Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 552 A Qualitative Change in Strength

Not only Li Xia, but the three little ones also seemed to have thought of something.

There seems to be a certain mystery in the embodiment of the original body.

"But that's a long way off."

Madao took another sip of wine with a smug look on his face and said cheerfully:
"After all, those who come to me are all lone wolves and apostles from small guilds. Big guilds only come to recruit me, and that's all the intelligence I can gather."

The power of rules is an extremely rare treasure, and once it appears, it is always used by the individual.

Only those powerful apostles have the chance to obtain it.

However, even without the power of rules, the avatar still possesses immense power!

Aowu's curiosity was completely piqued. He racked his brains for a long time but still couldn't find any information about the incarnation in the 'bloodline memory'.

This must be another new thing that has emerged in the last two thousand years.

"Tell me quickly, what's its ingenious use?"

Xiao Long eagerly picked up the wine jug and poured another cup for Ma Daou, asking impatiently.

"Hehe, it's a secret. If I tell you everything at once, wouldn't that take away the fun? Besides, I really want to see Xia get his comeuppance."

Go play in the arena once, and you should know.

That old man, Madao, actually kept us in suspense, which made Aowu so angry that he almost condensed the wine into a ball and stuffed it into his mouth.

Li Xia wasn't in a hurry, and instead picked up her wine glass and chatted with Ma Da'ou while eating.

He is now acting as a reserve officer, and the length of his stay is a personal privilege that he has already maximized. Although he cannot stay for an extended period, he can easily spend an extra week or two in the Hall of Light.

The two chatted casually, but not about the things inside the hall. Instead, they talked more about things in reality. When Madao learned that the Middle East, where Li Xia was located, had been invaded by eight countries and humiliated by an island nation, he was so shocked that he almost spat out his wine.

Because their real-world Tokyo University has defeated the entire world, and their island nation is an overseas province.

"This is unbelievable! How could such a thing happen? It shouldn't be like this—"

The old man scratched his bald head:

“We have published countless papers on why the University of Tokyo is so powerful. Logically speaking, with such a core of civilization, even if it is weakening, this civilization can become stronger at an unbelievable speed.”

With 4399 parallel universes, there will always be all sorts of unexpected events, which doesn't surprise Li Xia.

All good things must come to an end. This feast lasted for half a day, until the full moon was high in the sky, and the guests and hosts were finally satisfied.

Saying goodbye to Madaro, walking on the quiet streets under the moonlight, a unique feeling lingered in my mind.

This feeling isn't like being inside a palace, but rather like having a drink with friends in real life, strolling along the curb with your pet in the evening breeze.

There was a certain leisurely and relaxed atmosphere.

"Boss, I really have no clue about this avatar thing. It must be a new thing that has come out in recent years."

Awoo landed on Li Xia's shoulder, muttering:

"That old man Madaro is really something, keeping me in suspense. How about I take my cat and dog to the arena and give it a try?"

Li Xia smiled gently:

"No need to go, look what's over there?"

While the nights in the temple are indeed very realistic, the temple is not reality. The apostles do not have to work from 8 a.m. or go to work. Life in the temple is both a supplement and a rest for them.

Therefore, the commercial area is never short of people, no matter what time it is.

The straight road extending from the main avenue is the commercial street. Compared to the low-level street stalls, the commercial street is much more formal and resembles a pedestrian street in reality.

The street was lined with shops standing side by side, their neon signs flashing in all sorts of ways, with some of the signs standing out particularly.

[Transformation Specialty Store]

[Various incarnations are available]

[The epitome of excellence]

Awoo:
Black charcoal:
Xiaotian: Woof?

After listening to Madao's story, the three little ones inexplicably felt a deep sense of awe and respect for the incarnation.

I never expected that there would be shops selling incarnations, and there seemed to be quite a few of them.

The original filter was immediately shattered, even shattering into pieces on the ground.

Li Xia had already guessed the general idea. Just think about how Madao sent him to the arena, which means that any fourth-tier apostle he encountered would have an avatar.

Aside from being distributed by the official store, there's only one other way to get these common goods – buy them!

I casually walked into a small shop with a sign that read "Exquisite Incarnation," similar to a milk tea shop from my previous life. A few apostles were scattered around inside.

They were all staring at their virtual screens, deep in thought, occasionally exchanging hushed conversations. It was much quieter here than when they were browsing the street stalls in Tier 3.

However, Li Xia preferred the feeling of being at the third level, because every time she went there, it felt like strolling through a night market in her hometown.

"Sir, is this your first time buying an incarnation?"

Seeing that Li Xia wasn't picking up the virtual screen to choose anything, but instead looking around, the shop owner already had a guess in mind.

They immediately stepped forward enthusiastically. Those apostles who frequently came to incarnate were all seasoned veterans, not easily fooled, and they were all carefully selected. How could they be as easy to deceive as this little fat sheep who had just advanced to the fourth rank?

"Um, can you introduce me?"

"Of course!"

The shop owner, with his mustache and gentlemanly appearance, immediately revealed himself to be a seasoned salesman:

"The Avatar is arguably the most important ability of an Apostle, and also a companion who accompanies you in your battles in the void. An Apostle cannot be without an Avatar, just as a temple cannot be without an Apostle."

Please look—”

He casually took out a small, jet-black, jade-like ball and placed it in Li Xia's hand. This was the first time Li Xia had ever acquired an incarnation.

[The faint light of dawn]

[Quality: Purple (Tier 4)]

【Origin: Seeking Light World】

[Type: Special props]

[Effect: After use, a faint ray of dawn will appear, reflecting your own shadow.]

[Comment: They have never seen a creature that truly shines, yet the brightest dawn resides within their hearts.]

Ok?
Li Xia and the three little ones who were peering out were stunned. They had thought the sphere in their hands was the incarnation, but they never expected it to be something like Dawn.

"How about it? Although it's just a faint glimmer of dawn, it might yield a top-tier avatar with a coefficient of 0.9!"

The key is the low price! It only costs 30 Hall Points!

The shop owner spoke enthusiastically, completely unconcerned that the price would scare away new Tier 4 dishes. The entire shop, which was essentially a guild within the hall, had long since formed a price alliance. Everyone tacitly agreed to raise the price of junk goods to an extremely high level, specifically to rip off newcomers, since the only options were lone wolves and small guilds with no background, no friends, and no power.

Who would come to the store to buy? Medium and large guilds will all bring their own Dawn.

They prey on newcomers who come to buy things without knowing what they're buying, even if they find out the price is too high.

After all, you can't buy it anywhere else. If you're so capable, go find the Light World and get it yourself!
There is no incarnation in that place; once you go there, you basically never return.

This creates a paradoxical cycle: Karazhan is the place to graduate!

So you either have to honestly accept being ripped off, or you're lucky enough to find a team, which they euphemistically call a "Level 4 Newcomer Welcome Ceremony."

Moreover, the shop owner was confident that once the specific function of the incarnation was known, no one would be able to resist!
Just like the many hesitant apostles he had seen, once they truly learned the function of the incarnation, they would widen their eyes in disbelief and then grit their teeth to buy it.

"The guest has probably only heard of the title 'Incarnation,' but doesn't yet understand its specific function, right?"

The shop owner said with a smile.

Li Xia nodded noncommittally:
"How to say?"

"The effects of incarnation are numerous. Here's a document for you to read. It's been judged by the temple and there's absolutely no false advertising. I can guarantee that every word in it is true."

What you see is what you get!

Li Xia glanced at the manuscript he had handed her and saw that at the very top was indeed the special symbol of the Hall of Light, emitting a faint light, confirming that the shopkeeper's words were true.

The three little ones leaned closer, quickly scanning the contents, skipping over the long paragraphs of information that Madaro had already mentioned, and focusing on the highlighted key points.

Then----

"Holy crap!!! Really???"

"Meow!!!!"

"Wang!?"

Even Li Xia's pupils contracted, his gaze fixed on the words in his hand, carefully reading each one.

The shop owner secretly observed their expressions and couldn't help but smile smugly. No apostle could resist the powerful effect of the incarnation!
The most crucial function of the incarnation is to 'transfer damage'!
All damage suffered by the main body will be transferred to the avatar. Even if someone cuts off your head or shatters your body, as long as the avatar is still there, the damage can be transferred!

The amount of damage an avatar can withstand is related to the avatar's coefficient.

The team chat channel was already buzzing with excitement, filled with inexplicable exhilaration:
"Boss, look, the avatar takes the transferred damage after it penetrates the main body. In other words, the defense is calculated first, and the remaining damage will be transferred to the avatar."

And that boss just said he could get an incarnation with a coefficient of 0.9, holy crap, 0.9!
That's equivalent to 90% of the boss's health! Even if the avatar explodes, it can be reborn from the shadow after half a month.
If there truly were such an incarnation, who else could it be? Who else could it be?!

The calculation of the damage absorption limit of the avatar is simple and straightforward: multiply the coefficient by the original body's health to get the limit.

Li Xia's breathing became rapid. If there really was such an incarnation, the original body would be almost invincible before the incarnation died.

They could even adopt a more aggressive, damage-for-damage fighting style!

It's practically equivalent to having two lives. Such an incarnation for 30 Hall Points is incredibly cheap.

But Li Xia took a deep breath, suppressed her urge to buy immediately, and calmly asked:

"This faint dawn light must have a range, right? What's the lower limit?"

The shop owner was taken aback upon hearing this. He looked Li Xia up and down, and his smile faded considerably. In the past, almost 90% of the new apostles would pay immediately after seeing the effects.

A few hesitated for a while, simply because they were short of money.

People like Li Xia who can remain calm are not uncommon, but rather rare.

"The lowest price is 0.5, but even at 0.5 it's worth the price, right?"

The shopkeeper smiled, gestured towards the apostles being selected, and said in a low voice:

"Buy early and enjoy early; even the lowest price of 0.5 is a guarantee of half your life."

With such an avatar, the guest's conquest will obviously be much smoother, and even achieving an S-rank clear rating, which was previously unattainable, may not be impossible.

By then, the customer can simply take out any item, and they'll get their 30 back, plus enough money to upgrade to a better incarnation.

Look at those guests, they have avatars and have obtained an A-level rating in the world, so they come here specifically to choose a better avatar.

Although replacing the avatar might result in a slight loss, what does that matter compared to the overall benefits?

Avatar can be replaced
Li Xia nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly said:
"Could you show me a list of your store's Dawn products? Including the best ones?"

The shop owner paused, his smile fading slightly. Even if he sold something for 50, the profit wouldn't be as high as 30.
"That price is a bit expensive—"

But they still handed over the virtual screen.

[Faint dawn (purple)]

Coefficient: 0.5-0.9
Price: 30 million Hall Points
[Faint Dawn (Dark Purple)]

Coefficient: 0.6-1
Price: 35 million Hall Points
【Faint Dawn (Purple - Ultimate)】

Coefficient: 0.8-1.2
Price: 50 million Hall Points
【The first rays of dawn (pale orange)】

Coefficient: 1-1.4
Price: 80 million Hall Points
【The first rays of dawn (light orange)】

Coefficient: 1.2-1.6
Price: 120 million Hall Points
【The first rays of dawn (orange)】

Coefficient: 1.4-1.8
Price: 200 million Hall Points
【The first rays of dawn (Orange - Ultimate)】

Coefficient: 2-2.4
Price: Negotiable (only accepting offers for rare resources)
As their fingers continued to slide, the three little ones' breathing gradually became heavier.

A qualitative change! A qualitative change! This is a qualitative change!
No wonder it is said that there is a qualitative change from the fourth rank onwards. Even if the avatar does not increase any attack power, the ability to transfer damage alone will increase the survivability of the apostles exponentially!
"Boss, should we—"

Aowu tapped the [Dawn of Dawn (Orange)] and [Dawn of Dawn (Orange - Ultimate)] with its little paws. Two million Hall Points was an untouchable astronomical price for an ordinary newly promoted Apostle.

But that's not the case for Li Xia. He has a lot of resources at his disposal, and they are of high value. If he gets two of them, he can almost make back his investment.

Even rare resources are worth a try. The boss doesn't have much else, but he gave a lot of Time Coins in the last dungeon.

Moreover, that old man Madao is a hidden tycoon, so borrowing some money from him would definitely not be a problem.

Li Xia was also hesitant; without a doubt, what Aowu said was very tempting.

He was certain that if he obtained one of these two incarnations, his strength would likely receive a terrifying boost.

But Li Xia had a vague premonition that it was best not to change the persona that was so intertwined with his own life.

From beginning to end.

Moreover, the text is vague and perfunctory about the drawbacks of changing avatars, which makes Li Xia even more suspicious. If changing avatars doesn't come at a great cost, why not write it clearly?

He suddenly changed his expression, put away the virtual screen, and asked:
Do you have any guides or information about the world of Seeking Light for sale?

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

Eight thousand today, done!
(End of this chapter)