From Now on Lu Xiu Is Your Ancestor
It's no wonder Rosalind was so puzzled.
The main problem is that Nine Provinces's question about this matter is simply too unbelievable.
In fact, not to mention the people of Nine Provinces, even the Frans will experience a very long period of weakness after Blood Frenzy Art.
And there's no guarantee of success.
In fact, out of a hundred Frans, only about five will successfully undergo Blood Frenzy Art; the remaining ninety-five will commit suicide.
This can be seen from the skill descriptions.
Yes.
After the World Gamification.
The unique Blood Frenzy Art of the Franca race is also described.
But there is no cooling and no rating.
Moreover, the explanation is quite subtle----
[Skill Name: Blood Frenzy Art (Franca Clan Exclusive)]
[Skill Rating: None (Racial skill, cannot be rated, and the system also refuses to provide a rating for suicidal behavior)]
[Cooldown: None (Can be activated at any time as long as you are alive and have enough health)]
[Skill Effect: The player ignites their Ancestral Bloodline, irreversibly squeezing their physical vitality for a short period to boost all attributes (especially Strength and Agility), and to some extent gain beast-like combat instincts and pain immunity.]
[Skill Cost: Once activated, it will continuously burn maximum health. After the skill ends, the user will enter a period of weakness for varying durations, causing permanent organ damage and lifespan reduction, and with a high probability of causing a permanent drop in attributes.]
[System Note: Primitive and crude suicide techniques. Evolution finally allowed you to wear clothes and walk upright, yet you always want to revert to being wild beasts. You're hopeless! You just want to be someone's pet, is that it?]
This is the description provided by the system.
It seems they don't consider this a normal combat skill at all.
Instead, the text is filled with disdain and mockery for this crude way of using qi and blood.
Most importantly, Blood Frenzy Art really do reduce stats.
Therefore, most Frans themselves are unwilling to use this method.
Rosalind also admitted that it was purely a gamble with her life.
Currently, the only race that reliably uses this skill is the Franca Silver Fox Clan, which is the current royal race.
Otherwise, Franca wouldn't have been able to have its capital invaded by Nine Provinces in the first place.
The reason why the Silver Fox Clan has such a high success rate is mainly due to their unique physical structure, which allows them to better withstand the terrifying consequences of Blood Frenzy Art.
In fact.
Before the arena battle.
That special event was where Franca was able to win.
They won by sheer Blood Frenzy Art.
Rosalind killed the last enemy Architect with her Blood Frenzy Art ability, which gave Franca a slight advantage and ultimately led to their victory in the special event.
But because of that Blood Frenzy Art, the side effects haven't completely subsided even now.
During the arena battle.
Although Rosalind's sequence was high, it was of no help whatsoever.
"The higher-ups in Nine Provinces couldn't possibly be unaware of the Deadly of the Blood Frenzy Art."
Rosalind got up and went to the window, looking at the bustling scene of Chen Capital below, a thoughtful expression on her face.
After all, when the two countries went to war, the Nine Provinces army witnessed firsthand the tragic scene of tens of thousands of Franca warriors being forced into a desperate situation and forced to unleash their Blood Frenzy Art, only to explode and die before the enemy could even touch them.
Although it's been a while.
But Rosalind didn't believe Nine Provinces had no records.
Since it is known that this is almost tantamount to suicide.
Why would a purely human nation go to such lengths to demand this intelligence during negotiations?
unless----
As Rosalind pondered, a sudden flash of insight struck her.
Either Nine Provinces has found a way to ignore the terrifying cost of this skill and allow humans to use it, or—some powerful figure with special privileges wants to learn about this skill!
And considering the attitude of the officials at the time.
They weren't in a hurry, and didn't seem to understand the purpose of Franca's Blood Frenzy Art.
The first possibility can be ruled out.
That leaves only the second possibility—the people in Nine Provinces today who can get Nine Provinces diplomats to help them obtain intelligence at the negotiating table.
Aside from Lu Xiu, the chief Architect of Nine Provinces who single-handedly stirred up the entire world and was both loved and hated by countless players.
Who else could it be?
"Is it her—has she encountered some problem with her Qi and blood? Or is she preparing for a new dungeon?"
Rosalind murmured something, her breathing quickening involuntarily.
The frustration of being constantly hampered at the negotiating table and unable to find a breakthrough was instantly swept away at this moment.
She was worried about not finding a reasonable excuse to see the Architect —she was worried about wanting the weapons from the Astera but didn't have enough leverage.
Now.
The chips have come to us of their own accord!
"If Lu Xiu wants it—"
Rosalind parted her red lips slightly, pondering how to use this as a pretext.
But the next second...
She suddenly realized.
Wrong!
No blackmail or equivalent exchange!
Rosalind recalled the girl she had glimpsed in the forest, and for some reason, even though they hadn't exchanged a single word—she just felt that using this method might backfire and cause her to lose more than she gained.
Thinking of this...
Rosalind walked straight back to the sofa, then took out some paper, picked up a pen, and began to write down all the details of the Blood Frenzy Art from memory.
From how to forcibly reverse the heart rhythm, to how to guide the flow of qi and blood, and the sensations during the process of becoming half-beast, she wrote down every key point in great detail.
Not only that.
She also added details about her subjective feelings after successfully inflicting a Blood Frenzy Art Blood Frenzy Art during a special event in order to kill an enemy Architect, as well as the weakness and lingering effects that she still suffers from.
Furthermore, it specifically mentioned the reason why Silver Fox Blood Frenzy – and also explained why humans cannot do it.
In short, the core secrets of the entire set of techniques are all written down.
Yes.
Rosalind did not intend to use this as a bargaining chip or to blackmail the Coordination Bureau into exchanging it for weapons from the Astera.
Instead, they planned to have a diplomatic official hand it over to Lu Xiu.
after all.
Although the Blood Frenzy Art is unique to the Franca, it is not a top secret, and almost every Franca clan knows it.
Even though the Silver Fox Clan has the highest and most stable success rate, Franca has more than one Silver Fox. As long as Nine Provinces is willing to spend the time and effort, it can always obtain intelligence from other channels.
If that's the case, why maintain this facade?
Perhaps it's better to just consider this a favor done on a whim.
Or rather—a free gift offered by a mere admirer.
But is it really free?
Rosalind looked at the paper in front of her, a sly glint in her eyes.
The Blood Frenzy Art was developed based on the physical structure of the Franca Beastfolk. For a purely human being, it is difficult to understand, simply by reading the text descriptions, how such a delicate balance, which is close to the limit, is achieved.
Even if Lu Xiu were Architect, after reading this information, she wouldn't be able to immediately understand how Qi and blood circulate.
They might not even be able to control their qi and blood.
In this situation...
What is the best approach?
Of course, you should find a live specimen and witness the Blood Frenzy Art with your own eyes.
As long as she showed even the slightest interest in the Blood Frenzy Art ----
Looking at the entire mission...
Who else could be more suitable as this demonstration subject than this royal member who successfully used her Blood Frenzy Art to kill a powerful enemy and possesses the Silver Fox bloodline with the highest success rate?
"At that time----"
Rosalind neatly folded the manuscript and carefully put it away, then said softly, "I guess I'll be able to see her soon, right? It's a little scheme—but in any case, if I can meet her, I'll definitely teach her everything I know."
At the same time.
Inside the pure white Construction Space.
Boom!
Suddenly, a deafening explosion rang out.
Lu Xiu leaped high into the air, gripping the katana in one hand, exuding an unstoppable, ferocious power, before slamming the katana into the ground.
The moment of landing.
She transformed the raging blood and qi within her body into vital energy, which she then poured wildly into the pure white earth along the blade.
And as she operated...
The force transformed into a fan-shaped shockwave of crimson blood energy that exploded forward, blasting the newly sparring partner, an enemy wielding Great Axe, into the air along with his shield!
Mountain Collapse Strike!
Before the enemy could even land, Lu Xiu, already leaning forward, suddenly stomped her foot, her body shooting forward like an arrow, instantly reaching—
She stood before the enemy, raised her fair left hand, spread her fingers, and grabbed the man's neck.
The raging blood and qi that had been surging wildly within her body seemed to find an outlet at this moment. A surge of scarlet blood qi rushed wildly down her arm, and after reaching a certain critical point, it exploded directly at the enemy's neck.
Bang!
A mist of blood filled the air.
The immense recoil force sent the enemy flying several meters away.
Soul-Devouring Hand!
However, the attack is not over yet.
Lu Xiu, brimming with frenzied bloodlust, lowered her center of gravity and charged forward again. The enemy had just gotten up from the ground when Lu Xiu was already beside him, and directly stepped on him.
Then, feeling the surging, almost Rampage, blood and qi within her body due to continuous mobilization, she stomped her right leg hard!
Boom!
The crimson blood mist, centered on Lu Xiu's feet, shot into the sky in an instant, like a volcano erupting from flat ground. The violent blood-red energy surged out, completely engulfing and tearing apart the enemies on the ground, and finally turning into countless streams of data light that dissipated into the sky.
Rage Burst!
Within an endless Construction Space.
As the enemy dies.
The turbulent air currents and blood mist gradually subsided.
Lu Xiu stood there for a while, then gently patted her slightly heaving, full chest before letting out a long sigh.
Sure enough, he's really handsome.
that is----
She lowered her head slightly, looked at her hands still stained with blood, and then at the spot where the enemy had just disappeared. Her expression became subtle.
Mingming at the very beginning----
She came here to learn how to control her Qi and blood in a stable and precise way so that she could manually release the [Transcendent·Remnant] skill. However, because the micro-management was too difficult, she had to settle for second best and chose the simple and brutal burst route of condensing her Qi and blood and throwing it out directly.
But the more they played, the more addicted they became.
Because it's really fun—after practicing for a while, you can easily unleash powerful moves, and in the Construction Space, no matter how you play, you won't lose too much health.
Lu Xiu tried them one by one.
And then it turned out like this: they didn't learn the finesse control, but instead learned all sorts of illogical, wild, explosive techniques.
He's really trained like Berserker!
in addition.
It can be said that...
No one knows how to Blood Control better than Lu Xiu!
Even the Frans, renowned for their Blood Frenzy Art!
Lu Xiu also felt that they didn't understand her as well as she did—although she didn't have any Ancestral Bloodline, according to Shen Nian's description, the Frans's Blood Frenzy Art only enhanced their physical attributes.
But she can directly draw out her frenzied blood energy from her body and then exhale it onto the enemy's face!
"However—this won't do; we can't keep playing like this."
Lu Xiu relaxed, no longer straightening her back, but instead used her Mental Strength to dispel the blood energy in her body and shook her head.
It felt great, as much as it did.
But it's completely deviated from its original purpose.
Her fundamental goal was to learn refined control, not to train herself into Berserker.
In reality, this is useless. If she were to unleash her skills like that—she'd probably be in the ICU from blood loss after just two or three ultimate moves.
You must learn precise control.
"Let's try a different approach—let's get a Dual Blades and see what happens."
Lu Xiu slightly raised her snow-white chin, pondered for a moment, and then made up her mind.
She wanted to try using Dual Blades yesterday.
But it failed.
Not only did the attempt to imbue the blade with blood essence fail, but the process of condensing it into a blade itself was also unsuccessful.
Because I'm not skilled enough yet.
But it seems that it can be done now.
After all, we've been playing for so long.
The so-called Dual Blades.
It doesn't mean actually having two knives, but rather taking a knife with a physical blade and then, when swinging it, condensing it into a long sword of blood energy.
Simply put, it's Bloodlust.
Simply attaching qi and blood to a physical blade can easily cause it to dissipate if not handled carefully.
They took a bit too big a step.
However, if you force yourself to conjure a long sword out of thin air using your blood and qi, and keep the blood blade intact during the high-frequency slashes of the Dual-Blade Style, the requirements for the continuity and precise control of the blood and qi flow are absolutely demanding.
If one can ensure that the Blood Blade doesn't dissipate during intense battle, then one is one step closer to perfect control of Qi and Blood.
"Give it a try."
Thinking of this...
Lu Xiu took a deep breath and began to take action. He held the ordinary katana in his right hand and made a loose grip with his left. The violent blood and qi in his body burst out and transformed into blood qi in his palm, instantly condensing into a long sword surrounded by blood mist.
Dual-Blade Style!
The next second, Lu Xiu crossed her hands, gripped two knives, and swung them fiercely at the imaginary enemy in front of her! But the moment the Dual Blades tore through the air, she deliberately severed the connection with her blood and qi.
The blood-red longsword, once swung out, instantly transformed into a harmless cloud of red mist the moment it struck the imaginary enemy.
But then...
Lu Xiu didn't stop moving, and her second backhand strike followed immediately, a Xisha Slash.
Swish!
As she moved, the pervasive crimson mist suddenly contracted under the forceful pull of her Mental Strength, condensing back into a blood blade, which she grasped in her hand and slashed down from an eerie angle along with the physical blade!
It's truly impossible to guard against.
The solid blade is designed for head-on confrontations, while the blood blade can switch freely between solid and mist forms.
This attack method, which can directly penetrate blocks and then re-form itself in the enemy's blind spot, seems like it would be quite useful.
"Call----"
I tried a few more times.
After completing a combo.
Lu Xiu slowly stopped moving, letting the blood drain from her left hand, and couldn't help but breathe softly.
Her gameplay was relatively smooth, given how much she had played before and how much proficiency she had in Blood Control was indeed improving.
But the consumption is quite significant.
In a high-speed clash, precisely controlling the instantaneous dispersion and re-coagulation of qi and blood is far more difficult than simply drawing qi and blood and smashing it forward.
Lu Xiu shook her slightly sore wrist, pondering how to reduce the strain and how to apply this technique in real life.
bite.
System notification sound.
It rang without warning.
Immediately afterwards, a window popped up in front of Lu Xiu.
Lu Xiu was slightly taken aback.
----What is it?
[Unknown system detected, meeting inclusion criteria.]
[Initiating recording----]
[Calculation in progress----]
[Current system completeness: 10-28-31%]
The text on the window was very brief.
And there was no further explanation.
"No----"
Lu Xiu looked out the window, somewhat confused. "I was just messing around here, how did I end up with a progress bar? System? What is this? Explain yourself!"
The system did not respond.
Lu Xiu called out twice more.
But there was still no response, and the progress bar stopped moving.
Lu Xiu felt somewhat helpless, but she was used to it. She looked out the window again, a thoughtful expression on her face.
system?
Completeness?
What does this refer to? The progress of manually executing skills without system assistance?
Was that same chaotic sequence of actions interpreted as some new skill module being added to the system?
It seems like either is possible.
"Never mind----"
Lu Xiu looked at the progress bar, which was stuck and not moving, and shook her head helplessly.
Regardless of what the system is entering, you'll know once the progress bar is complete.
Let nature take its course.
Even if she knew what it was, she couldn't stop it.
And this is clearly not something that can be figured out in a short time.
If we really want to experiment and guess what this includes, let's wait until this afternoon.
She's really at her breaking point.
Although she wouldn't get hurt no matter how she played in the Construction Space, the continuous high-intensity Mental Strength micro-management still exhausted her.
As Lu Xiu pondered this, she brought up the System Panel.
They exited the Construction Space directly.
The moment she pressed the button, the pure white space before her eyes rapidly peeled away like a shattered mirror image, receding into the distance.
Then, accompanied by a slight feeling of weightlessness, when Lu Xiu opened her eyes again, she was back in the Witch Forest.
A cool mist from the forest washed over me, instantly dispelling the drowsiness that had been brought on by the intense training.
Lu Xiu stood still, calmed her breathing slightly, and subconsciously raised her right hand, her five fingers slightly curling inward, beginning to guide the now compliant flow of qi and blood within her body.
Two seconds later.
Crack!
A faint rumble of thunder sounded.
Several clusters of blue electric arcs instantly appeared in her palm.
Compared to yesterday's barely perceptible arc of electricity that was forced out on the verge of going out of control in the Construction Space and vanished in an instant, this time it not only formed faster, but the arc also obediently wrapped around her fingertips, continuing to pulsate without dissipating.
Although it's only a tiny bit, and its power is far less than the original [Supernatural·Crippled], it is indeed a leap forward.
She finally managed to transform elements using her Qi and blood on her own!
Sure enough, the arduous training was effective.
"Phew—finally starting to get the hang of it."
Lu Xiu satisfiedly dissipated the arc of electricity lingering on her fingertips and let out a long sigh of relief.
Moreover, from another perspective, as she constantly changes imaginary enemies within the Construction Space to test the flow of qi and blood, she is actually also constructing enemies incidentally.
This not only honed my skills but also allowed me to design new dungeon enemies, achieving both training and character building simultaneously – a win-win situation!
It's worth it.
Lu Xiu put her hand down, then focused her thoughts, preparing to look for Shen Nian and Jian Li.
At this moment.
The door of the Wooden Cabin not far away was pushed open.
Shen Nian happened to walk out and looked up to see Lu Xiu standing in the open space. Her beautiful eyes lit up slightly. "Lu Xiu, you've come out of seclusion?"
"Yeah, I just came out."
Lu Xiu nodded, then looked at Shen Nian who had come to stand in front of her and casually asked, "Where's Jian Li? And how's it going with your practice of unleashing skills on your own?"
Shen Nian's smile froze instantly, "Uh... Jian Li is still practicing, as for me..."
"The key point is completely missing."
Shen Nian's shoulders slumped, and she said somewhat dejectedly, "I did as you said, taking deep breaths repeatedly, trying to sense the flow of qi and blood or the energy flow in my body—but I couldn't sense anything at all, and I almost tore my bra apart."
"No—why would your bra tear if you took a deep breath?"
"Because deep breathing expands the chest! And my shoes were already a bit tight!"
Why did you buy it? Never mind.
Lu Xiu waved her hand, deciding to skip the topic.
Because I always felt that if I continued talking, I would be at a disadvantage.
She thought for a moment and suggested, "Since it's difficult to sense in reality, why don't you just apply to become Architect? It would be much easier to practice in the Construction Space."
Hearing this, Shen Nian was stunned.
Then, he gave Lu Xiu a strange look. "You, the chief Architect of Nine Provinces —you wouldn't be unaware of the system's rules, would you?"
"Don't know what?" Lu Xiu asked in confusion.
Shen Nian explained, "Applying to become Architect through the system is indeed very easy; anyone can apply. However, the problem is that after successfully applying, you must launch a dungeon within a week, and that dungeon needs at least ten players to enter."
"If you don't meet this condition, the system will directly revoke your Architect status. After that, you can't just apply to become Architect again; the threshold will be extremely high. You must first submit a dungeon design plan, and only after the system approves it can you become Architect again. I heard that this approval process is particularly difficult, and the design plan must be made into a dungeon of grade A or higher."
At this point, Shen Nian helplessly shrugged. "Most of the players you know applied to become Architect before. When the game first started, everyone wanted to try, but of course, they were all stripped of their status, including me."
Lu Xiu was stunned for a moment after hearing this. "Is that so?"
After becoming Architect, she immediately played Resident Evil and had no idea about this rule.
"Of course."
Shen Nian nodded. "I also know the function of Construction Space, although I certainly don't understand it as well as you do, but I know it's quite convenient inside----"
In this situation, do you think the system would be happy to let everyone just walk in and get something for free?
"I see----"
Shen Nian suddenly remembered something and slapped her forehead. "That's right! I almost forgot about the important matter! The Coordination Bureau just sent over some things urgently."
As she spoke, she brought up the System Panel, took out two paper documents from her backpack, and handed them directly to Lu Xiu.
"They said it was given to them by Her Royal Highness the Princess Franca."
Seeing the confusion on Lu Xiu's face, Shen Nian explained, "Didn't we talk about Franca's Blood Frenzy Art yesterday? I mentioned it to Yan Fushou, and he reported it."
During the consultations, the diplomats mentioned it to the Her Royal Highness the Princess. Upon hearing that Nine Provinces was interested, she immediately wrote down the key points and asked if this was something she researched. If so, she added that it was difficult to understand just from written materials, and she could personally demonstrate it for her at any time.
"Oh?"
Lu Xiu raised an eyebrow, reached out and took the documents, then looked down at them.
"I see----"
If it were before...
Lu Xiu was having some difficulty understanding this.
But after two days of intense training...
She understood it almost at a glance, and although the Blood Frenzy Art techniques recorded on the paper required the Ancestral Bloodline of the Frans ancestors, aside from that, the underlying operating logic was clear.
Lu Xiu was very familiar with it.
Because in the morning, while Construction Space, in order to find inspiration for the [Transcendent·Remnant] Metal Aspect, she also tried to forcibly stimulate her body with blood energy to enhance her own attributes.
The operational approach was almost exactly the same as what was recorded on paper.
However, she found this method of forcibly stimulating her body too crude in the morning, so she put it aside for the time being.
"This is Franca's Blood Frenzy Art?"
Lu Xiu looked up. "It doesn't feel too difficult."
Shen Nian was somewhat surprised. "----Isn't it difficult?!"
"Um."
Lu Xiu nodded, then looked down at the documents in her hand again.
However, that's what they say----
But Franca's plan is indeed much more radical than the one she tinkered with that morning.
It almost ignited my blood.
It was quite interesting, though.
Additionally, it seems that this idea of ignition could be slightly modified by eliminating those suicidal actions that would cause permanent damage and instead using Mental Strength to forcibly control it—directly turning it into Rampage.
It's the Berserker's Rampage.
It seems like something I could give it a try.
A random progress bar popped up, which could also be used to test whether the recording progress was related to the Berserker moves she had created.
At the same time.
Chen Capital.
The hotel Franca Delegation stayed.
Has the item been delivered?
Rosalind looked at the entourage who pushed open the door and entered.
"It was sent over long ago, Your Highness."
The accompanying staff nodded. "However— the Coordination Bureau only expressed their gratitude; they didn't say they would give it to Lu Xiu."
That's enough.
Hearing a definite answer.
Rosalind breathed a sigh of relief, "Now, all we have to do is wait—I wonder if Lu Xiu has seen that document yet?"
"Your Highness, are you sure it's really that Lu Xiu who needs our Blood Frenzy Art?"
The accompanying staff, standing to the side, couldn't help but voice their doubts.
Rosalind: "Most likely."
Besides her, there is no one else in Nine Provinces who can make the officials of Nine Provinces do that.
"If it were her—"
The accompanying staff hesitated for a moment, a hint of worry appearing on their faces. "Your Her Royal Highness the Princess, what if she understands it at a glance? After all, she is Architect, and not just any Architect, but the chief Architect of Nine Provinces."
Upon hearing this...
Rosalind shook her head with a smile, "Impossible. She's just a pure-blooded human. Even if she's talented enough to understand it, the actual operation of that thing is too dangerous. She can't take the risk."
If she's truly interested in Blood Frenzy Art, she'll definitely need my demonstration.
The entourage opened their mouths, and although they felt that their Her Royal Highness the Princess made sense, the inexplicable unease in their hearts still could not be dispelled.
Deep down, she also felt it was impossible, but for some reason, thinking about what Lu Xiu had done, she always felt that she would give Franca a surprise.
"What if—Your Highness, I mean, what if..."
The accompanying staff member continued in a low voice, "What if she not only understands it at a glance, but also actually manages to create the Blood Frenzy Art all by herself through her own tinkering?"
Rosalind paused for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled and said, "Then she will be our Frans from now on."
Accompanying personnel:
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