Chapter 42: The Reason for the World’s Current State

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: The Reason for the World’s Current State

During the test, the Hallucinogenic Mushroom poked its head out of his collar, looking around curiously. When it saw the white-robed Wizard looking at it, it shrank back inside.

After the final test was completed, Chen Shang sat on a chair waiting for the results. The Hallucinogenic Mushroom poked its head out of his collar again. "Is this the workflow of a Wizard?"

Chen Shang shook his head. "Not necessarily. It depends on the nature of the experiment."

The results came out quickly. That First Level Wizard walked in, placed the Crystal Plate on the table, and then looked at Chen Shang, scrutinizing him for several seconds.

"Master, is there a problem?"

"Quite the opposite. Your test results... are excellent!"

"Excellent? What do you mean?" Chen Shang was confused. The Hallucinogenic Mushroom poked its head out of his collar again and whispered, "Did something happen?"

The white-robed Wizard shook his head. "You are extremely outstanding. Just wait a moment; I can’t draw a conclusion myself."

After waiting for about half an hour, the door was pushed open again. A group of Wizards entered, led by a woman in a deep purple robe. Her hair was completely white, making it impossible to tell her age.

Pinned to her chest was a Fourth Level Wizard badge. Following behind her were seven or eight people, both men and women, wearing robes of various colors with different Level badges pinned to their chests, including the Second Level and Third Level.

"Hello, my name is Yvette. You must be Chen Shang, right?"

Chen Shang stood up immediately. The Hallucinogenic Mushroom shrank into a ball in his embrace, not daring to move.

"Masters? Is there a problem?"

Yvette didn’t answer. She walked over to the instrument recording the test data, browsed through the numbers, and then turned to look at Chen Shang.

"Your Spiritual Power is absolutely stunning. You are simply perfect material!"

Chen Shang was taken aback. "I don’t quite understand what you mean."

"It is exactly the same as if it were innately generated," Yvette explained, then turned her head and said something to a Third Level Wizard behind her.

That Third Level Wizard walked over, holding a Crystal Plate that displayed dense data and waveforms.

"Look. The waveforms of many post-natally enhanced Spiritual Powers are usually chaotic, but your waveform is smooth and stable. There is no difference between it and innately generated ones."

Chen Shang looked at the waveforms. He didn’t actually understand them, but his Spiritual Power talent was given by his Golden Finger, so such a result wasn’t surprising.

He raised his head and looked at Yvette. "Master, as far as I know, there are over forty thousand people whose Spiritual Power was enhanced post-natally just like mine. Am I the only special one?"

"Not special, but rather a more perfect one."

Chen Shang fell silent for a moment. "What’s the difference?"

Yvette said in a deep voice, "The difference is immense. This is one of the core mysteries that the Wizard World has been researching for who knows how many years.

"In the Endless Star Sea, the evolutionary path of Wizards is extremely unique. At the beginning, they are weaker than most races. They don’t have a strong Physique, formidable Power, or long lifespans... but in the later stages, they have almost no upper limit.

"However, this path requires two strict conditions."

She held up two fingers. "First, wisdom. There’s no need to elaborate on this point; it depends on an individual’s talent and level of education.

"Second, a Spiritual Power threshold, and it must be a naturally generated Spiritual Power intensity."

Chen Shang frowned slightly. "Naturally generated?"

"Right. It must be naturally generated!" Yvette nodded and continued, "You might have wondered: since there are still so many mortals in the Wizard World, what a great pool of fresh recruits they would make, so why can’t we use external forces to help them improve?

"After all, we have plenty of ways to raise the lower limit of Spiritual Power. For example, potions, rituals, Spiritual Imprints, Soul resonance... there are countless methods to allow a person without talent to possess Spiritual Power.

"But we don’t do this. Do you know why?"

Chen Shang shook his head.

"Because if it’s not naturally generated, Cultivation becomes very difficult. They might become a First Level Apprentice or a Second Level Apprentice, but they basically cannot cross the threshold of an Official Wizard."

She paused for a moment and added, "Otherwise, with the methods of the Wizard World, we would have long since raised the Spiritual Power threshold for the entire population and let everyone join in Cultivation. We don’t do this not because we lack the ability, but because this path is a dead end."

Chen Shang tapped his fingers lightly on his knee twice. "Then what about someone like me whose power was post-natally enhanced?"

Yvette replied, "As long as it’s not artificial, there are no bottlenecks. But as long as it is artificial, it’s as if some Creator is hindering their development. This phenomenon has baffled countless Wizards, and to this day, no one can fully explain it."

Chen Shang hesitated for a moment. "No wonder... the Wizard World and the mortal world are practically two disconnected realms. Is it because of this reason?"

"Your observation is very sharp." Yvette nodded. "A long time ago, we tried to enlighten the wisdom of mortals and develop their Spiritual Power...

"Some extreme Wizards even developed assembly-line teaching like raising livestock. The result was without exception: no one could cross the threshold of a Wizard... We simply stopped interfering with mortals altogether.

"So you are excellent material. We hope you can cooperate fully with our project group’s experiments. Of course, we will provide you with corresponding compensation."

Chen Shang asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"You don’t need to do anything right now. Wait until your evolutionary level improves, then come do some tests. Especially... if you can step into the realm of a First Level Wizard, you must come." Yvette’s tone was urgent, wishing Chen Shang would become an Official Wizard right this instant.

However, there was no way to force this kind of growth.

Even if she were to find a Tier One Creature right now, extract all its Power, and infuse it into Chen Shang to enlighten him, it would only mean Chen Shang had become a Tier One Creature, not that he had become a First Level Wizard.

Chen Shang nodded, suddenly curious. "Master, after researching for so many years, have you really made no discoveries at all?"

Yvette said calmly, "There are some hypotheses.

"For example, the observer effect. This hypothesizes that the interference of Wizards triggers some underlying logic we haven’t discovered, thus causing those people to be unable to advance.

"For example, the NPC theory. It assumes that there is a higher-dimensional will in our world, and people who fail to cross the Spiritual Power Cultivation threshold are NPCs ignored by this higher-dimensional will.

"..."

"Of course, the most realistic one at present is the Sea of Spirituality hypothesis."

"The Sea of Spirituality?" This was another name Chen Shang hadn’t heard before. It definitely belonged to higher-level knowledge.

"Yes. Wizards hypothesize that there is a Sea of Spirituality in this world. The True Spirits of all intelligent creatures in the world are born from it and will perish in it.

"All artificial products, such as post-natally enhanced Spiritual Power, or the combat units we create, cannot evolve autonomously because they lack the cleansing of the Sea of Spirituality and have not birthed a True Spirit..."

"These hypotheses are too whimsical..." Chen Shang scratched his head.

"Make bold hypotheses, but verify them carefully!" Yvette said seriously. "Moreover, it’s said that some Wizards have sensed the Sea of Spirituality... If it could be mastered, it would absolutely be an existence on the level of a Concept Level Weapon!"