Chapter 159: Bottleneck and Dining

With the aid of the gravity training room and various resources, Gao Jie Ming's cultivation progressed exceptionally fast.

The tempering of his physical body and the sublimation of his soul advanced in tandem; every day brought clear progress, and he could distinctly feel his own improvement.

However, not all paths could be so smooth.

In particular, regarding his research, Gao Jie Ming recently discovered that his research related to the divine power faith network had unknowingly become slower and slower, and recently, it had even fallen into an indescribable bottleneck.

In his underground laboratory, the data models and analytical runes related to the divine power faith network that once filled the space now appeared somewhat stagnant.

That complex energy flow, born from the plane itself and capable of naturally gathering the faith of mortals, was like a vast sea of stars.

Initially, he could easily capture the tides and flows of the surface layer, but when he attempted to delve into its core to explore its underlying logic and laws, he felt an unfathomable resistance.

Gao Jie Ming himself knew clearly that if he wanted to bite the bullet and force his way through the research on his own, it was not impossible.

But he deduced that the time required for such an endeavor would be quite terrifying.

He had tried various analytical methods and constructed thousands of simulation models, yet all could only touch the surface.

The divine power faith network was the magnificent bridge connecting mortals to gods; it was the most precise creation within the depths of the plane's rules.

It involved not just energy transmission, but also the soul, belief, karma, and laws of higher dimensions.

For him, at his current level as a Level 1 Wizard, attempting to analyze such an existence was no different from a mortal trying to exhaust the mysteries of the universe.

Gao Jie Ming estimated that if he wanted to fully understand the divine power faith network of the Plane Nuolun Plane, based on his current efficiency and the materials he possessed, it would likely take thousands of years.

And those thousands of years would only be at the level of "understanding it thoroughly"; wanting to convert it for his own use, or even replicate a similar energy circulation system, would be another immeasurable span of time.

But faced with such a problem, Gao Jie Ming truly had no good solution.

After all, core knowledge like this was basically never sold, and even if it were to be sold, the equivalent value required would be something like high-level military merit, which was far beyond what Gao Jie Ming could afford.

This day was the day Gao Jie Ming was to deliver the monthly quota of Red Dust Potions to Mentor Ke La Ke.

Carrying two vials of potions overflowing with seven-colored flowing light, he arrived at Mentor Ke La Ke's office at the Plane Nuolun Academy via the teleportation array.

Mentor Ke La Ke took the potions and habitually sensed their effects with his spiritual sense, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

But immediately after, he noticed a trace of anxiety and fatigue that Gao Jie Ming could not hide within his spiritual fluctuations.

"Gao Jie Ming, you seem to have something on your mind recently?" Mentor Ke La Ke asked calmly.

Although the mentor's voice lacked emotion, it possessed a power capable of peering into the human heart.

Gao Jie Ming did not hide it; he told his mentor everything about the bottleneck he had encountered in his research on the divine power faith network, as well as the astronomical number of years he estimated it would take.

Upon hearing this, Mentor Ke La Ke merely nodded slightly, his deep eyes showing no surprise, as if he had long anticipated it.

He then stood up and signaled for Gao Jie Ming to follow him.

"Follow me." Mentor Ke La Ke did not say much more.

Gao Jie Ming was slightly stunned, but he followed nonetheless.

The two then stepped into a micro-teleportation array in the corner of the office.

A gentle white light enveloped them, the sensation of spatial distortion flashed by,

and when his vision cleared, Gao Jie Ming found himself in a completely different world.

This was not the cold and rigorous laboratory of the Plane Nuolun Society, but a land full of vitality.

Above his head was a gentle warm sun, beneath his feet was lush green grass, and not far away was a babbling brook.

"This is my personal plane," Mentor Ke La Ke's voice sounded in his ear. "Our current location is my private residence and research base."

Gao Jie Ming immediately understood; this was actually the personal laboratory established within Mentor Ke La Ke's own "Wizard Tower."

He looked around and discovered that the laboratory they were currently in was embedded within a giant floating crystal island, surrounded by various elemental runes, with energy flowing like rainbows, appearing magnificent and mysterious.

"Mentor—" Gao Jie Ming wanted to ask why he had been brought here.

But Ke La Ke had already turned and walked ahead: "Let's go, I'm treating you to a meal today."

Mentor Ke La Ke led Gao Jie Ming out of the laboratory, walking through a neatly trimmed forest path, heading straight toward a magnificent complex of buildings in the center of the floating island.

It was an extremely luxurious mansion.

The main building was a towering palace constructed of white marble and golden rune bricks, with a style that was elegant and grand.

The palace roof had towering spires reaching into the clouds, and every brick and tile shimmered with a faint energy radiance.

The spacious courtyard was planted with various strange exotic plants; they were diverse in form and colorful, some even emitting a faint light or a fragrance that refreshed the spirit.

A clear lake surrounded the mansion, the surface as calm as a mirror, reflecting the palace's shadow, while some unknown amphibious creatures frolicked in the water.

The palace gates were composed of two giant metal doors inlaid with magic crystals; sensing the approach of Ke La Ke and Gao Jie Ming, they slowly opened.

Gao Jie Ming walked inside and found the interior space extremely vast, the dome high and filled with magic murals of rotating stars.

What surprised Gao Jie Ming was that the servants welcoming them in the hall and serving dishes in the dining room were humanoid beings that were clearly not from the Wizarding World.

They were diverse in form.

There were "Lizardmen" covered in scales, wearing exquisite guard uniforms, looking exceptionally elite.

There were "Horned People" maidens with small horns on their heads, skin of pale blue, and eyes as brilliant as gems; they moved lightly and silently while carrying trays.

There were even "Flower Spirit" clansmen with small, slender bodies and transparent butterfly wings on their backs; they circled in the air, scattering specks of starlight.

These alien beings, although diverse in appearance, all displayed high intelligence and well-trained etiquette.

"These are my 'servant' races." Mentor Ke La Ke saw Gao Jie Ming's confusion and explained briefly.

He pointed to a Lizardman waiter who was pulling out a dining chair for them, his tone calm:

"I allow the clansmen of these servant races to reside in my plane, granting them protection and a stable living environment. In return, these races must provide combat power when I need it, forming servant armies to assist me in conquering other planes."

"This is also something many high-level wizards will do after finding suitable intelligent races in other planes. You can also find some oppressed races in other planes in the future and grant them protection, letting them multiply and thrive in your plane."

"And when you need power, they will become your most loyal servant armies."

Gao Jie Ming nodded thoughtfully.

He was actually no stranger to this kind of thing; after all, there were only a few ways wizards dealt with indigenous people, and he had heard rumors about it long ago.

However, this was indeed the first time he had seen servant races in a practical sense.

"Therefore, theoretically, every high-level wizard is a complete war system," Ke La Ke summarized. "With the high-level wizard themselves and the plane Wizard Tower they possess as high-end combat power, the androids or biochemical beasts they produce as elite backbone forces, and these servant armies as the most numerous and basic low-end combat power."

"A high-level wizard, relying on their own power, can independently attack other planes, or even conduct long-term plane colonization."

Gao Jie Ming imagined that scene in his mind and couldn't help but feel shocked.

After the two were seated, a rich and varied feast began.

The dining table was filled with delicacies from various planes.

These foods were diverse in form; some looked very strange, such as jumping black meat chunks, or fungi emitting phosphorescence, and even blue fruits like eyeballs, but all emitted an alluring aroma.

Gao Jie Ming carefully took a bite and his eyes lit up; although these foods looked strange, they tasted exceptionally delicious.

The texture was rich, and the aftertaste was endless.

More importantly, after these foods were specially processed, they had considerable benefits for the consumer.

With every bite, Gao Jie Ming could feel a trace of cool energy seeping into his body, nourishing his spiritual power while also subtly strengthening his physical body.

While eating, Gao Jie Ming silently noted this down.

These exotic delicacies, although their effect on improving strength was far from as immediate as potions, were an extra boost outside of cultivation.

If he could consume them daily, the cumulative effect over time would be quite considerable.

He decided that he could also incorporate these exotic delicacies into his daily diet in the future as a supplement to his cultivation.

During the meal, Mentor Ke La Ke carefully inquired about the progress of Gao Jie Ming's research on the divine power faith network.

Gao Jie Ming described in detail the bottleneck he was currently facing, as well as the predicament of only being able to touch the surface-level energy transmission technology.

Upon learning that Gao Jie Ming had only researched a portion of the most surface-level energy transmission knowledge of the divine power faith network, Mentor Ke La Ke couldn't help but shake his head, a look of helplessness appearing on his face.

He did not say much more, simply standing up slowly from his chair and walking into the study next door.

A moment later, he walked out, holding a small bag emitting spatial fluctuations, which he handed to Gao Jie Ming.

"These are the research manuscripts on the divine power faith network that I once studied," Mentor Ke La Ke said calmly. "Although the divine power faith network I studied was a product of another plane, not Plane Nuolun, all laws of the universe share the same origin, so it should be able to provide you with some inspiration."