Chapter 438

"First, return to the Purgatory Sulfur Plane," Jie Ming planned his subsequent itinerary.

"The social improvements for the Black Giant legion need to be adjusted based on the research data from the Scythe-Skull race. The energy conversion efficiency of the Incense Divine Dao also has room for improvement... and there's my newly devised training regimen; if it succeeds, it might push my cultivation speed even further."

He walked straight into the teleportation array on the other side, activated the spatial coordinates, and initiated a plane-to-plane transfer.

In the core laboratory of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, as Jie Ming stepped out of the teleportation array, the first thing he did was take a deep breath.

The air was filled with the familiar scent of sulfur, mixed with the faint spiritual energy fluctuations generated by the operation of the Incense Divine Dao.

The dome of the reception room where the teleportation array was located was made of transparent crystal, through which one could see the perpetually dark red sky outside.

"A century has passed..."

Arriving at the main laboratory, Jie Ming looked around; the interior remained in the state he had left it.

The automated maintenance system kept all instruments in standby mode, the floor was spotless, and even the elemental crystals used to test the stability of rune-inscribed wizarding tools on the workbench were still in the exact positions where he had left them.

He pulled out his Magic Net terminal, which vibrated continuously—these were the century-long operational reports submitted automatically by the various functional modules of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane upon detecting their master's return.

Jie Ming didn't check them immediately; instead, he walked to the control console on the west side of the lab.

"Initiate global scan, report on the accumulated affairs of the past century."

【Command confirmed. Commencing scan of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane and auxiliary systems...】

Data streams began to scroll across the console's light screen.

First was the status of the Black Giant legion.

The billions of Black Giants within the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, guided by the Incense Divine Dao and numerous Black Giant priests, had stabilized their social structure, and the production of incense power provided by the belief network had increased threefold compared to a century ago.

"The effect of assigning social attributes is better than expected." Jie Ming scanned the reports regarding the Black Giant tribe's sacrificial activities, resource allocation disputes, and the development of a simple language system. "It's almost *too* good; the infrastructure of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane is struggling to keep up."

Next was the operational status of the Incense Divine Dao.

The main framework was stable, with energy conversion efficiency maintained at a high level of 97.2%.

After over a century of research by the Black Giant priests, the framework for cross-spatial transmission technology had undergone its seventh optimization, nearing the threshold for installation.

"What is the load on the Tier 7 large elemental pool?" Jie Ming asked.

【Current load: 64%. Incense Divine Dao core module occupies 42%, maintenance of the Black Giant tribe's living environment occupies 11%, plane defense array occupies 8%, other functions occupy 3%. Remaining 36% load capacity is available for allocation.】

Jie Ming nodded.

This figure was within the safety range, meaning he could initiate some energy-intensive experimental projects next.

Afterward, Jie Ming reviewed the communications from these years, though nothing noteworthy appeared.

"Good, everything is handled."

Jie Ming closed the report interface; although the accumulated affairs of the century were complex, most were routine matters handled automatically by the system.

Very few required his personal decision.

He walked to the rest area in the center of the lab and sat in a chair, casually opening the central Magic Net terminal.

Jie Ming placed his palm on the identity verification area, and the fluctuation of the Truth Ring swept over it; the terminal lit up.

【Welcome back, Researcher Jie Ming.】

"Search keywords: Time Remnant, training-use alchemical wizarding tool, sparring equipment."

The essence of a Time Remnant is to branch off the current timeline and replicate an individual identical to the target.

This replica possesses not only the same rank, power, combat techniques, and consciousness, but can even replicate "knowledge not exceeding the level of conventional laws."

For most wizards, the greatest value of this trait lies in setting traps for enemies.

After encountering one in the Reincarnation Plane, Jie Ming had been thinking about it; after careful deliberation, he felt that Time Remnants could perhaps be used as his specialized training "equipment."

The core of a wizard's combat power is knowledge, not mere combat experience, and wizards who have fought through mountains of corpses and seas of blood are not lacking in experience.

Therefore, for wizards, using Time Remnants for sparring offers little more than finding tactical flaws in their own combat systems.

And for mature wizarding systems, there are cheaper, more efficient ways to achieve this goal.

But Jie Ming was different.

During that battle in the Reincarnation Plane, he was forced into a life-or-death struggle against his own Time Remnant.

Despite the difficulty and pain, he keenly captured a key point: his Body Tempering Art evolved at an astonishing speed under the extreme pressure of an opponent with identical level and ability.

It far exceeded any external damage-stimulation training method he had previously designed.

The experience of being pushed to the limit and forced to break through while being fiercely attacked by a "self" that fully understood his own attack patterns allowed the "Adaptive Evolution" trait to operate with unprecedented efficiency.

This was simply the perfect pressure environment tailored for his Body Tempering Art.

Information began to refresh on the light screen.

Hundreds of thousands of relevant entries popped up; Jie Ming quickly filtered out those that clearly did not meet his requirements.

After filtering, seventeen items remained that met the criteria.

Jie Ming clicked on the first one.

【Name: Corridor of Time (6th Generation Improved)】

【Type: Large Facility Core Component】

【Rank: Tier 6 Alchemical Wizarding Tool】

【Function: Remnant duration up to 72 hours, combat intelligence simulation 97.3%】

【Core Materials: Time-type Plane Origin x12 strands, Void Star Marrow x4.7 tons, Supercritical Stable Source Crystal x83 kg...】

【Price: 1.14 billion Low-level Military Merits】

【Note: This equipment features a standard modular design with 27 reserved expansion interfaces, typically used as an auxiliary component for large base defense facilities.】

Jie Ming raised an eyebrow.

The price was indeed frighteningly high, but the material list explained it.

12 strands of Time-type Plane Origin, priced at market value, amounted to 156 million Low-level Military Merits, accounting for nearly one-seventh of the total cost.

Added to that were the rare materials only available above Tier 6, making the price not unreasonable.

He continued to check other options.

【Name: Altar of Time Echoes】

【Rank: Tier 6 Alchemical Wizarding Tool】

【Price: 980 million Low-level Military Merits】

【Note: Remnant generation stability is slightly lower, but supports simultaneous generation of multiple remnants (up to three)】

【Name: Time Core】

【Rank: Tier 7 Alchemical Wizarding Tool】

【Price: 4.7 billion Low-level Military Merits】

【Note: Can simulate multiple timelines simultaneously, restricted to Tier 7+ wizards】

【Name: Hourglass of Self】

【Rank: Tier 6 Alchemical Wizarding Tool】

【Price: 1.02 billion Low-level Military Merits】

【Note: Portable design; upon activation, generates a 3,000-meter diameter Time Remnant generation zone, usable for mobile combat.】

Looking through them one by one, the prices basically hovered around 1 billion Low-level Military Merits.

The cheapest was 950 million, and the most expensive Tier 7 tool was 4.7 billion.

"The bad news is, it's indeed expensive," Jie Ming stroked his chin. "The good news is... it only requires Low-level Military Merits to purchase."

Given Jie Ming's current net worth, while these items were expensive, he could fully afford them, so he didn't have to just look and drool.

His gaze swept across the training wizarding tools, and he finally settled on two models.

The first was the 【Corridor of Time (6th Generation Improved)】, of which he bought three sets. The second was the 【Hourglass of Self】, of which he bought two sets.

Total cost: three sets of Corridor of Time cost 3.42 billion, and two sets of Hourglass of Self cost 2.04 billion, totaling 5.46 billion Low-level Military Merits.

When the payment was completed, his military merit balance shrank by a third, but Jie Ming didn't even blink.

【Order confirmed. Goods will be delivered via cross-plane express service; estimated arrival time: 7 standard days, please be ready to receive.】

Closing the purchase interface, Jie Ming leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

Was it expensive?

Indeed expensive.

5.46 billion Low-level Military Merits were enough to arm a standard legion of 3,000 Tier 4 wizards.

But for Jie Ming, this investment was worth it.

"During that battle in the Reincarnation Plane, the evolution speed of the Body Tempering Art was thirty-seven times faster than usual," Jie Ming calculated. "If I can have continuous Time Remnant sparring, combined with several medicinal bath and array formulas recorded in the 'Great Dao Book Pavilion,' this speed might increase to fifty, or even a hundred times..."

What did that concept mean?

It meant that in ten years, he could achieve a Body Tempering realm that would normally take a thousand years of bitter cultivation.

It meant his physical strength, resistance, and recovery would soar to a level far exceeding wizards of the same rank in a short time.

It meant that while others were still researching how to defend against attacks with wizardry, he could already withstand Tier-equivalent wizardry with his physical body and instantly evolve corresponding resistance.

"And it's not just physical enhancement."

Jie Ming's eyes flashed with brilliance.

His Qi Refining Art could connect the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit; physical enhancement meant that the speed of spiritual power and spiritual energy improvement would also increase.

In other words, this could help him rapidly improve his overall cultivation progress.

"Theoretically, there should be no problem; it's worth a try."

Jie Ming stood up from his chair and walked toward the material area of the laboratory.

Since the training wizarding tools had been ordered, he needed to start making preparations now.

First, he needed to set up a specialized Time Remnant training ground.

That was simple enough; he would just use the spare spatial expansion devices in the lab for additional expansion.

Next, he needed to prepare resources to assist in cultivation.

The "Great Dao Book Pavilion" recorded several medicinal bath formulas for extreme body tempering, but these could not be applied directly in the Wizarding World and needed targeted modifications.

There were also arrays that could stabilize the mind and accelerate recovery, which also needed to be localized and modified before being inscribed.

Time Remnant training would consume a large amount of energy, requiring the addition of energy connection channels to provide stable support.

At the same time, protection against the aftermath generated during training was needed to avoid damaging other facilities in the lab.

Jie Ming opened the storage rack and began organizing various materials.

(End of chapter)