Chapter 136: Just Because She Can’t, Doesn’t Mean I Can’t
Ming Zhaoshuang cultivated alone for a while, when suddenly a Communication Talisman ignited and burned.
Looking up, Fei Changxiu and the others appeared with worried expressions, each crowding in front of her.
Fei Changxiu said, “Junior Sister, where did you run off to? You disappeared early this morning, and it’s almost midnight now. Aren’t you coming back!”
Qin Feilong and Ming Chenxing also showed concern.
Ming Zhaoshuang remembered that she had indeed been out for a day and a night without saying goodbye to them.
She smiled sheepishly, “I’m fine, I’ll be back tomorrow, don’t worry, don’t worry.”
She still wanted to try to see if the formation could be drawn on paper, so she planned to delay for another night.
She looked at Cheng Zhaoyang, who was behind the others, and asked:
“Sister Zhaoyang, you should talk about the important matters first.”
With the important matters brought up, Cheng Zhaoyang, who had not had a chance to speak, finally had an opportunity to perform.
She looked at Ming Zhaoshuang within the talisman and said, “The Great Sui Grand Competition is divided into Solo Matches, Doubles Matches, and Team Competitions with a hundred people entering the Secret Realm. Junior Sister Zhaoshuang, which category do you want to choose?”
Solo Matches, also known as duels, use an elimination system to compete for the Number One Person of the Great Sui Heavenly Prodigies.
Doubles Matches primarily test the tacit understanding between two people.
For the first two categories, anyone from the Imperial Family down to commoners can register, with strength being the only criterion, not family background. Winners will each receive a High-Grade Profound Tier Spirit Tool.
A High-Grade Profound Tier Spirit Tool is considered a treasure in the Lower Cultivation World, but for Ming Zhaoshuang and the others, it seemed a bit underwhelming.
After all, having experienced the Talisman Saint’s Secret Realm, they each possessed a Heavenly Grade Spirit Tool. These two matches could only be considered an opportunity for them to gain experience.
As for the hundred-person Team Competition, only those from the Imperial Family and Noble Families were allowed to enter. Among them, twenty were from the Imperial Family, ten each from the Qian, Cheng, Si, and Jin Four Great Clans, and the remaining forty were occupied by other noble families.
The rewards were also the most generous: upon entering the Great Sui Secret Realm, one could search for Primordial Spirit Fruits.
As long as a Primordial Spirit Fruit was given enlightenment by a Great Expert at the Spirit Transformation Stage or above, it could directly increase cultivation by a large margin. If there were enough Primordial Spirit Fruits, a breakthrough would not be a problem.
Therefore, at first, the quota for the Great Sui Grand Competition that Cheng Zhaoyang spoke of was the Cheng Family’s quota for entering the Secret Realm.
Now, as it was nearing midnight, the time to register for the Solo Match and Doubles Match quotas was about to end, which is why Cheng Zhaoyang asked this question.
Ming Zhaoshuang’s eyes curved into a smile, and she asked, “I’ll definitely register for the Solo Match, but for the Doubles Match, I’m still missing a teammate…”
Qin Feilong immediately raised his hand, “Junior Sister Zhaoshuang, I’m also missing a teammate. Let’s register for the Doubles Match together.”
Fei Changxiu and Ming Chenxing had already registered for the Doubles Match, leaving only him!
Ming Zhaoshuang: “…”
Get lost, you. Who wants to team up with you, this greasy little prince, for a battle.
Ming Zhaoshuang ignored the eager Qin Feilong and turned to smile at Cheng Zhaoyang, “Sister Zhaoyang, will you be my teammate?”
Cheng Zhaoyang had been fighting alone for a long time and didn’t have any close friends, so she hadn’t planned to register for the Doubles Match.
However, upon hearing Ming Zhaoshuang’s words, she smiled freely and did not refuse, “Naturally, I will.”
After finalizing the decision, Ming Zhaoshuang chatted casually with Cheng Zhaoyang for a couple more sentences before destroying the Communication Talisman and continuing to replenish her Soul Power.
It was probably around the latter half of the night when Ming Zhaoshuang finally had some strength in her hands, so she continued to draw the formation.
It wasn’t until dawn that the formation was finally completed.
Ming Zhaoshuang sat in the center of the formation and immediately felt an endless stream of Spiritual Flow surge towards her!
This formation was also problem-free!
Formations could be drawn on drawing paper. As long as the drawing paper was large enough, she could carry the formation with her.
Ming Zhaoshuang’s eyes showed delight, and just as she was about to proceed to the next step of testing, she suddenly felt her mind go blank again, a heavy sense of fatigue washing over her.
However, this fatigue was different from usual, as if she were facing some sort of barrier.
Or rather, it was very similar to when she faced a cultivation bottleneck.
Could this be a bottleneck in Soul Power cultivation?
As Ming Zhaoshuang was speculating, she heard a ding in her mind.
The System looked at her grown Sea of Consciousness. The stars within it emitted a faint light. Although it couldn’t compare to the Sea of Consciousness of some Great Experts, it had already taken preliminary shape.
The System said, “Congratulations, Host, you are about to break through to the Entering Soul Realm and step into the Virtual Soul Realm.”
Upon hearing this, Ming Zhaoshuang instantly understood.
The “Soul Power Basic Practice Manual” mentioned that although Soul Power was closely related to Spiritual Power and required Spiritual Power as a foundation, if one practiced Soul Power specifically, it could be roughly divided into six realms: Soul Realm, Entering Soul Realm, Virtual Soul Realm, Bright Soul Realm, Empty Soul Realm, and Divine Soul Realm.
The Soul Realm, for instance, is the Soul Power of someone who has not undergone cultivation. Generally, it is similar to or slightly weaker than the cultivator’s cultivation.
In the Cultivation World where no one specifically cultivates Soul Power, most people’s souls are in the Soul Realm. Therefore, one can usually determine their Soul Power cultivation based on their Spiritual Power cultivation.
The Entering Soul Realm generally has a cultivation level one minor realm higher than the cultivator’s Spiritual Power. For example, Ming Zhaoshuang is in the Entering Soul Realm; her Spiritual Power cultivation is Golden Core Mid-stage, and her Soul Power cultivation is Golden Core Late-stage.
The Virtual Soul Realm generally has a cultivation level one major realm higher than the cultivator’s Spiritual Power. For example, Shen Liqian’s Spiritual Power cultivation is only Nascent Soul Mid-stage, but her Soul Power cultivation has already reached Early Deity Transformation Stage.
The Bright Soul Realm is one major realm higher, and the Empty Soul Realm has already transcended Spiritual Power cultivation, being at least two major realms higher than one’s cultivation.
As for the Divine Soul Realm, as the name suggests, one has ascended to godhood in terms of Soul Power. Almost no one can reach that realm.
Generally, there is no barrier between the Soul Realm and the Entering Soul Realm; one can successfully reach it once they have cultivated enough. However, there is a chasm between the Entering Soul Realm and the Virtual Soul Realm, and the same applies to the subsequent realms.
Ming Zhaoshuang had previously felt Heaven and Earth Resonance, which meant she had already entered the full stage of the Entering Soul Realm. Now, she was only one step away from reaching the Virtual Soul Realm.
Since this was the case, Ming Zhaoshuang said no more, simply sat down, and prepared to enter the Virtual Soul Realm.
Although Soul Power cultivation might not seem as important as general cultivation on the surface, for a Talisman Master like Ming Zhaoshuang, it was the key to her formidable strength.
Unsurprisingly, her attempt to break through failed.
The System, fearing she might be upset, explained, “Although those Sect Heavenly Prodigies can always break through barriers, it’s mostly because they possess extraordinary items and have artifacts that aid in breakthroughs. However, Host, you break through purely on your own strength each time, which is why you fail repeatedly. Please do not worry.”
Actually, it was quite good for Ming Zhaoshuang to be like this. After all, although slower, she was taking solid, step-by-step progress.
Ming Zhaoshuang, however, started to laugh. She no longer persisted and instead packed up the formation, preparing for the next step of her experiment.
She controlled her sword and ascended again to the mountain peak, spread out the painting scroll, and sat upon the formation once more.
Unfortunately, she did not feel the effect of Spiritual Power gathering.
This formation had failed.
Ming Zhaoshuang sighed, thinking that it was indeed as she suspected: formations could only exert their effects when relying on specific landscapes. If the drawing paper was separated from the landscape, the formation would lose its effect.
It made sense, though. If she could think of such a method, how could the Talisman Saint Wei Shuo, who existed back then, not have thought of it?
If Wei Shuo couldn’t deploy formations without relying on landscapes, how could she modify this formation to make it portable like a talisman, no longer requiring over ten hours to draw within?
Ming Zhaoshuang could not understand.
The System perceived her thoughts and said to her:
“One of the main reasons why Talisman Masters do not have as high a status as Alchemists or Artificers in the Cultivation World is that their utility is limited.”
“Although talismans are convenient, they still require Spiritual Power to activate. Unlike Alchemists, whose elixirs have effects even on mortals, or Artificers, who can roam anywhere once their artifacts are made, Formation Masters cannot detach themselves from the landscapes they exist within.”
“Although Wei Shuo primarily cultivated talismans, he also had considerable research into array arts and had attempted to make formations flow like talismans, but he never succeeded. Over time, he gave up.”
Although Ming Zhaoshuang was powerful, the predicament of Talisman Masters was even more difficult to resolve.
The “Pill, Artifact, Charm, Music” Five Masters were ranked according to their popularity in the Thirty-Six Heavens. Alchemy and Artifact Refining were very popular. Beast Tamers also gained considerable prestige after Feng He. Only Talisman Masters and Music Masters, unable to overcome their drawbacks, ranked last.
Hearing the System’s words, Ming Zhaoshuang did not become disheartened. Instead, she said:
“Wei Shuo was Wei Shuo, and I am me. Her failure does not mean I will fail.”
