https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-153-Choice-Guiding-Technique-Level-15/12833694/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-155-The-Classification-of-Mental-Power-and-the-Promotion-Success-Rate-of-a-Peak-Third-Rank/12833696/
Chapter 154: Ascension Mission Begins – Soul Spirit Floating Land Expedition
Chapter 154: Ascension Mission Begins – Soul Spirit Floating Land Expedition
In the all-attribute training room, the sound of fists cutting through the air echoed continuously.
Half an hour later, Song Chi stopped his movements.
By now, he had managed to gain a tentative control over the surging power within his body. Although he still occasionally leaked wisps of mystic energy with every gesture, it was a significant improvement compared to three days ago.
Over the past two months, he had elevated his Guiding Technique from level 11 to level 15. This couldn't simply be described as a surge; it was more like a rocket launch.
For an ordinary first-tier Ember Fleet captain, advancing four levels in the Guiding Technique would take at least thirty years of gradual improvement.
Of course, this was for the most basic first-tier captains. The core captains of medium-sized factions could shorten this time significantly, perhaps compressing it to within ten years. However, even then, it was still incomparably slower than Song Chi's two months.
The rapid ascension speed was the reason he found it difficult to adapt to the swift changes in his strength.
"It seems I'll need at least another half month to fully control all the changes in my body..."
Murmuring to himself, Song Chi exited the training room.
After a quick shower, he donned the purple crystal synthetic skin battle armor and his coat. Then, he headed to the peach tree in the courtyard and began meditating on the projection blueprint of the Mythic Mech.
Although his Guiding Technique level was crucial, he couldn't neglect the meditation on the blueprint. Over the past two months, he had persisted in meditating for three hours every day.
This dedication had clearly enhanced his mental power.
If he were to challenge the Supreme Immortal Puppet Tower again now, he wouldn't be as exhausted after completing the first 30 levels, even if he couldn't progress further.
After about two and a half hours of meditation, Song Chi was startled awake by a sudden chime from his family quantum communication bracelet. Reluctantly, he exited his meditation.
He glanced at the quantum communication bracelet on his left wrist. The chime had come from this family-specific device.
Song Chi looked puzzled. He had been wearing this quantum communication bracelet for nearly three months, and this was the first time it had issued an alert.
He tapped the bracelet, and a holographic screen appeared above it. Song Chi's expression quickly turned to realization.
The holographic screen displayed not his personal attribute panel but a family-wide public channel that had been added to all quantum communication bracelets of first-tier and above family members.
[Song Clan Public Channel (Dragon Spine Continent Server)]
[Song Hengtong (Third Tier, First Lineage Head): Large Mission – Soul Spirit Floating Land Expedition has been released. All clan members are welcome to participate.
Floating Land Introduction: The Soul Spirit Floating Land is a Grade 3 Life Floating Land. It was discovered and marked by clan member Song Cheng thirty-five years ago. After nearly thirty years of exploration and investigation by our lineage, it is a rare floating land rich in soul-related resources, with an overall value rating of 6 stars.
Mission Introduction: The dominant race on the Soul Spirit Floating Land is the Soul Spirit race, which excels in soul attacks. Ember Fleet captains with colorless or white Embers are highly susceptible to their influence and struggle to perform at their best. We are now recruiting clan members with blue or higher quality Embers, or those who possess special soul resistance components, to undertake the expedition to the Soul Spirit Floating Land.
Mission Difficulty: 4 stars (Dangerous)
Mission Rewards:
First-tier Clan Members: Initial 500 Merit Points
Second-tier Clan Members: Initial 2000 Merit Points
Third-tier Clan Members: Initial 10000 Merit Points
Subsequent Rewards: +100 Merit Points for each First-tier Soul Spirit killed, +500 Merit Points for each Second-tier Soul Spirit killed, +5000 Merit Points for each Third-tier Soul Spirit killed. All resources obtained during the mission are personal property and do not need to be surrendered.
Mission Duration: From now until the end of the Soul Spirit Floating Land Expedition]
The announcement of this large family mission instantly turned the Song Clan Dragon Spine Continent public channel into a frenzy.
Tens of thousands of first-tier Song Clan members began to comment.
"Song Ergou (First-tier, Collateral Lineage): A 6-star rated Grade 3 floating land? Count me in! Wait, my Ember quality isn't enough? Never mind then!!"
"Song Sanpao (First-tier, Collateral Lineage): +1 to the above. I'm trembling with a white Ember, but I really want soul-related resources. What should I do?"
"Song Ke (Second-tier, Eighth Lineage): I've been in the second tier for over 30 years, but my Ember is still white. Can I sign up?"
"Song Feng (Second-tier, Third Lineage): Probably not. You'll be a pushover against a Second-tier Soul Spirit. I have a blue Ember, so count me in. My mental power has been stuck at the 'Mortal Thought Stage 2' for over twenty years. This soul-related resource is just what I need."
Song Chi’s gaze swept through the family’s public channel, and he rubbed his brow to ease the mental fatigue from studying the imprint diagram. Meanwhile, his mind raced, analyzing the details of the {Clan Grand Mission: Soul Spirit Floating Land Expedition} and considering whether to sign up, along with the risks involved.
Regardless, the value of the Soul Spirit Floating Land was undeniable. The fact that a Grade 3 Floating Land was rated at 6 stars was proof enough. The Song Clan had its own internal evaluation system for the various resources, origins, and biological assets on each Floating Land in the Star Sea.
Most non-graded, Grade 1, and Grade 2 Floating Lands were rated 3 stars or lower. For example, the White Tower Floating Land and the Guangyuan Floating Land were both rated 2 stars. Ordinary Grade 3 Floating Lands were typically rated 4 stars, with a few reaching 5 stars. The Silver Spear Floating Land, which Song Chi had visited, was a life-type Grade 3 Floating Land and was rated 5 stars within the Song Clan.
The 6-star rating in this mission was usually only achieved by most Grade 4 Floating Lands. This indicated that the soul-related resources on the Soul Spirit Floating Land were extremely rare and important, otherwise, they wouldn’t have such a high rating.
The thought of these resources stirred a bit of excitement in Song Chi. He had seen soul-related resources in the Merit Tower’s upper levels before, but they were extremely rare and very expensive. A soul-related resource that could benefit a Second Rank Ember Captain typically cost over 3 points of Gold Merit.
Song Chi had some understanding of the uses of these soul-related resources. They could either accelerate the cultivation of mental strength or enhance the intensity of mental power, laying the foundation for the Mythical Mechanized Form after the Fourth Rank.
However, when he saw the difficulty level listed in the mission description, his excitement dampened. He was well aware of the clan’s mission difficulty ratings:
- One Star: Simple (daily tasks, minimal risk of death)
- Two Stars: Normal (5% death rate)
- Three Stars: Difficult (15% death rate)
- Four Stars: Dangerous (30% death rate)
- Five Stars: Hellish (60% death rate or higher)
A 30% death rate, even with the protection of the Blue Ember Seed for mental strength and the [Abnormal State Purifier] component, was still too high for Song Chi. For someone who valued stability, a one-third chance of death was terrifying.
Moreover, the Purple Crystal Bio-Skin Armor he wore offered no additional resistance to soul attacks, which further dissuaded him from signing up.
“Let’s see. This expedition involves a Grade 3 Floating Land, and the Soul Spirits will rely on the Floating Land’s shield. This war won’t end quickly. I’ll wait until the Skydome ascends to the Second Rank before considering it…”
With that thought, Song Chi turned and walked to the ship docking area in the courtyard. He summoned the Skydome and quickly entered.
His gaze focused on the special slot for the [Enslavement Medallion] component.
Enslavement Medallion Level 30
Quality: Red
Enslavement Imprints: 5/5
Upgrade Requirements: 20 strands of Third Rank Floating Land Essence, 70,000 Umbral Energy Points, 43 titanium crystals
[Enslavement Imprint: Frenzy]
Cost: 30,000 Umbral Energy Points
Effect: Designate an enslaved target to enter a frenzy at the cost of their life. After frenzy, the target’s strength will increase by one major rank. (Frenzy lasts 5 hours, cooldown period 1 year [9 months and 24 days]. Strength enhancement cannot exceed the component’s maximum reinforcement limit.)
Over the past two months, Song Chi hadn’t devoted all his time to practicing the Guiding Technique. He had also conducted two less fruitful explorations of alien star domains and opened the Xushi (Ruin Market) twice. During these two market sessions, he received 100 titanium crystals and nearly a thousand strands of Second Rank Floating Land Essence from Zhou Ping, plus 100 titanium crystals he exchanged for 1 point of Gold Merit from the Merit Tower. This allowed him to reinforce the [Enslavement Medallion] to Level 30.
Song Chi stared at the "Enslavement Mark: Frenzy" entry, which read that the cooldown was still 9 months and 24 days away. His eyes filled with frustration.
The Enslavement Medal had been upgraded to Tier 3, and the cooldown for this feature had indeed been significantly reduced from 3 years to 1 year. However, for him, it was still too long.
Initially, he had planned to immediately enslave a Tier 3 creature once the Enslavement Medal reached Tier 3. The thought of the Canopy carrying a creature capable of exerting Tier 4 combat power was exhilarating.
But the year-long cooldown for the "Enslavement Mark: Frenzy" feature had completely dampened his enthusiasm for immediately enslaving a Tier 3 creature.
There was no point in going through all the trouble to enslave a Tier 3 creature if the feature was still on cooldown.
However, with the announcement of the "Soul Spirit Floating Land Expedition" mission, it was time for the Enslavement Medal to serve its purpose.
With that thought, he shifted his gaze to the Canopy’s blue ember hull.
He decided to upgrade the blue ember hull to Level 19.
But that wasn’t the end.
"Do you wish to initiate the ship’s ascension task?"
"Initiate!"
As soon as he confirmed, a virtual panel appeared before him.
[Warship Ascension Task (Canopy)]
[Current Ascension Success Rate: 1%]
[Special Ascension Resources Required (0/4): Sea Spirit Stone 1, Ten Thousand-Year Volcanic Lava Iron Essence 1, Moon Rock 1, Zircon 1]
[Additional Ascension Resources: None]
[Baptism in Alien Blood: None]
After scanning the details, Song Chi raised an eyebrow. The Canopy’s ascension required all four special resources, which surprised him.
Wasn’t the probability of needing all four resources supposed to be very low?
But he was only slightly surprised and didn’t dwell on it. He quickly retrieved the four resources he had prepared, along with the low-grade energy crystals and 2300-year-old Moon Tree sap.
As these items were absorbed by the ember hull, the "Current Ascension Success Rate" jumped from 1% to 22%.
Seeing this, a smile spread across Song Chi’s face.
Next, he needed to visit the Yellow Sand Floating Land to hunt the Tier 2 and Tier 3 sandworms, allowing the Canopy to be baptized in alien blood to further increase the ascension success rate.
At that moment, his mother’s voice called out from outside.
Recalling the Canopy, Song Chi stepped out of the yard.
In the courtyard where his uncle, Song Shan, resided, the entire Tenth Direct Line had gathered.
The topic of discussion was, of course, the "Soul Spirit Floating Land Expedition" mission.
In the center of the courtyard, beside the Mountain cruiser, Song Shan spoke:
"We must participate in this mission. Divine Soul resources are extremely rare, and the First Direct Line’s discovery of this Soul Spirit Floating Land is a stroke of luck for our Song family. We cannot miss this opportunity."
Pausing, Song Shan continued:
"However, since Father has not yet completed his guard duty, and I need to suppress the Origin Eruption Eye, we cannot rush into it. We will discuss further once Father returns.
This large-scale mission will not end anytime soon, so there’s no need to rush. No one is to sign up for the mission without permission, understood?"
Hearing the stern tone, everyone felt a chill. With Song Ming Song absent, Song Shan, whose flagship had already ascended to Tier 3, was the family’s spokesperson, and his words carried significant weight.
Of course, everyone understood the gravity of the situation.
A family mission of this danger level was no joke, with a 30% mortality rate. Without a Tier 3 ember captain leading the way, even the slightest misstep could cost lives. The Tenth Direct Line had just been established, and the loss of any member would be unbearable.
Seeing the seriousness of the situation, Song Shan’s son, Song You, suddenly asked:
"Father, I saw a Tier 2 clan uncle in the family public channel mention that his Heart Power is stuck at the second stage of the Ordinary Thought state. What does that mean?"
PS: I didn’t have time to revise the previous chapter, but I’ve now provided the result for the Komoyin Giant Snake—it ran out of life force and perished.
Additionally, I’ve adjusted the price for the orange components at the Merit Tower. The normal exchange price is 80 to 120 gold merits.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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