https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-187-Ascension-to-the-Second-Rank/12833822/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-189-The-Counterfeit-Boundary-Stone-and-the-Mysterious-Spatial-Passage/12833827/
Chapter 188: Multitasking and Resetting the Spatial Anchors
Chapter 188: Multitasking and Resetting the Spatial Anchors
The ethereal energy robes that flowed over his body, the surging power within him, and his mind that had been pushed to the absolute limit of emptiness.
At this moment, Song Chi felt incredibly good. This second life elevation was even more effective than he had imagined.
Beyond the obvious enhancements in his physical strength, ethereal energy, and lifespan, there was also a hidden improvement.
Song Chi closed his eyes tightly, his thoughts racing.
In the next second, his eyes snapped open, a deep sense of joy evident in them.
Just now, he had simultaneously initiated five layers of computation in his mind. Previously, this would have required entering the Limit-Breaking state to complete flawlessly. This time, however, he accomplished it effortlessly, without needing the additional boost from the Limit-Breaking state.
In other words, his mental power had now reached the level of multitasking with five tasks at once. Originally, the second life elevation was meant to elevate a life form from the first stage of the Mortal Mind state to the second stage, which meant going from multitasking with three tasks to four. However, since Song Chi had already achieved this level through the use of soul resources, this life elevation further refined his mental capabilities, pushing him from multitasking with four tasks to five.
Although he was still some distance away from the third stage of the Mortal Mind state, which allowed for multitasking with six tasks, this advancement had significantly narrowed the gap. With just a little more progress, he would join the ranks of the geniuses recognized by the Ember Human civilization, where second-stage Ember Captains possessed the third-stage Mortal Mind mental power.
Additionally, he still had the Limit-Breaking state at his disposal. While this special technique wasn't rare in the upper echelons, it allowed him to temporarily enter the six-task multitasking state, which could be very useful in critical moments.
With this in mind, he flexed his limbs and then took out the remaining 3/4 of the clam pearl.
After some consideration, he put it away, planning to use it with top-tier body-strengthening potions at a later time.
During these past twenty days, his improvement in the Guiding Technique had been tremendous, surpassing what others might achieve in ten years.
Given this extraordinary rate of progress, Song Chi felt a deep sense of instability within his body that needed to be settled. If he were to use the remaining 3/4 of the clam pearl now, he feared it would take several times longer to solidify his foundation.
Just as he exited the all-attribute training room, Song Chi's thoughts shifted.
The sky above the marketplace suddenly changed, and an infinite amount of law power rapidly converged. In less than two seconds, a hundred-meter-tall illusory law giant formed above Song Chi's body.
This appearance somewhat resembled the great power "Emulate Heaven and Earth" from the novels of his past life.
Of course, that wasn't the case. This was simply a result of Song Chi's enhanced control over the marketplace after his ascension to the second stage, allowing him to more skillfully wield the marketplace's law power.
After dispersing the illusory law giant, Song Chi reflected:
"With my current control over the marketplace and its own advancement, I should be able to easily handle any fourth-stage beings attacking from outside. Even a fifth-stage being could be resisted, though it would cause a surge of blood. However, a sixth-stage being would still be a challenge, likely resulting in severe injuries."
With this thought, he felt a bit more at ease.
Compared to fourth- and fifth-stage beings, sixth-stage entities in the fractured star sea were much rarer. This meant that the safety of the marketplace had increased tenfold, even a hundredfold, compared to when he was still a first-stage being.
With this in mind, Song Chi prepared to leave the marketplace. After nearly twenty days of cultivation, the next interstellar domain exploration was not far off, and he needed to prepare thoroughly.
However, just as he directed his ethereal energy to his chest to activate the Star Sea Marketplace Token hanging there, Song Chi's eyebrows slightly raised.
"The Star Sea Marketplace Token is undergoing another change?"
As he infused his ethereal energy into the token, it began to warm up again. This sudden change filled him with a strong sense of anticipation and curiosity.
He began to carefully examine the token, which connected the marketplace to the outside world.
After a while, Song Chi's eyes flickered, showing neither obvious disappointment nor joy, but rather a hint of surprise.
"It can now be stored in the Ember Ancestral Acupoint, huh..."
Indeed, perhaps due to his ascension to the second stage or his enhanced control over the marketplace, the Star Sea Marketplace Token, which he had never been able to store in the Ember Ancestral Acupoint before, could now be stored there.
This change brought good news. He no longer had to worry about the token being exposed, as it had always been worn close to his body but still outside, posing a small risk of leakage.
Now that he could store it in the Ember Ancestral Acupoint, that risk was completely eliminated.
The bad news, of course, was that this small change brought no enhancement to his own strength. This was a bit disappointing for Song Chi, who had been quite hopeful.
A faint glow emanated from his brow as the Ancestral Aperture of the Ember Flame was opened. A force of attraction then emerged from within, causing the Star Sea Market Token, which he had already removed from his neck, to slowly rise and eventually merge into the Ancestral Aperture.
Once the Ancestral Aperture closed again, Song Chi closed his eyes and focused his mind within it.
In the chaotic void, a pale blue ember floated, surrounded by a miniature warship model that continuously orbited the flame. Alongside it, five light orbs of varying sizes also circled the blue ember. These orbs represented the zero, first, second, third, and fourth stages of the Floating Land Essence.
Finally, there was the newly acquired Star Sea Market Token, which also orbited the ember along with the others.
Seeing this, Song Chi nodded to himself. Now, unless he, the creator of the Ancestral Aperture of the Ember Flame, willingly allowed it, no outsider could forcibly take the Star Sea Market Token from him.
After a moment of observation, the Ancestral Aperture space pulsed with dark energy. Under Song Chi's control, a strand of this energy merged into the floating Star Sea Market Token.
Then, Song Chi felt the space around him shift. When he returned to his surroundings, he found himself back in his personal bedroom.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
As soon as he appeared in his bedroom, the quantum communication bracelet on his wrist displayed several unread message notifications, causing his eyes to light up.
Activating the bracelet and opening the messages, Song Chi's suspicions were confirmed.
"Are you there? Can we discuss the price for the Deepwater Clam Pearls?"
"Clan brother, do you have time to meet and talk?"
"Besides the 300 and 500-year-old pearls, do you have any older ones?"
...
Without exception, all these messages were inquiring about the Deepwater Clam Pearls.
This went back to a few days ago, when, after a deep sleep and before attempting to break through to the second stage, Song Chi had a sudden idea and listed the remaining 30 three-century-old and 10 five-century-old Deepwater Clam Pearls on the family chat channel.
Originally, Song Chi had intended to keep these pearls for Song Ting, Song You, and Song Wen, as he had no use for them. However, after visiting the Merit Hall, his goal of accumulating 90 gold merit points within three months made him focus solely on the gold merit points, and he couldn't afford to be sentimental.
He listed the three-century-old pearls at 1 gold merit point for 10 pearls and the five-century-old pearls at 1 gold merit point for 5 pearls.
Initially, he had been a bit worried that the price might be too high, but it now seemed just right.
Opening the messages from genuine buyers, Song Chi replied to each one, setting a meeting place for further discussion.
He chose Qingyue Manor as the meeting place, as the information he posted on the family chat channel already indicated that he was a member of the tenth direct lineage, so there was no need to hide it.
A day later, several clan members came, and Song Chi successfully sold all 40 pearls.
Indeed, he earned 5 gold merit points from the sale.
Seeing his personal account now at 35 gold merit points, Song Chi nodded in satisfaction.
The next day, he left Qingyue Manor and headed to the Dragon Spine Divine Mountain.
This time, he wasn't going to the Merit Hall but to the Floating Land Essence Marketplace, which was under the family's internal affairs department.
The family had its own unique merit system, and while there was a general marketplace for merit transactions and exchanges, it primarily dealt with ordinary mechanical creations, mineral resources, daily food, and fresh water.
Compared to the bustling Merit Hall, this Floating Land Essence Marketplace was much quieter.
Entering the vast shop, which spanned several tens of thousands of square meters, Song Chi had a clear goal and headed straight for the large mechanical equipment section.
He intended to purchase only two things: Floating Land Mining Vehicles and Interstellar Mining Ships.
These were for the two mining teams operating in the asteroid belt. Each team currently only had 10 Roaring Tiger Mining Vehicles and one Interstellar Mining Ship for transporting the vehicles to designated asteroids, which seemed rather small-scale.
The asteroid belt extended over 20 light-years, and even with thousands of mining vehicles and ships working simultaneously, it would take many years to fully exploit. Song Chi was not one to skimp on initial investments.
In the large mechanical equipment section, a well-built female clan member politely asked:
"Sir, what model of mining vehicle do you need, and how many?"
Song Chi had already given this question considerable thought and did not hesitate to respond.
"Twenty Raging Tiger mining vehicles, and four standard civilian interstellar mining ships."
"Also, please prepare ten tons of daily supplies, including food and fresh water."
He ignored the astonished look from the salesperson. In reality, Song Chi wanted much more. He could easily equip each of his fleets, led by Soul One and Soul Two, with hundreds of mining vehicles and over ten interstellar mining ships.
However, the Azure Sky, a frigate only 120 meters long, could only carry so much in a single trip. Buying any more would raise suspicions.
After the transaction, Song Chi quickly left, having spent 11,000 strands of 0th-rank Floating Land Essence.
Of course, this was not the end.
The next day, he returned and purchased the same number of Raging Tiger mining vehicles and interstellar mining ships.
As for the previous batch, he had already stored them in the Market of All Realms.
After this purchase, Song Chi did not continue. Such large-scale buying could not be hidden from the family’s Inspection Hall. Two consecutive purchases were fine, but any more would certainly draw attention.
Most crucially, the asteroid belt was still unstable. Only after resolving the issue with the humanoid alien species could he safely send over the mining vehicles and ships.
...
Time passed quickly, and two days later.
The Azure Sky’s interstellar exploration function had completed its cooldown. Without any delay, Song Chi activated the exploration.
His target was clear: to thoroughly explore the region where the humanoid aliens were located.
For various reasons, he had not taken action against them for over a year. Now that the Soul Spirit Floating Land expedition was over, it was time to address this issue.
Above the Dragon Spine Continent, the Azure Sky hovered in the clouds. With a strong spatial fluctuation, it signaled the start of another interstellar deployment.
It’s important to note that this time, the Azure Sky was not deploying randomly. Instead, it activated the Spatial Beacon Emitter.
The location of the spatial beacon was the asteroid belt where Soul One and Soul Two were stationed.
Song Chi had planted this beacon over nine months ago, specifically for this mission to resolve the humanoid alien threat.
The number of humanoid aliens discovered in the past was far too many to clear in just 24 hours, let alone explore and loot afterward.
They were not like the Blue Blood Clan tribes on the Blue Blood Floating Land, where third-tier beings were few. With the Azure Sky’s current combat strength, it would take considerable time to eliminate them all.
To address this, Song Chi had long upgraded the Spatial Beacon Emitter to level 30 and planted the beacon over nine months ago.
The Spatial Beacon Emitter consumes energy in a single burst, not continuously, so it did not affect the Azure Sky’s energy supply.
Spatial Beacon Emitter Level 30
- Quality: Blue
- Consumption: 10,000 per use (Aether Points)
- Available Imprints: 0/1
- Effect: Emits a beacon that lasts for eleven months (one month and five days) at a designated coordinate. Subsequent interstellar deployments can activate this beacon to deploy the ship at the exact coordinate (the beacon will expire after one use).
- Recharge: 20 seconds; Cooldown: 1 year (two months and five days)
...
Initially, Song Chi planned to wait until the Spatial Beacon Emitter’s cooldown was nearly complete before exploring. However, to gather the 90 Gold Merits as quickly as possible, he could not afford to wait.
This meant he would have to stay for over 65 days, waiting for the Spatial Beacon Emitter to recharge and plant a new beacon before returning.
Otherwise, he would not be able to return to the asteroid belt voluntarily. While he could use the Market of All Realms Travel Permit to coordinate with Zhao Lei, it would be far less convenient.
Regarding his return, it was simple. Although he would reject the automatic return after 24 hours, it did not mean he could not return at all.
He had already set the Market of All Realms’ spatial anchor in his bedroom at the Azure Moon Manor. Once the asteroid belt issue was resolved, he could return at any time.
(End of Chapter)
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