Chapter 61: Return and Plans

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Return and Plans

The process of Body Refinement did not happen overnight. The Body Forging Runes inside Chen Shang were still continuously operating, like a tireless engine silently propelling his body to evolve into a more optimal state. Every breath and every surge of Energy subtly altered his physical condition in a silent, gradual transformation. This change could last for many years until his body stabilized or the efficiency of the modification decreased. Only then could he undergo his next Body Refinement.

The improvement in his base stats brought a hidden benefit: it raised the upper limit of the Energy his body could bear, meaning the Power he gained when using the Mythical Characters’ traits would also be stronger.

Once the reward had been deposited, Chen Shang tallied his gains from this venture. He had acquired an Exotic Object, the body of a heavily injured Demon, a shattered Throne Fragment with lingering Divine Power, the coordinate information of a Plane, the Wood Spirit Race, a Half-Divine Artifact called Natural Fury, and a second Body Refinement.

Upon returning to the Starfall Laboratory, Chen Shang’s first order of business was settling the Wood Spirits.

He released them from the Space Book into Luna Xiya’s little garden. The garden was only a few dozen square meters. Usually serving as Luna Xiya’s private sanctuary, it was planted with various unknown herbaceous plants.

Obviously, squeezing 2,431 Wood Spirits into such a small area wasn’t going to work. Chen Shang went to the administration hall and applied for a vacant lot next door. The procedure was extremely simple. No one wanted such "worthless" land anyway, and there were plenty of similar empty lots within the Starfall Half-Plane.

Thus, the Wood Spirits began to make their home on the new land. Luna Xiya activated her innate talent directly; in just a few breaths, hundreds of tiny wooden cabins sprouted from the ground. The Elder Wood Spirit stood before the clearing, watching his busy tribesmen, then turned and gave Chen Shang a deep bow. Chen Shang nodded in acknowledgment.

"This will be your home from now on," Chen Shang said. "Once I become an Official Wizard, I will get a larger territory for you. Of course, I also hope you settle down as soon as possible and enter a state of learning."

He instructed Luna Xiya to stay in the garden and take care of the little creatures. Luna Xiya’s mycelium spread outward, closing around the edges of the land to envelop and protect the entire garden.

Over the next few days, Chen Shang repaired Zhong Kui’s Soul Core while pondering how to handle the New World’s coordinates.

The work of mending the Soul Core went smoother than expected. Although the Divine Power residue extracted from the Throne Fragment was sparse, its advantage lay in its mildness; it no longer possessed a will of its own. Chen Shang used a specialized instrument to guide the residue into the cracks of the Soul Core bit by bit. With every crack sealed, the Soul Core grew a fraction brighter. At this rate, it would take about two or three months to fully restore it.

However, the issue regarding the New World’s coordinates wasn’t so easily resolved. Generally, there were two ways to handle discovering a New World. The first was to hand it over to the Wizard Alliance, which would organize the development, and the discoverer would receive a portion of the profits based on their contribution. The second was to develop it oneself, turning it into a privately governed territory.

Given Chen Shang’s current strength, developing a world by himself would take an eternity. He was only a First Level Apprentice; how could he possibly govern an entire world? Normally, he wouldn’t even need to think about it. He would definitely choose the first option, take his reward, improve his strength, and look for other opportunities later.

But there was a problem: as the Wizard Alliance brought more and more worlds under its jurisdiction, the number of newly discovered worlds also skyrocketed. If Chen Shang handed over his New World, he had no idea how many years it would sit in the queue before being developed. After all, there were so many worlds now that even a First Level Wizard could be assigned to manage a minor world. Modern Wizards were no longer as enthusiastic about pioneering and managing New Worlds as they had been in ancient times.

Take the Plane of his recent mission, for example. The stationed Wizard in the High Tower essentially ruled the entire world, yet he holed himself up in his laboratory all day, completely delegating the handling of Other Plane creatures to Chen Shang. Chen Shang had stayed there for nearly half a year but had only seen the man twice—and both times were solely because task reports required him to step out of his lab. That Wizard wasn’t lazy; it just wasn’t necessary. Once the native creatures joined the Wizard Coin system, their desire for a better life naturally drove them to proactively exploit their labor and local resources. The Wizard didn’t need to expend much effort at all. The order was established, the rules were running, and the rest merely required time.

"Do I really have to develop it myself?" Chen Shang wondered, a headache brewing as he recalled the imposing figures of the Netherworld Lords in Marcus’s memories.

He picked up his Crystal Plate to ask his senior sister, Leia, for advice. There was no reply; she was likely in secluded cultivation or out on a mission. He then sent a message to Princess Di Long, Ithirandir. Someone else replied, stating that Ithirandir had fallen into a deep slumber, a normal developmental phase of her growth period.

He sent a message to Baal. After waiting for quite a while, Baal finally replied.

"Bro, I’m dealing with a lawsuit. I can’t return to the laboratory for now."

Chen Shang was taken aback. "Huh? What kind of trouble did you get into?"

"Nothing major. My Doll Seeds have been selling really well among a species with internal conflicts in the Lanhai Realm. As a result, their Governor sued me, insisting that I’m destroying the continuation of their race..."

Speechless, it took Chen Shang a long moment to choke out a response, "Is it serious?"

"Not at all. My business is completely legal and compliant. It’s just that since it involves the continuation of a race, the Alliance is just questioning me as part of their standard procedure." Baal’s tone carried a hint of helplessness. "I actually thought I could help them ease their conflicts..."

Chen Shang fell silent for a moment. "Uh, well, good luck to you then."

"Thanks. I’ll come find you after this lawsuit is over..."

Chen Shang pondered for a moment before sending a message to Ella and Twilight.

Twilight, the girl wrapped in Black Fog, didn’t reply; she was probably busy as well. Ella, however, replied—and quite quickly at that. "Chen Shang, that Huluwa you gave me is very interesting. Do you have any other related research?"

"I can give you a few more from the same series, but there are more important matters at hand." Chen Shang explained the situation regarding the New World’s coordinates. He had discovered the coordinates of an unknown Plane with significant developmental value, but he couldn’t handle it alone and needed help.

The other end of the Crystal Plate went silent. It took a long time before she replied, "Chen Shang, I only owe you a promise... I don’t owe you my life. It’s not really appropriate to drag me into something like this, is it? Besides, I’m about to start preparing for my Spiritual Power Specialization. It’s not convenient for me to prepare for an expedition."

Chen Shang was stunned. Spiritual Power Specialization?

A First Level Apprentice needed to complete the inscription of the Basic Rune Array, which was the first step into the Extraordinary. A Second Level Apprentice achieved Spiritual Power Crystallization, compressing and solidifying intangible Spiritual Power into a Spirit Crystal Core. A Third Level Apprentice then advanced to Spiritual Power Specialization—fusing the Spirit Crystal Core with their personal Soul Origin to generate a unique trait, ensuring their spellcasting bore a personal mark from then on.

He was still tearing his hair out over Spiritual Power Crystallization, yet Ella was already preparing for Specialization? Chen Shang couldn’t help but ask, "You’ve finished your Spiritual Power Crystallization? How is your progress so fast? I drink Lingxi Concentration every day, and I’ve barely reached the halfway mark."