Chapter 140: Chapter 140: Descending Upon the Profound Mysterious World

The next moment.

The three Deep Blue Cards were simultaneously ejected from the fissure, leaving Wang Xi stunned.

It was as if Kaos was telling him:

’Not a chance, kid.’

「Star Level does not meet requirements.」

The information stream’s message wasn’t about an issue with Quality or category... but that the Star Level was insufficient.

Wang Xi’s brow furrowed slightly. He held the three Universal Cards and carefully mulled over Kaos’s feedback.

Only then did he understand.

His line of thinking hadn’t been wrong. Three Deep Blue Cards could indeed be synthesized into a Card of higher Quality, but the conditions had been raised a level—

The three Cards used for synthesis all needed to be promoted to their maximum Star Level, which was "Ultimate," before it would work.

’So there really is some kind of invisible threshold beyond Deep Blue, a point where a qualitative change will occur.’

Wang Xi couldn’t help but ponder this.

After a while.

He shifted his attention back to his card deck.

Of the four foundational Technique Cards, three were already maxed out. The remaining "Frost Winter Meditation Technique" was being diligently cultivated by his Fairy Tale World projection, "Gai Farrell," and with a tenfold speed-up, there was no need to worry.

In addition, the "King of Frost," a masterfully crafted Deep Blue Card for Ice Magic, could also benefit from this projection’s cultivation acceleration bonus.

’Next, I just need to focus my resources on upgrading "Master of Scorched Earth" and "Self-Immolation"...’

Wang Xi thought.

’Once I max out all three of these Deep Blue Cards and synthesize an even higher Quality Card, my strength will surely undergo a qualitative leap!’

Thinking of this, he didn’t hesitate. He drew from his Experience Library to perform a Star Promotion on these two Cards.

「Consumed 500 Experience (1120 remaining)」

「Card has undergone Star Promotion!」

「Master of Scorched Earth (Skill Card / Deep Blue Two Stars): 0/600」

「Consumed 500 Experience (620 remaining)」

「Card has undergone Star Promotion!」

「Self-Immolation (Skill Card / Deep Blue Two Stars): 0/600」

After spending a full one thousand Experience to raise each Card by one star, Wang Xi reactivated them.

Even with "Self-Immolation," which he had never truly used, he could clearly feel its searing power had been enhanced.

The increase was just about 15%, no more, no less.

Wang Xi inspected his own status and found that the descriptor hadn’t changed; it was still Five-Star Hero... but he had a strong premonition that he was just one step away.

With just one more increase in his personal strength, he would achieve the Five-Star Legend-tier evaluation.

...

...

WHOOSH.

Wang Xi sat upright on the sofa. With a slight fluctuation of his Magic Power, a floating flame the size of a baby’s fist ignited in his palm.

The color of this fire was a bit strange.

It wasn’t the orange-Yellow of a typical open flame, but a darker, deeper color, like vermilion mixed with brown-ochre.

It emanated an indescribable sense of decay.

This stemmed from an innate characteristic of "Master of Scorched Earth," one of its three abilities: "Ash Return Flow."

While the scorching flames burned a target, they would devour its internal Energy and Life Force, feeding it back to Wang Xi.

A true vampire.

There was no need to fear being worn down by swarm tactics... As long as the scorched flames kept burning, Wang Xi could sustain himself by siphoning his opponents’ "blood."

"WOOF! WOOF!"

Just then, a sharp barking sound rang out.

Wang Xi rolled his eyes and said resignedly, "Stop barking like a dog, Liuli."

"Master! It’s so scary!"

The calico cat sat on the floor, her two fleshy paws curled up as she covered her little mouth. Her watery, heterochromatic eyes stared at the fire in Wang Xi’s hand, glistening with tears.

"That thing... Liuli feels like it’s really dangerous, like I’m going to be eaten..."

Over the past few days, whenever Wang Xi got tired from cultivating, he would watch some TV with Liuli. Some shows had scenes where dogs would bark right before danger appeared, and somehow, Liuli had picked it up.

"Don’t be afraid, it’s a friend."

Wang Xi smiled and gently tossed the flame in his hand. In mid-air, the fire transformed into a reddish-brown butterfly and flew in front of the calico.

Liuli first flinched away in fear, but her curiosity eventually won out, and she reached out to touch it.

The scorched-flame butterfly landed gently on her paw.

"It’s really okay! How magical!"

Liuli exclaimed in surprise and began to play with the butterfly.

Wang Xi watched this scene with a smile.

The ability to change the flame’s form originated from the Fire Element Mastery contained within "Blazing Wings Wheel Dance," one of the Card’s three abilities.

This ability was primarily offensive. It could also summon a Fire Elemental Elf for protection, which would take the form of illusory wings, providing abilities like multiple leaps, slow-fall, and gliding.

At the same time, the Flame Enchantment and high-speed cutting abilities that originally belonged to "Wheel of Reincarnation" were also retained.

As for the last of the three abilities, "Scorched Earth Garden," it was somewhat similar to a "Domain."

By consuming the temporary Energy absorbed, he could manifest a garden of scorched earth. Within it, Wang Xi could rapidly recover his own status while continuously inflicting Burning damage on his enemies.

It was extremely powerful.

In Wang Xi’s opinion, whether it was "Master of Scorched Earth" or "King of Frost," their effects and potential far surpassed that of an ordinary Deep Blue Card.

There was a simple reason for this.

They were the products of multiple syntheses, encompassing a dozen or two Cards, making them incredibly solid.

An original Card of the same Quality simply couldn’t compare.

...

...

That night.

Not long after Wang Xi and Liuli finished dinner, a stream of information suddenly appeared in his mind.

「Anchoring World: Profound Mystery」

「Current Progress: 100% (Capture Complete)」

「Descend?」

"Hm?" Wang Xi was taken aback.

He put Liuli down to play by herself and went to the bathroom to splash some water on his face.

He used this time to think things over.

’Hold on a minute.’

Wang Xi dried his face, returned to the living room, and sat on the sofa, focusing his attention on the fissure in his mind.

In the process of anchoring the Profound Mysterious World, Kaos had established a connection with the young lady of the Shen Family there. Using a portrait as a medium, he could communicate across worlds.

Wang Xi planned to communicate with her one more time before descending to check on the situation.

He focused his consciousness, piercing through the gray fog—

But as the gray fog dispersed, Wang Xi couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled. Why was it completely dark?

He tried calling out:

"Miss Shen."

"Ah!"

A clear, startled cry suddenly came from the other side.

This was immediately followed by a cacophony of sounds—the RUSTLE of fabric, the SQUEAK of a wooden stool being kicked away, and the CLANG of a door shutting, all tangled together.

As the door latch clicked shut with a CLICK, the chaos was abruptly cut off, and everything fell silent.

Only then did the previously dark field of vision slowly unfold.

What came into view was a fair and delicate face. By the faint, dim yellow light of a desk lamp, he could vaguely make out that Shen Miaowei seemed to have just washed up and was preparing for bed. Her hair was down, giving her a languid air.

However, her expression held a mix of nervousness, anticipation, and a hint of excitement, and her cheeks were faintly flushed.

"Immortal? Is that you?"

"Mm."

"Wonderful, I can finally hear your voice again..."

Shen Miaowei gently unrolled the painted scroll on her bed, joyfully clenching her small fists. Her palms grew slightly sweaty from the excitement.

For the past month and a half, she had often taken advantage of moments when no one was around to secretly open the scroll and call out to the Immortal, but there had never been any response.

At first, she comforted herself, thinking that perhaps the Immortal was in secluded cultivation and hadn’t noticed. But as time went on, Shen Miaowei’s heart sank, and she grew more and more worried.

’Could the Immortal have fallen asleep again, only to wake up in a few hundred years? But I’m just a mortal woman; how could I have such a long lifespan to wait...’

Thankfully!

The Immortal had finally called to her tonight!

After a brief chat, Wang Xi learned from Shen Miaowei that she hadn’t slacked off in the slightest over the past month and a half, diligently practicing the "Nine Rhymes of Pear Garden" every day.

What astonished Wang Xi was that Shen Miaowei was not only self-taught, managing to begin her cultivation with just a written Cultivation Method, but she had also progressed at a divine speed. She had directly cultivated four of the Nine Palaces, unlocking the potential of her four limbs... In terms of a Technique Card, this was equivalent to Two Stars of progress.

Wang Xi took a closer look.

「Shen Miaowei (Friendly / One Star)」

In just a month and a half, the young lady who originally didn’t even have the strength to truss a chicken now possessed the power of a Whiteboard One Star!

’Could she really be a genius?’

The thought flashed through Wang Xi’s mind.

"Immortal, is Miao Wei very dull?"

The girl bit her lip, asking uneasily.

"It’s been a whole month and a half, and I still haven’t mastered this Dharma Gate."

As she spoke, a look of shame crossed her face.

In Shen Miaowei’s understanding, only by unblocking all Nine Palaces of the human body could it be considered mastered. She had spent so long yet hadn’t even reached the halfway point, which to her, proved her aptitude was dull.

Back on his sofa, Wang Xi facepalmed.

’This girl has no idea how incredible she is.’

But he felt he couldn’t praise her too much, lest she become arrogant and complacent, wasting her talent. So, he replied with feigned indifference:

"I wouldn’t say dull. Your aptitude is acceptable."

"Really?" Shen Miaowei froze for a moment, then her face lit up with joy.

"For a mortal, your talent is quite good. To practice diligently for a month and a half without pause shows commendable perseverance... This one is very pleased."

"Thank you for your praise, Immortal."

Shen Miaowei’s heart leaped with joy. She gave a respectful bow to the portrait but couldn’t suppress her elation. As her eyes darted about, she found herself blurting out, as if possessed:

"This Nine Rhymes Play... could it have been created by you, Immortal? Did you also practice this method back in the day?"

"I did not create it; I came upon it by chance."

The ethereal voice from the portrait replied, paused briefly, and then continued, "Naturally, I have practiced it. After fifteen days of observation, I achieved enlightenment in the blink of an eye and cultivated it to its highest realm... Though it is a mortal Cultivation Technique, it has its subtleties."

"..."

Shen Miaowei’s lips parted slightly, too shocked to speak.

’He mastered it in the blink of an eye?!’

’The Immortal’s talent...’

’I probably couldn’t achieve that in several lifetimes.’

A flash of reverence appeared in her eyes. Her expression turned serious as she forcefully suppressed the bud of pride that had just begun to sprout in her heart.

A few moments later.

Over the past few days, Shen Miaowei had accumulated a thousand things to say. Speaking with the Immortal again, she was no longer as reserved as when they first met, instead revealing some of the liveliness natural to a young girl.

Once the floodgates opened, the thoughts she had suppressed in her heart couldn’t stop from pouring out. It was as if a drifting boat had finally found a harbor, desperate to unload its entire cargo of worries.

According to her, thanks to the method the Immortal had passed down, she had managed to resolve a troublesome matter just last week.

That day, she had gone out with her maid, Xiao Yu, to a temple fair. It was already evening when they returned, and near her home, they were blocked by several of Xie San’s lackeys. No matter how she refused, they insisted on dragging her into a carriage.

In the end, Shen Miaowei couldn’t tolerate it anymore. With a few punches and palm strikes, she beat the young, able-bodied lackeys until they coughed up blood on the spot, then she quickly fled back home.

The incident had given her quite a scare.

If not for the month and a half of diligently practicing the Nine Rhymes Play and gaining the power to protect herself, there was no telling what might have happened that day.

"Good," the voice came from the portrait. "Miao Wei, you faced danger without fear and acted decisively. Against such filthy scoundrels, you should have broken three of their ribs to make Xie San feel the pain."

"If you show them any mercy today, they will dare to be even more outrageous tomorrow. Remember this: the path of cultivation requires both a compassionate heart and a hand of thunder."

"Miao Wei will remember your teachings."

Receiving his approval, the girl’s heart quickened, and she bowed again with a blush.

Just then, she heard the portrait say thoughtfully:

"Today, it is time for this one to descend to the mortal world and face my tribulation."

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