Chapter 130

Luo En stood in front of the door of the Blake Exchange, looking at that still rickety sign with cracked wood.

The damp air unique to the Black Mist Forest had caused green moss to grow on the edges of the sign, adding a bit of weird atmosphere to this dark place.

"Welcome! Welcome! Distinguished Master Luo En!"

The short and fat slave merchant rushed out from the shop at an astonishing speed, his round face flushed red, sweat flowing down his thick cheeks and soaking his collar.

Those small eyes deeply sunken in the folds of flesh flickered with shrewd light, clearly having anticipated the visit of this potion master.

"Your visit today truly makes this dilapidated place shine!"

The merchant said fawningly, bowing humbly, his movements exaggerated to the point of being comical.

Luo En keenly noticed that compared to last time, the merchant's attitude was clearly much more respectful.

Perhaps it was because his identity as a professional potion master had spread in the school, plus the change in status of entering the candidate wizard sequence, which made this merchant, who was refined in snobbery, attach much greater importance to him.

"I am here today to see the batch of new goods you mentioned."

Luo En said straight to the point, his voice calm but carrying undeniable majesty.

"You came at just the right time! It's simply heaven's will!"

The short and fat merchant rubbed his hands, his face full of fawning smiles, his eyes almost narrowed into a line:

"A batch of treasures that arrived just yesterday, I haven't even had time to finish unpacking the packaging. I guarantee it will open your eyes; it is absolutely the top-tier goods on the market!"

Passing through the luxuriously decorated but clearly cheap front hall, Luo En noticed that compared to his last visit, there were a few more fully armed guards inside the exchange.

They stood vigilantly in the corners, hands on sword hilts, their eyes coldly scanning every customer entering and leaving.

Clearly, with the replenishment of a large amount of goods at the beginning of the month, safety measures had also been strengthened accordingly.

The merchant led Luo En into a dim corridor, with rows of cages surrounded by iron bars on both sides, inside which were all kinds of extraordinary creatures.

Unlike last time, the creatures in the cages this time were clearly more fierce, almost every one of them exuding a dangerous aura.

The air was filled with a strange smell mixed with blood, animal stench, and some kind of pungent potion, making one frown involuntarily.

"This way, Master. This is our main product recently, a batch of carefully selected combat slaves."

The merchant said proudly, while waving his hand to signal two strong men to open a heavy iron door, leading Luo En to a specially reinforced area.

The cages here were clearly much stronger than the previous area, each one made of refined steel several inches thick, engraved with suppression runes.

The spacing between the cages was also larger, clearly to prevent the "goods" inside from contacting each other.

The temperature in the entire area was a few degrees lower than outside, and the air was filled with a kind of uneasy, stuffy atmosphere.

In the first cage stood a sturdy creature nearly two meters tall, its upper body basically maintaining human form, but covered in thick dark blue scales, shimmering with metallic cold light.

Its head was completely in the form of a giant fish, its big mouth full of serrated sharp teeth, and when it opened, one could see three rows of sharp teeth like knives, its deep red tongue constantly probing in and out.

Its hands had become fin-like sharp claws, with sharp bone spurs on every fingertip.

The fish-headed monster let out a low hiss when it saw Luo En, all its scales standing up in an instant, forming tiny spikes.

"Deep Sea Hybrid, Master." The merchant introduced, his voice full of showing off:

"This is a hybrid of human and Abyss Merman, possessing both land and water combat capabilities. Its skin is as hard as steel, and it has astonishing regenerative ability—I have seen it lose half its body and recover as before in less than a day!"

The merchant paused and lowered his voice:

"The most amazing thing is that it possesses the unique 'Scorching Blood' talent. During the climax of battle, it can make the enemy's blood burn in their blood vessels, causing unbearable pain. This is simply an invincible existence in the arena!"

Luo En carefully observed this creature, and with the help of the "Extraordinary Identification" ability, he could see that this was indeed a highly modulated hybrid.

The Merman gene and human gene were combined quite perfectly, and the degree of distortion in appearance was much smaller than expected.

But he could also see obvious flaws: there were unstable energy fluctuations in its mental core area, like a volcano ready to erupt at any time.

In this state, this creature could go berserk at any time, posing a fatal threat to itself and its owner.

"I have to say, this rough bloodline mixing method will lead to serious mental hidden dangers."

Luo En said bluntly, his voice carrying professional calmness:

"I can see that its spirit has begun to collapse; judging from the frequency of energy fluctuations, its service life will probably not exceed two years. Moreover, once it enters a high-intensity combat state, it may go completely out of control at any time."

The merchant's face changed slightly, surprise flashing in his eyes; clearly, he didn't expect Luo En to point out the problem so accurately.

But he quickly put on a smile again, as if he had been prepared:

"Master has a good eye! As expected of a genius among potion masters! You are right, these highly modulated combat slaves do have a certain instability, which is why they are so powerful yet their price is relatively 'reasonable'."

He puffed out his belly and took a step closer, lowering his voice:

"But don't worry, we have a one-year quality guarantee for all slaves. If there is a problem, we can exchange it for goods of equal value for free. Moreover, we also provide special 'stabilizing potions' that can effectively extend their service life."

Luo En nodded lightly, but didn't show much interest, instead continuing to walk forward to observe the next cage.

Continuing forward, a stranger creature appeared in front of them.

It had the body of a werewolf, muscles knotted, and its whole body covered in thick gray-black hair, but there were black shells in many places on its body, like the exoskeleton of an insect, covering key parts to form natural armor.

Its claws were unusually slender, shimmering with metallic cold light, looking like they could easily tear through steel.

The most amazing thing was that a gap split on its back, faintly revealing wriggling tentacle-like objects inside, occasionally extending and retracting, as if possessing its own consciousness.

When this creature saw Luo En, it rushed toward the cage door, emitting a weird cry between a wolf howl and an insect chirp, and the tentacles on its back slapped against the cage door at the same time, making a dull thud.

"This is our 'Composite Warrior',"

The merchant introduced, his tone full of pride and excitement, as if showing off his most proud work:

"Combining the strength and speed of a werewolf, the defensive power of a beetle, and the flexibility of a tentacle monster perfectly. A masterpiece designed personally by a Crystal Spire modulator, which took three years to successfully cultivate!"

He explained endlessly: "It can use multiple attack methods simultaneously, claw strikes, biting, shell ramming, and tentacle entanglement; it is a leader in close combat."

Luo En scanned this monster with his Extraordinary Identification ability, secretly shocked in his heart.

This was no longer simple bloodline mixing, but some kind of extremely dangerous multiple grafting experiment.

Three completely different biological characteristics were forcibly fused to form this monster that violated natural laws.

Judging from the degree of disorder in energy flow, this creature could collapse on its own at any time due to internal conflict.

"How is its mental state?"

Luo En asked, noticing that the creature's eyes were filled with pain and madness, its pupils constantly contracting and expanding, as if experiencing some kind of unbearable torture.

"Ah, this is our latest control technology."

The merchant explained with a smile, taking out a small crystal block that flickered with complex runes:

"A special crystal is implanted in its brain, which can completely suppress its self-consciousness, making it absolutely obedient to the master's orders. You only need to command it to fight through this controller, and you can even temporarily improve some of its abilities, of course, the price is a shortening of its service life."

He added proudly: "This technology is imported directly from the Crystal Spire, and its reliability is extremely high. It is said that in the central fertile land, every wizard possesses at least three to five such combat slaves to guard the house and resist threats."

Luo En remained calm, but felt a sense of disgust in his heart.

This practice had already exceeded the scope of bloodline modulation, controlling the brain directly through crystals, depriving the creature of its self-consciousness.

Although the effect was significant, it was destined to be used only for finished products; without self-consciousness, it was ultimately just a living tool with no potential for advancement.

In the following cages, various even stranger combat slaves were displayed in front of Luo En one by one.

During the tour, he analyzed every creature with his "Extraordinary Identification" ability, obtaining valuable bloodline modulation information.

From the residual aura and energy fluctuations, he roughly recorded the modulation methods and flaws of these creatures; these would provide important references for his own research.

Just as he was focused on recording, the merchant seemed to have remembered something and suddenly changed the subject:

"By the way, Master. Have you heard of the 'Bloody Gladiator Meeting'?"

"Bloody Gladiator Meeting?" Luo En raised an eyebrow; this term was indeed heard for the first time.

But from the merchant's suddenly changed tone, he sensed that this might be some important information.

"Exactly!" The merchant lowered his voice mysteriously, looking left and right, as if afraid of being overheard:

"That is a special activity held by the school every quarter, usually not publicly promoted, and only a few apprentices with higher status are qualified to participate. Each contestant sends out the combat slaves they have trained for a life-and-death duel, and the winner can receive generous rewards."

His eyes flickered with excitement, his voice slightly trembling:

"It is said that the prizes include rare spell models, various advanced alchemical items, and advanced potion formulas! These are treasures that are priceless in the market! Even getting the most ordinary award is enough to raise the strength of an ordinary apprentice by a large margin!"

Luo En's interest was piqued, but he still maintained his surface calmness:

"What are the rules of this Gladiator Meeting? When exactly is it held?"

"Very simple. Contestants need to provide a combat slave that has been trained, classified according to body size and strength, and then engage in a life-and-death duel with other slaves in a specific arena."

The merchant smiled, cunning light flickering in his eyes:

"The slave owner can assist in commanding through special control crystals, but cannot directly interfere with the battle; all victory or defeat depends on the slave's own strength."

He added: "As far as I know, the next Gladiator Meeting will be held in three months, just in the last week of the semester. Every Gladiator Meeting attracts many high-level apprentices to participate, and even many mentors will come to watch. For young people who want to stand out in the school, this is an excellent opportunity."

Luo En nodded thoughtfully, already beginning to calculate the risk-to-reward ratio of this activity.

Three months was enough for him to complete preliminary bloodline modulation experiments, but to cultivate a mature combat creature, special means would probably be needed.

"And." The merchant continued, his tone even more mysterious, his eyes flickering with excitement:

"I heard that the special reward for this period is an 'Abyssal Secret Treasure' — the Substitute Puppet."

"Abyssal Secret Treasure?"

Luo En pursued, this term aroused his strong curiosity.

In the many classics he had read, the records about the Great Abyss were extremely limited, and the term "Abyssal Secret Treasure" was heard for the first time.

The merchant nodded proudly, clearly enjoying the feeling of sharing this secret information, his face revealing an almost fanatical expression:

"The Great Abyss is not something ordinary people can talk about."

He deliberately paused for a moment, drawing out his tone, enjoying the insatiable thirst for knowledge on the other side:

"That is a terrifying place entangled by curses, vast and deep, boundless. It is said that the deeper you go, the higher the intensity of the curse, and ordinary people cannot even pass through the first layer safely."

Luo En's face remained unchanged, but a wave surged in his heart.

This sounded like some kind of exotic space, or a special magic gathering zone, extremely likely to contain powerful extraordinary power.

"Even with such danger, people still venture there?" He asked tentatively.

"Of course!" The merchant seemed to have touched some switch and began to talk endlessly:

"Precisely because of its danger, countless 'secret treasures' are hidden in the Great Abyss: magical items that alchemists rack their brains to replicate, and wonderful effects that enchanters cannot construct in their entire lives."

He rubbed his hands, his face revealing an almost obsessive look:

"Every Abyssal Secret Treasure is unique, possessing power beyond reason. Some can teleport the user a hundred miles in an instant, some can briefly predict the future, and some can even tamper with causality..."

A flash of vigilance appeared in Luo En's eyes; these descriptions were quite similar to his understanding of "Rare Antiques."

Could it be that these secret treasures from the "Great Abyss" were the native "Rare Antiques" of this world?

This guess made his heartbeat involuntarily accelerate a bit.

"Master may not know that the entire Ring Abyss Continent Group is named this way precisely because they all gather around the Great Abyss."

He gestured with both hands, trying to describe the huge scale, his eyes flickering with awe:

"The Great Abyss is a huge crack running through the entire world, bottomless, and in some places, the width can even reach tens of thousands of miles. The abyss is not just a synonym for darkness and chaos, but a source of magic power. Large extraordinary gathering places like the Crystal Spire are all built near the abyss without exception, drawing a steady stream of magic power from it."

The merchant's voice became increasingly excited:

"It is said that the deepest part of the abyss leads to some unknown plane, and the energy surging from there changed the laws of the entire world, creating the possibility of extraordinary abilities. Without the abyss, there would be no extraordinary races, no magical creatures we know today!"

Luo En vaguely understood something, a flash of thoughtful expression in his eyes:

"So the magic concentration near the abyss is higher, more suitable for wizards to practice? Is this why the magic concentration of the Crystal Spire is five times that of the Black Mist Forest, because it is closer to the center of the abyss?"

Of course, he didn't say this sentence out loud.

But the merchant captured the light that flashed in Luo En's eyes and was secretly happy, knowing he had found the right entry point; young apprentices were always the most resistant to such mysterious things.

He took out a neatly folded flyer from an oilcloth package at his waist, on which were printed various strange items and brief descriptions.

"This is specially used for promotion within the school; I obtained a sample through special channels in advance, and it should be posted everywhere in the school in two months."

He lowered his voice while unfolding the paper:

"One of the highest rewards for next year's Gladiator Meeting is this 'Substitute Puppet'."

Luo En's gaze fell on the paper:

A strangely shaped humanoid puppet, its whole body covered in twisted and complex runes, presenting an unnatural blue-gray color, as if it had been soaked in some special liquid for too long and changed color.

The puppet's eyes were two dark red gems, which looked eerie and mysterious in the drawing on the paper.

"It is said that this puppet comes from the fourth layer of the Great Abyss, with soul stones capable of carrying consciousness inside, and the wood used for the structure itself has not been parsed by anyone to this day."

The merchant's eyes were fixed on Luo En's reaction:

"The user can transfer their consciousness into it, replicating another 'body' one-to-one, inheriting all magic power and extraordinary abilities, physical fitness, etc. The most amazing thing is that this body is not affected by the damage to the user's original body, and can even survive after the original body dies."

Hearing this, Luo En felt an inexplicable palpitation.

If that puppet really had such an effect, for him who possessed the [Dual Soul] talent, it was simply a treasure tailored for him.

He himself possessed a dual soul, and if he could use external objects to strengthen this characteristic, he might be able to directly achieve double the cultivation effect and combat power.

"Sounds indeed extraordinary."

Luo En only commented casually on the surface, but his eyes could not move away from the puppet pattern.

The merchant noticed the other party's gaze lingering and revealed a satisfied smile.

This apprentice master was clearly interested in the Abyssal Secret Treasure, which was exactly the reaction he expected.

"So you see, this is why the masters of apprentices are so keen on cultivating combat slaves..."

He deliberately raised his tone, and the topic began to lead to his purpose:

"An excellent combat slave is not only daily protection, but also a ladder to a higher level! If you can achieve good results in the 'Bloody Gladiator Meeting' and obtain rewards like the 'Substitute Puppet', your status in the school will inevitably rise."

His eyeballs rolled around, and he added as if unintentionally:

"Of course, the premise is that you have a sufficiently outstanding combat slave. Like the boutique goods in our exchange, they are all specially selected, whether it is melee, ranged, or the assistance of their talent-type spells, they can be tailored according to your needs..."

The merchant talked for a long time, nothing more than to promote his "goods."

At this moment, he had already been unable to expose the other party's little thoughts, his thoughts had long been deeply attracted by that "Substitute Puppet."

"If this secret treasure is indeed some kind of 'Rare Antique', then obtaining it should become one of my core goals. Judging from the palpitation of the soul recently, I estimate that when the mental power breaks through to the level of a high-level apprentice, the effect of 'Dual Casting' can be unlocked, and then use the 'Substitute Puppet' to form a dual fake body..."

Luo En was calculating rapidly in his heart, and his brain had already begun to conceive the preparation plan for the Gladiator Meeting.