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*****
"Yes, it is much like what you've imagined. I can hand over both the methods and the underlying principles to the Hallowed Vast Palace, but implementing them requires my direct cooperation," Su Wen explained simply.
Shangguan Tianyue breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, there were limitations. Yet, these limitations were potentially fatal to the deal's autonomy. It can only be achieved with Su Wen's cooperation?
"The Hallowed Vast Palace must have conducted its own research in this area, correct?" Su Wen asked.
The core heritage of the Hallowed Vast Palace's direct line—the Shangguan clan—centered on the Hallowed Infinite Set. This was a Consolidated Equipment set consisting of eleven pieces, the absolute pinnacle of such sets on the continent. In this regard, the heritage sets of the other four Great Holy Lands could not compare; the Hallowed Infinite Set was widely revered as a "God Set."
The key to inheriting this set, and the cultivation techniques designed to support it, lay with the lineage of the Palace Master. To qualify for the scrolls and the successful consolidation of the set, one primary condition had to be met: the possession of the Alexandrite Cat's Eye.
The Alexandrite Cat's Eye was the ticket to mastering the Hallowed Infinite Set. This was precisely why the Hallowed Vast Palace possessed the most comprehensive collection of cultivation techniques on the mainland. Because the core members of the Palace Master's line were all Alexandrite Cat's Eye possessors, they commanded a staggering array of attributes and required an equally vast library of techniques for reference. Unlike the Passion Valley, which only needed Time-attribute techniques, or the Snow Spirit Mountain, which focused solely on Holy and Spiritual attributes, the Hallowed Vast Palace needed everything.
The Shangguan lineage lacked the Holy attribute, yet they remained at the peak of the continent, often surpassing the other Holy Lands to claim the number one spot. Aside from the fact that their Palace Master couldn't quite defeat the continent's strongest expert, Xue Aotian, they suppressed the other four Holy Lands in nearly every other metric.
However, this heritage demanded Heavenly Jewel Masters with the Alexandrite Cat's Eye, which placed extreme pressure on the talent of their descendants. While the Shangguan family was naturally gifted, they couldn't guarantee an Alexandrite Cat's Eye in every generation.
In Shangguan Tianyue's generation, two such geniuses had appeared. But in the next generation—Shangguan Bing'er's generation—only Shangguan Xue'er possessed the trait. Historically, this was actually a "lucky" period. There had been many generations where no Alexandrite Cat's Eye was born at all. In those cases, the previous Palace Master would have to hold their position for several generations, waiting for a suitable heir.
Given that Heavenly Emperor-level experts enjoyed significantly longer lifespans than ordinary people, the lineage barely managed to survive through these gaps. For someone like Shangguan Tianyang, the current situation was a luxury; he had a brother to share the burden and a niece ready to succeed him.
Consequently, the attributes of Elemental Jewels had always been the Hallowed Vast Palace's obsession. They hadn't just thought about expanding attributes; they had researched it exhaustively for centuries. Unfortunately, they had never produced a single viable result.
Faced with Su Wen's inquiry, Shangguan Tianyue nodded helplessly. The Hallowed Vast Palace indeed had extensive research on the matter. Although the intensity of that research had waned in recent decades because the immediate succession wasn't in crisis, the problem remained looming on the horizon. Once Shangguan Xue'er's generation failed to produce a multi-attribute heir, the research would undoubtedly become a frantic priority once more.
Even if that research served as little more than psychological comfort—knowing that a breakthrough was statistically impossible—it had to continue. What if they got lucky? Accumulation always had some value.
"Actually, my method of attribute expansion likely overlaps with some of the hypotheses proposed by your internal researchers," Su Wen remarked.
Su Wen wasn't claiming to have reinvented the wheel. There were only so many theoretical pathways to expanding Jewel attributes. With the sheer scale of the Hallowed Vast Palace's resources, it was impossible for them not to have proposed the basic theories.
Shangguan Tianyue considered this and found it reasonable. It also explained why Su Wen's cooperation was necessary; if a universal, easy method existed, the Hallowed Vast Palace would have found it long ago. It had to be that Su Wen possessed a unique capability that allowed him to bridge the gap between theory and reality.
"I have three distinct methods," Su Wen said, holding up three fingers.
Shangguan Tianyue's pupils constricted, his breathing becoming ragged. Three! By the heavens... three?!
"The first method," Su Wen began, "involves tempering a child's body before their Heavenly Jewels awaken. By artificially altering the body's affinity for various elements to a precise, balanced ratio, one can ensure an awakening that contains up to four Lower-tier attributes."
This was the easiest to implement, but it was limited to the four basic elements. In the mechanics of awakening, different tiers of attributes occupied different "proportions" of potential. High-tier attributes like Darkness had much higher requirements and tended to "crush" Lower-tier affinities. If a child had a slight over-affinity for Darkness, it would completely suppress a high affinity for Wind, resulting in a single-attribute awakening.
This was why High-tier Jewel Masters almost always possessed only one attribute. The most common form of the Alexandrite Cat's Eye was the combination of Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind—exactly what Shangguan Tianyang, Tianyue, and Xue'er possessed.
While this method solved the long-term succession problem for the Palace, it wasn't particularly useful for the people already living.
"And the other two?" Shangguan Tianyue pressed eagerly.
Su Wen continued without hesitation. "The second method: After the Jewels have awakened, use elemental tempering on the body, abolish the current Heavenly Energy cultivation, and trigger a re-awakening."
Shangguan Tianyue's eye twitched. This second method sounded suspiciously like a violent way to force a person back into the "pre-awakening" state of the first method. If you haven't awakened, adjust affinity first. If you have, wipe the slate clean and try again.
However, he quickly realized the brilliance of it. Abolishing cultivation and successfully re-awakening was a feat the Hallowed Vast Mainland had never mastered. If the first and second methods were combined, they could virtually guarantee that any descendant would have three to four attributes.
"And the third?" Shangguan Tianyue asked, his voice nearly a whisper.
"The third method," Su Wen said calmly, "does not require the abolition of cultivation. One cultivates skills corresponding to different elements, returns to the source of power, and forcibly reverses and expands the attributes of the already-awakened Heavenly Jewels."
Sweat began to bead on Shangguan Tianyue's forehead.
This... this covered every possible scenario a Jewel Master could face.
Haven't awakened yet? Use the first method.
Already awakened? Can you accept starting over? If yes, use the second.
Can't accept losing your power? Use the third.
It was outrageous. Simply preposterous! What kind of person could develop a system that mastered all three?
(End of Chapter)