Damn it! Let's smash the darkness together!

"Damn, another one got away; I'm so pissed off."

Xu Shu was rather annoyed as he rubbed his eyes.

Suddenly coming back to reality, he felt a bit dizzy.

It was like he had been playing a VR game for too long and suddenly took the goggles off, needing some time to adjust.

"Rumble～"

"Crack!"

Lightning streaked across the night sky, and the thunder grew louder as the rain outside poured down harder, as if weeping for the people who died in Xu Shu's game.

He felt empty inside, and his body felt insubstantial.

Regretful, huh~

If he had to evaluate this simulation of life, Xu Shu would describe it in two words: too regrettable.

He regretted not being able to protect his mother in the game, regretted wasting a Legendary life chart without being born, and regretted letting an enemy escape in the end.

"If only I had been born... Oh well, it's just a game after all, mere fantasy and illusion, not to be taken for reality.

"I wonder what the evaluation will be; surely it can't be too bad. After all, I single-handedly wiped out a whole nation."

Xu Shu steadied his spirit and looked earnestly at the Tai Chu Scroll for his evaluation results.

The scroll fluttered rapidly, revealing a multitude of information:

"Calculating your legendary achievements…"

"You tread on thin ice in this life; although you had a peerless demeanor capable of overpowering the times, you never had the chance to thrive. You resent that heaven envies the talented, and that your fate was fraught with hardships! — You've achieved the accomplishment: Stillborn."

"Nonetheless, you believe not in fate, nor in heaven; you only believe in yourself. From the womb, you began martial arts training, practicing punches day after day, never once slacking off! — You've achieved the accomplishment: He Truly Loved Martial Arts Too Much."

"You fought the heroes of Yue Country in a bloody battle, and single-handedly shattered this mighty nation of the times! — You've achieved the accomplishment: One Man Destroys a Nation."

"At the final moment, you awakened the sixth phase of the Nine Phases Diagram and initially leveraged the Vajra Life Chart, stepping into the Fourth Rank Giant Spirit Realm successfully. Your success has made an indelible contribution to future generations in the continued derivation of cultivation methods, and tales of your legend forever circulate in the martial arts world! — You've achieved the accomplishment: Martial Arts Myth."

"Sadly, the Vajra who should have been born never saw the light of day, and that is a regret for both heaven and earth! Your burial ground, 'Kongji Mountain', thereafter often experienced bizarre events, with roars as if ancient ferocious beasts were lurking within. Numerous strong explorers perished attempting to investigate, making it a forbidden land of death;

"To this day, explorers have yet to understand the source of the terrifying pressure erupting like a volcano! — You've achieved the accomplishment: The Name of Vajra Unheard."

…

As one achievement after another was unveiled, Xu Shu opened his mouth in surprise.

He had underestimated himself, expecting only one or two achievements.

But lo and behold, there were so many.

It wasn't a wasted effort at all!

Finally, the Tai Chu Scroll ceased flipping, and those achievements faded away, leaving only a screen of light in front of Xu Shu, just like at the beginning:

"Calculation complete."

"Final evaluation: A Vajra, newly born, defies fate! Training the physical body into Vajra is undoubtedly arduous, but you have taken the first step. With a heart of Vajra already formed, you believe that one day you will recreate the glory that should have been yours."

"You have obtained the Mystical Chapter: Heart of Steel (Legendary)!"

"Note: Mystical Chapters are artifacts to alter the essence of heaven and earth, and can be used for a second inscription on a Curse Seal, adding an extra attribute; each Curse Seal can use only one Mystical Chapter, so use it wisely."

[Today's uses opened: 0/3]

...

Instantly, the Tai Chu Scroll's inventory displayed an addition next to the can of white pepper—a marked red treasure.

"Legendary items, huh, not bad."

Though he didn't receive the highest taboo evaluation, Xu Shu was quite satisfied.

He took 'Heart of Steel' out of the Tai Chu Scroll and held it in his hand, examining it carefully.

The object resembled a beating heart, palm-sized.

What was remarkable was the faint sound of a heartbeat emanating from within—it seemed to be a living thing!

"It can be used for a second inscription on a Curse Seal, granting an extra attribute, but only once; clearly, this is a very rare and powerful enhancement item. Eh, but speaking of which, what's a Curse Seal? Could it be..."

His eyes suddenly lit up and he stood quickly, looking toward the golden strip that had fallen from Black Widow.

This peculiar item, resembling a thick stack of talismans, lay quietly on a table nearby, its ancient-looking script squirming around ceaselessly like tadpoles, resembling a series of talismans.

"Talisman? Talisman, Curse Seal..."

"Could this thing be the Curse Seal? Heh, although I can't be 100% certain, it's highly probable."

Xu Shu, excited, forgot about the potential danger of grabbing it and held it in his hands, turning it over and over, unable to part with it.

Despite not understanding a word of the text on it, the more he looked at it, the more he liked it.

This item seems to be worth more than the Erosion Crystal. Perhaps, just this tiny piece could be enough to completely cure my foster father's illness!

It wasn't until a sharp, sizzling pain spread from the palm of his hand that Xu Shu cried out in pain and reluctantly put it down.

But now that it's been said, what exactly is a Curse Seal? What's it for? An Amulet? How does one use it? Can wearing it save your life? It's so hot that it's no saving grace; it might just cook a person alive.

One question was answered, but immediately more arose, which left Xu Shu feeling helpless.

No wonder the scholars of history always said that knowledge is like a circle; the more you know, the more you realize how much is unknown.

The ancients did not deceive me.

"Well, at least I now know its name."

Progress, after all, requires accumulation over time. Xu Shu smiled, not harboring any delusion that he could become 'fat' in one gulp; he just wanted to proceed steadily, step by step, step by step, moving forward.

He put the Curse Seal back into his shoe, packed it up again, and had just stood up when he noticed his empty left palm and his gaze suddenly intensified.

If he remembered correctly, he had just been holding the Black Widow Curse Seal with his right hand, and in his left, should have been holding the 'Heart of Steel.'

Yes, the memory was clear, he had definitely not let go.

But now, his left hand was empty.

"Huh?"

Could it be that, after so much time, it was automatically taken back into the Tai Chu Scroll?

He calmly opened the inventory of the Tai Chu Scroll to find only a jar of pepper left; the icon for the Heart of Steel he took out was gone.

"Ah, this..."

Xu Shu looked around calmly on the surface but was anxiously peering under the table, at his feet, in his pockets, and everywhere else.

However, it was nowhere to be found.

The smile gradually faded from Xu Shu's face.

No way? Where's my Heart of Steel?

My damn huge Heart of Steel?

It was clearly here just a moment ago!

It couldn't have been lost.

Unless... Xu Shu's gaze settled on the Black Widow Curse Seal and after a close inspection, he realized that it had indeed undergone subtle changes from before:

Initially, those tiny invisible characters on its surface were a faint gold.

But now, they were mixed with a lot of deep red, intertwining with the gold.

Reflecting each other's brilliance, ineffably mysterious.

"It fused... or perhaps I should say, the inscription is complete... Damn, I still don't know how to use this thing, and the enhancement is done…"

Xu Shu stared blankly at it for a while, then tried to find humor in his plight: "At least, I can now be one hundred percent certain that this thing is a 'Curse Seal.'"

At this point, Xu Shu had no regrets, just a feeling of weakness in his legs.

He glanced outside at the lightning and it suddenly struck him.

He'd been so preoccupied with the results of the Legendary evaluation that he hadn't realized it had already gotten dark.

Looking at a clock on the floor, still ticking, he saw it was pointing past six o'clock; it was indeed evening.

Which means, this bout of simulated life had passed in the blink of an eye, a whole day gone.

His stomach growled, a queasy sensation from being empty too long, and Xu Shu finally understood.

"No wonder I felt so weak and shaky—turns out I've gone a whole day without eating or drinking."

"When in the journey mode, time outside seemed to halt, it all sped by in my head."

"Who would have thought during Legendary mode, time outside would flow, and the timing was so ingenious; it seemed to have ended right at sunset, exactly twelve hours."

"One Legendary session is one sunrise and sunset? Or is it because I used it three times? Never mind, better not to think about it now, time to eat something, I'm starving."

Xu Shu smacked his forehead, quickly drank some water, then opened a can which contained some bland-tasting meat, but it was just right for him at the moment.

He also boiled water, opened a bag of instant noodles, soaked them in the steaming water, and slowly ate it all up.

As his belly filled, Xu Shu felt a sense of renewal sweep through him.

Ah, bliss~

What is happiness? For Xu Shu at this moment, happiness was the simple pleasure of eating one's fill when hungry.

That simple.

"Ah, speaking of which, a day and a night have passed, which means those guys outside have gone without food or drink for a full day and night...

"They should still be alive."

With that thought, Xu Shu stood up and walked outside.