Chapter 103: Piling Sand into a Tower

The sky shuttle ascended rapidly.

Not long after, it pierced through the cloud layer.

Starlight streamed through the cabin window.

It illuminated the golden-threaded black robe, its embroidered patterns glimmering faintly.

Jiang Jian lightly brushed his fingers, and the frost-white flame between them vanished silently.

“Jiangcheng Auction House.”

Jiang Jian pulled out a gold card, stared at it for several seconds, then input commands into the sky shuttle.

The next instant.

The sky shuttle changed direction.

It flew toward the western side of Five-River Jiangcheng—the Jiangcheng Auction House.

“Practicing the Karma Fire scripture, the rate of spiritual essence growth has increased so much!”

As thoughts churned, Jiang Jian guided the spiritual energy in a circuit.

He realized in shock.

Using the Karma Fire cultivation method.

The movement speed of spiritual energy at the Shenque point had increased by at least thirty percent compared to before!

This thirty percent was not merely about cultivation speed.

It encompassed spiritual energy velocity, affinity, sedimentation of spiritual essence, control over spiritual energy, and more.

In countless ways—from within outward—it was a comprehensive enhancement!

Under all these bonuses.

Even if Jiang Jian simply sat there.

His Shenque spiritual essence was still slowly increasing!

But.

Cultivation in the Divine Bestowal realm becomes increasingly difficult the higher one ascends.

Beyond fifty percent, the difficulty rises exponentially!

The average spiritual essence of second-year students at Linjiang Academy is around thirty percent of the Divine Bestowal realm.

Even for third-year students.

The average spiritual essence is only about fifty percent of the Divine Bestowal realm.

For ordinary students, spiritual essence stagnates completely at this stage, making further advancement nearly impossible.

Linjiang Academy is the top Divine Bestowal university in Fuanhezhou.

Over time, the overall cultivation speed of its students far surpasses that of other Divine Bestowal universities.

Compared to ordinary people who barely cultivate, the difference is as vast as heaven and earth.

But even so.

In every graduating class, among third-year students.

Fewer than ten reach the Spring Surge realm.

Most third-year students remain stuck between thirty and fifty percent of the Divine Bestowal realm.

Only a handful of prodigies.

Like Young Master Zhang or Gu Qi.

With countless resources poured into them.

Achieve one hundred percent Divine Bestowal before graduation and break into the Spring Surge realm!

The Spring Surge realm is exceedingly rare.

In impoverished cities like Guangling City.

It’s not an exaggeration to say one in a million.

Its greatest distinction from the Divine Bestowal realm.

Is the addition of one new cultivation point: the Spring Surge point!

Moreover.

The Spring Surge point can also hold an additional talent orb!

That is, a third talent!

Every Spring Surge being can use three talents.

One innate talent, and two talent orbs.

This also causes.

The status of the Spring Surge realm to be extremely high.

After all.

The Earth’s star ring was once shattered.

Now, it is extremely thin.

The thinner it becomes, the harder cultivation is for all beings across the four realms.

There are only two conditions for star ring expansion.

First, the accumulation of vast amounts of time.

Second, the emergence of prodigies within the realm, leading to a flourishing cultivation landscape.

Naturally, this feeds back into the star ring.

The star ring converts starlight into energy, which in turn increases the cultivation speed of beings.

This is why the Spirit Platform realm is so crucial.

After all, the foundation for feeding back into the star ring begins at the Spirit Platform realm.

Spirit Platform beings can directly absorb “divine power” from starlight.

They do not require the star ring to convert it.

Instead, they unintentionally feed back into the star ring, increasing its thickness and width.

Even if a Spirit Platform being does nothing at all.

The star ring of their realm will gradually grow thicker.

The Saturn star ring expanded wildly.

Precisely because the number of Spirit Platform beings on Saturn increased.

But.

Now, the Earth-Moon four realms.

Are completely the opposite.

The star ring is thin, converting little starlight.

Beings have lost interest in cultivation.

Spirit Platform beings are growing fewer.

A vicious cycle has formed.

The Earth’s star ring has not increased.

Instead, over time.

Consumption exceeds feedback, making it even thinner!

If not for the Planetary Accord.

The Earth-Moon four realms would have long since become wastelands.

After all, a planet’s “star core” is ideal nourishment for star ring expansion.

The original Earth star ring.

Was shattered by terrifying beings from other planets.

Their goal was Earth’s star core.

Descendants of the gods on Neptune intervened and established the Solar System Planetary Accord.

Only then did the Earth-Moon four realms survive.

But in the past century, Neptune has sealed itself off.

Its beings have not appeared in the Solar System for a long time.

The Planetary Accord, once so powerful that it deterred all other planets in the Solar System from overstepping.

Its authority has been weakening year by year.

Jupiter’s demonic spirit boom, Saturn’s terrifying star ring.

Are gradually revealing their fangs toward other Solar System planets.

The Age of the Gods.

The star ring is the foundation of a planet.

This is why the Earth-Moon four realms offer cultivation subsidies to Earth citizens with high talent.

But.

Of the one hundred and thirty prefectures, most are sinking prefectures.

Morality has decayed.

Resources allocated by the Alliance are rarely used for cultivation.

Linjiang Prefecture is a remote corner of Earth, a typical declining prefecture.

Aristocratic clans are deeply entrenched.

Even the tightly sealed prefectural government has been infiltrated.

The cultivation facility of Divine Gift University possesses the “Divine Power” prohibition array of the Prayer Hall, one of its most core cultivation resources.

Originally, outsiders were strictly forbidden from entering.

This included graduated students.

But at some point,

this unshakable rule

began to be flexibly interpreted in practice.

As long as a graduate demonstrated outstanding performance and potential,

with the approval of this year’s “Top Student” and review by the Academic Affairs Office,

they could enter the cultivation facility.

“Young Master Zhang” of Jiangcheng Auction House was one such beneficiary of this flexible interpretation.

However,

these beneficiaries themselves were exceedingly rare prodigies.

Improved cultivation levels benefited the prefecture as well.

This was why the Linjiang Prefectural Government did not enforce the rule strictly.

Instead, they turned a blind eye.

“This cultivation speed...”

Inside the cabin, Jiang Jian sensed the Divine Palace.

Frost-white karma fire burned, guiding the circulation of spiritual energy.

Each cycle drew in spiritual momentum, increasing his spiritual reserve limit.

Jiang Jian even felt

that his affinity for spiritual energy had increased by at least half!

As he pondered,

the sky shuttle pierced through the clouds and descended toward Jiangcheng Auction House.

Named “Jiangcheng Auction House,”

in reality, the entire auction house was a towering, majestic floating city!

This massive city was entirely forged from high-strength technological materials.

Beneath the city, countless array light streams interwove.

Keeping it firmly suspended in the sky.

This auction house was nearly equivalent to half of Guangling City’s Divine Illumination District.

“At 9 p.m. every night, an auction is held.”

Jiang Jian took the golden card and input its data into his identity device.

Information about Jiangcheng Auction House immediately appeared.

Here, in the Five-River Jiangcheng of Tianzhu Mountain, Linjiang Prefecture, was the largest auction house.

Merely from commission fees, it was already as wealthy as a nation.

Every day, countless spiritual resources from the seventeen states of Linjiang Prefecture were transported by sky shuttles for auction.

An auction was held every night at 9 p.m.

At the end of each month,

there were even larger-scale, extraordinary prefecture-level auctions.

“Tonight is a regular auction.”

“But the auction data shows there are still many valuable items.”

Jiang Jian put away the golden card, shut off his identity device, and stepped off the sky shuttle.

The Prayer Jade’s effectiveness had diminished.

Now, it was barely better than useless.

Jiang Jian planned to purchase a Divine Gift weapon and replace the Prayer Jade.

Jiangcheng Auction House contributed enormous tax revenue to the prefecture.

Even the Prefectural Prayer Hall had several staff members stationed at the auction house.

When someone won a Divine Gift weapon, they could immediately hold the binding ceremony.

Very convenient.

“Divine Gift weapons are not better in greater numbers.”

Jiang Jian ascended the wide staircase.

To preserve spiritual purity, Jiang Jian did not intend to keep the Prayer Jade.

From start to finish, he would retain only one Divine Gift weapon.

Only then could his spiritual energy remain uncorrupted.

This also slightly improved his cultivation speed.

These details had minor effects,

but Jiang Jian understood better than anyone.

Little by little, accumulation becomes a tower; sand gathered becomes a mountain.

Cultivation has never been about luck—every tiny detail deserves attention.

“Welcome to Jiangcheng Auction House.”

Ahead, the city gate gleamed in gold and jade.

Someone stepped forward to respectfully guide Jiang Jian.

(End of Chapter)