An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 135 Trial Preparation
Chu Xiu's expression tightened slightly upon seeing the suddenly pinned post.

He wasn't surprised that his identity as an Awakened One hadn't been hidden; after all, once the contribution points were tallied, it would be obvious who had gotten first place.

Aside from the Dark Night King who single-handedly killed the Corpse King, it's impossible for anyone else to have made such a high contribution!

To Chu Xiu's surprise, he had actually attracted the attention of the National Bureau of Investigation!
The Investigation Bureau is an agency similar to the Regulatory Bureau, except that the former will participate in investigating all the secrets in the Abyss, while the latter focuses more on monitoring the illegal activities of the awakened.

"Is it because of the talent I've shown? If so, then I shouldn't show myself so easily," Chu Xiu said, stroking his chin.

He has a clear understanding of the dark nature of this world, after all, he now has a total of six hands of deprivation.

Almost every year, there are geniuses whose talents and careers are taken away, but the government has been suppressing information about this in order to maintain social stability.

Of course, the government is intentionally protecting promising young awakened individuals, but there are many more hunters lurking in the shadows. Trying to find the murderer in the abyss is like looking for a needle in a haystack. For example, even if the Lin family spent a lot of money, they would never be able to trace Chu Xiu's murder of Lin Wanyue back to him.

In this situation, the cost of committing crime approaches zero, so naturally many people will be tempted to take action.

Although the Yakuza are a relatively recent phenomenon, people like them have long been scattered throughout human society. In normal times, they may be kind and gentle elders or harmless baby-faced individuals, but once they enter the abyss, they transform into ruthless and cold-blooded executioners.

Even if 99 out of 100 people are good, you can't guarantee that the remaining one won't launch a fatal attack on you.

Thinking of this, Chu Xiu's expression became slightly serious, and he began to read through the contents of the post.

This post is divided into two parts. The first part is a speculation about whether the Dark Lord is actually an Awakened One, and the poster presents various pieces of evidence.

The comments below were mostly skeptical and argumentative, since Chu Xiu's performance was so terrifying that it was hard for them to believe that he was an awakened being of the same level as them.

Some people even thought the poster was being abstract, making all sorts of sarcastic and whimsical remarks.

But then, an official account posted a comment:
[The Dark King is undoubtedly an Awakened One. Anyone with relevant information is urged to contact government officials. If the Dark King himself sees this message, please rest assured that our Investigation Bureau simply has important matters to discuss and will not harm you.]

As soon as this comment was posted, the screen was filled with question marks, and it quickly went up to hundreds of replies!

Even through the screen, Chu Xiu could feel the shock of everyone. He estimated that the name "Dark Night King" would appear on various forums in a few days.

He didn't care; it was just an alias anyway. What Chu Xiu cared about was what the government wanted from him.

Without further hesitation, he clicked on the second part of the post.

This is an invitation from the government, expressing their desire to meet with him.

To dispel Chu Xiu's doubts, the meeting place was set in the Corpse Demon World. He only needed to meet with the agent selected by the government. This agent was a student in the same year as him and could not pose a threat to him. Moreover, there would be no other powerful figures around to monitor their meeting.

His words were sincere, humble, and extremely polite, prompting a flurry of comments from the awakened followers below:
"Is this still the Investigation Bureau I know???"

"When did the Investigation Bureau become so understanding???"

Normally, the people from the Investigation Bureau, if not domineering, are certainly arrogant. After all, they have the backing of the country, and their power and resources are top-notch. In addition, each of the agents is a powerful Awakened, so they can basically walk sideways wherever they go.

Now, they are being so polite to the Dark Lord.

However, if the Dark Night King is indeed an Awakened One, then it makes sense. This terrifying talent certainly deserves the Investigation Bureau's special attention.

Chu Xiu ignored the pointless comments and focused his attention on the purpose of the Investigation Bureau's meeting with him.

We would like to invite you to discuss matters concerning our explorations of the past.

"So that's why it was like that in the past."

Chu Xiu stroked his chin.

After thinking for a moment, he went outside, put on his cloak in a place where no one was monitoring him, and carefully moved around the city, trying to take small paths to avoid cameras, until he reached the other side of the city.

He then went into an unlicensed internet cafe, turned on a computer, and started searching for news about "the old days".

Government departments have considerable power and might become suspicious through browsing history, so it's always better to be cautious.

However, after searching for a while, Chu Xiu was somewhat disappointed.

Because there was absolutely no news about the past online, and hardly anyone even mentioned the word itself.

"Is the news being blocked? Or are there very few people who know about the past? Either way, it shows that the Proof of the Past that I obtained is indeed very important."

Chu Xiu pondered for a while before making a decision.

"We still need to contact government personnel. Whether it's information about the [Old Days] or dealing with the [Core Anchor Point], we need to interact with people. We can't keep hiding."

In fact, Chu Xiu also planned to join a faction.

There are generally three types of forces on Earth: the government, the unions, and the corporations. Behind each of these forces is a supreme ruler.

In comparison, the government has the best resources, but also the most constraints. Conglomerates and labor unions each have their own advantages: the former is better in terms of equipment and props, while the latter is relatively more humane.

In short, one is wealthy and powerful, while the other is a brother who helps each other.

"Joining a faction can provide you with a certain level of resources and intelligence support, and you can also find suitable teammates to explore the abyss together."

All three are very important, especially teammates. The help that a completely trustworthy teammate of the same level can provide is something that even legendary equipment cannot compare to.

As a lord, Chu Xiu naturally prefers to place his anchors in the community of shared interests.

Of course, what he values ​​most is the ability of the three major forces to obtain causal points.

"Causal points are strictly controlled by the state. If I want to exchange the resources I have for causal points, I must rely on the help of various forces."

Huaxia coins are no longer of much use to Chu Xiu. The [Perfect] and [Exquisite] equipment are not very helpful to him, and no one would be foolish enough to sell [Legendary] equipment. Therefore, exchanging the large amount of equipment in his spiritual flesh storage pouch for karma points is the only reasonable choice.

But this requires joining a faction, otherwise there is no way to acquire it.

"Let's clear the Fierce-Rank Trial during the cooldown period. That way, even if the other party has ill intentions, I can deal with them calmly."

With his mind made up, Chu Xiu stopped worrying. He went home, had a good night's sleep, and after fully replenishing his strength, he entered the Awakening Space to begin the Fierce Rank Trial.

The notification sound of "Trial is being generated" rang in his ears, but Chu Xiu knew that the generation of the trial would not be so fast.

The higher the level of the trial, the longer it takes to generate. For some top-tier awakened individuals, the generation of the trial may take several years.

The trial time for the Fierce Rank is usually around one week, but considering the special nature of the Demon Cultivator profession, it may take even longer.

Chu Xiu ignored it and instead chose a warrior-level dungeon in the Corpse Demon World to start his challenge.

Even the highest difficulty dungeons pose no challenge to him nowadays, and the rewards are negligible.

However, Chu Xiu still chose to go into the dungeon because he needed to maintain his condition and hone his skills in battle.

He understood very well that although causal points could directly add points to improve skills, personal practice was also indispensable. Actual combat was far from a simple numerical comparison, but a complex system determined by many variables. Changes in mindset and instantaneous reactions could determine the final outcome.

Like Lin Wanyue, whose strength was clearly greater than that of the Extreme Path, but because she lacked training, she was terrified when faced with a real battle and was beaten without any power to fight back.

Although Chu Xiu is calmer and more ruthless than the average person, he is not a born combat genius. He still needs to constantly improve his abilities through battle after battle.

For three days straight, Chu Xiu immersed himself in the dungeon, suppressing his strength and demanding that every attack be precise and perfect, without wasting a single bit of power.

Through such disciplined training, Chu Xiu's combat abilities quickly improved significantly.

At the same time, he also spent 16,000 karma points to upgrade [Azure Poison Corpse Fire] to the maximum level.

Although he hadn't been able to cultivate this skill before due to a shortage of causal points, it didn't mean that the skill was useless.

Every inheritance of the magic profession is extremely powerful.

In particular, the [Azure Poison Corpse Fire] is a primordial divine and demonic skill, and the only attack skill among warrior-level beings, so it should not be underestimated.

After upgrading to perfection, Chu Xiu simply thought of it, and a wisp of emerald flame appeared between his fingers. Then he pointed forward, and the flame flew swiftly, landing on the fierce-level boss at the end of the dungeon.

The next instant, the eerie green flames suddenly surged, instantly engulfing the boss!

Amidst the piercing screams, the boss was reduced to ashes in just a few breaths!

"Hiss—what terrifying power!" Even Chu Xiu couldn't help but marvel at this moment.

This is an extremely powerful continuous damage skill! Although it's not as simple and brutal as the Heavenly Demon Hand, its overall power is by no means inferior!

Once it comes into contact with the Azure Poison Corpse Fire, it will continue to burn, and it cannot be extinguished even if you jump into the river! Moreover, the Azure Poison Corpse Fire can also attach to weapons, which will greatly increase the power of his Blood Curse Bone-Piercing Nail.

The Bone-Piercing Nail is extremely fast, but its only drawback is its lack of power, which the Azure Poison Corpse Fire perfectly solves.

This made Chu Xiu sigh once again, realizing that the three paths indeed had a large number of complementary skills.

If he had mastered this skill to perfection when fighting the Corpse King, then he wouldn't need to worry about all this and could simply overpower the Corpse King despite the healing ability of the Blood Vine!

Overjoyed, Chu Xiu ran dungeons even more frequently, constantly experimenting with the most suitable combat method for the Azure Poison Corpse Fire.

Another week passed, and Chu Xiu maintained a frequency of running the Nightmare dungeon fifteen times a day. He had mastered the Azure Poison Corpse Fire to perfection, and his combat experience was becoming increasingly rich.

But the trial hadn't been generated yet, so he simply went to check out the Bloody Arena.

With the badge, even if the Corpse World is still on cooldown, Chu Xiu can still teleport to the arena.

The place was still as desolate and magnificent as when he last came. Hundreds of blood infants walked around in the huge buildings that reached into the sky, as if time could not leave any trace on this arena.

Chu Xiu walked to the statue of the Blood Pool. A Blood Servant was kneeling beside him. This Blood Servant was there to serve him. Chu Xiu could communicate with him through the Gladiator Badge.

He first learned about the specific rules of the arena. He had rushed back before and hadn't even asked how to earn points or what the points were used for.

After a brief exchange, Chu Xiu quickly grasped the situation.

Simply put, the points system consists of three parts: base points, ranking points, and rewards.

Basic points are earned simply by participating in the competition. Different tiers of competitions offer different point rewards. Rankings are awarded monthly based on your individual ranking among all gladiators of the same tier. The final reward, of course, comes from the generous donations from the four divine deities.

Points can be used to exchange for blessings from the gods.

Of course, matches aren't something you can just start whenever you want; they have to be matched by Blood Servant to prevent large-scale stomping of weaker players and racking up points.

This is just the most basic way to earn points. The four gods have many other tricks up their sleeves, such as the annual skills competition, the once-every-ten-year all-area martial arts competition, and various fancy challenge matches, all of which can earn a considerable amount of points.

The Blood Servant presented him with a thick ancient book, which detailed various competitions and the blessings he could obtain in exchange.

Chu Xiu looked at his situation. He had only one hundred basic points since he had just become a gladiator. However, perhaps because he had defeated a regular gladiator before, he was not ranked last, but twenty-first out of forty-seven.

These 100 points cannot be spent, and because there are too few gladiators of the warrior rank, he cannot find anyone to match with for the time being, so he can only idly flip through the book that the Blood Servant gave him.

The various bizarre challenges he encountered broadened his horizons. For example, two gladiators would fight in the weightless outer space; they would duel inside a colossus-like structure filled with traps and power-ups; and a hundred gladiators would be thrown onto a deserted planet for a battle royale, with the ten survivors being the winners.
"These gods really know how to have fun."

However, while Chu Xiu was marveling at the power of the four gods, he was also secretly shocked by their might. In front of them, even a planet was just a plaything.

"No wonder the Bloody Arena is called the most important opportunity; there are very few chances to directly come into contact with such superior beings."

"I just don't know, what level of Awakened One are the Four Great Deities equivalent to, and what realm of Immortal Cultivator are they equivalent to?"

Chu Xiu currently only knows that there are higher ranks above the King rank, but he has no idea what they are or how powerful they are.

However, he felt that the Eight Heavenly Kings had monopolized the resources of Blue Star for thirty years, and with so many causal points coming in every day, their strength must be far beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

Without thinking further, Chu Xiu turned to looking through the blessings he might receive in the future.

With his rank of Warrior, he could only obtain a dozen or so blessings, most of which were relatively basic. Only three could be upgraded, one of which was [Spark of Inspiration (B)], the other two being [Mana Reserve (B)] and [Bullet Time (B)].

"I don't really need mana reserves, but bullet time is quite interesting."

This talent can greatly enhance one's reaction speed for a short period of time, making everything around appear as if time has slowed down, which can play a significant role in high-intensity battles.

Unfortunately, Chu Xiu looked at the price and saw that it cost a full three thousand points. He only got 20 points per ordinary match at the Warrior rank. Even if he rose all the way to first place, he would only get less than a thousand ranking points and about a hundred regular points per month. He didn't know how many matches he would have to play to earn that much. It would be a long time before he could get it.

However, just as Chu Xiu was about to close the book, his eyes suddenly lit up as he noticed something and let out a soft "Eh."

At the end of the book, there is a blessing recorded:
[Pollution Cleansing: Slightly reduces pollution in the Abyss. Price: 5000 points.]

It can reduce the pollution of the abyss!
Among the S-grade traits that Chu Xiu obtained after killing the Corpse King was the Pollution attribute!
It was this attribute that made Chu Xiu hesitate and dare not fuse with it.

He had, of course, searched for information related to "pollution" online, but found very little. After searching for a long time, he finally found a King-level item called "Purifying Holy Water," which had a chance to eliminate pollution. He never expected to find a way to remove pollution here.

This made Chu Xiu sigh again. The Blood Arena truly lived up to its reputation as a huge opportunity that could only be revealed by the blood of a [Legendary], a problem that many ordinary awakeners would have to pay a huge price for, or simply had no way to solve, while the Boundless Blood Pool could do it with ease.

The only problem is that it costs a whopping 5,000 points, which is even more expensive than the most expensive blessing! This shows how precious things that can reduce pollution are.

"However, once I reach the Fierce Rank, earning points will be much easier, and five thousand points is not out of reach."

"In this way, I can confidently fuse that S-level trait."

Just then, a notification sound rang in his ear.

[The trial has been completed!]

[Trial World: β-2345674]

Number of participants: 4

The trial will begin in three days. Please prepare accordingly.

"Is it finally done?"

Chu Xiu let out a long sigh of relief.

"There are only four people in this trial, so it shouldn't be as troublesome as last time," he thought to himself.

However, he did notice something: the world number of the Fierce Rank Trial was one place less than that of the Warrior Rank Trial. He wondered if the earlier the number, the higher the world level.

Without giving it any further thought, Chu Xiu continued to run dungeons as usual for the next three days to maintain his condition.

three days later.

[The advancement trial is about to begin. Trial participants, please dive deep.]

Following the notification sound, Chu Xiu put on all his equipment and entered the Awakening Space.

Just like in the Warrior-level Trial, as soon as he entered the Awakening Space, he sensed a guide leading to the depths of the abyss. Chu Xiu followed the guide and began to dive deep. The space began to shrink rapidly, and soon a cold notification sounded in his ear:

[Deep dive complete, current depth: 1454]

"It's deeper than last time."

Just as this thought entered Chu Xiu's mind, the surrounding scenery began to change rapidly. When he came to his senses, he was already sitting in a chair.

He was just about to get up when he suddenly felt a resistance and realized that he was wrapped in iron chains!

These iron chains, three or four centimeters thick, were enough to be used as anchors for small fishing boats, but now they were being used to bind him tightly!

The seat he was sitting on was made of pure iron and was firmly welded to the ground, making it impossible to move.

"interesting."

Chu Xiu chuckled and looked around. He found himself in a dimly lit room with only a small candle on the table in front of him, emitting a dim yellow light. This faint light could only illuminate a small area, and further away it was pitch black, with only the outlines of the furniture vaguely visible.

With his normal perception, he could see clearly even in a dense forest where it was impossible to see his own hand in front of his face, but this place seemed a bit strange, with a mysterious force restricting his perception.

Just as Chu Xiu was looking around, a ghostly face wearing a demon mask suddenly appeared in front of him!
Chu Xiu was startled, but before he could react, the face slowly retreated.

He then noticed that there was a chair opposite the table, and someone had been sitting on it for a while. It was this person who had suddenly gotten up and moved closer to Chu Xiu. This person was wearing a ghost mask and a black robe, and was completely hidden in the darkness. Chu Xiu did not notice him at first because he had used some strange skill.

Under Chu Xiu's wary gaze, the masked man slowly spoke:

"Welcome to Death's Gamble."

(End of this chapter)