"Thank goodness I’m at the Black Iron Level now. Otherwise, with this workload, I’m afraid I might die from overwork..." Wang Linchi said, sporting dark circles under his eyes and looking completely drained. Content originally comes from novel✶fire.net
The primary reason was his overwhelming schedule after breaking through to the Black Iron Level. He was so busy that during the day, while supposedly at his regular job, he was constantly running calculations and theories in his mind. Then, at night, he would conduct experiments to verify these daytime deductions.
He needed to perfect and optimize the Black Iron Level versions of the "Nine Revolutions Golden Core Soul Forging Skill" and the "Taoist Embryo and Original Infant Spirit Aspect Secret Technique." After all, while the White Porcelain level techniques were still usable at the Black Iron Level, their effects were far too poor. For instance, an effect that might have previously granted 100 experience points would now only yield 1 point. Moreover, the upgrade cap had also changed, causing efficiency to plummet drastically.
Secondly, he further enhanced the Soul Seed Page: Fanciful and Fickle, evolving it from a single-target effect to an area-of-effect. Upon detonation, it wouldn’t just harm a single individual but would inflict damage and negative effects within a ten-meter radius centered on the person hit. However, Wang Linchi could control whether it was a ranged explosion or a single-target effect, so there was no concern about being unable to switch back to single-target damage after making it ranged. This was thanks to the evolution of the Book of Records, where the Pages of Memory had changed from displaying images to playing videos. Subsequently, if it continued to upgrade, the Soul Seed Page, which was a variant of the Page of Memory, would naturally improve as well, allowing him to add even more effects.
Next was the modification of his second Soul Seed Page, which Wang Linchi decided to develop into a storage space.
[Soul Seed Page·Storage Space (Epic Level)]
[Page Space: Possesses a storage space whose size is determined by the user’s Mental Power Capacity Limit]
[Strengthen Hiding: Creates a concealment effect around the storage space to prevent discovery by others.]
[Strengthen Structure: Enhances the structural strength and stability of the storage space.]
[Strengthen Locking: Locks the storage space, making it inaccessible to or inviolable by others.]
[Strengthening Protection: Reinforces the defensive layer of the storage space, enabling it to resist the influence of the external environment.]
This was his second Soul Seed Page. It currently offered one hundred cubic meters of space, and Wang Linchi had already transferred all his belongings into the Soul Seed Page: Storage Space. His requirements for this Soul Seed Page were simple: safety and size. He couldn’t do much about safety beyond making modifications. Size, however, was simpler; it just needed to be linked to his spiritual power. As long as his spiritual power continued to grow, the storage space could continue to expand. Wang Linchi wasn’t too concerned about other aspects; it was primarily for storing items. As for any fancy maneuvers like using the storage space to dismember enemies, Wang Linchi had no such requirements. The reason was, naturally, that this was a Soul Seed Page, not a Soul Seed itself, and thus lacked the special effects inherent to Soul Seeds. For example, it could only accept items that offered no resistance. Yes, living beings could also enter this storage space. The downside was the lack of oxygen and any other sustenance within; thus, anything entering would die unless it brought its own oxygen supply. Furthermore, unlike most storage spaces that could place items in stasis, his storage space did not yet possess this ability; it would require future development. He hadn’t arranged for this capability yet because it wasn’t necessary at the moment.
Fragile Natural Treasures could be stored in the Storage Soul Device given by Yan Ming King. That Soul Device was well-hidden and boasted a large capacity. As for his true valuables, such as Soul Seeds, books, and materials, those could be placed into the Soul Seed Page: Storage Space. Besides, the Legendary Level Soul Seed upgrade was already in progress and would be ready for the next enhancement. Compared to the safety of experimental materials like Soul Seeds, Wang Linchi wasn’t overly concerned about Natural Treasures. Most of the Natural Treasures he possessed were primarily for auxiliary spiritual power enhancement. However, his physique had already reached the peak of the Black Iron Level, so he wouldn’t have to worry about bottlenecks at least until his spiritual power reached a thousand points.
His Soul Forging Method and Soul Secret Technique cultivation was progressing normally. For Wang Linchi, the most pressing tasks now were to complete the Soul Seed Energy Diversion technology project and the Soul Seed advancement to Legendary Level project. Once these were completed, not only would he possess four Legendary Level Soul Seeds, but his two Soul Seed Pages would also gain two additional effect entries each. This was the fastest way to increase his strength. After all, with his current eleven thousand, one hundred and eleven points of spiritual power, he wasn’t exactly lacking in it. Ten thousand points of this spiritual power originated from his Golden Core, which was currently a blank slate as he had not yet re-cultivated it. The remaining one hundred and eleven points were what Wang Linchi had gained inherently upon his breakthrough.
Actually, Wang Linchi had two other projects: Soul Resemblance potential enhancement and Soul Resemblance ability modification. However, he had essentially shelved both of these. The former project was exceedingly difficult. To even begin, he would have to wait until he upgraded his Soul Seed to the Mythology level, the highest possible grade. He had likely given up on the latter because the abilities of his Book of Records could evolve through the Soul Secret Technique. He would only opt to start this project if the Book of Records still hadn’t evolved the functions he desired after the next upgrade, or perhaps even the one after that. After all, the returns from this project weren’t particularly significant. Wang Linchi’s strength had never relied on the abilities of his Soul Resemblance, but rather on the power he himself derived from knowledge. This resulted in Wang Linchi’s distinct lack of interest. Unless some unforeseen opportunity arose, he wouldn’t bother pursuing it.
"I need to get some sleep, or I’ll really drop dead from exhaustion." Wang Linchi yawned. Ignoring his grimy state, he grabbed a blanket, covered himself, and fell asleep right away.
He fell asleep soundly, a deep slumber that lasted for what felt like an age, as he hadn’t rested so peacefully in a very long time.
However, around dawn, certain disturbances woke Wang Linchi. He groggily sat up, only to see the sky, which should have been dark, now suffused with a blinding white light. In an instant, he was wide awake.
"Damn it, someone’s fighting outside the city!" Wang Linchi exclaimed as he watched the white light spread, only to be blocked by an invisible barrier surrounding the city.
Every city had a protective barrier, though their strengths varied. The protective barrier Qinghe City once possessed was naturally insignificant. However, the current protective barrier of Lixi Prefecture was a formidable one, capable of withstanding a hundred full-powered attacks from a Morning Star level expert before any cracks would appear. Therefore, while inside the city, one generally didn’t need to worry about the shockwaves from battles outside causing a total wipeout.
"They must be at least Elite Gold Level. How come Elite Gold Level experts are so common in Lixi Prefecture...?" Wang Linchi muttered as he watched the white light gradually subside.
Such a huge commotion would have definitely attracted the immediate attention of the government, which would have dispatched personnel to investigate.
"I’ll bet five coppers this has something to do with Yan Ming King." Seeing this, Wang Linchi naturally went back to sleep. After all, they couldn’t break Lixi Prefecture’s protective barrier, so there was no need to worry excessively. At most, it was just a little noisy.
He then slept until broad daylight. When he looked outside, the pedestrians on the streets all seemed to be in a hurry. He checked the news on his phone but found no related reports. No matter, he could inquire at the office; perhaps the people there would know something.
He went to the Soul Seed Bureau’s cafeteria for breakfast early in the morning, not because he was too stingy to pay for breakfast elsewhere, but because the food there was exceptionally good. After all, it was a key department under the Court, so the quality of the food was naturally guaranteed.
After eating, he headed into the office, where quite a few people were already chatting over tea. Wang Linchi arrived a bit late. They had already begun discussing the events of the previous night. This was because he had eaten in the cafeteria, while others had brought their breakfast to the office, arriving earlier than him. Settling down, he listened quietly to their idle chatter.
Previously, the office atmosphere had been somewhat tense, with everyone fearing they might be drafted by the Court as cannon fodder. However, as time passed and the Court made no such moves, everyone gradually reverted to their usual dispositions.
"I heard," Guo Xi suddenly dropped a bombshell, "that last night, the Rebel Army was preparing to attack Lixi Prefecture..."
Previously, everyone had assumed it was an incident involving Secret Realm Natives, or perhaps some Awakeners operating outside the law planning a robbery. A Rebel Army was something unheard of in the Dajing Dynasty for countless years. They were even unfamiliar with the term itself.
"Heard from where?" someone retorted. "We’re just chatting here. At least say something logical, alright?"
"It’s just hearsay; I don’t have any solid proof. Of course, it would be best if it’s false," Guo Xi replied.
The others, who had been about to argue, fell silent upon hearing Guo Xi’s words.
Wang Linchi, however, was contemplating whether it was an invasion by Secret Realm Natives or indeed a Rebel Army. He hoped it was the former rather than the latter. If it truly was a Rebel Army, it would imply that rebellions might have already erupted throughout the Dajing Dynasty. It was just that he was caught in an information cocoon, cut off from intelligence at that level, causing his perception of the Dajing Court to deviate from the actual situation. If that were the case, the situation would be extremely dangerous. With information being monopolized, it was possible that the Rebel Army could be at his doorstep, and he would still be oblivious.
Yan Ming King must have known something in advance. No wonder he told me that if conditions allowed, I should head to Xuan Spirit Heaven in the Jing Room Domain as quickly as possible... Wang Linchi sighed internally, contemplating his next course of action.