Chapter 550: Peak of Technique
"Your Excellency Mercenary Tao, I came hoping to discuss with you the matter regarding Su Qingqiu's ransom..."
The leader of the [Death Toll Heaven] assembly was a woman, thin and slightly dark-skinned. Perhaps she didn't want to design her avatar to be too eye-catching, looking quite inconspicuous.
If seen in the shantytown, probably no one would think that such a woman was actually the controller of the illustrious High-tier assembly [Death Toll Heaven].
The woman codenamed [Mu Yu] pushed her black-rimmed glasses. Her overall aura wasn't strong; in front of Mercenary Tao, she instead looked like an inferior.
Black Butler, Jin Yue'an, and Lee Cheong-ja stood behind Kaito Shirogane. Further back, Su Qingqiu had been pared into a human stick. If it weren't in the Space, he probably would have died at any moment.
And the dark purple long-haired [Death Sword · Yi Nian Qingsi], hung by a chain around her neck, was currently standing behind Kaito Shirogane, massaging his shoulders and neck.
Mu Yu tried her best to control her mind. Although she had already gotten the result from His Eminence [End of the Great Sun], truly seeing this scene still made her eyes twitch slightly.
Following beside Mu Yu was similarly a woman. Pink long hair draped down to her waist, white gauze on her body wrapped from both sides, her chest spring scenery quite exposed.
[Death Toll Bird · Su Enfei], the other signature High-tier Title-level Reincarnator of [Death Toll Heaven].
The so-called [Death Toll Heaven] was exactly the prestige built up by Su Enfei and Su Qingqiu.
These two were guessed to be siblings, or lovers. Most information brokers believed they should be Goryeo people, but some also believed they were Dongxia people.
"Mercenary Tao, items equivalent to two S-Class Singularities should be able to exchange that piece of trash back, right~"
Su Enfei and Su Qingqiu's relationship was not as harmonious as outsiders said. The Black Butler could tell that Su Enfei was indeed harboring considerable malice when saying this sentence.
She was about to continue speaking, but Mu Yu proactively interrupted her.
"Mr. Mercenary Tao, I heard you have been seeking items like [Bodhi Leaves] recently. By coincidence, I have some on hand."
Kaito Shirogane leaned his head back, resting directly on Yi Nian Qingsi's body. In the Space, the two being able to have direct physical contact meant that they had similarly concluded a contract for him to obtain complete dominion over her.
Lee Cheong-ja stood in the back, taking this scene into her eyes, her gaze indifferent.
Jin Yue'an, however, smoothly swept her gaze past Lee Cheong-ja. She could increasingly grasp the mode of interaction between these two people.
She pushed her glasses, took out a tablet, and began negotiating.
"According to the current market price in the shantytown, each [Bodhi Leaf] is priced at 1 A-Class Singularity, which is a good price."
Mu Yu shook her head. Her aura was very weak, but she spoke in a lukewarm manner, not receiving too much oppression from the current situation.
"Although the Bodhi Leaf is only a purple-quality consumable item, for a martial artist like Your Excellency Mercenary Tao, its value has an extra premium."
"I think pricing two Bodhi Leaves at 1 S-Class Singularity is a price we can both accept."
Ever since the news of Mercenary Tao defeating Mahakala and others in the real world battle returned, the Black Butler no longer pretended to have a rift with Mercenary Tao.
At this time, he also mercilessly helped bargain down the price.
"Your Excellency Mu Yu, it's true we need Bodhi Leaves, but you should also know that since the news of that battle spread, there are quite a few teams that would use items Your Excellency Mercenary Tao likes to curry favor with us."
"The value of Bodhi Leaves is not as high as you imagine."
The few people sparred with words. Su Qingqiu, pared into a human stick and having simultaneously signed the [Slave Contract], had calm eyes. When he made a move preparing to kill Mercenary Tao, he was also prepared to be killed by the other party in return.
Killers are always killed by others; this is very fair.
The reason Kaito Shirogane would patiently listen to these people negotiating here was merely because he was actually currently in a stage of quite severe resource scarcity.
The damage caused by peeking into the Root and connecting to the Root was even more severe than he anticipated.
Just repairing his body after returning cost an A-Class Singularity and tens of thousands of Dimensional Points, almost hollowing out the resources he had previously saved.
And the price of the fierce battle with those people in [Paradise], repeatedly activating that unknown magic to peek into the essence of others' abilities, and forcibly seizing Mahakala's [End] ability, was his body suffering erosion from the Root again.
The price of these Mystic Eyes was far more intense than the [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception].
Almost every time he used them, his body would suffer erosion from the Root.
Kaito Shirogane checked the Space. The reason he would suffer this kind of erosion was because his body was not born from the Root, nor could it adapt well to the [Swirl of the Root].
In other words, he didn't have that essence like Void Shiki, therefore using those eyes had an extremely high price.
If Reincarnators didn't possess the trait of being able to infinitely repair themselves in the Space, then Kaito Shirogane fundamentally couldn't bear the load of these eyes.
The outcome of being eroded by the Swirl of the Root was not death, but the obliteration of one's nature, one's existence being assimilated.
The effect of this kind of erosion couldn't be exempted by Kaito Shirogane's immortality and super-speed regeneration.
Kaito Shirogane enjoyed the massage from the new generation leader of the illustrious [Black Water] in the Space, while his mind was pondering his next strengthening direction.
He opened his panel.
[Specialization: Martial Arts Specialization Lv9+ (9+2); Street Fighting Lv9, Unarmed Combat Specialization Lv9, Footwork Specialization Lv9, Spirit Art Specialization Lv9...]
[Ability: Ripple Qigong Lv9; Demon Lance Lv9; Divine Finger Skill Lv7; Satsui no Hadou Lv4; Shun Goku Satsu Lv4; Wind God Kick Lv9; Ice Heart Mantra Lv9; Kaioken Lv3...]
On the technical level, he had gradually approached the limit of ordinary Reincarnators, reaching the so-called [Peak of Technique].
After Kaito Shirogane's Martial Arts Specialization reached Lv9, with the blessing of [Mercenary Tao's Pink Robe], it turned into a [Lv9+] state.
He could feel that he had entered a bottleneck. Force exertion, force deflection, and force control had all reached the pinnacle in all aspects.
Ahead was already the precipice for ordinary martial artists.
Relying on items, he walked slightly further than others, but similarly couldn't break through that limit.
This was the limit for most Physical Arts side and Swordsmanship side Reincarnators. With a massive tilt of team resources, High-tier Reincarnators could rely on various items similar to [Bodhi Leaves] and the [Hyperbolic Time Chamber] to raise their specialization to Lv9.
At this time, basically without relying on any abilities, Reincarnators could also display to the fullest the terrifying killing ability possessed by their own attributes.
Just like Kaito Shirogane, with his current 50 points of basic Strength, under the control of this level of Martial Arts Specialization, he could already do everything Mercenary Tao displayed to him that day in the Dragon Ball world.
Whether it was killing people with finger wind, plucking flowers and flying leaves, or stomping the ground with one foot to transmit force dozens of meters to precisely shock and kill a target, or even opening his mouth to directly kill people with his breath.
None were a problem.
But Kaito Shirogane knew very well that above this [Peak of Technique], there existed an even higher realm.
[Lv9+] was not the limit.
He wanted to enter the transcendent realm like [Lv10] and [Lv11].
After witnessing Sasaki Kojiro's Secret Sword named [Tsubame Gaeshi] in the Type-Moon world, Kaito Shirogane was very certain that techniques, after breaking through to a certain level, could similarly touch unbelievable power.
Even if Sasaki Kojiro himself couldn't understand how he did it, there was no doubt that that sword had broken through the level of technique and begun to approach the level of [Law].
On the other hand, Kaito Shirogane needed to fill the gaps in his two attributes, [Agility] and [Spirit]. Thinking of this, he glanced at Su Qingqiu with some regret.
If the other party was an Agility-specialized or Spirit-specialized Reincarnator, he probably would have already turned into his nourishment by now.
Mu Yu saw that glance Mercenary Tao cast towards Su Qingqiu. The greed in that look made her feel cold all over.
She didn't want to tangle with this monster anymore. Moreover, she had to completely sever the grudge between Su Qingqiu and the other party.
She suddenly stood up, causing Su Enfei, Jin Yue'an, and the others to be astonished.
Mu Yu walked in front of Kaito Shirogane and said calmly:
"I can offer one [Bodhi Leaf]. In addition, I have intel on another [Scarlet Great Sin]. That is an... extremely agile Great Sin."
In the next moment, she saw intense Qi seemingly flashing in Mercenary Tao's eyes, hot breath almost spraying on her face.
"Very good, very good!"
Kaito Shirogane reached out his hand, and [Su Qingqiu], who was his slave, was fetched across space without resistance. He threw this human stick to Mu Yu.
"When I kill that Great Sin, I will dissolve the Slave Contract with him."
Mu Yu handed Su Qingqiu to Su Enfei and continued:
"I know every Scarlet Great Sin is your best tonic, Mercenary Tao. I hope the grudge between Su Qingqiu and you is cleared here. In the future, our [Death Toll Heaven] will also not accept any missions related to you."
"This is my promise."
(End of Chapter)
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