33: Spirituality and distortion

Chapter 33: Spirituality and Distortion

"Yes, but not in the sense of environmental pollution as commonly understood."

"What do you mean?" Wu Xian asked, puzzled.

Tang Beng pondered how to phrase his explanation. "It's roughly like this: when a spiritual structure collapses, it produces an invisible, intangible type of pollution. Scroll Masters call it [Distortion]. This pollution subtly affects everything and also intensifies the chaos of Dimensional fluctuations."

"Pollution formed by spiritual collapse?"

Wu Xian couldn't help but recall the scene each time he extracted spiritual substances from Materials, and the remaining spiritual substances, along with the Materials, would collapse.

"Exactly," Tang Beng nodded. "The creation of spiritual drawing paper and pigments, including the process of converting Spirituality back into spiritual energy, all produce Distortion."

"Is there no solution?"

Tang Beng spread his hands helplessly.

Wu Xian fell silent. This seemed like a contradictory deadlock.

To develop, one creates pollution, and pollution, in turn, affects human survival.

"You just said Distortion subtly affects everything. What else?" Wu Xian asked seriously.

Tang Beng said, "Everything you can see and think of, including you and me, will inevitably be affected by [Distortion]. It's just that the degree of influence varies."

"People are also affected?" Wu Xian was shocked.

"Of course," Tang Beng replied noncommittally. "However, we humans have a very high resistance to [Distortion] pollution. Mild, small amounts of pollution can be metabolized daily, but once it accumulates, various problems will arise.

You're certainly no stranger to this."

Wu Xian fell silent again.

Having grown up in the Shantytown, he naturally understood the living conditions of the people there. All sorts of diseases he had never heard of in his previous life emerged endlessly, and there were even many cases of Mental Energy instability.

He had originally thought it was due to the poor living environment. Now, it seemed it was indeed because of the "poor living environment."

"Generally speaking, the higher one's spiritual cultivation, the higher their resistance to Distortion pollution," Tang Beng added.

No wonder the Garbage Disposal Plant only hired employees with spiritual cultivation, and their employees generally had short lifespans.

"Oh, why bother with these useless worries?" Tang Tiaotiao, naturally optimistic, clearly didn't care about Distortion pollution. "Come on, let's go kill monsters!"

Wu Xian and Tang Beng exchanged glances, then silently followed her.

Since it was unavoidable, what was the point of worrying more?

Near the Garbage Disposal Plant, various personnel gathered, and many had already entered the plant area.

Wu Xian controlled the chicken king and divine tiger, silently following behind the Tang Family siblings, taking it easy.

It's worth mentioning that Tang Beng's main scroll was actually a silver scroll four-star plant-type painting spirit, covered in tree vines and lush with branches and leaves.

"Brother Tang, this is [Melancholy Treant], isn't it?"

He remembered that for a period last year, advertisements for this plant-type scroll were everywhere, and it was even said to have topped the sales charts.

"Hmm, the latest flagship series from the Dojo of Plants," Tang Beng seemed to complain a little. "I regretted buying it not long after."

"Is it very weak?"

"Not really. At least it's quite tough, but it's a bit different from what I expected."

As they chatted and laughed, the Melancholy Treant, under Tang Beng's control, swung its tree vines, occasionally releasing a cloud of emerald green poisonous mist, which was quite powerful.

However, compared to the Moon God Sky Rider next to it, it was a little awkward.

"What about Brother Tang's own work?" Wu Xian asked, puzzled.

"My Tang Family's Legacy of machinery leans towards mechanical devices."

Tang Beng didn't hide anything. He raised his hand, pulled out another silver scroll, and activated it.

Click! Click! Click!

As the scroll glowed, it transformed into a cool mechanical arm, enveloping Tang Beng's right arm. At the wrist, two parallel cannon barrels clicked and transformed.

Boom!

Spiritual energy compressed into an energy cannonball, instantly blasting the head of a second-order insect monster not far away.

"Cool!" Wu Xian gave a thumbs up, clicking his tongue.

"It's alright~ just so-so."

Tang Beng laughed heartily. The siblings cooperated, heading straight into the plant area.

Inside the plant area, the Dimensional fluctuations were indeed more severe and completely covered by the Dimensional Mirage. Everywhere exuded an eerie and strange feeling, and chilling wails echoed in their ears.

Not far ahead, exclamations and strange shouts came from two teams that had entered the plant area.

"Look, Brother Zhou seems to have succeeded!"

"Is that the Soul divine scroll? What powerful Mental Energy pressure!"

"A scroll system combining insects and the eerie? That's something."

"Hmph! If he can succeed, why can't we?"

Wu Xian and the other two naturally sensed this powerful Mental Energy fluctuation. Looking up, they saw a young man in white, riding a power skateboard, looking excited and laughing up at the sky.

It was the guy who bought the [Mother Worm] earlier, he seemed to be named Zhou Qi.

At this moment, a quietgreen Soul divine scroll unfolded above Zhou Qi's head. The patterns in the scroll were bizarre, with terrifying venomous insects intertwined.

"As expected of Senior Zhou Qi, he's truly outstanding!" Tang Tiaotiao exclaimed in surprise.

Tang Beng had only graduated from the art studio last year, so he naturally knew this excellent junior. Envy was evident in his eyes.

Comparing oneself to others is infuriating; perhaps this was the difference in talent.

At this moment, a familiar red wooden coffin whistled from a distance and hovered near Zhou Qi. It was none other than the legendary Xue Lingling.

"Not bad, young man. This is my kind of style. Interested in developing in my Club?" Xue Lingling admired Zhou Qi's Soul divine scroll.

That eerie and sinister feeling was precisely her favorite style.

"You are... Senior Xue Lingling?"

Zhou Qi, surprised and doubtful, recognized this legendary figure of Yaoyang City.

Xue Lingling was noncommittal. She then looked around the plant area and used her spiritual energy to amplify her voice, saying, "I am preparing to establish my own Club, and I welcome all young talents and ambitious individuals to sign up.

I hope everyone performs well and lets me see your shining points."

Her voice echoed over the entire Garbage Disposal Plant, causing many Spirit Masters to light up.

"Oh right, some people might not know me," Xue Lingling continued. "But it doesn't matter, I'll show everyone something substantial."

As she spoke, vast Mental Energy surged, and a Soul divine scroll shining with dark golden light slowly unfolded above her head.

Several ferocious ghostly deities, led by a gigantic fanged monster, appeared in succession, each exuding powerful Qi, which truly made all the Spirit Masters present drool with envy.

"Has Xue Lingling already reached the point of establishing a Club?" Tang Beng exclaimed in shock.

"Is establishing a Club very impressive?"

Tang Tiaotiao pouted, not entirely convinced.

"Of course," Tang Beng said. "A Club isn't something just any Scroll Master can establish. Even if they can, they need to have the charisma to do so."

Tang Tiaotiao was excited. "Then when I graduate, I'll establish one to play with too."

"..." Tang Beng was a bit speechless, but he had to admit that with his little sister's current displayed talent, it wasn't entirely impossible. "Wait until you condense a divine scroll first."

Wu Xian, meanwhile, curiously observed their Soul divine scrolls, deep in thought.

Everyone's divine scrolls were the same color, dark gold.

But the brightness and Divine Might of Xue Lingling's [divine scroll] were clearly much higher than the other two.

As they spoke, Zhou Qi had already left with Xue Lingling, making the art studio students incredibly envious.

After all, Xue Lingling was not only powerful herself but also had the Xue Family's support behind her.

If a spark of love ignited during their future time together, he could at least save twenty years of effort.