394: Chapter 394 The Confidence of a Mid-Stage Spirit Saint

The first thing Lu Sheng did upon returning to Dengxian Island wasn't to hold a meeting or make deployments, but to return to his secret chamber and take a nap.

It wasn't that he was tired. With the Physical Body of the Mid-stage Spirit Saint Realm, let alone sleeping, staying awake for three to five months wouldn't be a problem. He just wanted to lie down.

He had been lying on that stellar remains in the Old God Abyss for nearly a month, doing nothing but opening his mouth to eat, closing his eyes to refine, and then opening his mouth to eat again. Although the harvest was immense, it felt like being strapped to a perpetual motion machine; his mind hadn't stopped for a single moment.

The touch of the stone bed was hard, but it felt solid and reassuring.

Lu Sheng closed his eyes, crossing his hands behind his head, and mentally went through the upcoming tasks one by one.

The communication from the Myriad Manifestations Divine Court said Qing Ming Protector would arrive in sixty days. He had spent twenty-eight days in the Old God Abyss and twelve days on the road, plus the time he spent on Earth before that—by his calculation, there were about fifteen to twenty days left until Qing Ming Protector's visit.

Twenty days.

Neither long nor short.

"Mid-stage Spirit Saint Realm," Lu Sheng muttered to himself.

A month ago, these words were an insurmountable hurdle for him. Now, he stood firmly at this level.

The gray Small World inside him had expanded more than three times compared to before the Breakthrough, and the Domain's range had grown from a hundred meters to three hundred meters. The Fusion of the five Laws was higher, operating faster, and in the core region of the Small World, an extremely faint sprout of an elemental spirit seed had appeared.

That was a characteristic of the Spirit Immortal Realm.

Although he was still far from the true Spirit Immortal Realm, it at least showed his potential.

What satisfied Lu Sheng the most was the change in his Physical Body. The Dragon God Sequence had evolved again following his Breakthrough into the Mid-stage Spirit Saint Realm. The hardness of the black-gold Dragon scales had nearly doubled, and the silver-gray Space Law patterns had penetrated deep into his bones. Even without deploying his Small World Domain, he could now withstand a full-force attack from the Early Stage of the Spirit Saint Realm with just his Physical Body, without even breaking the skin.

"Qing Ming Protector, Mid-stage Spirit Saint Realm."

Lu Sheng opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Same level.

Bring it on.

He rolled out of bed and pushed the door open to leave.

The light in the corridor remained dim. Lu Sheng strode toward the command room.

Luo Tianfei was already inside. This person—or rather, this machine—never needed to be notified. As long as Lu Sheng stayed in the secret chamber for more than six hours and then came out, she would automatically appear in the command room waiting for him.

"Defense progress," Lu Sheng said, sitting down and getting straight to the point.

Luo Tianfei projected a set of data onto the table.

"The coverage rate of the Ancient Metal Armor has reached seventy-eight percent. According to the current construction speed, it is expected to reach over ninety percent in twelve days. The Anti-Rule Turrets have increased to twenty-four, distributed across key nodes on the periphery of Earth."

"What about the Cultivators?"

"The number of Spirit Emperor Realm Cultivators has increased to seventeen, with two of them having touched the threshold of the Spirit Venerable Realm. There are forty-six Spirit King Realm Cultivators. The Spirit Ancestor and Spirit Master Realms total over a hundred and thirty. Overall combat power has increased by approximately fifteen percent since you left."

Fifteen percent.

It wasn't a lot, but it wasn't a little either. To improve this much in a month and a half was already quite good.

"Who are the two who are close to reaching the Spirit Venerable Realm?"

"Dao Yi and a Cultivator named Zhou Lei. Dao Yi's Peak Spirit Sovereign Realm has stabilized, and he is attempting to comprehend his first Natural Element Law. Zhou Lei's talent is slightly inferior to Dao Yi's, but he makes up for it with hard work; his progress is only three days behind Dao Yi's."

Lu Sheng nodded.

Although Dao Yi was a coward, he certainly hadn't slacked off in his Cultivation. Being able to touch the threshold of the Spirit Venerable Realm in such a short time showed that his foundation was actually quite good.

"Luo Tianfei."

"Present."

"When Qing Ming Protector arrives, I need you to do something."

"Please speak."

"The moment he enters the range of Earth's gravitational field, I need you to use all monitoring equipment to perform a full-scale scan on him. Energy intensity, Law types, Small World characteristics, and any weapons or equipment he's carrying—scan as much as you can."

"Understood. However, I must remind you," Luo Tianfei said, "if the opponent is in the Mid-stage Spirit Saint Realm, he will likely perceive our scanning behavior. This may be seen as an unfriendly act."

"It doesn't matter. He's coming to my territory; being scanned is basic treatment. If he's not happy, he can turn around and go back."

Luo Tianfei said nothing more.

Lu Sheng leaned back in his chair and thought for a while.

"One more thing. About that seed of origin, have you found any more information?"

Luo Tianfei shook her head.

"There are no detailed records of the seed of origin in the Scavenger Alliance's database. The Heavenly Saint Ancestor's memory fragments only vaguely mentioned the name without a specific description."

"Is it possible that the remains in the Old God Abyss are the carrier for the seed of origin?"

"It cannot be confirmed. However, judging by the energy quality of those remains, the Origin contained within far exceeds any known Spirit Saint Realm or even Spirit Immortal Realm expert. If the seed of origin truly exists, those remains are indeed one of the most likely hiding places."

Lu Sheng was silent for a few seconds.

If the stellar remains in the Old God Abyss were related to the seed of origin, the Myriad Manifestations Divine Court would find that place sooner or later.

"Have the stealth probes in the Old God Abyss been deployed?"

"Deployment is complete. Monitoring is continuous, twenty-four hours a day. Currently, there are no signs of external activity on the periphery of the Old God Abyss."

"Good. If there's any movement, notify me immediately."

Lu Sheng stood up.

"I'm going to the training grounds. It's time to give those people a lesson."

He walked out of the command room and bumped into Li Xiaoyao, who was running toward him in the corridor.

Seeing Lu Sheng, Li Xiaoyao almost couldn't stop in time, coming to a screeching halt in front of him, panting heavily.

"Lord! That... there's progress on the imitation armor!"

"Speak."

"Lady Luo Tianfei adjusted the formula, using Starry Sky Alloy as the base and mixing in bone powder from Mutated Sea Beasts and deep-sea spirit source Ore. The strength of the imitation has increased from fifty percent to sixty percent! Although it still can't compare to the original, it's already very durable!"

"Sixty percent?" Lu Sheng thought for a moment. "Can it be mass-produced?"

"Yes! The Blacksmith Camp has already opened three production lines, producing about four hundred square meters of armor plating per day."

"Too slow. Open five lines."

"Five lines?" Li Xiaoyao scratched his head. "We don't have enough manpower—"

"Any Cultivators below the Spirit Ancestor Realm should go to the Blacksmith Camp to help when they're not training. Moving iron plates doesn't require much strength; anyone with hands can do it."

"Yes!"

Li Xiaoyao responded and turned to run.

"Wait a moment," Lu Sheng called out to him.

"Does the Lord have any other instructions?"

Lu Sheng looked him up and down. Middle Stage of the Spirit Emperor Realm—he had improved a bit more than a month and a half ago, but not by much.

"Have you encountered any Bottleneck in your Cultivation lately?"

Li Xiaoyao was stunned; he hadn't expected the Lord to suddenly care about this.

"Yes... I've been trying to comprehend a Natural Element Law, specifically the wind element. But I'm always just one breath short; I can't quite grasp the feeling."

Lu Sheng thought for a moment and pulled a fist-sized dark gray crystal from his storage space. It was a Law Crystal Fragment he had condensed while devouring Origin in the Old God Abyss. It contained an extremely pure trace of the Wind Law.

"Take this. Find a quiet place and hold this thing to meditate for three days. If you still can't touch the threshold after three days, then it's your lack of talent; don't blame the item."

The moment Li Xiaoyao took the crystal, his palm was stung by a cold Wind Law. His eyes widened instantly.

The purity of the Law inside—he had never felt anything so pure in his life.

"Lord! This is far too precious—"

"Stop talking nonsense and take it. I'm not short on these things."

Li Xiaoyao ran off with the crystal, twice as fast as before.

Lu Sheng watched his back and shook his head.

"The strength of these people is still too weak."

He muttered to himself and strode toward the training grounds.

On the training grounds, Dao Yi was leading a group of Spirit Emperor Realm Cultivators in Law perception training. Over a dozen people sat cross-legged on the metal floor, their bodies emitting a faint spiritual light.

Dao Yi stood at the front, chanting something about the essentials of Law operation.

Lu Sheng walked to the edge of the training grounds and didn't rush in, watching from the side for a while.

Dao Yi's explanation was decent. There were no major issues with the theoretical part of the basic Cultivation Technique. But when it came to the practical application of Law Fusion, he was clearly struggling.

After all, he was only at the Peak Spirit Sovereign Realm himself and hadn't even crossed the threshold of the Spirit Venerable Realm. Asking him to teach Law Fusion was like asking an elementary school student to teach university mathematics; it was a struggle.

Lu Sheng stopped watching and walked straight in.

As soon as he stepped onto the training grounds, all the Cultivators immediately opened their eyes and stood up in unison.

"Lord!"

Dao Yi turned around and, seeing Lu Sheng, immediately put on a fawning smile.

"Lord, you've come! Perfect, these fellows just can't seem to understand Law Fusion. Please give them some guidance—"

"Shut up first."

Dao Yi obediently stepped aside.

Lu Sheng scanned the Cultivators present. Seventeen Spirit Emperor Realms stared at him with burning eyes.

He looked at Dao Yi and Zhou Lei.

"You two, step forward."

Dao Yi and Zhou Lei walked to the front.

"I hear you're close to touching the Spirit Venerable Realm?"

Dao Yi chuckled. "Thanks to the Lord's nurturing, I do have a bit of a feeling—"

"A feeling? Then let me see if you really have a feeling."

Lu Sheng raised a hand.

Gray Rule fluctuations spread out from his palm.

The space on the training grounds instantly froze. It wasn't a complete space lock, but an extremely delicate Rule Suppression—Lu Sheng used less than a thousandth of his power, precisely pressing it onto Dao Yi and Zhou Lei.

Dao Yi's expression changed.

He felt his body suddenly become ten times heavier. It wasn't physical weight, but the flow of the spirit source inside him suddenly became extremely difficult, as if an invisible hand were pinching the pipes.

"Under my Rule Suppression, try to deploy your own Laws," Lu Sheng said. "If you've really touched the threshold of the Spirit Venerable Realm, you should be able to find a channel for your Law to operate within the suppression."

Dao Yi gritted his teeth, desperately urging the spirit source within him.

His sequence talent was of the Lightning element. The Lightning Law of the Peak Spirit Sovereign Realm surged frantically within him, trying to break through Lu Sheng's Rule Suppression.

Arcs of electricity crackled on the surface of his body, but every arc that shot out was instantly crushed by the layer of gray Rules.

Zhou Lei's situation was similar. He had a Fire element talent; flames ignited on his body and were immediately extinguished, unable to take shape at all.

Both of them were drenched in sweat, gritting their teeth to endure.

Lu Sheng stood by and watched without saying a word.

Three minutes later.

Dao Yi's body suddenly jolted.

Under the extreme suppression, the Lightning Law within him suddenly found an extremely tiny gap. That gap wasn't something Lu Sheng had left intentionally, but rather that Rule Suppression from the Mid-stage Spirit Saint Realm could never be one hundred percent sealed—there are always gaps between Laws.

Dao Yi's Lightning Law suddenly drilled into that gap.

An arc of electricity shot out again—this time, it wasn't crushed.

Although it was only an extremely weak arc, it indeed penetrated Lu Sheng's Rule Suppression and flashed once above Dao Yi's head.

"That's the feeling." Lu Sheng finally spoke. "Remember this gap. The essence of the Spirit Venerable Realm is to find your own path under the suppression of the Laws of Heaven and Earth."

Dao Yi was trembling all over, but his eyes had lit up.

He felt it.

The Bottleneck that had troubled him for over half a month finally showed a hint of loosening at this moment.

Beside him, Zhou Lei was still struggling bitterly; his Fire Law could not break through Lu Sheng's suppression no matter what.

"Your Fire Law is too coarse." Lu Sheng glanced at him. "It's not about being as fierce as possible. Try compressing the flames to the extreme and look for a single point to break through; don't think about spreading out everywhere."

Zhou Lei was stunned, then made adjustments according to what Lu Sheng said.

He compressed the surging flames within him layer by layer, from a wall of fire into a pillar of fire, from a pillar of fire into a line of fire, and finally into a spark the size of a needle tip.

That spark flashed at his fingertip—

It passed through.

On Zhou Lei's fingertip, a flame the size of a bean burned quietly within the Rule Suppression of the Spirit Saint Realm.

"Good! That's the feeling!" Zhou Lei was so excited he almost jumped up.

Lu Sheng withdrew the Rule Suppression.

"You understand now. The Spirit Venerable Realm isn't built on brute force. The elemental Laws you mastered in the Spirit Emperor Realm cannot be used the same old way once you reach the Spirit Venerable Realm. You must learn fine-tuned control and find a way to survive in the cracks of the Rules."

The seventeen Spirit Emperor Realm Cultivators listened intently.

Lu Sheng didn't say much more. He briefly explained the methods and techniques of Rule Suppression and then let them practice on their own.

"Train in suppression for at least two hours every day. Dao Yi, you are the closest to a Breakthrough; hurry up for me. I want to see you step into the Spirit Venerable Realm within twenty days."

Dao Yi nodded with a bitter face.

Twenty days? Lord, you really think highly of me.

But he didn't dare to utter a single word of protest.

By the time Lu Sheng left the training grounds, it was almost dark.

He stood at the edge of the plaza, looking up at the gradually darkening sky.

In twenty days, Qing Ming Protector would arrive.

Mid-stage Spirit Saint Realm against Mid-stage Spirit Saint Realm.

He wasn't sure if he could win. But he was certain of one thing—he would definitely not lose.

"Come then," Lu Sheng whispered.

He turned and walked toward the secret chamber, beginning a new round of Cultivation consolidation.