My skills have mutated again!

Chapter 323 Opening: Eight Guardians, Second Young Master of the Xia Family!
Reach out and touch the entrance to the Ashes Zone.

The black aura surged and swirled, drawing Xia Lin into it.

[Permissions activated!]

When Xia Lin opened his eyes and entered the star-studded pre-battle preparation space, the first thing he heard were these four large words.

[You have activated the first-order permission for the Blue Star, locating the position of the Deceptive God.]

[Note: Due to insufficient permissions, the location of the Deceptive God cannot be accurately pinpointed. Therefore, in this Ember Zone, the system will place you in a world where the Deceptive God's power inevitably exists. Do you accept?]

"accept."

[Anchoring in the ash zone...]

[Anchoring complete!]

[You are about to enter the racially significant Ember Zone: Eight Guardians!]

The name sounds impressive... but unfortunately, Xia Lin can't glean any valuable information from the two characters "Ba Shou" alone.

I won't think about it too much, I'll just wait.

[This is the Ember Zone detected; it is the Ember Zone from your third assessment in the Ranked Battle.]

The Eight Guardian Zone will have a certain assessment aspect; your rewards may be converted into ranked battle points. Do you accept this?

"accept."

Nothing is unacceptable.

There's no conflict between causing trouble for the deceitful evil god and passing the third test in the Ash District.

As for converting rewards into ranked battle points... Heh, Xia Lin would love for all future rewards to become ranked battle points.

This thing has incredible purchasing power; it's more valuable than most regular rewards.

[Unstable mutation activated!]

The nine skills in the regular skill bar changed rapidly, but after a quick glance, Xia Lin chose not to mutate.

A carefully crafted set of skills shouldn't be allowed to mutate so easily.

Skipping over the mutation and before the space could collapse as preparations for the battle were underway, Xia Lin struck first.

He took out three cards from his personal storage space and crushed them forcefully.

And so, such a sound rang out in the pre-battle preparation space.

You have used a single-player mission card.

[Single-player mission card activated!]

[This time, the Ember Zone is changed to a solo Ember Zone; no other Ember Zone Walkers will appear in this Ember Zone in any form.]

This is an access card obtained from the Heavenly Source, and its effect is as simple as described above.

Xia Lin used it without hesitation, clearly not wanting his second contact with the deceitful evil god to be interfered with by external forces and increase the variables.

You have used a task delay card.

[Task delay card activated!]

The time limit for the main storyline quest in the Ashes Zone has been significantly extended!

The mission delay card is an old friend... but Xia Lin had never actually used it before.

The last time the game "The Legend of the Immortals" was set in the Ashes Zone was enough to prove how powerful and beneficial this thing is.

Xia Lin obtained several mission delay cards from the Heavenly Gift Source Essence, enough for him to enjoy several Ash Zones.

You have used an identity substitute card (high).

The last one is the identity replacement card (high) that Xia Lin opened.

This thing has both advantages and disadvantages...

Taking on a substitute identity and bearing the consequences makes it difficult to explain the pros and cons of this thing in just a few words.

At this moment, Xia Lin was unsure of what effect this item would have or whether it could help him in this game.

"But as long as the operation is correct, the card's effect is generally positive."

[Identity Replacement Card (High) Activated!]

[Because the Eight Guardian Ashlands are real Ashlands, you do not know and cannot specify any particular Ashland natives.]

[Your identity will be automatically assigned by the Ember Zone system.]

[Note: Assigning an identity by the Ember Zone system will undoubtedly bring you natural advantages and additional benefits, but please explore the specifics yourself after entering the Ember Zone.]

[Designating...]

[Designation complete!]

You will be given the initial identity of Xia Lin (the same name as you).

Xia Lin: The second son of the Xia family, the seventh sword of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan, currently 13 years old.

Xia Lin: "Huh!?"

No, 13 years old!?

What's going on at 13 years old?! His body hasn't even fully developed yet!?

However, Xia Lin also obtained a lot of information about the Eight Guardian Ash District from this identity description.

This seems to be a martial arts-themed area.

"Not bad."

Having inherited Black Star's skill set, Xia Lin is essentially a half-martial artist. The Ash Zone on the martial arts side is compatible with him, so it should be considered his home turf.

The notification sound from the Ashes area continued to ring.

[No being (regardless of rank) can see through the disguise provided by the identity substitution card!]

[After inheriting Xia Lin's (the native's) identity, your skills, attributes, and some items will be sealed!]

You can only grow stronger using the identity of Xia Lin (a native).

Xia Lin had the same experience as Lin Xiantian, which was not unexpected.

[Identity Substitute Card (High) Special Effect: After completing certain tasks, you will receive rewards that unlock some of your strength and items. Please strive for success.]

[Note: All the power, wealth, and authority you gain as a Xia Lin (native) will be converted into racial stats, base attributes, or other optional rewards at a high percentage after this Ash Zone ends.]

After the restrictions are lifted, the benefits will follow.

The alternative identity card has significant limitations.

After use, Xia Lin is essentially a blank slate in this Ash Zone, and everything needs to be started from scratch.

However, in return, the identity replacement card must offer corresponding, or even higher-level, benefits.

The inherent advantages of one's identity are only a small part; the main benefit lies in this "high conversion rate".

But how high is it?
Xia Lin thought of his old friend Lin Xiantian.

The identity substitution card for Lin Xiantian can grant him the protagonist's destiny and level 11 or 12 immortal cultivation insights.

The benefits are so great that they cannot even be quantified.

Xia Lin's identity substitution card (high level) is theoretically more powerful than the identity substitution card used by Lin Xiantian, and may even have special effects, with the rewards likely to be better as well.

"It seems like we can be optimistic about something."

"Moreover, I'm not using the identity substitution card (high) for any reward; the important thing is that I need it to find clues about the fraudulent evil god."

The fact that the Deceptive God is named after deception means that he is likely hiding behind the scenes and will not be easy to find.

The initial identity provided by the identity replacement card will bring Xia Lin great convenience in this process.

As for what to do if one's power is sealed due to the identity substitution card, and then encounters a deceitful evil god...

"Anyway, He can't see through my disguise...which means the initiative is in my hands!"

The value of this initiative is immeasurable, and in Xia Lin's view, the price of having his strength sealed for it is probably worthwhile.

With all three types of access cards used up, the pre-battle preparation phase officially concludes.

Amidst the burst of starlight, Xia Lin's eyes were dazzled.

A slight feeling of dizziness arose.

When Xia Lin opened her eyes again, she found herself in the Ash District, known as the Eight Guardians.

……

"Young Master, you're awake?"

As the gentle voice reached her ears, Xia Lin slowly opened her eyes.

Everything was pure white, and the smell of disinfectant made Xia Lin sneeze uncomfortably.

A slight stinging sensation in his mind, and all the information about his identity automatically appeared in Xia Lin's brain, which he quickly processed.

Xia Lin then turned to look at her side.

Beside him, a beautiful woman in a pristine white nurse's uniform was asking about his condition with concerned eyes and a gentle voice.

"Ah."

Xia Lin spoke softly, her voice changing during puberty, which corresponds to her age of 13.

"Is there anything that's bothering you?"

Xia Lin gently shook her head: "No, everything is fine..."

After saying that, he turned his head and said, "It's just that I injured my body by practicing too fast and fainted for a while. It's nothing serious."

After saying that, ignoring the nurse's advice, he pulled out the numerous tubes covering his body, mimicking Xia Lin's (the indigenous person's) tone and maintaining Xia Lin's (the indigenous person's) indifferent nature, and said indifferently, "You go out first, let me have some peace and quiet."

The nurse hesitated for a moment, but eventually left.

……

Only after the nurse left, leaving Xia Lin alone in the spacious ward, did Xia Lin finally breathe a heavy sigh of relief.

"Good identity, good start."

Their status is certainly good.

From the original owner's memories, Xia Lin had already grasped the worldview of this world and confirmed the weight of this identity—it was extremely high!
The Ash District is named after the Eight Guardians.

At its core is the so-called Eight Guardian Sword Clan!

Xia Lin's identity is that of the second son of the Xia family, the seventh family of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan, with an older brother.

There are only two heirs in the Xia family.

There were no dirty secrets within the family.

Brothers are friendly and humble, and fathers are kind and mothers are loving.

The family dynamics are quite normal... but the family circumstances are quite abnormal.

I got out of bed and walked to the window.

I opened the huge floor-to-ceiling curtains and looked outside.

Surrounded by lush vegetation and rugged landscapes, the Xia Family Sanatorium is situated in such a beautiful environment, boasting top-tier staff and state-of-the-art equipment, yet serving only the Xia family of four.

The Eight Guardian Sword Clan consists of eight ancient families, guarding a great secret.

It is said that the secret guarded by the Eight Guardian Sword Clan concerns the very survival of the entire world.

The Eight Guardian Sword Clan also gained amazing benefits from this mission.

This Ash District has been modernized, similar to the era in which Xia Lin lived before her transmigration.

The Eight Guardians of the Sword Clan are a hidden entity behind the World Government, with influence spanning the entire world—it's not an exaggeration to say that the Eight Guardians of the Sword Clan are the true rulers of the world.

"Actually, the world view is somewhat similar to 'Fierce Martial City,' but there is no 'Fierce Martial Arena.'"

"Martial arts are widely practiced in reality, and everyone in this Ash District values ​​martial arts. The power of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan actually originates from their family's martial arts tradition."

The martial arts circulating outside are vastly different from the family martial arts of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan.

Power brings authority, and authority brings wealth.

With the addition of the magic of time, the Eight Guardian Sword Clan came to be what it is today.

A rustling sound suddenly broke the silence, causing Xia Lin to turn her head and look at the television in the ward.

The television turned on automatically, and lines of text appeared clearly in front of Xia Lin's eyes.

Welcome to the preliminary selection battlefield 3: Eight Guardians.

[Note: This is a real Ember Zone.]

[Note: All permission cards are now active.]

[The Ash Zone will be open for eight months.]

[The extension card is now in effect; the opening period for this "Ember Zone" has been extended to 15 years!]

Xia Lin nodded in satisfaction.

Fifteen years would be great.

This body is only thirteen years old now, and will only be 28 in fifteen years, right in the prime of its life. [Main quest issued.]

Main Quest: The Mystery of the Eight Guardians.

[The Mystery of the Eight Guardians: Stage 1 Objective: Explore the secrets protected by the Eight Guardian Sword Clan.]

[Once Phase One is completed, Phase Two goals will be issued based on your performance!]

[Note: If you fail to unravel the mystery of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan within fifteen years, you will be permanently confined to this Ash Zone and stripped of your Ash Zone Walker status and all your former powers!]

Judging from this, the task is probably not difficult.

After all, Xia Lin's status speaks for itself.

If you still can't complete the first stage of the mission in fifteen years, then in the assessment of the Ember Zone, you are considered incapable. You shouldn't be a Ember Zone Walker anymore; just stay here and retire peacefully in the Ember Zone.

The mission to complete the level has not been triggered.

The side quest has not been triggered.

[Identity quest triggered!]

[Identity Mission: Restore Glory.]

[Reclaiming Glory: The Xia family, once a member of the Eight Guardian Sword Clans, has now fallen to seventh place, its population dwindling, and the family head, Xia Huangwei, is also suffering from old injuries.]

The Xia family, seemingly prosperous, is actually teetering on the brink of collapse, and as the second son of the Xia family, you are very anxious about this.

Of course it's urgent.

This injury was a consequence of Xia Lin's (the indigenous person's) haste.

Thirteen years old, just reached the age where one can begin cultivation.

However, because he was in such a hurry, Xia Lin (the native) did not lay a solid foundation before rushing to cultivate the family's Tai Tong Sword Manual. He barely managed to cultivate his blood energy and could be considered to have entered the realm of martial arts.

But going astray in cultivation is not such a simple matter.

Even with all his power sealed, Xia Lin's martial arts experience, gained from all sorts of martial arts, allowed him to clearly perceive that Xia Lin's (the native's) body was actually useless.

Because the groundwork wasn't laid properly, this person's future foundation in martial arts was ruined!
"Moreover, although he looks strong and powerful, his martial arts talent is actually just average. He's not as good as Wang Lie, and he's far inferior to Bai Guang."

To put it another way, this native with the same name as Xia Lin, after leaving this world, didn't even have the qualifications to be an outer member of the Three Phases Gang...

"It doesn't matter, it's your own fault for running into me."

"I'll borrow your body to bear your karma."

"Restore glory? Easy!"

As Xia Lin thought this, a warm feeling suddenly rose in her heart.

Xia Lin's thoughts seemed to resonate with the original owner of the body's desires, and an unseen sense of spiritual and physical fusion arose.

Let's not mention that, nor talk about the difficulty of the task.

The key is the reward for this task, which Xia Lin is determined to get!

[Mission Objective: To demonstrate strength and restore the Xia family's prestige at the Eight Guardian Sword Clan gathering one year later, or to enhance the Xia family's strength in other ways.]

[Penalty for mission failure: None. 】

[Rewards for successful mission: Depending on your performance, you will receive varying amounts of skill unlocking!]

The biggest problem with the identity substitution card is that its power is sealed.

The identity substitute card (high) offers the possibility of unblocking the account within the game!
Xia Lin couldn't possibly miss this!
Regarding how to handle this identity task, Xia Lin said it was not difficult.

First, the identity substitution card sealed away all of Xia Lin's strength and most of her items, but the Ashes District did not completely eliminate them, and Xia Lin can still use some of her items.

After spending half an hour organizing the cards, Xia Lin had a clear understanding of the cards in her hand.

"Strength, talent, racial stats, physical attributes—all gone, but the attribute panel remains... and it's become like this now..."

Name: Xia Lin

【Level: 1】

[Occupation: Martial Artist]

[Professional Talent: Martial Arts Novice (Rank D): You have just entered the threshold of martial arts, possessing a trace amount of blood energy within your body, which you can mobilize for attack or defense.]

[Race value: 1]

[Basic Attribute: 6]

[Skill 1: Tai Tong Sword Manual (SS-rank) (Skill backlash, cannot be used).]

amount……

You say Xia Lin (the indigenous people) is weak? They're really not weak.

At 13 years old, he already had the physique of an adult male.

But if you're asking if it's strong, it's really not strong.

A level 1 professional, whose only skill is still unusable.

In summary: This is just a kid professional that a strong adult could handle.

But when Xia Lin arrived, spring had come for the Xia Lin (the indigenous people).

"Most of the props are unusable."

"Including foundational offensive and defensive equipment, and most importantly, hidden troop shelters!"

With the hidden cave sealed, Xia Lin was unable to release Scarlett and the Bomb Boys.

"However, some low-level pills and low-level items can still be used."

This "low level" is what Xia Lin considers low level.

Placed in this ash-filled area... its level is not low at all.

The lowest-grade healing pills in Xia Lin's personal space were more than enough to heal Xia Lin's (the native's) injuries—they couldn't even be taken whole; the pills had to be scraped off, otherwise his body couldn't withstand it.

"Secondly, the upper limit of strength in this Ash District... seems to be very low."

As the second son of the Xia family, Xia Lin has a broad perspective.

He had also witnessed his father's actions, and the World Government held a martial arts tournament every year, allowing the world's strongest fighters to make friends through martial arts.

"The previous martial arts tournament champion's physical attributes seem to have just reached 1000 points..."

"And the experts of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan are generally stronger. For example, my cheap old man's attributes are probably around 5 points."

Hmm, 50,000 points...

This is the level of the top experts in this world.

"Therefore, I only need to raise the strength of this body to the level of 5 within a year, and I can probably complete the identity mission perfectly."

Is it difficult?

It's not difficult.

His skills were sealed, but his understanding of all martial arts remained.

Memory, knowledge, and perspective do not disappear due to the effects of the identity replacement card.

With the martial arts experience plundered from Black Star, Xia Lin has a great deal of room to maneuver in this ash-filled area!
"As it stands, the power level of this Ash Zone does not live up to the name of a Foundation-level Ash Zone."

"We didn't find any clues about the Deceptive God in the opening hints either. We also don't know what the connection is between this Ash District and the Deceptive God."

Muttering this to himself, Xia Lin shook his head.

Fifteen years is long enough.

That's enough time for Xia Lin to slowly find his hunting target.

……

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Xia Lin looked at her thirteen-year-old body.

He was only thirteen years old, but already 1.75 meters tall. He had an East Asian face and was quite handsome. Overall, he even bore a five-point resemblance to Xia Lin's original appearance.

"good."

He nodded in satisfaction, but it seemed to aggravate his internal injuries.

A surge of blood rose to Xia Lin's head, and he tasted a hint of blood in his mouth.

He shook his head, no longer being narcissistic.

Xia Lin looked down at the water glass and pills on the sink.

The pills were ordinary, with a slight fragrance.

This is an SS-grade immortal medicine called Baicao Huandan, which is the lowest-grade injury medicine in Xia Lin's personal space.

Carefully scrape it with your fingernail, and a tiny bit of medicine will dissolve into the water.

After drinking the water in one gulp, a warm current will rise in the body, quickly repairing the physical damage caused by improper qigong practice.

The warm and comfortable feeling lasted for several seconds before disappearing. Xia Lin sighed with satisfaction, mobilized the negligible blood energy in his body, circulated it through his body once, and found that the hidden injuries were gone and his physical condition was perfect!
He nodded in satisfaction and put away the remaining pills.

This leftover medicine still has great uses.

"Someone, take me home."

Xia Lin said this after leaving the restroom.

Ignoring the advice of nurses and doctors, he boarded a plane with bodyguards and returned home overnight.

……

The Xia family manor is located in the center of Shenjing City. It is not large in area, mainly because there are too few family members.

The family consisted of parents, two sons, and more than ten servants and bodyguards.

From the outside, this home doesn't seem to match the status of one of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan members, and the interior decoration is mainly warm and cozy, not luxurious.

Xia Lin, however, liked this atmosphere.

When Xia Lin returned home, it was already evening.

It was dinnertime, and the family of four gathered around the table, just like any other family of four.

The father wasn't particularly imposing; he chatted and laughed with his two sons.

This slender man named Xia Huangwei has a relationship with his two sons that is half father and half friend.

On the contrary, the mother, Li Pingjuan, had the air of a head of the family.

She grabbed Xia Lin by the ear and gave him a lecture, saying that he dared to run home before he was fully recovered, and that she would break his legs.

Only after Xia Huangwei confirmed that Xia Lin was unharmed did Li Pingjuan let Xia Lin go.

Xia Lin deliberately made a grimacing expression, seemingly enjoying this kind of relationship.

He glanced at his eldest brother, Xia Tian, ​​the eldest son of the Xia family.

Xia Tian is twenty-one years old this year, and her professional level has reached level seven.

His talent far surpasses Xia Lin's, and he is Xia Huangwei's key successor.

However, in Xia Lin's memory, he knew that his elder brother Xia Tian did not want to be the patriarch of one of the Eight Guardian Sword Clans. This kid preferred art such as music and painting. He clearly had good martial arts talent, but he was not interested in martial arts. However, because of the heavy responsibility of the family, he had to work hard to do things he did not like.

Xia Lin once heard the sound of a guitar coming from Xia Tian's room late at night.

Two words: professional.

Perhaps sensing Xia Lin's gaze, Xia Tian smiled at Xia Lin, and was about to say something when Xia Huangwei suddenly coughed.

The cough came on fiercely and showed no signs of stopping, even causing the other three to put down their chopsticks, their faces showing concern but also helplessness.

Old injuries that can't be cured.

Xia Huangwei coughed for about a minute before clearing his throat and waving his hand, saying, "Let's eat, let's eat."

Xia Tian and Li Pingjuan then picked up their bowls and chopsticks, but the atmosphere at the dinner table was a little tense.

As the pillar of the Xia family and one of the strongest in this world, Xia Huangwei's condition is worrying...

"Oh, right, Dad, this is for you."

Xia Lin spoke up and took out a porcelain bottle.

The porcelain bottle contained the leftover medicine that Xia Lin had taken previously.

Xia Lin chuckled as he pushed the porcelain bottle in front of Xia Huangwei, "This medicine was specially obtained for you. It was blessed by a high monk, so it's sure to be effective!"

Xia Huangwei smiled and shook his head.

However, he still took the porcelain bottle, smelled it briefly, and, confirming it was non-toxic, simply drank it.

Given the relationship between the father and son, Xia Huangwei was willing to take the medicine as long as it wasn't poisonous, regardless of whether it was effective or not.

This is a manifestation of trust and kinship.

Seeing that Xia Huangwei had taken the medicine successfully, Xia Lin felt relieved.

Identity-related tasks can be completed by enhancing the Xia family's strength.

Helping Xia Huangwei resolve his long-standing ailment is undoubtedly one of the solutions to this task.

(End of this chapter)