Blood Splendor's offer from the Blood Shadow Pavilion lingered in Lin Fan's mind. Collaborating with a major intelligence organization, gaining access to exclusive information about Chaotic Force and other Lost Ones—it was a significant temptation. Yet, he couldn't fully trust them. The Blood Shadow Pavilion's true intentions regarding Chaotic Force remained an enigma.
He spent another day weighing his options carefully. He recalled Old Man Feng's words: "Don't blindly trust what the 'System' says." If the Overseers might not be telling the whole truth, then neither would the Blood Shadow Pavilion. But he needed information. He needed to understand this world better, the Chaotic Force, and his Devouring Jade. The Blood Shadow Pavilion might be the fastest path to achieve that.
Finally, Lin Fan made his decision. He would accept the offer, but he would proceed with extreme caution, never revealing the full secrets of the Devouring Jade. He trusted his gut.
He took out the jade token Blood Splendor had given him and infused it with a stream of spiritual energy. The token emitted a faint red light, then Blood Splendor's voice resonated in the room.
"Sir Nameless One. Have you made your decision?"
"I accept your offer of cooperation," Lin Fan stated. "But I have conditions. All information you provide must be accurate. And I will be the one to decide how much I share about how I collect Chaotic Force."
"Naturally," Blood Splendor replied, her tone professional. "In return, we will ensure your safety within the Blood Shadow Pavilion's capabilities and provide the most valuable information. Do you have any information requests now?"
Lin Fan didn't hesitate. "I want to know everything you have about 'Lost Ones' and other 'variables' you've discovered. Especially about the 'shadow hunter' in the Dark Forest."
A moment of silence passed, then Blood Splendor spoke: "You are indeed direct. Information about Lost Ones and variables is extremely rare and highly sensitive. We will need some time to compile and verify. As for the 'shadow hunter,' we have some leads. He is known by the moniker 'Dark Shadow,' and he also seems to possess a special item that helps him deal with evil qi and darkness. He operates in the Dark Forest and the Abyssal Void, where Chaotic Force appears most frequently."
"Abyssal Void?" Lin Fan asked.
"That is a far more dangerous area than the Silent Abyss, located deeper in the northern dense forest. It not only lacks spiritual energy but is also filled with malevolent qi and even more horrifying mutations. Dark Shadow frequents that area. We will send you the details of its location and characteristics via the Blood Shadow Pavilion's information system."
"Understood. Send it to me."
"Sir Nameless One, would you like to know about a special ability your Devouring Jade might possess?" Blood Splendor suddenly inquired.
Lin Fan was taken aback. "You know?"
"Our Blood Shadow Pavilion has researched many anomalous artifacts," Blood Splendor stated. "Your Devouring Jade, if it is indeed the Ancient God's Eye, does not merely collect and purify energy. It can also 'decompose' matter and energy to extract their most primordial essences."
"Decompose?"
"Precisely. If you provide it with an item containing concentrated energy, such as a Chaotic Crystal, the Devouring Jade can decompose it into more rudimentary forms of energy, or even the essence of that item. This process is highly dangerous and requires extreme control, but the rewards can be immense."
This information stunned Lin Fan. Decompose matter? This went far beyond the refining and absorption abilities he knew. This was precisely the "greater secret" Old Man Feng had hinted at!
"How does one perform that?" Lin Fan asked, his voice trembling slightly.
"We do not possess a specific cultivation technique. However, according to ancient records, it requires a deep connection between the wielder and the Ancient God's Eye, and an immense amount of spiritual energy to activate the decomposition process. Some legends even suggest that the wielder must 'sacrifice' a part of themselves." Blood Splendor's voice grew graver. "You have a Basic Chaotic Crystal. You can try with that."
"I understand."
"Excellent. We will send you information about Dark Shadow and the Abyssal Void as soon as possible. Good luck, Trial Participant Nameless One."
The conversation ended. Lin Fan stared at the Devouring Jade. Decomposition. This was an astonishing potential ability, but also fraught with risk. "Sacrifice a part of themselves" sounded terrifying.
He decided not to rush into trying it. He needed to prepare more thoroughly, and most importantly, raise his cultivation level to increase his maximum spiritual energy capacity.
He spent the next few days familiarizing himself with Cloud Peak City, visiting larger shops, and continuing to mine low-grade ore at the city's outskirts to earn money. He had learned to use the Cloud Peak City market more effectively, buying raw materials cheaper and selling refined products for higher profits. The money in his account continued to grow rapidly.
Concurrently, he continuously used Lesser Spirit Pills to boost his cultivation. Each day, he consumed one, and after just three days, he felt a much more powerful surge of energy filling his Dantian.
Congratulations! You have broken through to Qi Condensation Stage 6!
His HP and MP increased significantly again. Especially his MP, which now reached 160 points. With this amount of MP, he believed he now had enough energy to experiment with the Decomposition ability of the Devouring Jade.
He closed the inn room door, took out the Basic Chaotic Crystal and the Devouring Jade. He took a deep breath, focused all his spiritual energy into the pendant, and placed the crystal upon it. He closed his eyes, trying to sense the connection between himself and the Devouring Jade.
As spiritual energy flowed into the pendant, he felt a powerful suction from it. The Chaotic Crystal began to vibrate, and then, it slowly melted, not into ash like the monsters, but like a block of ice being heated, liquefying and being drawn into the jade pendant.
A searing pain suddenly shot through Lin Fan's mind, as if something was being torn apart within his consciousness. Blood streamed from his nose. But he didn't stop. He gritted his teeth, maintaining his spiritual energy flow.
The Devouring Jade emitted a faint dark purple light, not dazzling, but full of power. It vibrated violently, and then, that light suddenly shot straight up towards the ceiling, piercing invisibly through everything.
And then, a stream of notifications appeared on Lin Fan's screen, not from the game system, but from the [Devouring Jade] itself!
[Devouring Jade]: Chaotic Energy successfully decomposed!
[Devouring Jade]: A portion of the wielder's 'essence' has been connected. Ability [Devouring Eye] activated!
[Devouring Jade]: Ability [Chaotic Absorption] upgraded! Now able to absorb Chaotic Force from the environment with higher efficiency and lower MP consumption.
[Devouring Jade]: Wielder has activated Level 1 link with the Ancient God's Eye. Unlocked more origin information.
Lin Fan staggered back, collapsing onto the bed. The headache still lingered, but astonishment had overridden everything else. The bleeding from his nose had stopped.
New ability: Devouring Eye! And his Chaotic Absorption ability had been upgraded! Most importantly, he had activated a "Level 1 link with the Ancient God's Eye" and "unlocked more origin information."
He eagerly opened the Devouring Jade's interface. A new tab had appeared, clearly labeled: [Origin Information - Level 1].
[Origin Information - Level 1]: The Ancient God's Eye, a fragment of 'Primordial Chaotic Qi' forged in the primordial era, carries within it the ability to 'purify' and 'recreate' all things. It was separated in an ancient cataclysmic event and lay dormant through countless eons. Its original purpose was to maintain order and balance in the universe.
Lin Fan read and re-read the text. "Primordial Chaotic Qi"? "Purify and recreate all things"? "Maintain order and balance in the universe"?
This completely contradicted his notion of Chaos as something inherently evil. And what about Overseer Alpha, who claimed Chaotic Force was "destroying the Nine Realms"? Who was truly lying? Or was this a massive misunderstanding?