Wu Tong retracted the black spirit ring in an instant, refining it completely in mere moments.
As the spirit ring was successfully refined, the voice of the Sage King rang out.
"Report: Detected spirit ring plugin. Analyzing..."
"Analysis complete. Acquired Spirit Skills: 'Mind Overclock,' 'Violent Ape Strength,' 'Soul-Stabilizing Roar'..."
"Detected that 'Mind Overclock' can supplement the Sage King's functions. Proceed with integration?"
"Yes/No."
Faced with the familiar choice once again, Wu Tong suppressed his excitement and spoke, "Yes."
Upon receiving Wu Tong's command, the Sage King responded swiftly.
"Answer: Master's instruction confirmed. Commencing fusion... Fusion successful."
"After integration and supplementation, the Sage King's skill 'Thought Acceleration' has been significantly enhanced, with its effects increased tenfold."
Seeing the Sage King's notification about the tenfold boost in skill effectiveness, Wu Tong wasn't disappointed.
After all, while spirit skills from Douluo Continent were unique, their inherent limitations meant they couldn't drastically elevate the Sage King's capabilities.
Still, Wu Tong was more than satisfied—ten times!
This wasn't just ten times one, but ten times one million.
The leap wasn't a minor improvement but a massive enhancement.
If a million-fold increase in cognitive speed was already this formidable, Wu Tong couldn't even imagine how the Sage King would perform with ten million-fold acceleration.
But that wasn't the focus right now. This was just a minor interlude—the real highlight was yet to come.
Thinking of the imminent completion of his "cheat," Wu Tong set aside the spirit ring energy conversion and retrieved the one-time "Limitless Upgrade" opportunity he had long since exchanged for in the group store.
The moment he took it out, a white light enveloped him.
"Ding~ Dear customer, what would you like to upgrade with this compensatory Limitless Upgrade opportunity?"
"Whether it's bloodline, cultivation techniques, talents, skills..."
Unsurprisingly, the voice belonged to the front desk customer service of the Management Bureau.
Hearing this familiar spiel, Wu Tong internally scoffed.
Without waiting for the customer service to finish, he uttered the words he had rehearsed countless times in his mind:
"I wish to upgrade... my Martial Soul, 'Wisdom Brain.'"
"Understood. Processing immediately."
As the customer service's voice faded, Wu Tong felt an indescribable, unfathomable, and incomprehensible force—imbued with infinite profundity—descend upon him from the void beyond.
As this energy enveloped him, Wu Tong sensed his Martial Soul undergoing a complete sublimation under its influence.
Whether it was the Wisdom Brain Martial Soul, the Wisdom Laws within it, or the unique skill "Sage King"...
Every ability contained within the Martial Soul was unified by this power, then fully integrated into the "Wisdom Brain," becoming part of the framework of the "Heaven-Defying Comprehension" talent constructed by the Wisdom Laws.
Then, the fused Wisdom Brain Martial Soul shattered into countless points of light, merging into Wu Tong's actual brain.
From that moment on, the fully integrated "Heaven-Defying Comprehension" talent became one with Wu Tong's true spirit—an inseparable, unalterable, and indestructible power under his complete control.
Wu Tong's brain was reconstructed into the "Wisdom Brain," no longer existing in the form of a Martial Soul.
Immediately afterward, his brain began evolving at an exponential rate—doubling, quadrupling, octupling... 512-fold... infinite-fold.
Every instant built upon the last, and within mere seconds, the scale of enhancement reached astronomical levels.
Finally, it even transcended into the very concept of wisdom itself, granting Wu Tong authority over the principle of wisdom.
As his brain ascended at this tower-of-exponentials pace, Wu Tong couldn't help but lose himself in the sensation of rapid advancement.
...
Time—how much had passed?
A moment... a second... an hour... a day...
Or... countless years?
Snapping out of the accelerated state, Wu Tong's perception of time was left in disarray.
His mind foggy, he struggled to grasp the flow of time.
But within a second, the Wisdom Brain—now wielding the authority of wisdom—pulled him back to clarity.
"Hah... that really felt like entering 'Sage Mode,' huh."
Reflecting on his earlier thoughts, Wu Tong mused absentmindedly.
Shaking it off, he turned his attention to his body, eager to assess the changes.
"Is this still even my brain?"
After careful introspection, Wu Tong's eyes shot open in astonishment.
His thoughts were clearer than ever, his mind operating at speeds beyond description.
Problems that once seemed complex were now effortlessly deconstructed and reassembled in his mind, presenting solutions with unprecedented simplicity.
He could even perceive the laws governing the world around him, the mechanisms of universal principles—everything had become so obvious.
In short, Wu Tong felt as though his brain had become the Sage King.
Not just when using skills, but even in its baseline state, his cognitive abilities now rivaled—or even surpassed—those of the Sage King.
Wu Tong wasn't wrong. Under the加持 of the wisdom authority, his brain in its natural state could already match or exceed the Sage King's enhancements.
And when he activated the "Heaven-Defying Comprehension" talent, wielding the authority of wisdom, his Comprehension became truly immeasurable.
"Hahaha! I've finally stepped into the ranks of the true cheaters! The 'Heaven-Defying Comprehension' cheat is complete! Cheating feels amazing!"
Years of longing fulfilled in a single night.
Having successfully evolved into his "Ultimate" form, Wu Tong vented his exhilaration.
After a long while, he calmed down.
"Sage King, give me a detailed report on my changes."
"Understood. Your evolution this time—"
"Wait." Wu Tong's sharp senses immediately picked up on something unusual.
The Sage King had answered without its usual prefixes like "Report" or "Answer."
After a moment's thought, Wu Tong understood—the Sage King must have been upgraded alongside his Martial Soul.
Since the Sage King had deeply integrated with the Wisdom Brain, its enhancement was inevitable once the latter evolved.
Of course, that wasn't the main point right now. The real question was...
"Sage King... do you now possess sentience?"
Wu Tong asked with keen interest.
"Yes, Master. After this enhancement, I have developed true intelligence and independent thought."
The Sage King didn't withhold its answer.
This reply took Wu Tong slightly by surprise. He had suspected that the Sage King would evolve alongside his Martial Soul, but he hadn't expected it to gain sentience.
Wasn't this just like Rimuru's "Great Sage," evolving into a full-fledged intelligent skill?
But this was a good thing. With true intelligence, the Sage King would no longer operate mechanically as before.
Now, Wu Tong could simply set a general direction, and the Sage King would independently formulate and refine plans.