Chapter 425: The Approach

Translator: AnubisTL

The solution… It was actually this simple.

Jieming stood in the center of the laboratory, staring at the dozens of blueprints and data tablets spread across the workbench. His face wore a mixed expression of sudden realization and self-mockery.

These blueprints were densely covered with the various complex schemes he had designed over the past decade to solve the “Energy Dispersion” problem—Multi-layered Energy Focusing Arrays, Dynamic Collapse Force Fields, Phase Superposition Interference Models…

He had poured immense effort into each one, attempting to use more ingenious and complex “control structures” to forcibly constrain that overloaded energy.

But now, in the overclocked state of mind brought on by the Incense Divine Power, he clearly saw the other side of the problem—or rather, he realized he had been completely trapped in a mental rut.

“I’ve always been thinking… about how to use the cultivation system’s ability to manipulate external spiritual energy to enhance the power of wizardry.”

This approach wasn’t wrong in itself; it was indeed the most intuitive path to fusing the two power systems.

To put it simply, it meant utilizing a cultivator’s innate advantage in manipulating environmental energy to “overcharge” the wizardry model, which was originally based on a “leverage multiplier,” thereby generating destructive power far exceeding its design specifications.

It was like taking a sports car designed for a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour and forcibly installing an engine capable of 500.

The engine’s power was indeed greater, but the car’s suspension, brakes, tires, and aerodynamics… none of them could withstand it.

Although Jieming had used his knowledge to strengthen all other aspects, when the power was truly excessive, the result was either a catastrophic loss of control or most of the power being wasted on meaningless friction, heat, and structural wear.

The “maximum load” of a wizardry model depended on Jieming’s reserve of relevant knowledge, the precision of his mental power control, and the structural stability of the wizardry model itself.

When the energy input provided by the cultivation system exceeded this limit, the situation in the previous test field would occur: the power seemed immense, but it was actually scattered and inefficient, with a vast amount of energy wasted.

Theoretically, there were only two ways to solve this problem: either improve the overall performance of the wizardry model so it could match the greater power, or… change the approach.

“I could completely reverse the thinking and use the wizard’s method of leveraging the elemental multiplier to enhance the cultivator’s spells.”

A glint flashed in Jieming’s eyes.

These two paths seemed similar, but they were fundamentally different.

The core of the first path was “strengthening the existing structure,” while the core of the second was “reconstructing the output mode.”

The technical difficulty of the first method was relatively low. One only needed to find the rune module used in the cultivation system—which adhered to the basic energy laws of the wizard world—for “absorbing external spiritual energy,” and then add corresponding “energy absorption port” and “Overload Reinforcement Structures” to the existing wizardry model.

This was essentially an “expansion” and “optimization” of existing technology—a “simple” operation that even a wizard apprentice could achieve through brute-force experimentation.

But the technical content of the second method was far higher.

First, it was necessary to perform a complete “localization overhaul” on spells that originally relied entirely on spiritual energy and followed the energy flow laws of the immortal cultivation world.

One had to analyze the core logic of their energy operation, and then use the rune system and elemental control theories of the wizard world to reconstruct a new spell model with the same function, but with its power source changed to “elemental power.”

Next, he would take the knowledge and techniques he had mastered as a wizard—those capable of “leveraging the power multiplier of elements,” such as specific rune combination, Resonance Arrays, and Law Interference Techniques—and apply a customized “Reinforcement Design” to each modified spell model.

This involved a profound optimization of the spell’s energy paths, an ultimate boost to elemental transformation efficiency, and a precise adjustment of the output structure.

In short, this was virtually equivalent to “tailor-making” a brand-new “Exclusive Wizardry-Enhanced Version” for every cultivator’s spell that needed strengthening—one that fused wizardry’s reinforcement techniques into its very core.

Aside from the energy principles already being established, this was no different from creating a new wizardry from scratch. The difficulty had undoubtedly skyrocketed.

But after a careful assessment, Jieming discovered that with his current technical level, this path, while arduous, was “feasible.”

More importantly, this approach fundamentally bypassed the fatal problem of “control failing to keep pace with energy input.”

Because the entire reinforcement process was “endogenous”: the spell model itself possessed the ability to efficiently utilize vast amounts of power, meaning Jieming would not need to perform ultra-high-precision overload control at the moment of casting.

He only needed to activate it as he would a normal spell. The rest—the energy circulation, the multiplicative amplification, the focusing of power—would all be handled by the model itself.

Hah…

Jieming let out a long breath, rapidly recording the torrent of inspiration flooding his mind onto the “Magic Net Terminal” beside him.

This terminal was linked to the central database of his internal grotto-heaven, allowing it to directly convert the complex structural diagrams, rune sequences, and energy formulas in his mind into storable and retrievable data models.

As the last spark of inspiration was recorded, he gazed at the terminal’s screen, now densely packed with new design schemes. He was thoroughly satisfied with the effects of the Incense Divine Power.

This “thought overclocking” state was a divine artifact for breaking through research bottlenecks and gaining critical insights.

However, when he glanced habitually at the time display in the corner of the terminal, his brow furrowed.

“It’s already been… a whole day?”

From the moment he began using the Incense Divine Power to the explosion of inspiration and its subsequent recording, it had felt as if only a few hours had passed.

Yet the terminal clearly showed that twenty-four standard hours had elapsed in reality.

He immediately retrieved the logs from the laboratory’s terminal control system.

The logs showed that after the Incense Divine Power was infused, his brainwave activity spiked over eight hundredfold in a very short time and remained at this peak level for twenty-two hours before slowly decaying.

Throughout the entire process, his metabolic rate and energy consumption also soared to hundreds of times their normal levels.

“No wonder…” Jieming rubbed his aching temples. “With my mind racing so fast and a constant stream of inspiration, I was completely immersed in it. I couldn’t sense the passage of time at all.”

This revealed a significant flaw in the “Divine Thought Communion” state of the Incense Divine Power: it drastically distorted the user’s subjective perception of time.

In that state, where thoughts surged uncontrollably, the user’s awareness of their external surroundings became abnormally dull.

“And…” Jieming continued to scroll through the logs and analyze the “inspirations” he had just recorded. “There’s another, more hidden problem.”

He re-examined the design plans born from that overclocked state.

Initially, he had been immensely satisfied with them. But now, having calmed down and scrutinizing them with his normal thinking speed, he quickly discovered numerous obvious logical flaws and a failure to consider certain boundary conditions.

“An overly active mind allows a torrent of ideas to surge forth, accelerating one’s thoughts to incredible speeds,” Jieming analyzed, his hands steadily correcting the rune arrangement in an Energy Focusing Array. “But it also subconsciously causes one to overlook the ‘nitty-gritty’ details.”

“And yet, all too often, it is precisely these details that determine the feasibility and stability of an entire plan.”

He recalled the records in the Great Dao Library Pavilion concerning the use of Incense Divine Power to aid cultivation. It explicitly stated: “Divine Thought Communion may grant a flash of inspiration, but a tide of thoughts easily breeds errors. Therefore, it may only serve as a guide, not as something to be fully trusted.”

Now, he fully understood the meaning of those words.

“It can only be used as a tool to provide inspiration, not as a method to accelerate thinking during combat or research… But this single function alone is already powerful enough.” Jieming shook his head, yet his face showed no disappointment.

To break through the mental ruts that had long plagued him and find a completely new research direction—this was already a tremendous gain.

The flaws in his designs were meant to be corrected and refined step-by-step in subsequent experiments anyway.

He stood up and walked toward another area of the laboratory.

Now that he had a new line of thought, the next step was to verify it through practice.

(End of the Chapter)