Lord of Prayer

The damage Cyan Flame inflicted on the Spiritual Realm had also skyrocketed. Experiments showed that when engulfed by the flame, a Tier One Corrupter’s tattered and corrupted spirit would be incinerated in under five seconds. A Tier Two Corrupter could only hold out for less than thirty seconds. This was a level of destructive power far beyond what Zhou Chen could have achieved at Tier One.

Then there were the two Derivative Abilities he had acquired. Both were practical: Burst could inflict considerable explosive and area-of-effect damage, while Flame Jump could be used for kiting, escaping, or hit-and-run tactics. Its current maximum range was fifty meters, consumed relatively little Essence, and would be extremely useful in a fight.

Simply put, it was like trading a peashooter for a cannon.

After this, Zhou Chen was taken to a private room for some mandatory cram sessions, where he learned what every Tier Two Ascender needed to know and how to continue growing stronger.

The name Tier Two: Sea of Silver originated from the pure, silver-white ocean within the Spiritual World. It was a manifestation formed from one’s spirit, Soul, and Essence, and served as the wellspring of a Tier Two Ascender’s Power. The most direct effect of this was that if one’s Spiritual Power and Essence were depleted in battle, their Sea of Silver would dim and dry up, only beginning to surge again once both were restored.

The formation of the Sea of Silver granted Ascenders powerful spiritual resistance, making them much harder to corrupt through spiritual infection. It also provided a defense against Spiritual Attacks.

For example, if Zhou Chen were to use Cyan Flame to burn a Tier Two Ascender’s spirit, the opponent’s Sea of Silver could potentially extinguish it. Although it would certainly inflict damage before being put out, its potency would be drastically reduced.

Of course, if his opponent was far weaker than him, it was more likely that his Cyan Flame would set their Sea of Silver ablaze.

After covering the basics of Tier Two Ascenders, the old professor began to explain how they should focus on their growth.

Tier Two was an incredibly important stage for an Ascender. Many would rather spend years honing their abilities at this tier than rush their Advancement.

To advance from Tier One: Stars to Tier Two: Sea of Silver, an Ascender had to continuously increase their Spiritual Power. Only when the starlight radiating from the myriad Stars in their Spiritual World grew brilliant enough to coalesce into the light of a galaxy and successfully transform into the Sea of Silver was the Advancement considered a success.

This stage was determined solely by Spiritual Power, which was why treasures like the Star Mango could be used to force an Advancement. Zhou Chen, for example, had bypassed the long process of raising his Spiritual Power and advanced directly to Tier Two without any side effects. And all this had happened just two months after his awakening.

However, advancing from Tier Two: Sea of Silver to Tier Three: Golden Soul was no longer a matter of Spiritual Power. Instead, one had to meticulously forge their own “Golden Soul,” bit by bit. This Golden Soul was the very manifestation of an Ascender’s spiritual essence, a process that allowed no carelessness, as it would determine all their future accomplishments.

There were many ways to forge a Golden Soul. The simplest and most common was constant Meditation, day and night. The most effective method, however, was to experience an intense emotional resonance that stirred the very Soul, allowing one to gain insight and a clearer understanding of oneself.

This process was typically incredibly long. Countless Ascenders had died of old age without ever managing to forge their Golden Soul.

But some were able to forge a brilliant Golden Soul in a remarkably short time. Without exception, these individuals possessed strength, resources, and luck far surpassing ordinary people, earning them the title of prodigies. If they were allowed to mature, they were destined to become powerhouses standing at the very pinnacle of the World.

·

After leaving the research department, Zhou Chen followed Jiang Che back to her office and flopped onto the sofa, stroking Xiao Ju.

Xiao Ju meowed contentedly, nuzzling its head against him from his lap, clearly enjoying the close contact.

After all, Jiang Che was no longer the cute little girl who loved petting cats.

“Something on your mind?” Jiang Che asked as she made coffee. “You’ve seemed troubled since you left the classroom. Why didn’t you ask your questions then? Professor Li is a veteran in the field of Extraordinary Studies.”

“Because my questions are about you,” Zhou Chen said. “So I can only ask you.”

Jiang Che, still fiddling with the coffee machine, asked without turning around, “What is it?”

“Professor Li said that for a Tier Two Ascender to advance to Tier Three, they need to forge a Golden Soul. The most effective way to do that is to experience an intense emotional resonance that stirs the Soul. The Golden Soul is the manifestation of an Ascender’s own spiritual essence, and it incorporates their emotions, beliefs, Dreams, and ideals. That’s why that method helps you understand yourself more quickly. But…”

Zhou Chen asked curiously, “How is someone like you, with emotional-deficiency syndrome, or others with similar emotional disorders, supposed to advance?”

Jiang Che answered calmly, “Either they never advance, or they find another way.”

She said nothing more after that, simply waiting quietly as the machine poured hot water, brewing the rich, bitter coffee.

After a long moment, Jiang Che carried her cup to her office chair. Stirring the coffee with a spoon, she said calmly, “The most straightforward explanation of the Golden Soul is, quite simply: ‘What kind of person do you want to be?’

“When you have an exceptionally clear understanding of yourself, a firm and definite path in your heart, an obsession you yearn to fulfill day and night, or perhaps a dream or ideal—forging a Golden Soul is only a matter of time.”

Zhou Chen sank into thought. Then, he understood.

‘Jiang Che has a clear understanding of herself,’ he thought. ‘At the same time, she harbors a deep-seated obsession with revenge. That obsession is strong enough to support her in forging a Golden Soul. Even with her emotional deficiency, she won’t be stuck at this tier forever.’

‘It’s the aimless slackers, the ones without clear obsessions or Dreams, who get stuck here for life.’

“By the way, Hermes gave me an invitation to Zone 009 a while back. I haven’t had a chance to tell you… Could you help me gather some information on it?” Zhou Chen retrieved the invitation from his Soul and handed it to Jiang Che.

Jiang Che’s eyebrows shot up. She took the invitation, looking genuinely surprised.

“He even gave you something like this… It means both he and the King of Music think very highly of you.

“However, Zone 009 has already opened for this year. The next time will be in May of next year. You can start preparing in advance; the situation in that Restricted Area is extremely complex.”

“Next May? That’s half a year away… Hermes said it’s a world that’s been turned into a game by some mysterious fog. Is that for real?” Zhou Chen asked, his curiosity piqued.

“It’s true. According to the accounts of invited Players from previous years, as soon as they go in, they get something like a Player status screen, complete with an inventory, Skills, Artifacts, classes… If they die, they can even respawn at the nearest save point. They’re only automatically ejected from Zone 009 when the ‘server open’ time ends. Any enhancements they gain inside don’t disappear, and many Artifacts can be brought out with them.

“Many Ascenders grew powerful in Zone 009.”

Jiang Che set down the invitation and began searching for information on her computer. “In gaming terms, it’s an open-world game with a map larger than the entire Laine Kingdom. Many people speculate that if someone could beat Zone 009, they could liberate that Restricted Area for good.

“But Zone 009 is extremely dangerous. In gaming terms, it would be an unprecedented Purgatory Level difficulty. In all these years, not a single Player has managed to beat it.

“The fallen Sun entered Zone 009 in his youth. It wasn’t just him; many of today’s Crowned Kings went there when they were young—the Winter King, the King of Mirrors, the Dusk Knight, the Holy Judgment Angels… Hermes and the King of Music must have gone in as well, but they also failed to beat the game.

“According to the records, the only person who ever came close to beating it was the now-fallen Sun. But he still failed in the end and was said to have lamented it for a long time.

“That just goes to show you how deep the rabbit hole goes in Zone 009.”