Chapter 809
Chapter 809 - 795, 3 Items
1,518 words
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8 min read
"Haha, of course I wouldn’t do that; I was just joking."
Kun Ba was joking... uh, let’s just assume that’s true.
But honestly, Lu Ping’an’s concept for the "Misfortune Skill" really did copy from Xue En.
The Misfortune Skill... referred to in jest as the "Lottery Technique" or "Taoist Scam," is an uncanny ability that seems to bring nothing but misfortune.
𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
It’s a rare and scarce ability, possessed only by professionals from the Destiny system with that specific talent... and it’s also the career ability of Taoists, soldiers, and card masters, which Lu Ping’an easily acquired a super complete version of from Xue En.
Its sole function is to lower the target’s "luck"... In most cases, it’s almost useless, involving the enigmatic Fate even at first-tier, and its effectiveness is utterly unreliable.
It’s essentially a "request" to lower luck. Whether it works and how much luck it can reduce depends on luck itself... Yes, an ability to reduce luck that requires good fortune to be effective can only be described as bizarre.
But it’s not entirely useless. After all, professionals capable of employing Destiny system abilities tend to have some confidence in their own luck... even if it’s a negative kind of confidence.
It’s worth mentioning that such powers of interfering with fate come with a fundamental trait—when you tamper with someone else’s destiny, your own fate gets tampered with as well.
Professionals who meddle with others’ fates haphazardly usually don’t live long, which is why most elite professionals prefer a low profile, and half-skilled Taoists often show up just to freeload food and drink.
Xue En is a boxer, once he reaches Decree-level, he won’t hesitate to float the "Misfortune Skill" over his fists like his relatives, allowing his opponents to taste the flavor of "Fate."
Without question, the lowered "luck" is often at its maximum, and the worst off are those who become entangled with him in a twist of fate, entering into a sort of life-and-death pact.
What comes next is simple: Calamity Descends, and we see who survives longer.
"I did indeed get inspiration from senior brother Xue En. You see me as a heavy-armor unit, right? My survival ability is considered rather outstanding among peers..."
Upon hearing this, Kun Ba almost burst out laughing.
Now you remember your peers? If we’re really comparing, your survival ability isn’t just outstanding; it’s off the charts.
Many Rule-level professionals who focus purely on survival abilities can’t even compare to your kind of mobile fortress.
But honestly, I can understand this train of thought. Continuously depleting both sides’ "luck values," artificially creating chances for both sides to slip up or make a mistake (using first-tier Misfortune Skill, normal people can’t bring about natural disasters), and then leveraging your amazing frontal abilities to have the last laugh, is indeed a solid tactic for drawn-out battles on the battlefield.
Life (Negative Energy), Flame (Element), Fate (Trait)—Lu Ping’an’s three options are all unsusual for the charts, but they actually suit him well.
As an armored unit, his ability to engage in direct combat is incredibly strong, and normally, it’s about quick battles and swift victories.
Yet the various "Coiling" will, as time goes on, progressively worsen the battlefield environment, greatly enhancing Lu Ping’an’s endurance in prolonged fights.
"... I originally planned to learn them together, but my friend was just too crazy. His body couldn’t handle it, so he told me to settle one first..."
While saying this, Lu Ping’an sounded somewhat aggrieved.
"All three are tempting, a bit greedy, huh..."
Kun Ba said indifferently, exerting an immense pressure, yet...
"...but as a professional, you should be a bit greedy, more ambitious. I have a Weapon Master’s legacy here if you’re interested... I can teach you..."
All three cannot be mastered in the short term, but to practice the skill of "Coiling," one must prioritize and choose a target first.
"Put the Misfortune Skill last... I’m actually quite fond of this courtyard."
Grandpa Kun Ba looked helpless; it seemed he had once been tricked by an ability user in this regard.
"As for Elements and Life, you’re from the Life system, aren’t you... you seem to want to become an invigilator and examiner?"
Does he even know that?
"We’ll be on the scene too this time." Seemingly reluctant to delve into specifics, Kun Ba offered a few words before swiftly changing the subject.
"Let’s prioritize ’Physical Exhaustion.’ Playing with fire might turn someone into charred remains... and this time, the examination field isn’t suited for playing with fire."
This could be considered as a leak of the question, but they just smiled at each other and pretended not to know.
At this stage of Kun Ba, crossing the line a little bit wouldn’t really be taken seriously by anyone.
Lu Ping’an was actually quite satisfied with this outcome.
Putting Physical Exhaustion in the first place is mainly because it’s part of the "Life system," and its combat characteristics are extremely subtle....Despite it drawing life force from the opponent, as a first-tier Abnormal Ability, the extracted life force is just wasted.
It equates to the Abnormal Ability user expending their own physical and Spiritual Power to use this "opponent’s stamina-depleting" Abnormal Ability, which, once successful, would reduce a portion of the opponent’s stamina...uh, no matter how you look at it, both end up losing.
If it were its superior abilities, "Decay Ray" or "Stamina Absorption," the practical value would be very high, but Lu Ping’an can’t do that now.
"...Your foundation is not solid enough. Learn this first-tier Abnormal Ability and practice it to a certain extent before you start analyzing its superior abilities."
These were Big Cat’s exact words. The abilities of the Life system often derive from one another, so if you haven’t mastered the prerequisite ability, forcing yourself to use the subsequent high-level abilities would only result in a hollow shell.
And the end of this path is probably the "Ageing Curse" that Lu Ping’an once found very interesting, which also involves negative and reverse manipulation of "Life Force."
[Black-iron level Stamina Exhaustion: Upon contact with a living unit, accelerates the loss of their Life Force, reducing their physical strength and endurance.]
[Prerequisite for use: Life Energy Perception lv1.]
[Usage cost: As the cost for "accelerated consumption," to draw out the opponent’s stamina, the user will first lose a significant amount of their own physical strength.]
This ability, seemingly useless, is just a "contact" as its prerequisite for activation, making it overly disabled...again, the question arises, I’ve already touched you, why wouldn’t I just kill you with one blow.
"Many Powerful opponents can’t be defeated quickly...your tactics are actually pretty good, accelerating the stamina consumption of both sides, and it seems your ability can replenish stamina consumption?"
Physical strength is actually the most basic form of Life Energy and is also the target Lu Ping’an has deferred the most times.
But from another angle, it is also the most difficult resource to replenish on the battlefield...Anyone who has experienced the feeling of marathon-like long-distance running and exhausting stamina remembers it vividly.
As long as Lu Ping’an can accelerate his strong enemy’s stamina consumption and keep replenishing his own "endurance," he can use solid defense to wear down the opponent to death.
The idea is indeed good, but when he actually started practicing, it was extremely difficult.
Most Abnormal Abilities are known for their instant burst, but "Coiling" first requires converting the "instant" into "eternity."
This, in fact, is quite difficult.
Lu Ping’an helplessly watched the pale grey sphere in front of him, sighed, and continued to work.
A smear of bright red appeared on his finger, similar to blood-stained nails....Under normal circumstances, he should insert it into the target and start "bleeding" them.
But Lu Ping’an squinted, gritted his teeth, and was working hard to maintain and hold this state.
Once he had calmed down a bit and opened his eyes, he began to envision and tried to control the spread of this bright red beyond his fingertips...
Then, it exploded again.
What seems to be the simple task of "Coiling" is, in reality, exceptionally difficult when practiced.
This was already the second day of practice, and Lu Ping’an was still lingering at the starting point.
"The key is to maintain that balanced state....not too much, not too little, just the right amount. You may need to practice visualization, imagining you are wings in the sky, soaring high with both wings open."
Although the instructions from the Sword Saint were good, Lu Ping’an’s progress was still torturously slow.
But the time he could afford to slack off was bound to be extremely limited, as trouble was soon to come seeking him.
— End of Chapter 809 —