Promise!

Chapter 296, Sending an Envoy

"Spiritual energy!"

Zhuang Jin gazed at the spiritual energy within the Holy Spirit Pearl, lost in memories.

During the previous great battle, when they arrived at the triple dead zone of the Funiu Mountains and saw the Spirit Tree, the Holy Spirit Pearl sensed it and began to absorb the free spiritual energy on its own, just like an empty bucket being placed in a pond and water flowing in automatically.

At the time, Shangguan Jinfeng and the others did not pay attention, for various reasons: Lingchun was facing a formidable enemy, which attracted most of their attention; the Prism Beast refracted the 'Jiazi Demon-Slaying' attack like a comet; the Triple Death Zone was located in the drain, causing energy disorder and uneven distribution of free spiritual energy...

Later, when the battle began, Zhuang Jin, with the assistance of Shangguan Yunchang, temporarily entered the Void Realm of the Third Level of Yin God, encompassing the domain of the Eight Gates Sword Formation with six Vajra Realm beasts: Chaos Ape King, Qiongqi, Taotie, Yingyu, Feiyi, and Zheng. During this time, he was able to handle it with ease, and he was able to focus on activating the Holy Spirit Pearl to accelerate the absorption of a lot of free spiritual energy.

Later, when the war ended, everyone competed for the free spiritual energy. They felt that it was difficult for them to absorb it, but it was quite easy for the Holy Spirit Pearl. They could only retain a very small amount of it, and the spiritual energy drawn by their divine soul power was all transferred into the Holy Spirit Pearl.

It was at this moment that the Suspended Mirror underwent a strange change. Shangguan Jinfeng and the others assumed that the Suspended Mirror was the cause, and that the free spiritual energy was degenerating at an accelerated rate, combining with the Yin-Yang and Five Elements Qi to become the primordial energy of heaven and earth. Because they did not understand the nature of spiritual energy, they did not suspect Zhuang Jin, and thought that he was taking more than his share.

'In fact, of the scattered spiritual energy that dissipated, aside from what the spirit tree absorbed and what slightly degenerated into the primordial energy of heaven and earth, I alone accounted for seventy to eighty percent of the rest.'

It's not that Zhuang Jin is being unethical by taking credit for others' work, but rather that Shangguan Jinfeng and others, like him, have extremely low efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy, even much slower than him. Even if he doesn't cheat with the Holy Spirit Pearls, more than 90% of the spiritual energy stored in these Holy Spirit Pearls will degenerate into the primordial energy of heaven and earth, and be wasted.

"Speaking of which, Yun Chang, Shangguan Jinfeng, Cen Chongxuan, Xuanyuan Zhengji, and I all experienced extreme difficulty and very low efficiency when absorbing spiritual energy. Why was that?"

'Logically, this shouldn't be the case. Shangguan Jinfeng and the others, along with my current martial arts aptitude, should be among the best in the entire Great Qian Dynasty—one in ten million. If we're all like that, then everyone else… wait!'

Zhuang Jin suddenly had a guess: 'Could it be that the aptitude for absorbing spiritual energy and martial arts aptitude are not the same thing, just like IQ and EQ? They both seem to be manifestations of wisdom, but in reality, they are not the same.'

'If that's the case, does this involve the legendary spiritual root? To put it more bluntly, what is a spiritual root—a kind of affinity for and ability to absorb spiritual energy?'

'I, Yun Chang, and the others have no spiritual roots, or rather, our spiritual root aptitude is extremely low, which is why we are like this? Can this kind of thing be changed later in life?'

Zhuang Jin shook his head slightly. Spiritual energy is extremely mysterious, and these questions related to spiritual energy are even more baffling. Thinking about them now is pointless.

"That's enough. The issue now isn't about spiritual affinity or spiritual roots, but rather the presence or absence of spiritual energy. Even if the absorption of spiritual energy stored in my Holy Spirit Pearl is slow, I can make up for it with diligence and absorb it all. As for spiritual roots, that's not the problem right now."

The important thing is how to use this thing…

Previously, in the Funiu Mountains, he competed with Shangguan Jinfeng and others for free spiritual energy, absorbing and refining it to provide slight transformation for his physical body. He felt that his lifespan had increased by about three years. If he could refine all the spiritual energy stored in the Holy Spirit Pearl, his lifespan would increase even more significantly, gaining another forty or fifty years, which would exceed two hundred years.

In the Great Qian Nine Provinces, due to environmental limitations, Yin Gods have a lifespan of 150 years, while Yang Gods have a lifespan of 300 years. However, as long as Zhuang Jin refines all this spiritual energy and uses it to power his physical transformation, he can surpass the lifespan of a Yang God with the body of a Yin God!

'At the same time, I can sense that even if I absorb the spiritual energy stored in the Holy Spirit Pearl and my lifespan exceeds two hundred years, I am still far from reaching the limit of the Yin God realm.'

In other words, if there is no limit to the supply of spiritual energy, the lifespan of a Yin Spirit Realm cultivator would be well over two hundred years.

'This clearly demonstrates the restrictions and limitations imposed by that immortal!'

Zhuang Jin shook his head slightly, looking at the Holy Spirit Pearl, but he did not intend to refine all of this spiritual energy to support the transformation of his physical body and increase his lifespan.

Spiritual energy has more than one use. For example, the spirit form of the half-step Great Vajra Realm can refine spiritual energy into a higher level of energy. When facing the illusory image of Cen Xuantong reflected in the Suspended Mirror, the Twenty-Three Swords of Wind and Cloud - Sword Twenty-Three: Six Annihilation of Self can be shaken and resisted to some extent, which shows the effect of spiritual energy.

'Another use is to refine spiritual energy, purifying it into a higher level of energy, which can greatly enhance various Yin God martial arts techniques, serving as a trump card.'

The ice-attribute energy stored in the Holy Spirit Pearl can also do this, but it is a resource for one's own cultivation, and its power is slightly weaker in terms of attack and defense.

This "slightly worse" is relative. After the Holy Spirit Pearl devoured the incomplete Void Realm Stone and sublimated once, Zhuang Jin could use the ice attribute energy stored in the Holy Spirit Pearl with fine manipulation to probably unleash the power of the Void Extreme level of the Yin God Third Realm. However, when combined with Shangguan Yunchang's "Yin Yang Fu Shen Technique", it was still possible to achieve the same result.

If the spiritual energy is refined into a higher level of energy, amplifying the Yin God martial arts, Zhuang Jin estimates that it will allow him to unleash the power of a half-step Yang God while remaining stable at the current second level of the Yin God realm.

Of course, this higher level of energy refined from spiritual energy is of a higher grade and not everyone can use it. If Shangguan Jinfeng or Cen Chongxuan used it, it would be like a child wielding a hammer, injuring themselves before harming others. Only because he was at the second level of Yin Spirit Realm and had briefly advanced to the third level, had experience, and his own soul was twice that of an ordinary person, and in terms of quality alone, it was comparable to an ordinary third level of Yin Spirit Realm, could he barely control and use it.

"So absorbing spiritual energy to power physical transformation and extend lifespan is good, but refining higher-level energy as a trump card is even more cost-effective!"

Zhuang Jin understood very well: if one's own strength was insufficient and one died in danger, then having more lifespan would be useless. On the contrary, using it as a trump card could ensure a safe and steady improvement, and lifespan would come sooner or later.

Having made his decision, he will now refine half of the spiritual energy in the Holy Spirit Pearl into three higher-level energies, which should be enough to support the amplification of his three strikes at the half-step Great Vajra Realm.

'Three strikes are enough. If even three strikes from a half-step Great Vajra Realm cultivator cannot defeat the enemy, then refining the other half of the spiritual energy will render three more strikes useless.'

Spiritual energy is like raw material; the finished product is irreversible. The remaining half can be stored, and there are more options for it, whether it's to increase lifespan, replenish this trump card energy in the future, or use it as a bargaining chip.

"As far as I know, each of the five great clans of the Great Qian Dynasty, including the royal family, only has one Yang God on the surface. They usually reside within the family and do not leave without permission. Therefore, having the means to strike at the level of a half-step Great Vajra Realm cultivator three times, I am no longer afraid of conventional methods while in Cangzhou."

The reason it was described as a 'conventional method' was because Zhuang Jin considered all the events surrounding the Suspended Sky Mirror today: the 'Jiazi Demon Slayer' struck like a comet; the three great families' trump cards 'reappeared yesterday,' summoning a phantom image of a Yang God ancestor; and the Suspended Sky Mirror's final anomaly, revealing a spirit within it…

"The Jiazi Demon-Slaying Ceremony is like a comet strike, requiring the primordial energy of heaven and earth accumulated over the Jiazi cycle in the Hanging Mirror. This Jiazi cycle has just passed, so there is no need to worry."
The three great families' trump card, 'Yesterday Once More,' summons a phantom image of their ancestral Yang God. This move is extremely taxing, especially since the current head of the Ge family, Ge Daoqian, has passed away and can no longer use it. Even if a new head of the Ge family appears in the future, he won't use this move unless he forces the three great families to the brink of destruction. As for the Suspended Mirror's mutation—the mirror possessing a spirit—that's rather uncontrollable.

Thinking of this, Zhuang Jin felt a little heavy-hearted: 'That immortal from eight hundred years ago is shrouded in mystery. If I pursue martial arts, aiming for the Yang Spirit realm or even higher, striving for immortality, there might be conflicts in the future.'

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, finally settling into a sigh: 'So be it. Whatever that immortal's purpose may be, focusing on the present and improving my cultivation level as quickly as possible is never a bad thing.'

Those three trump cards—the strikes of the half-step Great Vajra Realm—were merely protective measures. One's own realm was the foundation, the true basis for longevity. Zhuang Jin naturally understood this.

'If you work hard in ordinary times, you won't feel powerless, helpless, or filled with despair and regret when the time comes!'

Just like this time, if Zhuang Jin hadn't broken through to the second level of Yin Shen Realm, Tai Ding, and with the assistance of Shangguan Yun Chang, had temporarily entered the third level of Yin Shen Realm, Xu Ji, the outcome of this incident might have been very different, and Cangzhou would not exist.

Thinking back to this, he felt somewhat fortunate that he hadn't been so slow and methodical. Instead, while being cautious and steady, he had strived for what he should, such as the Treasure Basin and the Precious Pill, to accelerate his accumulation and breakthrough. Otherwise, he would have been at a disadvantage this time.

'This time it was a close call, but what about next time?'

This incident served as a wake-up call for Zhuang Jin, making him even more aware: 'Even being ranked first in Cangzhou's cultivation level is not enough; I cannot afford to be arrogant or complacent!'

That's just how reality is; it doesn't give you time to prepare. No matter how gradual you progress, things can suddenly escalate and push you beyond your limits. All I can do is race against time to improve my skills and strive, and strive even harder!

"Perfect timing! Besides the spiritual energy in the Holy Spirit Pearl, we also gained several other benefits: the Vajra Relic of that Chaos Worm; the remnants of the self-destruction of six Vajra Realm beasts, along with several thousand kilograms of Vajra Realm beast meat; and the resources promised by the three great families."

With these, Zhuang Jin's cultivation could once again enter a fast track: 'Next, I will concentrate on cultivation, quickly complete the accumulation of the second level of the Yin Spirit Realm, and break through to the Void Limit of the third level of the Yin Spirit Realm, in preparation for future attempts to reach the Yang Spirit Realm!'

……

For the next period of time, Zhuang Jin went into seclusion to focus on cultivation, while the three major families dealt with the aftermath of this incident.

With the return of Shangguan Jinfeng, Cen Chongxuan, Xuanyuan Zhengji, Shangguan Yunchang, and Zhuang Jin, the situation in Cangzhou City was essentially settled. However, many problems in this world are not just about force, but also about other aspects, and construction is far more difficult than destruction.

The basic order of Cangzhou was quickly re-established after the Hanging Mirror rose into the sky again, reflecting the heavens, and with the accumulated prestige of the three great families. However, the aftermath of the beast tide left the city devastated, with many dead and injured, and the impact could not be eliminated in a short time.

This time, while it might be an exaggeration to say that every household in Cangzhou was dressed in mourning, there were still tens of thousands of casualties, making it a truly massive accident.

The imperial court naturally had to report to higher authorities, seeking funding, tax reductions, compensation for officials, and policies to allow the people to recuperate and recover.

After all, Cangzhou City was the stronghold of the three major families, and after this great disaster, they also wanted to give the people a chance to catch their breath.

Ordinary people and independent martial artists naturally felt innocent and pained in the face of this undeserved disaster, but there was nothing they could do but accept it and look forward.

This land has never lacked hardship; the dead are dead, and the living must continue to live.

It is worth mentioning that while Cangzhou City suffered considerable casualties, the losses of the exotic beasts in the Funiu Mountains were even greater, amounting to a severe blow. Hundreds of thousands, even millions, of exotic beasts were controlled by the spirit 'Chunxu'. Some gathered in the Triple Dead Zone and had their flesh and blood drained; others formed a beast tide, acting as cannon fodder. Both sides suffered heavy losses, greatly reducing the pressure on Cangzhou City.

However, the three great families would not thank the instigator of this matter—that cunning and mischievous creature. As some of its essence escaped and went into hiding, the three great families did not let their guard down. They kept a close watch on it, searching high and low, and slowly gathering its strength.

Having learned from this lesson, the data in the Suspended Sky Mirror has been supplemented, the information on the Chunling spirit monster has been loaded, and the method for identifying the 'Jiazi Demon Slayer' transcendent Vajra Realm beasts has also been updated, making it impossible to evade this method in the future.

This is similar to the actions of the Suspended Heaven Division in plugging loopholes, which can be seen as a learning and evolution characteristic of the three major families.

After that, the Yuan Qi Tide continued. This year's large-scale Yuan Qi Tide in Cangzhou was larger than ever before due to previous events, with even more rare and precious materials. In addition, the beasts in the Funiu Mountains suffered heavy casualties, which was a great opportunity for the surviving martial artists.

It can be said that most of the martial artists who survived the beast tide, as long as they were bold enough to venture into the mountains and weren't too unlucky, made a fortune from it.

With gains come trade, and the area within the Third Ring Road has become lively again. With the influx of these new resources, the three major families standing in the Cangzhou food chain have recovered significantly, making up for some of the losses incurred during the beast tide.

Oh, speaking of the three great families, the head of the Ge family, Ge Daoqian, has passed away, leaving no successor. Due to the close ties between the three great families and the connection formed by this incident, the Shangguan and Cen families are both investing resources to cultivate the 'seed' of the family head chosen by Ge Daoqian, so that he can break through to the Yin God Realm as soon as possible.

This is due to past friendships, the sentiments of this incident, and also to self-interest—the three great families' trump card, 'Yesterday Once Again,' can only be used with the combined efforts of the three Yin God family heads.

However, the Shangguan and Cen families were not philanthropists. After Ge Daoqian passed away, the Ge family regained their authority over the Suspended Heaven Mirror. The two families, mindful of their reputation, did not act too ruthlessly, but they did manage to get the Ge family to relinquish five-tenths of their authority.

These details need not be elaborated upon. In short, after the major disaster, Cangzhou gradually recovered and everything is steadily improving.

Until this day, news of unknown fortune arrived: in response to the recent "Tong disaster" in Cangzhou, the imperial court dispatched an inspector.

……

(End of this chapter)