Chapter 418: Waiting
Translator: AnubisTL
Hearing this, Jieming’s pupils constricted sharply. “Activating… a plane?!”
“Exactly!” Wizard Starfall exclaimed, waving her arms excitedly. “Not some crude wizardry that creates a plane consciousness, but truly imbuing this material world with spirituality, transforming it into a living, evolving super-organism with the potential for self-evolution! An Activated Plane we create with our own hands! Imagine how spectacular that would be! What a perfect research platform… and, well, a home?”
Seeing the unbridled madness and yearning of a top-rank researcher in Starfall’s eyes, Jieming couldn’t help but wipe away a bead of cold sweat that wasn’t there.
Activating a plane?
Isn’t that just creating a living plane?!
Hiss… Jieming couldn’t help but gasp.
Such a concept was likely only conceivable and executable by a genius wizard like Starfall, who stood at the forefront of Spirituality Law research and had Viola—someone who had witnessed true living planes—providing crucial data support.
But that was also the charm of wizards. The living planes, hailed as miracles throughout the multiverse, could be artificially created with sufficient knowledge.
“I will do my best to improve my cultivation and production capacity,” Jieming promised solemnly, while also hedging his bets. “However, creating an Activated Plane… I urge you, Excellency, to proceed with the utmost caution and prepare thoroughly.”
He genuinely feared that this research fanatic might one day impulsively use his plane as a laboratory. If things went wrong, the consequences would be disastrous.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control!” Wizard Starfall waved her hand dismissively, then urged, “So hurry back and advance! Fifth-tier, sixth-tier… the faster the better! I need more and higher-quality Imaginary Elements!”
“Yes, yes, I’ll do my best,” Jieming quickly agreed, not daring to linger lest the wizard come up with even more outrageous ideas.
He turned and stepped onto the teleportation formation, activating the coordinates.
Light flared, and space warped.
Before his form completely blurred, he caught a last glimpse of Wizard Starfall vigorously waving her hand, her eyes still burning with endless curiosity.
These past ten years had been incredibly rewarding, and utterly brain-burning.
As he sat in the teleportation channel returning to the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, Jieming closed his eyes and reflected.
During this time, he had absorbed a vast amount of profound knowledge about the essence of spirituality, soul structures, the creation of life, and the interconnectedness of collective consciousness.
Much of this knowledge could only be forcibly memorized at his current realm, swallowed whole without true comprehension.
His greatest gain, however, was undoubtedly a leap in his understanding and application of the core law he wielded: spiritual energy.
Through in-depth discussions with Wizard Starfall about the Imaginary Element (spiritual energy) and its specific manifestations and mechanisms in igniting intelligence, imbuing laws, and promoting the evolution of life essence.
Combined with the macro-level data Viola provided on the world-spanning cycle of energy, matter, and consciousness. Jieming gained an unprecedentedly profound understanding of the spiritual energy law he controlled.
His mastery of this law surged from approximately 5% to an astonishing 12%!
This was a monumental leap.
While such extraordinary progress was also due to the Great Dao Library Pavilion’s high starting point and the unique nature of spiritual energy itself. Wizard Starfall’s research, which directly addressed the origins of spirituality and creation, undoubtedly played a crucial catalytic role.
Of course, a significant portion of this 12% mastery still remained in the realm of theoretical understanding and memory storage, not yet fully transformed into his own instincts and authority.
It was like having memorized a top-rank cultivation technique manual but not yet reached the corresponding realm to unleash its full power.
He needed time. He needed practice.
Jieming needed to continuously refine and deepen the Incense Divine Path, a super-engineering project that spanned his entire Purgatory Sulfur Plane, to gradually implement the complex theories related to spirituality into practical application.
This would allow him to truly digest and absorb this knowledge while also elevating his mastery of the laws to a new level.
The gains were not limited to Jieming alone.
Wizard Starfall, of course, had made significant progress. Her breakthrough in the law of spirituality had brought her to the very threshold of becoming a seventh-tier wizard, as evidenced by her audacious concept of the “Enlightened Plane.”
Through deep involvement in this intensive joint research, Viola gained new insights into the interconnectedness of life, soul, consciousness, and the material world, which greatly benefited her path of self-perfection.
Even Anya, through prolonged observation and assistance in the research, had deepened her understanding of the essence of life force.
Her methods of draining vitality likely became even more insidious and difficult to guard against.
If not for Wizard Starfall’s need to consolidate her gains and prepare meticulously for her long and arduous ascent to the seventh tier,
and Jieming himself sensing a clear loosening of his “bottleneck,” this highly fruitful technical exchange might have continued even longer.
“Bottleneck…” Jieming felt the power surging within him, eager to break free.
Through the connection of the Three Treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and under the continuous guidance and nourishment of the fourth-tier wizard’s immense mental power, his cultivation in the nascent soul realm had long since been pushed to the absolute pinnacle of perfection.
Within his dantian, the tiny nascent soul, identical in appearance to his own face, now radiated solemn majesty, its form enveloped in a misty aura of spiritual light. It resonated harmoniously with the Ring of Truth in his spiritual sea, creating a wondrous resonance.
A premonition of breaking free from its cocoon, of a life level about to ascend, grew increasingly vivid.
The divine transformation realm was within reach.
Jieming knew that his most crucial task now was to return to his stronghold—the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, a realm completely under his control, brimming with energy and fortified with layers of defenses—to welcome this vital advancement.
As the teleportation light faded, the familiar heat and sulfurous stench washed over him.
Stepping onto his own territory, Jieming’s mind quickly settled into tranquility.
Though he had spent the past decade primarily in the Starfall planes, he had never completely severed ties with his own plane.
Through remote control, periodic returns for management, and the effective administration of the Black Giant Priests, the development of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane had progressed steadily.
The core framework of the Incense Divine Path was already stable, with the global energy network continuously improving.
The Black Giant Tribe’s population and overall strength had increased steadily as planned, providing increasingly refined and abundant incense power and Mortal Dust Qi.
The Black Giant Priests’ various experiments and basic engineering projects continued to operate at full capacity, constantly adding to the construction and development of his Purgatory Sulfur Plane.
After briefly receiving reports from several remaining Black Giant Priests and resolving a few matters requiring his personal decision, Jieming arrived at the plane core region—the location of the central magical formation of the Incense Divine Path, and the place where the planar energy was most concentrated.
With a wave of his hand, he drew upon the vast and docile energy of the seventh-tier large elemental pool, layering multiple protective barriers and spirit-gathering barriers around the area.
The fifth-tier elemental pool within his internal grotto-heaven resonated in sync, providing a reserve of pure energy.
Seated cross-legged at the formation core, Jieming slowly closed his eyes.
On one hand, he divided a portion of his consciousness to continue refining and constructing the next details of the Incense Divine Path, attempting to integrate newly acquired theoretical knowledge and constantly organizing the knowledge he had recently gained.
On the other hand, his main consciousness sank into his dantian, where he began meticulously regulating his internal state, harmonizing his essence, qi, and spirit.
He waited quietly… for the opportune moment to arrive naturally.
(End of the Chapter)