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

Chapter 206 Solo Trial
"Phew, so they finally gave in?"

Chu Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. If the other party was a rigid bureaucratic official who believed in suppression, then he would really be in trouble.

"Be a little nicer later. Since they've made concessions, I need to put the big shots at ease."

With his mind made up, Chu Xiu didn't dwell on it any longer and entered Yuan City into his consciousness.

As soon as he entered, he received a message with coordinates.

The data stream moved quickly through Yuancheng, and soon he arrived at the designated location.

A burly man wearing a black ghost mask waited quietly in place, while Qin Xiang stood respectfully behind him.

"Greetings, seniors," Chu Xiu said respectfully.

“Hmm,” the black-masked man looked him up and down. “Chen Ce, is it? I’ve already heard about your performance in the Corpse Demon World from Qin Xiang. You truly are a young hero.”

Unexpectedly, the black-masked man did not express dissatisfaction with Chu Xiu's attempt to conceal his identity. Instead, he praised him, which put Chu Xiu at ease.

"Thank you for the compliment, senior," he said.

The man in black nodded slightly and said, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Ya Zi. I am the head of the southern region of the Investigation Bureau and one of the disciples of the King of Killing."

The black-masked man's words stirred something within Chu Xiu.

Yazi is a ferocious beast in ancient legends, known for its bloodlust, fighting spirit, and fierce nature. There is an idiom called "Yazi Bibao," which means that even a small grudge must be avenged. Although Yazi here does not refer to this ferocious beast, but rather to a person who glares angrily, it still gives us a glimpse into the personality of this ferocious beast.

High-level Awakened individuals generally have their own code names. Some choose them themselves, while others are given them by others. In most cases, one can discern a person's personality simply from their code name. This person's name is [Yazi], and their personality is likely to be quite formidable.

Chu Xiu was once again shocked by the fact that he was a disciple of the Killing King. The Killing King was in charge of the Chinese military and was the most bloodthirsty of the eight Heavenly Kings. He never left any survivors when he took action, and not only did he not leave any survivors, he would also kill them all.

In that dark and turbulent era, countless awakened beings died at the hands of the King of Slaughter, probably more than the other seven Heavenly Kings combined.

With such a fearsome reputation, the requirements for accepting disciples are naturally extremely strict. For this person to become a disciple of the King of Slaughter, his talent must be among the most outstanding.

Chu Xiu dared not be negligent and hurriedly said, "This junior greets Senior Ya Zi."

Ya Zi nodded and said, "Let's cut to the chase and get straight to the point. I don't think either of us are the type to be polite."

"The assessment results regarding your privilege upgrade are in. We contacted the three factions and finally confirmed that your privilege will be upgraded by one level to level five. This will increase the total amount of causal points you can exchange from a single faction each year to 35400 points, which is about 25% higher than before."

Ya Zi's words made Chu Xiu frown slightly.

In other words, he can only exchange for a maximum of 20,000 more Karma Points now.

This number is naturally astronomical for ordinary awakened individuals, and even for king-level beings, it usually requires several months of training.

But Chu Xiu was still somewhat dissatisfied!

“This is the limit. At this level, you have to fight your way to the top to gain respect. It’s not possible to just give it to you directly,” Ya Zi said.

Seeing his words, Chu Xiu could only nod helplessly, indicating that he understood.

The causal point is directly related to the improvement of strength and is the most important resource for all awakened ones. There is only one way to satisfy others in the allocation of this resource: to use absolute power to subdue all opponents with one punch and one kick!
In a sense, the establishment of a hierarchy of power is merely a formalization of the bloody struggle for causal points.

“Senior, I recently have a batch of equipment and items that I would like to exchange for resources,” Chu Xiu said.

Ya Zi glanced at him: "These are spoils of war from Li Zhan and Wen Feiyan, right? How do you plan to exchange them?"

Chu Xiu asked, "Does the Investigation Bureau still have any plans to enter the Corpse Demon World?"

Ya Zi nodded: "Of course we should go and confirm it."

This answer was exactly what Chu Xiu had expected. Although in the eyes of the Investigation Bureau, letting the calamity escape basically meant that the Corpse World had broken away from human control, it was impossible to just ignore it and leave it aside.

It's highly likely that after the cooldown period ends, Qin Xiang will enter to conduct an initial investigation, to see if he can salvage some of the resources that the calamity didn't have time to consume.

"Then let's trade in the world of corpse demons," Chu Xiu suggested tentatively.

Ya Zi stared at him for a while, then suddenly chuckled, "Let's do it your way. But I hope that in the future you will be less wary of our Investigation Bureau and more trusting of us."

Chu Xiu quickly thanked him and agreed.

"Alright, now that we've discussed the power hierarchy, it's time for the Old Trials," Ya Zi said, changing the subject.

"Please rest assured, senior, I will recruit teammates as soon as possible for the challenge. In fact, I already thought the three teammates that Senior Qin arranged for me when I was exploring the Shiki world were quite good."

Given Chu Xiu's current strength, it doesn't really matter what teammates he's paired with.
Those top geniuses below the level of civilization envoys are not even as strong as a ghost general with buffs in direct combat, let alone with the Blood Demon incarnation in charge.

Chu Xiu made this suggestion simply because he wanted to bring along a good brother without leaving a trace, because directly mentioning a good brother would definitely arouse suspicion.

However, halfway through his sentence, Chu Xiu saw Ya Zi raise his hand to signal him to stop.

"That was before. Now we have new expectations for you."

"I came here specifically to explain this matter."

“Please speak, senior,” Chu Xiu said.

"That means the Trials of the Past can actually be increased in difficulty and reward by reducing the number of teammates!"

Ya Zi's words startled Chu Xiu slightly.

Ya Zi continued, "Actually, even if I didn't say it, you would naturally know this when you activated the Ancient Proof to begin the Ancient Trial."

"The Proof of the Past is an extremely special item. It can save the trial participant's life even if they fail the trial, and it can also be used during the trial to give the trial participant a huge advantage."

"The simplest example is that it can be used before the trial begins, expanding the maximum number of people entering the trial to six, greatly increasing the probability of passing the trial."

"Through our research, we discovered that this is due to the existence of the [Old Day Level] setting in the Old Day Proof. The initial level is one. During the process of clearing the game, you can actively use it to reduce the [Old Day Level] in exchange for an advantage, or you can increase the difficulty by setting additional conditions to enhance the [Old Day Level].

"The higher the [Ancient Level], the more rewards you'll receive from the trial, and the more people you'll be rescued at the end of the trial—the better!"

"The simplest and most direct way to upgrade the [Old Days Level] is to limit the number of players."

"Two people entering can raise the [Old Days Level] to level two, while a single person can raise it to level three!"

As Ya Zi finished speaking, Chu Xiu understood.

The other side has seen his strength and wants him to try clearing the game with a small number of players.

In fact, the moment Chu Xiu heard the suggestion, he decided to agree. Even if Ya Zi hadn't said anything, he would have agreed without hesitation after learning that clearing the level solo would increase the rewards.

Chu Xiu wasn't a rigid person. Qingshan's strength was far inferior to his at the moment, so there was no need to bring him along. If he wanted to help his good brother, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. He would definitely prioritize his own development.

However, he still showed a troubled expression on his face.

"Senior, do you think I can do it, since only a few people can clear the game?"

"Although my summoned creatures are quite powerful, they only excel at brute force and are very lacking in reconnaissance, defense, and information analysis."

Chu Xiu hesitated before speaking.

Ya Zi nodded: "That's right, what you said are indeed the weaknesses of the summoning profession. To pass the Ancient Trials, it's not enough to just be strong. You need to be well-balanced in all aspects and have no weaknesses to have a good chance of passing."

"That's why we haven't told you about this before. The Trial of the Past is already difficult enough. Forcing you to reduce the number of people to pass it might actually result in you getting nothing."

"Let me tell you, of the twenty-seven civilization envoys in history, the success rate of the four-person Ferocious Ancient Trials was very high, almost reaching one hundred percent. However, of the twelve attempts in the two-person Ferocious Ancient Trials, only three passed, resulting in a success rate of only twenty-five percent!"

"Today, these three and their partners are the most famous duos in China."

"As for the solo trial, only two people have attempted it, and so far no one has been able to complete it!"

Ya Zi's words made Chu Xiu's heart skip a beat.

Every envoy of civilization is a genius among geniuses; there are no fools among them, and behind each of them is the most elite analytical team from their respective governments.

Under such circumstances, no one would act rashly or recklessly. Instead, they would only take on the challenge after they had at least a certain degree of confidence. Those who challenged the most difficult civilizations should themselves be the best among the civilizations.

Even so, the fact that the pass rate is still so low speaks volumes.

"Because of the increase in the level of the ancients, not only will the number of people who clear the level decrease, but there will also be additional trial rules, and the difficulty itself will also increase!"

"But the rewards are also extremely impressive, and special rewards that cannot be obtained in lower difficulty levels will appear in higher difficulty levels."

"For example, the three groups that cleared the two-person trial all received a [Mythical] equipment! This is precisely why many civilizations still challenge it despite knowing its immense difficulty." "Therefore, we are only providing you with information; the final decision is still yours."

Mythical Equipment!
Ya Zi's words instantly ignited a burning passion in Chu Xiu's heart!
The difference between Mythical and Legendary equipment is greater than the difference between Legendary and Perfect equipment!

A single piece of Fierce-Rank [Mythical] gear is even higher than a General-Rank [Legendary] gear!

And most of them, like the [Heavenly Blood Vine], possess extremely unique and powerful effects!
However, [Mythical] equipment is extremely rare; there are only a few dozen pieces in the entire Chinese world!
If you can obtain [Mythical] equipment by completing the two-player trial, what will you get by completing the single-player trial?
"Of course, we certainly won't let you take extra risks for nothing."

Ya Zi continued.

"If you choose to challenge the two-player trial, I can raise your authority level to six upon completion; if you choose the single-player trial..."

"I can directly raise your authority level to six! If you challenge it within a month, it will be raised to seven! The exchange rate of Karma Points will skyrocket to 67600 points! And if you successfully complete the level, you can level up again!"

"This is the limit of what I can do. To participate in the next level, one must be a [Heroic Spirit] or a King of extremely high status."

After saying this, Chu Xiu took a deep breath, his heart filled with immense excitement.

The high difficulty of the old trials did not deter him in the slightest. With the Blood Demon Avatar in hand, he was confident that he could pass the trials even if the difficulty had increased significantly.

There's no way around it, Chu Xiu is just too strong.

My earlier act was merely a feigned retreat to gain more benefits.

As he expected, Ya Zi offered a generous price, directly upgrading his access level by three levels!

This means he can exchange for nearly 120,000 more Karma Points!
At this moment, Ya Zi added, "Furthermore, I can make the decision that as long as you complete the challenge, I will select a [Legendary] item from the Investigation Bureau's equipment vault and give it to you!"

Get a [Legendary] item for free!
Chu Xiu's eyes lit up again!
If we were to pinpoint his weakness, it would be his slightly weak physical defense. He has been eyeing a defensive [legendary] item for a long time.

However, such equipment is extremely rare, especially heavy armor that can provide full-body protection.

The Bureau of Investigation must have similar equipment in its equipment depot, making this an extremely rare opportunity.

Thinking of this, Chu Xiu pondered for a moment and then said, "Senior, can I choose the type of equipment?"

Ya Zi nodded and said, "Okay, but I have one more request."

"Senior, please tell me."

Ya Zi said, "The Old Trials have a chance to drop many special items, and the [Location Anchor] is one of them. As the trial level increases, the drop rate of the [Anchor] will also increase sharply."

"If you reveal the [anchor point], I hope you can sell it to the Investigation Bureau at a reasonable price."

After he finished speaking, Chu Xiu couldn't help but show a look of realization.

He had previously thought that the conditions offered by the Investigation Bureau were too good. After all, even if the Old Trial was completed, the Investigation Bureau would not get any benefits. The biggest beneficiary would be Chu Xiu. So this was what they were planning.

In the eyes of the Bureau of Investigation, the world of Shiki has been overrun by calamity, and the production of the next anchor point will take at least two months.

By then, Calamity will most likely have gathered all the parts on its body, restored all its power, and ascended to the rank of Heroic Spirit.

However, if Chu Xiu can reveal the [Anchor Point] in advance, he can send a Heroic Spirit in before Chu Xiu advances to Heroic Spirit and kill him!

Otherwise, even if Chu Xiu passes the trial, it won't be of much significance, because the life races he saves will soon be killed again by the calamity, and it won't help the development of China at all.

Having figured everything out, Chu Xiu readily agreed.

He didn't try to bargain anymore; a big shot like him wouldn't try to play tricks on you.

Seeing that Chu Xiu agreed, Ya Zi's expression relaxed a little. He added, "Have you thought it through? The difficulty of clearing the level alone is extremely high. If you fail, you will completely lose your status as a Civilization Envoy, and the country will no longer give you these benefits."

Chu Xiu nodded solemnly: "Senior, this Ancient Trial is not only related to me, but also to the people around me. On a smaller scale, it concerns the future of my classmates. On a larger scale, every civilized world we reclaim from the abyss adds to our strength to resist the abyss."

"In this situation, it would be fine if I were just an ordinary person, but since there is a possibility of success, how can I shrink back because of a little risk?"

Looking at Chu Xiu's righteous and awe-inspiring face, Ya Zi fell silent for a moment.

After a long pause, he nodded and said, "Good, I'm relieved to see you have this ambition."

"Qin Xiang will handle the specific details from now on. I look forward to your performance."

"Yes." Chu Xiu clasped his hands in a fist salute and prepared to leave.

But just as he was about to disappear, Ya Zi suddenly said, "There will be a memorial service in ten days to commemorate the Awakened who died during this exploration. Will you come?"

Chu Xiu paused, turned around, and smiled, "Of course."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure transformed into a pure stream of data and vanished completely from the spot.

Ya Zi stared intently at his departing figure, motionless, before finally saying softly, "Do you think he'll come?"

"I can't say for sure," Qin Xiang shook his head. "This kid is too good to be true; I can't see through him."

Ya Zi said, "Isn't there a specialized psychological analysis team?"

Qin Xiang smiled wryly and said, "My lord, to make the analysis accurate, the prerequisite is that the data must be precise."

"He's too mysterious. We can't judge his true strength at all. For example, before facing the calamity, I always thought he was a reckless gambler, but who knew he would show such great strength that he could defeat Li Zhan."

"Although I didn't see the specific details of the battle, it was still astonishing enough. Is this really something a Fierce-rank character could do?"

"A change in the assessment of its strength would overturn all previous analyses."

Ya Zi slightly raised his eyelids: "You mean, is it possible that he is still hiding his strength?"

Qin Xiang remained silent for a long time before finally smiling bitterly, "I don't know! Rationally speaking, this is impossible. The strength he has shown so far has already surpassed that of our strongest genius in history by a large margin. How could he possibly be stronger?"

"But he really surprised me so many times."

"Is that so?" Ya Zi stroked his chin thoughtfully.

But after thinking for a while, he shook his head and said, "No, I think the strength he has shown so far is all he has."

"The characteristic of the Summoner class is that it relies on summoned creatures to have extremely strong combat power in the early stages of the game."

"However, upgrading and training summoned creatures is extremely troublesome, and to catch up with the improvement of other professions, it is necessary to increase the number of buff items and skills, and to form a suitable battle strategy."

"As the first SSS-level summoner discovered so far, it is normal for this kid to have strength far exceeding that of his peers. However, his strength improvement will likely slow down in the later stages, and he has too many weaknesses, making him extremely easy to target. This is a common problem for summoner classes, and even that Heavenly King could not avoid it."

"So Qin Xiang, I think you've overestimated him. While summoners are strong in direct combat, they have too many weaknesses. I don't think he can succeed, but it's worth a try. And even if he fails, there's still a high probability he can bring back valuable intelligence for us."

"This kind of untamable early career is best suited for pioneering and overcoming difficulties, rather than investing a lot of resources and expecting it to pay off in the future."

Faced with Ya Zi's judgment, Qin Xiang remained silent, clearly somewhat indignant.

Ya Zi didn't say anything more, only saying, "Based on his current performance, we'll estimate it at most by another 10%, and use that as the basis for our psychological analysis."

"This kid's behavior is inconsistent. Sometimes he is very selfish, and other times he will risk his life to save others. I want to know what aspects of his behavior are his true personality and what aspects are just an act."

"Yes," Qin Xiang replied.

After giving his instructions, Ya Zi said no more and disappeared from the spot.

Qin Xiang, meanwhile, watched his superior's figure for a long time before letting out a soft laugh.

He has been following Ya Zi for ten years. When he was still a low-ranking villain, Ya Zi promoted him.

Despite spending ten years with him, Qin Xiang still knew very little about him, only that he had begun to show his talent in the dark ages and was one of the earliest followers of the King of Slaughter.

Later, as a branch director of the Investigation Bureau, he cultivated countless talents for the country, collected a great deal of information, and eliminated numerous hidden dangers.

Qin Xiang had always trusted his direct superior's judgment.

But this time, he had a strange intuition that his boss might have misjudged him.

Recalling the troubled look on Chu Xiu's face when he heard about the solo trial, Qin Xiang felt a sense of familiarity. It seemed that the other party had shown him the exact same expression before, and back then, he had been just like Ya Zi now, confidently analyzing the situation.

"Can this kid do a solo trial that no one has ever cleared since the Abyss invasion?"

"It's really exciting."

(End of this chapter)