Chapter 157: Farewell

Chen Qi held his breath and silently closed his eyes as black flames continuously burned over his body.

To draw power from the Black Abyss, he first had to use himself as a medium before channeling the excess power within him into the black box.

According to the Book of the Black Abyss, he had to tread the path of black fire within his mind.

Within his mind, he appeared in a silent space, stepped across a stairway of black fire, pushed open a door, and arrived in a desolate land.

The sky was shrouded in oppressive black clouds, and giants were chained above the sky, from which thick black rain fell like severed strings of pearls, beating against the desolate land before him.

Countless massive chains fell from the sky, connecting the heavens and the earth like towering pillars, while the mournful cries of supreme evil beasts echoed ceaselessly from afar.

Chen Qi furrowed his brow. As his spiritual projection entered this world, his senses grew sharper by the moment.

The chill gripping his body, the oppressive weight of this world, and the heavy breathing of the captive Titans in the sky...

"I cannot last long."

Chen Qi subconsciously clenched his fists.

Entering the fringe of the Black Abyss with his spirit for the very first time, there was a high probability his trip would be in vain.

At that moment, a line of text he never expected popped up in his mind.

[Your soul's reflection has appeared amidst the black fire.]

[You have arrived at the fringe of the Black Abyss.]

[Wanderer, your soul's reflection is located in a new world. You are the first person to enter this world. Please mind your sanity value.]

This is...

He could recognize the familiar formatting of the text within his mind.

Could the power of the New Sun game influence this place as well...

The first to arrive?

Chen Qi was momentarily stunned. It seemed no other players had learned Black Abyss-related skills; he was the only one.

At this time, an important piece of text also popped up in his mind.

[Black Box Storage: 0/10.]

Chen Qi thought for a moment, then shook his head and focused on controlling his spiritual projection.

Because it was his first time entering the Black Abyss, his time was limited, and acquiring the power of the Black Abyss was no simple task. He had to pick up the pace.

He was standing atop a charred black mountain, looking down at the countless monsters and fierce beasts below.

His current self at the fringe of the Black Abyss could be understood as a spiritual projection—a form maintained by spirit and spiritual power. If his sanity value or spiritual power dropped too low, this connection would be severed.

Chen Qi flicked a thought through his mind to check his sanity value.

[Sanity Value: 9/10.]

His sanity value was plummeting at the speed of light.

Once his sanity value dropped below four, he would no longer be able to linger in the Black Abyss and would be forced to leave this place.

If his sanity value dropped too low, there was even a possibility of being corrupted by the power of this world.

Right at that moment, several shrieking birds writhing in the air emerged, charging toward him while emitting sickening screeches.

That sound transformed into terrifying shadows that coiled around his body.

These shadows were eroding his sanity value, destabilizing his mind.

Chen Qi manipulated the Soul of Shadows inside the Traveler's Box, then reached out a finger to light a black candle.

As the light of the black candle from within the Traveler's Box shone upon him, he could feel his mind stabilizing significantly, and the shadow monsters in his mind scattered in all directions.

Chen Qi sensed carefully, and he could feel that there was a star residing within his body.

Wait...

In this world within his mind, it seemed he could still use the Morning Star!

With a single thought, Chen Qi tried to summon the Morning Star. The Morning Star smoothly emerged from the palm of his hand, pointing into the distance toward a black sphere floating in midair.

Generally speaking, the Black Abyss was a realm of the Void and Edge. To harvest power, one had to defeat the monsters within the Black Abyss and then digest it.

However, what the Morning Star pointed to was ready-made power within the Black Abyss! A very rare floating object!

The Morning Star actually managed to point to something good.

This first attempt might go much smoother than expected.

Inside that black sphere contained the destructive aura of the Edge Aspect.

Chen Qi maneuvered his spiritual projection, stepping forward briskly to touch the black sphere in the air. Upon touching it, he felt a stabbing pain, and the power of a new world was continuously pouring into his body, using him as a medium!

A scarlet line of text popped up in his mind.

[Warning: The power of the Black Abyss is surging into your spiritual power!]

"It hurts!"

Chen Qi jerked his eyes open.

Without any movement on his part, his body was already burning with black flames.

This was not the black fire summoned by his conscious will, but a symbol of overflowing power!

The power of another world was manifesting on his body!

"Spontaneous combustion?"

Chen Qi was startled. He could feel a great surge of formidable power added to his body—destructive power, the power of the Edge, which was inherently aggressive toward his own being.

If this power was not released, it would cause terrifying damage to his physical body.

[You have been harmed by your own power. 3 HP deducted.]

Chen Qi hurriedly directed the Soul of Shadows to the potion rack, retrieve a bottle of healing potion, and drank it down.

Given his current physical condition, he could not store too much of this power.

Immediately afterward, he opened his right hand and manipulated the spiritual power within him. An exceptionally chilling fire of the Black Abyss ignited from his hand.

Chen Qi gripped the black box, channeling the endless stream of black fire from his hand straight into it.

[Black Box Storage: 1/10.]

[Black Box Storage: 2/10.]

...

[Black Box Storage: 10/10.]

Storage complete!

Chen Qi gritted his teeth. It was still not enough; there was still residual Black Abyss power inside him, and he needed to vent this fire!

The little Shadow-Light Fox beside him wore a curious expression and climbed onto his shoulder.

Yet in the very next instant, it scampered away, hiding behind the lazy little donkey while looking at its master with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

On the contrary, the little donkey seemed to have seen through life and death, continuing to chew its food without moving an inch.

Master is so fierce right now! The little Shadow-Light Fox lay on the ground, wagging its little tail.

Chen Qi picked up the Debt Collector's long saber, poured the remaining power from his body into the tip of the blade, and unleashed the Grand Burial of Black Fire!

With a single slash, the black fire converged continuously, charging toward the sky like a hungry black dragon!

The little Shadow-Light Fox stared up at the sky in astonishment. This was far stronger than its Shadow Beast Cannon!

His master had grown stronger again!

Following the execution of the Grand Burial of Black Fire, Chen Qi panted heavily, and the feverish sensation of the Edge Aspect within his body gradually faded away.

The black flames were released into the sky.

Chen Qi glanced up at the sky, relieved that no other objects had been harmed.

A line of text popped up in the game.

[You have comprehended the advanced technique of the Grand Burial of Black Fire.]

[Grand Burial of Black Fire (Black Abyss Power Enhanced): Consumes 1 additional point of Black Box energy, increases power by 100%, and releases at a faster speed!]

A 100% power enhancement meant an extra 100 points of damage! Even some Level 15 Cup-Aspect players specializing in constitution could not withstand a single strike of the Grand Burial of Black Fire.

Chen Qi looked at his skill panel. Aside from the Domain of Black Fire, all of his Black Abyss incantations had been enhanced.

As long as he consumed the power within the black box, he could unleash even more powerful techniques.

Chen Qi checked his advanced techniques.

[You have comprehended the advanced technique of Black Fire Attachment.]

[Black Fire Attachment: Consumes 1 additional point of Black Box energy, increases the freezing effect of the black fire attached to weapons, and adds 3 points of base attack power for a duration of 10 minutes.]

This skill upgrade wasn't overwhelmingly strong; its primary function was to enhance his basic attacks.

[You have comprehended the advanced technique of Walking Black Fire.]

[Walking Black Fire: Consumes 1 point of Black Box energy to bypass the cooldown of the previous Walking Black Fire and execute another Walking Black Fire.]

Chen Qi was overjoyed. This utility was extremely powerful, effectively granting him two invulnerability frames in a short span of time, providing a substantial boost.

After reviewing everything, he felt that his sanity value was running a bit low, and he was feeling quite pressured.

He needed to relieve some stress.

Chen Qi hurriedly scooped the little Shadow-Light Fox into his arms and lay down on the bed inside the Traveler's Box.

While stroking the little Shadow-Light Fox's chin, Chen Qi contemplated the world he had just witnessed.

He couldn't even endure it for more than a moment, despite it being merely a spiritual projection.

This Black Abyss could not be entered casually; he had to take it slow. It drained way too much sanity...

A wave of exhaustion washed over his body.

The little Shadow-Light Fox considerately extended its small paw and gently kneaded the flesh of his arm.

Chen Qi closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

...

A new day.

Chen Qi stroked the soft, floppy little ears of the Shadow-Light Fox and opened the New Sun game.

[Your game character slowly arises, looking at the white sun rising outside the sky.]

[Your sanity value has recovered.]

[Your progress in learning the Feather Form of Light: 85%. (Reminder: Your study of the incantation seems to have hit a dead end and stalled. Perhaps you need to go out for a stroll and clear your mind.)]

[Reminder: Your game character studied the Feather Form of Light all through last night, and their mental state may be experiencing some issues.]

This New Sun game—Chen Qi looked at the status of his game character; it seemed to have developed an aversion to studying.

Comprehensible...

Chen Qi thought for a moment and looked at the text.

[Tap, tap! A knock came from outside the door.]

[You slowly pushed the door open to find a short pharmacist apprentice standing outside.]

[The junior pharmacist apprentice who once asked you to gather herbs picked up a cup of vegetable porridge and dried meat—this is your breakfast.]

[The junior pharmacist apprentice curiously asked you: Are you going to leave the Tower of Potions?]

Chen Qi was startled. Word that he was preparing to leave the Tower of Potions had already spread out.

For the sake of his future, he was heading to the Treasure Hunter Association tomorrow, and he inevitably had to leave this Tower of Potions.

To be honest though, the Tower of Potions had treated him quite well, whether it was the Witch of Flowers or the other pharmacist apprentices.

"I'm a bit reluctant to leave..."

Chen Qi sighed, but he couldn't stay in the Tower of Potions forever.

[You looked into the pharmacist apprentice's eyes, nodded silently, and finished the vegetable porridge.]

[Upon hearing your confirmation, the junior pharmacist apprentice furrowed her brows and lowered her head, before forcing a smile.]

[She told you that although the Witch of Candles is frequently disliked among witches, the Witch of Flowers maintains a relatively good relationship with her. Their Witch of Flowers is the best witch, just as she is good friends with the gloomy-tempered Witch of Silk.]

[All potions for the Treasure Hunter Association are provided by the Tower of Potions. One day, she will make you see the dancing potion she researched appear in the Treasure Hunter Association.]

"..."

This junior pharmacist apprentice was still researching dancing potions...

Chen Qi thought to himself that he needed to bid farewell to the Tower of Potions. On this final day, he might as well go out and gather some herbs.

(End of this chapter)