There was nothing else in the room except the Transcendent Job Change materials. Jiang Kai didn't hold back—he reached out to take them.
Just then, that male voice sounded again.
[If you choose the current item, you will immediately leave the Temple of Destiny.]
Jiang Kai's outstretched hand instantly pulled back.
Although he was eager to obtain the Destiny Tier 5 materials, the room next door still had the Eerie materials!
Thinking of that, Jiang Kai forcefully suppressed the impulse to grab everything on the table, left this room for the time being, and headed for the room on the right.
The moment he stepped inside, a chilling aura rushed toward him.
The light was dim, the temperature noticeably lower, and faint, indistinct growls echoed around his ears. He couldn't tell which kind of beast they came from—it sent a faint shiver of fear through his chest.
Fortunately, it was only sound; there was no sign of an actual beast.
In front of Jiang Kai was another long table, with an identical wooden box placed on top. Inside lay a red potion vial and a single card.
In addition, beneath the vial, there was a piece of paper inlaid with black patterns, the surface inscribed with the words "Soul Transaction."
Jiang Kai first used his Identification Card. The result was clear:
[Destiny Eerie Tier 5 Job Change Material (Physical Component).]
Then, he read the words written on the card.
[All beings are greedy; the strong always seek to become stronger!]
[Sign a Soul Transaction Contract. Sell part of your soul—the greater the portion you sell, the greater the power you will gain.]
[If you choose to sell your entire soul, you will gain power far beyond that of ordinary humans!]
When Jiang Kai read this, his eyelids twitched.
He had previously deprived the Evil Flame and the Tyrant of their "Soul Transaction Values." So this was what "Soul Transaction Value" meant!
No wonder the Eerie professions possessed power stronger than the Transcendents—they gained extra abilities by selling their souls!
"Eerie professions really sold their own souls?" Jiang Kai muttered in shock. "But… who did they sell them to?"
He narrowed his eyes at the items on the table.
To be honest, to say he wasn't tempted at all would be a lie.
A Tier 5 Transcendent and a Tier 5 Eerie—between the two, the latter had a second form and was far stronger.
And think about it: if the Soul Transaction worked by proportion, then even selling just a small portion of the soul in exchange for a second form didn't seem like a bad deal.
The Evil Flame, the Tyrant, and that Heart-Eater woman—judging from their behavior, none of them seemed completely lost or insane.
At a glance, they didn't seem that different from normal people. They were just stronger than Transcendents of the same rank.
Jiang Kai himself already had huge stat advantages. If he switched to an Eerie profession, his strength might soar even higher.
Without strength, how could he protect the people he cared about?
As Jiang Kai wrestled with his thoughts, he suddenly remembered—there was still one more room he hadn't entered.
Realizing that, he finally tore himself away from the temptation to grab the Eerie Job Change material and turned back.
The third room—the man hadn't mentioned it. But it was located right between the Transcendent and Eerie rooms.
Jiang Kai took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
The moment he stepped in, he froze.
Because inside the room, there was a person sitting there.
Jiang Kai instantly gripped Pursuer, his weapon, and shouted, "Who are you?"
However, the person didn't respond—just sat motionless.
Jiang Kai frowned, cautiously moving closer.
The lighting in the room was strange—his half was bright, but the half where that person sat was shrouded in deep shadow.
Jiang Kai had to get closer to see clearly.
When he finally did, he realized—the person sitting there wasn't a man at all, but a rotting corpse.
It had a human shape, but the flesh was dried and shriveled, making it almost impossible to tell what he had once looked like.
"Someone actually died here?" Jiang Kai's heart tightened. "Was it a player or someone from Ghoststar? If it's a player, why didn't he log out?"
Just then, the corpse began to emit a faint light, and the familiar male voice spoke again.
[So, you've finally come. Don't be nervous—I'm already dead. This is only my lingering consciousness. I was the one guiding you.]
Jiang Kai's eyes widened. "You—you're… what are you? A player?"
[Once, yes. But now… as you can see, I've become part of Ghoststar—left here forever.]
"That's impossible!"
[What's impossible? If all the login gates in your world disappeared one day, do you think you'd be any different from me?]
Jiang Kai gasped sharply. That simple question—he had never thought of it before.
Not just him—even the experts on Earth probably hadn't thought of it.
After all, up till now, only new login gates had appeared; none had ever vanished.
[I won't explain too much. I don't want to burden you.]
[Do you know what's on that table?]
Only then did Jiang Kai notice the table in front of the man. A wooden box sat there too, but it had no lid. Inside was a transparent, colorless potion vial.
"This… what is this?"
The man didn't answer directly. He just started speaking to himself.
[Your profession is the same as mine once was. We both used the Destiny Job Change materials, yet became gamblers. From Gambler to Trickster, from Trickster to Fate Jester, and finally to the Madman—that was the journey through the four Mortal Tiers.]
[After that, I chose to become a Transcendent. The power of the Eerie was tempting, but I refused to sell my soul. Even losing a small piece of it—whether evil, greed, or selfishness—would mean I was no longer whole.]
Jiang Kai nodded slightly. He had thought the same thing earlier when facing the Eerie materials.
[However, even after becoming a Transcendent, I still couldn't change my fate.]
[Transcendent or Eerie—it's just two ends of the same destiny. No matter which you choose, you cannot escape the invisible hand of fate.]
[So when I gained enough power, after countless hardships, I finally found this material. Oh, and when I say power, I mean power you can't yet comprehend—which should tell you how hard this was to obtain.]
"You reached a class beyond Transcendence?"
[Heh, in terms you can understand—yes. But when you reach that level yourself, you'll see how naive your understanding is today.]
"Then… what kind of class was it?"
[You don't need to know yet. You're not ready. You couldn't handle that much information.]
"Then… what material is this?"
[I call it… the Gambler Tier 5 Job Change Material.]
Jiang Kai's face went blank. That name really didn't match the grand speech he'd just heard about how hard it was to obtain.
"Uh… senior, what's the effect of this material? Has anyone used it before? Also, are the future materials easy to find…" Jiang Kai fired off several questions at once.
[I can't answer that. No one has ever used this kind of material. I call it that because—if you don't dare to gamble, how will you protect your world? If you don't dare to gamble, how will you fight them?]
[But I can tell you one thing clearly—once you use this material, your path will become far more difficult.]
[Of course, I'm only giving you another choice. Among these three materials, you may choose any one.]
After listening to all that, Jiang Kai suddenly snapped back to his senses.
You've got to be kidding me!
He immediately pulled out his Identification Card and used it on the material.
But when he saw the result, his face darkened.
[Heaven's Retribution Tier 5 Job Change Material (Physical Component).]
"Heaven's Retribution? Don't tell me using it will literally bring divine punishment!"
[You, you already know?] the voice said awkwardly.