Damn it! Let's smash the darkness together!

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[The sun rises in the east, reviving all things. Welcome back to the Tai Chu Scroll, great master!]

[Number of openings remaining today: 3/3]

[You are removing the title "Sit-ups (Taboo)". There will be a 12-hour cooling period after removal during which you cannot wear it again, please be cautious.]

[You have removed the title.]

[Tip: Don't throw away unwanted titles, you can craft them into Curse Tools with materials, or merge them directly into an existing Curse Tool to add an entry, with the requirement that the Curse Tool be at most one rank lower than the title.]

——

At 6 a.m., the sun rose in the east.

Basking in the sunlight, Xu Shu removed his title for the first time in days and was somewhat enlightened by some informational prompts.

"Curse Tools? Seems like something similar to Curse Seals, exclusive weapons for Transcendents."

"I can only wear one title at a time, and this taboo title has a cooldown period after removal, which can be avoided by integrating it into a Curse Tool, although there are pros and cons!"

"The advantage is that I can use the effects of multiple titles at the same time, the downside is the Curse Tool might be lost or stolen."

"Indeed, the Journey Mode and Legend Mode, although seemingly independent, actually complement each other and are closely linked."

"Legend produces Mystical Chapters and titles, the former is used to strengthen the Curse Seal, the latter to enhance the Curse Tools;"

"While Journey Mode may not directly produce Curse Seals or Curse Tools, the skills and one-time items it produces can increase my combat power, giving me the ability to obtain Curse Seals and Curse Tools!"

"The Tai Chu Scroll has a coherent and orderly underlying logic, where all functions are targeted. I wonder who the deity is that could create such an ingeniously constructed marvel."

"...Eh, could it be me?"

He shook his head and self-indulgently flattered himself.

After a simple breakfast, Xu Shu, now with a new purple title overhead, arrived at the prison gate.

"Tai Chu Scroll, Journey Mode, activate!"

[Checking current status...]

[Check complete.]

[Second Rank Alien Species Warrior Xu Shu—that is, you—once again leave your heart's safe area, "prison", determined to slay several monsters today and pave your leveling path with their fresh blood.]

[It's time for awakening, time for the hunt.]

[After observation, you find that the bodies of yesterday's walking shark and the three people have been eaten clean, and no other monsters were found nearby.]

[Choose your exploration route...]

[You choose to walk right along the wall, entering the gateway, past several collapsed buildings, carefully moving less than three hundred meters when you keenly hear a noise at the corner ahead.]

[You sneak over and see the strange hairless canine beast—the Aberration, a common low-level monster known as one of the three scourges of the Wasteland, found in great numbers everywhere.]

[There are four Aberrations gnawing at a middle-aged fat man, who is half a breath away from death.]

[You vaguely recall having seen him in prison and are surprised that he still hasn't managed to escape after three days, but his dilated pupils and lifeless eyes are staring at you from afar. His mouth is moving, as if trying to speak.]

[You faintly hear him shouting words like "that," "person," "still".]

[You don't want to think too much, you directly throw a "Charm like Silk" at the nearest Aberration!]

[It falls for it, turns its head in infatuation towards you, and you're in luck, it's a female. She's charmed, panting and lolling her tongue; she only wants to go after you, you bad thing.]

[As soon as you turn the corner, this poor female is met with your furious punch and is smashed against the wall, with her entire head along with most of her chest cavity thoroughly crushed, Warrior: Standard Attack.]

[An Aberration that doesn't die unless its brain is hit is killed instantly.]

[The other three Aberrations become alert and attack you, but you face all three alone and kill them all, sustaining only some minor flesh wounds from bites, which are nothing to a strong Warrior.]

[Because of a lack of agility, trading injury for life has always been the Warrior's favored tactic.]

[You collect four white Erosion Crystals, each with only 2-3 white fluffs, and you already know that each fluff denotes First Rank, meaning these Aberrations are about the same level as you.]

[After a brief rest, you also close the fat man's eyes, allowing him to die in peace.]

[You continue forward and see a relatively intact seven-story building, which you plan to climb for a better view of the terrain.]

[On the rooftop, you encounter an odd Buddha statue over two meters tall, lifelike.]

[You find such a large Buddha statue to be odd, and you observe it carefully.]

[The more you look at the face of the Buddha statue, the more familiar it seems, starting to overlap with someone in your memory, when suddenly you shed two lines of blood tears. Your spirit is shaken! Your reasoning is thrown into chaos!]

"F*ck!"

Xu Shu suddenly squeezed his eyes shut in pain.

It felt like a drill was piercing his brain, and it took a great deal of effort to recover, only to find himself in a dire situation.

[You have gazed upon the Evil Spirit, suffering massive spiritual damage, and your combat power is greatly weakened.]

[Suddenly, your clothes' sleeves tighten around you, your shoes trip you, your belt begins to whip you; it seems as if everything you are wearing has come to life, attempting to kill you.]

[Your brain trembles, unable to control itself, and though you suffer spiritual trauma, you are also infused with vast knowledge, learning the branch information this eerie Buddha belongs to among the ten retainers!]

[Primordial Spirit·Wisdom: Narrow Sleeve Guanyin!]

[You die, this Journey is over, settling accounts...]

[Evaluation: Looking at everything will only harm you.]

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[You have learned the skill: Mental Resistance (Ordinary)]

[Mental Resistance (Ordinary): Your mental resistance has increased slightly, but just slightly.]

[Reminder: Such skills provide a permanent attribute boost and apply directly to the individual.]

[Number of Opening Times Today: 2/3]

----

"Damn it! ——Primordial Spirit, Wisdom, Narrow Sleeve Guanyin?"

In the prison, Xu Shu's face turned pale as he took deep breaths, striving to recover from the mental trauma he had just suffered. As for the increased mental resistance, he didn't feel much of a difference.

The important thing was the monster.

This eerie thing had so many titles; it was clearly not ordinary. Moreover, Xu Shu realized that his Warrior profession seemed somewhat restrained by the opponent.

It was a mental-type monster, while he was physically inclined, seemingly at a natural disadvantage.

"Evil Spirit... I remember, that was mentioned in the newbie must-read."

Xu Shu rubbed his head, recalling that it said to be very careful if one encountered a Transcendent of "Evil Spirit, Demon, Alien Species" type because they were no longer human.

And that was just for human beings with those three professions.

The monsters of these three professions were definitely more formidable.

The human-headed griffin, shark dogs, and mutant beasts, including Black Widow, which Xu Shu had encountered before, were all [Alien Species] monsters.

It was his first time coming across an Evil Spirit type, and it felt to him that Evil Spirits were much harder to deal with than Alien Species.

"Of course, this might also be because my level is too low. If I were higher leveled, I might not necessarily lose to it!"

Xu Shu felt his spirits recover.

He found a notebook and, relying on memory, drew a rough map of the surrounding prison buildings, marking out distances.

With the expertise of "Master of Architecture," the map he drew was very accurate.

"There's a Primordial Spirit Narrow Sleeve Guanyin in the north — can't beat it, best to avoid."

"However, those little mutant beasts are not a threat. I can take them down directly."

"Hmm, to avoid unexpected twists leading to a change in the future I foresee now, I should take action immediately."

Xu Shu marked an area on the map, and without hesitation, he set off along the path he had just simulated.

After about ten minutes,

Xu Shu returned to the prison with several bite and claw marks but revealed a slight smile.

A minimum of 160,000 income!

Of course, that was just a figure of speech.

In reality, all these Erosion Crystals would definitely be used to level up.

Xu Shu wouldn't make the foolish mistake of hoarding wealth.

Strength was the foundation of survival.

However, he wouldn't use them right away because [Sit-ups] were on cooldown. He planned to wait until six o'clock in the evening when the cooldown ended, then level up to avoid any unforeseen accidents.

After all, being a "non-talented" individual, he faced much greater risks during leveling up than a regular Transcendent and couldn't afford to take risks.

It would be ridiculous to fight monsters to collect Erosion Crystals only to end up dying during the leveling up process.

"This little injury is no big deal, just apply some disinfectant, and a few sit-ups in the evening will heal it all."

"Now, I can continue my journey."

Xu Shu prepared water and food by his side. After eating some to ensure his physical condition was at its peak, he opened the Tai Chu Scroll once again.

He still had two opportunities today; he planned to continue simulating the future, making a round down south and west to get a clear picture of the surroundings. He also aimed to figure out how to reliably take down the monsters.

As for the legendary mode, he would hold off on that until he was sure it was safe. Though the newly acquired "Enchanting Demon" title was indeed useful, not every reward might be immediately applicable, like the Mystical Chapter which was a strategic resource that could be used to enhance the Curse Seal needed for advancing to Second Rank.

But that was a matter for the future and did not address the urgent issues at hand.

The most pressing task was still to level up and improve himself in order to survive.

He initially thought the prison was quite safe, but now it seemed uncertain.

Xu Shu's only hope was that the ghastly creature he encountered wouldn't come by too soon, otherwise, it would spell trouble.

He wasn't being unduly self-deprecating, but based on the simulation, if it pursued him, his only option with his current strength would be to run. Who knew what other dangers lay just outside this area?

Having ventured only a few hundred meters out, he had already encountered so many monsters. Who knew what lurked beyond, and rashly venturing out was likely a death sentence.

Time! He urgently needed enough time to level up!

The Tai Chu Scroll could only be used three times a day; not nearly frequent enough.

It was foolish to hope that Narrow Sleeve Guanyin wouldn't come. Considering the close proximity, not even a mile away, perhaps it was just biding its time?

"I must level up quickly and find a way to leave this damned place. If not back to a safe zone, at least find a shelter with people."

Xu Shu firmly opened the Tai Chu Scroll once again.

The journey, commence!

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