Chapter 674: Supreme Clarity Palace, 3rd-tier
After transferring 1,000 Spirit Coins to Zhang Pianpian, Zhang Yu boarded the flying boat with the other True Monarchs.
In addition to the four Nascent Soul corpses that had been divided, Zhao Ruoli, a Golden Core Realm cultivator, had long since been killed and her possessions distributed accordingly.
In truth, Zhao Ruoli had been factored into the initial division of the Nascent Soul corpses, but as a mere Golden Core cultivator beside four Nascent Soul experts, she was considered a minor addition and True Monarch Azure Void hadn’t specifically mentioned her.
Before departing, the True Monarchs issued a gag order, forbidding anyone present from revealing True Monarch Flowing Gold’s recent revelations: their ability to resurrect through the Dark Spirit Realm and the Kunlun Society’s financial drain on the universities.
Yet both Zhang Yu and the Nascent Soul True Monarchs understood that such secrets couldn’t remain hidden for long. The Ten Great Universities were likely to face further turmoil.
Gazing at the Fourth Layer, where fierce battles still raged across the sky, everyone felt that since the war’s outbreak, the rebel forces had advanced relentlessly, securing victory after victory. In contrast, the Ten Great Universities had suffered one setback after another, gradually showing signs of defeat.
On the flying boat, though the True Monarchs’ minds were still stirred by True Monarch Flowing Gold’s words, the recent division of spoils had fostered a harmonious atmosphere among them.
After conversing with the other True Monarchs, True Monarch Azure Void approached Zhang Yu.
Gazing at the black curtain obscuring the Fifth Layer of Kunxu, True Monarch Azure Void sighed, “These chaotic times are both a crisis and an opportunity.”
“In ordinary times, killing four Nascent Soul cultivators would not only yield no profit but might even incur significant losses.”
Zhang Yu nodded in agreement, thinking to himself, “War… it’s a goldmine. But only for the victors, or rather, the stronger side.”
True Monarch Azure Void continued, “Zhang Yu, Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole still holds a Spirit Transformation Certificate. What are your thoughts on this matter?”
Zhang Yu’s heart skipped a beat, but he replied casually, “My master is wise and resourceful, her every move calculated and profound. How could I possibly comprehend her intentions?”
Undeterred by Zhang Yu’s evasiveness, True Monarch Azure Void stated bluntly, “I intend to undergo Spirit Transformation. Divine Monarch Tranquility, Divine Monarch Cloud Haven, and the others support me. What is your opinion?”
Zhang Yu smiled. “With so many people supporting you, my opinion as a Golden Core cultivator hardly matters.”
At this stage, Zhang Yu hadn’t given much thought to the Spirit Transformation Certificate. After all, he had only recently entered the Golden Core Realm and still needed a considerable amount of time to reach the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm, the threshold for attempting Spirit Transformation.
Moreover, with the situation growing increasingly dire, Zhang Yu doubted that Master Magnetic Pole would hold onto the Spirit Transformation Certificate for long.
However, when True Monarch Azure Void pressed him for an answer, Zhang Yu hesitated to give a definitive response.
While he wasn’t vying for the Spirit Transformation Certificate himself, other Nascent Soul cultivators were. Zhang Yu still hoped to receive bribes from those Nascent Soul True Monarchs.
True Monarch Azure Void persisted, “I’m asking whether you support my ascension to Spirit Transformation.”
Studying Zhang Yu, True Monarch Azure Void knew that while the young cultivator might not play a pivotal role in the current war, as a disciple of Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole and wielder of a strategic-level Immortal Sect Technique, Zhang Yu’s future prospects were boundless, and he held considerable weight in Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole’s eyes.
In True Monarch Azure Void’s view, Zhang Yu’s support for any candidate seeking Spirit Transformation would undoubtedly provide significant momentum.
True Monarch Azure Void continued, “If you help me this time, I’ll fully support your Spirit Transformation advancement.”
Zhang Yu still didn’t commit, merely smiling and saying, “Everything depends on Master’s wishes. My opinion doesn’t matter.”
Staring at Zhang Yu, True Monarch Azure Void thought to himself, “Still playing hard to get? Wants more?”
“Nearly 2,000 Spirit Coins and you’re still not satisfied?”
“Fine, as long as he doesn’t sabotage me, that’s enough.”
Though inwardly annoyed, True Monarch Azure Void wouldn’t stop sending money. He believed that as long as he kept providing benefits, ensuring Zhang Yu wouldn’t undermine him, the investment would be worthwhile.
After a few more exchanges, they parted ways. Zhang Yu then received a message from Zhang Pianpian.
Zhang Pianpian: “???”
Zhang Yu: “Senior Sister, take this and spend it.”
Zhang Yu: “I’m earning more now, so I can support you. The situation is getting dangerous, so you should quickly improve your strength.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “This windfall came at just the right time. Even after giving away 1,000 Spirit Coins, I’ll still have enough to advance without delay.”
He knew he lacked talent in Talismans and Spirit Realm Techniques, and with the war growing increasingly dangerous, Zhang Pianpian’s enhanced strength would be a great asset to him. Moreover, upgrading the Supreme Clarity Talisman would also directly enhance his own capabilities.
This time, Zhang Pianpian didn’t hesitate as she had in the past.
By the time Zhang Yu returned to his dormitory, intending to resume his cultivation, Zhang Pianpian sent him a message: “Meet me at our usual spot.”
Zhang Yu’s heart quickened. He immediately summoned his Feather Book and saw that the Supreme Clarity Talisman had been upgraded to the 3rd-tier.
“It’s finally upgraded!”
Overjoyed, Zhang Yu immediately sensed the effects of the upgrade. After a moment, he opened his eyes, a hint of surprise in his gaze.
In an instant, he found himself within the Supreme Clarity Realm. As expected, Zhang Pianpian was already there, seated cross-legged in the Supreme Clarity Palace Hall, quietly awaiting his arrival.
Seeing Zhang Yu, Zhang Pianpian smiled faintly and said, “Brother, you’ve helped me greatly again.”
Zhang Yu chuckled. “Sister, we siblings rely on each other to navigate the treacherous path of the Immortal Dao. I’ll never forget the care you showed me back then.”
After listening to Zhang Yu’s words, Zhang Pianpian fell silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Then she shook her head and said, “Come, let me show you the changes in the Supreme Clarity Realm.”
Though Zhang Yu had already learned much from the Dao Seed Register in the Feather Book, he still listened patiently to Zhang Pianpian’s explanation.
As they left the Supreme Clarity Palace Hall and walked into the Supreme Clarity Realm’s rear courtyard, Zhang Yu noticed a massive pond that hadn’t been there before.
Thunderclouds churned within the pond, lightning crackling across its surface. It wasn’t water at all, but a pool of pure lightning.
Gazing at the lightning pool, Zhang Pianpian explained, “This is the Soul-Guiding Pool. It can guide wandering souls and capture remnant consciousness…”
According to Zhang Pianpian, the Soul-Guiding Pool could activate in the Material Realm, capturing the remnant consciousness of souls near Zhang Yu or herself.
Specifically, if someone died within a hundred meters of Zhang Yu or Zhang Pianpian, the Soul-Guiding Pool would automatically activate, extracting a portion of the remnant consciousness from the deceased’s soul.
This Remnant Consciousness primarily consisted of knowledge, potentially containing information about cultivation arts, design blueprints for magical artifacts and Bionics, or Immortal Dao Technology.
In essence, the more deeply ingrained the knowledge was in the deceased’s mind, the higher the probability of the Soul-Guiding Pool extracting it.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “It’s like getting skill books from a loot box after someone dies.”
Zhang Pianpian remarked with a hint of melancholy, “The Soul-Guiding Pool activates silently and imperceptibly, neither interfering with the Spirit Realm’s transformation of souls into Soul Cultivators nor disrupting the deceased’s reincarnation.”
“With this Soul-Guiding Pool, we can accumulate vast amounts of Immortal Dao knowledge and collect cultivation arts from various sects without anyone noticing.”
“Especially during these turbulent times, the Soul-Guiding Pool’s efficiency is further enhanced.”
“Speaking of reincarnation, you must have heard something about it, right?”
Thanks to Dao Qiankun’s live broadcast during the Ten Greats League award ceremony, the news that “reincarnation exists” had already spread widely among cultivators.
Zhang Yu nodded in agreement. “I’ve heard some rumors. When I was choosing my Immortal Sect Technique, Dao Qiankun suggested I select the Six Paths of World Evolution Book, claiming it contained the latest Reincarnation Technology.”
Zhang Pianpian wasn’t surprised by this. She gazed at the roiling, lightning-charged waters of the pool and continued, “Ever since our connection to the upper spatial structures was severed, I’ve sensed… that the Reincarnation System from the second to fifth tiers has undergone a profound transformation. This might be the Immortal’s final contingency plan.”
“Brother,” Zhang Pianpian turned to Zhang Yu, her expression grave. “The upcoming war will only intensify, becoming increasingly perilous. My advice is to focus entirely on mastering the Immortal Sect Technique.”
“Kunlun in the Palm will be your best protection in the days ahead.”
Zhang Yu nodded. “Sister, you must be careful too.”
Zhang Pianpian smiled. “Don’t worry. This war is the opportunity of a lifetime for me.”
“If not for this war, how else could I ever break free from the Great Gods?” she thought to herself.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu sensed the Dao Seed information within the Supreme Clarity Talisman and mused, “To upgrade the Supreme Clarity Talisman to the 4th-tier, I need to help Sister devour three to five Divine Seeds.”
“But what exactly are these Divine Seeds?”
Instead of asking aloud, Zhang Yu decided to return and consult Fu Ji first, hoping the Evil God might possess some knowledge on the matter.
Suddenly, Zhang Yu frowned, gazing at the lightning pool. “Sister,” he sighed, “even with this Soul-Guiding Pool to extract others’ cultivation arts, without the proper copyright, it might be of limited use, right?”
Zhang Pianpian smiled slightly. “Normally, that would indeed be a problem.”
“But with the Righteous Gods absent and the Demonic Cults and Evil Gods watching us like tigers eyeing their prey, the universities have adopted flexible policies to cope.”
“At Myriad Laws University, for example, if you acquire a cultivation art without copyright that isn’t part of the Myriad Laws system, you can ‘wash’ it and use it…”
As Zhang Pianpian explained, “washing” a cultivation art meant repackaging a copyrighted technique as a new one, registering it under Myriad Laws University’s name, thereby securing its copyright.
“This method was originally Divine Monarch Celestial Evolution’s specialty and favorite pastime. Over the years, the Dao Techniques Department has established a complete process to assist him.”
“Now, this practice is being applied more openly and legitimately to counter the Evil Gods’ strategy of open-sourcing various knowledge.”
Zhang Pianpian added, “If you want to wash a cultivation art but find it inconvenient to do yourself, you can leave it to me.”
Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. “Can military-grade cultivation techniques be washed too?”
Zhang Pianpian shook her head. “Military-grade techniques are too technically complex to wash easily, and they’re tied to various types of Military Certificates. I wouldn’t recommend trying to wash them.”
After their conversation, Zhang Yu returned to his cultivation practice.
Meanwhile, deep within the Dark Spirit Realm, a figure composed of swirling, iridescent light materialized before the Joy God.
The Joy God gazed at the figure and said, “Auspicious God, you have failed.”
The Auspicious God replied coldly, “I wouldn’t call it a failure. Though we didn’t capture Zhang Yu, this operation yielded significant intelligence.”
The Joy God chuckled. “Judging by your tone, you’re not ready to give up yet?”
The Auspicious God said, “Did you not watch the video I sent you? Zhang Yu’s demonstrated power far exceeds what someone who entered the Golden Core Realm just a few months ago should possess.”
“His rate of progress is astonishing. If he continues at this pace, he’ll likely be qualified for a Nascent Soul Breakthrough within a year.”