Kaio-ken!

"Mr. Mercenary Tao, it seems you truly can’t refuse this deal."

Echo looked utterly at ease, then lowered her head to inspect Bai Cangshu’s stall.

Bai Cangshu understood that, having confirmed his intention to trade, she was trying to raise the price.

In terms of value, an S+-rank Kaio-ken naturally surpassed the Ajin bloodline. Even a bloodline item with such top-tier survivability still fell short of an S+-rank ability.

The only reason the two could be traded was because of demand.

Bai Cangshu withdrew his gaze, his expression calming.

"Value is value, demand is demand. Miss Echo, I imagine you didn’t cross districts just to return empty-handed."

Bai Cangshu looked just as unconcerned. So what if her item was more valuable? If anything, the fact that she had deliberately brought out such a valuable item only proved how badly she needed this Ajin bloodline.

Ajin were extremely difficult to kill, while the mission worlds where Ajin appeared were not particularly difficult. That made it hard for Reincarnators capable of killing Ajin to be assigned there.

That was the root cause of the Ajin bloodline’s extreme rarity.

Echo was angered by Bai Cangshu’s identical expression, but before she could speak, Black Butler deliberately coughed twice.

"Miss Echo, that exalted one likely doesn’t wish for any complications."

A skilled broker had to understand his employer’s mentality. He was not trying to help Mercenary Tao drive down Echo’s price; he simply knew that Mercenary Tao was a madman.

Angering a madman always led to unforeseen consequences.

And the exalted one behind Echo placed great importance on this transaction. He did not want it ruined.

Then Black Butler looked at Bai Cangshu and said calmly,

"Mercenary Tao, I’m sure you understand how rare and scarce this Ability Scroll is. Up to now, I have never seen this ability appear in the East District. If you miss this opportunity, you will most likely have to wait until you have another chance to enter that world yourself…"

He was advising Bai Cangshu to quit while he was ahead.

Bai Cangshu still had his head cocked to one side, but his eyes rolled in their sockets and focused on Black Butler’s face. Black Butler once again felt that chilling sensation crawling through his heart.

Just as Black Butler frowned, uncertain whether Mercenary Tao was about to go mad, Bai Cangshu suddenly smiled and clapped his hands.

"You’re right. I can offer compensation. Miss Echo, what do you want?"

"Perhaps I can give you this Scarlet Drop Card. It belongs to a very famous Title-level Reincarnator."

Bai Cangshu took the Scarlet Drop Card from his stall, but Echo merely curled her lip. She had investigated thoroughly. That supposedly "very famous" Title-level Reincarnator was merely a mass-produced title-holder created by the space.

He had been killed by the man before her in a one-on-one frontal battle.

"Give me that Dust Release Training Secret Manual (Purple), Mr. Mercenary Tao. You know that only that can be considered valuable."

Echo remained unmoved. Sure enough, she had set her sights on the Dust Release, currently the most valuable item in Bai Cangshu’s stall.

In the East District, Dust Release was highly liquid due to the large number of Reincarnators using the Chakra energy system. Once mastered, it possessed immense destructive power and granted the ability to levitate and fly, making it extremely useful in actual combat.

Therefore, even though Bai Cangshu had no intention of learning it himself, he had kept it in his stall all this time. He had refused every offer, including Red Dust’s.

After the two stared at each other for a moment, Bai Cangshu finally accepted the trade.

You lost Item: Dust Release Training Secret Manual (Purple)

You lost Item: Ajin IBM Particle Integrator (Purple)

You obtained Scroll: Kaio-ken (S+)

"Pah, what a greedy man. He clearly got such a huge advantage, yet he acts as though we were the ones profiting from this deal…"

Echo left with the items, shaking her head in dissatisfaction with the transaction.

She was from the pro-war faction. Though she understood that the exalted one valued personal bonds, she absolutely did not believe an ordinary Reincarnator’s life could be worth an S+-rank ability.

Even if it were her own life being weighed, she would not hesitate to choose an S+-rank ability.

But it was precisely because the exalted one was such a person that she was willing to fight to the death for him…

Black Butler looked at Echo, then at Bai Cangshu, who seemed entranced by the scroll in his hands. He chose to catch up with Echo, claiming he was seeing her off while trying to leave room for future deals.

Kaio-ken (S+)

Training Requirements: Martial Arts Mastery > Lv7; Constitution > 50; Ki > 50

Effect: Without any restrictions, completely multiplies your combat power while placing your body under overload strain. Minimum: double combat power and double strain.

Kaio-ken was a special ability. Most enhancement abilities with auxiliary effects suffered from "diminishing returns."

In other words, there was a limit to the boost an ability could provide.

For instance, the Berserk ability possessed by the Beastman bloodline had similarly powerful effects during the First Tier, nearly doubling one’s attributes.

After activating Berserk, Strength and Constitution nearly doubled, granting formidable combat power. Agility also increased greatly, and it came with traits such as pain immunity, massively enhancing the user’s fighting ability.

Yet this enhancement was inherently linked to one’s physical capabilities, attributes, and bodily potential.

The human body and its attributes all had limits.

Just like the theory of the Limiter, when your average attribute was 10, Berserk could double your attributes. But once your average attribute reached 20, Berserk could not let you break through the Limiter and double them to 40.

That would exceed the limits of your own abilities. It was impossible.

Therefore, once such enhancement abilities pushed your power to its limit, they would suffer severe diminishing returns, and their effects would weaken drastically.

That was normal.

That was how most abilities were supposed to work.

But Kaio-ken was different. It was a powerful technique created by King Kai in that world where combat power had become absurdly exaggerated.

After using Kaio-ken, the user’s strength, speed, physical defense, destructive power, Ki intensity… everything would increase by multiples.

Whether it was Son Goku of the Z Fighters before he could transform into a Super Saiyan, or Kakarot in the later stages when he could already transform into Super Saiyan Blue, both could still use Kaio-ken to massively multiply their combat power.

In Son Goku’s hands, this ability could even amplify his combat power twentyfold!

Other than the overload that exceeded one’s limits, this ability had virtually no drawbacks. It was a super combat amplifier that would never depreciate.

It was the most powerful combat ability Bai Cangshu had encountered so far!

"Constitution… My Constitution isn’t high enough…"

For the first time in his life, Bai Cangshu felt as though his heart were itching. He could not wait to master this ability.

He wanted to use it. No matter how severe the strain, he wanted to become stronger!

Bai Cangshu immediately thought of the dozen or so points of Strength he had gained from killing Xu Zhiyu. His base Strength without equipment was already as high as 47. If those points had been Constitution instead, then even for a high-level ability like Kaio-ken, he would already be close to meeting the requirements.

Damn it, Xu Zhiyu. Why weren’t you a Constitution-specialized Sin…

Bai Cangshu pressed a hand against his right arm. That greed stirred the power of the Omen of the Evil God within him.

Bai Cangshu took several deep breaths before finally turning his attention to the Purge Mission that was about to begin.

According to Li Qingzi’s intelligence, Purge Mission drops were extremely generous…

The Obsidian engraving on Bai Cangshu’s earlobe shook violently.

The tiny black figures sensed an enormous amount of killing intent continuously surging forth. Growing increasingly delighted and frenzied, they devoured those waves of Satsui no Hado.

The violently trembling Obsidian earring seemed on the verge of shattering. Bai Cangshu forcibly suppressed the killing intent that nearly drove him to pounce upon anyone nearby, ignoring the Reincarnators who had noticed Mercenary Tao’s return and gathered around to trade with him.

He entered the Goddess’s Abode directly, spending one D-rank Anomaly Point to upgrade Mantra to Lv3, then using another C-rank Anomaly Point to break Mantra through to Lv4.

Under the Goddess's blessing, Mantra Lv3 has been upgraded.

Current: Lv4

Mental Attribute +1

Current: 35

Ability: Mantra (B+) has broken through to Lv4. Please choose a refinement direction.

A: Expansion. Mantra's coverage range doubles.

B: Precision. Within Mantra's coverage range, you may set keywords. Any being that speaks a keyword will immediately be precisely detected, even at the furthest edge of Mantra's range.

C: Voice of All Beasts. Within Mantra's coverage range, you may perceive the surface thoughts and emotions of non-human beings.

As this Observation Haki, which had intertwined and mutated with electromagnetic force, rose to Lv4, Bai Cangshu finally saw a trace of Enel’s Mantra.

At Lv4, Mantra’s normal coverage had reached a radius of twenty kilometers, while its precise coverage radius was five kilometers. If he chose Expansion, Bai Cangshu would immediately be able to control an enormous area spanning a hundred kilometers in radius.

Option B corresponded to Enel’s special ability to detect those who spoke his name. Enel used that ability as a symbol of his godly rule.

Option C was most likely an inferior version of Observation Haki’s ability to hear the voices of all things, allowing a Reincarnator to sense non-human beings.

After only brief consideration, Bai Cangshu chose B.

Against other Reincarnators, Precision had more potential applications.

"Activate Bloodline Refinement and Spirit Awakening, Goddess."

This time, the Goddess did not say much. During his last two visits, Bai Cangshu had generously "offered" tribute.

Perhaps because Bai Cangshu’s Constitution was already strong enough, she merely inhaled, and two B-rank Anomaly Points vanished.

Bai Cangshu once again withdrew B-rank Anomaly Points from Li Qingzi’s supply. There were no longer any high-rank Anomaly Points among that woman’s points. Bai Cangshu planned to arrange for her to act alone in her next mission, so that his excessively high rating would not prevent her from farming sufficient rewards.

You lost B-rank Anomaly Point ×2

You activated Bloodline Refinement and Spirit Awakening

Bai Cangshu’s body rose from the ground. In the next instant, his bloodline was steamed completely dry. This time, Bai Cangshu, reduced to a corpse-like husk, clearly sensed something before the life force that healed him appeared.

Between his bloodline and soul, the cold, deathly waters of Yellow Springs flowed into his bloodline.

Perhaps this was the true purpose of bloodline purification.

You completed one refinement. Effect: Excellent.

Constitution +2

Current: 36

Your immortality has received a slight increase.

Current: Intermediate Immortality

Before Bai Cangshu could carefully experience what difference the slight increase in immortality made, a powerful will crashed into his Consciousness Sea.

You completed one Spirit Awakening. Effect: Outstanding.

When Bai Cangshu opened his eyes again, he had returned to his Throne of the Heart. Within the pure white Consciousness Space, hundreds of thousands of black spirits looked up simultaneously at the white jade throne.

"Why…"

"Why…"

The hundreds of thousands of spirits continued muttering that question which would never have an answer.

Bai Cangshu extended his hand. In the next instant, every spirit, including Satoru Gojo and Uchiha Madara, jolted violently as an immense pressure descended.

Boom!

Hundreds of thousands of spirits collapsed to the ground. Terrifying oppression erupted from the Throne of the Heart, and the Consciousness Space abruptly fell silent.

"This is…"

Satoru Gojo felt that, at this moment, their host truly resembled the lord of the Spirit World seated upon his throne.

You obtained a new trait: Spirit World Monarch (Unique, Special)—Spirits with lower Spiritual Pressure than yours will passively fall under your dominion. This ability possesses priority.

"Shut up."

This time, the hundreds of thousands of spirits finally shut their mouths completely. Those twisted wills and unresigned grievances could only linger within their spiritual bodies. Without Shigeo Kageyama’s suppression, these spirits would sooner or later fall into cursed spirits or Grudge Spirits.

But Bai Cangshu did not care.

Bai Cangshu recalled the Red Quality Drop Card he still had not opened. He recalled the Spirit World Evil Lord who had saved him, then willingly died at his hands. His gaze upon the spirits grew increasingly indifferent.

"For the sake of protecting your god, no matter how twisted you become, evolve powers that I can use… you trash."

Bai Cangshu’s gaze swept over Satoru Gojo, Uchiha Madara, and the Millennium Worm in its black trench coat beside them. Without another word, he vanished from the throne.

Bai Cangshu was still very busy. Before entering the Purge Mission, he had two more things that he absolutely needed to do.