Lord of Prayer - Chapter 400 - 258: The Supreme Deluxe Pay-to-Win Secret Ceremony
[BEEP—ASCENDER SCAN COMPLETE…]
[ASCENSION LEVEL CONFIRMED. EXTRAORDINARY ABILITIES CONFIRMED. PHYSIOLOGICAL MODEL IMPORTED. INDIVIDUAL DATA INTEGRATED. CONNECTING TO DATABASE…]
[CONNECTED TO TERMINAL HOST… ANALYZING… CALCULATING…]
[GENERATING ADVANCED SECRET CEREMONY PLANS: 1/30… 2/30…]
[GENERATING ADVANCED SECRET CEREMONY PLANS: 29/30… 30/30…]
[PLANS GENERATED. ANALYSIS COMPLETE.]
The enormous scanning machine gradually quieted its roaring. The terrifying heat it generated had caused a large amount of coolant to evaporate into a mist. The air circulation system worked at full blast just to keep the entire room from turning into a sauna.
“Alright, the Advanced Secret Ceremony plans have been generated. Go ahead and pick a style you like,” the woman in charge said with a smile, handing him a tablet.
Zhou Chen took the tablet and sat on the sofa to browse through it.
[Burst Kill Stream], [Blood Demon Stream], [Kite Style], [Molten Shell Style], [Continuous Fire Damage Stream], [Close Combat Mage Style], [One-Slash Kill Style], [Glass Cannon Style], […]
A look of amazement appeared on Zhou Chen’s face. He had never imagined that an Advanced Secret Ceremony could offer so many different styles. It was dazzling, and for a moment, he had no idea which one to choose.
According to the machine’s analysis and calculations, the most suitable for him was the [Burst Kill Stream], with a compatibility rating of 97.3%. This was followed by the [Continuous Fire Damage Stream] and the [Glass Cannon Style], with compatibility ratings of 92.5% and 93.1% respectively.
No other styles had a compatibility rating over 90%.
The details for the [Burst Kill Stream] Advanced Secret Ceremony were as follows:
Main Materials: Phoenix Feather x5, Soul Fire Bud x1, Holy Ashes x30g, Ancient Soul-Catching Demon Dust x50g, Evil Eye Demon Commander’s Eyeball x1, Dead Flame Soul Burner’s Heart x1.
Auxiliary Materials: Secret Blue Star, Volcanic Yellow Jade, Ancient Dragon Blood, Golden Sun Tree Leaves…
Possible Extraordinary Skills: Nirvana, Light Burn, Elemental Bomb, Flame Realm, Phoenix Fire Feather, Spiritual Death Light, Spiritual Materialization Tentacles.
“…”
Silence. After a long silence, Zhou Chen looked up at the beaming woman in charge and asked blankly:
“Is this a Secret Ceremony for advancing from Tier Two to Tier Three?”
’Are you kidding me! The requirements for this Secret Ceremony are almost on par with advancing from Tier Three to Tier Four!’
“Phoenix Feathers”… In this world, Phoenixes were either absurdly powerful kings ruling over Restricted Areas, or they were kept and pampered like treasures by major powers and organizations. Every single one of their feathers was worth a fortune and came with a blessing ability. Just tossing one in while forging an extraordinary item could increase the success rate by a flat 30%.
“Soul Fire Buds” were a peculiar spiritual flame that could only be found in a few select Restricted Areas. They were pure, transparent, and completely without impurities. If a Fire Type Ascender managed to subdue one, the power of their own flames would increase exponentially, and they would even have a chance to awaken a “Realm.” In the fields of Alchemy and Forging, the Soul Fire Bud was a material so rare that money couldn’t always buy it; the moment one appeared on the market, it would incite a frenzy.
“Holy Ashes” were the residue left after purification and incineration by the Holy Judgment Flame, filled with a rich, holy aura and remnants of the flame. Every gram was astronomically expensive. They were commonly used in the field of Mysticism and during Enchantment. One had to be extremely careful when handling them, as a single slip-up could result in getting burned.
“Ancient Soul-Catching Demon Dust,” “an Evil Eye Demon Commander’s Eyeball,” and “a Dead Flame Soul Burner’s Heart”—all three of these materials came from incredibly powerful extraordinary creatures.
The Ancient Soul-Catching Demon had no physical body and could freely pass through the mortal world, living as a parasite in people’s minds and souls, making it difficult to track. Evil Gaze Eye Demons were few in number and individually powerful, with the Commander-level ones being exceedingly rare; even if you could find one, you might not be able to defeat it. As for Dead Flame Soul Burners, they only lived deep within a few specific Restricted Areas, places so dangerous that even a Tier Four Ascender would risk their life by entering.
In short, not a single one of these main materials was easy to come by.
On top of that, the auxiliary materials included something called “Ancient Dragon Blood.” The name alone told you how precious this ingredient was. Dragon’s blood… Not to mention the “Golden Sun Tree Leaves” and the other auxiliary materials that followed.
Every single item mentioned in the entire Advanced Secret Ceremony was an absurdly expensive luxury material. They would have been more than enough for a Tier Three to Tier Four ceremony. And materials like “Phoenix Feathers” and “Soul Fire Buds” were things one would typically use for advancing to Tier Five. To put them in a ceremony for advancing from Tier Two to Tier Three seemed a bit over the top, no matter how you looked at it.
No… it was extremely over the top.
“Doesn’t this just show your limitless potential!”
The woman in charge’s smile was as radiant as a flower. “I was shocked when I saw the ceremony plans, too. But then I realized this is actually normal. Only an Advanced Secret Ceremony that exceeds normal standards is worthy of you. How can a genius be the same as a commoner? How can the pay-to-win version be the same as the free-to-play version?
I wonder if you’ve heard the saying: ’Only by spending money can you get stronger.’ It’s not just me saying this, but if you use such a high-spec Advanced Secret Ceremony, you’ll be absolutely invincible among your peers after advancing to Tier Three. And you’ll build an excellent foundation for the future…”
“What’s with the sudden formality?” Zhou Chen asked, instantly on guard.
“Ahem… Due to the high specifications of the ceremony, if you choose the service to have the Advanced Secret Ceremony packaged for portability, you’ll need to pay a processing fee of sixty million,” the woman in charge said, rubbing her hands together and smiling at the potential big spender before her.
’You damn profiteers!’
Zhou Chen seriously suspected that the Helandy Alchemy Workshop was trying to rip him off, but on second thought, it seemed he wasn’t really getting the short end of the stick.
As the champion of the Sword Forging Competition, the organizers would cover the costs for his Advanced Secret Ceremony. This meant he wouldn’t have to worry about the materials, nor would he have to spend a single cent. He just needed to wait patiently for a month or two, and the organizers would prepare everything.
For such a high-spec, high-quality Advanced Secret Ceremony, he only had to pay a sixty-million packaging fee to take it with him. No matter how he looked at it, it was a huge bargain.
Of course, he could choose not to have it packaged, but who could predict when Advancement would happen? What if one day, on a whim, he spontaneously condensed his Golden Soul and advanced on the spot, but didn’t have the Secret Ceremony ready in time? He would have wasted a chance to gain Derivative Abilities. So, it was better to have it packaged and carry it with him.
Zhou Chen pondered for a moment, then continued reading the details of the other Advanced Secret Ceremonies. He discovered that even for the styles least suited to him, the requirements were still terrifyingly high—enough to bankrupt more than a dozen Ascenders of the same tier.
“I need some time to think.”
“No problem, you have a month to consider,” the woman in charge said with a smile. “No time to waste. Since you’ve already decided on a general direction for your Advancement, let’s proceed with the secondary evaluation.”
The secondary evaluation was to fine-tune the Advanced Secret Ceremony within the chosen general direction, making minor adjustments to enhance the Ascender’s preferred Attributes.
After several tests, the Advanced Secret Ceremony was modified. Compared to the original version, many of the auxiliary materials were swapped out or changed, heading down a one-way street toward becoming even more expensive. Thankfully, none of this was Zhou Chen’s problem to worry about.
In the end, Zhou Chen swiped his card with tears in his eyes, pre-booking the ceremony packaging service. The woman in charge was smiling so widely she could barely close her mouth. She grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously. “Please rest assured! With the Helandy Alchemy Workshop supervising, we guarantee the Secret Ceremony will be delivered to you within two months of your final decision…”
“Two months?”
The speed was much faster than Zhou Chen had expected.
“Mhm, for past Sword Forging Competition champions, the Advanced Secret Ceremony is usually delivered within a month. But your ceremony’s specifications are much higher, and the materials required are exceedingly rare, which is why it will take two months to prepare.
Here’s my number. Let’s add each other as friends, too. You can contact me anytime if you have any questions…”
·
After the custom tailoring service for his Advanced Secret Ceremony was finished, Zhou Chen didn’t linger at the Forging Association Headquarters. He used the Any Door to return directly to his villa.
He hadn’t rested since the Sword Forging Competition ended and was completely exhausted. After taking a shower, he collapsed onto his bed and, without a care in the world, fell fast asleep.
When Zhou Chen woke up and opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of his pitch-black, silent bedroom. He picked up his phone to check the time. He had slept for a full day and night; it was now nine o’clock in the evening.
After getting up and washing his face, Zhou Chen went to the kitchen. He took a bottle of chilled Happy Water from the fridge, opened it, and chugged a few gulps with a GULP, GULP sound, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.
As the saying goes, a bottle of coke costs three yuan, but the first sip is worth two-ninety.
That single sip was invigorating, truly a delicacy of the mortal world.
Afterward, Zhou Chen sat down on the living room sofa. Essence surged in his hand, coalescing into a brilliant, translucent red gemstone.
This was the mysterious gemstone Jack had stuffed into his hand. To his great surprise, the gem contained an enormous amount of “wish value” and had also bestowed upon him the identity of “Santa Claus.”
With a thought, an ancient and ornate metal scroll appeared in Zhou Chen’s hand. It was carved with beautiful patterns. He pulled it open, and the scroll unfurled as golden particles of light swirled to form words.
[Name: Wang Peiying.]
[Christmas Wish: A wooden guitar.]
’This is…’ Zhou Chen paused for a second. ’This looks like a Wish List received by Santa Claus?’
[Name: Li Xiaojun.]
[Christmas Wish: A Pokemon Blue and Red game cartridge.]
[Name: Zuo Ming.]
[Christmas Wish: A game disc.]
’It really is a Wish List?’ Zhou Chen was stunned. ’Looking at it this way, my Santa Claus gear is pretty complete. Too bad Christmas is already over, otherwise I could have cosplayed as Santa Claus and gone out to deliver presents.’
’I even have reindeer and a sleigh!’
“What on earth is this thing?”
Zhou Chen looked at the Ruby, completely baffled.
According to the fragments of Jack’s memory, he had obtained it by chance while on a mission in Lapland.
Lapland, also known as Finland, is the homeland of Santa Claus. Therefore, it seemed perfectly reasonable that this mysterious gemstone from Finland could turn someone into “Santa Claus.”
But no matter how you looked at it, this was just too absurd. Could it be that during the Old Era, Santa Claus actually existed?
And what was the deal with that “wish value”?
Zhou Chen mulled it over for a few seconds, then put away the Ruby and the Wish List. His consciousness ascended, and he arrived in the Round Table Hall.
Using the Status of the Prayer Space, he instantly analyzed the true nature of the Ruby.
It was a Power from the same source as the Wish Bottle.
