Chapter 147: Ghost Mother Map, Peace Ring

"I hope I can save as many Paradise Points as possible."

At this moment, Chu Danqing was inside the True Spirit Hall, beginning to awaken the True Spirit of the Nine Sons Ghost Mother Map.

This piece of equipment was the most powerful among all his gear.

The first awakening raised its quality, and five thousand Paradise Points were invested—yet the changes were minor.

Only the originally added 100 Mana points became 1000.

The remaining changes occurred entirely within the summoned entities: the Ghost Infants and the Ghost Mother.

Roughly speaking, their attributes had risen from the Excellent tier to the Fine tier.

Chu Danqing did not hesitate and continued pouring in Paradise Points.

Obsession, Maternal Love, Filial Piety, +1000 Mana, Maternal Bond, and Compassion each cost five thousand.

The first seven awakenings consumed Chu Danqing a full thirty-five thousand Paradise Points.

"Now it's getting serious." Chu Danqing pressed on without hesitation.

He invested twenty thousand into +1000 Mana and Rest in Peace.

The final one, Repaying Kindness, cost a direct twenty thousand Paradise Points.

"Completely awakening it cost me seventy-five thousand Paradise Points."

"Fortunately, since it was upgraded through True Spirit Awakening, the equipment requirements haven't changed." Chu Danqing exhaled in relief.

Native Fine-tier equipment, like the Blood Scholar's spellbook, usually had complex equipment requirements.

But equipment upgraded through True Spirit Awakening would not alter its requirements.

【Nine Sons Ghost Mother Map】

【Type: Equipment · Accessory】

【Quality: Fine】

【Durability: 100/100】

【Mana +3000】

【Infant's Grudge (Active): Consumes 980 Mana to summon 49 Ghost Infants to fight for you. Each minute, each Ghost Infant requires 5 Mana to maintain. Maintenance ends when Mana is insufficient, they die, or you cancel. Partial replenishment is allowed, maximum 49 total.】

【Mother's Hatred (Active): When 9 Ghost Infants are present, consume 800 Mana to summon 1 Ghost Mother to fight for you. Each minute, she requires 50 + (number of Ghost Infants) Mana to maintain. Maintenance ends when Mana is insufficient, she dies, or you cancel. Cannot be re-summoned.】

【True Spirit Awakening: Obsession (Passive), Maternal Love (Passive), Filial Piety (Passive), Maternal Bond (Passive), Compassion (Passive), Rest in Peace (Passive), Repaying Kindness (Passive)】

【Equipment Requirement: Spirit 10, Constitution 10】

Chu Danqing immediately equipped it, and his Mana instantly surged by 3000.

Originally it only added 1000, but the True Spirit Awakening further boosted the Nine Sons Ghost Mother Map's Mana by 2000.

"Next up: the Three Wards." Chu Danqing glanced at his remaining Paradise Points.

True Spirit Awakening was extremely expensive.

"To upgrade to Fine costs five thousand, the set effect another five thousand, and the Three Corpses effect ten thousand."

"So the Three Wards total sixty thousand???" Chu Danqing calculated—each of the three pieces was nearly matching the Nine Sons Ghost Mother Map.

With no other choice, Chu Danqing gritted his teeth and pressed on.

Money was burning fast, but the returns were high.

True Spirit Awakening operated on the principle of one-to-one return—the more Paradise Points you spent, the stronger the equipment became.

After paying sixty thousand Paradise Points, the Three Wards underwent a radical transformation.

Before he even examined the stats, he saw the set effect.

【3-Piece Set: Imperial Heaven's Peace (Active)】

(Note: After use, the Ring of Human Desires, the Azure Dragon Soul Ring, and the Tiger Soul Ring fuse into the Peace Ring.)

(Note: Fusion effect is irreversible.)

Chu Danqing did not hesitate and immediately activated the set effect.

Since this effect required all three pieces, it would certainly not disappoint him.

Inside the private room of the True Spirit Hall, the three rings merged together; the Demon of Human Desires, the One-Horned Azure Dragon, and the Limping Tiger emerged with their respective Three Corpses shadows.

The Peace Ring was born, instantly shattering the three summoned entities and their Three Corpses, fully absorbing all power to become a completely new piece of equipment.

【Peace Ring】

【Type: Equipment · Ring】

【Quality: Fine】

【Durability: 100/100】

【Imperial Heaven's Protection (Passive): When HP drops to 30% or below, triggers a healing effect restoring 50% of maximum HP, cooldown 24 hours.】

【Dao Son (Active): Consumes 1000 Mana to summon one Son of Imperial Heaven to fight for you. Each minute, he requires 100 Mana to maintain. Maintenance ends when Mana is insufficient, he dies, or you cancel. Can only be re-summoned after the Son of Imperial Heaven dies.】

【Divine Inscription (Passive): After the Son of Imperial Heaven kills an enemy, the Peace Ring gains HP and Mana attributes. Maximum: 2000. Current Mana/HP attributes: 1500.】

【Strongman (Passive): When summoning the Son of Imperial Heaven, ten Yellow Turban Strongmen are simultaneously summoned to fight for you. They cannot be re-summoned after death and vanish when the Son of Imperial Heaven dies.】

【Heavenly Will (Passive): Consuming the Original Text of the Peace Scripture can upgrade quality (0/3).】

【Equipment Requirement: Maximum Mana 30】

Chu Danqing carefully examined it—besides the Son of Imperial Heaven, there were ten Yellow Turban Strongmen who required no Mana from him.

Most importantly, the original skills had changed.

Previously, it was a linked active skill, which Chu Danqing rarely used.

Now it had become a passive skill—a life-saving healing effect—and Chu Danqing was extremely satisfied.

As for the final quality-upgrade effect, it was difficult.

The Peace Ring required the Original Text; a copied version would not suffice, and even if the Guo Clan could afford the price, the Master of the Peace Sect would never give it.

The Original Text was surely in the hands of the Master of the Peace Sect—the Guo Clan could pay the price, but he would never hand it over.

So it had to be put on hold for now.

"This means I can't use the Fine-tier Equipment Synthesizer on the Three Wards anymore."

This equipment synthesizer didn't guarantee success just by inputting gear—it required five pieces to synthesize.

He had originally planned to combine the Three Wards with the Shenji Camp Crossbowman Token and the Prince's Guard Waist Token; though it couldn't break past Fine tier, it would greatly enhance his combat power.

Now that the Three Wards had become the Peace Ring with growth potential, he naturally had no intention of synthesizing them.

What about risking it and using the Nine Sons Ghost Mother Map and the Peace Ring as synthesis materials? Chu Danqing didn't want to gamble.

Synthesis would inevitably alter the nature of True Spirit equipment, and if it truly broke past the Fine-tier limit, he wouldn't be able to equip it at all.

Even if it remained at Fine tier, the equipment requirements would skyrocket.

Careful calculation would suggest gathering five Fine-tier pieces—but Chu Danqing had no intention of doing so.

"The Green Vine Nine-Joint Staff, the Shenji Camp Crossbowman Token, the Prince's Guard Waist Token—I just need two more Excellent-tier summoning equipment to get one Fine-tier piece."

This was another form of short-term greed—definitely a loss, but quick cash.

For long-term income, careful calculation was certainly better.

But this raised another issue: Chu Danqing would surely gain better opportunities and growth in the future.

Yet now he needed sufficient combat power to ensure he could complete the A-Rank Trial smoothly.

The single-chance Talent Awakening quest and the five Compatible · Rare Passive Attributes were clearly more valuable.

This choice now would make the future better; when he reached Rank 1, Chu Danqing could always acquire another Equipment Synthesizer.

"No wonder the person who sold me the Shenji Camp Crossbowman Token was so desperate—even someone like me, with strong external support, felt anxious, let alone other Apostles."

Chu Danqing set up a stall in the Apostle Plaza, listing the Tai Chang Military Manual, Iron Palm Flying Dragon Manual, and the Complete Guide to the Five Elders' Sword Art.

He specified he wanted summoning equipment—this time the conditions were looser, and the number of applicants surged.

Soon he exchanged the Complete Guide to the Five Elders' Sword Art for two summoning pieces he found desirable.

They were the Black Iron Cavalry Token and the Heavy War Chariot Rune.

The former summoned cavalry; the latter's chariot was not a modern vehicle but resembled chariots from the Spring and Autumn period.

Both pieces had excellent summoned entities, with top-tier stats, skills, and equipment.

Far superior to the repeating crossbowmen and the Prince's Guards—genuine battlefield warriors.

Chu Danqing did not synthesize them yet, planning to wait until he finished trading.

Sword arts were mainstream in the Apostle Paradise, hence easier to sell.

Items like the Iron Palm Flying Dragon Manual attracted fewer buyers.

Since he had acquired what he needed, Chu Danqing revised his trade conditions, making them much more specific.

For example: accepting summoning equipment.

After all, he intended to use the Green Vine Nine-Joint Staff as a synthesis material and needed a more suitable weapon.

"I have one Excellent-tier summoning item and would like to trade it for this inheritance skill," said a slender woman.

She was completely wrapped in a black robe.

"One? Not enough," Chu Danqing refused.

The Tai Chang Military Manual had flaws, but it required at least three Excellent-tier items.

As for who bought it? That was none of his business—as long as they paid the price, even a genderless being could buy it.

"It's enough—it's fully awakened and strengthened +5," she added. "One-for-one."

Hearing this, Chu Danqing finally became interested.

"Hmph, rich person." He had never strengthened equipment himself, but he knew the cost.

Strengthening an Excellent-tier item by +1 cost one thousand Paradise Points, with a 90% success rate.

Before strengthening to +5, each +1 increased the Paradise Points requirement by 1000, but halved the success rate.

Fortunately, before strengthening to +7, failure only lowered the enhancement level without damaging the item.

Paradise Points consumption was substantial, and later stages required additional materials and items to boost the success rate.

True Spirit Awakening was expensive; strengthening was even more so.

Most importantly, the boost from +1 was negligible—typically, you needed at least +3 to see a noticeable enhancement.

The success rate for strengthening from +4 to +5 was only 5. %; succeeding without any extra materials or items was truly impressive.

The opponent did not answer Chu Danqing's question but instead pulled out a massive pillar and displayed its attribute panel to him.

"Two passive recovery effects, plus high damage without requiring skill."

"Swap it for my Taichang Military Equipment Manual, and it's enough."

Chu Danqing glanced at the attributes and immediately completed the trade.

(End of Chapter)