Chapter Fourteen: Return and Reckoning

It was as if someone had pressed the pause button; the world before his eyes came to a halt, and the falling leaves froze midair in strange poses.

The wind ceased, silence enveloped everything, and then the entire world shattered like a broken mirror, fracturing into countless tiny shards.

The deepest darkness beneath the world was revealed, then gradually faded away, and he found himself in an empty room.

[You have arrived at your exclusive chamber. This chamber is an absolute safe zone.]

[Severe injuries detected on the Apostle. Initiating repair process.]

Countless green lights emerged from the void, drawn as if by some force.

Like swallows returning to their nests, they surged into Li Xia’s body, beginning to heal his wounds.

His veins and nerves seemed to regain their own consciousness, extending to find their severed counterparts, mending them; flesh and blood rapidly regenerating.

[Injury repair complete. This treatment is free of charge.]

[Commencing Trial World settlement.]

Trial World: Demon Slayer (Simulated World)

Difficulty: Normal

Chance of Transcendence: 9% (No actual transcendence occurred in the virtual space; evaluation only, no reward)

Completed Tasks: 1 (Mainline quest, prerequisite)

Overall Rating: A+ (Outstanding)

Rewards Granted: Exquisite Green Treasure Chest, 3 Attribute Points, 2000 Points.

The remaining rewards from the Trial World have been stored in your personal space. Please check at your convenience.

Overall Rating: A+ reward granted. You have earned 3 Merit Points and have been promoted from Reserve Apostle to Apostle.

[Trial successfully passed. You are now a formal Apostle. Your talent ability has been unlocked and can be viewed on your personal panel.]

Li Xia immediately opened his panel, barely pausing to check anything else.

The talent ability that had previously been locked now shimmered with a pale golden glow.

That glow... surely signified a formidable talent!

He eagerly clicked to view the talent and saw the following:

[Talent Ability: Fortune in Misfortune] (Fate-Level)

Effect: Reduces normal luck value; when facing danger, grants a large temporary boost to luck. Upon overcoming the danger, luck returns to normal levels.

???

Li Xia furrowed his brow, scrutinizing the description for a long moment before realizing the entire talent basically screamed: Unlucky!

Then he recalled the oddities from the Trial World.

The first fight against a demon—he had accidentally overturned an iron pot, which just happened to land on the demon’s head, giving him a chance to counterattack.

During the second fight with the giant bear, his arms were weak and breath disordered; he had intended only to distract with his pistol.

But according to the battle report, that shot hit an earlier wound directly on the spleen, causing massive damage.

Thinking carefully... it was all because of his talent?

Reflecting further... the falling elevator, the dropping billboard, the charging dump truck... none of these had killed him because someone below had been signaling him.

Was it all due to his talent?

Li Xia pinched the bridge of his nose, his mind in turmoil. How to describe this talent...

If it were useful, it would be utterly useless; but to say it was useless was also untrue, since in life-or-death crises, it might save his life... but only possibly.

Right! Li Xia realized the biggest problem with this talent was its uncontrollability.

The fluctuating luck could cause unpredictable incidents—if all positive, that would be fine.

But the Hall was so mysterious; it was impossible to guarantee he wouldn't face opponents who could manipulate luck.

Relying on an uncontrollable talent in life-or-death moments could easily lead to disaster, even death.

Uncontrollability was the greatest taboo in combat.

If only this talent could be converted into a controllable one...

Li Xia silently closed the talent description and turned to his skills. He recalled that his final desperate breaths seemed to have upgraded the Sun Breathing technique.

[Sun Breathing] (Incomplete Version): Novice Stage (0%)

Usage Cost: Consumes 1.5% stamina per second when activated.

Skill Effect: Increases strength by 100%, dexterity by 70%, and greatly enhances perception and reaction speed.

Wait a moment? An incomplete version? Why is it still incomplete?

What about the full version and the Transcendence World rewards? Had the Hall cheated him?

The Hall responded promptly.

[When Apostles learn skills, the complete version of the Sun Breathing technique will be unlocked.]

Understood—it still needed to be learned.

Li Xia nodded knowingly; it seemed the Hall preferred that skills be earned through learning rather than simply handed over.

Why was that? For now, the priority was transforming these gains into personal power.

Putting aside his doubts, Li Xia reviewed his acquisitions and, most importantly, his reflections.

There were aspects of the Trial World that could have been explored more deeply, but he had not pursued them.

For example, the Mountain Witch’s Cave—he could have sent Murata to deliver a message to Misty Mountain. Most likely, the Old Heavenly Dog would have sent the Water Pillar to investigate, allowing him to assist.

Also, the hairpin found on the demon probably led to a side quest.

Both could have earned him an S or S+ rating. But with gains come sacrifices; he had focused mainly on Sun Breathing and still earned substantial rewards.

His total rewards were: 6 Attribute Points, 4000 Hall Points, Pure Demon Blood (a green bloodline item), a dagger (white rarity), a Colt revolver (white rarity), an exquisite green treasure chest, and 10 Meiji Ryoyo coins.

There was also an extra gain—the Blue Spider Lily.

He remembered that near Tanjiro’s home in the original story, such flowers grew nearby. He asked Aoi, who confirmed it.

Finally, Li Xia spent fifty copper coins on dumplings and sugar candies, inviting Tanjiro and Nezuko to help gather a few flowers.

[Blue Spider Lily]

[Quality: Green]

[Description: The legendary flower of the underworld. Blue varieties are extremely rare and can be used as an alchemical ingredient.]

Since it had been acquired through small trades, Li Xia suspected its green rating was solely due to rarity.

In any case, he planned to package it with the Pure Demon Blood for sale.

Of these items, he intended to sell the Pure Demon Blood, dagger, and revolver. Even if he needed a gun, he had no desire to use such an old-fashioned revolver.

If no one bought them, he would just discard them at the shop.

As for the green treasure chest... Li Xia hadn’t decided yet.

He was unwilling—extremely unwilling. Being unlucky in games was one thing; now, even in the Hall, he couldn’t remain so unlucky, could he?

This talent... it only dramatically boosts luck in moments of danger. He couldn’t exactly tell an opponent, "Wait, let me open a treasure chest first."

Li Xia chuckled self-mockingly, but the smile froze on his face as his eyebrows rose and his eyes widened.

Wait... maybe... it actually could work?

He recalled the mechanics of opening treasure chests and studied the details carefully.

[When opening a treasure chest, the outcome is determined by luck, divided into three types of openings:]

[Unlucky Wails: Lower chance of obtaining high-value items; manifests as dark smoke at the start.]

[Ordinary Opening: No change in chance; no special effects.]

[Lucky Radiance: Increased chance of high-value items; manifests as a dazzling light that is hard to look at.]

"Hall, can the Lucky Radiance be blocked?"

[This function is based on the Hall’s underlying logic and derives from basic luck attributes; it cannot be blocked.]

Perfect!

When fighting fiercely, suddenly opening a chest would blind the enemy with its radiant light, catching them off guard and simultaneously consuming luck to prevent it from affecting the battle.

This was a treasure chest flashbang!

I’m a genius! The strategy world has ignored me, but my brilliance will shine forever!

He chuckled for a while, but his smile eventually took on a tinge of bitterness.

If it weren’t for desperate circumstances, who would think of such an unreliable method?

Retrieving an item from space was just a thought; opening it was another. The entire process took about 0.3 to 0.4 seconds.

That seemed brief, but only to an ordinary person.

Against a first-rank formidable enemy, that fraction of a second was enough for them to snatch the chest and give him a serious nasal injury.

Sighing, he put away the green treasure chest and resolved to look for someone who could open chests on his behalf.

Or to inquire about ways to increase his luck.

Staying at zero was like slow suicide...

After storing his rewards in his personal space, Li Xia stood and prepared to leave the room.

The door gradually appeared; he was eager to explore the Hall.

The bustling trading street, unfamiliar facilities and buildings...

Countless dazzling stalls, endless possibilities, infinite evolution!

Li Xia opened the door and froze in place.

Disbelieving, he closed the door and opened it again.

"Ah?"

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