Chapter 205 - 127: Hell and Heaven

Chapter 205: Chapter 127: Hell and Heaven

He had already far surpassed the baseline of a Third Level Apprentice.

"Four hundred fifty... four hundred eighty... five hundred!"

Yvette finally pressed the stop button, halting the injection.

The glaring white light inside the pod gradually dimmed, returning to a pale gold.

Chen Shang lay in the gel, gasping heavily. Sweat mixed with the gel slid down his face and dripped into his ears.

"Total Spiritual Power is five hundred units," a researcher reported, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. "The crack depth has been reduced from 0.3 millimeters to 0.1 millimeters, and the cracks on the Crystal Core have decreased to nine. The Sea of Consciousness has expanded by forty-six percent overall."

Yvette walked over to the pod, bending down to look at Chen Shang inside, the corners of her mouth curling up.

"How do you feel?"

Chen Shang panted for a few seconds before answering hoarsely, "Like I’ve been smashed by a hammer for three days and three nights."

"But you’ve made huge progress."

"Can we do it again?" Chen Shang licked his lips, tasting the strange flavor of the gel.

"Don’t celebrate just yet," Yvette laughed out loud. "Your total Spiritual Power has gone up, but your Crystal Core and Sea of Consciousness still need time to stabilize.

"For the next month, take your Repair Potion on time every day, avoid high-intensity combat, and do not overexert your Spiritual Power.

"As for the Magic Spring, wait until the cracks have completely healed before establishing it. If you build it now, the foundation will still be unstable."

Chen Shang nodded.

"There is one more thing." Yvette picked up a Crystal Plate from the main console. "You asked me before whether absorbing the Black Wizard’s Spiritual Power would leave his Spiritual Imprints behind. The answer is no; I cleaned them out very thoroughly.

"However, this kind of crude infusion might cause you to develop instinctual reactions toward certain things."

Chen Shang frowned. "What kind of reactions?"

"It’s not entirely clear right now. For example, an increased curiosity about the Lost Society? Or maybe some other minor habits? Regardless, they will just be trivial matters."

"The personal instincts of that Black Wizard?"

"Correct. Since you absorbed it, it’s bound to rub off on you a bit. However, it won’t affect your Spiritual Power Specialization. Just keep it in mind."

Chen Shang stayed silent for a few seconds. "Master, if it was completely cleared out, why is there still this slight residue?"

"This issue is quite complex," Yvette began slowly. "To my knowledge, this phenomenon involves the entanglement of certain higher powers, such as Destiny, an ultimate existence of the Endless Star Sea.

"If you want to completely break free from this entanglement, you can only rely on another ultimate existence—Time.

"So there are two solutions. The first is to just ignore it. As time wears on, this minor influence will eventually dissipate.

"The other option is to go find that Black Wizard and kill him!"

Chen Shang’s mouth twitched. "That sounds like a cliché Knight novel, where the protagonist has to slay all his destined enemies as the wheels of history roll forward."

"Hmm, a very novel perspective. But I don’t think that Black Wizard counts as your destined enemy. Haven’t you already reported him to the Alliance?" Yvette waved her hand. "So for the next month, just focus on completing your Spiritual Power Specialization here. I still need to collect data!"

He nodded in acceptance. He had major things to accomplish; there was no need to worry about a guy who could silently die in some random corner of the Endless Star Sea at any moment.

Yvette patted the pod’s outer shell. "Alright, get up. Stop lying there; you’re about to claw the gel to shreds."

The pod cover opened.

Chen Shang propped himself up by the edge of the pod and sat up. The gel slid off his body, revealing his skin underneath. His upper body was covered in red streaks, reflections left on his skin by the burning of his Spiritual Power.

He glanced down at his hands; the spaces between his fingers were filled with blood.

"Here." A researcher handed over a vial of Potion. Chen Shang took it and downed it in one gulp before stepping out of the pod and draping his Magic Robe over himself.

He walked up to Yvette and bowed deeply. "Thank you for saving my life, Master!"

Yvette waved it off. "Don’t thank me. Your data is well worth the price."

She turned around and tapped twice on the Crystal Plate on the main console. "If you really want to thank me, then hurry up and condense your excess Spiritual Power into a Crystal Core, and then complete your Spiritual Power Specialization."

Chen Shang nodded. A faint fluctuation echoed in his Sea of Consciousness, bringing an immense sense of fulfillment. Five hundred units of Spiritual Power flowed slowly within his Sea of Consciousness, like a river that had just awakened.

"I’ll do it as soon as possible!"

***

Pan-Wizard Alliance Seventy-Third District Mission.

Objective: Eradicate the main base of the Lost Society located in the Desolate Plane.

Execution Squad: Seven members. The team leader was the Fourth Level Wizard, "Iron Curtain" Morton. The remaining members included two Third Level Wizards, three Second Level Wizards, and one First Level Wizard.

When they stepped out of the Teleportation Gate, the sky of the Desolate Plane was a dark purple.

There was no sun and no moon. Only the occasional sweeping Void Storms tore rifts through the clouds, revealing the backdrop of the Endless Star Sea beyond.

The headquarters of the Lost Society was built on a flattened mountain peak. It was outfitted with a defensive formation of Secret Treasures excavated from dynasty ruins: Force Field Shields, Elemental Barriers, Spiritual Interference Towers...

Morton stood at the very front of the team, his gray Magic Robe flapping loudly in the aftermath of the Void Storms. He glanced at the distant base and nodded in satisfaction.

"Although these are outdated versions from the dynastic era, they’re still worth some money. This trip wasn’t made in vain!"

Soon, a team member finished scanning all the information: "Captain, the node for the Force Field Shield is in the southeast corner. Its Energy supply is insufficient, so there’s a gap every three breaths. The Elemental Barrier’s Earth Element Layer is too thin, and its Fire Element Layer is too thick, making its center of gravity lean to the left. The coverage area of the Spiritual Interference Tower is restricted to the center of the camp..."