#581Chapter 553 The Ladder of Spirit and Flesh (3K)AI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
Chapter 553: The Ladder of Spirit and Flesh (3K+)
"I'm sorry, Tao Pai Pai doesn't seem to be ready to accept your negotiation for now."
Jin Ruohai shook his head at the group of people in front of him. This group was the high-tier Reincarnators from the most famous mercenary Reincarnator assembly in the East District, Black Water.
They had confirmed that after that battle, the new President (President) 'Dead Sword' One Thought Green Silk had gone missing, most likely consistent with the rumors.
Daikokuten, One Thought Green Silk, and Su Qingqiu were all defeated by Tao Pai Pai, and were only spared death due to the consideration of Terminus Great Sun.
Instead, they all became Tao Pai Pai's captives.
Someone confirmed that Reaper's Paradise's President, Muyu, had contacted Tao Pai Pai through Black Butler, most likely to redeem The Heaven's Su Qingqiu.
No matter how high the cost, a living top-tier Reincarnator was always worth it.
Especially for an elite assembly like Reaper's Paradise, losing a prominent expert would likely quickly make them a target for other assemblies.
And Black Water was the same; for an assembly that specializes in accepting various mercenary tasks to gain extra income, a strong and powerful leader is essential.
Several people frowned, wondering if approaching Jin Ruohai was a mistake.
Although Tao Pai Pai had indeed had contact with Jin Ruohai, it now seemed that Jin Ruohai's familiarity with Tao Pai Pai was clearly not as deep as Black Butler's.
As the group was about to leave, they suddenly received a notification, their expressions surprised.
The next moment, the group, who had returned to their team assembly space, saw a perfectly unharmed One Thought Green Silk appear in the team square.
Black Water's team space was set up as a huge square, with a dim sky and a sun that seemed to be undergoing a total eclipse. The sky was neither bright nor dark, looking quite magnificent.
"Boss, you..."
Facing their puzzled gazes, One Thought Green Silk spread her hands and shrugged.
"No choice, to survive, I sold Black Water."
"Sold?!"
Their eyelids twitched, and their voices instantly rose.
One Thought Green Silk, however, leaned lazily against the stone pillar in the middle of the square, stating matter-of-factly,
"Yeah, otherwise, did you think that guy would let me go?"
The expressions of the others grew even more sinister. They exchanged glances and said coldly,
"Dead Sword, didn't you tell Tao Pai Pai that our Black Water has always been a loose assembly, and even if you are the current President, you have no right to decide the fate of others?"
One Thought Green Silk's eyelids lifted. She saw that the speaker was 'Shadow Dance' Mulgai, a dark-skinned, grey-cloaked assassin-type Reincarnator.
Her lips twitched slightly, and the laziness gradually faded, replaced by an increasingly Strong (intense) killing intent. In the team space, as the assembly's controller, she could slightly alter some of the rules here. While they still couldn't kill each other, it wasn't difficult to let her killing intent spread.
Mulgai instantly noticed this and, before they could speak, heard the woman's chilling voice.
"That was the Black Water of the past. From now on, Black Water will adopt a new management style. Under my... um, under Tao Pai Pai's command, I will issue a kill order for all those who disobey orders."
One Thought Green Silk used her hand to brush aside her dark purple long hair from her ear, a cruel killing intent curving her lips.
"To be executed by me personally."
One Thought Green Silk could still recall the chilling stillness as Tao Pai Pai's fingers glided across her skin; he was definitely a man far more cruel than herself.
She didn't want to die; she wanted to live. For this goal, she could give up everything.
Whether it was her freedom or her dignity.
The principles of the mere Black Water assembly and the lives of these other members, how could they be more important than her own survival!
She used these things as leverage to temporarily avoid becoming a scarlet drop card displayed on that stall.
Coincidentally, Tao Pai Pai seemed to be in need of manpower at the moment. His 'Paradise' needed to be rebuilt, and for more convenient hunting in the future, he needed many people to spread the reputation of 'Paradise'...
One Thought Green Silk licked the corners of her mouth, her eyes devoid of warmth.
Mulgai felt a chill throughout his body. 'Dead Sword' One Thought Green Silk was able to quickly become the leader of Black Water precisely because she was very good at killing!
The other few also understood this point, and their minds instantly tensed, falling into hesitation.
—
Bodhi
Quality: World's Rare Treasure
Description: Legend has it that this Bodhi fruit condensed from the Bodhi tree that grew where Bodhidharma attained nirvana, possessing the effect of comprehending worldly truths and mastering techniques.
Effect 1: When carried on the person, the cultivation speed of Martial Arts Specialization and abilities increases by 50%.
Effect 2: Upon consuming Bodhi, you will receive an infusion of ancestral wisdom, forcibly increasing the level of cultivation abilities and specialization by 1. There is a small chance to gain an additional characteristic, and an extremely small chance to gain the inherited martial art 'Buddha Palm Fragment (S)'.
This was a bead emitting a faint glow, with intricate and fine patterns on it. This item was much more valuable than the bodhi leaf that Hong Chen had previously traded to Bai Cangshu.
Not only did it not require being held in the mouth for consumption, but it also provided continuous cultivation bonuses just by being carried on the person. Effect 2 was also incredibly applicable to Bai Cangshu's current situation.
The description 'forcibly increases by 1 level' was meticulously highlighted in red by the space, as if to remind Reincarnators of the extraordinary nature of this effect.
As a martial artist who had reached the 'Pinnacle of Technique', Bai Cangshu naturally understood the true purpose of this effect.
An ability or specialization increasing from Lv1 to Lv2, or from Lv6 to Lv7, is both a 1-level increase, but the effect and difficulty are vastly different.
Moreover, this description clearly suggests to Reincarnators that this 'World's Rare Treasure' quality item's true value lies in allowing abilities to break through the Lv9 limit, surpassing the 'Pinnacle of Technique' and entering a transcendent realm.
This was why Bai Cangshu unhesitatingly agreed to release that virtue Reincarnator. Otherwise, how could the greedy Bai Cangshu easily let go of a captured prey?
To be honest, Bai Cangshu really wanted to directly consume this Bodhi and use the ancestral wisdom to immediately break through his Martial Arts Specialization to Lv10, entering the so-called transcendent realm.
In many world-building settings in East Xia, this process is described as "entering the Dao through technique," while in works like Fate, it is described as exquisite skill touching the realm of "Magic."
But Bai Cangshu ultimately suppressed this urge. The most effective way to use the Bodhi item was naturally to wear it normally for rapid cultivation, and then consume it directly when needed in combat, instantly entering the Lv10 realm to reverse the battle.
What's more, Bai Cangshu had already vaguely touched upon the key to another powerful energy system.
In his battle with those three, he felt the existence of the Earth's magnetic field. The Current Drive energy system already had the potential to enter 'Magnetic Field Rotation'!
Bai Cangshu put the Bodhi into his backpack. After thinking for a moment, he crushed the several scarlet drop cards in his hand one by one.
To quickly catch up his agility and Mental attributes, he began to specifically use these types of Reincarnator scarlet cards.
He remembered that most of the Reincarnators sent by End Empire were spellcasters.
You have opened a scarlet drop card.
...
You have chosen attribute extraction.
Mental attribute +6, current: 47
You have chosen bloodline extraction.
Extraction failed.
You have chosen ability extraction.
You have obtained ability scroll: Nirvana Hermitage Technique Lv4 (B+).
You have opened a scarlet drop card.
You have chosen attribute extraction.
Agility attribute +6, current: 42
You have chosen bloodline extraction.
Extraction failed.
You have chosen ability extraction.
You have obtained ability scroll: One-Shot Shura Lv4 (A-).
...
Bai Cangshu's extraction this time was incredibly bountiful, because most of those who came to kill him were elite-level or higher Reincarnators. Not only were their attributes relatively high, but the results of the ability extraction were also quite pleasing.
However, what disappointed Bai Cangshu was that, apart from the woman who used One-Shot Shura, there were no other agility-specialized Reincarnators.
After a series of extractions, his Mental attribute surged, and his physique also saw a slight improvement, but his agility attribute still hadn't broken the 50 mark.
Attributes: Strength 51; Physique 57; Agility 42; Mental 59
At the same time, he also obtained a batch of Lv4 ability scrolls, which could be sold.
Among these ability scrolls, the only one that Bai Cangshu looked at for a while was One-Shot Shura.
One-Shot Shura (A-)—Forcibly concentrates all magic power, at the cost of squeezing the soul and consuming lifespan, greatly enhancing physical abilities (currently maximum increase is 4 times), lasting for one minute.
In Bai Cangshu's opinion, this ability could probably be considered a bankrupt version of Kaioken, also a temporary burst-enhancement ability, but with weaknesses such as soul consumption, short duration, and only enhancing physical abilities.
However, for body technique-focused, especially those who use magic to build and strengthen their systems, and sword technique-focused Reincarnators, it is still a powerful ultimate skill.
Bai Cangshu tapped his arm a few times. Black Water had not yet sent back any news from One Thought Green Silk. It would probably take some effort to gather that group of people. Bai Cangshu didn't mind killing a few more, but he was short on time now.
And An Zhiyuan and Qingkong's boss had jointly issued a request to him to limit the use of 'Fierce' tier or higher destructive power outside of Myanmar.
This also affected Bai Cangshu's hunting range.
Bai Cangshu naturally wouldn't completely obey this so-called request, but he also wouldn't travel a thousand miles for a prey as insignificant as a "fly's leg."
He planned to operate 'Paradise' as a truly free and chaotic paradise for Reincarnators, and he would periodically select the most perfect prey from it to enjoy.
Bai Cangshu stood up and twisted the doorknob. He hadn't yet received the ransom sent by End Empire. For now, he planned to go and see what the meaning of this so-called 'Ladder of Spirit and Flesh' that he had newly opened was.
Special Reincarnator Ex051, it has been detected that you meet the conditions for climbing the 'Ladder of Spirit and Flesh'. Please proceed to the Tier Management Office for inquiry.
This was a special notification he had seen after returning from the root vortex. Because he had detected the actions of the Kill White Alliance, Bai Cangshu had returned to reality to fight and hadn't had time to inquire yet.
"Ah!"
"It's... him."
"It's Tao Pai Pai... Your Excellency..."
As the true "traffic star" of the Infinite Dimensional Space's East District, Tao Pai Pai was currently in the ascendant. At this moment, his fame even overshadowed those Supreme Experts whom few had ever seen.
He became a symbol of top-tier Reincarnators in the hearts of many low-level Reincarnators.
After all, defeating multiple title-level or higher top-tier Reincarnators alone, such strength was enough to be bestowed the respectful title of "Your Excellency."
Bai Cangshu walked with his hands behind his back, gliding through the Slum and directly entering the Tier Management Office.
Knight Girl, who was wiping a sharp sword, noticed a new Reincarnator entering. She turned her head, about to greet him with a smile, but then froze for a moment before breaking into a bright and energetic smile.
"Amazing, you've found another ladder..."
Bai Cangshu also raised his right hand. Beneath the purple characteristic fusion ring around his wrist, a faint meridian was vaguely present, seemingly flowing throughout his body and deep within.
"Miss Knight, is it convenient now to tell me the meaning of the ladder?"
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