67: Chapter 67 Abnormal Status

"I told you long ago, if you dared to increase your Charm attribute, I would completely parasitize you. Did you really think I was lying? Did you think I lacked the ability?"

The Phantom Demon's tyrannical voice filled Chu Xuan's mind, making him feel like a small boat tossing and turning amidst turbulent waves; his thoughts began to scramble.

"Then bring it on!"

Chu Xuan gritted his teeth, maintaining his last shred of willpower to focus on the System page.

—System, exchange for attribute points, add to the Charm attribute!

[You have exchanged for 2 attribute points.]

[Remaining spirituality value: 0.]

[You have used 2 attribute points.]

[Your Charm +1]

[Current Charm: 11]

[Remaining attribute points: 0]

A series of System prompts appeared. Chu Xuan immediately discovered that increasing Charm by 1 had actually consumed two attribute points.

Could it be that every time a personal attribute value breaks through a threshold, the number of attribute points required to increase it further would also increase accordingly?

However, Chu Xuan couldn't care less at this moment. Even if given the choice again, he would have had to do the same.

As the Charm attribute reached 11 points, the surrounding darkness dissipated once more. Chu Xuan felt like a drowning man who had finally swum to shore, finally able to catch his breath.

At the same time, Chu Xuan felt his comprehension of [Heart Bewitchment] improve slightly, though it hadn't yet reached the level of a skill upgrade.

"Curse you! You damned insect, didn't we agree not to increase your Charm attribute again?"

The Phantom Demon roared in fury, but to Chu Xuan, the voice no longer had the same impact on his consciousness as before; instead, it sounded like the roar of incompetent rage.

Chu Xuan could even faintly hear that the Phantom Demon's voice was tinged with anxiety and a hint of weakness.

"You were the one who broke the agreement first," Chu Xuan said, panting slightly.

"I just wanted a little spirituality. Without my help, you would never be able to find those False Gods Believers."

The Phantom Demon's voice gradually calmed down: "How about this, we split it ninety-ten—ninety for you, ten for me. That shouldn't be considered excessive, right? Sensing their existence requires me to pay a price. Even if the cost is minimal, over time, the damage to me would be immeasurable..."

"If you don't agree, then our cooperation ends here. I will no longer guide you, and I will immediately revoke your authority over [Myriad Forms]. Simultaneously, I will gather my strength, and I hope you'll be just as lucky next time you try to escape my control."

After the Phantom Demon finished speaking, it fell silent.

Chu Xuan remained silent for a short while before slowly speaking:

"A ninety-ten split... it's not impossible. But it will have to wait until three days from now. You will guide me for free for three more days. After all, our previous agreement didn't mention anything about a split."

"Then it's a deal. You cannot go back on your word!"

"I am no untrustworthy clown."

Chu Xuan spoke with a hint of mockery, but in his heart, he thought that this Phantom Demon was truly a massive threat. If it attacked him like that from time to time, it could be fatal at a critical moment.

It seemed he needed to accumulate more spirituality value. Once it reached a certain amount, he would exchange it all for attribute points to dump into Charm and see if he could kill the Phantom Demon once and for all.

As his thoughts reached this point, Chu Xuan faintly felt something was wrong. Those thoughts he had previously suppressed were beginning to rise again.

"My friend, I feel your malice toward me. What tricks are you thinking of to deal with me now?"

The Phantom Demon's voice regained its gentle and magnetic quality: "Actually, we don't necessarily have to be enemies. You only need to find a suitable vessel for me as soon as possible, and I will leave on my own. At that time, perhaps we might even become true friends."

Chu Xuan suppressed his slightly fluctuating emotions, avoiding any thoughts about potential underlying issues with the Phantom Demon, and simply followed a normal train of thought to converse:

"What you say makes sense. So, what counts as a suitable vessel?"

"You've finally asked that question. It seems you are prepared to cooperate with me in good faith."

A hint of a smile could be heard in the Phantom Demon's voice: "There's no need to rush. When we encounter a suitable vessel, I will naturally tell you."

As the Phantom Demon's words fell, the vague sensation in Chu Xuan's heart reappeared.

Silently observing the crowd in the shop, Chu Xuan felt himself getting hungry, so he ordered a plate of soup dumplings that were ready immediately without a wait.

While eating, Chu Xuan relied on that vague sensation to casually scan the many diners in the shop, as well as the staff, not even missing the chefs busy behind the glass window.

"Pfft!"

Chu Xuan suddenly spat a mouthful of dumpling onto the table. He felt the taste was wrong, but after inspecting it, he found nothing unusual.

An unpleasant thought arose, and Chu Xuan took another bite.

This signature soup dumpling, which almost every customer who visited the shop ordered, felt tasteless in Chu Xuan's mouth, like chewing wax. It even gave him a nauseating feeling.

Chu Xuan immediately thought back to that morning at the house of the family of four, where the food had tasted like a worldly delicacy.

His gaze shifted, watching the endless stream of people in the vermicelli soup shop. His hunger gradually intensified, and a hidden desire slowly rose, leading to an involuntary thought.

These people... they should be quite delicious, right?

Instantly, a chill surged violently from his heart!

Chu Xuan's gaze turned slightly dark. He immediately opened the System page and looked at the display that had been present ever since he stepped out of the thick fog outside the dormitory building.

[Current Status: Abnormal]

Chu Xuan deeply felt how much he actually loathed and detested these few steaming, oil-dripping soup dumplings.

He just mechanically stuffed the dumplings into his mouth, chewed them with difficulty, and then swallowed them stiffly.

Scanning back and forth, he noticed a young man and woman sitting across from each other. The quiet-looking girl was merely holding a cup of milk tea and taking occasional sips, but she hadn't touched a single bite of any other food.

This wouldn't seem like much to an ordinary person, but in Chu Xuan's eyes right now, it appeared extremely abnormal, vastly different and out of place compared to the many other diners eating in the shop.

Chu Xuan carried the remaining half-steamer of soup dumplings and sat down next to the girl, smiling: "Hey beautiful, let me treat you to some soup dumplings."

Seeing Chu Xuan's handsome face, clear eyes, and warm smile, the young man said with some displeasure, "Who are you?"

The girl just blinked, her eyes showing a hint of curiosity, but she didn't speak.

"Eat, they're delicious." Chu Xuan looked at the young man again and smiled, "You have one too."

The gentle words, slightly magnetic, seemed to possess a magical power that left both the young man and woman stunned.

"Oh, okay, okay." The man responded clumsily and hurriedly picked up a soup dumpling and put it in his mouth.

The young girl hesitated for a moment but then also picked up a dumpling. Seemingly unintentionally, she put it in her mouth, took a light bite, chewed gracefully, and then swallowed.

"It's very delicious!"

The quiet girl's smile was like a blooming flower, her eyes curving like crescent moons, but Chu Xuan keenly captured a hint of rejection and resistance toward the food in her emotions.