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*****
Shangguan Tianyang and his companions were no fools; their intellects were far from ordinary. Backed by generations of research data from the Boundless Palace, the two brothers possessed a profound theoretical understanding of attribute expansion.
By analyzing the anomaly of Zhou Weiqing, they had actually begun to form a conceptual framework—a prototype method for awakening more attributes in a Heavenly Jewel by adjusting attribute affinity beforehand. However, the conclusion drawn from numerous cases within the Boundless Palace remained frustrating: even after pre-adjusting a person's elemental affinity, the results of the Jewel Awakening were often unsatisfactory.
The obstacle was unavoidable. Even if the attributes were finely tuned, once the Heavenly Energy broke through to the fourth level of the Heavenly Energy stage, the body's elemental balance would be thrown into chaos by the sheer force of the breakthrough. This was dictated by the individual's original genetic makeup; the physical reaction to the various elements in the atmosphere would shift as the Heavenly Energy evolved.
The artificially altered affinity simply couldn't keep pace with the breakthrough, leading to an awakened Jewel with attributes that didn't match the expectation. Even if one tried to "over-correct" the affinity in advance, the "degree" of that correction was impossible to pin down. Theoretically, it was a variable that couldn't be calculated—it was pure luck.
Because every person's innate constitution reacted differently to the fourth-level breakthrough, there was no way to run large-scale experiments to find a universal ratio for over-correction. Without an exact ratio, every attempt was a gamble. To see even one successful case, you would need an enormous foundation of subjects. Across the entire continent, perhaps only one or two such success stories might occur naturally.
But the Boundless Palace hadn't developed this research just to produce a random Alexandrite Cat's Eye master; they wanted to ensure their own descendants could awaken such power. Their family genes were already powerful, and the rate of natural Alexandrite Cat's Eye awakening was relatively high. If an artificial method had a success rate of less than twenty percent, it was actually inferior to letting nature take its course.
"Zhou Weiqing fused with the Life Core of a Heavenly Beast that was at least at the Heavenly Emperor level. With that Core maintaining his internal state, his attributes remained in a constant state of balance. During his awakening, he naturally inherited all the attributes associated with that beast."
This was the critical factor in Zhou Weiqing's awakening.
"Therefore, if we can use this model as a reference and find a way to maintain attribute balance to offset the changes brought by Heavenly Energy breakthroughs, we have a chance!"
The Life Core of a Heavenly Beast was one path, but could it be achieved through other natural treasures?
"Natural treasures are unreliable," they concluded. While a treasure might possess multiple attributes, the ratio between those attributes was fixed and rarely aligned with the precise proportions required for a multi-attribute Elemental Jewel. As for using multiple single-attribute treasures in tandem... that was beyond extravagant. The coordination required—matching the intensity of each treasure while considering the physical compatibility with the user—was absurd. The difficulty was actually higher than just hunting a beast.
"Sigh, finding a four-attribute Heavenly Beast is hard enough. Finding one at the Heavenly Emperor level is nearly impossible."
In the entire continent, beasts of that caliber were almost exclusively found on Snow God Mountain. And Snow God Mountain's power...
The Boundless Palace didn't fear conflict, but they didn't provoke it without reason. To hunt a Heavenly Emperor-level powerhouse from Snow God Mountain just to secure a Cat's Eye awakening for a junior would be to invite a blood feud that would never end. Even if that junior was the hope of the lineage, it wasn't worth the cost. It was better to wait a few generations for a natural awakening.
"I wonder what method that Su Wen has mastered to maintain the balance of multiple attributes..." Shangguan Tianyue sighed.
Shangguan Tianyang's eyes flickered with thought. He was considering whether to find Su Wen and renegotiate the details of the trade. Just the recorded pages weren't enough. With those alone, the Boundless Palace might not produce results even within ten years. To let pride stand in the way of such a massive benefit was irrational.
"Come. Take me to visit this Su Wen."
Su Wen had just returned from the Skill Storing Palace when he encountered the Shangguan brothers outside his villa.
"Second Palace Master? And this must be the Palace Master of the Boundless Palace?" Su Wen was quite surprised.
"Indeed," Shangguan Tianyang nodded, cupping his hands. "You have come to my Boundless Palace, yet I failed to welcome you properly."
"No matter," Su Wen waved it off. He didn't care about such formalities. "So, what brings you here?"
Is the verdict on the trade in? he wondered. Since Shangguan Tianyue hadn't returned alone but had brought the "Big Boss" with him, the original terms were clearly being reconsidered. Were they placing more importance on him, or were they having second thoughts?
"Sir, we wish to know if the attribute expansion method you mentioned consists only of those recorded pages used for modifying physical attributes?"
"Naturally not," Su Wen said calmly. His mind raced as he guessed Shangguan Tianyang's purpose. Tch, they regret it. However, they didn't regret the trade itself; they regretted their own arrogance. Since Su Wen had originally intended to trade the complete method anyway, he wasn't planning on price-gouging them. Instead, he saw an opportunity to make a different kind of request.
"Sir, my brother was overconfident and lacked sufficient knowledge of the Palace's internal research earlier. During your initial talk, he only requested the recorded pages," Shangguan Tianyang spoke with a hint of embarrassment. Even with his deep-rooted composure, this was an awkward admission.
"So, the Palace Master now wants my complete expansion method?"
"Precisely. We hope you will allow us to amend the terms of our agreement."
Su Wen pondered for a moment, then nodded. The Shangguan brothers were overjoyed. He's this easy to talk to?
"The terms can certainly be amended. However, the reason I initially agreed to trade so many pages—one hundred of each attribute and skill—was because I accounted for the Boundless Palace needing them for research. Now that you want the complete set of techniques, the quotas must naturally be adjusted."
One hundred pages per skill, if used perfectly, could theoretically produce several Alexandrite Cat's Eye practitioners. But it meant Su Wen would be providing a massive surplus.
Shangguan Tianyang looked conflicted. Su Wen's logic was sound, but more pages meant more benefits for future generations of the Shangguan family.
"Sir, the Boundless Palace is willing to provide additional resources to make up the difference. We hope to keep the original quota of recorded pages."
Su Wen was unexpectedly cooperative, nodding immediately to indicate it was negotiable. But before the brothers could celebrate, Su Wen's next words made their expressions change drastically.
"Very well. I wish to establish a power of my own, and I hope to receive the full support of the Boundless Palace."
(End of Chapter)