Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 551 The Dividing Line Between Man and God

Looking at the prompt in front of him, Madao felt that something was wrong with this world—no, this temple.

The notice from the hall was exceptionally clear: if a fee was required, a 3% discount would be offered, although there would be other rewards or compensation, such as employee pass points, which could be exchanged for materials at the hall.

But this kind of forced discount is strange in itself; isn't this just forced buying and selling?
Mada's question startled Li Xia and the three little ones, but they immediately realized why and started chuckling mischievously.

The authority of the reserve officers was described in a rather general way, but I never expected it to have such an effect.

Seeing their smiles, Madao knew that these people must know what was going on. At Aowu's prompting, he suspiciously picked up the materials on the table.

It's just materials—he's already seen the core of the Star God's incarnation, what else could it be?

"My grass!"

As it turns out, even in parallel universes, the words that people from Tokyo University use to express shock remain remarkably consistent.

Madao's eyes nearly popped out as he stared at the white, jade-like bone in his hand, which emitted a faint glow, and various elegant C language expressions burst forth.

"No way, you fucking killed the Old Gods???"

Third-tier? Ancient God? ? ?

Awoo proudly puffed out his chest; the three of them, together with the prison guards, had chopped down eighty-two—

"Killed in the advancement battle!"

Madaro gasped. He felt that at his age, and having come to such a miraculous place as the temple, he was no longer easily startled.

He had already figured out what kind of beings the Old Gods were when he obtained the core of the Star God's incarnation and went to inquire about it.

This thing has high HP and defense, but it's still a conceptual deity. A third-tier apostle shouldn't even be able to see where the original god is; just getting close could lead to direct corruption.

Not to mention directly slaughtering gods!

But Li Xia still managed to slaughter them all. Not only did he slaughter them, but he also took the materials dropped by the old gods and put them in front of him. This shows that Li Xia definitely had the upper hand in the battle to slaughter the gods.

Otherwise, given the way the Temple of Light operates, simply firing a shot at an old god from 800 miles away would absolutely not yield any results.

They want a share of the loot, especially the kill-exclusive loot.
Although Li Xia didn't say it, Madao could guess that it must be a dramatic story that could be passed down as a myth.

This feat will definitely catch the eye of the Temple of Light, and the reward they give will probably be incredibly high!

No wonder there was such a notification.

Madaro shook his head and sighed. In reality, he was a top scientist, the kind who formed his own faction.

They possess an unparalleled wealth of wisdom and experience within the rules.

Li Xia's current authority is indeed very powerful, even to the point of forcing employees to accept it, but that's because the employees are originally the Hall's 'contract workers'.

As they are both part of the basic support system of the temple, this mandatory requirement exists, just as workers are conscripted to prepare for logistical support when a major war breaks out.

The vendors who traded were not included; those were individual business owners.

Which equipment do you plan to upgrade?

Madaro examined the materials and had to admit that the items from the Old Gods were exceptionally good. He had never used them before, but as a materials science expert, he still had some basic ideas.

“I suggest merging this divine bone with your spear; it will result in a qualitative leap.”

Both spirituality and power will be significantly enhanced.

Li Xia nodded. Madaou is a professional in this area, and respecting expertise is a commendable virtue.

Without hesitation, he took out the spear and placed it on the table.

After thinking for a moment, he took off all his equipment except for his jewelry.

God-Enemy Armor, Ancient Moon Bow, Corrupted Kusanagi Kyo Gloves, Multi-Purpose Belt, Magical Pants, Cloud-Ascending Boots.

Madao's smile froze on his face. He looked at the equipment flashing with various colors in front of him with a puzzled and confused gaze, and then looked at Li Xia, who had a look of "I believe in you."

After a long while, he said in a low voice:

"I studied materials science, and my specialty is forging."

"Can't you learn tailoring too? They're all tools; one skill can solve everything. I've seen people who are both blacksmiths and tailors."

"cannot!"

Madaro's attitude was unusually firm:

"Greed leads to ruin. The difference between forging and tailoring in the hall is enormous. It is not a simple crossover. They are two different knowledge systems. Even a genius is lucky to make a name for himself in one system."

Crossing boundaries only leads to confusion in the knowledge system, and the tools needed for forging are different from those needed for tailoring.

Madaro said seriously:

"Top-tier forging and tailoring equipment is no cheaper than the top-tier equipment of an apostle!"

"alright, I got it."

Li Xia was about to put away his equipment when Mada waved his hand, signaling him to wait a moment:

"Although I can't do it myself, I can still offer some advice."

He first admired the divine enemy armor he had personally crafted, which had brought him such a great reputation, and was deeply intoxicated by his own superb skills.

"This armor—it's an exquisite masterpiece!"

Madaou speaks Chinese, and his pronunciation is excellent.

"You're planning to use divine blood on this armor?"

"Correct."

"Then I suggest starting here—preferably mixed with your own blood as well."

Madaro pointed to his chest area and then traced a strange curve on the breastplate with his finger.

"This is where I outlined the substrate fusion line, and it has the best effect."

So everyone has their own expertise. If Li Xia hadn't been cautious, he might have poured the whole bottle of blood over his head.

As for this bow

Madaro frowned, looked at it for a while, and then shook his head.

"The technology is too outdated, there's no need to change it, just make do with it, even if we upgrade it, the improvement will be limited."

Bows are neither unpopular nor popular weapons. As the rank increases, there are fewer apostles who use bows and arrows as their primary weapon.

They generally find their most suitable niche within a team.

Most bows are used as secondary weapons, so it's easier to just buy one than to modify it.

"Where's my sword? My sword broke during the battle. Should I forge a new one or just buy one?"

"Just buy it. If you're going to forge it, it's not worth it if the main weapon is worth the investment. It's not worth it if the secondary weapon is too expensive."

The price is too high, or it's a weapon that requires upgrades.

But…” Madaro glanced at the equipment on the table:
"There are too many growth equipment. Even you will be slowed down. The higher the level of growth equipment, the more terrifying the requirements become."

Li Xia initially wanted to say it was alright, not a big burden, but he quickly realized that Madaro already knew he had killed an Old God and must have a rough assessment of his strength.

Even so, he still said it would be a burden to him, which shows how many resources growth-type equipment would require in the later stages.
"Okay, let's buy it then. That will save us a lot of trouble."

Li Xia nodded in agreement. Buying equipment was indeed more convenient, and he could also choose the attributes he wanted.

"As for this... it's quite interesting!"

Madaro examines Kyo Kusanagi's gloves (left and right):
"This equipment is a soul equipment because it houses a tormented and mad soul."

However, the soul within will also bring negative debuffs, which of course won't do you any good.

However, the existence of the soul can also hinder the improvement of equipment, rendering conventional improvement methods useless.

"These gloves must have been dropped when you killed the Apostle, right?"

"Yes, Baal, the core seed of Hell Echoes, for some reason chose to fight to the death during the second-tier advancement battle."

Li Xia spoke casually, as if he were slaughtering a chicken, not as if he were the once renowned champion of the second-tier arena.

"Echoes of Hell? No wonder. Those people are quite knowledgeable about the soul and are experts in it. That's Hell Echoes' strength."

Madaro nodded, pondered for a moment, and then said:
"Okay, I'll ask around for you. There should be a way to fix this equipment a little."

Gloves are a type of auxiliary equipment that is usually very valuable, so it's best to keep them if possible.

Madaro didn't even bother to look at the remaining items like the Cloud Boots and Magic Pants, and simply waved his hand, telling Li Xia to put them away.

The two sat down again at the stone table, and the housekeeping robot brought out several more dishes, which looked and smelled delicious, and were surprisingly similar to the imperial cuisine in real life.

As a seasoned academic with a knack for alcohol, this skill would never be so proficient without being immersed in the atmosphere of the University of Tokyo for over a decade or two.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, no one knew what kind of wine Madao had brought, but even a powerful demigod like Li Xia could feel a pleasant buzz.

As for Madao, his face was already completely red.

"The fourth tier is indeed completely different from the previous ones, Xia."

Madaro put down his glass; although he had drunk quite a bit, his eyes remained clear.

"If the first three stages are just laying the foundation, then the fourth stage is the beginning of soaring. From here, the Apostles will take off and become like butterflies."

Li Xia also became serious when discussing business. He knew that this was what Madao really wanted to say, and it was the information that Madao had painstakingly collected for him during his time at the fourth tier.

“Starting from the fourth rank, the gap between apostles will become increasingly larger, even unbelievably large, like people from two different worlds.”

The truly strong will accelerate the gap between themselves and the weak, soaring through the heavens like a swan spreading its wings.

But the mediocre are like sparrows, pecking at scraps and insects on the ground that swans would not even look at.

Even if you have a great foundation at the lower levels, if you fall behind at the fourth level, which is a particularly important juncture, it will be difficult to catch up.

The fourth tier has a unique name; do you know what it is?

Madaro raised his glass, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp, saying meaningfully:

"The dividing line between man and god!"

The dividing line between man and god!

The three little ones didn't dare to breathe loudly, listening carefully. If they had been a little proud and complacent before, it had all disappeared in the face of Madaro's heartfelt advice.

Li Xia nodded slowly. Although he had not yet broken through the limit to receive the limit reward, the limit reward could never be the reliance of an apostle to break through racial restrictions, to be comparable to those real monsters, or even to hunt those monsters.

Something must have helped the apostles achieve their ascension!

"So what is the secret of the fourth order?"

"Incarnation!"

Madaro uttered two words and continued:

"The apostles call that thing an incarnation. As far as I know, the apostles highly praise the incarnation, and the incarnation is indeed powerful, said to have all sorts of incredible uses."

For example, the reason why gods are so powerful is because those who are called gods have more or less mastered the power of rules.

This kind of rule-based power is completely different from the trash skills brought out by the derivative world. It's like an innate instinct, without any of those messy restrictions.

The key to its application lies in one's own mind; it is the ultimate expression of skills and methods.

In the face of such power, even seemingly insurmountable skills in derivative worlds are like fireflies compared to the blazing sun.

Li Xia and Aowu both nodded involuntarily.

This master and servant are two contrasting characters: one was beaten by the power of the rules, while the other truly possesses such power.

How powerful are the fragments of the secondary gravity law of Aowu?
There is absolutely no overt consumption or cooling; it's completely at your fingertips, and you can even create massive meteorites, construct gravitational channels, and so on.

Similar abilities to his, such as the Gravity Fruit or Accelerator's vector manipulation, have been possessed by other Angels.

Regardless of future development potential, just comparing abilities has limitations, weaknesses, upper limits, and specific costs, and the difference is immeasurable.

"But even if you could obtain fragments of the power of rules, an apostle couldn't use them. Do you know why?"

Madao chuckled and picked up another peanut for himself.

Indeed, when Li Xia obtained the fragment of the secondary gravity law, he discovered that he couldn't use it, nor could the other two little ones; only Aowu could.

"Not high enough rank?"

"Clever! But lacking in rank is a complex issue!"

Mada snapped his fingers:

"In fact, it can be explained in one sentence: How can a mortal body possibly see the transformations of an immortal?"
The rules are the underlying code of the entire world. To use them, you need to analyze them, which is far beyond the limits of an apostle's body.

It's like trying to calculate geometric surfaces or even multidimensional space with an abacus—how could you possibly keep up?

Even the physical body cannot withstand the power of the rules unless it is in the form of a soul, using a perfect quantum system constructed from four hundred trillion electrons.

But the physical body is equally important—”

At this point, Madao paused, pondered for a moment, and then shook his head:
"I don't know the specifics, but the physical body is also quite important. Never mind, let's skip it."

In short, apostles cannot accept the power of rules, but avatars can!

Like a thunderclap shattering Li Xia's heart, a booming sound echoed in his chest.

But you can transform yourself!
He probably understood why the fourth level was called the 'dividing line between man and god'!
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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

This chapter contains many concepts, but with 160 million words, the core setting of the entire book has finally been written.

The avatar is the core element of my design, and it should solve many problems.

(End of this chapter)