As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 132 The Palace of the Mind
No matter if you want to make a name for yourself.

They still play a role in the power struggle between the Security Bureau and the Black Dream organization, taking advantage of the chaos.

Then, when "Echoing Land No. 232" opens again, they will re-enter the high-level game of the Myriad Souls Sect and have the last laugh.

They all need strong military force as a backing.

The source of a Spirit Master's power is nothing more than themselves and their Guardian Spirit.

Xu Yan was confident that he could return to the peak of the half-step Foundation Establishment realm within a year and a half, or even go further.

As for the guardian spirit, after "Lin" devoured the "Abyss Demon Lizard" and advanced to become the "Nightmare Champion", she hit the ceiling of the Bronze level.

To advance from "Bronze" to "Silver", in addition to breaking through the critical value of spiritual pressure, there are also requirements for the sealing card.

As the saying goes, "the material base determines the superstructure."

The vast majority of bronze cards are mass-produced industrial products, using very few extraordinary materials.

It was neither strong enough to withstand the immense spiritual pressure of the Silver Spirit, nor could it allow the card maker to inscribe too many runes and inscriptions on it.

Forcibly compressing the Silver Spirit into a Bronze Card will cause the Silver Spirit to feel suffocated, irritable, or even in pain.

It can also damage the strength and structure of bronze cards. Even if they are not activated or even inserted into a card reader, and are carefully stored in a card holder, they will develop crisscrossing cracks until they completely break down.

There are essentially two paths to perfectly upgrade a Bronze Spirit to a Silver Spirit.

Firstly, purchase a brand new silver card, extract the Bronze Spirit from the original sealed card, and infuse it into the new card.

The advantage of this approach is that it is safe and stable.

As long as the brand card is purchased through legitimate channels and the procedure is performed by a reputable, established club or high-end studio with skilled technicians, the success rate exceeds 99%.

The problem is that the sealing card is essentially the body of the guardian spirit.

It records every step of the guardian spirit's growth.

Take "Lin's" sealed card as an example.

Although the edges are rough and the surface is covered with cracks, the deep texture is still stained with the bloodstains of previous owners and even enemies.

However, these seemingly flawed things are all Lin's unforgettable memories, part of the burning fire of her soul.

Discarding this old card is tantamount to discarding a crucial part of her "life".

Inserting a new card is equivalent to transplanting a human brain into a brand new body.

Even if the new body is powerful, it will experience rejection similar to that after an organ transplant, which will subtly affect the stability and combat power of the guardian spirit.

Therefore, if possible, the vast majority of spirit masters would prefer to take the second path.

Gather all kinds of extraordinary materials, hire experienced senior card makers, and fuse the extraordinary materials into low-level cards to directly upgrade them into high-level cards, from bronze level to silver level!
By doing this, the guardian spirit can retain its past "body" and battle memories.

There is no "rejection reaction" and it can unleash 100% of its potential.

Of course, this approach places extremely high demands on card makers, making it even more difficult than creating a card from scratch.

If not handled carefully, the sealing card will be completely destroyed, and the guardian spirit inside may also be completely annihilated.

Xu Yan, carrying the talisman-making heritage of the Ten Thousand Souls Sect and Dr. Hyde's card-making experience, naturally wanted to use the second method to personally enhance "Lin's" "body" from a bronze card to a silver card.

It is believed that doing this will not only transform "Lin" but also help them forge an unbreakable bond.

The materials and recasting techniques required for the upgrade are not a problem.

Both bronze and silver cards fall into the category of low-to-mid-tier sealed cards, and related information and even video tutorials are not that difficult to find.

It's simply a matter of money.

It all comes down to money.

Just to be on the safe side, Xu Yan plans to purchase five times the amount of materials to refine the upgrade technology to perfection before applying it to "Lin".

The progress on "Mad Cat" Chris's side is also going smoothly.

In just over a month, they connected the garbage dumps of seven or eight satellite towns around Dawn City, and several hundred scavengers began to call themselves the "Mad Cat Gang".

This was after she had carefully selected the best of the best, rejecting many worthless individuals.

As agreed beforehand, it wouldn't be long before the Mad Cat Gang was able to provide Xu Yan with a steady stream of raw materials recycled from the junkyard.

The prices of these raw materials are, of course, extremely competitive.

However, if the quantity is too large, it still poses a very serious challenge to Xu Yan's financial strength.

The Star Shop has only just begun to expand, and even though it has taken over some of the high-profit business from the Rolling Stones Club, its cash flow is quite tight, making it impossible to provide Xu Yan with much funding.

If Xu Yan messes up during their first collaboration, causing "Mad Cat" Chris to break her promise, then...

Gaining Chris's trust again, and subsequently gaining the trust of numerous scavengers and the tens of thousands of refugees behind them, would be virtually impossible. Xu Yan had prepared several solutions for the problem of earning his first pot of gold.

Originally, I planned to complete the first stage of cultivation, perfectly integrating the three basic techniques of the Heroic Spirit Era: Mimicry Breathing, Wheel of Life, and Mind Palace, before tackling this problem.

Unexpectedly, something went wrong at the Kuangtie Club...

Xu Yan's mind raced.

But their hands were never idle.

Aside from replacing a completely new bolt on the punching power tester and reassembling it,

They also straightened the training equipment that had been knocked over by "premium customers" during the day, and cleaned up the mess on the floor.

As the heavy iron chain locking the door rattled, he had already filled a bucket with water and, with "Jelly's" help, meticulously began scrubbing the stains on the wall.

Xiong Ruyue was standing outside the door.

The young club general manager seemed to have no idea that when the old coach who had followed his father for many years and the star students on whom he had placed high hopes left one after another, Xu Yan, the spirit card maintainer who was still on probation, would actually stay.

Even in the dead of night, they quietly restored the chaotic training ground to order, making it seem like it could reopen for business tomorrow.

A few traces of shame and a few traces of emotion flashed in Xiong Ruyue's eyes.

Xu Yan was somewhat surprised to see her appear.

In the cool moonlight, he noticed that Xiong Ruyue's eyes were slightly red, as if she had just had a good cry in a secluded place, completely lacking her usual spirited demeanor.

Although his back was still straight, his posture was somewhat stiff, and his muscles were like cables stretched to their limit, ready to snap at any moment.

"Sister Xiong, it's so late, aren't you staying overnight at the hospital?"

Xu Yan asked, "How is Grandpa Xiong doing?"

"Fortunately, my dad has woken up. The doctor said that although he was momentarily angered and his heart was overwhelmed, the root cause was his excessive training. Fortunately, his bones and muscles are much stronger than ordinary people. Even if he can no longer fight in the ring or engage in real combat in the future, at least his life is not in danger."

Xiong Ruyue finished speaking quickly, and as if not wanting Xu Yan to ask too many questions, she waved her hand and continued, "The first thing my dad did after waking up was to have me come back and urge you to cultivate. He said you have reached the most critical moment in your cultivation. If he takes you for two more days, you will be able to enter the inner sanctum and embark on the next path on your own. Even if you can't shine as brightly as Chu Zhifeng, at least you can greatly delay the onset of the Spirit Erosion Syndrome and have the ability to continue to survive in this cruel world."

Xu Yan was somewhat moved.

Although he does need guidance.

However, they couldn't bear to let Xiong Ruyue, already so haggard, expend any more energy.

"Sister Xiong, you should go back to the hospital and take care of Grandpa Xiong!"

Xu Yan said sincerely, "It's okay if I rest for a couple of days. I'll stay at the Kuangtie Club for the foreseeable future, so we can take it slow."

Xiong Ruyue understood his promise, her eyebrows relaxed slightly, and she patted his shoulder heavily, just like she had during the day.

There was no warmth in my palm, as if I were holding an invisible block of ice.

"You know Xiong Laoda's personality. He won't be able to sleep at all unless he urges you to finish your training for today. You don't want me to be kicked out of the ward by him, do you?"

Xiong Ruyue seemed to be talking to herself, "Besides, I promised Long Jianhuan that I would take good care of you, so I must keep my word!"

Xu Yan still wanted to persuade him.

A resolute light shone in Xiong Ruyue's slightly reddened eyes.

"Flesh and blood are the only things that will never betray us. The more we are in adversity, the more we must not forget to hone this invincible weapon. Otherwise, how can we regroup and launch a counterattack?"
"I know you have a lot to say, but everything will wait until you finish today's training!"

Xu Yan's eyes flickered slightly as he sat down on the ground.

Xiong Ruyue sat opposite him, her eyes deep and her expression solemn.

After two or three long breaths, it seemed as if all worries and troubles were left behind, and consciousness sank into the depths of the mind, into an incredible palace of the soul.

The three fundamental techniques of the Heroic Era are a unified whole, progressing step by step.

First, use the "Mimicry Breathing Method" to perceive the circulation and exchange of energy inside and outside the body.

Then find the center of energy exchange, which is the location of the "chakra".

By stimulating the chakras, blood flow, hormone secretion, and even the energy conversion efficiency of mitochondria are increased, ultimately activating the pineal gland in the brain.

It's like unlocking the brain's management privileges, allowing one to consciously see, touch, and even modify their "self," firmly grasping the ethereal "soul" and even "destiny" in their own hands.

Citizens of the Heroic Spirit Alliance often begin practicing these three basic techniques as early as seven or eight years old, or even earlier.

Xu Yan's situation is special. He has a certain foundation, but he went down the wrong path and contracted the Spirit Erosion Syndrome, so he doesn't have much time.

After repeatedly studying the teaching plan, Xiong Ruyue and Xiong Tieshan adopted the simplest and most direct method: they cultivated with him every night, hoping to use their own life magnetic field to forcefully reverse Xu Yan's slightly disordered life magnetic field from the wrong path.

(End of this chapter)