The Broken Halo

Chapter 1035 - 1034: Four Choices

Simon stood beside a stone partition with several objects floating in front of him.

A twisted root, a dark pearl, two elemental treasures, and a collection of books and scrolls occupied the air at different heights. Their sealed cases remained separated under the influence of his Seed of Pride.

He moved a scroll aside to look at the book behind it.

Then he frowned.

Several hours of searching had given him more things to consider, but he still had only four selections left.

The dead True Dragon egg was already registered and stored. Everything before him was a possibility.

His gaze settled on the largest of the three poison-related treasures.

The Myriad Venom Heartroot lay within a long case. Its swollen centre resembled a dark-red heart, with thin purple veins extending into roots that curled around one another. Patches of green and black moved beneath its surface without mixing.

He recalled its description.

{A mature poisonous herb nourished by hundreds of toxins over thousands of years. Its essence can accommodate poisons that would ordinarily destroy one another. Valuable in the refinement of unique poisons and the stabilisation of mixed venoms. Highly toxic. Do not ingest without preparation.}

When he saw this herb, he was surprised because he had not expected to see it.

The Myriad Venom Heartroot was the key ingredient for the ultimate creation of the Poison Empress of his time.

She had struggled and tried so hard to obtain this herb that was regarded as legendary by her.

It was a herb that was extremely rare and it was the one reason why she was never able to bring her ultimate creation to life.

It was her biggest regret but she was 100% certain that the herb was the last ingredient she needed.

He had not expected to find it in Abyss. He had not even expected to find it at all when he thought of trying to bring her ultimate creation to life.

The Ice Corpse Flower, Hydra’s Blood Essence, and Myriad Venom Heartroot.

He was close to having all the ingredients he needed.

Beside the Heartroot floated the Hundred Calamities Venom Pearl.

It was smaller than his fist, with smoky bands turning beneath a glossy black surface. Occasionally, one band would brighten, revealing a colour that disappeared before he could follow it around the pearl.

{Contains one hundred preserved poisons, refined and stored separately. Includes venoms that attack flesh, blood, demonic energy pathways, and rarer poisons capable of harming the mind or soul. Suitable for gradual poison-body refinement. Releasing all layers simultaneously will destroy their separation.}

Simon had paid particular attention to that final sentence.

One hundred poisons.

He could extract them individually, study them, and gradually introduce suitable ones into his body if he so wished. He could also use them against his enemies.

His gaze shifted to a dark-purple book.

Ever-Changing Venom Scripture.

Fine green lines covered the edges of its binding. The book itself remained closed beneath its seal, but the description attached to its case was visible.

{A cultivation method for circulating, separating, combining, and controlling poisons within the body. Guides the practitioner in altering poison mixtures without allowing incompatible toxins to destroy their own flesh. Does not create a poison physique.}

He was intrigued by this method because of how useful it seemed to be.

Simon believed that the technique was a perfect for the Hundred Calamities Venom Pearl.

This one would help him use what he obtained.

The Poison Empress’s method concerned a particular creation. Another poison cultivator’s approach might teach him things he hadn’t considered about poison, especially when dealing with substances that hadn’t existed on Earth.

Simon rubbed his chin.

Three poison treasures, each useful for a different reason.

Taking all three would leave room for only one other item, and he already knew that he was going to pick just one item.

He looked toward the Nether Ice Origin Crystal and the Void Origin Marrow.

That was already a problem.

High C-grade Ice to S grade. His A-grade Space affinity to peak S.

Both were improvements he could build on for a long time. Unlike a collection of poisons, the benefits wouldn’t disappear once he used them in a fight.

[You’ve been staring at those two for a while,] Lilith remarked.

[I’m thinking.]

[You think and ask many questions. You should be a girl and not a boy.]

Simon raised a brow.

[I’m a man.]

Lilith chuckled.

[Sureeee]

Simon lips twitched then he ignored the amusement in her voice and drew a pale scroll closer.

Horizon Severing Art.

A single silver line crossed its exposed outer surface, so thin that it vanished when viewed from the wrong angle.

{An offensive art combining Wind and Space. Condenses wind into exceptionally fine cutting currents and folds their paths, allowing strikes to approach from directions different from their release. Requires precise control of both elements.}

He pictured a slash passing a raised guard before turning toward an exposed neck.

That was worth learning.

He already knew how to attack with Wind and Space. What interested him was the possibility of making their combination faster, cleaner, and harder to read.

The description promised a developed method, rather than leaving him to work out every adjustment himself.

But he had a feeling that he could create this technique with his knowledge and affinities.

A blue-grey scroll beside it contained the Void Gale Steps.

{A movement art linking wind-driven acceleration with short spatial displacements. Preserves momentum between steps and allows abrupt changes of direction. Spatial suppression and unstable surroundings can disrupt its execution.}

Simon read that warning again.

At least whoever had written the description wasn’t claiming it could take him anywhere he pleased.

Severin had already shown him what happened when a stronger opponent prevented him from teleporting.

Still, a movement technique that kept him from being caught in the first place had its uses. He would rather avoid another beating than depend on his regeneration to endure one.

The Shadowless Void Art offered a different approach.

It was recorded in a narrow black volume whose title only became clear when he tilted the case.

{Uses shadows to conceal the practitioner and Space to reduce the disturbances caused by movement. At advanced mastery, suppresses the spatial fluctuations accompanying short relocations. Effectiveness depends on the observer’s perception and the surrounding conditions.}

His attention returned to the part about spatial fluctuations.

His enemies did not always need to see where he went. Sometimes feeling the space shift was enough.

Being able to conceal that warning would make both escape and an unexpected attack easier.

He pushed the case slightly aside.

The Abyssal Soul Fortress was much thicker, its grey cover reinforced at the corners with pale strips.

{A defensive cultivation technique that protects the mind and soul through layered formations. Reinforces resistance to intrusion, possession, and spiritual attacks. Successive layers require increasing mental strength and sustained cultivation.}

Now, this was a technique he was extremely interested in.

He only possessed powerful offensive mental techniques and he lacked a powerful defensive mental technique.

Simon knew that he was lacking in this aspect and he knew that there were enemies that attacked the mind, so this technique strongly appealed to him.

He let the book drift back into line, revealing a green silk scroll.

Thousand Venom Wind Art.

{Carries refined poisons within controlled wind blades. Allows different venoms to remain separated during movement and combine when released upon a target. Requires suitable poisons and resistance to accidental exposure.}

Simon watched it for a moment.

A shallow cut could become considerably more troublesome if the wind blade that made it carried poison into the wound.

And an opponent who avoided the blade might still inhale what followed.

He had already considered spreading poison through wind. This art offered finer control over the process, particularly when several poisons were involved.

The pearl would be useful with it.

So would the scripture.

His frown deepened.

Apparently, some of these treasures were determined to make him take their neighbours.

He turned his attention to the remaining elemental techniques.

The Cinder Bloom Art was recorded on a roll of dark-red hide.

{Compresses flames into small embers that can be scattered and detonated separately or in succession. The practitioner controls the delay and direction of each eruption. Unstable compression may cause premature detonation.}

Simon imagined sparks scattered across a battlefield while an enemy concentrated on the fire directly before them.

His Fire affinity should serve it well.

Near it floated the Winter Burial Art, a white-bound book.

{Spreads cold through the ground and surrounding air, building successive layers of frost around targets. Can immobilise enemies and form ice barriers to obstruct incoming attacks. Maintaining a wide area sharply increases consumption.}

This would become much more useful if he took the Nether Ice Origin Crystal.

At his current Ice grade, he doubted it would compare favourably with what he could already accomplish through Wind and Fire.

There was also the Cursed Spirit Codex.

That book had caught his attention for a different reason.

{Records the formation, feeding, binding, and dissolution of numerous cursed spirits. Includes observations on cursed-energy behaviour. Several entries are incomplete. Knowledge alone does not grant the ability to command spirits.}

The cursed energy taken from Joren still required investigation. A book discussing its behaviour might save him from learning everything through painful mistakes.

Yet that warning about incomplete entries reminded him of something.

Most of the techniques in the Myriad Vault had been less impressive than he expected.

There were exceptions, of course. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have collected these.

But many descriptions revealed narrow applications, demanding requirements, or methods that offered little room for further development. Some records were incomplete. Others seemed preserved for their unusual approach rather than their overall power.

He had initially found that strange.

Then he considered where he was.

A treasury.

The Abyss most likely kept its main collection of knowledge and techniques elsewhere, in a building intended for study and instruction. It would be inconvenient to send every member seeking a cultivation method into a vault like this.

These might be original manuscripts taken from defeated enemies, records recovered from ruins, or unusual inheritances whose value extended beyond how easily someone could practise them.

That was only his guess.

He would have to ask Enigma.

Simon looked at the floating books again.

Spending a selection on something he could later study through ordinary membership would be irritating. On the other hand, assuming that every useful technique had a better replacement elsewhere could make him miss something valuable.

He shifted the cases into two loose rows.

Poison materials and elemental treasures on one side. Books and scrolls on the other.

The arrangement made them easier to compare, but it did nothing to make the decision easier.

Simon folded his arms, his eyes moving from the Heartroot to the silver-white marrow, then back toward the sealed texts.

Which four should he pick?