Plans and Rewards

On the Other Side of Holy Spirit Village, sunlight filtered through sparse clouds, adding a touch of warmth to the tranquil little village. Yet beneath that peaceful exterior lay an unseen atmosphere of tension.

Blade slowly rose inside the house. Though his movements were gentle, they carried an undeniable presence. His eyes were cold and proud, as though they could pierce through all obstacles. Blade felt little about Tang San's father; after all, he had anticipated this long ago.

After beating up his precious Genius son, that man's personality meant he would definitely come looking for him. Bullying the weak with the strong meant nothing to him, either.

And now, there happened to be a Side Mission related to Tang Hao that could increase his Portrayal Progress. For Blade, whose body was constantly in pain from suffering the Side Effect of his Undying Body, that counted as good news.

He was not afraid of Tang Hao at all. Even though he was only level twenty on this Douluo Continent, with merely two Hundred Thousand Year Red Spirit Rings,

and his Portrayal Progress was only around ten percent, meaning he had not fully reached Blade's level, fighting Tang Hao to a standstill would still be easy. If he disregarded the consequences, severely injuring him might be easy as well.

His only concern was those so-called consequences—the backlash of becoming Mara-Struck. Before his Portrayal Progress exceeded fifty percent, he needed to be careful. Otherwise, once he entered the Mara-Struck state and became a madman, it would take a long time to recover. At present, the best thing helping him ease and suppress it was the system's increasingly powerful suppression as his Portrayal Progress rose.

At that moment, Blade looked out the window. He knew that only by constantly advancing his Portrayal Progress and strengthening the system's suppression until it completely eliminated all Side Effects could he achieve his goal. To that end, he needed to keep completing missions.

Then, from this day onward, he could completely let go of his former self, live on as Ying Xing beneath the name Blade! This was a brand-new beginning. An era that belonged to him was about to arrive.

Once he reached the Other Shore, he would be truly reborn! Blade's heart surged violently. He was filled with excitement as he imagined immortality without Side Effects and the power of a Path. How exhilarating would that be? He would surely be freer than even the gods of this continent!

Yet at that very moment, perhaps because he was deeply immersed in portraying Blade, his expression remained indifferent, like a cold stone statue untouched by the outside world. Not the slightest emotional ripple appeared on his face, as though all joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness had been buried deep within his heart.

He held Shizun's Sword in both arms, its blade gleaming with faint Cold Light in the dusk. Then he stepped out of the house, his stride firm and powerful. Tang Hao coming for him meant this battle was unavoidable, but since the system required him to make Tang Hao suffer and earn a large amount of Portrayal Progress, taking the initiative was undoubtedly the best choice.

Before long, he thought of the Ancient Forest where Tang Hao hid his wife, Ah Yin!

Soon, his thoughts drifted to the Ancient Forest Tang Hao often visited. His wife was hidden there, and it was also a place Tang Hao frequently appeared. Waiting there for Tang Hao would not only catch him off guard, but would also keep them away from the village's clamor, allowing him to cut loose and settle things in a decisive fight!

After all, although Blade sometimes behaved crazily, that was not his true nature. He did not want to drag unrelated people into this battle. This Ancient Forest was the perfect stage for their clash. Here, he could wield his power with relatively few reservations.

Before long, Blade's figure darted through the night. He followed the winding path toward the waterfall in that Ancient Forest. His steps were steady and swift as he carefully considered how to use the four Lottery Draw Counts he had obtained.

Beating Tang San once increased his Portrayal Progress by four percent. Though Blade did not consider that fast, it was still a decent gain. He silently pondered that as long as he found more opportunities to fight Tang San in the future, his Portrayal Progress would naturally accumulate.

However, Blade could not help but think further. After today's battle, Tang San's mindset would probably change. The next time they fought, he might not go all out as he had today. He might even surrender and beg for mercy halfway through. Such a weak reaction would undoubtedly slow the growth of his Portrayal Progress, and the gains might gradually diminish in the future.

That thought worried Blade somewhat, but he also knew things had to be taken step by step. At least he still had the system's missions to rely on. This Side Mission was an excellent turning point.

Before long, Blade quickly used four Lottery Chances in his mind!

Ding! The host has used Lottery Chances four times!

Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained the reward: Great Death Penalty (Ultimate Skill), Level 2!

Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained the reward: Hell Transformation (Combat Skill), Level 2!

Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained the reward: Blade Cuts the Soul, Hellscape Manifestation (Eidolon)!

Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained the reward: Calamity's Destruction (Extra Ability)!

Ding! Extra rewards from this lottery draw: Gold Soul Coin 10000*4, Undying Embers: 200*4!

Ding! This is the host's second use of the lottery system. You have received one Repeat Customer Bonus! Gold Soul Coin*5000000! Undying Embers*2000!

Ding! The store has updated with new products. Please check them yourself!

Before long, the system's notifications rang continuously in Blade's mind. The sound was like the most beautiful melody, causing his mood to rise and fall with it.

This lottery draw truly excited Blade. The indifferent expression he had worn moments ago could no longer suppress the slight upward curl at the corners of his mouth. The Konjac Jelly was acting up.

The lottery rewards were entirely within Blade's expectations. Every one of them had been among his specialties in the game. Those familiar skills, Talents, and Eidolons had now become his power in reality, one by one.

The Ultimate Skill was a classic technique—"This paradise may be beyond my reach, but I invite you all to behold it with me!" As Blade chanted, fragments of Shizun's Sword instantly transformed into countless wind-element sword energies, blanketing the sky and forming a sea of AoE Damage with astonishing power.

The Combat Skill was even more straightforward. Blade only needed to consume health equal to thirty percent of his maximum health to enter the Hell Transformation state. Though he could not use his Combat Skill in that state, the damage he dealt increased by twelve percent, while ordinary Shizun's Sword attacks were enhanced into Infinite Sword Tree. Each strike was like a sword tree blooming, multiplying its lethality.

As for this first Eidolon, it was like adding wings to a tiger. It specifically increased the Ultimate Skill's damage against a single target, making it an exceptional choice for one-on-one combat.

The Calamity's Destruction he had drawn, an Extra Ability, further strengthened his Bury on the Other Shore skill, making it deadlier and more destructive.

These four draws had given Blade nearly all of his abilities from the game at once. After this, he would probably just need to keep leveling up and complete all six Eidolons.

The Repeat Customer gift pack from the system astonished Blade. He had never expected the system to offer such a surprise. This unexpected good fortune stirred a sense of emotion within him. He had to admit that his system was rather generous by comparison—far more generous than those legendary Mihoyo systems.

It had given him quite a few Gold Soul Coins and Embers for store exchanges. He had originally thought that if he lacked Gold Soul Coins, he could exchange for some shop items and auction them off for a fortune. But even the lottery bonuses alone would let him slowly become rich enough to rival a nation. Was this the startup capital the system had given him to establish his own faction?

Still, Blade was accustomed to living alone. The last time he had belonged to a force with a name was when he was Ying Xing, among the Cloud Retainers Five Generals. Though the ending had been tragic, that time remained unforgettable.

As Blade, he had belonged to the Stellaron Hunters. Although he was a slave to fate, following Elio's script, at least he had a place there. There was Firefly, Silver Wolf, and Kafka, who always gently called him A-Ren. Now, standing on this unfamiliar land, Blade truly had not found roots where he could settle.

Blade did not hesitate for long before quickly opening the system store. The goods inside were dazzling, and quite a few new products had indeed been added. Most, however, were specialty items from Douluo Continent, such as Soul Tools.

Those items were of little use to him, and Blade was not particularly interested in them. He had already made plans to select one or two in the future and exchange them for a hefty sum of Gold Soul Coins through an auction. Perhaps that was their true value to him.

However, his gaze was soon drawn to a special item. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that it was Blue Silver Emperor seeds and mature Blue Silver Emperors, which surprised him. What confused him even more was that beside the Blue Silver Emperor products stood something that looked like an ordinary Flower Pot.

He curiously read the item description. This Flower Pot actually provided the most suitable environment and soil for all plant growth! Blade was astonished. Such a seemingly simple item was priced at seventy-nine Embers. Among the many goods that cost only single-digit amounts of Embers, it was particularly expensive, even surpassing the fifty-Ember threshold.

I was just praising the system for being generous. Why not give away such a tiny Flower Pot directly? It actually costs seventy-nine?! The system really isn't trying hard enough. This makes things difficult for the host!

For a moment, Blade was at a loss. He did not understand why the system had refreshed such an item. After all, he had not come here to grow flowers and plants, but to strengthen himself.

He did not linger over the Flower Pot and soon turned to the other newly refreshed items in the store. After looking through them, he bought a Spatial Storage Ring with an enormous capacity. It was practical for him and allowed him to conveniently carry more items. Once the transaction was complete, he exited the system interface.

Then Blade continued on his journey toward the Ancient Forest, where Ah Yin lived.

He would wait by the grass for Hao, and make Tang Hao suffer just like his son!