Manticore's Thorn

You obtained equipment: +3 Crimson Curved Dagger.

As the blue glow faded, a crimson dagger appeared in Bai Pu's hand. Its spine curved like a shark's back, with specks of light flowing across it. It looked fairly impressive.

This was an elite-grade blue piece of equipment. Thanks to its +3 enhancement, its Attack Power reached 4–8, matching the basic Attack Power of a two-handed weapon.

Furthermore, this Crimson Curved Dagger came with a highly practical passive skill: Lifesteal. This weapon would steal health equal to 10% of the damage dealt to heal its wielder.

Equipment drawn from Bloody Treasure Chests, like equipment drawn from normal loot chests, came in a "packaged" state and could be used directly.

The difference was that much of the equipment in Bloody Treasure Chests had been "enhanced" by Awakened Ones using Spirit Energy Points. Equipment from loot chests did not come with such benefits.

Unfortunately, the Crimson Curved Dagger required 10 points of Basic Agility. Bai Pu could hold it, but he could not use it or benefit from its attributes and special effects, so he put it away for the time being.

Next, Bai Pu opened the Bloody Card in the middle.

In that instant, Bai Pu's heart leaped with joy. When the card flipped over, it was flashing with... golden light!

As the light receded, a piece of equipment appeared in Bai Pu's hand.

This piece of equipment did not look very appealing. It was about the size of a palm, black and somewhat elastic, as though it had been made from some animal's internal organ.

You obtained equipment: +4 Manticore's Thorn

Manticore's Thorn +4 (Packaged)

Quality: Heroic (Gold)

Equipment Slot: Accessory

Equipment Requirement: None

Attributes: Agility +3

Additional Skill: Poison Coating: Coat a weapon in poison. When it deals Sharp Damage to an enemy, it can stack Manticore Poison up to 3 layers. The poison lasts 12 seconds and can be refreshed; the weapon coating lasts 60 minutes.

+4 Special Effect: Toxin Purification: Passive. Causes Manticore Poison to ignore the opponent's resistance and damage reduction effects, dealing full damage. The additional priority of this effect is (3).

Durability: 39/40

Description: This is the poison gland of a powerful female manticore, crafted by a hermit of Sandstone City.

As expected of Golden Equipment! Not only did it have a powerful poison-stacking skill, but it also granted 3 points of Agility! If Bai Pu could use this accessory, it would make up for his lack of options against powerful single enemies.

At the stage of low-level Awakened Ones, no one could withstand three stacks of Manticore Poison that ignored resistance! However, Manticore Poison had to be applied to a weapon capable of dealing Sharp Damage...

Bai Pu lowered his head and looked at his Smooth Bone Hammer. At that moment, he desperately wanted to replace it with a saber or a sword! I'll go to the God Strategy Army quartermaster later and trade for another weapon. It's only white equipment anyway, so I won't feel bad about replacing it! Bai Pu thought.

It was worth mentioning that Toxin Purification had an additional priority of 3 for ignoring damage reduction effects. Added to Fish Intestine's 2 points of priority as an elite profession, its overall priority reached 5 points. Yet Bai Pu's Inactivated Blood Image form could forcibly break through the effect of "ignoring damage reduction and dealing full damage"!

It seemed the priority of the Evolution Heart talent was even higher than Bai Pu had imagined.

Self-Adaptive Evolution had now stored four evolution forms: Keratinous Skin for Sharp Damage, Fluid Skeleton for blunt damage, Cold Body for frost damage, and Inactivated Blood Image for poison damage.

If he encountered a new damage type and wanted to store a new form, he would have to delete an old one, because Self-Adaptive Evolution could store no more than four evolution forms.

The influence of Blood Hand Colen's Gene Fragment gradually faded, and that feeling of looking down on everything and surveying the world with contempt vanished.

The 8-point Strength bonus disappeared, but Blood Hand Colen's superb fighting techniques had still left a deep impression on Bai Pu. He opened his attribute panel and discovered that his Fighting Expertise had gained a large amount of proficiency, reaching Advanced Level 1!

Unfortunately, after this fusion, Blood Hand Colen's Gene Fragment had disappeared. Among the images of powerful figures that could be fused from Gene Fragments, Columbus was no longer there.

In its place was Fish Intestine's image. After Fish Intestine's death, Bai Pu had also absorbed his 3 Origin Life points.

"Fish Intestine said before he died that this wasn't the end, only the beginning." Bai Pu thought silently. "He was right. The Superpower Corporation won't stop retaliating against me, and I can't stop moving forward either! I still have to seize the Living Tissue of the Source Heart from the Superpower Corporation. I have to advance to a Heroic Profession!"

He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

Bai Pu removed the Iron Thorn Shoulder Guard and began inscribing the Flesh Armor incantation once more.

Jiangnan Special Military Base, General Control Room.

Li Ling and Xiang Yinghua watched as though they were watching a silent film.

After watching Bai Pu kill Fish Intestine, Li Ling and Xiang Yinghua exchanged a glance.

The former was shocked, while the latter was astonished.

Li Ling spoke first. "Instructor Xiang, according to regulations, Bai Pu's video footage must be kept confidential."

Xiang Yinghua nodded. "Mm, don't worry. I definitely won't talk carelessly. Unless necessary, the footage won't be leaked to any third-party forces either."

After making his promise, Xiang Yinghua sent notifications to the two special operations teams in the Intersection Lands, canceling the order and telling them to continue their drills according to the original plan.

The team of Awakened soldiers guarding the entrance passage to the Intersection Lands also reported in. They had successfully captured the female Awakened One codenamed "Containing Light."

"Question that woman later and give me a copy of her testimony," Li Ling said. "She's a member of the Superstar Alliance. The assassination definitely has something to do with the Superstar Alliance, and her testimony will be evidence!"

"You can't be too optimistic. These major conglomerates and powerful factions are deeply entrenched. They treat the law as nothing, and the country has wanted to move against them for a long time, but there has been no way to begin."

Xiang Yinghua shook his head. "The Superstar Alliance has too many ways to distance itself from this. The law requires evidence. A single piece of evidence cannot stand alone; a confession is useless by itself."

Li Ling knew that was true, but she still had to make the effort. "I can't just watch a member of the God Strategy Army's Genius Camp get assassinated, even have Bloody items used against him, and do nothing."

Xiang Yinghua nodded slightly. "That's true enough. At the very least, we need the attitude of doing our best."

Li Ling looked at Bai Pu on the surveillance screen and said softly, "I originally thought Bai Pu was joking when he said he wanted to become the Top Scorer. Now it seems he wasn't entirely bragging."

"What?" Xiang Yinghua thought he had misheard and repeated, "You said the Top Scorer?"

After Li Ling confirmed it, Xiang Yinghua repeatedly shook his head. "This kid can only be said to have decent potential, but his level is too low. It's impossible for him to take first place in the country."

"That's because you don't know how long ago Bai Pu awakened!" Li Ling could hardly put her shock into words. It had only been around a month since he awakened, yet Bai Pu had already reached Level 2. When ambushed by two Level 3 Awakened Ones, he had even killed one and driven the other away! She increasingly felt that Bai Pu was an excellent seedling with limitless potential.

Not long after, Li Ling received a message. Her brows immediately furrowed.

"Just as Instructor Xiang predicted, the Superstar Alliance expelled Poison Sting and Containing Light three days ago, citing the massive losses the two had caused the group..."

Li Ling sighed. "It looks like there'll be no way to follow the trail and teach the Superpower Corporation a lesson this time."