Chapter 679: Section 466: Cang Xu: Just let me have one last look before I die!
“The first time we exchanged insights, Ku Feng took the lead over Cang Xu because Cang Xu suspected there might be hidden dangers in the inheritance of the ship ghost and didn’t actively cultivate it. Therefore, Cang Xu’s progress was almost nil.
The second time we exchanged views, Cang Xu had made great progress and greatly narrowed the gap with Ku Feng.
This was the third exchange, and Cang Xu was surprised to find that the gap between him and Ku Feng had widened again.
The noble old housekeeper immediately realized there was something fishy!
He scanned the others, only to see the Little Prince avoiding eye contact, not wanting to meet Cang Xu’s gaze.
The Fin Spirit’s complexion was calm.
Ku Feng didn’t dodge or avoid, locking eyes with Cang Xu for a second.
On his own, Ku Feng was no match for Cang Xu.
But with the help of the Fin Spirit and the Little Prince, he once again took the lead over Cang Xu.
“Although receiving help from others is unfair, in a life-and-death situation, it’s all one can do.”
“In fact, to have a fighter like me compete with a mage in fabricating memories is unfair from the start.”
“It’s a shame, Xu Jia, you were the last to join us. Though we’ve had quite a few experiences together and I personally acknowledge you, the time we’ve spent together is still too short.”
Ku Feng silently felt regret for Cang Xu.
For Ku Feng, he had no confidence in his own conversion. The critical assistance from the Fin Spirit and the Little Prince at the crucial moment was his last straw.
He had every reason to cling to it tightly!
With just a round of eye contact, Cang Xu understood: “I’ve been targeted!”
“Someone is secretly helping Ku Feng.”
Cang Xu continued to speculate, “It couldn’t be the ship ghost; the ship ghost is the leader, and based on what I know of him, he wouldn’t stoop to this himself.”
“Considering the others… it should be the Fin Spirit.”
Cang Xu knew the Little Prince’s character well.
The Little Prince was relatively naive and wouldn’t resort to such devious schemes.
But the Fin Spirit was different.
Already at the Undead Gathering on Songfeng Island, the Fin Spirit’s analysis of the world situation had impressed Cang Xu.
Afterward, though constrained by the Sea Snake Lady, the Fin Spirit revealed her traitor identity on her own initiative, allowing the Little Prince and others to escape and preserving their friendship. In the end, she waited for the support of the ship ghost and the like. It could be said that among this small undead group, the Fin Spirit’s tactics were quite outstanding.
“Zhou Zhang issued the rules, the ship ghost responded, forcing us to select the worst at fabricating memories.”
“From the Fin Spirit’s perspective: she couldn’t possibly compete with the ship ghost. To ensure her greatest chance of survival, she must ensure she’s second only to the ship ghost.”
“She has to defeat everyone, including me.”
“In the aspect of fabricating memories, the Fin Spirit has a significant advantage, since she herself is an Undead Mage of the Soul Vein. However, this advantage is not absolute, and both the Little Prince and I could pose a threat to her.”
“Even Ku Feng, the fighter, possesses Static Skill, allowing him to tap into his spiritual power. Thus, the Fin Spirit can’t afford to be careless at all.”
“The Little Prince practices the Bone Vein, which is clearly at a disadvantage compared to the Soul Vein in terms of fabricating memories.”
“My previous main practice was the Soul Vein, but I changed to cultivate the Flying Head Skill. This inheritance comes from the Corpse Healer, which the Fin Spirit does not understand. It’s quite normal for her to consider me her biggest competitor.”
“So, she must find a way to eliminate me first. That’s the most advantageous option for her!”
Cang Xu’s thoughts were like lightning, quickly and thoroughly considering the Fin Spirit’s mindset.
According to the normal course of events, the Undead Fighter Ku Feng would be the first to be chosen.
Those remaining would continue to compete, with the Fin Spirit under greater pressure because both Cang Xu and the Little Prince would still be in the running.
But now, under the pretext of friendship, the Fin Spirit had incited the Little Prince to join forces in helping Ku Feng.
Ku Feng’s progress surpassed that of Cang Xu, making the latter the first to be chosen.
Moreover, the Little Prince’s own progress was also hindered.
Although the Fin Spirit was likewise affected, her prior progress was already above the Little Prince. As both experienced negative impacts, the Fin Spirit could consolidate her advantage.
The Fin Spirit’s progress lined up just below the ship ghost’s, making her second to one, above all others!
By doing this, not only did the Fin Spirit preemptively remove Cang Xu, a potential threat, but she also secured her position.
Although the ship ghost appeared magnanimous on the surface, he was hypocritical and deceitful behind the scenes, setting up many controlling measures for others in secret.
The Fin Spirit was truly summoned by him and had served as his alchemy assistant for no short time. Their ways of conducting themselves were quite similar, even playing the sentiment card when engaging in plots and schemes.
“If I were fighting this battle alone, I would be absolutely passive. Fortunately, I have the squad leader by my side!” Cang Xu remained composed and still had the leisure to sigh.
“So, what does the ship ghost think?” Cang Xu instinctively looked towards the ship ghost.
The next moment, he saw the ship ghost’s look towards him, slightly complex and helpless.
In that moment, Cang Xu understood.
The ship ghost must have known about the Fin Spirit’s underhand dealings down below, yet he couldn’t intervene directly.
Because once he did, it would mean letting Ku Feng be the first to be chosen, basically sending Ku Feng off to die first.
Such action would go against the persona he had carefully crafted before.
Although the Fin Spirit and the Little Prince’s assistance in helping Ku Feng had improved the latter’s progress, it hadn’t had much negative impact on the whole process.
Had the impact been great, the ship ghost would surely have intervened immediately.
“So, this is actually an opportunity!” Cang Xu felt a stir in his heart.
Everyone exchanged insights and no longer lingered; all eager to improve their progress by the second.
The gathering ended, and the Little Prince was the first to leave the hut. He harbored guilt towards Cang Xu and seemed to flee as he departed.
As Ku Feng walked past Cang Xu, he nodded slightly and even whispered an apology.
His upright attitude made Cang Xu quite approve. After all, using some tactics to survive was not excessive.”
Fin Spirit remained silent throughout, as if she were unaware of everything.
Everyone else had left, but only Cang Xu remained in the ship ghost’s shack.
Seeing this, the ship ghost let out a wry smile and said, “Xu Jia, I hope you can understand my dilemma. What would Ku Feng think if I were to intervene?”
“Don’t be too anxious for now, after all, Ku Feng is a fighter. There’s still hope, you can keep trying, and perhaps you could surpass him at the last moment.”
“Alas, all of this is actually my fault!”
“It was I who led you all into this dire situation. If only my strength were a little stronger, if only I could have seen through the Divine Arts, and escape under Zhou Zhang’s nose with all of you, how good that would have been.”
The ship ghost, appealing to his emotions, confided in Cang Xu his helplessness and regret, emphasizing that the real culprit was Zhou Zhang, not him.
However, Cang Xu was inwardly sneering.
Because he knew that this performance by the ship ghost was intended to prevent Cang Xu from giving in to despair.
When people know they are going to die, many will not make futile efforts, but choose to give in.
This wasn’t what the ship ghost wanted to see.
After all, if Cang Xu gave it his all, he could still make some progress during this time.
Since the ship ghost put on such a good act, Cang Xu wouldn’t fall short.
The noble housekeeper took a deep sigh, his tone melancholic, filled with a mixture of despair and resignation towards death, “It seems now that I am likely to be the first one chosen.”
“As for the outcome and the treatment, I don’t have much to say, since everyone has helped me a lot.”
“If it hadn’t been for your help, Lord Ship Ghost, I would have already died in the battle at the Nether River.”
“But now, I also have great regret.”
“Back on Songfeng Island, I approached you to seek the middle inheritance of the Soul Vein, never expecting to go through the battle of the Nether River, barely surviving by sheer luck. But in the end, I am to lose this old life!”
“Perhaps, my fate was just so, destined to end here.”
His words caused ship ghost’s gaze to flicker incessantly.
Cang Xu’s solemn words filled him with trepidation, fearing that in a moment of irrationality, Cang Xu might do something drastic.
Such as defecting to Zhou Zhang and exposing the ship ghost and others’ secret plans to earn a chance to survive.
Of course, the ship ghost had planted means on Cang Xu’s person, and wasn’t worried about his secrets being revealed.
But killing Cang Xu rashly would certainly bring about a meticulous investigation by Zhou Zhang and his people.
The ship ghost’s escape plan was already fraught with difficulty. If he had to face a stringent investigation as well, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The ship ghost still needed Cang Xu!
“Don’t give up hope, perhaps you could still succeed in converting,” the ship ghost comforted.
Cang Xu shook his head slightly, his expression one of utter despair.
The ship ghost thought for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, “We undead are beings of negative energy. We have advantages different from normal life forms. Even if you fail in converting this time, you might not necessarily die.”
“If you don’t believe me, you should at least believe in the great doctor of dismemberment, one of the Twelve Saints, a person of Holy Domain Level.”
Cang Xu immediately showed a look of surprise, saying in disbelief, “Does this mean, Lord Ship Ghost, that I might still live through this?”
As they talked, a new light burst forth in Cang Xu’s eyes.
This, of course, was a bluff by the ship ghost!
Cang Xu understood this, and so did the ship ghost.
The ship ghost continued, “Since the doctor of dismemberment has taught you the Flying Head Skill, he naturally won’t let you out of his sight. There should be something he’s arranged on you.”
“I’m not sure about the specifics, so unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t give up too easily!”
“By the way, didn’t you just say you wanted to see the middle-level inheritance of the Soul Vein?”
“If we get through this crisis, I’ll pass a part of it on to you.”
The ship ghost knew that such ambiguous lies wouldn’t fool Cang Xu, so he had to offer Cang Xu a benefit to increase his own persuasiveness.
Cang Xu was surprised, “Isn’t it said that the middle-level inheritance comes with conditions?”
The ship ghost smiled, “We are in this together, in life and death, and that has already fulfilled part of the conditions. So, it wouldn’t be against the rules for me to pass on part of it to you.”
Cang Xu inwardly sneered, but outwardly showed an expression of surprise and delight.
If the ship ghost hadn’t brought it up, Cang Xu would have requested it in a relatively tactful way.
Now that the ship ghost had proactively mentioned it, Cang Xu was not only unsatisfied but stepped up the pressure.
Cang Xu sighed deeply and said, “Lord Ship Ghost, regardless of what kind of arrangements the doctor of dismemberment has made on me, I’m afraid my chances are slim this time.”
“In the middle-level Soul Vein inheritance, what I wanted to see the most was the part about the Soul Crystal.”
“I want to ask you, could you let me see it now, just a glance?”
“Even just one look would be great!”
The ship ghost, seeing such sincerity from Cang Xu, couldn’t help but recall the time on Songfeng Island when he first met Cang Xu.
He let out the same exclamation as on Songfeng Island, “Cang Xu, you are a true Mage, with a strong curiosity about knowledge.”
“I’ll give it to you now.”
“The part about the Soul Crystal…”
“I’m sorry, I can’t give you any more. It’s a matter of principle.”
“Thank you, Lord Ship Ghost!!” Cang Xu did not hide his excitement and expressed his gratitude then and there.
Back in his quarters, Cang Xu studied the Soul Vein inheritance he had just received and couldn’t help but marvel at the mystery of fate.
Even though he was now a captive, his life being severely threatened, opportunity indeed lay hidden within these risks.
And this time, he had grasped the opportunity tightly, achieving most of his goals.
If he had followed the normal process, the time and effort he would have spent would have been astronomical.