Chapter 401: Chapter 33 Critical Battleground (2/3)
Returning to his own room, Ning Shangwu, who was resting with his eyes closed, heard a familiar voice by his ear.
“In light of you being the first person to experience entering and exiting the Spirit Network World, you are rewarded with a wisp of spiritual energy to replenish your spirit.”
He suddenly opened his eyes, and then saw a wisp of something like cloud smoke in front of him, very faint. If it hadn’t been flickering with light, he might not have even noticed it.
Seeing this, he remembered the voice he had just heard.
“What exactly is spiritual power, and although it’s said to restore spiritual power, how do I use it?”
For him, who loved researching martial techniques, such a thing was incredibly appealing.
But the voice did not appear again, as if everything was left for him to figure out on his own.
He couldn’t resist reaching out to touch the wisp of spiritual power.
The moment he made contact, the wisp of pure spiritual power instantly merged into his body.
He had originally thought this small amount of spiritual power was insignificant.
But after it merged into him, his spirit, which had been extremely fatigued, was instantly revitalized.
“Such a small amount has such a powerful recovery effect, and not only that… I might be imagining, but it seems my thinking is more active than before!”
Ning was not a Spirit Cultivator, but he was aware of his own mental state.
“Such a wisp of energy, yet it has such a big impact!”
Although Qi Blood Martial Arts currently have no application for the spirit, a powerful spirit is of tremendous help in many things.
Whether it’s comprehending Cultivation Techniques or practicing martial skills, mental thinking is of utmost importance.
“Truly a stroke of fortune! A massive stroke of fortune!”
“I’m not going anywhere, as long as that Mysterious World is there, I’m staying!”
He had held this thought before, but never had he been so firm as he was now.
Meanwhile, more and more people were realizing the benefits of the Spirit World.
After Wang Sheng provided the first wisp of Pure Spiritual Power, he gave more to many others, and everyone knew that by entering the Mysterious World, they could not only assist their own cultivation but could also acquire something to enhance their mental thinking.
Consequently, more and more Martial Artists entered, and even ordinary people wanted to venture into that world.
Many who received the replenishment of pure spiritual power wanted to enter at once.
They realized that this reward came after performing certain actions.
This meant that such rewards would become rarer, so they needed to quickly seize all possible gains.
But reality dealt them a heavy blow.
“You have been forcibly removed, you may re-enter after three days”
“Thinking of grinding achievements in my territory, huh!”
This was naturally Wang Sheng’s doing, and he felt somewhat regretful.
“The reward is one aspect, but what’s more important is that the Spirit World isn’t big enough yet!”
He had harvested ten portions of such rewards since entering the Spirit World, and the most he had given out was one portion, or even less than one, which really didn’t count for much.
If this method could attract more people, he would definitely be very willing.
But the effect of giving out Pure Spiritual Energy was better than he had imagined, attracting too many people, which was somewhat more than he could handle, hence only a limited number of people could be permitted.
“Take some of this spiritual energy to enhance the strength of the Spirit World!”
Pure spiritual energy itself cannot be used to directly strengthen the Spirit World; the Spirit World is only linked to the Lifeless Vacuum Sensing Chapter, being a derivative term of the Cultivation Technique.
However, since he had imitated the building of a vortex in his own Spirit World, it was possible to use this energy for enhancement.
“I had originally planned to save all of it to improve my strength, but it seems that’s no longer possible now!”
The Spirit World’s first public foray has had an effect much better than Wang Sheng had expected.
Even if it had only operated within the scope of three counties, it had attracted enough powerhouses to warrant continued investment.
Several months passed, and it came to the year 570 of the Great Zhou calendar.
The Spirit World had been running for so long, and Wang Sheng had been watching it almost every day, fearing any accident. By now, he had made many expansions.
The boundaries of the Spirit World had expanded once again, becoming more stable, and the capacity to accommodate people had greatly increased.
Some people wanted to see just how vast the Spirit World was, but as soon as they got close to the border, they were sent back by Wang Sheng with a direct “insufficient authority”.
The use of “authority” was proving to be even bigger than he had imagined.
“Although I’ve almost used up the Pure Spiritual Energy collected during this period, the effect is quite good.”
The Spirit World can now fully accommodate all visitors, without the need for deliberate restrictions.
Although the previous Pure Spiritual Power has been depleted, the spiritual power income each day would soon replenish it.
“It’s sufficient for now, the current problem is no longer about quantity; it’s a matter of quality!”
Although many Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters had arrived, they still paled in comparison to the diffused spiritual power provided by Zhu Xiao.
“Strong warriors, the more there are, the more I gain!”
“We must break through the seal as soon as possible!”
It was only after breaking the seal that even more powerful warriors could emerge.
And for this, strength was needed—the strength to directly slice through the seal, or rather, the strength to accurately locate the true form of the Heavenly Father and the Black Fog Giant Snake.
Only by doing so could the problem be solved at its root.
Therefore, once he confirmed there were no issues within his spirit world, he secluded himself once again.
The expansion of his spirit world had reached a stage where it was temporarily sufficient; now it was time to use this pure spiritual energy to enhance his own strength.
Meanwhile, the outside world was tumultuously reacting to the emergence of this spirit world.
“Have you heard? Yuelai Inn has named that mysterious world, it seems it’s called the ‘Spirit World’!”
“It’s quite an apt name. Going to that world means your spirit goes, right? Although I don’t know why there would be a physical body in that world.”
“Who can clarify such mysterious matters? It’s simply complex and that’s that.”
Ordinary martial artists could only sigh in wonder.
But it was different for those powers that be.
“The effects of the Spirit World are astonishing. Just in the time I know of, over ten martial artists have become Grandmasters through training in the Spirit World, and it is said that there are those who have broken through from Grandmaster to Great Grandmaster.”
“If we could control that world…” someone said with a greedy expression. Anyone who had used the Spirit World for cultivation knew the tremendous benefits it offered.
“Control it? Do you have a death wish?” someone else scoffed. Several months prior, many had died, and several Great Grandmasters had been severely injured.
Their powers were considerable, but they couldn’t make a ripple facing such mystery.
“…”
This person quickly shut up, realizing how ludicrous their previous statement was.
“Even if it were possible to control that world, did you ever stop to think if it would be your turn? Keep in mind that the people from both dynasties haven’t made a move yet…”
The existence of the Spirit World became the hottest topic.
This was also true within the Qian Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, which had just undergone a major restructuring due to the memory incident and had just stabilized.
When the Spirit World descended, they naturally sent representatives to participate without revealing their identities.
They ultimately came back with an astonishing finding.
The entity just named the “Spirit World” was of immense help to martial artists’ cultivation, with those sent becoming so engrossed they forgot to return.
According to the messages sent back, training there made becoming a Grandmaster seamless, provided one satisfied either the resource or the aptitude criterion.
Reaching Great Grandmaster level wasn’t impossible either; according to the reports returned, two individuals had already become Great Grandmasters through the Spirit World, one of whom was a local from the area.
Upon further investigation, it was discovered that this local was once the Minister of War of the Zhou Dynasty before its fall, surprisingly hiding here and even achieving Great Grandmaster status.
“Can it truly help one become a Great Grandmaster?”
The rulers of both dynasties realized what this represented.
Jiang Dao’s gaze drifted towards Shuzhou as he said to the delegates from the First Dynasty who had come to find him:
“The difference between a Great Grandmaster and a top-tier Great Grandmaster is not just accumulation, but also the fact that the top-tier Great Grandmaster possesses unique Qi-Blood circulation and usage methods that can greatly enhance strength.
Unlike the strength gained from the Luck Pearl, which forcibly raises the upper limit, normal methods enhance fighting power. Once the two methods are combined, the strength becomes extremely formidable, which is why no families from the past Seven Great Clans could compare with me.
But do you realize how much risk one has to go through to become a top-tier Great Grandmaster in terms of fighting power?
One carelessness can lead to death!”
Thinking back to his own past experiences, he still felt a chill.
Back then, even knowing that the family had means to directly make him a top-tier Great Grandmaster, his proud and ambitious self still took the risk. Although he succeeded in the end, it was a narrow escape from death.
For this method itself was incredibly unconventional.
“While aspiring to top-tier Great Grandmaster status is not as simple as breaking through at the Grandmaster level, the emergence of the Spirit World now indicates that the difficulty for one to become a top-tier Great Grandmaster on their own has plummeted. Just trying out in that world, top-tier Great Grandmasters are sure to significantly increase in number.”
“Isn’t this something that can change the course of battles?”
You must realize that not even the First Dynasty might be capable of producing such a miraculous thing.
“Changing the course of battles might not be the case unless a martial artist surpassing the Great Grandmaster appears. Of course, once the strengths of both sides become similar, whoever makes better use of the Spirit World may likely be the ultimate winner.”
The people from the First Dynasty had initially merely intended to inquire whether their juniors could be sent over, but now it was clear that not sending them was not an option. Furthermore, they, themselves, would have to go.
“Prepare yourselves. There’s no need for disguise. Go directly to that place; we must make good use of it!”
The delegates from the First Dynasty quickly departed, leaving Jiang Dao alone.
“My strength is declining, but unfortunately, something that can enhance strength has appeared—it’s not necessarily a good thing…”
The Qian Dynasty, on the other hand, made the same choice. As it stood, any power that did not secure a foothold in the Spirit World in the future was destined to be eliminated.
More and more formidable warriors headed to the Spirit World, and Wang Sheng’s harvest grew larger. As time passed over a year, he finally made a breakthrough in a key ability…