"Let's try fusing it again. This Malignance effect is too disgusting, I need to find a way to remove it... otherwise I'll be stuck with this effect forever."

As Xu Lang's thoughts turned, he fused the Tale Demon Box with another Tale Curio.

[Malignance Demon Box]

[Type: Tale Curio]

[Grade: EX]

[Rarity: EX]

[Effect 1 (Malignance): Curses the holder and anyone who sees the box]

[Effect 2 (Demon Box Tale): Enter the Tale World to subdue the 'Demon Box' tale]

[Effect 3 (Devour): Devours tales]

[Description: A Tale Curio that seals three segments of a tale. Extremely dangerous. Do not approach.]

Xu Lang's expression became extremely unpleasant.

While the two tales were fusing just now, he had been trying to remove the Malignance attribute from the Tale Demon Box, but he had failed.

Moreover, the Tale Demon Box had become even more powerful!

The Tale Demon Box floated in the air, luxurious and mysterious. Its palm-sized body cracked open a mouth-like slit, as if issuing a mocking laugh.

The longer Xu Lang stared at the Tale Demon Box, the stronger the feeling of being cursed became. He was already contaminated by a meme, and as the contamination deepened, perhaps one day he would be killed by the box.

"Damn it, I really did play myself into trouble!"

Pure hand-jerkiness!

Xu Lang hadn't expected that fusing two tales would produce such a filthy thing.

Taking a deep breath, he cleared the Tale Demon Box from the dream, actually storing it in his backpack. He then immediately began fusing skills for the four women: Cao Yaxuan, Wang Yazhi, Xu Ruyan, and Sherry.

Having gained 20 Free Attribute points, all four women had reached the threshold for an attribute breakthrough.

Subsequently, he entered a Simulation dream to simulate the four women's attribute breakthroughs.

Cao Yaxuan and Sherry had Spirit attribute breakthroughs, Xu Ruyan had a Constitution attribute breakthrough, and Wang Yazhi had a dual-attribute breakthrough.

In the simulation, everyone encountered the Mad King Trial, which greatly satisfied Xu Lang.

What slightly surprised him was Wang Yazhi.

Although Wang Yazhi had a dual-attribute breakthrough, only her Constitution attribute had the Mad King Trial. Her Spirit attribute trial was just cleared normally.

To undergo the Mad King Trial, one needed "qualification."

Not appearing for the Mad King Trial meant not being recognized.

"Is the Mad King Trial's prestige really that high?"

Xu Lang almost laughed thinking about how Raphael was slashed apart by him in three strikes.

...

A night passed.

Today was the second day of the rest period.

[Base Nightmare Coins 1280, Conversion Rate 3368%, Eight-hour production: 43110 Nightmare Coins. 'Concubine Quarters' provides additional 1030% Conversion Rate, Four-hour production: 6592 Nightmare Coins. Total: 50982 Nightmare Coins]

[Total Nightmare Coins: 405760]

The first thing Xu Lang did upon waking was check his gains. His Nightmare Coins had unknowingly surged to over four hundred thousand.

It seemed one million wasn't too far off.

After waking up, Xu Lang leaned back against the headboard and opened the chat room.

The chat room was very lively at the moment.

Everyone was discussing the Twilight Building. Tomorrow, the Twilight Building would connect with the Mad King Building to form a community.

In the private messages, Li Shuwen and the others were also asking him when he would go Pioneering.

These Floor Leaders all wanted to become a bit stronger before the community was established, lest they be swallowed up without a trace, especially after witnessing Xu Lang's duel with the Taleblade Building player. This sense of crisis had grown even stronger.

Xu Lang had happily won the match, but he didn't know how terrified the other Mad King Building players had been watching. It felt like they were ants standing before a natural disaster.

Information about the Twilight Building was already spreading everywhere in the chat room. It was highly likely to be a twenty-cycle old dormitory building!

In the eyes of Mad King Building players, twenty-cycle players were top-tier powerhouses.

"Xu Lang, how many cycles is Song Fei?" Cao Yaxuan was also looking at the chat room, mumbling as she lay in Xu Lang's arms.

"Over thirty cycles," Xu Lang replied.

Instantly, several girls all sat bolt upright, looking at Xu Lang in disbelief.

"H-h-h-how many cycles?!" Zhen Lu stammered.

"Player strength can't be judged solely by playtime; you have to look at the quality of play," Xu Lang shrugged.

In the past, to earn living expenses, Xu Lang had grinded in online games. A whale player, after just one day, could block the entrance of another guild and slaughter everyone.

Sometimes, quality is more important than duration.

"But that's still thirty cycles!" Zhen Lu exclaimed, her small face under her silver-white short hair flushing slightly with excitement. "Even if you only get ten Free Attribute points per game, that's a total of three hundred attributes!"

Three hundred attribute points... Actually, my total attributes have already surpassed seven hundred. Including yesterday's boost from the Golden Core Technique, it's seven hundred and eight points.

Speaking of the Golden Core Technique, Xu Lang had really wanted to upgrade it several times.

But currently, only the Brain Domain Divine Treasures remained unopened. Opening them would grant him the Immortal's Body. He genuinely felt reluctant.

Xu Lang resisted and still didn't reveal how many attributes he had.

Saying it out loud would be too discouraging.

Cao Yaxuan and the others were just kids who had barely broken through their first limit. They couldn't handle that kind of blow.

After chatting for a while, everyone got out of bed to eat.

Tong Qi's first task after getting up was to feed the Guardian Spirits, while Zhen Lu went to the cultivation plot to check on the changes in the seeds.

The cultivation plot had already been put to use.

Half was planted with crops focused on satiety, the other half with special plants that could boost attributes.

The remaining people started cooking.

Although everyone had different personalities, they shared one common trait: none of them were lazy.

Teachers liked to say, "When you feel tired, go to the hospital and the vegetable market, look at..." In the past, this was toxic positivity, but placed in the current context, the effect was truly immediate.

Although Mad King Building players had risen above the poverty line and didn't have to worry about food, they still worked like worker ants every day, leaving early and returning late, busy without a moment's rest, with an average sleep duration of no more than seven hours.

Just thinking about the current situation of these Bottom-tier Players made Cao Yaxuan and the others unable to be lazy.

They ate well, dressed well, and worked diligently.

The women were all very active in Pioneering, even though Xu Lang didn't encourage them to do so.

During the meal, Xu Lang handed the fused skills to the four women: Cao Yaxuan, Wang Yazhi, Sherry, and Xu Ruyan.

The women happily accepted them, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

They were all Legendary-level skills!!!

This surprise was too great. Sherry directly straddled Xu Lang's lap, her face beaming with smiles, but then she noticed something strange.

"Lang, what's wrong with your eyes?" Sherry stared intently at Xu Lang's eyes, frowning as she asked.

Seeing Sherry's expression, Xu Lang knew it wasn't a good sign. He quickly took out a mirror.

In the mirror, he saw a faint shadow within his own eyes. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be the shape of a box!

Moreover, the box's opening already had a thin crack, as if it was opening on its own. The mocking aura grew stronger and stronger as Xu Lang focused his gaze.

Bang!

Distracted, Xu Lang crushed the small mirror in his hand and tightly closed his eyes. His mood was anything but calm.

He had still underestimated tales!