Chapter 417: System Upgrade

Chapter 417: System Upgrade

Ice Hell.

Endless energy surged through Lu Wu's body, an epic feedback from various sources.

The extreme cold of Hahah, the mysterious might and sharpness of the Celestial Cloud Sword, the deathly power of Xiao Skull, and the dragon's aura of the Baby Dragon—each force was epic in its own right, enough to propel Lu Wu into the ranks of the epic-level strong.

And now, all four powers merged into him.

Combined with the legacy power left by Ryuichiro Ryukawa, Lu Wu's foundation and potential became terrifying.

The threshold of the Epic Rank seemed like a flimsy piece of paper before Lu Wu's might.

In an instant, Lu Wu broke through the King and Epic ranks.

But this breakthrough was not the end; it was merely the beginning.

He needed to digest and integrate these powers; otherwise, they would become a lethal poison.

This was why others only contracted one or two Summon Beasts.

The difficulty of cultivation was one thing, but even if one succeeded, digesting the feedback from the Summon Beasts was another challenge.

Fortunately, Lu Wu didn't have this problem.

Absorption and integration were his specialties.

With Infinite Universe activated and the Lu family's swordsmanship at his disposal, Lu Wu began to assimilate the five powers.

The power from Ryuichiro Ryukawa was the easiest to deal with.

Lu Wu had witnessed Ryukawa's entire life through his memories, understanding the source of his power and how to assimilate it.

When Ryukawa transferred his power to Lu Wu, he had already processed it, making it easy for Lu Wu to digest.

Among the powers Ryukawa gave, the most crucial for Lu Wu was the final sword strike that pierced the leader of the Zero Organization.

To execute that strike, Ryukawa had channeled decades of resentment and his experiences in hell.

That extreme sword technique inspired Lu Wu greatly.

Using that move as a foundation, Lu Wu, with his Infinite Universe insight, created a new sword technique.

This technique significantly aided Lu Wu in absorbing and transforming the incoming energies.

First, Lu Wu infused the feedback from the Celestial Cloud Sword into this new technique, then seamlessly integrated the powers of Hahah, Xiao Skull, and the Baby Dragon.

Lastly, he incorporated his original sword techniques, including Slaughter All Lives and Divine Sword Techniques, into the mix.

All the sword techniques merged, ultimately forging a multicolored longsword, bound by countless chains, within Lu Wu's energy space.

Thus, Lu Wu's energy and sword techniques were preliminarily integrated, and his strength officially broke through to a new level.

This process, though described in detail, occurred in the blink of an eye, appearing to outsiders as if Lu Wu had merely opened and closed his eyes.

As Lu Wu opened his eyes, three brand-new attribute panels emerged before him.

...

Name: Ice Phoenix (Hahah)



Strength: Epic Rank 1

Quality: Epic (Lower Grade) (Improved)



Epic Power: Immortality (Improved)



Skill Talent: Omitted

...

Name: Celestial Cloud Sword

Strength: Epic Rank 1

Quality: Epic (Medium Grade) (Improved)



Epic Power: Divine Sword Power (Improved)



Skill Talent: Omitted

...

Name: Lu Wu

Strength: Epic Rank 1

Summon Beasts: Ice Phoenix (Hahah), Death Monarch (Xiao Skull), Five-Clawed Golden Dragon (Xiao Skull), Celestial Cloud Sword

Epic Power: Infinite Universe (Improved)



Summoner Talent: Legacy Power (Improved)



Skills Omitted...

The attribute panels were much simpler than before.

Skills and talents were not displayed, though Lu Wu sensed that he could reveal them if he wished.

However, the system seemed to deem talents and skills less important at this stage.

Well, that might be a misleading statement. Skills were still essential, especially for offensive capabilities.

But the core focus should now be on Epic Powers.

These powers seemed directly linked to one's strength enhancement.

Additionally, Lu Wu noticed that the 'Improved' aspect of his and his Summon Beasts' attributes seemed slightly different from before.

It was evident that his breakthrough to the Epic Rank had triggered another system upgrade.

However, this upgrade left Lu Wu a bit perplexed.

He tried using the system as he usually did, only to find it unresponsive.

"What's going on? Did the system update break after my strength enhancement? Is this thing completely useless now?"

Lu Wu was initially startled but then realized something.

This broken system of his never had much use to begin with, so even if it was broken, he hadn't lost much.

Action: There was one more thing; it seemed that now wasn't the time for him to be studying the System.

There were more intriguing things to research than the System.

For instance, there were Ryuichiro Ryukawa's memories and the person who had just appeared beside him.

With these thoughts, Li Wu set aside the matter of the attribute panel and turned his head towards the person who had just materialized beside him, having hidden themselves a moment ago.

Li Wu's sudden movement startled the person, and they instinctively tried to flee, but Li Wu's figure had somehow appeared before them, stopping their escape.

The person was pinned to the spot by Li Wu.

As their body was exposed, so was their face, one that Li Wu was familiar with.

"So, it really is you.

Back at Elder Mountain, you saved me, didn't you?

Should I be thanking you?"

Li Wu scrutinized the person before him, the one who had been standing there when Ryuichiro Ryukawa's sword pierced its target. He narrowed his eyes, and although a smile tugged at his lips, it held no joy of a long-lost friend's reunion but rather a chilling coldness.

"Li... Li Wu..."

The person before Li Wu, even after a year or two, even with their power having undergone a drastic transformation, still appeared as meek as Dudu, so weak that even his Goblins wouldn't deign to look at them.

The Goblin leaped from his heart and stood before Li Wu, its face full of ferocity, daring to challenge Li Wu.

It wanted Li Wu to stay away from its master, for it was no longer the same as before. It had become stronger, and if Li Wu dared to touch it or bully its master again, it vowed to bash Li Wu's head in.

The Goblin waved its hands at Li Wu in defiance.

Seeing the sudden appearance of the ever-foolish Goblin, Li Wu's icy demeanor and hidden murderous intent softened slightly, but it didn't dissipate entirely.

"Dudu's matter, the Gateway's matter, you owe me an explanation.

If you can't provide one, you can stay here."

Thanks to Ryuichiro Ryukawa.

Not only had Li Wu successfully broken through, but the shackles left by the chief had also been shattered, and his headache had been cured. He now clearly remembered what had happened before entering the Ice Hell.

He recalled how Dudu had died before him, so his current mood was far from pleasant.

Not to mention, behind Dudu's sudden attack on Elder Mountain with the Gateway fragment was Jianying Lin, who had clearly played a dubious role.

If Li Wu hadn't just gone through Ryuichiro Ryukawa's memories, spending decades in his mind, with enough time to buffer his emotions, he would have already taken action.

In response to Li Wu's interrogation, Jianying Lin opened his mouth, then after a while, spoke with a hint of grievance, "I didn't give Dudu the Gateway fragment!"

"If not you, then who?"

"It was Tie Hong!"

"Hmm?" Li Wu's eyebrows furrowed.

"It's true. Tie Hong's real identity is the Third Messenger of the Zero Organization. He gave Dudu that fragment!"

In the 1619 version of the book!

Jianying Lin's words caused Li Wu's eyebrows to knit together.

Li Wu's first reaction was that Jianying Lin was talking nonsense.

Tie Hong, the Third Messenger of the Zero Organization? Was that even possible? Could he be an evil Summoner?

Wait!

At this moment, Li Wu suddenly recalled the final part of Ryuichiro Ryukawa's memories, the figure he had seen in the southern town.

If Li Wu's eyes hadn't deceived him, that figure should be the shadow of his father, a man who had reached the limits of scum.

If Ryuichiro Ryukawa's memories were genuine, unaltered, it meant that Li Haikong had been marked by the leader of the Zero Organization long before he truly rose to prominence.

And according to Li Wu's knowledge, Li Haikong's rise to power began right after that.

So, his father, that scumbag, might also have become a plaything or, rather, a pawn of that person, just like Ryuichiro Ryukawa.

And from that man's final actions, it seemed he was after the refinement of the Gateway fragment.

In this light, Dudu's incident indeed bore the hallmarks of that person's handiwork.

As for Tie Hong, he was indeed an odd one.

He had joined Li Wu's side, mistaking Li Wu for Li Haikong.

Although this was a ridiculous mistake, it could be somewhat justified.

However, the issue was that after joining, Tie Hong hadn't done anything of significance.

When Yan Ruxue captured Li Wu, he had turned a blind eye.

Feng Xiu had previously avoided taking action, and this time, with Dudu's incident, he hadn't shown his face at all.

Based on these details, it seemed that he indeed had some issues.

This made Li Wu suspicious of Tie Hong.

Well, Dudu's death had greatly affected Li Wu. Now, regardless of who it was, as long as they were connected to Dudu's death, he wanted to investigate. If he found even the slightest hint of foul play, he would surely make them pay for their mistake.

"Talk, what's going on?"

Just as Lin Jianying was about to speak, a weak voice came from the side.

"Um, big brother, you forgot to clear the area."

Li Wu raised his eyebrows and turned to see a guy in military attire weakly extending his hand.

His behavior caught the attention of Iria and Arthur, who glared at him with murderous intent.

Just as they were about to discuss secrets, this guy had to butt in.

Pismis completely ignored the two of them.

Are these secrets even meant to be heard? And after hearing them, wouldn't they be destroyed by others? It's better to leave before they spill the beans.

"Big brother, I have an eighty-year-old mother and a crying daughter at home. Can you please let me go?

I understand the rules. Look, I didn't listen to anything I shouldn't have, right? Also, I brought that old man here, so I've helped you a lot. Won't you consider letting me go?"

Li Wu turned to ask Lin Jianying.

"Who is this guy?"

"His name is Pismis. He's a rising star from District 2's Tech Alliance.

The two beside him are Arthur from the Holy Church Alliance and Iria from the Dark Council.

They are all young leaders, and they came here because of you and the Gateway Fragment."

"Leaders? Just like this?"

Li Wu looked at Pismis, who was acting cute and begging for mercy. He felt that Pismis' reputation didn't match his actual abilities.

And yet, the guy seemed quite lucky.

"Yes, yes, I got here through connections, but I'm actually not that capable.

I'm useless at everything, but I'm good at eating."

"Alright, he's got thick skin.

By the way, speaking of the Gateway Fragment, where is it?"

Li Wu's tone suddenly shifted, taking a sharp turn. He turned his gaze back to Lin Jianying, his hand reaching out.

"Give me that fragment!"

"This..."

Lin Jianying was taken aback, clutching the fragment in his hand and hesitating.

"What? You won't give it?"

Li Wu's eyebrows furrowed, his voice deepening slightly.

Lin Jianying trembled, hesitated, and finally took out a fragment from his pocket.

As the fragment was retrieved, everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on it.

But once the fragment appeared, everyone's expressions changed.

"No, this isn't the right one!"

Li Wu could tell that this fragment was much smaller than the one Dudu had before. Dudu's fragment was the size of a basketball, while this one was only as big as an egg, and the material was different, too.

Additionally, when Li Wu saw the Gateway Fragment, he noticed something he hadn't expected.

...

Item: Gateway Fragment (Outer Gateway)



Quality: ???

Status: Refining (Lin Jianying)



Description: The system cannot absorb the fragment while it's being refined. It needs to be either terminated or completed before the system can absorb it.

Note: Do not forcefully interrupt the refinement process. Doing so will cause the Gateway Fragment to disappear, and the refiner will suffer backlash and die.

...

Li Wu stared at the attribute panel, which revealed a lot of information. The most surprising detail was that the system now seemed to have the ability to absorb the Gateway Fragment.

This was something Li Wu had never anticipated.

The system he had been using had provided very limited help until now.

Only about one percent of Li Wu's success could be attributed to the system; the rest was all thanks to his natural talent.

This system could be considered the most useless one Li Wu had ever encountered.

But now, Li Wu suddenly realized that the system might be able to absorb the energy of the Gateway Fragment, which made him incredibly excited.

Did this mean the system was becoming powerful?

Was Li Wu about to become powerful too? However, Li Wu's thoughts turned to Dudu, and his rising emotions sank again. What good would it do even if he became powerful? It was already too late.

"No, no, the Gateway Fragment seems to have the power to resurrect people!"

At that moment, Li Wu suddenly remembered Li Ruyu. His eyes fixed on the fragment, and a scorching light burst forth...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end