526: Chapter 526 Identity Authentication

Five days later.

Nie Ning looked incredibly haggard, his legs trembling as he sat at the dining table eating breakfast.

Amivika walked up to Nie Ning looking refreshed and spirited, gazed at him affectionately, and then handed a card to him.

"I've earned some money recently, and it's time for you to learn some Extreme Phase Demon Palace techniques to improve yourself. Take this and use it for now; let me know if it's not enough."

Nie Ning looked at the black card; it was a card used by Extreme Phase Demon Palace to record contribution points.

Although contribution points were usually stored within identity tokens, there were always some people who liked to show off, and most of these users were the offspring of prominent figures.

Since not everyone possessed immense strength, many people's identity tokens were only of the ordinary variety.

Identity tokens were the underlying code for various factions, representing their power and authority levels. They were not easily issued at high levels, which is why these anonymous contribution cards were retained.

Of course, not just anyone could have a contribution card; one's cumulative contribution value had to reach a cap of one hundred thousand points, and the annual contribution turnover had to exceed ten thousand points.

After all, it was meant to display status; if anyone could obtain one, it would lose its significance. It was essentially a privileged perk enjoyed by the wealthy second generation whose ancestors had accumulated merit.

As for why contribution points could be traded, it was mainly because resources could be used by anyone once exchanged, though there were some restrictions on martial arts and techniques.

To facilitate the adjustment of resource prices and prevent inflation, some factions would relax the trading restrictions on contribution points.

...

"Ten thousand points?!"

Nie Ning's eyes widened; running a shop was incredibly profitable.

However, he knew this was likely limited to Extreme Phase Demon Palace.

If a shop were opened in an ordinary city, the exorbitant prices alone would scare off 99% of Transcendent.

"You've worked hard on your trip, so I naturally couldn't let you lose face in front of others."

Amivika hugged Nie Ning's arm, resting her head against him as she spoke.

Nie Ning nodded thoughtfully; after all, he had been willing to give the world rune to Amivika precisely for this reason.

But after thinking it over, Nie Ning couldn't help but stroke his chin. "I don't really have any techniques I need to learn, so it looks like I'll just have to exchange for some resources."

He hadn't even had time to practice the Taixu Annihilation Blade he'd obtained a while ago, so naturally, he had no time to learn other techniques.

"You should still learn some of Extreme Phase Demon Palace's exclusive techniques. When you're out and about, you can't keep pulling out your identity token. If you learn some exclusive techniques, others will be wary of your status if a fight actually breaks out."

Amivika said with a smile.

Nie Ning had always been on his own, so he naturally hadn't realized the benefits of joining such a powerful faction.

Even when out and about, if others knew they were from Extreme Phase Demon Palace, they would be three points more cautious in a fight and wouldn't dare to go for the kill so easily.

Nie Ning nodded; that did seem to be the case.

But...

If he only learned them superficially, using them would easily put him at a disadvantage in battle. In a fight to the death, being at a disadvantage was just asking for death.

"Alright, I'll go take a look later."

Nie Ning didn't refuse directly.

Because Extreme Phase Demon Palace didn't just have techniques; they also had some exclusive items and equipment.

Or perhaps some common techniques and skills that didn't require much practice and yielded quick results.

After all, having a backer was very important when out and about.

Just like Amivika—even with her excellent culinary skills, she wouldn't have been able to make money so quickly in Extreme Phase Demon Palace without Sage Huiyuan's help.

...

After doting on Amivika for a while, Nie Ning headed straight for Central City.

Compared to his last visit, there hadn't been many changes here, though it inexplicably felt a bit more desolate than before.

Nie Ning shook his head inwardly.

Although losing nearly a thousand people in Lata World wasn't a huge number, those who participated in the world expedition were basically the most active group of poor souls, which created the illusion of fewer people.

Upon arriving in the office area, Nie Ning looked around and quickly found the Receptionist Miss who had handled his business last time.

Noticing a service window nearby with no line, Nie Ning walked over to queue at the Receptionist Miss's window.

Soon, it was Nie Ning's turn.

Upon seeing Nie Ning, the Receptionist Miss couldn't help but pause for a moment.

Recalling the previous incident, the Receptionist Miss's expression turned much colder. "What business are you here to conduct?"

Nie Ning shrugged. "I'd like to exchange for some of Extreme Phase Demon Palace's exclusive techniques."

The Receptionist Miss didn't speak but instead handed the 'tablet computer' used for exchanging techniques last time to Nie Ning.

Nie Ning took it and glanced through it casually.

Compared to the techniques that didn't cost money before, there were clearly many more this time, ranging from ten thousand to one million contribution points.

However, the stronger the technique, the more restrictions there were on exchanging for it.

"Ten Thousand Poisons Soul-Chasing Hand..."

[Ten Thousand Poisons Soul-Chasing Hand: Three levels, each level corresponding to the first to third tiers. Practicing this technique requires the use of poisons and the Ten Thousand Poisons Body. The danger level is extremely high; it is not recommended for those with weak mental fortitude.]

[Ten Thousand Poisons Magic Scripture: A technique for developing a special constitution. It requires practice with various toxins; the higher the grade of the toxin, the better the effect. Successful cultivation will grant the special constitution: Ten Thousand Poisons Body. Due to the extreme endurance required during the cultivation process, the mortality rate is very high, and the cost of poisons and medical treatment is too great, so it is not recommended for those with financial difficulties.]

Nie Ning's eyes widened, feeling quite speechless.

A cultivation technique that actually discriminated against people—advising those without money not to learn it—and rich people wouldn't learn such self-harming techniques either.

But one had to admit, Extreme Phase Demon Palace lived up to its reputation; it actually possessed techniques that could directly cultivate a special constitution.

And there were quite a few of them.

The most famous among them was Extreme Phase Demon Palace's Jixiang Magic Body.

It was rumored that when the Jixiang Magic Body reached completion, one's demonic aura would be like an overwhelming tide, and all physical attributes would be significantly enhanced.

Furthermore, attacks would cause erosion from demonic energy, and opponents would suffer mental interference during battle; those with weak mental fortitude would be reduced to mindless Demonic Puppets.

Although it was incredibly powerful, the requirements were very strict; the most basic one was to be a Transcendent of the Extreme Academy.

After all, it was a sect-defining ultimate technique, and not everyone was qualified to learn it.

However, such techniques often required excellent aptitude, and the cultivation time had to be measured in years, so there were many factors to consider before attempting to learn them.

Nie Ning looked at the Ten Thousand Poisons Magic Scripture.

To be honest, it was actually quite suitable for him to learn; after all, he possessed Supernatural Adaptability, so conventional toxins would have a hard time causing him any harm.

But this was also the most awkward part.

Because Supernatural Adaptability primarily enhanced resistance.

He was afraid that instead of successfully cultivating the Ten Thousand Poisons Body, he would end up cultivating a constitution immune to all poisons, which would make the accompanying Ten Thousand Poisons Soul-Chasing Hand completely meaningless.

Because without the support of the Ten Thousand Poisons Body, the power of the Ten Thousand Poisons Soul-Chasing Hand would drop by at least 70%.

It would be completely useless—a hollow shell with no real value.