Chapter 755: Establishing a Link

Seven days later.

Chen Wen's complexion still carried the pallor of overexertion, but the fatigue in his eyes had been replaced by an almost razor-sharp focus.

He did not return to the Observatory Pavilion, but instead moved to the deepest part of the Heavenly Craft Institute, the 'Secret Cavern of Law Practice'.

Inside the secret cavern, the luster of the strange iron illuminated every inch of space.

At the center, a brand-new ritual apparatus had been fully constructed.

Unlike the grand and majestic ancestral vein of the underground palace, this ritual apparatus is more precise, complex, and also……fragile.

It consists of a main framework made of three hundred and sixty strands of strange iron, as fine as hair, whose strands converge at a transparent crystal ball the size of a fist at the center.

Inside the crystal ball, a faint yet pure gold-red halo is sealed—this is the faint, barely detectable 'Fortune Momentum recognition' imprint captured from Zhu Yuanzhang during the previous signal transmission and painstakingly preserved.

At this moment, this imprint slowly rotates within the crystal ball, its brightness wavering like a candle in the wind.

Gongsun Sheng stood beside the ritual apparatus, his long beard fluttering without wind, his eyes bloodshot.

Over these seven days, he had hardly closed his eyes.

"My lord, the ritual apparatus has been fully calibrated."

His voice was hoarse.

"The 'recognition imprint' remains active, but extremely faint, and its connection to the source (Zhu Yuanzhang) is nearly severed due to distance and the light curtain's obstruction."

"Building a cross-curtain life link based on this is like stringing a spider's silk across an abyss ten thousand zhang deep."

Chen Wen walked up to the ritual apparatus and gazed at the swaying thread of light within the crystal ball.

"The bridge need not be wide, as long as one person can cross."

"The spider silk need not be tough, as long as it delivers what needs to be sent before it breaks."

He paused.

"Let's begin."

Gongsun Sheng drew a deep breath, his hands hovering above the base of the ritual apparatus.

Inside the secret cavern, all the assisting arcane calculation masters and guidance artificers held their breath, focused, and took their positions.

"First step, activate the imprint's resonance."

A point of milky-white momentum energy light sparked on Gongsun Sheng's fingertip, and he lightly tapped the crystal ball.

Hum—

The gold-red halo inside the crystal ball flared bright!

As if awakened from slumber, it began to spin faster and attempted to extend invisible tendrils outward.

But it was too weak.

The tendrils had just barely extended from the crystal ball's surface when they swiftly dissipated.

"The imprint reacts, but its own energy is insufficient to establish an effective 'summons'."

Gongsun Sheng quickly judged.

"Inject auxiliary resonance momentum energy, adjusting the frequency in sync to……the 'Hongwu' wavelength."

"Yes!"

One arcane calculation master swiftly manipulated the compass-like magical device before him.

On the ritual apparatus's framework, three specific strands of strange iron lit up, injecting a gentle and steady flow of momentum energy into the crystal ball.

The halo inside the crystal ball steadied somewhat, its rotation became regular, and the invisible tendrils that had extended became slightly more substantial, continuously pointing westward—toward the light curtain.

"Resonance established!"

"Second step, penetrate the light curtain and locate."

This is the most difficult stage.

The light curtain itself is a regulatory barrier, imposing terrifying attenuation and distortion on energy transmission.

The previous signal transmission was essentially a 'broadcast', covering an area and leaving it to the receiver to catch fragments.

But a life link must be a 'dedicated line', must precisely locate Zhu Yuanzhang as an individual, and establish a bidirectional, stable, faint channel.

"Activate the 'pinhole' auxiliary array to focus the resonance band."

The secret cavern's dome, seven huge strange-iron mirrors slowly adjusted their angles, precisely projecting the converged momentum-energy beam onto the ritual apparatus's center.

The crystal ball was enveloped in a blazing-white light pillar.

Inside, the faint red halo gave a sudden jerk under this external force!

An extremely thin strand of pale gold, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, shot out from the halo, vanished into the void, and streaked westward!

On the monitoring crystal, the penetration trajectory of this 'link thread' instantly appeared.

It struggled to squeeze into the light curtain, winding through the chaotic energy turbulence, constantly being weakened and distorted.

"Thread strength decaying……forty percent……sixty percent……"

"Encountered a dark-energy scattering cloud! Deviating from the planned trajectory!"

"Activate dynamic correction! Inject directional momentum-energy pulses!"

Veins bulged on Gongsun Sheng's forehead as he manipulated the ritual apparatus with both hands, like steering a tiny skiff that could capsize at any moment in a raging river.

The pale-gold thread barely skimmed the edge of the dark-energy cloud, being forcibly shoved back on course by several tiny momentum-energy pulses.

But the thread itself had become as fine as spider silk, its light dim.

"Through the main body of the light curtain! Into the western world!"

"Remaining strength……less than fifteen percent!"

"Begin searching for the target……"

After the thread entered the western side of the light curtain, it drifted like a directionless lost soul, aimlessly floating in the vast energy backdrop.

The resonance of the 'Zhu Yuanzhang imprint' it carries is too weak to, at such a great distance, directly pinpoint the target among billions of beings.

"Expand the resonance search range!"

"Using the imprint wavelength, scan the 'Heaven-responding' area!"

The diviners strained to calculate, stretching the limited silk-thread energy as far as possible into an invisible, faint 'net' that shrouded toward Heaven-responding City.

Time passed second by second.

The silk-thread energy continued to dwindle.

Ten percent.

Eight percent.

Five percent……

Just as the silk-thread energy was about to completely dissipate.

On the monitoring crystal, a certain fuzzy point of light suddenly flickered faintly and in sync!

It coincided momentarily with the fluctuation frequency of the Zhu Yuanzhang imprint inside the crystal ball!

"Detected a suspected target fluctuation!"

"Located in the area slightly north of Heaven-responding City……energy feature match……seventy percent!"

"Seventy percent!"

Under such interference, this is already an extremely high match.

"Now! Lock on! Solidify the link!"

Gongsun Sheng almost shouted it out.

The remaining silk-thread energy was fully unleashed, no longer spreading to search, but gathering into an extremely fine 'needle', following that moment's fluctuation guidance, and viciously 'stabbed' forward!

Hum——

The crystal ball shuddered violently!

Inside, that faint Zhu Yuanzhang imprint suddenly brightened severalfold!

An extremely thin yet truly existent pale golden light line extended from the crystal ball, piercing the walls of the secret cavern, piercing thousands of mountains and rivers, piercing the light barrier's obstruction……

It connected to the distant West.

It connected to the Hongwu Emperor, who was currently reviewing memorials and anxiously preoccupied with the northern border war.

On the monitoring crystal, the value representing link stability began to climb difficultly and slowly.

One percent.

One point five percent.

Two percent……

Pathetically low.

So fragile it seemed it would snap at any moment.

But, it was indeed established.

"Link……successfully established."

Gongsun Sheng collapsed to the ground, sweat pouring like rain, yet his face showed a smile uglier than crying.

"Channel bandwidth……approximately three percent of the preset minimum standard."

"Capable of transmitting only the most basic life-status information, and……an extremely faint single-item energy flow."

"And highly unstable, it could be cut off at any time by interference or the other side's unconscious resistance."

Chen Wen walked up to the crystal ball, gazing at that fine yet truly existent golden light line.

He could feel, at the other end of the light line, that vast and tenacious life presence.

Like a campfire refusing to go out on the far side of a dark abyss.

"Enough."

He said softly.

Being able to know he is still alive, and how his state is.

Being able to send over a little something.

Even if it is just a little 'spark'.

As for the impending bestowal ceremony……

This spider-silk-like link is the sole path of hope.

"Pass the order."

Chen Wen turned around.

"The entire territory enters a silent defensive state."

"All members of the Heavenly Craft Academy are to rest, replenish spiritual medicines, and adjust their spirits."

"Three days later……"

He looked toward that swaying golden thread.

"Proceed with the 'bestowal attempt'."