The sequence is too involutional, luckily I am too.

Chapter 206 Life Cycle, Sequence Development

Lu Yan tapped the tabletop with his fingertips, pondered for a moment, and then decided on the object of his first secret technique—life absorption and life diversion.

These two secret techniques, one offensive and one defensive, complement each other and have always been his source of confidence in continuous battles.

Whether for personal use or as a pawnshop rental service, it is extremely valuable.

If the two can be combined, it will not only enhance one's own combat power, but also enrich the pawnshop's collection of secret techniques, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

With this in mind, Lu Yan no longer hesitated. A faint light flashed between his brows, and he directly activated the core skill of the ancient wizards—Secret Weaving Technique.

[Initiating the fusion of Arcane Arts: Life Drain and Arcane Arts: Life Diversion ————]

In an instant, the secret magic book floating in front of him flipped rapidly, and a faint, shimmering white light emanated from between the pages. The two pages that recorded the life absorption and life diversion slowly detached from the pages and approached and merged with each other in mid-air.

The pale white light grew even brighter, and the patterns of the two secret techniques intertwined and interwoven without any repulsion. On the contrary, it seemed as if they were born to be integrated into one.

Before long, the two pages merged smoothly, turning into a brand new page. The original two secret techniques did not disappear; instead, they were neatly recorded on this page, outlining a clear tree of life-based skills.

At the intersection of the two arcane runes, a new ray of light slowly condensed, eventually transforming into a brand new arcane mark.

[Fusion successful! Acquired the Secret Technique: Life Cycle!]

Lu Yan lowered his eyes to look at the skill tree on the first page of the Secret Magic Codex, raised an eyebrow slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He had expected the newly integrated secret technique to take up an extra page, but to his surprise, not only did it not, but a page was left empty. Clearly, the grimoire had automatically categorized similar secret techniques.

"I see, so they grouped together secret techniques belonging to the life element."

Lu Yan smiled knowingly, his fingertips lightly brushing across the skill tree on the book's pages.

Life draws from the Lord's breath, and life flows through the Lord's transmission; the two are of the same origin and it is only natural that they be classified as one.

The reason this classification hadn't appeared before was probably because he had never systematically integrated these two secret arts.

"In that case, we need to integrate the remaining secret techniques as soon as possible."

A hint of anticipation flashed in Lu Yan's eyes, and his gaze instantly locked onto the other two secret techniques.

Indulge in his innate secret technique, Heart Fire.

Both of these secret arts are related to emotions. One can unleash combat power and interfere with the target, while the other can burn the soul and purify evil spirits. If they are combined, they will surely give birth to a new secret art with great power.

Unfortunately, the Arcane Weaving skill has a one-day cooldown period, so for now we can only be patient and try again tomorrow.

He composed himself and focused his attention back on the newly fused secret technique, Life Circulation, carefully examining its attributes.

[Life Cycle: Energy cycles can be constructed on one's own body or the surface of extraordinary objects, absorbing the target's life force through direct contact and quickly feeding it back to the user.]

"It's gone from being absorbed from a distance to being used in close combat."

Lu Yan muttered to himself, his fingertips stroking his chin. This secret technique constructs a complete structure for the conversion of life energy. Although it sacrifices casting range, it has the advantage of more efficient energy conversion. It is difficult to determine which is better or worse in a short time.

With a thought, his life force spontaneously circulated, and pale green energy patterns rapidly outlined his body, forming a complex and mysterious loop mark.

Lu Yan casually picked up a green plant from the table and gently covered the leaves with his right hand.

In the blink of an eye, the lush green plant was drained of all its vitality, transforming into a wisp of pure life energy that flowed into his body along the loop mark, nourishing his spiritual power and blood.

What surprised him even more was that he could transform the absorbed energy into pure life force at any time and use it as needed.

A glint flashed in Lu Yan's eyes, and he raised his hand towards another green plant. A pale black energy chain shot out, which was the life-absorbing technique.

A continuous stream of life force converged along the chains, perfectly merging into the life pathways on the body's surface, without the slightest...

Violate.

"In that case, it really does become like a perpetual motion machine."

Lu Yan nodded in satisfaction, a smile playing on his lips. With the addition of Life Absorption, Life Circulation could now be used for both ranged and melee combat, making it effective in any scenario and greatly enhancing its practicality.

What surprised him most was that the description of the secret technique mentioned that it "can be applied to rare objects".

Lu Yan picked up an ordinary dagger from the table and infused it with the energy of the life cycle. Instantly, faint green patterns appeared on the surface of the dagger.

"Isn't this equivalent to a high-level weapon enchantment?"

Lu Yan clicked his tongue in amazement, already making plans in his mind.

With this secret technique, Pawnshop Zero can add another "Enchanted Items" service, making it even more attractive.

The first attempt at the secret technique of weaving came to a successful conclusion, but Lu Yan did not stop there.

He raised his hand and flipped it over, and two Primal Cards with an unusual luster appeared in his palm.

These were the previously obtained [Desolate Mistress] and [Briber].

Since the goal is to expand the shop's inventory of secret techniques, the more the better.

Lu Yan then activated the ancient wizard's domain, Wizard's Realm, and two primordial tablets floated in the center of the domain, beginning to be rapidly analyzed.

In the following days, Lu Yan stayed indoors, completely immersing himself in the fusion of secret techniques and his own cultivation.

The harvest was also quite plentiful.

Zero Pawnshop received several orders in quick succession. Although the transactions were mostly basic needs such as exchanging gold and silver treasures and improving talents, Lu Yan knew from the satisfaction and anticipation in the eyes of the customers as they left that it was not far away for them to come and trade again.

What delighted him even more was that the reputation of Pawnshop Zero had quietly spread, and more and more people knew about this secret pawnshop that could "defy fate," but due to the unknown and caution, they were still observing and hesitating.

Lu Yan tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, a playful smile playing on his lips: "As more and more people truly change their fate through pawnshops, these onlookers will eventually succumb to the temptation."

He paused, then shrugged self-deprecatingly, "In that case, I really do seem like a devil who leads people astray."

His smile faded, and Lu Yan turned his gaze to another important gain from this training session.

The new secret technique revealed by the two primal cards is clearly displayed on the panel:

【Secret Technique: Famine: After activating the secret technique, a Famine mark will be placed on the target, which will continuously drain the target's internal energy】

The quantity caused it to fall into endless "hunger," and its combat power continued to decline.

【Secret Technique - Treasure Drop: Consumes currency of equal value to condense a special illusory coin, precisely striking down enemy artifacts and temporarily sealing them. The sealing duration increases with the value of the currency consumed.】

Both of these secret techniques originated from the analysis of [Wasteland Matriarch] and [Briber]. Although they have not yet been actually used, Lu Yan could see their battlefield value at a glance.

Whether it's the continuous depletion caused by famine or the sealing of rare treasures, both can play a very strong supporting role in battle.

In addition, by utilizing the cooling cycle woven from the secret techniques, he successfully fused together three new secret techniques, each exceeding his expectations:

[Secret Technique - Mental Frenzy: Combining inner fire with the power of unrestrained passion, upon activation, it allows one to overdraw their own emotions in exchange for a short burst of mental power. Simultaneously, it can transmit agitated emotions to the enemy, interfering with their judgment.]

[Secret Technique: Time Mirror: Obtained by fusing mirror space and time remnants, upon activation, it summons a mirror image carrying the user's own time imprint. The mirror image can synchronously mimic the user's movements and secret techniques, accompanying them in battle, and can also use the time remnants to evade fatal attacks.]

[Secret Art: Bloodblade Guardian: Obtained by fusing the Secret Art: Light Guardian with the Bloodblade Berserker trait: Bloodblade Illusionary Weapon. Upon activation, it can resonate with one's own blood and wondrous objects to summon an armored Bloodblade Guardian to protect the user throughout the entire process.]

The first two are fusions of secret arts, but Blood Blade Guardian is a cross-border combination of secret arts and sequence characteristics, and its effect is the most amazing.

Lu Yan looked up at his side and saw several tall figures dressed in various colors of armor standing solemnly, holding in their hands the various rare items he had collected.

This Bloodblade Guardian is somewhat similar to his weapon spirit, yet fundamentally different.

The Soldier Spirit needs to be activated by him and will dissipate after the skill is deactivated, while the Blood Blade Guardian can exist for a long time once it is successfully summoned. Even if it is defeated, it can be reborn after a period of time.

What surprised Lu Yan even more was that, perhaps nourished by the spirituality of the strange creatures, these Bloodblade Guards had developed considerable intelligence. Although not as strong as normal humans, they could accurately execute his simple commands, making them an excellent guard force.

Seeing this, Lu Yan simply summoned the corresponding Blood Blade Guardians for all his strange items, but he still couldn't succeed with the longsword, Thousand Slash.

Neither the Blood Blade Guardian nor the Soldier Soul could be summoned from the Thousand Slashes; not even a trace of sentience was born.

Other mithril-grade artifacts do not have this problem, so it is clearly not due to their grade. Lu Yan stroked the hilt of the Thousand Cuts sword, and he already had a guess in his mind.

"It's probably related to the divine remains used to forge the Thousand Cuts."

"If we could obtain some more divine remains and upgrade Thousand Slashes to the Refined Gold level, perhaps it would be able to develop sentience."

A hint of anticipation flashed in Lu Yan's eyes.

He knew that the Mithril grade corresponded to the demigod realm of Sequence 4, while the Adamantite grade was the threshold to truly enter the realm of gods. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a complete transformation and a divine artifact.

As his thoughts wandered, he suddenly remembered something, and his fingertips tightened slightly.

"Speaking of which, the body of that strange god that was lost during the saints' invasion has still not been found."

He didn't believe that the followers of the Evil God would fail on such a crucial item.

Perhaps, there will be another chance to meet again —

For some reason, Lu Yan felt a sense of anticipation, vaguely sensing that the strange god's body would reappear before him.

Just then, Lu Yan's heart jolted, his speculator's traits were suddenly triggered, and a subtle warning sounded in his mind.

Before he could concentrate on investigating the source of the warning, a familiar figure appeared on the surveillance screen—Chen Qi.

Lu Yan narrowed his eyes, a hint of contemplation flashing in them: "Even sending out sequence information can cause a crisis, what trick is Mu Yun up to now?"

Before the thought even finished, he had already stepped into the mirror space. In a flash, he appeared at the entrance of the manor, standing steadily in front of Chen Qi.

The sudden appearance of the figure made Chen Qi freeze, and he subconsciously took half a step back. He, who was usually very talkative, was unusually silent at this moment. He simply took out an ancient-looking storage object from his pocket and handed it to Lu Yan.

"The sequence information and extraordinary materials you requested are all here. You—"

Chen Qi opened his mouth, his tone somewhat ambiguous. He paused halfway through his sentence, his eyes darting away, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Thank you.

Lu Yan took the storage item and glanced at Chen Qi, naturally noticing the entanglement and unease in his emotions.

He waited quietly for a moment, and seeing that Chen Qi did not speak again, he stopped asking questions and turned to leave.

He understood Chen Qi's situation. Mu Yun and he were already sworn enemies. As a member of Mu Yun, Chen Qi was destined to be bound to Mu Yun. Even if there was a possibility of breaking free, given Chen Qi's personality, he would never easily betray them.

Although Chen Qi is usually talkative and disdainful of the Five Elders of Muyun, Lu Yan can see that he is a person who values ​​loyalty and righteousness at heart.

By the time Chen Qi came to his senses, Lu Yan's figure had already disappeared into the depths of the manor, leaving only a faint afterimage of spiritual energy.

Chen Qi stared at the empty doorway, sighed heavily, and looked utterly helpless: "I still can't bring myself to say it—"

After much hesitation, he finally turned around and walked towards Mu Yun's direction.

Inside the manor, Lu Yan put away the Dragon King's Eye, looked in the direction Chen Qi had left, shook his head slightly, and spoke with a hint of regret.

"What a pity."

Mu Yun went further and further down the path of becoming his enemy, and Chen Qi became deeply entangled in it, ultimately finding it difficult to extricate himself.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Lu Yan took out the sequence information and extraordinary materials from the storage artifact one by one and flipped through them one by one. Relevant analysis subtitles kept popping up on the panel.

After reviewing all the information, his doubts were not resolved; instead, he felt even more surprised.

The sequences that Mu Yun sent were quite powerful, and some of them were even comparable to some newly developed paths.

However, these sequences all share a fatal commonality: they are extremely prone to getting out of control.

If someone uses this information as a reference to design a new sequence path, the probability of mutation after awakening will increase significantly.

But if that's all, it won't have any effect on him at all.

Putting aside the fact that he possesses the analytical abilities and panel assistance of ancient wizards, which can fundamentally eliminate this risk of losing control.

Even without these, he wouldn't need to awaken these ordinary branching paths.

As for the claim that it would affect the branch path he was about to develop, that's even more outrageous.

"Mu Yun's idea of ​​influencing my development with such meager means is far too presumptuous."

Lu Yan picked up a scroll of intelligence with his fingertips, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes. "Unless—this intelligence is just a smokescreen."

Thinking of this, he took out several intelligence scrolls, activated the secret technique of divination, and a faint spiritual light emanated from his fingertips as he began to divine the secrets within.

A moment later, a line of eye-catching red text popped up on the panel.

Small risk, huge reward!!!

Upon seeing this line of text, Lu Yan couldn't help but laugh, a sly glint in his eyes.

"Looks like Mu Yun is going to give me some perks again this time."

Perfect timing! Developing more sequence paths might come in handy when heading to Shelter 749 in the future.

Meanwhile, deep within the no-man's-land, shrouded in gray fog.

Fang Xiu cautiously peeked out from the thick gray fog, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily. Only after confirming that no one was following him did he quietly breathe a sigh of relief and mutter to himself.

"I've hidden myself in this godforsaken, deserted area; those guys probably won't find me again, right?"

He tightened his hood, concealing his presence to the extreme, and with a flash, strode towards the damaged building ahead.

We walked toward the ancient sanctuary.

The swirling gray fog obscured his figure, but it could not conceal the majestic outline of the city, exuding an aura of vicissitude.

Above the weathered city gate of the shelter, three powerful characters are clearly visible: 749!

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