Chapter 810
Chapter 810 - 796: Signing the Contract
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10 min read
"Balance, balance... Fuck!"
The "ripple" in his hand turned once again into a mess of pulp; the negative life energy became a clump of blood-red mud.
But this time, it was so much better than before... before, it would blow up right in his face!
Walking on the road, Lu Ping’an floated above the "seat board," allowing him to head towards his destination while silently practicing.
He thought his appearance was odd enough, but after glancing at the bizarre and varied street, he took it in stride.
Hovering on the float board, his half-mechanical arms and legs could solve most problems... From a distance, based just on appearance, he really did look like a mechanical knight.
As he walked and practiced, the process was extremely subtle... Having invested too little in "Law Professionals" previously, he had some technique fragments, but they were incomplete and unstructured.
Each "Abnormal Ability" is independent, and finding just the right "investment target" to twist, transform, or even overlay onto his arms was incredibly difficult.
Of course, the core issue was that this was a basic ability, and the sooner he mastered it, the better.
The "Four Techniques" are the foundation and limit for a Decree-level professional, and Lu Ping’an had no reason to skip this lesson.
"... Tsk, it exploded again."
This was yet another failed realization, a mishmash of negative energy that muddied Lu Ping’an’s hand.
He faintly realized that indeed, this was the prerogative of Decree-level professionals because low-level professionals could not directly manipulate these "Energies" and "Elements"; they could only use an Abnormal Ability in a templated way.
What Lu Ping’an was doing now was extracting "Power of Life (negative)" and then maintaining a stable material state.
To give an analogy, it was like kneading playdough—wanting it to take shape without being destroyed or cracked by external forces. If this analogy seemed too simple or crude, then, the concept of "Energy Materialization" also essentially eluded the possibility for low-level professionals.
Lu Ping’an entered the Special Administration Office and headed towards the designated location.
Knowledgeable professionals who saw Lu Ping’an "kneading mud" all moved out of the way, while the ignorant gathered around to watch the excitement.
"... How can he dare to play with negative energy in his hands?"
"Although it’s a low-level Curse, to distort and shape it like that, directly coating it on his hands, is too outrageous, is he not afraid for his life?"
Even those who were knowledgeable couldn’t understand Lu Ping’an’s actions. In their eyes, the negative "Death-curse" was harmful to all Life, how could one directly handle and toy with it.
Whether intentionally or not, Lu Ping’an had already created a vast gap between himself and ordinary professionals.
In most professionals’ eyes, "Death" and "Life" were two opposing concepts, with deities mastering death and war often clashing with the God of Life.
But from the moment Lu Ping’an stepped into the world of professionals, he knew that death was merely another state of life, with no fundamental difference.
"Imagine a hollow, imagine silk threads seeping out from your fingertips..."
Each Professional Ability is constructed differently, and the process and template for their transformation are naturally distinctive, but there are always some so-called "methodologies" that exist.
The "Flowing Silk Method" was the technique taught to Lu Ping’an by the Silky Realm Swordsman Kun Ba.
He attempted to draw and peel the "Abnormal Ability" and "negative Life Energy" into fine threads, then layer them across his arms...
This time, it exploded before even forming threads.
Lu Ping’an sighed, wanting to curse, but felt incredibly powerless.
He tried to "invest" in Kun Ba, but unfortunately, the direct investment failed. Clearly, even if he wasn’t Rule-level, he wasn’t far from a true complete Rule-level professional.
In the process of "Drawing silk," he could only imitate the motions demonstrated by Kun Ba, pulling bit by bit... whereas with a flick of Kun Ba’s hand, the entire Courtyard would be filled with his "silk thread."
And if one were to fight with him, one would naturally be caught in his web, that was just the basic application of his "hand" technique. Higher-end techniques he wouldn’t teach, and Lu Ping’an probably couldn’t learn them... Without "Binding/Protection" Talent Abilities, Lu Ping’an could not possibly learn the secrets of their faction.
Yet, when the crystal-clear web of silk threads appeared before Lu Ping’an, he instinctively felt that stepping forward would mean certain death.
That is how the "Swordsman of the Silky Realm" got his "silk."
Low-level professionals treat "Professions" and "Abnormal Abilities" as precious weapons, but for high-level professionals those are just convenient tools, extensions of the arm or even the will, with myriad patterns to play with.
But as for Lu Ping’an, he was probably just beginning to touch upon the starting point...
𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
The anxiety of Lu Ping’an transferred to the palm of his hand, causing a momentary hesitation in "Drawing silk," followed by another explosion in his face.
"Ah, failed again..."
But don’t be fooled by his own dissatisfaction; even Kun Ba was somewhat surprised by his progress.
"Physical Exhaustion" is an ability of the Death system (negative Life system), and to control it requires a rather high-level "Death Affinity (Life Affinity)." Lu Ping’an not only made do with the Life Affinity of the Gardener profession but also easily reached the stage of practical operation.
Of course, this was mainly because Lu Ping’an was not truly a blank slate. In the days of his "investment," he had also encountered numerous fragments of experience from Law Professionals using the "Four Techniques."
Although the "Four Techniques," being skills, could not be directly utilized, by analogy, they spared Lu Ping’an many detours... That profound and elusive "feeling" was something Lu Ping’an got a hold of right from the start.
As for core abilities? The true strength of his series of life core abilities, like "Life Affinity" and "Life Perception," had actually far exceeded what the panel displayed.
His "investment" and "deferred payment" were applications of a higher tier of Life Force. Now starting with "Physical Exhaustion," he was going from simple to complex, matching his expertise perfectly.
If he could conquer higher levels, then learning the higher-tier abilities of Physical Exhaustion would become much easier for Lu Ping’an... With his own high resistance in the Life system, he had the audacity to mess around in specific domains, just like those with a Talent in the Protection system.
He was very dissatisfied, and Kun Ba became increasingly dissatisfied as well... Compared to Lu Ping’an’s rapid progress, his disciple Xia Qin seemed like a pig.
"...Your insight needs to be strengthened. Remember to review after you get back. I want to see progress tomorrow."
By the time it was dark the next day, Xia Qin was still clueless; her "Turning Stone into Iron" ability was so far from even covering her arms, let alone depart from its original structure.
Xia Qin’s progress was actually quite normal, being a third-tier professional, she could only grope her way slowly even with her Talent Abilities providing protection and forcefully studying beyond her tier... But in Kun Ba’s eyes, Xia Qin had already become a little genius surpassing his expectations by at least two years, and this pace of learning could probably only be explained by "laziness."
When it was time to dismiss people, his expression was not pleasant... Suffering an undeserved calamity, Xia Qin was completely baffled, likely not understanding what had happened.
"I’m really sorry for not being a genius..."
Afterward, with Lu Ping’an’s explanation, Xia Qin dejectedly complained, and Lu Ping’an casually added a remark.
"With me around, anyone can be a genius... Uh, as long as they have enough points."
"If it weren’t for the latter part, I might have started to like you a bit. But thanks anyway," the woman said irritably, yet the smile at the corner of her mouth might also reflect her hopes for the future.
With that said, as long as Xia Qin worked overtime at night, using the facilities in the Courtyard for help, she really could surpass the progress required by her mentor.
"Lu Ping’an, you’re here."
At that moment, the teachers from Ancient City University, finally seeing Lu Ping’an appear, also breathed a sigh of relief.
This was the office hall of the Abnormal Management Bureau, now packed with staff and clients, and this time, there were quite a few of Lu Ping’an’s peers.
"So, do we sign this agreement or not?"
The reason he was urgently called in to help was because of the examination committee’s new notice.
"Let me see... Life or death not restricted, no responsibility after death, geez, as usual."
Death contracts, or something similar, are commonplace throughout the career of professionals.
But this time, the document laid out before them was indeed a "summons" that could truly result in death, an entrance ticket staked with life itself.
If you want to participate in this temporary qualification exam, you must first sign this death contract... and this time, it seems the organizers are serious, with extremely harsh conditions, even indicating a minimum 10% death rate disclaimer.
That means if the death rate stays within this range, they won’t be responsible for compensation, only providing humanitarian aid, and if it exceeds 10%, it will be considered their own "mistake" and full compensation will be provided.
"Actually, I already have a fair understanding of the exam topics..." Lu Ping’an pondered and casually remarked.
The mentors before him were immediately overjoyed; right now, they were uncertain whether to proceed.
"...If I’m not mistaken, there really will be deaths at the exam site, so it’s best to let them decide for themselves."
Lu Ping’an shrugged, reluctant to provide more information... at least, not in this setting.
His "gaze" swept over the young people, and very few dared meet his eyes... Just the fact of engaging in combat could lead to death; such an overpromising assurance of safety was neither possible nor necessary to provide from him.
"You decide for yourselves. I think the death rate is even higher than 10%..."
So, once it was confirmed that the "death rate" really existed, the candidates became very realistic.
From about eighty candidates who were initially present, less than forty ended up signing up after the contract was presented... Lu Ping’an directly kicked out three unlucky fellows who were planning to gamble but did not meet even the basic abilities, essentially going to the exam only to meet their doom.
The expressions of the candidates varied, some with an air of indifference, others with hesitation... They had no idea they were about to face a living hell.
"Tsk, choosing Abyss Purgatory as the testing ground, these guys are really ruthless."
— End of Chapter 810 —