Free Web NovelChapter 537: Chapter 461: War Preparations
In the training room, time seemed to freeze amidst the clash of fists and bones.
The last time residue completely caved under a punch from Jeming, charged with a burst of power from his entire body.
The elemental energy forming the body went into violent disarray, then silently dispersed like a punctured bubble, dissolving into streams of light that dissipated into the training ground’s energy filtration system.
"Huff... huff..."
Jeming maintained his punching stance, breathing heavily, as sweat mixed with faint blood mist slid off his bronze skin.
He could clearly feel the surging blood and Qi within him, like boiling magma.
An indescribable sense of immense power filled every inch of his body, followed by an instinctual urge to destroy and vent this surging power.
"Ha..." He took a deep breath and applied the calming technique from the "Qi Cultivation Technique," suppressing the boiling blood and Qi, his gaze regaining clarity.
Stepping out of the training ground, he washed off the exhaustion and stains of blood and stepped into a pre-prepared medicinal bath as usual.
The warm medicinal liquid enveloped him, nourishing the slightly damaged cells after being overstrained, and consolidating the limits just breached.
A Black Giant Priest entered holding testing instruments, but Jeming just waved a hand, indicating there’s no need for a detailed report.
Because there was no time left.
Only a short time remained before the coordinated war that would decide the fate of the Nolun Workshop.
The preparations to be done were nearing completion, and the strength that could be enhanced had almost reached its immediate limit.
During this final preparation phase, Jeming repeatedly weighed his options, focusing his limited energy and resources on two core matters.
First, continuously "ingesting" Plane Origins containing concepts like "Abyss," "Devour," "End," and "Void."
The power of the [Ruins Armor] fundamentally depended on his depth of understanding of the "Returning Ruins Realm."
The deeper the understanding, the stronger the essence of that invisible force field, and the higher the limit of energy it could sustain and transform.
The wizard knowledge’s "elemental power multiplication" amplification is multiplied on this "base value."
Even if the base improved slightly, after ten thousand times magnification, the resulting increase in defense would be remarkably significant.
Other spell modifications couldn’t achieve qualitative change in the short term, but the foundation of the Ruins Armor could be forcefully pushed through this almost extravagant "stuffing knowledge" method, and even a minor progress was enough to quickly boost combat power.
Second was pushing the physical strength to the extreme on the brink of imbalance of the trinity of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
Each time the spiritual power and spiritual energy barely caught up through resource accumulation and natural nurturing, Jeming would immediately dive into a new round of more frenzied time residue body forging, pushing physical power another step higher.
He knew well that in the ever-changing, intriguingly deceitful wizard battlefield, an abnormally strong physique and the "adaptive evolution" brought by the "Body Refining Technique," were the most reliable means of survival and counterattack.
A strong physical body meant a higher margin for error, natural resistance to physical and energy damages, and the retention of basic combat power even in extreme environments.
For this, he poured massive resources into enhancing his spiritual power and spiritual energy.
Purchasing various natural materials and obtaining special environment permissions conducive to rapidly condensing the spirit, to barely keep pace with the wild surge of his physical enhancement.
The price was that even with income streams like the "Self-Stabilizing Field Regulation Protocol," "Liquid Refined Gold," and "Imaginary Element Sales," his vast reserves of low-level military merits were depleting at an astounding rate.
Vast amounts of Plane Origins, mountainous material procurement, and rare resources for enhancing spiritual power, each was a gold-devouring beast.
At this moment, soaking in the medicinal bath, Jeming casually swiped open the Magic Net Terminal, glancing at his personal account’s remaining balance of just a few thousand low-level military merits, and shook his head helplessly.
"Money does flow like water," he whispered to himself.
But spent well.
Every bit of military merit had been effectively transformed into a weight on his war preparation scales.
The low-level military merits were nearly exhausted, and Jeming’s eyes shifted to the respectable balance of just over a million high-level military merits on his account.
He opened the exchange interface exclusive to high-level military merits, browsing those strategic resources, forbidden knowledge, and one-time top-tier items usually only accessible to high-tier wizards.
A dazzling array of items came into view: miraculous objects containing fragments of the Law, inheritable crystals recording forbidden techniques, life-saving talismans capable of briefly countering Seventh Level or even Eighth Level beings, super technological creations from unknown civilizations, and even portable law interference devices...
Jeming scrutinized them carefully but gradually furrowed his brow.
There were many good things, but given his current combat power, items qualified to serve as his ace were expensive.
Either they didn’t fully align with his existing system and required extensive time for use or study.
Or they were priced exorbitantly, costing at least millions in high-level military merits, with his entire fortune only affording one or two, not cost-effective at all.
"A million high-level military merits... sounds like a lot, but at this level, trying to purchase something that can create decisive enhancement or qualitative change is still quite stretched," Jeming assessed his needs.
What he needed were not add-ons, but things that could break the stalemate at critical moments or significantly enhance his tactical flexibility.
Scanning repeatedly over the list, his gaze finally fixed on one item:
[Forbidden Magic Disc · Star Ring Tribunal Standard (Seventh Level Standard)]
Exchange Price: 200,000 High Level Military Merits
Description: A one-time strategic level interference device made by a workshop under the Star Ring Tribunal. Upon activation, it forcibly constructs an "Absolute Forbidden Magic Domain" in a specified area, lasting for ten minutes.
Within the domain, all extraordinary activities such as non-physical energy flow, law manifestation, witchcraft model construction, and spiritual links will be strongly suppressed and interfered with, equivalent to Seventh Level Law Suppression.
The effect rapidly diminishes for entities of Eighth Level and above who have mastered Law Solidification.
Note: Standard strategic material, usage requires filing. Carefully select the timing and environment for utilization.
"Forbidden Magic Disc..." Jeming’s gaze slightly tightened.
The effect of this item is straightforward and brutal; it creates a temporary "silenced" region.
Low Level Military Merits can also exchange for similar forbidden magic devices, but the effectiveness is vastly different.
This "Seventh Level Standard Type" before him implies it is potent enough to impose significant restrictions on most Seventh Level Wizards.
More importantly, from the introduction of this thing, with prior preparation, it could even produce a unilateral forbidden magic effect.
In a melee, suddenly depriving the opponent of their most relied upon extraordinary power, even for just ten minutes, is enough to alter the course of battle.
Whether used for breaking through, decapitation, or covering special unit actions, it has miraculous effects.
Of course, the opponent very likely also possesses similar tools, so unilateral forbidden magic is generally not considered.
Nevertheless, for Jeming, whose physical strength far exceeds the same level and still retains considerable combat power in an energy environment, the compatibility of this item remains very high.
The price of two hundred thousand High Level Military Merits is substantial, but still within an acceptable range.
"This is the one." Jeming no longer hesitated, gently tapped his finger, and confirmed the exchange.
The exchange process for High Level Military Merits is highly efficient; almost in the instant of order completion, Jeming’s Magic Network Terminal received a notice that the goods had been delivered to the designated receiving point via encrypted space channel.
He promptly used spiritual link to command a Black Giant Priest to go to the laboratory’s exclusive teleportation array receiving area and fetch the item.
Soon, a metal disc was delivered before Jeming.
The entire Forbidden Magic Disc was roughly palm-sized and half a finger thick, with a dark silver color all over, its surface smooth like a mirror, and its edge engraved with subtle star rings and balance insignia.
The disc felt slightly heavy in hand, with an icy touch.
Aside from its extraordinary material and the insignia, it appeared quite ordinary, without any energy fluctuations leaking.
However, Jeming could feel that it contained an extremely stable and powerful sealing power inside.
When using it, he only needed to input a specific "password" with spiritual power to activate it immediately.
He carefully inspected it twice, confirmed there were no errors, and cautiously stored it in the most secure position of his Inner Grotto Heaven.
After completing all this, the medicinal power in the bath had been mostly absorbed.
Jeming stood up from the pool, the remaining water droplets on his body instantly reassembled into a simple and well-fitting deep gray wizard robe under the alchemy halo, automatically wrapping him neatly.
"Time... is about right."
He sighed softly, his expression calm yet carrying a heavy calmness like the storm brewing before the downpour.
Leaving the bathing area, he headed straight to the nearly completed "ammunition" warehouse.
Millions of dark golden metal plaques, classified and sealed in special energy storage boxes, stacked into small metal mountains almost filling most of the warehouse.
Each metal plaque represented a shot of the "Fire Extinction Divine Light" enhanced by wizard knowledge.
Jeming nodded with satisfaction, his mind slightly stirring, silently opening the entrance to his Inner Grotto Heaven, producing a tremendous attraction.
Box after box of metal plaques lifted as if by an invisible hand, flowing into the Grotto Heaven like a stream, properly placed in the specially allocated "ammunition reserve area."
In a mere moment, the warehouse was emptied.
Finally, Jeming’s gaze turned to the Black Giant Priest Leader standing nearby waiting patiently.
"Transmit the order."
Jeming’s voice was not loud, yet it echoed clearly throughout the warehouse, carrying an undeniable resolution.
"Summon all combat units of Level Five and above to Level One Battle Readiness."
"Objective: The outskirts of Boundary Point, Temporary Assembly Point No. 7."
"We... march forward."
At the moment the order was given, an invisible air of deadly intentions quietly spread with Jeming as its center.
Under the dark red sky of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, countless strong auras from various locations of the plane responded one after another, beginning to converge toward the designated position.
