Ding!
[The Spiritual Power Boosted Duration Ended]
Warning:
[Spiritual Power has entered Recovery State]
—Spiritual power is now inaccessible.
—Recovery Duration: 30 Days
[Spiritual Power ×192 » ×1]
[The Absolute Cultivator Mode unavailable during the recovery period]
The red and blue halo ring above Hengsheng's head faded as the Absolute Cultivator mode ended. he felt quite drained due to the side effects of forcefully increasing his own spiritual power over his actual spiritual capacity.
Yet, he did not care about his bodily state at all.
Because his attention was solely focused on the spirit core within his dantian.
No, it is no longer just a spirit core, but it can now be considered a new spirit foundation, a unique spirit foundation that only he possesses.
This new spirit foundation of his appeared like a Saturn with a halo ring circling it, or like an atom model with an electron orbiting the nucleus.
He named this new spirit foundation as—
Ding!
Spirit Core?: Spirit Ring System [2 Rings] [Heaven]
The Spirit Ring System.
"How did I even do that? That's amazing!" Hengsheng exclaimed with excitement. He had no idea how he had even pulled it off, nor could he fully recall the detailed process of what he had done.
Not long after, he calmed himself down and began experimenting with the Spirit Ring System.
…
A while later.
After Hengsheng ran some tests on himself, he came to a few conclusions about this new spirit foundation.
First of all, Hengsheng noticed that the grade of his spirit foundation had decreased. He first found the answer through the system database, which had recorded the process during the fusion. It didn't take long before he found the answer.
The conflict between the spirit foundations damaged both. When the Spirit Root merged into the Spirit Core, becoming the Spirit Ring System, it failed to preserve its Divine Grade quality.
It was degraded to Heaven Grade quality. More than 30% of his raw cultivation talent was lost.
That would have been a huge loss. If it had happened to other cultivators, it could have reduced a genius to mediocrity—but not for him.
His system already makes up for this loss.
The Spirit Ring System is mostly based on the spirit core property, with a minor feature from the Spirit Root as an addition.
This new spirit foundation had two parts: the core and the ring, each contributing 50% to determining a cultivator's true talent, in the same way the spirit core does.
The core is at the center, representing the entire spirit ring system quality, which determines Hengsheng's overall cultivating talent and Qi absorption speed.
However, the core had lost its type property; it could no longer determine the specialized talent. Instead, the ring that orbits the core had taken this role.
The rings orbiting the core each represent Hengsheng's specialized talent and affinity to the element, talent, or dao that align with the ring's affinity.
This increase in affinity of the rings could not compare to the Spirit Root—it was still at the same level as the Spirit Core—but it allowed him to possess multiple affinities, with the number of rings increasing if he added a new ring on the orbit.
That is something that the Spirit Core couldn't do, since it typically only allows one type per core—well, unless you count types that grant multiple affinities, like the Chaos type.
Currently, Hengsheng has two rings, one black belonging to the Water element affinity and one green belonging to the Wood element affinity.
The rings help him draw in the water and wood Qi from the surroundings more effectively with much less effort than before.
His understanding of these elements also became better at a noticeable rate.
The most remarkable thing about these rings is that they could help him convert the mixed element Qi within his dantian into the pure Qi that matches the affinity element of the ring.
Without needing techniques, only his will.
This is a special property belonging to the Spirit Ring System that neither the Spirit Core nor the Spirit Root possesses.
The high-potency Qi from the Spirit Core, along with the high-purity Qi from the Spirit Root, results in the highest quality of Qi possible!
In summary.
The Spirit Ring System was an upgraded version of the Spirit Core, which had spirit rings that acted similarly to the roots of the Spirit Root without its weakness in qi absorption.
Plus, it also offered him the innate ability to convert the spiritual qi within his dantian into a purer form.
There might also be more secrets he had yet to discover…
…
Hengsheng felt joy and celebrated his unexpected gain in silence, and then a flash of thought appeared in his mind.
He quickly looked up at the sky…
The sky is clear with no dark clouds or lightning.
…..…Silence.
No Heavenly Punishment or Tribulation?
'How strange…' Hengsheng thought.
Hengsheng was surprised that the Heavenly Dao did not strike him this time. He was sure he would be facing a lightning strike, but it never came.
Hengsheng had problems with the Heavenly Dao multiple times, enough for him to develop a paranoid habit toward the other side.
It could not be blamed on Heaven alone that it liked to mess with him, this is because his own methods were inconvenient and untraditional for this incredibly conservative world.
Yet, Hengsheng was still surprised that the Heavenly Dao really allowed him to have his own unique spirit foundation without doing anything.
Not even a single sign of approval or disapproval. Maybe he thought too highly of himself—the Heavenly Dao might not even be interested in him in the first place.
Just regularly doing its duty….
A while later.
Hengsheng shook his head, stopping thinking about the Heavenly Dao.
He let this thought go. Thinking about things he knew he would never have an answer to was a waste of time and only piled up uneasy thoughts in his mind.
He got up from his cultivation mat and began to move his body, training it to get used to the new cultivation realm and spirit foundation, returning his condition to peak again.
Besides, he still has work to do as the chairman after this…
…
The South Sea Gulf City, the Southern Sea Kingdom.
The South Sea Gulf City is a coastal metropolis stretching along the shores of the South Sea Gulf, spanning nearly a hundred thousand kilometers across the southern edge of the Myriad Dynasty continent's mainland.
Its sprawling districts, ports, and marketplaces form a continuous urban belt that hugs the coastline.
This city serves as the gateway to the South Sea archipelago, which consists of ten thousand islands—the territory of the Southern Sea Kingdom.
Presently, the gateway city has become the capital of the Southern Sea Kingdom because it serves as the residence of the new dynasty, the Xiyuan Dynasty, which was recently crowned due to an unexpected incident that occurred not long ago.
It was a major incident that resulted in changing the ruler of the entire Southern Sea kingdom from the Xi Dynasty to the Xiyuan Dynasty.
The dynasty has changed, the rule has also changed, and the first order that the King of Xiyuan Dynasty did after attaining the throne was to open free trade across the borders, whether from island to island or to other kingdoms.
This made the Southern Sea Kingdom a new trade hub, with multiple merchant factions flowing into the kingdom seeking better opportunities.
And the first to visit for all outside merchants who came seeking opportunity within this kingdom is the South Sea Gulf City.
…
Along the coast, there are protruding islands, a thousand of them.
These islands are not very far from the coast—some only one step away from the shore, while others are a bit farther, about 10 kilometers from the shore—but they are still considered part of the city.
Among the protruding islands, one has a special status from the rest. Located just 1 kilometer off the shore, it is one of the largest, spanning nearly 3,000 square kilometers.
Uniquely, the island is shaped like a massive axe, with a broad 'blade' facing the sea and a narrow 'handle' connecting it closer to the mainland.
However, what truly made this island special wasn't its size or shape.
What gave it its special status was its owner—the true ruler of the city, and perhaps even of the entire kingdom.
Everyone knew it, yet no one dared to speak it out aloud, afraid to provoke this faction, which was rumored to be very mysterious.
This island was known as Endless Tide Island, named after the mysterious faction that controlled it—The Endless Wealth Company.
…
On Endless Tide Island, the land was divided into three distinct districts: a residential area, a business zone, and a military sector.
The residential district sat at the center of the island—the safest and most secure location. This small community was composed of traditional wooden buildings, housing over ten thousand households. Most were families of Endless Wealth Company employees, along with a few trusted allies.
The business district was positioned along the island's "handle," facing the mainland. This area bustled with trade, logistics, and administrative functions, acting as the bridge between the island and the main city on the mainland.
The military district lay stretched across the "blade"—the southern edge of the island—forming a fortified perimeter that faced the open sea. It stood as both a deterrent and a defense against any potential threat from the Southern Sea.