Looking at Cheng Xiao, who sat on the ground deep in thought, Dugu Bo sighed softly and turned to leave.
He didn't know what other solutions Cheng Xiao could come up with, but at least for now, there was still hope. Moreover, Dugu Yan had once told him that Cheng Xiao was immune to all toxins.
Dugu Bo couldn't quite understand what kind of person could be immune to poisons. But when he saw Cheng Xiao walk out of the poison formation completely unscathed, he believed it.
The poison formation surrounding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was something no ordinary soul master could pass through without the antidote he had refined, let alone come out completely unharmed.
It was for this reason that Dugu Bo still held some hope for Cheng Xiao. If by tomorrow Cheng Xiao still hadn't come up with a solution, then the consequences would be unpredictable.
At this moment, Cheng Xiao's consciousness had already entered a dark space. There was nothing here—only darkness, and more darkness.
Seeing the scene before him, Cheng Xiao knew that he had entered the resting place of the Shadow Monarch, Ashborn, much like how Sung Jin Woo, after being killed by the Beast Monarch, came to his resting place.
There was nothing here except silence.
"I didn't expect you to come here as well, besides him."
At that moment, a voice came from behind Cheng Xiao. A figure on a massive black warhorse, like a specter from the abyss, silently emerged from the depths of the darkness.
On the warhorse sat a knight clad in black armor. His figure was even more imposing in the darkness. The armor gleamed coldly, as if it was forged from stars, unbreakable.
His eyes were deep, like endless darkness, with a faint purple glow. Just one look could send a chill down anyone's spine, making them feel as though they were facing death itself.
At that moment, the dark space seemed to stand still for him. Only the sound of the black warhorse's hooves echoed, low and powerful.
With the appearance of the Shadow Monarch, Ashborn, the dark space trembled. In just the blink of an eye, a quiet pavilion appeared in Cheng Xiao's line of sight. Ashborn's warhorse slowly dissipated into black mist.
Gradually, Ashborn's appearance began to change. He transformed into another man, dressed in a suit—none other than Sung Jin Woo!
"Surprised?" As if seeing through Cheng Xiao's thoughts, Ashborn smiled and said, "In a way, I am the same as Sung Jin Woo. Or rather, after he inherited my power from the system, he became me, and I became him."
"The real me has already returned to rest. What you see now is merely the power I left behind. In other words, the Ashborn in Sung Jin Woo's world has returned to nothingness, but here, Ashborn still exists."
"You came here seeking the Great Wizard's blessing, didn't you?"
"That's right," Cheng Xiao nodded.
"The Great Wizard, Kandi'aru." Ashborn's deep voice echoed. Immediately, outside the pavilion, a massive figure clad in black armor, holding a staff, appeared in Cheng Xiao's view.
Seeing the nearly five-meter-tall orc sorcerer, Cheng Xiao murmured to himself, "So, this is the Great Wizard Kandi'aru, who grants me the hymn of courage and immunity to all negative effects?"
"Sire." Upon seeing Ashborn, the Great Wizard Kandi'aru bowed respectfully. Then, he turned to Cheng Xiao and gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
As one of the shadow soldiers, Kandi'aru could feel his magical blessing in Cheng Xiao and the King's power as well. Yet, as a subordinate, he felt some dissatisfaction toward Cheng Xiao. From his shadow, Kandi'aru sensed only a group of ordinary soldiers. Apart from one that barely reached the elite level, they were incredibly weak.
As for Cheng Xiao's current strength—it was barely adequate, but still far inferior to the former Monarch.
"Cheng Xiao, just tell Kandi'aru what you plan to do," Ashborn said with a smile.
"Alright." Cheng Xiao nodded and looked at Kandi'aru. "Great Wizard, can you teach me your magic?"
"Magic?" Kandi'aru was taken aback. "You want to use magic yourself?"
"Yes. If possible, I'd like to learn some magic from you," Cheng Xiao replied earnestly.
"Sire…" Kandi'aru looked to Ashborn once again, puzzled. He couldn't understand why Cheng Xiao would need to learn magic. After all, such tasks were typically left to subordinates like himself.
"Teach him, Kandi'aru," Ashborn said with a smile. "He's different from me. He wasn't granted immense power by the Creator. He has to grow stronger on his own, step by step. People like him will become even more powerful than I ever was."
Hearing this, Kandi'aru's eyes flashed with understanding. After a brief pause, he said solemnly, "I understand, Sire."
With that, Kandi'aru waved his staff, and as he began to chant incantations, Ashborn also upgraded Cheng Xiao's skills.
Blade Fury: Swiftly attack the enemy with a weapon, dealing massive damage.
Hand of the Ruler: Can be used with the authority of the ruler to destroy objects without touching them.
Advanced Weapon Mastery: When using any weapon, the damage is increased.
Shadow Exchange: The user can switch places with a designated shadow soldier. After use, there is a cooldown time, which shortens as the skill level increases.
In an instant, a flood of information appeared in Cheng Xiao's mind, and the shadow power within him surged wildly. Then, another surge of knowledge filled his brain.
[Great Wizard Kandi'aru's Magical Blessing: "You have mastered all magical incantations, including the Song of the Fire Dragon, Song of the Giant, Song of Curses, Song of Healing..."]
Countless magical incantations were etched into Cheng Xiao's mind. After Kandi'aru had completed his task, he dissipated into black mist before Ashborn.
Watching Cheng Xiao, who was now absorbing all the information with great effort, Ashborn shook his head slightly. Then, with a wave of his hand, the dark space shattered into fragments of starlight and returned to peace.
As time passed, at a certain moment, Cheng Xiao's heart suddenly trembled, and his mind cleared. Heaven and Earth's energies converged into his body, and in an instant, all the energies were devoured by the shadow power. A tremendous force surged through his meridians.
His spirit power quickly broke through to level 40. A black spirit ring hovered around him, while his previous three spirit rings also turned into condensed black rings.
All four spirit rings had now reached 40,000 years in age!
Slowly opening his eyes, Cheng Xiao surveyed his surroundings. With a thought, he formed a complex hand seal, and in an instant, a massive magic circle appeared before him. A colossal fire dragon emerged, spewing a high-temperature flame beam straight into the sky!
Watching the fire dragon's flames shoot into the heavens, Cheng Xiao murmured to himself, "Hacking feels great. Always hacking feels even better..."