Chapter 131: Heart-Protecting Fire, The Second Transcendent Item!

Here it comes!Cheng Ye's gaze suddenly focused, with wisps of illusory firelight flickering in his pupils.

As he had expected, the Lv1 skills of transcendents were completely different from those of ordinary people, like comparing heaven and earth.

On the panel, three lines of text composed entirely of flames floated in his field of vision. Although their edges were still somewhat blurred and not solid enough, they emanated an intimidating pressure that made one's heart tremble.

Body-Consuming Fire, Heart-Protecting Fire, Soul-Extinguishing Fire!

The three fires stood side by side, each character like flame, completely transcending the realm of normal humans and truly touching the threshold of the transcendent.

Even though Cheng Ye had been thinking about transcendent matters day and night recently, repeatedly envisioning countless scenarios of searching for transcendent powers, he hadn't expected this moment to come so abruptly and beautifully.

Now, with just a thought, he could select one of these transcendent talents and immediately break free from mortal shackles, stepping through the gates of transcendence.

However, when his gaze swept over the acquisition probability suffixes for each talent, Cheng Ye couldn't help but frown.

In previous searches, once he entered the skill panel, any skill's acquisition probability was 100%. If there was failure, it would happen directly in the earlier stages.

But these three transcendent talents before him, Soul-Extinguishing Fire's probability didn't even reach 50%.

"Could it be that the panel's guaranteed hit refers to definitely being able to enter this selection stage, rather than being able to acquire any skill with 100% certainty?"

Cheng Ye pondered silently. This was his first time properly searching a transcendent.

He hadn't expected that these talents of transcendents would have such distinctions.

Without immediately choosing the 100% success Heart-Protecting Fire, Cheng Ye's gaze continued scanning downward.

Flame Eagle?

So that was the standard name for that fire giant eagle?

The three skills headed by Flame Eagle, although not bearing the flame label of transcendence, still granted abilities that humans couldn't explain scientifically.

Flame Eagle Repulsion, Flame Eagle Guidance, Flame Eagle Devouring.

Cheng Ye's gaze instantly fixed on Fire Devouring. Judging by the description alone, this ability seemed similar to the Horned Starfish's characteristic of devouring meat to recover.

However, there was a vast difference in level, the latter being Lv5.

The problem likely lay in the word "small amount." If there were strict limits on the total recovery from devouring flames, then this skill being only Lv1 wasn't surprising.

After all, the Horned Starfish's devouring ability only decreased in effectiveness rather than disappearing entirely.

As for the ordinary-grade skills further down, Cheng Ye chose to ignore them entirely.

Although several among them looked quite practical, such as "Document Memory" which could slightly enhance memory, perhaps making his already good memory even better, or "Iron Palm" which could harden finger joints and improve unarmed attack power.

But compared to the transcendent talents and Flame Eagle skills above, these abilities weren't even in the same league.

Continuing to scroll down until the notes at the bottom of the panel came into view, Cheng Ye had already made his decision.

If it were like when he searched Jiang Chuan before, without special power enhancement where talents and skills would be downgraded, he might still hesitate whether to choose Flame Eagle Fire Devouring to continue strengthening the Iron Body system, becoming a "monster" who didn't fear pain, couldn't be killed, and recovered quickly.

But now, all three transcendent talents could bring special powers.

Even if only rudimentary, even if far from Liu Kun's level, it was like a key.

With this key, when he searched for Flame Eagle Fire Devouring in the future, he could directly acquire perfect-level skills, no longer affected by grade reduction.

As for choosing among the three talents, there seemed nothing worth agonizing over.

Soul-Extinguishing Fire was directly eliminated, not only because the probability was too low, but also because this ability was really useless at present.

Attacking power on another level?

Could it be used to attack that Flame Eagle?

But a small Lv1 skill probably wasn't even enough to tickle the opponent, and might instead expose the fact that he possessed transcendent skills.

Body-Consuming Fire did make Cheng Ye somewhat envious. This would add an supernatural trump card, but upon careful consideration, when it really came time to fight, using a gun would be more direct and reliable.

Moreover, Body-Consuming Fire's probability was only 75%.

For his first transcendent search, Cheng Ye decided to play it safe, first getting transcendent power in hand, as there would be plenty of opportunities to search again in the future.

"I choose Heart-Protecting Fire!"

The moment his words fell, the three characters "Heart-Protecting Fire" on the panel suddenly burst with blinding red light, transforming into a blazing, wildly burning flame.

However, no matter how fierce and violent the flame was, it could only be continuously restrained and shrunk by invisible force.

All its power seemed to be extremely compressed, transforming into a small frame of warm golden-red color like the sun at dawn, with clear lines of text leaping within.

[Search Successful]

[Civilization Collector has successfully recorded: Heart-Protecting Fire (Lv.1; Talent; Transcendent)]

[Detecting that collector does not possess corresponding special power, condensing special power seed]

[Condensation successful, 'seed' has been automatically sealed and stored in storage space]

[Note: Please remove this seed and establish physical connection with it before equipping transcendent skills, otherwise skill equipment will have a certain probability of failure, causing irreversible serious consequences]

[Current storage space: 3/4]

"Good thing I took out the four-piece set earlier, otherwise it would be completely full now and the guaranteed item search couldn't be used."

Cheng Ye felt secretly fortunate. The skill search panel slowly disappeared, and he couldn't help but let out a long breath.

His heart felt both the steadiness of a weight lifted and the comfort of all efforts not being wasted.

As for excitement, at this moment he actually felt a special kind of calm.

All emotions were steadily suppressed by reason. By today, he was no longer the ordinary person who got so excited he could barely contain himself when he first searched for Dragon Force.

"Continue searching!"

Cheng Ye immediately gathered his thoughts and glanced down discretely at the front.

Five groups had already reached conclusions, with only the last two groups still discussing in low voices. Liu Kun seemed still dazed, but his compatibility remained steadily above 100% without any fluctuation.

The panel refreshed.

[Liu Kun, 100%, searchable range: Intelligence (quality fixed increase 0.5), Items (probability: guaranteed hit*1), Skill Lv1 (probability: 15%), Skill Lv2 (probability: 1%), Skill Lv3 (not selectable; please continue improving rank)]

The guaranteed hit after skills indeed disappeared after one use, becoming only a 15% probability.

"So low?"

If there was a 15% chance to enter the panel, and once inside everything could be collected, that would still be worth a gamble.

But based on the experience of just acquiring Heart-Protecting Fire, most likely after entering the panel, the probability of searching transcendent talents would be even lower, and even those three Flame Eagle skills would require gambling on luck.

This probability was really too low, no need to hesitate at all.

"I choose to search for items!"

Unlike the various phenomena during skill searching, the item search process was consistently very simple.

The panel first flashed several strings of obscure characters, then instantly condensed into information Cheng Ye could fully understand.

[Search Successful!]

[Liu Kun (Transcendent Symbiotic State)]

[Searchable item range assessment:]

[Search successful, you have obtained special item - Flame Eagle's Fire Basin]

[Flame Eagle's Fire Basin (Transcendent Item)]

[Description]: Legend has it that Flame Eagles are ordinary eagles that mistakenly entered earth vein fire eyes. They should have turned to ash in the searing flames, but miraculously underwent transcendent rebirth through fire, transforming into one of the blazing totems. This eagle feeds on various natural flames, the more scorching the temperature and exotic the type, the more to its taste, and it has the supernatural ability to grant ordinary flames transcendent power.

This fire basin is the vessel it uses to store "provisions," made from its molted natal tail feathers mixed with nine types of natural flames solidified, naturally possessing the abilities to lock, store, and fix fire.

[Types]: Dry Wood Fire (orange-red flame), Peat Fire (ghostly blue flame), Earth Core Fire (crimson-gold flame)

[Usage effects]:

Dry Wood Fire: After consumption by collector, immediately gains special talent: Kindling Power, duration '24' hours.

During duration will gain the following enhancement: complete immunity to temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius, clothing and flesh both unaffected by burning damage

Peat Fire: After consumption by collector, immediately gains special talent: Burning Fire Power, duration '24' hours.

During duration will gain the following enhancement: complete immunity to temperatures below minus 60 degrees Celsius, and all personal items immune to freezing.

Earth Core Fire: After consumption by collector, immediately gains special talent: Earth Fire Transformation, duration '5' minutes.

During duration will gain the following enhancement: attacks carry "lava burning" effect, causing continuous special corrosion to contacted objects

[Note]: Fire basin maximum flame capacity is '3', and special flames can only be stored within, cannot be transferred to real containers

[Note]: Fire basin only accepts special flames, putting other objects in will trigger energy disruption, causing irreversible damage (including but not limited to basin shattering, flame rampage, etc.)

"Flame Eagle's fire basin?"

Cheng Ye stared at the information on the panel, couldn't help but be stunned.

Only after reading through the entire description did he react with some amusement, realizing this wasn't really a fire basin at all, but clearly that fire giant eagle's food bowl, specifically used to store the flame provisions it loved to eat.

But what surprised and delighted him was that this item search directly found a "fully loaded" fire basin.

In the displayed small picture, three flames quietly crouched within, each corresponding to practical enhancements, not giving him a vessel completely unusable at his current stage.

"Immunity to high and low temperatures, plus this corrosive attribute attack."

Cheng Ye quickly organized the information, a gleam passing through his eyes.

The Collector's effect descriptions were always straightforward and easy to understand, never causing comprehension barriers.

Although it couldn't compare to the formidable power of entering Symbiotic Guardian State after fusing with the Horned Starfish, it clearly had superior duration. Both Dry Wood Fire and Peat Fire could maintain for 24 hours, meaning that even if he suddenly went to high or low temperature environments, he would have enough time to maneuver without instantly falling into mortal danger.

As for Earth Core Fire which could only last 5 minutes, it was more like a trump card.

Against ordinary people or ordinary infected entities it might not show advantages, but facing those fusion entities, it might be able to tear through their defenses and become the key to breaking deadlocks.

"Good, really good!"

Cheng Ye curled his fingertips under the table, suppressing his inner joy and efficiently closing the panel.

Although this fire basin transcendent item was rarely useful in daily life, the three flames inside were extremely practical.

If he could search Liu Kun's Flame Eagle in the future...

Just thinking about the possibility of continuously collecting such special flames, perhaps even more exotic varieties, made Cheng Ye's breathing slightly tight.

This possibility of nearly "mass producing" transcendent power was really too enticing.

"Worthy of being a transcendent, worthy of being a transcendent creature!" he sighed inwardly.

The abilities of these beings weren't as simple as he initially imagined, but rather carried a somewhat archaic mystique, seeming to lean toward mythological legends.

However, right now wasn't the time to investigate these origins in detail.

All seven groups had already discussed compensation schemes with sufficient weight. Niu Xiaocai gave Liu Kun two complete beast hides plus twenty Happiness Coins, while the other tough guys either shared some electronic components or promised to give more Happiness Coins. Even the last group of makeweight tough guys gritted their teeth and produced half a bag of mutated plant powder.

Liu Kun's compatibility did drop as the process progressed, but not by much, steadily stopping at 92.1%.

This meant the special resonance between the two had disappeared, leaving only the purest appreciation.

Just like before when his conscientious duty performance would increase compatibility, Liu Kun should be very satisfied with the plan he was currently advancing.

Could there still be a chance to pull compatibility back to maximum once more?

Cheng Ye pondered, not rushing to conclude just because the search was complete, but continuing according to his previous plan, properly tallying the new compensation schemes and passing them out, then completing another round of group voting.

Faced with suddenly generous compensation, the crowd's attitude clearly changed from before.

Although there were still spectators stubbornly marking X, wanting to make those tough guys continue bleeding heavily, more people realized that continuing to deny proposals like this would only make the compensation those six scavengers could receive increasingly abundant.

They enjoyed seeing rule-breakers pay heavy prices, but didn't want these prices to become a few people's windfall, windfall that made them envious!

Soon, the first person marked √ on their slip, followed by a chorus of pen tips scratching across paper.

In the final tally, all seven proposals actually exceeded 10 votes, successfully passing.

This was something Cheng Ye hadn't expected.

He had originally planned to have the 14 people vote again if they couldn't gather enough votes. Now it seemed the group's balance was more "restrained" than imagined.

However, Liu Kun's compatibility ultimately couldn't return to 100%.

When the process reached later stages, compatibility had once risen to 98.2%, but the final missing bit couldn't be made up, only transforming into a trace of appreciation in Liu Kun's eyes, no longer having that special resonance from before.

Well then.

Cheng Ye nodded silently. He could feel that Liu Kun was very satisfied with his approach, but still couldn't break through the limitation.

It seemed that getting the same person's compatibility to continuously exceed 100% in a short time was nearly impossible.

He hadn't tested this on others before, but now with Liu Kun he had gotten an answer.

"Snake, register compensation according to the passed proposals. After registration, have them leave in order."

Cheng Ye closed the registration book, gently tapping his knuckles on the cover, his voice carrying a trace of barely detectable relief.

Being able to conceptualize this scenario in such a short time and execute it perfectly was truly not simple.

It required sufficient quick wit and sufficient courage.

Fortunately, although there were some surprises during the process, the final result was good.

"Yes!"

Snake responded and stepped forward, with staff and guards immediately taking over subsequent matters.

Counting supplies, registering compensation, checking lists, in just two or three minutes, those components, herbs and beast hides soaked by rain on the ground completed a round of silent distribution, making the scavengers outside the isolation net envious and resentful, wishing they could take their place.

Liu Kun clutched the ten Happiness Coins in his hand, then looked at the two rolled-up beast hides at his feet, speechless but somewhat amused.

But he had to admit, Cheng Ye's methods were indeed brilliant, both maintaining the bottom line of rules and protecting the dignity of these weak people present.

When those tough guys handed over their supplies, their faces showed no trace of resentment, only a kind of resigned defeat.

After all, the compensation schemes were discussed by themselves, and the voting approval was decided by those scavengers outside.

The weak never entered the fray to argue, yet logically received the compensation they deserved, without bearing any psychological burden of offending people.

"These skills, let alone a trainee, even those first and second-term inspectors in the station haven't shown such ability. This kid will probably have good results when he goes on field missions in the future."

"A Cheng family member, the inspection station really can't do without Cheng family members!"

Liu Kun sighed inwardly, a trace of joy passing through his eyes.

He wasn't like Ding Yishan, thinking Cheng family members were the bane of the inspection station.

On the contrary, precisely because of the Cheng family's existence, this inspection station wasn't stagnant water that disappointed people.

What a pity, he still had to hide his identity now and couldn't go pat this kid's shoulder and praise him a few words.

If this young fellow knew he had caught the eye of an old predecessor from the inspection station, caught the eye of a true transcendent, he'd probably be too excited to sleep!

What a pity, what a pity!

He must go back today and mention this Cheng Ye to Old Ding, couldn't let such a good seedling be buried.

The troubles Cheng Long left behind should be borne by the inspection station, how could a trainee inspector bear them?

Liu Kun carefully tied up his waterproof bag, shouldered it, then rolled the two beast hides Niu Xiaocai handed over even tighter, firmly tucking them under his armpit.

From the corner of his eye he noticed Cheng Ye looking over, and instinctively squeezed out an ingratiating smile.

Only that smile, in Cheng Ye's eyes, inexplicably carried a trace of appreciation from a superior's evaluation, completely unlike the flattery a scavenger should have.

"Leave quickly, don't linger around the inspection station."

Cheng Ye pressed the isolation door button, and the metal door slid open with a "hum," revealing the gray misty sky outside.

The scavengers filed out, their steps light and quick.

Liu Kun walked last, and when nearly at the end of the passage, couldn't help but look back.

The inspection station's rain shelter was faintly visible in the mist, lead-gray clouds pressing low, like an invisible giant hand pressing on his head, stifling him but in his heart, he felt unprecedentedly relaxed.

"Wait a little longer, it won't be much longer."

He murmured, his right hand gripping the beast hides tightening slightly.

The moment his fingertips touched the hides, a barely detectable orange-red firelight threaded through his fingers. The topmost well-tanned beast hide seemed licked by invisible flames, silently curling, blackening, and finally turning into a handful of fine ash.

But the ash didn't scatter, instead being gathered by an invisible force, showing no abnormality.

Only when his figure completely stepped outside the inspection station's range did it suddenly disperse, turning into flying ash that filled the sky, carried by wind toward the heavens.

"In a while longer, when I enter the second stage of symbiotic state, I want no one to dare look down on the inspection station ever again!"

"Even Yuan Gang will have to taste the price of breaking rules!"