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*****
Shangguan Tianyue felt as though Su Wen was making a joke at his expense.
What kind of fundamental core mystery had he solved to guarantee that three methods could cover every single potential situation? From any angle, these "comprehensive methods" looked like something fabricated specifically to fool people.
Su Wen's expression remained flat and composed. He truly mastered these three methods and was not lying, so he didn't feel a shred of guilt or hesitation.
It was this very attitude that forced Shangguan Tianyue to tentatively believe in these seemingly preposterous claims.
"You understand that talk is cheap," Shangguan Tianyue said, taking a deep breath and speaking in a heavy voice. "I need confirmation that you can actually implement these methods."
Su Wen didn't find the request strange. He was "checking the goods," after all. Without wasting words, Su Wen directly summoned his Meditative World.
In an instant, a Heavenly Book materialized in Su Wen's hand. The Meditative World manifested in the form of his Martial Soul.
"This is...?" Shangguan Tianyue's eyes twitched as he looked at the book in Su Wen's hand. "A Consolidated Equipment?"
Shangguan Tianyue was genuinely surprised. It was the first time he had ever seen a book-type Consolidated Equipment. On the mainland, the universally accepted "correct" path for Consolidated Equipment was the Consolidated Set. The more pieces a set contained, the more powerful it became, as the multiple pieces worked in unison to provide a combined amplification.
Because of this, Consolidated Sets almost always took the form of armor.
In Shangguan Tianyue's mind, Su Wen was a Heavenly Emperor-level powerhouse, so he surely followed the set strategy. He might not have a set of ten pieces or more, but he should at least have a nine-piece set. Any remaining independent equipment would usually be designed to complement the set and cover its weaknesses.
In the current era, aside from the Six-Ultimate Emperor Long Shiya, were there any other rogue Heavenly Emperors? It was hard to say. However, history showed that while such experts usually only had nine-piece sets, their primary weapons or defensive shields were often interchangeable, allowing them to adapt to different combat scenarios. This was essentially the "half-step" achieved before completing a full ten-piece set.
This meant that even if a Heavenly Emperor only had a nine-piece set, the total number of pieces they had consolidated might be ten, eleven, or even twelve.
"Book-type equipment..." Shangguan Tianyue was stunned, and Tang Xian was even more so. She hadn't expected Su Wen's equipment to be a book. Furthermore, she understood the context better than her husband.
For example, she knew Su Wen was re-cultivating. This meant the current Su Wen only had a single pair of Heavenly Jewels. And yet, even in a state of re-cultivation, Su Wen had chosen a book as his very first piece of equipment? Tang Xian found the logic completely incomprehensible.
Su Wen didn't care about what the couple was thinking. He manifested the Meditative World, used it to simulate his Martial Soul, and peeled off a single page.
[Fire Demon Overlord Body]
The page drifted toward Shangguan Tianyue, preparing to merge with his body. Shangguan Tianyue hesitated for a fraction of a second before choosing to trust Su Wen and lowering his guard. The page merged smoothly into him.
Shangguan Tianyue's eyebrows shot up. After the page entered his body, it actually began to guide the circulation of his Heavenly Energy! His expression shifted rapidly. He wasn't sure if he should allow this external guidance to continue.
But he quickly made a decision. What harm is there in trusting him?
As his Heavenly Energy followed the unique and incredibly complex cycle, Shangguan Tianyue's face changed drastically. Flames erupted across the surface of his body, but more importantly, the fire entered his form without damaging his physical structure. Instead, it stimulated his body, making it even stronger.
In an instant, he had entered the state of the Fire Demon Overlord Body.
This is a skill! A fire-attribute skill!
Shangguan Tianyue possessed the fire attribute himself and naturally mastered its corresponding skills, but he was certain that Su Wen's actions just now had not triggered any of his own Heavenly Jewel skills. This meant that by using the book page as a guide, Su Wen could directly cause a Jewel Master to manifest an attribute skill.
While Shangguan Tianyue was still reeling from the shock, Su Wen wasted no time and moved to a deeper level of verification.
"Madam Tang, it's your turn. It's going in; do not resist."
Tang Xian nodded, maintaining a cooperative stance. The page merged into her, guiding her energy.
Shangguan Tianyue regained his senses and looked at his wife.
BOOM!
A pillar of flame erupted as Tang Xian likewise entered the Fire Demon Overlord Body state!
At this moment, Shangguan Tianyue believed him. He truly believed that Su Wen possessed the method for attribute expansion. Although they hadn't technically verified the actual expansion of a Jewel's attributes yet, this display alone proved everything.
The Hallowed Vast Palace conducted its own research. As the Second Palace Master, even if he didn't have an immediate personal need for it, he had to understand the field. He knew that with the ability Su Wen just demonstrated, every theoretical bottleneck the Palace's researchers had hit could be bypassed. With Su Wen's help, developing a true attribute expansion method was only a matter of time!
Even if Su Wen hadn't fully developed the final "formula" himself, this auxiliary ability alone would allow the Hallowed Vast Palace to complete the research on their own. It was functionally no different from trading for the finished method.
Of course, Shangguan Tianyue also knew that Su Wen had almost certainly finished the development. Having mastered such a core technology, finalizing the full method was likely child's play for him.
By safely assisting a Jewel Master in mastering skills of other attributes, one could use frequent practice to artificially alter the body's affinity for a specific element over time.
However, just as Su Wen had successfully provided his initial proof, the core of the problem shifted once more.
Shangguan Tianyue was, after all, the Second Palace Master of a Great Holy Land. He had to consider the interests of the Hallowed Vast Palace. He immediately thought about the confidentiality and security of using this method to change the attributes of their Jewels.
Outsiders wouldn't know, but what about Su Wen? If they sought his help to expand the attributes of their members, he would essentially hold the fate of the Hallowed Vast Palace's most vital figures in his hands.
From the worst-case perspective, if Su Wen harbored ill intent or bias toward certain branches of the Shangguan family, he could play favorites. He could directly prop up one descendant over another. It wasn't just about helping someone awaken the Alexandrite Cat's Eye; Su Wen had far more room to maneuver—he could potentially sabotage an awakening that was naturally meant to be an Alexandrite Cat's Eye.
This was tantamount to placing the entire future of their Holy Land's heritage into the hands of an outsider.
And he was a terrifyingly powerful outsider at that.
(End of Chapter)