Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
For every 5 Patreon memberships I receive, I'll release 15 chapters all at once. Your support means a lot to me.
******
"Make a God-Bestowed Soul Ring myself?"
"No, a true God-Bestowed Soul Ring is definitely beyond my current reach. Is the goal of this task for me to use soul bones as a developmental base? Or are these research notes on soul bones merely supplementary material for reference?"
Su Wen let out a long sigh. The task description was concise and easy to understand, but the difficulty was staggering.
Solving the soul ring crisis—a problem that loomed over the future of the Spirit Master world—was something achieved in later eras, but the technology on the Douluo Continent right now was far too primitive. Taking that leap would be anything but simple.
"Insights into Divine Cultivation?" Su Wen pondered the potential benefits of this reward.
He wasn't a god, so he couldn't directly apply these insights to his own cultivation. However, the way a god cultivates reveals many of their fundamental characteristics. For someone looking to create their own godhood, such information was invaluable.
"I have to take this seriously."
"Besides, if I can truly find a new way to obtain soul rings, it will be a revolution for the entire world. The Academy's status will be unshakable, and the collection of faith will accelerate."
Su Wen didn't linger in the Spirit Battle World. While the heaven and earth essence there was dense and excellent for cultivation, he didn't have the time to spare, nor did he lack ways to close that gap. With his second soul skill, he could already enhance the essence concentration around him at any moment.
As he left the Spirit Battle World, Battle Sky Douluo followed close behind.
"Hehe, see? Even the War God thinks there are benefits to you following me this time," Su Wen teased.
Battle Sky Douluo was still brooding, feeling a distinct sense of disparity between the treatment of different protectors. He shot Su Wen a sharp look.
The Lord War God told me to oversee the Spirit Battle Arenas, not to be your personal bodyguard. And he certainly didn't say following you would be 'beneficial.'
"Don't be in such a hurry. You'll understand when we get there. To be honest, Senior, you actually have a chance at a breakthrough this time."
Though Battle Sky Douluo looked skeptical, he couldn't help but take the claim a bit more seriously. He had been stuck at Rank 96 for a long time; any hope of reaching Rank 97 was something he cared about deeply.
"Let's go."
"That's the direction of the Imperial Palace."
"Exactly. We're going to the palace first. I have something to pick up."
Heaven Dou Imperial Palace
'Xue Qinghe' looked at Su Wen with genuine surprise.
"Xiao Wen, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud is a supreme treasure of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. To call it a national treasure would be an understatement. It will be very difficult to borrow."
Despite the words, her tone suggested that she personally didn't care much about the Shroud. National treasures didn't matter to her; only the empire itself did. The real challenge for Su Wen was dealing with Emperor Xue Ye.
Su Wen had come prepared. "I will provide a certain number of V法册 (Manual of Myriad Laws) as collateral."
The Manual of Myriad Laws?
'Xue Qinghe's' eyes flickered as she calculated the feasibility of using the manuals as leverage. "Xiao Wen, don't say Big Brother Xue didn't warn you. While the manuals are precious, borrowing the Shroud might require a significant amount of them."
Su Wen remained calm, having expected as much.
"Alright then, follow me. I'll take you to see Father."
The Imperial Study
"Su Wen greets Your Majesty," Su Wen said, bowing slightly.
"No need for such formalities, Teacher Wen," Emperor Xue Ye said gravely. "I hear from Qinghe that you require the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud?"
"That is correct."
"May I ask what purpose you have for borrowing my family's treasure?"
"To go to sea," Su Wen answered simply.
"To sea?" Emperor Xue Ye frowned, his gaze deepening as he studied Su Wen. The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud had many miraculous uses, but those were secrets of the imperial family. How did Su Wen know?
Is it Qinghe? He glanced at the Crown Prince, wondering why he would reveal such information to Su Wen.
"The Shroud is our foundation."
"I can pay the imperial family ten pages of one-year-validity Manuals of Myriad Laws as the price."
Emperor Xue Ye frowned, weighing the value of the manuals against the risk of lending out the Shroud. Borrowing implied returning, but the risk of it never coming back had to be considered.
"Ten pages is too few."
Su Wen shook his head. "Your Majesty, ten pages is plenty. Besides, you might not know yet, but the Academic Realm has just released a new cultivation method."
At this, both the Emperor and 'Xue Qinghe' were stunned. While their positions kept them busy with state affairs, they never ignored developments in the Academic Realm. A major new technique would be headline news—which meant Su Wen must have just released it.
"What technique?"
"The Visualization Method," Su Wen stated.
"Visualization?"
"Correct. It is a technique I developed for cultivating mental energy. Even ordinary Spirit Masters who haven't condensed their mental energy yet can use the visualization scrolls to refine their minds and open their Spiritual Sea ahead of time."
Hiss— A mental energy cultivation technique!
The fact that it could be used by those without a mental-attribute soul or pre-existing mental condensation changed everything. Its value far exceeded the internal energy techniques used for soul power.
"But what does this Visualization Method have to do with the Shroud?" 'Xue Qinghe' asked, pulling the conversation back.
Emperor Xue Ye glanced at the prince.
"Your Highness, the Visualization Method is also a 'Law'."
With that hint, the two of them understood. The Manual of Myriad Laws could also assist a Spirit Master in practicing the Visualization Method!
While the manuals helped users quickly master soul power techniques, their role here was even more potent. Guided by the manual's "perfect version" of the technique, a Spirit Master's mental energy would likely condense and form a Spiritual Sea at a rapid pace.
Mental energy cultivation was usually abstract and difficult. Even if Su Wen published the method, how many could actually master it? But the Manual of Myriad Laws removed that barrier. Under its guidance, the Spirit Master's energy would circulate exactly according to the technique's peak efficiency.
One page of the manual, valid for a year, could be shared. If three Spirit Masters split the day into eight-hour shifts, that single page could produce three Spirit Masters with fully opened Spiritual Seas.
The value of a Spirit Master who had opened their Spiritual Sea was self-evident, providing a massive boost to cultivation speed even at low levels.
Emperor Xue Ye took a deep breath. He stopped calculating. The true value, he realized, was Su Wen himself. The release of the Visualization Method proved that the boy was the ultimate source of power.
"Teacher Wen, I shall go and retrieve the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud at once."
(End of Chapter)