I created a safe zone in the nightmare world.

After the roving mysterious figure left, the danger level in the neighborhood decreased significantly.

Although many extraordinary and bizarre things still exist in the core area;

Although, among the sixteen outer areas, there are also large areas with vast areas and complex environments;

However, for the current safe zone, it is not difficult to conquer.

If Shi An only had a few generals like Li Feng under his command, it would take him a lot of time to deal with these peripheral areas.

However, there are still many members in his safe zone, who are eagerly awaiting high-contribution missions released by the official team.

In just two hours, the core area and sixteen surrounding areas were completely cleared out.

The notification sound indicating completion of the walkthrough also rang out.

Shi An nodded in satisfaction.

Beside him was a fist-sized gray eyeball, surrounded by a ring of tendrils.

This is a cursed item extracted from the Thousand-Eyed Octopus.

"Cursed Item: The Gaze of Evil"

"Rank: Tier 3 Excellent"

"Description: A gaze with immense pressure and a powerful mental impact shot out from the hole."

Good news! The Thousand-Eyed Octopus has indeed dropped an exceptional cursed item.

However, Shi An soon discovered that this extraordinary cursed artifact was useful, but unlikely to be of great use.

"This eyeball contains an immense amount of magical power. The magical power contained in just one eyeball is more than that contained in the entire body of Lifeng. From this point of view, its superior grade is well-deserved."

"This cursed artifact can also be used as a weapon; at least, it has a good effect on those at the peak of the extraordinary realm or those on the verge of transformation."

But that's it.

It wouldn't be very effective if used by a true powerhouse who has undergone a transformation.

Giving it to beginners in the second stage of the Foundation Refinement Realm, and having them refine it into their own natal cursed artifact? That's asking for trouble.

The curse power contained in this eyeball would cause any Dream Refining cultivator who dared to integrate it into their body to explode on the spot in the next second.

"However, exceptional cursed artifacts are still very precious. If this eyeball can be refined into a suitable cursed artifact, tool, or weapon of war, it can play a remarkable role. The Book of Harmony in Baijiang City is only a third-tier cursed artifact."

Unfortunately, Shi An did not have any talent in forging magical artifacts.

Pharmacist Yan is not good at this.

He looked at the panel.

"Hint: You have completed your first Territory-level Nightmare challenge. Your Faith Value has increased by 30000."

"Hint: This is your first time conquering a Territory-level Nightmare difficulty level. You will have 1 more building slots in the safe zone."

"Hint: Obtained the Tier 3 artifact 'Absolute Gaze (Excellent)'."

"Absolute Gaze (Tier 3 Excellent)"

"Basic: Enhances the holder's mental strength, spell power, and resistance to mental attacks."

"Ability: This artifact can be integrated into one's own eye and can be removed at any time. When the Absolute Gaze Eye is integrated, the wielder's dynamic vision will be greatly enhanced, and they will gain the ability of passive early warning."

"Ability 2: Lock onto a target that will not disappear from your field of vision."

"Ability 3: Can cast 'Spatial Confinement Gaze', 'Spatial Compression Gaze', and 'Mental Shock Gaze' on targets in the field of vision."

Note: I'm watching you, and I'll always be watching you.

Shi An leaned back and inhaled slightly.

"Hiss~!"

He looked at him with disdain, his gaze filled with malice.

He cherished the absolute gaze as a priceless treasure.

This cursed artifact is indeed very powerful—it may not have the ability of the Book of Harmony to protect a city, but as a weapon that combines support and attack, it is absolutely formidable.

Shi An picked up the eyeball artifact and gently placed it on his left eye.

In an instant, the eyeball merged into the eye without any sound or discomfort.

Shi An felt that the world before her eyes had changed drastically.

The wind, the light, and every detail are different now.

The magical power and mental strength within the body have also increased significantly.

The magical power contained within this artifact can exert a spiritual impact that far exceeds that of the former.

...Shi An still couldn't figure out the upper limit of this cursed artifact.

"Even if you find a master craftsman, the cursed artifact he forges would probably be far inferior to mine. It's no wonder it's a product of the safe zone."

This cursed artifact perfectly replicates the abilities of the Thousand-Eyed Octopus.

even more.

With this cursed artifact, Shi An even genuinely felt that he could fight against the strange beings in the Ascending Transformation Realm without relying on the power of his beliefs.

What if we rely on the power of belief?

The Absolute Gaze also raises the upper limit of his "Belief Enhancement State".

Shopkeeper Shi naturally accepted the cursed artifact himself.

"Hint: Obtained 'Special Inscription - Azure Dragon Body Refining Technique (Excellent)'."

"Hint: Obtained 'Special Inscription - Forging Divine Art in the Furnace (Excellent)'."

"Inscription on the Stele: Azure Dragon Body Refining Method"

"Description: This inscription records a special body-refining method. By observing and comprehending the profound power contained within the inscription, there is a chance to learn the basics of this body-refining method. After learning the Azure Dragon Body Refining Method, the Dreamer can continuously improve their physique through this special method and break through the physical limits of their current realm." "Proficient Level: The practitioner's skin toughness and bone strength are greatly improved."

"Proficient Level: The practitioner's vitality and recovery ability are greatly enhanced."

"Reaching the pinnacle: ???"

"Extremely skilled: ???"

"Inscription on the Furnace for Refining the Divine"

"Explanation: ... (omitted) ... and broke the current mental power limit."

"Proficient Level: The practitioner's mental resistance is greatly increased."

"Proficiency Level: The practitioner's soul power is enhanced."

"Peak of Mastery & Divine Skill: ???"

"Note: When someone observes the inscription, the mysterious power contained within it will be consumed. Before the power of the inscription is exhausted, its mystery will slowly recover over time."

Body Refinement Technique!

God-refining method!

Shi An understood the importance of the Refining Spirit Technique all too well; it was related to breaking through to the Ascension Realm and directly affected combat power in the Transcendent Realm. Ordinary Transcendents and Transcendents who possessed the Refining Spirit Technique were practically not even the same species.

What about body-refining techniques? They're just as important!

Perhaps being one or two levels stronger in physique doesn't have a direct impact on combat power, but what if one's physique is so strong that one can use their bare body to break through spells and become impervious to water and fire?

"Moreover, once you reach the Ascension Realm, the Dream Fallen has no weaknesses and its recovery ability becomes incredibly strong. At this time, the stronger the Dream Fallen's physique and vitality, the higher the margin for error and the faster it recovers."

Shi An believed that the body-refining method was just as important as the spirit-refining method; it was just that Blue Star had too little understanding of the Dream Fallen system and too little development of the body's hidden potential.

These are the spoils from this expedition.

Shi An was very satisfied.

The inscription on this stele, which records the methods of body refinement and spirit refinement, is no less valuable than an outstanding building.

After all, this is an inscription that can be learned by many people, rather than a one-time prop.

Shi An extracted the two inscriptions.

Suddenly,

"boom!"

The enormous inscription completely occupied the spacious store manager's office, even flattening the sofa next to it.

"It's so big!"

Shi An's lips twitched slightly.

Both of these inscriptions are approximately two meters wide and over ten meters long, and are engraved with dense and mysterious patterns.

Shi An stared at it for a while, then felt a little dizzy.

It's much harder than advanced mathematics.

When he looked at it, the "text" on the inscription kept changing... Shi An suspected that different people would see different symbols. Most importantly, there were just too many symbols.

He had assumed that the inscription on the stele was similar to the mysterious symbols engraved on the spell scroll, but to his surprise, the two were indeed similar, only differing in magnitude by tens of times.

To even begin to learn these methods of refining the spirit and body is likely extremely difficult, requiring at least a considerable amount of time to study. It's far from something that can be learned simply by observing a spellbook once.

"After all, one is technique, and the other is method."

"To be honest, Dream Fallers don't have a proper cultivation method. They can only absorb dream crystals to strengthen themselves and develop their talents through training. But now that we have a method, we can finally experience the taste of cultivation."

The prerequisite is to get started.

Shi An made some renovations to the Bo Shi Library, connecting and integrating several Bo Shi cultivation rooms to create two large cultivation rooms. He then placed two inscriptions into each room.

However, the inscription is not open to the public for the time being, and even if it were to be opened, it would only be open to the most senior members.

Now, Shi An will first let Li Feng and Xiao Xue try to get started and see how quickly the mysterious power on the inscription is consumed.

As for the powerful members of the safe zone?

They haven't even learned those outstanding spells yet, like the Aura of Incantation and the Eye of Clarity.

Many senior members are now striving to learn one of these spells.

What about the remaining premium members? They are self-aware enough to know that they haven't reached the learning threshold yet, and are seizing the time to improve themselves or take on tasks to earn contribution points.

Time flows slowly, neither fast nor slow.

The influence and coverage of the safe zone are still gradually expanding.

Every day, new Dreamers arrive at the safe zone for the first time. Some are complete newbies, amazed by their incredible abilities, while others have been searching for the safe zone for a long time and have finally arrived at this "holy land".

The number of members from the safe zone originating from Tiannan City is steadily increasing.

However, members of the safe zone are still a minority among the vast group of dreamers in Tiannan City.

On the one hand, the gates to the safe zone are limited, and those who are not destined to see it cannot. On the other hand, there are many factions and different viewpoints within Tiannan City. Many people do not believe that there is any cultivation holy land outside, and that Tiannan City is the only cultivation holy land for them.

Some factions believe that cooperation with the safe zone is acceptable, but limited to cooperation, such as using the safe zone's passageways. Cultivating within the safe zone or accepting its missions is unnecessary.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, all the representatives from Tiannan City who would participate in the war have been selected.

They assembled outside a camp at the southernmost point of the Tiannan City defense perimeter.

boom!

An ancient and massive warship slowly emerged from the gray mist. Hovering dozens of meters in the air, it cast a large shadow. This was the vehicle of Tiannan City, modified from the bizarre corpse of a cultivator at the Ascension Realm.

The ship can navigate through fog and avoid many dangers.

Traveling by this ship would be ten or even dozens of times faster than a team on foot led by a superhuman.

The participants from Tiannan City quickly boarded the ship.

Fu Zhixuan, the commander of the Third Army Corps, and Jiang Xun, the garrison commander of Yuanyang Base, were among the top experts who boarded the ship to prepare for escort.

On the ship, Director Du, the head of Baijiang City's Countermeasures Bureau and a Transcendent Great Perfection expert, was also present.

Director Du asked, "Are we going directly to the Land of Revelation next, without picking up the personnel from Baijiang City and Lindong City?"

Jiang Xun said, "We originally planned to go and pick them up, but the three cities of Baijiang are preparing to go themselves. Don't worry, Baijiang City is probably quite different from what you remember."

Director Du: "?"

I've only been away from Baijiang City for eight or nine months, and the city has changed a lot.

Just how big is it?

Jiang Xun just chuckled silently, wanting to see how surprised Old Du would be. "Director Bai Jiangcheng, huh?" he thought.

The ship quickly set sail, heading towards the Land of Revelation.

Earlier, the participants from Gray Harbor City had already set off, gathering elites from several other smaller cities, and heading together towards their destination.

At this time,

The representatives from the three cities of Baijiang did not depart. They were still diligently training within the safe zone, or undertaking Nightmare missions, just like usual. "Let's prepare to depart in half a month."

Shi An said, "An ark will come to pick you all up then."

Actually, it's not impossible to arrange for the Ark to fly there first, and then for members to use their travel permissions to cross domains and reach the Ark.

However, the cross-domain permissions of ordinary members have a limit to the distance they can travel.

Secondly, and most importantly, there is a one-week cooldown period after a member uses cross-domain permissions once.

Often, when members accept tasks, they need to use this cross-domain permission to reach the vicinity of the target area... Members basically can't retain cross-domain permissions. They use them when they have them, and save them when they don't.

Therefore, we still need to send the Ark of Salvation to ferry us.

The Ark of Calamity on either side doesn't have any particularly important missions. With its capabilities, traversing the gray fog and sailing through the Nightmare Lands, reaching the target area won't take long. The Ark's speed is far faster than any man-made vehicle.

Nothing major has happened during this period.

Shi An continued to cultivate diligently, gradually filling the pool of magical power within his body, which was as large as a pond.

He has already entered the late stage of the extraordinary realm. The amount of curse power he possesses now is approximately 4000 units according to the standards of the safe zone, which is eight times that of the Great Perfection of the extraordinary realm.

And this was even though Shi An hadn't taken much medicine, and Bao Yao had only eaten some snacks.

His current stats are purely due to talent.

This is real.

On the other hand, Li Feng spent eight days learning the basics of body refining and spirit refining techniques.

On the sixth day, Xiao Xue began learning the Spirit Refining Method; on the twelfth day, he began learning the Body Tempering Method.

Zhuo Fu and Ming Yi spent about thirteen or fourteen days mastering the basics of these two fundamental methods.

Shi An also obtained accurate data.

"There is currently no standard system for physical strength because the strength of different extraordinary physical abilities varies greatly."

"But there are standards for mental strength, and Li Feng has only just entered the field, yet his mental strength has already increased by 10 points."

That's equivalent to 1/10 of the Great Perfection of the Extraordinary!

Of course, this is just the beginning. After reaching the beginner level, the upper limit of mental strength will slowly increase with further practice until it reaches the bottleneck of the proficient level. It's possible that after mastering the beginner level, the increase in mental strength will be comparable to the boost from a single energizing potion.

"The Spirit Refining Technique is truly powerful!"

"However, it is extremely difficult to improve in this Spirit Refining Technique; one can only advance step by step."

Unlike superior-level spells, which, although difficult to master, allowed Li Feng to directly advance from superior-level spells to proficient level after studying the spellbooks three times, fundamental spells cannot be learned by studying books; they can only be mastered through arduous practice.

the other side,

Some of the top members in the safe zone have also gradually earned enough contribution points and learned an excellent spell.

For example, Zhu Chenying, Ranfeng, Xuanjian, Xixue, Cheng Ping, and so on.

Of course, some powerful individuals, after completing their comprehension, felt they had gained something but still couldn't break through that wall and learn the superior spell. They were unwilling and regretful, and could only continue to earn contribution points to exchange for a second chance to comprehend.

Shi An was somewhat disappointed that, after so much time had passed, Xiao Xue, Zhuo Pu, and Ming Yi San Gui still hadn't been able to defeat the Perfect Martial Artist and undergo a second awakening.

They were always just a little bit short, always just a little bit short.

the other side,

Once hailed as the number one person below the Ascension stage, Zhu Chenying, who now considers himself mediocre, once again challenges the Perfect Martial Artist.