Chapter 81 - 80: Super Grade Refining God
He then arrived at the edge of a lotus pond. Xia Wuyang took out several Elixirs that fish were fond of and tossed them into the water. The Elixirs dissolved instantly upon contact, releasing a rich fragrance.
Before long, ripples spread across the pond’s surface as fish emerged one after another to feast on the Elixirs.
"Emperor Xia was by the water scolding the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince for their improper behavior. Their fight is getting more and more intense."
"The Ninth Princess has a little something that brings great pleasure."
"She’s also having an affair with a Guard, and her Prince Consort doesn’t even know."
...
Xia Wuyang was taken aback. He quickly committed the useful information to memory. ’To think the Ninth Princess, such a dignified, charming, and virtuous lady, is secretly so wild. You really can’t judge a book by its cover.’
After feeding the fish, Xia Wuyang went to an abandoned palace. Uninhabited for years, it had become a paradise for rats.
He took out fragrant rice mixed with Elixirs and scattered it around the palace. Soon, a torrent of rats swarmed in and began to devour the rice.
’Eat my grain, and serve me!’
Xia Wuyang’s Soul Capturing Power descended, influencing the rats. They, too, soon began to recount the intelligence they had gathered recently.
...
With the help of these small animals, Xia Wuyang had spent the last few days building a rapport with them, weaving an intelligence network that covered the Imperial Palace.
No one would have ever guessed that these little creatures, scattered everywhere, had become individual informants, with the food provided by Xia Wuyang as their only payment.
This intelligence network was now beginning to take shape and was proving to be increasingly effective. He was no longer just passively overhearing bits of information like before.
Especially after mastering the Enchanting Heart Technique, it proved far superior to the Soul Capturing Technique for influencing small animals, making it incredibly easy to use.
Every so often, Xia Wuyang would feed them, gathering various pieces of intelligence in the process and gradually deepening his connection with them.
Over two hours later, Xia Wuyang returned to Wenhua Hall and resumed his Cultivation in peace.
’Although I didn’t gain much tonight, I’ve further strengthened my bond with the small animals. The amount of useful intelligence I can gather in the future is bound to increase.’
’Moreover, these small animals are not only loyal and reliable but also extremely stealthy. They can even coordinate with one another: for instance, having the Moon Shadow Fox handle tracking, the birds handle surveillance, the fish handle eavesdropping, and the rats handle infiltration... As time goes on, these little creatures can play an even greater role.’
Before he knew it, Xia Wuyang’s Spiritual Power was already approaching 140 points. Late that night, as a new day dawned, his Spiritual Power increased by another point, reaching exactly 140 and breaking through a small bottleneck.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, 140 points of Spiritual Power swirled like a brilliant, unceasing Star River, emitting a heart-palpitating fluctuation.
It hadn’t been 140 days since he awakened his Supreme Talent, the Seven-Aperture Exquisite. However, boosted by his Cultivation Realm and the Enchanting Heart Technique, his Spiritual Power had received some extra increments, allowing him to reach 140 points ahead of schedule.
As his Spiritual Power broke through the small bottleneck, the anticipated epiphany arrived as hoped. This time, the target of the epiphany was the Enchanting Heart Technique.
The Enchanting Heart Technique, which he had already comprehended to the eighth floor, naturally progressed to the ninth. At the same time, a vast amount of Spiritual Power poured into it.
In just over an hour, his Cultivation of the Enchanting Heart Technique reached the ninth floor and, at a startling speed, achieved Perfection at that level, allowing him to push for the Tenth Floor.
In his state of epiphany, his efficiency in comprehending the Enchanting Heart Technique was simply astonishing. He quickly achieved another breakthrough in understanding, enabling him to assail the Tenth Floor.
A vast surge of Spiritual Power rushed forward, charging at the bottleneck.
This time, there was a bit more difficulty. It took about two hours before he finally broke through the bottleneck and reached the Tenth Floor.
After a period of consolidation and adaptation, raising it another notch, all his Spiritual Power was completely transformed, leaving not a single trace of the old behind.
His Spiritual Power became even more vigorous and pure. The foundation he had built over the past few months was completely exhausted. Although he hadn’t managed to break through to the Extraordinary Level, Xia Wuyang was already extremely satisfied.
This was because the tenth floor of the Enchanting Heart Technique corresponded to the Refining God Super Grade, the equivalent of a Level 10 Ghost Spirit or Anomaly.
In other words, in terms of his Refining God Cultivation, Xia Wuyang had already reached the Super Grade Celestial Human Level. In terms of Spiritual Power alone, he could now stand on equal footing with Level 10 Ghost Spirits and Anomalies that specialized in Spiritual Power.
Ghost Spirits and Anomalies could sweep through opponents of the same rank with their Spiritual Power, sending Cultivators of all races fleeing in terror. Even if Xia Wuyang couldn’t achieve that, he was no longer someone a First Grade Grandmaster could compare to.
’I might even be able to contend with a Super Grade Celestial Human.’
’However, unlike a Ghost Spirit, I have a physical body, and unlike an Anomaly, I can’t endlessly resurrect. Thus, compared to a Level 10 Ghost Spirit or a Level 10 Anomaly, there is likely still a considerable gap.’
’Furthermore, my repertoire of Spiritual Combat Techniques and Spiritual Secret Techniques is too limited. It’s hard to say if I could take on a Super Grade Celestial Human, but a First Grade Grandmaster should be no problem.’
Relying on his superb Refining God Cultivation, Xia Wuyang’s overall combat strength was at least that of a First Grade Grandmaster, and he was even touching the realm of a Super Grade Celestial Human.
Among the many Princes and Princesses, Xia Wuyang’s current strength already placed him among the top.
As the Enchanting Heart Technique advanced by leaps and bounds, the associated Combat Techniques and Secret Techniques also progressed rapidly.
The Enchanting Heart Technique, which could originally only construct simple Illusion Realms, could now create vivid, lifelike worlds.
The Enchanting Heart Step became more refined; a single step could leave behind a trail of phantoms with auras nearly identical to his own, almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
The most pleasant surprise was the Enchanting Heart Needle. The originally formless and intangible Spiritual Needle was now faintly showing signs of solidifying. If it could fully solidify, its Power would soar by several times, at the very least.
...
His various Combat Techniques and Secret Techniques broke through to Minor Achievement, approaching the Great Success Realm. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before they reached Great Success.
One had to know that the Combat Techniques and Secret Techniques accompanying the Enchanting Heart Treasure Manual were all Low Level Spiritual Techniques and Low Level Spirit Arts. Their power far exceeded Mortal Techniques and Arts, and they were also far more difficult to improve.
To be able to so rapidly advance them to the Minor Achievement Realm demonstrated the immense help from this epiphany.
Moreover, Xia Wuyang had a feeling that when his Spiritual Power broke through again—that is, when it reached 150 points—he would most likely awaken a new Companion Talent.
This feeling was incredibly strong, leaping to the forefront of his mind with a clarity far beyond anything he had felt before.
This gave Xia Wuyang a new sense of anticipation. He wondered what kind of Companion Talent he would awaken next. ’Will it be for Attack, for Defense... or for support?’
A long time had passed since his last awakening. ’The Companion Talent I awaken this time shouldn’t be a weak one.’
At this thought, Xia Wuyang was filled with excitement. It would only be about ten days, not a long wait at all. ’I hope I awaken a useful Companion Talent this time.’