Chapter 181: Yintian Office

"The remaining seventeen Soul-Weaving Stones are all in the other nine halls?"

Jiang Jian suddenly asked.

The Guide Messenger gave him a strange look and said, "Yes, some Wang Wang Dian govern more hells, so they have more Soul-Weaving Stones."

The Yinshan Wonder has only two parts.

The first part is the Ten Wang Wang Dian.

The second part is the Eighteen Hells.

But now the hells are empty, nothing but decorations.

The next moment.

The Guide Messenger frowned, as if realizing something, and looked at Jiang Jian: "You're not thinking of going ahead and seizing the resources of the other nine halls, are you?"

Jiang Jian fell silent for a moment, then said, "Is there some restriction?"

The Guide Messenger sighed, "Each of the Ten Wang Wang Dian in Yinshan has its own barrier."

"Unless all ten Wang Wang Dian have their masters, the barriers won't open."

"The masters of the ten Wang Wang Dian appear one after another, in no fixed order."

"If a being who claims their own Wang Wang Dian's authority could freely seize the resources of the others, …"

"Then the throne of Lord of Yinshan wouldn't need to be contested at all—just hand it to them outright."

The Guide Messenger spread his hands, "That's why I said earlier that the struggle for control of the Yinshan Wonder will take at least several years."

"Also."

His gaze shifted to the Soul-Weaving Stone in Jiang Jian's hand. "What do you intend to do with this?"

Jiang Jian said, "Of course, to use it."

Upon hearing this,

the Guide Messenger's expression grew even stranger. "Do you know how much energy is inside this stone?"

"If you have a soul injury and wish to repair your spirit, even a piece the size of a fingernail is more than enough."

Only those at the Lingtai Realm can perceive the soul.

The Guide Messenger's cultivation is too low to detect Jiang Jian's soul injuries.

Jiang Jian shook his head in silence, took the entire Soul-Weaving Stone, and gently placed it into his mouth.

Seeing this,

all the beings below turned pale with shock!

Niutou and Mian were shaken, their faces ashen!

The foundation of the Tenth Wang Wang Dian, the Wheel of Rebirth Hell, had just been eaten!

Yet Jiang Jian, wearing a beaded crown and a black robe,

represented the authority of the Tenth Wang Wang Dian, the Wheel of Rebirth King!

Even if they privately resented it, none dared speak a word.

They were born within the Yinshan Wonder, bound by its rules from birth.

The authority of a Wang Wang Dian could decide their life or death with a single word.

Even seeing Jiang Jian swallow the Soul-Weaving Stone whole, not one dared utter a sound.

The Soul-Weaving Stone dissolved instantly into a vast mass of black energy, surging deep into Jiang Jian's soul!

BOOM!

This pure, dense energy struck the soul, riddled with cracks, and exploded outward!

Thousands upon thousands of black beams, clean and potent,

swirled around Jiang Jian's soul, frantically repairing it!

First, the tiny cracks—each black beam that entered filled them completely, restoring them to flawless condition.

Meanwhile,

these beams were rapidly diminishing.

Had the Soul-Weaving Stone's energy not been so immense,

the black beams would have been entirely spent after sealing the tiny cracks.

Jiang Jian, carefully sensing it, suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"My soul is now restored enough to resume cultivation."

All the tiny cracks had been sealed.

But the remaining jagged, massive fissures could not be healed by the current energy of the Soul-Weaving Stone.

"My soul, burdened by too much,

is far harder to repair than others'."

As he pondered,

Jiang Jian sensed something faintly.

The energy of one Soul-Weaving Stone was already immense.

Yet for his soul, it could only mend the smallest cracks.

His perception settled on the soul's origin.

There floated a breathtakingly beautiful ice-blue flame.

It burned quietly deep within his soul.

This was the divine gift Jiang Jian received during the Divine Trial.

Pure World Divine Flame.

Every being receiving a Divine Gift receives one divine talent.

Their ranks vary, high or low.

Their types differ as well.

Jiang Jian did not know the rank of the Pure World Divine Flame he received.

But Jiang Jian knew:

the Pure World Divine Flame had fundamentally altered his soul.

Yet his soul, bearing this divine talent,

had its origin's upper limit raised dramatically—even to an unimaginable degree!

This led to one consequence:

His soul injuries were extremely difficult to heal.

Because its upper limit was so high,

even a full Soul-Weaving Stone could only fill the tiny cracks.

Another key reason:

this Yinshan Wonder was merely a small world formed from illusion into reality.

Its essence was a secret realm.

The Ten Wang Wang Dian and Eighteen Hells within it,

though sounding formidable, were far inferior to the legends.

Legends were false.

Even though Yinshan Wonder had now become real,

the Soul-Weaving Stones here were still merely treasures of a minor secret realm.

They had nothing to do with the Soul-Weaving Stones of myth.

After some time passed,

the black light streams faded.

Jiang Jian's soul had been greatly repaired and nourished.

It was utterly renewed compared to before!

Not only were the tiny cracks sealed, allowing Jiang Jian to resume normal cultivation,

but his soul itself had grown significantly larger!

Though still not as large as before, it was nearly there.

The soul's transformation, as the foundation, altered every aspect of his cultivation.

Jiang Jian opened his eyes; spiritual energy surged and roared, his aura climbing once more!

Feeling spiritual energy entering his body, circulating in fine threads, Jiang Jian's expression turned greedy.

Since leaving the Land of the Dead, days had passed.

He had finally resumed cultivation again.

His spiritual reserve cultivation was beginning to grow slowly.

"These spiritual items are mostly related to yin energy—they're of little use to me."

Jiang Jian took the brocade scroll and continued reviewing the resource list.

The Tenth Wang Wang Dian's treasures, besides Soul-Weaving Stones, included the Wang Wang Dian Crown and the Wheel of Rebirth King Robe.

These two artifacts were the physical manifestations of the Wheel of Rebirth King's authority.

"This set of authority attire is also a Spirit Reserve treasure!"

Jiang Jian's expression shifted slightly; he had made up his mind.

Spiritual essence treasures are rare and extraordinary.

If the Robe of the Wheeling King and the Crown of the King's Court are refined into a Surge Spring spiritual essence, I would gain a second type of spiritual essence attribute!

Once activated, it can manifest as the Wheeling King's Dharma Form.

The authority of the King's Court descends upon the world, sweeping and suppressing all!

Changing the attribute of spiritual essence is a realm most living beings in the Four Realms of Earth and Moon have never encountered.

Only beings favored by the Wonder Realm have a chance to obtain a spiritual essence treasure and alter the attribute of a certain acupoint.

But Jiang Jian has already altered the attributes of two acupoints while still in the Surge Spring stage!

Shen Que spiritual essence, Long Que, governs slaughter and battle!

Surge Spring spiritual essence, Wheeling, governs the Way of Kings!

This concerns cultivation.

Jiang Jian did not hesitate for a moment; he immediately summoned the Hell Judge and invoked the authority of the King's Court to have him erect a light barrier nearby to guard him.

The next instant.

Jiang Jian sat high upon a hundred-zhang throne, crossed his legs, and began refining the Crown of the King's Court and the Robe of the Wheeling King!

The Surge Spring spiritual essence was already less than half.

Yet as the spiritual essence treasures were refined, the already scarce Surge Spring spiritual essence shrank further!

This was because spiritual essence treasures not only alter the attribute of spiritual essence but also expand the acupoint to its absolute limit.

Causing its spiritual essence upper limit to surge dramatically!

As time passed.

The Surge Spring acupoint gradually changed color, turning into a soft, radiant gold.

The Robe of the Wheeling King was already black silk with golden threads.

But the Crown of the King's Court glowed white-gold.

Both spiritual essence treasures, burned day and night by karmic fire, were fully absorbed into the Surge Spring, purified to perfection.

Cultivation knows no days or months.

Unaware, much more time passed.

Crafting a Surge Spring Dharma Form requires long, painstaking effort—there is no rushing it.

To polish it to flawless perfection demands meticulous hammering and refinement.

After a long period of cultivation.

The two spiritual essence treasures finally vanished completely!

At the same time.

Deep within Jiang Jian's Surge Spring, a phantom Dharma Form emerged!

It wore the Robe of the Wheeling King and crowned with the Crown of the King's Court, its features clear, pale, and exquisite, its brows and eyes like painted art.

It was Jiang Jian's own Wheeling Dharma Form!

Surge Spring acupoint, spiritual essence attribute: King's Court, the Way of Kings!

Once activated, it could manifest as the King's Court Dharma Form, its royal authority sweeping and suppressing all, its power staggering the heavens!

But at the same time.

The Surge Spring spiritual essence had thinned to near depletion.

A faint, soft golden glow lay at the bottom of the acupoint, barely perceptible.

"Cultivation in the Surge Spring stage is becoming increasingly difficult."

Jiang Jian opened his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, radiant golden vortices surged.

"My Lord, you've awakened."

The Hell Judge exhaled in relief and stepped forward respectfully.

Jiang Jian was protected by the Robe of the Wheeling King.

Though the Hell Judge was a Divine Palace cultivator, under the suppression of the King's Court's authority, he could not perceive Jiang Jian's true depth at all.

"Step back for now."

Jiang Jian waved his hand lightly.

"Yes, My Lord."

The Hell Judge stepped back, reverting to his hundred-meter true form and landing beneath the King's Court.

Jiang Jian turned his head toward the void beside him and said: "Guide Messenger."

The next instant, space twisted.

The Guide Messenger appeared and said: "It's been months already—how come you've only just woken up?"

Jiang Jian was not surprised; he spoke softly: "A few months to polish the Surge Spring spiritual essence to perfection is not long."

Cultivation is inherently dull.

The deeper one's cultivation, the longer the time required.

The Surge Spring acupoint connects downward to the Shen Que and upward to the Divine Palace.

Like the Shen Que acupoint, it is the foundation of all living beings' cultivation.

In some ways, it is even more important than the Shen Que acupoint!

Cultivating the Surge Spring spiritual essence.

Jiang Jian did not rush.

Instead, he patiently and meticulously polished it, drop by drop, leaving not a single flaw.

He knew.

Any tiny discrepancy would cause massive deviation in the cultivation outcome!

Once the spiritual essence attribute was perfected, the final manifested Dharma Form possessed an utterly terrifying royal authority.

It had even been polished to flawless perfection at this stage!

At some point, without notice.

Jiang Jian's attire had long since reverted to his plain snow-white robe, and his black hair had grown much longer than before.

With a thought of his mind.

Jiang Jian's expression remained calm as he took a single step forward!

His form instantly twisted and dissolved into golden light.

The next instant.

Radiant golden light coalesced into Jiang Jian with golden pupils!

He wore the Crown of the King's Court and the Robe of the Wheeling King!

Jiang Jian brushed his sleeve lightly, his gaze cold, golden vortices swirling deep within his eyes.

The aura around him was terrifying!

The King's Court Dharma Form!

Beneath the throne.

All the beings in the hall trembled and bowed their heads in reverence.

The Guide Messenger nodded slightly and praised: "The Yinshan Wonder Realm has many Surge Spring cultivators."

"Among them, several prodigies."

"But compared to you, they would not be a match."

Here, the Guide Messenger used the words "would not."

Jiang Jian noticed this but asked no further.

The radiant golden light faded.

The white-robed youth returned to his original appearance.

"Assuming the King's Court Dharma Form is also one of my trump cards."

Jiang Jian estimated its importance, placing it just below the fully charged Han Guang Sword.

The Han Guang Sword, when fully charged, is entirely different from when it is empty.

Although its power is staggering when fully charged,

filling its reservoir now has become extremely difficult!

The King's Court Dharma Form's damage, though less than that of the fully charged Han Guang,

consumes only Surge Spring spiritual energy!

Each use of the King's Court Dharma Form requires a massive amount of spiritual energy.

But compared to refilling the Han Guang's reservoir, it is far more practical.

Jiang Jian sat back on the throne, estimating the time—he already had thoughts of leaving.

"There are two checkpoints on the way to Chang'an Prefecture."

"Six months. One year."

"I've already missed the six-month checkpoint."

"The one-year checkpoint now has less than a month left."

Thinking of this,

Jiang Jian took out his resource list and identified numerous ghost-force spiritual items.

Then, he selected numerous hard currencies from the Surface Realm and scarce resources exchangeable for Alliance Coins.

"These should suffice for now."

The former, Jiang Jian planned to use to fill the Han Guang storage.

Although far from enough to fully fill it.

But this vast quantity of ghost-force spiritual items was sufficient to grant Han Guang's blade a modest charge, allowing one slash.

That slash was Jiang Jian's reserved trump card for this place.

The latter would be exchanged for currency to fund his cultivation in Chang'an Fu.

He handed the list to the Hell Judge and turned to the Guide Messenger.

It hovered beside the throne, arms crossed, looking utterly bored.

It was the embodiment of Yinshan's peculiar laws; other beings could not see it.

Only Jiang Jian could see it.

"You just saw—my Tenth Hall has only five Spirit-Guiding Jade pieces."

"I can give you one."

"You give me a hundred streams of Void Current."

"How about it?"

Jiang Jian said softly.

The Guide Messenger froze, then snarled: "You really think I'm your laborer?"

Jiang Jian's face remained expressionless. "Then forget it, if you won't."

The Guide Messenger stared at Jiang Jian for over ten seconds before speaking: "Fine."

Its form twisted and vanished from its spot.

Harvesting Void Current is troublesome.

A hundred streams would take several days.

Jiang Jian ignored it and, with a flick of his palm, retrieved the Spatial Core.

This refractive crystal was the most valuable and precious item he currently possessed.

Its true function was to forge a dimensional space!

The refractive crystal was the most essential, primary technological material for dimensional spaces!

Void Current was merely an auxiliary material!

To forge a dimensional space required hundreds of materials.

With only these two, you could not forge a dimensional space.

But with these two, you could forge a small storage space!

The more Void Current you infused, the larger the storage space became!

Jiang Jian had already calculated this.

Based on his current cultivation, he could infuse at most a hundred streams of Void Current!

Though beneath the throne, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face of the Divine Palace, and the Hell Judge, could assist him in forging it.

But whether dimensional space or storage space, both were far too precious.

Jiang Jian would never reveal the core technology to anyone.

Likewise,

Before his cultivation grew strong, he must never let any being know of the storage space!

Even with Yinshan's peculiar laws suppressing it, even with Wang Wang Dian's authority holding it down.

Jiang Jian simply did not trust anyone.

The Spatial Core was priceless beyond imagination.

It was also one of the essential auxiliary items in his plan to reach the Spirit Platform Realm!

After all, the Peculiar Realm could traverse dimensional barriers.

Yet it could still be found by a Spirit Platform cultivator.

But a storage space forged from the Spatial Core was completely hidden!

When needed, the dimensional space could sink into the deep layers between realms—even a Spirit Platform cultivator could not find it!

The Spatial Core was this precious.

Even a one-in-a-billion or one-in-ten-billion risk, Jiang Jian would not take.

Even if he forged the storage space himself, he would never do it within Yinshan's Peculiar Realm!

Regarding the Spatial Core, absolute perfection was mandatory—no room for error whatsoever!

Because Jiang Jian knew:

The Guide Messenger's gaze could pierce the throne's barrier and clearly see him.

Only by leaving Yinshan's Peculiar Realm and finding a place of absolute silence

would Jiang Jian begin forging the storage space.

Several days passed.

The Guide Messenger finally reappeared.

In its hand, it carried a long string of wind chimes.

These wind chimes were strange, appearing as blocks of pale white crystal.

Jiang Jian needed only one glance to recognize: every crystal was Void Current!

After extraction, Void Current was forcibly suppressed by spiritual energy, solidifying into crystalline form.

"Where's the Spirit-Guiding Jade?"

The Guide Messenger set down the wind chimes and urged.

Jiang Jian's expression remained calm; he drew a jade piece from his sleeve and handed it over: "Do you think I'd cheat you?"

The Guide Messenger's face lit up at the sight of the jade; it snatched it instantly and stowed it somewhere unknown.

"Are you leaving?"

After a few seconds, it regained its composure and asked.

Jiang Jian nodded. "How's the progress in the other Wang Wang Dian?"

The Guide Messenger shrugged. "Half a year passed—aside from the Tenth Hall, only the Fourth Hall has a ruler."

"To vie for the title of Lord of Yinshan, wait ten or twenty years."

Having grown familiar with Jiang Jian, its tone had become much more casual.

After all,

Its existence was peculiar—it was not a being of Yinshan's Peculiar Realm.

Its essence was merely a fragment of Yinshan's laws, given form.

Yet, endowed with Yinshan's vast reserves, it had gained sentience.

Spirit-Guiding Jade could help it slowly take form, gradually becoming a true being.

As ruler of the Tenth Hall, Jiang Jian naturally understood these secrets.

One Spirit-Guiding Jade would offer it only minor aid, causing no consequences.

Even if the Guide Messenger broke free and escaped Yinshan's Peculiar Realm,

Yinshan's laws would remain intact, with minimal impact.

Only the rules would grow stricter, rigid, and cease to manifest physically.

Moreover,

Such Guide Messengers were not unique.

Each of Yinshan's Ten Halls had one Guide Messenger.

"By the way, where do you want to land?"

"Yinshan's Peculiar Realm drifts between layers above Earth's surface."

The Guide Messenger asked, "Which fu do you want? When the Peculiar Realm drifts near, I can open a portal for you directly."

Jiang Jian said softly: "Chang'an Fu."

"Chang'an Fu?"

The Guide Messenger shook its head. "Chang'an Fu has Star-Ring fragments and boundary barriers—it's not on Yinshan's drift path."

Jiang Jian said: "Then Mingshan Fu."

The Guide Messenger nodded. "Mingshan Fu, east of Chang'an Fu—that works."

It estimated briefly, then spoke again: "In about seven days, Yinshan's Peculiar Realm will pass near Mingshan Fu."

After reaching agreement,

the Guide Messenger vanished again.

Jiang Jian, meanwhile, packed and organized his resources.

Without a storage space, he could carry almost nothing.

The earlier massive quantity of ghost-force spiritual items had been fully absorbed by Han Guang.

The only things he would take were a few resources he could use himself, and some scarce spiritual items to exchange for money.

Even so,

the pile of packages before Jiang Jian stood half a person's height.

"After we get out, buy a large suitcase—it should be able to fit everything."

Thinking of this,

Jiang Jian suppressed his thoughts and meditated in silence.

Seven days passed quickly.

The Guide Messenger reappeared and said, "Mingshan Prefecture has arrived."

Jiang Jian opened his eyes, ended his meditation, rose from the throne, and asked, "After leaving Yinshan, how do I return?"

The Guide Messenger sighed helplessly. "Your Robe of Wheel-Turn and Crown of the Palace were originally relics of Yinshan's Ten Palaces—just activate them, and I'll sense it."

"But you forcibly refined them into a Dharma Form. That function is gone now."

After a moment's thought, it suddenly said, "By the way, don't you have a Scepter?"

"That item is also one of Yinshan's Miraculous Realm's greatest treasures. No ordinary method could ever obtain it."

The Guide Messenger's expression turned grave. "To be honest, when you chose the second path, I never imagined it."

"That Scepter is no ordinary thing."

"Just activate the Scepter, whisper 'Guide Messenger,' and I'll sense it."

"Then, I'll use Yinshan's power to speak with you. Tell me your coordinates."

"Once you're nearby, I can use Yinshan's rules to open a spatial gateway for you."

Hearing this,

Jiang Jian nodded slightly.

The Earth Store Scepter floated quietly above his Yongquan point.

Jiang Jian had already carefully examined this treasure.

It originally did not exist—it was entirely illusory.

Yet Yinshan's Miraculous Realm used its residual power to transform it into reality!

"The source of this power, ultimately, is divine essence."

"It's just manifested differently."

Jiang Jian's gaze was calm—he understood this point with absolute clarity.

In the illusion,

the Earth Store Scepter was both a gift from Heaven and an imperial reward from the Celestial Palace.

But its essence remained one of the Divine-Gifted Weapons.

Yet compared to ordinary Divine-Gifted Weapons,

the Earth Store Scepter possessed many additional traits and a higher rank.

"Earth Store Scepter: Level 7 Divine-Gifted Weapon!"

For half a year, Jiang Jian had already formed a rough judgment of its rank!

The Earth Store Scepter was extremely powerful!

But for him, activating it was extremely taxing.

Only by transforming into the Wheel-Turn Dharma Form could he use the Earth Store Scepter while reducing its cost.

As his thoughts churned,

the Guide Messenger had already stretched out its arms and opened a gateway.

"I believe you are stronger than the other Nine Palaces' stewards."

The Guide Messenger spoke seriously, "I'll wait here for you."

"Wait until you reach the Divine Palace Realm, sweep away the other Nine Palaces, and ultimately become the Master of Yinshan, ruling the Miraculous Realm alone."

Its tone was sincere.

Jiang Jian remained utterly calm, not swayed by the words: "Though the spiritual resources of the other Nine Palaces differ in type, their value is certainly no less than my Tenth Palace!"

"Those who govern the other Nine Palaces, chosen by the Miraculous Realm, are certainly no ordinary beings."

"At the very least, they are peerless prodigies, one in a hundred million."

"The Ten Palaces of Yinshan have equal resources."

"They received no less than I did."

Saying this,

Jiang Jian's voice turned icy, yet golden vortices swirled deep within his pupils.

"But—"

"This Miraculous Realm is vital for my mid-stage cultivation."

"It will greatly aid my insight into the Spirit Platform!"

"I will claim Yinshan's Miraculous Realm—no matter what!"

"No matter whether the stewards of the other Nine Palaces are prodigies or demons."

"As Master of the Wheel-Turn Palace, in this struggle for the Miraculous Realm, I shall sweep aside all other Palace Lords and ascend to the throne of Master of Yinshan."

"Master of Yinshan."

"Can only be me."

With those words,

Jiang Jian stepped forward, and deep within his gaze, the Wheel-Turn Dharma Form roared into manifestation!

BOOM!

Brilliant golden light surged, sweeping and churning!

Seconds later, the gateway vanished.

The scattered golden light likewise dissipated.

The Guide Messenger stared, stunned.

After a long while, it came to its senses, fixing its gaze on the spot where Jiang Jian had departed, murmuring to itself: "My hope for freedom rests on you."

Mingshan Prefecture.

Edge of the Shadow Zone, Anlu Prefecture.

On a quiet cliffside, a gateway suddenly appeared.

A white-robed boy stepped out, immediately suppressing his aura and sensing his surroundings.

When he confirmed no one was nearby, and silence reigned,

Jiang Jian relaxed, picked up his bundle, found a sheltered rock, and sat down.

The next moment,

Jiang Jian extended his wrist and activated his Identity Device.

Its communication list remained empty—no messages at all.

"First, use Yongquan Spiritual Essence to upgrade my Identity Device's permissions."

As he pondered, Jiang Jian activated the Yongquan Spiritual Essence.

A thread of golden light emerged and flowed into the device's detection port.

The Identity Device was cutting-edge technology from the Earth Alliance, with countless functions.

But for ordinary civilians, they were rarely used.

"Detected non-citizen spiritual essence upgrade!"

"Non-citizen level: Yongquan Realm!"

"Identity Device permission upgraded!"

As the mechanical alert sounded,

countless array light streams wove rapidly in hidden corners deep within the wristwatch, unseen by Jiang Jian.

"Upgrade successful!"

Minutes later, the Identity Device issued another alert.

Jiang Jian opened the device and confirmed: the Mingshan Prefecture Forum and Mingshan Prefecture Trading Platform had been added.

The next moment,

Jiang Jian opened his communication list and entered his sister's citizen ID—the Identity Device's serial number.

"Beyond prefecture network range!"

"Cross-border permission insufficient!"

"Search failed!"

Three consecutive alerts.

Jiang Jian's expression darkened slightly.

He hadn't expected it.

Non-citizens had such low permissions.

Even reaching the Yongquan Realm granted no right to cross-border communication.

"Only a few days remain until the one-year mark for traveling to Chang'an Prefecture."

"Miss it, and I'll have to wait another half-year!"

Jiang Jian frowned, pondering a solution.

"The immediate priority—"

The immediate priority.

I must recover my identity device.

Going directly to Chang'an Fu and applying to the Yingtian Bureau for a replacement identity device is another option.

Jiang Jian suddenly remembered the resource pack he had once received.

As a Level 5 Talent, he had been registered with the Yingtian Bureau!

As long as he went to the Yingtian Bureau and identified himself, he should be able to smoothly reclaim his identity device.

After all,

Chang'an Fu occupies nearly half the Earth and serves as the hub of the seventy surface provinces!

The Yingtian Bureau, as Chang'an Fu's oversight and administrative body, wields immense authority!

As long as he reclaimed his identity device,

he could catch up to the biannual advancement node and return his cultivation to the proper path laid out for humanity's prodigies on the surface.

With resolve settled,

Jiang Jian no longer hesitated. He took his bundle and headed straight for Anluzhou.

Right now, he needed a suitcase to pack the bundle.

While entering the Shadow Zone and traveling on foot, he attracted many glances.

But none of those observers knew that Jiang Jian's bulging bundle contained spiritual resources worth over one billion Alliance Credits!

Shadow Zone, residential building.

The supermarket owner leaned back in his recliner, scrolling idly on his identity device.

"Six Alliance Credits."

He glanced sideways at the large suitcase Jiang Jian selected, then returned his gaze to the holographic screen.

Jiang Jian fell silent for a moment, then pulled a purple herb from his sleeve and said: "Do you buy cultivation resources?"

The supermarket owner froze. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the purple herb and sat bolt upright, swiping the holographic screen away with force, his face filled with shock: "Purple Leaf Grass?!"

Jiang Jian nodded: "Yes."

Purple Leaf Grass grows in areas thick with yin energy and is a rare spiritual item in the Shadow Zone.

Each stalk of Purple Leaf Grass is worth over 800 Alliance Credits!

The supermarket owner stood up, carefully taking the Purple Leaf Grass, his expression uncertain: "This is too valuable. Why not sell it on the trading platform?"

Jiang Jian said softly: "I need cash urgently. Listing it on the platform is too troublesome and takes too long."

In the Yinshan Wonder, Purple Leaf Grass grew everywhere—on every hillside, covering the ground—and no one wanted it.

Even the lowest-ranking guards of Yinshan wouldn't use Purple Leaf Grass for cultivation.

"I'll give you seven hundred Alliance Credits. How about that?"

"If not, forget it."

The supermarket owner forced a smile, but his hand gripped the herb tightly, showing no intention of letting it go.

Jiang Jian feigned thought, then after several seconds, reluctantly agreed: "Fine."

The supermarket owner beamed with delight, tucked away the Purple Leaf Grass, transferred seven hundred Alliance Credits to Jiang Jian, and smiled: "I'll throw in the suitcase for free."

A few minutes later.

Jiang Jian left the Shadow Zone, dragging the large suitcase toward Chang'an Fu.

Because the suitcase was too heavy and packed too full,

neither "Close Distance, Far Horizon" nor "Rainbow After Rain" could be activated.

All these teleportation techniques shared a common weakness:

Under spiritual energy activation, they could only extend their effect to the surface of the body.

Clothing, for example, could be teleported along with the talent.

Weapons held in hand, since they contacted the body, could also be teleported—though at greatly increased spiritual energy cost.

But objects like a suitcase—especially one packed full and of large volume—could not be teleported at all; the talent could not carry it along.

Jiang Jian dragged the suitcase, yet his speed was not slow.

Though heading toward Chang'an Fu, he left the highway and deliberately veered toward remote mountain areas.

Jiang Jian's plan was to find a quiet spot alone, first forge a dimensional space, then proceed to Chang'an Fu.

This was also why he had not called for a hovering vehicle at this moment.

An hour later.

Jiang Jian found a desolate, uninhabited cave deep in the valley.

Inside the cave, white bones were haphazardly piled.

But now, thick layers of dust covered all the bones.

Whether the cave's former owner had been a ferocious beast, a demon, or a malevolent spirit,

it was clear it had not returned for a very long time.

Jiang Jian walked to the back of the cave and felt satisfied.

Along the way, he had carefully observed the surroundings.

Within several kilometers, the area was dense forest and valley—with not a single human in sight.

Bird and insect calls were rare, and no spirits or ghosts lingered—perfect for forging a storage space.

Even so, he was not fully at ease.

Golden light surged as he used spiritual essence energy to cast another hidden seal over the cave.

Jiang Jian entered it, set down his bundle, and took from his sleeve the Space Core and the long string of wind chimes.

"The basic array for forging a storage space requires a high-grade spiritual essence model."

Recalling the data from the flyer, Jiang Jian took out a Spirit Core and began engraving the array onto the refractive crystal.

The Spirit Core, harvested from Star Ring debris, was originally raw material for spiritual essence models.

Though its quality was insufficient, it was merely auxiliary material—slightly inferior quality would not affect use.

The space array was extremely complex.

Jiang Jian frequently paused, frowning in thought.

After long pauses, he would resume carving the array lines.

This cycle repeated.

Half a day passed.

The refractive crystal was now covered in dense, intricate array lines!

These lines were minuscule and extraordinarily complex—barely visible to the naked eye.

"Limited by materials, it's barely usable."

"When I forge the dimensional space, I'll strip away these low-quality materials."

Calmer now, Jiang Jian exhaled slowly, took the wind chimes, plucked off a small crystal, and began the next step.

The sun rose, the moon set; day and night turned.

The cave grew quieter.

Only the occasional wind gusting in and the distant chirps of birds broke the silence.

Deep within the cave, only the white-robed boy remained, carving the array without rest or sleep.

……

……

……

(End of Chapter)