How Am I Still Alive?
Chapter 71 - 71 58 The Path to Ascension

71: Chapter 58: The Path to Ascension 71: Chapter 58: The Path to Ascension “…A gas explosion occurred near the bus station in our city square, slightly injuring two people…”

Listening to the broadcast on television, Lu Ping’an breathed a sigh of relief, not merely because nobody died, but…

“No news of any criminals being arrested?

That should be the best outcome for me, right?”

Yes, the fact that the Sophist was neither captured nor killed was the best possible outcome for Lu Ping’an.

Xia Qin saw that he was bait, and Chris and Lu Ping’an could tell as well, even more certain than her.

If the Sophist really had been killed yesterday there, it would have been like the bait was hooked.

No matter the reason, since the fishing line was broken here, all parties involved would be cleaned up by the person behind the scenes.

But now, the Sophist was still alive, so didn’t that mean the news had already spread?

It would be true if the cultists trusted each other and shared information.

“Chris, is your church a loving family among the believers within?”

“Ah, pah.”

Lu Ping’an knew he had asked a silly question; he just wanted to confirm.

When a group of treasure-hunting pirates has someone who found a lucky clue, are they the sacrificial pawn forced to scout alone or will they honestly share the information with their companions?

“I couldn’t kill him.

I just stole the Holy Image, and indirectly gave him a message – Chris’ situation is terrible, and he can’t even beat her.”

At this point, the Sophist would even try to cover up the fact that the “Holy Image” was stolen, alone…

perhaps with one ally at most, secretly investigating and attempting to monopolize the treasure.

“…I can’t hold too many expectations.

What’s to come will come sooner or later.”

Lu Ping’an sighed helplessly.

In fact, he had already lost strategically when he encountered the situation at the bus station; they would come for him sooner or later.

Even if he could recover a little in tactical terms, it would only mean delaying more time and more opportunities for growth….

“…Chris, with my current strength, do I have any hope of facing an opponent above the fourth-tier?”

“That’s a stupid question.

It’s like a dog asking if it has any chance of beating a human.

I don’t know if the person is a baby or a professional warrior.”

“…

Give me a definite answer for the one who will come knocking eventually.”

“No hope, dead for sure.

He not only has a Decree but is also quite strong.”

“A Decree, huh…”

Lu Ping’an hesitated a bit, as he had heard this term before.

Copper-Iron Curse, Silver Decree, Gold Rules, Eternal Principles, are the four stages of the supernatural.

Generally speaking, only fourth-tier professionals can touch the Silver Decrees.

Each level represents a “quality” difference, and the same type of “contamination” can easily cause a crushing effect.

“So, can I quickly improve my tier to gain a higher level of supernatural power?

Like, Decrees and Rules?”

When he first learned about all this, Lu Ping’an had asked a question that had caused both laughter and tears.

“It’s not that simple; you have it backward.”

“Backward?”

“You don’t reach the fourth tier and then gain a Decree; it’s when you get a Decree that you can become a fourth-tier.”

Using another expression, it actually meant a completely different way from beginning to end.

“Reality isn’t a game.

Every bit of progress a professional makes comes not from the sky but from their accumulated experiences.

To obtain a Silver Decree, one must have enough ‘Copper-Iron Spells’ to accumulate and sublimate.

Just like Copper-Iron grade professional abilities, they also come from professional skill accumulation.”

This is also one of the reasons for the huge difference among tiers.

Many people stay in low-tier status for a long time, collecting more “materials” to pave the way for future development.

Forcing an advancement in tier results in very few advantages, but endless problems; it’s not a wise choice.

At this moment, Lu Ping’an looked at the big cat with a subtle expression.

It’s so difficult to reach the fourth-tier Silver level, let alone going higher.

The ninth-tier cat must have had a tough journey.

“There are two ways to obtain higher level powers.

One is through the sublimation and evolution of multiple ability combinations.

Many of these combinations are trade secrets of major forces.”

This is also the killer welfare of many churches and companies recruiting newcomers and fighters; for most people, this is the only choice.

This is also another reason the Rule System ability (Analyst) is so popular.

Lu Ping’an’s level of rule ability could directly analyze and see others’ “paths” and provide targeted guidance for other people.

“The second is the tempering evolution after thorough polishing.

Even if it’s a Black-Iron level Shrink Land, once it’s sublimated to a higher level Silver Shrink Land, its deterrent power far exceeds that of ordinary Silver Decrees in the space category.

It’s just that the difficulty is much higher than directly obtaining a Silver Decree; it’s very difficult.”

In an instant, Lu Ping’an thought of the axe techniques he had just lost and Xia Qin, who had worked hard to sharpen his basics.

Lu Ping’an immediately asked Chris why the same ability at different levels had such a huge gap.

The answer to this question was important, as it related to whether he could face the inquiries of high-level professionals.

“At its core, it’s because the ‘source’ driving the abnormal abilities is different, so even the abilities themselves are completely different.

It’s like comparing a classic steam train that burns wood to a modern train…

were no comparison at all…”

For some reason, Lu Ping’an recalled the “degradation” upgrade he had used when his investment had failed.

[Investment in Demonized Phoenix Immortal Flower has failed.

Life-points cannot be recovered, automatically degrading to Life Source Force.]

“Life Source Force?

That’s a rule-level power, which is essential consumption for pushing the Golden Rules.

It is needed for life system spells above the seventh tier, which is basically part of the world’s rules.”

[The target cannot absorb Life Source Force.

Downgrading again to Life Curse Power.]

“The Silver Decree still requires Curse Power, only it’s sublimated, specialized, and purified attribute Curse Power.

Life Curse Power drives the Silver Decree as its main job, while using it for Black-iron and Bronze spells is a waste.”

[The target is affected by Life Curse Power and begins to mutate…]

On that day, Lu Ping’an’s power was downgraded twice before finally being absorbed by the ordinary demonized plants.

So, the question arose: what level is life-points?

“It is the Eternal Principles, the chips of the gods.

So, only those at the level of the gods can trade points with you.

That is a realm that can be slightly touched only by a ninth-order Quasi-God.”

In Chris’s words, there was suppressed sadness and helplessness.

“You’re too weak, so my ninth-order Secret Realm kept falling.

Now, Life Bank is probably only Rule-level (starting at 7th tier) and can only recover slowly.

But you still have ‘Principles,’ so you still need life-points, not Life Source Force…”

At this moment, Lu Ping’an finally understood.

He finally realized why, during the transaction, the Lady of the Forest’s Virtual Persona had only offered one or two life-points.

New Magic Plants’ intellectual property should have been expensive, and Lu Ping’an’s abilities determined the fairness of the transaction.

The original life-points were of high value.

“So, have I lost a lot?!

Like, in my investment.”

“Yeah, you lost a lot using antique gold coins as one-yen coins.

But you had no choice, as you only had gold coins but no corresponding goods or trading partners.

The vending machines on the side of the road could barely accept them, so you’re just lucky…”

The arrival of the pursuers made Chris more communicative.

She needed Lu Ping’an to understand the situation quickly and realize that a noose was already around his neck.

“…If you are really found by the Sophist, run; don’t hesitate.

He can kill you with one word, as it’s the crushing difference in Life level.

Even if you don’t die because of the existence of Life Bank, it’s still equal to exposure.

That outcome is worse than death.”

Lu Ping’an nodded silently without arguing.

The current situation was already laid out in front of him, and the heretics of the Mother Goddess would not let him go.

They would not give up on Chris’s “inheritance.”

They would come to him sooner or later.

In the end, the only thing that could protect him was still his own strength…

The Sophist alone was not the main problem.

The high-levels behind the scenes were still unknown.

Still, those who dared to scheme for the inheritance of a ninth-order big shot wouldn’t be weak.

In any case, he had to grow up as soon as possible.

“At least two abilities at the 2-tier level are needed to pose some threat to a fourth-tier professional.”

“But don’t advance too quickly.

Don’t reach the third tier in a short period; if you become too famous, they will definitely come after you.”

Lu Ping’an sighed helplessly.

The way they talked about advancement, it seemed as easy as shopping for groceries.

Did he not see that 95% of professionals only had one or two tiers until they died?

He shook his head, not thinking about those things, and just put “reach 2-tier as soon as possible” on his taskbar.

But the focus was on the interview the day after tomorrow.

In Lu Ping’an’s view, interviews were nothing more than chatting and discussing issues, looking at a person’s language expression ability and basic quality.

But now, with the new information, it seemed that it wasn’t that simple.

How important were eloquence and personal conduct to professionals?

“An interview?

I haven’t done one, but to assess a professional’s quality, you should at least look at their ‘path.'”

“Short-term strength doesn’t really matter; the future is always the most important thing.

For example, consider their plans for the future, if their current abilities can break through to the fourth tier, or if they just want to muddle along and pass the time…

If you can come up with a route to obtain ‘Decrees’, you’ll definitely get high scores.”

“Also, talk about your expectations for the university, like which department you want to enter, what kind of abilities you want to gain there, make up for your shortcomings, etc.

What are your expectations for the school on your path to obtaining the Decree, and what price are you willing to pay in exchange…”

Well, it seemed that the interview plan needed to be redone; he hoped there was still enough time.