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

Chapter 207 Mourning
After returning from Yuancheng, Chu Xiu's life finally entered a rare period of peace.

Waking up to the morning light, I could smell the aroma of steamed buns and fried dough sticks that my mother had bought as soon as I opened the door.

Sometimes his mother was in a rush to work and didn't buy any, so he would take some change from the coin purse at the door, go downstairs to the small shop, order a freshly made rice noodle roll, add two eggs, sprinkle some soy sauce, and sit by the roadside, watching busy people come out of the buildings one after another, eating the steaming rice noodle roll at a leisurely pace.

The occasional whistle was a bit annoying, but compared to the perilous abyss, the noise was nothing.

Of course, Chu Xiu wasn't idle either.

When his parents were away, he would go into the abyss to train and hone his combat skills and proficiency in controlling the Blood Demon avatar.

Causal points are a good thing; they can bring a lot of cultivation experience and progress to awakened individuals without any side effects. However, this does not mean that awakened individuals do not need to practice.

Just like in the same game, every player uses the same character with the same skills and attributes, but the combat power that professional players and ordinary players ultimately exert is vastly different. Understanding skills, using the right skills at the right time, and forming your own combat tactics that allow you to survive and react instantly without thinking are all crucial.

Furthermore, Chu Xiu believed that cultivation itself was a tempering of one's will and mentality.

“In the past, practitioners needed decades of hard work to finally achieve a breakthrough, but now, with the help of the causal point, awakened practitioners can achieve in a month what it takes to do in more than ten years of hard work.”

"Although the causal point, in theory, simply skips the process of one's own cultivation and does not bring any side effects, the power obtained too quickly will inevitably cause mental imbalance and lead to an unstable foundation."

Chu Xiu was well aware of this, so even though the training over the past few days did not significantly improve his combat strength, he did not slack off at all and devoted himself wholeheartedly to tempering his physical body.

As it turned out, Chu Xiu's intuition was correct. After suppressing his impetuousness and focusing on cultivation, he felt that his foundation had become much more solid, which made him even more determined not to slack off.

It is worth mentioning that he also told Qin Xiang about the Soul-Gathering Treasure Box.

This drew great attention from Qin Xiang.

Chu Xiu didn't know the specifics of what happened, but he did know that even Ya Zi was alarmed and personally came forward to investigate. In any case, the final result was that all those probing gazes disappeared.

This allowed Chu Xiu to enjoy a rare period of carefree and leisurely life.

Being able to eat meals cooked by his parents every day, watching the neighbor's children playing jump rope in the park downstairs, and the old man leisurely practicing Tai Chi, has made his fierce personality much more peaceful.

Ten days later.

Chu Xiu sat in the bedroom, his body surging with spiritual energy.

"call--"

With a long exhale, the restless spiritual energy calmed down and returned to Chu Xiu's body.

He opened his eyes, a look of realization flashing in them.

"This Boundless Reincarnation Technique is indeed miraculous. It can even be used to cultivate by killing and accumulating merit, so that even in this spiritually scarce cultivation apocalypse, one can still maintain a considerable cultivation speed."

Chu Xiu let out a soft breath. With each cultivation session, his understanding of the Boundless Reincarnation Technique would deepen. Although the power of data allowed him to directly increase his level, Chu Xiu believed it was still necessary to familiarize himself with his main cultivation technique.

At the same time, he also understood why cultivators were so powerful, but awakened cultivators were so weak.

"Now is the end of the cultivation world, or perhaps the world level of Blue Star is too low and spiritual energy is scarce, making cultivation too difficult. The experience required to advance one level in a cultivation profession may be several times that of other professions."

"The spiritual materials needed to refine magical artifacts and cultivate supernatural powers are extremely scarce. Under such circumstances, it is naturally inferior to other professions."

With a sigh in his heart, Chu Xiu slowly finished his practice, stood up, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Chu's parents were already dressed and waiting for him outside the door.

Today is the day of the memorial service.

Jiangcheng is not a large city, and any news can spread quickly throughout the city. This time, so many people died in the abyss at once, and even families without children in school have heard about it. The entire residential building was filled with solemnity.

Even Chu's father, who has no legs, insisted on attending in a wheelchair.

Chu Xiu didn't really understand this. What did it have to do with him that someone else's child had died? And what was there to be sad about?
What surprised him even more was that the entire city was shrouded in grief. The old bachelors in the factories, who would most likely never have children, still offered words of comfort and blessing to mothers who had lost their children.

"This is probably just the simple empathy of ordinary people. No, it's not that simple. It also involves feelings of family, country, and nation."

Chu Xiu pushed his father's wheelchair along the street, pondering to himself.

Looking at the flowers that citizens had spontaneously placed by the roadside, he felt a slight stirring in his heart.

The closer you get to the school, the more people you see with sorrow on their faces. You can even see people standing by the roadside sobbing from time to time, and usually there are several people around them to comfort them.

On the way, Chu's parents encountered an acquaintance, the mother of a boy from the next class whom Chu Xiu had met a few times but didn't know his name. However, Chu's parents seemed to know her very well.

Chu Xiu learned from the conversation that when he was in the Abyss, these parents would gather together to share the latest news. They also had a special group. If a parent's child returned first, they would immediately become the focus of everyone's attention, and every parent would rush to ask for the news.

The reason why Chu's father and mother were familiar with women was because their son, like Chu Xiu, was in a support role behind the scenes.

The boy died in the disaster.

Chu's parents offered words of comfort, but the mother seemed distracted. She glanced at Chu Xiu standing behind Chu's father, but quickly looked away, her expression becoming even more gloomy. Chu's parents exchanged a look, dared not say anything more, and hurriedly took their leave.

The entire morning passed in this somber atmosphere. Every time Chu's mother spoke with someone, she would advise Chu Xiu not to fall into the abyss again, but to find a factory job instead.

The memorial service finally began around noon.

Chu Xiu stood in the crowd of students, with Zhang Qingshan and Chu Qin beside him, and behind them a dense mass of first and second-year high school students.

The principal personally held a memorial service. As the prayers were being recited, Chu Xiu noticed that Zhang Qingshan's fists were unconsciously clenched. Chu Qin reached out and gently took his hand.

Chu Xiu recalled that he had attended a similar memorial service not long after they enrolled. That time, it wasn't an accident in the abyss, but rather a rift in the abyss that suddenly appeared in the east of the city. Although most of the abyss monsters were blasted to pieces by the dense artillery system, a few broke through the defenses and accidentally entered a temporary refuge, causing thousands of casualties.

Back then, Aoyama seemed to be clenching his fists just like he is now, but compared to the grief and resentment he feels now, there was more of a burning desire to change something.

After the moment of silence, Chu Xiu heard Zhang Qingshan's voice in his ear: "Ah Chu, what are you planning to do next?"

Chu Xiu paused for a moment and said, "My mother wants me to find a factory job to see if my professional talent can help."

"Well, if the families don't object, your talent is quite suitable for a funeral home," Zhang Qingshan said with a somewhat stiff joke.

"And you?" Chu Xiu asked.

"I want to join the army." Zhang Qingshan said without the slightest hesitation. "Join the army? Haven't you already joined the army?" Chu Xiu glanced at him slightly.

"It's not quite the same. Right now, I'm just acting as a representative of the government, exploring and managing affairs in the Shiki world. In essence, I'm still just an ordinary Awakened One."

"The military I'm referring to is going to the front lines to fight against the Abyss Rift."

Zhang Qingshan said this with a firm tone, as if he had thought about it for a long time.

"The front line against the abyssal rift, huh?" Chu Xiu murmured.

Abyssal rifts are spacetime fissures that occasionally appear on Earth, connecting to a deep abyss. Each time, a large number of abyssal creatures emerge from them, posing a major threat to human survival. Even though governments invest heavily in building defenses every year, it is difficult to completely prevent the damage caused to humanity by abyssal creatures.

Worse still, Qin Xiang had told Chu Xiu that Blue Star was gradually sinking into an abyss.

As they descend deeper into the abyss, future awakened ones will face increasingly difficult trials, and may even encounter previously undocumented unknown entities during their exploration.

For ordinary people, the most direct feeling is that the frequency and intensity of the appearance of abyssal rifts have been increasing rapidly in recent years.

However, perhaps because of the theory that "civilization can fight against the abyss," the abyssal rifts that have appeared directly on Earth are currently only "small-scale incidents."

It may shatter countless families overnight, but it cannot shake the foundation of human survival.

The real threat lies in those fixed abyssal rifts.

Typically, deep-sea rifts are preceded by warning signs and can be predicted in advance using detection instruments. When the energy fluctuations reach their peak, a spacetime rift will briefly open, and the rift usually only lasts for five to fifteen minutes.

This allows humans to prepare in advance.

However, the term "fixed abyssal rift" refers to a permanent abyssal rift that humans do not know how to close.

These fissures are usually found in remote valleys and deserts, while the largest known fixed abyssal fissures are on the Moon and Mars!
The scale of the abyssal creatures emerging from these abyssal rifts is tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions, of times larger than that of ordinary rifts! Every year, a large number of soldiers die fighting against these abyssal creatures, making them undoubtedly the front line in the fight against the abyss!
"What I want to go to is a frontline base on Mars."

“The living environment on Mars is very harsh, and it is difficult to obtain supplies. Only Awakened Ones have the ability to fight on it!” Zhang Qingshan said.

Chu Xiu remained silent.

The front lines of the battlefield are always the place where development and growth occur fastest.

Not only do they hone their combat skills in life-or-death situations every day, but they also receive the highest level of resource support, with the entire nation backing them up and providing almost unlimited support.

It could even be said that the growth rate on the front lines is much faster than exploring the world of Shiki!
Of course, the danger also increases exponentially; they are two completely different concepts.

Chu Xiu wasn't surprised that his friend made such a decision. After all, Zhang Qingshan wasn't the kind of person who would be swayed by emotions and act impulsively. Instead, he would seriously consider the rationality of his ideals and how to achieve them.

Such a person will not be afraid and retreat after suffering some setbacks in the abyss; instead, they will remember the lessons learned and strive even harder to move forward.

As a friend of the other party, Chu Xiu really didn't want the other party to be so radical. He didn't want to hear the devastating news of his friend's death when he returned from the abyss.

At that moment, he suddenly thought of the mother who had lost her son that he had met outside the school. Unconsciously, Chu Xiu replaced that sad and lifeless face with Zhang Qingshan's mother's face. He couldn't help but feel a little touched. The two families had grown up together since childhood, and Zhang's parents had taken good care of him. Chu Xiu didn't want to see that scene.

"Did you tell your aunt and uncle?" Chu Xiu asked.

"said."

"They didn't object?"

"Yes, they do, but they will still support me, as always."

"What about Chu Qin? What will happen to her?"

“She’s coming with me.”

"Are you really willing to take her on this adventure with you?"

"Hey, Ah Chu, what are you saying?" Chu Qin's dissatisfied voice rang out from the side. She held Zhang Qingshan's hand and glared at Chu Xiu unhappily: "You're talking as if I'm some kind of indecisive vase. The decision to join the army together was my own. Even if I die out there, it has nothing to do with Qingshan."

“I support Aoyama not because he is my boyfriend, but because his ideals are also my ideals.”

Chu Qin's words silenced Chu Xiugan, who finally managed a bitter smile after a long while.

He had originally intended to use Chu Qin to persuade Qingshan, but now he could only say that the two were truly a perfect match.

Their relationship has gone far beyond that of a man and a woman drawn together by hormones; they are comrades-in-arms with shared ideals.

"So, Chu, what do you say?" Chu Qin asked with a smile. "You're not a combat professional, so you definitely can't go to the front lines with us. Even if you wanted to go, we would stop you. But honestly going to work and doing odd jobs isn't really your style."

Chu Xiu hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "People change. Having seen too much death, I don't want to take any more risks."

He knew that the two of them actually wanted him to join the army, but he had too many secrets to hide and it was impossible for him to join any organization. Maintaining a neutral identity that did not attract anyone's attention was in his best interest.

As soon as he finished speaking, a look of disappointment flashed in Zhang Qingshan's eyes, but it quickly disappeared and was replaced by a sense of relief. He smiled and said, "That's good. If something happens to me, you can take care of the family. You're practically our second son."

People are complex. On one hand, Qingshan hoped that Chuxiu could remember their childhood ideals and fight for them together. On the other hand, he did not want Chuxiu to be in danger. Chuxiu's choice to stay in the relatively safe rear was a correct decision.

The two didn't say anything more. Chu Xiu patted Qingshan and Chu Qin heavily on the shoulders: "Take care."

“Okay,” Zhang Qingshan seemed to know that this parting might be the last time they saw each other, or even the last time. He was quite moved, but he didn’t say much. He just said, “Take care.”

As the memorial service concluded, the three said their goodbyes and walked in two different directions.

In the days that followed, Chu Xiu cultivated even more diligently.

His conversation with Aoyama deeply moved him. Although he did not have the same lofty ideals as Aoyama, he hoped to prepare for the future and possess sufficient power before disaster struck.

And so, several more days passed.

The day has finally come when the cooldown period ends.

"After upgrading the items with Causal Points, begin the Trials of the Past immediately."

Having made up his mind, Chu Xiu no longer hesitated and returned to the world of corpses.

(End of this chapter)