Chapter 271 - 25: Spiritual Strength Doubles

Chapter 271: Chapter 25: Spiritual Strength Doubles

The Great White Birch Forest.

The Cabin in the Woods.

Two feather dusters floated leisurely back and forth before three enormous bookshelves, cleaning away fine dust invisible to the naked eye.

As the collection of books on the shelves grew, with manuscripts numbering in the hundreds of thousands and increasing by 200 pages at a minimum—sometimes even 400 to 500 pages a day—this had become the feather dusters’ favorite area to linger.

As they drifted between the bookshelves, even their usual playful antics seemed to subside, as if their wings were weighed down by the sheer gravity of all that knowledge.

Flower’s invisible gaze hung in midair, earnestly supervising the feather dusters’ cleaning work.

To be honest, even the well-traveled Artificial Soul was quite surprised by the speed at which the manuscripts were multiplying.

This represented a rate of knowledge absorption that far surpassed the level of a Third Level Apprentice.

Her gaze shifted to Mo Ning, who was sitting on the sofa, before finally locking onto the teardrop-shaped black crystal on the wooden table. A profound sense of astonishment surged uncontrollably through her consciousness.

The crystal seemed weightless. It didn’t rest on the tabletop but was magically floating in midair.

Light from the Magic Energy Lamp poured down from the ceiling, yet no shadow appeared beneath the crystal, as if the light passed right through it without obstruction.

This bizarre phenomenon completely defied intuition.

Flower naturally recognized it. This was Soul Spirit Water.

Of course, the crystal was merely a vessel containing Spiritual Power. The truly precious thing was the mass within it, a presence like eternal darkness.

Although it had "Water" in its name, it was not a liquid, nor was it even a physical substance.

Astonishment flowed through Flower’s consciousness. ’I can’t believe it. Master is only a First Level Apprentice, yet he managed to get his hands on something this precious.’

According to her knowledge base, Soul Spirit Water was a wisp of pure Spiritual Energy, extracted through powerful Witchcraft from a Soul Body comparable in strength to a Second Level Wizard.

The words "Soul Spirit" referred to its origin, while "Water" described its fluid, flowing appearance from a spiritual perspective.

The Effect of Soul Spirit Water was extremely potent, but like a Magic Potion, it came with side effects.

The mental state of the Soul Body and the level of refinement directly determined the severity of the side effects.

The drop before her master was of superior quality, with relatively minor side effects, and was worth at least twice as much as a low-grade version.

However, judging from her master’s slightly furrowed brow, those side effects were still not to be ignored.

Half of Mo Ning’s body was sunk into the soft sofa, his left hand gripping an information storage Crystal Stone.

After his promotion to First Level Apprentice, he could faintly sense Flower’s gaze, but he had long grown accustomed to it.

The information about the Soul Spirit Water in the Crystal Stone made his heart jump.

[Soul Spirit Water contains a lingering wisp of despair from the moment the Soul Body was annihilated. It is called the "Soul of Deathly Silence."]

[If one is unable to resist the Soul of Deathly Silence upon consumption, their Spiritual World will be severely contaminated. This contamination can reach the very depths of one’s spirit, and the user’s personality will ultimately undergo a permanent change.]

[You may have once been optimistic and cheerful, but after contamination, that brightness will melt away like snow, replaced by an underlying nature woven from melancholy and madness.]

[The result of this distorted personality, in all likelihood, is complete and utter ruin at some point in the future.]

Mo Ning pursed his lips as a thought popped into his head. ’Lady Yi Lin, is it really appropriate for you to so casually hand a dangerous item that could kill someone with the slightest misstep to a newly-promoted Apprentice?’

However, the Crystal Stone also offered a method for resisting the Soul of Deathly Silence.

[After consuming the Soul Spirit Water, the nourishing effect of the Spiritual Power within it on one’s soul and spirit will last for two to three days. During this time, one’s Spiritual Strength will grow rapidly.]

[While digesting the Spiritual Power, the intense side effects will follow like a shadow. Maintaining a state of high euphoria can effectively counteract the pull of the Soul of Deathly Silence.]

But this vaguely described "state of high euphoria" struck Mo Ning as incredibly nebulous.

The Crystal Stone also included specific case studies.

To be honest, those case studies were utterly ridiculous.

[Experience has proven that male users can seek the aid of women, using the spiritual stimulation of pleasure to combat the contamination of the Soul of Deathly Silence.]

[Due to the long digestion period, it is advised to prepare the relevant potions, as well as five or more women, in advance.]

The corner of Mo Ning’s mouth twitched uncontrollably as he read this.

My God!

’Five or more women? That’s just absurd!’

As for the "relevant potions," while the text didn’t spell it out, anyone in the know would understand what it meant.

’Without the aid of potions, how could that sort of thing possibly last for two, or even three, days?’

’Then again,’ he seriously doubted, ’if one really kept at it for over two days, it might feel good at first, but by the end... wouldn’t you just be chafed raw?’

Mo Ning did a quick mental calculation. Given his social circle, just finding five women would be difficult enough, to say nothing of the fact that he’d be far too embarrassed to ask Anya or anyone else.

’Am I supposed to go up to a Noble Lady and say, "I need five women to fight alongside me for two days and two nights, and I desperately need your help"?’

He figured Anya would probably renounce their friendship on the spot.

Mo Ning shook his head slightly, rejecting the plan. ’Forget it. I can’t do that.’

The Crystal Stone also mentioned an emergency measure:

[Should obvious signs of a personality change appear during the process of digesting the Spiritual Power, it is recommended to immediately consume a Mind Purification Potion. This can halt the contamination from seeping into the depths of your spirit for a certain period.]

[Please be aware that the Mind Purification Potion will severely interfere with the Spiritual Power of the Soul Spirit Water, causing a significant decrease in the growth of your Spiritual Strength.

[Based on experience, each dose will reduce the growth of Spiritual Strength by 0.15 to 0.2 points. You can take a maximum of three potions. Please use with caution.]