Su Wan stood up and stretched her limbs.
Her body felt as light as if it had no weight, every step precise to the millimeter.
Raising her hand, with a slight thought, countless mental tentacles extended from her Sea of Consciousness like an invisible spider web, instantly covering a range of ten thousand meters.
At Level 3 Late Stage, her perception range was three thousand meters.
Now, it was ten thousand meters.
A full threefold increase.
More importantly, the number and precision of those mental tentacles far exceeded what they once were.
Su Wan withdrew her mental power and sank her consciousness into her body, feeling this brand-new level.
Level 4.
A level completely different from Level 3.
If Level 3 was an accumulation of quantity, then Level 4 was a qualitative metamorphosis.
Her mental power core was no longer a simple “energy aggregate,” but had formed a higher-level state of existence—
Like a seed breaking through the soil and growing into a seedling.
Though it was still small, it held infinite possibilities.
Just then, the system’s notification sounded in her mind.
【Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully advancing to Level 4 Early Stage!】
【System authority is upgrading...】
【Upgrade complete. The following functions have been added—】
【1. Consciousness Memory Reading: The host can perform forced consciousness memory reading on Level 4 and below targets. Reading speed and completeness are affected by the target’s mental strength and resistance.】
【2. High-Level Aberrant Research: Unlocks ability extraction authority for Level 4 and above Aberrants.】
【3. Mall Item Expansion: Added potions, equipment, and items suitable for Level 4 and above Ability Users.】
【4. Building Management Optimization: Added a Building Blueprint Auto-Optimization function, which can recommend the optimal construction plan based on the shelter’s current needs.】
Su Wan looked at the long list of new functions, the corners of her mouth curling slightly upward.
Consciousness Memory Reading.
She could finally take action against Level 4 Ability Users.
Although Butcher was already dead, there would be more Level 4s coming to her door in the future.
【Ding! Detected that the host has completed the first kill of a Level 4. The system has automatically extracted the ability “Shadow Stealth.”】
【Analyzing ability compatibility...】
【Analysis complete.】
【Compatibility between “Shadow Stealth” and the host’s existing ability “Shadow-Hide”: 98.7%.】
【System Suggestion: Merging and upgrading the two abilities can significantly enhance concealment capabilities.】
【Would you like to merge?】
Su Wan was slightly startled.
Merging abilities?
She carefully read the system description.
It turned out that after she reached Level 4, the system would automatically extract the core ability when she killed an Ability User.
These extracted abilities were stored in the system as “Ability Seeds.” The host could choose to keep them, discard them, or merge them with her existing abilities.
A merged ability would inherit the advantages of both, with power far exceeding that of a single ability.
And the compatibility between “Shadow Stealth” and “Shadow-Hide” was as high as 98.7%, making them almost natural complements.
“Merge.”
【Command confirmed. Merging abilities “Shadow-Hide” and “Shadow Stealth”...】
【Merging... Estimated time: 30 seconds.】
In Su Wan’s consciousness, two Ability Seeds began to slowly draw closer.
One was deep purple, the 【Shadow-Hide】 she had extracted from the Shadow-Stalker Beast.
One was pitch black as ink, the 【Shadow Stealth】 extracted from Butcher.
The moment the two seeds touched, they fused together as naturally as water droplets merging into the sea.
Deep purple and black intertwined, wrapped around each other, and permeated, finally condensing into a brand-new Ability Seed.
The seed was deep violet-black all over, its surface flowing with a dark luster, and its interior seemed to have liquid energy flowing slowly.
【Merge complete! Congratulations to the host for obtaining a new ability: Shadow Stealth - Merged Version.】
【Ability Description—】
【The host can achieve dual concealment of both optics and aura under any lighting conditions (not limited to shadows). Movement is not easily detected by conventional perception.】
【In the active state, the host can remain completely invisible for 15 seconds (consumes mental power, cooldown of 5 seconds). In shadow or dark environments, the duration is extended to 30 seconds, and the cooldown is reduced to 3 seconds.】
【During concealment, the host’s energy fluctuations will be suppressed to an extremely low level, making it impossible for Level 4 and below Ability Users to detect her through conventional perception methods.】
【Please note: After the merge, the concealment effect against Level 5 and above Ability Users will significantly decline.】
Fifteen seconds of complete invisibility, thirty seconds in the shadows.
Undetectable by Level 4 and below.
This ability, whether in the apocalypse or on Blue Star, was enough to make her invincible.
With a slight thought, her form instantly became transparent, like a phantom blending into the air.
Fifteen seconds later, her figure solidified once more.
She was about to end her cultivation when she suddenly felt a strange wave coming from the depths of her consciousness.
It was her mental power core vibrating slightly.
Su Wan’s heart tightened. She immediately focused her mind and sank all her attention into her Sea of Consciousness.
The vibration of the mental power core grew stronger and stronger, like a heartbeat—steady and powerful.
With every pulse, a trace of pure mental power surged from the depths of the core, soaking into every corner of her consciousness.
That mental power was no longer the mist-like form it had been at Level 3, but instead presented a nearly liquid texture—viscous, rich, and containing an energy density far beyond before.
Su Wan guided this mental power, washing over the outer wall of her consciousness core again and again.
Fine cracks began to appear on the outer wall.
Those cracks became more numerous and dense, like a spreading spider web.
Crack—
A crisp sound of shattering echoed deep within her consciousness.
The outer wall of the mental power core shattered, and the fragments slowly melted under the wrap of mental power, merging back into the depths of the core.
A new core emerged from the broken old shell like a butterfly from a cocoon.
The core was a deep silver color, its surface flowing with a faint fluorescence, like a miniature star.
It suspended quietly in the center of her Sea of Consciousness, emitting a soft and steady light.
Su Wan’s consciousness expanded violently at this moment!
She opened her eyes, and a silver light flashed deep within her pupils before vanishing.
【Ding! Detected that the host’s ability “Mental Domination” has advanced from Low-rank to Middle-rank!】
【Ability updates are as follows—】
【1. Consciousness Interference (Enhanced): Can simultaneously perform simple manipulation on multiple targets; manipulation precision and duration for a single target are significantly improved; can perform limited interference on targets with stronger willpower.】
【2. Sensory Enhancement (Advanced): Five senses’ sensitivity and range are further improved; can clearly perceive the emotional fluctuations and malicious intent of living beings within a thousand-meter range.】
【New Ability—Mental Marking: The host can attach a mental power mark to a target, tracking their position and status in real-time within the effective range. The mark can last for several hours to several days (depending on the host’s mental power investment).】
【3. Mental Shock (Enhanced): Condenses mental power to shock a single target’s consciousness, causing brief dizziness, loss of focus, or severe pain. Can cause significant interference to targets of the same level, interrupting their ability operation; still has a slight effect on targets one level higher, causing brief distraction.】
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