Facing the Abyss as a Demon Cultivator

(---TL Note: Yin Wind Blade => Shadow Wind Blade---)

Chu Xiu had long anticipated the formation of the trio's alliance.

After absorbing the Karma Points, he had become so powerful that it instilled fear in others.

He carefully observed the three. Wang Long and Li Shan's faces showed fear, but behind the fear was hidden anger. Yun Lu, on the other hand, was hesitant.

This girl would be the easiest to deal with. Her work was not very dangerous, and she needed Chu Xiu to ensure her safety.

She currently had only one choice: stick closely to Chu Xiu and pray that she made the right decision.

As for the other two, a cold light flashed in Chu Xiu's eyes.

Should he just get rid of them and use their corpses to refine demonic artifacts?

For Chu Xiu, this wouldn't be difficult.

Of course, he wouldn't really do that.

It's not that Chu Xiu couldn't be ruthless, but the two still had their uses. Even if he did decide to take action, it would have to be when Yun Lu wasn't around to avoid creating a rift between them.

Something as valuable as Food Perception must be firmly controlled in his own hands.

With this in mind, Chu Xiu put on a perfect but false smile. "Why would I do something like that? Li Shan, I've always remembered your share."

"However, I did indeed use up the Karma Points just now. As you saw, Wang Long was completely unreliable. I single-handedly dealt with that monster. To avoid similar situations in the future, enhancing myself first is a reasonable decision, right?"

"Moreover, stronger power will increase our efficiency in killing monsters."

"I'm doing this for the benefit of our team."

"Don't worry, I've kept your and Yun Lu's shares in mind. I won't shortchange you. Next time we get a drop, I'll give it to you right away."

As Chu Xiu finished speaking, Li Shan's face showed a mix of emotions. Naturally, he wouldn't be foolish enough to fully trust Chu Xiu's words, but what choice did he have? Should he confront him now?

Wang Long, however, asked blankly, "What about me?"

"You?" Chu Xiu sneered, "Our team doesn't need useless people who can't even hold a baseball bat steady."

"What did you say?" Wang Long was furious and stepped forward, but Chu Xiu casually waved the bone spear in his hand, its sharp tip still stained with blood, stopping Wang Long in his tracks. His expression became uncertain.

But Chu Xiu wasn't done with him. "I said, you're a waste."

"What, do you have the guts to fight me? Come on then! I don't mind using your fresh corpse to enhance my weapon."

"If you can't do it, then get lost. I can handle the ghouls alone now; I only need one bait."

Chu Xiu's tone was cold.

This was his plan.

Divide and conquer.

He still needed someone to act as bait. This would make the hunting operations smoother and safer.

Whether it was Wang Long or Li Shan didn't matter to him. From a manipulation standpoint, the weaker Li Shan was actually easier to control.

Once they realized this, they would fight for his favor, like dogs trying to please their master.

Sure enough, upon hearing his words, Li Shan was the first to react. He seemed to have made up his mind and said through gritted teeth, "Brother Chu, I trust you!"

Chu Xiu asked, "Do you have the guts to act as bait?"

Li Shan nodded repeatedly, "Of course, Brother Chu. With you being so strong, what do I have to fear?"

"Good," Chu Xiu nodded, "Follow me, and you won't be mistreated."

Then he looked at Wang Long and sneered, "What are you waiting for? Get lost."

Wang Long's veins bulged on his forehead, and he clenched his fists as if ready to explode at any moment.

But after struggling for a while, he suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon and softened his tone, "Brother Chu, there's no need to be so ruthless, right? My talent is at least combat-oriented. We could still cooperate to hunt higher-level monsters in the future."

Chu Xiu smiled faintly.

He had expected Wang Long's reaction. This kind of bully, like Qin Wuyang from the assassination of King Qin, was good at bullying the weak in the countryside but became cowardly when facing real tough guys.

"So, what do you mean?"

"Brother Chu, I only want a tenth of the share."

"No."

"Then... then I don't need any share. Just let me follow you guys to hunt monsters and accumulate some profession experience." Wang Long said softly.

Li Shan looked at him in disbelief. He had never thought Wang Long could be so humble.

Seeing this, Chu Xiu stopped pushing and gave him a carrot instead. "I'm not targeting you. It's just that your performance was too disappointing. If you prove yourself in the future, you'll get a share."

Wang Long repeatedly thanked him.

Chu Xiu kept a close watch on him, looking for any signs of resentment.

There were, but not enough to cause trouble for him.

"Alright, you three can leave now. Let's prepare for the next ambush point," Chu Xiu said.

The three didn't argue and left obediently, while Chu Xiu stayed behind to continue examining his gains.

As a Heir of the Demonic Path, the real focus after each level-up was always the new inheritances!

This level-up brought him two new inheritances!

【New Secret Technique Unlocked】

【Bone Refinement: Crossbow】

【Tier: Mortal】

【Quality: Advanced】

【Description: Use the flesh, blood, and soul of corpses to nourish white bones, refining them into powerful bone crossbows.】

【Evaluation: With further mastery, you can now fuse flesh and tendons to create strong, resilient bowstrings.

As the final secret technique of Bone Refinement, it compensates for the lack of ranged attack methods for novice demonic cultivators.

However, fighting like a warrior is not the nature of a demonic cultivator.
In the next level-up, I will bring you a new spell and a method to refine a true demonic artifact.】

——————

【New Secret Art Unlocked】

【Ghostly Eyes: Beginner Level】

【Tier: Mortal】

【Quality: Superior】

【Description: Gather spiritual power in the eyes to enhance vision, detect target information, and mark enemy weaknesses.】

【Evaluation: The first rule of demonic cultivator survival—bully the weak, avoid the strong.

This eye technique will help you avoid those you shouldn't provoke.

Incorporated into the abyss system, you can even obtain special information directly.

But be cautious, the stronger the enemy, the less information you will get.

If you see a target full of question marks, don't hesitate, just run!】

The newly unlocked inheritances delighted Chu Xiu.

Both were extremely useful!
Ghostly Eyes was self-explanatory. It could not only detect target attributes but also mark weaknesses! Definitely a god-tier skill!

Information is crucial at any level of combat.

Had he known the ghoul's attributes earlier, Chu Xiu could have devised a more targeted strategy to reduce variables.

As for the latest Bone Refinement, it was also useful. Although it seemed a bit impractical now, in the future, when he encountered companions with higher combat professions, Chu Xiu could act as a ranged attacker, avoiding the risk of close combat.

"Comparatively, I should master Ghostly Eyes as soon as possible!"

Chu Xiu focused his mind to further understand the details.

As an introductory eye technique, Ghostly Eyes required cultivating with yin energy, the heavier the better.

If yin energy was unavailable, human eyeballs could be used.

"Yin energy can't be found in the short term. I wonder if ghoul eyes can substitute?"

Chu Xiu pondered.

Actually, he had a simpler and more direct method to cultivate.

Adding Karma Points!
Chu Xiu glanced at it. To master Ghostly Eyes required over 200 Karma Points.

Considering its powerful abilities, it was definitely worth it. For comparison, a wizard's beginner level Eye of Insight, which could only detect information and not mark weaknesses, required several hundred to thousands of Karma Points!
It proved that demonic path secret techniques were indeed easy to cultivate and incredibly profound.

"However, even if it's cheaper, I still need to kill many monsters to gather enough points."

"The priority now is to maximize my strength!"

With this in mind, Chu Xiu turned his attention to 【Shadow Wind Blade】

This simple spell was automatically mastered through the abyss's power, but it was still at the lowest proficiency level.

【Shadow Wind Blade】

【Proficiency: Novice (3/100)】

【Casting Cost: 1.0—3.0 (increases with charge time)】

【Charge Time: 1.2s—2.4s】

【Power: 1.5—3.5 (decreases with distance)】

【Speed: 21m/s—30m/s (decreases with time)】

【Maximum Range: 25m—55m】

【Cooldown Time: None】

It was clear that Shadow Wind Blade required time to charge.

Although its power was significant—it had slashed open the ghoul's chest even with a hasty cast—it was still too slow for close combat, taking at least 1.2 seconds to cast.

For example, if the ghoul hadn't been distracted by Wang Long and had kept attacking Chu Xiu, he wouldn't have had the time to prepare and cast it.

Moreover, its movement speed was slow, making it easy to dodge at a distance.

As his current trump card, Chu Xiu wanted it to be more effectively used in combat.

After some thought, he tried adding points to Shadow Wind Blade.

【Consumed Karma Points*1, Shadow Wind Blade Proficiency +16】

Chu Xiu's eyes lit up.

Just right!

Fortunately, he hadn't given up the Karma Points earlier to maintain stability.

Without hesitation, he invested the remaining six points into Shadow Wind Blade.

【Consumed Karma Points*6, Shadow Wind Blade Proficiency +95】

【Shadow Wind Blade Proficiency Level Up!】