Chapter 328 Foundation of Ascension

One of the most immediate and reassuring benefits of the Nascent Soul realm was that his lifespan had, in theory, reached infinity!

For any cultivator, this was a milestone enough to send them into ecstatic joy, shaking their dao heart.

But in Jie Ming’s heart, this joy was swiftly supplanted by a more urgent goal—advancing to third-level wizard!

The Nascent Soul breakthrough was not merely a leap on the cultivation path; it completed the final, most crucial puzzle piece for him.

A knowing smile tugged at his lips as he left the secret chamber, where Spiritual Qi had yet to fully dissipate, and returned to his core laboratory filled with flowing rune lights and precision instruments.

It was time to assess his current state and plan the road ahead.

The core requirements for third-level wizard promotion were two: first, spiritual force intensity meeting the standard; second, mastery of a certain “law” reaching 0.1%.

In terms of spiritual force, Jie Ming had long polished it to flawless cohesion, far exceeding peers—no issue there.

The true key lay in selecting and mastering the “law.”

Choosing which law to serve as the cornerstone of one’s ring of truth was a decision every wizard aspiring to high tiers approached with utmost caution.

It determined the breadth and potential of one’s future path.

As far back as his wizard apprentice days, Jie Ming had pondered this countless times, but limited knowledge and vision had kept him from clarity.

As he accessed higher-level information—especially learning that sixth-to-seventh required “deepening” or “expanding” the law, while seventh-to-eighth demanded “fixing” one’s law, distorting the plane’s analogous laws—he understood the initial choice’s gravity even more.

Eighth-level “fixing” differed vastly from sixth-level “law solidification.”

Sixth-level ensured one’s mastered law remained stable across planes, unaffected by local variances.

Eighth-level forcibly warped the plane’s related laws, manifesting the entire plane’s laws in the image of one’s own!

This was power nearing tampering with underlying rules.

Hence the extreme difficulty of seventh-to-eighth.

“Deepening” and “expanding” at sixth-level made the law more complex and personalized, exponentially increasing the challenge of “fixing” it at eighth.

Theoretically, the ideal law balanced “uniqueness” with “expandability.”

Seemingly contradictory, yet Jie Ming had found the perfect answer.

The law he intended to research and promote upon was—Spiritual Qi!

Spiritual Qi, the underlying rule of the cultivation civilization system, one of the foundational streams constructing myriad arts, held near-infinite variability and derivation potential—expandability unquestioned.

Meanwhile, in the wizard world, Spiritual Qi was not a natural constant, granting the “Spiritual Qi law” absolute uniqueness here!

As for the wizard world lacking a Spiritual Qi law…

Wizard “laws” weren’t specific energies but highly summarized, knowledge-applied internal regularities of cosmic phenomena or entities.

As long as he comprehended and mastered its patterns, regardless of origin, he could claim it.

Goal set, method became key.

Researching a locally “nonexistent” law precluded direct data collection from natural environments like fire elements or gravity, or acceleration via plane origins.

He could only rely on the most primitive approach—self-constructing research environments, gathering data, summarizing patterns.

Thus, quality research apparatus or environments were vital.

Initially, Jie Ming planned a private laboratory for small-scale elemental-to-Spiritual Qi conversion research.

But after claiming the entire “Infernal Sulfur plane” via elite trials, a grander blueprint unfolded in his mind.

He would use this entire plane as his foundation of ascension!

Through continuous revisions, a bold, audacious plan crystallized and perfected in his thoughts.

What meaning in a mere small laboratory?

He would treat the whole plane as his laboratory!

The plan’s core: construct “Incense Fire Divine Dao” in the Infernal Sulfur plane!

With the Infernal Sulfur plane as material foundation, Incense Fire Divine Dao technology from the Great Dao Book Pavilion as core framework, supplemented by his mastered and optimized “elemental-Spiritual Qi conversion technology.”

Now, all fragments were assembled.

Infernal Sulfur plane, divine power faith network and Incense Fire Divine Dao technology, elemental-Spiritual Qi conversion from refining Mysterious Astral Mortal Dust Barrier and body forging method modifications, Nascent Soul cultivation, and vast military merits as resources.

Jie Ming confirmed he could fully transform the plane’s originally rampant fire elements into pure Spiritual Qi—gradually and thoroughly!

Then, he would possess a world-scale law laboratory!

Observing Spiritual Qi’s macro-scale generation, circulation, and plane interactions would yield massive data, rapidly advancing “Spiritual Qi law” mastery.

The Infernal Sulfur plane belonged to the Noren Plane No. 147 cluster, which inherently featured a natural “divine power faith network.”

Jie Ming’s years of divine power faith network research aimed fundamentally at parsing its mechanisms, modifying and grafting it into a cultivation-compliant “Incense Fire Divine Dao” system!

Now Nascent Soul achieved, he possessed initial power to construct and guide Incense Fire Divine Dao.

With detailed Great Dao Book Pavilion technical support, he could establish preliminary Incense Fire Divine Dao in the Infernal Sulfur plane.

Of course, solo plane-wide transformation was near-impossible.

But Jie Ming never intended lone efforts.

Like the prior three-phase plane infrastructure projects, he could outsource non-core standardized construction to professional plane architecture teams under the Noren Workshop.

He would focus on the most core, critical array constructions and activations involving Incense Fire Divine Dao’s essential rules.

Accessing his military merit account, he checked the balance.

Despite massive expenditures on internal space expansion, plane origin purchases, and sustaining costly researches…

Thanks to continuous royalties from the Self-Stabilizing Domain Regulation Protocol, he had quietly amassed over ten billion military merits!

This fortune sufficed to hire top architecture teams for the Infernal Sulfur plane’s fourth-phase transformation.

Now, he needed precise planning—based on profound understanding of divine power faith network and Incense Fire Divine Dao—of transformation zones, nodes, energy pathways, drafting detailed engineering blueprints.

Technically, centuries of research gave him confidence.

The true difficulty lay elsewhere.

Jie Ming’s gaze fell on the nearby brick-thick Seventh-Level Large Elemental Pool Usage Manual, sighing helplessly.

Constructing Incense Fire Divine Dao, beyond full plane control and profound technology, faced greatest challenge in initial startup.

Before system establishment and internal energy preliminary circulation, vast external energy was needed—like kindling requiring initial spark and continuous fuel.

Per Great Dao Book Pavilion records, in cultivation realms, establishing Incense Fire Divine Dao on a planet typically chose dual-star systems.

One star sustained basic ecology; the other powered the divine dao system.

Absent such, hire or cooperate with legendary divine beast “Three-Legged Golden Crow,” stationing it for tens of thousands of years to provide initial motive with divine energy.

The wizard world lacked dual stars or Golden Crows, but Jie Ming was prepared.

His exorbitantly purchased seventh-level large elemental pool was precisely to resolve this energy issue!

Thus, the most pressing task was no longer theory but practice.

He must swiftly master the seventh-level large elemental pool’s utterly complex manual, installing and integrating this strategic-grade artificial energy source into the Infernal Sulfur plane’s core.

Foundation of ascension begins underfoot.

The hardest “technology” blocking him now must be gnawed through swiftly.

…

…

Time shuttled like an arrow; another decade-plus passed in a finger’s snap.

Jie Ming stood before the laboratory’s central holographic projection, staring at the dizzyingly complex 3D structure diagram.

This blueprint, costing immense effort, fused Incense Fire Divine Dao essence from the Great Dao Book Pavilion, analysis of Noren Plane No. 147 cluster’s natural divine power faith network, and his unique elemental-Spiritual Qi conversion insights.

The diagram precisely modeled the entire Infernal Sulfur plane’s topography, countless fine energy lines like life veins outlining a global macro-network.

Nodes, hubs, conversion pools, faith anchors… all complete, forming the future Incense Fire Divine Dao skeleton.

“Finally… preliminary design complete.” Jie Ming rubbed his throbbing temples, exhaling deeply.

Zoning transformations and setting energy pathways proved far more tedious than anticipated.

Incense Fire Divine Dao’s multifunctionality required considering faith force collection, purification, storage; Spiritual Qi conversion and delivery; reserving orthodox talisman system interfaces and future expansions—involving extremely complex energy flows and rule interferences.

He revisited Incense Fire Divine Dao core technical points multiple times, iterating deductions, before finalizing the existing divine power faith network modification scheme for the Infernal Sulfur plane.

Fortunately, the most time-consuming theoretical design and planning were done.

He pre-reserved standardized transformation interfaces and array bases at all key and non-key nodes.

Subsequent bulk foundational construction could be outsourced; he needed only personally handle the most core arrays involving Incense Fire Divine Dao essential rules—construction and activation.

Without further hesitation, Jie Ming connected via magic network terminal to the Noren Workshop’s logistics service system.

Paying massive military merits, he hired a team renowned for efficiency and reliability in plane architecture.

Packaging and sending non-core blueprint data, he conducted detailed remote handovers with the engineering supervisor, clarifying construction requirements, material standards, and schedules.

Seeing the team’s virtual icon light up in the task list—signaling official transformation start—Jie Ming felt slight relief.

Linking part of his mind to plane-wide monitoring arrays for real-time progress tracking, he withdrew attention.

Next: another tougher bone—the complete mastery of seventh-level large elemental pool installation and integration technology.

Reseating at the experiment table, the mountain-thick manual hovered before him again, pages turning autonomously, flashing dizzying data streams and structure diagrams.

Comprehension, memorization, deduction, simulation… the process dull and grueling, immensely taxing spiritual force and computation.

Yet Jie Ming’s eyes burned with excitement.

He believed current investment would yield unimaginable future returns.

Once Incense Fire Divine Dao constructed, it granted not just a Spiritual Qi-filled exclusive plane.

This plane would become the shared “foundation of ascension” for his cultivation and wizard paths, vastly accelerating advancement.

Incense Fire Divine Dao itself was a treasure trove of infinite potential.

Its most direct product: unique conceptual material—incense fire power.

This force from pure faith and living spirit essence could near-losslessly convert to pure Spiritual Qi for absorption; more importantly, it was nearly a “universal catalyst” and “advanced building material.”

Whether artifact refining, pill concocting, talisman drawing, array setting, or aiding special divine ability cultivation—incense fire power worked wonders.

In application breadth, it surpassed even his arduously collected mortal dust qi.

Moreover, Incense Fire Divine Dao fundamentally resolved mortal dust qi yield issues.

Per Great Dao Book Pavilion records, Incense Fire Divine Dao originated from ancient cultivation realm great powers’ dilemma of dwindling mortal dust qi.

Long-term cultivator-mortal coexistence, even with cultivators avoiding interference, eventually shifted relations from equal societal components to unequal “herder” and “herded.”

This shift degraded mortal dust qi, even reducing it.

High-tier cultivators, discerning this, cleverly leveraged sentient beings’ natural religious tendencies in civilization evolution, creating Incense Fire Divine Dao.

By integrating as “divine” roles in mortal society, they rebuilt connections—becoming societal structure parts, not detached herders.

This stabilized mortal dust qi output and elevated quality.

For Jie Ming, this eliminated worries, ensuring sustained access to these two vital special resources.

A complete Incense Fire Divine Dao held what Jie Ming viewed as strategic ability—orthodox talismans and god-invocation arts.

Distinct from his environment-element-mobilizing “rune witch artifacts.”

Orthodox talismans were essentially encrypted, rule-certified “applications,” directly requesting stored divine spirit power descent from the Incense Fire Divine Dao system for combat aid or tasks.

Certain rituals even enabled “god descent” or “spirit possession,” temporarily embodying divine dao spirit power for massive combat boosts.

In Jie Ming’s view, these differing manifestations shared underlying logic—ultra-long-distance cross-space precision energy transmission technology!

He vividly recalled energy depletion desperation on the Giant Spirit Realm battlefield.

With complete Incense Fire Divine Dao then, he could real-time transmit vast energy from the distant Infernal Sulfur plane—generated by the seventh-level large elemental pool to the battlefield!

Even directly mobilize pre-charged plane-internal strategic strikes via his privileges!

What did this mean?

It meant henceforth, wherever Jie Ming went, he could near-instantly call upon a plane’s energy reserves for battle!

Equivalent to carrying a fully functional, unlimited-energy “mobile mage tower” at all times!

Imagining such scenes, even with Jie Ming’s current mindset, stirred surging emotions.

Of course, all visions hinged on perfect Incense Fire Divine Dao construction.

At present, he needed grounded progress conquering hurdles.

Composing himself, his gaze refocused on the thick manual, consciousness diving into the sea-vast technical data.