air of the tunnel, the air inside was fresher—there must be ventilation shafts, making long-term habitation possible.

Inside the metal door, Su Xiao moved with extreme caution, exploring the corridor step by step.

At the corridor's end stood another door—this one wooden. Su Xiao kicked it open.

*Crash. *

Wood splinters flew—the door shattered, revealing a small room.

*Click. Click. *

A mechanical sound echoed—thick, sickly green gas erupted from within.

【Warning: Hunter is being corroded by "Kaniat Gas." Suffering 5 true damage per second.】

Pain flared across his skin; his eyes burned.

Su Xiao quickly retreated, escaping the gas's range.

He shone his flashlight into the room—a metal lab table stood inside, littered with test tubes and instruments. Before it lay a skeleton.

The table held numerous lab tools, and at its center rested a parchment-like object.

The parchment was about half a meter long, occasionally shimmering with luxurious purple light.

Su Xiao took a deep breath and dashed into the lab. The moment his foot crossed the threshold, his HP began draining like water—he'd be dead in thirty seconds.

He lunged forward, snatched the parchment, and without even glancing at it, spun and ran out.

Pain surged through his body. He pulled out a recovery item—【Vitality Source】—and swallowed it whole. The agony faded.

"Huff… huff…"

Clutching the fine-textured parchment, Su Xiao gasped for breath.

"This… I think I hit the jackpot."

Seeing the Paradise Circle's notification, Su Xiao's face lit up with joy.

【You obtained (Imperial Artifact Modification Blueprint).】

Imperial Artifact Modification Blueprint

Origin: Zhan · Crimson Eyes of the Emperor

Quality: Purple

Category: Design Blueprint

Required for Synthesis:

1. Primary Material: One Biological Imperial Artifact + Essence of a Super-Dangerous Species.

2. Secondary Materials: Five Item-type Imperial Artifacts.

Note: The "Biological Imperial Artifact" and "Dangerous Species Essence" must have a compatibility exceeding 60%. (For example, a humanoid Biological Imperial Artifact cannot be synthesized with a beast-type essence.)

Note: At least five "Item-type Imperial Artifacts" are required as secondary materials; the blueprint allows up to seven.

Note: The number of "Item-type Imperial Artifacts" used determines success rate and the quality of the resulting Imperial Artifact.

Rating: 89 (Note: Purple items range from 71 to 150. Higher ratings indicate greater rarity.)

Description: This blueprint was crafted by the original artisan who forged the first Imperial Artifacts—his dream was to create the strongest one.

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