Three months later, after Wang Linchi threw away the calamity of Demonic Inheritance·Blood-Dyeing Demonic Knife, his life returned to normal once again.
Although his life was serene, things were far from calm in the outside world. Yan Ming King was wreaking havoc in Lixi Prefecture, and other states were constantly plagued with a multitude of heinous incidents, usually murder cases of the worst kind. Some victims were skinned alive, some had their bones exposed, while others were left with an expression of terror or something eerily strange on their faces when they passed away.
In addition, internet content was heavily censored, and recent news silently shifted towards various entertainment posts or some research on the Soul Forging Method, although it was difficult to gauge their authenticity. Fortunately, these occurrences did not affect Wang Linchi too much. His daily life consisted of working, studying, and selling his ill-gotten goods in the black market to make a profit. However, since he had killed so many people and gained such a notorious reputation, fewer people were willing to risk their lives dealing with him. Googlᴇ search novel{f}ire.net
Today, Wang Linchi was about to make a breakthrough and reach the Black Iron Level.
After investing a lot of resources, he successfully elevated his spiritual power from 110 points to 111 points through The Three-Spirit Formation. Upon completion, he was instantly hit by extreme pain, as if his body had turned into a rapidly inflating balloon. The sensation was so intense that it nearly caused him to lose consciousness. Fortunately, he managed to reach the Black Iron Level just in time, which allowed the surplus spiritual power to flow into the Soul Shadow·Book of Records.
Both the Nine Revolutions Golden Core Soul Forging Skill and the Taoist Embryo and Original Infant Spirit Aspect Secret Technique were activated simultaneously, allowing Wang Linchi’s Golden Core and Nascent Soul to evolve in unison.
"Damn, it’s a good thing I used 111 points of spiritual power for the breakthrough—110 points definitely would not have been enough."
Wang Linchi was panting heavily. As his spirit strengthened his Soul Resemblance, his Physique, Spirit, Soul, and Soul were all enhanced across the board. He had advanced to a whole new level. His deep foundations required a higher amount of spiritual power. The main reason was that his Soul Forging Method and Soul Secret Technique were a perfect match for him, unlike others that he obtained from a Secret Realm. The signature characteristic of his Soul Forging Method and Soul Secret Technique was their incremental growth. They offered great strength at each stage in exchange for slow progress, multiple refinements, and laborious accumulation followed by a breakthrough.
"Success..."
Feeling the emptiness in his mind, Wang Linchi let out a sigh of relief. If he hadn’t had that extra point of spiritual power, his breakthrough would have surely failed.
What’s most important is that my Mental Power Capacity Limit is not 2,000 points.
It’s freaking 10,000 points.
Wang Linchi was astonished. He never expected such a turn of events. It is highly probable that this terrifying change occurred due to that extra point of spiritual power.
As for others aiming for the same thing, they would need to have the Physique of an intermediate Black Iron Level while they are still at the White Porcelain level. However, this is virtually impossible unless they continue to make significant discoveries in the Gigantic Secret Realm. You might have influence, but those in the Gigantic Secret Realm won’t cater to you. They have their influences too. Why should they let you take advantage of the opportunities?
Determining this was relatively simple. When his Golden Core achieved the Black Iron Level effect, the nine veins disappeared and turned back into the basic Golden Core, but with a capacity of 10,000 units of spiritual power. Under normal circumstances, it should have inherited the 1,000-point spiritual power capacity from the previous White Porcelain level Nine Revolutions Golden Core’s effect, plus another 1,000-point capacity from the Mental Strength Breakthrough, totaling a 2,000-point spiritual power capacity, which represents his Mental Power Capacity Limit.
Once I complete ten refinements, the Nine Revolutions Golden Core’s spiritual power capacity could reach up to 100,000 points. Added to my 10,000 points of spiritual power, I will have a total of 110,000 spiritual power. It’s likely that those at the Mithril Level might drop dead instantly if they are hit by a full-force Fanciful and Fickle.
Wang Linchi was taken aback. Indeed, knowledge is power.
The Dajing Court had completely taken the wrong path. However, it was understandable for them to err. Compared to the resources and time consumed in research, leveling up through battles offered equivalent benefits. Naturally, the mainstream choice would not be Wang Linchi’s preferred method, which was exhausting and uncertain.
But this Cultivation seems to be a bit difficult.
He was beginning to doubt whether he had strayed from the standard Awakener level classification, as his Black Iron Level at its peak could command up to 110,000 spiritual power, something not even Yan Ming King could achieve.
The first five revolutions of the Golden Core will probably require a hundred years of Cultivation; should I consider prolonging my life?
Wang Linchi felt a headache. He was only at the Black Iron Level for now, and there were more levels to follow. Given his method of progression, lifespan posed a significant issue.
Forget it. Besides, let me see what the Soul Resemblance and the Soul Secret Technique have evolved into.
After his breakthrough, along with the Nine Revolutions Golden Core, the Taoist Fetus and the Book of Records had also transformed. The Taoist Fetus still resembled an infant cuddling a Nine Revolutions Golden Core. At first glance, there was not much change. However, upon closer inspection, it had become even more tightly integrated with the Book of Records.
Good. According to this trend, once I reach the Mountain Copper Level, I should be able to start developing the External Incarnation.
Ever since Wang Linchi had intimately combined his Soul Resemblance with himself through the Soul Secret Technique—creating a state where they could survive as long as one of them was alive—he had been working on exploiting this "bug." For instance, if his physical body were killed, he could resurrect through the Book of Records. Conversely, if the Book of Records were shattered, he could recover using his spiritual power. The two formed a beneficial cycle, achieving a state of unkillability.
Therefore, once the Taoist Fetus completely integrates with and merges into the Book of Records, it can create an External Incarnation. In other words, it is a high-speed cloning technique. By consuming vast quantities of spiritual power, it could instantaneously produce a brand new body. Wang Linchi could then transfer his Soul, Spirit, etc., into it, achieving an immediate resurrection. Additionally, it could grant Wang Linchi super-healing and high-speed regeneration abilities.
However, all these features would only become available at the Mountain Copper Level. The current Taoist Fetus was still only in the nurturing stage, slightly lacking in development. More crucially, only upon reaching the Mountain Copper Level would the focus shift to strengthening his Physique. At the White Porcelain and Black Iron Levels, spiritual power was the main focus. In fact, the White Porcelain level is just for beginners; only upon stepping into the Black Iron Level can one truly be considered an Awakener.
The Black Iron Level does offer some Physique strengthening, but not much, as focus is often diverted by the Soul Secret Technique. After all, enhancing the Soul Secret Technique is far more beneficial than improving Physique. Furthermore, at the Black Iron Level, the Soul Forging Method also augments Physique development.
Wait a minute, it seems like my Physique has reached the Black Iron Level’s limit? Wang Linchi suddenly realized.
Previously, when he received the Arhat’s Blessing, his Physique had already reached the Black Iron Level. Later, the combined effects of his Soul Forging Method, the boost from his Soul Secret Technique, and the feedback from his Mental Strength Breakthrough exceeding the 111-point human limit, directly pushed his Physique—an aspect not heavily emphasized at the Black Iron Level—to its maximum for that stage.
If I break through to the Mountain Copper Level using the same method I used to advance from the White Porcelain level to the Black Iron Level, does that mean I’ll have to find a way to advance my Physique to the Mountain Copper Level beforehand? Otherwise, I won’t be able to achieve the new effects?
Oh, I’ll think about that later. Considering the Dajing Court’s current situation, Dajing might be destroyed before I even make it halfway through this progression.
Wang Linchi quickly dismissed the thought. He would consider this far-reaching issue later.
Then he proceeded to open the Soul Shadow·Book of Records.
The good news was that the ability had indeed evolved after the ’Taoist Embryo and Original Infant Spirit Aspect Secret Technique’ reached Fulfillment in the White Porcelain level phase. The bad news was that it was still useless.
Previously, the memory images formed by his Book of Records were static pictures. Now, they had transformed into videos, complete with dynamic movement and sound, and could be played repeatedly. In this aspect, it was an extraordinary leap in quality. However, it was still pointless. As for using it to record things like the Rhyme of the Dao, Rule, or Sword Intent, perhaps it would work after further evolution in the future. But for now, it was essentially just a video recorded from his memory, not directly recording external events. Otherwise, Wang Linchi would not have been so unsatisfied.
Of course, creating a Page of Memory still required a permanent decrease in his Mental Power Capacity Limit, and the spiritual power cost had surged from the original minimum of 10 points to 100 points, clearly keeping pace with his advancements. Luckily, Wang Linchi had the Nine Revolutions Golden Core; otherwise, he genuinely might not have been able to afford the cost.
It’s not without its uses, just not very substantial. At this stage, it’s far from comparable to my Thought Hall’s Mirrored Reflection of Thoughts Ability.
The ability itself falls short, but there has been a substantial breakthrough regarding the Soul Seed Page. The Book of Records now allows me to craft another Soul Seed Page. Furthermore, because the recording evolved from pictures to videos, the Soul Seed Page—which mutated from the Page of Memory—has transformed from a planar form to a three-dimensional one.
This allows the Soul Seed Page to be further optimized and enhanced.
Although the Book of Records could not directly make Wang Linchi stronger, he could use his own knowledge to modify it, indirectly boosting his strength.