Chapter 1087
Chapter 1087 - 173: Open the Door
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"Life and death, the cycle never ends..."
The bland words had been repeated countless times, but this time, Lu Ping’an had a new understanding.
He now understood why the "Martial Festival" was regarded as a miracle and a hero-producing machine, why Big Cat said it was "very interesting" and suggested that Lu Ping’an should never miss the opportunity.
"...The pressure between life and death, coupled with enough luck and, most importantly, a vast accumulation, all came together, culminating in a qualitative change."
The festival itself was not a welfare; it could even be considered a form of torture, a test.
It merely pushed a person to a "dead end," forcing them to either burst forth or die.
If there were any preferential treatment, it would be the conditions it provided, which were as likely as possible to trigger your potential, letting the real "strongman" win all the way.
It was like a "hammer"—God knows whether it would crush you to pieces when it fell or forge you into a precious artifact or, perhaps, both would happen at the same time.
"...An interesting path."
Lu Ping’an’s "potential," along with his past accumulations, were simultaneously "activated" after this battle.
In the end, it was still the "wealth" from his own past.
It was just that the former him had been too busy, without the time or energy to delve into it, and this time, under the augmentation of a life-and-death struggle and Martial Destiny, a higher-level gate was directly pried open.
"There are actually two classifier system professions... uh, or it can be said to be two forms of one profession."
In front of Lu Ping’an, there were two different paths, but both were quite tempting for him.
One was close to the Death system and was also an invisible advancement bestowed by Big Cat with the Pale Hand.
The Pale Hand was a bone controller in the Tamer series, but at its core, it is the result of a combined effect of the Life/Death system and Tamers. It essentially creates organic bone pins, then inserts its own "pins" into other living beings, indirectly controlling other lives.
This form was very much a Tamer and also very much a part of the Life system.
Lu Ping’an in the arena lightly clapped his hands, and the bones that had been cleaned and completed Erosion Assimilation hopped up on their own.
They organized themselves according to their size, forming little men dancing joyfully or carriages of speeding bones.
Another snap of his fingers and a carriage stopped in front of Lu Ping’an, who then got on, while the skeletal coachman in front took off its head to salute him.
In the world of professionals, there were no Necromancers... at least, none recorded in writing, though Corpse Controlling Practitioners and bone controllers did exist.
And what Lu Ping’an was now displaying was the ability of a rather high-end bone controller.
This was the advancement of the Pale Hand, but clearly, it also stepped into the realm of the Death system... but this was still only the basic ability of this path; the core abilities that Lu Ping’an was trying out had not been displayed.
Under his control, the skeleton dancers danced away into nothingness, and the skeleton carriage disappeared halfway through its run, along with the skeletal horses... At this time, how could Lu Ping’an bear to let these precious "materials" be directly confiscated by Domineering Three Faces.
His path required an almost infinite amount of quality "bones."
And after performing the "magic trick," he even picked up a skull to use as a hat, saluting the audience with his hat in hand.
Leak a secret? Actually, by this time, probably only a very few who didn’t know about the Trading Land, who didn’t know that Lu had space-related features.
"These bones can serve as a tactical reserve. Right, there’s also the Divine Bones from the Green Planet; I could bring some over..."
While contemplating this, Lu Ping’an wasn’t in a hurry to move onto the next step.
"...I feel the other path is stronger in combat power, very promising." This was Big Cat’s advice.
That was a hybrid profession that incorporated aspects of Fighter, Tamer, and the Life system; if one must categorize it, it’s probably an advancement of fighters under the Life system (Battle-profession), centered around the core feature of Dismantle Bones, the Life Destroyer.
In Big Cat’s eyes, although this was clearly a profession (Battle-profession) that provided combat power and was application-oriented, the prospects were still promising, and it could be mastered as quickly as possible.
And now, Big Cat was advising Lu Ping’an to prioritize increasing his combat power, rather than "playing bone games."
"This is clearly your own rare profession’s advancement; I’m just helping you complete your self-created path..."
"Tsk. Scram."
Lu Ping’an’s words were met with a disparaging response.
Her Big Cat people are all dead, and you’re helping her perfect a private path to the Evil Gods? What’s the use? Even if the profession is strong and can attract more followers, what does it mean? Instead, it seems like irony.
Besides, the prerequisites for this thing are at least a third-tier standard in the "Life system," "Tamer (Bone Control)," and "Fighter (Hieroglyphic Boxing)." Starting at ten years for an ordinary person, is there any value to include it in the database?
But if it’s just for Lu Ping’an’s own use, as a part-time "Battle-profession," there’s no problem at all.
"...Not in a hurry."
"Not in a hurry? The opponents coming next are not easy to deal with..."
Big Cat was somewhat puzzled. You’re passing up advancement opportunities that could increase your combat power; what else do you want?
"...To be honest, I always feel like these two divergent paths don’t conflict. Maybe they can be combined into one Big Road, fused into a single profession."
"You’re dreaming of pea—"
The sneering remark stopped halfway, as Big Cat itself thought of that cheat-like possibility.
"Taboo Library..."
"Exactly, as long as I have enough Life-points and the necessary materials, and it meets the theoretical requirements, anything can be custom-made, right?"
Having said that, Lu Ping’an left the arena.
And when he returned to the Large ship, aside from the landslide and tsunami of cheers and curses, there was also a heavier "Martial Destiny."
At this time, even Lu Ping’an himself felt the "Qi Yun" was too terrifying...
"I would like to request some time to regroup. Give me half an hour."
Lu Ping’an made the request, but...
"The Deity has denied your request."
"Apply again. Tell them I’m about to advance. Give me half an hour, and I can make the next Chain Death Battle even more exciting."
Life and death hold great terror, but also tremendous luck. Having grasped the World Rules of this world, Lu Ping’an was straightforward.
This time, his application was easily approved. The originally expected ten-minute rest turned into two hours of nap and lunchtime...
"...This is the rules?"
"This is the rules. Go with the flow and the big trends, give a ’reason’ for everything you want to do, then it’s much easier to do them."
This is the Secret Realm of the Duel, the "sacrifice" offered to the Deity and Its rules. Thus, the more spectacular and intense each duel is, the more it can demonstrate the evolution of life, the higher the gains for It... These fundamental rules are the instincts of the Deity and also the underlying principles of how the Secret Realm operates.
That’s why the "Chain Death Battle" was easily confirmed as the source, and why there’s a series of favorable treatments for Lu Ping’an.
Compared to plain, uneventful fights, perhaps, in the eyes of the world, a figure attempting to burn everything, evolving back and forth between life and death, aligns better with the script requirements of the God of Martial Fight.
Lu Ping’an doesn’t mind being a chess piece or a "poster boy for the advertisement," as long as the payment is good.
"Divine Grace? At this time?"
The sudden descent of Divine Grace, though legal and a blessing for the victor, made Lu Ping’an laugh and cry.
And even more ironically, this seemingly Brass-level Divine Grace was characterized by a simple and brutal "accelerated physical recovery"... No pretense at all.
"Thank you and your god for the fair treatment. I will bring to You and your Deity the most spectacular fight."
Fair? Lu Ping’an uttered this overly polite thanks without any guilt, whereas the obedient Priest Gan blushed a bit.
"...Has anyone ever told you that you’re better off not speaking?"
"Too many people have said that. Ha, do you think I’ll listen?"
"So, has anyone told you that people with hard fists speak more effectively?" As he spoke, Priest Gan showed off his pot-sized fist.
𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
"Er, I’ll keep my mouth shut... just don’t forget about my Divine Grace." Alright, Lu Ping’an knew when to pick his battles, especially when there were benefits to be had.
He casually passed over a list, yes, it was the "Divine Grace List" Lu Ping’an had wanted to get his hands on before.
This time, Priest Gan’s expression grew even more subtle.
— End of Chapter 1087 —