Chapter 077: Complementary
Excellent—
After relentless effort, I've finally grown stronger!
Yan Cang stared at the exaggerated numbers on the Attribute Panel, unable to suppress the curve of his lips.
A total attribute boost of over a hundred thousand was indeed absurdly over-the-top.
He had never expected it to be this high.
He couldn't help but revel in excitement for a while.
After calming down a bit, Yan Cang began to study the specifics of this newfound power.
With a subtle shift of his mind, the pitch-black Demonic Flame that coiled around his body slightly receded, no longer flaring up ostentatiously.
He carefully observed the changes within.
Then, as if struck by a realization, Yan Cang murmured to himself:
"This Black Flame... its essence should be a form of energy, entirely belonging to [Qi]."
"The Attribute Panel displayed it that way because I was overall strengthened by the Black Flame, so all three attributes—Essence, Qi, and Spirit—received an equal boost."
But since it's a form of energy enhancement, it should be freely adjustable.
It might even be possible to attach it to objects other than myself...
With that thought, Yan Cang moved his mind, and the pitch-black Demonic Flame spread to the wooden planks beneath his feet.
He lifted his foot and pressed down slightly with force.
Thump!
The plank sank a few centimeters into the ground, yet it remained completely undamaged.
"Just as I thought!"
"Let me try strengthening only one attribute."
He then attempted to channel all the power of the Black Flame into his mental willpower alone.
The numbers on the panel shifted accordingly:
[Essence: 0.95 + 0]
[Qi: 5.12 + 0]
[Spirit: 2.05 + 139056]
The boosts to the other two attributes immediately dropped to zero, but at this moment, no one cared.
Yan Cang felt as if his consciousness had been abruptly lifted by an invisible hand, his field of vision suddenly expanding.
Instinctively, he extended this surging Divine Sense outward.
The vast Divine Sense spread outward like a tide, centered on him.
Almost at the same instant, the pitch-black Demonic Flame swelled violently along with the expansion of his Divine Sense!
The Dark Aura followed the Divine Sense, surging outward like oppressive black clouds rolling and churning, blotting out the sky and covering the sun, instantly sweeping through the entire surrounding forest.
Wherever it passed, light was devoured, and the air froze, as if doomsday had arrived.
Within the range of the Divine Sense, every living creature froze.
Whether it was creatures foraging for food or beasts lurking in the shadows, all movement ceased under the dominion of that Black Flame.
It was submission and fear from the depths of their souls.
Beyond that range, creatures that sensed this aura but were not enveloped began to flee in panic.
Wolf packs tucked their tails and bolted toward the distance without looking back.
Birds flapped their wings and fled the area in haste.
The entire forest fell into a deathly silence.
...
On a distant mountaintop.
Beside a crude wooden cabin, a Trial Participant stood dumbfounded, staring at the forest in the distance covered by the Black Flame.
He was a lone wanderer, originally preparing his lunch.
At this moment, the dried meat in his hand had already fallen to the ground, yet he remained completely unaware.
"Th-That... what is that?"
His voice trembled.
Beneath the sky, dyed as if soaked in ink, he could faintly see the churning Black Mist expanding outward in an unnatural, frenzied manner.
This didn't seem like a natural disaster, but rather...
as if some Unnameable Existence was awakening in that forest.
"Is... is the Trial Ground pulling out all the stops?"
"Can I even survive this?"
His mind went blank, and for a moment, he even forgot about the option to Abandon the Trial.
Yet, just as he thought the Black Mist would continue spreading here and swallow him up as well.
The momentum of the Black Mist's expansion abruptly stopped.
The next second, the vast Black Mist dissipated completely.
The scene was like a clipped video.
When what lay there came back into view, his pupils sharply contracted.
That once-dense forest was gone.
Trees, shrubs, grass...
Everything had been cleared away.
Only bare earth remained, exposed under the midday sun.
As if some irresistible force had erased all life and non-life from that land.
"..."
The trial participant's legs went weak, and he plopped down onto the ground.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Not until he saw a black speck there, seemingly a wooden cabin.
Did he let out a yell: "Holy shit!"
...
On that cleared land.
Yan Cang stood before the only intact Wooden Cabin, gazing at the bare earth around him.
"Well... I overdid it."
Strengthening a single Attribute, while it meant concentrating all boosted power into one dimension to reach a more terrifying height.
The massive imbalance in Essence, Qi, and Spirit also meant loss of control.
Especially the [Spirit] Attribute.
Just now, when his Divine Sense swept over the creatures in the forest, the mere stray thought that killing them could turn into Faction Points made him act without hesitation.
And so, it became [Qi: 5.12 + 139056].
Then, the next instant.
Countless fragments of Black Sword Qi burst from within him, spreading wildly outward with him as the center.
The density of the Sword Qi was like a black rainstorm.
Wherever it passed, everything was ground to dust.
Trees, rocks, vegetation on the ground...
Even the soil was shaved off a layer.
The creatures within range were naturally no exception.
Those beasts, stunned by the Divine Sense and unable to flee, were instantly turned to powder under the sweep of the Black Sword Qi.
They didn't even have time to scream.
At that moment.
The Trial Ground's notification sounds rang out in Yan Cang's ears one after another:
[Killed XXX, gained Faction Points +1.]
[Killed XXX, gained Faction Points +1.]
[Killed XXX, gained Faction Points +1.]
...
He had successfully obtained the Faction Points, but he hadn't intended to go this hard.
He had directly obliterated the entire forest.
But there was no helping it. With all power concentrated into [Qi], and [Spirit] unable to keep up, it was naturally impossible to perform such fine work as only killing animals.
Fortunately, he could barely manage to avoid the Wooden Cabin.
His Divine Sense had already swept through the area earlier—there was no one else here.
So, as long as the wooden cabin was fine, there was nothing to worry about.
But looking at the barren earth, Yan Cang decided he wouldn't do this again.
Strengthening a single attribute alone clearly didn't work.
Earlier, when he had reinforced only [Spirit], he felt his emotions and desires fade, leaving him utterly indifferent.
It was as if he had shed the hormonal influence of his body, becoming something inhuman.
And when he reinforced only [Qi], his [Spirit] couldn't keep up, causing his control over the sword energy to be imprecise.
He had only meant to clear out the living creatures, but he accidentally overdid it, tearing up the trees and the ground along with them.
As for [Essence]...
Though he hadn't tried it, he imagined it would be similar.
If his physical strength became too overwhelming while his Spirit and Qi lagged behind, he might lose control over his body.
He might even stomp craters into the ground just by walking.
So, under normal circumstances, it was better to strengthen everything evenly.
After all, the boost of over forty thousand points was already enough to handle any situation.
Unless there was a specific need for extreme power in a particular scenario, there was no reason to focus on a single attribute.
He concluded, "Essence, Qi, and Spirit—though not as closely linked as Strength, Agility, and Constitution—still complement each other."
"But overall..."
Yan Cang looked at the chains deep within the mirror's surface. "This time, the goal was perfectly achieved."
His attributes had skyrocketed, far exceeding expectations.
As for growth potential, that went without saying.
As long as the Fate Net kept running, its user count didn't drop, or even continued to grow...
The power the [Chain of Tyranny] could draw would increase accordingly.
As the Fate Net expanded, this power would only grow stronger.
"Also, maybe I could set some harsh rules on the Fate Net?" Yan Cang mused suddenly.
The stricter the rules, the higher the users' compliance and the stronger their reverence.
That way, the [Chain of Tyranny] might be able to draw even more power.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
"No need. That would be putting the cart before the horse."
The essence of the Fate Net was service, not domination.
If he turned the platform into a mess for the sake of power, he'd be losing sight of the goal.
Besides, his current attributes were already enough to handle anything the Trial Ground could throw at him.
No, they were already far beyond sufficient.
Even if the Trial Ground ramped up the difficulty, there was no need to worry.
"So, what's the real purpose of the [Chain of Tyranny] for the Fate Net?"
Yan Cang stared at the sea of stars intertwined with black-silver chains within the [Fate Wheel Mirror].
It couldn't just be to make the Fate Net live up to its name, could it?
That didn't seem right.
But after observing for so long, he hadn't found any special application.
Until he tried to cut off the power and retract the Black Flame.
The chains reverted to their sacred silver-white form.
At that moment, the operation of the Fate Net underwent a subtle change.
Yan Cang froze, then his eyes widened.
"Energy consumption... decreased?!"
He carefully sensed it, confirming he wasn't mistaken.
The energy consumption required to maintain the Fate Net's operation decreased by at least 30% to 40% when the Silver White Chains connected to the Fate Star Sea.
And this reduction in consumption seemed to be exactly what those Silver White Chains were bearing instead.
"This..."
Yan Cang couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
The 30% to 40% reduction in the Fate Net's energy consumption seemed significant, and in reality, it was no small amount.
Compared to the massive boost in attributes, this consumption-reducing effect appeared more practical.
After all, attribute boosts were only useful when combat was needed, while the reduction in consumption equated to a tangible, 24/7 uninterrupted benefit.
Moreover, the two didn't conflict.
The chains normally maintained the Fate Net, reducing consumption.
When combat was necessary, he could activate the drawing power to boost himself.
This was simply perfect!
"That's more like it. I knew it couldn't have been used on the Fate Net's name."
Yan Cang nodded in satisfaction.
With his doubts resolved, he then remembered his chat with Teacher Qiao Yue.
"Let's see what Sister Qiao said now."
With a thought, the surface of the [Fate Wheel Mirror] switched to the Fate Net's private chat channel.
[Qiao Yue: Alright, to be honest, Teacher actually opened a Golden Chest. It seems I might have to thank you for that?]
[Qiao Yue: I can now cultivate fruits that enhance physical fitness. According to the Attribute Panel, they can boost the 'Essence' attribute. The effect is weak, but eating more will help.]
[Qiao Yue: Do you need these, Yan Cang?]
"Weak effect?"
"Hmph, she thinks she can feed me with that?"
Yan Cang looked at these messages, unable to suppress a smirk.
"Go tell that to my [Chain of Tyranny] with its tens of thousands of attribute boosts!"
"Times have changed, Sister Qiao!"
Just as he was thinking about how to reply to seem indifferent and unconcerned,
another message popped up.
[Qiao Yue: Oh, by the way, they taste absolutely delicious.]
Yan Cang's finger froze.
He stared at those four words for a few seconds, his throat bobbing slightly.
"But... speaking of which."
He cleared his throat and muttered to himself seriously, "The Chain of Tyranny is equipment; no matter how high its stats, it's still external power. My own attributes are clearly more important!"
"And besides, how could I refuse the teacher's kindness?"
"Right?"
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